Title: Barn Burn
Fandom: Fire Emblem (13) – Awakening
Rating: PG-13
Length: 925 Words
Content Notes: No real warnings. Minor references to naughty goings-on.
Author Notes: Cherche / Libra (S Support), possible Gaius / Panne.
Summary: Gaius, in pulling off a caper, stumbles into ... awkwardness.

* * * *

Preparations for a full-scale invasion of another continent required the attention of a large number of nobles and officials, and Gaius had been quick to realize that a fresh opportunity had presented itself to him, seeing as to how Virion – he of the big box of chocolates, each of them packaged by hand in fine paper – had a key role in that council of notables. If he had to be present there, then Cherche, his bodyguard – not the best term, considering everything she did for the army, but it had to do – had to accompany him, and that left no one at the tent to defend those chocolates.

The mission had been a success, and Gaius, after using handfuls of pebbles to replace everything he had snatched, had absconded to a barn in the local village – the army had decamped to the countryside to form up before heading to the ports – to enjoy his dainties. Not that he had anything against Virion, save for losing to him at games of chance, but it did not seem right that a noble should possess the rarest of candies ... and not eat them. Gaius, having the palate that his prey lacked, decided that he had a right to enjoy those chocolates as they ought to be enjoyed – no, as the chef intended!

He unwrapped the first of them, undoing the paper as if undressing a lover, and he parted his lips, licking them in anticipation, but, as he made ready to pop the chocolate into his mouth and take the stairway upwards to a heaven made of fine sugar, a sound from above reached his ears. The loft. He thought the barn had been empty, and there did not seem to be any occupants at first glance, but he had been so eager to get at his prize that he had not made a complete go of casing the place, and he silently cursed his luck as he quickly rewrapped the bonbon and padded his way to the ladder.

He paused at the foot to listen, and he blushed upon realizing that the noises that had caught his attention belonged to ... a certain set of activities. Not that he had anything against those, either. He had entertained notions about Panne that had almost pulled his mind off his attraction to candy, for example. (Almost, he admonished himself.) But he had a strong desire to satiate his hunger undisturbed, and, to do that, he needed to at least see who it was he might be bothering, especially considering that it might be one of his companions – a companion who, unfortunately, might rat him out to Virion.

The ladder obliged his feet, making not a noise as he scurried up to the top, but peering over the edge of the square opening – late evening left him only the barest light, but he did have sharp eyes, at least – made both of his brows raise, and he immediately slid back down the ladder, landing on the ground with scarcely a whisper. He had to shake his head. At first, he thought he had spied Cordelia, but the hair – long, flowing, and unbound – had a slightly different shade, and he realized that he had seen the very Cherche he had been avoiding. Luck did not seem to be on his side any longer.

But the item of interest that made him blush concerned the identity of the other person in the equation. There had been rumors that Cherche had become engaged, but ... to Libra? That had been a surprise, and Gaius reckoned that he had just become the first person to learn the secret. He had never imagined that the devout Libra might be the one to capture the interest of the aloof Cherche, but ... that had happened. Obviously. At first, Gaius had thought it might be another woman, and that made his ears burn, but ... no. Not a woman. Definitely Libra. And all the best to both of them, he thought.

He returned to his chocolates. (Yes, property of Virion no longer.) Not only did he have no desire for Cherche to catch him and hang him up by his ears, but he also did not wish to interrupt what had obviously been a tryst for the ages. His nose itched, and he thought, perhaps, that he ought to go and see Panne once he had eaten the whole batch. She had no particular role in planning the invasion, so she was most likely out hunting ... or, more likely, sleeping. As long as he did not sneak up on her too abruptly, she might be game for a conversation – assuming she did not kill him, of course.

His nose itched again, and he felt a prickling at the small of his back that told him that danger had entered his vicinity. But what danger? They might have decamped from the capital, but they had yet to leave Ylisse, and no bandit would be foolish enough to charge the host of Prince Chrom head-on. No, there must have been a subtle menace. Assassins? Perhaps. But why would they be looking for him? The thought nettled him as he gathered up his sweets and slipped through the small door at the rear ... only to find himself face-to-snout with one Minerva, the (rather large) Wyvern serving Cherche.

"Secret between us?" he offered weakly. Minerva seemed unamused, and she held that grim expression until she had nosed him all the way back to the tent he had robbed.

END.