Crow leaned into Penelope as she kissed him, smiling contentedly against her soft lips. With the trip having gone so well, all of his worries had dissipated, and he was able to fully enjoy the brief moment with her. While the question of how long she would be at the castle with him was still up in the air, the issue was far enough in the future that he didn’t feel an urgency to dwell on it now. For the first time in months, he was able to relax completely in her warm presence, without any looming fears in the back of his mind.

When Penelope eventually pulled back from the kiss, he met her gaze with an affectionate look and reached up to trail his fingers gingerly along her cheek and jawline. He wished she could stay the night with him in his tent, but he knew she had to leave soon so her comrades wouldn’t notice she was gone. If anyone caught her sharing a bed with him, it would be bad news.

In the next moment, he sighed softly and let his arm fall back to his side as she echoed his thoughts. Shifting slightly, he gave her space to stand up and then did so as well, wrapping his arms around the small of her back to hold her close to himself. “I’ll remember that,” he assured her when she told him where to find her if he needed anything. The thief held her gaze a little longer before leaning down to meet her lips in one more parting kiss, pressing into her deeply as he savored the moment.

After a bit, he broke away from her and took a step back. “Goodnight, Penelope,” he smiled at her with a mixture of fondness and exhaustion from the long day. “I love you, and I’ll see you in the morning.”