Trash Panda

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow glanced back at Penelope as she spoke up after a moment, and his heart fluttered at her words. Smiling a bit wider, he turned away again and continued looking over the house. He hadn’t brought her there to seek her approval of it, but the fact that she thought it would make a good home brought a surge of joy to the thief. He was happy that he had chosen to bring her to the place where he had grown up, but even more so, he was happy that she seemed to like it.

Sitting in his old home with her now, he was reminded of his plans two years ago to bring her to all the places in the outer villages that he was fondest of. The memory made his smile fade slightly. Back then he had been hoping she would be traveling around with him as his wife, not an acquaintance who he had drifted apart from. He felt a pang of longing for the future they had never attained. Because of the war, everything was different now. He was living with a band of thieves, trying to help the peasants of the outer villages survive; and she was a lieutenant for the king’s army, being courted by another man. It suddenly seemed like a cruel twist of fate for them to be together now in his childhood home when everything had changed.

But, somehow, we’re still here, he glanced at Penelope again with a hint of affection in his gaze. Despite all of it—the war, their differing lives, the people they were with—they had still wound up here of all places, sitting alone together in the middle of a storm. Even though it didn’t happen the way he imagined, he was still glad that she was with him now. So, not wanting to spoil the moment, he pushed his wistful thoughts aside to focus on simply being present with her in the house of his youth.

As she went on to answer his question, Crow nodded. He was glad that her disappearance wouldn’t be noticed by too many knights, but it was a little disconcerting to know that her suitor might realize she was gone. He eyed her curiously as she explained that Gavin didn’t know she was still meeting with him, nor the fact that she had a fear of thunderstorms. He found it odd that she would keep so much from the man she claimed she intended to marry, but he chose not to dwell on the thought. Whatever her reasons may have been, she was still with the knight, and she seemed happy enough, so he had no reason to question her.

At her following words, Crow found himself unable to keep from laughing, “That’s very kind of you, darling, but do you really think I’m going to leave right now?” He smirked at her teasingly. “There’s no way in hell I’m walking all the way back to my camp in the middle of a storm this bad. This shelter was just as much for me as it was for you. And besides that,” his gaze softened slightly as he looked at her. “What sort of friend would I be if I left you alone when I know quite well how frightened you are of storms?”

His heart beat a little quicker as he referred to himself as her friend when they hadn’t discussed the nature of their relationship. He didn’t know how she viewed him, so it had been a bit of a bold move on his part to throw out such a term. However, he couldn’t deny that that was what he wanted. He wanted her to view him as someone she could still count on, because even though they weren’t lovers anymore, he still cared about her and wanted to be there for her.

Blushing slightly, he averted his gaze to look out the window, going on in a quiet voice, “I’m not going anywhere until this passes.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Nice lol glad that worked out

Thanks! I’m hoping for no family drama ^^;

I checked and Tequila Sunrise is just an AZ thing apparently.
I wasn’t sure because one of my friends from Cali told me about it during our freshman year, but she must have learned after she came to my university

I just got done catching up with my parents, so I’ll get my reply up tomorrow morning :)

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EDIT: I'll have some time to write after the wedding today (probably back around 5-6), and possibly some time before, so I won't be completely awol x3

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

I'm getting ready for my drive, so I won't get another post done until I get to my parents' house
It'll be at least 2-3 hours, maybe more if they want to hang out with us when we get there, which I think they do because we're not in town often

If I don't catch you again before you go to your halloween party, have fun! ^^

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EDIT: Oh, also, I dunno if y'all celebrate Tequila Sunrise in Cali, but that's happening right now, so you might want to look out for that xD
Low key a little scared for my 2 hour drive with all the daytime drunks

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow may have tried to make a move
He's so awkward xD

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

The room was dry, but it definitely wasn’t warm. Crow shuddered again as he slipped his cloak off of his shoulders and tossed it to the side. The fabric landed with a heavy thump, weighed down by the water it had soaked up while he had been in the rain. He leaned back on his palms, looking around as a sense of nostalgia rose up inside of him.

He hadn’t been to this place in at least a decade, but it still felt familiar to him. Of course, after so much time had passed, it was quite different from what he remembered. For one thing, anything of value had been stolen long ago by rogue thieves, leaving only the bare necessities behind. For another, it felt emptier. It was truly empty in the physical sense, because no one had lived there in so long, but being here again also made him feel a bit hollow, himself.

He felt Penelope lean her head against his shoulder, and he glanced down at her with a soft smile. He still felt a bit strange in bringing her to this house, since he had never showed it to anyone before, but he found that he was glad she was here with him now. Struck by a sudden wave of affection for the knight, he moved to put an arm around her. However, he faltered as he felt her pull back from him again. The motion reminded him that they weren’t together anymore, and he blushed slightly, covering up his gesture by bringing his arm up to wring more water out of his sleeve instead.

Keep it together, he took a calming breath. She’s not yours anymore, so don’t do anything to make her uncomfortable. Sneaking a sideways glance at Penelope, he felt his heart beat a little quicker in his chest, and he swallowed nervously. She wasn’t his anymore, but oh how he wished she still was.

At her question, he averted his gaze to look around the room once more. The defensive side of him considered lying to her and saying he had just happened to find this place, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. He wanted her to know where he had brought her. “This was… the house where I grew up,” he said, turning back to her again with a sheepish smile. “It was the closest place I could think of where we could take refuge.” He shrugged. “I haven’t lived here in years, but it’s technically still mine. After my mother died, ownership passed to me. I know I should probably have given it to someone out here who would actually use it, but I don’t know… I guess I could never bring myself to sell the place.” Letting out his breath in a sigh, he gazed at the room fondly. “It’s not much to look at, but it will give us shelter until this storm passes.”

Another thought crossed his mind, and he met Penelope’s gaze with a frown, “Speaking of which, what are you going to do if it lasts all night? Do you think anyone will notice you’ve been gone?”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

That post definitely took a turn I wasn't expecting, but I love it~

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow was relieved that Penelope seemed willing to move now that she had calmed down a bit. Still trembling from the cold rainwater that soaked his clothes and hair, he was eager to get someplace dry to warm up. He stayed close to her as they rose to their feet, looking around as he took a moment to see where they were. His first thought was to take her back to the tavern, but that was on the other side of the village. Considering how skittish the knight was at the moment, he wasn’t sure if she could make it all the way there without breaking down again. No, he would have to find someplace closer.

He led her out to the main road and looked down the length of it as he tried to come up with another idea. Suddenly, a place came to his mind that he hadn’t thought about in years. He glanced down at Penelope, wondering if it would be worth it to take her there. It was nearby, and he really did want to get out of the rain… It’s the best option we have. Taking a deep breath, he tugged on her hand to lead her away from the road as he changed direction to go down a side street.

As they walked, the houses grew smaller and a bit closer together. He continued to stay close to Penelope’s side, running his free hand slowly up and down her arm as he tried to keep her calm, until he came to a run-down looking building near the end of the road. He paused for a moment to look up at it before he reached for the handle on the wooden door and pulled it open. The unlocked door swung open at an odd angle, its hinges having grown worn with age, and the thief stepped through the opening, closing it behind him once Penelope was inside too.

The interior of the house was nearly pitch black, aside from a few patches of moonlight on the floor from one window and some cracks in the dilapidated roof. Crow led Penelope across the room to a bed he remembered was in the corner. “Sit here,” he said. “I’ll be right back.” Letting go of her hand, he crossed to a different part of the room, running his fingers across the top of an old table until he found a dusty oil lantern. He lit it with a wick and moved it to the center of the floor to light up the space before stepping back over to sit next to Penelope on the edge of the bed.

“This is much better,” he sighed, wringing out some of the water in his sleeves and hair. Glancing at Penelope again, he grinned, “You did great, love.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

They're so cute x3

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow’s breath caught in his throat as Penelope suddenly pressed herself against him. Unable to move right away in his surprise, he just stared at her as she buried her head against his chest. His heart raced with a different energy than before, replacing his fear with excitement. Even though he knew she was only getting so close to him because she was terrified, part of him never wanted her to move. He relished the feeling of her arms around him, and her body leaning into his, and in that moment, he realized just how much he had missed her touch. It was warm and comforting, and it brought him back to the time when they had been together two years ago.

The image of their night in the stables when she had first sought comfort in him back then flashed through his mind, and for a moment it felt like they had gone back in time—like they were still together and there was nothing standing between them. Though he knew it wasn’t real, the thought gave him a strange sense of peace, and he broke free from his initial trance enough to wrap his arms around her and hold her against himself, trying to comfort her in the storm.

He lifted one hand up to hold her head against his chest, running his fingers calmingly through her hair. “Don’t be,” he shook his head at her apology. “It’s not your fault.” Glancing up, he saw another bolt of lightning streak across the sky, and he frowned, tensing slightly at the thunder that followed. “We should get to shelter though,” he said, looking down at her again. “I don’t think this storm is going to ease up for a while, and we need to get out of the rain.”

Pulling back from her slightly, he paused for a moment before reaching to take her hand in his. “You can do it,” he offered her a smile. “I’ll be right beside you the whole time, so don’t worry.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow is trying his best to get her to come back to her senses cx