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Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

As they lapsed back into silence, Crow’s mind wandered back to the other thieves and what he was going to do with them once the war was over. After living together for over a year, they had become an integral part of his life, and he found that he was unexpectedly sad to leave them. Of course, he knew that he didn’t necessarily have to leave them the same way that Penelope would have to leave the other knights. He wasn’t being forced out of a high status or job, and his companions would still accept him if he brought her in to live with them.

However, even though he knew nothing would likely change for him, he was concerned about how they would treat Penelope. She was giving up everything to be with him, but he didn’t know if the other thieves would understand that. At the very least, he was certain that Simon would never trust a noblewoman—even one who had abandoned her social class. Alistair and Rikki seemed like they would be more accommodating, but he couldn’t be sure about them either, since they also had their reasons for disliking knights. They might be friendly now, but would they continue to act that way if he announced that she would be joining them permanently? He didn’t know the answer.

Besides that, he wanted to give Penelope the best life that he could provide for her. Bringing her in to live with a rogue band of thieves wasn’t what he had promised her. He wanted to give her a life where they could start over together, far from anything that would get between them or cause them more trouble. Unfortunately, that included his companions.

Eventually, Crow could see the valley up ahead where they had made camp, and he felt a burst of relief. After such a long day, he could feel his exhaustion finally catching up with him, and he wanted nothing more than to lay down and get some sleep.

As they neared the camp, he glanced over at Penelope as he heard her speak up about her excitement for the war to end. He laughed softly at her teasing smirk. “I’ll say,” he squeezed her hand fondly. “You haven’t even been involved in this war for a full season, yet you’ve already done so much for your kingdom and its people. There are many who owe you their lives… including me.” He shuddered as he thought about how he and Hazel probably would have died if the knight hadn’t warned them about the patrols. Even after doing that, she had helped him get to safety when he had been in no condition to save himself.

“Fair warning, I might just become lazy and sleep most of the day,” Penelope’s expression was somber. “It’s going to be strange not being a knight though.”

Crow eyed her for a moment and then slowed to a stop. Moving to stand in front of her, he tugged on her hand to pull her close and slid his other arm around her back. He then leaned in to meet her lips, kissing her passionately before drawing back to hold her gaze. “You may not be a knight anymore, but I’m sure you’ll find something else to give you purpose,” he smiled confidently. “There’s a lot of brokenness in the outer villages that need people like you to help fix. Even if you don’t have the power of a noble, there are still ways that you’ll be able to protect the people out here.” He shifted his weight, blushing slightly as he went on, “A-and maybe if you feel like you’ve done enough there… you could find purpose in your family… our family.”

He averted his gaze uncomfortably. They had never discussed anything like this before, so he suddenly felt awkward being the first to bring it up. Clearing his throat, he went on hurriedly, “Anyway, I think there are still a lot of things left for you to take pride in, so I doubt you’ll actually spend the days sleeping as you think you will. And even if you do, you deserve it after everything you’ve done for your kingdom.” He smiled softly. “You’re an amazing knight, love. Whatever sort of future you want, I’ll do my best to make it happen.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Got one done cx

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow nodded as Penelope said she was ready to go. Holding her hand in his, he took the lead as they began the walk back to their camp. While he wished they’d had more time, he was glad she had been willing to join him on one more late-night adventure before going back to her camp. It reminded him of old times and made him excited for the future to come. He hoped the war ended soon so they would be able to be with each other without all the complications of their current lives. He couldn’t wait to take her to more of the places in the outer villages that he loved.

Thinking about it again, he felt a wave of happiness that they had a second chance to be together. For so long, he had thought the door was closed, yet here they were two years later, walking hand in hand through the forest by Farhill. As long as nothing else pulled them apart, the future they had wanted was still within reach. His heart fluttered eagerly at the fantasy of settling down with her in the outer villages. It was a life he never thought he would want, yet now he couldn’t imagine turning any other way when the war was over.

He glanced down at Penelope, smiling softly as she leaned into his side. At her question, he took a moment to think before answering. She was right that they would have to wait a while before seeing each other after everything that had happened between their two groups. He knew that he and the other thieves would be busy trying to find a new place to set up camp. They would also have to buy new supplies in a market, since they weren’t going to go back to their old hideout after the knights had found it. He supposed they could steal some of the things they needed, but it was safer to lay low for a while and just use to money they had saved up for emergencies like this.

“As much as I hate to say it, we should probably meet again in a week,” Crow said with a frown. “That will give you enough time for things to blow over in your camp, and hopefully by then, my companions and I will have a new place to live.” He paused, thinking something over before going on. “I’m not sure where I’ll be by then, but we can meet in Myrefall again. If we end up needing to find a new meeting location because that village is too far for me, we can decide on it then. Sound good?”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

She's good for him though, because he's reckless xD

I just got home from hanging out with my family today, so I'll get started on a reply now!

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

I bet xD I never understood why it was a thing anyway. It sounds unnecessary and confusing

Crow doesn't like being coddled

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

“I told you I had more tricks up my sleeve,” Crow smirked at Penelope wryly when she said she had never done anything like that before. “I wasn’t just talking about lying.” He closed his eyes, stroking her arm gently as she curled up against him. With the knight’s warm presence and the security of their secluded spot above the lake, he considered taking a short nap before returning to the camp. After all, if the other thieves got as drunk in Azmar as they usually did, he doubted they would notice that he and Penelope had disappeared together. As long as they made it back before daybreak, no one would know they were ever gone.

Content with the plan, he began to let himself drift off. However, he didn’t get a chance before he heard Penelope announce that they should go back. He opened his eyes again and frowned as she pulled away from him to get up. Propping himself up on his arms, he saw that she was already gathering her clothes, so he gave a reluctant nod, “Alright.” Though he was still confused by her sudden urge to get back to the camp, he complied with the knight’s request, collecting his own clothing from the ground and getting dressed.

At her following question, he shrugged and looked over at her with an amused smile, “Tired, yet satisfied. Why do you ask?” Suddenly, he blinked as he realized she was thinking about his illness again. He shifted slightly and averted his gaze. He knew that this would happen if she found out about it. It was why he had tried so hard to keep it a secret. Now that she knew he was sick, she was just going to keep worrying about him. He didn’t want her to carry that burden.

Crow let out his breath in a sigh and stepped over to take her hands, pressing a comforting kiss to her forehead. “Darling, I’m fine,” he said softly. “I may be ill, but I don’t need to be coddled, so please don’t treat me differently because of it.” He nudged her teasingly. “Besides, I honestly feel much better after being with you tonight. Maybe you’re the cure I needed after all.” He laughed, hoping to lift her spirits with the sultry humor.

Leaning in to kiss her on the lips, he dropped one of her hands and then straightened up again to ask, “So, are you ready to go, love?”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow decided to get bolder with Penelope too xD

Nice! If it did: Welcome to the world where clocks don't change~
It's very nice over here x3

Cool. That'll give us time to add some more, since we're both so busy this week lol

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow gave Penelope a bit of space as she moved to remove her shirt but was quick to meet her lips again once she had finished. He ran his hands over her smooth body, pressing deeply into the kiss in his desire for her. No matter how many times he saw the knight, she always had a way of making his heart race that was unlike anything he’d ever experienced before. He marveled at how fortunate he was to be with a woman as beautiful as her and to have somehow managed to win her heart.

He opened his eyes as he felt her pull away from him, blinking in surprise at the mischievous look on her face. When she pulled on his shirt, his shock gave way to amusement, and he grinned as he allowed her to drag him down to the ground with her. He had forgotten how much bolder she had gotten with intimate situations over the past two years. It was a change in her that he thoroughly enjoyed, since he didn’t have to initiate every move anymore.

Lying on top of her now, he let out a quiet sigh as she kissed him along his neck. “I’ll say,” he murmured in agreement. “Meeting you was worth every second I spent in prison.” As he felt her hands on the hem of his tunic, he shifted slightly to let her pull the clothing over his head. Once it was off, he leaned down to meet her lips again, propping himself up on one arm while he ran his free hand sensuously over her chest.

After a bit, he pulled away to meet her gaze with a devilish smirk of his own. Reaching back, he pulled the makeshift blindfold from his pocket and winked at her slyly, “How about we get a little more use out of this, huh?”

--

Crow laid back in the grass, one arm around Penelope, and closed his eyes as he caught his breath. Since she was getting more confident with him, he had decided to be a bit wilder with her in return. The extra effort was tiring but well worth the satisfaction that came with it. He let out a content exhale and looked over at the knight with a dazed grin, “You know, I’m starting to think the patrols finding us wasn’t such a bad thing, because that was great.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Had a ton of homework today, so it took a while to get that one up ^^;
Also, I can throw in a fade out earlier if Crow and Penelope do sleep together again, because it's not super important to the story at this point
It just makes sense for the characters, I think

Stupid DST xc
I'm guessing it didn't get voted out? Sad day

If I can get a lot of my work done before Monday, I'll have the whole day free! :D
Also, I think it's a holiday? Not sure. That might be next Monday

--

EDIT: I checked, and it's Veteran's Day, so I have no class ^^

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow grinned happily when Penelope said she thought the lake was beautiful. He was glad she enjoyed it too, since it was a place that meant a lot to him. When he was younger, he had spent quite a few nights sleeping on the top of the ridge where they were currently standing. It was close enough to Farhill that he could find sanctuary with the villagers there, yet far enough away that he didn’t have to adhere to their rules about following the law. Additionally, he had never seen anyone else in this particular spot before, so he was fairly certain that it wasn’t very well known.

Most of the people in Farhill went to the northern side of the lake, where the ground met the water in a rocky beach that was good for docking their fishing boats. The only ones who climbed up any part of the cliffside were the young men who jumped off it into the lake to impress village girls. The thief smiled to himself as he remembered a few times when he had joined them in the more shallow parts of the lake that he was able to get out of with minimal swimming. While he hadn’t been trying to catch anyone’s eye, he enjoyed the rush of free falling through the air before he’d hit the water. It was an exhilarating feeling.

When he wasn’t using the cliffside for thrills, Crow found it a peaceful place to rest and clear his head. The view was beautiful, and at night there was never anyone close enough by to interrupt. In fact, Penelope was the first person he had ever brought there with him. He closed his eyes, holding her close as he leaned his head against hers. He hadn’t told her, but this was the place where he had wanted to ask her to marry him two years back. It was strange to think how differently everything had turned out since then.

For a moment, he toyed with the idea of asking her now, but quickly put the thought aside. Between the complication of their lives, the ongoing war, and the illness he had yet to figure out, it didn’t feel like the right time. He let out his breath in a peaceful exhale, nestling a bit closer to her. He didn’t have to make any grand gestures to enjoy his time with her there. As long as she was at his side, he would be content with the way things were for now.

After a short silence passed, he felt Penelope turn and kiss him along his neck. He sighed softly, melting into the touch of her lips against his skin. “No, thank you for coming here with me,” he shook his head and smiled. Leaning in again, he briefly closed the distance between them with a gentle kiss. “I love you, Penelope,” he murmured before meeting her lips again more passionately. Snaking his arms around her, he ran his hands sensuously over her body as they kissed, subtly guiding her away from the edge of the cliff to protect both of them from falling in their distraction.

Once they were comfortably far from the overhang, he shifted to stand in front of her, pressing one hand to the small of her back to hold her body against his while he caressed the back of her neck with the other. Feeling a bit flirtatious, he took her bottom lip between his teeth in a soft bite and then moved to kiss her along her jawline, reaching around to toy with the fastening of her clothing in an unspoken hint that he wanted to take things farther.