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Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

I like it ^^
Crow's gonna be super confused when she accuses him of raiding the camp and killing her comrades, when he has no idea any of it happened xD

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow smiled as Penelope kissed his cheek and then moved to sit down with her beneath the tree when she gestured for him to join her. Leaning against her shoulder to shoulder, he tucked his left knee to his chest and stretched out his right leg, keeping it straight since his wound was still healing. He sank back against the tree trunk, and glanced at the knight, noticing her gaze wander up to the sky. Not wanting to interrupt the comfortable silence they had lapsed into, he did the same.

Sitting with her like this reminded him of when they had been riding in the wagon to Younis two years ago and had exchanged stories about their beliefs about the stars. Back then, they hadn’t even confessed their feelings for each other yet. He shook his head, reminded of how oblivious they had both been, but thankful they had ended up where they were now.

His eyes flicked back to Penelope as he felt her reach to take his hand, and he leaned contentedly into her side, enjoying the closeness he had missed for the last three weeks. At her question, he paused to think before answering. “Yes, that wasn’t one of my proudest moments,” he grimaced at the memory of his accident in the stables. Unsure if Hazel had given her many details, he supposed he should explain a little more about what had happened, just in case the herbalist had made him come off like he had broken his promise to stay safe during the fighting.

“I was using a bow during the last battle to stay away from the worst of the fight,” he said, turning to meet her gaze. “I climbed up the rafters in a stable because there was a window at the top that gave me a direct view of the main road. It seemed sturdy enough to hold my weight, but I suppose I overestimated it.” He shook his head. “The beam I was standing on broke when I was going to climb back down to retrieve my arrows, and when it fell, part of it snapped off and drove itself right through my leg.” He rested his free hand on his thigh to indicate where the splinter had stabbed him. “I had to pull it out, and after that, some Younisian knights found me. I tried to fight them off, which of course, didn’t go well, and in the end, Rikki was the one who killed them.”

He shifted his weight. “Unfortunately, by the time she’d found me, I’d already lost quite a lot of blood from my wound. I think the stress it put on my body was what made my illness worse, not the fight with the knights.” He shook his head. “It was unlucky, to say the least, but I’m glad Hazel and your physician friend were so quick to find a medicine that worked. I was only bedridden for about a week because of their efforts.”

He sighed, squeezing her hand and trailing his free hand absently up the length of her forearm, “I still have a bit of a cough on occasion, so I’m not cured yet, but I’m hoping it won’t be long before I’m fully healed of his cursed disease.” Leaning a bit closer to her, he pressed a quick kiss to her cheek and then grinned at her amusedly. “Enough about me. Tell me what you’ve been up to for the past three weeks. Hazel hasn’t told me anything aside from that you didn’t seem to have any visible injuries from the battle.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Honestly same cx
Do we want to wait until after the next battle to throw that in or have it happen first and be a big enough problem that the knights put the battle on hold?
I could see that happening if enough of their supplies go missing and all of their overnight guards are killed

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow wrapped his arms around the small of Penelope’s back as she leaned into him. He rested his head against hers and closed his eyes, smiling serenely as he relaxed against her. At her comment, he chuckled softly, “I’m glad we’ll never have to do that again. I just hope the time comes soon when we don’t have to separate for longer than a day.” He couldn’t wait for that. The thought of spending the rest of his life with her by his side sent a thrill of excitement through him.

He looked up again when he felt her pull away from him to collect her clothes and then followed suit, picking up his pants from the ground and putting them back on. Just as he began to reach for his shirt, he glanced at her with a frown as she said they should part ways soon. “I’m glad you’ve managed to get on her good side,” he said, bending down to retrieve his tunic and straightening again. “That’s not an easy thing to do if she already has a vendetta against you. However, whatever she said to you before doesn’t matter anymore.”

He slid his shirt back on and stepped over to the knight, taking her hands in his and grinning at her proudly. “I proved to her that I’m feeling much better, and I’m perfectly capable of managing my own health without needing her to tell me what to do.” He leaned down and kissed her playfully on the nose. “We can stay out as long as we like, darling.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Awww. That was why he was afraid to tell her

I figured I'd throw in a skip ^^

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow’s heartbeat quickened as Penelope allowed him to remove her clothing. Once the fastening was undone and the dress fell to her feet, his eyes wandered desirously over her body. After waiting for so long to be with her again, he found her even more attractive. He slid his hands over her slender form, sighing softly as her lips moved over his skin. Her touch made him shiver, and he closed his eyes as he felt her nip at his ear. He was glad he had stayed strong when Rikki had tried to tempt him. Being with the thief was nothing like being with her. Even if there had been some way for him to sleep with Rikki without ruining his relationship with the knight, it wouldn’t have been worth it. He only wanted to be with Penelope.

He felt her reach for the hem of his shirt and shifted away from her, lifting his arms so she could pull the clothing over his head. As her fingers trailed up his sides, he shuddered and grinned at her, “Gods, you’re so attractive.” Tossing his tunic aside, he pressed into her lips again with fervor and ran his hands down the length of her back. After a bit, he pulled back just enough to remove his own pants before moving in again to kiss her a little lower along her collarbone and trace his fingers over her bare hips.

He enjoyed the feeling of being so close to her, without even clothing to separate them. Every time they were together, he felt like the bond between them grew a little bit stronger, as did his love for the knight. His heart fluttered with a mixture of desire and fondness for her. He loved being intimate with her and was excited by the fact that that soon they would be more intimate still.

Pushing her back gently against the tree—he was careful not to move her roughly against the bark—he pressed one hand on her waist and slid his other hand behind her leg, pulling it up to rest against his side. He met her gaze briefly before leaning in to meet her lips once more, kissing her passionately as their bodies moved against each other as one…

--

Crow rested his forearm against the tree above Penelope’s head, panting softly as he touched his lips to her forehead in a soft kiss. Meeting her green eyes, he laughed a bit disjointedly and shook his head, “That was so worth the wait.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

She definitely made him feel better about it cx

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow nodded faintly when Penelope said she didn’t believe Rikki was just trying to hurt him. He didn’t think so either, especially since she had told him that she was ‘doing him a favor.’ As twisted as her method had been, he knew her well enough to know that she had been trying to protect him in her own way from what she thought was a relationship with an expiration date. Still, it didn’t change the fact that she had tried to manipulate him. He wasn’t going to be so quick to let that go.

As Penelope reassured him that she wasn’t going anywhere, the thief felt himself relax slightly. Her warm embrace was comforting to him, and he wrapped his arms around her as well, leaning into her lips as she kissed him. He appreciated how well she was taking everything he had said. If their positions were reversed and she had told him that one of the knights had tried to bed her, he knew he wouldn’t have been nearly so mild mannered about it.

“Thank you,” he sighed, pressing a soft kiss to her cheek as she said she still trusted him. “For what it’s worth, I can promise you that it won’t happen again. I’m not going to let her get between us.” He rested his head against hers. Even now, he was already thinking of ways to prevent Rikki from catching him off guard again. When he got back to his camp, he intended to make sure she never had another opportunity to try and tempt him again. Of course, the best way to do that was to return with a right frame of mind.

In a more controlled and tender approach, Crow shifted to kiss Penelope along her neck, tracing his hands desirously over her supple waist. Though it had been difficult for him to confess to her what had happened between him and Rikki, he was glad she had questioned him. It felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. His initial urgency to sleep with the knight was gone, replaced now with a loving passion that gave him no reason to rush.

He met her lips again, holding her by the small of her back as he pulled her close him himself and ran his free hand sensuously over her body. For a while, he didn’t push for more. Instead, he simply enjoyed the sensations of being with her like that, until eventually, he slipped his finger through the loop of the fastening on her dress and gave it a gentle tug to pull it loose.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow feels really bad about what happened ^^;

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow was just about to lean in to kiss Penelope again, but he faltered when he felt her take his hands in hers. At her words, he averted his gaze, hesitant to tell her the truth. He still considered Rikki his problem to deal with, and he also didn’t want to make her believe there was anything to worry about. Rikki had managed to tempt him once, but now that he knew her motives, he wasn’t going to fall for her enticing words again. He refused to betray Penelope’s trust the way the thief had betrayed his.

“I’m not going anywhere, I just…” he trailed off, shifting his weight uncomfortably. He knew that if he told her what had happened, he would have to explain everything, and he was ashamed of himself for even considering sleeping with Rikki. However, it was too late to lie and tell Penelope that everything was fine. She had caught the desperation in his actions. She knew something wasn’t right. He sighed and squeezed her hands, taking comfort in her touch as he steeled himself to explain why he was acting strangely.

“I just want to start by saying that nothing happened,” he said, looking up again to meet her gaze sincerely. “I need you to know that first.” He paused, taking a moment to overcome his hesitation before going on, “Earlier today, Rikki tried to seduce me into sleeping with her.” He swallowed nervously. “I think she was trying to take advantage of the fact that you and I haven’t been able to be intimate in over a month. Even if she didn’t know exactly how long it’s been, she had a pretty good idea. She timed it perfectly.” He shook his head. “She waited until we had gotten just close enough that I would listen to her lies. I’m sorry to say that it almost worked.”

Crow grimaced and let go of Penelope’s hands, feeling a pang of guilt. “I shouldn’t have trusted her,” he lowered his gaze again. “She’s a thief, and thieves are manipulative. It’s just part of how we live. I guess I just never expected her to try to deceive me like that.” The tangle of hurt emotions from Rikki’s betrayal started to surface again, and he closed his eyes, forcing them back down.

“I don’t want her to have power over me anymore,” he took a shaky breath. “I know nothing happened today, but every time I think about what could have happened if I hadn’t said no…” He faltered and went on meekly. “I could never forgive myself if I hurt you like that. I love you, and I don’t want to lose you, Penelope.”