Trash Panda

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow shrugged when Penelope said they didn’t have the gods’ favor and leaned in to meet her lips as she kissed him. He wasn’t sure whether he believed they did or not. On one hand, they had been through more dangerous ordeals than anyone else he had ever met and had nearly been killed on multiple occasions. But on the other hand, they weren’t dead yet. Who was to say whether the gods were involved in their dumb luck? Perhaps they were being looked upon fondly for some reason, but he wasn’t going to make any assumptions about it. After all, he had never tried to live his life to please the gods before, and he certainly wasn’t going to start just because of a slight possibility that they really were watching him.

As Penelope asked about his wound, Crow smirked. “As long as we’re careful, I’ll be fine,” he assured her, touching a playful kiss to her forehead. “Besides, if you’re really that worried, then you could do most of the work this time, and I’ll just make it up to you the next.” He winked at her jokingly and then took on a more sultry look as he leaned in to meet her lips in a deep kiss. After waiting so long to be intimate with her again, he didn’t want to put it off any more, regardless of his injury. However, he really did believe it would be fine. The wound had barely begun to ache by the end of their walk that day, and it wouldn’t get worse as long as they were careful not to put pressure on it. It wasn’t that big of a risk, in his opinion.

Heart pounding with excitement, the thief slipped his hands underneath the hem of Penelope’s shirt and slowly lifted it over her head, trailing his fingers sensuously along her sides as he removed the clothing. Once it was off, he followed suit by taking off his tunic and tossing it aside, meeting her lips again fervently when that was done. It had been so long since the last time they’d been this close that the feeling of her bare chest against his sent thrills up his spine and made him press into her all the more passionately.

“Gods, I missed this,” Crow murmured breathily as he shifted to kiss her along the base of her neck and collarbone, trailing his hands down the length of her body as he reached to remove her pants. “You’re so beautiful, Penelope.”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow's really enjoying coming back to this place now that they're together cx

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

“Maybe a little,” Crow shrugged, offering Penelope a sheepish smile when she accused him of being nostalgic. As she went on to talk about how this village was where she’d first called him by his name instead of ‘thief,’ he nodded, remembering how surprised he had been at the time to hear a noble call him by anything other than his occupancy or surname. In hindsight, he supposed that had been one of the first moments when he’d realized there was something different about her.

When Penelope guessed that he had been planning to take her to the pond where they had gone the first time they’d visited this village, Crow let out a low whistle. “Looks like you’re onto me,” he chuckled, pressing a kiss to her cheek. “I can’t slip anything past you, huh?” Despite his joking, he knew it hadn’t been that hard for her to figure out his plan. The pond by Sarton was a bit of a significant piece of their history together, since so much had changed between them back then. It was a natural place to visit while they were passing through the area yet again.

His eyes wandered back to the road ahead as they walked, excited to come back to the pond with her again after two years. At her joking comment, he laughed. “I guess so,” he mused, smirking at her amusedly. “It’s one of the things we had in common even then, isn’t it?” He gave her hand an affectionate squeeze. “Even if we got attacked again, we’re much better prepared than we used to be. I’ve seen you fight lately, and those rebels don’t stand a chance.”

Crow glanced off to the side of the road as he caught sight of a familiar sign. Just like last time, he couldn’t read what it said, but he remembered that the arrow pointed in the direction they wanted. Grinning excitedly, he gave Penelope’s hand a tug, “This way, love. We’re almost there.” He led them off the main street and into the surrounding woods, weaving between the thick trees until the water came into view up ahead.

When they reached the edge, he came to a stop, moving to stand behind Penelope and wrap his arms around her middle as he took a moment to gaze over the glassy surface. The pond was just as breathtaking as he remembered. The water reflected the stars above, and a string of ancient relics surrounded its outskirts. He sighed and rested his head against Penelope’s, pressing a tender kiss to her neck. He’d never thought he would come back to this place, let alone come back with the knight who was now his lover. It was almost surreal.

Feeling a strong wave of affection for Penelope, Crow trailed kisses up to her jawline and then brushed his lips against her cheek to coax her to turn her head and meet him in a passionate kiss. “I love you so much,” he breathed when he pulled back again, wrapping her tightly in a warm embrace. In the next moment, he took on a more mischievous look and trailed his hands down her sides to hold her by the waist. “So… want to find out what it’s like to desecrate holy soil?”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

I'm so excited cx

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow grinned excitedly as Penelope kissed him on the cheek and agreed to come with him on another late-night adventure. “Of course I can,” he chuckled softly when she challenged him to get them both there and back without her father noticing. “You just watch, love. We’ll be back before he even realizes we left.” Leaning in again, he pressed one more quick kiss to her lips and slid his hand down to lace his fingers with hers, giving her a gentle tug towards the door.

He took the lead as they exited the room, moving quietly so the sound of his footsteps wouldn’t disturb her sleeping father. By the sound of the older man’s snoring, he doubted anything they did right now would wake him, but he still didn’t want to risk ruining their one opportunity to get away together before they reached the castle, so he proceeded with caution regardless. Fortunately, their efforts paid off, because the knight didn’t even roll over on his bed as they slipped through the door.

For an added measure of precaution, Crow didn’t speak to Penelope until they had left the boundaries of the inn and were walking down the main road of the village. His eyes swept over the area with interest as they passed between the buildings. It had been quite some time since he had come this far into the center of the kingdom. It was strange to see a village so untouched by the war. Perhaps there had been a battle or two that had reached Sarton’s borders, but it was nowhere near as damaged as the outer villages were. He wasn’t sure what to think about that. Geographically, it made sense that this place wouldn’t see as many battles, but it still bothered him to know that the wealthier parts of Brerra were flourishing while the peasants were barely surviving in these uncertain times.

Eager to put the discouraging thought out of his mind, Crow turned to Penelope with a smile. “Do you remember the last time we were here together?” he mused. “It’s strange to think how distant we were back then.” The last time they had been through Sarton, it had been the very first night of their journey to Younis. He remembered how he had been trying to earn her trust for the purpose of using her for his own escape. The memory made him shake his head in amusement. If he had gotten away with his plan back then, he would have missed out on falling in love with the most amazing woman he’d ever met.

I’m glad I couldn’t run away, he thought, glancing at the knight with an affectionate look.

“Speaking of the past,” he went on, casting her a wry smirk. “Have you figured out where I was going to take us yet?”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

He has a filter sometimes, which is a bit of a change since two-years-ago-Crow probably wouldn't have held back xD
He's learned to be more mature since then cx

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

As soon as Crow saw John’s breathing grow slow and even, a devious smile crossed his lips, and he reached to retrieve his pick lock key from his boot. He made quick work of the chain on his wrist and was already sitting up by the time Penelope reached him from the other side of the room. When she got to his bed, he looked up at her in the darkness, amused that she had risked coming to him this time, but also impressed by how quietly she had walked across the wooden floor to do so. It looked like she was just getting better and better at sneaking around, and he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of pride over it.

“Me too,” he whispered when she commented on how quickly her father had fallen asleep. Of course, it didn’t matter too much, since they would have been able to visit with each other even if the older knight had fallen asleep later, but it was certainly nice to have the extra time. He slid carefully on his mattress to let his legs hang over the edge of the bed, wanting to be closer to her as they talked.

At her next words, he shook his head in agreement. “You’re telling me,” he sighed, wrapping his arms around her hips to pull her close to him. “I can’t wait until we can be together without anyone trying to stand in our way.” He leaned his head against her chest and looked up at her with an affectionate smile. “On the bright side, it might not be much longer until that day.” If Penelope was forced to run away with him to avoid having her marriage arranged by her father, they would finally be able to have what they wanted. Of course, it wasn’t ideal for her to leave her battalion before the war was over, but he couldn’t deny that he was excited to be with her they way they dreamed, despite the consequences.

Suddenly wanting to be a little closer to her, Crow silently stood up from his bed and leaned in to press a passionate kiss to her lips. He lingered for a while before he shifted to touch a few more tender kisses along her jaw and neck. “I have an idea,” he murmured in her ear, giving the lobe a soft bite. “Why don’t we take this somewhere a little more… private?” Trailing his lips along her skin, he brought one hand up to the side of her neck and smirked mischievously. While he’d been intending to wait until they reached the castle, they had a perfect opportunity to slip away right now. John seemed to be sleeping soundly, so as long as they returned before the morning, he would never know they were gone.

“I know the perfect place we can go too,” he went on, pulling back just enough to meet her gaze. “So, what do you say, love? Want to take advantage of this opportunity the gods have blessed us with tonight?”

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow may have narrowly avoided getting himself killed xD

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

For Crow, the rest of the trip to Sarton was painfully dull. He itched to get close to Penelope, if only to have someone to talk to while they walked, but with John standing between them like a guard dog, there was no way for him to come anywhere near her without getting snapped at. So, with nothing else to do, he spent to entirety of the journey keeping to himself and walking a few paces behind the others, so the older knight wouldn’t have any reason to get angry with him again. It was boring, but at least it was peaceful aside from the lingering tension in the air, so the thief supposed it was the best they were going to get until they reached the castle.

When they eventually came to the village, the same routine was repeated from the day before. After a quick supper, John took Penelope and Crow to the local inn, where he purchased a room while the thief waited outside. After that, they all headed inside to settle down for the night, and Penelope’s father ordered them to their separate beds. Even though he knew he was just going to sneak over to visit with her while the older knight slept, the thief decided to protest a little, just to make sure John didn’t get suspicious.

“This is ridiculous,” he rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest in an obstinate gesture as he glared at the other man. “Why am I the only one who has to wear a chain to bed?”

“Because you’re the scoundrel who dared to lay a hand on my daughter,” John growled. “If you think you deserve better, then stay away from women who are above you, thief.”

Crow bit his tongue, fighting the urge to make a sultry comment about being fine with letting Penelope be beneath him if she wanted. He might have pushed the boundaries if it had been any other knight guarding them, but this was her father. He had avoided getting his hands cut off once before, and he preferred to keep from putting himself in that position again. So, instead of making the lurid joke, he took a breath and muttered a simple: “Fine.”

“Good,” John said, seeming pleased that the thief was being compliant. He followed him over to the bed and restrained him by the wrist once again before settling down in the middle of the room.

Crow sighed and pulled his blanket over himself, keeping up his charade of being disappointed until the knight put out the lantern and laid down to sleep. His heart beat excitedly in his chest as he watched John in the darkness, waiting for the older man’s breathing to grow even and indicate that he had fallen asleep, so he could get up to visit with Penelope.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Crow low key wishes John approved of him more, since he's Penelope's father ^^;

He won't be giving up everything though. I totally see him stealing in the inner kingdom and manipulating nobles to get his way xD