Chapter Text
Robb was restless. He sat on the edge of his bed, their bed and wondered for what felt like the thousandth time if he should go look for Jon. How long could a chat with Catelyn take? What were they talking about? And why did Jon insist that Robb leaves? It didn’t sound like him. Then again, running away wasn’t like him either but he had still done it. Robb sighed in frustration and threw himself backwards on the bed, covering his face with his hands. He couldn’t believe things had gone so utterly wrong. At this point, he was too tired to even remember what had started the whole mess. He just wanted things to go back to normal, he didn’t want to think about a stupid arranged marriage. Sansa wanted to be a high lady, couldn’t she stay and rule Winterfell?
“What do you think, Grey Wind? Should I go find Jon and run away with him?” he asked, sitting up to see his wolf. It only tilted its head a bit to the side and Robb rolled his eyes.
“Alright, help me find Jon. He can’t be far away”, he said. Grey Wind obediently followed him out of the room and to the cold and empty corridor. A few candles were lit here and there, like every night, but most people had already retreated to their bedrooms. Unlike Jon.
Robb’s intention had been to go look for Jon outside, from the stables, but Grey Wind whined low and lead Robb to a bedroom that no one used. The wolf sat down by the door and when Robb called for it to carry on, it didn’t move a muscle, only stared at the door like it could open it with its mind.
“You’re useless, why would Jon be there?” Robb asked, finally giving in. Grey Wind jumped against the door, front paws at the same level with Robb’s head and if he didn’t know the wold obeyed him, Robb would have been slightly terrified. When something hit the other side of the door, Robb jumped a little. Not that he’d ever admit it to anyone.
“Ghost, down!”
The voice was muffled by the door but there weren’t many options as to whose it was. Robb’s mouth hanged open for a while. Why was Jon here and not in their room?
“Jon? Please open the door, it’s me”, Robb said, taking Grey Wind’s place by the door. His words echoed in the empty corridor but no one replies. He tried the handle but unsurprisingly, the door was locked.
“Go back to bed, Robb, we can talk in the morning”, Jon replied after an eternity. Robb frowned.
“No, Jon… I don’t want to talk right now, I just want to be with you. So please open the door”, he said. He took half a step back, almost tripping over Grey Wind who had been sitting behind him, as if to make sure he didn’t leave. Robb mumbled an apology and pet the wolf’s head before turning back to stare at the door. If he stared intensly enough, would it open up?
As it turned out, Robb only needed to wait for a moment before he heard the lock open. The door opened slowly. The first thing that greeted Robb was Ghost, briefly bumping against his leg and then circling around him to greet Grey Wind. With a small smile on his lips, Robb turned to the door. Jon was watching the wolves but it didn’t take long before his eyes wandered to Robb, tracing his features like they hadn’t seen each other in a long time.
“Don’t ever run away again”, Robb said, taking a few steps closer to Jon. He tried his best to sound menacing, to look intimidating but Jon still smiled. His lips curled upwards but the joy didn’t reach his eyes. He let his smile fall and stepped closer, wrapping his arms around Robb and burying his face against Robb’s shoulder, breathing in the familiar scent and letting his body relax in the familiar touch. Robb pulled back from the hug way too soon for Jon’s liking. He forced Jon to look up and without a word, leaned down to kiss him.
“But what if someone sees us?” Jon asked, words slurring together as he didn’t pull back from the kiss entirely.
“I don’t care”, Robb replied, pinning Jon against the doorframe and gently biting on his lower lip. Jon turned his head to the side, squeezing his eyes shut and biting on his own lip almost hard enough to draw blood. His hands had been on Robb’s sides but now he let go, bringing his hands to his sides. He didn’t physically push Robb away but it would’ve taken an idiot to not notice he was rejecting Robb.
“Save that for Alys Karstark”, Jon said, surprised when his voice didn’t break. Robb took a step back.
“I thought we were past that, I don’t want to marry Alys Karstark. I’ll do anything that I can to not marry her”, he said but they both knew there was nothing he could do. The unsaid words hung heavy in the air. Even the wolves stopped playing around but they didn’t leave each other’s side. Robb sighed.
“Jon, please… It’s been a long day. Just come back to bed with me and… And we’ll sort things out tomorrow”, he pleaded. It was a stretch of a promise, and they both knew it. A situation like this wouldn’t be so easily sorted out, even if they had had all the time in the world. But they didn’t, Robb was already sixteen and people were starting to question him not being married yet.
Jon finally faced Robb again and slowly nodded.
“Alright, but just for tonight… We’ll sort things out tomorrow.”
Robb nodded. Jon let him take his hand and lead him back to their room, Grey Wind and Ghost at their heels. Robb made sure to close and lock the door properly before he turned back to Jon who was already undressing his robes. He spared a quick glance to the wolves curled up by the fireplace and carefully called out his half-brother’s name. Jon turned to him, a question ready on his lips but the words faded into thin air as Robb kissed him again, this time gentle and soft. It was the briefest touch of lips on lips but it was familiar and it was safe. Jon didn’t turn away.
They undressed in silence and Jon was the first to take his place on the bed, backing up against the wall because Robb was the one who got colder more easily. Robb joined him, pulling the blankets over them. They moved around until they were facing each other and their legs settled into a comfortable position. Robb brushed his thumb over Jon’s cheek, earning him a small smile. He moved a little closer to place soft butterfly kisses on Robb’s neck and jawline, moving to capture his lips in a smooth, slow kiss. Like this, it was easy. It was easy to forget about tomorrow, it was easy to believe this was the only reality and that nothing could touch them. It was easy to believe that in that moment, they were immortal.
“Would you run away with me if we could?” Robb asked.
“Yes. Wasn’t that our dream once? To run away together and live happily ever after like the princes and princesses in Sansa’s stories?” Jon asked back, a smile dancing on his face. They had dreamed about it countless times back when they were kids and they had nothing to worry about, except maybe missing practice and getting scolded by Benjen and Jory. But that wasn’t a big concern, Benjen never let Jory be too harsh on the boys and they always had fun together. Back then, Jon had dared to believe he and Robb could be happy like Benjen and Jory. Back then, he had been a naïve child.
Now, he knew better but he still wasn’t smart enough to let go of their childish dreams. He had tried, tried forgetting and tried running away but he always ended up back in Robb’s arms, heart melting at the smile and maybe it was better like this, with Robb.
Robb slapped Jon’s cheek softly to pull him back to reality. Jon pretended to be offended.
“I love you”, he said after a while, the words falling from his lips easily.
“I love you too.”
There was no hesitation in the response. This was easy. Waking up to reality wouldn’t be, but that was tomorrow’s concern and in that moment, tomorrow was a distant threat, nothing to worry about.