Chapter Text
“When you look at me, what do you see?” Sansa realizes her voice has a needy, almost childlike quality to it as soon as the words are out of her mouth, but shrugs it off. She’s a talented, intelligent woman – she has a demanding job, gods be damned, one she got not because of her family name but because she earned it, through hard work and dedication – but three hours into this fucking party and she can feel her confidence plummeting, too many family friends complimenting her on her beauty, too many sons of family friends eye-fucking her as though she’s nothing but a pretty trinket for them to play with.
It’s a stark reminder of what her life once was and all the expectations she had shot to hell.
Jon lifts an eyebrow, his patented smirk gracing his lips as he gives her a pointed once over and she rolls her eyes as she rethinks her words. “Ok, I realize I left myself wide open for that,” she rushes out and he chuckles, “so let me rephrase. If you had to describe me to someone, what would you say?”
To the outside world Jon might be the weirdest choice to be looking to for reassurance. A notorious womanizer, his fame with the ladies is nothing short of legendary and he has never shied away from giving her the occasional leer. But he has also known her ever since they were both in diapers and, so far, he has yet to lie to her.
He doesn’t answer right away. Instead, he just looks at her carefully, as though he’s giving this some serious thought, before his face splits up in a grin. “Is this a trick question?”
She huffs, wonders what the hell was she thinking as she turns her back on him and starts walking out the door before his voice stops her.
“I’d tell them you’re beautiful,” he breathes out, his voice soft and low, “inside and out.”
She turns to look at him with a crooked brow, half expecting that teasing smirk to be back full force, but his eyes are trained on the floor, and he looks almost… shy.
“I’d tell them you’re sweet and kind.” He looks up, his eyes more serious than she’s ever seen them as they lock with hers. “You’re one of the kindest people I know, always looking out for the best in everyone.”
She swallows, tries desperately to dislodge the lump that seems to have found its home in her throat, her voice coming out raspy even to her own ears and her heart stammers at the thought he might hear it too. “Thank you Jon.”
“I wasn’t finished,” he rasps. “You’re smart, incredibly so. And brave. So, so brave.”
She shakes her head, her eyes finally pulling away from his as she tries to steer this conversation to more familiar and less unsettling grounds. “Brave? Now I know you’re just making stuff up as you go along.” He’s shaking his head as she crosses the room in swift steps, coming to stand next to him before he can manage to say anything else. She leans forward, a hand against his strong chest for leverage and presses a kiss against his cheek. “But thanks for trying anyway.”