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"You said that I'd have a room to myself," Sansa protested, her hope that saying something about it would change the outcome slowly diminishing by the second. Her idea of vacation was going to have to change.
She stood in front of her mother with her arms crossed over her chest, doing her best Jon impression by sulking
It wasn't supposed to be this way. It was gonna be a fun vacation, not an issue that Sansa suddenly had to deal with. She was gonna relax. By herself. Meditate.
Not share her room.
"Well, the plan changed, and that is out of the question now," her mom said, "If you don't want to share a room with Theon, your other choices are Jon and uncle Benjen."
Uncle Benjen wasn't in the plan, him showing up out of the blue was what changed.
She stood in silence for several moments. Out of everyone, Theon was the absolute best choice. Sure, they hated each other growing up and they haven't spent much time together since she got back from college so she had no idea if any of that had changed. But he would have to do.
"Theon's fine."
"Gee, thanks Sans," he said.
Sansa didn't mean it that way, but she had to pick her words carefully cause she knew he was right behind her, leaning against the van and waiting. Those were the best ones her tired self could think of on the spot.
Theon wasn't Sansa's favorite person on the planet. But if anyone had to find out her secret, the only one she could trust with it was Theon. He still hadn't told anyone about the time Sansa scratched her dad's car when she threw a screwdriver at him for sarcastically calling her a princess. And that happened years ago, maybe even a decade ago.
He stepped forward and got the keys from Catelyn's hand. The only thing left for Sansa to do was to grip her duffel as tight as she could and follow Theon to their motel room. Two weeks of their hotel room. Unless Arya and Gendry get into a fight and things get switched around.
But who was Sansa kidding. Arya and Gendry never got in fights.
When Theon asked her which bed she wanted, Sansa picked the one next to the bathroom. Away from the windows, the safer one. Without Theon in the room, she was still going to go for that one, and she was grateful that he gave her the chance to pick. But that didn't mean they were going to be friends, or even friendly. Sansa knew she was going to have to tell him, him out of all people, and the anticipation of the moment she'd have to do it was enough to put her in a bad mood. She didn't want to tell anyone.
She got changed into her pajamas in the dimly lit bathroom, by the time she gathered herself enough to leave it and walk back to the beds, she could already hear that Theon was asleep, his breathing slow, quiet and deep, rather than the annoying shallow and loud she noticed in the van on the way over.
His lamp was off, he had turned his back to her bed, he was sound asleep.
Maybe it wouldn't be that hard after all.
Only thing was, Sansa didn't sleep, not for months now. With the exception of the odd hour here and there, what Sansa actually did at night was read. She had brought a bag of books with her, it's what kept her sane. When her mind started rushing back to what she didn't want to think about, she found that distractions were the only way.
Sansa was a bit annoyed at first. For months now, her sister was unable to be reached for a private conversation. Wherever Arya went, she took Gendry with her. And Sansa really wanted Arya to be the first one and the only one to know what happened.
But the more she saw them together, the better Sansa realized that what Arya had with Gendry wasn't just anything. He understood her, he didn't seem to mind anything she said and did, even the things Sansa found to be crossing the boundaries.
The way Gendry looked at Arya, like she was his whole entire world, made her happy for her sister. Made her jealous too, Sansa wished she had something like that. Especially after what happened.
The first day of the vacation, Sansa stayed out of everyone's way. She didn't go into the water, instead she chilled on a chair under an umbrella on the beach, sipped ice cold virgin pina colladas and buried herself in another book. Every once in a while she raised her eyes and checked on her family, seeing their fun was heartwarming. And she was going to join, just not today.
The only problem with how the first day went was that the food was shit. She managed with breakfast, the scramble wasn't as inedible as the rest. Her parents and her brothers didn't seem to mind, uncle Benjen and Margaery either, but Sansa could see that it wasn't just her. Her sister wasn't eating, Gendry and Theon either. Just a few bites maybe, excusing themselves quickly. Sansa pretended she was full on drinks and pineapple slices that were attached to rims of her drink glasses as an excuse, before leaving the table and going back to her book.
She didn't think it would be an issue. But as she walked back to the motel room her stomach was starting to ache with all the grumbling.
"Hey," Theon said to her as she walked into the room, the first word he spoke to her all day. Sansa finally fell asleep at the first signs of sunlight, and he was out of the room before she woke up that morning, "I'm gonna get some food. What can I get you?"
"Anything," Sansa answered almost immediately, "That food was disgusting."
"Absolutely. The only reason I stayed for longer than ten seconds was to see if queen Margaery would put that filth anywhere near her mouth," Theon smiled at her.
"It was a bit satisfying," she agreed with him.
"Then I remembered it's not out of character, she's dating Robb, so, she's used to filth," he joked again. Sansa did find that a bit funnier than she should have, "There's like a mall two blocks away, I'll get us something edible."
"Thanks, Theon."
"No problem," he offered her another smile, a softer one, and Sansa held onto it even after he left the room. And she didn't know why.
Okay, maybe she had a few ideas why.
The thing was that Theon had gotten hotter while Sansa was away for college. He sure as hell finally learned what haircut looked good on him, and he stopped wearing shirts that were too big for him.
The thing also was that Theon was still Theon. He was arrogant. He was annoying and loud, and wrong about everything. He made stupid jokes, he liked shitty movies, his taste in music was all over the place.
The other thing was that Sansa wasn't interested.
She felt lonely at times, especially in the last few months she wished she was dating someone, but Theon wasn't someone and Sansa couldn't do more than just someone at the moment. The thing that Sansa needed more than an earth shattering romance was a distraction. And Theon might have been distracting at moments, but he would never be distracting enough.
Theon, with his sarcastic comments, and excess energy, would never understand.
Theon came back with pizza and sodas, and Sansa thanked the universe that he didn't get one with pineapple on it. They didn't talk much while eating, instead they were cruising through the channels on the motel TV, occasionally stopping on things that seemed interesting before settling for a channel with black and white movies. Each of them on their own bed. Silence, but a comfortable one.
"We need to come up with a plan for the next time this happens," Theon said.
It was the middle of the night and Sansa was in the middle of a chapter, a really good, suspenseful chapter. She wasn't really interested in talking about anything at this moment.
She felt so relaxed, legs extended on the bed. She almost forgot he was there.
Theon wasn't supposed to be awake, anyway.
"A plan for what?" she queried. Theon slowly turned around, not moving from the place where Sansa thought he was asleep.
"Next time we're both awake, we can do something."
"Like what?"
"I don't know. Sightseeing. Movie marathon. Scrabble."
Sansa thought about it. None of them were terrible ideas. She doubted that he'd be awake all night like she would, again. She agreed either way.
"Deal."
She returned to her book, enjoying the few minutes of silence before Theon turned his lamp on and spoke.
"Can I borrow one of those books you brought? Mine are still waiting for me in a backpack on my bed at home."
Never, in the twenty two years of life, did Sansa realize that Theon Greyjoy could read.
"Sure," she nodded, leaving hers on the bed after slipping in her bookmark, "Do you want the one I was reading yesterday?" she offered, showing him the book.
"The one with that psychopath cam girl who locks herself in her apartment? No, that book is horrible," Theon said, and Sansa, who was trying to hide her shock at the fact that he had read the book, couldn't help but agree with what he said about it, "What else you got?"
"Rom-coms."
"Yes, absolutely," he suddenly seemed excited, "whichever one will do. I haven't read one in a while."
Instead of Sansa pretending that she wasn't hungry to get out of the nasty food, she just got to tell the truth. She already ate.
Theon brought her a sandwich just as she was starting the last chapter.
She was surprised by the gesture. She promised she'd be the one to get dinner.
"Just pick a damn movie," Theon said, and even though Sansa had her back to him, she could hear the smile in his voice. She had five different DVDs in her hands, movies whose releases she missed because of school, or just because she couldn't be bothered. This was her shot to catch up, and Theon didn't seem to mind if she picked one he had already seen.
They were becoming friendly. Sansa had noticed that Theon wasn't as mean as arrogant as he was when they were growing up. That definitely answered her question about whether or not he had changed.
They walked to the mall Theon mentioned the previous night to grab some food and get some DVDs. There was a player in the room, and they thought they could utilize it, the screen was far bigger than their laptops. Looking over at what she had picked, she made the decision.
"All five," Sansa finally said.
With a smile Theon rolled his eyes at her, then took the movies and headed for the check out desk. She followed after him.
"This one is really stupid, though," he pointed to one of the DVDs. His playful tone of voice made her smile.
"You were fucking right," Sansa had never thought that she'd say that to Theon Greyjoy.
"Aren't I always?"
No, he was not.
They were watching Batman v. Superman, and she had to give this one thing to him. The movie sucked.
"I heard good things about this movie. But it's like a five-year-old made it."
"Watch this part," Theon said through a laugh, and Sansa complied, focusing on the screen. Batman was now swinging Superman around an abandoned building on a chain. Oh for fuck's sake. Theon broke into louder laughter and Sansa followed.
"Oh, no."
"Mhm."
Theon seemed satisfied. Whether it was because he was right about the movie, or because he made her laugh, Sansa wasn't sure. But she was sure that she hadn't seen that look on his face in a while, and she was glad it made a triumphant return.
Neither of them fell asleep. By early morning they finished all the movies.
After a morning shower for each of them, they walked back to the mall to return the movies and get more for that night, Sansa wanted to venture in some horror territory. They grabbed breakfast there before they joined everyone at the beach.
Sansa had to admit. She was starting to have fun. For the first time in months.
And surprisingly, to some degree, it was thanks to Theon fucking Greyjoy.
"If you're not going to take your shirt off, then don't bother coming in the water. It's embarrassing," Robb said. Theon got red in the face and looked away. Without a single word he walked away from the water and towards where Sansa was sitting.
She hadn't really noticed it before. And Theon looked suddenly so uncomfortable, even scared that she didn't want to ask. But it was true, she had never seen Theon without a shirt. She wondered about it, she was sure he had a reason for it. He wasn't bad to look at, he didn't seem to be a gram overweight, and he always beamed with confidence. She couldn't figure it out. But she was definitely not going to pry right now. They had been good for less than three days. She didn't want to ruin it.
Instead, she changed the subject.
"You wanna check out that pottery place at the mall?"
A good portion of the terror on Theon's face evaporated after she asked the question. And she was glad it did.
"Absolutely."
"I don't think that's how it's supposed to look," Sansa said, watching in amusement as Theon tried to shape the clay into something that looked remotely okay, and failed in every step of the way. It was funny to her how focused he was, how hard he was trying, yet how horrible he was at what he was trying to do.
They were sat at one of the tables in the pottery shop, each of them working on their own piece. Sansa had long forgotten hers.
"You don't even know what I'm making," he returned.
"A mug," she stated, a smile across her lips
He finally raised his eyes on her. She got it right.
"I'm gonna fix it," Theon then said.
"Need some help?"
"No, I don't need you to Ghost me."
The sentence confused her.
"What does that even mean?"
"The movie Ghost. The pottery scene."
"I haven't seen that movie."
Theon looked at her again. Surprised. Maybe even offended.
"We need to get you the education that expensive college of yours is failing to supply," he joked.
"Okay."
The horror movie marathon got rescheduled for another night.
Ghost was more important.
It was a good movie. Sansa was pleasantly surprised by how much she enjoyed it.
Afterwards they stayed up, not that there was any chance that they'd fall asleep, and they talked about what it would be like if they were the ones making a movie. A silly little play pretend game that Theon suggested. A game that had Sansa change her mind.
Theon Greyjoy was distracting enough.
On the fourth day of the vacation Theon didn't even attempt to join the other in the water. Even though Ned had told Robb in front of everyone that he was being an asshole for saying it, even though Robb apologized.
Instead of a bag with a change of clothes, all Theon brought with himself was the book he borrowed from Sansa. He took a seat next to her, ordered a bottle of water, and they spent the day reading.
Together. But alone in their thoughts. Alone together. Like that song Theon sometimes listened to and Sansa found so annoying.
In the afternoon, after everyone went back to their rooms, Theon told her he had something to do, and came back soaking wet half an hour later. Hair, shorts, t-shirt too. Theon loved being in the water, it was like he needed it. But Theon was hiding something, and it was so important for him to hide it, that he sacrificed the only thing he loved to do for it.
Sansa was quite familiar with that concept.
"Do you want to get drunk with me, Theon?"
A simple question. Set to receive a simple answer.
"Don't I always?"
Shots of tequila. That's what they decided on. They also decided on making it a game, and Theon picked up Scrabble. They weren't gonna play it the way it was meant to be played. They were gonna play in rounds. Whoever had the shorter word would have to take a shot.
"I'm basically handing you my drunk ass on a silver platter," he said as they waited in line at the store.
And he wasn't wrong.
They sat opposite of each other on the little dining table in the motel room, the Scrabble board between them and the bottle of alcohol slowly getting emptied.
"Aa?" Sansa read, ready to mock Theon.
"I really wanted to do a shot."
"Aa is not a word."
"It is," he insisted, "Google it."
He waited for her to pick up her phone and find out the answer.
"Shit."
"Honestly Sans, haven't you seen a dictionary before," he joked and Sansa smiled in response. Not because it was particularly funny, but because her heart was growing fond of every word coming out of Theon Greyjoy's mouth.
Shit.
He was handsome even when he downed his shots.
Sansa was the one who wanted the horror movie marathon but when the time finally came for it, she was starting to have second thoughts about it. Then her genius mind chimed in, why not invite someone to watch with them. It can't be scary when there's a lot of people poking fun at every detail, right.
Who to invite wasn't an issue. Arya and Gendry were the obvious choice because everyone else had proven themselves to be top of the line assholes. Apparently vacation brought out the worse side of her family.
They split in teams. Her sister and her boyfriend occupied Theon's bed, and Theon moved to hers. They sat close together, both of them with their legs extended, backs slouched into the pillows propped against the headboard. It felt nice.
So she didn't mind. In moments of fear there was someone to cling onto. The little wanton moments of physical contact weren't supposed to feel like a big deal.
But they were starting to.
And by the end of the night, Sansa wasn't sure how to feel.
But also, by the end of the night, Sansa was sound asleep. For more than two hours. Her head was resting on Theon's shoulder. He was asleep too. His head against the top of hers.
It was starting to get really weird.
The first full night sleep in months left her feeling a weird kind of hungover. Worse than that, she felt confused.
She had no idea how and why it happened. But she was going to have to figure it out. Or she was going to have to ignore it.
Ignoring it seemed easier. At first.
"Why do you hang out with me so much now?"
They were sat by the beach, protected from the heat under the spare umbrella her parents brought.
"I initially didn't really have a choice, Sans," Theon wasn't looking at her as he answered her, his eyes were still focused on the second book he borrowed from her, the one she just finished the previous day and was dying to talk about, "I was supposed to hang out with your brothers, but Robb has become really jerky these last few weeks, and Jon's busy texting some girl, like all the fucking time," he explained, "But as it turns out, you're more fun to hang out with than either of them, so it worked out in my favor just beautifully, and now I don't want to stop," he then added, and finally looked up at her.
His answer made Sansa smile, her heart starting to beat faster.
Shit, this wasn't going to end well.
"Round two?" Sansa asked that night, holding up the box of Scrabble and another bottle of tequila.
"I'm pretty sure I'm still hungover from the other night," Theon returned with a joke, paused for a few moments, considering it, "But fire with fire, right?"
They took the same positions as they did the other night. Theon wasn't all that horrible at it this time around, and Sansa wondered if he just let her win it the previous time. An hour after midnight, they were drunk enough that the best they could both come up with were five letter words. And the drunker Sansa got, the braver she got. She was going to ask. She really wanted to know.
"Why do you have trouble sleeping? And why don't you take your shirt off to go in the water?"
Theon looked at her, dumbfounded. There were hints of shock on his face, but his eyes were reading hers. He was gonna answer, he was just picking up the courage to do it, she could see it.
"Those two questions have the same answer," he finally said.
"Which is?"
"Why do you have trouble sleeping? And why don't you go anywhere near the water?" he returned with questions of his own.
A secret for a secret, Sansa realized.
"If you tell anyone, you're dead."
"I don't tell anyone, anything, you should know that by now."
She did. She still wanted him to hear the warning, though.
"I have a scar on my right hip. Few months ago, while my roommate was pulling an all nighter in the library, our dorm got broken in to. These two guys tried to rob us, threatened me with a knife if I didn't keep quiet. I didn't. They were..." she paused, trying to find the least harsh words, "They were trying to do something else too. The girls across the hall heard and helped me, but those two still managed to cut me. No one knows, and I don't want them to. And no, a one piece doesn't cover it, you can still see it through the fabric."
Theon was watching her face, carefully. No judgment or worry in his eyes. Sansa couldn't figure out what he was thinking, but she knew it was nothing that she'd witnessed before.
"I have scars all over my back. My dad's an asshole, is why I don't go home. He would wake me up in the middle of the night just to beat me up when I was a kid. It's also why Yara took me with her when she moved."
"Show me," Sansa said, the words coming out almost involuntarily.
"What?"
"We can't hide forever," she said, "I'll show you mine, if you show me yours."
Theon stood up, with shaking hands he lifted his shirt and turned around to show Sansa his back. It was worse than she imagined it. It was scars on top of faded ones, on top of even more faded ones.
"Your turn."
Hers couldn't compare.
She uncovered her hip and showed him anyway, and his facial expression returned to that unexplainable one he previously had.
"So," Sansa spoke the word awkwardly, as she readjusted her clothes back over her right hip.
"I was thinking we could rent a comedy next," Theon replied, marking the end of the heart to heart, difficult subject fest they both partook in.
"Absolutely. And more horrors, I can't believe how many horror movies I have to catch up on."
Theon did some research of the area, with another week left of the vacation, they were running out of things to do - watching movies could only be so entertaining, and they couldn't do that all day long. He ultimately let Sansa decide. And Sansa chose the museum nearby.
Ever since the conversation Sansa noticed they walked a bit closer together than they did before. The casual banter between them felt more natural. The trust between them grew.
She felt easier. Opening up to Theon was surprisingly therapeutic. And Theon was nothing like he was when they were younger. He grew up.
Sansa realized she was getting way ahead of herself when she saw the smile on the gift shop cashier's face as she was talking to Theon and felt every inch of her body fill with jealousy.
Not good. Very bad.
She couldn't let this happen.
Not the cashier flirting with Theon. Rather, the urge to flirt with him, herself.
She spent the entire museum visit acting a bit possessive. She noticed herself getting as close to him, touching him several times. Sansa had to face those feelings that were starting to burn a hole inside her.
"You guys get the movie, we'll bring dinner," Arya said, determined, a little bossy. She was holding Gendry's hand who just nodded before they walked away. They had stumbled onto each other as they were leaving the motel room. Arya seemed to have really enjoyed herself the other night, it was her suggestion that they repeat it all once again.
The set up was the same again. The food was good, Sansa hadn't had Chinese in a while. And with Theon by her side, Sansa felt relaxed.
This was exactly what she needed.
On day seven of the vacation, it finally started to feel like one.
A full night of sleep. Again.
Sansa woke up with Theon spooning her, his hand placed directly on top of where her scar was. She wondered why she didn't mind. Why him touching her felt like electricity? Why did he make her feel jittery, when did that even happen? How could it be so quick?
He smelled nice, like his cologne, but not as strong. Much more subtle. His warm exhales landed on her neck and felt comforting.
The realization that the only thing both nights had in common was that Theon was right next to her, wasn't an easy one to process. It made Sansa panic. It wasn't like she wasn't feeling anything, spending so much time with Theon and talking to him for the first time like a normal person rather than the arrogant brat he used to be changed her mind about him. Thoroughly. She was staring to... maybe develop feelings for him in a very serious way. In a way it shouldn't happen in. And quickly.
Sansa had spent weeks trying everything that could put her to sleep. It wasn't funny, or easy to digest, that the only thing that helped her sleep at night was Theon fucking Greyjoy.
Her brothers had finally gotten their shit together enough to organize a night out for everyone. The place they had picked was crowded, they advertised it to the group as the hottest club in town. It seemed like the best time and place for that conversation. If Theon was about to turn her down, or get mad at the insinuation, or walk away, Sansa would have a great chance to hide her reaction.
He was standing alone near the bar, nursing a beer. This was where she approached him.
"We should share a bed tonight. Again." Saying that to Theon took Sansa a few shots and an afternoon of debate, "The two times we did, we both slept a full night. We should test it out, see if it was just an anomaly, or if it's a thing."
"Okay," Theon agreed.
Sansa was a bit scared at how easy it was, especially with everything else she had realized that day.
She was hoping it would end well.
She had a feeling it would not.
It became clear to Sansa that sleeping was only possible when she shared the bed with Theon. But only after they tested out her theory three nights in a row, and it proved itself true.
That was going to be a huge problem once they got back home from vacation. She could so easily get used to seven to eight hours of sleep, rather than her usual maximum of three, and then Theon wouldn't be there to make her feel safe enough.
She was in a different kind of danger, now.
On the second to last day from the vacation, Theon avoided her. He rushed out of the room in the morning, he took a walk instead of hanging out with her. He didn't mention anything about what they could do that night, not even when he stopped by to drop off lunch.
Sansa didn't enjoy that at all. It was the worst day of the vacation
"Can we switch room partners, just for tonight?" Sansa directed her question to none other than Gendry, hopeful that he'd say yes. She stood in the doorway, holding her change of clothes for the night, nervous about showing up to ask for her sister's help out of the blue like that.
"It's no problem with me, but..." he said, then turned to Arya for a quick check, "It's no problem at all," he confirmed, and offered her what seemed to be an understanding smile.
Arya waited until her boyfriend left to ask.
"What's going on?"
Sansa was about to have the heart to heart she wanted with her sister, and everything she wanted to say before now had to take a back seat. This was more of an emergency.
"I don't know. Theon's been avoiding me all day."
"Theon has been avoiding you since before high school."
"It's different."
"No, it's not."
"I think I'm in love with him."
"Well, duh, since I've known you," Arya smiled, seconding it with a shrug, "Oh, I'm sorry. Did you not know?"
"No."
"Do you also not realize he's avoiding you because he feels the same way. Also since I've known him."
"He doesn't."
"Okay, sis. Whatever helps you sleep at night."
Sansa didn't sleep that night. Unsurprisingly. Not because of the usual fear and scary thoughts. And not because of the fear that Arya might be right. This was worse.
She missed Theon. She counted the minutes until she could see him again.
She shouldn't have let this happen. She was fucked.
"I'm sorry. I fucked up," Theon announced once they were alone in their room, Gendry having left just a minute before.
"What did you do?"
"I have feelings for you. Like so many of them. I thought I had it under control. Turns out I don't" Theon said, and Sansa's heart almost stopped. She had heard a whole lot come out of Theon's mouth in the years she'd known him, but she had never heard his nervous rambling before, "And I'm not afraid of your brothers, though they can wreck havoc when the four of them come together. Or your dad, he's the nicest of the lot. However, your mom scares the shit out of me. And I know you don't feel the same way, and I don't want to put you in this position, but this is the one secret that I can't keep anymore, cause this one is borderline killing me. I don't want to lose you. But I'm sorry, I had to say it."
Theon was shaking as he spoke, he avoided eye contact with Sansa, and she almost laughed. She was in fact fucked. And Arya was right. And the misunderstanding had to end right away.
"Theon."
"I'm gonna do whatever it takes, okay. If you want me to take it back, if you want us to forget, we'll do that."
"Theon, shut up," Sansa interrupted him, "And kiss me."
Theon kissed carefully. He kissed softly, his lips barely brushing against Sansa's at first, as if he was testing the waters before he finally felt confident. He then kissed firmer. And she lost herself in it.
Whatever he was doing, it sent a wave of shivers down Sansa's spine, it felt like the electricity she kept feeling, only stronger. It was unlike any kiss she had ever experienced before.
They were all packed, handing their keys to Catelyn and bags to Ned so he could place them in the back of the van, then climbing and taking a seat, one by one. It was late afternoon, her parents were trying to avoid traveling in the summer heat.
"Did you two have any fun at all?" Catelyn asked as she took the motel room keys from Sansa and Theon, "You didn't go anywhere near the water. You let Robb being an idiot stop you from going in the water. So what was the point."
"I read ten books while we were here."
"I read only three," Theon said.
"We watched so many movies, we made pottery."
"Don't forget the museum."
"And we hung out with Arya and Gendry," Sansa finished off the list.
"I had fun."
"I did too."
"We can go in the water now if you want," Theon then said to Sansa, "No one's at the beach at this time of day. We have like twenty minutes, and you can't swim, so it'll be short."
"True," Sansa agreed.
"No, you can not," Catelyn protested, "The vacation is over."
"The vacation isn't over until we check out, and Mrs. Stark, have you seen the line at the reception desk?"
Catelyn eyed Theon for a few moments, then said.
"Go and change quickly, keep it short, you have twenty five minutes to the dot."
"Come on," Theon smiled at Sansa.
He caught her hand, their bags in his free one, and they rushed to the beach.
There was no one do judge them, no one to stare at any scars and then talk to them about them. They could be free.
Sansa had never gone into ocean water before, it was her first. It was freeing, she couldn't help but note. She felt so small standing there, so insignificant. The water was warmer than she expected and it felt as if it was washing away her troubles. The entire thing felt like an epiphany, it helped her gain a new perspective, cause none of it mattered. In the last year she stopped living and started surviving. She needed to turn that around. She had the motivation now. And she had someone she could lean on.
The fear of things going wrong in the water, her inexperience with it all, had her holding onto Theon's arm as tight as she could. He wasn't rushing her, he wasn't protesting, he was following her moves and waiting for her to want to go further in the water instead of pulling her with him.
They slowly moved forward, only stopping when the water level was at Sansa's stomach and she was scared to go any further.
"I have to learn how to swim," she told Theon, as she overlooked the broad ocean in front of them.
"I'll teach you."
"Thank you, For this. And for the entire vacation."
"Anything for you, Sans."
"Is there something I should know?"
The inside of the van was getting too hot, they had stopped at the first gas station that came up as everyone started to complain about the temperature. They were all sitting so close together, that was the entire problem, there was barely any air in between them. Sansa was supposed to sit between Robb and Theonm bit basically in Theon's lap. It couldn't have been too comfortable for him, she knew, even though he didn't say anything. She still offered to be the one that went inside the store to get the snacks, and let him stretch his legs.
The question from Robb was well timed,, they were alone in the gas station market, picking up things for everyone.
"I'm sure there's a lot you should know."
"You know what I'm asking," her brother insisted.
"You already know the answer to your question."
Robb smiled at her, a response she didn't expect.
"You're welcome, then."
She looked at him through narrowed eyes, confused by his confidence in the statement.
"What are you on about?"
"Oh please, like you two would've finally owned up to it if I wasn't a dick."
"About that," Sansa began, and was going to say something else with it, but Robb beat her to it.
"I know. I'm gonna lay off your boyfriend. For a while at least," he said so casually as he added another item into the shopping basket Sansa was holding, "You know, I thought Arya had Waters wipped. But you and Theon... now that you're finally together, he's got it so much worse."
Sansa shrugged it off. Whatever Robb had seen, she was sure no one else did. Because it wasn't true.
"You're looking quite rested today," her dad said.
It was the first morning after the vacation. Sansa's sleep had ended few hours ago, when they dropped Theon off at Yara's. She was sitting in the dining room, the glass of orange juice she poured herself making rings on the table as she was ordering more books online.
"Thanks," Sansa managed, her eyes focused on her laptop. She only looked up when she noticed that her dad was no longer somewhere in the room, rather taking a seat across from her.
"I have some friends who are cops," he then said, and took a small pause, "I know you think I have no idea what happened to you, but I do. I understand that you might not want to talk about it, and it's something you need to deal with on your own, and I'm not gonna make you talk to me. I haven't told anyone, not even your mom. But I know. And I want you to know that if you need anything, I'm here. But more than that, I'm glad to see you slowly coming back to yourself."
Sansa inspected her dad's face, his unexpected statement hitting her a bit harder than it should.
"I am too, dad."
Her dad offered her a soft smile, his eyes focused on her.
"So Theon."
"Yup," she nodded, "Theon."
"Okay."
The expression on her dad's face before he walked away, the little smile he gave her, it's what Sansa had gotten to know as approval in the past. And she was really hoping she wasn't wrong about it.
Around midnight there was a soft knock on Sansa's door. She was quite spooked, she slowly approached the door of her room, staring at her own reflection in the mirror that her dad put on it. At moments like this she forgot she was in the safety of her own home. All she could think about was how nothing good can come at this hour.
But once she got the door, her worry seeped away. On the other side was her reminder that things weren't as shitty as her mind made them out to be.
"How did you get in?"
"Your brothers owe me like a million favors," Theon smiled, and Sansa had to roll her eyes. A moment later a playful punch landed on Theon's arm, "What was that for?"
"You scared me."
"I'm sorry."
Theon was giving her puppy dog eyes, and she couldn't stay mad for too long.
Besides, there was a more important subject at hand.
"Can you sneak in here every night?"
"As often as you want me to."
"We have to sleep now, don't we?"
"Absolutely," he agreed, "Which side of the bed is mine?"