Work Text:
It really shouldn’t bother her the way that it does. She’s 24 for crying out loud.She’s an adult, she is mature and responsible and completely capable of being civil, and yet...but it really shouldn’t bother her the way that it does.
She knew the complications sleeping with her best friend would ensue, especially when said best friend is practically an extension of her family. He’s best friends(probably not to the degree that arya and gendry are) with Robb and Jon for sevens sake(who he was recently drunk crying in her apartment with about turning 29 and calling himself an old man with no idea of what he’s doing), he was roommates with Theon for 2 years, punched Sansa’s creepy ex Ramsay square in the face(breaking the bastards nose) after he heard him bragging about how he took advantage of her, he goes rock climbing with bran and he tutors Rickon in his spare time whenever the youngest Stark is truly in dire need of help in physics.
So of course she should have anticipated that when Sansa and Theon got married, he would be one of Theon’s best men(because Theon decreed that he should get to have 3 best men if Sansa gets to have 2 maids of honor), and she would be one of Sansa’s maids of honor(Margaery is absolutely ecstatic that her and Arya are gonna be twinning up at the altar.) In hindsight she really should have seen this coming, but who was she kidding.
It’s not walking down the aisle together side by side that’s got her freaked out. They practiced it together hundreds of time before the big day because of Sansa’s fear that one of them was bound to trip over the other.
It’s not seeing him again at all since their last, ehm, encounter, that’s got her agitated per se. More like seeing him here with a date.
That date being Jeyne Poole no less.
That’s what’s making her blood curdle and her eyes narrow and weight shift from left leg to right, while they stand there together waiting for their cue to walk down the aisle before Sansa.
Of all people he could bring, Jeyne Poole?
Yeah. Maybe it should bother her the way that it does.
Not even Melisandre would have been this bad, and she was into some real kinky shit that scared gendry high and low off into the mountains when he was only 17.
No, it was little miss “Arya horseface”, little miss “Sansa wishes I were her sister instead of you”, little miss “of course Ned Dayne asked me to prom,have you seen me?”.
Of course nobody knew about the last one except for her, Jeyne and bloody Ned Dayne(in all fairness Ned didn’t know arya despised Jeyne at the time and never got a straightforward answer anytime he asked her out, although that still hasn’t stopped him.)
Arya has grown much out of all those things that Jeyne made her feel bad about, made her feel insecure about, but that didn’t mean she grew out of the way she feels her arms spring with goosebumps and the anger flare up in her stomach anytime she hears “Jeyne Poole”.
And nobody knew that better than gendry.
He had been the one she confided in about how on the surface she may look tough, but every dig Jeyne made without knowing the damage she was doing, hurt arya.
He had been the only one she had willingly told about the nickname “Arya horseface”.
So why on earth, on her sister's wedding day of all weddings, did little mister gendry waters find it okay to bring her as his date?
It’s not like he and Arya hated each other or anything. On the contrary, they’re both deeply in love with one another, one of them however is more willing to admit it than the other.
“We just slept together for sevens sake, Arya! I don’t understand why you and I shouldn’t give this a try.”
“Then you don’t understand me.”
“Arya you’re not answering me. Why can’t we just give this a try?”
“What if it ends badly and we end up hating each other, we can’t go back to the way it was if we fall too deep.”
“We’ve already fallen too deep. And besides, how could you possibly know this will end badly? Nobody has ever been more made for someone than I have been made for you, you know that.... you’re just afraid.”
“And you’re not?”
“There are many things that scare me senseless in the world Arya, but loving you the way you deserve to be loved is not one of them.... it might be the only thing I’m sure of”
“What makes you so sure I deserve it?”
“What makes you so sure you don’t?”
“Gendry...”
“Look, we don’t have to talk about this anymore, at least not until you’re ready to let me love you. We can pretend this never happened if that’s what you really want. But I can’t put my feelings for you away. “
So much for not putting away feelings.
“Alright you guys, link up, walk on down, they’re ready for ya”, Hodor stepped to the side after instructing them and she could very clearly feel gendry tense up and clears his throat as her arm slid through his.
“Like-“ gendry starts,
“Two pieces of a puzzle?” Arya finishes for him.
Gendry’s face broke into a grin and he eased up a little, relief washing over him.
Arya smiled gently before her eyes darted forward and landed in on Jeyne Poole, not so subtly sizing gendry up with her eyes and then flashing a dazzling smile Arya’s way.
It’s not like the girl knows what she’s putting Arya through, in fact, years before Sansa and Theon got engaged, Jeyne apologized to Arya for how awful she was to Arya growing up, and for the sake of Sansa and putting things behind her, Arya forgave her, but it still hurt to think of the times when she would tease her and Sansa would laugh, and for the life of her, it’s all Arya can do to try to keep those memories at bay when she thinks of who Gendry brought as his date tonight.
The smile that was resting on Arya’s face was immediately wiped from it, but before she could scowl in her truly good nature, she remembered where she was, and how mega sonically pissed Sansa would be if the photos of her maid of honor walking down the isle featured Arya’s face in a piss poor mood.
They walk step in step, and really truly they are made for this, Arya just won’t admit it to herself because why should gendry love her if she doesn’t even know how to be in a relationship.
“It probably means nothing, but you look absolutely beautiful.” He says to her as they make their way more than halfway down the aisle.
“All I know is that you’re beautiful and I love you”
Arya blinks back tears she didn’t realize were welling up in her eyes.
“Compliments never mean anything to me. But from you, they mean the absolute most, whether you choose to believe it or not is up to you Mr.Waters. Thank you, really. You’re pretty easy on the eyes too if I do say so myself, hot stuff”.
His face could crack in half from how wide he’s smiling.
“You’re date also looks pretty stunning too.”
Maybe his face won’t crack after all.
“Arya I-“
“Jeyne Poole yeah ? “ Arya says with glimmering eyes and a sad smile.
“Arya-“
Gendry doesn’t get to finish his sentence as they part ways and stand on their respective ends, Arya next to Sansa’s empty spot and gendry behind Theon. It’s not until Sansa and Ned walk down the isle linked arm and arm that their gazes break from one another.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If walking down the aisle together is heaven, then by all the gods, walking out is hell.
Linked arm and arm again, it’s Arya who’s stiff this time, and that sends gendry’s nerves into over shock because never has Arya Stark been stiff, much less with him.
He is who she’s most at ease with.
He is who she feels most herself and most comfortable with, and all that is gone because he decided like the truly proper asshat he is, that it would be a good idea to come here with Jeyne Poole.
In all fairness, it was Sandor who suggested making Arya jealous to him.
“Come on you twat. Don’t you see, all that girl needs is a push. You walk your miserable ass into that wedding with a date, and she’ll realize she might actually lose you, you right prick.”
“It won’t work. And besides, Arya could never lose me. Except for at a supermarket maybe.”
“It always works you ninny. Most girls always get jealous when you work them that way”
“Arya isn’t most girls, she’s Arya.”
“It could work you stupid twat. You just need the right date. Who could you bring that would anger that mad woman?”
Gendry should’ve known that Sandor only did all this to have some good entertainment for the evening.
Only preserving his own self interest, he should’ve known Sandor wanted drama to keep him awake through the ceremony.
This would've been a lot easier if he chose his words more carefully, or if he and Arya hadn’t slept together at all in the first place. Why did he agree to it at all?
“You want to WHAT?”
“Come on gendry, you can’t honestly tell me you haven’t wondered what it would be like to have sex with me ? I think about it all the time.”
“You think about having sex with me?”
“Of course I do, have you seen yourself ?”
All the strength and force in the world couldn’t stop the way that blush rushed it’s way to his cheeks.
“Arya, we’re best friends. The best of best friends. We can’t.”
“Why not ?” She pouted, and by all the gods there’s nothing more dangerous in the world than Arya Stark pouting at Gendry Waters.
In all truth, gendry had never heard of something he’s wanted more.
Of course he’d love to be one with Arya. But it’s not just sleeping with her that he wants. He wants all of it.
He wants to hold her afterwards, and wake up with her.
He wants to hold her hands and kiss each palm and all of her fingertips letting her know she’s loved.
He wants to snuggle up with her and lounge around in bed all day because they can. He wants to surprise her with winter roses (her absolute favorites) because she’s having a bad day at work, or just because.
He wants the world to know, his world, his Arya, to know that his heart and soul and everything else in between undoubtedly and unashamedly belong to her.
But he can’t want that and also sleep with her just for the heck of it. It has to mean something.
“We just- I- what if-“
“How about this, I let you think about it for a few days and you get back to me? If your answer is still you don’t know then we won’t, but if you want to then we will. Sound cool?”
Her grey eyes were swirling with wonder and hope, and maybe it’s his totally pure lack of reality, but he’s pretty sure he sees love in them too.
It’s the love that he thinks he sees (no, he definitely sees) in her eyes that does him in.
The thought strikes him all too quick. Maybe sleeping with her, loving her, really loving her will end with the both of them together.
“Let’s do it.”
And just like that a fire was ignited in her eyes and a wicked grin crept over her features.
Right. That’s why.
“Arya”
“Gendry” She mimicked in the same low and serious tone.
“Arya, you have to let me explain.”
“Explain? What do you need to explain to me? We’re friends, we slept together, we chose to still be friends, you’re here with a date. Nothing needs explaining we’re all cool” her tone was cold and blunt.
“I don’t get it. You turned me down. Why are you jealous?”
The look that crossed Arya’s features was so dangerously hurt, he’s kicking himself for even opening his mouth.
Before she gets the chance to respond, everybody’s being rammed into their respective cars and being driven to the Stark Manor for the reception.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jon, seven bless his soul, for the life of him can’t figure out why Arya refuses to look gendry in the eye and why she completely ignores him and makes a beeline for the bathroom when Gendry tries to approach her.
What on earth could Gendry, Arya’s favorite person (Jon won’t ever say it out loud though cause he’s still clinging onto hope that he’s Aryas favorite, although she insists they’re both her favorite) could have possibly done for her to go out of her way to avoid him at all costs.
“You alright there, gen?”
Gendry turned his head after making his way downstairs from where Arya fled him.
Everybody was gathering out in the garden where eloquently twisted rose bushes were decorated with fairy lights and tables were set up all around for the reception.
After letting out a heavy sigh he turned to Jon “just a little worn out. Nothing too bad. I think Arya’s mad at me”
“You sure don’t miss a beat” Jon chuckled but quickly sobered up after getting a better look at how stressed gendry looked. “What did you do? Or rather what are you guys fighting about?”
“Don’t punch me, although if you do, I totally deserve it.”
Gendry breathed deep before looking at Jon, who was now twice as rattled as he was before, square in the eyes.
He has never felt like puking more.
“I won’t punch you, but the sooner you tell me what you did wrong, the sooner we can fix this and you and Arya can go kiss and make up”
Gendry doesn’t even bother hiding his look of shock.
“Oh don’t look at me like that, you and I both know that you and Arya have been dancing around your feelings for one another for far too long. Now spit. It. Out.”
Gendry let out a soft laugh before turning serious once more. “I brought Jeyne Poole here as my date and reasonably, Arya is upset with me, but I didn’t bring Jeyne here because I’m interested I swear, she knows what I’m doing and is trying to help me, I just, this is all coming out wrong and I deserve very bad things”
Jon’s eyes widened and he let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding in, but he didn’t punch gendry.
As much as he’s hurt that Arya’s hurt, he doesn’t want to punch gendry, so he doesn’t.
Rickon, however, who heard their entire conversation, does.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
She doesn’t know how long she’s in the bathroom, but she knows she has to leave and go make small talk with all the family and friends here to celebrate the union of Sansa and Theon Stark(Theon fought tooth and nail to take that last name, especially after an entire childhood of trying to slide by as Theon Stark and weaseling his way into every family event).
She quickly adjusts her emerald green silk dress, breathes deep and steps out.
“Well don’t you look lovely”
Maybe she should’ve stayed in the bathroom after all.
“Thank you Jeyne. You look really pretty too.”
And she means it, cause for all the mean Jeyne Poole had been to Arya Stark growing up, she’s changed and she was still undeniably pretty and of course gendry would fall prey to her, despite his sweet words to Arya the few nights before that they shared with one another.
“Thanks Arya. I must say, I’m pleasantly surprised with how much you’ve grown. I never could have imagined that this is how absolutely stunning you would look like ten years ago.”
It’s not the first time someone backhand compliments Arya without meaning to. They call her beautiful now while also mentioning that she wasn’t (to their standard) beautiful before.
The only people that have always thought she was beautiful through and through have been her parents (but that always felt obvious to her), Jon(who calls her his lucky gem, and when he’s really plastered , his lucky gem of eternal beauty), Rickon (who swears by all the gods that there’s no one more awesome, beautiful and clever than his big sister Arya Stark herself), and Gendry, who told her as much while they made lo- had sex, and said she has two beautiful’s.
The beautiful the world sees of her soft face with wide grey eyes, and brown hair falling just a smidge passed her collarbone, wispy bangs that fall over her eyes and a smile so sharp and yet so soft, you’ll melt.
The other beautiful, he described is the kind that only people who are loved by her are lucky enough to see and he still manages to find new ways to tell her all the time when she doesn’t realize it.
“You are absolute magic, d’you know that?”
Arya laughs and places a kiss to gendry’s cheek.
“We are magic, together. Why didn’t I think of suggesting this to you earlier? That was...”
“Beautiful. You are beautiful.”
She had been completely confident and very much naked with her best friend, but him looking her in her eyes after a very successful first attempt of sleeping together and calling her beautiful is what makes her face go a soft shade of pink and her grey eyes sparkle just a little bit more than before.
She studies his face more and realizes that he’s beautiful too, not for the first time.
The way his soft, inky black hair falls in his bright blue eyes.
The way his eyes crinkle at the ends when he smiles.
How soft and pink and smooth his lips are.
The tiny jut of his chin when he squabbles with her.
Seven hells what has she done to herself.
“Arya, I love you”
“Don’t”
“No, I have to tell you. After what we just did I think I owe it to you and myself to be honest about what I feel, what I’ve always felt for you.”
“Gendry..”
“Please arya”
It’s him begging that does her in. She gives him a furrow of her brows and a small nod before looking him in the eyes.
“I love you, as you already know. I’ve been in love with you for quite a while, I just never knew what to do or what to say about it, I was so scared of losing you to how I felt that I decided I’d rather have you in my life as my absolute best friend and nothing more than not at all. But now I realize I’m scared of you not knowing how I feel at all. It’s why I was so cautious of doing this, I didn’t want to dig myself deeper, but I figured you might just feel the same, and if you don’t then I’ve just made a great big ass of myself but it wouldn’t be the first time.”
He should be out of breath but he’s never breathed more calmly and steadily before.
“Gendry”
How does she tell him she loves him and is in love with him too, she doesn’t know how to do that.
How to do this.
What if she messes up, she’s already messing up.
“Gendry I, I don’t know how to do this”.
Arya looks Jeyne straight in the eye suddenly reminded of just how different she is from her.
“I have to go, greet family and friends and all that. Enjoy the bathroom.”
Before she leaves Jeyne grabs her forearm “send gendry up for me will you?”
There’s a mischievous glint in her eyes, and it makes Arya feel like the insecure Arya horseface Jeyne used to go on and on about when she was only 12 and her mind swirl with irrational thoughts of just because gendry was her first and only doesn’t mean she was his.
She nods and bolts downstairs.
She expects to see her mother there, ready to lecture her on the merits of being a good host and greeting people before peeing.
What she doesn’t expect to see is gendry doubled over, clutching his stomach and face, Rickon’s face redder than sansa’s hair, Jon absolutely baffled by what’s occurring, Bran and Meera and Jojen cracking up in the corner and Robb looking stressed tenfold for the entire party.
“What happened?”
And just like that seven pairs of eyes are on her.
———————————————————
Of course she would still be kind and gentle and still care for him even if she was still mad at him.
They’re sat in Rickon’s old bedroom while Arya dabs at the teeny tiny cut that seems a million layers deep in his skin that Rickon managed to punch in upon hearing that his sisters best friend brought someone who wasn’t his sister as a date to his other sisters wedding.
These Starks sure catch on quick.
He watches her intently while she takes an alcohol wipe, breathes a little and then wipes it on his face before quickly blowing on his cheek to make the stinging go away.
Gods, she really is the only one.
“Jeyne’s waiting for you to meet her in the bathroom upstairs.”
He tears his gaze away from her face and closes his eyes. “She’s going to be waiting forever then.”
He opens his eyes and not much to his surprise, Arya is already looking at him, studying his features.
“Why bring her as your date if you don’t plan on actually dating her then?”
“You’ll hate me.”
“Fat chance” Arya snorted, and he feels his heart flutter and he falls in love all over again.
“I was trying to make you jealous. It was Sandor’s idea, suggested giving you a push in the right direction, although now I’m realizing how much of a complete asshole move that was of me to bring her here with me and to try to push you into doing something you either aren’t ready for or just don’t want to do. For what it’s worth, Jeyne was only helping my motive of trying to get you jealous, she doesn’t actually have feelings for me. You’re my best friend and it was the worst possible thing to do. I’m truly sorry Arya.”
She wonders if Robb is still lecturing Rickon for punching gendry and lecturing Jon for just standing there like an oaf, not for the first time, completely oblivious to his surroundings.
She also wonders how much time of this wedding she’s wasted mulling over how jealous she was of Jeyne despite not seeing gendry interact with her once apart from when he showed up with her.
She finally wonders when her family is gonna come looking for her to join the reception in the garden before she looks gendry in his blue eyes, grabs his face in her hands (weary of the cut Rickon’s hand made) and gently pulls him forward as their lips meet in a kiss so soft, sweet and gentle, the finest featherbed would be envious.
She pulls back to see his dazed expression mixed in with a look of confusion.
He looks like a lost puppy and she is hopelessly lost.
“I’m sorry too. It wasn’t fair of me to ask you to have sex with me without properly thinking things through. I also shouldn’t have just closed up on you after you told me how you felt, how you feel about me. I just am really scared.”
His gaze softened and he held her hands in his. “It’s me Arya, what is there to be scared of?”
And for the first time, she realizes just how truly dense she had been.
Because of course life is scary, and of course she doesn’t know how to do anything unless she tries, and since when has arya ever backed away from a challenge.
It’s the gendry part of life that makes it all a little less scary.
It’s the gendry part of life that makes her excited to wake up and go live.
It’s the gendry part of life that makes her realize she’s capable of loving wholeheartedly because he is who she loves.
“You’re right, I guess it took me a little longer to realize because I was so afraid that if I had you in more ways than one, I’d lose you in more ways than one too.”
“Arya, you could never lose me. You’ve been my best friend since we were kids, you’re the person I care about most in the world. I love you arya, I always have and I always will.”
Arya feels a traitor tear slip out of her eye and gendry rests his hand on her cheek and rubs it away. “I love you too, you giant oaf”
A laugh escapes his lips as his eyes widen in surprise.”you love me?”
“Always have. Always will.” She mimics with nothing but adoration. “I’ve been in love with you for a long time Gendry Waters. I just never confronted it cause, well we already went over it. But now I know.”
He smiles softly at her, “now you know you stubborn brat.”
She sticks her tongue out at him and he laughs again and pulls her onto the bed and into his lap and kisses up her neck, along her jaw, on her cheeks, her forehead, the button of her nose and finally her lips.
“Hmmm”
“Feeling good?”
“Very, but..”
He pulls away “but what”
“But I think we should go to my room because the thought of being in my little brothers room while you turn me on, turns me off”.
He laughs loudly and nods before they make their way out.
“Well well well lookie lookie What we have here”
Gendry really shouldn’t be surprised that Rickon tries to punch him for a second time, why shouldn’t he, he just left his bedroom with his sister and her hair was a little more than disheveled and lips a little more swollen, so he really shouldn’t be surprised.
He is however surprised when Arya catches his fist.
“Not today, karate kid.”
Rickon frowns.”but aryaaaaa”
“It’s Gendry, Rick. You love him and he made a teeny tiny mistake, but so did I. I appreciate you defending my honor. Now let’s get a move on before Sansa and mom have our heads for missing the first hour of this 24 hour extravaganza.”
Rickon relents and shoots a smile gendry’s way “sorry man, I just know how arya feels about you and how she used to feel about Jeyne, and her and Jeyne might be okay now and the past may be the past, but I’m still protective of arya”
“Nothing to be sorry about. You’re a good brother rick” Rickon smiled sincerely at gendry before Arya linked her arms with the both of them.
“Come on boys, we’ve got a wedding to get to.”
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Told you it’d fucking work, didn’t I twat?”
Sandor Clegane is sitting at a table and for the life of him he can’t shake away Arya and Gendry.
“Oh how I missed your abrasive charm, sandy” Arya smiles down at him.
There aren’t many people that can get away with talking to Sandor, much less calling him sandy, but Arya Stark happens to be the only person he likes, so he lets her.
“Thanks for your advice Sandor, although maybe I’ll just stick to talking it out.”
“Whatever you whiny whore.”
Arya lets out a light laugh and her and gendry walk towards where Robb and Bran have made themselves comfortable people watching, while Sansa and Theon prepare themselves for their first dance as a married couple.
“How goes it brotherly of mine?” Arya smiles up at Robb, who had always been taller than her, and bran who could rival a tree and maybe even gendry.
Robb smiles down at arya, and turns to gendry “why’d the little dude punch you ?”
Gendry doesn’t know how to explain that after a very long complicated situation of sleeping with arya and then asking her to be with him only to bring a date to make her jealous, it all lead to Rickon punching him. Arya, however, does.
“Gendry and I had sex” gods would he be dying of laughter at their faces if it weren’t for the fact that these are her BROTHERS who he’s known for FOREVER. “And our feelings made it complicated and weird because I don’t think things through, and he brought Jeyne Poole here with him, who totally doesn’t fancy gendry although she could’ve fooled me, and Little big Rick punched gendry to defend my honor.”
“Arya, you’re going to get me killed.” He scowls at her.
“By these two ? Right after pigs fly probably. Besides anybody has a problem with us, I’ll protect you.” She looks at him with such unwavering adoration, he swears his heart might burst.
“Us? So- yeah, us?” He sheepishly grins down at her.
“Was I speaking by myself in Rickon’s room? Of course us.” She leans up and kisses his lips softly and only parts away when she hears bran gag in front of her and Sansa screech behind her.
“FINALLY YOU TWO!! It's about time!” Sansa runs up to them, Theon, Ned and Cat in tow.
“This is the greatest wedding gift I could’ve ever received” Sansa beams.
“So I can return all the kitchen ware and special made wine glasses I got you?” Robb laughs.
“No no no, I’m still keeping those. When did this happen though? How did this happen ?”
“Yes, your father and I would also very much appreciate knowing when you two finally decided to stop dancing around your feelings for each other”
Catelyn gives Arya a knowing look and Arya feels like the 10 year old who got caught eating cookies before dinner all over again.
“It happened maybe half an hour ago? Why do you think we were gone so long” Arya answers.
“Ooooo nice one Waters, getting it on at my reception, I knew I chose you to be one of my best men for a reason” Theon smirks.
“We weren’t getting it on, that’s not why we were gone so long.” Gendry all but sputters out.
“Why were you gone so long then?” Ned pipes up from beside Cat while wearily looking at his youngest daughter and Gendry.
“Because I totally kicked Gendry’s ass” Rickon butts in while sitting down at the table they’re all standing by.
“You did not kick his ass, you punched him while he was off guard” Jon defends.
“Okay, well while I’m sure we would all love to hear the details, Theon and I are about to dance, so please please pleaseeee wait for us before you give all the good juicy bits away.” Sansa begs before her and Theon walk to the center and begin their dance.
Slowly and then all at once, other couples and pairs begin to liter the dance floor and dance slowly to the romantic music playing in the background.
“Care to dance, Milady?” Gendry grins down at arya, who rolls her eyes and smacks his shoulder.
“Don’t call me that. But yes, I would love to.”
He takes her soft hand gently in his, wildly contrasting how rough and calloused they are from working as a mechanical engineer and yet they couldn’t feel more right together.
Arya places her hands around his neck once they make it to the dance floor and his slide easily around her waist, completely second nature like they were always meant to be this way together.
“Things aren’t going to change if that’s what scared you. We’re still going to be arya and gendry. We’re still going to be best friends and still fight like the night and day and lounge around and be comfortably silent together. You’re still going to be a huge pain in my ass and get a reaction out of me like no one else. I’m still going to be stubborn and bullheaded . The only thing that’s changing is how completely aware we are of how much we love each other.”
Gendry moves one hand from her waist to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear while holding her storm grey eyes with his bright blue ones. “It’s only ever going to be you. Always.”
Gendry leans down and captures her lips with his own, moving slowly and savoring every last second before she pulls away and leans her forehead against his.
“I love you gendry. It’s only you for me too. But let’s not make it official official yet.”
Gendry pulls away and she sees confusion and hurt creep over his features. “I’ll wait for you, but how come?” He asks in a low voice.
“Let's make it official tomorrow,” She smirked up at him. “I don’t want our anniversary to be the same day as Sansa and Theon’s” she laughs and he quickly joins in.
“As you wish, Milady.” She rolls her eyes and then pulls him closer to her, resting the side of her face on his shoulder.
Arya and Gendry sway back and forth to ‘island in the sun’, arms wrapped around one another, hearts beating as one.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jeyne Poole looks out the window and smiles as she sees Arya and Gendry laughing with each other while they throw grapes at Sandor from various angles.
Jeyne doesn’t regret much in life, except for how she treated Arya growing up.
It’s something that she accepted she’d never be able to forgive herself for.
But seeing how she helped in nudging Arya in the right direction towards the love of her life, her actual soulmate, she finally feels good.
“You can totally say no, it’s killing me even being here but I need you to do me a favor.” Gendry all but begs.
“Depends, what’s the favor?”
“I need you to help me make Arya jealous so that she can face her feelings for me. Gods when I say it like that it sounds absolutely awful.” He rushes out.
“It sounds absolutely awful because it’s an absolutely awful idea, dummy. “ Jeyne laughs but then quickly recovers.
“You and Arya huh?” She questions, analyzing his face.
“I hope. Otherwise I’ll die miserable, old and alone.” He confesses.
“You guys argue like cats and dogs though. I suppose that’s good though, you’re the only person who won’t take her shit.” She smiles at him.
“Yeah” he laughs “yeah we do. It’s the best.” He smiles. “It’s only her. It’ll only ever be her.”
He directs his gaze straight at Jeyne. “And as you can tell, me being here is because I am absolutely desperate for help. So help me. Please.”
“Won’t she be mad, like Arya she wolf mad, if it’s me you bring?”
“You apologized to her didn’t you? She forgave you, she won’t be she wolf mad, she’ll just be “I cannot fucking believe this prick” mad”
“I apologized she forgave me yeah. But I was truly mean to her. And apologies don’t always get rid of scars. Especially not horribly nasty ones like Arya horseface.” Jeyne frowns at the memory of her tormenting Arya.
“She’s still healing. But she’s the strongest person I’ve ever known.” Gendry smiles at the thought of his Arya.
“That she is. I’ll help you. Maybe this might work after all” Jeyne says, and silently to herself thinks that maybe she’ll finally bury that awful name Arya horseface.
“Arya hotface is more like it” she smiles to herself before grimacing at how silly that sounded and leaving the inside of the stark manor to join in on the celebration of love.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
They dance, they laugh, they kiss and only once do they argue about her coincidentally catching the bouquet and him telling her that they may as well with a sly grin and suggestive wink.
The night ends, it’s past 2 in the morning, and they’re back at his apartment, her in a pair of his boxers and an old band t shirt and him topless with grey sweats, sitting on his couch, her legs in his lap and her fingers in his hair when he turns to her.
“Be with me ?” He already knows the answer but his eyes still have hope like he genuinely doesn't know what her answer will be.
She slides her hands down from his hair, brings his face forward and kisses him, putting all her love into one soft sweet kiss at 2:17 in the morning.
“Only if I get to be the girlfriend.” She smirks. His face cracks in half after all.
She’s here and she’s Arya Stark and she’s his girlfriend now and she is by all the gods the most beautiful thing he has ever seen.
He pushes her back into the couch and hovers over her.
“I’m your boyfriend now. I like the sound of that.”
He flashes a crooked grin before he plants kisses all over her face while she rolls her eyes and laughs that laugh he swears is the most beautiful sound he’s ever heard and is ever going to hear.
He’ll never get tired of hearing her laugh, seeing her smile and kissing her soft lips and he really is a love struck fool and it’s all because the world is on its axis and they are in love.
Fin.