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He has one simple job. It seems easy enough for anybody who isn't as madly in love with Arya as he is.
But she was asking this one small thing of him and for her he would try.
It truly was simple enough. They had spent a majority of the holiday break behaving the way that they always had for as long as they've known each other, only this time without the added element of the affectionate stares they've grown accustomed to sending each other's way, or the random pecks on the cheek and instantly gravitating towards each other, leaning into one another like two pieces of a puzzle. All they had to do was wait until the very end of the night, when they'd be leaving to break the news and then head to the airport for their flight where they'd happily avoid all the 'I told you so's' from her siblings and the early wedding planning (because they all know Sansa would).
For a while, they had been wondering how they would tell her family that they were together, never really having the chance to be honest about the change in their relationship what with them being in Storms End for a majority of the year and all. It felt like something they had wanted to tell them in person and was by no means something they wanted or intended on keeping a secret, but they just didn't want to deal with the knowing looks and cocky smiles from her relatives and this plan ensured that they'd get the best of both worlds of telling them in person while also avoiding their a million and one questions. It also guaranteed that they got to avoid the presumptuous stares from uncle Edmure who had always just assumed Gendry and Arya were already together anytime they'd come home during school breaks or the holidays.
He can't really blame him for that though. He and Arya were-are practically inseparable. It didn't take long for them to become fast friends when they had met, all thanks to Robb recruiting him for the local soccer team and then inviting him over to play at his house one day with Jon and Theon. All it took to get him into little 13 year old Arya's good graces really was him kicking the soccer ball her way to ensure she would score on Theon, who had been very grumpy and still held a grudge for that one soccer game that introduced Gendry to his now life long family.
The goal was easily the most impressive one he had seen played during the whole mini match played with the Stark's and Theon, he made that much clear to Arya once they got to talking after the game and they clicked instantly and both promptly decided that they were going to be friends for a very long time and they haven't looked back since.
Now they were approaching the final night of their stay in Winterfell before they had to head back home to the comfort of their apartment all the way in Storms End. He truly doesn't know how he managed this entire week and a half without making it obvious how madly in love they were with one another, but he thinks a strong part of that is Arya and how well she manages to avoid any questions or statements that may reveal their relationship sooner than they'd like to. Him on the other hand, well, he's proud he's made it to the end of their plan, but he feels his resolve cracking and he can only hope that tonight will go easy on him, that tonight will agree with him and let what they had thought up proceed as planned.
It should be easy enough. And it would be easy enough, if she didn't have to go and look like a godsdamn goddess just standing there across from him with her mother chatting about gods knows what, with her brown hair falling on her shoulders, her hands pinching at the ends of her cozy sweater, her cheeks soft and pink and eyes bright and grey. You'd almost think she were setting him up to screw their plan up with her looking that gorgeous but he can't fault her for that. She would always have that affect on him and they both knew it. He thinks Catelyn Stark might know it too, because she's looking at him while he's sitting on the couch and not so inconspicuously admiring Arya chatting away with her. Getting caught staring at Arya would never really lead anywhere, it was never a thing anybody gave a second thought about until everybody started noticing how frequently it happened, and Catelyn Stark was no exception.
He needs to look away, absolutely needs to.
But he just can't stop staring.
He was vaguely aware of whatever Robb was saying to him, his mind and eyes settled entirely on something and someone else.
"He has absolutely no idea what he's talking about and shouldn't even be allowed anywhere near politics and-Gendry, are you listening mate?" Robb pauses his ramble about his internship to stare at Gendry who was more than less than engaged in his conversation about politics.
"Huh?" Gendry mumbles and all Robb can think to do is follow his line of sight and is met with Arya playing rock, paper, scissors with Bran over who has to set the table.
Gendry snorts at Arya shoving Bran's shoulder at having lost and smiles fondly at her face all scrunched up and annoyed.
Robb turns his gaze to Gendry again,"Why are you staring at Arya?"
That seemed to snap him out of whatever daze he was in and he tears his eyes away from Arya's retreating form to look at Robb with wide eyes. He needed to get it together.
"M'not staring at Arya."
Robb only crosses his arms over his chest,"Yeah, you are. Any reason why?"
He's never heard Robb use this voice on him before. He's heard him use it on all the miserable blokes undeserving of Sansa and Joffrey Baratheon when he caught him checking her out one time, and even on Ned Dayne when he expressed his interest in Arya when they were in high school. But never him. He supposes Robb has good reason seeing as he very much is Arya's boyfriend. But Robb doesn't know that yet and there'd be no way for him to know that unless he was doing an absolute shit job of pulling through with his and Arya's plan.
Robb's stern demeanor cracks and he's just laughing now,"Ah man, that was good. I'm just poking fun at you mate. I couldn't possibly think of anyone better for her."
"What? You- I- what?" He was a right fool, wasn't he?
Robb just smiles and shakes his head before he sees Arya head towards the dining room with Rickon trailing slowly and cautiously behind her, and after a moment of thought and patting Gendry on the shoulder flashing one last smile, he follows after them.
That was one person who really didn't need to know yet. And now he knew.
Fucking hells.
Benjen Stark was easily one of the most exciting people Gendry thinks he would ever come to know in his life.
The man has lived adventure after adventure and doesn't plan on stopping anytime soon and still managing time and love for his family back here in Winterfell.
He'd just gotten back from his most recent hike up the Northern wall, a familiar adventure Benjen goes on frequently. Gendry loves these stories, he swears he does, but how on earth could he possibly listen to whatever Benjen was saying when Arya was sitting across the room looking so utterly divine and smiling that angel smile and laughing that angel laugh?
The answer was simple. He couldn't. If he was being honest, he wasn't all that bothered by his lack of focus on anything but Arya tonight.
This entire holiday, they could only share their affections with one another in isolated hallways, at night when she would sneak him from downstairs in the guest bedroom to upstairs in her own, and on the rare two days out of the nine day break, two secluded "hangouts"(to any lingering Stark's that had been listening) a little ways outside of Wintertown.
After tonight, once everybody finally knew about them, they wouldn't have to refrain from reaching for one another or have to hide their affections. He couldn't wait.
The wind is knocked out of him when her grey eyes connect with his blue ones and he's taken out of his momentary astonishment long enough to take in her look of annoyance and Ned Stark's look of amusement before he smiles at the man and turns back to uncle Benjen, who was wearing a similar look on his face as his older brother, before telling Gendry about the Northern wall once more.
The Northern wall was good. If he was talking about the Northern wall with Benjen then he wasn't thinking about slow and soft kisses on rainy days in Storms End, or waking up every morning to small arms wrapped around his middle with Arya's head against his chest, or even driving to Hot Pie's on Thursday night's to pick up a pizza pie, some soda and take it home to marathon 'The Office' before passing out on the couch tangled in each other.
If he was talking to Benjen about the Northern wall, then he wasn't staring at Arya and with everything they were counting on, he absolutely needed to stop staring at Arya.
Where uncle Benjen contained all the excitement a man could ever bear Gendry thinks, uncle Edmure was entirely too dull and less than observant. He didn't know how to properly read a room or any situation. He meant well though.
He honestly doesn't know how he ended up by the staircase speaking to him, but he'd be lying if he said every word Edmure Tully was saying to him wasn't going in through one ear and out the other.
He wouldn't know if it's something to blame on the lack of excitement in their conversation or on Arya laughing by the fireplace with Shireen about something, while Shireen would occasionally shoot a glance at Rickon, Arya would smile knowingly and Shireen would laugh. It made him feel warm inside, the sight of his cousin and his girlfriend getting on so well.
"...and with you and Arya barely able to keep your eyes off one another, well that was another thing on its own entirely."
Gendry immediately snaps his head away from Arya and Shireen to look at Edmure, who looks oddly pleased with himself.
"What?"
"What?" Edmure looks confused. If Gendry didn't know the man, he'd roll his eyes at him. But he does know Edmure, which is why this makes it all the more unsettling. Edmure, in all the time Gendry has known him, has never said anything remotely interesting, but the mention of Arya and now he has to know whatever else is about to come out of his mouth.
"What were you saying about Arya and I?"
"Oh!" Edmure's features perk up at this,"Just how hard it is to get a word in with anybody here for more than five minutes, even harder when they don't pay attention to you when you speak, instead focusing on your niece."
Gendry thinks he might be wrong about Edmure. He wasn't as dull as he made himself seem and he was more observant than he had given him credit for.
"It's nothing new. You and Arya never seem to leave anywhere without one another and I'm sure my sister is pleased that you and Arya have finally managed to act on your feelings. Honestly, if she hadn't told me you guys weren't together all those years ago, I probably would have never known. All the same, all good things take time, right?" Edmure smiles.
Of all the things capable of happening tonight, Gendry didn't consider Edmure Tully rendering him speechless to be one of them.
If Edmure Tully was able to see how utterly gobsmacked Arya seemed to make Gendry then this night and their plan, they were well and truly fucked.
He'd never been more relieved in his life than when Catelyn called over her brother to speak with her and Ned and he let a breath out of relief immediately from being saved of talking about how bad he was at keeping his eyes to himself and away from Arya any longer.
Speaking of Arya, she had gone upstairs to use the bathroom, Sansa trailing not too far behind her.
Benjen and Bran were on the couch with Jon and Ygritte listening intently to more Northern tales, Shireen and Rickon were nowhere to be found and Robb was trying to fix the cables on speakers to make the music sound less grainy, leaving him by the drinks all by himself.
Theon, who had been lingering around, seemed to take notice of that and quickly approached,"Hey there dream boat!"
Gendry rolls his eyes and snorts before giving Theon a flat look at the terrible nickname he hasn't stopped calling him since they were kids,"How many times have I told you not to call me that, Theon?"
"I can't help it, Mr.black hair and blue eyes with a side of chiseled jaw line. You're such a dream boat."
"Am I?"
"You know it baby." Theon wiggles his eyebrows and Gendry can only find it in himself to laugh.
"I guess I'll just have to take your word for it." Gendry nods, steering the conversation somewhere else where Theon could be less Theon.
"Or Arya's." Theon mumbled and Gendry felt heat rising to his cheeks and his eyes widened.
"What?"
"Arya. You can take her word for it. I'm almost positive she thinks you're a dream boat. Gods does that girl want to eat you up or what? The tension between the two of you is palpable!"
Oh gods, oh gods. How obvious was he? He must have been like a cactus in the middle of the desert obvious for Theon Greyjoy to use words like palpable.
"Between you and me, the attic is sound proof, and no I will not tell you how I know. And don't worry, I'm completely subtle. Nobody will hear it from me." Theon winks while Gendry just stares at him, his blue eyes swirling like a sea of emotions.
Theon just smiles before his attention is shot elsewhere to Robb trying to unplug the speaker once more,"Hey Robb! Stop tugging at those wires, I've got something else you can pull!"
All Gendry manages is slightly parted lips and even wider eyes. Subtle his ass. Theon Greyjoy had all the subtlety of a jackhammer. Dear Gods was he screwed.
Theon walks away and it seems like everybody else was shifting too. Rickon and Shireen had gotten back seemingly out of nowhere while everybody just moved around the room and all he wanted more than anything was to just see Arya, her steel eyes on his blue ones. Nothing had ever sounded more comforting.
He finds himself looking around the room for her, among the fresh sea of family in the living room and his eyes land on her and Sansa at the staircase. His nerves settle and his heart swells and all very naturally, he smiles.
Gendry thinks he’s pretty lucky to be able to bond so well, so easily with all of the Starks. Their unwavering love and loyalty always made him feel warm and welcome and safe, feelings he had never felt as strongly as when he was with them.
Spending so much of his time growing up with them and actually learning the functions of truly meaningful relationships, he considers each relationship he has with each of the starks and even theon ones of great value and lessons he learned both the easy and hard ways.
Bran Stark, usually one on the easy end, was making Gendry’s life a little less than that.
”Are you excited to be going back down to Storms End then?”
Gendry smiles, thinking about his and Arya’s cozy two bedroom apartment, scattered with relics of their lives together and painted pretty with their love.
”Yeah. I always do love coming back to Winterfell though. It will always be home as long as you lot are all here.” Gendry says and Bran’s smile is honest and kind.
He feels himself relax under his gaze, entirely grateful for a normal conversation not brought about around Arya, where his mind wouldn’t drift and take him to another world where the only sound is his heart beating for her.
"I'm sure Arya feels the same way." Bran smirks.
Gendry could’ve sworn under his breath but it’s just Bran, who certainly never did beat around the bush.
"Maybe, who knows? Maybe she hates Storms End and is only putting up with it for my sake." Gendry laughs but as soon as the words leave his mouth he regrets them because Bran has a knowing look in his eyes and just smirks a little more like he knew something Gendry didn't.
"Maybe. I suppose the only way to find out is to ask her," Bran looks around the room and doesn't see her anywhere and his face falls flat,"where is she anyways?"
He looks around the room and tries to remember if he’d seen Arya at all these last few minutes and can only seem to remember seeing her speaking to Theon for 10 short seconds before walking into the kitchen with Catelyn.
”I’m not sure actually. I thought I saw her leave in to the kitchen a couple of minutes ago. Could be wrong though.” Gendry shrugs trying to be as nonchalant as possible, but only looking rigid and mechanical. It made Bran laugh.
"Right you are. Maybe you ought to go check, I'm sure they'll need your help in there."
"How do you know-"
"I just do. Now go on, you stubborn mule," Bran pauses,"That doesn't sound right."
Gendry snorts,"It's not."
Bran looks at Gendry and smiles,"Why are you still here? Arya needs you."
Gendry only shakes his head before smiling at Bran and getting up to head to the kitchen. He didn't need to be told twice to exit out of that conversation with Bran.
Gendry thinks he's usually good at being able to read a situation, a lot better than Edmure Tully before Edmure proved him wrong on that front tonight.
He's not entirely sure, however, how to read the situation he just walked in.
It was almost comical the way Arya and Mrs.Stark snapped their heads from looking at one another to look at Gendry, but the air felt a little dense and Arya's eyes were wide all while Mrs.Stark hid her amusement behind a coy smile.
"Sorry didn't mean to interrupt." He smiles warmly at them, hoping he didn't greatly infringe upon their private moment and Catelyn smiles back and just shakes her head.
"Nonsense, it's completely alright. We were just going to bring the chicken and the casseroles out." She answers back and he hadn't heard of something more delightful than eating and can only find it in himself to agree.
"Thank gods, I'm starving."
Catelyn muttered something to Arya that he didn't quite catch but it was enough to turn her face red so he just grabbed the casseroles and brought them out and went back in for the rest.
"Thank you Gendry." Catelyn says to him and he finds himself shaking his head. Helping would never be a problem, it's what he was there to do no matter how much they needed it.
"Never a problem." He smiles shyly at Arya like they're the only ones in the room, but he feels Catelyn's eyes on him and becomes increasingly aware that they're not, so he just steps out of the kitchen and out into the dining room, hoping to not get caught in any crossfire for not hiding his affection for Arya very well.
Helping Catelyn Stark was usually a quiet task of doing whatever she asked in completely comfortable silence. He'd found it quite easy ever since he joined them for dinner the very same day that Robb had invited him over to play soccer. It was then, when Jon, Arya and Robb were instructed with getting Bran down from the white oak and Theon and Sansa had been looking under every last Stark bed for Rickon, he had settled himself in the kitchen with the head of the household and offered his help.
Catelyn hadn't known what about Gendry it was that made her so fond of him. Maybe it was how greatly Ned admired the boy, maybe it was his kindness and patience and his understanding of the world and still managing to find the good in it despite the cruelty at such a young age. Or maybe it was because she'd never seen her daughter light up quite as much around anyone else as she did around Gendry. He was always quick on his feet and eager to push her back as hard as she pushed him.
Over the years, that same stubbornness was still deeply rooted in him, but it was strongly hidden under layers and layers and layers of soft smiles, reddening cheeks and crystal blue eyes he only ever seems to reserve for Arya.
Catelyn Stark was no fool. She knows the look of the love better than anyone and has worn it for more than half of her life. And with Arya gathering everybody from the living room for dinner, she doesn't feel so bad about asking Gendry what she's about to ask him.
"How long have you been in love?" Gendry is about at good at hiding his surprise as he is at hiding his shock, which is why he lets a fork fall onto a plate and clank really loudly.
"Huh?"
Catelyn had to laugh at how little less than hopeless Gendry looked,"How long have you been in love, Gendry?"
Gendry doesn't know how to find a way out of this one, he can't exactly lie to matriarch of the Stark bunch but he couldn't exactly back out of his plan with Arya which he'd already done a pretty lackluster job of pulling through one.
He just clears his throat,"I'm not sure what you mean, I mean I'm not sure if Arya-"
"Who said anything about Arya?" Catelyn smirks.
Gendry feels himself freeze but before he can save himself, the rest of the Starks and company are piling themselves into the dining room and sitting themselves around the table leaving Gendry standing there wide eyed and a little out of breath and Catelyn smiling triumphantly to herself.
She was damn good, wasn't she?
He doesn't know who made up the seating arrangements and he doesn't know if he should be thankful or not.
He's seated in between Sansa and Rickon and Arya is sitting right across from him, for better or worse, he's not sure.
Conversation was flowing all around the dinner table and he's glad that for once, it's able to keep his mind off of Arya. They were all here together and not a single person was batting an eyelash at them in a way that suggested anything more than what they'd been playing off.
"Enjoying dinner?" Sansa asks him from his left side.
He smiles at her and nods. Sansa was someone he had never expected to get close to but was pleasantly surprised at how warm and welcoming she was. In all the time he's known Sansa, she had always been patient and willing to offer advice if you were looking for it. She knew which buttons to push and when to stop and they always got on well.
"Dinner's great. How're you holding up?"
Sansa waved him off,"Oh, you know. Same old, same old. Just soaking up the time I have left here in Winterfell before heading back to High Garden."
Gendry nodded in understanding,"I completely feel you."
Sansa smiles,"I'm sure Arya does too."
He somehow knew what to expect, but it didn't stop it from punching him in the gut. The other thing about Sansa that he respected was how well she always worked her angles. She always knew where she wanted conversations to go and always made sure she got them there.
"Who knows really better than Arya?" He shrugs in an attempt at avoiding Sansa's knowing smirk and avoiding every corner in his mind that lead him back to thinking about Arya and all the things they want to do, but can't, not yet anyways.
"You, maybe. I mean you two are practically made for one another. How long till one of you makes a move? Unless of course, you two are already a thing. Are you guys a thing?" Why in seven hells did Arya have to be seated across from him?
Before he has the chance to answer, Rickon, who had been listening in on the conversation, scoots closer,"As if he'd tell us. I've practically been chasing Arya around all day trying to get her to fess up. The chances of these two telling us are as likely as-"
"-You and Shireen Baratheon getting caught in the attic by Theon?" Sansa raises her eyebrows at Rickon who only narrows his eyes at her.
"How the hells does every single one of you know about that?"
Gendry just grimaces while Rickon continues to speak,”I’d rather not talk about Shireen and I with her cousin who could very much beat me to a pulp.”
Gendry laughs before he smiles sympathetically at Rickon,”As long as we don't have to talk about Arya and I.”
Before Sansa has a chance to protest, Rickon is smiling back at Gendry,”Sounds like a deal.”
Gendry trains his eyes on Arya sitting across from him, speaking lively with Robb and absolutely grinning from ear to ear. It makes him feel warm and fuzzy and he smiles to himself.
”Deal.”
He doesn't know how he ends up chatting with Jon and Robb but maybe it's a good thing. Like old times, they can slip into being the best of mates and he won't have to worry about the pressures of her brothers not accepting him weighing down on his heart. He knows they accept him.
Getting along with Jon came so naturally to Gendry. He understood what it was like to feel like an outsider and always made sure Gendry felt safe and okay in whatever they did. Jon was the first person Gendry ever considered a brother and a lot of it in part derived from the ease that came with being Jon's friend. He couldn't think of anyone he was more terrified of knowing the truth behind his and Arya's relationship especially with how much he means to Arya. But now was not about what Jon Snow did or did not know. Now was about the three of them talking.
And it is just sweet relief to be able to keep it together in front of her brothers long enough to not have to worry about showing how hopeless, helpless and completely happy Arya Stark makes him.
She was across the room from him, with Bran and he was grateful to not be in her shoes but it didn't stop him from staring and wondering what on earth Bran could be spewing to her that he hadn't already spewed to him. Jon and Robb seem to be wondering too.
Robb sighs and sucks his teeth,"Ugh, he's doing it again."
"Doing what again?" Jon asks, confused while Gendry looks between them.
Robb just gestures in front of Gendry and then at Arya,"He's been staring at Arya all night long. He did it while he was talking to me,"Robb pauses to glare at Gendry for not giving him his undivided attention,"And he's doing it again now. While he is still talking to me."
Jon snorts,"I think it has less to do with you and more to do with Arya." Jon looks at Gendry, who has resigned himself to squeezing his eyes shut and shaking his head and muttering a very quiet 'stupid, stupid, stupid'.
"You alright there, Gendry?" Jon brings his hand up to pat Gendry on the shoulder, who only exhales then nods.
"Just realizing I'm worse at keeping secrets than I thought."
Robb chortles beside Gendry,"I wonder what gave it away." Robb takes his eyes off of Gendry to see Theon with an exasperated expression motioning for them to go upstairs, before he rolls his eyes and follows after him, leaving Gendry and Jon to themselves, looking at Arya from afar.
"You and Arya, huh?" Jon eyes him carefully.
He's accepted that as long as they didn't know about he and Arya, he would never know what to say around the Starks about her and their companionship.
He just looks at Jon, who had been his best friend since really young, Jon, who was more excited than he was that he had been offered a full ride to Storms End, Jon, who always sent him the exact same post card every year from Castle Black, with the same silly notes and smiley faces and proclamations of brotherly love.
He just looks at Jon,"Would that be bad?"
Jon, after ten way too long seconds, cracks a smile,"I couldn't think of anything worse. My two favorite people abandoning me to become each other's favorite people? You're absolute criminals."
Gendry feels himself relax,"Really?"
Jon just nods and smiles that smile that makes his eyes crinkle at the end,"Really. I couldn't think of anyone better for either of you than each other."
Gendry's heart flutters and he smiles his own crinkle eyed smile at Jon,"My sentiments exactly."
Jon snorts,"I just wonder what the hells took you two so damn long."
Gendry stops his face from falling flat because he'd be lying if he said he didn't wonder that too.
Ned Stark didn't understand how he'd become so fond of Gendry so quickly, but he didn't mind it one bit. Seeing Jon, Robb and Theon roll in through the front doors of the house with Gendry linked in their embrace, the sight of it looked completely picture perfect, like those were four who were meant to be friends.
It almost looked as right as Arya hot on their heels aiming the soccer ball at Theon's head, who had caught wind of her scheme ducking in time for it to hit Gendry, and then being chased by him around the house, causing a frenzy of laughter and crazed chases to break out among all of them.
Gendry, in such short time of meeting the Starks, had become a staple in the family household. Always there to help Bran with Science homework, helping Catelyn save time and money by fixing her minivan for her and even trying (and failing) to bake Sansa lemon cakes for her 16th birthday.
He meant well and Ned knew Gendry never felt more at home with anyone but the Starks and he was thankful he had a piece of that home with him in Storms End in the small form of his peanut.
He catches Gendry coming from downstairs and smiles at the boy, who can only find it in himself to smile back.
"Hey Mr.Stark." Gendry says upon meeting him at the bottom of the staircase.
Ned just waves him off and smiles,"You know what you can call me. It's Ned."
Gendry just shakes his head with laughter before Ned is speaking again,"Enjoying your night?"
"You could say that." He didn't have a bad time. He just found out how absolutely terrible he was at hiding his emotions and knew very quickly that wherever Arya was concerned, he wore his heart on his sleeve.
"It's a terrible shame the breaks come to an end so soon," Gendry nods his head in agreement,"When can we be expecting you and Arya back?"
Gendry thinks to himself on this one,"I'm not sure, we might be able to come down for spring break in 3 months, maybe a bit sooner with how much we always end up missing you all."
Ned smiles,"At least you each have a little bit of home to keep with you in Storms End."
Gendry nods and can't find it in himself to disagree. He sometimes wondered how he survived in Storms End without Arya there to begin with. He felt so entirely lucky thinking back on how natural it felt for them to just exist with one another, to be comfortable around one another on days where they considered themselves to be their most detestable. He's thankful that the feelings never go away or settle into something more mundane the way people said it would.
He's thankful that even after all the time they've spent together, she still ignites that same excitement in him that she had when they would play soccer together, that his heart still races a mile a minute whenever her grey eyes meet his blue ones, that on her days where she absolutely hates the human world she still loves him.
"Yeah, at least we do." Gendry smiles more to himself than at Ned, who's just staring at Gendry with an amused expression.
"I don't have to tell you to treat her well, I know you do. All I really have to tell you is don't waste all the hot water and absolutely never eat her twizzlers if you know what's good for you."
Gendry decides that there's really no use in denying anything at this point, not when the night's coming to an end and every single person in the room seems to know about him and Arya already.
He also decides he doesn't need anybody else telling him not to waste all the hot water, having found out for himself what would happen once he had and he can decidedly say that sleeping with a log of pillows between him and Arya to keep him from big spooning her was far crueler punishment than using a decent amount of warm water.
The twizzlers, though, well he's the only person she'll share her food with so he thinks he's fine on that front.
For once, he felt the air flow freely through his body. He felt alright, like the mere mention of Arya was incapable of happening while he was seated alone by the window sill watching the snows fall.
He feels someone sit down next to him and he prepares himself for whatever he might need to say to deflect from how much he keeps on staring at Arya.
He wasn't prepared to feel her hand slide into his but he falls into it naturally all the same.
"We should be leaving soon." She says from beside him and he nods, thinking about their home and their tiny living room joined by their tiny kitchen and nothing sounded better than that. Except for maybe a few things.
"Can't wait to get back to our bed." He mumbles and he hears her laugh and his heart explodes.
"Me too."
He looks at their joined hands,"I think I totally screwed up our plan."
"I think you totally did." He hears her say and he looks at her, smiling from ear to ear and he can't find it in himself to feel bad about hiding how madly in love he is with Arya. As if it were a bad thing.
"I can't help it, alright. Maybe if you didn't look so beautiful all the time of if I wasn't so helplessly in love with you, but too bad for you that you do look beautiful all the time and that I am helplessly in love with you." He moves his hands up in mock surrender and pulls her a little forward by their joined hands and realizes everyone in the living room to the right of them can see them perfectly clear.
He doesn't care too much anymore and he's fairly certain she doesn't either. And why should they, not when everything they could ever want they were looking at, not when they found happiness and home within each other.
"I really don't see how that's too bad for me, I mean I love you and you love me. My super hot boyfriend is in love with me, boo hoo." She teases him and he tugs her a little more until he's right where he wants to be, in her arms with his lips on hers and he swears this is what seven heavens feels like.
He can barely hear are the whistles and cheers beside them, being so lost and drowning in all of his senses that have managed to wrap themselves up in any and all things Arya.
They pull away from one another and he swears it's just them, how could it not be? She seems to agree with the notion,"I love you."
He kisses her once more, on her lips, on her forehead, on her cheeks, on her nose," I love you too." And he did, he would always. It was Arya. As if that weren't reason enough to be completely enraptured by her.
She turns her head from him and he laughs at the sight he's also met with and can't say he didn't see it coming.
"Seven fucking hells. Would you all stop staring?"
He laughs because he knows it's not entirely capable for them to avert their eyes with how exciting it was for them after an endless night of badgering.
He doesn't think he can fault them either because he takes one look at Arya, brown hair falling, grey eyes sterling, and he immediately understands why they all can't stop staring.