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…
They knew that some people would probably think it was way too soon but those were people who just didn’t understand that for Sansa and Jon, living together had been building for years. Hers and Brandon’s house was small – two bedrooms, one bathroom, a living room and kitchen with a sunroom built onto the back. It wasn’t even 900 square feet but for Sansa and Brandon, and Lady, of course, it was absolutely perfect. And when Jon moved in, with Ghost, it was even more so. He had lived with his mom, went to college, shared a flat with Robb and then moved back in with his mom and Arthur when he was getting sober. He then returned to being Robb’s roommate. He had gotten good at packing up and moving to another place though he would be the first to say that this move, moving in with Sansa and Brandon was the absolute best move he had ever made.
Jon had his bed – which he wouldn’t need because Sansa already had a bed for them. He had paid for the couch but since Sansa already had a couch, he left his with Robb. Robb had tried to pay him for it but Jon told him to fuck off as nicely as possible. He was going to be taking his taller chest of drawers with him since Sansa’s own dresser was filled with her things and they would rearrange the bedroom if they had to fit it. Other than that and his clothes, he didn’t have anything else that would be needed.
“Do you want to take these?” Sansa asked as they sat on the floor of his bedroom, filling boxes with his clothes.
Jon turned his head to see her holding up a paperback book taken from a collection of others he kept in a bin on the floor of his closet. He didn’t even have a bookshelf, which Sansa thought was just so insane because books were supposed to be properly displayed and not tossed around without thought. As a librarian, she frowned at him so he would know she didn’t approve of his treatment of something that deserved far better.
And he grinned because he could read her mind – or just easily see the displeasure on her face because she was not trying to hide it. He then looked to the book and hesitated. “No, I think I’ll just drop them off at the used bookstore,” he said and finished with a shrug.
“Jon,” she was still frowning but now for a different reason. “It’s your house, too. You need to have your things there, too. You do not have to be a minimalist.”
“A minimalist?” His lips quirked upwards. Sansa didn’t explain. She didn’t think she had to. She simply looked around his practically bare bedroom and then back to him. Jon shrugged again. “It’s just made it easier over the years. Most people have too much stuff anyway.” Sansa opened her mouth to respond to that but before she could, Jon pushed on. “Except you. You and Brandon have the perfect amount of stuff.” He gave her a smile and Sansa let out a slight laugh. He leaned over and kissed her.
“Well, your stuff needs to be in our house, too,” Sansa went back to frowning because that was something he should have already known without being difficult about it.
She looked at the other books in the bin. She knew he loved Sherlock Holmes and he had those both in paperback and hardback. She had tried to read the stories because she knew Jon loved them but she just couldn’t get into them, to be honest. He also had a collection of Michael Crichton books. As a librarian, most would expect Sansa to have books absolutely everywhere but she purposely showed restraint. She had one three-shelf bookcase in her house and Brandon had his own little bookcase in his bedroom with his books but that was all she had. She just didn’t have the room for more than that. Maybe someday, if there was ever a bigger house…
But she looked at the bin of Jon’s books that he was ready to not take with him and that wouldn’t work. She would find room in their house for all of Jon’s books, too.
…
“Jon,” Sansa sighed heavily and walked out in the living room where Jon was on the floor with Brandon, both playing with his Hubba Bubba Hotel playset while an episode of the cartoon was on the television.
Jon lifted his head. “What’s up?” He asked. She didn’t say a word. She just held up a few squares of toilet paper, dotted with yellow. Jon looked appropriately abashed. “I’m sorry. Did I at least put the seat back down?”
“One point in your favor, Jon Snow,” she said, smiling now, and he broke into a smile, too. “Aim better and that’s a habit Brandon better not pick up from you.”
…
They arranged their bedroom so it fit their bed and both dressers without closing the room in. Sansa found places for his books and there was plenty of room in the closet next to the front door for his coat, boots and other winter things. She didn’t care what he said. Jon really was a minimalist considering how easily he just slipped into the house. Sansa swore that Ghost had more possessions than Jon did.
The only place he really took over was the garage – and that was perfectly fine with Sansa because all she had in there was her car, snow shovels, snow salt and gardening tools. She allowed herself a splurge during the warmer months and paid a lawncare service to mow the grass so she didn’t even own a lawnmower.
Jon’s work pickup truck was actually too big to fit into their garage along with her car so he always parked in the driveway. He worked out there all weekend when he first moved in and Brandon went out to help him and Sansa would occasionally come out to see what he was up to, bringing him bottles of water. He had installed a large pegboard on the wall which hung all sorts of his tools in proper places and he was in the process of building his own workbench. He wore safety goggles and Brandon had his own little pair, too, and wood dust flew everywhere as Jon used his power saw. Sansa stayed in the garage’s doorway, watching and smiling at the noise and the mess and it seemed so silly – and maybe even stupid – but she loved it.
…
It took Jon a while to get comfortable, he admitted. This was Sansa and Brandon’s house and even after moving in with them, he continued to see it like that. He always made sure he didn’t leave a mess – except for the occasional toilet seat mishap – and honestly, if someone new came over, they would never think that a third person lived there. Just two people and two dogs – unless they walked into the garage and saw his workspace out there.
“I’m going to the grocery store today,” Sansa let him know as he finished his breakfast and carried the empty cereal bowl straight to the dishwasher. “Do you want anything special for dinner?” She asked.
Brandon finished his breakfast, too, and Sansa smiled as the boy mirrored Jon, sliding down from his chair and carrying his bowl to the dishwasher. Jon smiled at him and took it to load it away like he did with his.
Jon shrugged. “Whatever you two want is good with me.”
Sansa sighed heavily but didn’t say anything. She was getting used to Jon seemingly having absolutely no opinion when it came to things like that.
He did his own laundry, which Sansa told him was completely ridiculous. Laundry day was Sunday and Sansa didn’t mind doing laundry. She actually really liked it. She found folding, for whatever reason, to be therapeutic. And she was washing hers and Brandon’s clothes so why on Earth wouldn’t she wash Jon’s, too, if she was already doing laundry?
“My clothes get really dirty from work,” Jon tried to explain to her.
“Brandon’s four,” Sansa reminded him. She was not afraid of dirt. “Get me your clothes, Jon.”
One night, he worked late and coming home, Sansa was waiting up for him. Brandon was already in his bedroom, asleep, and she was out in the sunroom, working on the dress she had on her dressmaker form, sewing with her hands so the sewing machine didn’t wake up Brandon. She heard his truck turn off in the driveway and then the garage door lifted. Jon always brought all of his tools from the truck to be left, safely, in the garage. It took him some time so Sansa didn’t go greet him. Yet. He hit the alarm on his truck with a beep and then the garage door came down but still, Jon didn’t come inside. He didn’t just leave his tools on his workbench. He took the time to put everything away even though tomorrow morning, he’d be loading them up into his truck again. Tools weren’t cheap and Jon didn’t just throw them around like they were.
Finally, the door from the garage into the kitchen opened and he came inside but Sansa still didn’t go to greet him. She would let Ghost and Lady do that first and that was just what the two dogs did. Sansa left the sunroom to step into the kitchen and get him a plate down from the cabinet. She had made a quick chicken potpie for dinner and was going to get a piece for him.
“You don’t have to do that,” Jon spoke and Sansa turned around to look at him, the plate in midair. “I grabbed Burger King once I left the job. I didn’t think… I forgot you made dinner.”
Sansa felt herself swallowing past her dry throat and she set the plate down gently on the counter. Her stomach knotted and she told herself to not overreact but at the same time, it was what she was feeling and while she was still learning to, she didn’t want to ignore her feelings anymore or not verbally express both those thoughts and feelings to this man.
“Do you want to live with me?” Sansa asked.
Jon’s eyes immediately widened. “I am living with you,” he pointed out while looking at her.
She shook her head. “But do you want to?”
He took steps closer to her until there was no space between them. His hands found her waist and Sansa looked into his face as he stared into her eyes. “I’m sorry about dinner-” he began to say but Sansa cut him off with a swift shake of her head.
“You don’t act like this is your home. You’re so… clean and you put everything away like you’re hiding it and… you don’t even put your feet up on the coffee table!” She probably didn’t sound like a sane person right now but again, this was what she thought and felt and Jon needed to know it all no matter what.
Jon was quiet, still looking at her, and she hoped he understood what she was attempting to say. This was his house, too. They just paid their bills together for the first time this past month. When Brandon woke up before them, he left his bed to come into their room and climb onto their bed to wake them both. After work, this is where he came.
“This is your home, too, Jon.”
He still didn’t say anything but he leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips. “Okay.”
…
Two days later, Sansa was the one who had to work just a little bit later at the university library and she called to let Jon know. He was able to leave his jobsite and he picked Brandon up and when Sansa drove up their street and into the driveway, she could see lights on behind the curtains. She pulled into the garage and made sure the door was closed behind her before she got out of the car. She made sure she had everything and the car was locked before heading inside.
“Mama!” Brandon shouted immediately and came running in from the living room.
“Hi, sweetling,” Sansa smiled and putting her things down on the kitchen table, she bent down so he could run into her arms. She picked him up with an “oof” and kissed his cheek. She wondered where Ghost and Lady were because they didn’t come to greet her and where was Jon? Going into the living room, she had her answer. Jon sat on the couch – lounging was more like it – and was watching an episode of Project Runway on the television. He was eating potato chips with both dogs begging for their own and Sansa let out a laugh.
“Hey,” Jon gave her a smile and Sansa bent down, setting Brandon back down on his feet again. She kept her eyes on Jon and his sock-clad feet on the coffee table and the potato chip crumbs on the front of his tee-shirt. He looked perfect.
“Hi,” Sansa said, smiling.
…