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1; freshman year, the Reeds' backyard, Meera's sixteenth birthday party.
"I would make out with you, honestly, I would. You have a very nice face but also have boobs and female genitalia."
Bran nearly spit out the drink he'd been milking all night. Jojen gave him a slight glance before smiling at the disheartened Wylla, whom quickly moved away and left the two boys alone.
"Did- did you just come out to her? While she was hitting on you?" Bran asked, his throat still burning from the drink he'd choked on. Jojen smiled, his green eyes bemused.
"Yes, Bran. It seemed rude to allow her to continue on without knowing the truth." Jojen replied somewhat pretentiously. Bran had to fight the urge to roll his eyes, Jojen had always sort of spoken like an old man. His grandmother had called him "little grandfather" since they were seven years old.
"Okay but…wait. Jojen, are you gay?" Bran asked, eyes going wide. If anything, Jojen looked more amused by this and simply shook his head.
"Yeah." He said, shrugging as though it meant nothing. And, to him, it really did seem to mean nothing.
Bran reached out and punched him in the shoulder, Jojen jerking away with a wounded look on his face.
"Why did you do that!?!" Jojen asked, his voice raising an octave in his confusion.
"Why didn't you tell me you were gay?" Bran asked, punching him again. He knew it didn't hurt Jojen, he was nothing but skin and bones. Although Jojen didn't have much more muscle than he did.
"Why did you assume I was straight?" Jojen asked with a smirk. Bran opened his mouth but found he had no reply and let the subject drop.
2. Freshman year, one week later. The cafeteria.
"Wylla is telling everybody that we're dating."
Once again, Bran nearly lost the mouthful of drink he had in his mouth- this time chocolate milk which would have been much more upsettting.
"What? Why would she think that?" Bran asked, crinkling his brow in confusion. Bran wasn't gay, Bran liked girls! There was nothing wrong with being gay but he just personally wasn't. Although sometimes when he looked at Jojen's mossy green eyes he wondered but- no. Bran was straight, he knew he was.
"I’m not sure if she actually thinks that or if she's just trying to get back at me for turning her down at Meera's party last week." Jojen shrugged. "Though, I'm not sure what she thinks that's going to do."
"Uh, it's spreading rumours about us? About us dating!?!" Bran shook his head in disbelief. How did Jojen not see what sort of problem this was? Jojen was just sitting here smiling as though there was nothing wrong with the entire school thinking they were a couple. Which there was because they weren't a couple.
"Meh." Jojen laughed slightly with a shrug. "Does it matter? What do couples do? Basically exactly what we do, only with a lot more kissing."
"Yeah." Bran grumbled. "A whole lot more. Considering we don't kiss. At all, ever."
3. Summer before Sophomore Year. The Reed's backyard.
Bran woke up feeling way too cozy to have slept on the ground all night. His mind was still foggy and he wasn't quite sure why he felt so warm and peaceful, but he wasn’t going to question it.
That is, until the warmth and comfort shifted a little bit and panic raced through Bran's vines. He wiggled around until he was facing the person who was spooning him and a wave of reassurance rush through him when he saw it only Jojen.
And it hit him that Jojen was spooning him, had probably been spooning him all night. Bran's body held an internal struggle… he wanted to pull away, go home and spend hours reminding himself that he and Jojen were just friends (which he started to doubt more and more with each passing day of his life) but Jojen was so warm and comfy, and Bran was a little hungover if he had to admit it and could feel sleep pulling at him again.
So he just tucked his head into Jojen's neck and let himself fall back to sleep. He could deal with the consequences later, when he didn't have as much of a headache.
4. Sophomore year. Bran Stark's bedroom.
"Hey, this picture is cute."
Arya's voice run out to Bran from the other side of her bedroom. Jojen and Bran looked up from their spots on his bed and saw Jojen's phone in Arya's hand.
"What picture?" Bran asked, glancing between the smirking Arya and the slightly embarrassed Jojen. Jojen tried to grab for his phone but Arya tossed it to Bran before he got the chance. Bran looked down at the phone, squinting at the screen (he really needed to get glasses, his eye sight was just horrible). He finally made out the picture and realized it was from when they'd fallen asleep cuddling in the backyard.
Bran looked up at Jojen slowly, his face surely a question mark. Jojen's cheeks were pink but his eyes still held a cool confidence to them. "Meera took it. Was going to use it as blackmail until it became obvious that the picture didn't bother me. She gave me a copy."
"And you made it your phone background?" Bran asked incredulously, trying to ignore his pounding heart and the butterflies in his stomach. Jojen smiled sheepishly and glanced away.
"I like it."
Bran's face broke into a smile despite himself and was too busy sending himself a copy of the picture from Jojen's phone to hear Arya mutter "Just get together already," as she left his room.
5. Sophomore year. Last day of school, English wing hallway.
"I'll see you in September."
The lips pressed against Bran's before he got the chance to realize Jojen was leaning in, and they were gone and away before he got the chance to react. Bran whipped around, face bright red.
Jojen was halfway down the hallway when he froze, seeming to realize what he'd just done. For a moment Bran hoped that Jojen would turn around and come back so they could talk about it (and maybe kiss again, for real this time) but Jojen just stood there for a second before continuing down the hall.
Bran kicked the wall closest to him, and groaned both at the pain and irritation. Of course, the Reeds would pick this summer to go away, too. He wouldn't see Jojen for nine weeks.
6. Junior year. Meera's Hallowe'en party.
Bran pinned Jojen up against the wall. They both knew that the other boy could get away in a second if he wanted to but Jojen merely sighed and avoided Bran's eyes.
"Stop that." Bran barked at him, the words coming out even harsher than he'd intended them too. "Stop trying to avoid me!"
Jojen didn't say anything but did glance around to meet Bran's gaze. That just made Bran even more pissed off. After everything they'd been through- learning to ride bikes together, going through the High School Musical phase, Jojen coming out to homophobic classmates, Bran thinking for a while that he was good at playing lacrosse- Jojen was just going to throw their entire friendship away over a five second brush of lips? He hadn't even invited Bran that night, Meera had. The Reeds had been back in town for over two months and Jojen hadn't spoken to him at all except a few nervous "hi"s before escaping.
What had had happened to cocky, confident boy Bran knew? The one who didn't get shaken by these sort of things? This was the exact time which Bran would like him to be around and he was nowhere to be seen.
"What's the matter with you!?!" Bran snapped, knowing his face was flushed with rage he was feeling.
Suddenly, anger flashed deep in Jojen's eyes. An anger so pure that Bran actually took a step back.
"What's wrong with me?" Jojen asked, narrowing his eyes and taking a step closer to close the gap Bran had put between them. "What's wrong with me? How about the fact that I've been more than a little obvious with my feelings towards you and all you've done to mock them for years? How about I kissed my crush and supposed best friend by accident and he didn't try to contact me all fucking summer? How about the person I like is so damn heteronormative that he won't even pause for a second to consider that-"
Bran pushed Jojen back up against the wall, pressing his lips against him with a force that actually kind of hurt. Jojen let out a gasp against Bran and his hands ran to cling to Bran's neck. Bran used his tongue and teeth to chase away every inch of doubt Jojen had about them.
When he pulled away, Jojen's eyes were wide and his cheeks were red. He breathed heavily for a moment and then shook his head. "Wasn't bloody expecting that."
Bran smirked. It felt good to have the upper hand for once.