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Spring had finally come.
Hot sun, green grass, flowers blooming, birds singing, and all that other crap.
Which would’ve been great, really, if it hadn’t come with school.
Why the hell did it have to happen in the first week back after the holidays? The only thing missing on the holidays had been actual snow. And someone claimed it fell at night once. Right. As if that counted.
Fuck.
Davos was already in a bad mood. All he wanted to do was lie on a bench like some depressed poet from Kings Landing and do nothing. Or maybe drag Benji off to skip class. But no, it was the first week, and the teachers still gave a damn.
Fucking shit.
They crossed the school yard like a pack of wildlings. Benji was yawning like a bear just out of hibernation, and Edmund and Lukas trailed after them with the same post-break scowls.
Everything looked the same as usual. But something was different.
Davos slowed down, his eyes narrowing. He scanned the cortyard like a suspicious cat and suddenly stopped. He turned his head back sharply, frowning.
“There are four of them,” he said, voice low with disbelief.
His cousins followed his gaze automatically, then squinted like they were analysing enemy movement on a battlefield.
“Isn’t that a girl?” Lukas asked, already failing the vibe check.
“Go to the fucking eye doctor, will you? It’s a guy.” Davos didn’t even blink.
“Are you sure he’s a Bracken?” Edmund tilted his head. “He doesn’t look like he’s got the horse’s snout.”
The boys snorted, as if stupid jokes were passed down genetically in their house.
“He’s Amos’ nephew,” Benji said with a yawn. “Transferred over mid-semester from Kings Landing. His mom either remarried or had another kid. I didn’t catch it. Eavesdropping wasn’t great that day.”
He stretched and started heading toward the school doors like none of this was a big deal.
“Why the fuck didn’t you tell me?” Davos practically jumped. “I’m getting my own Bracken to deal with?”
According to the ancient and totally unwritten rules of their ongoing war, every Blackwood needed a Bracken to torment. Or be tormented by. It was practically a family tradition.
Problem was, there was only one Bracken near Davos and Benji’s age. The other two were younger - Edmund and Lukas’ problem.
Which meant that Davos had been Brackenless all this time. Unfair. Unsportsmanlike. Tragic, really.
“Yeah, sure,” Benji muttered. “You’ll be braiding his hair by lunch.”
The others snorted again, already imagining it.
“You’re just jealous,” Davos shot back, trying not to grin.
His eyes were still locked on the new guy.
“So, this Aegor - ” Benji started.
They were in the library, miserably pretending to do their homework because Alysanne had all but dragged them there by the ears. Lukas even got a kick in the arse.
“Aeron,” Davos corrected without looking up from his notebook.
“Right, whatever. So this Aeron has been temporarily transferred - ”
“Not temporarily. He's going to apply to our university,” Davos said, still scribbling something that didn’t even look like notes.
Benji paused. Across the table, his other cousins exchanged raised eyebrows.
Lucas lazily turned a page in his textbook. “Why’s he coming here? Why not go to uni in King’s Landing where he lived?”
“Because he loves horses,” Davos replied, still not looking up. “And their vet programme there focuses on dragons or house pets. Cats and dogs. Nothing horse-related.”
Now all three boys stared at him.
“The Dothraki Uni has a whole department of this stuf,” Benji offered casually, watching him like a hawk.
“He’s bad at Dothraki,” Davos said immediately. “And the program there is based on Dothraki breeds, their climate, you know, all that. He wants to stay here, Amos offered him join family business.”
Silence.
"Let me guess," Benji finally said with a grin. "His favourite colour is green."
"Nope. Yellow." Davos finally looked up and blinked at them. "You guys are so weird."
“We’re the weird ones?” Benji stared at him, offended. “You’ve never talked to him. You haven’t even approached him. How the fuck do you know all this?”
Davos shrugged. “The girls asked him things. I listened.” He turned a page. “I added him on social media. He approved everyone, so I scrolled through. What’s the big deal?”
Benji stood up and started pacing. “The big deal is I ask you to overhear stuff for me and you can't string two words together. And now you’ve gone full investigation on a guy you haven’t even talked to in less than a day?”
Edmund and Lucas had started laughing. That loud, uncontrollable cousin laugh that meant they were absolutely going to bring this up at family dinners forever.
“If you were half this invested in any girl, you'd have lost your virginity years ago,” Benji added, jabbing a finger at him.
“Oh, fuck off,” Davos rolled his eyes. “You wouldn’t get it. You have Raylon.”
“Davos,” Benji said, his voice rising with exasperation, “I don't give a fuck what his favourite colour is! I don't need to know!”
Edmund was practically panting now, Lucas slumped over the table as if he'd been shot by a sniper.
Davos just shrugged again, calm in the middle of the chaos.
He just needed to catch up. In fact Aeron was supposed to live here, in Riverlands, go to the same school. Be close enough to compete with. To fight. To match him blow for blow in insults and snide comments and hallway glares.
Not wander off to Gods know where. He didn't even know that Aeron existed. But he should have, it was his Braken after all.
Davos was out of sorts.
Nothing was going right.
Bracken was either talking to someone, or on his phone, or just generally not paying attention to his surroundings.
It wasn’t fun if he just walked up and started bothering him. That was lame. It had to be something. A spark. A reason. Drama.
Okay, sure, they’d bumped into each other once. Totally by accident.
And Davos had opened his mouth to say something appropriately antagonistic - something about Bracken being armless, or brainless, or whatever - but then the guy had just… smiled.
Smiled at him.
And helped him gather his notebooks. Like a normal person.
What was Davos supposed to do after that? Be a jerk? Throw a pen at him? That would just make him look like a moron.
He exhaled sharply and dropped his head into his hands, stewing. Next to him Benji was lazily unpacking his stuff.
“Fuck, it’s so hot,” he muttered. “And boring. And you’re an idiot.”
He sounded too bored to even insult him properly.
Davos hummed in vague agreement. Yes. Idiot. That was him.
Benji sighed dramatically. “Why do I have to do everything myself?”
He crumpled up a piece of paper and launched it with expert precision at Raylon’s head across the row.
“Blackwood, what the fuck?” came the indignant protest.
Aeron turned towards them along with his cousin. Davos sat up slightly, suddenly very awake.
Benji grinned like a wolf. “Ice-cream day!” he called sweetly. It was the kind of sweetness that promised violence. “Hope you got your wallet, Bracken.”
Raylon snorted. “Yeah, in your dreams. You’re buying me a treat.”
“We’ll see, you idiot.” Benji smirked, stretching like a cat about to start a fight.
The lazy bickering stopped when the teacher came in.
Benji leaned over and elbowed Davos in the ribs. “You owe me.”
Davos blinked at him.
Finally. Finally.
Because the rules were simple: a scuffle after school - nothing too serious - and the loser had to buy ice cream.
Perfect.
The worst part was waiting. Finally, the bell rang. Everyone rushed to pack up - textbooks and pens shoved into bags. It was Friday, after all. No one cared.
The Blackwoods were already up. Raylon nodded at them and headed out, dragging Aeron along with him.
“Did you text the others?” Davos asked, glancing at the wall clock.
Benji just snorted and shouldered his bag. That was answer enough.
They headed for the old exit. It took longer to get there, sure - but it was quiet. Out of sight. Where all the fights happened. Where no one asked questions.
They rushed past one of the teachers in the hallway, but all they got was an eye-roll. Nothing new - just the Blackwoods running off somewhere again.
They finally spotted two figures in front of them - Raylon glanced back, saw them and picked up speed. Benji immediately gave chase.
Aeron looked lost for a second, then proceeded toward the exit.
Wrong move.
Davos was on him in a second, catching his shoulder and shoving him rather lightly - just enough to make him stumble back against the wall and land hard.
“And where do you think you’re going?” Davos grinned, the satisfaction blooming across his face. Finally.
He didn’t hit him. Not yet. He was cautious - he knew what other Brackens could dish out. But this one? No idea. He expected a punch. A shove. A shout.
He got… nothing.
Just a confused flinch, and a half-hearted attempt to move away.
Davos grabbed the collar of his shirt and shook him hardly. “Did I say something unclear?”
"What? Let me go." Aeron's voice was tense, confused.
And his face… his eyes… He looked scared.
Davos froze.
His fingers still held the collar, but his grip loosened.
“Didn’t they tell you?”
Aeron blinked at him. His silence was the answer.
He didn’t know.
He. Did. Not. Know.
Davos let out a long breath through his nose and stepped back, still holding the boy. His mind was already running through every insult he'd hurl at the Brackens later.
“You’re coming with me.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you.” Aeron hissed, tugging at his arm.
“I didn’t ask,” Davos snapped, and pulled.
Not to the old exit anymore. Let the others finish their scuffle. Everyone would end up at the ice cream place anyway.
“We’re going to the ice cream place,” he said shortly, not bothering to look back. “Your cousins are fucking morons, by the way.”
Aeron staggered after him, still resisting - but Davos held his hand tight and kept pulling, relentless as ever.
The cafe was nearby. He didn’t care about the looks from other students milling around. Whatever. Blackwood dragging a Bracken somewhere? Not even worth a second glance. Seen it before.
They were almost at the door when Davos noticed… Somewhere between the hallway and the street, their fingers had laced together.
And he hadn’t let go.
He didn’t now, either. Just pulled Aeron inside like it was a normal thing to do. Aeron tried to say something - maybe ask what the hell was going on - but Davos shot him a look so sharp he kept his mouth shut. Smart.
“Don’t tell me you’re allergic or some shit,” Davos said as they stepped up to the counter. He was already tired.
Aeron shook his head silently.
Davos finally let go of his hand to reach for his wallet. “Take your pick.”
The woman behind the counter raised an eyebrow, looking from Davos to Aeron and back again. “Huh. Wouldn’t have guessed, he doesn’t look like a fighter.”
Davos just sighed. Fucking shit.
He paid, handed over the ice cream, and led Aeron to a table. Shoved him into the seat by the window and dropped down beside him, effectively blocking the exit.
Ten minutes later, chaos exploded through the doors.
Benji was riding piggyback on a very pissed Raylon. Edmund had two backpacks, neither of them his Lucas looked like he'd lost a fight with a bush - which, knowing him, he probably had. Well, the other two Brackens were in no better shape.
They all froze the second they saw them.
Davos: empty-handed, his arms crossed in irritation. Aeron: awkwardly picking at his ice cream, clearly not dead.
The Brackens squealed like ferrets and swarmed the table, falling over each other to greet their cousin.
“Shut the fuck up,” Davos barked. His tone snapped across the cafe like a whip.
Everyone stilled.
His eyes scanned the Brackens, dark and furious. “So. Which one of you absolute geniuses thought to explain the rules to Aeron?”
Silence. Then confusion. Then slowly, slowly, the panic began to bloom as understanding hit.
“You’re fucking idiots,” Davos growled, standing now, both palms pressed down hard on the table. He looked like he was holding himself back from launching across it. “ Do you realise he could have been hurt because of you?”
No one spoke.
He glared at them all, then scoffed, grabbed his bag and left without another word.
Fucking shit.
Davos lay on his bed, jaw clenched, thoughts buzzing around his head like flies. It was supposed to be a normal Bracken/Blackwood scuffle. Some fun. Tradition. But of course - not today.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, a thought kept circling like a vulture. He didn’t like it. He didn’t like the way the boy had looked at him. Scared.
Aeron wasn’t supposed to be scared of him. It wasn’t meant to go that way. This was supposed to be a challenge, a spark. Clash and banter, not - whatever that was.
He let out a heavy sigh and closed his eyes.
Which, of course, was the exact moment Benji kicked the door open and threw himself onto the bed like a grenade.
“Oh, fuck, that was hilarious!” His cousin sounded suspiciously pleased with himself. “We got kicked out of the cafe because, while we were trying to explain the whole thing to the new guy, someone brought up the Battle of the Burning Mill, and things got out of hand.”
He sucked on his knuckles like a lollipop. Judging by the bruises, they’d had a very productive debate afterwards.
“Anyway,” Benji said, rolling onto his side to face him, “what the fuck was that? That dramatic-ass exit?” He squinted at Davos. “How did you even know the guy didn’t get the rules?”
Davos stared at the ceiling a moment longer, then finally muttered, “He was scared.”
Benji sat up, his eyebrows raised. “You noticed someone was scared of you? Davos Blackwood, feeler of feelings.” He grinned. “C’mon. They should tremble when they hear our name.”
“He wasn’t supposed to be scared,” Davos said quietly. “I didn’t like it.”
Benji blinked. “Well. That’s your problem now.” He stood up, brushing dust off his jeans. “Your Bracken, your mess. We don't share ours any more, and we won't touch yours on purpose. You get to deal with it.”
He was halfway out the door before tossing back casually, “Oh, by the way - he asked for your number.”
Davos shot upright. “What? You gave it to him?”
Benji turned slowly, grinning like a bastard. “And why would I?”
Davos’ heart skipped, then plummeted.
“Oh gods, of course I gave it to him,” Benji groaned. “I'm so sick of this melodrama.”
He shut the door behind him.
Davos stared at it as if it might open again and tell him he'd misunderstood.
“I was sure Jasper was dating Lukas,” Aeron groaned, hiding his face in his hands. “And I thought Benji was, like, Raylon’s sworn brother or something. Please don’t tell them. I’m begging you.”
Davos almost choked as he tried to hold back his laughter. “You thought what?”
“I thought I was walking into some weird Riverlands drama!”
Davos couldn't stop laughing this time - it burst out of him, full and loud. He really didn't know how he'd ended up here. It had all happened by accident.
Aeron had texted him. That was unexpected, even after Benji mentioned that he had given him his number. Then Alysanne messaged to the group chat that she’d be violently hungover and if she saw or hear any of the boys at the house on Saturday, she’d murder them on sight.
Aeron had asked if Davos had any plans, and Davos, half distracted, replied that he had to go anywhere but home if he wanted to survive the weekend. Only Edmund, with his ability to sleep sixteen hours in a row, was safe.
Then Aeron had said, "Pretty sure I owe you an ice cream, if I understand the rules correctly?"
And now here he was - sitting in a cafe with a Bracken, laughing. No fights. No tension. Just ice cream and idiocy.
His life had not prepared him for this. He tried to rationalise it. Maybe this was some kind of guilt trip after yesterday. Or maybe his cousins were too chaotic to hang out with regularly and Aeron was looking for new friends.
Either way, Davos knew he wasn't the obvious choice for a friendly Saturday hangout. He was more fight-before-you-talk than make-sure-you-smile-first.
But Aeron didn’t seem to mind.
And that was the weirdest part of all.
The lesson had lost Davos around slide ten. The only thing keeping him upright was the glow of his phone screen and the occasional sideways glance at the other side of the class, where Aeron Bracken was hunched over his desk, pretending to care about chemical equations.
His phone buzzed.
Aeron Bracken: If she were a horse, she'd be one of those jumpy ones that throw you off just for breathing wrong.
Davos smirked.
Davos: Or one of those bitter old mares that kicks the stable door every time you walk by.
Buzz.
Aeron: She definitely bites.
Davos: You’d still try to feed her a sugar cube and talk her into liking you.
A moment passed. Davos looked up.
Aeron was trying very hard not to smile. His hand was half-covering his mouth, but his eyes met Davos’ and sparkled.
Benji, sitting beside Davos, noticed something and blinked. Then squinted. Then he leaned over, suspicious. “Are you smiling?”
Davos didn’t answer. His phone buzzed again.
Aeron: Can’t help it. Even grumpy horses deserve love.
Davos: Oh, you are ‘Grumpy creatures are just misunderstood.’ type…
Aeron: You're lucky I actually like grumpy creatures.
Davos tried not to laugh - and failed. He looked down to hide the grin, brushing his fingers over his lip as if that would make him look more normal.
Benji, still watching him like he was witnessing a possession, mouthed: Who are you texting??
Davos, without thinking, flicked his screen off and mumbled, “Nobody.”
Benji narrowed his eyes. Then leaned very close. “You’re texting the Bracken. Aren’t you?”
Davos didn’t deny it. Across the room, Aeron shot him a look - something smug and warm - and Davos shrugged.
Benji groaned. “This is sacrilege. Actual sacrilege.”
Davos’ phone buzzed again.
Aeron: Next time you’re grumpy, I’m bringing an apple and a brush.
Davos’ lips twitched as he typed back.
Davos: You calling me a horse now?
Aeron: No. A stallion.
Davos choked.
Benji stared at him in growing horror noticing that Davos blushed. “ Oh, fuck no, not on my watch.” He muttered under his breath.
“You look at him like you want to eat him,” Benji snorted, popping a chip into his mouth without even looking up.
Davos just shrugged, his eyes flicking away from where the Brackens were sitting. “He looks good today.”
“What?” Benji turned to him so quickly that he almost dropped his chips, completely abandoning the game unfolding on the field. “Where are the objections? The insults? The part where you tell me you are not a lovesick idiot for even noticing a Bracken?”
Davos only smirked. What was there to deny? He did like the guy. Lately, he’d even caught himself daydreaming about him. 'His Bracken' now appeared in his mind with a completely opposite meaning... which was, frankly, uncharted territory.
And okay - maybe Aeron liked him too. It seemed like it. But Davos was terrible at feelings, and all this emotional navigation stuff was a mystery. What if he'd got it all wrong? What if this was just how normal people acted when they weren’t raised in the emotional equivalent of a knife fight?
He sighed heavily, risking another glance across the stands. As if on cue, Aeron caught his eye and gave him a casual wave, smiling as if they weren’t on opposite sides of a centuries-old rivalry.
Davos smiled back before he could stop himself.
“I’m gonna be killed,” Benji muttered, collapsing dramatically against the back of the bleachers. “Willem will murder me in cold blood. If anyone asks, I’ll deny everything. I never saw anything. I don't even know what a Bracken is.”
The football match between Riverrun High and Harrenhal High was finally coming to an end. None of the Blackwoods had bothered to join the team - too much structure, too many rules - but Raylon was playing. Which put them in a weird position: technically they were supposed to cheer him on. Realistically, they’d all enjoy watching a Bracken trip over his own feet.
The score was tied. The tension was cracked through the air like a summer stormhere were already heated voices from various sides of the dugout - supporters arguing, posturing, puffing up like roosters in a courtyard.
There was always a fight.
Riverrun High had taken the win - 3-2, a last-minute goal from Oscar Tully that had the home stands erupting like wildfire. The Harrenhal kids were furious, shouting and cursing as the crowd surged towards the exits. Pushing, shoving, and finally fists flying - it had been brewing all game.
The Blackwoods slipped out before the worst of it started. Benji, still sulking over Davos’ confession, didn’t even look for a reason to swing. And Davos? He just wanted to go home. Fighting Brackens was one thing - it had a weird ritual to it. But school-on-school violence was a whole different mess, chaotic and ugly.
Speaking of Brackens. Davos scanned the crowd, a faint itch in the back of his head telling him something was off. His eyes landed on a familiar group near the parking lot. This was where Willem was supposed to pick them up.
Amos was standing next to him with two boys. Jasper was holding his nose, blood dripping between his fingers. Lyle's T-shirt was torn.
Aeron was not there.
Davos’ stomach dropped.
He turned on his heel without a word and sprinted back the way they’d come, pushing through the crowd and ignoring Benji’s startled shout behind him. His heart was hammering.
He didn’t know where he was running. Just that Aeron wasn’t where he was supposed to be.
And something was wrong.
Davos pushed through the crowd, taking hits he didn’t even register - someone elbowed him in the chest, another kid almost hit his jaw. He didn’t care. He barely noticed. His eyes scanned frantically, wildly, looking for one thing.
Light hair. Yellow shirt. His boy.
Where the fuck -
There.
His heart stopped.
Aeron stood at the edge of a tangle of fighting teens, trying to back away. His mouth moved - he was saying something, - but before Davos could do anything, a fist slammed into Aeron's cheek.
He fell hard, and Davos screamed his name - he screamed - but the noise of the crowd swallowed it whole.
The next moment would be carved into his memory like a scar: someone reared back and kicked Aeron in the ribs, so hard that the boy let out a sharp, gut-wrenching scream.
Davos lost it.
He couldn't remember exactly what he'd done. Just red. Just blood. Just the sound of his own roar as he ploughed into the asshole with his steel-toed boots and brought him down like a fucking beast.
The crowd around them broke into screams and curses. He didn't care who he hit. Someone grabbed him, he swung. Someone shouted at him to stop, he pushed them away. His knuckles cracked, his head hurt, but none of it mattered.
No one touches him. No one touches my Bracken.
By the time he came back to himself, his hands were shaking. His breath tore out of him like he'd been running for miles through smoke. His knuckles were smeared with blood. His arms were too tight around Aeron, dragging him out of the chaos like a shield that had finally arrived too late.
Aeron's chest pressed against him. He tried to mumble something - " I’m okay", probably - but Davos couldn't let go.
“Fuck, Bracken,” Benji’s voice cracked from nearby. “Did those idiot cousins of yours dump you again, or what the fuck?”
“Davos, you can…” Aeron winced. “You can put me down.”
Davos stopped. He clenched his jaw hard, too hard, trying to will away the blur of adrenaline and fury still rushing through his bloodstream. He didn’t want to let go. Not now.
Slowly, gently, he lowered Aeron to his feet, one arm still supporting his waist as he swayed. “Does it hurt? We should get you to a hospital. You might’ve - fuck, your ribs - ”
“No,” Aeron cut in, his voice soft but certain. “It hurts, but I don’t need a hospital. Just - thank you.”
Embarrassed. He looked embarrassed. After everything.
Davos nodded stiffly, but didn’t move his arm away.
They had just reached the car park when the next disaster struck.
Willem was already there, his car pulled halfway into the lane. He was mid-argument with Amos Bracken, standing by his own car, arms waving and faces red with shouting. The tension in the air was a match ready to light.
“Of course,” Benji groaned. “Of fucking course.”
And then it happened.
Amos saw Aeron - bruised face, limping, Davos’ arm around him - and snapped. His voice rose over the lot like a gunshot. “You did this?! You Blackwood little shit - get your hands off him!”
Aeron tried to speak, tried to explain - “Uncle, stop! They helped me, I was getting beat up - ” But Amos wasn’t listening. His rage had gone blind.
Willem barked something back, sharp and cutting.
Then Amos threw it like a dagger: “Don’t you fucking cover for them! They beat him up because he’s gay! Admit it! Your nephews are just a bunch of homophobic assholes!”
The world stopped.
A thick, stunned silence fell over the parking lot. Even the wind seemed to pause.
Benji actually laughed - a single, incredulous bark. “Homophobic? In our house? Have you ever met our Aunt Alysanne?”
But Davos didn’t hear him.
He turned to Aeron, whose cheeks had gone scarlet with shame and fury. His eyes brimmed with something that made Davos want to set the whole goddamn town on fire.
And then Davos did the only thing that made sense.
He leaned in and kissed him.
Everything else vanished - the yelling, the crowd, the ache in his fists. All that existed was the boy in his arms, the soft intake of breath, the stunned widening of his eyes. The way his mouth opened under Davos’, tentative and trembling.
Their tongues brushed. Aeron made a small, startled sound - a moan, or perhaps a gasp - and Davos swallowed it whole. He curled a hand into that soft hair, held him just a second longer, kissed him as if it meant something, as if it meant everything he hadn't dared say out loud.
Then he pulled away, breathless, his eyes dark and steady.
The world was still silent.
Without another word, he turned and walked towards the car, each step pounding with a single, electric thought:
Mine.
“Davos, what the fuck is going on?” Benji finally snapped.
They were sitting in the library, pretending to do their homework. Davos was scribbling something in his notebook with a blank expression.
“Nothing,” his voice was flat, lifeless, just like his face.
“I don’t get it. What happened with your Bracken?” Benji pushed. The last few days had been far too strange and he was tired of the silence. “Fuck, don’t tell me you dumped him.”
“I was ditched,” Davos muttered. “In a weird, very polite way.”
Benji blinked. Lucas dropped his pen.
“What the fuck?” Benji said, stunned. “He kissed you back! You kissed him like you were ready to die for him and he kissed you back!”
“Maybe it was just to piss off Amos. I don’t know.” Davos sighed.
Benji narrowed his eyes, confused.
Davos leaned forward, resting his head in his hands. “After that, he just got… weird. We talked and - he said we didn’t even know each other and something like that. What the fuck was I supposed to say to that?”
“Fuck, you know everything about him,” Benji said slowly, clearly confused.
“I couldn’t say that!” Davos hissed, finally raising his head. His eyes were red, furious at himself. “You know how that sounds? Like I’m some kind of fucking stalker!”
“Why didn’t you just kiss him again?” Edmund cut in.
Davos scoffed bitterly. “What was I thinking anyway? That someone like him would fall for an asshole like me?” His voice cracked. “Just stop it, Benji.”
Benji opened his mouth but closed it again. It didn’t make sense. None of it added up. He had seen the way Aeron looked at Davos these few days. With such longing, as if he had been abandoned. And that kiss? That hadn’t been to piss Amos off. That hadn’t been a joke. That had been real.
Looks like he was gonna have to untangle this mess himself. Again. Fucking Brackens.
The best part? No one outside the Blackwood/Bracken mess seemed to notice the kiss. In all that chaos, it somehow slipped under the radar. No gossip, no whispering in the halls, no memes in chats. Everyone involved remained strangely silent, as if it had never happened. Davos hadn't even got a comment from Willem - just one of those damned knowing smirks.
He hoped to all the old gods and the new that his uncle thought the whole thing was just another jab at Amos.
The worst part?
The worst part was that Davos didn’t give a damn about how badly his knuckles ached. Because something else hurt worse. Something that had no business hurting - his heart or whatever was left of it.
And then, because apparently life hated him, he somehow ended up at this stupid party where everyone was present - half their class, all the Bracken cousins, the entire Blackwood disaster gang. He spent the whole evening pretending to listen to conversations, sipping on soda that tasted like guilt, and trying not to look at Aeron.
He didn’t want to make the boy uncomfortable. It wasn’t Aeron’s fault that Davos had caught feelings like a complete idiot.
So he kept his eyes carefully on the table, and completely missed the way Aeron kept glancing at him when he thought no one was looking.
Benji noticed, though. Benji always noticed.
“Aeron, do you have someone special left in King’s Landing?” one of the girls asked with a teasing smile. “I can’t believe someone as handsome as you was single.”
Davos tensed.
Fuck. He hadn’t even thought of that. Of course Aeron probably had someone back home. And now he was here, alone, fresh off some heartbreak, and Davos had stormed in and kissed him.
He felt sick with himself.
“No,” Aeron said, smiling softly. “It just didn’t work out. There wasn’t even a pre-dating, getting-to-know-each-other part.”
“Pre-dating?” Rylon echoed, frowning. “What the hell is that?”
“Like… it’s not official,” Aeron explained, brows furrowing. “You’re just, I don’t know, hanging out. Cinema. Walks. Getting food. Before it turns into anything.”
“So like a date,” Oscar said, utterly confused.
“Well… yes, but it’s different.” Aeron was visibly uncertain now, glancing around like someone had just changed all the rules on him. His eyes landed on Davos. “Isn’t it the same here?”
Benji’s expression darkened instantly.
Oscar shrugged, already halfway through his drink. “Nah. You either date or you don’t. If it’s not working, you break it off. That whole ‘pre-date’ thing sounds like a fancy way to get friend-zoned.”
Aeron blinked, stunned.
And Davos… Davos stood up.
He didn’t say anything. Didn’t even look at anyone. He just walked stiffly out the back door, each step heavier than the last.
He sank to the steps outside and buried his face in his hands.
Shit.
So that was it. Aeron wanted some weird pre-dating and Davos just said sorry and left. He wasn’t rejecting Davos… he thought that Davos rejected him…
Fucking shit.
He ran a hand through his hair, the fingers pulling a little too hard, the pain dull compared to what was twisting in his chest.
A figure quietly sat beside him. Neither of them spoke.
The air was thick with the kind of silence that made breathing harder, like every word unspoken was pressing down on their chests. The muffled sounds of music and laughter drifted through the door, too far away to matter.
Davos risked a glance. Aeron was sitting curled in on himself, knees drawn up, arms wrapped tight like he was holding himself together.
“I’m an idiot,” Aeron said at last, voice cracking just slightly. “I wanted everything to be… well, right.” He sniffed, not quite crying but not far off. “I thought you liked me, and then when you left I thought - I thought maybe you kissed me just to piss Amos off.”
A pause. “And you didn’t write. You didn’t talk to me.”
Davos didn’t say anything. He just reached out, wrapped both arms around Aeron, and pulled him into his lap like he belonged here. Like he’d been waiting to do it since the moment he left.
Aeron didn’t resist. He let himself fall into him, breathing softly, his face pressed against Davos’ shoulder.
They sat like that, tangled and silent, while the party went on behind the closed door - loud and oblivious.
“I don’t need a ‘pre-date’ part,” Davos said after a moment. “I need you.”
Aeron’s fingers twisted in his hoodie. “Okay,” he whispered.
And that was it. No in-betweens. No weird phases. Just yes.
Just him and his Bracken.