Chapter Text
As they pulled up to the house of flashing lights and thundering music, Bran suddenly was struck with cold feet again. In the driver’s seat, his sister tutted and shook her head, already reading Bran’s expression.
“Oh my- fuck, Bran, no one is going to know,” Arya rolled her eyes. “I mean, they look cheap as hell.”
“They even feel funny!” Rickon exclaimed from the background.
Bran regarded both his siblings as he dragged his fingers through his hair. “Jon’s going to be pissed we are going behind his back.”
“I’ll deal with Jon,” Arya rolled her eyes.
“Sansa-”
“I can handle Sansa too!” Arya was quick to interject before Bran could finish that train of thought.
“Fine,” Bran sneered, pulling out the trump card, “Robb.”
He was met with silence from both siblings, Arya dragging her finger over the steering wheel cover and Rickon finding much interest in the nylon material of his Halloween costume.
“Maybe he’ll be too busy sucking face with Greyjoy to notice,” Rickon finally offered, looking up slightly to see if he could get backup for that claim from Arya.
Arya paused for a moment to consider and slowly nodded her head. “Yeah, yeah, that’s a Theon thing to do.”
“And, Ygritte is our spy on the inside!” Rickon added, feeling confident that they are managing to pull this off. “And Sansa is at Margaery’s for the weekend, her honeymoon, so the only way she’ll find out-”
“Is when Robb and Jon inevitably come to see if I’m still there,” Bran cut in, glaring at them both. “This is going to hell.”
“Bran,” Arya slapped a hand on his shoulder, being mindful of the…objects causing Bran’s resistance, “you haven’t been out of the house in three months because of…The point is, you deserve to get out of the house and have normal fun. Even Robb, Jon, and Sansa are having fun tonight! Ygritte mentioned something about Chainsaw Massacre marathons.”
“And no one can tell!” Rickon quickly added, leaning so he could be in line with his siblings in the front seat. “Worst case scenario, you just tell people you got a little enthusiastic with the feathers.”
Arya barked out laughing and even Bran couldn’t help but smile a bit at the response.
“Look, the minute you want to leave, we’ll go, but you can’t just duck out now.” Rickon snorted as Arya continued, “Have a drink, talk to some cute boys and girls, and eat some candy. Give it ten minutes-”
“Twenty,” Rickon corrected quickly with a wave of his cell phone. “Shireen said Gendry hit traffic so they are a bit late.”
Understanding hit Bran hard as he glared at his siblings. “Oh my…this isn’t about me! This is about you two having dates tonight!”
Arya rolled her eyes, shrugging with a smirk, “Kill two birds with one stone,” as Rickon yelped, “Shireen and I are not dating, egg head!”
Bran and Arya didn’t touch Rickon’s blatant lie because they knew there was something going on. Instead, Arya shut the car off in finality and climbed out. “Maybe if you didn’t have such a stick up your ass, you could have a date too.”
Bran wasn’t going to mention the fact that being reluctant to go to a party was far from the reason Bran wasn’t dating anyone. Maybe it had something to do with scarcely leaving the house anymore.
Rickon followed Arya’s lead and quickly raced out of the car. Bran followed much more slowly, half considering not following at all. He winced as he shoulder bumped against the door of the car and looked around to see if anyone was staring. Of the few people loitering outside the grounds, none of them batted an eye at what they perceived to be Bran’s costume. All of them were much more interested in their own personal lives. This, however, didn’t quell Bran’s nerves. It only spiked them.
“Come on,” Arya groaned, grabbed Bran by the arm and yanking him forward, Rickon trotting by his side. “See? No one is looking at us.”
“Yet,” Bran hissed.
“Meera is a freak,” Arya reasoned. “I bet the inside will be so decked out that no one is even going to bother a glance at you.”
“Meera Reed?” Rickon asked, eyes wide. “Isn’t see the one who had the haunted house last year that Jon wouldn’t let us go to?”
“Wouldn’t let you,” Arya smirked. “Yeah, she’s on the track team and said I should stop by. Judging by the look of things, she isn’t going to notice a few more of us tagging along.”
As they reached the door, Bran could see that his appearance was definitely not going to be standing out. Kids from their high school were all present and decked out in some rather intense costumes.
“We almost stand out,” Rickon grumbled, looking at their costumes bitterly. Arya hadn’t even bothered to dress up and Bran’s wasn’t technically a costume. Regardless, after that declaration, Rickon slipped through the crowd of students toward what looked like the kitchen.
“Come on.” Arya still hadn’t relinquished her hold on Bran. “Let’s get you something to drink.”
Arya quickly snatched two festive Halloween drinks, both a neon green with yellow sugar on the rims. Arya drank hers immediately, Bran following much slower, pacing himself. The two walked around the crowded house in awe. The decorations were fantastic: life-like and creepy. Arya was nodding her head in approval but Bran was just in awe. It wasn’t until they had done a full lap around the house that Arya turned to Bran.
“This is where I leave you,” Arya winked. To answer Bran’s look, she nodded her head to the front door where Gendry and his cousin Shireen stood. Bran watched as Rickon raced back into existence, grabbed Shireen’s hand and yanked her into the crowd, disappearing once more. Arya simply grabbed two beers and shoved Gendry out the front door he had just barely crossed over.
Looking around and finding himself alone in the crowded living room, Bran settled for getting himself another drink and waiting as long as he could before ruining Arya and Rickon’s Halloween fun. He didn’t want to spoil the night for them, but the anxiety of being found out and worry of being alone in the crowded room didn’t sit well with him.
Grabbing another neon green drink, Bran felt a warm hand touch his shoulder and Bran quickly whipped around and out of their grasp.
“Whoa!” A girl held her hands up in surrender, her face painted as if chunks had been ripped off and it was almost too realistic. “Nice wings!”
Bran smiled sheepishly. “Thanks…I worked hard to make them.”
“I can tell,” she nodded her head. “Can I touch them?”
Hesitantly, Bran nodded his head and the girl wasted no time and dragging her fingers over the coarse black feathers. He tried not to shiver under the touch and hoped they didn’t move or twitch in reaction to the sudden stimulation. They were warm, Bran knew this, but the girl didn’t seem to notice as she moved her hand away, grinning.
“Shit, they feel so real. You should meet my brother!” She yelled over the music. “He did my face. Wait here!”
Before Bran could utter a word, the girl had ducked into the crowd and Bran was left to his drink. He was tempted to leave and go outside to get Arya to drive them back home but his nerves had lifted slightly after the girl’s naivety over the actual nature of the wings and as a result, he waited patiently, sipping the drink and licking the sugar collecting on the corners of his lips.
He didn’t have to wait long and soon the girl was back with her brother’s wrist locked in a tight grip. The brother was dressed rather plainly, sticking out greatly in his black shirt and jeans. He took a look at Bran’s wings as his sister nudged his ribs.
“See,” she smirked delighted by her brother’s awe, “told you they were worth coming out of your room for.”
The brother blushed and rubbed the back of his head before thinking to hold his hand out politely for a handshake. Bran regarded the hand but quickly shook it to avoid any more embarrassment on both their parts.
“Jojen,” the brother introduced before gesturing to his sister, “and Meera.”
“Bran,” Bran spoke loudly over the music. “Nice…party?”
Meera laughed and left them standing there, head thrown back as she expertly navigated the crowds.
“Sorry for my sister,” Jojen spoke again, leaning in slightly. “She’s been bugging me all night and well, she thought you were as good enough of an excuse as any. You can go back to partying if you want.”
As Jojen turned to leave, Bran caught his elbow. “My siblings dragged me here and ditched me,” Bran explained. “If you want, I wouldn’t mind some company.”
Jojen smiled a bit, grabbed one of the neon green drinks and gestured toward the stairs to the side that was blocked off with police tape and blood dripping from the banister. “Want to go somewhere a bit quieter?”
“You read my mind.”
Jojen led the way and Bran followed close behind, jumping every time someone touched his wings but trying to only focus on Jojen who held up the police tape politely for Bran to slip under, his wings only slightly getting caught and adjusting on his own. Bran looked to see if Jojen noticed but he didn’t make an indication as to one way or the other.
Jojen’s room was right to the left of the staircase with a large sign warning of vampires. Jojen quickly relayed the Halloween was his sister’s favorite holiday to which Bran responded that his sister and Meera were birds of a feather. Bran liked the smile Jojen got from the little pun.
Jojen’s room was rather refreshing as they stepped in, brightly lit and rather plain looking. While Bran liked Halloween just as much as any other kid, it was nice to be somewhere normal…until he got a glimpse in the mirror hanging off the bedroom door to see his wings standing loud and proud out of the holes cut out of his green sweater.
“They're really cool,” Jojen said, causing Bran to look away from the mirror. “Your wings, I mean.”
Bran flushed. “Thanks…they were hard to make.” He shivered at the memory of waking up covered in blood, feather and agonizing pain as Robb held his back away from the bed, Jon inspected the bloody mess of the mysteriously appearing wings, Arya running clean towels back and forth from the bathroom and Sansa holding Rickon away from view.
“What’d you use?” Jojen asked, eyes shining with interest. His cheeks reddened as he explained, “I like building things. Special effect type stuff. I did Meera’s face and most of the decorations for the house.”
“You’re really talented,” Bran blurted out to avoid explaining that his wings were made of bone, flesh, and blood, just like any other limb.
Jojen shook his head but moved on from the topic quickly. “Your siblings dragged you here?”
“We…snuck out,” Bran said slowly. “They were meeting their dates and…I don’t get out much so they had me tag along.”
Jojen smirked, “Mom and dad don’t know you’re out?”
Bran winced and looked away. “My parents aren’t around anymore.”
“Oh fuck,” Jojen muttered softly. “Shit, I’m sorry. I didn’t-”
“It’s okay,” Bran waved off because it was. Shit happens, like Arya eloquently put it and Bran had done is grieving long ago. “My older brother is in his late twenties and watches out for us with my other older siblings.”
“How many are there of you?” Jojen asked, pleased with the out for his unknowingly awkward talk.
“Five: Two brothers, two sisters, and our cousin Jon who is basically another brother,” Bran grinned as Jojen’s wide eye expression. “What about you?”
“Just Meera,” Jojen sighed, “But she gives me enough grief of five siblings.”
“How so?” Bran asked as he set himself on the bed and Jojen quickly followed, his knee brushing against Bran’s in the process.
“She’s a few years older and likes to use that to her advantage. That’s all. Mostly she likes to pry into my life, but what sibling doesn’t?”
“Reminds me of Arya,” Bran muttered. “We shouldn’t ever let them meet alone. God knows what they’d do.”
“Your sister trying to set you up too?” Jojen laughed.
Bran nodded his head slowly, “Thinks I need to make out with someone.”
“Same,” Jojen sighed. “Except Meera used some rather…explicit terms.”
This time, Bran burst out laughing and looked up at Jojen from his eyelashes. He was cute, really cute. Bran wouldn’t mind kissing him senseless and probably would have if it were for the wings hanging off his back. Those were a bit hard to explain, especially when Robb and Jon basically quit their jobs to get to the bottom of it. They couldn’t even explain it themselves, let alone to someone like Jojen. But Bran barely left the house so maybe…
“We could,” Bran suggested, looking up at the ceiling rather than Jojen. “Kiss, I mean. Not the explicit stuff.” Taking off the shirt was a no-no.
“Seriously?” Jojen asked, his eyes darting to Bran’s lips and up.
Feeling a little more confident that Jojen wasn’t outright saying no, Bran grinned. “It’ll get our sister’s off our backs.”
“Wings,” Jojen snickered as his fingers brushed against the edge of his right wing. Bran shuddered under the touch and yanked Jojen’s shirt until their lips crashed together. Much better.
What was supposed to be a small make out session turned into a full-blown groping and rutting. Somewhere in the midst of kissing, Bran grew bold and shoved his tongue down Jojen’s throat and the next thing he knew, Jojen was climbing onto Bran’s lap and Bran was holding his hips tightly in place.
Bran wasn’t sure how far they would’ve gone if a loud chime from Bran’s phone hadn’t startled them both.
Jojen leaned away from Bran without climbing off his lap as Bran pulled out his phone and blanched at the menacing letters of Robb Stark. Even the cute little dog emoji by his name didn’t quell Bran’s nerves.
Get your feathered ass outside now.
“I gotta go,” Bran shoved his phone away and Jojen was off his lap quickly. The two looked at each other awkwardly as Bran fixed his clothing even though no amount of pulling could cover the darkening hickey on his neck.
“Right, uh, thanks for…everything,” Jojen scratched the back of his head.
“Happy Halloween,” Bran threw out and rub his warm cheeks. “Shit, this is weird.”
Quickly, Jojen raced to his desk, pulled out a sticky note and scribbled on it. He handed it to Bran and smiled shyly. “Call me sometime?”
Bran found himself nodding his head and grinning widely as he raced down the stairs, not even bothering to hide the excited flutter in his wings as he raced across the lawn toward Robb’s car where his brother was standing with his arms crossed, a pouting Arya and a blushing Rickon already seated.
“We’ll talk about this at home,” Robb muttered to Bran as he opened the back seat for him to join Arya and Rickon.
In the passenger's seat, Bran could see Theon with a bowl of candy. Theon raised both eyebrows at him and sung, “You’re in trouble!”
“What are you, twelve?” Arya snapped, arms crossed.
“What about your car?” Bran asked as Robb silently started the car and drove off.
“Jon and Ygritte are in it. Now I have to get it detailed.”
“Don’t talk about your brother’s sex life,” Theon complained offhandedly but Arya didn’t hear him as she snatched the yellow sticky note from Bran’s hand.
Rickon saw it as Arya quickly scanned it and they both grinned evilly at Bran.
Arya whispered in Rickon’s ear and Rickon passed on the message to Bran.
“When Robb’s done yelling at us, you gotta spill! We can see that hickey a mile away!”