Dancing Lesson

She always knew where to find him. It wasn't rocket science, and she knew all the places that he frequented. It was a Monday afternoon, which meant he was at his part time job at the day care center. She peered through the steel chains of the gate and sure enough, she found him sitting on a bench reading a book as children played on the playground.

Arya opened the gate and went inside. She didn't work at the day care, but she had been there so many times to visit Gendry that no one ever paid her any mind anymore. She sneaked up behind him and snatched the book from his hands.

"Help me, help me, help me, help me," she pleaded.

Gendry gave her an incredulous look. "No," he said automatically.

He had known Arya since they were babies. Their fathers were best friends since childhood, and it was natural that their families would grow up close to each other. When they were young, Arya had always been hot headed. Her father called it the wolf's blood; the same that ran through the blood of Arya's uncle and aunt.

Gendry could recall the instance when he was eleven and had to separate a six year old Arya from his little brother, Edric. They had gotten into a fight on a playground because Edric had ruined the castle that Arya's brother, Bran, had made. He had to play mediator again when Arya was eleven and punched his stepbrother Joffrey in the face because he had hit one of her friends.

After that, he stayed near Arya to keep her from getting into fights. He succeeded for the most part; the only fights she managed to get into were with Joffrey, and they were mostly started by him. Gendry couldn't prevent those fights since his stepbrother had it coming to him and never learned his lesson. But as Arya grew up, she grew out of her wolf's blood and became more of a wolf in sheep's clothing. She grew a mischievous streak and often pranked those around her, pulling him into her schemes. He had learned over the years that Arya asking him for help couldn't be a good thing. It had gotten him in trouble more times than he could count.

She smacked him on the head with his book, ignoring the small "ow" that escaped his lips. "Help me," she repeated. She looked at him with puppy eyes, and years of knowing her made him immune to it. Partially.

"With what?" he asked.

I'm not going to let her rope me in with whatever she's planning. I just want to know what she needs help with, he told himself.

Arya jumped over the back of the bench and landed beside him with a small thud. "Okay, so you know how my parents' 20th wedding anniversary is in a couple of weeks?"

"Yeah…" Gendry prayed that she was not going to spike the food with laxatives or even attempt to put Visine into Joffrey's drink.

"Well, it's going to be this huge formal event in a hotel, and Sansa says that there's going to be dancing there. Like, ballroom dancing," Arya explained. "Anyway, she and my mom are forcing me to dance, and you and I both know that I am completely hopeless at it. So I need you to help me to learn."

Gendry was a bit relieved to know that she was not going to try to pull any pranks on anyone during the party. He stopped thinking for a moment, letting the gears of his brain register what she was proposing. "Wait a second. You want me to teach you to dance?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, stupid!"

"Why?"

"Because you know how to waltz, and you're going to be my date."

He mentally groaned. His stepsister Myrcella had been learning to dance ballroom since she was younger, and she frequently asked him to be her partner so she could practice. She was a sweet girl unlike her older brother, and he couldn't refuse her. But of course Arya would take advantage of what he had learned plus sign him up for something without his knowledge. "I never said I was going to be your date for the party," he argued.

"Too late," she laughed. "I already told Sansa that you are."

"Wow," he muttered. "What do I get out of this?"

"My constant companionship for the next two weeks?" she said with a sweet smile.

"As if I don't get that enough," he joked.

She shoved him in the shoulder, laughing. "Shut up. So are you going to help me or not?"

He rolled his eyes, snatching his book from her. "I guess I don't really have much of a choice since I'm your date now."

"Yes!" Arya threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. "You are the best, Gendry!"

"I should be."

She giggled. "I'll see you tonight for my first lesson?"

"Mm."

(- -)

"Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow—"

"I said I was sorry."

"I know you are. Just—" He let out a groan of relief when Arya finally got him to his couch and collapsed on it. He undid the laces of his shoes and pulled them off.

They had been practicing Arya's dancing for the past several days whenever they had free time. That meant dancing in between his engineering classes, her philosophy classes, work, and then her fencing practice. Arya's dancing had only gotten worse as time went on. Just yesterday they had tried to practice on the balcony outside of Arya's bedroom. She was getting annoyed with moving so slow that she forced Gendry to make a sudden turn that made them crash into the railing, almost falling off into Mrs. Stark's rose bushes below. They both agreed never to practice at her house again. Today, they were at his apartment, but she kept stepping on his toes in her heels, which were much more painful than he anticipated.

"I'm hopeless at this," she sighed, sitting down beside him, removing her heels.

"You'll get better. I stumbled over my feet when Myrcella tried to get me to practice with her."

"It would take a lifetime for me to ever be able to dance well," she replied glumly.

Gendry leaned back into the soft cushions of his couch. "You know, I thought your fencing would be able to come in handy with this."

Arya scoffed. "What on earth does fencing have to do with dancing?"

Arya loved to fence. She had been doing it since was ten. She was so good, so fast, that she won first place in many competitions. She liked using foils the most; fencing with sabers made matches over too soon, and fencing with epees took too long, in her opinion. Gendry went to her matches as often as he could. He was always mesmerized by her movements and how graceful she made it look.

"A lot, if you think about it," he said. "The footwork for one. You also need grace when you dance. I've seen you fence countless times, and your movements look so fluid."

She flushed, partly with pride and embarrassment.

"Lastly, fencing makes you try to read what your opponent is going to do. I know you hate gender roles, Arya, but I know more about this than you. I'm going to lead, and you will follow."

She scowled. She always liked being in control, but Gendry had a point. When she had tried to control the dancing last night, they almost fell off her balcony. It was just going to be difficult to let him lead her.

"Come on," he said, pulling his shoes back on. "Let's practice again."

"But what about your feet?" she asked, partly hoping that he be dissuaded from practicing for the rest of the night.

"Don't worry about it."

She groaned, slipping her heels back on and grudgingly standing up.

"We should just forget this whole thing, Gendry," she whined. "I'll stumble my way through the party, and then we can just pretend that the whole thing never happened. I don't wanna dance anymore."

"You're not giving up, Arya." Gendry stood back for a moment, staring at her. She was standing all wrong, and her form wasn't right either. It may have been her heels; she was a bit shorter than a twenty year old woman should have been so she must have borrowed her sister's stilettos to give her additional height. Those were not ideal for dancing the waltz. "Your form is all wrong. Take off those heels."

"Why?" she asked, though she was clearly happy to get out of them again.

"They're too tall for you. You'll break an ankle now or when you dance at the party if you wear them."

She made a face. "They're Sansa's."

Gendry went to his shoe closet, rummaging through the contents. "You can borrow Mya's for now. They should fit just right."

Gendry's older sister Mya was currently living in Scotland, and his brother Edric was living in Ireland. They frequently came back to London to visit him and their father. Gendry couldn't stand his stepmother; it was one of the reasons why he got his own flat. Mya and Edric couldn't stand her either so they would stay with Gendry when they were in town, and they regularly left some of their clothes and belongings in his flat.

He finally found a pair of Mya's heels in his closet. She was already tall so her heels were much smaller so she would not add any unnecessary height to herself. He handed them to Arya to put on. Now he just had to motivate her.

"Repeat the mantras you say before you fence, Arya," he ordered.

In her fencing training, her instructor Syrio Forel gave her mantras to repeat so that her fencing would improve. She trained and trained to mold herself to be just like the words of the mantras. Arya seemed confused at first to repeat them, but she quickly complied. "Quiet as a shadow. Light as a feather. Quick as a snake. Calm as still water. Smooth as summer silk. Swift as a deer. Slippery as an eel. Strong as a bear. Fierce as a wolverine. Still as stone."

"Hm, omit the last five mantras, and repeat them again."

"Quiet as a shadow. Light as a feather. Quick as a snake. Calm as still water. Smooth as summer silk." Arya made another face at him and asked, "What does this have to do with dancing?"

"A lot." Gendry corrected her stance first. He made her stand up straighter and stand with her feet shoulder length distance. He took her right hand in his left and rested his other hand on her hip. "Remember, I'm leading."

She sighed. "Yeah."

"Also, remember those mantras. Your feet have to be quick and light. Don't stomp; stand on your toes if it will help. Try to guess what I will do next, but relax. Don't be tense. Your movements will be smooth if you do all this. Okay?"

"Yeah," she repeated.

"I'm leading with my left foot. You follow with your right. Remember the beats, too."

Arya nodded. Gendry reached into his pocket and withdrew his stereo's remote. He hit the play button and Tchaikovsky's Waltz of the Flowers came on. He threw the remote on the couch, and began the waltz. Arya was doing well with allowing Gendry to lead her through the basic steps, but her upper body was still stiff.

"Relax," he said.

She tried to, still worried about stepping on his toes. But she did her best. She kept eye contact with Gendry, trying not to look down at her feet too much. This was similar to fencing; trying to predict what he was going to do next. Syrio always said to see, not watch. She repeated her fencing mantras in her head and tried to predict Gendry's next move. It wasn't that hard with the basic steps, but then he twirled her out of the blue and she stumbled over her feet when she tried to catch up.

It was going to be a long night.

(- -)

Gendry closed the pizza box the moment Arya was reaching out for another slice.

"Uh, excuse me?"

"You're excused," he joked. "Come on, let's go practice."

"Just let me have another slice!"

"Nope. You're going to throw up if you dance with a heavy stomach." He shoved the pizza box into the fridge. "And I don't need you throwing up on my floor again."

"Hey!" She pouted. "I was drunk that time because Hot Pie and I were doing eye for an eye shots with vodka and then we played King's Cup."

"Right, because that makes things so much better," he remarked sarcastically.

He couldn't forget that. Since he got his own place, his friends, Mya and Edric, and Arya and her brothers liked hanging out there. It didn't help when Mya, Robb, and Jon would bring alcohol to his place. They were bad influences on Arya and Bran; they acquired a taste for it despite the fact that they were underage. Still, Gendry liked being on Arya's or Bran's team for beer pong. They were absolutely excellent shots whether they were drunk or not.

"Come on," he said, pulling Arya out of the kitchen and into the living room. He tried to pull her into the proper dancing position, but she wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his shoulder. "Arya…" He meant to push her off and chastise her, but he couldn't help wrapping his arms around her, holding her tightly. It felt comforting to have her in his arms like that.

"Why couldn't we dance like this instead?" she murmured. He could feel the vibration of her words against his chest, and it made his stomach tighten into knots.

"Because that's not what your sister and your mom want you to do," he answered.

Arya laughed. "I hardly do what I'm told."

"And here you are, asking for dancing lessons from me."

"I won't look like a fool on the dance floor."

"You won't," he said. "I'll be leading you."

He could feel her smile and chuckle as she said in a quiet voice, "Hey, let me sleep here for the night. I don't feel like going home."

"Sure."

And so Arya slept at his apartment that night. When he woke up, they were lying on his couch, and she was resting soundly on top of him. All he could remember last night was he and Arya swaying in the middle of the living room. He couldn't remember how they passed on his couch. Gendry smiled as he brushed a lock of her hair out of her face.

It was strange. This wasn't the first time they had fallen asleep together on his couch. A few times it had happened because they drank until they passed out, and Robb and Edric just dropped them on the couch till morning. Other times were because they were so busy studying for their exams or because they had played video games all night until they were exhausted.

But this night felt different. He had never given it any thought about waking up next to her, but watching Arya sleep on top of him made him think that it was nice. Better than nice. He really, really, really enjoyed it.

(- -)

"How about this dress?" asked Sansa, holding up a long, white gown decorated with pink flowers.

"Nice on you, but not for me," Arya answered in a bored voice.

Sansa hung the dress up on the rack and looked through the other dresses. She picked out another, a flowing light blue dress, and showed it to her sister.

"Nice on you, but not for me," Arya repeated.

Sansa sighed. "Honestly, Arya. You've been saying that for all the dresses I've shown you so far! Isn't there anything that you like?"

"No," she said crossing her arms, "because I know that they're all going to look terrible on me."

"That's not true." Sansa looked through the dresses on the rack again, trying to find something that her sister would like. "Do you know what color tie Gendry is wearing to the party?"

Arya rolled her head back, trying to relieve some tension in it. "I think he said yellow and black. Why?"

"Because it would be very cute if you guys were matching," she answered.

Arya eyed the dresses on the racks. All of them were long, and touched the floor. "Why do the dresses have to be so long? I'm going to trip in them when I dance!" She cursed being short. Robb used to tease her about it, but it really wasn't her fault. She ate a lot, but she just never grew.

"You'll look so much prettier when you dance and the dress is long though! And besides, you can always pick up your dress as you dance. There's nothing wrong with that."

Arya made a sour face, but Sansa did not see it. She already had enough trouble with Gendry leading her into spins and twirls during practice; each time he did it, she would get dizzy and trip over their feet. How was she supposed to worry about picking up her dress while dancing at the same time?

"Now, how about this beauty?" asked Sansa, pulling another dress off the stand. It was a long black dress that trailed to the floor with a high scoop neckline bodice decorated with ornate gold lace.

Arya hardly knew anything about dresses and the latest fashion. It was a pretty dress to be sure, but she doubted it would suit her. "Not bad. Still too long though."

Sansa scowled. "Shut up, and stand up."

Surprised, Arya immediately did as she was ordered. Sansa had told her to shut up before, but there was something in her tone this time that reminded her of their mother. Arya knew better than to fight against her mother.

Sansa went to her with the dress and held it up to her. She studied it for a moment. "It is long, but your high heels should give you some height. I think you'll be fine. If you are so worried you might trip, then you can hold it up a little."

"How do you know it's going to fit?"

"Get inside the changing room and let's find out."

Arya snatched the dress from her sister and went inside the changing room. As she stripped off her clothes and shimmied into the dress, she heard her sister outside ask, "How's your dancing, by the way?"

She made a deadpan grumble.

Sansa giggled. "I'm sure you'll be fine. Gendry knows how to waltz."

"I know he does. But there are times when I just can't make it work." Arya zipped up the side of her dress, and looked at herself in the mirror. The dress was too long on her; it was pooling around her on the floor. But it was rather lovely looking, she thought. "Can I have my heels?" she asked.

Sansa grabbed the heels Arya had bought a few hours ago. They definitely weren't as sky rocketing high as the stilettos Sansa could wear. The three inch heels were a bit wide, but Arya felt comfortable in them at least. She felt like she wouldn't break her ankle in them either. Arya slipped the heels on. The dress was better with the additional height.

Arya pushed back the curtain to let her sister see the dress on her. "It's still long," she remarked.

Sansa looked her over carefully. She pinched the bodice and nodded before walking slowly around her sister. "The bodice fits well. At least that doesn't need to be altered." She bent down and folded up the end of the dress up a little. "And it needs maybe is an inch and a half off from the bottom. Mom and I can hem it quickly."

"I actually kind of like it," said Arya.

Sansa smiled. "You and Gendry are going to look so cute together when you match."

"Don't be daft." Arya rolled her eyes and closed the curtain to change out of the dress.

(- -)

"One, two, three. One, two, three. One two, three."

Quiet as a shadow. Light as a feather. Quick as a snake. Calm as still water. Smooth as summer silk, Arya thought as Gendry whispered the numbers to keep time.

They stared at each other as they glided through Gendry's living room. Her spins had gotten better, but she could only do it for so long before she tripped on their feet from dizziness. Gendry raised her hand above her head, and she knew to do a small twirl before leaning back so he could dip her a bit. They had learned that it gave her enough time to get the room back in focus before they were at it again.

The song ended, and Arya stepped back to curtsy and Gendry bowed. They laughed.

"You've gotten much better," said Gendry with a smile.

"You were right. Fencing is a lot like dancing. Minus the part of trying to kill you," she laughed.

"And you can read what I'm going to do next."

"After how many times?"

"Too many. I lost count." He walked to his fridge and opened it. "Want a beer?"

Arya undid the straps of her heels and took them off. "No thanks. I'm driving tonight." She collapsed onto the couch and turned on the TV. "Hey, you think that if I get too nervous just before we dance at the party, I should take a shot of vodka to calm my nerves?"

Gendry snorted. "You would do that, wouldn't you?"

She grinned and shrugged. "You know me too well."

He opened his bottle and threw the cap into the sink before sitting down beside Arya. "I also know you well enough to know that you don't just take one shot. You like taking several."

"Yeah, that's true."

Gendry found himself admiring her. She was small and short compared to her sister, but he rather liked her legs. Years of running from teachers, her parents, and his stepmother made them lean. He had remembered in the summer when she was ten, she had cut off all her hair in an attempt to look like Mya. She looked more boyish then, but a ray of femininity shone through. She had missed her long hair, so she spent the years after that growing out her dark locks.

She had noticed his staring and asked, "What is it?"

"When do I get to see your dress?" he asked quickly.

She shrugged. "I dunno. My mom and Sansa are hemming it. The one we bought is a little too long for me."

"I bet you'll look beautiful in it," he said.

She smirked at him. "I never knew that me and the word 'beautiful' could be used in the same sentence."

He found himself laughing. "You know, Arya, there are times when you should just smile and accept the compliment."

(- -)

Nerves wracked her.

She had been practicing for this night for the past two weeks, and she had almost perfected it, but in this moment, she wanted to curl up under her bedcovers and wait until this night passed.

Arya spent most of the day getting ready. Sansa had dragged her to the salon to get her nails done. They were painted with black nail polish and the tips were painted with a dusty gold, mirroring her dress. Her hair was done next though it was put up simply. Her wavy hair was straightened considerably before it was pulled up into a sleek ponytail. To complete it, her mother took her hair comb of golden leaves and pressed it into her hair. Arya dressed up into her gown and slipped on her heels. She took a moment to admire herself in the mirror; she was still herself, but just made up to be a bit fancier. Sansa came in moments later to do her makeup, which she kept simple with black eyeliner and a lip gloss that kept her lips rosy.

Her family entered the hallway outside of the ballroom they had rented. Her brothers' and sister's dates were already there as well as Gendry. Arya had known without a doubt that her brothers' girlfriends would be there. She watched as Jeyne brushed away some of Grey Wind's hair from Robb's suit as Jon's girlfriend Ygritte teased him for looking so fine. Sansa's date was Loras Tyrell. Arya suspected that her friend and Loras' younger sister set the match up herself for the party. Bran's date was Lyanna Mormont, one of the daughters of the Mormont family, who were friends of her father. Lyanna was named after their aunt Lyanna in honor of her. She was a cute girl, and Bran fancied her. Arya was so proud of her brother gathering the courage to ask her to be his date that on the way to the hotel, Arya teased him mercilessly. Finally, Rickon's date was none other than Gendry's little sister Barra. Arya thought she was an adorable kid who had Mya's beauty, Edric's pride, and Gendry's stubbornness.

Arya approached Gendry, who stared at her up and down as he grinned. "I knew I was right," he said, admiring her. "I knew you'd look beautiful."

She flushed and punched him in the shoulder. "Shut up." He gave her ponytail a light tug in response. "I only got the dress because Sansa said that we should match." She pointed at Gendry's black and yellow tie and giggled. The yellow was much lighter compared to the gold lace on her bodice. "It doesn't match that well though."

"It's the thought that counts," he answered with a smirk.

"All right, we're going in shortly," announced Catelyn.

They all quickly got into a line in order of age. Arya linked her arm in Gendry's and took a deep breath. "Is it too late for that shot?" she asked him nervously.

"Everything will be okay," he said. "Calm as still water, remember?"

Arya nodded and began repeating the mantras in her head. Quiet as a shadow. Light as a feather. Quick as a snake. Calm as still water. Smooth as summer silk.

"This will be just like we practiced," she murmured to herself. "Just like practice."

The doors of the ballroom were thrown open and they all began to file inside. Arya's heart was pounding in her ears, and she struggled to calm her shaking body. The guests were already inside and gathered around, leaving space in the middle for her family. Arya caught sight of so many familiar faces such as Robert Baratheon, Mya, Margaery Tyrell, Hot Pie and Lommy, her uncle Edmure, and Samwell Tarley. Arya noted that Gendry's stepmother, Cersei, and his stepsiblings were not there; Gendry had told her before that they went to Newcastle to visit Cersei's father.

Her mother and father stood in the middle of the floor as Robb and Jeyne, Jon and Ygritte, Sansa and Loras, she and Gendry, Bran and Lyanna, and Rickon and Barra stood around them in a circle, facing their guests. The orchestra began to play Johann Strauss II's Blue Danube Waltz, and Ned and Catelyn Stark bowed and curtsied to their guests before beginning the waltz. Arya and her brothers and sister did the same, and grasping her hand tightly, Gendry slowly spun her into his arms. He gave her a small wink and she smiled back at him.

They did not dance the few basic steps, but moved right into spinning across the floor. It was just as she had practiced though. She allowed Gendry to guide her, her dress billowing as she turned. The dance slowed, and Gendry twirled her in his arms and dipped her. Arya blinked quickly, refocusing her eyes, and then the dance began again. She couldn't believe it. She was actually dancing. The dancing slowed again as the orchestra gradually stopped playing. She and her family extended a hand and beckoned for their guests to join in the dance. Laughter coursed through the room and the orchestra resumed playing, and Arya and Gendry danced on, twirling across the floor. The guests joined in, dancing alongside the Starks.

Gendry knew that the moment the guests joined in the dance, Arya would want to slip out of the room and go to a place much quieter, but she must have guessed his intentions. He held her tightly as he continued to lead her through the waltz until the song ended.

"You're a jerk," she said, laughing as Gendry released her.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said innocently. The orchestra began a new song and couples on the floor began waltzing one more. Gendry led her away to the side, just by a pillar that was tiny bit more private.

"Liar. I guessed correctly that you wanted to make me dance until the very end."

"Can you guess what I'm going to do next?" asked Gendry. The laughter was gone from his face, and he had turned serious.

Arya frowned a little, her eyes searching his. She had grown up with Gendry, and she had thought that she knew him best. He was always there to be by her side and be her partner in crime. But now, she couldn't read him like she could before. She couldn't tell what he was going to do next.

"Pull me back onto the dance floor?" she asked, uncertain.

He smiled and leaned forward. She felt some kind of jolt of anticipation in her lower body, and her eyes fluttered shut as he pressed his lips to her cheek. They remained there for a few seconds before he drew back slightly, their faces close.

Blue ice met gray steel, and Arya couldn't help but feel the small tingles on her skin where his lips were. It was a lingering promise; the very same one that the forces of nature made as a prelude between two people, a promise that she didn't know had been intended for them right from the start.

I still must admit that Arya and Gendry and their family are troublesome to write, but I had fun with this story despite that.

This is a modern AU, and as you might have guessed, they are all in the UK. I kind of imagined the UK and Ireland as Westeros; however, it's not entirely geographically correct. xD Like, if the UK and Ireland are the modern version of Westeros, Scotland would be the North. But since Mya is from the Vale, I kind of associated with Scotland, and since Edric is from the Stormlands, I associated with that Ireland since it rains there a lot. King's Landing is also associated with London. I also associated Casterly Rock with Newcastle. But that is not parallel with Westeros since the Stormlands are in the east and Casterly Rock is in the west, and Ireland is in the west and Newcastle is in the west.

Also, the waltz that Arya tries to learn isn't just any waltz, but it's the Viennese waltz.

Check out my tumblr (aetherene) for my ASOIAF dreamcast for the Baratheons and Starks! I even included pictures of what they would look like all dressed up. xD

Thank you for reading!