.
.
She can smell the bloody feces and mud.
The Tickler lazily strolls by, twirling Needle just out reach of Arya's hands sticking desperately out of the pen.
He calmly asks about the Brotherhood over Gendry screaming. A bucket held to Gendry's naked stomach, and a torch lighting the end of it. The rat scurrying in Gendry's bucket chews him open, and it's agonized screaming—
screaming, SCREAMING—
and screaming, and she jolts awake, screaming at the top of her lungs, flailing when an exhausted, terrified Gendry holds her. He calls out her name, shushing Arya, pushing his fingers through her messy dark brown hair. Sweat pours down Arya's neck.
Feeling dirty and overheated comes from the humidity. All nights and all days as hot and foul as sin. She's without her smallclothes, and Gendry, too. Thankfully, no-one from the inn's neighboring rooms yell curses through the walls and opened windows. Arya can only smell the lemon trees, the sweet, rich plants and spiceflowers of Volantis.
They've abandoned their titles and home-countries. If only for a little time.
Gendry watches her, troubled, as she scrubs her eyes furiously, whimpering and making hiccuping noises. As if attempting to keep from sobbing. "Arry," he whispers. "Whatever you dreamed, it's over. It can't hurt you no more."
His fingers squeeze comfortingly over her nape. Hearing this somehow gives a tremble to Arya's lips. It wasn't about her.
"Try and get some rest."
"Don't—"
Arya shakes her head, lying a hand over Gendry's broad chest. The dawnlight coloring his skin like Volantis honors. Her nails raking over dark, curl hairs. He's an outlaw, an outcast and uneducated, and a bastard once more. But he's hers. That's all.
"S'alright now. You should sleep—"
"—please," she exhales, tears clinging to her eyelashes. "Don't leave."
Gendry's face softens.
"Never."
.
.
GoT isn't mine. Requested by tivvvva (FFN): "Gendrya; running away and abandoning titles." I COULD WRITE ABOUT MY OTP FOR ACTUAL YEARS. I'M STILL STUNNED THEY'RE CANON. UNNFFFF.
((Want a request for GoT? I'm doing 100-500 word drabbles of any ship + any prompt until S8 ends. Rules: you need to comment here and provide a ship and prompt, as well if you want NSFW or SFW. The only requests I'll be looking at is if you ALSO commented about the fic you just read as well. It's only fair. You came to this fic to read it and me doing something for you later on is a sweet bonus!))