When We Were Young, a game of thrones fanfic

Note: If you are a visual person like me, read the story on my tumblr or AO3 (links in my profile), I tend to add images of clothing Sansa wears and of places they go to in my Modern AU fics. It's not necessary and I mainly did it for my own imagination, but if you're weirdly detailed like me, go for it!

I do not own these lyrics or characters...

When We Were Young by Adele

Everybody loves the things you do / From the way you talk to the way you move / Everybody here is watching you / 'Cause you feel like home, you're like a dream come true / But if by chance you're here alone / Can I have a moment before I go? / 'Cause I've been by myself all night long / Hoping you're someone I used to know

You look like a movie / You sound like a song / My God, this reminds me / Of when we were young

Let me photograph you in this light / In case it is the last time that we might / Be exactly like we were before we realized / We were sad of getting old, it made us restless / It was just like a movie / It was just like a song

I was so scared to face my fears / Nobody told me that you'd be here / And I swear you moved overseas / That's what you said, when you left me

You still look like a movie / You still sound like a song / My God, this reminds me / Of when we were young

When we were young / When we were young / When we were young / When we were young

It's hard to admit that everything just takes me back / To when you were there, to when you were there / And a part of me keeps holding on just in case it hasn't gone / 'Cause I still care, do you still care?

It was just like a movie / It was just like a song / My God, this reminds me / Of when we were young

When we were young / When we were young / When we were young / When we were young

Let me photograph you in this light / In case it is the last time that we might / Be exactly like we were before we realized / We were sad of getting old, it made us restless / Oh, I'm so mad I'm getting old, it makes me reckless / It was just like a movie / It was just like a song / When we were young

"This should be fun!" Gilly said enthusiastically as she, Sam, and Jon exited the car. Gilly and Sam barely ever had nights out without their 3 little kids, so it was easy to see why she was so giddy about their bar night.

It wasn't going to be just a normal bar night though, it was a reunion of sorts. With Christmas happening that weekend, most of Jon's old group of college friends were in town to see families. Their college was located in Jon's hometown and he stayed around the area after graduating. His childhood best friend Robb was from the area too and he, his little sister Arya, and their parents still lived there. Sam had a bad relationship with his father and didn't want to go home so he moved there permanently, met Gilly, and started a family. A lot of friends drifted to other cities and states throughout the past 12 years. Through careful planning and many group texts, Robb was able to plan out a night for everyone to meet up at their old college hangout bar called The Wall.

Jon pulled the heavy door open and let Gilly and Sam enter the bar and he followed. He forgot how dimly lit it was inside, how loud the classic rock music was that played over the speakers; it had never been a classy bar and he was glad it hadn't changed. They used to think of themselves as kings in that place and even though it had been so long since he last set foot in there, he could almost feel those young, prideful, foolish feelings come back. He shook off the nostalgia with a slight shake of his head and a smile.

"Snow!" a booming voice came up beside him and put his arm roughly around Jon's shoulders.

"Tormund, it's good to see you!" Jon said, giving the tall, wild looking man a big hug.

"Come, meet my girlfriend!"

"So you've finally found one that can put up with your shit?"

"Yes! She challenges me. I love a challenge," Tormund half growled at the equally tall blond he introduced as Brienne.

Jon then greeted his old friends Davos and Edd. Robb and his girlfriend Margaery came in and as he talked with them, he noticed a group of people on the other side of the bar. Through the dim light, he could spot Arya, Theon, Jeyne, Grenn, and Pyp clustered around someone. Grenn shifted his head for a moment and Jon could see a flash of red hair brighten the darkness. Surprise and nervousness began to fill his gut. Nobody had told him she'd be here.

"Ah, yeah, Sansa's here," Robb said sheepishly when he noticed where Jon was looking. "She flew in this morning to surprise the family. Look, I'm really sorry for not telling you, we just didn't want you to change your mind about coming here tonight," he said in an apologetic tone.

Sansa Stark. Robb and Arya's sister. Jon's ex.

Jon had essentially been a part of the Stark family since he met Robb when they were 7 and Jon had a crush on Sansa as they grew up. Nothing came of it though until she started to attend the same college. She suddenly tired of all the rich pretty boys she had grown up around and wanted to hang out with Robb and Jon and their definitely not rich friends because they were more "real". Jon finally worked up the nerve to ask her out after he walked her back to her dorm from a party. He was surprised by her shy but excited smile when she said yes. They had fun for a while but then she began to feel restless. She worried about getting old and not having lived life to it's fullest before youth flew by. Eventually, she decided she didn't want to feel tied down and wanted to move to London to finish college. She told him as gently as she could and tried to put into words how much she really did care about him but had to do this for herself. He tried to be understanding and decided to not tell her he was in love with her. He told himself he was young and didn't need to be tied down either. Over the next few years, he'd see some girls and have his fair share of hook ups, trying to erase the memory of Sansa. He didn't try to have an actual real relationship until he met Ygritte. Her red hair reminded him of Sansa but that's where their similarities ended. Ygritte was a good and long distraction. But that's all she was, a distraction. He ended things with her when he realized he didn't actually love her. She took it hard and she eventually moved away. And now it had been 12 years since he had seen Sansa. He had learned from her family that after England, she hopped around to the Netherlands, then France, Italy, Switzerland, and Australia was the last Jon had heard.

All of their old friends would come up and greet her and they would listen intently to her stories from living abroad; she was the star of the night. She looked gorgeous like she was in a movie, just like she had when she was 20. Her long legs covered in tight jeans, her black top unbuttoned low on her chest. Her voice sounded like a song. Like the pretty songs she'd sing in the shower when she didn't realize Jon could hear her. It all brought him back to when they were young.

"Are you just going to stare at her all night and not talk to her?" Arya asked as she plopped herself on a barstool next to him.

"She's busy talking to everyone."

"You've been here for an hour now. Face your fears, Jon. Just talk to her."

"I don't fear talking to her."

"You fear being rejected by her again. Although, I wouldn't necessarily say she rejected you back in the day."

"Well, what would you call it when someone doesn't want a relationship with you?"

"It's not like she didn't like you. She felt restless and needed to act on it. I'm glad she did it before you two got really serious and not after." Arya turned to face him. "But it won't hurt to just talk to her. Just say hi at least, you're gonna be seeing her for Christmas anyways."

"Oh, God, I didn't think about that. Maybe I'll have a quiet Christmas with just Ghost this year, that sounds relaxing." Jon had always spent Christmas with the Starks since his parents passed away when he was younger. Sansa hadn't been back for Christmas since she left for England.

"Jon Snow, you are not spending Christmas alone with your dog! Stop being a broody little baby and go say hi to her." With that, she jumped off her stool and went to talk to some friends.

Jon drank the last gulp of his Jameson and Coke, set his glass down, and tried to casually walk towards Sansa as she talked with Margaery in the corner. Sansa's back was turned towards him but Margaery saw him coming and he could see her raise her eyebrow in excited curiosity. She quickly made an excuse to go get another drink and left Sansa standing alone.

"Hey, Sans," Jon said as he came up beside her. He did his best to act cool and relaxed as he desperately hoped she was still the same Sansa he used to know.

"Jon! I've been meaning to come say hi to you but I keep getting pulled away. How are you?" Sansa asked and gave him a little hug. Her simple hug reminded him of the one she gave him as a thank you for walking her home, right before he blurted out the words asking her to go on a date with him.

"I've been doing well. How's life in…Australia, is it?" Jon asked, as coolly as he could manage.

"It was good, but I've actually decided to move back home. Figured it's time I laid down some roots and what not," Sansa said with an easy smile. "Plus, I think my family misses me too much," she said loudly as Arya walked by them, causing Arya to roll her eyes as she walked away.

"Well, that's good. I know your mom must be extremely happy."

"Yeah, she definitely is. I just told them when I arrived this morning. Now she's trying to convince Bran and Rickon into moving back here. So where are you living now, Jon?" Her blue eyes were shining like they always used to, even the dull lighting in the bar couldn't hide it.

"I still have my parents' house. I've been working on remodeling and updating things in there."

"I'm sure you're making it look really good. I always loved that house," Sansa said, smiling.

Flashes of them having sex in every room of the house ran by in Jon's mind. "Will you be staying at your parents' house?"

"Yeah, while I apartment hunt here in downtown and wait for all my boxes to come in." She paused for a sip of her cocktail. "So how's the love life?"

"Non-existent these days."

"Oh, I heard you were dating someone."

"Ygritte? No, we broke up a while ago." Jon couldn't help but wonder if he could sense the tiniest amount of jealousy coming from her. He told himself it was just his wishful thinking.

"I'm sorry."

"It's alright, it just wasn't meant to be. How about you?"

"Same. There were a few boyfriends but they never lasted long. Especially when I'd get restless and move to another country," she said with a small laugh. "But I'm over that now."

Suddenly Gilly came up to them with her phone in her hands. "Smile, you two! I'm trying to get pictures of everyone!"

Sansa leaned in close to him, placed her hand on his chest, and smiled her lovely smile as Gilly took their picture. He worried she could feel how fast his heart was pounding with her hand on his chest.

"Jon, I just want to apologize for everything," Sansa quietly said as Gilly walked away to take more pictures.

The shift in her tone caught him off guard. She went from relaxed to what he could only describe as shyly apologetic.

"It's okay, Sans. We were young."

"I know. But I still hurt you and I never forgot that."

"You had to do what was best for you, I understood that."

She smiled a small, grateful smile at him. "Thanks for understanding," she said, reaching out and giving his hand a little squeeze. He could feel how soft her skin was. The soft skin he used to touch and kiss and lick. He had to admit to himself that her every touch, her eyes, her voice, the way her mouth moved, just everything took him back to when they were young. When he had her. When he went from shyly asking her out to having no fear when he was with her.

They continued talking and friends would join in their conversation from time to time and Sansa would regale them with her stories from other countries. As he listened and watched her, he shamefully realized that he had been holding on to his feelings for her over all these years. It was something he knew deep down but he always refused to admit it to himself. But as she was there in front of him, he fully accepted that fact. And now she was moving back and he didn't know how he was going to be able to handle her being so near to him.

All too soon, it was last call. They all paid their tabs and began to say goodbye and go their separate ways. Eventually, it was just Jon, Sansa, Sam, and Gilly standing outside the bar.

"You guys go get warm in the car, I'll meet you there as soon as Sansa's Uber arrives," Jon said to Sam.

"Thanks, Jon," Sansa said and squeezed his hand again.

"I'm not going to leave you standing alone out here at 2 in the morning to get taken," Jon said with a laugh.

"Aw, my knight in shining armor!" Sansa teased. "I'm happy to be back home."

"I'm glad you're back too." He looked over at her, her sweet smile and sparkling eyes looked back at him.

All Jon could think was that he's getting too old to hide his feelings for her. Her Uber pulled up and without thinking, he grabbed her waist, pulled her to him and recklessly kissed her. His desire and affection for her poured into his kiss. But suddenly, his mind came back to reality and he pulled away, embarrassed.

"I - I'm sorry." He quickly turned around and walked quickly to Sam's car, leaving Sansa confused.

After Sam and Gilly dropped him off at his home, Jon laid in his bed, wide awake, and thought of how stupidly reckless he was. He had no idea how Sansa might feel about him and yet he kissed her. It was spur of the moment, and his body took control. It was almost like muscle memory, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her in for a kiss. All of the nostalgia of that night, being around all of his old friends and her, it all brought him back to when he was 22.

His phone vibrated with a text message and he felt dread that it was Sansa telling him to leave her alone. He picked up his phone and thankfully it was just Gilly sending him some of the pictures she took that night. One of them was the picture of him and Sansa. His heart ached as he looked at it; with Sansa leaning in close, her hand on him, and his own old familiar smile, they looked exactly like they used to when they were happy together. Older, but still the same.

He gradually drifted off to sleep, replaying the kiss over and over in his head. Feeling his embarrassment, the familiar and unforgettable softness of her lips pressed to his, and that fleeting second he thought he felt her kiss back before he hastily pulled away. Or was that just wishful thinking again?

Two days later, it was Christmas Eve. He kept to himself since the night at the bar but it was tradition for him to join the Starks for Christmas Eve dinner, followed by watching A Christmas Story, and then each person opening one gift before bed. But Jon couldn't get up the nerve to go so he texted Robb that morning and said he wasn't feeling well. Robb called bull shit on his excuse but Jon didn't back down. Around noon, he ignored Arya's call and simply texted her back saying he was trying to sleep it off. At 3, there was a pounding at the door.

"I swear to God, Arya," he mumbled to himself as he went to answer it. But instead of Arya, Sansa stood there, her bright hair standing out against her white sweater that bore her lovely shoulders.

"I've come to collect you, Jon Snow," she said simply. Jon opened the door wider and she slipped in. Ghost happily greeted the new face and she bent down to pet him. "Well aren't you adorable!" she said in a cutesy voice to him and stood back up. "This place looks amazing, Jon."

"Thanks, it's a work in progress. I just finished the kitchen last month," he said, pointing towards the clean, bright, white kitchen. She walked to it and looked around.

"Are you avoiding me?" Sansa suddenly blurted out, turning back to him.

"No, didn't Robb tell you I'm not feeling well?" Jon tried to say innocently.

"You look perfectly fine, Jon. You're trying to avoid me by not coming today."

Jon rubbed the back of his neck uneasily as he tried to figure out what to say.

"I thought we had a fun time the other night," Sansa said, leaning her butt against the kitchen island and trying to keep Jon's eye contact. "It really felt like old times again."

"It really did, and it really was fun," Jon said, leaning against the fridge.

"So then why are you avoiding me?"

"You know why, Sans." Jon looked away, embarrassment filling him again.

"The kiss?" she said softly. "You know, it felt like a movie to me. The whirlwind of nostalgia, the dark street, you pulling me in for a kiss, pulling away and saying you're sorry, and then walking away. But usually in movies, you would turn back around and rush to me for another kiss, happily ever after, roll credits."

Jon looked back over to her, curiosity in his eyes.

"Why did you kiss me, Jon?" she asked softly.

"I don't know. Something came over me. Like you said, it felt like old times, everything felt so familiar."

"It did surprise me but you didn't exactly stay long enough for me to react. You looked really regretful when you pulled away and then you just kept walking."

"I was embarrassed, Sans. I shouldn't have done that."

"I was glad you did."

"You were?"

"I know it's not fair for me to say this, not with me having ran away and hurting you all those years ago. A part of me has kept holding on to you, onto us, just in case our chance hasn't gone away whenever I decided to come back home. It was my choice to leave and I don't regret it, but no guy has ever come close to comparing to you, Jon. I still care about you and with that kiss, I had hoped you still cared about me."

"Sansa, I never stopped caring. I kissed you because I was still holding on too."

A relieved, happy smile spread across her lips. In one quick step, Jon moved to her, slid his arm around her waist, and pulled her into another kiss. This time she kissed back immediately, her hand on the back of his head and her fingers entwined in his dark curls.

He gently pulled his lips away and placed small, light kisses along her bare shoulder. "Will you go on a date with me, Sansa?" he whispered.

"How about tonight? Christmas Eve dinner with my family," she said with a smile.

"Sounds good to me," Jon said, pulling her into another kiss.