A/N: If you've read my oneshot Suddenly Arya, I'm doing some of those here but it won't be exactly the same. This is quite long, so I've split them into 2 chapters. Then 2 more till Arya starts Uni.
Then a couple more before I bid this story goodbye.
Thanks, GRRM, for giving me a tidal wave of emotions. Thanks, Maisie, for making my entire year (HELLO, SEXIEST MAN ALIVE IN WESTEROS).
Oh, and have I mentioned smut?
"So you're at a gas station? Aren't you supposed to refrain from making calls or texts when you're at a gas station?"
Arya was staring at her reflection in the mirror and rolled her eyes. "I'm in the wash room, Jon."
"Alone?" Jon said.
Arya pulled her phone away from her ear for a moment and pretended to stab it several times, before resuming the call. "Yes, Jon. Gendry's paying for gas and Sandor and Sansa are getting food. Are you disappointed that Gendry and I are not having public toilet sex? And that's gross, Jon."
"At the rate you're both going, I won't be surprised if he's banging you against the door right this very minute."
"You'll never know. We could be doing it on your bed…or in your shower…or in the backseat of your car…or…"
"Okay, stop. I'm trying not to entertain those images in my head because I'm about to puke in my mouth right now."
Arya laughed. "Do you want to talk to Sansa? I'm on my way back to them, in case you want me to give her the phone."
She could hear muffled voices in the background which she guessed to be Robb and Jon talking. "Yeah, can we talk to Sansa real quick? Dad called about her flight back to the Vale and I have to call Dad back for her answer," Jon said when he was back on the line.
"Dad could have just called her, you know. I'm sighing at his lazy tech skills. Hang on," Arya tapped Sansa's shoulder and handed the phone to her, mouthing "It's Jon" when Sansa asked who it was.
"Your brothers missing you both already?" Gendry said with a chuckle as he walked back towards her, tucking his wallet in his back pocket. "I hope they're not planning on following us up in Casterly Rock," he added with a slight wince.
They walked back to the car as soon as the Sandor signaled that they're good to go. He and Sansa were in his midnight black SUV, making Gendry's Impala look small. Arya watched as Gendry backed out of the parking spot, his arm flung behind Arya's seat and his body twisted towards the back so he could see better. She fought the little smile trying to erupt from her face as she watched his every move. She feels like some creepy stalker, but she loves watching him move. She wondered how one can be both manly and graceful at the same time. The play of his muscles when he takes his shirt off as he washes his car; the way his forehead creases when he's engrossed in a book; the way he runs his fingers through his hair when he's nervous or worried; she notices how his startling blue eyes darken as he watches her enter the room; how he casually swipes his soft black hair when it falls over his eyes. She could go on forever about even the smallest things about him that she loves.
Love.
Arya must have sighed because Gendry sneaked a look in her direction. His brows were raised in question, but Arya only shrugged in answer.
"What was that?" he asked, turning his eyes back towards the road. He looked at his rear-view mirror to check if Sandor's SUV is still following them.
"What was what?" she asked, pretending innocence.
"That look on your face just now," Gendry insisted. He turned sideways; a bit longer than one holding a steering wheel should, and chuckled. "I know that look."
"Please," she said, shifting in her seat so she was facing him. "Enlighten me."
She watched as a smile slowly crept across his face. He kept his eyes on the road, both hands on the wheel, leaning back on the seat as relaxed as he can be. Her stomach fluttered at the sight, and she was sure she'd forgotten how to breathe.
God, he's beautiful.
"Well," he said, eyes still on the road. "For one, you get that look every time you're engrossed about something. Like you're seeing something wonderful for the first time and you can't be bothered about anything else."
Arya's heartbeat picked up speed.
"Secondly, you have that look when you're truly, utterly, genuinely happy. Like you can't believe you're in that moment, living it as though it was everything you've ever hoped it to be."
How am I still breathing right now?
Gendry shifted gears; gaining a little speed as they cruised down the long empty road, save for the SUV behind them. "Do you want to hear the best one yet?"
"Hmm."
"You have the same look on your face every time I kiss you. Sometimes I wonder if I get the same look on my face when you kiss me. But if that's how it looks like, then I don't think I'll ever want to stop being kissed."
Goddamnit.
Gendry finally looked at her. She had the most wonderstruck look on her face, and he didn't know if he wanted to laugh or kiss her.
"Well, shit," she mumbled. She cleared her throat in embarrassment before looking out the window. Somehow, this was one of the very rare moments that Arya Stark was rendered speechless.
Kiss her, definitely, Gendry thought.
"Welcome to Casterly Rock. Town of the Seven Great Waterfalls," Gendry said, reciting the words written on the road sign. "Finally! It feels like I"ve been driving for years and you, my lady, didn't even offer to take the wheel."
"Do you see Sansa taking over the wheel back there? Sandor's perfectly fine with driving for hours. Step up, Baratheon."
"How can someone so small be such a pain in my ass?" he answered as he found an empty spot at the hotel's parking lot.
When they got out, Sandor and Sansa were already waiting for them at the hotel's entrance. It looked nice from the outside, and Arya wondered if it would be the same on the inside. She hoped it would be nice, clean and comfortable, no matter how small it is. There's nothing like jumping into a freshly-made bed with newly-laundered sheets.
And a hot-looking boyfriend.
"You guys good?" Gendry asked Sandor and Sansa as they walked through the hotel's entrance.
"All good," replied Sandor.
Arya noticed that he seemed a bit shy with Sansa, although she knew he wasn't much of a talker either. But looking at them now, there was something weirdly nice and surprisingly comfortable between them. Maybe it was the same as hers and Gendry's; this thing between two very different people who realized there's more to the other than they originally thought.
Her thoughts were interrupted when the girl behind the reception desk called out a greeting. "Good afternoon! Welcome to Acorn Hall! I'm Amy," she said, a bright smile plastered on her face.
"Hi," Gendry said, returning her smile with one of his own. "We have reservations for Baratheon?"
"Ah, yes of course! You asked for two rooms with double beds," Amy said as she looked through the information on the computer.
Arya almost choked with laughter when she realized that Gendry assumed that Sansa and Sandor would be sharing rooms. Sansa looked like she wanted the ground to swallow her up, and so did Sandor. After all, Sansa said she and Sandor weren't exactly dating, much less sleeping together. They were just enjoying spending time together before she returns to the Vale.
"Stupid! They're not sharing a room!" Arya whispered when Gendry asked her what was wrong with the reservations.
"Oh! Do we have to get another room?" he asked, feeling quite sheepish now.
"It's okay," Sandor said, in that deep voice of his. "We'll think of something. I'm sure you'll want your own room," he added.
"You have rooms 214 and 220, since there are no rooms available that are right beside each other. And Podrick here will help get your things to your rooms," Amy said as she handed them their keys. "Have a great stay at Acorn Hall!"
"I wonder what they're doing right now," Arya said as she surfed from one channel to another. She'd been flipping through channels since they got to their room, and Gendry was already feelin nauseous. "Hey!" Arya cried out when he grabbed the remote from her hands.
"You're making me dizzy," Gendry said, flopping beside her on the double bed. He flipped through a few channels before finally deciding on a quite interesting travelogue.
"I wonder what Sandor's doing to my sister right this very minute," Arya repeated, her voice muffled by the fact that she was lying face down on the mattress. Her head was buried under the oversized pillow; her arms lying outstretched.
"What do you think Sandor will do to your sister? He's not one to take advantage, despite his huge frame. It's Sandor I'm worrying about, actually," Gendry said as he placed both hands under his head in a completely relaxed position.
"What do you mean it's Sandor you're worrying about?" Arya said, quickly settling into a sitting position.
Gendry laughed as he sat up and leaned on the headboard. "Your sister's quite an enthusiastic talker. I wonder if she's talking Clegane's ears off at the moment."
"Oh. I thought you meant something else."
"You, on the other hand, talk too much," he said, pullin Arya on top of him until she was sitting astride. "I know of better things to do than talk."
"I'm sure," Arya said, chuckling as Gendry started placing kisses along her jawline.
"Ssh. I can't concentrate."
Arya quickly shut up when he placed soft pecks along her temples…her cheeks…the underside of her jaw…making Arya tilt her head back as far as she could go. She gasped when he started kissing her neck right down to her pulse points, before ending up nipping on her collarbone.
"Don't leave a mark," Arya murmured, tilting her head to the side this time when she felt him lightly lick her pulse points again.
Gendry chose not to answer but moved on to bite her ear lobe instead. Arya thinks the sigh she heard came from her, although she was sure she heard Gendry emit one too.
"Are you just going to do this all night?" Arya asked, huffing a little in frustration now.
"Impatient little wolf," he murmured as he nuzzled her neck. "Patience has its rewards."
"I don't want to be patient," she argued, sitting more fully on his lap before grabbing his head and pulled him in for a kiss.
Gendry chuckled a little, until he found nothing amusing about this anymore. Arya's tongue was swirling around his mouth; teasing his own until he, too, lost his patience and gave more of himself into the kiss. His right hand was gripping her left hip, while his left hand traced undecipherable patterns across her back. He heard her hiss when his warm hand crept under her shirt and touched her bare skin; smling when he flicked the bra clasp and she gasped in surprise. He felt her arms let go of his shoulders until they threaded through his dark hair, loving the slight tinge of pain when she gave it a little tug.
Soon she had both her bra and shirt off, leaving her sitting on his lap with only just her denim shorts. Gendry could feel how warm and wet she was starting to feel down there, and he thinks his growl could rival Nymeria's. It wasn't helping things when she started to slightly wiggle her hips, and Gendry had to grasp them with both hands until she stopped the movement.
"No…too soon…" he said amidst Arya's protests.
"Take your shirt off," Arya ordered, pulling the material over his head before throwing it behind them where it landed at the foot of the bed.
"Bossy, bossy," Gendry murmured before his tongue delved back into her sweet, hot mouth.
He didn't know how he managed to get his jeans off, considering how their mouths were busy doing things to each other. Arya must have helped a lot, because he didn't even remember how he got the material off each leg. Soon, they were down to her blue boyleg panties and his boxers and nothing else.
Their mouths were still infused while Gendry flipped them over until he was on top this time. Her leg immediately went around his waist, as if to lock him in there before he could pry himself loose. He gave a soft, husky laugh when she pulled more of him in; her heel digging into his ass until there wasn't any space left between them.
"What are you doing to me, Arya," he whispered in between sucking and biting her nipples, shivering when he felt her hand sneak between them so she could pull his boxers off of him. He did the same for her; dragging her panties down her legs until he threw them away to land god knows where.
He felt her hips buck and later, he groaned when he felt her wrap her hand around his cock. He was fully-aroused by now; all big and smooth and hard at the same time. When she stroked from base to the tip, he arched back as far as he could go, savoring the feel of her soft, small hands over his arousal. If there was anything he learned about making love with Arya, it was that she gets better and bolder every single time. It was hard to imagine that he'd taken her a virgin, when all she'd do right now is just flick her wrist or rake her nails down his back and he's falling over the edge.
When at last he slid into her, he was almost at his end. Squeezing his eyes shut to control the building emotions and sensations all around him, he slowed his pace and took his time with her, until it was Arya who was screaming now and no more. Gendry gave a few more long, slow thrusts until he grabbed her ankle and placed it over his shoulder. Arya cried out. She cried out even more when his thrusts turned faster but deeper; her nails clawing at his thighs and arms and wherever little else she could reach. Their breaths came out faster and more shallow; the furious pounding of their hearts coming so fast now as if trying to escape from the confines of their chests. At one point in between long, slow thrusts and fast, hard strokes, he must have hit the right spot because Arya cried out a curse, making Gendry growl low in his throat. Taking mercy on her, he lifted her leg back down and let her wrap both legs around his waist, crying out some more when he drove in deeper just when he thinks he couldn't get deeper enough. A few more curses, a few more grunts, a few more growls before finally…finally…he let himself go and crash along with her in this tidal wave.
"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! Gen!" she cried out in prayer, as she felt his hips buck erratically until he totally let himself go.
He couldn't form coherent words but kept chanting her name and the occasional Fuck! until the last thrust; until his arms and hands and knees couldn't hold him up much longer and he fell atop her with a grunt. Arya ran her hands through his sweaty hair before tugging him down for a kiss. They stared at each other for a while…just like that…drowning in her smoky grey eyes and her in his steel blues.
"I love you," he whispered, choking out the words that he now knew fully well makes his heart stop beating for a while.
And she said the words back…"I love you"…just like she always did. But somehow this time, it was different. Different in a way that he knew there was no turning back from his little wolf.
"I don't even know how anyone could get through all seven waterfalls," Sansa huffed as she trudged behind Gendry and Arya.
It was only 6:30 the following morning, and Sansa found herself being dragged out of bed by an unbelievably perky little sister. She was surprised that Sandor, who took the floor space beside the bed, was already at the coffee shop downstairs with Gendry. When Arya told her of their planned trek up the seven waterfalls, Sansa groaned in protest.
But here she was, backpack slung across her shoulders and crossing little bridges and stepping over huge rocks as they trudged along the trail that led up to the falls. She watched as her sister and her boyfriend walked with clasped hands, not even talking much but seemingly enjoying the hike up. She wondered if anything mysterious or magical happened the night before, because there was something different between those two.
Oh, right. They were probably having sex while I was in an awkward sharing-a-room situation with Sandor.
But she knew that those two have been shagging their brains out, it's jut that something seemed different although Sansa couldn't put a finger to it.
"I'll carry your backpack for you," said Sandor, who suddenly appeared right beside her.
"No! It's okay. I'm a big girl, I can do this!" she said, trying to sound cheerful for the first time that morning.
She heard Sandor give a slight chuckle, and she couldn't help but laugh softly at how ridiculous she thinks she's being. "I'm sorry. I'm just not the type to go traipsing up rocky trails and dusty paths under the scorching sun."
"It's not even 7 am yet, so scorching sun might not be the right description for it."
Sansa laughed this time, startling Gendry and Arya to a stop. She waved a hand in dismissal at Arya and her famous brow-raise, before turning back to Sandor. "Okay, I guess it's just the traipsing up rocky trails and dusty paths that gets to me. I've never one to enjoy nature trips unlike my sister here who seems to be enjoying torturing herself," she said, before adding, "And others."
"Here," he said, grabbing her backpack and ignoring her protests. "I'm okay with carrying two and with minimal effort."
"I hear ya," Sansa said, although her mind edited out, "And I see ya and your muscular arms."
They went on for about 15 more minutes until they all heard the roaring sound of a waterfall. They looked at each other and walked faster, everyone seemingly excited now that they've reached the first falls.
"Seven hells!" exclaimed Arya, as she dropped her pack on the rocky ground at her feet.
"More like seven falls," laughed Gendry, before leaning down to kiss her.
"Wow," said Sandor and Sansa at the same time, as they stared at the sight before them.
The first of the seven falls had a few little groups of people scattered aroung the area. Considering it was the first stop, they assumed it would be more isolated as they get higher up to the seventh. If this one was already breathtakingly beautiful, they all wondered how other-worldly it would seem like when they get to the seventh.
The 15-minute hike up was worth it. The small cascade from the top and down to the pool of clear, cool waters looked incredibly inviting. Amidst the laughter and talk among the small groups, the roaring of the water as it fell drowned out most of the sound as if it was trying to block out the rest of the world.
"Do you guys want to stay here for a while or just keep going?" Gendry asked.
"Keep going!" the rest of them exclaimed excitedly. Even Sandor seemed to be enjoying himself.
"Alrighty then," Gendry said, picking up his and Arya's backpack before handing hers over. "Think you two could outrun us all the way to the next?" He said, grabbing Arya's hand back into his and tugging her closer.
"What?" Arya said, coming to a full stop. "What are you talking about, outrunning each other? I don't have enough energy to run right now."
"I can guess why," Gendry said with a laugh, tucking her hair behind her ear when she rolled her eyes at him.
"Alright, you two," Sansa said, subtly taking Sandor's hand in hers and ignoring the strangled sound he just made out of surprise. "No one's racing anyone up a steep trail, but I'll bet you $100 that someone's going to test the theory that sex in the water is both good and bad at the same time."
Arya called out to Gendry, who was already starting back up the trail. "GENDRY! I NEED A HUNDRED DOLLARS!"
