There's something in the Water

Jon

It's not a game. Well, he hoped it wasn't though with the way she was acting; it was beginning to feel like it was. It wasn't so much in what she said it was how she acted in different moments, one moment they were close the next it felt like there was that wall up between them again… and now to top everything off they were in a bet with Daario and flipping Arianne. A bet he had no desire to win, much less take part in. He just wanted to spend more time with her, uncover the woman she was, make her smile, laugh just the two of them and right now, he wished he went with his gut and told them both to fuck off. They'd found themselves in some kind of limbo ever since, laid in the heavy silence both equally lost in their heads. The impending talk was prominent, and truth be told he had no idea how it was going to go, but he wasn't worried about it as strange as that sounded. He'd been over the thoughts and the feelings and he was done pretending he didn't want this. He wanted her in his life as long as he could because the rest of the trip certainly wouldn't be enough!

Jon shook his head, dispelling the thoughts, knowing they would get to it when they got to it. There was no point dwelling on it right now. They set out earlier than the others commandeering one of the bigger boats so they could both row together, mainly because she was stubborn and got it in her head that she wanted to row too. He, of course, had the last laugh as he occasionally rowed out of sync spinning them around just to annoy her, laughing hard as she glared at him. The closest she got was wielding the ore like some sort of sword, but she didn't hit him with it, she was too soft to do that. She did wet him though, the water dripping on his head as she laughed. It was refreshing being out on the water, not in it, like they did at stupid o'clock this morning. Not that—He was going soft. There was literally nothing to bloody complain about…

The plan was to get to the boat shack, loan the fishing rods for a few hours and then go in their separate ways to fish, which sounded terrible–that was defiantly something to complain about–but he kept his mouth shut and got on with it. They managed to get back to the mainland first, getting the rods, some bait, and asking for the best fishing hotspots from the clerk all before Daario and Arianne walked through the door. He couldn't decide if they would work as a team or not because Daario winning meant that Arianne was sharing his tent, which gave them a reason to share a tent. Something the pair of them defiantly didn't want to do. Then Dany had to snog Daario which would, of course, annoy Dany and then he had to share a tent with Theon, which wasn't anything headphones and music couldn't fix. To be fair, he had the easy ones, well minus shaving his bloody beard off. Jon stored the fishing supplies in the boat before he ran back inside to get a drink, nearly choking on a snort as he saw Arianne pulling up her bra behind the isle to show more cleavage as she peeked over at the guy behind the counter. The poor sod had no idea what was in store for him.

He quickly grabbed two energy drinks from the barely working fridge before he jumped in front of Daario in the cue to pay. He didn't feel he needed to respond to the smirk that Daario threw his way or the bloody wink he received from Arianne, but he could feel himself getting fired up from it. Not that he wanted to win, but this was war, and he was rather tempted to win just to make everyone else miserable. Daenerys possibly would take it the worst but he knew by midnight Arianne would likely try to murder him and with Daario, he looked less a bloody pirate and more a mermaid without his hair products. Oh, but the possibilities… He caught up with Dany waiting in the boat, a small smile on her face as she spotted him, nearly toppling the boat when he pretended to throw the bottle for her to catch.

"Arsehole," she mumbled as he climbed in, putting the drinks with her bag in the middle of the boat before he got comfortable and they quickly set off. The destination was south on the recommendation of the guy behind the till and though he hated fishing–had no real intention of winning either–he couldn't say he minded spending more time alone with her. They rowed in silence, accompanied by an abundance of birds tweeting in the distance and the calm of the ore's slicing through the water in rhythm. He found himself relaxing despite the exertion, though they defiantly weren't pushing the pace this time. Jon couldn't help but think back to a different time, when they were together, before the hostility and everything else that when tits up. To be honest, no matter how hard he tried, they tried; there was never really any hostility between them. It just fell away like those walls they put up. They argued and fought like everyone else, there were times they wouldn't speak to each other for days but no matter what. They always worked it out, like on the first night of the trip when he saw her struggling with her tent, he knew he shouldn't but there was something inside him that compelled him to help her. He just cared for her; he always would, no matter what. The time surely had changed them. They were different people now, but he still remembers throwing it all away…

He had been back from the north for a while and it was the first time they had found themselves alone in ages. They weren't together, and having to watch Dany stroll around the house in a low-cut shift was a version of torture he didn't wish on anyone, watching her bending over to charge her phone by the TV showing him her sexy lingerie. He remembers thinking he was imagining it, heading to the bathroom thinking he was losing his mind as they sat there watching the film. He couldn't remember if they spoke at all through the entire thing as she laid on the sofa, her legs resting over his knees.

When the film finished, he remembers her rolling over and watching him as he stared at the credits rolling on the screen. He was ridiculously nervous, terrified to kiss her because he had no idea where they were – the guilt of the army gnawing at him, and the fact he knew it would change everything. Dany decided she wanted to go watch a film in bed and he followed after her limbless, braindead, mouth going dry as she climbed into bed. He took his jumper off and laid on top of the covers until she goaded him into joining her, watching a film he had zero fucking interest in until she pressed against him. His mind blank as he cupped her breast in his hand, they fell into the same circle they always did, his chest to her back, his hands touching, teasing, playing with her body as she moaned, pleasuring her, rolling her over onto her back as he caught her lips. Fuck... He couldn't…

He wanted to, gods he did! He. Just. Couldn' remembered the moment like it was yesterday. The confusion on her face, the kiss bruised lips and the way her face dropped, the hurt… 'We can't,' the words left him. A summary of everything he wanted in the palm of his hand and everything he couldn't have.

They laid their speaking for hours, cuddled close, sharing the secrets and the fears they had. No one wanted them together and it shouldn't matter but it did, and no matter how much it hurt she would do better without him. He remembers the pain in his heart as he said that, the look in her eyes as she thought it was just another moment they were going through.

Until he spoke of the army…

The betrayal in her eyes, there was no more talking after that. The last time they spoke she was throwing him out of the house, slamming the door shut in his face. There were days he tired of course, but she wouldn't even acknowledge him. She was either sick or busy, claimed she wasn't at home when he knew she was. The weeks passed like that, the deadline to leave growing closer until he left. He had no intention of returning but he went home briefly and saw her once, with some guy. The pain in his chest drowned out by the manta in his head, it was for the best. It didn't mean the image of her with someone else didn't eat at him because it did, for a while anyway. He did his best to move on, but that was hard when she had been his best of everything for so long though it became easier with time, keeping his mind occupied with what was in front of him.

Only to find out she was best friends with his cousins' girlfriend. Honestly, you couldn't make it up!

"What's wrong with you?" Dany asked pulling him from his thoughts, the frown on her face sobering him up,

"Nothing's wrong with me, something wrong with you?" he asked as she sighed loudly and paused with the rowing. Jon paused to give her all his attention; it wasn't like she didn't have it, anyway.

"Well apart from Daario and Arianne hijacking on our game," she grumbled. Jon shook his head; he had no bloody sympathy for her on this one,

"It's your own bloody fault,"

"Well I'm sorry, I just didn't want this to be super serious," Jon frowned though she rolled her eyes as she continued, "I mean the talk is going to be super serious and I'm terrified so this balances it out," she explained looking down at her lap shyly.

"You realise we could have told them we weren't playing and then discussed it when they fucked off," he added grinning as her shoulder dropped in realisation,

"Well, I didn't think of that did I?" she shook her head, fixing him with an adorable pout on her lips as she sighed, "Between you and me, you should help me win," Dany added as she gestured to start rowing again,

"Why would I do that?" he asked, more or less knowing he couldn't let her win, especially if he didn't want to bloody shave.

"Because we can still share a tent, and maybe you could get a surprise…," she replied nonchalantly, and his mind was already racing with the possibilities though what got his attention more was the tent situation,

"Shouldn't you be moving back to your own tent anyway?" he questioned grinning at the face she pulled, "I'm not the boss anymore," he taunted. After all, that was the only reason they were sharing a tent.

"Exactly, you're not the boss…," she stated as a matter of fact. Jon snorted as she looked up at him, "Do you want me to go back to my own tent?" she asked with narrowed eyes. Jon kept his face natural as he watched her,

"Do you want to?" he replied, amused with the way she rolled her eyes and sighed loudly,

"I'm starting to question whether I should," she retorted, not quite able to stop the smile from pulling at her lips as she quickly continued. "You know I don't. So, we need me to win,"

"Or I could win…"

"If you make me go on a date with Daario, the gloves will come off," she warned, pointing at him with a finger. He couldn't help but laugh, thinking to last bloody night and her nails raking down his back or this morning…

"I'm pretty sure they were already off last night," he retorted, grinning as she shook her head,

"Shut up,"

"And this morning," he added, laughing as she blushed,

Dany shook her head as she looked at him, the bright smile showing off the small dimples before she took a quick look around and leaned forward, kissing her lips together in invitation. Jon leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers before she quickly pulled away, "I know where we are. There's a little bakery down there," she paused pointing over his shoulder, "I don't know about you but I'd much prefer a nice cake and a hot chocolate…" she suggested. Jon was sure he was dreaming, as he watched the bright smile on her face, growing more so when he nodded. It was a no brainer… He was pretty sure he would do anything other than fishing.

"What about the bets?" he asked,

"Err, we could fish on the way there," she suggested smiling again. Jon took over rowing duties moving to the centre of the boat so she could fish because she was so bloody stubborn. Trying to explain that it was more or less pointless unless they were still on the water, she wouldn't listen or bloody give up. Who would have thought that they'd be working together against a common foe in an attempt to drive each other crazy? That was crazy. Jon sat quietly rowing and watching the way she drew the line and the hook into the water. At least she looked like she knew what she was doing. They sat in silence with Dany staring at the water in her own little world, watching for any movement or a tug on the line as he made sure he kept a slow and steady pace, to at least give her a chance.

He thought he imagined it at first, a slight tug on her line though he wasn't at all expecting the squeal that followed as she panicked pulling the rod back. He moved forward on instinct as she waved the rod to the side nearly knocking his head off in the process though he managed to catch it and steady her as she realised, she needed to reel the bloody thing in.

There was a wonderful smile on her face as she started to reel in the catch, almost bouncing by the time the tiny fish broke the surface wiggling around on the line. Jon moved away grabbing his phone needing to record the spectacle.

At first, she seemed to be in awe, a proud smile on her face as she attempted to remain calm though as the fish began to wiggle more the panic started creeping in. He watched her through the phone as she panicked, not quite sure where to put the rod, or what do with the fish. Watching the way, she tried to put the rod down only for the tiny fish to flop to the bottom of the boat pulling free from the hook as it did its best to get back into the water. He couldn't help but laugh as she pounced after it, the fish slipping through her fingers as it slapped against her coat and back into the bottom of the boat.

"Help me, you arse," she grumbled, never taking her eyes from the fish as she dove again, cursing under her breath as the fish jumped further away from her grip. It seems the little fish wasn't ready to give up just yet. Jon couldn't stop laughing, more so when she looked up puffing hair out of her face as she fixed him with a glare. Pressing his lips together as he stopped the recording and together—he—caught the little bugger and set it free. It took a moment to stop laughing and when he finally looked up and met her gaze, she was darting forwards drawing him in a messy kiss. He didn't care about the puddle that she pushed him into, or the bloody bench digging into his back, none of it mattered, as he held on to her tight, kissing her until he couldn't breathe. Even when they broke away, they stayed there in the bottom of the boat, the water sloshing around with every movement soaking her knees and his arse as they calmed down.

"So, are you going to show me this stupid recording?" she asked after a while, trying her best to be annoyed but her eyes were almost sparkling as he held her close. Jon was happy to show her laughing even harder as he watched it for a second time though it was easy to get distracted with her during the third, being mindful enough to put his phone in his pocket before it fell to the puddle of mess as he kissed her hard, content to stay there all day. Of course they eventually got moving again, and that's when the effects of the puddle became a real problem, the back of his jeans soaked, his briefs, and Dany's helpful suggestion of taking them off wasn't helping as he was pretty much giving himself a fucking wedgie as the briefs felt like a second bloody skin. Jon tried his hand at fishing too on the journey, though he wasn't as lucky as her, and it was luck. It was either that or her less than smooth rowing was a hindrance on his ability to fish.

Not that he cared, she was proud of herself and he was too.

There was a little dock that signalled where the bakery was located and it wasn't actually that difficult to get the boat tied up. Jon took the first step before he helped her over, his heart beating that much faster as she kept hold of his hand as they set off up the snicket. It was only a short walk and the first thing he realised was how bloody busy it was… It was absolutely packed, bristling with people for breakfast or their lunch, some of them playing on their phones, others talking quietly amongst themselves, and he despised it. He would have gladly waited outside for it to die down, but Dany was pulling him along whether he liked it or not.

It seemed she had other things in mind as she pulled him around a corner in the bakery, pausing in front of an old vintage photo booth. Jon was already shaking his head, knowing damn well where this was going. "Come on, it'll be fun," Dany said as she pulled open the red curtain that revealed a small bench opposite the mirror that hid the camera. "Please," she asked with a pout. There was no way he was going to decline her, they both knew it but it didn't mean he was at all pleased with it,

"I still despise cameras" he stated, shaking his head. Dany was the opposite and when she was around, he had no choice, it just so happens she was around all the time. Jon couldn't say what it was; it was something that her brother Rhaegar did. He remembers Aunt Lya fighting to get him to take more pictures, and it was just something he picked up, something both Mother and Aunt Lyanna got annoyed about.

"Think of this as a memory of us…" she trailed off, clearly trying to figure out the right word for what they were doing. "Rekindling our friendship," she decided, popping open her purse and fishing for some coins. It made him smile when he saw the little Lego bracelet that was dangling off of it, from McDonald's on their first awful night of the trip,

"I don't think we'll ever forget this trip…" he replied, thinking of the trip as a whole. There was no way anyone was going to forget,

"Why's that?"

"We just won't," he replied, knowing he couldn't say anymore. He could see that she wasn't at all pleased with the answer, but she looked back at the photo booth and smiled,

"Well, we'll have picture proof," she added smiling that big bright smiled of hers as she slotted the coins in and pulled him into the booth. Jon rolled his eyes but pulled the curtain on, shutting them away from the world for a few minutes, looking at the mirror and seeing them together, the laughter dying as he caught her looking too before she looked up meeting his gaze with a small shy smile curling at her lips as she sat up straighter and moved closer. "Think of a pose,"

"What's wrong with this?"

"Fine," Dany said, rolling her eyes. The countdown began as she looked at him through the mirror. Jon was sure his heart was beating ridiculously fast in his chest as the countdown commenced. 3, 2, 1, he made sure he smiled knowing damn well he was looking at her and not the centre of the stupid mirror but he didn't really care. He turned to look at her to gauge her reaction though the stupid count down began again and her fingers were trying to turn his face forwards though he playfully nibbled at her finger with his teeth. The flash from the camera making him jump as he bit into the flesh of her finger. There was a second rest bite as he looked at her frowning at the red mark on her finger before she slowly looked up. Jon didn't have a second to think before she was flying at him, attacking him, like a bloody savage, trying to bite him back. Jon lost count well aware of the camera flashes and the count down as he found her lips, pulling her closer until they broke away when the chime or whatever the fuck it was sounded. He was incredibly hard, his hair was a mess as they stood at the side of the machine, and he was trying to stop himself from laughing as she tried to act all serious about the pictures. When the truth was, he would like them regardless because she was in them.

The machine began whirling as she pressed her ear to the side of the machine in childlike wonder as the pictures were processed before they finally dropped into the tray. He couldn't help but chuckle at the display as she shook her head and curled into his chest.

"Aww, you ruined them,"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, they're perfect," he replied looking down at them together, an arm around her waist holding her tighter,

"You may have a point… That's the best one though" she whispered pointing to the first picture. They were watching each other in the reflection, the opposite in a way, light-haired, bright-eyed, dark-haired, dark-eyed but they were both smiling like idiots. The second picture was Dany pulling her hand away from his mouth; her face pained while he had his eyes closed facing towards her. The third was when she was trying to get him back. The exact moment the pictures descended into madness, the picture was taken with her back to the camera, half on his knee, her arms around his back as she tried to bite into his throat, while he had his eyes closed laughing at her. The last picture was taken when he just managed to get her sat beside him when she kissed him, his face half-hidden by her hands, their hair sticking this way and that way but in the end, it didn't matter because they were both lost in the kiss, he liked that one the best!

Of course, they needed to take more, taking some proper ones or so she said but they only ever got through the second before he was annoying her again and after that, she pretended to be sulky though he knew she wasn't as she leaned back against him while they joined the cue.

It was a slow stop and start cue, listening to the hustling a bustling of the staff behind the counter though despite it all he was sure as he leaned his head against hers he could have fallen asleep then and there. He was sure he'd had around 6 hours in the last 2 days, though he had nothing to complain about last night. He wouldn't mind getting a few hours' sleep though preferably with her wrapped in his arms but the plans for the day had already been set in motion on the group chat and when they got back the girls were heading one way and the guys the other which sounded like, something.

They ended up ordering an assortment before they headed back down to the boat, sitting on the little pier with their feet hanging off the edge. He could still hear the noise from the bakery, but he didn't mind it as they quietly shared the buns and cakes between them. The chocolate eclairs were to die for, though the butterfly cakes were up there too. He smiled as he watched her grinning at the cream she'd gotten at the edge of her mouth.

"You have something there," he pointed as she rolled her eyes,

"You don't have to make excuses to get me to kiss you,"

"Now-"

"Why would I want to kiss you?" she mocked

"Yeah, now I'm defiantly not going to," he stated, knowing damn well he would. He kissed her because he wanted to. He didn't need any other reason. Still, there was an annoying blotch of cream on the edge of her mouth as he reached out gently capturing the cream on his thumb. "I don't like to gloat or anything but-," anything he was going to say was silenced as she swiped her tongue along his thumb before he was capturing her lips with his Dany pulled away smiling as she readjusted so she could lean against his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her. They sat for a while finishing off the hot chocolates in silence, though he noticed her staring off in the distance, and he couldn't help grasping her hand, smiling as she turned to look at him.

"What's on your mind?" he wondered aloud drawing his finger along her palm watching as she looked down to their joined hands,

"Do you ever wonder what it would be like if Rhea and Aunt Lyanna were still around?" she asked. Jon blew out a breath knowing Aunt Lya would have kicked his arse from Winterfell to Dorne if she knew he was going to join the army—which would have been ironic—but that's the kind of person she was, fiercely protective of those around her. God's mother wasn't happy at all, but she accepted it thanks to Uncle Arthur though he didn't think he would ever have gotten away from Lyanna so easily.

"Aunt Lya would have dragged me south kicking and screaming…" Jon sighed, looking out across the water, trying to work over the words in his head. He knew this was the time to get everything off his chest and just be honest with her. "I really fucked up." He admitted shaking his head as she pulled away from him with a pained look on her face. "No, I know…" he knew, he always knew. "I wasn't thinking. I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life… I convinced myself that I needed to be better, that your life would be better without me in it…," he trailed off remembering everything those annoying cunting sisters that were her best friends at the time said when they thought he wasn't listening. Perhaps they knew he was listening?

I bet she breaks up with him before college.

Oh, defiantly she should be with someone better like Chad.

Awe they'd look so good together.

Their annoying fucking laughter trailing after them… He couldn't say he cared what they thought at first, though the more he heard the more he began to think. The doubts creeping in, the questions ringing in his head… Daenerys was the kind of person that had her whole life mapped out, while he was struggling to find a place, a job, a path in his life. "You had the world at your fingertips and I didn't want to get in the way of it, I was stubborn, we both were…" he huffed out a laugh as he continued, "We still are. Once I found a way out, I took it."

Dany was silent for a few minutes shaking her head as she looked to the water, "good enough…" she scoffed shaking her head again. "What's next? Are you going to tell me that I deserved better? That you were holding me back? I'm pretty sure I could google better fucking excuses in my sleep," she stated,

"Excuses-"

"Yes, they're excuses, Jon. You shut me out, you left," she climbed up and he followed after her, down the wooden gangplank back onto the grass,

"That's not fair! I tried…" he trailed off as he reached for her hand though she was already turning to face him, tears in her eyes as she shook her head in what could only be disappointment,

"Yeah, you tried to see me before you left, knocking on the house door asking if I was there. You knew I was fucking there you just didn't want to face me," she stated, ready to march off again, but he pulled her back before she could, "Get the fuck off me, Jon." she complained trying to pull away, he could feel himself getting worked up over it, knowing it was now or more likely never.

"No. We're talking. You'll listen too." He stated, pulling her firmly against him. "Yes, I knew you were hiding away in your bedroom and yes I could have scaled the damned house to get to you but I didn't. You ignored my calls, my texts… I remember standing there in acceptance."

"Oh, fuck off Jon," she stated, "You knew you were leaving for mouths and you told me a week or two before you were leaving, and I'm supposed to be okay with that?" she spat shaking her head and looking to the skies for a moment before she took a deep breath and met his gaze. "Oh Jon, that's wonderful news, bye then," she mocked, laughing to herself though there was no humour in her tone as she tried to put distance between them again.

"I was afraid to tell you. I remember what it was like when we lost Rha-"

"Don't you dare," she swallowed hard, blinking, and he pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her securely. "When you told me, you were leaving… I was terrified because I-we already lost so much of our family and I didn't want to lose you." She mumbled, hiding her face against his chest, her fingers playing with the strings of his jacket. "I told myself that if I didn't see you…" she trailed off, pulling away and looking up and meeting his gaze. "I told myself that if I didn't see you, you couldn't leave because you wouldn't be able to leave without saying goodbye." He was well aware of her sighing though he couldn't say he had any idea what to say, his eyes burning, the tears gathering at the corners of his eyes as he tightened his hold on her. He was so fucking stupid.

Dany turned in his arms, her fingers holding his hand against her while her back pressed against his chest as she continued, "And then you went. I remember watching the moving trucks pack up the house. I remembered saying goodbye to your mum as she held me tight. There was nothing for months until your uncle stopped by one day with the papers for my mother and told us you were coming back down after training. Gods' I wanted to hurt you…," she laughed bitterly. "I started hanging out with Chad and when I saw you, I kissed him." Dany paused as she turned in his arms. "You just smiled and waved at me like I was an old acquaintance," She looked down at her hands and he sighed feeling everything leave him, feeling more tired than he ever had as he pressed a kiss to her forehead wishing they—he—handled everything differently.

"I'm sorry,"

"You don't need to apologise," she sighed heavily, hastily wiping her eyes as she looked up at him, "I guess we're both to blame in our own ways," Jon knew they were young, and perhaps stupid though he knew he was to blame here. He should have sat down and told her straight away,

"Well, I want to," he stated lifting her face to his, pressing a kiss to her cheek, her nose before he kissed her gently on the lips, cherishing the small smile she showed. "I remember seeing you with him, Chad," he couldn't quite keep the sneer from his lips as he said the fuckers name, more annoyed as she softly laughed. "The thought of seeing you with someone else was bad enough, but to see it, and now that I know it was him…" he couldn't help but cringe as she laughed in his arms,

"It was only a kiss,"

"You're just trying to make me feel better," he replied as she rolled her eyes. "Fucking Chad," he blew out a breath, shaking his head as he continued. "I couldn't stomach seeing it, but there was an acceptance that you'd be happy with someone else. It just so happens the next time I saw you was when Daario thrust his phone in my face showing me his latest conquest," he trailed off letting his mind wonder. First, it was his cousins' girlfriends' close friend, and then she was Daario fucking latest conquest…

"And that's why you laughed," she summarised,

"Just my fucking luck isn't it?" he grumbled smiling as she chuckled, taking a moment to calm herself, as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.

"I wanted to hate you. You hurt me and I-"

"You did hate me," Jon added,

"Clearly, not well enough," she grumbled though there was a small smile playing at her lips.

"I don't know. You were pretty mean when we first saw one another. To be honest, I was sure when you climbed in the car you would have wanted me to take you home,"

"So, you knew where I lived? Not a chance," she laughed, looping her arms around his neck and pulling him down for a kiss. "No, I thought to myself if my night was ruined, I might as well ruin yours too," she added proudly. Jon shook his head, surprised though equally pleased with howearyrything had turned out between them since.

"You're evil," he stated in shock, laughing as she rested her head against his chest. "I really missed you, you know, and I don't really know where this leaves us… I don't really mind how it plays out, I just hope beyond everything, the trip, our past, our lives, that we can be friends again," he confessed. It was the truth in a way, to be fair he just wanted to get back to where they were if that was possible. There were a lot of ways things could turn out between them, but he wanted them to be close again beyond anything. It seemed easy secluded away with friends and those closest, but it would be different in the real world and he could accept that.

"You don't mind at all?" she asked, leaning back and narrowing her eyes as she looked at him, waiting for his reaction.

"Maybe a little," he couldn't curb the smirk if he wanted to as she grinned though he continued before she could, "I didn't want to be too forward,"

"Is this the same person who wanted me to kiss him after 3 hours?" she teased laughing at him,

"I lost the bet, and you still kissed me," he argued,

"I felt bad alright," she admitted smiling bashfully as she pulled him back to the little dock. They sat back down together and he smiled as she leaned against him, knowing it wasn't the end of it but it was nice to settle back down. It was difficult to figure out what he was thinking back then, most of the things he said or did, made him cringe. He wished he did everything differently, took chances back when he didn't and he wasn't sure he could forgive himself for that. He would never forgive himself for letting her sift through his fingers! In the sense that they were close before the relationship and he somehow along the lines became blind to that very fact. Yeah, distractions became easy and being away certainly helped but their lives were entwined from the first time Uncle Arthur took a toddling nephew on a trip to the shop and he saw her playing on the grass in the front garden. He remembers standing there as she turned to him, crawling over and thrusting her doll towards him.

"Ah, I don't know if you remember," Jon looked her way to see the almost wistful smile on her face, "We were ten I think, young, carefree… It wasn't that we had forgotten. We were just kids and I couldn't understand why mother was so sad so I asked her," she paused and he remembered the day, knew what she was going to say next as he brought her hand to his lips. "It was the anniversary of when we lost Rhaegar and Aunt Lya and I got so sad," she smiled sadly as she leaned against him. "You took it on yourself to try to cheer me up… do you remember?" Jon nodded, thinking back to the day. She was sullen, and wouldn't play out so he made a promise. There was a little forest that they hadn't stepped foot in since they'd lost Aunt Lya and Rhaegar, but he promised to do it, if she came out. Truth be told, the place terrified him, the foreign noises, the scary-looking tree's holding her hand tightly as she pulled him along with little care in the world.

Daenerys looked at the scary trees in wonder, pulling him along while he was turning his head this way and that way terrified. She was always the brave one. He remembered her reaction to finding the clearing that they often came to as she hugged him as tightly as she could, though soon she was staring wide-eyed at the tree that had grown so much. There in the centre was a beautiful lemon tree starting to bloom. He could still remember the wonder on her face as she saw it for the first time in ages. They wandered around exploring the little space, playing make-believe and enjoying themselves though the mood shifted and she was frowning again. 'Everyone always leaves,' she frowned, and he said the one thing he could think of, 'I won't leave,' he remembers how she smiled brightly showing all her teeth, 'promise?'

'I promise!'

He could have cursed the wind for causing his eyes to burn once again, thinking of that—a childish promise, that somehow hurt more than any other. "Umm, I remember," he mumbled sniffing; trying to blink back the tears as she pulled away and met his gaze.

"You're not supposed to cry because then you'll make me cry," Dany mumbled as a tear rolled down her cheek.

"You brought it up," he grumbled hastily wiping his eyes,

"That was my favourite place in the world… I wonder if it's still there," she said, glancing around,

"I guess there's only one way to find out…" he retorted, thinking to the place. He hoped that it wasn't found by some little bastards that defaced it with graffiti. Hopeful that their escape had grown wild and beautiful in their absence, yet still remained calm and peaceful, somewhat symbolic of Aunt Lyanna and Rhaegar,

"How are we going to find the time between those 28 ice cream dates?" she asked, pulling him from his thoughts,

"I never said they were dates…"

"Shut up,"

"It's more of a social obligation," he said as she looked up at him. Dany shook her head, climbing up to her feet before she was hovering over him, lowering herself onto his knee and wrapping her arms securely around him.

"Just think, if Arianne and Daario don't catch a fish, you'll have to shave all this off," she taunted, brushing her nose along his jaw. Jon shook his head, unsure why she wanted it off in the first place, he couldn't say he even remembered the last time he actually shaved properly, he saw it as a way of growing along with most of his unit.

"I still don't know why you want me to shave it off in the first place… Also, I'd like to remind you that I still have all the way back to catch a fish," he retorted poking her in the sides, grinning as she squirmed away from him, or at least tired. He wasn't letting go of her. "And when I beat you, you'll be going on a date with Daario," he finished alarmed as she simply shrugged her shoulders.

"You never specified the kind of date… I mean it could easily be a double date or a group date,"

"No, you're going on a date with Daario, meaning what he says goes…"

"I get that you're scared to shave it off…" she continued, ignoring what he said about the bloody date,

"I hear that you're crazy," he whispered, "and you have cats… I mean it wouldn't be a stretch to think you're… You know… Cuckoo," he mimicked the crazy signal with his finger, grinning as she frowned,

"Wow…" she gasped, trying her best to pout though it was futile, giving up and pressing her face against his throat. Jon smiled as she pressed a kiss to his skin, another under his jaw before she kissed his cheek pulling away just enough so he could find her lips. A soft kiss, just breathing her in. there was no certainty about what this was, the only promise they'd made was to try to be friends in the future though he thought she wanted more, he certainly did. There was just so much that they needed to work through and that would take time. He knew there were more conversations that they would need to have. He knew that it would all come to a head at some point but right now they were going in the right direction.

It would take time, time that they both now had…

"I missed you," she whispered, smiling and resting her head on his shoulder. Jon was smiling too as he held her closer.

"I missed you,"

"No, I really missed you," Dany sighed, snuggling up against him. Jon couldn't help the smile on his face as he buried his nose in her hair and held her close.

"Me too," he whispered, "But I'm still not letting you win,"

"Oh, come on…" she pouted pulling strands of his beard in her fingers. Jon rolled his eyes holding her close, happy with the way the morning had gone and they didn't leave it too long before they were heading back. He did, of course, try his hand at fishing again, but fish just weren't his friend. His lack of it made Dany laugh though, so who really was the loser?

The journey back was relatively quick–minus a pissed off looking clerk behind the counter—uneventful though he just handed the rods over and signed off. As they disembarked, he quickly pulled her close once again, surprising her with a quick peck on the cheek. Dany smiled kissing him once on the lips before she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him, standing there he hugged her tightly unable to wipe the smile off his face even if he wanted to. They were the last back to camp, and judging by the grim look on Daario's face he didn't do well, thank the gods. Arianne, on the other hand, had a smug smile on her face that didn't bode well at all…

"So how did you two do?" Arianne asked as she pulled out her phone and started scrolling through the pictures. He did the same, handing his phone off to Dany.

"Fishing's not for me," he confessed, amused as Daario nodded in agreement,

"It's boring…," Daario added; his eyes were going from Dany to Arianne as if he was trying to figure out what fate he had. Swap tents with Arianne or shed his clothes when he shared tents with Theon… Arianne was grinning as she flipped her phone to show them the screen, his eyes widening as he looked at the picture of her struggling to hold a fish nearly the size of her. What the actual fuck? How the actual fuck? Dany laughed as she showed them her catch, but he was still trying to figure out how Arianne managed that…

"How did you manage that?" Dany asked. Jon grabbed Arianne's phone making sure it was actually her, making sure it was today. It couldn't be… There was no way! This wasn't about the bet's, how the fuck did she manage that?

"She cheated," Daario said as he scowled at Arianne,

"No, I simply used the resources available to me," Arianne explained. There was a smirk on her face that seemed to grow the more Daario scowled,

"What did you do?" Jon wondered aloud. He wouldn't put it past her to head out to the supermarket and pass one-off for her catch,

"She sucked the clerk off," Daario accused. Jon was sure his eyes were going to fall out of his head as he turned back to Arianne in time to see her roll her eyes,

"No! I made a suggestive comment," she quickly explained,

"Well…" Jon prodded. He remembers what she was doing when he walked back into the bloody store, but god knows beyond that,

"I made a suggestion that he might get his dick wet if he helped me out," she said slowly, the smile only growing as she continued. "The guy was greener than wet grass. He helped me fish and when we were done, he tried to kiss me… So I pushed him out the boat," she finished quickly as Daario snorted loudly. Jon didn't know what to say… The poor sod defiantly had no idea what was in store for him…

"No wonder he looked like he sucked a lemon," Dany added, that was a fucking understatement…

"In my defence, I never clarified how he would get his dick wet," Arianne stated, laughing at her own little story, Jon couldn't say he was pleased at all.

"So we're all in agreement that she should be disqualified,"

"What? There were no rules Daario, and unlike these two I didn't go back on my wager," Arianne taunted, grinning at the look of death on his face before he quickly stormed off. Arianne watched him go before her attention was on them. "Remember you two can't share a tent tonight," she said with a wink before she quickly waltzed off. Jon was half tempted to hogtie her and ship her off to the clerk though he was sure she would probably enjoy half of it… Instead, he smiled tightly and watched her go, smiling properly as he felt Dany's fingers brushed against his own before they were heading in separate directions.

The girls headed south of the isle and the guys were heading north, and to be honest, he didn't want to go but he understood the trip wasn't just about them. It wasn't a long trek, and they ended up along the banking sat in a group. Jon took a seat between Robb and Grey though he saw Daario loitering so he gave him a questioning look watching the way he seemed to take a deep breath, as he sat across from him.

"Why the fuck didn't you tell me?" he asked quickly. Jon blinked, a little caught off guard as he looked towards Daario. Of all the times and places, he wanted to speak about this now? He sighed as he looked around the guys noting that everyone was talking amongst themselves bar Sam, Grey and Robb who were staring between them intently,

"You want to talk about this now then?"

"Well yes, explain this to me because I don't get it at all…" Daario trailed off, trailing his fingers through his hair. He knew in his own way he really did care about Daenerys the obsession stemming to weird levels aside, but to be fair this was less to do with them and more to do with the simple fact he really didn't want to interfere with her life…

"Picture this, I tell you that we grew up together. That we were together for years only to end badly. Would it have changed anything?" he asked, knowing it wouldn't have. "If for some reason it did change things, did I have any right dictating her life, whether you're a man whore or not?" he added grinning as Daario opened his mouth to butt in but he didn't let him, "I mean whether I opened my mouth or not, with you I guess the only loser is her…" he winked laughing as Daario frowned playfully.

"No, jokes aside, it really wasn't anything to do with me," he stated thoughtfully. It wasn't his place to interfere with her life, regardless of his own feelings and thoughts though with everything he knew now…

"What would you have done if I brought her out?" Daario asked, sending his mind reeling again. He thought back to the first night of the trip and how they were with each other, it could have defiantly been a lot worse. God knows how it would have gone down if Daario turned up with her on his arm on this camping trip. That would have been a fucking disaster…

"I'm guessing it would have been extremely awkward," he replied diplomatically,

"They didn't even hate each other," Robb stated, as he laid back in the grass. Jon wasn't sure he heard correctly,

"Excuse me,"

"It was denial," Grey added with a shrug, defiantly not. He may not have hated her as much as Alliser Thorne, but he couldn't stand to be around her, still denial? "You both seemed to come up with reasons to stay close," Grey argued as if he was the voice of fucking reason…

"He's right," Sam added quickly. Jon glanced around the group of them, ganging up on bloody him, though before he could say anything Daario continued,

"It's all starting to make sense now. I mean the whole losing your temper in the pub, trying to start a fight with the bartender when he cut you off…," he laughed but all Jon could do was frown,

"Wait, was that the time you called me to pick him up?" Robb asked thoughtfully. Jon tried to remember more from the night though beyond knocking back the countless drinks, and everything blurring together as every thought centred around her…

"Yeah, took both of us to get him bloody home,"

"In my defence, I was caught off guard. That's like the first time I'd seen her in 6 or 7 years…" he explained shaking his head. He'd reassessed that moment so many times but he hated how affected he was with just seeing her, knowing she was one of Daario's conquests… All the memories of her, in his arms, of his nose in her hair, the holidays', it was overwhelming!

"See, denial," Grey repeated proudly, causing the others to laugh. Jon shook his head, knowing there was no point arguing with them,

"I'm sorry dude. If I knew…"

"You would have done things the exact same," Jon surmised rolling his eyes, knowing it was the truth. Whatever he was going to say, was simply a load of rubbish!

"If I knew it was so deep, I wouldn't have told you about her," Daario snorted, chuckling as Jon rolled his eyes. "No, believe it or not, I wouldn't have chased her if I knew you and her were so tied up together," Daario stated, smiling sympathetically, a smile curling his lips than only made him laugh especially when he remembered this morning in the bloody tent,

"Fuck off, what about this morning?" he wondered,

"Aye, I never said I wouldn't piss you both off," Daario laughed, ducking away as he launched a flimsy stick at him. Jon sighed at missing the target, but all in all, he couldn't really say he minded how everything turned out. "Come on, bring it in," Jon looked up to see Daario stretching his arms out offering a flipping hug, though he was thrown as he was almost bloody tackled by Robb the arsehole squashing him between them as he fought to push them both away,

"Arseholes," he grumbled as he managed to sit back down, the pair of them laughing amongst themselves as grey watched on amused.

"So how was your night then?" Robb asked, looking at Daario, who frowned,

"What staring at the top of the tent while listening to everyone else enjoying themselves?" Daario replied, looking somewhat bitter. Jon wasn't sure whether he believed him or not regarding that who slept alone story though he was glad the conversation was moving on. "As I told them this morning…," Daario trailed off, turning to look at Theon. "Okay, I have a question. Who did you fuck last night?" he asked, staring at him intently. Jon pressed his lips together as everyone seemed to turn to look at Theon watching the way he shrank into his place on the banking.

"None of your business," Theon stated simply focusing his attention on the rock he held in his hand as he launched it into the water,

"It defiantly wasn't Arianne and Nymeria," Daario stated, "Arianne would have said something," he added thoughtfully as he narrowed his eyes towards Theon,

"So if you weren't with the girls… Who the hell were you with?" Robb wondered aloud, asking the question that was no doubt on everyone's mind… Something wasn't adding up, there were three single girls at camp–unless it wasn't a girl…

"No…," Gendry stated in disbelief. Jon glanced his way, watching as he looked at Theon, though it was Theon's head darting to Ramsey as he said the words, remembering the real dares that Arianne wanted to play-

"NO FUCKING WAY," Robb and Daario stated in unison, throwing their head back at the same time and laughing their arses off. Even Grey was speechless, enough that he didn't reprimand them for swearing.

"What's the problem? Mine and Jeyne's relationship is stronger than you can comprehend. We crossed something off our bucket list," Ramsey explained, unbothered causing Daario to laugh even louder while Robb looked at Theon as if he had two heads. A fucking threesome on a camping trip… It took a while for the group to settle down after that, with Daario asking more than his fair share of crude questions about logistics, positions, to asking who finished where. Grey did thankfully get over his shock–probably some disgust too–to police them at that before Theon got his own back…

"So how many of the girls in the group have you tried to get with exactly?" Theon asked with a sneer, causing Daario to scoff, though he sobered quickly under the scrutiny of the group.

"Arya?" Joffrey asked with a laugh. Gendry didn't look too worried about that, and Jon could relate as she was bar far his favourite cousin though he knew he didn't need to worry on this, she could handle herself.

"I'm not stupid," Daario replied, shrugging at the warning look Gendry threw his way. Jon knew exactly what was going to happen next, because Gendry tells Arya everything.

"What about Sansa," Sam asked sheepishly as he glanced towards Joffrey. Daario rolled his eyes as Joffrey put on the tough guy act and narrowed his eyes,

"Maybe… Well once," Daario explained shrugging again. Robb sighed loudly while Ramsey pulled Joffrey back on his arse when he made to stand up. Jon shook his head knowing the way Daario was, this was going to get a lot worse before it got better, so much for relaxing… To be fair saying that Daario had tried once with everyone in the group was just about put up with and soon they were debating about something else. Robb and Joffrey butting heads, in a much more civil fashion, at the fierce rivalry between Winterfell FC and Casterly Rock AFC. Jon tuned them out, letting his mind focus on other things, warmer things, her… She surprised him, yet again, with their talk. Were they being crazy? He didn't know, all he knew was he found himself in a place that he hadn't seen for years, chasing something he hadn't felt in so long that it quite frankly terrified him… But that wouldn't stop him. Yeah, they couldn't share a tent tonight, but what's one night?