There is only one place she needs to look for him and when she does indeed there he is. A southerner to the core. He'd survived the coldest night to ever come yet still clung to the heat. She'd meant to be long gone by dawn, had her horse saddled and ready for the long road to King's Landing but yet here she is, closing them alone in the forge though he's yet to notice as he's more focused on senselessly beating at a sword with none of his normal skill.

"Ours is the fury." At her voice Gendry jolts and swears savagely, something she'd probably laugh at if he hadn't spun all that fury to face her.

"What are you doing here?" The lack of his typical nickname is more telling than anything else she can see on that handsome, expressive face.

"Your house worlds. Ours is the fury." Gendry's storm-tossed blue eyes blaze at that. Fury indeed. "My horse is packed. I was ready to leave and not look back. By dawn I would have been long gone.

He snarls a sound that makes her stomach flutter pleasantly before responding with the ferocity she's always seen beneath his usual calm. "Just like that? After everything...you'd up and vanish again?"

Arya takes a moment to gather the courage to abandon the game of faces, to meet his Baratheon blue eyes and be honest.

"I'd planned to, yes. You don't understand Gendry, don't know what I've become since we parted. What you tried to tie yourself to. I'm less Arya and more no one and you can't even know what that means. Would be horrified by the things I have done." She'd thought it a kindness. Let her fade from his memory now rather than let him have hope but the crestfallen look on his face had haunted her all night. In the end she couldn't help but seek him out once more. His disgusted snort breaks her reverie.

"Awful highborn of you to decide that for me." That makes her choke an angry screech.

"You're not listening you stupid bull-headed boy! You love a memory! The ghost of a girl I once was but I killed Arya Stark and I don't know if I'll ever be her again!" He has to understand. She needs to know he will move past this, will find happiness elsewhere no matter how much she dislikes the thought. Gendry looks at her incredulously.

"What kind of bullshit is that? I may not know what happened to you Arya but I know you." Her eyes close as she bites back a tide of emotion and her voice is a croak of sound when she responds. It takes more than she'll ever admit not to flee.

"You'd never look at me the way you do now again." None of them would. Sansa had hardly scratched the surface yet still, she could see the fear in her sisters eyes.

"Arry, you survived. That is more than I could ever dare hope for. Doesn't seem like much else matters." His rough brogue is closer, right in front of her now, but she keeps her eyes clenched tight.

"I'm Death Gendry. I became death and almost destroyed everything that made me Arya. I've killed so many people I can't keep count anymore."

"Arry please, look at me." She's a faceless man, an emotionless assassin that lives in legends, but she simply can't. Is too afraid. Can only shake her head and whimper pathetically when large hands rough with calluses cup her face. "I've always known you're a wolf, dangerous, just never to me. Nothing could change how I feel, you forget you're not the only stubborn one here."

"I killed the Frey's." She blurts, eyes opening only to watch his reaction. His befuddled look is adorable.

"What?"

"All the male Frey's. I poisoned the wine and watched them choke to death and relished it." Her gaze moves to his chest now, shame gurgling unpleasantly in her gut.

"Arya...are you telling me you killed an entire house?"

"That is exactly what I'm telling you." The forge is deathly quiet besides the roaring fires as Gendry digests the information. Then, before she can react, his hand's drop to her hips and lifts as if she weighs nothing at all. He takes a few steps before settling her on a workbench, one arm moving to swipe tools from its surface with no care for the crashes that echo around them. He takes another step, crowds into her space so she is forced to spread her thighs to make space. Her hands flutter before settling against his chest where she can feel the thundering of his pulse. It seems his patience is gone as he forces her faze back to his own with his hands. He's so, so close now.

"God's Arry, you drive me mad! I knew you were dangerous the day we met and I saw you threaten a boy twice your size and mean it. I heard the stories, what they did to your family. I'm not sorry you found your revenge." Tears fill her eyes despite her best efforts to blink them away.

"I'm not good Gendry. I have my list and I don't know if I'll survive its end." Everything in him seems to tighten and he has to swallow whatever he wants to say but his eyes don't falter. "You will make a wonderful Lord. You are good, and loyal, and stupidly stubborn. I'm not what you need by your side."

"Arya I spent years thinking you'd been slaughtered and I won't willingly spend another day not knowing if you're alive or dead. If you need to finish your list I'll carry your sword and be happy for every day I get with you. IF we survive the next war and you're ready to rest? We can try being Lord's for a while. If not we can fuck off wherever you want. I'd follow you anywhere Arry." By the end she's full on crying, teeth nipping her lower lip in an attempt to maintain what little control she has left. Warm hands cup her face and his thumbs move to stroke the droplets from her skin.

When one caresses her lip, urges her to release it, she can't stop her gusty sigh. "Gendry. Please. I won't lead you to your death. You'll be safe at Storm's End."

"Dammit Arya, either tell me you don't want me or stop with the excuses!" His voice is thunderous but he's still gentle where he hold's her so he can crush her mouth with his own. Large arms move to pull her even closer, leaves no space remaining where they aren't pressed flush. Gendry devours her with teeth, and tongue, and fury that break every barrier she's trying desperately to erect. He only releases her to gulp air and growl into her throat. "Fuck everything but you and me Arry. You can't claim me then just walk away!"

It's him saying it the way he does that stuns her for a moment. Claim. She had claimed him hadn't she? Had stalked her prey like the wolf she is and taken him for her own. The wolf claimed her bull. Any arguments she may still have die and she sags against his strong chest.

"Gendry." It may only be his name but he can obviously hear her surrender because his grin is blinding, a rather wolfish tilt to it before he bends to kiss her again.