"Geez, couldn't you carry more than one lonely box, princess?" Sansa teased as she passed Jon on her way to the moving truck.
"This huge box is entirely filled with books! Heavy books!" Jon argued in defense before he entered the house. "And there are more boxes like this. Why do you have to have so many books?"
It was Sansa and Arya's move-in day. They had finally found a place they could agree upon - an old craftsman style two-bedroom house near Winterfell's oldtown area. Arya swore it must be haunted and Sansa would muffle her ears and refuse to hear of possible ghosts in her new home. Jon's own Ghost took a liking to the backyard, running this way and that, sniffing every inch of it as the humans worked.
As they continued to pass each other between the truck and the house, Jon caught Sansa's eyes roaming over his body multiple times. And his heart might have beat a little faster when Sansa received a call and Jon saw that her phone's background was the picture of them from Halloween. What was he to make of that? He would often tell himself 'nothing', but it was becoming increasingly harder to convince himself. His hopes were getting higher and higher with each look or gentle touch she sent his way.
Thankfully, they finished moving everything into the house before the predicted rain storm started that night. And, thankfully, they were able to get Ghost to come inside before he got soaked. By the time they were done eating the massive amount of pizzas the girls ordered, the rain was coming down hard. Robb made his exit before the storm got worse. Gendry accompanied Arya to her bedroom to arrange her furniture. At Sansa's request, Jon stayed and helped her move the living room furniture around so she could decide how she wanted it.
On the fourth rearrangement, Sansa decided she really wanted the couch to face the fireplace. Just as Jon was getting out the tools to hang the television above the mantle, the power suddenly went out, sending the house into darkness with the exception of a sudden burst of light from lightning.
"You guys okay out there?" Arya called out from her bedroom.
"Yeah, there's some firewood out on the back patio, we can put the fireplace to some use. Do you need some light back there? I'm sure I can find the box with my shit-ton of candles somewhere," Sansa offered.
"No, we're just going to go to bed, it's been a long day. Have a good night, you two." Arya's tone was teasing, as it always was when she would refer to Jon and Sansa together.
"Good night, Arya," Sansa said, her own tone curt. "Okay. Firewood."
Using her phone's flashlight to guide them, they went to retrieve the already-cut wood from the bin by the back door and brought it back to the fireplace. Jon lit the fire and it steadily grew to give the living room light.
"Well, the unpacking and hanging is going to have to wait until tomorrow," Sansa stated as she peeked into a few unpacked boxes labeled 'living room'.
"I guess I should head home," Jon said quietly, not actually wanting to leave.
"Absolutely not, Jon. You shouldn't drive in that storm. What if you got into an accident and Ghost got hurt?" Sansa smiled, throwing her arms around the furry beast's neck.
"Oh, I guess I don't matter, hmmm?" Jon laughed.
"You're staying, and that's final. Here, I found the boxes with the blankets and throw pillows. Since my bed hasn't been put together yet, we could sleep out here. We could lay my duvet and a bunch of these blankets down for cushion in front of the fire so we get the heat from it," Sansa said as she pulled blanket after blanket from a big box. Jon helped her spread each one out on the floor and then watched as she strategically placed a plethora of throw pillows.
Jon settled down on the make-shift bed while Sansa used her phone's light to disappear into her bedroom for a few minutes. When she came back out into the light from the fire, Jon noticed that she had changed into a plain shirt and silky, very short, pajama shorts, her long legs glowing in the flickering light. He had to remind himself to stop staring.
"Are you okay with all this? I could certainly set up a different sleeping situation," Sansa offered as she sat down next to Jon. He thought he could hear the reluctance in her voice.
"Of course, Sansa," Jon assured with a smile. He could see the flames dancing in her eyes, the orange and reds standing out against the crystal blue. She smiled her sweet smile and laid down, covering them in a blanket.
"I'm sorry I can't offer you a more comfortable change of clothes," Sansa said, gesturing to Jon's denim-clad legs that lay under the blanket.
"I'll survive."
"You sure? I obviously wouldn't care if you took your jeans off. I can't imagine sleeping in jeans is comfy." When Jon gave her an unsure look, she laughed. "Oh just take them off, Jon."
He did as he was told and slipped them off under the blanket. He could sense Sansa's eyes trying to get a glance at his boxer briefs. It thrilled him. But it also made him a little nervous even though she had definitely seen all of him many times in the past.
"Thanks for all your help today, Jon," she said softly up to the ceiling
"You're welcome," Jon replied, equally soft.
At their feet, Ghost curled up into a ball. Sansa let out a yawn, turned on her side to face Jon, and nuzzled into the side of his body. This time, Jon took a chance and he slid his arm under her and held her closer to him. A whispered sigh escaped Sansa's lips. They lay there like that for a bit, Jon thinking of something to say to see where Sansa stood on the idea of them pursuing something more than their friendship. It wasn't until he heard her quiet, ladylike snore that he gave up. Sneaking a peek, Jon smiled down at her sleeping, beautiful face. The increasingly familiar feeling of contentment flooded him once more.
As he started to drift to sleep, Sansa turned onto her other side. Now that she was facing away from him, Jon worried their cuddling time was over. A smile grew on his face as he felt her hand reach for him, tugging at his arm for him to follow suit. He turned to his side and slotted himself against her backside, matching every curve her body made. He rested his arm over her waist and relished the feel of her bare legs against his. Just as his eyes started to close on the sight of his body fitted perfectly with hers in the firelight, Sansa's hand took a hold of his and didn't let go. Jon fell asleep with a smile still on his face.