Note: This was originally going to be split into two chapters, but I felt so bad for those two filler chapters that I decided to make this one big, huge chapter. And I just wanted to thank you all (again) for those lovely reviews! I really didn't expect such a positive response to this (I did it sort of on a whim), and they've really motivated me to keep writing! On to summary.
Summary: In which Arya sees a little more of Gendry than she had anticipated and Sansa makes a shocking decision.
Arya pulled into a parking space outside Gendry's flat. Getting out, she went to the back and rummaged around, finally finding the huge carton of Chinese food she had brought with her. Lifting it up, she closed the door of her car with her foot, automatically locking it over her shoulder. As she walked up the outside stairs, she smiled, taking in the delicious smell of the food, her stomach growling.
Tonight was the awards banquet, and she had thought she'd swing by Gendry's to give him some Chinese and emotional support. It was promising to be a difficult night for him. He hadn't seen his father in about five years, and the only communication they'd had was through generic, company Christmas cards. Gendry was going to need all the Chinese food he could get.
She swiped the key hidden under the railing outside his door and unlocked it, letting herself in and shutting it behind her. Breezily, she went over to set the Chinese food down (it was outrageously heavy) on the counter.
"Gendry?" She called. "It's me!"
But he didn't answer. She was about to just call again, when she realized why he hadn't answered her. He hadn't heard her. The sound of running water came from his bathroom, and Arya realized, her face heating with a blush, that he was in the shower.
She stood there, frozen, unsure of what to do. Should she shout again? She tried, but her voice was stuck in her throat. No sound came out.
Should she leave? But then again, she had come all this way, it seemed silly to go and waste all that Chinese food. But then... What was she supposed to do?
As her mind ran in turmoil, her heart began to beat in her ears, and though she cursed herself for being so stupid, there was a growing curiosity in the pit of her stomach that was coiling itself to her limbs, giving them a mind of their own. Though her mind screamed in protest, it was drowned out by the humming curiosity that was coursing through her, causing her to walk softly on her tip toes, closer and closer to where the wall turned, to where, when she looked around it, she would see the door of the bathroom open, and straight into the shower.
As she reached the corner of the wall, Arya could hear the voice in her head feebly telling her that this wasn't right, or fair, and that she should stop, right now! This instant! ARYA STARK!
Putting her hand on the corner, she leaned forward and peaked around it.
Gendry stood in the shower, his back to her, washing his hair. Arya had never seen so much of him. She had only seen him with his shirt off once, and that was years ago. The change was staggering. He had been a boy then, and was without the strength and build he had now. There was a maturity to him too, she thought as she watched his body move, the water splashing off it as he washed his face, and it struck her at that very moment that he was no longer a boy, but a man.
He's strong, she thought softly, her breath caught in her throat as she stood there, completely lost of any sense. The real Arya Stark was probably inside somewhere, yelling at this pathetic girl for being such a... Well, girl. But as it was, she was not heard.
Arya only came to her senses when Gendry reached out and shut off the water. And with the sudden lack of drumming water, it was as though her brain was suddenly turned back on.
Scrambling in a panic, Arya ran backwards, practically falling over herself and then, snatched up the food, running back to the door and pretending to come in again.
"GENDRY!" She roared at the top of her lungs. "IT'S ME! I'VE-"
But her voice was cut off by a yell, as she had taken him by surprise, and then there was a loud thud and a crash. And a good deal of swearing.
Setting the food down on the ground in haste, Arya rushed over to the bathroom to make sure he was all right.
"ARYA!" He shrieked, but it was too late. Though Arya slapped her hands over her eyes, it was too late. She had seen. She had seen... Everything.
"I'm sorry!" She cried. "I'm so sorry! I'll just-"
But as she attempted to turn around and run into the kitchen, hands over her eyes, she smacked into the corner of the wall, hard.
"Fuck!" She cried, gasping in pain, and she felt something wet between her fingers as her head exploded in agony. Blood.
"Holy shit! Arya!" Gendry shouted, and there was sounds of slipping as he must have been clamoring to his feet. "Oh shit! Your face!"
"Oww!" Arya groaned, her head spinning. "Oww, oww fuckedy oww!"
"Hang tight for a second! I'm coming!" Gendry roared, and she heard the sound of him paddling to his room, and then back again as she wheezed in pain, eyes clenched shut.
"Here," he said quickly, suddenly very close. "Arya, move your hands."
She felt his wet fingers on her wrists, gently pulling them away from her face. She gasped, in spite of herself.
"Does it hurt a lot?" He asked gently, looking at the cut on her forehead, brow furrowed in concern. Arya opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Her head hurt too much, but she knew it really wasn't that. As he bent down, dabbing her forehead with a towel, she found herself staring up at him, fixated on his face. She hadn't realized, really, how handsome Gendry had become. She had always felt jealous when she saw other girls eyeing him, but she had never really been looking at him herself.
"Arya?" He asked, and she blinked. He had asked her something, hadn't he? Ugh! Stupid! What was wrong with her?
"What?" She asked stupidly.
"Are you sure you're all right?" He asked, looking into her eyes to make sure she was focusing properly. When had his eyes gotten so blue? "Maybe you have a concussion."
"No!" Arya almost shouted, squeezing her eyes shut and willing herself to stop being so bloody stupid. "No I'm fine! Just dazed. Do you have any pain medication?"
"Yeah," he said. "In the kitchen. I'll get my first aid kit and patch you up as well."
While he went to get the first aid kit, Arya walked into the kitchen, holding the towel to her head and cursing herself continuously. What on earth was wrong with her? What had she been doing? When did she turn into such an empty-brained twat? He was just Gendry for gods sake!
"Got it!" Gendry said, padding back into the room, completely oblivious to the fact that he needed to put some cloths on, other than boxers. "Is that Chinese?"
"Yes," Arya sighed, getting up on a barstool. "I thought it'd be a nice surprise."
"It would have been," Gendry said, giving her an encouraging smile. "If you hadn't caught me at the exact worst moment."
Arya winced.
"But it wasn't your fault," he said breezily, getting out some sterilized wipes and gently taking her face in his hand, turning her chin to the side so that he could clean her wound. Arya felt her stomach pinch in guilt.
"My mum's going to kill me," Arya sighed as Gendry dabbed her wound clean. He smiled, and she tried very hard not to think about the close proximity of their bodies.
"No," he said, getting out a small bandage. "She loves you too much. Besides, your bangs will hide it."
"What are you wearing tonight?" Arya asked as he placed the bandage over her cut, smoothing it out gently with his thumb.
"I've only got one suit, haven't I?" Gendry said, admiring his handiwork and then going into the kitchen, rummaging around before he came up with some pills and a glass of water, handing them to her. She threw them back, drinking quickly.
"Can I have that Chinese?" Gendry asked and she nodded, trying not to think about how badly her head hurt. "So, how are we getting there? Not by limo again I wager."
"No," Arya sighed. "I'll come pick you up. I've got to run home and change."
"Yeah," Gendry said, delving into the Chinese, "I don't think another one of my band t-shirts is suitable for a Baratheon party. Which reminds me, how many of those shirts do you have?"
Arya shrugged, grabbing a container and helping herself to some Chinese as well.
"Are you... Are you nervous, for tonight I mean?" She asked, stuffing food into her mouth (she was really very hungry). Gendry sighed.
"Yeah, I suppose," he said. "I haven't seen him in a long time, you know. I can't say I'm looking forward to it."
"I'm sorry my Dad asked you to go," Arya said softly. "You don't have to, you know. You can still back out."
"What, and be a coward?" He said, frowning. "No. I think it'll be good for him, Robert. You know, remind him I exist and all that."
"He doesn't deserve you," Arya said suddenly, surprising herself when she did. Gendry looked up from his carton of Chinese, and something passed over his face, a tenderness, something that she couldn't quite place.
"You'd better go if you'll be able to get back on time," he said, checking the clock. Arya sighed.
"Yeah, you're probably right. I can't believe how long it takes for Sansa to finish with me," she groaned, quickly stuffing a few more mouthfuls of food in her mouth before hoping off the barstool.
"Thanks for this," Gendry said, shaking his box of Chinese. "Maybe, if the food sucks, we can come back here and eat this."
"Thanks for the offer, but this is Robert Baratheon we're talking about. Food is one of the main components of his life," Arya said, putting on her jacket and grabbing her keys.
"What are the others? Drinking and fucking?" Gendry asked darkly. Arya sighed, watching him as he glared into the box of food, picking around in it, his jaw clenched with repressed anger.
"Are you sure you're going to be all right?" She asked. "It really won't bother me if you don't-"
"I'm going," he said harshly, cutting across her. "Don't be late."
"I never am," she muttered under her breath, wincing from the pain in her head, and then left, slamming the door behind her.
Oooooooooo
Gendry checked his watch again. Nope. No time had passed. She still wasn't late. Why couldn't she be early? He felt like such a douche bag standing in a suit on the sidewalk outside his flat. He stuck out like a sour thumb, and had been getting weird looks from passersby, as though they were trying to tell him that this was not the place to be wearing such things. Suits did not belong to this neighborhood.
Gendry scratched the back of his neck, trying to think of something to do that would kill time, or at least make him look less worthless. He could go back inside, but he'd just get agitated and go outside again, so that was a waste of time. He could try to text Arya again, but he didn't want to annoy her.
To his immense relief, however, he looked up to see her car pulling up the lane, and, once she had slowed to a stop, he ran to it and wrenched the door open, getting inside.
"Just before I check, I'd like to know, exactly how many texts did you send me? Three hundred?" she asked, putting her foot back on the accelerator and driving down the lane.
"More like two," Gendry grunted, putting on his seatbelt.
"And how long, exactly, were you waiting out there?" She demanded.
"Twenty minutes."
"Twat," she scoffed, smiling. He laughed too, because she was right, it really was absurd. Letting out a long sigh, Gendry turned to look at Arya for the first time that he had entered the car.
She looked nice. Once again, Sansa's skills had proved to be in top form. Her hair was left straight and untouched, but she was wearing dark skinny jeans, a sheer gold top that matched her dangling gold earrings, and a black blazer. Simple, yet effective.
"What?" she demanded, catching him.
"Nothing," he said quickly, trying not to blush.
"You were looking at me weirdly," she accused, frowning. "Is there something on my face?"
"No!" Gendry said quickly. Now he was definitely blushing. "It's just weird, seeing you all dressed up. You almost look like a different person."
"I know," Arya snarled, glaring at the road ahead. "I hate it. I look like a pretentious, stuck-up, snob."
"No you don't," Gendry said, brow furrowed. "You look really nice. Really grown-up."
He had expected her to say something snarky back, but to his surprise, he saw her blushing, looking pleased.
"Really?" She asked. He blinked.
"Ummm yeah," Gendry said, feeling like this was a crucial moment, like he should be saying something here, but all he could manage was that. It was pathetic.
"You look smart yourself," Arya said, her face turning, if possible, redder.
"Really?" Gendry said, laughing.
"Don't sound so surprised that I'm paying you a compliment," she snapped. "I can be nice sometimes, you know."
"Now that I don't believe," Gendry said, laughing as she hit him.
"Stupid," she said under her breath, causing him to laugh harder.
"So," he asked, after about fifteen minutes of driving. "Where is this thing?"
"At the Baratheon mansion, in King's Landing," Arya said.
"The Baratheon mansion?" Gendry said, trying not to sound as bitter as he felt. "But with all the Lannister finery I suppose. I hear my step mother's a real-"
"Bitch?" Arya supplied, cutting across him. "Because if that's what you were going to say, it'd be true."
"Great," Gendry sighed. "Just great."
"Don't worry," Arya said quickly, "you probably won't see her much, or even have to speak to her. She never likes talking to me anyway. Thank god."
Gendry chuckled softly, and they lapsed back into a silence that remained the rest of the way to King's Landing. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence, but that didn't mean that Gendry wasn't feeling a slow, cold dread creep under his skin, sinking into his stomach like heavy ice. As they pulled up to a set of thick, iron gates with stag's on them, he felt his palms begin to sweat.
Arya rolled down the window to talk to the security attendant standing in a little both just outside the gate.
"Name?" The security attendant asked.
"Arya Stark," Arya said promptly, and it struck Gendry just how much she sounded like a Stark just then. Proud, honest, good. If only his father had such a reputation.
"Okay," the attendant said, checking her off the list, and then peered into the car, looking at Gendry, "and?"
Arya threw a look over at Gendry before saying, "and guest."
This seemed good enough for the security attendant, who pushed a button and gave them a nod, the gates slowly beginning to creek open.
Arya drove forward slowly, allowing Gendry to take in a part of his life that he would never be privy to. Little lanterns lined the long driveway, glowing in the early twilight. Two fields of grass were on either side of them, spotted tastefully with willow trees, all perfectly pruned, their branches swaying in the breeze. Ahead of them stood the Baratheon mansion, towering impressively, it's deep red wood and stoned walls starting to fall into the shadow of the waning day.
Arya pulled up to the entrance, and immediately both their doors were opened by valets dressed in white. If Gendry had felt out of place before, it was nothing to how he felt now. He gulped, unbuttoning the top of his shirt so he could breathe.
"You all right?" Arya's voice floated over the sound of his heart pounding in his ears. Gendry turned to her, grimacing.
"Yeah," he lied. "It's huge, isn't it?"
"Mhmm," Arya agreed, slinking her arm with his effortlessly, "Winterfell isn't nearly as big as this, or as grand, but I like it better all the same."
They started walking forward, along with the other guests, up the steps and into the opened doors of the huge house.
"I've never been to Winterfell," Gendry commented, trying not to notice the huge picture of the Baratheon family portrait, Joffrey's little shit face leering at him from on the wall.
"No you haven't, have you?" Arya gasped in outrage. "You should come sometime! But... Maybe not when my parents are there..."
"I thought your Dad was getting around to like me," Gendry pointed out, frowning.
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean that he and my Mum are particularly thrilled that my best friend is a man five years my senior," Arya sighed as they walked through the house and to the back, where a huge white tent had been set up, more lights decorated around it and flowers too. Gendry half expected someone to release a set of doves at any moment.
"Ahh," he said, now passing feeling nervous and moving on to feeling sick. Maybe Arya had been right. Maybe he should have stayed home.
"Arya, Gendry, it's good to see you!"
Ned Stark appeared out of the fray, looking smart in a grey suit and navy tie, smiling at them both.
"Dad," Arya said, grinning as well.
"Sir," Gendry said respectfully, dipping his head.
"I was getting worried about you, Arya," Ned said. "The party's already begun."
"Yeah I know," Arya sighed. "Sansa took forever trying to pick out the right outfit for me. This top's not even mine, it's hers."
"She did a good job," Ned said, laughing. "You look top form, Arya, all grown up. And so do you Gendry."
Gendry grimaced again.
"ARYA STARK!"
Gendry felt his heart drop to his knees and Arya gripped his arm tightly as Robert Baratheon came swaggering towards them, red in the face and laughing, a glass of scotch in his hand.
"Good to see you, Robert," Arya said weakly, and Gendry could sense her nervousness. Ned also looked awkward, as though he was praying his best friend wouldn't do something unfortunate.
"We had quite the fuss over you about that limo incident, didn't we?" Robert bellowed, laughing. "Your father was so angry, weren't you Ned? Hahaha!"
He seemed not to notice that no one else was laughing.
"And who's your friend, hmmm?" Robert asked, his eyes passing over Gendry glassily. My god, Gendry thought, he's already drunk. Not five minutes into the party and he's drunk. And he doesn't even recognize me either.
"Gendry," Ned said to Robert, looking slightly scandalized. "Gendry Waters."
"Nice to meet you," Robert said distractedly, eyeing a pretty girl that was walking by. Gendry felt a huge fire of rage burst within him, turning his cheeks hot. Arya squeezed his arm, as if pleading with him not to loose his temper.
"Robert..." Ned said, taking hold of Robert's arm. "Robert, it's Gendry."
Robert blinked, confused for a few minutes, and then stared at Gendry, narrowing his beady little eyes. And then, suddenly, he threw his head back and roared with laughter.
"Gods be good!" He shouted. "I wouldn't have recognized you in a million years! Gendry, Gendry Waters. Of course it's you, with that one on your arm! You've got that Baratheon blood in you yet!"
Gendry clenched his jaw, his hands curled into fists, trying with all his might not to punch his own father in the face. He tried to tell himself over and over again that this was what he expected. This was his father. He had never been anything but a fat, selfish drunk.
Ned looked horrified and Arya winced visibly. None of this was noticed by Robert, who took a hearty swig of scotch, still laughing.
"How's your mother, boy?" He asked, smiling.
Arya gasped allowed, but Gendry hardly heard her. All he could hear was blood crashing in his ears.
"She's dead," he spat through gritted teeth, so furious he could barely breathe.
"Oh, right, of course," Robert said, shaking his head and waving Gendry off. "I'm sorry."
Sorry. Sorry. He wasn't sorry! He didn't care! He hadn't even bothered to go to her funeral, or call, or anything! He didn't give two shits!
"Yes," Gendry hissed, taking a deep breath. Arya's fingers pinched his arm. "She died three years ago. You weren't there."
"Yes, yes, I know," Robert said dismissively, looking almost grumpy that Gendry had reproached him, and then drained his scotch glass empty. "It's really too bad, but I was tied up, other business and all that. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to go talk to the Frey's. It was good to see you, boy."
And with that, he was gone, lumbering off into the crowd of people, leaving Gendry with a surge of rage, anger and hurt that he didn't know what to do with.
"Listen I'm-"
"Don't," Gendry said sharply, cutting across Ned's apology. "Arya was right. I shouldn't have come."
He broke from her and rushed away from the tent and back into the house, feeling as though he was being strangled, his hands aching for something to grab hold of, to smash to pieces, to rip apart.
"Gendry!"
As he ripped out of the house and down the stairs, his throat burned for alcohol, begging for it. Alcohol would take the pain away. A good, long drink would stifle the pounding ache in his chest.
"GENDRY!"
This time, she caught him, just as he walked out onto one of the lawns, the willows trees swaying around him merrily, as if mocking him.
"Stop!"
"Get off me!" he roared, ripping his arm from her violently and nearly throwing her to the ground. At once he knew he had gone to far. The look on her face was enough to draw him back into himself, his emotions no longer blinding him.
Guilt surged through him, replacing the rage, and all at once he felt deflated, as though the fire had been drained from him, just leaving a broken shell.
"I'm sorry," he sighed, running a hand over his face. "I didn't mean-"
"Don't," Arya cut across him softly. "You don't have to apologize."
"I just... I can't... I can't control my anger towards him," Gendry stumbled out painfully, looking anywhere but her, his face burning with humiliation.
"Who could blame you?" she asked. "Hell, I'm angry at him too, and he's not even my Dad."
"He abandoned us!" Gendry yelled, not at her but at the expanse of willow trees shifting in the dusk. "He left us with shit, and do you think he gives one single fuck about it? Do you think he's sorry? Do you think he feels ashamed for the way he treated my mum? No! He doesn't feel sorry! He doesn't care!"
Arya stood in silence, watching him, listening.
"She loved him!" Gendry shouted. "She loved him and he didn't even give a shit about her! Do you know how many times she made me call him, in the weeks before she died? Ten, twenty, fifty times! And do you know what? He didn't even answer the phone! I had to talk to his secretary again and again and again, and every single fucking time, she'd tell me that she'd have Robert Baratheon get back to me, and did he? NO! NOT EVEN WHEN SHE WAS DYING! NOT EVEN THEN!"
When Gendry turned back to Arya, he was surprised to see that there were tears swimming in her eyes.
"Don't pity me," he spat.
"I don't pity you," she said softly, coming towards him, and to his surprise, she took his face in her hands, and then, reached up with her thumb and wiped something off his cheek. A tear. He hadn't even noticed he'd been crying, and it humiliated him to think he had done so.
But Arya didn't seem to care.
"You're worth ten of him, of all of them," she said softly. "And so was your mum. They don't deserve you."
Gendry blinked rapidly, pulling away and wiping the tears off his face.
"Do you want me to take you home?" she asked quietly. He thought about it.
"No," he sighed. "I'm starving. Let's just go in and get dinner, and then we can leave."
"All right," Arya said, and then she reached out, offering him her hand. He took it, entwining his fingers in hers.
"Thank you," he said softly as they walked towards the house. She looked over at him and smiled gently, giving his hand a squeeze.
It appeared that the few minutes they had spent outside had not been a few minutes at all, but much longer than Gendry had thought. Everyone had already gathered in the tent, and it appeared that Robert Baratheon was making a speech.
"... And so, I hope you all know now to steer clear of the plants," he was saying, and laughter rippled across the crowd. "But, before you all sit down, I think there's something that my son, Joffrey would like to say."
Arya and Gendry exchanged confused looks as Joffrey stood up. What could that prick possibly have to say of importance?
"Sansa," he said, "would you come up here?"
Gendry's heart dropped as Sansa walked towards Joffrey, looking like she might throw up. But, no... It couldn't be. Surely he must be mistaken. Surely Joffrey wasn't going to-
"Sansa, we've been dating for quite some time now," Joffrey was saying. "And, well, we're practically family, with the business and whatnot, but I thought I'd like to make it official."
"Oh my god," Gendry breathed in horror. He felt Arya's fingers clench his hand so hard, she could probably feel every bone there.
"Sansa, will you marry me?"
There was a collective gasp as Joffrey sank to one knee, offering a ring to Sansa, who stood there, an unreadable expression on her face.
"NO!" Arya shouted shamelessly, drawing quite a few angry murmurs from the crowd. "Sansa, NO!"
Sansa didn't seem to have heard her, and if she did, she ignored her.
"Yes."
Oh lordly, I feel like I'm going to get a lot of Sansa hate for this. But this is crucial to the way I want things to go, so..