A/N – So I know I said this would probably be a San x San, but nope. Why? Because Arya x Gendry. That's why. But next chapter will be a San x San, okay?
All, as usual, I love all of you. K. Thnx. Bye. Read my story now.
"Mmm, good morning to you too," Gendry says, his voice thick with sleep.
Arya has to bite her lip to control her laughter. She watches as Nymeria roughly licks the side of Gendry's cheek. Gendry lets out a soft moan before wrapping his arm around the dog and freezing in shock. His eyes snap open.
"Oi!" Gendry pushes Nymeria away, and she barks playfully before bounding to the carpet and out of the room.
Arya stands sniggering by the door. "Though that was funny, did you?" Gendry asks. His brown hair is sticking up in all directions. "What are you doing out of bed?"
"I thought I'd get a few hours of practice in before Joffrey's lackey shows up with my money."
Arya woke up as the sun was rising. She decided she needed a couple hours to herself, so she snuck out of bed, grabbed her keys, and headed out to Cajon Cross. She drove for hours with Nymeria by her side, letting the cool morning air clear her head.
Gendry rolls his eyes and reaches for the clock on the bedside table. As he leans over, the white sheet slips down his chest, revealing the hard planes of his stomach and a line of coarse hair. Heat starts to fill Arya's belly, and her pulse starts racing. "Well it's only eleven," Gendry says, putting the clock back down.
When he meets Arya's eyes, a slow, cocky grin appears. "That gives us a full hour before we have to meet the lackey."
His eyes flicker over Arya's body. She's wearing a pair of shorts and a tank top, but she feels naked under his gaze. He licks his lips, and just the slight darting of his tongue across the reddened skin makes Arya shiver.
"I-" Arya starts to respond.
"I hope I didn't scare you out of bed."
"Of course you didn't scare me-"
"Are you sure? Because I seem to remember a lot of screaming."
Arya blushes. So much for sensitive Gendry. "Shut up," she mutters. "And get dressed. We need to get to the garage. It's $3,000. I don't have time to fuck around."
"Really? Because I seem to remember-"
"Gendry!"
"Okay, all right." Gendry puts his hands up in mock surrender as he climbs out of the bed. This time the sheet drops completely to the floor, and Arya's entire body flushes as she stares at a naked Gendry. Her mouth feels dry, and Gendry is smirking once again. "Now are you sure you want me to get dressed?" He asks.
Arya gulps and takes a steadying breath. She can't believe she had sex with that last night. All of that. It takes a lot of effort to pull her eyes away. She turns towards the door and mutters, "I'll be waiting in the car."
"Doesn't anyone else work here?" Arya asks as they pull into Gendry's garage.
Gendry shrugs his shoulders. "Mott left me the shop when he passed away, and the mortgage had already been paid. Now I just have to work enough to keep food on the table."
"Don't you get lonely working alone all day?"
Gendry laughs. "I don't spend much time alone. Not since you showed up."
It's true. Ever since Arya arrived in San Diego, Gendry has been playing a major role in her life. She sees him more than Sansa or Jon. "But before I came along- who'd you hang out with?"
Gendry shrugs his shoulders and remains silent. A knot of worry tightens in Arya's chest. Usually she's the one keeping secrets and evading questions. It's unusual for Gendry to hide something from her, but if she expects him to respect her privacy, than she'll have to respect his too.
Arya climbs out of the car and heads back towards Gendry's office. "Where are you going?" He calls out.
"Food," Arya responds.
Gendry always keeps something to eat in his office. Usually it's just a box of cereal or some chips, but Arya is hungry enough that anything will do. She opens the office door and starts opening cabinets. Empty. Empty. Empty.
Finally, she opens the last cabinet and finds a box of cheerios. As she's going to grab the cereal, a pair of hands shoots out from behind her and tugs the waistband of her shorts, yanking her backwards against a hard chest. Arya's heart immediately starts racing, and the soreness between her legs starts pulsing with heat.
Gendry's mouth lowers to Arya's ear. His hands travel slowly up and down the length of her legs, and Arya lets out a soft moan when they start to massage her upper thighs. "What are you doing?" Arya asks breathlessly.
"I never got a good morning kiss," Gendry responds.
He then raises a hand and tugs Arya's head back by her hair. She groans as his lips crash down onto her own, and she whips around so that she can face Gendry and push their bodies closer. His kisses are long and heated, and his growing arousal is pressing against her, causing her own body to ache with lust.
They start to stumble backwards until Arya hits the front of the desk. She squeaks in surprise when Gendry lifts her up and places her on the hard surface. Arya instantly wraps her legs around Gendry, tugging him closer, angling their bodies so that his arousal can brush against the tender spot between her thighs. Gendry groans as she tightens her grip and starts to rub herself against him.
His lips travel towards her earlobe, sucking on the sensitive skin. Arya wraps her legs tighter and arches against Gendry, praying for relief of the pressure building in her lower abdomen. "You call this a good morning kiss," she mutters, groaning halfway through her sentence as Gendry's lips lower to her collarbone.
"Well now it's afternoon," Gendry says, his breath hot against her skin. "We missed the morning entirely."
"What, do you charge interest or something?"
Suddenly Gendry grabs Arya's legs and pulls her forward sharply so that their bodies snap together even more tightly than before. Gendry's hands travel towards her bottom, and as he cups the supple skin, he looks up with amused eyes and says, "Maybe."
"Fucking hell," Arya says as his hands reach for her tank top. He pulls the material up inch-by-inch, planting open-mouthed kisses against the revealed skin, pressing Arya back against the desk with each touch. "We don't have time for this."
"You sure?" Gendry asks. He tosses her tank top to the side and discards his own shirt, revealing taut, tanned muscles.
Arya licks her lips. "Yes." She reaches forward and presses a hand to his hard abdomen, fingernails softly scraping down the smooth skin. "Definitely no time."
Her eyes flicker to his own. He's staring at her with raw desire as her hands trace the planes of his defined chest. Arya can feel the heat welling up inside of her, can feel the ache between her thighs pulsing with need. She leans forward and presses her mouth against Gendry's bare skin.
"Arya," Gendry warns as she starts to kiss lower and lower.
She slips from the desk and falls to her knees, letting her mouth slide over his exposed skin. He shudders as her hands reach for the buckle of his belt, and his hands lift to thread through her hair.
Arya finishes with the belt and quickly yanks down Gendry's pants. "Jesus, what do you think you're doing?" Gendry asks.
Arya snaps her eyes up. "What does it look like, idiot?"
He starts to say something else, but it cuts off in a groan as Arya tugs down his boxers. She glances up at him, watching carefully as she reaches out to wrap a hand around his arousal. "Fuck," he mutters, head back, eyes closed, full lips parted.
Arya smiles wickedly. She's done this before, but only a few times, and it's never managed to turn her on like this. She leans forward and presses a chaste kiss against the soft skin. Gendry lets out a sharp breath.
But as she leans forward to kiss him again, a far-off door slams open, and a familiar voice calls out, "Hello?" The call echoes from inside the garage, and Arya and Gendry both freeze in surprise.
"Hello?" The voice repeats. It sounds louder this time, and Arya scrambles to her feet, searching for her shirt.
"Shit, shit," she mutters. She glances at Gendry. "Put some pants on for fucks sake!"
It takes a second for the comment to register. Gendry is staring at Arya with a shocked and almost pained expression. "You know you can't just do that to a guy," Gendry mutters as he tugs up his boxers.
Arya finally finds her tank, and she throws it over her head. "It's not my fault. I told you we didn't have time."
"Than why did you-"
The voice cuts in again. "Hello?"
"Fuck," Arya mutters. Gendry is still only half-dressed. "You stay here, all right? I don't need Joffrey's lackey finding out about us."
"Why?"
Again, the voice calls out, "Anyone here?"
Arya ignores Gendry's question. She snags her hat from the corner of the office, tugs it over her head, and rushes from the room. "Stay right here," she commands on her way out.
Arya is surprised to find Tyrion in the garage. He's wandering around the room, picking up engine parts and examining them with a careful eye. Making sure her hat is pulled down tightly, Arya clears her throat and says, "Hello."
Tyrion's mismatched eyes study her. Thorough. Calculating. Arya feels uncomfortable under the studious gaze.
"It's good to see you again. Cat." He places a heavy emphasis on the name, and Arya can feel her skin crawling with fear. She wants this conversation to be over as soon as possible, because one thing is for sure, Tyrion is a hell of a lot smarter than his nephew.
"Do you have my money?"'
Tyrion lifts a small paper bag. "Right here."
Arya eyes it suspiciously. "It doesn't look like $3,000 dollars."
"Ten one-hundred dollar bills comprise a thousand dollars. Times that amount by three, and you get three thousand dollars and exactly thirty bills. It doesn't take up much space, and neither do I."
"Right." Arya chews the bottom of her lip. "Well you can just leave it by the car and show yourself out."
"I think not. Joffrey insisted I hand the money over to you myself. I wouldn't want to cross his rotten little toes, so if you don't mind-" Tyrion starts to walk towards Arya. Her first instinct is to back away. For a small man, Tyrion is extremely threatening.
But she can't back away. Of course she can't.
Tyrion stops in front of her and offers her the paper bag. As she goes to take it from him, his hand lifts, and his fingers wrap tightly around her wrist. Arya gasps. Her first instinct is to call for Gendry, but she knows he might lose his temper, and besides, she can handle this herself.
"Let go of my hand," she says through gritted teeth.
Tyrion's eyes flash to her own. Shit, Arya thinks. From his vantage point, he can see right under her hat. A smile curls to his face.
He drops her hand. "Of course. I wouldn't want to cause harm to Ned Stark's daughter, now would I?"
The threat hangs heavy in the air, and Arya's entire body starts to thrum with anxiety. How could I be so stupid? Why'd I let him get this close? Does Joffrey know?
"How'd you know?" Arya asks, stalling for time. "You haven't set eyes on me for years."
"Well, first of all, I'm not an idiot, contrary to some of the buffoons I'm related to, and second of all, I'd recognize those Stark eyes anywhere. Northern eyes. That's what your mother used to call them."
"That's why you delivered the money."
"I had to confirm my suspicions. People have a nasty habit of jumping to conclusions."
The blood is pounding in her ears. Her pulse is still racing. "How very fucking thorough of you."
I've ruined everything. What about Sansa? Now they'll all know we're up to something.
Arya tries to clear her head. She can do this. Tyrion is a smart man, a reasonable man. "So what do you want?"
"What do I want?" Tyrion smiles slowly. "Arya, I think the question is rather what do you want?"
"What do you mean?"
"Why would you come to San Diego? Why would you take a false name? Why would you race in Joffrey's circuit? Why have you stayed around in a town that will never want you?"
Arya crosses her arms. "I like to race. That's why I'm here."
"Maybe that's why you came, but the question is, why have you stayed?"
For Sansa. For Jon. For Gendry. "Like I said, I like to race."
"You're a better liar than your father. You should be thankful for that." Tyrion sighs and rubs a small hand against the stubble on his cheek. "I won't tell Joffrey, not yet at least."
"Why not?"
"Well, to be honest, my nephew is a little shit, and I enjoy watching a scrawny girl take his money."
"I'm happy to do it."
"But-" Tyrion pauses. "But if I find out that you're up to something, if I find out that you're trying to injure or corrupt or root out anyone in my family, than I swear to you Arya Stark, you'll never race again. Your brother will never race again-"
"You-"
"Yes of course I know about Jon." Tyrion waves her off. "Now, as I was saying, I swear I will bring your family to its knees. Do you understand me? I'm sure you do. A lion protects its own, and though my claws may not be sharp, my wit is great, and my fury is greater."
When Arya meets Tyrion's eyes, she knows he's telling the truth. He'll do whatever he needs to in order to protect his family. And he knows she'll do the same. He's left her dangling on a precarious edge, a single falter away from plummeting to the ground.
"I understand," Arya says solemnly.
"Good then." Tyrion smiles and claps his hands together. "In that case, I'll see you at the races, Cat."
Arya breathes a sigh of relief as Tyrion starts to walk away, but right before reaching the door, he turns around once more.
"Oh, and Arya?" He calls out.
"What?"
"If you're trying to keep your relationship with Mr. Waters a secret, I suggest making sure your tank top is on forwards, not backwards, before greeting guests."
Arya stands dumbstruck, but Tyrion just smiles, waves goodbye, and says, "Have a nice afternoon."
A/N – Sorry the chapters a little on the short side, but I didn't have room to add another scene. Bonus points for a fast update?
What do you guys think about Tyrion? Things might start escalating quickly now. Also, I know a couple of his lines were cheesy, but whatever, that's what fanfiction is for, right? Maybe?
Thanks for reading and reviewing. Love all y'all for serious.
AND next chapter WILL BE a SAN / SAN! So yay!