Song: The Trick is to keep Breathing by Garbage.
Hello FanFic Friends!
This will be a filler chapter so next one will pick things right up so enjoy the happy fluffy Gendrya times while they last. So without further ado... get your read on!
GENDRY POV:
I marvel at how soft her skin is. She isn't one of those girls that before and after a bath practically embalm themselves in lotions and perfume. I've seen her millions of times with scrapped knees and bloody elbows yet she hasn't one scar on her body and believe me; I've checked...
Gendry's thoughts wondered as he caressed Arya's naked back. She was lying face down next to him awake or asleep? He didn't know. It had been like that for a month. She just lied there, silent. The only words that came out of her mouth was when she demanded his kisses, when she pushed and shoved him ordering to fuck her harder, all emotions - all heart but still no words.
After Eddard's death things were kind of a blur. Yes; Eddard Stark was dead and he left a broken family behind.
Although not in police custody Catelyn remained in Winterfell, Gendry couldn't even imagine how the poor woman was doing. He never saw a husband and wife more devoted to each more than Eddard and Catelyn Stark. Would he ever have that chance with Arya?...
Each reacted in their own way but hurt and sadness was the general feeling, to say that the Stark Children were devastated was far too mild so it was up to their little group of supporters to keep them going. Edric Dayne was a trooper; he was the one to jump into action deciding that they had to leave Lady Smallwood's Inn. The bounty on them had gone considerably higher and men and women were losing jobs after the downfall of the Stark and Baratheon CEO's. After what happened with Jon's 'comrades' and Margaery's new alliances they only trusted themselves so Edric managed to get a little bit of cash out of Beric for them to leave not before he thoroughly searched their surroundings finding a little town where they could lay low for a while. It had a gas station, a convenience store, a local pub, a hotel and a drug store. That was pretty much it. So Theon worked in the pub, Jojen of course worked at the drug store alongside with Jeyne, Meera found a place in the convenience store while Edric worked in the crappy hotel which was where they were staying. Gendry served part time in all the business while taking care of Arya. Then came the Stark's... which was the tricky part, there were no words for the pain but you had to keep them going. Poor Bran just broke Gendry's heart. It was hard to see usual upbeat and logical Bran so glum and sad; he was taking things harder because besides Eddard's death he was the closest to Rickon and there was still no news on the little guy. He worked in the hotel with Edric hoping some random guest would bring news but nothing came on that front other than 'Stark children missing'. Robb and Jon worked together in the gas station supporting each other in their pain; Jon working part time do to his gun wounds, he opted to stay in the hotel with Sansa; she wanted to work as well but she was still having some serious morning sickness and was having trouble eating so it was decided that she should sit this one out. Arya was the one who just stood still. In the morning she went to Sansa's room to keep her company then she would return when Gendry's shift ended. That was it! Her routine was sex in the morning, all day with Sansa (food was optional) and then sex at night (sleep was also optional). Gendry never thought he would oppose to sleeping with Arya but that was now his day to day battle, he knew she was using him to avoid facing her father's death. She cried every night and when he tried to comfort her she would just deny she was crying and throw herself at him. If he denied her he would end with a bruise or outside of their room, that's if she didn't start crying and he would cave in. He remembered speaking about it with Theon of all people:
"You're complaining about having too much sex?"-
"I didn't say that Theon!"
"You're complaining of having sex with the girl you've been holding a torch with your dick for the past 5 years?"-
"I didn't mean it that way..."
"You're complaining about the fact that you have a sweet hot little thing waiting for you every day after work that only wants to have sex with you? Not even talk?"-
"You know what? I was better off talking with one of her brothers!"
"Her father died Gendry! We're all coping the best we can, that's just Arya's way. Just keep on sticking it to her and wait for her to be ready to talk"-
"Classy, just classy Theon..."
"Eddard Stark was a father to me, not by blood but he raised me just the same and I miss him. Hell I cry every day when I wake up! What do you think is going around Arya's head? She was the ultimate daddy's girl! So I'm sorry Bro, you have to suck it up and whore yourself for the meantime. It's not so bad, she really does like you and God knows you already have a ring stuffed in your pocket"-
"What are you thinking about?"- Arya spoke while turning over and taking her dutiful place in his arms. She was tenderly touching his black eye courtesy of Jon.
"Of you M'lady. What more could there exist in my simple head?" She smiled... a sad smile that never reached its full potential. He missed his fiery little girl.
"Did you eat dinner?" She just shrugged and wiggled herself out of his arms stretching in bed like a cat. "Arya you have to eat"
"I wasn't hungry!"- She said as she got out of bed completely naked and comfortable around him. This was definitely something Gendry would never take for granted.
"Babe you have to eat something"
"How was work today?"- She asked. Whenever Gendry told her to eat or wanted her to talk about Eddard she would change the subject or want sex. She was still naked so sex was still on the table. He sighed.
"Like every day as the last month. Some hikers came in though, wanted to go north. They spent a good time talking to Bran about rock climbing and stuff. It was nice, he needed it" Arya didn't say anything back, she just peeked over the window. That was all he was going to get from her...
"Where are you going?"- She asked, the undercurrent panic now always present in her voice every time he stood up.
"Its fine, I'm just going to go down real quick and fix you a sandwich."
"But I told you I wasn't hungry"-
"But you still need to eat something so I'm going anyway" Aaaaaand there they were; the sad puppy eyes she would give him every morning when he had to go to work. It was difficult to leave her like that.
"10 minutes ok? 10 minutes and I'll be back" Gendry said tenderly holding Arya's face in his hands.
"Ok..."- She replied going back to bed and snuggling with his pillow.
The 'hotel' was a really crappy one that was worthy of having a manager called Bates but it was all they could afford for the time being. Gendry and Arya where the only ones that had a room in the upper floor. They all had continuous rooms downstairs but that changed after one particular night when Arya was on a role refusing to get off of Gendry. Apparently things got a little bit loud after the fourth round of quite frankly animistic sex and Jon was their neighbor... Now you know where Gendry got his black eye. Jon came barging inside the room following Arya's screams only to find her riding Gendry like a cowgirl on a rodeo.
Gendry took the beating gracefully never once lifting his fists. Jon was his friend, his father had just died, he was shot, his girlfriend dumped him and now he had the image of his little sister having sex engraved on his head. Gendry accepted every blow till the guys came in and pulled Jon away. Jon hadn't spoken to him since that day.
"Hey... can't sleep?" He asked when he finally made it outside.
"Too much shit on my head"- Said Robb. He was laying on the hood of one of their cars. "Where are you going?"-
"Restaurant. See if they're still open so I can get something for Arya"
"Yeah, maybe you should wait a while... Jon's there"-
"Ohhh... thanks' for the heads up. Mind if I join you?" Robb nodded while they enjoyed the comfortable silence that the night brought. Gendry heard footsteps and grunts followed by a door being shut with force, Jon must have passed them by.
"He'll talk to you once he's ready you know"- Robb said. "He just... we just need time to, I don't know, to pass I guess. All that has happened and now Dad? It's just..."-
"I know Robb. Don't worry" What else could he say? It was all too bizarre like if at any second a camera crew was going to barge in and say it was all a bad joke; Eddard would still be alive and well in Winterfell along with everybody else.
"So... how are you holding up?"- Robb asked making Gendry laugh a bit of the irony of it all.
"Your father died, your Mother was trashed by the press. The police is looking for you, your sister is pregnant, your brother got shot while another one is missing and you're asking me how am I holding up?" Suddenly they were both laughing out loud, it was cathartic and sad but it was all they had, each other.
"Yeah... everything is fucked up isn't it? And you know what is the most fucked up of all? I don't even have a clue as to what to do! I'm the eldest, Dad's gone, everybody else is my responsibility and I wake up every morning and don't know what to do. I don't know where we would be if it wasn't for you and Edric"-
"First of all there isn't exactly a text book for what we're going through and secondly I have done jack shit so give Dayne the recognition of holding us together since I know my timing with Arya wasn't exactly good, he actually told me to wait but I obviously ignored his advice..."
"Please, I'm her brother. I know that nobody makes Arya do anything she doesn't want to. If you guys are finally together it's because she wanted it. Look I know Jon beating you up wasn't exactly the most 'welcome to the family' you could have had but come on man, you've been going at it with our baby sister"-
"I know that Robb, I deserved each and every punch. I…" He was about to go into one of his hour long apologies but Robb interrupted him.
"I'm not done yet ok? I need to say this and you need to hear it. It's Arya and it's you, it's not exactly a surprise you guys ended up together. You were the older kid who hung out with the baby remember? You became a household name because of Arya and we know you, you're one of the good guys, you are my brother as much as Jon, Bran, and Rick. Put in Theon in the mix as well because we all grew up together and want the best for each other. What I am trying to say is that ok, the circumstances weren't ideal but I'm cool with it, everybody is, Jon is just a little more sensitive after all that has happened and you know how close he is with Arya. He is just like Dad; that one will never grow in their eyes"-
"Thanks' Man, I appreciate it" And he did but Robb hit the nail on the last part he said. Jon and Eddard were the closest to Arya. Although he once said the opposite Jon clearly didn't like the idea that he was with Arya and Eddard? His mind wondered to that night in his study when he told him;forbade him to date Arya... if only he would have the chance to talk with him again.
"Thanks for everything Waters. Yes, Edric has been the one with the plans but you're the one pulling shifts at every job while taking care of Arya so thank you for that"- Gendry mumbled a thank you and clasped Robb in the back, man-crushing him in a hug the best he could.
"I should get going back. Arya gets nervous when I take too much time away"
"Yeah about that, how is she really doing?"- Robb said looking at everything but him "Theon said that you... well, he didn't have to say anything since the whole hotel can hear you but he said that you were worried about you know. Arya wanting too much of that... and ... you..."-
Fucking Theon! It's my fault really... why did I even tell the schmuck?
"Umm are we really having this conversation? Because I think you would be better off punching me"
"Hell no! Not with details but I don't know. Arya doesn't really talk to anyone other than you and Sansa."
"Again... there isn't a textbook for the clusterfuck we're in. I just want to be there for her. But at the same time I don't know if I'm enough for her." Robb looked at him with sympathetic eyes as they both got off the car hood.
"Yeah, just thanks' for being there for her. We all know you're her safe zone so let us know when she ready to talk"-
"She'll let you know herself Bro. I'm heading off, see you tomorrow."
"Hey Gendry?"- He was about to ask what was wrong when Robb sucker punched him in the gut leaving him gasping for air.
"Next time you guys you know... do stuff?! Close your window, in right bellow you"-
"Noted!" He said trying to recover his breath. One Stark down with 'the talk', one to go...
By the time Gendry arrived at the restaurant it was already closed so he had to use his charm to get a sandwich and a small salad from the cook who had taken a liking to him since they arrived. He made quick small talk and headed back to the room he shared with Arya after looking at his watch and seeing he had been gone nearly an hour. Talking with Robb must had taken more time than he thought.
He was going to open the door to his room when he heard her crying. It had been like this for a whole month. Arya would cry the tears she never shed in all her life and Gendry didn't know how to stop her pain. He tried to comfort her but she would silence his words with her mouth. The mere mention of her father's name made her cringe.
"Hey, I'm sorry I took so long. The kitchen was closed and I stopped to talk to Robb for a bit." He said putting the food on a small table as he was going to hug Arya but she all but practically ran to the bathroom to compose herself from crying. When she came out after a while later she was drowning in one of his shirts. He smiled...
"What's so funny?"- She said not even looking at the food and going straight to bed.
"You in my shirts. Put a belt on and it's a dress! You look so tinny in them. Speaking of tinny; come here I brought you food"
"I told you I wasn't hungry"- Arya replied while covering herself with the sheets but Gendry wasn't having any of it. Maybe it was Robb telling him that he didn't know what to do next in order to get the family out of this mess but Gendry could at least take care of Arya and feed her properly.
"Let me go you big brute!"- Arya screamed but Gendry ignored her while he grabbed her by the ankles and slid her to the edge of the bed and sat her like a doll in his lap.
"You need to eat Arya, you've barely been eating for the last month. This needs to stop. Things are bad enough without you getting sick."
"Things are bad enough? Are you actually reminding me the mess we are in? Who the hell are you to tell me what is actually going on with my family?"- She spat trying to get out of his hold.
"I'm the guy who is worried about your health since you haven't been eating properly and never leave the hotel room"
"Well at least I'm getting some kind of exercise..."- She stopped resisting and went with another tactic while nibbling on his ear. Two more minutes and he would cave in.
"Babe... eat! For me?" He asked trying to see if her own pout and puppy eyes worked on her. Arya always was a sucker for his eyes. It seemed to work because she muttered a faint 'fine' but didn't get out from his lap. Cradling her on his arms Gendry picked up the food and sat by the bed frame while they both ate in silence.
"Does it hurt? Jon's got a pretty impressive arm"- Arya said while she pointed to his black eye.
"Kind of...you Starks are known to carry mean a punch. Speaking of which" Gendry knew better than to ask but the curiosity was killing him. "You know, about that redhead…"
"Gendry..."- Arya said warning him not to keep going. The night Jon got shot and she ended up killing a man was something that was acknowledged but never discussed. She was about to shut him down so he needed to explain himself better.
"Arya I am on your side and everything that happened couldn't have been prevented" He said quickly reassuring her, giving her a sweet kiss on her neck while they continued eating. "But I was meaning to ask you... That girl is in the Military, as in military training and you absolutely destroyed her. Punches well thrown with proper form, when did you learn how to do that?"
Arya relaxed after seeing where his line of thought was going but she still remained silent. She finally spoke after a few bites of her salad.
"I took up boxing among other stuff back in Bravos..."- She said noncommittally. Gendry's hands unconsciously started to roam her arms. They were tinny but defined.
"Boxing? Since when were you interested? I remember when I went to my boxing practice, which was the only time you never wanted to hang out"
"That's because the gym smelled like a mummy's ass and you wouldn't let me do anything!"-
"No wonder your body is different. It's shaped different, it's not like when you fenced" His hands kept roaming her body, his food already forgotten on the bed table. Now knowing Arya's body on a first name basis he marveled on how defined it was. Tight, compact with muscles in all the right places while her features grew giving the perfect balanced between muscle definition and curves. Gendry's favorite part where her hips.
"I though you wanted me to eat?"- She asked with her fork midair while goosebumps ran wildly on her skin while Gendry's hands kept touching her.
"Sorry..." He said ashamed but can you blame the guy? Gendry stopped much to Arya's dismay but she really needed to eat. "Why did you drop it? Fencing was your life" It made the news when Arya quit the national fencing team, Eddard himself was shocked and traveled immediately to Braavos but said everything was fine when he returned to Winterfell.
"I quit professionally, not fencing in general. I just had school and other activities I wanted to explore. I still fence, I actually teach kids for free"-
"Really?" That was a surprise, kids weren't exactly Arya's strong point. She smirked knowing what he was thinking.
"My guidance counselor thought it would be good for my patience to teach kids. It was that or nursing stray cats which I tried but let's just say Nymeria didn't appreciate it when I got back home covered in cat fur"-
"What else did you do?" Gendry was curious and this was good, getting to know each other better after three years apart. Ideally this would have happened while properly dating and going out but they had to work with what they had.
"Apart from boxing? Well, I already told you I still fence when I can but I also took on kick boxing, karate and archery. I do yoga on weekdays and I also take dancing classes"-
"Whoa, someone is been a busy little bee. No wonder your body is so sick but you threw me a bit with the dancing lessons. You don't get to throw a punch or hold a weapon in those" He joked, his girl was a bit too much prone to violence.
"No but you can still use your body as other kind of defense"- Uh? That threw Gendry for a loop but he was quickly distracted as Arya turned around and straddled him.
"All done with my food Sir now I get to ask questions too. Do you still box? I hated the smell but you looked goooood doing it and you have even more muscles, are you on steroids or something?"- Gendry laughed at Arya's eagerness to take his shirt off and paw at him. If Gendry was obsessed with Arya's delectable hips she seemed to feel the same towards his abs.
"Well after you left the junk food income stopped so other than Hot Pie's pastries your Mother has been feeding me healthy foods. I still go to the gym when I have spare time but it's mostly because of my job. I like to get my hands dirty and lend a hand whenever I can which means I often lift heavy things around all day"
"Uhmmm yes, dirty construction worker... I can totally see the appeal"-
Gendry knew that tone...more importantly; his penis knew that tone. But as much as he would like to have sex for the fourth time today (two early morning wake up calls and a quick round in the shower before work) he was really enjoying to learn about Arya's life in Braavos so he was going to stall her for a bit.
"So...dancing uh? I thought that was one activity that was only mine to enjoy" He said lifting his eyebrow making her chuckle.
"The truth is I wanted to do krav maga but if I did I had to actually fill out a formal legal petition where it would state that my experience in boxing, karate and other forms of hand to hand combat may be relevant to determine various legal issues if necessary so that wasn't exactly a phone call I was willing to make to the family lawyer... so ballet and tap dancing it was"-
"Yeah...that would have been interesting to hear from Catelyn; 'my daughter the registered weapon'. You have to admit it has a nice ring to it" He teased her but her mother's name made her mood take a dive.
"She missed you you know, Catelyn? Sometimes I would get late to the Manor and in my zombie-like state my feet would automatically bring me to your room and she would be there; just sitting in your bed or looking around. She practically held Edric prisoner every time he got back from visiting you, refusing to let him go until he told her everything you did. We all missed you, the manor wasn't the same without you"
"Did you miss me?"- Arya said in a teasing tone but Gendry knew she was unsure of his response.
"Of course I missed you! I started missing you the second Robb called me telling me you decided to leave for Braavos that night, I didn't get a good night worth of sleep in days. Sleeping pills or scotch did it for me"
"Really?"- Arya piped up surprised at his admission. Of course she would be, after she left they never talked, not even once and he was sure none of her family spoke to her about him since they didn't part under the best terms.
"Arya after you left I was a mess! I was an eighteen year old idiot that just realized that the girl he loved was somewhere in the sky flying away from him. You can ask Hot Pie for the gory details since he was the one that practically had to drag me out of bed or sometimes drag me to bed since I was so messed up I didn't even make it to the bedroom"
"I didn't know that"- She said taken aback with his admissions.
"It's ok... you left and wanted to keep me behind. It's not like I was your favorite person back then. I was a dick, you can say it you know"
"A pretty big one actually. Throw in also words like jerk, asshole, douche, man-whore..."-
"Ok-ok...nice to know you get the picture" He said tickling her and rolling in bed so he was lying beside her slightly on top of her.
"You still are a dick sometimes Waters"-
"I know Stark, I'm trying every day to be a better guy for you. I won't be the one who is going to let you down. Never again"
"I know that"- She said surprising him with her candidness. "And I can be a bitch sometimes too. I guess we both have to work out some issues if we are going to give dating a try"- Give it a try? I thought it was already a given; he was about to ask her when she spoke again.
"Sansa has kind of told me you know; that you missed me. We've talked a lot about things after I left, she said that you practically lived in the house"-
"Yeah, with my job and all I ended up spending even more time at the Manor. After Robb and Sansa left to Kings Landing, Theon was doing his thing in Pike and Jon was up the Wall your Mom kind of adopted me, custom making one of the guest rooms for me, I also think she enjoyed the extra help with Rickon, I swear that kid has more energy than an entire football team on meth"
"I owe him a trip, I told him he could go to Braavos and visit me..."- She said in a sad tone.
"Hey, he'll show up! I obviously don't know where he is but I'm sure he's ok. Rickon takes after you, he is everything but a quitter!" She nodded as they stayed silent for a while. Gendry was the one that broke the silence opting to continue with their little Q & A.
"So uhm, I know I'm the only guy you've been with but... other than your ex from Braavos you did also mention something about some other guy from Dorne; please tell me it wasn't Dayne!" Yes, Edric was Arya's first boyfriend; something that made Gendry mentally kick himself everyday but the thought of them hooking up again made Gendry want to throw up which apparently Arya found amusing.
"You took my virginity and you're still jealous with some guy I once made out with? Green is definitely your color Gendry"- She said teasing him much to his annoyance. "But no, it wasn't Edric"- Fuck, come to think about it that was actually worse. She had kissed another guy that wasn't 's rich coming from you; I have to work on my jealousy issues!
"As much as I love seeing you all worked up with jealousy just let it go Gendry! How does that old saying go? 'Thank pass lovers for where you are now' or something like that? I for one thank all the hoe's that crossed your path"-
"Shut up!" He said nuzzling her neck with little bites and kisses. "You know if I hadn't taken your virginity I would be tempted to question it because you my dear Wolf are the best I have ever had"
"What can I say, I'm a natural!"- She said giggling while she positioned herself better underneath him. Gendry looked at the night table.
"You didn't finish your food Arya Lyanna" He said in a scolding tone that quickly evaporated once she spoke in his ear.
"I'm hungry...just not for food"
.. .
"You should cover your neck with something. It's tasteless and tacky towards the guests"-
"You, me and the cleaning lady don't really count as guests Edric"
They were in the hotel reception doing absolutely nothing since they were the only guests staying at the moment. Edric had spent the whole day complaining about Gendry's appearance. His air was sticking out from all directions, his clothes were all wrinkled and he had a massive hickey on his neck all courtesy of Arya.
"Is there a chance that you and I can actually be friends and not two guys who are obsessed with the same woman?"
"That's easy for you to say, you have her..."- Edric muttered while they continued with their innocent banter because yeah, Gendry did like to rub it in a little. Their little exchange was cut short when Bran came in to take over Edric's shift.
"Hey Brando... anything new?" He asked while Bran sat in the receptionist chair and began to read the newspaper.
"Not really. Cold winds are expected to keep on rising, there's some kind of a huge animal protest in Bear Islands and there's still a pretty juicy ransom on the Stark kids, if I turn myself in can I keep the money?"-
"I don't think it works like that Brando"
"Yeah, me neither... the press still says nothing on Rickon though. I wish I could talk to Mom"- Bran said sighing and running his hands over his hair, it was getting long. Catelyn would have already forced him to get a haircut.
"Well the police don't have him or they would have paraded him around already"
"I almost want the police to find him. He's a twelve year old kid Gendry, it doesn't matter that he's got a pretty tall height and size, he's still a child. It's not safe for him to be out there by himself, he's also a hot head like Arya so that's never good"-
No, it wasn't...specially if you had a price tag on your head. To Arya he could give her his body so she could toss all her worries out of their bed, to Jon; well... his body as well since he wanted to beat the crap out of him but Bran? What could he possibly say to Bran? He was the smartest of the whole group. Gendry couldn't fix things with a white little lie of hope.
"He's smart! He may be a hot head but he's a resourceful hot head. Remember when he blackmailed the football coach so he could be in the team? Said he was going to tell everyone he touched him in his special places" They laughed together.
"Nah, nothing tops when I had that nasty fall climbing and we were all in the hospital and he pretended to be blind and called himself Burt. How he ended up in the nurse station while they were changing will forever be a mystery for me"-
"Well Rickon does have a knack in getting into trouble but he still manages to get out of them with ease"
"I hope you're right. I still want to talk to Mom, we are on the run but at least we're together. I can't imagine what it must be to be alone at the Manor without Dad, Uncle Brynden isn't exactly big on comfort and support"-
"No, but he is a hard ass mother fucker that I don't doubt is hands on in helping us out and looking for Rickon so stop worrying about it and focus on the hotel and it's customers" They continued laughing as they could actually hear ants walking around.
"There is something new in the paper. Want to hear it? It's about the fire in Harrenhal"- Bran asked while Gendry tried to go with noncommittal.
The pink florescent elephant in the room other than Eddard Stark's death was Robert Baratheon. Apparently Robert was in solitary confinement when the fire broke and he was forgotten among the chaos leaving him with serious burns and uncertain life expectancy. At first Gendry didn't care, too affected by Eddard's lost to care for anything else but when he saw the desperation on his friends faces, Arya's tears after losing her father it made him think; Robert was his father. That alone was a nasty battle in his head, the guy never cared for him, there was the possibility he didn't even know he was his son so why should Gendry care if he lived or he died? But then again, wouldn't he be just like him if he turned his eye away? Should he care? Dying alone on a hospital bed was pretty awful, most of all if he was surrounded by Lannisters crows waiting for him to die to own everything he had...
"There's an update on Robert; it says that he inhaled too much smoke and that he wasn't responding to the pain medication so the doctors induced him to a coma"-
"A coma? Are they...does it say anything else?"
"No, the news was delivered by Petyr Baelish; the Lannister's lawyer, so that's pretty much it"-
"Where the hell is his family? His brothers Stannis and Renly?"
"Well, news feeds say that Stannis is contesting the charges against Robert but other than that it doesn't say where he is, there's nothing on Renly as well"-
"What a lovely family" Gendry muttered. His family... No, the Starks were his family but the news about Robert still left him with a sour mood, most of all because he did care of what happened to Robert, torn up at the same time to why was he even alive and Eddard was not.
The day passed and Gendry's minds swirled between Robert, Arya, Ned, Catelyn, little Rickon, even Hot Pie! How did everything get so complicated in a matter of days? He was a simple guy with a simple wish, to have his girl by his side, he was going to work his ass off to achieve it but she was worth it. Days ago the only big impediment was time and distance as Arya still had to get her degree in archaeology but he was willing to wait or even drop everything and move to Braavos if necessary. Again; Arya was worth it.
...
The hotel was a dud so there really wasn't much work to do other than repair old air conditioners and dust spider webs. The majority of work came from the local bar. The town was so little it didn't even have a name, it was just referred to as The Crossroads since it was located at the crossroads between the kingsroad running north-south, the river road; west through the Riverlands to the Westerlands and the high road east to the Vale of Arryn. Naturally the bar hosted many people who were just passing by looking for a quick drink to rest from the road but when a big black SUV highly damaged on the front parked in outside while Gendry was on a self-made smoking break; he immediately was on alert, his eyes darting towards the hotel.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Gendry voice boomed around the parking lot as Sam, Grenn and a still beat up redhead got out of the car. Sam was scared on the spot, if Jon still wanted to talk to them ok, it was his problem, he still had a military career to worry about but Gendry was sure as hell not letting them near Arya, the redhead most of all.
"Geee... Ge- Genndry. It's all right, it's just us. We are leaving back for the Wall and we wanted to talk to Jon before we left"- Sam stuttered and cowered back at Gendry's anger.
"So? Telephones still exist Tarly... and why the hell did you have to bring her here?" He spat
"These are my brothers, they won't just leave me behind, they swore an oath"- The redhead spat back, Ygritte he thought her name was.
"Of course! Said by the most loyal one who put two bullets inside your own commander so excuse me if I don't buy the loyalty crap" Gendry was livid, how dare they show their faces again after nearly killing Robb, Jon and Arya, he shuttered just contemplating the possibility. They needed to leave, now!
"Gendry back off, what do you think you're doing?"- Jon shouted as he arrived and saw him ready to pounce on all three of them.
"What am I doing? They tried to kill you and you tell them were we are? Are you out of your mind?"
"Back off Waters, it's none of your business. Sam, Grenn and Ygritte are part of my unit, my family. They were just following orders"-
"Who's orders? You're the one who's supposed to be giving the commands! Your unit? Your family? Your family is your sister that is upstairs completely traumatized because she had to kill a man from your unit that wanted to kill you" By now Gendry was full out shouting attracting a crowd.
"Oh so now that your screwing her it means that you care more about Arya than I do? She may be good fuck but she's still my family, not yours!"- A good fuck? How dare he talk about Arya that way? Gendry's hands where already form in fists when Robb appeared as the peacemaker.
"Whoa there big guy... walk it out. You're all worked up and Jon's been drinking, go back inside"- Robb said trying to calm him down but it was useless.
"You know what? You can punch me all you want, call me all the names that cross your head but if you ever talk that way about Arya I will fucking kill you, I don't care if you're her brother. You are going to respect her you bastard"
"Hey, it takes one to know one... and what? Being with Arya somehow erases your past? You fucking hypocrite! Putting your hands on my little sister…"- There was a shouting match with a lot of shoves but they never came to blows as Theon came over with half the bar staff holding Gendry back.
"Fucking let go of me... I'm leaving! And if I see any of you near the hotel I will personally rip you all limb for limb, you understand me?" Gendry said while stomping back to his room.
Fuck he was pissed off! Of all the people he would never imagine Jon talking like that about Arya, she adored him and if she heard how Jon was referring to as a common whore that would definitely break her... A good fuck? Maybe he should turn around and beat the shit out of him. Fucking crow, how dare he speak like that about his own sister...
"Gendry? Is everything alright?"- Arya asked. He didn't want her to see him worked up but he forgot that she normally was in Sansa's room which was downstairs when he was working. She must had heard his ramblings because she came out of the room and was standing at the door.
"Nothings... just some trouble with some drunk asses at the bar. Hey San's, how are you feeling today?" He asked while peeking inside the hotel room.
"I've been better... at least I can eat tuna"- She said with a weak smile. Sansa had been having trouble downing food, everyone hoped that she could at least have a normal pregnancy. "What's wrong with you? You have that murder vibe going on"-
"Nothing..." He muttered since he really wanted to murder someone right know. "Hey, I'm going to take a shower. Come with?"
"I'll go up once Sansa finishes her dinner ok?"- Arya replied looking wary at him. He gave her a quick kiss, said goodbye to Sansa and headed to his room getting in the shower and letting the heater scorch the water that poured down his body but nothing seemed to calm him. He felt trapped and suffocated. Robb was right, everything was fucked up and they needed to start getting proactive to what their next move would be or they would end up killing each other. He certainly wanted to kill Jon at the moment. It's not like he was that far off; Jon pretty much knew the extent of his little black book... The wall had the unfortunate pleasure of receiving Gendry's fury. Great, now I'm going to have to fix the hole on the wall. This whole building is a construction nightmare!
After using all the hot water in the hotel Gendry gave up and got out of the shower, Arya was standing over the window.
"Is that?..."- He already knew what she was going to ask, she saw the car and he wanted to kill Jon. Arya more than often woke up with nightmares.
"Arry... it's ok, they are leaving right away. They just wanted to talk to Jon real quick"
"What did they say? What about the other man... are they going to press charges?"- She wasn't afraid, Arya was never afraid. She just sounded broken.
"Hey..." He said walking over to her and encasing her in his arms "It was him or you ok? It's done, don't dwell on it anymore" He wanted to sound certain but Jon must have a reason to talking to them again. Arya didn't say anything in return, she just stood there looking over the window. "C'mon. Let's go get a bath"
"But you just had one"-
"Yeah but I like it better when it's with you. Let's go"
It wasn't anything sexual, Gendry figured out one day that Arya really let it all out in the bathroom alone, she would cry her heart out while she turned the shower on so he wouldn't hear her. Her lips and voice were already trembling but he also didn't want to leave her alone, he wanted to be there for her, be her rock.
She stripped while Gendry got in the shower since he already was wearing nothing but a towel. As the water fell upon the two of them he just held her, soft shakes of her body made him realize she had started to cry so he held on tighter.
He was pissed off but Gendry needed to learn to see the bright side of things. If Sam and Grenn came to talk to Jon maybe they would find out in reality; who was really after them? Who was this Locke guy and did Lannister gold really had that much power? We're not talking about a few corrupt lawyers here and there to forge papers, this was the army, the Nights Watch. And then came Arya. Could someone really press charges? It was self-defense but it was still tricky, she had a wicked aim (he hoped it was only because of archery but something told him otherwise) and only needed four shoots so some would argue intent. Beric told them he was going to take care of the body, the SUV was going to get ditched once they were close to the wall and the redhead was going to stay silent mostly because of the embarrassment of having her ass kicked to near death by a tinny twenty year old.
"What happened to the wall?"- Arya asked rubbing her eyes.
"Uhm, I slipped and punched the wall while trying to hold on to something"
"You're so butch Gendry, you're like a bull in a glass shop"- She smirked.
"But you like me all the same" He teased "Turn around so I can scrub your back" And that was it. Day after day Arya would panic, Gendry would comfort her and move on the next day, a little routine he had worked out till she finally got out of her funk and be on spunky mode again, he missed that girl.
"The water's cold, can we go to bed now?"- She asked so he shut the shower off and quickly dried her body making her laugh carefree when he scooted her off bridal style back to the bed.
"I like this..."- She said while they cuddled naked in bed under the sheets.
"And I thought it was because of my cunning mind" Gendry chuckled while she ran her hands over his abs.
"What got you all worked up when you came back from the bar?"- She asked while leaning into his chest. She truly had the most exquisite eye color; like melted silver encased in two perfect orbs.
"Nothing..." He really didn't want to talk about this with her, it was like every step they took forward was backtracked with six.
"Come on Gen. You show me yours and I'll show you mine"- She said while she tickled him but he was faster rolling them around and trapping her underneath him.
"You're naked, there's nothing else you can show me" He smirked.
"Stupid!"- She said while punching him on his stomach "You have your 'dark silent brooding' face on, that's my job for the time being"- He sighed, he knew Arya wasn't going to give up till he told her what bothered him.
"I had some words with Jon earlier..."
"I don't see any bruises on your ugly mug so that's an improvement. What happened?"-
"Does it matter? The usual, my past coming to clash with our relationship, Jon obviously not happy with us together."
"Gendry you'd think that with everything that is happening around us you'd get pass that"- Arya said in an exasperated tone while shoving him to the side so she could sit up.
"I want what's best for you Arya even if it's not me and the more I think about it the more I'm convince I mean, what are we doing? What am I allowing you to do? Your father dies and I'm..."
"Fucking me senseless? Yeah I know Gendry, that's the idea. Senseless being the key word"- She says rolling her eyes.
"I'm serious Arya..."
"So am I! Gendry just because I'm, I was a virgin how does that make me stupid? I'm still the same minus a hymen! I chose to sleep with you and I continue to sleep with you because it clears my head of all of the shit that is constantly being thrown at us. I mean seriously... how many women have you sleep with?"-
"I... what... wha...? Ugh, how is that relevant?" Gendry spluttered, sooooooooo not going there.
"You're the one who keeps it relevant. Gendry I was serious last night, those girls from your past? I don't give two fucks about them, they were useful in shaping who you are right now as well as the guys I've been; although not sexually, shaped me as well. Of all of those girls, did you love any of them?"-
"OF COURSE NOT!" He sat up, it was the only truth "You're it for me Arya, you have always been it for me!"
"And I know that Gendry, so unless you decide to go on another pussy spree I think we're good"-
"Pussy spree?" He looked at her before they both entered into a laughing fit.
"You are such a girl sometimes Waters. Some guys would be actually happy in getting some on a daily basis"- The mood was lighter as they both settled back down in the mattress.
"Yeah well I'm not some guy. I really am telling you the truth Arya, I love you and I will always want the best for you"
"I know...bad timing as always."- She said caressing his face, he leaned into her hand as he hugged her from behind.
"And I am also never going to complain about having too much sex, in fact let's do it right now. I'll do anything you want"
She giggled. "I know, I can tell you're up for the challenge"- She said while pressing her ass up to him.
"Damn right I am. And since I'm finally on board with this sex thing you're the one who is going to want to stop. I am going to tire you out Stark"
"Game on Waters..."
Arya begged him to stop after her fifth orgasm.
Hope you liked it... I though after all the drama we could all use a somewhat happy smutty chapter :)
Thanks for the support, remember to leave your reviews.
Song: The Trick Is To Keep Breathing by Garbage
Next title song: Night of the Hunter by Thirty Seconds to Mars.