Arya Stark (nothorsefaced) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2013-12-26 21:59:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, arya stark, gendry waters |
Who: Arya Stark and Gendry Waters
What: Making Christmas Plans
When: Backdated: Sunday, December 15th. Late Afternoon
Where: Gendry's Flat
Rating: Family Friendly
Status: Complete
Arya lounged on Gendry’s couch, her legs stretched out over his knees as they watched a movie, “So, what did you do with Gunther?” Gunther was the name of the Elf on the Shelf that Arya had left at Gendry’s, perched on one of the shelves in the kitchen when she’d spent the night a few days earlier. While she knew that Gendry wasn’t really big on Christmas, she thought that he needed at least something Christmasy around and instead of a wreath or something normal, Arya had decided on one of the most creepy things possible; an Elf on the Shelf.
The movie wasn’t particularly interesting, but it was kind of funny and Gendry cracked a smile from time to time. It was called The Santa Clause and he could see why kids would like it for Christmas time. On his book shelf was a small Christmas tree. Gendry wasn’t quite into the holidays as some people were. His parents had tried, but Gendry usually just sat and drank his apple cider and watched the other kids play with gifts Pere Noel had brought for them. It was a little more difficult to get into the Christmas spirit in California where it didn’t snow or even get cold and they were surrounded by beach and palm trees. Still, Arya tried for him and who was he to dampen her spirits? At her question, he looked away from Tim Allen falling from the ‘cladder’ and gave her a small smile. “I don’t know,” he answered, “he’s an elf, isn’t he? He’s probably stealing my underwear.” Gunther, as it were, was perched on the bookshelf, one shelf up from the tree. Gendry gestured toward the creepy bastard.
Arya hadn't exactly been surprised that Gendry hadn't seen The Santa Clause, but she was happy to get to share in his first viewing and was glad that he appeared to be enjoying it. "What a pervy elf. Someone should tell him that's my job." She smirked, glancing in the direction he'd gestured. She had half expected him to have tossed the elf, but was glad to see that he hadn't. And she knew exactly where she was going to put it before she left later that night. "Rickon thinks those things are incredibly creepy. It doesn't help that Robb decided to put one in his bed a few years ago while Rickon was sleeping."
Gendry laughed full-on at that. Rickon could be jumpy as it was. Leave it to Robb to make matters worse. “He’s not so bad,” he said of Gunther the Shelf Elf. “He doesn’t talk, that’s the main thing.” Of course, Gendry half expected the thing to come to life and stab him while he was asleep, but during the day, Gunther was just a doll. As his laughter died down, Gendry rubbed at his cheek a little in thought. There was something he’d not told Arya yet and he wasn’t sure why he hadn’t, but he needed to. “You know, I think I’m going to go home and see my family this year,” he said. On the telly, a couple of puppets shrieked as Tim Allen dropped trou.
“Tell that to Rickon. Of course, we got Robb back.” A slightly mischievous smile crossed her lips. She had helped Rickon get back at Robb and would do it again if necessary. If she’d been surprised that Gendry hadn’t tossed Gunther, she was even more surprised by what he said next, “Really?” He hadn’t said anything earlier so she’d assumed that he’d be coming over her house on Christmas Eve, but it’d be selfish of her to want him to stay and spend Christmas with her if he wanted to go spend it with his parents who she knew he hadn’t seen in awhile, “Have you told them yet?”
“Yeah,” he answered. They’d already made arrangements for it. Gendry looked from the TV to Arya. She looked warm there, her pretty cheeks reminding him of apples. “Do you want to come with me?” he asked. He’d thought about it, he’d even asked his parents who were very Scotish and wanted to meet her, aye. Now he just needed Arya to loosen some apron strings a little. He didn’t expect her to say yes, though. The Starks were a close knit family and might not even let her out of their sight on Christmas.
Out of everything that had surprised her today, that room the cake. He had asked her a few months earlier, when they'd gone up the coast for the weekend, if she wanted to meet his parents, but nothing else had come of it since, so she was a little surprised that he was asking if she wanted to go with him, "Really? You want me to come with you?"
Gendry reached over to her knee, giving it a squeeze. It was sort of endearing the way she was looking at him just then, as if she were trying to judge if he was bullshiting her or not. “Well, yeah,” he answered. “If you want to, that is. I know you and your family probably have plans already.”
"My family has had me for eighteen Christmases. I'm sure they won't miss me for one," Arya smiled, moving from her spot on the couch to straddle Gendry's lap, hands resting on his shoulders, "In case that wasn't clear enough, yes. Yes, I'd really enjoy going with you to meet your family." Technically, she already knew his family, but not his family. Not the people who had raised him and he considered his real family and she was already looking forward to it.
That was debatable, Gendry thought. Holidays were an important time and there could always be other trips, but Arya seemed keen to go either way so who was Gendry to argue? Besides, he wanted her with him. He wanted her to meet the people who had raised him, the ones he’d known as family before coming here. Before his world was turned upside down that day in the parking lot when Renly had approached him. Before the dreams. Before Arya. Gods, how his life had changed. Gendry looked at Arya, his hands resting against her narrow hips. He tilted a kiss to her lips. “I hope you’re ready to drink a lot,” he remarked, smiling at the very thought of a very Scottish Christmas.
Arya laughed softly against his lips as she kissed him back, “Are you gonna try to get me drunk, Gendry Waters?” She asked, smirking. Out of her parents, it was be her mother who would try to talk her into staying home, but she knew that Ned would only want Arya to be happy, “Do you think they’ll like me?” Gendry being her first boyfriend meant that she’d never met a boy’s parents before and the last thing she wanted was for them to not like her.
Gendry was about to tell Arya that he didn’t need to get her drunk. Then Arya asked the next question and Gendry softened a bit, as much as a man like Gendry could. “They’re going to love you,” he replied, “just like I do.”
Arya still wasn’t used to having anyone who wasn’t obligated to love her say it. Hearing Gendry say it always made her blush a tiny bit and bite her bottom lip, “That’s reassuring. You’ll have to tell me if there’s anything I shouldn’t talk about or do.” After all, Arya Stark had no filter and tended to speak her mind no matter who she was talking to and the last thing she wanted to do was say the wrong thing to Gendry’s parents. Saying what was on her mind to her own parents was one thing, but this was going to be entirely new territory for her, “I’m gonna have to find my passport too. And I’ll probably need warm clothes too, huh?” It might not get cold in Orange County, but she did have a stash of winter clothes that she could pick from.
Gendry nodded. Yes, she would need warm clothes. It didn’t get especially freezing as much as it was both cold and wet which made for disgusting weather in the winter. It always felt to Gendry like he was standing in a walk in freezer, one that never really froze, but still frozen enough that it was miserable. Add the wetness to it and going outside was only done under necessity. “You probably shouldn’t talk about the dreams,” he said after some thought. “Or my biological family.” He’d told his parents about his uncle, but not his father and certainly not about his dreams and how he’d really known Arya since she was far too young for him.
She nodded, “Right. No dreams or bio family.” She knew how crazy the dreams would sound to someone who was completely separated from them and it wasn’t her place to tell his parents anything about Robert Baratheon or anyone else in Gendry’s biological family, “My lips on those topics are sealed.” She made a zipper motion across her lips with her fingers, “So, what’s the plan as far as when we leave?” It was going to be an interesting conversation with her parents when she got home, but she’d make them understand.
“I was going to head off on the 23rd,” Gendry answered. It was short notice, to be sure. Gendry made no excuse for it.
“So, you already booked your flight? Give me your information and I’ll talk to my parents tonight and my father can call up to book me on the same flight,” Being a Lord had it’s perks and if the flight wasn’t fully booked then it’d be easy to get Arya on the same one.
“I didn’t want to without talking to you first.” He could still book a flight. There was still time. “I’ve already told my parents that I wouldn’t book until later.” Now his heart was pounding just a little, perhaps nerves, the expectation that Arya’s parents might make her stay. He wanted her to go, but he needed to see his own parents either way.
Arya nodded, "Alright. So I'll talk to my parents when I go home and then we can book it." Part of her couldn't quite believe that he'd asked her to go with him, recalling how different Gendry had been ten months earlier when they had first run into each other after she'd been harassed by some giant flowers. She didn't know if his change had been all because if her and she'd probably be selfish to take all the credit considering how much his life had changed in those ten months, but she liked to think that she had had a part to play in it all, "Should I bring them something?"
Gendry shrugged. “If you want to,” he answered, an irrepressible smile on his face. He was going to spend Christmas at home, with his girlfriend. For once, Gendry could honestly and irrevocably say that he was happy.