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Gendry eyed his Coke sullenly, wondering yet again how he got talked into this. He was currently seated between Ygritte and Anguy as the other partygoers dropped into place, forming a circle on the floor of Margaery’s basement.
Arya was sitting opposite him, her grey eyes narrowed at the whole situation as she twisted her braid in annoyance, and he instantly wished they’d gotten out earlier when they had the chance. He wasn’t sure when he’d started looking at Arya differently, but it had happened, and frankly he didn’t care enough to stop it.
What he did care about was the empty bottle Margaery had placed in the middle of their circle, a non-stop smirk still planted firmly on her face.
“I’ll go first,” she announced, plopping down next to Sansa, and gave the bottle a flick of her finger, watching it spin a few times before coming to stop and pointing at Tom. Grinning, she leaned forward as they met in the middle for a kiss, to random hoots and cheers from the others. Gendry blanched, realizing Arya was sitting only two people away from Margaery. He wasn’t sure what would be worse – the bottle pointing at someone else, or landing on him.
Not that he hadn’t thought about kissing Arya. He had. But none of his thoughts had involved their first kiss being in front of all these people – friends or not. Glancing across at her, he noted that she didn’t look much better. Arya was staring determinedly at the floor, as if the ground might open up any second and swallow her whole so she wouldn’t have to deal with this.
Ygritte nudged him gently, mouthing sorry when he turned to look at her. He shrugged despite his surprise, trying to control his expression better. It wouldn’t do to have the whole room reading him like an open book.
Wrapped in his thoughts, he’d missed the second round entirely, and now it was Arya’s turn. Hesitantly, she leaned forward and tapped the bottle lightly, and it only moved in a semi-circle. Gendry’s mouth went dry as it landed on him, and he met Arya’s eyes in surprise.
“Nope!” Margaery yelled from her spot, startling them both. “It didn’t make it a full turn. Doesn’t count! Spin again.”
Arya glanced at him helplessly before spinning it again, harder than necessary. The bottle was a blur for a few moments until finally its motion slowed, and Gendry held his breath.
It landed on Anguy.
Gendry closed his eyes, willing himself to breathe normally. When he looked up, Arya hadn’t moved. Then Anguy inched forward with a “sorry, Stark, you’re stuck with me,” and she hesitantly began to move also. Jon seemed about as happy about the outcome as Gendry, though he decided that was probably because Jon didn’t want to think about his little sister snogging anyone, let alone see it happen.
Gendry looked around, wondering if he could cause a distraction. He didn’t know what had come over him, just that he was hopelessly undone by the idea of Arya kissing someone else. Just as he was wondering how dangerous a smashed bottle could be, Ygritte lurched against him, knocking the Coke out of his hand. The bottle hit the ground with a large clank, spilling instantly. As everyone scrambled to get out of the way, Ygritte winked at him before purposely pouring the rest of her drink overtop the spilled liquid.
By now, everyone had scooted back or stood up, the game forgotten, and Gendry grasped her shoulder in gratitude before getting to his feet.
“Sorry about that,” Ygritte called. “Clumsy hands, this one.”
Someone pressed towels into his hand, and Gendry lost sight of Arya as he attempted to help clean the mess. When all the soaked rags were tossed into the trash, Margaery began to round people up again, and Gendry escaped upstairs, knowing Arya would have already found her way out.
Exiting out the back of the house, he exhaled when the cool night air hit his face. It was a welcome relief from the stuffiness of the crowded basement. Looking around, he found Arya sitting against an old oak tree, her face drawn in thought. She looked up at the crunch of his shoes on the ground and gave him a half-hearted grin.
“Some game,” he remarked, and she rolled her eyes.
“Seriously. I should have seen it coming when Margaery got so excited.”
She shifted over an inch, and Gendry took a seat next to her, letting their shoulders brush.
“It’s not like you to be so clumsy,” Arya commented after a moment.
“Ygritte bumped into me. Didn’t you see?”
“I was a bit busy,” she snarked, and Gendry leaned back in surprise.
“Are you actually mad at me?”
“No!” She paused. “Maybe. I don’t know.”
“Did you want to kiss Anguy?” He wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer.
Arya sighed, dropping her head. “No.”
“Then what is it?”
She shrugged but didn’t reply, and he nudged her. “Arya, it’s me.”
Her voice was very small. “I guess I just wanted to kiss someone.”
Gendry let her words sink in, and finally the realization dawned. “You mean … that would have been your first kiss?”
She nodded.
“Is that really how you wanted it to happen?”
Arya threw up her hands in frustration. “Well how else would it? Who would ever want to kiss me?”
“I would.” The words flew out of his mouth unthinkingly.
Her gaze flew to his face, grey eyes hardening to steel. “That’s a cruel joke,” she said angrily, and would have been up and away if he hadn’t grasped her elbow tightly. She struggled against him, trying to get free. “Let go.”
“No. I-“
“Let go, Gendry!”
“Arya I’m not joking,” he said sternly, and her limbs went slack as she stared at him.
“What?”
“I wasn’t joking,” he repeated softly, brushing stray hair behind her ear.
“But- but you’re Gendry,” she said, and his mouth twitched. “Why would you want to kiss me?”
“Because.” His thumb ran over her jaw. "You’re Arya.”
He leaned closer ever so slowly, and though her eyes widened, she didn’t move. When her gaze dropped to his mouth, his stomach did a flip, and he hoped she wanted this as much as he did.
“Are you sure?” Her whisper made him stop moving, though both his hands were still cupping her face.
“I’m sure,” he smiled, and Arya swallowed.
“Because if you’re not-“
“Arya-“
“You really don’t have to-“
Gendry closed the distance between them, fitting his mouth to hers and effectively cutting off any further protest. He eased his lips over hers gently, coaxing until he felt her kiss him back tentatively. Then her mouth began to move eagerly against his, and when her hands crept around his waist to pull him closer, he thought he might burst.
When he pulled back, he was satisfied to see her looking as dazed as he felt.
“That was good, right?” She questioned, and he couldn’t help his laugh.
“Much better than good.”
Arya smiled, biting her lip, and he dipped his head again to press a kiss to the corner of her mouth, smiling at her intake of breath when he moved to take her bottom lip between his teeth. Her hands wove into his hair as she tugged his head up for a proper kiss.
“I think I need more practice,” she grinned, her eyes gleaming, and Gendry had no mind to disagree.