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Jon stands in his room and stares at the luggage piled on the floor next to his bed, then the dog piled on the bed, giving him sad eyes, head resting on his paws.
“It's only for a few months,” he sighs, shoulders drooping. “I'll be back before you know it.”
“Are you talking to your dog?”
Jon looks up to see Robb Stark leaning against the door frame, with some fancy iced coffee drink in one hand, sunglasses still perched on top of his head.
“Please, I've heard you talk to Grey Wind before,” Jon rolls his eyes, before picking his checklist back up and going over it one more time.
“That's because Grey Wind understands me.”
“Right.”
Phone charger? Did he pack his phone charger?
He peeks around to the nightstand and doesn't see a cord, but it isn't until he bends down and unzips one of the pockets of his carry-on that he can relax, when he sees that, yes, he did pack it.
“I feel like I'm missing something,” Jon sighs, rubbing at his eyes. He's been awake since four this morning, getting everything together.
“Hey, if you are, just let me know and I can send it, or Sansa will,” Robb walks further into the room and claps him on the shoulder, a good-natured gesture that has the effect of calming Jon down. And he's right, Jon's being paranoid.
He just really fucking hates traveling.
He hates airports, he hates flying, he hates going to new places, he hates meeting new people, and he especially hates being away from home. It would be one thing if this were some quick weekend trip.
Instead, it's three months.
At least, that's the projected length it should take to open the new branch over in Pentos. The company's first foothold in Essos. A big deal. Mormont had told Qhorin to hand-select his team, and Jon was one of the first to be asked to go. How could he possibly turn it down? He remembers that triumphant feeling in his chest at the time, that all his hard work and years with the company were finally paying off.
Except now he's faced with three months of being away from home, and a set of very sad dog eyes following him around the room.
He walks his house one more time, dragging his luggage down the stairs, Ghost and Robb trailing behind him. Just one more walk through.
“Dude, it's fine,” Robb tells him. “Your place is always clean and I promise Sansa's not gonna go snooping through your stuff. Though if you did forget something and she needs to find it, she might. Did you hide your porn?”
Jon grimaces and looks back at Robb. “What is this, the nineties? Who even has physical porn anymore? The internet exists.”
“Ew man,” Robb pretends to look horrified, “I don't need to know your porn habits.”
“You brought it up!”
Robb just shrugs, and moves to start opening and closing the cabinets in the kitchen.
“You didn't leave anything decent,” Robb tells him.
“Then it's good you're only here for a few days,” Jon grabs his keys from the hook and checks his phone. His Uber is almost here.
Jon sighs and squats down in front of Ghost and scratches at his ear. “I'll be back soon. Robb will be here for a few days, and then you'll have someone new to play with. You won't even miss me.”
Ghost tilts his head to the side, and Jon almost calls his boss to tell him he can't go.
But he doesn't.
His Uber beeps out front and Jon grabs a suitcase and his carry-on, Robb helping with the second suitcase, and he heads out the door.
Unknown number: Hi Jon! This is Sansa. Robb gave me your number because I have a question and he won't ask it for me.
Unknown number: Sansa Stark, Robb's sister. I'm watching your place while you're away?
Unknown number: but you probably figured that out
Jon's just sat down on one of the hard plastic seats at gate C20 with a coffee from one of the stands, when he pulls out his phone and sees the slew of texts, sent about twenty minutes ago, while he was still waiting in airport security.
Jon Snow: Hey Sansa. I probably should have your number anyway, just in case. What's your question?
While he's waiting for her to respond, he adds her to his contacts list.
Sansa Stark: What is your open flame policy?
He stares at the text for a few seconds, his mind racing to try and figure out what in the seven hells that means. His open flame policy? How is he supposed to answer that? Yeah, I'd prefer if you didn't set my house on fire? He's saved by her rapid follow up.
Sansa Stark: Like for candles. I need to know if I should buy a candle warmer if you don't want me to light them
Jon Snow: I've never really thought about it? I guess I'd prefer a candle warmer, because Ghost has no spacial awareness
Sansa Stark: Perfect! Candle warmer it is! I can't wait to meet Ghost, I promise I'll take great care of him!!!
That's a lot of exclamation points, he thinks. She seems peppy. Hopefully Ghost will be alright with someone high energy.
He's about to write back, but then he hears his name being called, and he turns to see Sam coming over, rolling his carry-on behind him, and Jon forgets all about candles and fire and Ghost's tail knocking everything over.
Sansa Stark: Hi Jon! I'm at the grocery store and I wanted to check and see if these treats were ok for Ghost?
Sansa Stark: Your list only mentioned food, not snacks
Sansa Stark: If he's not allowed to have them, that's fine! I just wanted to bribe him into liking me.
Sansa Stark: Not that he doesn't like me! We're getting along great so far!!
Jon had felt his phone buzzing in the meeting, a series of texts, and he'd felt his stomach drop – something was wrong. His house did catch fire, Ghost ran away, aliens were invading. He hadn't been able to check the messages, because the meeting was important, and he'd spent the rest of the time only half paying attention, half worrying about the aliens that were setting fire to his home and kidnapping his dog.
But no, it was just Sansa sending him a picture of a dog treat bag, held in a hand with bright yellow nails, clearly in the middle of a grocery aisle.
Jon Snow: Those are fine. You can feed him anything, really, except the things on the poison list. You did read that one, right?
The three dots start up and then stop a few times, and he wonders what she keeps typing and deleting.
Sansa Stark: Of course I read it. I read all your instructions, and I took pictures of them to keep on my phone.
There's no excess of exclamation points this time – in fact, there isn't a single exclamation point at all, and the periods sit there, like an accusation.
Jon Snow: Ok, just making sure I didn't accidentally forget one.
There we go, he thinks. Make it sound like he was worried he fucked up, not that he doesn't trust her with his dog. Robb had assured him that they had plenty of dogs growing up and Sansa had always been great at taking care of them. She probably didn't even need a list of foods that were poisonous to dogs.
She hasn't responded yet, though she did read it, and while he knows she doesn't need to respond to his last text, he can't help but worry that he offended her, and now he feels like an ass. Maybe he should have Robb let her know that Jon's shit at texting.
(Always has been. Isn't that why he and Alla broke up? He'd texted something that came off dismissive even though he hadn't meant it that way, and she'd shown up at his house and went off about how he cared more about his job than her and then she'd broken up with him and left and he remembers sitting there and going back and re-reading the text over and over to try and figure out where he went wrong.)
(In Alla's defense, he did care more about his job than her.)
(In his defense, they'd only been dating for three weeks.)
(Maybe if he'd told her at the beginning of the relationship that he was terrible at texting, she wouldn't have blown up like that.)
(Or maybe she would have, because that relationship was never going to go anywhere, and she saw it way before he did.)
Jon Snow: Hey, just as a heads up, I'm not great at texting. I've been told I come off abrupt and dismissive. I don't mean it.
Sansa Stark: Robb did mention that you were terrible at responding to texts, but I thought he meant time-wise
Jon frowns at his phone and thinks Robb should learn how to shut his mouth. (Disregarding that not thirty seconds ago, he was thinking he should have Robb tell her that exact thing.)
Jon Snow: Well, now you know.
Sansa Stark: Now I know :)
Pentos is hot.
He wasn't built for this, he thinks. He can feel the sweat beading along his brow as he walks the narrow cobblestone street. The only positive is that Sam doesn't appear to be faring much better. At least he's not alone.
“Here we are,” Edd finally sighs, and he stops in front of a building.
The restaurant they were told to try is a little hole in the wall that has the best Pentoshi food Jon's ever had – not that the stuff back in Westeros is a great comparison, but even here in Pentos. This place is the best, by far.
He's in the middle of shoving a massive bite of food into his mouth when his phone goes off, the noise of it lost in the din of the small restaurant, but he sees it light up. One-handed, he swipes it open to look at the message.
Sansa Stark: Ghost misses you!!
And beneath that, a photo of Ghost curled up on his couch. It makes him ache terribly, and he wants nothing more in that moment than to be there – on the couch, with the throw blanket he can see in the corner of the photo (she must be using it) and the glass of wine on the coffee table and the TV turned on (it looks like some reality show and ok, maybe he doesn't actually want that part).
“Everything ok?” Sam asks, leaning over with a concerned look.
“House sitter just sent me a picture of Ghost,” Jon explains, turning off his screen and setting the phone down. He's out to dinner and he was having a decent time, no need to ruin it by getting homesick.
“Oh yeah, I forgot you had a dog,” Qhorin wipes his hands on an already-greasy napkin. “Who's watching it?”
“Some girl named Sansa,” he shrugs. “You know Robb from accounting? His little sister.”
“She cute?” Pyp leans around Sam and waggles his eyebrows, which also, somehow, makes his ears waggle at the same time.
Jon just shrugs, which doesn't seem to satisfy Pyp, or a few of the others. But he honestly doesn't know.
Later that night, in his Airbnb, he feels too full to move from where he flopped back onto his bed, even though he knows he needs to shower, and as he's staring at the ceiling, Pyp's question floats back through his mind. All he really knows about what Sansa Stark looks like is that she's got her nails painted bright yellow.
He picks up his phone and pulls up Robb's social media and tries to type her name into his friends list, but there's no results. Odd. Maybe he's stereotyping, but she seems like the type who'd have social media. But then again, he barely knows anything about her.
He and Robb only met two years ago at a company-wide picnic after the merger of their companies, and they realized they both had dogs and they both liked the same video games and they both thought Mel from HR was secretly a vampire. They spent the whole time hiding out and trying to dodge the team building activities, and they've been friends ever since. Jon knows Robb has two sisters and two brothers, his parents live back in Winterfell... but that's about the extent of it.
He knows he trusts Robb - enough to, by extension, trust his sister.
Jon Snow: Hey, weird question, but does your sister have social media? I wanted to check it out to see if she posted any photos of Ghost.
There. Casual and not creepy at all. (He honestly doesn't even know why he's asking, it doesn't matter.)
Robb Stark: if you want pics just ask her shell send them im sure shes taken a thousand by now
Robb Stark: I swear she has more pics of grey than I do. Hes MY dog
Robb Stark: But no she deleted all her accounts. Bad breakup
Robb Stark: Thats why shes between places & all. I thought I told you?
Jon Snow: No, you didn't. Is she ok? I mean, is she safe?
Robb Stark: Yeah of course, hes down in KL and a LITTLE BITCH
Robb Stark: She could beat him up if she needed and she doesnt even approve of violence
Robb Stark: It was something about how all her friends were his friends and she didnt want to see it anymore
Robb Stark: I think she called it a cleanse or some shit
Robb Stark: That sounds like a sansa thing to say
Jon lets out a snort, and asks Robb how it's going with that new girl he started seeing to change the topic, though he can't help but notice how similar Robb and Sansa's texts are. Lots of short sentences, sent in multiple messages.
At least Sansa knows how to use apostrophes and capital letters properly.
Sansa Stark: Is Ghost allowed at an off leash dog park? That wasn't on any of your instructions, I double checked, I promise!
Jon Snow: Yes.
Jon Snow: Sorry, I feel like my last text was very short and maybe rude. Ghost loves to be off the leash, and he's good with other dogs.
Jon Snow: I'm a little stressed, so I'm sorry if I'm even worse than normal.
Sansa Stark: What are you stressed about?
Jon Snow: I have a presentation in two days, with a company we're trying to partner with out here. I have to lead it, and I'm not great at public speaking.
Sansa Stark: Do you speak just as robotically as you text?
Jon Snow: ???
Sansa Stark: I'm just kidding!!!!
Sansa Stark: That was mean, I'm sorry :(
Sansa Stark: You aren't a robot
Sansa Stark: I feel like Robb would have told me if you were
Jon Snow: Is this what cyberbullying is?
Sansa Stark: beep boop
Jon Snow: Are you five?
Sansa Stark: No, but I MAY have had one too many glasses of wine. I blame Arya.
Jon looks at the clock on his bedside table. It's nearing eleven here, so it must only be six back in White Harbor.
Sansa Stark: She took me out for drinks, except I somehow ended up paying????
Sansa Stark: And I'm only a little tipsy, don't worry.
Jon Snow: Well, I hope she's driving.
Sansa Stark: She is. I should put a little chauffeur hat on her. She'd look so cute!!!!
Sansa Stark: Don't tell her I said that
Jon finds himself shaking his head, though there's a smile on his lips as he does. For someone who just had a rough breakup, she certainly doesn't seem all that... well, broken up. But also, he's a stranger that she's talking to through text.
Jon Snow: You're safe, I don't have Arya's number.
Sansa Stark: OK well don't tell Robb, either, he's a snitch
Jon Snow: He really is.
Sansa Stark: Such a gossip!!!
Jon Snow: I think we can agree that neither of us should tell Robb about any part of this conversation?
Sansa Stark: Agreed
Sansa Stark: Are you ready for your presentation tomorrow? Ghost says “you can do it!!”
Jon Snow: You do realize it's midnight here, right?
Sansa Stark: Oh no, I'm so sorry! I didn't want to text you at work so I waited, I totally forgot the time difference!
Sansa Stark: But you responded really quick, why are you still awake?
Jon Snow: Just catching up on some work. Last minute edits.
Sansa Stark: You have an important day tomorrow, you need your sleep!
Jon Snow: I've gotten less sleep and been fine.
Sansa Stark: You're an old man now, you need your rest!
Jon Snow: I'm 31?
Sansa Stark: Ancient.
Jon Snow: Are you tipsy again, or sober cyberbullying me this time?
Sansa Stark: <3
Sansa Stark: I'm serious though. Get some sleep
Sansa Stark: Robb always talks about how good you are at your job, so I know your presentation is already perfect
Sansa Stark: You're going to do great!
Jon sighs and looks back at his laptop and... well, yeah. His eyes feel heavy and he really should get some rest. He rubs at his eyes beneath his glasses, hard enough that he starts seeing stars, and knows he won't get anything else done tonight. So he closes his laptop and takes off his glasses and finally lays down to sleep.
Sansa Stark: So?? How'd it go???
Jon Snow: Well.
Jon Snow: raelly well.
Jon Snow: Boss took me out for drnks to celibrate
Jon Snow: They agreed to sing with us
Jon Snow: sign*
Jon Snow: I thnk I'm good at my job?
Sansa Stark: Yay!!
Sansa Stark: I knew you could do it!!!
Sansa Stark: Also, Jon, my robot, I believe you might be drunk.
Jon Snow: Not
Sansa Stark: How much have you had to drink?
Jon looks up from his phone and eyes the table in front of him. He doesn't feel like counting, and so instead, he takes a photo of the table and sends it to her.
Jon Snow: So.me of those are mine
Sansa Stark: Ghost says be careful! Stay safe!
Jon Snow: I misshim. Is he ok?
Sansa Stark: He misses you, too, but otherwise he's doing really well
Sansa Stark: We're bonding
Jon Snow: Gotta go, boss doesn't separate that i'm texting at a work outing
Jon Snow: separate*
Jon Snow: apricot
Jon Snow: APPRECIATE
Sansa Stark: Go celebrate!
Sansa Stark: I knew you could do it!
Sansa Stark: How's the head?
Jon Snow: I might die.
Jon Snow: I think I might be old.
Jon Snow: You're sure you're alright taking him for his boosters? I can't believe I forgot to reschedule them.
Sansa Stark: It's all good! He's sitting in the back seat, not suspecting a thing. He thinks we're going to the park, not the vet.
Jon Snow: Please do not text and drive.
Sansa Stark: :(
Sansa Stark: You were right, Hot Pie's is WAY better than Gage's
Jon Snow: I'm always right. Best pizza in town, no contest.
Sansa Stark: Are you always right because your brain is connected to the internet?
Jon Snow: I'm not a robot.
Sansa Stark: One month down, two to go!
Jon Snow: Gods I can't wait to go home.
Two more months, he tells himself.
The new office is starting out well, he was able to get the system up and running with... well, hitches, but that's to be expected. Nothing ever truly goes right the first time.
It goes so well, in fact, that Mormont calls him one day and offers him a position at the new branch. A promotion. Jon tells him he has to think about it.
What's the hold up, though? It's not like he really has much to go back to White Harbor for. Ghost can move with him, and he'd sell his house.
The house that he bought when he was 29.
He'd worked his ass off for it. Overtime, a wait job on the side in the early days. Scrimping and saving and work, work, work. Own his own home by 30. Have what his mom never had. What she always wanted. A college degree, a house of her own. He thinks, if she were still here, that she'd be proud of him.
He hopes.
It just hasn't left him much time for a social life. He thought Ygritte was it, but looking back now, it really was just a college relationship. Done and over the minute college ended, though neither of them realized that for nearly two years after. A slew of random hookups and first dates and even a few who lasted longer. They never stuck around, though. He didn't have time to focus on a relationship, he was too busy going after what he wanted.
Which is... well, by all accounts it should be this promotion.
So why does it feel so hollow?
Jon Snow: If you were traveling and wanted to get a gift for Sansa, what would you get her?
Robb Stark: you know you dont need to get her anything right? She got to live free of rent for 3 months
Jon Snow: Just answer the question.
Robb Stark: Ugh
Robb Stark: like a mug or something?
Robb Stark: she drinks a lot of tea and she has a whole box filled with them. I think she collects them
Robb Stark: she was real annoying about not dropping it
Robb Stark: ok yeah I just checked and its definitely full of mugs
Robb Stark: cant wait until she gets a real place and I can finally move her boxes out of my living room
Robb Stark: and she likes unicorns
Robb Stark: or she did when we were kids. Collected those too
Robb Stark: dont know if its a thing anymore though
Robb Stark: she likes that guy from that TV show a lot
Robb Stark: and poetry and romcoms
Jon Snow: Thanks, you're as helpful as ever.
Robb Stark: you mean VERY??
Sansa Stark: You don't have any pictures
Jon Snow: ?
Sansa Stark: In your house. There's no photos anywhere.
Jon Snow: I guess I'm just not really a photo guy.
Sansa Stark: Taking them or displaying them?
Jon Snow: Both?
Sansa Stark: Suspicious
Jon Snow: ?
Sansa Stark: You aren't doing a great job convincing me you're not a robot
Jon Snow: beep boop
Sansa Stark: I think I found a place!!!
Sansa Stark: It's so cute and it's got all new appliances and you can even sort of see the ocean!!!!
Jon Snow: Let me see
Sansa Stark: <www.apartments.com/aI35dx...>
Jon Snow: You can see the cabinet door is slightly off in the 6th photo. Make sure you note that when you go so they don't charge you for it.
Sansa Stark: How did you even see that??
Jon Snow: Robot eyes
Sansa Stark: Oh look, it's learning sarcasm
Sansa Stark: No go on the apartment.
Sansa Stark: The loose cabinet was the LEAST of its problems. Those photos must have been taken a decade ago.
Jon Snow: I'm really sorry.
Sansa Stark: It's fine. I just thought this would be easier, you know?
Sansa Stark: Sort of depressing realizing you can't afford as much as you thought you could
Jon Snow: Hey so, not to overstep, but I have a friend who works in real estate. Maybe she could help? She owes me a favor anyway.
Sansa Stark: Are you serious?
Jon Snow: I'm always serious.
Val Rayder: She's cute...
Jon Snow: Yeah, she's really bubbly and stuff.
Val Rayder: Like that's what I meant
Jon Snow: ?
Val Rayder: It never fails to amaze me how smart you are and yet how much of an idiot you can be
Sansa Stark: So how did you and Val meet?
Jon frowns down at his phone. He and Val met at a bar, hooked up, and then kept hooking up. Friends with benefits for years on and off, though now she's dating Jarl and so it's been off for a while, and seems to be staying that way. Which is fine with Jon, though he does often miss being able to call her whenever he needed company.
He doesn't want to think about the way he sometimes gets a bit jealous.
Not because of Val, not really.
It's more that... he sees the photos she posts on social media and he sees this girl that used to sleep with him, all cozied up with someone else and... and sometimes it feels like he wants that. In some deep, aching way, he wants that. And he knows it's not Val, because when he closes his eyes and pictures it, the person next to him is more of an amorphous blob. An idea of a person, never Val herself.
Except he doesn't really do relationships, because he's too busy working.
Which is fine.
Which is actually what he wants, not the other stuff.
Sansa Stark: One month!!!
Jon Snow: Twenty nine days, actually. Not that I'm counting.
Sansa Stark: Ghost says hi!!
Jon Snow: Did you put ribbons on my dog?
Sansa Stark: ...maybe
Jon Snow: They offered me a promotion. I need to give them an answer tomorrow.
Sansa Stark: That's amazing!!!
Jon Snow: It's in the Pentos branch. I'd have to move here.
Sansa Stark: oh
Sansa Stark: That must be so exciting for you
Sansa Stark: It sounds like an amazing opportunity
Jon Snow: I don't know if I want to take it.
Sansa Stark: Why not?
Jon Snow: I don't know. Maybe it's just because I don't like new places.
Jon Snow: But I feel like if I really wanted it, I wouldn't have put off answering this long.
Jon Snow: They had to give me a deadline. Answer by tomorrow.
Sansa Stark: Ok, write out a list of pros and cons maybe?
Sansa Stark: Like, pro: more money. Con: you have to move.
Jon Snow: Con: the heat
Sansa Stark: Pro: new opportunities
Jon Snow: Con: leaving my friends
Sansa Stark: Pro: you can make new friends
Jon Snow: Con: I'm terrible at making new friends.
Sansa Stark: Pro: maybe you aren't as bad as you think. Also that isn't a con. That's just a statement.
Jon Snow: Well then yours isn't a pro.
Sansa Stark: Maybe I'm not trying that hard to convince you
“I just think there are others better suited for the job,” Jon tells the phone.
Qhorin sits behind his desk, Jon on the other side, with Mormont on speaker between them.
“I see.”
“I don't think I'm cut out for Pentos,” Jon continues, trying not to wince at how weak that excuse sounds.
“Well, I can't say I'm too upset to be getting you back in the home office. But I was hoping to have someone I trusted in Pentos.”
“I'm sorry, sir.”
The minute he'd given his no, Jon had felt a great weight lifted off his chest.
No.
He thinks, maybe, the weight wasn't even about the promotion. This is the first time Jon has ever said no to Mormont, to the company, in the eight years he's been with them.
It's a fucking relief.
“You know I expect you to make sure you leave that place in the best shape possible before you go, right?”
Jon laughs, feeling light as air. “That, I can do.”
Sansa Stark: When do you take off?
Jon Snow: In a half hour.
Sansa Stark: And when do you land?
Jon Snow: Should be around 7 tonight.
Sansa Stark: Have a safe flight <3 <3 <3
Jon Snow: Landed.
Jon drags his luggage out of the Uber and up to his door. He's exhausted from the flight and the airport and the ride home and gods he wants nothing more than to fall into bed and sleep forever.
He pushes open the front door and then stops in surprise when he's met with a giant, sparkly banner that reads WELCOME HOME and a slew of balloons tied to the banister of his stairwell.
He registers only those two things, before Ghost flies out of the kitchen in the back, down the hall, and directly at him. Jon lets out a grunt as Ghost slams into him, barely having enough time to brace himself for impact.
“Hey, buddy,” he laughs, pushing Ghost off him and down onto all four paws. “I'm happy to see you, too.”
“Welcome home!”
Jon looks up and there, standing in front of him, is the woman who must be Sansa.
Gods, Robb didn't warn him.
Robb can't keep anything to himself, how did Jon not know that his little sister looked like that?
“Sansa,” he says, stupidly.
“That's me,” she says, giving him a smile, though she seems much more subdued than he thought she would be after her texts. “I hope you don't mind the balloons.”
“No it's good. They're fine.”
He realizes he's just standing in the doorway, and so he drags his luggage in the rest of the way.
“It's nice to finally meet you in person,” he says, feeling awkward as he steps closer to her. Do they hug? Shake hands? They don't know each other, even though he's been talking with her for three months – nearly every day for at least half of that.
“Are you hungry?” she asks, hands clasped in front of her, rocking back on her heels, as if she's feeling just as awkward as he is.
“Yes,” he says, and it's true. He hadn't even noticed how hungry he was, and he follows her down the hall and into the kitchen, to where there's two pizza boxes stacked on the counter.
“Hot Pie's,” she says, though he knows the boxes on sight.
He'd say he's embarrassed by how fast he shovels three slices of pizza into his mouth, but its not until after he's done the third and wiping at his mouth with a paper towel that he realizes he probably should be, and by then it's too late.
“Thank you,” he leans against the counter and watches her cut up her second slice with a knife and fork, like a maniac. Who eats pizza like that?
“Ok,” she gives a half laugh, seeming nervous. “This may have been a bit of a bribe.”
“A bribe?”
“See, I can't move into my new apartment until Monday, and so I was hoping I could sort of crash here for the weekend. If not, I can go sleep on Robb's couch, it's no big deal, I just figured since you have the extra room-”
“Sansa,” he cuts her off. “You can stay here, it's fine.”
She lets out an exaggerated sigh of relief, and then gives him a smile that makes his heart jump.
He should probably ignore that.
Jon Snow: Settling in?
Sansa Stark: I think I'll feel more settled once I'm fully unpacked
Sansa Stark: I did the important parts, but it still doesn't feel like home yet
Sansa Stark: Thank you again for helping, you really didn't have to
Jon Snow: Of course I did. Take a break from unpacking and get some sleep, you had a long day.
Sansa Stark: Ok, I took a shower and got some tea
Sansa Stark: I'm using the mug you got me
Sansa Stark: Have I told you that I love it?
Jon Snow: About a dozen times, yes.
Sansa Stark: Well, I do.
Sansa Stark: <3
Sansa Stark: What time are we meeting?
Sansa Stark: And what should I wear?
Sansa Stark: Is this a dress and heels date, or a casual date?
Jon Snow: I'm picking you up at seven.
Jon Snow: Wear whatever you want.
Sansa Stark: UNHELPFUL!!
“I had a really nice time,” she breathes, sitting in his passenger seat as they idle outside her apartment building.
“Me too.”
His heart is pounding, he hopes she can't hear it. How embarrassing would that be?
And then she leans over across the center console and presses a kiss to his cheek and he feels exactly like a teenager again, taking a girl out for the first time ever, awkward and stuttering and so nervous that he might choke, all from one extremely innocent kiss.
“Text me when you get home,” she tells him, like she knows exactly how much she's thrown him, and then she gets out of the car and heads inside. He almost calls after her to ask when he can take her out again, but he doesn't, because she can't know how painfully head over heels he already is for her.
Instead, he puts the car in drive and leaves.
Jon Snow: Just as a heads up, I took your sister out on a date.
Jon Snow: I'm pretty sure I'm in love with her.
Jon Snow: But don't tell her that.
Robb Stark: EXCUSE ME??
Jon Snow: I'm home.
Sansa Stark: <3