Chapter Text
“Red?” Arya raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, that’s a huge no-no.”
Gendry huffed. “What‘s the big deal with what she wears, anyway?”
“You know what the real question is,” Arya began. “Is what we’re doing lined up at this restaurant, which is still closed by the way, at six in the bloody morning?” She half-shouted, attracting the attention of the other people in line.
“I already told you,” Gendry sighed. “Daenerys spent a majority of her childhood in Essos,” he said as he tried and failed to suppress a yawn.
“And?” Arya asked, hands on her hips.
“When she heard that some famous restaurant-whatever-thing from Essos would be opening in the city, she practically swooned at the idea of,” Gendry put his hands in the air to make quotations with his fingers, “reliving her childhood.”
The sun was barely out, and the two sleep-deprived assistants were at the very front of a scarily long line to Asra, an hour before it opened.
Arya looked up at him thoughtfully. “I get it. I’d kill to get my hands on whatever reminded me of Winterfell.” Gendry didn’t think she was exaggerating when she said kill. Still, he smiled as her eyes softened at the mention of what he assumed was her childhood town. Personally, he didn’t have much of a childhood to reminisce and be fond about, seeing as he grew up in dirt-poor Flea Bottom. “Still doesn’t explain what we’re doing here at 6 am, though.”
“Breakfast. You know, busy day the rest of the day with the pre-ball show and all.” Gendry rolled his eyes, more to tease her than in actual annoyance. He could already feel the exhaustion and anxiety of the day before it even began. “And, well, it’s an hour before opening and there’s already a line.” He chuckled at remembering her running towards the lift like a madman at their first encounter. “As you’ve experienced first hand, I can’t keep my boss waiting.”
Arya huffed. “Still doesn’t explain why I’m here.”
Gendry groaned as he ran a hand through his hair. “You’re the one that wanted to meet today.”
It was two days before the Bark n’ Tail Ball, and as a sort of pre-event show, the organizers were holding a runway show featuring all the products and items up for bidding to help raise funds that very night.
“Yeah, but I thought we could sit for coffee, or plan for later while— I don’t know—we went jogging or something.” she pursed her lips.
Gendry feigned surprise. “Stark,” he widened his eyes. “Did you mean to ask me out on a date?”
Arya scoffed at him. “You wish.” She punched his arm lightly— or what she meant to be lightly. He stifled a wince as she rambled on. “All I meant was I didn’t think we’d be discussing our plans for later standing around like these idiots.” She said as she gestured to the others in line.
Her comment gained some side-eye and less than curt comments from a few fellow bystanders behind them. “Oh suck it.” She glanced at them with her fists clenched.
Gendry instinctively positioned himself between Arya and the rightfully-annoyed people in line, just in case things were to go south, as he quickly changed the topic. “So what’s the plan for later?”
Arya skimmed through her phone. “I’ve already contacted my guy and asked for them to be seated right beside each other. Plus I asked him to put a couple of old men on either side just to eliminate the competition.” She chuckled to herself. “Not unless Daenerys is into old men.”
Arya was... intimidating, to say the least. But Gendry had grown to enjoy her company throughout the brief time they’d known each other—only a little more than two weeks, really. She could be quiet, ruthless, and sometimes even downright mean, heck she pushed him down the stairs once when they were out running errands together— but she’d really begun to open up to him... and him to her.
“And where will we be?” He asked, directing his thoughts back to the planning.
“Right behind them.” She smirked. “Anything goes wrong, we interrupt and move the topic elsewhere. Like, pretend there was an emergency phone call, or something”
Gendry winced. “I wouldn’t exactly recommend interrupting Daenerys. Never pretty.”
Arya gave him a bored look. “Jon, then.” She scrolled through her phone again. “Have everything on your end ready?”
“Yep.” They’d both agreed to do everything in their power to make their respective bosses in their best of moods before the show. For Daenerys that included a Lana del Rey playlist, no mention of her brother or her exes whatsoever, and Drogon by her side at all times.
“Good. I made sure Jon had some Kale Shake, and kept Sandor as far away from him at work as possible—don’t want him to rub any asshole off on Jon. Not to mention I’ve temporarily blocked Ygritte on all his social media accounts—just for now.”
“Everything set then?”
“Guess it’s showtime.” She nodded as she turned to leave the line.
“I still have to get the food though.”
She groaned. “Fine.” She furrowed her brows as she turned on her heel and back towards him.
“You really don't have to wait for me.” He told her, a brow quirked upward.
“This food better be good.” She ignored him, as she shoved her hands into her jean pockets.
He only smiled silently in response.
———-
Arya was more nervous than she’d let on, which was saying a lot because Arya Stark was never nervous. She loved Jon dearly and the possibility of him finally getting over Ygritte would make all the effort she’d been exerting worth it. Also, the thought of not having to drag Ghost to the groomers every other day, and not having to get Jon’s bloody fur coats and leather jackets drycleaned at some ungodly hour seemed very appealing. Plus, Gendry was pretty fun to be around— or fun to make fun of, so she convinced herself.
She was in the car with Jon, on the way to the pre-ball show, rubbing her hands around anxiously like an idiot.
“Can’t believe you actually forced me to go to this.” Jon turned to her in the car, kale shake in hand. “I was fine with just giving money and not having to, you know,” He told her.
“Know what?” She asked, raising her eyebrows in confusion.
“Interact with people.” He pouted as he took a sip of his kale shake.
She’d spent days convincing Jon to attend the ball. He’d only finally relented when Arya threatened to tell Tormund and Ed about that one time on a family trip he‘d literally shit his pants when Robb and Theon played a prank on him when they were younger.
Alright, alright, I’ll go. He’d said with brows knit together. I’m the boss. He mumbled as he stalked away sulking. I’m the boss.
“Oh please, you’ll be fine, Jon.” She assured him. “You might even meet someone.” She teased. And that someone better be Daenerys.
“Pass.” He scoffed as he brought his phone out to work—or play, it was really only either of the two. The loser had no social life, mostly because he hardly replied to anyone. Sam would often text Arya to ask her to ask Jon to reply to his text messages-- and Tormund had his weekly jokes about Jon having only replied to their group chat thrice, ever. Hell, their sibling group chat had seen little more than a thumbs up from Jon. Even the eerily-stoic-Bran replied more than he did despite the wanker being in his weird indie-film-kid college phase.
“Pass?” She asked. “Oh c’mon Jon, you gotta get back in the game before you get all old and wrinkly!”
He stared at her in disbelief “Arya, I’m twenty-nine. How in the hell is that even close to old and wrinkly?”
She shrugged. “It is, like, almost thirty, so...” she trailed off.
“So?”
“You aren’t getting any younger.”
“Says the girl who’s never even had an actual boyfriend.” He scoffed.
“Hey!” She slapped his arm. “It’s out of choice and standards, okay?” She told him as he laughed. “Plus, I’m in my early twenties, I have all the time in the world.”
He just grumbled in response and went back to whatever it was he was doing on his phone.
She too brought her phone out as she put her screen on a ready photo of Daenerys looking absolutely stunning.
“Hey you ever heard of Daenerys Targaeryen?” She asked him.
“Who?” He asked nonchalantly, not looking away from his phone.
“Charity lady. Publisher. Works in our building.” She said, showing him her picture.
Without a glance, he merely mumbled something that sounded like ‘i guess’.
Arya continued. “She’s real fit, isn’t she?”
“Dunno.” He shrugged.
Despite his disinterest, she didn’t let it faze her. She simply had to introduce the thought of Dany to him. She was always quite good at manipulation— scratch that, not quite, but very good. “I hear she’ll be at the show later.”
“Good for her.” He attempted a smile at Arya.
“Amazing woman, I hear.” She mused. “Lots of spunk— doesn’t take shit. Don’t you love that in a woman, Jon?”
When he failed to reply with more than a humm in agreement, she resigned her attempt and slid back into her seat.
“I hear dad and Robb are coming downtown on a business trip a few weeks from now.” She said to him.
He smiled. “I know.” He looked at her. “It’s been forever since we’ve seen them, hasn’t it?”
“I’ve missed them.” She nodded. “Dad more than Robb, but don’t tell Robb that.”
He laughed as they shared a grin.
“You look good, by the way.” She punched his arm lightly.
He chuckled as he shook his head. “You too, kid.”
———-
Wru? Arya was seated behind Jon at the runway, looking around texting and waiting for Gendry and his boss to arrive.
Almost there.
Hurry. Some dimwit beside me won’t stop talking 2 me. Any longer n I’ll snap his neck.
What did we talk about just the other day about violence, Arya.
Ure not my boss. Jon is. u can go fuq off.
Alright. You have fun murdering whatshisface.
Wait, no, i need ur boss to bone mine come back.
Here.
Arya’s eyes found his as he gave her an almost indiscernible nod. She’d only slightly raised her eyebrows in recognition to avoid Jon or Daenerys noticing. Daenerys was wearing a long and tight-fitting golden dress, almost the same color as her hair. Arya was never one to gush, but even she couldn’t help but think that Daenerys looked like an actual goddess.
As Dany took her seat beside Jon, Jon being the gentleman he was, looked up at her and gave a curt nod and a small smile. Daenerys returned his greeting as she faced towards the runway.
They sat in silence for a few minutes as they waited for the show to begin.
What now? Gendry texted Arya.
Just wait
She just looked at him from the corner of his eye as she nodded and brought her phone back up to look at a text from Jon.
Jon: Did you know?
Know what? Jon glanced back at Arya as he was typing on his phone.
The lass you kept mentioning earlier. This is her right?
She slid forward oh-so-slightly to pretend to look at Daenerys as she made a conscious effort to widen her eyes and drop her jaw open.
Shit I think it is! She typed as she feigned surprise.
She observed as Jon casually and discretely eyed Daenerys from top to bottom.
Arya jokingly texted him her eyes are on her face Jon
Jon only glared at her in return.
“Drink, sir?” A young man had approached Jon, holding out a tray with an assortment of drinks.
“Just water please.” He mumbled as he took the drink he was handed.
Arya shared a look with the young man, as she swiftly flicked her eyes towards Daenerys and back. As Gendry eyed Arya with suspicion, a sudden gasp from his boss startled him.
“I’m so sorry, Ma’am!” The young man said as he scrambled to find a cloth to wipe Daenerys’ golden dress. The boy had appeared to have spilled a drink onto Dany, just as he was handing it to her.
“It’s fine.” Daenerys forcefully smiled with concealed her irritation. She exhaled sharply as she examined the damage.
Arya was quick to gather a large handkerchief from her bag as she lunged forward to hand it to Jon.
Albeit a bit confused, Jon swiftly took the handkerchief and turned to Daenerys. “May I be of any help, Miss?” He asked her, brows furrowed in concern.
Daenerys looked up at him with her large doe-eyes, as the irritation faded from her face. She took the handkerchief from Jon’s hand as she smiled up at the young boy, who was still apologizing profusely. “It’s alright, really. Nothing but a bit of a splash.”
“Thank you.” She turned back to Jon as she pat at her thighs with the cloth. “Hero ready to swoop in and save the damsel, are we?” She teased.
He smiled back at her. “You don’t really seem like the type that needs saving,” he replied.
She quirked an eyebrow in amusement. “I’ll take that as a compliment, then.”
“It is.”
Bingo, Arya thought as she shared a look with Gendry, who mouthed an annoyed, and equally confused, ‘what the fuck’ as he furrowed his brows at her and began to text furiously.
I thought the whole spilling napkin idea was stupid.
Arya only rolled her eyes and smirked.
Gendry pout his lips as she sent him a text.
Gave the guy a tenner to splash a bit on ur boss.
“Oh and I’m the stupid one?” He mumbled to her.
Arya shrugged in reply as he turned his attention back to their bosses.
“He’s beautiful!” Daenerys cooed, as Jon showed her Ghost’s picture on his phone.
Both Gendry and Arya shared a smile as in the mere seconds that they turned away, the two had already struck a conversation.
“Thank you.” He smiled.
Arya nudged Gendry with her elbow as she winked at him.
“May I see yours?” Jon asked.
“Of course!” Daenerys excitedly brought her phone up as she scrolled past a few pictures of her and her dogs.
Guess we can relax now. Think they’d notice if we got up and got a drink? Gendry texted Arya.
Probably not. Let’s go? Arya replied.
——
"Well, thanks for the heads up." Gendry smiled at Arya sarcastically as they reached the open bar.
"Heh." Arya smiled sheepily. "It worked didn't it?"
"You could have at least told me what you were planning to do. It's called courtesy, Stark." Gendry turned to face her straight on,
"So I paid someone to spill some alcohol on your boss." Arya shrugged him off. "It's not a big deal, Waters. They're talking now, aren't they?" Arya held up two fingers to the bartender. "Two glasses please."
"Listen," he furrowed his brows, "When you said you wanted to work together, I thought you meant together."
"I guess I'm just used to doing things on my own." She answered harshly, not bothering to look at him.
"Don't give me that lone wolf bullshit." He replied. She looked up at him half expecting him to be angry, but his eyes were surprisingly soft and his features concerned. She wasn't really used to getting called out. Most were too afraid of her or just didn't care enough. "We agreed to this shit show together, so we're going to do it together. No going off doing our own thing without telling the other. Plus, both our asses are on the line here."
"You're right." She sighed deeply. "I'm sorry, Gen." She said as she took the drinks from the bartender and handed one to Gendry.
The taller man smirked. "You're sorry? Well that's a first. Is that really you, Stark?"
"Oh please, you've only known me for two weeks. We're hardly even friends." She joked.
"You wound me, Arya." He said as he clutched his chest in mock-pain as they headed back towards their seats.
They walked together in silence until Arya opened her mouth to speak. "I really am sorry, Gendry."
He paused to smile at her. He gestured his head to the area their bosses were seated. "Let's get these two shagging."
----
Obviously, Gendry and Arya's presence had not been missed by either of their bosses. As most of the audience were boredly waiting for the show to begin, Jon and Dany were chatting up a storm.
"God, I had no idea you worked in King's Landing too!" Daenerys grinned. "I know it's not really allowed, but I sneak Drogon and the boys into our office almost every day."
"Really?" Jon asked, with more enthusiasm than Arya'd seen from him when Sam had accidentally eaten Sandor's chicken from the office pantry. "I can almost never bring Ghost in. The boy's much too big."
"Can I see a picture, again? Like, how big is he, really?"
Jon handed her his phone as she showed her a picture of him standing next to Ghost, with Ghost standing far past his waist.
"I really hope you could bring him to King's Landing, sometime." She paused timidly, "I'd love to see him."
Jon smiled. "Of course. I'd love to meet Viserion, Drogon, and Rhaegal too."
"You remembered all their names." She chuckled. "Most just say Drogon and mumble the rest.
He laughed as he held up his phone and swiped to the right to reveal a picture of Ygritte with Ghost. Almost instantly, their flirty demeanors had disappeared.
“She’s lovely.” Daenerys said with a voice Gendry recognized as the one she used to fake amusement with clients. He picked up how she masked her disappointment with a smile. “Your girlfriend?” She looked to him, eyes wide in question.
Jon clenched his jaw and forced a small smile. “Ah, well, no—not anymore, really.”
Daenerys’ face lit up, if only so slightly. But her rise in mood did not go unnoticed by Arya and Gendry. “I love what Ghost is wearing.” She attempted to change the topic as she referred to Ghost all dolled up in a cowboy hat and boots. “You sure know how to —.”
Jon masked a scoff with a cough. “No, I’m afraid that’s not my doing—I’m thankful it isn’t actually.”
“Thankful?” She said, her plastered smile slowly fading.
“Sorry, er, she picked that.” He said as she pointed to Ygritte. “If with a little—or a lot, rather, of force and nagging.”
“Well, he looks rather cute really. And dashing with our without the cowboy boots.” She told him, the confusion still evident in her voice and face.
“Cute?” He laughed sarcastically. “More like stupid. Poor boy made to doll up like some Barbie toy.”
“I dress my dogs up. I don’t see anything wrong with making them look more presentable.” Her smile was gone now and her brows were knit together. “It may not be a daily thing, but there’s nothing wrong with dolling them up every once and a while.”
“Now that it’s just up to me, I’d never have Ghost parade around in anything.” Uh-oh. “Lest he look like some pin-up chihuahah in a lady’s handbag.”
“Do you think that dressing pets up is beneath you?” She asked.
“Well honestly, I think it’s rather unnecessary and an insult to the animals.”
“An insult?” She repeated, unsure of where he was going.
“Like this runway here. I really don’t see the point of these events, honestly.” Oh no. “Here they are, parading our pets around as if it were the circus. If you think about it, this has to be some form of exploitation.“
“Pardon?” Daenerys said with irritation in her voice. “This is quite the noble and wholesome event, and you’re concerned about it being what exactly?”
He shrugged. “Contrived.”
“Contrived?” She repeated, her eyebrows raised and her face incredulous. “These people put in all this effort to help raise funds for animals and rescues, and you call their attempts contrived?”
“Not their efforts.” He said slowly, emphasizing it as if she were a small child. “Just the whole concept of it. Having pets parading around in costumes? Like they’re some accessory to be worn or some showpiece to be displayed.” His voice was harsher now— calm but harsh.
“You’re taking this entirely out of hand.” She laughed annoyedly, as she pressed her hands into the other. Arya and Gendry exchanged fearful looks. “You’ve taken something good and innocent, and injected malice into it. Blowing its implications entirely out of proportion.”
“Look,” he sighed. “I’m not insulting anyone, or belittling anyone's efforts. All I’m saying is that the sheer concept of a cowboy hat or little Chanel boots on a dog is idiotic. And having them walk around wearing them on a runway for our enjoyment? I’m sure they don’t appreciate it.”
“Oh, so are you some dog whisperer then?” She laughed. “What do they tell you, oh please, I’d love to know.”
Jon bit his lip. “If they could speak I’m sure they wouldn’t agree to this idiocy.”
“You’re joking, right?” Her laugh dripped with sarcasm. “If you don’t agree with all this ‘messed up show of animal exploitation’, then why are you even here?”
The raise in both their voices was loud enough to jerk the sleeping man beside Jon.
Arya and Gendry shared a wide-eyed and fearful look as their plans were unravelling right before their very eyes.
As Jon struggled to reply, Daenerys’ lips curled into an irksome smirk. “Well?”
As he opened and closed his mouth she interrupted any thoughts he was about to form as she promptly took his handkerchief from her lap and waved it in front of him. "If you have nothing else to say, I'll just have this washed and have it sent to your office tomorrow. It was nice meeting you." She said as she turned away from him and stood up. "Gendry," she turned to her assistant whose mouth was agape in shock and confusion. "I'm not feeling very well, ring the driver to pick us up, will you?" She said as she walked away, leaving an annoyed Jon and very worried Arya and Gendry.