2Disclaimer: I recently got obsessed with Game of Thrones, but doesn't mean I own it!
Story: It's that time of the year. The annual Stark-Baratheon-Lannister family gathering is at hand. For Sansa, this year things are the same and not. Though...maybe a little more not, if some of her interactions are any indications. After all, some of her guy friends are being really strange with her. Maybe it's just the holiday spirit? Then again, she's still cooking with Tywin and snarking with Renly, and maybe she's still awkward around Roose –but that's just been the way of things, right? Where the hell did Oberyn come from though?! (Kicking off this Universe like I should've ages ago)
Set as a gigantic modern AU universe.
Spoilers: Nope.
Warnings: Nope.
Pairings: (Main) Roosa (Roose /Sansa), Stansa (Stannis/Sansa), and Tysan (Tywin/Sansa). (Side) Oberyn/Sansa for much fun and irritation XD
Deck the Halls
Chapter Five: All I Want For Christmas is You (Sansa Baby)
Trying to relax now that the dinner was over and everyone had cleaned themselves up, Sansa was hoping to find some time to herself before everyone gathered at midnight to open presents (somehow waking in the morning to presents was old-fashioned). She walked along a silent hallway aimlessly, having no destination in mind.
"Sansa."
Roose's quiet voice made her pause and turn to look behind her, seeing the older man gazing at her solemnly. She smiled fondly and tilted her head in question.
"Roose? Something the matter?"
"May we talk?" he asked and while still confused, she nodded and came towards him.
He surprised her by taking hold of her hand, grasping it tight in his as he walked off towards an empty room. Inside, he turned towards her and she watched as his pale eyes, a marbled gray the likes she could remember comparing to the Pentelic marble graced from Mount Pentelicus, roved all over her face intently, gazing at her with bared emotion that was unlike him. He still hadn't let go of her hand.
Roose Bolton was not a man that showed his emotions freely and always kept others guessing at him.
But right now, all she could see was an almost naked desperation and a sweet tenderness she was taken aback to witness from him.
"Sansa, you have been someone I admit I have always admired and enjoyed being around," he actually admitted. "I know you have been content to let Robb lead on in the company and take a backseat to it, choosing to focus on other pursuits. But I…I would be more content…I would prefer to work under you. I would be completely devoted to you, I promise," he told her firmly, never taking his eyes off of hers.
Her breath hitched, but his last words held an underlying meaning that couldn't be mistaken, words he wouldn't (not now) openly confess to. Probably not even under the threat of death would he reveal such a thing, especially to her.
But for now, with those words, it was as close as he could say to it.
It was even more damning with the way his face was so open to her, letting her in and speaking everything he couldn't say, in a way that he wasn't known to; not when he always looked closed off or insincerely polite, a blank or solemn face more natural to him.
Sansa squeezed his hand. "It's something to think about, Roose," she then looked out at the large windows in the room. "The stars are bright tonight. Let's watch them awhile."
She kept a tight hold on his hand and walked over, watching the stars and contemplating his words —spoken and not.
She didn't know how long it had been, while she and Roose stood together and gazed out the windows and up into the stars shining down on them. It was a clear night and the stars were, for once, clearly displayed amongst a dark blue backdrop. It was comfortable with Roose, even in the silence. But she had always been comfortable with him.
They were disturbed, however, when the door to the room opened abruptly and the two of them turned as one to look at the intruder. Stannis walked in quickly, before stopping in surprise at the sight of them. His normally scowling face fluttered with the surprise before his normal scowl returned, though yet an air of awkwardness settled. But noise down the hall had him scowling harder and she exchanged a look with Roose.
Roose's eyes narrowed but then an eyebrow raised, the two of them easily communicating without words, and then she was turning back to Stannis with an easy grin.
"Come on in; we were just enjoying the silence in here and a blissful escape of the chaos back there," she invited playfully as her grin widened, more so when he easily closed the door behind him and went in.
Looks like he was very determined to run away from the 'crowd'. Though with Robert and Renly's incessant needling of him probably hadn't hurt, and she was starting to see a bit where the brothers were woefully wrong when it came to Stannis.
"Thank you," Stannis said in quiet relief. "It is rather…"
"Chaotic out there," Roose supplied, his hard to read face back on.
Stannis gave a stiff nod and awkwardness seemed to set in inside the room again, making Sansa sigh. She looked at the other two, noting Roose leaning lax against the window and back to staring outside, while Stannis seemed to be tensed as he stood in the middle of the room. A shame —she missed and rather enjoyed the relaxed version of him that she'd met in the library.
"So I danced with Roose earlier, but I never got to dance with you," she continued to be playful, determined to set Stannis at ease and loosen up.
For a moment, she actually witnessed Stannis' face become panicked and shocked, his scowl lifting to become slightly parted uncertainly. But she lifted her chin in challenge and held out her hand, and after another pause, Stannis came over and placed his larger one on hers.
If he took over and pulled her in closer for a small waltz around the room, with Roose watching quietly, then well Christmas had always been strange for her and family, extended and all.
It was a strange atmosphere she found herself stuck in, but she found it wasn't horrible and it was much better than the hubbub of the rest of their family back in the main living room. The two men were talking quietly and surprisingly getting along, and while she wasn't paying attention, she let their voices soothe her as she gazed through the window and hum to herself.
What a peaceful time it actually turned out to be! Even after everything, she had found time to enjoy Christmas Eve with a relaxed contentedness that she hadn't expected to have this year, not when every year had promised that it would be as troublesome as the past.
That's why, when the door opened once more, she felt trepidation at who would interrupt their peaceful mood. To her relief, it was only Tywin, whose feline-like eyes quickly moved over the tiny group, before entering and closing the door behind him.
To her delight, he held up a plate of lemon cake and he smiled lightly at her obvious reaction.
"I believe," his voice rumbled familiarly, "after our hard work in the kitchen today, a reward is in order."
"And that is why you're my favorite Lannister," she said blissfully, accepting the fork from him.
"And I dearly hope I may brag about that to my sons later," he said, just a tinged smug.
"Mmm," was all she answered, already digging in.
He held out a hand expectantly and she just dug the fork in and held it out to him. He made a light scoffing noise, but he did lean in to accept the forkful. She took another forkful for herself before she offered a bite to Roose.
He gave her a look but relented when she kept grinning like a lunatic at him. And when she did the same to Stannis, he awkwardly leaned in and accepted his own forkful.
"This really did turn out to be a nice Christmas break from the norm," she relaxed with them.
"WHERE THE HELL IS STANNIS?"
"Sansa, please save me from this madness! Where are you?"
"The hell did Dad disappear? I don't want to be alone with you, Ramsay!"
"Oh my Gods, why did Father take off and leave me with you animals!"
At Cersei's screech, all of them flinched and collectively sighed.
"Please, please don't let them find this room."
Sansa really loved her family, extended ones included.
She could just do without them sometimes.
Started 1/12/20 – Completed 1/12/20
Omake! V
"What a chaotic family."
"We did decide to shuffle all of Westoros' greatest Houses into one huge family."
"One fucked up family."
"Language!"
"It's true! Besides, they were always meant to become like this, especially with Sansa as a bridge."
"That's true too. They'll all just have to deal."
"You know, I would like Sansa to feed me some of her lemon cake."
"I second that."
"Me too~"
"On that point though…if serving her a lemon cake was all that it takes to become the favorite Lannister, Tywin should've gifted her one a long time ago to entice her into becoming part of the family. He should've been like 'Here, Lady Sansa, have a lemon cake. Marry Tyrion, marry any Lannister and I'll buy you all the lemon cakes you want! Just become a Lannister and stay here in King's Landing! Be my Key to the North!'"
"Hah! He should've used all of that bloody gold he had and boasted about to buy a litter filled with lemon cakes and send it straight to Winterfell to persuade her to come to King's Landing in the first place!"
"Hindsight, hindsight. At least Tywin knows better now."
"Lemon cakes are the key to Sansa Stark's heart!"
Started 2/9/20 – Completed 2/9/20
A/n: Welp, the end! Short and sweet~ Hope you guys enjoyed this itty bitty thing, next up is a one-shot in 'verse for New Year's, and finally I'll work on Valentine's for you all :D
Quick Points:
1. Current GoT Fics: Her Song of Fire and Ice (SansaxRoose/Stannis/Tywin), A Red King Bowed (Roose/Sansa), and March to My Heartbeat (Stannis/Sansa). Also Deck the Halls, to get started on that 'verse~
2. Closed it with our three guys, y'all.
3. You know Tywin should've just bribed Sansa with all the lemon cakes she'd want, to get her to marry into his family and stay in King's Landing XD
