#31daysofjonsa2021

Jon, however, has no issue with any of it, and she takes a moment to watch him shove the knife deep into a fresh pumpkin (and perhaps she gets a bit distracted with the way his arms flex as he carves out a neat circle on the bottom of it – another thing Sansa would never have thought of, to open it from the bottom to make placing a candle inside easier). He also has no qualms about the guts, she watches him go in with his bare hand and pull out stringy masses of it before using the scraper to get the leftovers.

Jon is terrible at the rest of it, though. Sure, he can carve the face, technically, but the ones he did try look like little children made them. This is where Sansa shines – she sketches the design and then carefully carves them out. It makes her giggle, thinking back to Jon's face when he'd seen her first pumpkin, the impressed wow that had made her warm with pleasure, before he turned his own pumpkin to face her and she'd burst into laughter at it.

So now they have a system down – Jon gets the pumpkins ready for her, and she does the rest. Of course, her job is slower, so there's already a few pumpkins waiting for her that Jon's already prepped.

Why Jeyne decided she needed to make this party jack-o-lantern themed, Sansa has no idea. It had sounded nice in theory – in practice? Well, there's a reason the rest of her siblings had bailed on this project, and even Robb and Jeyne are somewhere else in the house, doing other party prep things. Jeyne just doesn't want to admit that maybe her idea was a bit over the top.

So now it's just Sansa and Jon, because of course it is. Sansa never would have said she and Jon have anything in common, but they do have this – Jon's weird, stubborn loyalty and Sansa's need to see a project through to perfection. Not exactly the same, but the end result is. They're both here, the last two standing.

“Can you hand me that little knife?” Jon asks, pointing to one of her carving tools. “I figure I can help you out with some of the bigger cuts,” and then he gestures at the waiting pumpkins that she's already drawn designs on in pencil.

“Ew, get your hand away from me,” Sansa leans back as his pumpkin covered hand waves in her general direction. It grosses her out so much, Jon had laughed at her when she gagged scooping out her first pumpkin (wearing rubber gloves that she forced Robb to find).

Jon looks down at his hand, looks at her, then says, “this hand?” And then, to her horror, he reaches out for her with it and she squeals and drops the pumpkin she's working on to scramble back. And Jon – Jon just laughs, louder than he did earlier, reaching out for the pumpkin she dropped. “Careful,” he says with a grin, “these are delicate, don't go dropping them.”

She's about to say something when Robb's head pops into the room. “Everything ok in here?”

“We're fine,” Jon says, at the same time that Sansa huffs, “get your friend under control, Robb.”

Robb quirks an eyebrow at them and Sansa turns a glare on Jon, who's still grinning.

“You want to help?” Jon then asks, gesturing at the pumpkins they still have left to carve.

“Actually, there's so much to do in the other room...” Robb hedges, backing out.

“This is your party! Coward!” Sansa calls after her brother as he disappears.

“He's a terrible friend,” Jon says with that same smile on his face as he leans over and reaches past Sansa to grab the carving tool he'd been asking for, and Sansa realizes she's holding her breath at how close he gets.

“Aren't you glad to be back?” she tries her best to sound as sarcastic as possible.

She realizes that maybe it was a stupid thing to say when Jon's smile falters – this is his first year back after being honorably discharged; after being given some medal for getting shot six times in a mutiny within his own unit.

“Yeah,” he finally says, voice low and soft. “Yeah, I'm glad to be back.”

They work in silence after that, and Sansa finds herself sneaking glances at him. He's grown out his hair, for years she only saw him with a military buzz cut, but now it's long enough that he can tie half of it up into a little bun. The beard is also new, and all she can think is that it makes his eyes look more intense, somehow, makes the grey of them brighter.

She has to shake herself out of it when she notices that she's falling behind on her carving. She and Jon make a good team, except for when he's being completely distracting (not a phrase she would have ever associated with him when they were younger).

By the time they finally finish, her hands are cramping, but Jeyne is absolutely delighted by the lineup of pumpkins.

“It's perfect!” Jeyne sighs and hugs Sansa and then Jon. “Now we just need to put them around the house!”

They all start placing the pumpkins around according to Jeyne's orders, and it's then that Robb catches her alone.

“Was Jon laughing earlier?” Robb asks as they both stand in the hallway. In the dining room, Sansa can hear Jeyne directing Jon.

“Yeah?” she shrugs. “He thought it was so funny that I don't like touching pumpkin guts.”

All Robb says is, “huh,” and he starts walking back to the kitchen.

“Why?” she asks, hurrying to catch up.

“Nothing, I just... I don't think I've seen him laugh since he's been back, is all.”

Since he was shot, is what Robb doesn't say.

“Maybe I'm just funnier than you,” she shrugs.

It was meant as a joke, but when she looks back at Robb, he's got this look on his face - something appraising. She has no idea what it's about.

“Maybe,” Robb finally says.

She has no idea what Robb meant - Jon laughs all the time, she decides, when later on they're separating the seeds from the pulp to roast (once again, Jeyne's idea). Jon laughs every single time Sansa makes an exaggerated gagging noise when she has to touch the pumpkin guts. She does catch both Robb and Jeyne watching them a few times, both like they're a bit baffled by the laughter, which Sansa thinks is ridiculous. Jon laughs so easily.

The strange looks continue through the pizza Robb and Jeyne order to thank them for their help, through the beers and movie after (Jon also finds her reactions to horror movies funny, though his laughs are softer and he at least lets her hide her face in his shoulder during the worst parts).

When they're finally ready to go and Jon pulls on his leather jacket, it strikes Sansa that this Jon is different than the ones she knew before – the quiet, sullen teenager and then the clean cut, stoic soldier she'd seen the few times he'd been back on leave. This is a new Jon, though she also thinks it's the same one – he's different now, but there's still something innately Jon about him. She can't really explain it. She also can't explain why she finds it so fascinating.

“You'll be at the party tomorrow?” he asks out at their cars (Robb and Jeyne watching them from the front door like absolute weirdos).

“Duh,” she rolls her eyes, but there's no real annoyance behind it. “I didn't carve all those pumpkins for a party I wasn't even going to.”

That gets a smile out of him, and a soft release of breath that she thinks is a laugh. “Alright, I'll see you tomorrow, then.”

Something else she can't explain? The way her heart flutters.

Ghost knows things, even though the world did not reveal itself to him for a couple of days, as all pups are born blind first, he’d been fully aware of everything the moment of his birth. Knowledge for them is passed down differently. Humans learn in increments; it takes them years to fully mature. For their kind, there is already prior wisdom, ingrained within their blood: instincts sharper than any sword or hidden dagger.

Ghost huffs, pleased with the discovery. He tilts his head, allowing himself to fully look at her. She meets his gaze, rewarding him with a smile meant only for him. His tongue lolls out and a gentle chuckle escapes her. When she’s happy like this, the scent of lemons fills the air. And now, that other smell again, wafting from the warmth of her breath, from somewhere deep inside of her where another life stirs.

There are no visible evidences yet, she is the same as ever: tall, regal and ever graceful. He nudges his face closer to her belly and is delighted at the feel of her long, delicate fingers scratching the back of his ears. He flicks them up, letting her know that he is now aware, he understands now. He will protect her, will never leave her side from this day until the time of her whelping.

Ghost thinks it is quite possible that she isn’t yet aware and his eyes slide over to her companion, narrowing as he hears the words whispered just behind her ears, a familiar playful tone that hinted of just the tiniest bit of jealousy. He turns his attention towards his brother, who still sometimes squeezes himself inside his skin and together they run around Winterfell, tasting the winter wind.

If she is still clueless, then more so was his brother. It isn’t his fault, really. He is older now and has gained immeasurable amount of wisdom over the years, especially after the battle against the dragons and the Undead, but he has retained some of his youth’s obliviousness when it comes to matters of the heart. But Ghost has always been patient.

He watches as they share a look: their happiness is so pure; it smells like the forest waking up in the spring: fresh and lush. The scent is so strong it makes him huff with joy. Two hands reach down to bury their fingers in his fur. The fingers intertwine, curling around each other.