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#behonesthowsmysinging
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THE PEACOCK
.
Incessant babbling, day and night. Constant fucking humming and grating outbursts of half-baked songs with bastardized lyrics. The bard is—superfluous would be an understatement. More like pretentiously poncey and purposely pig-headed just to piss me off. And a liability, to say the least. He's a goading, impudent Puck, yet shite with a sword and can't even fight with his fists to save his own featherweight arse. I mean, the moron can't weigh more than a sack of grain, for fucks sake. In fact, I'm surprised a strong gust of easterly wind hasn't blown the idiot all the way back to Oxenfurt. Oh, and to rub salt into that wound, despite his puny stature the gannet puts food away like a damn ogre, therefore munching through coin as if there's no tomorrow, no warm bath to pay for after having to wash in murky lakes for weeks, no dry room at an inn needed for a well-earned ale and a plate of pie and at least a night's decent rest.
He's incorrigible. Flashy. Unnecessary.
The bard is a Nobleman's trophy bird—a fucking Peacock of a man.
Yet.
And yet.
When we part ways and he is gone, the absence of his noise is a troublesome thorn in my side. It's like a river run dry when all you needs is a skinful of water. All the wild sounds slightly out of tune; the night owls lamenting the sound of that surely enchanted lute, the mourning Mocking Jays mimicking his voice having stolen and butchered his song. I feel unchallenged. Unmoored, even. Having only myself once again to worry over and to protect, seems somehow more of an effort—a chore, almost. All food tastes bland. My appetite in general, it wanes. Everything is wrong. Even drinking away the day at its end is so much less appealing. Bathing without soft hands smoothing warmed lavender oil through the strands of my dirty hair? A pointless waste of funds. And a soft bed for the night, all alone? These days, I strangely find it a sort of soft torture.
Yes, a Peacock preens and parades and is as vociferous as it is vexing.
But.
And but.
It's intelligent. Cunning. Majestic. It is exquisitely beautiful. And in the dead of night, when I hear its call carried on the breeze, it is somehow a tonic. The dazzling bird of such brilliant colour laments its mate: another Peafowl, this one with a plumage of pure white. And, once together again, they are the most perfect of contrasts. They are whole.
Roach brays and nods her head, shakes out her mane a little.
Ah.
It seems this witcher may have been thinking out loud again.
"Hmm," Geralt agrees sheepishly, and rides on.
.
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samstree · 3 years
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Just a Little Pretense
Jaskier and Geralt stage a fake breakup. Someone’s feelings get hurt for real.
The reverse trope series: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
AO3
“… It would be to take you off my hands!”
Geralt’s voice echoes in the ballroom, between the tall walls and the high ceiling. Everyone on the dance floor has fallen into silence. Even the band has stopped playing, their lead singer gaping with round eyes.
Jaskier blinks, impressed.
All the eyes are on the two of them. Jaskier’s back prickles with the gazes. As the fight escalated, more and more guests have stopped dancing just to eavesdrop on the witcher and the bard, the most peculiar couple in the room.
Which is just perfect. The more people witnessing their breakup, the more awkward it will be afterward, and the easier it will be to get out of this tedious party. And here Jaskier is, regretting ever having doubted his dear witcher’s ability to perform.
Who would have thought Geralt is a method actor? Drawing inspiration from a past argument is ingenious.
His old acting professor back in Oxenfurt would approve of this. The show is going swimmingly and he is pumped with adrenaline—maybe he should go back on stage one day, do a play or two.
But alas, he can muse the idea later. The show must go on.
“Really? Just like that?” Jaskier croaks, seemingly on the verge of crying. He’s not so bad himself, classically trained and everything. “Thirty years, Geralt. I followed you for thirty years, and just like that, you will kick me out of your life? Did I ever—” he breaks off with a whimper. “Did I ever mean anything to you? Or were you ready to cast me aside this whole time?”
A tear rolls down. His lips wobble. The crowd erupts in hushed murmurs and sympathetic sighs. The set-up, the build, everything has been perfect. Now the only thing left is for Geralt to break things off, and the two of them can ride into the metaphorical sunset and never see this court again.
Jaskier waits in anticipation, but his witcher opens his mouth.
And closes it.
Geralt looks as upset as he should, angry and torn and equally shocked, his golden eyes wide and his jaw clenched tight. It’s a nice picture to paint for the audience. They are supposedly having the biggest fight in their lives and his body language is very convincing.
More than convincing.
Except, it just might be … too convincing.
Wait—
Jaskier focuses on Geralt, who looks as if he wants to shrink into himself, his shoulders slumped and arms drawn in. He looks as if he’s waiting to be struck. Wait, something’s not right.
“I can’t do this.” A whisper leaves Geralt’s lips, small and achingly sad.
It’s not the line he’s supposed to say.
Geralt’s eyebrows droop ever so slightly, and there’s a flash of distress behind the molten gold. It’s gone in a second, hidden behind a façade of indifference.
The tells are subtle, near imperceivable to the untrained eye, but to Jaskier, they are clear as day—Geralt is hurt. For real.
Oh.
Fuck.
“Geralt,” Jaskier tries, instantly snapped out of his character.
And yet, there’s no reply. Geralt lowers his head, turns around, and flees the scene within one heartbeat and the next. The crowd is too eager to make way for him.
“Shit,” Jaskier curses, ready to chase after Geralt, but the Countess de Stael appears out of nowhere with a flock of maids and positively blocks him in all directions. She’s eager to lament the loss of love and companionship, and to offer Jaskier a place at her court once again. Oh, shit.
Jaskier brushes her off, all the while painfully remembering he and Geralt’s goal from the beginning—to use the breakup as an excuse to get out of this place.
Well, the plan is shit. Is it too late to notice?
Weaving through dozens of nobles is a lot more difficult when they all want to extend sympathy, and Jaskier is only placating them absent-mindedly, faking regret and heartbreak. His mind is full of his witcher, who is either brooding or spiraling over the venom he spewed earlier.
The truth is, Jaskier has long forgotten about the mountain—not because it didn’t hurt. To be shunned by Geralt, blamed for everything, and denied friendship, was the worst thing to have happened to him at the time. It’s just that Jaskier has forgiven it, so long ago and so completely.
Jaskier cannot get to their room fast enough, and when he pushes open the door, the sight of Geralt’s dejected face is a stab through the chest. The witcher is perched on the bed, somehow looking a lot smaller than he is.
Jaskier never should have come up with the stupid fake breakup thing, never should have inadvertently reopened the old wound. They healed, together. They shouldn’t be hurting anymore.
“I explained. We can leave now,” Jaskier tires, but in fairness, he doesn’t remember what he said to the Countess. “Geralt?”
The witcher himself crosses his arms, hugging his midriff and avoiding Jaskier’s gaze. “Good,” he answers curtly, shoulders still tense.
He looks angry, and when Geralt is angry, it’s most likely with himself. Oh, whatever heartbreak Jaskier acted out earlier, it’s not a match to a fraction of what he’s feeling now. It must be the one millionth time Geralt’s self-loathing has broken Jaskier’s heart, and it never gets easier, not when Jaskier caused it himself.
“Hey.” Jaskier desperately wants to wrap his arms around Geralt. So he does. He sits down on the bed and pulls his witcher into the biggest bear hug, which is returned immediately and so very tightly. “Hey, it’s okay. It’s okay. I’m sorry. I fucked up, Geralt. I’m—”
“Don’t be.” Geralt buries his nose into Jaskier’s neck and shakes his head. “I never should have said those things, Jask. I should be the one apologizing. It was wrong and untrue and I would never abandon you. You are my best friend. How can I ever? Please, believe me…”
Geralt trails off, his hands rubbing circles into Jaskier’s back. Although it’s unclear who he’s trying to soothe.
“I know. It’s okay. I know,” Jaskier murmurs, over and over again, sealing each reassurance with a kiss pressed into silver hair.
“I never meant it, Jask.”
“I know. It was fake. We were pretending.”
Geralt pulls away, golden eyes dead serious, pausing between every word. “I never meant it.”
Jaskier meets his gaze unwaveringly, with not an ounce of doubt. “I know.”
They stay there for a while, just holding each other. Geralt keeps sniffing Jaskier’s scent the same way he always does to check for injury or distress. He thinks he’s subtle, the sweet man, so Jaskier never mentions it.
Despite what an outsider might assume, Geralt is the sensitive one between the two. He’s so careful when it comes to their relationship, especially after the mountain and sometimes to his own detriment.
He’s so scared of hurting Jaskier again.
“I was an idiot for suggesting it,” Jaskier breaks the silence, nudging Geralt in the knee.
Geralt hums, lips pursed.
“Fake breakup is a terrible idea. Next time we’ll just grit our teeth and sit through the month-long party.”
Still, no smile.
“Alright, you win. Next time I won’t take you to a month-long party to start with.” Jaskier gently pats Geralt on the cheek. “For your delicate sensibilities, darling.”
Finally, finally, Geralt’s lips turn upwards, just a smidge.
“You are an idiot,” Geralt says, the crease between his brows fading. “Just…don’t make me make you cry again.”
Melting into the warmth welling up between his ribcage, Jaskier leans forward and presses a tiny kiss at his witcher’s forehead, so softly as if he’d break with any more force.
“Yes, dear.”
Being careless with Geralt’s heart is a mistake that Jaskier never wants to repeat. As he put a hand over his witcher’s languid heartbeat, Jaskier feels the soft thrumming against his palm, and realizes just how terribly he needs to guard it with the same care too. Against his frivolous self, and against the past that never seems to stop haunting them.
Because Jaskier needs this thing between them to work. If a faked breakup already seems unbearable, he shudders to imagine a real one.
A witcher’s life is already riddled with pain and sadness and could-have-beens. A poet would hate it if he added himself to the list.
---
Tagging: @wanderlust-t @rockysstupidity @flowercrown-bard @alllthequeenshorses @mothmanismyuncle @percy-jackson-is-sexy- @constantlytiredpigeon @behonesthowsmysinging @kitcatkim3 @endless-whump @rey-a-nonbinary-bisexual @llamasdumpsterfire @dapandapod @kuripon
Please feel free to tell me if you want to be removed or added to the list <3
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eusuntgratie · 2 years
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geraskier fic recs
for @pray-for-sound
ALL of @jaskie‘s witcher fic https://archiveofourown.org/users/Poe/pseuds/Poe/works?fandom_id=29890172 cold toes on the cold floor (with amazing podfic by @flowerparrish available) and precious, like silver (i podficced that one !) are two of my favorites but ack also anyway, here’s wonderwall and heliocentrism
My fave smutty Geraskier fic is Lock & Key by @sablier-bloque. 9k. Jaskier wears a chastity device to keep himself out of trouble. He gives Geralt the key. https://archiveofourown.org/works/22406872/ 
you’re only brave in the moonlight (stay til sunrise) by SummerFrost, 29k, is a sweet roommates AU. sweet and funny with an austic coded Geralt and a hilarious Jaskier. https://archiveofourown.org/works/24742885 
you follow? [series] by @shortcrust. 4 works, 3600 words. twitter fic. Jaskier is a musician, Geralt is his grumpy husband who is often mistaken for his bodyguard. Sweet and hilarious. https://archiveofourown.org/series/1620703
okay since i don’t have many for you here’s a couple from my to-read list that I haven’t gotten to that look promising:
Just to Keep the World at Bay bc personal trainer Geralt in tiny shorts what more do we need to know? https://archiveofourown.org/works/31482353
This series is a kink club AU i’m dying to read but somehow still haven’t gotten to 😩 https://archiveofourown.org/series/1784710
Hmmm @jaskie and @behonesthowsmysinging might have more recs for you!
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WHEN THE NIGHT HAS COME AND THE LAND IS DARK
.
Sometimes, on cold nights—and even some not-so-cold nights—Geralt wakes abruptly in the forest with something tickling his cheek and bothering the inside of his nostrils.
Jaskier's hair is like silken web; soft and fine, and fucking irritating when it tangles itself in your eyelashes like dandelion fluff caught in tree sap.
On these particular cold (and not-so-cold) nights, Geralt wants to grunt loudly and swear and push Jaskier roughly from Geralt's space on Geralt's bed roll because what the fuck, bard?
He never does though.
Not even this time, as Geralt awakes to that mass of brunette spiderwebs in his actual fucking mouth, with one of Jaskier's surprisingly muscular arms and a long shapely leg wrapped tightly around Geralt's midriff as if the cretin is some sort of tentacled ocean dweller. Oh, and, for fucks sake, the idiot bard's stupid slackened, drool-covered face mashed right into the crook of Geralt's neck.
Half blowing, half spitting Jaskier's hair from his mouth, Geralt balls his fists and grits his teeth and sighs, heavily.
With the moon fat and high in the inky sky and sounds of the wild all around them, he will try once more to find sleep.
Closing his eyes again, Geralt pointedly ignores how Jaskier smells of lavender and forest ferns. He shuns the way Jaskier's soft, rhythmic snores play their easy tune in his ear. He takes no note of Jaskier's even heartbeat and how the sound of it is a welcome comfort in the dead of night, pays no heed to the shallow breaths leaving Jaskier's mouth and the way each exhale warms more than just the spot underneath Geralt's jawbone, and he doesn't spare even a bit of attention for the way those smooth lips with their perfect cupid's bow feel on the skin of his throat as Jaskier mutters the sweetest song lyrics from his dreams.
As sleep finally does pull him under, Geralt also most definitely does not take to heart the way the idiot bard makes everything better.
.
(from my deleted witcher blog behonesthowsmysinging)
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samstree · 3 years
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36 for kiss prompts and/or 23 from touch prompts?? i'm so happy for your dynamic return!! 😌
Lean on Me
36. “kissing away tears” + 23. “carrying the other one in their arms” from the touch asks. Thanks for the prompt, my dear! <3
In which Jaskier is a stubborn idiot. Geralt is there for him.
(1.4k, aftermath of torture, mentions of blood and injury, panic attacks, vomiting, read on AO3)
---
“Oh, finally!” Jaskier lets out a sigh, his ribs aching at the exhale. “My dear, you don’t know how I’ve longed to see your beautiful face! These two gentlemen—on top of being the rudest persons in the entirety of the Nilfgaardian empire—have the most hideous complexions I’ve seen! Seriously, does being a royal torturer suck away your soul along with your good looks?”
“Shut up, Jaskier.”
Geralt fumbles with the shackles around Jaskier’s wrists, refusing to look up. The motion pulls at the flayed skin a little. Jaskier gasps when one of the restraints falls to the floor. He uses the air to resume his rambling.
“Dull as fuck, they are. It’s always ‘tell me where they are, or we’ll beat you to death’ as if I didn’t infer from their mean faces on the first day. Urgh! So unimaginative! You’d think an army that swept through the continent could hire someone more competent. Professionals, maybe—”
The other wrist comes out and Jaskier abruptly tips forward, his knees giving way. Luckily, strong arms catch him around the waist without a moment of doubt, and Jaskier finds himself face to face with the prettiest amber eyes in the world.
“Hey,” Jaskier says, realizing that he’s bitten his lower lip in a panic. The old wound reopens and he tastes blood. “Did I ever tell you how beautiful your eyes are?”
A gentle hand comes up to push back the hair in Jaskier’s eyes, revealing his forehead and, undoubtfully, the gash there and all the dried blood. He feels exposed like this.
“Jaskier,” Geralt breathes, the whisper too careful for Jaskier to handle after all these days. “You are in shock.”
“What? No, I’m not!”
Jaskier frowns, and struggles on his feet to prove the point. If only his legs would cooperate and stop feeling like jelly. Geralt trails his fingers down to cup Jaskier’s jaw, a thumb hovering over what must be a patch of bruises by his lips. He presses down with the barest touch and Jaskier hisses, which tugs at his ribs again.
Geralt’s brows are knitted together with worry. “I need to get you out of here fast.”
“There’s no need to look so constipated, Geralt dear. I told you I’m fine. This—” he gestures to the tiny torture chamber. “—is nothing!”
With that, Jaskier takes a step towards the door—well, what’s left of it after Geralt smashed through the poor thing. Each step feels like he’s walking on a cloud. His arm rests on Geralt’s shoulder but refuses to lean into his witcher’s solid strength. Geralt doesn’t seem convinced, with a hand still at Jaskier’s waist, just shy of touching his throbbing side.
“Let me tell you, they couldn’t even follow through on most promises. Apparently, the emperor himself gave orders to keep me alive. I’m a valuable asset! So, you see, all the talks of opening me up with those colorful gadgets were nothing but empty threats. I could laugh at those idiots!”
As they stumble out of the room, Jaskier can’t help but get another glimpse of the table full of devices—pliers, knives, a chainsaw, and something that looks like a stack of thick needles, except every five of them are attached to make the perfect shape to go into someone’s fingers.
A shudder runs down his back—not from fear, of course. It’s a draft in the hallway.
“Hmm. And they are the idiots.”
“For messing with me and not finishing the job—Oh, there they are.” Two mangled bodies are barely visible in the dark corner, with blood seeping into the floor. “Did you give them hell? I bet you did. The White Wolf’s wrath is no joke, not when his bard is taken. Not that it was too much of a bother for me, mind you. I’m fine.”
The urge to repeat the word is overwhelming despite the crack in his voice. Jaskier licks at the cut on his lip just like he’s done in the past few days. It was the only soothing motion he could manage while being bound in metal. The warmth of Geralt’s body is miles better, so much so that a disorienting fog is forming before Jaskier’s eyes, darkening the edges of his vision.
“Sure you are. Just…hang on, just a little longer,” Geralt pleads, a bit desperately. For what, Jaskier isn’t sure.
Geralt takes Jaskier’s elbow with his other hand, guiding him forward toward the exit. He’s acting like that again, like he’s around a spooked horse or scared children. Jaskier turns in confusion and rests his temple against Geralt’s cheek, but he’s rudely dislodged quickly.
“Portal,” Geralt warns.
Before Jaskier has time to react, cold wind is cutting into his cheeks and his bare feet sink into thick snow. Kaer Morhen stands tall as always, and Jaskier wants to sag with relief—
Before a spell of nausea hits him in full force, turning his insides into a swirling mess. Jaskier can barely push Geralt away before crumbling onto the icy ground and heaves out whatever little content in his stomach. There’s not much. It’s not like a prisoner’s diet is on top of Nilfgaard’s priorities.
“Portals… Can’t complain when we are in a hurry, right?”
Jaskier chokes out a laugh while trying to wipe away the bile at his lips. The coldness is creeping up on him, making him tremble like a leaf. He hugs the hollow of his stomach, but the involuntary spasms jostle his sensitive ribs again, drawing out a whimper. Everything hurts. His mouth is filled with cotton, his head pounding like fireworks exploding inside his skull.
The next attempt to stand fails, and he ends up in a heap of misery with nothing but the raggedy shirt on his back. Jaskier takes in gulps of air but can’t find any release. His lungs are burning with the aftershock of panic.
It’s like a dam breaking. The reality sinks in, of what could have happened. Of what did happen.
Jaskier knows he’s crying. Tears are rolling down his cheeks with abandon and freezing in the cold air. He can’t hide them, not when he doesn’t even have the strength to lift a hand.
A coat wraps around his shoulders, and Jaskier shudders into the contact. Geralt lowers into his vision, his head tilted so their gazes can meet. Amber eyes are flowing with patience, so much patience.
“All right,” Jaskier finally croaks, “perhaps…there’s a chance that I’m, um, I’m not quite fine.”
Geralt’s palm finds Jaskier’s cheek again, careful not to aggravate the bruises and the broken skin. Their foreheads rest together, and the only thing left in the snowy world is the sound of Geralt’s breathing. The grip on Jaskier’s airway loosens, allowing him to match the achingly unhurried rise and fall of Geralt’s chest. The familiar scent of leather and sweat is in the background, the best soothing balm for his frayed nerves, always.
Slowly, the storm calms.
“That’s it. Breathe with me, just like this. You are safe. I have you now. I have you.” Geralt murmurs into his ear, repeating the last sentence like a mantra. “I have you, Jask…”
There are more tears, but soft lips catch them in a lover’s caress. Jaskier lets himself melt into his witcher’s presence, lets his tears be kissed away.
“What should—” His teeth chatters. The snow is numbing his toes, the tingling bordering on pain. “What should I do?”
The world spins again, but this time upward. Geralt’s arms are so steady as he lifts Jaskier in one swift motion and carries him toward the keep.
“Lean on me. For now.” The corners of Geralt’s lips quirk up into something akin to a smile, but not yet. It looks physically impossible for Geralt to smile right now. “Lean on me, and don’t worry a thing.”
And Jaskier does. He leans into Geralt’s neck and rubs his damp cheek into the scent there. The sniffles don’t go away for a long time. His breaths are still shuddering, but for the first time, there’s nothing Jaskier wants to say.
For the first time, Jaskier only wants to bury himself into Geralt’s coat, into the quiet safety of his favorite witcher, and ease his mind into oblivion.
---
Tagging: @rockysstupidity @flowercrown-bard​ @alllthequeenshorses @mothmanismyuncle @percy-jackson-is-sexy- @constantlytiredpigeon @behonesthowsmysinging @kitcatkim3 @endless-whump @rey-a-nonbinary-bisexual @llamasdumpsterfire
Please feel free to tell me if you want to be removed or added to the list <3
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samstree · 3 years
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number 3 for the casual affection for geraskier? 💛
Exceptions
Casual affection asks: 3. “laying their hand on the other’s leg”
Or, the mortifying ordeal of being known. (read on AO3)
A passionate Jaskier is not to be distracted.
Once the mood strikes, he will go into the most excruciating details on music theory while Geralt resigns to the reality that their night is going to be filled with his bard’s voice. It’s not a bad voice, one of Geralt’s favorites, even.
Although he still hasn’t admitted it out loud.
This part is implied in the tiny smile at the corners of his mouth, one that he half-heartedly tried to hide while Jaskier starts to demonstrate the evolution of playing positions of the lute. An excited flush paints the bard’s cheeks rosy-pink as the lecture goes on, and, of course, ends up in another tirade about Valdo Marx.
“…seriously, if he’s a testament of the teaching quality of Cidaris, I’d say no parent should ever send their child to the coast for music education again! No scenery can make up for the lack of appreciation of art—Geralt, are you even listening? Anyway, the worst part is that the masses are still so taken with him…”
The smile on Geralt’s face blooms. A passionate, rambling Jaskier is not to be distracted.
Except—
When Geralt puts a hand on his lap and squeezes his thigh gently. Amber eyes meet cornflower blue with a quiet plea. That’s how Jaskier knows something is needed from him. Something important.
The string of complaints halts immediately. The only sounds left are the crackling of campfire and leaves rustling in the cool autumn wind.
“What is it?” Jaskier asks, frowning.
Geralt only gazes upon his bard with all the softness in his chest, before shifting his attention to those lips. He leans in, ever so slowly, giving Jaskier enough time to react, to pull away if he wishes to.
He doesn’t.
The kiss is sweet, unhurried, and with the lute between them, even a little awkward. Jaskier lets out a gasp as Geralt pulls away. He chases with a whine.
Geralt makes sure his voice is dark with desire. “Don’t let me interrupt you,” he says and prides himself in the beet-red flush stretching all the way down Jaskier’s neck.
The bard licks his lips. His half-lidded eyes gleam dreamily.
“Huh…?”
Jaskier looks like he’s forgotten every last thought, so Geralt pulls him into another kiss.
 ---
A determined Geralt is not to be stopped.
Especially when the determination serves to protect. One should learn not to interfere with a Geralt trying to keep someone safe.
Although a bard may disagree.
Jaskier wakes to hushed arguing in the room. He’s curled up on his side. The bed is too warm and the pillow too soft. The urge to squirm is overwhelming, but the stitches on his back tug uncomfortably, preventing him from rolling away.
“…I didn’t save your bard from the brink of death again for you to throw your life away, Geralt.”
Is it Yennefer? It sounds like her, so annoyed as usual but somehow always correct.
The mattress dips near Jaskier’s stomach, and he realizes Geralt is perched on the edge. Facing away, he doesn’t notice Jaskier has woken up. “He came after Jaskier once already. I can’t let him do it again.”
“Remember you are hurt just as bad.” Triss is here too, and a lot calmer. “You won’t even be able to cast signs. How do you suppose you can fight?”
Geralt scowls in frustration.
Even from behind, Jaskier can imagine the determined look on his witcher’s face. That’s never good because it means he’ll charge into whatever danger headfirst. Jaskier wants to protest, but all he manages is a pained grunt. A hand rubs soothing circles into his knee, but Geralt doesn’t look around.
“For heaven’s sake. Are the two of you not capable of seeing senses at the same time?” Yennefer growls in return, but a murmur from Triss sends her pacing away. “Don’t make me fight you, Geralt. You will regret it.”
“Then don’t fight me!”
Triss is the one in Jaskier’s view now, her expression displeased but still patient.
“Yenna is right. We better rest, recover, and then make plans for the future. You are being too impulsive to be reasonable.”
As if reason is on Geralt’s mind in this state. Yen’s fury won’t work on him, nor will Triss’s logic.
Jaskier’s face scrunches up in his struggle, but Geralt only tucks in the blanket at his cold feet.
“There’s nothing you can say to convince me. I know both of you are trying to help, but…I need to do this,” Geralt says with finality. “Take care of Jaskier while I’m gone.”
The mattress shifts and Geralt makes a move to leave. Yennefer starts full-on shouting again. In a panic, Jaskier grabs blindly with all the strength he can muster, and his boneless hand land on Geralt’s lap. Tears well up in his eyes, from the wound and from the white-hot fear. The weakest, most pathetic sound escapes his throat, but it’s unimportant. Jaskier has to stop Geralt, even if he feels barely lucid, even if his witcher is an unstoppable force right now.
And then, everything stills.
Jaskier blinks, and all he can see are worried amber eyes, the fight in them completely gone. Warm hands are at his temple, tucking away strands of hair and wiping away the tears.
“Stay.”
The word is no more than a broken whisper, but that’s all Geralt needs. He catches Jaskier’s shaky hand and holds on to it. The promise shouldn’t be this easy, but it is, because Jaskier asked.
“Okay.”
Geralt stays.
---
This prompt is so soft. Thanks for sending it! <3
Tagging: @wanderlust-t @rockysstupidity @flowercrown-bard​ @alllthequeenshorses @mothmanismyuncle @percy-jackson-is-sexy- @constantlytiredpigeon @behonesthowsmysinging @kitcatkim3 @endless-whump @rey-a-nonbinary-bisexual @llamasdumpsterfire @dapandapod
Please feel free to tell me if you want to be removed or added to the list <3
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samstree · 3 years
Note
Hi Jin, I love both your fluff and your angst a whole lot so I come offering with either 34."Please don't" or 33. "Are you delirious?” from the Responses to “I Love You” Prompt List for Geraskier 💙
Mend What Is Bound to Break
Some hurt is unavoidable.
Responses to “I love you” prompt list: 34. "Please don't,”
(1k, hurt/comfort, angry jaskier, geralt tries his best, cw: blood and injury, read on AO3)
“I love you.”
That is the wrong thing to say, because Jaskier is growing more agitated.
“Please don’t,” he hisses, shifting away from Geralt on the small bed. The fit is too tight, so even when he ends up on the edge there’s still only a hand’s breadth between their bodies. Stubbornly turning his head away, Jaskier lets out an audible huff. “And don’t look at me with your puppy eyes. I know you are! You’ve fucked up real good this time, mister witcher. Batting your pretty eyes is not going to work.”
Geralt reaches out but thinks better of it. Instead, his arm wraps around the bandaged wound at his side.
The worst part is that Geralt knows he fucked up. In fact, he already knew when he set out for the kikimora with half of his potions empty and that barely healed concussion. The deep gash right below his ribcage is as inevitable as it is painful at this moment.
Yeah. He fucked up real good.
Jaskier is right to be angry. It’s just that Geralt wishes he knows how to deal with an angry Jaskier. A sad one? Sure. Geralt is a connoisseur at lifting his bard’s spirit at this point, but the best trick for that has no effect here—he’s just used it, and made it worse.
Jaskier being this mad at him is a first.
Geralt wants to curse but carefully swallows the urge.
“I’m sorry.” An apology seems to land better. Jaskier still has the back of his head in Geralt’s direction, but he’s listening. “I shouldn’t have done it.”
“What shouldn’t you have done?”
Geralt sighs.
“Not take care of myself.”
“And why?” Jaskier deadpans, his shoulders rigid.
“Because—” Geralt shuffles towards the warmth of Jaskier, but the throbbing pain shoots up his spine. A low grunt escapes his throat. The next thing he knows, cornflower blue is all that’s in his vision and full of concern. “Because it worried you. Made you go into the woods and drag me back all by yourself. Again.”
The worry in those cornflower blue eyes freezes over.
“You think—” Jaskier pauses. “Seriously? You think I’m mad because you inconvenienced me?”
“No…?”
The bard makes an indignant squawk and plops down on the bed, fuming, his face bloated red. The only thing missing is smoke coming out of his ears to paint the full picture of his mood.
“There was so much blood, Geralt.”
The accusation comes out a lot softer this time. Something inside Geralt unfurls.
“I would have healed. Even without you.”
“You mean lying in a pool of blood for days, next to some dead creature and waiting for your mutation to knit your skin back together?”
Geralt feels like he shouldn’t answer the rhetorical question, so he purses his lips into a thin line. It turns out that is the wrong answer too.
“Unbelievable,” Jaskier scoffs under his breath.
“There were people nearby. A family living by the woods. A delay would have been too risky.” Geralt adds to the defense that Jaskier surely has learned from that farmer and his wife. The bard is still staring at the ceiling, his jaw clenched tight.
“I don’t care about other people.”
Geralt takes Jaskier’s hand. There’s still bloodstain under his nails.
“That’s not true.” He frowns. Only the gods know how much Jaskier cares under his frivolous appearance, or he never would have followed Geralt so many years ago. “It’s just…the way of the path. You have to understand that these things happen—”
“I have to unders—” Jaskier draws a shuddering breath, and to Geralt’s horror, the salty tang of tears fills the space between them. When their gazes meet again, Jaskier is crying openly. “As if I don’t—”
A whimper interrupts the sentence. The sight of Jaskier choking back tears is too much for Geralt to bear. He manages to get closer this time despite the stitches tugging at his skin.
“Come here. Please?”
It only takes a gentle pull for Jaskier to curl himself around Geralt, who immediately takes the chance to bury his nose into the crook of Jaskier’s neck and nuzzles into the calming scent of chamomile.
“I’m all right.”
“You almost weren’t,” Jaskier sniffles. His damp cheek rubs against Geralt’s forehead. “When I found you, the way you… Geralt, how can you say I don’t know what a witcher’s life is like? How can I not understand that each time you walk into danger you might not come back to me? How can I not when it’s all I can think about on some days? When I can’t even breathe at the idea...”
Geralt laces their fingers together and brings Jaskier’s hand to his lips, another silent apology sealed into the kiss.
“What can I do?”
After a long stretch of silence, Jaskier pulls back, his eyes still glistening. “I don’t know,” he whispers.
Jaskier’s distress won’t dissipate from the air. It’s not logical too, for him to be upset about something he already accepts as the truth, something set in stone. A witcher’s life is volatile. Geralt can’t promise he’ll always come home, and it’s something anyone close to him must come to terms with.
Maybe it’s not something Geralt can make better, but he can still try.
“I’m sorry,” he repeats, inching towards Jaskier. “But it is what it is, Jask.”
When Geralt presses another kiss at the corner of his bard’s mouth, something in both of them sags with acceptance. Jaskier leans into the touch, allowing himself to be soothed.
Puppy eyes, right. Geralt gazes upon his bard with all the softness he can muster, and finally, finally, the furrow between Jaskier’s brows smooths over. Calm resignation replaces any trace of his earlier outburst.
Geralt wants to pride himself in the small triumph, in mending Jaskier’s heart. If only he wasn’t the one who broke it in the first place.
A deft hand hovers over the bandages before resting on Geralt’s hipbone, a thumb tracing gentle patterns. It’s all that needs to ease any pain in the world.
“It is what it is,” Jaskier agrees.
And there’s nothing more to it.
---
Tagging: @wanderlust-t @rockysstupidity @flowercrown-bard​ @alllthequeenshorses @mothmanismyuncle @percy-jackson-is-sexy- @constantlytiredpigeon @behonesthowsmysinging @kitcatkim3 @endless-whump @rey-a-nonbinary-bisexual @llamasdumpsterfire
Please feel free to tell me if you want to be removed or added to the list <3
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samstree · 3 years
Note
for the drabble thing: “you weren’t there”
maybe post mountain geraskier? i’m in an angsty mood rn but whatever you wanna write will be good :)
Creatures of the Night (2)
It's the night of Jaskier and Valdo's wedding. Geralt needs to do something.
(endgame geraskier, background valdo/jaskier, angst, infidelity)
Previous | AO3
The Oxenfurt Observatory might just be the grandest building in Redania.
The great hall is decorated with countless flowers and candles, giving the ancient walls a soft glow. Through the tall glass ceiling, stars are shining in the clear night sky, the perfect weather for a wedding.
It must be Jaskier’s idea, to be handfasted at midnight, to have his guests slow-dance under the moon and the stars until dawn breaks. Their new life will begin when the candles burn out and the first ray of light spills into the room.
If only there’s a competition for the biggest romantic on the continent. Jaskier could win without breaking a sweat.
The room is being filled up with guests—mostly bards and professors, old schoolmates of the two grooms. After all, both Valdo and Jaskier are Oxenfurt’s children, which means everyone is dressed in the most colorful clothes one could imagine. In another word, the room is being filled up with Jaskiers, and it’s getting loud.
It’s more difficult to locate the bard himself through the din of the room, but Geralt hears him, unmistakably. Jaskier’s heartbeat approaches the Observatory, thrumming with nervousness.
No more nervous than Geralt.
He breathes in, and exits the room in a few strides. And there Jaskier is, surrounded by pale moonlight, with jasmine flowers braided into his hair and pure joy painted across his cheeks. He seems to be murmuring a private joke to Essi, and they both burst into strings of giggles.
Geralt almost backs out.
“Geralt!” Jaskier notices him. “You came! I was worried for a moment.”
“Of course.” Geralt gestures to the outfit he helped pick out. “You look nice.”
“Thank you. Now, Poppet, can you give us a few moments?” Jaskier sends Essi inside with the sweetest smile. She shoulders past Geralt a little too curtly. There’s always an air of wariness whenever Essi regards Geralt, an untrusting side-eye here and there.
“Don’t mind her.” Jaskier waves when they are left alone. “Little Eye is a tad too protective. She’ll get over it.”
“Hmm.” Geralt swallows hard. “Can we find somewhere more private? I want to talk to you.”
Jaskier blinks, but leads them away anyway until they are by the side of the road, the celebrating crowd and the orange glow of candlelight in the distance.
“Here to make sure I end up someone else’s problem, aren’t you? Don’t worry, in about half an hour, I will be legally required to only bother Valdo for the rest of eternity.” Jaskier nudges Geralt in the shoulder, a jasmine slipping by his ear.
Geralt rights it without thinking, his fingers trembling.
Gods, he can’t say it. He can’t. Jaskier is so happy and Geralt will only ruin their friendship. His second chance is too precious to be risked—
“No, actually,” Geralt heaves out a breath, his heart pounding. “The opposite."
Jaskier snorts, “And, my dear witcher, what is the opposite?”
Here it goes.
“I am in love with you.”
The words sink into the silence. Geralt’s world narrows down to the steady rise and fall of Jaskier’s chest and the little hitch in his breathing. In the darkness of the night, Jaskier’s eyes stay in the shadows, his emotions obscured.
“No, you are not.” When he finally answers, it comes out in a snort. “Ha! A good one, Geralt! And they say witchers don’t have a sense of humor, idiots!”
Jaskier lets out another dry laugh, although the waver in his voice betrays everything.
“I am,” Geralt stresses again, “in love with you, Jaskier.”
Jaskier is staring, the upturn of his lips freezing into shock, the rise and fall of his chest picking up into a frenzy and suddenly he’s breathing too fast. “You can’t. You just can’t…” Air seems to trap in his lungs and a salty tang of tears hits Geralt full-force.
“I wish I couldn’t love, like what they say, but Jaskier, I can and I do—”
“You can’t do this to me!” Jaskier shouts, crying openly. “No, no! You don’t get to tell me this now! We had twenty years…”
Geralt wants more than anything in the world to pull Jaskier into his arms and wipe away the tears, but the space between them is too great. “I didn’t know for twenty years, Jask. Forgive me. It was only after the mountain that I learned how important you were to me. I couldn’t go on like this—”
“The mountain?” Jaskier chokes out a whimper. “You realized after the mountain? You mean when I bared my heart to you and you stomped on it like it was nothing?”
Geralt shakes his head, the guilt constricting his chest. “I’m sorry. For all the pain I caused you.”
“For months I thought I was but a mistake to you, that you hated me for two decades and couldn’t wait to cast me aside like dirt stuck on your shoes. Do you even know… Geralt, do you have an ounce of idea what I went through?”
Jaskier sways and Geralt catches him in his arms, placing his head on his shoulders and feeling the uncontrollable shakes running down Jaskier’s spine. The sight of Jaskier hurt because of him, again, pains Geralt more than any monster’s claws or talons.
“I love you, Jaskier,” he vows. “You were never nothing to me. You are everything. I was an idiot. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”
Jaskier struggles and swats at his shoulders and Geralt takes it all the while murmuring more sweet nothings into his ear. Finally, when Jaskier calms down, it’s with another whimper. “You are an idiot.”
“I am.” Geralt cradles the nape of Jaskier’s neck, running his thumb in circles, soothing the last of the trembling away. “Just one word from you, Jask, I can take you away. You don’t have to marry him. Just give me the word and I’m yours. Gods, I’ve waited for so long for this day. At last, I’m sure of my heart, just as I’m sure of yours.”
He buries into Jaskier’s hair and inhales the grief and the flowers, and something that is distinctly Jaskier, expecting a whispered plea. Just one word from Jaskier and they can start their new life together.
What he doesn’t expect is the way Jaskier goes stiff in his arms and the hand that pushes him away.
The soft moonlight catches a glint in Jaskier’s eyes, and it speaks of determination. “Valdo,” he says, as if in a dream.
“You don’t have to marry him. We can lea—”
“Valdo will be here soon.” Jaskier sniffles and wipes at his tears frantically. His whole face is puffy from crying and there’s no way he can hide it. “It’s almost midnight.”
Geralt’s world comes to a stop.
“What?”
“Get inside, and don’t say anything about this.”
“I don’t understand. Jask, you don’t need to go through this anymore. I’ll give you anything you ask. Just say the words, please,” he begs for the first time in a century, catching Jaskier’s hand.
“I am saying it. Get inside. Sit in the back row and don’t speak to me. Valdo might be able to tell.” With a few deep breaths, Jaskier school his features back to neutral. “Only the gods know how he can read me like an open book.”
Geralt’s blood runs cold. “Do you love him?”
The anguish by the corner of Jaskier’s lips says everything. It remains as he smiles a crooked smile. “He loves me. Oh, Geralt, he loves me. I can’t hurt him like this.”
“I thought,” Geralt looks down in shame. “I thought I knew your heart.”
“I thought I did too.”
“Then why?”
“You weren’t there,” Jaskier shrugs like it’s the easiest explanation. “He was.”
Despite every cell in Geralt’s body screaming against it, he nods and lets go of Jaskier’s hand, allowing his limp fingers to slip from his grasp at last.
Jaskier has asked it of him after all.
He doesn’t know how he got back into the crowd, the warm light only a blur in his vision. Another group is stopping near the hall, among them is the other groom-to-be. Valdo’s worried voice when he sees Jaskier is another blow to Geralt’s chest.
“Oh, Julian, are you crying?”
“Just…too happy.”
There’s the sound of kissing, and Geralt can’t tune it out. He laughs at himself for the masochistic tendencies, but maybe he deserves the torture.
“No more tears. Let’s get married, my love.”
The guests settle, and the music begins.
The happy couple walks towards the altar in the witness of family and friends, and Geralt watches every moment of it.
If the smile on Jaskier’s face is a bit strained as the priest ties the ribbon, no one seems to notice.
---
A big thanks to anon for the prompt! I asked for some one-word or one-sentence prompts and the next thing I knew they were connecting into a whole story.
Each chapter of this story will be based on a prompt, so send in one if you want to steer it in certain directions ;)
Tagging: @wanderlust-t @rockysstupidity @flowercrown-bard​ @alllthequeenshorses @mothmanismyuncle @percy-jackson-is-sexy- @constantlytiredpigeon @behonesthowsmysinging @kitcatkim3 @endless-whump @rey-a-nonbinary-bisexual @llamasdumpsterfire @dapandapod
Please feel free to tell me if you want to be removed or added to the list <3
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samstree · 3 years
Note
how about 'void' for the word prompts??
Creatures of the Night (3)
Geralt goes to the coast alone after Jaskier marries Valdo. He can't escape the past. Or rather, Jaskier can't escape him.
(endgame geraskier, background valdo/jaskier, angst, eventual infidelity, implied depression)
AO3 | Previous: [1] [2]
The coast smells of fish and seaweed.
It’s not unpleasant if one admires it from a distance, like watching a sunset from the grassy cliff or dipping toes into the water a little. The coast is mild and vast, the calmest part of the continent.
Geralt embraces the sea, letting the scent of candles and jasmine fade from his nostrils. It’s been too long, months already. Too long for him to cling to that scent and that night. He needs it gone from memory.
He fails.
The smell of fish and seaweed and blood is everywhere when Geralt emerges from the waves, a sea serpent’s head in hand and an apology by his lips. The villagers sigh in silent acceptance. They knew the fishermen were beyond saving anyway. Still, he ignores the gash on his arm and grieves with them for a moment.
He forgets, just for a moment.
Dripping a bloody trail up the shore, Geralt nods to each family member of the lost men. By the end of the line, he meets brown eyes and golden hair, a lopsided hat and a fur-lined cloak.
Valdo Marx.
Geralt drops the head, his arm tingling with blood loss.
“You are a hard man to find, White Wolf.”
The cold wind ruffles Valdo’s hair, tangling up his fashionable curls. There’s a dangerous glint in his eyes that Geralt doesn’t like. Yes, bards can be just as dangerous; Geralt has learned a long time ago.
“And what brings you to me?” he asks, meeting the other’s man’s gaze.
“I believe you already know.”
Geralt nearly wavers.
“Do I?”
“You left early that night. At the handfasting.” Valdo paces around Geralt, who’s only realizing the other bard stands a tad taller than him albeit having a much slenderer build.
“It was a long party.”
“You were bored by the most important party of your best friend’s life?”
Bards. Must they speak in circles all the time?
“What are you saying, Marx?”
Valdo’s footsteps halt in place, the danger in his eyes burning anew. “I know what you said to him.”
In his long life, Geralt rarely feels shame so heavy. He breaks eye contact with the other man, fists clenching before settling by his sides. Perhaps this is where he loses Jaskier completely. Running away to the coast isn’t enough. This is where he needs to promise to never see Jaskier again and let him live a peaceful life with his husband. Geralt opens his mouth to make the promise, except—
“I know what you said to Julian on the mountain, how you broke his heart. I was the one who had to pick up the pieces.” The bard clenches his jaw, breathing deep. “The state he was in, I swore to myself that I would never live to see it happen again. Seeing him hurt once is enough, and yet…”
“What?” The implication makes Geralt’s stomach sink. “Is Jaskier alri—”
“You don’t get to ask me if he’s alright.” Valdo steps into Geralt’s space. Somehow, a troubadour almost makes a witcher cower under his fury. “You drove him away, and then you dared to come back. You behave like he’s a puppy to summon at your whim and then kick out once you tire of his bark.”
“I don’t—”
“You said something to him that night. Essi told me so, and Julian hasn’t been the same since. He deflected my questions and defended you, but one can only guess. Was wishing for destiny to take him off your hands not enough? Did you have to come all the way back to his side just to drive in the knife?”
“No, of cour—”
“Don’t play dumb with me, witcher! What did you say to him that night?”
“Nothing!” Geralt bites out the words. A lie. “I didn’t say anything.”
No wonder Jaskier wants to protect this man. Geralt can see it now, the devotion of Valdo Marx, archnemesis of Jaskier the bard for twenty years. And yet, Valdo was the one to offer him a shoulder to cry on when he was shunned by Geralt, a supposed friend for twenty years.
“Forgive me if I find it hard to believe. Historically, you shouldn’t be trusted when it comes to Julian’s heart.” Valdo’s heat is dying down into disgruntled acceptance.
“Just tell me if Jaskier is alright.”
Geralt is so close to begging.
He just might. For Jaskier. Again.
“You want to know? What, do you care?” Valdo scoffs. “No, he is not! He went down the same path soon after. If anything, it’s only worse now. Last time he cried and cursed, tried to drown himself in wine. But at least there was something. But for the past months…he wouldn’t eat, wouldn’t speak. There’s nothing when I look at him. Nothing. Only a void.”
The waves rumble in the distance, lapping at the shore. The coast can’t erase the anguish poisoning Geralt’s every thought either. Not when he’s inadvertently hurt Jaskier.
His love hurt Jaskier.
“If it wasn’t you, perhaps…” Valdo says reluctantly, watching a seabird pass by. “It wasn’t easy to convince him to come, even though he always dreamed about the coast back when we were young, romanticized it in so many songs like a fool. But when I heard you were here, I had to come and find you, and leaving him alone in this state wasn’t an option.”
Geralt wants to flee like the coward he is, but the hope fluttering in his stomach is a powerful thing. “He is here?”
“He’s here. And if you indeed didn’t cause him any harm, Geralt of Rivia, I loathe admitting that you might be my last hope. The relationship between you two is something I’ve never understood, but even I can’t deny you’ve known him in a way no one else could.”
Geralt can’t believe the words he’s hearing, words he doesn’t deserve.
“You are asking me to…help?”
“To speak to him. If you still care about him in any way. “Funny I came here not sure whether to strangle you for hurting the man I love or beg you to save him.”
The bard turns to leave, his coat flapping. Geralt pauses for a moment before following.
He needs to fix it. If his confession sent Jaskier into a downward spiral, Geralt needs to fix it somehow. He can stop loving Jaskier. Yes, he can stop so Jaskier can finally be free of him. It’ll only feel like ripping his heart out of his chest. He’d stop, even if it kills him.
“It was never my intention to hurt Jaskier.”
Defending himself in front of Valdo is a moot point, and the mock from the troubadour is an answer enough.
“It’s what he believes too. The idiot is kind and terrible like this,” Valdo sends one last look at Geralt before they begin the ascend, the silent threat looming in his brown gaze. “Try anything like the mountain again, there won’t be anything left of you for the fish to eat.”
And Geralt is wise enough to believe that.
The two miles he walks behind Valdo stretches into infinity, and at the same time, nothing at all.
On top of the cliff, Jaskier’s silhouette stands straight, frozen in place like a statue, or the loneliest painting on earth. Geralt can only see his back, but he can already tell Jaskier is too thin. He doesn’t even stir when Valdo drapes the coat around his shoulders and coaxes him out of the trance.
And then, Jaskier is turning around, cheeks pale and eyes so blue.
Geralt’s world begins and ends at the same time.
~~
Thanks for the prompt my dear! <3 I wonder how many people are team Valdo... Hmm.
Tagging: @rockysstupidity @flowercrown-bard​ @alllthequeenshorses @mothmanismyuncle @percy-jackson-is-sexy- @constantlytiredpigeon @behonesthowsmysinging @kitcatkim3 @endless-whump @rey-a-nonbinary-bisexual @llamasdumpsterfire @dapandapod
Feel free to tell me if you want to be removed or added to the list <3
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