laurie, aside from being a number 1 fan of your fics, i've also read all the fics you bookmarked on your account, and gotta tell you they are all masterpieces, and i want to know if you have any more fic recs, and what your current favorite wips are?
this is so very sweet, thank u darling <3 and it always makes me so excited when ppl ask me for recs and like my taste in stories!!! all my bookmarks are really good if i do say so myself so i'm very glad you've enjoyed all the fics i love + hold close to my heart
hmm i feel like most of my recs are already on my bookmarks but !! current wips that i'm reading and following and that absolutely brighten my day whenever they update are:
hide your fires by @starsworth !! i'm reading it slowly because i wanna take my time and absorb everything properly but i'm . fucking loving it so far, i really can't recommend it enough, it's so insanely good (and i'm in love with kingsley..)
the art of getting off by @just--vi !! such a fun and lovely story, this james has me biting my fist and running laps around my flat. every chapter is like a boost of serotonin
cupid's chokehold by lollipopluna on ao3 !! i've talked about this one before but it's just one of my fav wips rn, i'm fucking obsessed with it and it's so devastating but . in the best way
lovely bitter water by @alarainai !! this fic has made me laugh out loud . several times . most insufferable and embarrassing james potter i've ever read but i love him and i love him dearly. but then again i think i've read every single one of fen's works <3 he never disappoints
get him back by @sixlane !! always ALWAYS thinking about this fic.. this regulus is so special to me and also Peak Denial. it has some of the best tension i've ever read. lane's writing is out of this world
deep the water by @mothbart !! one of my fav james ever.. the amount of happiness this story brings me is INSANE im not ready for the heartbreak that i know it's coming but also . i can't wait .
i'll be home for the summer by @carniferous !! not only one of my favourite current wips but also one of my favourite stories in the whole world. everyone should read it. this jegulus is Everything . to me . i would die for them..
once every few lifetimes by cozypancakes on ao3 !! read it recently and i fucking loved it. saved me during my terrible weekend. it's a triwizard tournament au and the jegulus dynamic in this one has me SCREAMING they're so sweet and so very obsessed with each other
our sun bleeds red by @athymybones !! insane writing insane plot and insane dynamics. it just started and it's already SO GOOD.. i'm always searching for some bartylily and this one caters to all my tastes
and im probably reading more wips but these . are my main ones . i think (hoping i didn't miss any.. i read way too much fanfiction..)
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"I'm choking from the taste (but I can't help but swallow)"
Chapter 3: Bad idea
Summary: Jaskier gets caught up in missing Geralt hours and it causes him to make an impulsive decision.
Click here to read on ao3
After that fateful night where Radovid decided to stop playing nice, everything changed. Jaskier was moved from the king’s quarters to his own little room not too far away- which was a blessing and a curse simultaneously as it gave the bard some much needed privacy, but also signified to the staff that his importance had severely decreased, making them gradually neglect their duties in regard to him.
The upkeep of his recently acquired room was left to Jaskier more often than not, which he wasn’t very good at since he’d grown up as a noble and then spent the rest of his life as a travelling minstrel without a permanent residence- save for his small apartment at Oxenfurt Academy, which wasn’t really his, just a living space that was lent to him as part of the remuneration for his occasional position as a professor. The lavish meals that used to be delivered to him three times a day had also started to become scarce. Thank Melitele Jaskier had made friends with the kitchen staff, or he would be borderline starving.
Another sign that the bard had fallen from the king’s favor was the fact that Radovid called for him with far less frequency, maybe twice a week- which wasn’t little, but it was a clear deviation from their previous routine- and Jaskier was usually kicked out after their (rough, a lot rougher than before) coupling ended.
Thankfully, he was still allowed to play his role as court bard. The show must go on, Radovid had said after Jaskier inquired about it, but sadly the position didn’t belong exclusively to him anymore and other bards visited every so often to perform. The first one of them being *gag* Valdo Fucking Marx. Jaskier wasn’t sure if Radovid had invited him on purpose after hearing about their long-standing rivalry or not but he was pissed nonetheless.
“I don’t know how you managed to keep the king’s favor for so long Javier, but your luck has run out. Seems like he’s losing interest in you.” Valdo said to him with a taunting sneer when they inevitably crossed paths.
If only, Jaskier thought with a resigned shake of his head and didn’t even bother to correct the other bard about his name.
Because of those sudden breaks, and with the added bonus of most of Jaskier’s nights post-performance being free, he had a lot more time to enjoy the banquets and indulge in the wine and ale that was offered to the guests in abundance. The amount he consumed increased steadily each day but he was past the point of caring.
His relationship with alcohol was a complex one. Like the majority of people, Jaskier often drank as a way to let loose and have fun, to just plainly sate his thirst or as a coping mechanism after going through hard times- when he was not yet ready to sort through his feelings and express them through poetry or song. Τhe most notable instance in recent history being after he was abandoned at the top of a mountain by the person he cared most about in the world. Geralt may have apologized (in a rather lackluster attempt) but the damage was already done.
Over 20 years he spent loyally following the witcher and yet he was discarded so easily, as if he meant nothing. Their friendship- even though the witcher still refused to call it that - had been going for over ten years when the djinn incident happened, and all this while the witcher snapped at him and tried to leave him behind at every turn, keeping clear boundaries and only allowing minimum physical contact.
Jaskier thought that was because Geralt just wasn’t used to kindness and companionship, but after seeing the way he was immediately taken with Yennefer, the bard had to face the bitter truth that he himself was the problem.
The bard was perfectly aware as to how he was often perceived by others, being either too much or too little, only tolerable in small doses and easily tossed aside. He’d just been stupid enough to assume Geralt was different…
He spent months post-mountain in an intoxicated haze before the war worsened and he decided to use his popularity to help smuggle elves away from certain death. He felt like he owed it to them, partly because of Toss a Coin - which didn’t paint them in the best light - but also as an apology for what his kind was doing to them. Through it all he continued to drink, albeit with less vigor, not wanting to chance anything going wrong with his plans and putting everyone who trusted and depended on him in danger.
After the Voleth Meir incident, where he spent most of the night being useless and hiding underneath a table while drunk as witchers around him lost their lives, he decided to put an end to his addiction. It took a lot of time and effort, but he pulled through because he couldn’t be of any use to Geralt otherwise.
Some might call his loyalty foolish, but if the witcher ever needed him, Jaskier would damn well do anything in his power to help him. Even if that meant staying behind and taking care of various matters while Geralt played happy family with his child surprise and the woman that he had decided to tie himself to after knowing for a day.
Soon after his arrival to Redania Jaskier broke his sobriety streak, finding no point in maintaining it anymore, and it got a lot worse after his and Radovid’s ‘falling out’. Life was just so much easier to deal with that way…
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Jaskier was making his way back to the palace’s living quarters from the banquet hall, having given a truly excellent performance if he’d say so himself, one that left everyone present in a jovial mood, handing him drink after drink after drink... In few words, Jaskier was well and truly wasted.
He could barely see from the dizziness, and the faint candle lights that were placed sparsely throughout the hallway for aesthetic purposes weren’t much help, so the bard’s subsequent stumbling and falling flat on his face was unavoidable, really. Jaskier’s reflexes, not so great to begin with, had been made even worse due to the large amounts of alcohol in his system and he barely had time to shield his head with his hands before he made contact with the (thankfully) carpeted floor.
He stayed in that position for a while, cursing his shitty luck. This had been one of his best days since he arrived here and now his mood was once again ruined. The pleasant buzz in his head was already slowly disappearing and soon he’d have to face reality once again.
After wallowing in misery for a good five minutes, Jaskier planted his palms to the ground and tried to lift himself up in what could be considered the world's worst push-up, before his trembling arms gave out and he ended up back where he started.
All the muscle I gained after the mountain is almost gone, he thought bitterly. With a loud groan, the bard used the rest of his strength to flip himself to his back. All that time and effort wasted.
That position was a lot more comfortable, and at least he didn’t have to deal with a mouthful of floor any longer, so it was a win in Jaskier’s book.
As he stared at the ceiling, he noticed how the flickering light from the candles reflected against the unlit chandelier, the crystals forming small rainbows that danced around them. It had been so long since Jaskier had seen an actual rainbow.
He could almost imagine Geralt standing above him and rolling his eyes fondly as he waited for Jaskier to take his outstretched hand and help himself up, like they’d done so many times in the past. Jaskier reached his hand up tentatively but there was nothing in the empty space for him to grab. He pursed his lips to stop them from trembling as he felt a tear slide down his cheek.
He closed his eyes. Geralt wasn’t here. Jaskier would never see him again, and out of everything he'd been through so far, no pain could compare against the one caused by this knowledge. Gone were the days where they travelled side by side, huddled together for warmth, relaxed around a campfire under the stars, bickered…
The witcher finally got his blessing.
This was the second time the bard had to mourn Geralt while he was, hopefully, still alive. The witcher was, predictably, doing a good job of hiding his traces because no rumors circulated about him or Ciri at court, and while Jaskier was desperate to know if they were ok, he hoped that no news meant good news.
Jaskier was about to lower his still extended arm and go back to ignoring the gaping hole in his chest in when it was suddenly enveloped in someone’s grip. The bard opened his eyes, startled, to see Blade looking down at him with a smirk.
“How much longer are you planning to stay here? It’s been almost 20 minutes and I would’ve preferred to be in bed by now.”
Jaskier glared up at them and wiped his face with his sleeve. “Bed? And here I thought you spent the nights crouched outside my door like a clingy pet that'd been kicked out.”
Blade rolled their eyes and swiftly pulled Jaskier to his feet. The bard swayed and his knees were about to give out again when Blade wrapped an arm around his torso.
“Oof, you’re heavier than you look bardling.” They grunted.
Jaskier bit his lip harshly to distract his mind from the resurfacing memories of Yennefer who used to call him that and squawked in offense. “Are you calling me fat?! Ohohoho no, this will not stand, uh- Mister? Miss? Argh whatever, you don’t deserve to be called by a respectful term anyways, but you get the point!
Blade chuckled and leveled him with a look. “By this I assume you mean you, because you're the only thing having trouble standing currently.”
Before Jaskier could find a retort, they half-dragged him along in the direction of his room. The movement made the bard’s stomach roll, but the dizziness had mostly cleared due to the fall. They reached his bedroom soon after and Blade deposited the bard to lean against the door. The guard nodded toward it. “Go on then. And be sure to dream about ways to get back at me.”
Jaskier punched their chest weakly and yawned. “Eh, this should be enough.” He said and made to turn around but paused in his tracks. He turned back towards Blade. It was one of the rare cases where their hood was missing. Jaskier had never seen their bare face from this close before so he took his time studying it.
Their auburn hair had taken an even more reddish hue as a result of the candlelight, creating a stark contrast between it and their tan skin, that was made darker due to the shadows. Their facial features were delicate yet sharp and long eyelashes framed their round hazel eyes. Barely visible was a thin scar making its way vertically at the left side of their mouth that inevitably drew Jaskier’s gaze to their lips.
It had been so long since he’d done anything with anyone that wasn’t forced Radovid, and he was desperate to gain any semblance of control by reclaiming that part of himself. And Blade was right there, in all their beauty, looking back at him through half-lidded eyes that were doing a bad job hiding thinly-veiled desire…
So Jaskier did the only logical thing in this situation and grabbed the guard’s collar to pull them in for a rough kiss, teeth clanging. Blade responded immediately, grabbing the bards waist to press their bodies together and Jaskier took that chance to grind his hips against the other’s. Blade groaned against his lips and moved to mouth at the bard’s throat. Everything was moving so fast, the overwhelming sensations finally managing to quiet Jaskier’s raging mind and, at least superficially, fill the emptiness in his heart.
The bard blindly searched for the door handle with his free hand, eager to reach his bed so they could continue further, when he heard the sound of someone clearing their throat. Both him and Blade froze for a second before pulling apart abruptly.
Standing a few meters away, with his arms crossed and wearing a deceptively calm expression, was none other than the king of Redania.
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