#jaskier's love language is gift giving

[animangalover-writes]

4 times Jaskier shows his love through gifts, and 4 times love was shown to him in return

[d-andilion]

a gesture

my first prompt for @whataboutthebard!

prompt: whump: destruction of sentimental property/theft, wuv: giving gifts, mending clothing

(geraskier, T, pre-relationship, s2 compliant, post-mountain angst, hurt!jaskier, hurt/comfort, 1k, read on ao3)

Geralt can’t for the life of him think how everything went so wrong. This was supposed to be a good moment. He was supposed to be presenting his bard with a thoughtful, timely, and very expensive gift. They were supposed to be making up for lost time, maybe mending some old wounds. Jaskier was supposed to be happy.

The bard is not happy.

Even if Jaskier’s body language—tight shoulders, clenched fists, eyes pitched low—weren’t enough to clue Geralt in, the refusal to lay so much as a finger on the instrument lying on the bed between them certainly does. Where he was lounging comfortably mere moments ago, Jaskier is now perched like a leaf on a cliffside waiting for the slightest gust of wind to send him toppling over, and the lute before him might as well be a gathering storm for the glare he gives it.

Geralt would never claim to be an expert on the subject, but he thought the lute was just fine when he purchased it at the market yesterday. It could never compare to the elven one Jaskier received all those years ago, but nothing ever would. Surely the bard knows that. If he is waiting for another ancient heirloom from the elven people to fall into his lap, he’ll be waiting until the end of time.

This one is a perfectly good replacement. It’s used, but in good shape to Geralt’s eye, and the merchant was spoken highly of when he asked around. The finish is intact, the strings are brand new. It even has delicate yellow flowers embroidered into the shoulder strap. Geralt had thought it a fine gift. A chance for him to show Jaskier that he’s trying.

But Jaskier hates it. Worse, he almost looks frightened of it.

“You’re upset,” Geralt says, forever stating the obvious.

“I’m not,” Jaskier replies, smiling tightly. Geralt suppresses a frustrated groan.

“You don’t like it? Is it… I don’t know, the wrong wood?” The merchant said spruce was standard, but Jaskier has always liked to be different. Would be have preferred pine? Cherry? Do those kinds of lutes even exist?

“No, it’s lovely,” Jaskier says, though he makes no move to retrieve the instrument. “Thank you very much, darling.” 

Jaskier isn’t lying about that, Geralt can hear as much, but he clearly isn’t pleased. On the contrary, he looks to be at the brink of tears, and he’s rubbing his fingers together the way he does when he’s nervous. It’s a new tick of his, one more thing about him that Geralt has had to relearn since their parting. Jaskier does it all the time now, even when his hand was still bandaged from his run-in with—

With the fire fucker. Fuck.

Geralt reaches for Jaskier’s hand but the bard snatches it away. It stings more than it should. Another reminder of all the liberties he hasn’t yet earned, the ones he once took for granted.

“You told me you were healed.”

“I am,” Jaskier lies, heart skipping.

“Let me see.” Geralt holds out his hand, an offer this time rather than a demand. Jaskier doesn’t accept it.

“It’s fine. See?” Jaskier waives his hand quickly in front of his face before tucking it into his lap. “Barely a scar.”

“But it’s still bothering you.”

That earns a hollow laugh. 

“Does it hurt?” Geralt presses.

“It doesn't anything anymore, Geralt!” The admission yanks at whatever remains of Jaskier’s composure, bringing an edge to his voice and a tear rolling down his cheek. He’s trembling a bit, anger and despair curling sourly in the air around them. 

“I have no feeling there,” Jaskier continues. “I... Sometimes I think I feel something, but it’s never real. It's gone.”

Geralt can’t think what to say to that so he says nothing, letting the silence draw out into a long tense pause.

Jaskier sucks in a shuddering breath. “This is the one thing I can do without ruining it. If can't do it anymore, I'd rather not find out. I don’t think I could bear it.”

Frustration with Jaskier for keeping this from him builds and dissipates in a single breath. The bard has always been quick to hide his hurts, terrified that Geralt would leave him behind. And he did, didn’t he? Things have been better since Voleth Meir, Geralt thinks, but he has hardly earned the full breadth of Jaskier’s trust yet. Not even close, he wagers.

If things weren’t so broken between them—if Geralt hadn’t been the one to break them—he might have some hope of offering Jaskier the comfort he so clearly craves right now. Tactile is Jaskier’s base state of being, even more so when he’s upset. But now he pulls away, curling in on himself instead of reaching out for Geralt the way he has so many times before. 

Geralt doesn’t dare reach for Jaskier again, but he lays his hand on the blanket between them, beside the offending lute, a gesture of whatever Jaskier will accept from him right now.

“You don’t ruin things, Jaskier.” It earns him a watery smile he probably doesn’t deserve. Geralt returns it with a small grin of his own. “You know how to play like you know how to breathe. If you practice, you might get the feel of it again.”

“Maybe,” Jaskier agrees. He doesn’t look quite convinced, but not entirely hopeless either. Geralt can work with that. “I need a bit more time, I think.”

Geralt nods. He can give Jaskier time. “And this?” he asks, nodding to the lute. It looks imposing now in a way it wasn’t before.

Jaskier picks the instrument up with shaking hands and sets it in his lap. It doesn’t look quite at home and neither does Jaskier, but Geralt is certain that will change. It has to change.

“Might as well keep it, hm?” Jaskier smiles. “It really is lovely.”

“Not sexy, though?”

The bard laughs brightly at that and it drenches the room in warmth. He holds the lute a little firmer. “Maybe a bit sexy.”

~~

w.a.t.b. masterlist

[wren-of-the-woods]

Love, Joy, and Kittens

When Geralt and Yennefer finally get a room at an inn after weeks of travel, Jaskier expects to spend a calm evening with his lovers and sleep in a real bed. This plan is derailed when they find an unexpected creature in their room. Or: In which Geralt, Yennefer, and Jaskier meet a kitten. Established Geraskefer, 5k, rated T. Also on AO3!

Jaskier was having a lovely week.

Ciri had gone off with Lambert and Coën. According to Lambert, they were “having some uncle-niece bonding time.” Jaskier had suspected that this would involve a large number of explosives, cursing in various languages, and very little room for anything else, so he had suggested that he, Geralt, and Yennefer travel alone for a time and rejoin them in a few weeks. The relief on Geralt’s and Yennefer’s faces at the idea had been highly amusing. 

The three of them had been wandering the Path for almost a week. It had, for the most part, been wonderful. Jaskier got to spend time with his lovers, singing at them and making them laugh. He got to appreciate their beauty all day long. He got to spend every night cuddled up to the two of them, reveling in the warmth and safety.

However, he did not get to do any of this cuddling in an actual bed.

Their financial reserves were not exactly plentiful and, with Ciri gone, they did not have any real reason to prefer the comfort of an inn over the convenience of a bedroll in the woods. Jaskier understood all of this perfectly well. This did not mean he was happy about it. 

He may have complained about it a little bit, but, well, he was a bard. If Yennefer and Geralt didn’t want to hear a little whining now and then, they shouldn’t have brought him along. 

Jaskier hadn’t expected anything to come of his grousing. Jaskier had been wrong. 

After a particularly long day of travel, Geralt and Yennefer apparently came to an unspoken agreement. Geralt led Roach into the first town they came across and Yennefer headed in the direction of the inn. Jaskier’s confused and halfhearted objections (“What? Yen, that’s not really necessary, I know we don’t have much coin. I’m really fine, I swear!) were met with firm denial (“Shut up and let us spoil you, idiot), so Jaskier deemed it best to give in.

He made as though to protest at the price the innkeeper named for the single room that was apparently available, thinking to offer his services as a bard in exchange for a discount, but Yennefer cut him off before he could. She handed over the money and nodded in approval when Geralt began to drag him upstairs. She followed them shortly after.

“I still think I should have performed,” Jaskier was saying. He tugged halfheartedly at the grip Geralt had on his hand, though he could not claim that he really minded the touch.

“You’re exhausted,” said Geralt. 

“I think that, as irritating as the innkeeper was, this town does not quite deserve your half-asleep caterwauling,” said Yennefer with a smirk as she came up behind them. 

“Hey! I’ll have you know that you two are the only ones who I grace with my half-asleep caterwauling. Everyone else gets only my performance voice or my drunk caterwauling. Sleepy Jaskier is a gift that only you two get to see.”

“We’re grateful,” said Geralt, “But you really should sleep. Without singing.”

“Just because I’m not a great and powerful magical being doesn’t mean I can’t handle a little fatigue, Geralt.”

“Yes, and acting like a child who doesn’t want to go to bed is such a good way to prove your strength,” said Yennefer.

“Excuse me,” Jaskier said as they approached their room, “I act only with the greatest of grace and—”

A mewling sound from the other side of the door cut off his words.

It was soft enough that Jaskier barely heard it, but the way Geralt froze and stared at the door was enough to assure him that he was not imagining anything. He blinked.

“What’s that?” he asked.

Yennefer was frowning. “I don’t know, but be careful.”

“Is it magical?”

“I don’t think so.”

“It doesn’t smell like a monster,” Geralt agreed.

“Who knows what the innkeeper put in there, though?” asked Yennefer. “It could be a trap.”

“Yes. Be careful.”

The three of them stood there for a moment, staring at the door. It occurred to Jaskier that they would likely look rather comical to an outside observer.

“Well? Are we going in?” he asked.

After a moment of hesitation, Yennefer stepped forward. Slowly, carefully, she opened the door and peeked inside the room. She was silent for a long moment.

“Well? Is it dangerous?” asked Jaskier.

“I’m… not sure,” said Yennefer. Geralt stepped forward with a frown to lean over Yennefer and peek in the room as well.

“What the fuck?” said Geralt.

Jaskier’s heart pounded. He tried to get a look inside the room, but it was effectively blocked by the bodies of his witcher and witch. He stood on his tiptoes. It was no good.

“What is it?” he asked again. “A trap? A monster? Please don’t tell me we have to find somewhere else to sleep. My feet are already killing me. Why aren’t you saying anything? Is it gruesome? Can I see?”

With an irritated glance at Jaskier, Geralt stepped back. A little shakily, Yennefer opened the door and entered the room. Jaskier shoved past her and saw, sitting directly in the center of the room’s only bed—

A tiny, fluffy, orange kitten.

Its head was almost comically oversized for its body. Its tail was neatly tucked around its paws. It was looking at them with an adorably bewildered expression, appearing rather like it had just been woken up from a nap. Jaskier thought it could probably have sat in one of Geralt’s hands with very little trouble.

Jaskier stared at it. It stared back.

Jaskier burst into uncontrolled, delighted laughter.

Yennefer shot him an irritated look. Geralt shuffled awkwardly behind him. This only served to make Jaskier laugh harder.

“A kitten!” he wheezed when he caught a breath between giggles. “You were so nervous— You paranoid bastards— I cannot believe— It’s just a tiny kitten!”

“It might be a trap,” Geralt protested weakly.

“You could probably eat it in a single bite if you wanted to, Geralt!”

“That’s morbid,” said Yennefer. She sounded amused.

“And you!” said Jaskier, wheeling around to face her. “You said you didn’t know if it was dangerous! Yennefer of Vengerburg, the most powerful and feared mage on the Continent, was unnerved by a tiny little cat!”

“I can strangle you, Pankratz.”

Jaskier was overtaken by another fit of giggles.

The kitten mewled again, this time sounding rather disgruntled. Jaskier whirled around to face it.

“Oh, you poor dear. Did we wake you up from your nap? What are you doing here, anyway? Where’s your family?”

“It’s a cat,” said Yennefer. “It can’t understand you.”

“Oh, I thought it was a terrifying supernatural being capable of destroying nations.”

“On second thought, maybe strangulation is too good for you.”

Ignoring her, Jaskier approached the bed. Slowly, he held out his hand towards the kitten. It sniffed his fingers then mewled again. Gently, Jaskier stroked its head with a finger. Its eyes went wide. For a moment, Jaskier thought he had gone too far, but then the kitten pushed up into the touch. Jaskier’s heart positively melted. He kept stroking its head, unable to help the grin that spread across his face.

Behind him, he heard Geralt slowly sidle into the room. The kitten did not react.

“Are you sure it’s a real cat?” Geralt asked Yennefer. Jaskier glanced back to see him staring at the kitten, almost transfixed. “Cats don’t like witchers.”

“I don’t feel any magic,” Yennefer admitted.

“It’s kind of hard to be afraid of someone who’s halfway across the room and looking like a frightened pigeon, even if you’re a cat,” said Jaskier.

Geralt scowled and ignored him. “It can’t stay on the bed forever. We need to sleep there.”

“That is an issue,” said Jaskier thoughtfully. He turned to the kitten. “What are we going to do with you, hmm?”

“Again, it can’t understand you,” said Yennefer.

“Ignore them,” Jaskier told the kitten. “They do not understand the concept of whimsy.”

Slowly, Jaskier shifted so he was sitting on the bed beside the kitten. It did not seem overly bothered by the change. Jaskier moved to stroke its back. It looked content. Very gently, Jaskier brought a hand under its ribcage and picked it up, moving his other hand to support its hind legs and then cradling it against his chest. It mewled confusedly and squirmed a little, looking up at him, but he kept stroking it and it settled within a few moments.

He could feel its tiny chest rise and fall against his hands as it breathed. Its fur was slightly matted in places and it could probably have used a bath, but at that moment, Jaskier could not have imagined something softer or more pleasant to touch. It closed its eyes. Jaskier felt his heart melt a little more at the trust it was showing him.

He glanced up at Geralt and Yennefer to see them still on the other side of the room, looking at him with something that looked startlingly like awe.

“You can come over here,” he said instead of giving in to the flustered feelings trying to overwhelm him. “No need to cower.”

“I don’t want to scare it,” said Geralt, and Jaskier’s heart broke a little.

“You won’t scare him,” he said.

“Him?” asked Yennefer, raising an eyebrow.

Jaskier shrugged. “I’ve decided it’s a he. Orange cats usually are, I think.”

“How do you know I won’t scare him?” asked Geralt, returning them to the original topic.

“He can probably smell you perfectly well from here. If he was going to be scared, he already would be.”

Geralt hesitated. “I don’t know how to act around cats.”

“That’s okay. I’ll show you.” When Geralt still hesitated, Jaskier looked to Yennefer. “Come on. What are you waiting for?”

Yennefer frowned at him. “I’m not scared. I just don’t want to get fleas.”

Jaskier rolled his eyes. “I’m sure you can magic away fleas as easily as blinking. Get over here.”

After a quickly-hidden second of trepidation, Yennefer stepped forward. She looked at the kitten. The kitten, after a moment, looked at her.

“Mew?” he said.

Yennefer looked back at Jaskier, seeming uncharacteristically uncertain. Jaskier had to hold back a laugh.

“Come on,” he said. “Pet him.”

Slowly, Yennefer reached out to stroke a hand over his head. He blinked up at her, rather bemused.

“Keep going,” Jaskier said encouragingly.

Yennefer continued to stroke the kitten, first his head and then his back. Within a few moments, he settled and closed his eyes. He looked very content. Yennefer stared down at him with shock and a tiny bit of delight.

Jaskier decided that it was time for her to ascend to the next level.

“Here,” he said, and handed the kitten to her.

Jaskier had seen Yennefer achieve feats of unimaginable bravery. He had seen her fight her worst fears with determination, seen her battle hordes of monsters that might have made even the most skilled of witchers hesitate, seen her face down armies without flinching. Yennefer was brave. She was powerful. She was, in a word, incredible.

She was also looking down at the kitten he had just placed in her hands with an expression that could only be described as terror.

“I don’t know how—” she started to say, then cut herself off with a panicked gasp when she had to fumble with the squirming kitten to keep him from falling. He mewled indignantly.

“It’s okay,” said Jaskier, reaching forward to help. “I’ll show you. Here, you put your hand where it’ll support his weight, under the ribcage is good. Yes, just like that. Now you— yes! You’ve got it.”

Yennefer ended up sitting on the bed beside Jaskier, carefully cradling the kitten to her chest with both hands. The kitten was rather disgruntled by the whole affair, at first, but when Jaskier gently encouraged Yennefer to free a hand and continue stroking him, he settled down. He snuggled into Yennefer’s arm. After a few moments, his eyes slipped closed.

Yennefer’s eyes widened. She swallowed.

“Is he sleeping?” she asked hesitantly, her voice so soft it was almost a whisper.

“Yeah,” said Jaskier, feeling a grin spread across his face. “He’s taking a nap.”

“Oh,” she said softly.

She sat there for a long moment, quietly stroking the kitten. She seemed unable to tear her gaze away from the tiny, fluffy body in her arms. Jaskier found himself unable to tear his gaze away from her. She pet the kitten so gently that it was almost painful to watch, care and tenderness written into her every movement. Her expression could only be described as awe. In that moment, Jaskier was unable to think of anything that could possibly be more beautiful.

After a few long minutes, she looked up. Geralt was still standing against the far wall of the room, watching the little group on the bed with what appeared to be a mixture of fondness and longing. Yennefer took one look at his expression and sighed.

“Get over here,” she said. Jaskier nodded. Geralt, after a moment’s hesitation, obeyed.

His approach was slow and silent. When he came within a few paces, the kitten stirred, looking up at him with his ears slightly flattened. Geralt froze. Jaskier hushed him and scratched him under the chin, while Yennefer kept her hand resting on its back. That seemed to do the trick. The kitten settled back down into Yennefer’s arms. Jaskier gestured Geralt closer, and at his behest, the witcher sat down cautiously on Yennefer’s other side.

The kitten was still awake and watching Geralt with a little bit of wariness, but he did not seem overly bothered by the witcher’s presence. Jaskier internally cheered.

“You can pet him,” he whispered to Geralt.

“I don’t want to scare him,” Geralt said again.

“You won’t. Yennefer and I will help.”

A little bit of Yennefer’s uncertainty returned. “I can try, but—”

Jaskier waved her off. “Nonsense. He already likes you. Go ahead, Geralt.”

Geralt hesitated. “But—”

Jaskier rolled his eyes. “You can make fun of me if I’m wrong. I take responsibility for any and all kitten-related disasters. Go ahead.”

Geralt huffed, amused. Jaskier hid his smile by looking down at the kitten.

Slowly, Geralt crouched down so his head was more or less level with the kitten. He swallowed, reached out, and gently ran his head down the kitten’s neck and back.

“Mew?” said the kitten. He looked up at Geralt. He blinked.

“Keep going,” said Jaskier softly.

Geralt stroked the kitten again. When he did not panic or run away, Geralt did it again.

“He’s soft,” he whispered, entranced.

“Yeah,” said Yennefer, her voice equally quiet.

They both stared down at the kitten, who was content in Yennefer’s arms as Geralt stroked him. The kitten looked very small and helpless beneath Geralt’s big hands, but did not seem particularly bothered by that fact. Jaskier felt himself growing a little teary-eyed at the sight.

“Do you want to hold him?” Yennefer asked after a few moments.

Geralt’s eyes went wide. He glanced at Jaskier, nervous. “Do you think I can?”

“I do,” said Jaskier. “He already likes you, see?”

He gestured at the kitten, who was meowing in quiet protest at the fact that Geralt was no longer petting him. Geralt looked back at him. His face softened.

“I suppose,” he said. He looked up at Yennefer, then back at Jaskier. “Will you help me?”

Yennefer nodded.

“Of course,” said Jaskier. “Here, Yen, you can hand him to Geralt just like how you picked him up. Just support his weight— yeah, there you go. Geralt, you do the same thing.”

After a few moments of fumbling and a few disgruntled mewls from the kitten, Yennefer managed to deposit him in Geralt’s hands. Jaskier had been correct; he could have sat on just one of Geralt’s hands without too much trouble. Geralt was carefully cupping him with both of his anyway. The sight made Jaskier struggle not to dissolve into an unhelpful puddle of affection.

“What now?” asked Geralt, sounding almost as nervous as he had when Ciri first asked him to help her with her hair.

“You can put him in your lap, if you want,” said Jaskier. “You might want to get comfortable, though. Cats don’t always like to move once they have a nice person to sit on.”

After glancing at the bed consideringly, Yennefer crawled up to lean against the rather rickety headboard and patted the spot beside her. “Come on. I think we can all fit.”

Jaskier scooted up to sit near her, leaving space for Geralt between them. Geralt glanced up at them, then down at the kitten in his hands. The kitten had started to nibble on one of his fingers. After a moment of consideration, Geralt cautiously got to his knees on the bed and hobbled over to them, being careful to keep the kitten from being jostled. He settled in between Jaskier and Yennefer and set the kitten gently in his lap. The kitten flailed a little at the new position, but it took only a few moments for him to settle on one of Geralt’s thighs.

“Keep petting him,” Jaskier said encouragingly.

Geralt obeyed. On his other side, Jaskier saw Yennefer resting her head on Geralt’s shoulder and looking down at the kitten. For several moments, the three of them sat in content silence. Then—

“It’s vibrating,” said Geralt, sounding adorably terrified.

“Oh!” said Jaskier, delighted. Now that he was paying attention, he could hear the faintest of rumbling sounds from the kitten. “He’s purring, Geralt. That means he feels safe and content. He’s happy.”

“Oh,” said Geralt. His voice was filled with awe.

“We made him do that?” asked Yennefer. She spoke softly, as though trying not to interrupt the kitten’s purrs.

“Yeah,” said Jaskier, matching her tone, “We did.”

Yennefer smiled. It was not an expression of triumph or of power, not assured or sarcastic. It was not the smile she liked to show to the world. It was small and soft, tender and a little uncertain. It was directed at a small ball of orange fluff lounging in a witcher’s lap. Jaskier knew at that moment that no song he could write would come close to describing her beauty.

“I wonder where his family is,” Yennefer mused after a long few moments of content silence. “He can’t have gotten here all by himself, can he?”

“We can ask the innkeeper tomorrow,” said Jaskier. “Looks like he’s alone at the moment, though.”

“He isn’t,” said Geralt.

Jaskier blinked. “Please don’t tell me there are more cats hiding under the bed and you didn’t tell us, Geralt.”

“No.” Geralt looked rather embarrassed. “I just meant… we’re here. So he isn’t alone.”

Jaskier gave the kitten a thoughtful look. “I suppose that’s true.”

Yennefer looked back and forth between Jaskier. A small frown appeared on her face.

“He might have a family,” she said. “You can’t just take him.”

“I wasn’t going to!” Jaskier protested. “I just think he can stay with us tonight, is all.”

Yennefer looked at him skeptically. “That’s what you said when we found you trying to hide a baby griffin in your backpack.”

“That was one time—”

“It was extremely memorable and also idiotic. I am not letting you live it down anytime soon.”

Geralt casually removed one hand from the kitten to cover Jaskier’s mouth, muffling his indignant response and reducing his words to spluttering. Yennefer giggled at the sight, and Jaskier felt the fight drain out of him at the sound. Sensing his surrender, Geralt removed his hand and started to pet the kitten again before it could stop purring.

“The griffin thing was stupid, but this isn’t a griffin,” Geralt said diplomatically. “I think he can stay the night if he wants to.”

Yennefer subsided. “I don’t see why not.”

The kitten mewled a little. The three of them glanced down to see him resettling himself on Geralt’s legs, apparently having decided that he could make himself more comfortable than he already had.

“We’re going to have to move him eventually,” said Yennefer reluctantly. “We need to sleep somehow.”

Jaskier considered that for a few moments. “Maybe we can put him on one of the pillows. As long as no one rolls over in their sleep, he should be all right.”

Geralt looked doubtfully at the bed. The three them of sitting side by side were already rather squished.

Jaskier rolled his eyes in Geralt’s direction. “I don’t see you offering any better ideas.”

“I think we can make it work,” said Yennefer. “We’ve slept in smaller places.”

“All right,” said Geralt.

“I suppose we should lie down, then,” said Jaskier. Though he was reluctant to break the moment, he was still sleepy and knew that they needed to rest if they wanted to get anything done the next day.

After a few moments of shuffling and some rather disgruntled sounds from the kitten, they managed to get settled in a way that was comfortable for everyone. Geralt was on his side with an arm thrown over Jaskier’s waist. Jaskier was on his back so that Yennefer could lie half on top of him in the way she sometimes preferred. The kitten was curled up on a pillow behind Yennefer’s head. Jaskier’s arm was around Yennefer’s shoulders to keep her from rolling over in the night and crushing the kitten. 

Yennefer was warm and heavy on top of Jaskier. Geralt’s breathing was slow against his side. Jaskier drifted off within moments, feeling safe, loved, and content.

  ~

  The next morning, Jaskier was awakened by tiny and very sharp claws kneading directly on his bladder.

He yelped and flailed, trying to sit up. He was not very successful. This was mostly due to the fact that his right arm was trapped under a warm body and there was a thigh pinning his legs down. The kneading continued. Jaskier squirmed again, more frantically. He tried to free his arm to remove the pressure on his bladder, but—

Yennefer yelped as she went tumbling off the bed and thumped onto the floor.

Geralt sat up like a shot, looking around frantically and reaching for a sword on his back that was not there. Jaskier, now free, wasted no time in sitting up and gently but firmly removing the kitten from his person.

Geralt glanced between Jaskier, the kitten, and Yennefer, who had managed to sit up enough for her head to poke up above the edge of bed.

“...What?” asked Geralt weakly.

“Yeah, Jaskier, what the fuck?” asked Yennefer.

She clambered back onto the bed, giving Jaskier her most ferocious glare. The effect was slightly ruined by her spectacular bedhead.

Jaskier gestured emphatically with the kitten in his hands. “This fucker was poking me!”

Geralt frowned. “Why did that mean Yen had to fall out of the bed?”

“She was trapping my arm. I was desperate. Sorry, Yen.”

Yennefer glared at him. “I could turn you into a toad.”

“Listen, if I hadn’t removed him from my bladder we would have had a much worse situation on our hands.”

Yennefer looked at Jaskier’s apologetic face. She looked at Geralt’s expression of confusion and fond exasperation. She looked at the kitten, who looked distinctly unrepentant.

Unable to help herself, she dissolved into giggles. Jaskier was rather alarmed for a moment — had she just come up with a magnificent punishment for him? His face must have done something interesting, because Yennefer looked at him and started to laugh even harder. Behind Jaskier, Geralt chuckled a little as well.

“How did he even get to your stomach?” he asked. “He would have had to crawl over Yen’s head without waking her.”

Jaskier looked thoughtfully at the kitten. “He’s a master of stealth, I suppose.”

That sent Yennefer off into another round of laughter. Jaskier found himself unable to keep from joining her with his own helpless giggles.

Geralt looked between the two of them and shook his head fondly.

“I’m going to get us breakfast,” he said, leaving them to their merriment.

Jaskier and Yennefer had caught their breath and mostly regained their composure by the time Geralt returned with some food. Yennefer had the kitten in her lap and was petting him absently. He looked very happy with himself.

“I asked the innkeeper about him,” said Geralt, gesturing to the kitten with the hand that was not carrying their food. “She says he’s been hanging around the inn for a week or so, being fed scraps by the guests. No sign of any family, but he seems to be doing well enough. He’s healthy.”

“Is the innkeeper fine with him being here?” asked Yennefer.

“She doesn’t mind him as long as the guests are happy and he keeps some mice away, but she’s had some complaints about him sleeping on beds. She might have to find a way to get rid of him if he doesn’t stop.”

Jaskier looked down at the kitten, pensive. “I hope she doesn’t have to. It would be a shame to keep him away from people if he likes them.”

Yennefer patted Jaskier’s shoulder. “I’m sure he’ll be all right.”

Yennefer reached for the bread that Geralt was carrying and began to eat. Geralt passed another portion to Jaskier. The three of them munched their food contemplatively, looking at the kitten.

“I feel like we should name him,” mused Jaskier. “Calling him ‘the kitten’ in my head is starting to get weird. I need something to shout when I’m reprimanding him.”

“What do you want to call him, then?” asked Yennefer.

“I don’t know! What do you think?”

They sat quietly for a few minutes, the silence only broken by the kitten’s purrs.

“Well,” said Geralt when no one offered any ideas, “There’s always Ro—“

“No!” shouted Jaskier and Yennefer simultaneously.

Yennefer smacked Geralt’s shoulder. “Not Roach. You can name all the horses you want, but I draw the line at cats.”

Jaskier nodded. “We can think of something better. I believe in us.”

Geralt subsided with a huff. There was another moment of thoughtful silence.

“Cirilla the Second?” suggested Yennefer.

Jaskier flopped back down onto the bed, buried his face in a pillow, and groaned loudly. “I loathe you both.”

“I don’t see you having any better ideas,” Yennefer protested. Jaskier groaned again and rolled onto his back.

“What have I done to deserve this?” he asked the ceiling.

“Is that an insult or a compliment?” asked Yennefer with a smirk.

“It can be both.”

“I’m not so sure. That would require complicated things like nuance and finesse. I am not sure a bard of your caliber could keep up. Perhaps we need someone more practiced, for instance Vald—”

“How about Mackerel?” Geralt said loudly and rather desperately, cutting Yennefer off before disaster could strike.

Jaskier and Yennefer both fell silent. They looked at Geralt. They looked at the kitten. They looked back at Geralt.

“Is your entire repertoire of names made up of fish?” asked Yennefer, and Jaskier burst into laughter.

Geralt looked on with some disgruntlement as Jaskier’s guffaws slowly faded into giggles.

“What?” he asked. “It’s a decent name.”

Yennefer rolled her eyes. “Retrospectively, I’m grateful you didn’t go back to claim Ciri when she was young. The poor girl would have ended up saddled with the name Perch.”

“You are an idiot,” said Jaskier to Geralt. “An utter and complete moron. I love you.”

“Hmm,” Geralt said, flustered.

“Do you have any better names, Jaskier?” asked Yennefer.

“Absolutely not. Mackerel is hilarious. We’re keeping it.”

Yennefer sighed but failed to hide her smile. “Oh, fine.”

They finished their breakfast in companionable silence. When they were finished, they sat on the bed for a while longer. It was comfortable, after all, and they were in no particular hurry. Jaskier determinedly did not think about any other reasons he might have for not wanting to leave the inn.

“We can’t stay here forever,” Geralt said eventually, reluctant.

Yennefer sighed. “Yeah, we’ll have to get going if we want to meet Ciri and Geralt’s idiot brothers in time.”

Jaskier hauled himself to his feet.

“Let’s get to it, then!” he said with false cheer.

With practiced ease, they packed up their things. They were ready to leave within minutes.

They did not leave.

The three of them dithered in the room. Geralt gazed out the window. Yennefer checked corners for anything they might have somehow lost. Jaskier fidgeted with his notebook.

“Well,” said Yennefer, “I suppose it’s time to go.”

She went to stand in the doorway. Geralt and Jaskier joined her.

None of them moved.

They looked back at the kitten, who was once again on the bed. Mackerel looked back at them. He meowed.

Yennefer heaved a deep, longsuffering sigh. “We’re taking him with us, aren’t we?”

Geralt sighed. “We might.”

Jaskier whooped so loudly that it startled Mackerel. He darted back to the bed and scooped the kitten up in his arms. Mackerel mewled in complaint.

Jaskier stroked his head in apology. “Sorry for startling you, darling, but you’ll be much happier about it soon. You’re coming with us! You’ll get to see the continent. You’ll get to experience all sorts of varied and delightful table scraps. It’ll be lovely.”

Across the room, Jaskier heard Yennefer trying to stifle a laugh. He ignored her.

“You’ll get to meet so many people,” he said to Mackerel. “You’ll get to explore the world. You can meet our family, too—”

Jaskier cut himself off with a gasp and turned to Geralt and Yennefer, his eyes shining. “Ciri is going to love him!”

“Oh,” said Yennefer with a grin. “Oh, she really will. This is going to be great.”

Jaskier nodded enthusiastically. “This is going to be the best decision we’ve ever made, I can feel it.”

“What do kittens eat?” Geralt asked reasonably, looking rather exasperated at their antics. “We can’t just let him starve.”

“We’ll figure it out,” said Jaskier. “He can’t be that hard to feed.”

Yennefer nodded. “He’s been living off scraps and what he can catch so far. I’m sure he’ll be all right.”

“It’ll be dangerous on the path,” said Geralt.

Jaskier scoffed. “Mackerel is a smart cat. He can take care of himself.”

Geralt looked as though he might protest again, but at that moment, Mackerel meowed. Geralt looked down at the tiny ball of fur in Jaskier’s arms. Jaskier saw the exact moment Geralt’s last arguments drained away in the face of the adorable creature in front of him.

“I suppose he can come,” said Geralt with a sigh.

Jaskier whooped again. Mackerel meowed. Yennefer laughed. Geralt, seemingly despite himself, smiled.

The three of them shouldered their packs, Jaskier passing Mackerel to Geralt to free his hands. They left their room. On their way out of the inn, Yennefer stopped to let the innkeeper know they were taking Mackerel while Geralt retrieved Roach from the stables. The innkeeper seemed happy enough with the idea and waved at them with a smile as they left. 

They set off on the Path, with Geralt leading Roach and Yennefer and Jaskier walking beside him. It was just like any other day in the last week — except this time, there was a tiny orange head poking out of one of Roach’s saddlebags, and Yennefer was having a hard time suppressing a smile. Even Geralt looked visibly content. 

Jaskier’s lovers were happy. They had, somehow, despite everything, adopted a cat. Despite Yennefer and Geralt’s persistent issues with attachment and commitment, they had agreed to take a kitten with them on their travels for no reason other than sentiment and sympathy. Jaskier was so very proud of them. 

Stopping at that inn was the best decision they ever made. 

[catierambles]

"Can you tell me about him?" The question was hesitant, aimed at their dark haired companion and she looked at her.

"Tell you about who, sweetheart?" She asked and Ciri hesitated another moment.

"Haurchefant." She said and she blinked at her in surprise.

"Where did you hear that name?" She asked, catching Geralt's attention. She didn't sound angry, didn't look angry, she sounded and looked surprised.

"I saw him." Ciri said, "When you were talking to Jaskier. He made a comment about how you're always smiling and laughing no matter what is going on, and you told him you were keeping a promise. I saw him."

"I believe you." She said, "How long have you been having visions of the past?"

"My entire life. I can't control them. There's no rhyme or reason to how they're triggered."

"They just happen."

"Yes."

"I have them, too." She said.

"You do?" Ciri asked, somewhat hopeful, and she nodded.

"Ciri, this ability is a gift given to you by a very kind and loving woman who believed in the potential of mankind. Her name was Venat, but she was also called Mother Hydaelyn."

"Hydaelyn." Yennefer said, tuning in. "I know that name, I read it during my studies at Aretuza. She's supposedly the creator of all mankind."

"In a way." She said, "Ciri, this ability is called The Echo, and it allows you to see glimpses of people's past, echoes of their souls. It gives you the ability to understand them no matter what language they speak because you can understand their hearts."

"Yes." Ciri said, "I always could, no matter what."

"You have this ability as well?" Geralt asked, "This "Echo"."

"Yes, and I know a few others. It manifests itself differently for everyone with the gift, but it seems Ciris' is closer to my own."

"I could feel it. Everything in that vision, I could feel it and smell it. It was like I was there." Ciri said, and she nodded.

"Mine is the same way, and in certain cases, I can even relive those events as they happened, not just watch them passively. I can't change anything, obviously, but I can step into the body of the person whose memory I am recalling." She said, "Now, you said you saw Haurchefant."

"He was bleeding. Dying. A young elf tried to heal him, but he couldn't."

"Alphinaud." She said with a small nod. "Healing magics have their limitations. His wound was too deep."

"He said something, something you hold with you." Ciri said, and she nodded.

"He took a blow meant for me, blocked it with his shield, but it broke, and he...well, you saw. He protected me and saved my life." She said, "The last words he said to me before he died was "a smile better suits a hero." If I stop smiling, if I give in to the pain and despair, the crushing emptiness, then I...I would be betraying his final wish."

"Tell me about him?" Ciri asked, "He meant a lot to you."

"He was a Knight, and he was my friend."

[doyouyearn]

Geralt's Jaskier

A Modern AU Valentine's thing I wrote last year.

Summary: Jaskier loves any excuse to give gifts and make a fuss about his loved ones. Geralt calls corporate cash-grab Hallmark holidays as he sees them.

Maybe this year, Jaskier decides, he should just act like Valentine’s Day is just a regular Tuesday, no gifts, no fancy dinners, nothing.

T for language and very very lightly implied sex.

Preview:

Jaskier adored Geralt, and made it clear every chance he got. Whether it was calling out a quiet “Bye, love you, have a good day at work” when he left for the café at the crack of dawn every morning, while Geralt was still snoozing, or complimenting how good his boyfriend looked in those button downs when he finally made it home from the office in the evenings. Jaskier was smitten, and expressing that was instinctive for him, as easy as inhaling and exhaling.

He could hardly say the same thing about Geralt.

He knew Geralt loved him, of course - there’s no way they’d still be sharing an apartment if he didn’t. Geralt wouldn’t let him hold his hand and kiss him on the cheek in public if he didn’t love Jaskier too, wouldn’t let him call him his boyfriend or go on nice dinner dates with him every now and then, either. He just…was more of the strong and silent type. It drove Jaskier crazy sometimes, but he could live with it. It made shopping for gifts a nightmare, though. Aside from a polite “thank you,” he had hardly acknowledged the birthday gifts and “hey I saw this while I was out and thought you might like it”-type trinkets Jaskier had gotten him in the past. Even the Lord of The Rings figurines he’d gotten for Geralt after they’d marathoned the movies one weekend - with a surprising amount of commentary from Geralt to inform his purchases - didn’t get more than a little smile.

Maybe that just had to be enough for Jaskier. He could live with it. Full text on AO3

[bitterlybisexualbard]

Yennefer’s love language: Words of affirmation.

Gift giving usually comes with ulterior motives or implications of having bought her in her experience, acts of service have always been expected of her and she hates people thinking she needs someone else to do something for her, she doesn’t personally like being around one person for very long at a time so quality time is a ‘meh’ for her, and physical affection for her body has never been lacking since she had her ascention so she’s over that mostly.

But honest words of praise and affection and validation? Sorely lacking. She’s craved them since she was old enough to know what it meant when her family called her unwanted, ugly, broken, weak, useless and stupid, and growing up in Aretuza hardly helped. Praise of her beauty doesn’t mean much (except of her eyes), but affirming her strength, her capability, her goodness, how much she’s loved and liked, those will get her every time, and she can tell if they’re genuine by skimming minds.

Geralt’s love language: Quality time.

Gifts are payment and require reciprocation, words are just words and are often manipulation, he enjoys physical affection but it’s been weaponised against him before and can be bought when he wants it, acts of service have always been expected of him and being the recipient carries the same issues as receiving gifts. But someone choosing to spend their time with him? Just being with him without expectation or purpose? Not even his brothers give him that. Even in the winter their shared time is about working, training, entertaining each other, and if he isn’t doing those things then they will usually go do them without him. Someone choosing to be with him when it’s inconvenient or he’s not good company or there’s nothing to be accomplished by his presence is all but unheard of.

He was made and raised to serve a purpose, not to be enjoyed. Quality time means someone finds Geralt worthy just as he is, without him having to do anything to earn it.

Jaskier’s love language: All of them. Every single one in every single way, both giving and receiving. That’s why he falls in love so easily and so easily gets others to fall for him in turn.

Words of affirmation? They come to him like breathing, but receiving them still takes him by surprise after a lifetime of disappointing his family and having half the continent call him talentless and annoying. Even as more and more people praise his work or his style or his looks or intelligence, he can’t quite forget the hundreds upon hundreds of times he’s heard the opposite. He never let himself take the insults to heart and focused on changing their minds instead, but the praise and affirmation feel like vindication. Like he’s finally being seen for what he is.

Physical affection? He grew up tactile but noble, meaning someone actually accepting his touch, let alone reciprocating it, was rare and had meaning. He loves causing pleasure, sexual or otherwise, and someone wanting him specifically to do that for them or wanting to give him the same makes him giddy, whether it’s kept just for them like something precious, or proudly displayed for the world to see.

Quality time? No one EVER wants to spend time with him. Fuck him, listen to him sing, learn from him in his lectures, hang off his arm in public etc, sure, but he’s always been ‘too much’ and too annoying and no one ever wants him to stay when they’ve got what they want (not that he minds giving them what they want. Quite the opposite). Someone enjoying his company and not finding him unbearably annoying after a day or two makes him starry eyed, and he craves company and companionship for its own sake.

Gift giving? Gifts are exciting. Watching someone receive something he made or picked out for them makes him bounce in excitement because they’re accepting a sentiment, a piece of him alongside it, and having someone give him something means they thought of him when they saw it and thought ‘this would make Jaskier smile’, whether he was present or not, and how could anything be more flattering than that?

Acts of service? He often feels useless next to the kind of ultra-capable people he spends time with, and the idea that he can be USEFUL to someone he cares about is enough to make Jaskier starry eyed. And he absolutely adores being taken care of, being deemed worth the attention and effort expended when everyone always seems so busy with their own problems.

[yennskier-feed-ao3]

A Present From the Soul

A Present From the Soul

by animangalover15

4 times Jaskier shows his love through gifts, and 4 times love was shown to him in return

Words: 3035, Chapters: 2/2, Language: English

Fandoms: The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M, M/M, Multi

Characters: Jaskier | Dandelion, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Istredd (The Witcher), Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon

Relationships: Geralt/Jaskier/Yennefer/Istredd, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion, Jaskier | Dandelion/Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Istredd/Jaskier | Dandelion, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion/Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg, Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon & Jaskier | Dandelion

Additional Tags: Polyamory, Fluff, Domestic Fluff, Gift Giving, Jaskier's love language is gift giving, 5 times +1, except its 4 times + 4, Ciri has 4 parents now, Jaskier is the fun one, jaskier centric, Love Languages

[goblinpostingbehavior]

Headcanons on gift-giving: Geralt edition

So I’m obsessing over how Geralt would give certain people presents. His love language is obviously acts of service, not really one for flowery words. Still, when he sees something he thinks someone he cares about would like, he scrapes up the coin to get it for them because he loves seeing people happy and cared for. He’s a protector, a provider, and thus he has a “secret” (they all know why he does it) tradition of buying them presents on random occassions. 

Yennefer is an easy one to guess, he’d probably let her tell him exactly what she wanted and simply buy it for her because WE ALL KNOW she has every man she ever meets by the balls (and I wouldn’t have her any other way.) 

For Ciri, he would probably get her something sentimental and small, maybe even some kids toy to remind her that its okay to be a child still. I imagine he might mumble a few things, nervous that she wouldn’t like it, and then smile super big whenever she gives her dad a big hug and tells him she loves it. I feel like Geralt is the kind of dad who just wants his daughter to have nice things, even if that nice thing is her favorite food or a hair pin he saw in a passing market. 

His brothers are easy: he gives Eskel some nice soap or a new knife and he gets Lambert things the stubborn little bastard would never admit to liking but wants anyway. Both of them are given presents with a fond insult and just a look that says “take it or I swear to god I’ll force you to take it.” 

Jaskier, however, turns Geralt into a complete, flustered MESS. Jaskier already has nice clothes and creams and perfumes and jewelry, anything he could ever want, really. So Geralt has no idea what he could possibly get his bard. I imagine that Geralt likes woodcarving. Its a good pastime on the path and its relaxing. He usually carves little animals and things, so he stays up late into the night while on the way to pick Jaskier up from Oxenfurt when the spring comes back. He carves a little wolf pendant for Jaskier, threads it onto a chain he made out of scrap metal from Kaer Morhen’s forges, and makes sure its polished and dyed. He remains unconvinced that the stupid trinket is something Jaskier would even want, rough around the edges and a bit wonky in certain places. Still, it sits in his pocket for the first few days after he collects the bard. He’s nervous and doesn’t want Jaskier to reject the present or say its stupid. He wants him to wear it always, a quiet (but definitely obvious) way of announcing his claim on Jaskier because he loves him but doesn’t know what to do with his feelings. 

When he finally feels brave enough to give the present, he awkwardly walks over to where Jaskier is laying out their bedrolls for the night, grabs the bard’s hand, pushes it into his palm, opens his mouth to explain, closes it, hums, and practically runs into the woods making some excuse about scouting for danger even though he already did that before they even started making camp. 

I imagine he just paces in the dark, agonizing over how in the fuck to explain why he gave Jaskier one of his shitty little carvings that he never shows ANYONE. When he comes back to camp, he resolutely refuses to say anything about it and hopes Jaskier won’t mention it. That’s when he notices Jaskier wearing it and the tears shining in those blue eyes. He would probably ask what was wrong and why Jaskier was crying (preparing himself to go kill whoever or whatever dared to hurt his bard) but Jaskier just smiles and launches himself into the witcher, hugging him near tight enough to bruise and laughing at the absurdity of Geralt still not seeming to know how much Jaskier loves him back. 

“I’m not sad, Geralt. You’ve just given me the most precious thing I have ever and will ever own. I will wear it with pride, always dear heart.” 

If their bedrolls keep getting closer to each other through the season and they get inn rooms with only one bed for the rest of the season, thats their own business. Geralt continues to carve things for Jaskier: a mini Roach or a Redanian love knot. Jaskier never once takes off his wolf necklace, not even when they have to go to baquets Jaskier has been invited to perform at, and he never once complains that it clashes with his outfit. 

...Just... AHHHH. It’s so cute to think about it makes my heart hurt. I’m doing a version for Jaskier next. 

[jaskierswolf]

Geralt learning a new love language for Jaskier. He learns the importance of small touches, kisses to palms, fingertips, wrists. A soft smile as he brushes Jaskier's hair from his eyes, his hand lingering on the bard's shoulder as the pull apart from a hug. He tries to be better with words, but it isn't until he has a surprise teenage daughter that he really starts to improve with that. Jaskier doesn't mind, he knows his lover is trying, and even just the quiet "I missed you"s warm Jaskier's heart more than he can say.

But Jaskier also has to learn a new love language for Geralt. Words, his bread and butter, are suddenly not enough. He tries gifts, but Geralt isn't used to kindness and struggles to accept them. Physical touch works, but only in moderation... again, Geralt struggles. He's touch starved, and too much in one go is overwhelming. So Jaskier learns to provide for his witcher, the way Geralt always tries to provide for them. He won't touch Geralt's armour, but if Geralt's shirts are damaged then Jaskier fixes them. When the witcher is injured or tired, Jaskier grooms Roach, even braiding her mane if he has time. He learns to scribble in his notebook rather than pluck at his lute when Geralt is still coming down from the potions.

They are sun and moon, but when they come to together it's beautiful, calm - twilight, dusk and dawn. A love that neither of them expected but one that they wouldn't give up for the world.

[captainkirkk]

✩ WEEKLY FIC ROUND-UP ✩

All the fics I’ve read and really enjoyed in the past week-ish. Reminder: This list features any and all ratings and themes.

The Witcher

Long Live the King by stockholm_syndrom

Geralt placed the crown on his head before kneeling at his side, and the weight of it felt heavy on Jaskier’s brow.

Jaskier’s path to becoming king, takes place five years after the fall of Cintra.

BNHA

Anonymity is an Excellent Precursor to Bullshit by Anubis_2701

22-year-old Imari Hano had only joined the Discord server because she was a fan of Chargebolt, and wanted to meet others like her. She expected memes, inside jokes and a lot of fangirling over how attractive the hero was.

What she wasn't expecting was for one of their members to turn out to be the hero himself. Or for said hero to be a complete and utter little shit.

Miraculous Ladybug

love languages by sseagully

When Adrien is forced to start a crazy new diet for work, Marinette can’t bear to sit idly by and watch him suffer. She decides to leave him gifts of food with notes of encouragement, completely anonymously - or so she thinks.

Meanwhile, Adrien is overwhelmed by Marinette’s kindness and is desperate to return it in some fashion. A not-so-accidental sneak peek at her jam-packed personal planner gives him a great idea on where to start - or so he thinks.

In truth, neither one is fully prepared for where their actions will lead them.

-

Post Season 3 identity reveal and all around fluffy story (for the most part)

ATLA

life as an association game by Lomonte

[ There’s an intake of breath, like Zuko is going to say something, but it stays quiet between them. He's gathering the courage to say something, and Sokka is going to try and be patient, even though he doesn’t have a lot of practice in it.

"I think my father is abusive."

And Sokka almost laughs at that, just out of sheer misery.]

Things aren't the same after their little fieldtrip to the Boiling Rock. Sokka tries to navigate.

Star Wars

Are You Still Awake by Libby_25cSoda

After the Emperor calls the Alliance offering something of a temporary truce, Luke agrees to meet with an Imperial representative. Not the best day to fall ill...

Clone Wars

these battle scars (don't look like they're fading) by CallToMuster

Part 1 of battle scars

If there was one thing Ahsoka knew about her grandmaster, it was that he hated medical treatment and those who gave it.

She just never knew why.

made of hurricanes and ether by blackkat

In an attempt to find an ancient weapon that will let them fight a Sith Lord on equal ground, Jon seeks out a lost Jedi Temple on a war-torn world. Saving two clone troopers isn't anywhere in the plan, and letting them tag along with him seems like inviting trouble, but Jon does it anyway.

It's possible that Knol has a point about his instincts getting him killed one of these days.

[animangalover-writes]

New headcanon just dropped: Jaskiers love language is gift giving and he's like a bird who finds shiny things on the ground and gives them to the others as presents.

Ciri appreciates them the most.

[plussizeappreciationfics]

Seventh Masterlist

💕 = fluff

😢 = angst

👀 = heated, but no smut

🔥 = smut

😂 = funny

🥊 = violence

GROUP CHATS

* A wild night 👀 😂

* Injury 👀 😂

* Rusty hips 😂🔥💕

* WAP 😂🔥

AARON HOTCHNER

Headcanon

* Flirt 😢

ARTHUR CURRY

Headcanon

*  Medical school 💕

*  Twins 💕

* Jealous 💕

* Falling for you 💕

BRAD PIT

Headcanon

* Nasty shower 🔥

BRUCE BANNER Headcanon

* Being his confidant 💕

BUCKY BARNES

One shots

*Move on 🥲🔥

Headcannon

*Set up 🥲 💕

*Covid care 💕

*Love language 💕

*Asexuality 🥲💕

COLOSSUS

Headcanon

* Being his boo 💕

CHRIS EVANS One shot

* Flaunt it 🔥

* Lost a friend 😢

* Birthday sex 🔥

 * Give a chance 💕

* Peaceful moments 💕

* Day off 🔥

* Jodeci 🔥 💕

Headcanon

* Bad body day 💕 👀

* Marvel stan 💕

*  Flirts 💕

* Disney World proposal 💕

* The curve 🥲

*Wish come true 🔥

*In the sheets 🔥

CHARLES XAVIER Headcanon

*  Falling for you 💕

CHRISTIAN YU Headcanon

* Home sick 💕🔥

COCO CRUZ HEADCANON

*Argument 🥲

DAVEED DIGGS One shot

*Support 💕

Headcanon

*Making up 💕

* Voice kink 🔥

* Being parents 💕

*Doing your hair 💕

DEAN WINCHESTER One shot

* Can I 💕

DIN DJARIN

Headcano

*  Baby Yoda 😂 💕

ERIK KILLMONGER Headcanon

*  Helping you out of an abusive relationship 😢 💕

FREDDI ANDERSEN Headcanon

* Thigh riding

FLORIAN MUNTEANU

Headcanon

* Support 💕 😢

GERALT OF RIVIA One shot

* End of prank the war

Headcanon

*  Saving him 🔥

*  Sharing is caring 🔥 💕

HANK VOIGHT Headcanon

*Falling for him 💕

* Voice kink 🔥 

* Jealous 💕

*Safe space 💞

HOZIER Headcanon

* First encounter 💕

JAMES MCAVOY Headcanon

* Birthday fun 😂 👀

*  Becoming his wife 💕

*  Falling for you 💕

JAVIER PEÑA Headcanon

* Flustered 💕

JAY PARK Headcanon

* Cyber stalker 💕

JASKIER Headcanon

*  Love 😢 💕

JOHN BOYEGA One shot

* Punishment 🔥

* Early dessert 🔥

*Not good at love 💕🔥

*Dangerous meddling pt.1 🥲

*Got your back boo 🥲💕

Headcanon

*City love 💕

* Sweet moment 💕

JOKER Headcanon

*  Being his boo 💕 🔥

KIM NAMJOON/RM HEADCANON

*Argument 🥲💕

KURT WAGNGER Headcanon

* Netflix and chill 🔥

KLAUS MIKAELSON Headcanon

* Falling for you 💕

LEWIS TAN Headcanon

*  Shy love 🔥 💕

LOKI LAUFEYSON ODINSON Headcanon

* Explanation 😢💕

*Approval 😢💕

*Drunk dial 💕

*Braiding your hair 💕

*From enemies to friends 💕

MILO VENTIMIGLIA HEADCANON

*Love language 💕

MINHO (SHINEE) Headcanon

*Pregnancy 💕

MIN YOONGI /AKA AGUST D/SUGA FROM BTS One shot

* Someone special 💕

* First encounter 💕

Headcanon

*Announcement 💕

* Eventful birth 💕

* Support 💕

* Daechwita 💕

PEDRO PASCAL One shot

* Nasty teasing 🔥

* Heated moment 🔥

* Caged in pain 😢 

* Caged in pain pt. 2 😢 💕

* Christening the pool 🔥

* Reunion 💕

* Start of something good 💕

* True love 💕

Headcanon

* Spanish lessons 🔥

* Nastiness in the car 🔥

* Costume kink 🔥

* Water fun 👀 🔥

* Caught 👀🔥

* Technical difficulties 🔥

*  Threesome 🔥

* Cuddling 💕

* Karaoke 💕

RAY MERRIMEN Headcanon

* First date 💕🔥

RAY FISCHER

* Night terror 💕

SAM WILSON

One shot

*Close to you  💕

SCOTT LANG

HEADCANON

*Dating 💕

SHELDON COOPER

Headcanon

* Quarantine 💕👀

* Real love 💕

SHERLOCK HOLMES Headcanon

*  Insecure 😢 💕

* Ordinary  💕

SPENCER REID Headcanon

*  Not a chance 😢

STEVE ROGERS

Headcanon

* Like me for me 💕

* Muse 💕

* Sucker 💕

* First date 💕

*The truth  🥲

*Comfort 💕

SUPER JUNIOR

Headcanon

*What if

TAEMIN

Headcanon

* going public 💕

TAEHYUNG Headcanon

* Family reunion 💕

TARON EGERTON

Headcanon

* first time 🔥💕

TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET Headcanon

*  First encounter 💕

THOR ODINSON

Headcanon

* Best boyfriend 💕 👀

* Biggest supporter 😢 💕

* Sex toy  🔥

* Explanation 😢💕

* Spicy food 😂

* Wide hips luving 💕🔥

*Argument 🥲💕

TOM HIDDLESTON One shot

* Played 😢

* Played pt. 2 😢💕

*Gifted dancer 🔥

Headcanon

* Traffic head 🔥

* Self pleasuring 🔥

* Threesome 🔥

* Kids 😢

* Comfort 💕

*Falling for you 💕

*In the sheets 🔥

*Argument 🥲💕

THOMAS SHELBY Headcanon

*  Bad ass 🥊

* Falling for you 💕

VENOM Headcanon

*Temporary possession 💕

YAHYA ABDUL MATEEN II

One shot

* The real one😢 🔥 💕

YESUNG (SUPER JUNIOR)

Headcanon

* Dating 💕

PROMPTS 

AGENT MOBIUS

*Office shenanigans 🔥

BUCKY BARNES

*Just like that? 🔥

*I want it 🔥

JAMES MCAVOY

*Award win 💕

LOKI LAUFEYSON ODINSON

*Tiny secret 💕

PEDRO PASCAL

Pleasuring him while he’s on the phone 🔥

SAM WILSON

*Please don't stop 🔥

SCOTT LANG

*Like I give as shit 🔥

STEVE ROGERS

*Yes...Your mouth did that... 🔥

SYLVIE LAUFEYSON

*Good chat 🔥

WILLIAM “IRONHEAD” MILLER

*Losing a game 👀

[julek]

Stitched

hey guys! this is part one of a project that i’ve been working on with several other creators in the witcher fandom. we’ll be posting one part a day for the next week, with the full story posted to ao3 on sunday the 14th. the other authors are a mystery, so keep an eye out for part two tomorrow!

prompt: crafting gifts - rating: T - no warnings apply!

To say Geralt is a man of action would be an understatement. He is good with his hands and better with a sword — he can fight and deflect, plan and surprise. Words aren’t his strong suit, and he never needed them to be, not in his line of work, at least; chatting up villagers and debating with nobles were never part of his schedule, let alone his interests. He’s never needed words —they certainly haven’t done him any good in the past— and, in his humble opinion, it’s much more straightforward to just do things, whether it be breaking a nobleman’s nose or riding out of a town at full speed, angry mob following close behind. 

It works. It’s pragmatic, even. More efficient and to the point. 

Or so he keeps telling himself, when a colorful bard draped in obnoxiously striking colors attaches himself to the Witcher’s metaphorical hip, and he finds that he’s a little bit in love. Jaskier is loud, he’s all pretty rhymes and flowery speech, and, for a moment, Geralt thinks he might combust from all that energy. (He doesn’t, but the fear lingers). Jaskier expects answers to his inquiries and questions in return; he longs for extensive, cadenced conversations in the small hours of the night; he wants advice and opinions on his musical compositions — and Geralt yearns to give all of that to him, wishes to be the companion he knows the bard deserves, but… he can’t. 

He’s tried, which is how he can tell it’s a lost cause, but it all falls flat and is somewhat off-putting — his concern comes off as annoyance, words that are meant to be comforting come out as patronizing, his genuine interest in the bard misinterpreted as ironic. It’s tiresome, to try to reach and find words that were never within him in the first place, to try to show his affection in a way that Jaskier would understand when his nature tells him to do the opposite. 

One night, as Jaskier snores softly on his bedroll and Geralt sharpens his hunting knife by the firelight, his movements still with a thought — he doesn’t have to pretend for Jaskier. He doesn’t need to find words to let the bard know how deeply he cares for him, how his days were somber and dull before he came into his life, how he fills his life with song and light and love— 

Maybe the bard’s been rubbing off on him. Still, even if he can’t meet Jaskier’s questions with more than a nod or a shrug, even if sometimes he chokes on an answer and earns a playful shove and an oh, my dear Witcher, man of few words, even if Jaskier’s language clearly is full of freely given terms of endearment and intricate prose, he can try to meet him halfway on his own terms. 

Watching the shadows dance on Jaskier’s face, Geralt makes up a plan.

[samstree]

Headcanon that Geralt would love to receive flowers for dates or just in general. 

But it's not commen to give men flowers to begin with, he doesn't know how to ask for it, and especially he feels like he should be the one to provide and care. So Geralt sets out to bring his loved ones flowers instead, be it a single rose bought at the market or wild blossoms he picks up by the side of the road. He'd casually bring Yennefer somethings whenever they meet and put them in her vase. He'd make Ciri dandelion crowns when she's down and find exotic flora to bring back to her when they separate. He's happy that Yen seems to appreciate them and keep them alive longer with magic and that Ciri buries her nose in the bouquet with that big grin, but he also really, really wants someone to get him flowers for a change.

So when he and Jaskier become a thing and the bard finds out about it, Geralt is surprised to find that Jaskier would shower him in all the beautiful flowers he can find. Jaskier gifts him blooms from Oxenfurt's greenhouse, braids small buds into his long hair, sometimes even into Roach's mane. Jaskier would develope a habit of keeping a small bouquet of wild flowers in the pocket of his saddlebag and replacing them when they wither. When they have to part for winter, Geralt finds a bag of seeds at the bottom of his bag with a note. He grows the cold-resistant plants in the backyard of Kaer Morhen and the vibrant colors remind him of Jaskier's rediculous doublets. By the time they meet in the spring, he is surrounded by the flowery scent, a scent he already associates with Jaskier. When the bard tucks a single flower above his ear and tells him that his eyes are brighter and more beautiful than any blossom on the continent, Geralt almost sobs with the love that fills him.

Years pass. When Jaskier can no longer walk the Path because of his slowing gait and creaking bones, they settle into a nice cottage by the sea and Jaskier picks up gardening. He would always make sure that his Witcher has fresh blooms to come home to, and he would still give him bouquets after bouquets out of his own garden, at special occasions or just any ordinary day. They are Jaskier's love language. And Geralt would always inhale the fragrance and kiss Jaskier on the temple with a heartened smile.

[mordoriscalling]

Secret

A fic based on @artistsfuneral fic about Geralt confessing his love to Jaskier in Polish, assuming that Jaskier doesn’t understand the language. Please go read it here and give them love!  

This fic is also available on AO3.

***

At the beginning, it was just a way of venting about his frustrations concerning the bard.

“Musi mieć nierówno pod sufitem.” He must be soft in the head, Geralt says to Roach quietly as he brushes her mane. He glances over his shoulder, looking at Jaskier sitting by the fire and strumming his newly-acquired elven lute. “Nikt o zdrowych zmysłach nie chciałby pisać o mnie pieśni.” Nobody in their right mind would want to write songs about me, the witcher scoffs in an old language which he’s sure the young bard won’t understand. Roach understands of course, in her own way, and snorts in agreement.

Geralt has lived for many years and has learnt many useful skills during that time. Speaking ancient languages is one of them. Witchers have to learn that particular tongue anyway, since the most reliable bestiaries are written in it. Jaskier, being no witcher, won’t know what Geralt’s talking about, so he can complain all about the bard, even to his face to piss him off.

“Marzę tylko o tym, żebyś zamknął się chociaż na chwilę.” The only thing I dream of is you shutting up for just a minute, he tells the bard after Jaskier asks him whether he has any dreams. It ends up in Jaskier sulking and not talking to him for the rest of the day, so Geralt counts it as a win.

“Daj mi spokój!” Leave me be! He growls at Jaskier as he returns injured to their camp after a hunt. The bard wanted to touch him and look at his wound.

“Zejdź mi z oczu, Jaskier.” Get out of my sight, Jaskier, he grits out, annoyed, after he had to safe the bard from a vengeful spouse yet again.

Jaskier never does. Geralt tells him to go away in all the languages he knows but Jaskier persists. He stays by Geralt’s side through thick and thin, for many years, and Geralt doesn’t understand.

“Czego ty ode mnie chcesz?” What do you want from me? he asks as he and the bard drink ale together in some inn. Jaskier holds his gaze for a long moment but doesn’t answer. Two days later, Jaskier helps him bathe after a hunt and hums happily all throughout, as if it actually brings him pleasure to wash monster guts from Geralt’s hair with his delicate fingers. Geralt blurts out, “Nie rozumiem cię.” I don’t understand you.

Jaskier’s hands stop their movement. “You know what,” he says cheerfully, “I don’t understand what you’re saying but one day, I will.”

Geralt huffs a laugh. “Zobaczymy.” We’ll see about that.

Few more years pass and Jaskier gives no indication that he’s somehow learnt the “secret” language. Geralt still uses it to rant about the bard (mostly to Roach) but gradually, his irritated words like “Wkurzasz mnie” You annoy me give way to quiet confessions such as “Tęskniłem za tobą.” I missed you.

When Jaskier finds the witcher fishing for a djin, he offers to sing Geralt to sleep. He makes Geralt put his head in his lap and starts crooning a lullaby in Elder, running his hands through the witcher’s hair. Sleeplessness starts overtaking Geralt at last but he fights it, just to look up at Jaskier’s face a little longer - his expression is so open, warm and unafraid. Geralt reaches out to touch Jaskier’s cheek and whispers, “Czym ja sobie na ciebie zasłużyłem?” What have I done to deserve you?

Jaskier only chuckles and sings on. The following day, they go to Rinde and make friends with the infamous sorceress who resides there. Yennefer gifts Geralt with a potion that helps the witcher with his insomnia. On some occasions, he allows himself to ask Jaskier to sing to him anyway.

Geralt and Jaskier continue travelling together and the witcher watches his bard companion grow – his clothes get more distinguished, his verses become more sophisticated and artful. Jaskier holds himself with confidence, a magnetic charisma that draws everyone in, yet he still chooses Geralt’s company and all the discomforts and hardships of the Path. It weighs down on Geralt, how much better Jaskier could be doing away from him, how selfish he is to want this extraordinary man to remain with him.

“Jesteś taki piękny.” You’re so beautiful, Geralt murmurs, gazing at Jaskier cast in the orange glow of the bonfire. His blue eyes reflect the firelight with a myriad of colours and Geralt can’t look away.

Jaskier smiles but says nothing.

When they’re about to separate for winter that year, Geralt can’t hold it in anymore. The bard babbles excitedly, sharing his plans for the upcoming months and teasing Geralt about how the witcher surely won’t miss his constant chatter. Geralt suddenly breaks under the weight of the only secret he’s kept from his friend.

“Gdybyś tylko wiedział, jak bardzo cię kocham.” If only you knew how much I love you, he says under his breath, swallowing hard. His chest aches and his throat burns, and it’s only thanks to his very last shred of self-control that he doesn’t say it again in a language which Jaskier speaks.

Then, there comes Jaskier’s question, “Co ty powiedziałeś?” What did you just say?

Geralt whips around and stares at Jaskier with wide eyes. The bard appears equally shocked. There’s comprehension on his face and Geralt’s blood runs cold. He keeps looking at Jaskier soundlessly, helplessly, fighting for breath as every inhale fills his lungs with fire that makes his eyes prickle.

“Jaskier, I –” he grinds out finally. “I’m... sorry, I –”

“Geralt,” Jaskier cuts in gently, “Don’t.”

He walks up to Geralt, standing so close that their bodies almost touch. Taking the witcher’s face into his hands, he goes on, and Geralt can’t look away from the warm blue of his eyes. “I told you that I’d learn,” he says with a smile so soft, so full of affection that shouldn’t be there, “and I did.”

“Wiedźminie.” Witcher, Jaskier murmurs, “mój wiedźminie.” My witcher.

It shouldn’t mean as much as it does - being called this name in this tongue - yet when Jaskier says it so tenderly, his voice turning the vowels and consonants into some magical sounds, it strikes Geralt to his very core. He chokes and lays his palms on Jaskier nape, clinging desperately as he puts their foreheads together.

Jaskier laughs breathlessly and nudges his nose against Geralt’s. “Ja ciebie też kocham.” I love you too, he whispers huskily, “Całym sercem.” With my whole heart.

It means so much.

Part 2

[inexplicifics]

I've been meaning to ask... What are the love languages of the different couples and friends in the AWAU? Thanks!

Ooh hm. Let me see.

Love languages aren't terms I use a lot, so just going and looking them up, google tells me the five primary ones are words of affirmation, quality time, physical touch, acts of service, and receiving gifts.

Jaskier gives words of affirmation and physical touch. Geralt gives quality time. Eskel gives acts of service.

Milena gives gifts; Lambert gives quality time.

Beyond that I'm not entirely sure!