𝕳𝖆𝖍𝖆, 𝕴 𝖏𝖊𝖘𝖙 ... 𝖑𝖊𝖘𝖙?

     𝕿𝖍𝖊𝖞'𝖛𝖊 𝖘𝖆𝖎𝖉 𝖌𝖔𝖔𝖉𝖇𝖞𝖊 𝖘𝖔 𝖒𝖆𝖓𝖞 𝖙𝖎𝖒𝖊𝖘 but the times where they weren’t sure when they’d see one another again were the hardest. Jaskier wants to start begging again, get on his knees and plead until his Wolf relented— but he knew it would be of no use. He’s done it before and it got him nowhere but awash in the sea of silent sorrow that filled Geralt’s eyes. It was too dangerous. Geralt didn’t want to lose Jaskier But had he ever considered that Jaskier didn’t want to lose him?

Geralt didn’t have an answer to that one. Or if he did, he certainly didn’t share it.

So in the lieu of begging it was all Jaskier could do but cling to his Witcher, hold him tight around the ribs and try to memorize the way it felt. The rise and fall of each breath, his chest through the thick leathers, his hair blowing in the gentle breeze and tickling at the side Jaskier’s head (buried in Geralt’s shoulder where he could breathe him).

      " 𝕯𝖔 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖜𝖆𝖓𝖙 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖑 𝖘𝖙𝖔𝖗𝖞 or the story I tell people at parties? " Jaskier laughs, a harrowing attempt to ease Geralt's silent worry. He'd seen that flicker of fire in his eyes as he thumbed over the scar on Jaskier's soft cheek. That unsaid promise of 'if somebody hurt you'—

" Let's go with the red herring first, shall we? " The bard set to tell a proper tale. His hands freed from Geralt's hair to allow for gesture, Jaskier straightened up and cleared his throat theatrically (though only slightly, lest he disturb his sluggish wolf too much and be robbed of these affections). " 'Twas a tense and windy night when I found myself at the end of Sir Reighland's blade. I'd just finished a set of your tales at the local tavern in Briar and was off to bed, but it seemed sleep would have to wait. That was— if I would ever make it back to bed at all. "

" 'Been tailing you since Crow's Rest', he told me, 'but tonight is the night it ends. You're a scoundrel in every sense'— " ....he trailed off. This feels wrong, doesn't it? These inflated tales of ego and heroism... As entertaining as they were, they were never meant for Geralt. They were props to build a character. Yarns to be woven before crowds who would never glimpse the real Julian Alfred Pancratz, only the amalgam their mind had sewn together from scraps of performance and assumption.

Geralt didn't need to see the performance. He didn't care about the performance. All he cared about what the nick of flesh taken out of his Bard's cheek and how it got there.

Jaskier sighed, relenting.

" It was nothing spectacular. Really. In fact I would wager it's a little embarrassing." There's a pause like he's waiting to be pardoned from telling it but Geralt says nothing, continues to peer intently— " Alright, alright. Fine. " Jaskier grumbles. " About half a year ago I arrived in Briar late in the day. The carriage I'd borrowed so graciously from my friend Count Ferdinand only took me about three fourths of the way there before so unceremoniously ditching me in the wood. If I didn't know better I'd say he was trying to get me killed! But you know me. I bitched, I persevered. "

headcanon ---  𝖘𝖚𝖈𝖍 𝖆 𝖋𝖔𝖔𝖑𝖊𝖉 𝖍𝖊𝖆𝖗𝖙; 𝖇𝖊𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖘𝖔 𝖋𝖆𝖘𝖙

meme --- 𝖎𝖓 𝖘𝖊𝖆𝖗𝖈𝖍 𝖔𝖋 𝖓𝖊𝖜 𝖉𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖒𝖘 (𝖆 𝖑𝖔𝖛𝖊 𝖙𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝖜𝖎𝖑𝖑 𝖑𝖆𝖘𝖙)

& wolftcher --- 𝕴'𝖑𝖑 𝖇𝖊 𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗𝖊 𝖋𝖔𝖗 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖆𝖘 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖜𝖔𝖗𝖑𝖉 𝖋𝖆𝖑𝖑𝖘 𝖉𝖔𝖜𝖓

                ❝     thank   you   for   coming   with   me .      ❞      this   he   says   with   a   tone   laced   full   of   gratitude   and   sincerity  ,     although   he   had   no   doubt   that   jaskier   would   find   some   way   to   come   along   had   he   not   asked .      often   did   he   attend   these   events   alone .     𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐒𝐓   𝐓𝐇𝐄   𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑   𝐊𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒   𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓   𝐂𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐄   𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐒   𝐀𝐍𝐃   𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒  ,     𝐇𝐄   𝐎𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐍   𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐆𝐍𝐄𝐃   𝐓𝐎   𝐇𝐈𝐒   𝐎𝐖𝐍   𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐀𝐍𝐘 .     he   may   enter   through   the   doors   with   his   brothers  ,     but   soon   enough   he   would   find   himself   passing   the   night   without   a   soul   to   accompany   him .

                   ❝     i   could   not   stand   to   bare   another   of   these   celebrations   alone .      ❞      he   watches   the   rest   of   the   knights   chatter   and   drink   to   their   hearts   content  ,     but   he   spends   nearly   all   day   with   these    people    ————————-     EVERY   DAY .     he   wonders   what   it   is   that   is   even   left   to   be   said .        ❝     they   are   nothing   like   the   parties   my   father   would   throw   back   home .     not   until   someone   gets   unbearably   drunk .      ❞       @jestkier​

      “ 𝕺𝖍 𝕴 𝖜𝖔𝖚𝖑𝖉 𝖍𝖆𝖛𝖊 𝖑𝖔𝖛𝖊𝖉 𝖙𝖔 𝖍𝖆𝖛𝖊 been apart of one of those. “ Jaskier sighed, dreamily. He looks almost transfixed by the fantasy before suddenly returning with a start and a blink. Right. There was more he meant to say. “ Honestly, my friend—— don’t mention it. ‘Tis a travesty any day a noble sir like you walks alone, and who would I be to refuse an invite to a royal affair? A fool. I would be a fool. “

The crowd around them was everything Jaskier missed about court life (the fashion, the food, the drink, the dancing)—— but he knew below the surface dwell the things he didn’t miss so much. Namely, the judgement, the expectation, the rigidity & the cruelty.

It was a good thing he’d only be here for a couple hours.