In The Cold Winter's Keep
A/N: A super nice anon left this long comment on my Tumblr about an old fic with Lambert and Aiden and I just couldnât get it out of my mind. It was so sweet! My heart just couldnât take the sugar overload. I had to fulfill their request. (Iâve lost my writing style simply from disuse so I apologize for the differences, but I hope you still like it nonetheless).
Pairings: Lambert x Aiden x Reader
Summary: With the winters so difficult in the Keep, it's hard to stay warm. Luckily, you have two witchers to help you fix that problem.
Word count: 2,151
Warnings: NONE!
It was cold in the Keep. The kind of cold that stung at the shoulders and bit at the fingers. The sort of cold that made oneâs breath come out in clouds of mist like smoke blowing from a pipe. The type of cold that was only found at the start of winter when the briskness of fall faded away and the seasons well and truly turned.
You knew that your cheeks had turned a shade darker of red without looking at a mirror. Despite the layers piled high upon your shoulders, you could not get warm. It was a chill in the air that did not relent. Walking through the hallowed halls felt like traversing a tundra. Even moving was a difficult task, your arms wrapped around yourself to conserve what bit of heat you had.
However, you kept going on because you knew your destination would be worth the effort.
Aidenâs room was at the end of the hall. His door was unlocked, yet you knocked regardless. The sound echoed through the icy halls, the only noise against the snow silently falling outside the Keepâs walls.
Footfalls followed, the handle turned, and before you appeared a clearly half asleep cat. His hair was flattened against one side of his head and his eyes, amber and golden, were barely open. In addition, he stood in his bares, scarred chest on full display. Aidenâs words were muddled by a yawn as he greeted you. âHow can I be of service, darling?â he asked once he had finished.
âMay I share your bed tonight?â you asked, clutching tighter at your arms. You were shivering now, the cold too much for you to bear.
âOf course. You look as though youâre about to freeze to death. Come here.â Aiden pulled you into his room and the moment you crossed the threshold, you were enveloped in warmth. The hearth was burning and the windows were drawn closed. Aiden was one of the only witchers who had the foresight to put curtains over his window in order to prevent the winterâs chill from entering the chambers. His bedroom was the warmest in the keep, the perfect temperature for a delicate cat.
âVesemir has the Keep far too cold for me,â you whined, warming your stiff hands over the fire.
âThe wolves do prefer it colder than most.â
âTheyâre wolves, not polar bears,â you bit back with a pout. âI wish theyâd have it a little warmer in here.â
Aiden laughed, pulling a blanket off of his bed and drawing it over your shoulders. âYou are always welcomed in my room, my love.â He pressed a kiss to the crown of your head. The heat of his skin doing wonders to ease the ache in your bones.
âMay I be welcomed in your bed as well?â
âAlways.â
Aidenâs soft scent filled your nose as you made your way closer to his bed. He smelt of the forest, pine and ferns and something that was just Aiden. It was hard to describe the distinct scent of a person. It was unique only to the cat but it was synonymous with home, comfort, and pleasure. It was one of your favorite smells, on par with another witcherâs spicy cinnamon and smoke.
You thought of Lambert as you drew the covers over yourself, arms wrapping around Aidenâs bare chest as he joined you. You laid your head on his shoulder, face practically buried into him. âI wish Lambert didnât mind the heat.â
Aiden emitted a sound that could only be described as a giggle. âI havenât a clue what you said but that tickles.â
You raised your head from his chest, a smile curling the corners of your lips. Despite not being a cat yourself, you appeared as if you were the cat who had caught the canary. âI merely said that I wished that Lambert did not mind the heat of your room,â you repeated, a hand moving towards shoulder. âI never knew that you were ticklish here.â You brushed the tips of your fingers over the skin there.
The touch was feather light but the sound that left Aidenâs mouth could be heard from down the mountain. âYou devil!â he exclaimed, a guffaw forcing it way out of his lips.
âOh Melitele, youâre so sensitive.â You were relentless, attacking him with only the tips of your fingers.
Aiden squirm underneath your touch; a great big witcher rendered defenseless at the hands of a mere mortal. He twisted and turned his body attempting to get out of your reach but that proved difficult due to the limitations of the size of the bed. He was helpless, at the mercy of your mischief.
âPlease,â he pleaded or laughed, it was difficult to discern. âI yield!â
âBut youâre adorable like this. I see no cat here, only a kitten.â You continued your onslaught, hands running up and down Aidenâs chest.
He turned to roll out of your path but you merely followed him on your knees now, a balancing act as you leaned forward to attack him. A balancing act which he took advantage of, finding an opening to grab your wrists and pin them above your head as he propelled you onto your back.
Aiden caged you in, his other hand immediately going to your waist to hold you down so you were at his mercy. âWell, well, well, what do we have here?â He followed each word with a slow press of his lips against yours. By the end of it you were having trouble catching your breath.
âMercy?â
âOh, now youâre eager for mercy?â Aidenâs expression was in honor of his school, utterly feline and devious.
âIâm so cold, you canât tease me now, Aiden. You must warm me up lest I freeze to death.â
Aiden gave you another kiss, this time tongue licking at your lips for entrance which you unhesitatingly granted. âWell, we canât have that, now can we?â
âNo we cannot. Who else will entertain you this winter if I went rigid?â You pushed back against his hold on you, reaching upwards to kiss him.
He met you in the middle, unable to resist the offer. He was unwilling to deny you anything you so clearly desired.
Heat radiated off the two of you as you pressed your bodies closer together. Neither of you were willing to part from the other. His hold on you uncompromising as was yours on him. Your hand went to his locks, the strands so utterly soft between your fingers. He was made out of down and fur and all the soft and good things in the world. He was yours.
âAiden,â you moaned in between breaths, in between one kiss and the next.
âYes, darling?â he replied in between heartbeats, in the flickers of flames still burning in the hearth.
âCould we get Lambert? Please? I donât care if he makes a fuss of the heat. I need him near.â
Aiden chuckled, his amber eyes fond as they locked onto yours. âAnything for you, my love.â
He parted from you, releasing your wrist and the hold on your waist. He went to the door without care for his shirt or trousers. When his hand turned the handle and opened the entrance, none other than Lambert greeted him on the other side.
âI could hear you two from the dungeons, you're so loud,â Lambert chastised though the expression on his face lacked any proper heat. He was panting which was quite a difficult task to achieve as a witcher. He must have ran to Aidenâs room by the way his shoulders were rising and falling so quickly.
âI was just about to get you to come join us.â Aiden flexed his arms as if Lambert did not already get the obvious. He was still in his bares after all.
âItâs hell in here,â Lambert predictably replied. âHow do you even stand it?â
You rolled your eyes, a smirk already in the midst of forming on your face. You could play out entire conversations with Lambert without ever having to verbally speak to the mind. He simply had a way of going through the world that anyone with working eyes and ears could sense. It was like reading a book that youâve read a million times, each act already memorized.
âLamb, itâs too cold out there for me. Youâre already at Aidenâs door. Please join us,â you begged of him, batting your eyes at him coyly.
âCan I put out the fire at least?â
Before you could reply, Aiden was already making his way to the hearth to snuff out the flames. âThere,â he presented his handwork with a gesture to smoke leaving through the chimney. âJust remove your shirt and come join us. Youâll love it, I promise.â Aiden smiled brightly at him, an expression that could melt even the iciest of hearts.
Lambert made snide remarks the whole time, as was his habit, but complied with Aidenâs request regardless. Soon, you had two bodies turning to you in bed, twin amber gazes on you. âI love getting my way.â
âYouâre spoiled rotten here,â Lambert grumbled, but went into your open arms in spite of his complaints. He laid his head on your chest, tucking himself underneath your chin. He breathed you in, willing his own heart to align itself with the beats of your own. âSoon youâll be expecting me to do this everyday.â
âOh would you, Lamb?â you excitedly exclaimed. âI wish weâd spend every evening like this.â
Aiden blanketed your other side, arm going to wrap the both of you in his embrace. He pressed you close and inhaled the mixing scents of his favorite people. It was bliss. âCould we have you pliant and willing like this everyday, Lambert?â
Lambert pressed his face into the nook of your neck, hiding his expression away. âIt hasnât even been five bloody minutes and the two of you are already wanting to push it.â
Your hands went to his naked sides, bare and vulnerable to your touch. âNo, if I really wanted to push it, Iâd do this.â The attack was premeditated and deadly. Your fingers were quick and light. Lambert was hollering and rolling out of bed in the blink of an eye.
âYou absolute arse!â he yelled, but there was no heat in his eyes for they were too filled with mirth now. He grabbed the pillowed from under your head and pulled it away, branshing it like a weapon before bringing it down onto your unexpecting face.
âLamb!â you cried out, hands going to protect your head.
âYouâve made your declaration of war!â The feathered filled assault continued with a fury.
âAiden, save mââ Before you could finish you were attacked from the other side. Your witchers had turned against you. âThe betrayal!â
âNo, can do, my love. Youâve stuck me with the same offense before. Iâve sworn my loyalty to Lambert for he knows the pain Iâve endured by your hands.â
âAghhh!â You ran from the bed, leaping off of it and running for the door.
âYou canât run from us!â Lambert yelled, rushing to you and sweeping you off of your feet and into his arms. He then deposited you back onto the bed where Aiden was ready with both pillows.
âDo you yield?!â Aiden questioned you as he threw pillows at you. You didnât even know that Aiden had so many pillows to begin with.
âIâaghhhâyield. I yield. Please have mercy!â
Aiden stopped his onslaught and pressed a kiss to your forehead that was more slobber than lips. He pulled you into him. âYouâve been defeated,â he laughed, holding you tight.
Lambert joined him in this new game of smothering you. A manic grin was stretched across his face, the expression of a victor coming to claim his glories. âThatâs what you get for tickling me.â He bit at your neck in a way that was less alluring and more vicious. It was like the nips of a playing dog.
You laughed at their antics, pulling the blankets over the three of you as they continued with their choice of celebrating their victory. Eventually, they were settled enough to simply tug you close and relax. A tired Lambert returned to his position on your chest and a spent Aiden buried his face next to yours. Your witchers had been worn out.
âHave I remarked on how much I love the two of you?â
âI donât believe so.â
âNuh-uh.â
âWell I love you so very much and I donât think I will ever stop loving you two.â
The two witchers left two final kisses to your skin before drifting off to sleep. Wrapped in warmth and all the love a person could possibly ever need, you followed them. The snow continued falling outside the Keep, but inside, you were safe and utterly adored.
















