Geraskier and the Wolves of Kaer Morhen

________

You will be remembered as a hero. ________

That woman is a willing insomniac.

Those were not straight black coffees she was drinking. They were both just filled with straight espresso.

[stands up]

Stratt, without looking up: Sit back down.

Chapter 4 and they‘ve started bickering like they have know eachother for years. Chapter 6 and he knows how she thinks and deliberately softens his voice to comfort her. And she offers to share her gin with him.

He is the only one who is allowed to question and even insult her without more consequences than a glare.

I could list more but I think you get what I‘m saying.

Of course they argue but they have such a deep connection almost immediately, which in my opinion is actually less obvious in the film.

Not because Geralt didn't care. Jaskier had never doubted that, not really. But witchers weren't made for casual touches, for absent-minded affection. So Jaskier kept his hands mostly to himself. He settled for brushing shoulders, for bumping knees by the fire, for smiles instead of embraces. He loved Geralt quietly, in the language Geralt understood.

Years passed.

One evening, the tavern was loud enough to shake the rafters. Jaskier stood in the middle of it all, frowning at his lute as he carefully tuned a stubborn string. Patrons called his name, tankards clinked, someone shouted for another song.

The door opened.

Geralt strode in, mud on his boots and fresh scratches across his armor.

"Contract done," he grunted as he walked past.

Jaskier looked up with a grin. "Welcome back. I'll just fin-"

"I'm going to sleep."

"All right, I'll be up in-"

Geralt stopped.

Turned.

Without a word, he slipped two fingers beneath Jaskier's chin, tilting his face up. In front of half the tavern, in front of merchants, drunks and the serving girls who'd been flirting shamelessly with the bard all evening, Geralt leaned down and kissed him.

It wasn't hurried. It wasn't passionate.

Just deep enough to linger. Sweet enough to steal every coherent thought from Jaskier's head. Chaste enough that it somehow made it infinitely worse.

When Geralt pulled away, he rested his forehead there for the briefest heartbeat.

"Good night."

Then he walked upstairs.

Jaskier remained exactly where he'd been left, one hand still gripping a tuning peg.

The tavern had gone suspiciously quiet.

Someone coughed.

Someone else whispered, "Did... did the White Wolf just kiss him?"

Jaskier stared after Geralt with the expression of a man who had just witnessed magic.

He had graduated Oxenfurt with highest honors.

He had debated philosophers, charmed kings, survived djinns, dragons, and destiny itself.

And yet, in that moment, he could not have told anyone his own name.

His lute gave an offended twang as the string he'd been tuning snapped.

Jaskier blinked at it.

While I understand the desire to remove complications caused by Romantic/sexual tensions on the ship

grace is humming along as he carries three coffees in a cardboard tray and a brown bag with pastries? she's going to be in a great mood, better hurry to finish up that paperwork to give to her.

however if you show up for breakfast and grace is already sitting alone in a corner looking like he hasn't slept, avoid the entire hallway her office is in at all cost.

on the extremely rare occasions you see her waiting by the door as he gathers their breakfast you might even be able to get away with giving her not-good news. (one brave engineer once tried it, and she simply rolled her eyes and told him to fix it within the next twenty-four hours)

opposite of that is when they're walking together and grace sees someone approach and vehemently shakes his head and mouths 'go away'. if you have something that absolutely cannot wait, well, good luck. you'll need it.

it's not that she is cruel or needlessly yells, she simply has this commandeering tone of voice and steel in her eyes that makes you freeze up while in her office; the moment you're out, you'll probably start sobbing.

(there was one memorable occasion where grace carried a small table into the hallway and sat outside of her office all day while she was on conference calls. anyone who wanted to talk to her had to make do with him instead.

last person of the day swears high and low that eva opened the door in the middle of their conversation, saw grace practically barricading her office, and then smiled while saying "come in when you're done."

said person doubled their bet on them being caught together in the next week.