#saskier | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

h3rmitsunited · 2 years

Text

Of Bakers and Bards

Sam the Baker gets a surprise visitor in the morning. A visitor in need of a bit of a pep talk.

Read on Ao3

Rest of the Ao3 Sam the Baker collection

Life as a baker meant early, early mornings.

Sam was always up before the sky started to shift into the dusky faded gray of the morning. There were usually a few pinpricks of stars to accompany him as he stepped out of his small home above the bakery, walking down the stairs to begin his work. The mornings were quiet at this hour, but if you strained your ears, you could faintly make out the chatter of life in the city. Guards shouting in the city center periodically, the buzz of the fish market setting up at the docks, the cracking of cart wheels across the cobblestone streets.

Sam rubbed his sleeves against the slight chill in the air as he reached the bottom of the stairs and unlocked the door to the bakery. There was a waft of warm, sweet air that washed over him, as it did every morning, and he smiled softly. He enjoyed what he did, enjoyed that he didn't have to spend his days arms deep in stinking fish or accosting criminals. He shut the door behind him, lit the lantern hanging on the wall, and started to get to work.

It was maybe about twenty minutes later, Sam was deep in the middle of kneading another batch of bread, several loaves already baking in the oven, when he heard something outside the door, muffled cursing, shuffling feet, somebody knocking up against the outside. Sam paused in his kneading, watching the closed door. The alley that his door let out into was a dead end from the street, blocked by a wall that was difficult to make out due to the shadows cast by the roof. Sam had a growing suspicion that whoever was out there, may not have realized that.

"Fucking, fucky fuck.... this is just fantastic."

The voice outside was louder now, closer to the door. Sam realized as he stared that he'd forgotten to latch the lock when he'd come in, and now this... possible criminal was standing right there. Not that he sounded like some hardened criminal, more like a panicked and scared fugitive, but he knew what they said about trapped animals. Sam tried to carefully and quietly walk to the door, reaching towards the latch, trying to avoid the squeaky boards of the floor. The man outside was still talking, mostly mumbled rambling about mistakes and regrets and things Sam had no context for understanding, and for someone presumably trying to evade being caught, that seemed a bit counterintuitive, but he'd not had the experience of having to hide for his life, so who knows? He'd nearly gotten across the room, about a foot away from locking it, when his foot caught on the edge of the table, knocking a pan off the bottom shelf and sending it clattering to the floor. The voice outside went silent, but only for a moment. Sam was pretty sure if this guy ever stopped talking more than a minute, he'd probably fall to the ground in tremors.

"Uh, hello? Sorry, is somebody in there? Look, I'm not like a dangerous fellow, just a simple, kindly, young...ish bard, and I'm in a spot of trouble, and just... need a place to lie low a moment..." There was something about the man's voice that felt familiar to Sam, but he couldn't place it. Even so, Sam didn't have a cynical bone in his body, and he found that with a gentle conversation and a home-cooked meal, most people, at heart were kind and good, and those that weren't, he didn't let taint his view of the world. He let out a sigh and pulled open the door, sending the man, who he could now see was covered in a deep blue cloak, falling backwards into the room with a strangled shout. Sam caught him before he could fall to the floor, helping him back to his feet and pushing the door closed behind him.

"Sorry, didn't realize you were leaned against that," Sam said, softly, as he turned around. The man removed the hood of his cloak and raised his eyebrows, smiling at him brightly and Sam's heart caught in his chest as he realized who he'd just let into his bakery. "Fucking shit."

"Pardon?" The man's eyebrows seemed to crawl higher up his face, his smile dropping. He looked himself over, as though he thought maybe he was covered in some horrible substance that would have caused the shocked reaction Sam had given him. Sam quickly shook his head and waved his arms in front of him.

"No, no! Sorry, it's just... you're... Jaskier."

Jaskier's mouth dropped, just a bit, before he quickly threw on a bright smile again, but it didn't seem to meet his eyes. "Ah, in the presence of a fan, then? Well, it's quite lovely to meet you-" he held out a hand, as he bowed and raised an eyebrow pointedly. Sam shuffled, grabbing his hand awkwardly and shaking it.

"Oh, uh, sorry, Sam. I'm Sam." He remembered the moment he clasped Jaskier's hand (it was practically frozen, but so soft, and shit, pay attention) that he still had flour and bits of dough on his hands. "Shit, sorry." He pulled away, wiping his hands on his apron and frantically grabbing for a cloth and handed it to Jaskier. "Flour... gets everywhere."

Jaskier smiled and took the cloth, wiping the thin layer of white from his hands.

"No apologies necessary on your part, Sam, my dear. I have to apologize for the imposition. I'm afraid I've caught the attention of some... well, some folks I'd rather not have the attention of at the moment, and they were getting quite close to grabbing me when I got myself trapped in your alley out there." Jaskier finished cleaning off his hands and wandered towards the oven as he spoke, basking in the warmth and rubbing feeling back into his fingers.

"It's... no trouble. I've had my share of strays coming in here over the years. You're welcome to stay as long as you'd like, get yourself warmed up." Sam motioned to a chair tucked in the corner, as he walked back to his work table to get back to his dough. "There's a seat there, you can pull it closer to the oven."

"Thank you. You are a true gentleman," Jaskier said and smiled at him. Sam could see the warmth coming back into his eyes. He quietly pulled the chair over, wrapping himself in his cloak and leaning into the warmth. Sam noticed him wince slightly as he bent forward.

"Are you alright?" Sam asked, concerned. Jaskier nodded and smiled.

"Fine. Just a bit sore, but I'm alright. No need for concern, I'll be back to playing by tonight, no trouble." His voice was tight as he spoke. Sam frowned and shook his head.

"That's not why I asked. Did you get hurt by those men after you? I don't have much, but I've got some salve, bandages, hot towel?"

Jaskier shook his head and waved his hand. "Honestly, it's nothing. Just a couple bruises. Don't let me trouble you anymore, I'm sure you've got plenty of baker-ing to do." He gave a little wiggle of his fingers towards the dough on the table, and cocked his head. Sam frowned and sighed, but took it as Jaskier ending that conversation, and he wasn't going to press on it. He nodded and started to press into the dough, which had stiffened up since Jaskier's arrival pulled him away from it. Jaskier was quiet for another minute or so before he twisted in the chair, his eyes on Sam as he worked.

"So... how did you come to know of the great unmatched bard, Jaskier?" He leaned his head on the back of the chair. Sam huffed and smiled.

"Well, recently... I've seen some of your performances at The Red Sun," he paused. "But I actually knew of you from... years ago. I actually met you once, back when you were finishing your courses at the university." Jaskier's brows dropped incredulously, and he shook his head with a smile.

"No, you did not. When was this?" Jaskier seemed to puff up in excitement, and Sam got the impression that he had gotten interesting enough to catch his fleeting attention now. His eyes were bright on him and Sam felt his heart racing in his chest. He put the energy into the bread dough, firm and strong presses of it into the surface of the table.

"I don't remember exactly when, but we were paid to bring a load of sweets and bread and, oh, just most of our goods for some performance, like a big... end of the year thing for all the students to perform their pieces at. I remember you were there. I don't remember what you performed then, but I remember being very impressed by it."

"Hmm. I was still going by Julian then..." Jaskier said, lost in thought as though he were trying to recreate the memory in his head. He started humming softly, and Sam immediately recognized the tune, his eyes lighting up.

"That! Yes, that was it..." Jaskier kept humming, and the hums morphed into soft and hesitant words, a slow and melancholy tale of a boy lost in the dark and he becomes the brightest light of all. Jaskier trailed off, staring past Sam across the room. He frowned.

"I'd nearly forgotten that one... You know what my professors said to me after I performed it?" He asked sharply. Sam raised an eyebrow and gave a small shake of his head. "They said it was passable." He said the word like it was the foulest curse he could think up. "Passable! Can you believe that? Ridiculous."

"I thought it was beautiful," Sam said, keeping his eyes on the dough as he kept kneading it. Jaskier cocked his head and rolled his eyes.

"It was a child's song. I thought I had some understanding of what darkness was, that my music was going to be this..." he huffed and shook his head. "It's stupid now... to think that the things that are happening now could be brightened by a blathering bard and his lute." Sam frowned, looking up now.

"Jaskier, you can't really believe that?"

Jaskier looked over at him, raising an eyebrow. "And why not? What use does a song have when the Continent is being flooded in spilled blood? There is no place for someone like me amongst...all this."

Sam looked into his eyes for a moment, the bright blue shining in the glow of the lantern, desperate for some hope of something else. Sam broke the gaze and turned to the baking rack behind him, pulling the cover aside to pull out a warm and sweet smelling bun. He turned back around and leaned over the table, laying it in front of Jaskier who was looking at him curiously.

"Take a bite," he said, firmly. Jaskier frowned, opening his mouth to argue. "Ah, no, no, just take a bite." Jaskier rolled his eyes, held the bun to his mouth, watching Sam as he buried his teeth into the soft bread. His stiff and distant expression shifted in an instant as the sweetness covered his tongue, and the warmth filled his chest. He swallowed the bite and caught Sam's eyes again. Sam cocked his head to the side and raised an eyebrow.

"It's... bread?" He said, shrugging. "I mean it's good tasting bread, but I don't see how this-"

"Jaskier, I'm a baker. It's what I do, what I've always done. I love baking. I don't expect that my loaves of bread are going to save lives or fight in wars. It's fucking bread. But it's damn good bread, and when things are bad, having something sweet and warm in your belly can be the difference between taking another step or letting yourself fall to the darkness. It's hope for something better, for the memory of good days that came before." Sam swallowed and pressed forward. "That is what your music does. You don't have to try to make yourself into something you're not. You're bringing hope and joy and laughter, you're letting people have an outlet for their anger and pain by putting words to those feelings. You're a bard, and a bloody good one, at that." Jaskier's eyes were shining by the time Sam finished speaking. He cleared his throat and shook his head, blinking a few times to keep from letting the tears fall from his eyes.

"That... uh... well, wow. I didn't realize that I was in the presence of a master poet." Jaskier let out a wet laugh, and smiled. It pleased Sam to see some of the brightness coming back to his eyes. He'd seen Jaskier during his songs at the tavern, a similar state of lost hopelessness coming across his face at times, and wondered what could have brought a man that filled every room he was in with blinding light to such a state. He'd blamed it on whoever that 'butcher' was in his songs, the one with the stupid hair. Sam wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he often used that butcher as inspiration when he needed a little extra anger to fuel his dough kneading.

"I'm not... a poet. I just... I don't think you should be so hard on yourself." Sam took a breath and leaned over the table, laying his hand on Jaskier's. "Shit, sorry," he said remembering again, too late that he was covered in flour. He moved to pull his hand away, but Jaskier's nimble hand flipped over, keeping him in place. Sam's heart pounded, and he felt his face flushing warm. Jaskier looked up at him, his eyes soft, and his smile sad and tired.

"Thank you, Sam. You have no idea how much I truly needed to hear that." He squeezed Sam's hand firmly before letting him loose, Sam reluctantly pulling back across the table. Jaskier dropped his hands into his lap, looking down at the floor, breathing slow and steady. There was a heavy silence between them, not oppressive or suffocating, but firm and sure, like the thickest blanket laid atop the bed in the middle of winter. Sam looked down at the table, his dough abandoned yet again. He shook his head and sighed, barely hesitating after he decided his next move, which was walking quickly around the table and standing in front of Jaskier, and immediately losing his resolve. Jaskier looked up at his sudden presence, seeming a bit confused. Sam pressed his lips together and swallowed thickly before holding out his arms.

"You seem like... maybe you need a hug?" Sam said now feeling absurdly unsure and awkward about what he was doing. Jaskier looked at him for what seemed like a hundred years, his expression unreadable. Sam's breath was caught in his chest, stuck until Jaskier reacted. Sam expected him to brush off the offer, or laugh in his face, or just... well, he wasn't exactly sure what else, but he hadn't expected to have Jaskier's arms suddenly wrap around his chest, and his head pressed up against his shoulder. Sam took a moment to realize what was happening before he returned the embrace, firmly holding Jaskier against his body, gentle against the tense muscles of his back. He leaned his head against Jaskier's, and felt him relax against him. Jaskier breathed shakily, clinging to the back of Sam's tunic, arms tight like he was desperate not to let go, or be let go. Sam didn't dare to loosen his grip on him until after several minutes, Jaskier started to feel much heavier than he had before, and his breathing sounded slower and his hands relaxed and fell off of the back of Sam's tunic. Sam pulled his head back slowly and saw that Jaskier's eyes had closed and he was snoring softly against his chest.

He must have been extremely exhausted to just fall asleep standing up, Sam thought. He carefully maneuvered Jaskier back into the chair without waking him up, tucking his cloak over him to keep him warm, and stepped back quietly, frowning. He did look exhausted, the poor guy. He wondered what he'd been running from, why those men had been after him. He was grateful Jaskier had made his way to his door, that maybe Sam had been able to give him a little comfort amongst the pain he was obviously carrying in his heart.

Sam reluctantly went back to work, trying to keep quiet, but even with the slam of dough on the table, Jaskier didn't seem to flinch, continuing to sleep soundly in the chair. Sam found himself drawn to look at him as he worked. It was eerie how still he was compared to the performer that took his place at the tavern at night, bouncing from table to table, flirting and laughing and wild, and now so quiet, his expression relaxed enough to see the shadows under his eyes, and the thinness of his cheeks. It made Sam's chest ache. He put together a small bundle of buns and pies and a small tin of salve and sat it on the table beside Jaskier. He obviously needed to eat, and as a baker, it was basically against his entire code to let him leave with some food.

Sam finished baking for the morning opening a bit early, and pulled a second chair out, and was sitting at the back table eating a piece of bread and jam when Jaskier finally stirred. He moaned in the chair, eyes fluttering, and leaned back, hissing in pain, apparently nudging against those tender bruises he'd mentioned before. The sudden pain woke him up quickly and he surged forward out of the chair, looking frantic and confused.

"No, don- wha- I..." He frowned, his eyes finally landing on Sam. "Oh, fuck," he said breathily, relief replacing the panic in his eyes. "Sorry, shit. How long was I asleep for?"

"Not too long, maybe two hours?" Sam estimated given the last time he'd heard the bells. He knew it was nearly time for the shop to open. Jaskier looked more panicked now.

"Fuck, fuck. Okay, shit." He turned to Sam, smiling, despite the panic. "Sam, you are incredible and wonderful, and thank you so very much for your help. I truly am in your debt. I do need to leave now, though." Sam raised his eyebrows and nodded. He quickly stood and picked up the bundle.

"This is for you." Jaskier looked down at it and frowned, confused. Sam shook his head. "It's not much, just a little food for the road, some pies and buns, and I know you said that you were alright, but I put a little tin of salve in there for the bruises." Jaskier shook his head.

"Sam," he said and lifted his head up to meet Sam's eyes. "I am... if you're doing this because I'm Jaskier, the b-"

"I'm not. I'm doing this because you're a person in need and I have the means to help. Don't get it all wrapped in your head that I'm just some crazed fanatic. I'd do this if you were... anyone else." There was something unsaid in his pause, a deeper meaning that those who knew, those who cared would pick up on. Jaskier swallowed thickly. He brushed a hand through his hair, and tucked it behind his ear, subtly pointing at it.

"Anyone else?" Jaskier asked, the question heavy. Sam nodded without hesitation.

"Yes."

Jaskier smiled softly, giving a small nod.

"Good," he said and took a small step forward. Sam felt Jaskier's fingers brush across his hand that was holding the bundle of bread, their skin lingering together with his touch, but Sam couldn't look away from his face. His eyes bright in the growing light of the room. Jaskier's tongue darted out across his lips, just for a moment and Sam's eyes flicked down at the movement before going back to his eyes. Sam couldn't breathe.

"Jask-"

He was cut off by a soft press of lips on his own, and felt Jaskier's hand finally break contact with his as he took a hold of the bundle, Sam releasing it when he felt the weight shift. He let out a quiet gasp as Jaskier broke the kiss. It was brief and fleeting, just long enough for Sam to get the taste of him, the smell of him, but too short to react.

"I'll see you again soon, Sam." Jaskier smiled, his cheeks pink, eyes soft. Sam just nodded, not able to trust what noise was going to come out of his mouth if he tried to speak, and he was sure the dumb grin he was wearing was indication enough of how he was feeling. Jaskier ran his free hand down Sam's forearm, squeezing his hand when he reached it and then turned. And with a creak of the door, he was gone.

Sam caught his breath, bringing a finger up to brush across his lips which still tingled from the brief contact. The sound of knocking at the front door brought him out of his haze and he rushed to get back to work.

He had somewhere he needed to be tonight.

#Jaskier #saskier #sam the baker #sam the baker au #the witcher #yes i wrote another thing. theyre sweet be quiet #jaskier x sam the baker

41 notes · View notes

abswritesfandoms · 2 years

Text

The Witcher, according to my parents… part 1

Martin the Chief Witcher

Jennifer the Dark Haired Witch

Saskier Queen of the Witches

Tilly

Leyland

Cecilia

That Bard

Tree boy

He doesn’t have a name, does he?

Sauroman or ✨Strayburger✨

#the witcher #witcher season 2 #why are they like this #for your entertainment #triss merigold #vesimir

24 notes · View notes

loki-is-my-kink-awakening · 9 months

Text

Self Fic Rec Tag

Aka Fic Rec Friday

Rule: share a fic you wrote that you’re proud of!

Tagged by @cha-melodius, thank you. I really need to read your fic now that I've watched RWRB.

I'm really proud of Petals In A Storm, a witcher fic. It's my first completed multi-chapter fic, something I didn't think I would ever manage.

But I also had to balance three relationships for the main character: a non-sexual romantic one, a sexual and developing romantic one, and an unrequited one.

And it was my first time writing an asexual character.

Sure, there's things I would change if I were to write it again. Isn't that always the way?

Here's a snippet from it.

Being naked with Sam was not something they normally did together, and certainly not with another person also completely naked nearby.

Jaskier let his hands work over the soft yet strong planes of Sam’s back, moving them reverentially over the muscle from all the years rolling out dough.

Eskel was definitely watching them. Jaskier could feel his eyes, and when he glanced back, he saw the witcher’s smile.

There was a softness in his gaze. It made Jaskier feel hotter each time.

Biting his lip, Jaskier turned back and finished helping Sam out as quickly as he could so he could slink beneath the water again and hide evidence of his growing excitement.

Tagging @echo-bleu @ptork66 @flawney @janjan-the-ninth @karolincki @bluesundaycake @wren-of-the-woods @flowercrown-bard @kueble @dapandapod @officerjennie @theurbanspaceboi @rauchendesgnu @spacecores @xianvar @kingeomer

#the witcher #jaskier #jaskier x eskel #jaskier x sam the baker #geralt x jaskier #jaskel #saskier #geraskier #fic rec friday #self fic recs #tag game

8 notes · View notes

loki-is-my-kink-awakening · 1 year

Text

I finally finished my first multi-chapter fic 🎉

I'm so happy that I finished it. It took me a while but I got there.

If anyone is interested in reading.

Petals In A Storm

16 chapters, 51,925 words

Fandom: The Witcher

Relationships: Jaskier x Sam the Baker, Jaskier x Eskel, one-sided Jaskier x Geralt

Rating: Explicit.

Tags: Casual sex, open relationships, polyamory, angst, heartbreak, shaming language, kidnapping, canon-typical violence, fear, and injury by fire.

Summary: Since the mountain, Jaskier has been grieving Geralt and funnelling all his emotions into sleeping around, unable to believe the love he has within his grasp with Sam the Baker. It takes being plucked out of his life and meeting another witcher, Eskel, to realise that maybe his views on love have been misguided.

Ao3 link

#the witcher #jaskier #jaskier fanfic #jaskel #saskier #jaskier x eskel #jaskier x sam the baker #the witcher fanfiction #eskel #sam the baker #my fic

11 notes · View notes

loki-is-my-kink-awakening · 1 year

Text

Thanks @cha-melodius for tagging me

Rules: post

the top 5 works you’re most proud of that you released in 2022 (not necessarily your most popular)

your top 4 current WIPs that you’re excited to release in the new year

your top 3 biggest improvements in your writing over the past year

your top 2 resolutions (ways you wish to improve your writing/blog) for the new year

your number 1 favourite line you’ve written this year!

5 works I'm proud of

Petals In A Storm (Saskier and Jaskel)

What He Deserves (Geraskier)

Going Down In The Elevator (Lokius)

Revelations (Geraskier)

When Blue Meets Green (Mr Tesseract x Pres Loki)

4 WIPs I'm excited about

It Started With That Hug (Lokius)

Loki is stuck in a strange TVA, grieving the loss of their Mobius. When things get weirder and they find themselves in places with no memory of getting there, they think they're going mad.

The Ghost of You (Steddie)

Steve grieves for Eddie while dealing with his newly-discovered bisexuality, but when he starts seeing a guy regularly, that's when he starts hearing Eddie talking to him. Is Eddie haunting him?

Sex worker Jaskier (Geraskier)

Jaskier has always supplemented his bardic income with sex work. It's just something he does and there's no shame in it. But when Geralt comes into his life, there's some adjustment needed on both sides.

Choke Me? (Lokius)

After seeing his own death in the time theatre, Loki feels shame for having a choking kink, but when he starts sleeping with Mobius, how does he explain why he can't get off, and why he can't ask for what he needs?

All titles are provisional; these are what I call them in the doc.

3 improvements I've made

Outlining

Slowly, I am getting to grips with outlining my fics. Petals In A Storm was outlined and it helped me see where it was going and kept me writing. It is still difficult for me, but hopefully I get there and can use this more often.

Using sensations

I've been consciously trying to incorporate more sensations into my writing to show how characters are feeling, rather than them saying it.

Spacing paragraphs

I think I've got better at chopping up long paragraphs and making my writing more engaging. Hopefully, I have, anyway.

2 writing resolutions

Finish my half published WIPs (Are You Jealous?, Praying For Salvation, Riding Herd On)

Restart a daily practice of writing 400 words on any fic to keep the writing momentum going.

Number 1 favourite line

"I can't let you do that, sweetheart."

Line is in "From Past Experiences" and said by Mobius to a pregnant Loki, who was attempting to manipulate him.

Tagging @rins-love-wins @xianvar @mimisempai @insert-witty-user-name-here @rauchendesgnu @eddywoww @unexpected-readings-of-poetry @jesskier @flightsfancy1 @sylwritesstuff @seedsofwinter

#tag game #writer tag game #my fanfiction #loki #the witcher #stranger things #lokius #geraskier #steddie #saskier #jaskel #loki x mobius #geralt x jaskier #steve x eddie #jaskier x sam the baker #jaskier x eskel #priley #midnight mass

11 notes · View notes

loki-is-my-kink-awakening · 1 year

Text

Fic origin story

Thanks @cha-melodius for the tag.

What was your first fandom (reading and/or writing)?

I'm old but I'm baby, so my first fandom for reading and writing fic is Loki, but the first fic I published was actually for Midnight Mass.

What was the first story you ever wrote (even if it was never posted) and what made you decide to write it?

I started writing a Loki fic about Mobius helping the god to stop self harming behaviours but I decided I didn't have the skills to handle that subject at that point.

What's a piece of advice you would give to your younger fic-writing self?

Never say, "I won't be able to write that." I said I couldn't write angst. That was a lie I told myself because I can.

I said I could never outline, and while I'm definitely not good at it yet, I did do it for Petals In A Storm.

What's an early fandom interaction that stuck with you (be it a nice comment, a friend you made, a fic that got a lot of feedback etc.)?

I found some amazing friends and we started a discord server together and it's still a lovely little server to be in. I love how encouraging they are, it's a great place. They're very special.

Also, getting positive feedback on my first fics was really encouraging. I never expected to get any comments, but people were so lovely.

Post a sentence or two from one of your older fics, and a sentence or two from a newer one (if you want).

From Praying For Salvation (Priley, Midnight Mass)

Father Paul was still drawling on about something or other and Riley felt like he was falling under a spell when suddenly the priest reached out and touched Riley’s leg. “It’s going to be OK, Riley. I know you’ve been through a lot and forgiveness feels far away right now, but you can do this. You can work your way towards salvation.”

From In His Space (Steddie, Stranger Things)

Eddie was driving him insane, sucking hard on a popsicle while leaning on the counter of Family Video.

His leather jacket squeaked against the wood, and each tiny suck noise rattled around Steve’s brain like a pinball machine.

I was definitely a lot more clumsy when I look back, but it's only practice that helps improve skills, so I'm okay with that and hope I'll continue to improve.

Since I'm still writing that first fic—cardinal sin, I know—I have been thinking of making edits of the earlier chapters at some point and using what I know now to make it better.

Tagging most writers I know @mimisempai @rins-love-wins @insert-witty-user-name-here @jesskier @kingeomer @diabla616 @echo-bleu @xianvar @jaskierswolf @dapandapod @kueble @kuripon @goofgoofdildo @officerjennie @eddywoww @queenfreddiebrianrogerjohn @zara2148 @kit-middleton @spacecores @sylwritesstuff @bluesundaycake @csinnamon-fox @joycecarolnotes @yoites-good-omens-blog @octinary @homosexual-having-tea @phonoix @floofywolfer @flightsfancy1 @mojowitchcraft @kickassfu @unexpected-readings-of-poetry @unclewaynemunson @rauchendesgnu @geraltrogerericduhautebellegarde

#writer tag game #fandom tag game #loki series #lokius #midnight mass #priley #altar boy and his priest #stranger things #steddie #the witcher #jaskier #saskier #jaskel

8 notes · View notes

tears-and-smiles-ao3 · 1 year

Text

Petals In A Storm

Chapter 10: An afternoon in the library

Fic masterpost

Sam hummed, placing Eskel’s plate underneath his own after the witcher had left. He then turned towards him and Jaskier, despite keeping his eyes on his own plate, could feel Sam watching him.

No doubt wondering if he was going to eat any more of his sandwich, which he wasn’t. He didn’t feel hungry any more.

“Why don’t you tell me what books you want moved and I’ll do that while you eat,” Sam suggested.

“What? No,” Jaskier spluttered, almost choking on the small bite of bread in his mouth. “Let me help, please.”

He grabbed the cloth and wrapped his bread underneath it. Despite Sam raising an eyebrow at him, Jaskier hoped they wouldn’t have an argument about it.

“Don’t look at me like that. We can move the books together, and I’ll eat it later. I promise.”

Sam nodded his head and followed Jaskier, holding out his arms to carry books back and forth. It was a complicated list: a few books there, those three here, the rest on the table, please and thank you.

It was tiring work and they had both worked up a sweat over the last hour, moving further into the depths of the library, down one of the narrow corridors lined with stacks of books.

Despite all the work they had done, it still didn’t look like they had made any progress.

“This is awful.”

“Yeah,” Sam agreed, holding an arm full of books and waiting on a few more before he set off again. Jaskier hummed, considering the book in his hands. Should it go in the botany pile or flora pile?

He was deep in thought, not even aware that he had moved, when his foot slipped and he crashed into a large stack of books behind him.

“Oh, fuck,” he groaned as he collasped onto the floor. His back was in agony, but he barely had time to think about that when a thunderous noise started.

A chain reaction was happening all around them. Books were falling into a large pile on top of Jaskier, and all around him. One heavy book landed on his left leg with a thud and he howled in pain.

“Jaskier!” Sam screamed, scrambling and throwing books aside to get to him.

“Fucking- OW,” Jaskier exclaimed at the top of his voice. He watched almost blindly as Sam pulled books away to get him free, and the look of worry in his eyes made Jaskier gulp. That had been a close shave, hadn’t it?

Worse still was the realisation that they were now trapped in the rear of the room with no way out. There wasn’t even a window over here.

Grunting loudly, Jaskier wrapped his hand around his throbbing leg. He didn’t want to let go of it, even when Sam protested that he needed to look at it.

It hurt but it wasn’t as bad as other injuries he’d had in the past, and for that Jaskier was thankful.

“I’m okay,” he deflected, trying to stop Sam fussing over him. “I can get up.”

Sam hummed, watching as Jaskier winched while he stood up, but decided not to say anything about it.

Looking at the mess, Jaskier could now see there was no way out. Their original route out of the library was now blocked.

“Fuck, I am such an IDIOT!” Jaskier screamed.

“Hey, it’s fine, it’s fine.” Sam tried to placate him, wrapping his arms around him, but Jaskier shook him off.

“It’s not. Look what I’ve done. I’m pathetic. Can’t do anything right.”

Sam was silent while Jaskier stared moodily at the sprawl of books around them. This was just another way that he had fucked up. It will take them hours to get the books tidy enough to be able to get out of the library.

“We can try another way,” Sam suggested quietly, pointing at another narrow corridor heading deeper into the library.

Jaskier frowned. Do they really want to head deeper into the library? Was it really better to try than just sit here, defeated?

“It’s probably not worth it,” Jaskier eventually objected, even as he knew exactly what Sam would say in response.

“We have to try. Come on. Please,” Sam begged. Jaskier looked at him for the first time directly since this thing had happened, taking in his pleading eyes, the concerned look in his eyes.

“It might not lead anywhere,” Jaskier said.

“I want to try. Will you come with me, please?” Sam urged.

“Okay.”

Jaskier fell into line behind Sam, following him between the thin corridor that snaked deeper into darkness. They walk for a long time, squeezing themselves through the books, and all the while Jaskier’s leg continues to throb. Fuck, hopefully it’s just bruised and nothing more.

The deeper they go, the darker it gets. The stench of musty books was stronger here, having never been touched in millenia. At some point, Jaskier ends up taking the lead, with Sam trailing behind.

“In a way, it would be easier just to let this all burn,” Sam mused. Jaskier glanced back at him, scoffing.

“What? No! You can’t do that to books,” he cried out. “Imagine if I burned down the kitchen.”

“Kitchens go on fire all the time,” Sam commented. “And you need a kitchen. You don’t necessarily need a library, especially if it is like this.”

Jaskier wanted to disagree, but he couldn’t bring it in him to say so. This was the worst library he had ever been in and that was saying something. The winding corridors felt like they would go on forever, even though the logical part of his brain told him they must either come to a wall or find a way out.

“This is ridiculous,” he muttered to himself. They were probably going to have to spend the night here at this rate. Jaskier stopped and Sam almost banged into him. His hands came up to Jaskier’s shoulders and he began to rub them, trying to relieve some tension. It didn’t help.

“Maybe we should sit down,” Sam offers. “There’s a small bench over there, though it’s got books on it, of course. We’ll need to move those, but we can sit down. What do you say?”

Jaskier nods, defeated, and then they work in silence as they move the books until they can finally sit down.

It’s quiet once they do. The dust is still settling as they sit together, staring at the books. Jaskier’s hands are gripping on tight to the bench and Sam lays his on top. Just a quiet presence beside him.

Jaskier itches to distract himself, his whole body thrumming with nervous energy. If he could, he would bring out his notebook and write, or pick up a book and read, but it’s so dark. He wouldn’t be able to read a book title in these shadows.

Lifting up his left hand, he lets his fingers run across the books beside him. So much knowledge is hidden away here because no one can find the right books. Such a waste.

This damned library wasn’t just holding the books prisoner. They were doomed to spend who knows how long trapped together in this small space. Perhaps forever.

Jaskier got up and stepped onto the bench and peered over the smallest tower of books. There was nothing to see, nothing that would indicate a way out, an escape. Just shadows.

In the end, he just sat back down beside Sam and lay his head on his shoulder.

Hours passed slowly. Between them, they got up and stretched. They talked little, Jaskier’s mood souring as the minutes passed. He couldn’t stop hoping, wishing that Eskel would return and save them, but he didn’t say as much to Sam.

He couldn’t, and he didn’t know why.

Sighing to himself, he eventually fell to his knees before Sam, who was still seated. He looked up into where he knew those big, brown, confused eyes were and took a deep breath.

“I’m sorry I got us trapped here,” he admitted. “It’s my fault.”

Sam let his hands rub gently at Jaskier’s scalp as he spoke. “It was probably going to happen to someone at some point. Look at this place.”

Jaskier hummed, indicating he agreed with Sam even if he didn’t really mean it. He ended up with his head laying in Sam’s lap, enjoying the feel of his hands continually running through his hair.

It was comforting, yet the silence was torture to Jaskier’s mind. Voices swirled around, repeating things his father had said, things his tutors said, and the one truly horrible thing Geralt had screamed at him.

If life could give me one blessing…

Maybe he thought Sam would suddenly realise what Geralt had and then he would reject him in the same way by turning his back on him. He tensed under Sam’s touch suddenly and it made the hands stop.

Then Sam spoke.

“I admit I was a little jealous to see you and Eskel so cosy earlier, but that’s on me to deal with.”

“What?” Jaskier squeaked at Sam’s words. He lifted his head, looking up at Sam while tears formed in his eyes.

“I don’t know what exactly is going on, and we should discuss that, but I can see the way he looks at you.”

“The way he looks at me?” Jaskier repeated, turning it into a question. Who exactly he was asking, he didn’t know, but he tried to think of all the times he had been in the same room, or corridor, as Eskel.

“Yes, the way he looks at you. The way you look at him, too. I guess I always worried that I might not be needed anymore. That there would come a day you wouldn’t want me.”

Jaskier couldn’t even respond, he just clutched harder at Sam, leaning further into him and burying himself deeper and deeper into his chest. He sobbed while Sam’s hands encircled him again, his fingers running up and down his back soothingly.

He didn’t want to lose Sam. He couldn’t lose Sam, but here he was fucking things up once more. Thinking about it just made him sob harder.

It took him a long time to realise that he could hear Sam humming something as he rubbed along his back. Something about it was familiar.

It took even longer for Jaskier to realise it was the song from last night. When he did, he gasped and pulled back, bracing himself to look into Sam’s eyes.

“That song. It’s ours. Love, do you still- still want to be with me, after all this?” He wasn’t sure if he wanted to know that answer, but the way Sam looked at him, he hoped that he did.

“Love, of course I do,” Sam assured. He leaned down, tilting Jaskier’s chin up, and kissed him. His lips were so tender, and Jaskier let it take over him. He let his tears fade away.

It was completely dark and very cold by the time they heard a distant voice shouting their names. Sam stirred, shouting back, and that’s what made Jaskier get up, rubbing sleep out of his eyes.

“Where are you?” Eskel’s muffled voice comes from across the room.

“Back here,” Sam called out in response, and Jaskier can’t help but hope that it means they can leave this place soon. The misery of these forgotten books is a constant dull ache, one that he would rather not look at again for a while. He knows that won’t happen. He can’t let these books go to rack and ruin.

“Shit,” he hears Eskel exclaim. It sounds quiet but it must be loud if Jaskier can hear it.

“What is it?” Sam asks loudly. He’s standing on the bench now, trying to see the witcher but it must be impossible in the shadows of the room.

“I think,” Eskel calls back, “I think there is another way. Let me try.”

Jaskier slumps, leaning against Sam’s legs. He knows this will take longer than he wants it too. His stomach is ravenous and he desperately wishes he had eaten the bread Sam brought him earlier.

Sam braced one hand on a bookcase and let his other ruffle through Jaskier’s hair while they waited. There’s nothing to really listen to, a witcher’s steps almost silent, and all Jaskier can hear is the dull thud of his heart.

“I think there is a way,” Eskel’s voice looms nearer and Jaskier shakes himself and gets up to stand. He’s about to join Sam on standing on the bench when the witcher rounds the corner.

“Hello,” Eskel greets them, almost conversational, and Jaskier runs towards him, an urge to reach out and wrap his arms around him, but then he looks back at Sam and uncertainty flickers across his face.

“Thanks for finding us,” Sam said appreciatively, getting his feet back on the ground and walking over to them.

For a long moment, they all just seem to stare at one another, but then Sam speaks again.

“Can you take us out of here? I fear this one is going to starve to death if he doesn’t eat soon.”

Eskel frowned, taking in Jaskier’s appearance. He could feel Eksel’s eyes appraising him, his sight clear thanks to his witcher mutations, then he turned back to Sam.

“Follow me. I can’t put a lamp on in case we burn all these books, but if you stay close, I can get you out quickly.”

Jaskier let out a sigh of relief. He couldn’t help it, his nerves had been twisting inside him for hours now. Sam patted him on the shoulder, and Jaskier knew he was trying to reassure him that he wouldn’t actually have carried out his earlier threat.

It was slow progress following the witcher through the many stacks of books that made up the pathways through the room. It felt like they doubled back on themselves at least three times before they emerged at the door. Jaskier heaved another sigh of relief, rushing out into the hallway to catch his breath.

“Fuck, I’ve never felt so claustrophobic as that,” he grimaced, gulping down as much fresh air as he could. For a long moment, he just remained bent over and breathing heavily.

At some point, he felt better to stand up. When he turned around, Sam was resting his head against the wall like it was a novelty to just be able to lean.

Eskel’s eyes darted back and forth between them, his brow creased in concern.

“Do you both need to rest a bit? I could bring some food from the kitchen.”

“No, it’s fine, you don’t have to,” Sam said, answering first before Jaskier could, but then right on cue, Jaskier’s stomach growled loudly.

“Well, I think that gives you my answer,” he chuckled.

When they got to the kitchen, Eskel directed them to sit down at a small table while he immediately set to work making up a plate of leftovers for each of them. Dinner time had clearly come and gone and Jaskier was feeling quite irked that no one had thought to search for them sooner.

Well, he was irked that clearly Geralt hadn’t cared at all.

It was quiet, just the three of them sitting down together to eat. Eskel tucked into his food quickly, then looked back up to see Sam and Jaskier eating slower. Jaskier was amused to watch Eskel slowly sit up, correcting his posture. He began to chew each mouthful more thoughtfully.

It all felt rather domestic, Jaskier mused, like they were a little family. Just the three of them.

A family of three, huh? That was familiar.

Oh, shit. Jaskier gulped then as his mind helpfully supplied him with a vision of another little family of three: Geralt, Yennefer and Ciri. Had he tried to find his own version?

He looked at Sam, then Eskel. He’s sure he should feel happy if they are his family, and he knows he does in a way, but his heart breaks again thinking of Geralt.

It’s almost a relief when Sam decides they should go to bed, even though he only managed to eat a small bit of the food on his plate.

Eskel nods and cleans up while Sam takes Jaskier’s hands and leads him towards their room.

As soon as they got into bed, Sam turned to look at him. Cupping Jaskier’s cheek, he tilts his face till their eyes are locked on one another.

“You know,” Sam said, “it’s okay if you want to spend time with Eskel. My jealousy is mine to work through.”

“It’s selfish,” Jaskier breathed. He could feel his inner turmoil stir again, his gut clenching uncomfortably.

“It’s also a need you have and I won’t make you miserable.”

“I can do that myself,” Jaskier said sardonically, then he chuckled and Sam laughed too.

Looking back up into Sam’s eyes, he said his next words with care. “I know I am a lot sometimes, but I do love you.”

“I know. You have a big heart, too. You need to remember that.”

Next chapter

#the witcher #jaskier #eskel #sam the baker #jaskel #saskier #jaskier x eskel #jaskier x sam the baker #witcher #jaskier fanfic #the witcher fanfiction #tears-and-smiles-ao3 #my fanfiction

8 notes · View notes

tears-and-smiles-ao3 · 1 year

Text

Petals In A Storm

Chapter 9: the course of true love

Fic masterlist

When they get into their room, Sam is kissing him again, and Jaskier just melts into it. His heart feels full in a way he’s never experienced before and he doesn’t want it to stop.

“I love you so much,” Sam gasps in between kisses. He’s pushing them both towards the bed and Jaskier goes down with a small ‘ooft’ onto the furs. Sam quickly climbs on top, pulling them both together again. The sensations of Sam’s lips, his tongue, are so hot and heavy, Jaskier feels like he’s losing himself to it. His arousal thrums, louder and louder, until suddenly he feels Sam pulling back from him.

“I’m sorry,” Sam said, pointing at Jaskier’s rising erection. “I got carried away and forgot that could happen. Do you- do you want to take care of it?”

Jaskier, who had stopped breathing for a second, inhaled sharply and willed himself to breathe properly again. “Yeah. I mean, no, no,” he stammers, clinging onto Sam’s arm. “Let’s…just go to bed and cuddle. You’re tired, love.”

“Are you sure?” Sam asks quietly.

“Yes, love,” Jaskier assures, cupping Sam’s cheek and kissing him once more.

Removing their outer clothes quickly, they both got into bed. Sam wrapped his arms around Jaskier, his hands slipping underneath the bard’s shirt and playing with his chest hair.

“This is nice,” he said softly, his words almost muffled by leaning into Jaskier’s shoulder.

Jaskier hummed, his hands running soothingly up and down Sam’s back. It felt like they were in a soft bubble, but Jaskier’s blood was still running too hot for this softness. Much as he was loathed to do it, he would probably have to sort himself out later, once Sam was asleep.

Sam’s breath was ghosting across his skin when he heard the faint movements in the hall. Jaskier’s eyes opened, panic setting in as he wondered who it was. Witchers didn’t make much noise, creeping shadows that they were. No one else was here, though.

The knock at the door was barely perceptible above the pounding of Jaskier’s heart. He froze, his mind whirring with images of intruders, but they didn’t knock, did they?

Gripping the furs to his chest, Jaskier sat up and stared at the door as if it was going to splinter into a million pieces.

He glanced at Sam, who was still deeply asleep beside him. He was just mulling over whether to wake Sam up or just wait it out when he heard the footsteps move away again. That got him thinking. What intruder would knock so quietly and then leave?

Getting out of bed, he slipped into his outer clothing as quickly as he could and slowly creeped over to the door. He placed his ear to it, listening for any further noise, but he couldn’t hear anything.

Before he even knew what he was doing, he was out into the corridor and stalking forward. It was so dark in these corridors, the natural light only coming through small slithers in between the stone work. It made sense, Jaskier knew, to keep the cold air out, but it didn’t work for his human eyes.

“Who’s there?” a voice asked. It sounded like it came from around a corner. Jaskier stopped in his tracks and tried to hold his breath. The voice sounded familiar, he thought, but his rising heart rate wasn’t helping him think at all.

“Jaskier?” the voice sounded again, but he could barely hear it through the thudding rush of blood in his ears. He couldn’t breath, couldn’t move, and then a large figure appeared in front of him.

“I hoped you were still awake,” Eskel said, their eyes meeting for a second before the witcher looked away as if unsure of the reaction.

“Why?” Jaskier asked in a whisper. His body was still frozen, but he felt like he could breathe again.

“Uh, the song,” said Eskel, as if that explained anything. He still wasn’t facing Jaskier, but the bard could see his eyes watching him.

“The song?”

“Yeah. It was beautiful,” Eskel praised. He turned towards him now, clutching his hands in front and looking very much like a statue of the old gods back home at Lettenhove with his imposing figure.

“Thank you,” Jaskier said. He bowed dramatically as if it was the end of said performance and not the small hours after midnight. “Did you really just knock on my door just to tell me that?”

“Yeah,” Eskel admitted, biting his lip and turning his head away again. “And, well, maybe I like your company, too.”

It sounded like a confession and Jaskier felt his face heating up. The way Eskel spoke to him, how he seemed to like him, it was alluring.

He reached out, wrapping his hand around Eskel’s neck, and brought their lips together. Just like their first kiss, this felt right and Jaskier tried to let his brain switch off and be in the moment. If Sam wasn’t worried, why should he?

He let Eskel guide him towards the witcher’s room.

Eskel’s mouth was all consuming. The heat of his tongue warmed Jaskier’s freezing skin as it ran along every part of him. He’s naked, panting as he lies underneath the pile of furs that make up the witcher’s bed. The witcher is a warm presence above him, sucking Jaskier’s fingers into the heat of his mouth.

Jaskier lets the witcher pull out every moan he can from him. He’s watching Eskel, seeing how his eyes screw up tight in concentration as he works over him. His hair is half masking his face and Jaskier reaches out to tuck it behind his ear.

“I want to see you,” he says, his voice almost a squeak as Eskel sucks hard on a nipple. He can feel how hard the witcher is, his heavy cock brushing across his thigh. It feels gloriously warm there, like a promise. The heat of him warmed the air in their shared space. Jaskier wrapped one of his legs around Eskel’s as he pulled him up for a long, languid kiss.

His hands roam the witcher’s back, feeling the scars that make him. It feels nice to have his skin on him. His fingers dip into grooves of puckered skin, some so tight that Jaskier lets his fingers ghost over them. Eskel’s mouth is devouring him, leaving him breathless, and it’s almost too much just feeling all this want from the witcher.

When he’s finally warm enough, Eskel grabs the oil and begins opening him up. Jaskier delights in the press of those thick, callused fingers entering him, slow and sure of their movements. He gasps open mouthed into Eskel’s shoulders while the witcher kisses his neck. He’s saying something, something Jaskier can’t understand. All he can feel is pleasure, like his body is putty in the witcher’s hands.

Then, Eskel is inside him and he feels so gloriously full. He moves in a steady rhythm, his thrusts taking Jaskier apart like ice melting in spring; slowly at first, then faster and faster until the sun is shining warm and his skin is tingling with heat.

His orgasm hits him quickly, like it’s came out of nowhere. Jaskier is breathing hard, his eyes screwed shut, as it washes over him.

It’s only when he opens his eyes and sees the moonlight hitting Eskel’s face, that he realises the witcher hasn’t come.

“Let go,” he urges, wrapping his legs tight around Eskel’s waist. He squeezes tight, pulling him closer. “Come in me.”

Eskel watches him for a second longer before he thrusts into him, once, twice, three times and comes. Jaskier groans loudly as he feels the witcher pulse within him.

When his hips slow and his breathing calms down, Eskel opens his eyes. Jaskier is staring up at him as if seeing him for the first time. He looks beautiful, the soft sheen of sweat across his brow. His skin glowing with the afterglow of orgasm. His dark eyes shining bright in the dim light.

Jaskier reaches up, sets his hand behind the witcher’s neck and pulls his face towards his lips. He kisses the scars across Eskel’s face, slowly and softly. The witcher tries to pull away, but Jaskier keeps his grip tight, working his way down to the witcher’s lips. They kiss, just as slowly as before. It feels right in ways that Jaskier can’t explain. In ways that he can’t understand.

In the end, he stops thinking about it and just lets Eskel drop down beside him and hug him fiercely.

“I’ve never felt anything like that,” Jaskier says when he can eventually form words. They’ve cleaned up, cum-stained sweaty rags thrown out of the bed, but Jaskier’s heart is still thumping hard in his chest.

Eskel just hums, his mouth still working kisses across his hair. When Jaskier lets out another dramatic sigh, the witcher chuckles and pulls him closer.

It’s pretty easy to fall asleep. Jaskier is so blissed out, but the thought of Sam all alone was niggling in his mind.

“I really should go back to Sam,” he said sleepily. He doesn’t want to get up. He’s so comfortable here, but he needs to, even if he’d also like to stay here.

“Okay,” Eskel agrees. He kisses Jaskier thoroughly, then gets up and dressed.

“Will you take me to the library tomorrow?” Jaskier had asked Eskel when he dropped him back off at his room. He could feel his eyes drooping from lack of sleep. He needed a few more hours.

“I will,” Eskel promised, kissing him one last time. Jaskier stood watching the witcher walk away, a smile on his lips, before slipping into his room.

When he got into the room, Sam was stirring.

“What are you doing up?” he asked, turning to look at Jaskier as the bard stripped and climbed into bed.

“I heard someone out in the corridor but it was just Eskel,” Jaskier told him, pulling the furs over him. He knew his skin was probably freezing with the heat coming off of Sam, so he lay as close as he dared without actually touching him and making him cold.

“Oh?” Sam asked, his eyes curious even as they were half closed. “What was he doing?”

“Wandering,” Jaskier said quickly, “but he told me he loved your song.”

Sam smiled and Jaskier could see how his love was thinking back to the previous night. “It was beautiful. Thank you.”

“You don’t need to thank me,” Jaskier brushed off, snuggling in deeper beneath the furs. Then, he yawned.

“You should sleep. I need to get up soon, but we can cuddle for a bit.”

Jaskier nodded, settling into Sam’s arms and sighing happily. His baker hissed at the cold of his skin, but didn’t pull away. Quickly, Jaskier’s breathing evened.

He was just about to fall asleep when he remembered. “Oh, I’m- library- tomorrow,” he muttered, his words slurred.

“That’s nice,” said Sam. “I could maybe bring a picnic for lunch.”

Humming his approval, Jaskier succumbed to sleep.

Jaskier had slept for a few hours before the small slither of sunlight managed to shine across his face and wake him up.

He tried to hide under the furs but he knew he needed to get up. Sighing, he sat up, swung his legs out of bed and scrambled to get his clothes on. He was almost ready when there was a loud knock on the door.

Opening it, Jaskier saw Eskel smiling at him shyly. He stepped back as Jaskier walked through the door with a flourish.

“Am I glad to see you,” Jaskier beamed. He reached over and gave Eskel a small peck on the cheek, delighting in the small gasp he forced from the witcher.

They made their way down the corridors, some of which Jaskier thought he recognised at long last. Maybe soon he wouldn’t get lost. The witcher was silent on their walk, which amused Jaskier. How could this brute of a man fuck him one minute, but be shy the next? He was intriguing.

While Eskel opened the large heavy doors to the library, Jaskier sucked in a breath. He was prepared to see the packed room again but that still didn’t stop him feeling immediately overwhelmed as he stared at the piles and piles of books.

He was still staring, standing in the same spot, when Eskel spoke.

“I was training this morning,” the witcher mentioned casually as if they were just passing the time of day.

“Oh?” Jaskier asked. Whether the witcher had spoken just to break him out of his trance, he wasn’t sure, but it worked. He walked through the piles of books towards a long table, expecting the witcher to follow. Glancing over, he looked at the empty fireplace briefly. It was far too close to the books to be safe.

Like the last time he was here, the smell of musty paper was an assault on the senses. The books were aged with time yet somehow still managing to keep it together, but only just.

“Ciri is getting stronger each day. She is so determined. Geralt just dotes on her,” Eskel continued, heading over to the table to help.

“When he eventually listened to destiny,” Jaskier deadpanned. He had started moving piles of books to one end of the table, but he was quickly running out of room. “Why are there so many books in this tiny space?”

“We used to have a larger library but the damage to the keep meant we needed to move it here,” Eskel explained. His large hands picked up the heavier books with ease. “The books were moved in a rush. We never got around to fixing it.”

Jaskier could see that. The wolves were low in numbers and perhaps reading wasn’t on the list of ‘top things to learn’ for witchers.

“I suppose the first thing to do is write down how many different topics we have. You don’t happen to remember how they were organised in the old library?”

“I don’t,” Eskel confessed, looking down at his hands. “But I’ll move as many books as you need me to.”

It was almost mid-afternoon when Sam appeared at the library, a small basket in one of his hands.

By that time, lots of books had been moved but Jaskier wasn’t sure if they had made any progress. He had managed to make himself sneeze with all the dust floating in the air.

“Wow,” Sam exclaimed, looking around. “It’s…”

“It’s still a mess,” Jaskier grumped, pushing aside a few books to make space. He sighed and slumped down, his earlier enthusiasm gone.

Sam put the basket down on the table, then leaned over and placed a kiss on Jaskier’s head. “It’s not that bad.”

“It is, but thank you,” Jaskier smiled. He watched Sam spread a small cloth across the table, then take out some bread and cheese. It was then that Jaskier’s stomach grumbled. “Sorry,” he muttered.

Sam laughed. “Don’t worry, you’ll get fed soon.”

They split up the tasks, Jaskier cutting several slices of cheese while Sam cut the bread.

At that moment, Eskel appeared out of a corridor of books back into the main area. He dropped off ten heavy books into the new piles they had been creating and turned towards the table.

“Ah, Eskel, fancy some bread?” Jaskier offered. He was about to put some of the cheese where he expected a slice to be when he noticed that Sam had stopped cutting half way through a slice.

Jaskier glanced at him, but Sam’s eyes were locked with Eskel, who just stood where he was, his fingers scratching at the cover of the top book in the pile.

Putting his hand on Sam’s, Jaskier whispered, “Is- is everything alright?”

Sam shook his head, looking back down at the bread again. “I’m just tired. I didn’t sleep well,” he muttered, then continued to cut the rest of the bread. Jaskier finished putting cheese on the final slice, then Sam picked one up and looked back up at Eskel again. “Here, have a slice.”

Eskel’s eyes flickered between them, back and forth, as he considered his options. Making up his mind, he walked forward and took the piece of bread and said ‘thanks’.

Jaskier suddenly didn’t feel very hungry, worry gnawing at his gut. He chewed his mouthful of bread and cheese slowly, putting the rest of his slice down.

Looking over Sam, he could see that his baker looked strained. The furrows in his brow were deep. Jaskier slid up to him.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t say Eskel was here,” he confessed in a whisper, one that he knew the witcher would be able to hear but he said it anyway. Sam stopped, the bread halfway to his mouth.

“It’s fine, love,” he said, putting his arm around him. His voice held its usual softness but the strain was still in his body. “You don’t need to worry.”

He continued to eat his bread, as did Eskel. Meanwhile, Jaskier just picked at the curst as he mulled over what had just happened.

What had just happened? Last night they had all sat around the table at dinner and had a nice conversation, but today Sam was acting strange.

Eskel, shy as he was, filled the void. He talked about how he had been mending the keep, how that the kitchen needed some work so Sam might see him there in the next day or two, but Jaskier wasn’t listening. His mind was running rampant, fears that he wasn’t enough, that his sexuality and libido had finally, finally, got him into trouble. That Sam would tell him he had finally had enough of him and it was time they went their separate ways, all while being stuck in the coldest keep known to man.

Jaskier shivered as the horror of sleeping alone, of not being wanted, washed over him.

“Hey,” Sam’s voice, brighter than it was earlier, pulled him back to reality. “You haven’t eaten.”

Jaskier had his mouth open about to answer when Eskel walked over and put his plate down.

“I’ve got to do some chores for Vesemir. I’ll be back later,” he excused, nodding at them both and then walking briskly out the door, leaving them both alone.

#the witcher #jaskier #eskel #sam the baker #jaskel #saskier #jaskier x eskel #jaskier x sam the baker #witcher #geralt of rivia #jaskier minibang #jaskier fanfic #the witcher fanfiction #tears-and-smiles-ao3 #my fanfiction #cw: smut #cw: sex

7 notes · View notes

tears-and-smiles-ao3 · 1 year

Text

Petals In A Storm

Chapter 8: Confessions

Fic masterpost

Jaskier had no idea how he’d gotten himself up here. He’d assumed he would know how to navigate the keep a little better by now, but alas, no. He was lost once again, walking endless corridors. That was until he turned another corner and squeaked, finding himself at the edge of a sheer fall down the keep.

“Yikes,” he exclaimed out loud to the air that rushes around him, almost knocking him off balance. “Fuck, this is scary.”

A noise to the right of him, something being put down on the stone floor, made his head jerk to the side. He looked over to the other side of the long, thin platform to see Eskel with a confused look on his face.

“Oh, hello,” Jaskier called, turning fully towards him and waving his arm about as if he was at sea in a small boat trying to catch the attention of another ship. He walked forward, onto the small thin ledge that joined the top ramparts together, and Eskel’s eyes widened in alarm.

“Stay there,” the witcher commanded. “This part of the keep is incredibly unsteady.”

“Oh,” Jaskier gasped, looking around as if he hadn’t noticed the possible danger. Well, the very real danger. “And what are you doing up here?”

“Mending it,” Eskel deadpanned. He looked like he wanted to get back to his work, his hands flexing by his side. He didn’t move though, just stood stock still, watching him.

“I can see this part needs a lot of work,” Jaskier said jokingly. He looked over at where Eskel stood, but he couldn’t see another way up. Had Eskel tiptoed over there? He couldn’t imagine the bulky witcher doing that. If he had, well, maybe Jaskier could just hop on over too.

“Stop,” Eskel called out firmly as Jaskier made another step forward. “It’s too dangerous.”

Jaskier scoffed, but he did take a step back. “I must say, I didn’t expect to find this health and safety nightmare just wandering the keep. Maybe you should have warning signs up.”

He spoke as if thinking to himself, not even realising the words had been said out loud for a moment. When he looked back up at Eskel he could see that he seemed to be considering it.

“That could be arranged,” the witcher said. Then he bit his lip before speaking again. “Are you going to go back the way you came?”

“And get even more lost? Not a chance.”

Eskel was still fidgeting with his hands, as if having something to hold would make this easier to bear. The wind ruffled the few loose strands of hair and Jaskier could see that some of them were stuck into the witcher’s scars around his mouth.

Now that they were just staring across at each other, in some sort of deadlock, Jaskier had time to see what the witcher had been doing. Bits of brick and stone lay beside a bucket of what he assumed was lime to seal the bricks together. While it seemed weird to mend this part when there was a gaping hole in whatever this corridor used to be, he supposed there must be a room on the other side of where Eskel stood.

“I don’t suppose I could sit here for a while and you can show me how to get back to civilization after you’ve finished?” Jaskier asked, giving Eskel his biggest smile.

The witcher was motionless for a long time, then he nodded once.

“Stay away from the edge,” Eskel warned as he began picking up one of the stones and chipping away until it was the right size for the small hole.

Jaskier sat down a bit further back and away from the edge, leaning against the solid wall and pulling out his notebook. He had almost finished his song for Sam. It just needed a little bit more work. If he was lucky, he’d finish it today.

He hummed his tune, letting the words sound in his mind as he scribbled them down. There were a few lines that didn’t quite sum up what he wanted to say, but it was at least complete for the first time since he’d started it.

The ting ting noises coming from Eskel chipping away at stone was oddly soothing. As Jaskier continued to write down his musings, another thought came to him. This witcher had been talking to Sam but he hadn’t found out what about. Then, the witcher had avoided him.

“Witcher?” Jaskier enquired. Eskel stood up and turned around to look at him again, but didn’t say anything. He just waited.

Clearing his throat, Jaskier began his question. “What did you and Sam talk about the other night at dinner?”

He watched what little colour Eskel had on his face fade away. The twitching in his hands returned, but now Jaskier thought he saw the witcher’s face winced too. The scars on his face looked tighter than before.

Jaskier expected the witcher to either ignore him, as Geralt often did, or to tell him what it was. He didn’t expect him to ask his own question instead.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were in a relationship?”

The words took the wind right out of Jaskier. His mouth opened as the words ran through his mind. None of his casual bed partners had seemed remotely bothered by the fact Jaskier and Sam were together. They had all watched him kiss Sam goodnight, most of them were more impatient to get Jaskier into their beds or on his knees than anything else.

He looked over at the witcher, still processing what he had asked, when Eskel had decidedly had enough. He turned back around and started chipping away at another stone.

Jaskier’s mind raced, thinking back to various encounters after he and Sam had decided they were actually a thing. Their relationship had developed so slowly that Jaskier hadn’t even really thought about what he was doing. Sam had seemed to be okay with it, and Jaskier’s heartbreak was still so fresh despite the months that had passed since that moment on the mountain.

He had expected Sam to want him to stay faithful, but when he hadn’t asked for that, when he’d been okay with Jaskier having sex with others, well, Jaskier had assumed it was all fine. He hadn’t ever thought of how the random partners felt. They only wanted sex, surely. Why would they care about his relationship status?

Eskel was kneeling down, mixing the lime in the bowl. He spread the substance around the small stone he had carved, and then stood up and pushed it into the wall.

He really was unusual for a man. For a witcher, Jaskier supposed Eskel was normal. Yet having a man care about his partner, well, Jaskier was still trying to puzzle out why that would be a problem if said partner was fine with it.

Unless Sam wasn’t. Had Sam said he was okay with it but he wasn’t really? The thought made Jaskier want to curl in on himself, shame coursing through him.

He was stuck in his own misery that he almost missed hearing Eskel speak.

“I don’t have casual sex unless it’s a brothel. Even then…” the witcher trailed off, looking out across the Blue Mountains. Jaskier glanced up at him, listening keenly for more. Eskel looked thoughtful as he mulled over his next words.

“I asked Sam if he knew about you sleeping with others. He told me that it was an arrangement you both had. I’m still not sure how he can be happy with that, but I’m trying to understand it.”

“Sam is asexual,” Jaskier said quietly. Eskel’s ears would pick it up, Jaskier knew. He let out a long sigh. He was trying to mull over why they were having this conversation. Jaskier knew what Geralt thought of his daillances. Especially when he had bedded a fair maid or two and got caught by their husbands, brothers or fathers.

Sleeping with men had become easier for him in many ways. Very rarely was there anyone after him for it. The worst that happened was that people called him a whore.

Jaskier shook his head. That wasn’t the worst of it. Every utterance left a scar in his already broken sense of self till he felt unworthy of almost every touch, every caress.

He wanted it yet it left him feeling ashamed most of the time. He glanced up, squinting at Eskel. It had been different with him. He hadn’t felt so used. Was that because the witcher had morals than common men didn’t?

Suddenly, Eskel picked up his pail and tools and put them in a linen bag. Jaskier jumped up, watching the witcher make his way back across the slim platform with his heart in his mouth.

When he got to the other side, he turned to stare at Jaskier with a look that he couldn’t name.

“I don’t want to be just an object,” he stated. Jaskier couldn’t imagine what his face was doing right now. His thoughts were all rushing about, like bees swarming or puppies falling over themselves to get attention. “I want more than that.”

“Okay,” Jaskier agreed.

It was a long, quiet walk. Jaskier hummed softly, walking behind the witcher as they headed towards the library.

Before Eskel could walk away, Jaskier grabbed his arm.

“You’re not an object, Eskel.”

The witcher nodded, his eyes lighting up. “I’ll be back to get you for dinner.”

Then, Jaskier was left alone with his thoughts and his notebook.

True to his word, Eskel arrived to escort him to the great hall for dinner. He smiled when Jaskier bounded out of the library like some kind of caged animal eager for freedom.

“Boy, that was a long few hours, let me tell you, and I didn’t even get through even one percent of the books in that library. There are so many! But that filing system is awful. Has anyone told you that before? Hmmm, probably not if I’m the first human to arrive here. Is that why the library is like that? I’m not even going to say I’ll sort it because it would take too long.”

Jaskier knew he was letting his mouth run. He probably should shut up for a bit, but the witcher seemed content. It was only when Jaskier stopped for a beat that he knew Eskel had been listening to him.

“What if I help you organise it?” he asked.

Jaskier spluttered. He hadn’t really wanted to force Eskel to do it. It was more of ‘just something to say’ than a real suggestion.

“Erm, yeah, perhaps,” Jaskier acquiesced, noticing the small upturned corner of Eskel’s mouth.

The rest of the walk, Jaskier decided it was safer to ask questions about how Eskel was mending the keep. The witcher was fairly talkative, explaining what he wanted to achieve this winter.

When they arrived at the great hall, Jaskier expected the witcher to walk off, but he stuck beside him as Jaskier walked towards Sam.

“Hello, love,” Jaskier said, kissing Sam on the check softly.

“I missed you,” Sam admitted, sitting down beside Jaskier on the bench. Eskel walked around the table and sat down across from them both, giving a hint of a smile.

The witcher pulled one of the three bowls towards him, grabbing a spoon. Sam took another bowl, then Jaskier took his own. He twirled the spoon in his hand, his gaze flicking between Eskel and Sam who were tucking in.

Vesemir joined them, bowl already in hand as he sat down beside Eskel with a loud thunk. He was surprisingly noisy for a witcher compared to how silent ‘the boys’, as the old man called them, were.

“Eat,” Vesemir commanded and both Sam and Eskel chuckled as Jaskier finally dipped his spoon into the brown liquid. It tasted vaguely similar to yesterday’s meal. Was it stew again? It was going to be a long time here at the keep if it was the same meals over and over.

He glanced a look at Sam and saw that he was happily eating away.

“How was the kitchen today, love?” he asked, and Sam smiled back, swallowing a chunk of meat.

“Good. This one keeps me on my toes,” Sam replied, laughing as he pointed the tip of his spoon towards Vesemir. The old witcher made an amused huff. “And I like that I’m busy. What did you do today?”

“Nearly fell off the keep,” said Eskel, and Jaskier glared at him.

“I did not,” he spluttered, indignant. “I was merely getting some fresh air.”

“The keep is not a play area,” commented Vesemir in a serious tone, and that shut up any retort Jaskier was thinking of making.

Sam put his hand over Jaskier’s, squeezing lightly. “Just be safe,” he pleaded.

“I am always safe,” Jaskier huffed, then decided to change the subject. “How long are we to stay here, anyway? Surely the armies of Nilfgaard will find us eventually.”

Vesemir paled at his words. “Maybe they will, maybe they won’t. But we have time right now. Geralt and Yennefer are doing all they can to train Ciri. That’s all we can do.”

“And what happens when Ciri is trained?” Sam asked, taking the words out of Jaskier’s mouth. “If we remain in danger, what then?”

“You’ll have to ask Geralt, I’m afraid. Now, let’s talk about other things,” the old witcher encouraged.

“How is that song of yours going?” asked Eskel, and Jaskier’s eyes snapped onto him immediately.

“How did you know about that?” Jaskier asked the witcher.

Eskel shrugged. “You were muttering words that sounded like a song earlier.”

Oh. Oh right, of course, witchers and their damned hearing. Jaskier coughed. “It’s ready, I think, but I haven’t practised.”

“I want to hear it,” Sam said enthusiastically. Jaskier turned to look at him and saw his eyes shining with excitement.

“Just don’t expect a resounding performance. Not yet,” he cautioned.

“It’ll be good,” Sam reassured. “There isn’t one of your songs that I don’t like.”

“What’s the song about?” Eskel asked, smiling like he already knew the answer.

Jaskier winked. “That, my witcher, is a secret until you hear it.”

Dinner didn’t last long, as usual, and very soon Jaskier found himself being pushed forwards by Sam to stand by the fire in what was clearly becoming ‘his spot’.

As a seasoned professional, he knew what to do without having to think about it. Play something upbeat to start with, some old favourites, then try something new, before ending with his most popular songs.

Sitting on the stool, Jaskier let the music flow through him, song after song, judging when was the right time to play his new song; Sam’s song.

He still wasn’t sure about some of the wording, but Sam knew about it now and Sam wanted to hear it. He couldn’t put it off any longer. Taking a deep breath, he looked over at Sam and began to sing.

“It began like a whisper, a song on the breeze

“As simple as breathing, you heart’s call guarantees

“That I am yours and you are mine, all mine

“That you are mine

“You emerge from the afar, a star to guide my way

“My footsteps now certain, in your light I will stay

“Safe, cradled deep in your warm arms, your arms

“Safe in your arms

“And I’ve never known love like this before

“I’ve never known I could open this door

“Never known that you could be

“The one that I adore

“Each day, I ache to love you

“To show you how much I care

“Because I can’t believe how much

“I need you more than air

“And I love you, I love you, more than I can say

“More and more than yesterday

“Because your kisses are sweet

“With you I feel complete

“And I need you more than air.”

As the words faded away, Jaskier closed his eyes to prevent the tears spilling. It felt like his whole heart was on display and for someone that is used to doing just that, this felt oddly vulnerable.

When he opened his eyes, Sam was walking towards him, all smiles and his arms open wide. Jaskier just melted into his arms, letting the happy tears fall. It felt so good to be in his arms. After everything he had done in his life, Jaskier cannot comprehend how Sam could feel the way he does about him, but he treasures it.

He’s practically shaking in his grip, clinging to Sam like he is a rock at sea, when he sees Eskel over Sam’s shoulder. The witcher is smiling widely, the scars across his mouth pulling, but he looks happy for him, for them. He risks a glance at Geralt, who is talking with Yen, all quiet and intimate. It’s a sobering sight, but glancing back at Eskel lifts his spirits.

“I love you so much,” Sam whispers in his ear. Jaskier laughs, truly happy to hear those words that used to haunt him, the words he wanted Geralt to say and are now coming from someone he truly belongs with.

“Well, you know now that I love you too,” Jaskier confirms, pulling back and kissing Sam fiercely. He can hear some wolf whistles from the witchers and Vesemir telling everyone that the entertainment is over for tonight.

Jaskier doesn’t want to go to bed right now. He feels like he is walking on air, but Sam is tired and needs his sleep.

“Come on, you,” Jaskier says, smiling. He grabs Sam’s hands and pulls him along towards the large set of doors.

“You still need me to show you where our rooms are, don’t you?” Sam asked, half sleeping on Jaskier’s shoulder.

“I do indeed, my love,” Jaskier admits openly, grinning at the man who guides him through the winding corridors without even opening his eyes.

#the witcher #jaskier #eskel #sam the baker #jaskel #saskier #jaskier x eskel #jaskier x sam the baker #witcher #geralt of rivia #tears-and-smiles-ao3 #my fanfiction

6 notes · View notes

loki-is-my-kink-awakening · 1 year

Text

Tagged by @echo-bleu, thank you so much. Haven't done this one before.

Rules: tell us the real title of your work, then the alternative title. With no context. Then tag some friends to play along!

Loki Series

Are you jealous? - Misery loves company

Preparing for a new arrival - Knitting and lying badly

Spank you very much - Brat wants spanks

Closeness - Stuck in a closet

Putting up the decorations - Christmas tree Loki

Sorry, not sorry - tumblr lolz porn

Going down in the elevator - oral sex pun

Green brings out your eyes - Mobius can't stop staring

The words that scar the heart - brothers, eh?

Riding herd on - the cow bikini fic

Beneath the Stars - my first Lokius fic

Eating out of my hand - handfeeding porn

Drawn to the light - twinkle baby

From past experiences - pregnant Loki has trauma

Playing with fire (safely) - wax play baby

Caged - Dark world prison

One's a wish, two's a kiss - Lokius kiss!

His love stings - angst metaphor

When blue meets green - chaotic sex

Best laid plans - mistletoe mishap

Baby's First Yuletide - meet the family

That ass - Loki's one track mind

All I see is you - Mobius staring again

The Valentine's Dance - school disco AU

A romantic surprise - dinner in the archives

Imperfectly perfect - hair disaster

The Witcher

Bring your hunger - jealousy awakens desire

Petals In A Storm - complicated love shape

What he deserves - Geralt guilt whump

Revelations - bitter Jaskier

Dancing around his feelings - sex worker Jaskier

Midnight Mass

Praying for Salvation - sub Riley and bad Dom Priest

My claim on you - Reverse AU

Justify my love - Younger Riley

The new chaperone - Teachers AU

Stranger Things

In his space - How is this not porn?*

*I can't claim credit for this alt title, that belongs to Lawrence_B_Shaggoth over on Ao3.

Tagging @bluesundaycake @enbydandelion @dapandapod @luniak @mimisempai @officerjennie @themanta

6 notes · View notes

loki-is-my-kink-awakening · 1 year

Note

6 and 9 (nice) for the new year writing asks!

Thank you for the ask, my love, and the sexual innuendo it created. 😋

6. Which yet-to-be-started fic is first on your list?

The Ghost of You - Steddie

Steve is grieving Eddie, finds temporary comfort in another, then Steve starts hearing Eddie speaking to him in his mind. It's only after a while that Steve realises there is more to this than just grief and madness.

I've got 6k of an outline for this fic, so I'm not sure it counts, but I am excited to write it.

Not A Womanizer - Geraskier

Jaskier keeps being chased out of bedrooms by angry husbands, so Geralt assumes Jaskier is a womanizer.

But Jaskier is into men, and Geralt doesn't know this yet. Jaskier's being chased by his hookups after their wives come home unexpectedly. It's a show from the husband to keep up appearances.

An "in the closet" fic. I really want to turn the "womanizer" aspect into something major gay.

With either queer platonic or romantic geraskier end game.

9. Short term goals… what do you hope to complete this week or in January?

Petals In A Storm. I've got two or three final chapters to write, and we're on chapter 11 out of 16/17 on here/Ao3.

It will be my first completed multi chapter fic. 🥳

#steddie #stranger things #steve x eddie #geraskier #the witcher #geralt x jaskier #saskier #jaskier x sam the baker #jaskel #jaskier x eskel

6 notes · View notes

tears-and-smiles-ao3 · 1 year

Text

Petals In A Storm

Chapter 11: The hot springs

Fic masterpost

The next morning, Jaskier and Eskel showed up at the library again.

Jaskier sighed when they entered, looking at the mess he’d left behind yesterday. If he thought it was awful then, it was worse now.

Mounds of books lay like a collapsed house of cards, looking a lot like the keep itself now that Jaskier thought about it.

Eskel hummed, standing with his arms crossed and leaning against the door, his eyes flickering across the room.

“I’m sorry about this,” Jaskier blurted out. He hadn’t stopped criticising himself the whole night, asking himself why he couldn’t have been more careful. Of all the things to regret, it shouldn’t even have been the biggest one, but right now it plagued him.

“I don’t think this was your fault,” Eskel suggested, giving Jaskier a sheepish look before going back to scanning the area. “I think we have to get these books back into stacks. I know that’s not what you wanted.”

“We’re beyond what I wanted,” Jaskier huffed. He looked at Eskel and saw the little smile on his face, and, oh, didn’t that make him feel lighter.

He almost doesn’t even see the scars anymore, just the witcher’s shining dark eyes that look at him with such reverence.

“Okay,” Eskel declared, pushing himself off from the wall and moving over to the edge of the small mountain of books to begin their task.

It was going to take them forever, Jaskier thought morosely, and they were going to have to use the table as a place to put the books while they tried to create space.

Sighing, Jaskier gave up his dream of a truly organised library and stacked all the books on the table into a neat-ish pile. Then he walked over to Eskel and started gathering up the books the witcher had piled up.

Back and forth he went, his arms and legs getting a thorough workout, more exercise than he’s had in a long while.

He can feel himself sweating, the exertion making him want to pant, and they weren’t even that far along.

Eskel is watching him, too. Probably wondering why he is picking up fewer and fewer books each trip.

He was so weak.

“We should swap roles,” Eskel proposed, standing up.

Jaskier spins around at his words, looking over his face for a brief second before Eskel scooped the books out of his hands and walked over to the table to drop them unceremoniously.

Gaping at him, Jasikier stands there for a moment, then realises they’ve swapped places.

Eskel nods at where he’d been and Jaskier walks over, sinking down onto his hands and knees and starts stacking books beside him.

Each book moved brought more dust onto his palms and spiralling into the air as the pages flapped about. Little motes danced around his head each time Jaskier shuffled forward and grabbed more books to stack.

It was a long time before Jaskier looked up, seeing Eskel’s muscle flex as he easily picked up a dozen books. He wasn’t showing any signs of tiring and Jaskier could only pray that lunchtime would come soon as then he could get off his aching knees.

It’s not lunchtime but mid-afternoon by the time Sam appeared with pre-made rolls in hand.

Jaskier smiles at him briefly as he gets up, then winces as his muscles complain. He is just so relieved to get up from the floor and perch himself on the edge of the table, even if it’s now almost completely covered in books.

Sam is frowning at him, watching him eat.

“Are we sure that table isn’t going to collapse?” he asked, turning to Eskel.

The witcher shrugged. “If it does, hopefully it just moves down the way and not off to the side.”

“It better not collapse because I don’t want to clear up the same books again,” Jaskier grumbled, half mumbling through the bread in his mouth.

Sam nods, and they all fall quiet as they eat their food.

Eskel is the first to finish, moving back to ferrying books back and forth. Jaskier rushes to help, shoving the last of his roll into his mouth.

“Don’t choke, Jaskier,” Sam cautioned. “We won’t finish this all today, anyway.”

“I know, but the more we do, the better.”

“Sure, yes,” Sam agreed, getting up himself and settling into their production line. Back and forth they go, Jaskier handing books to Sam, Sam piling them up for Eskel, Eskel picking them up and moving them towards the table.

Then Sam made him swap, making Jaskier become the middleman.

“Your knees must be killing you,” Sam stated.

They were sore, sure, but why was everyone treating Jaskier like he couldn’t do this? This was his mistake, after all.

It’s now that Sam decides, while still on his knees and pulling books towards them, that he’ll regale them with tales of how Vesemir had spent most of the morning swearing about their poor library.

He’s laughing, turning around to hand a book to Jaskier, when he catches his eye and sees the horror on Jaskier’s face.

“Don’t worry about it, Vesemir just likes to grump, like all witchers,” Sam reassures, shaking his head.

Eskel laughs at Sam’s comment, but doesn’t say anything, and Jaskier wonders once more how this witcher can seem so different to the rest.

Sam was working like a machine, just like Eskel, but even so, Jaskier was still surprised to see that they had begun to make some space while piling up the books because Eskel wasn’t putting the books on or under the table any more, but right behind it.

“We are getting somewhere,” Eskel observed on one trip.

He looked like he had barely broken sweat while Jaskier felt like he had run many miles without stopping. Sam was looking dirty too, covered in dust from the floor.

“How much longer?” Jaskier gasped. A book almost fell out of his hands, his muscles refusing to cooperate from overuse.

Sam looked up at him, checking him over.

“Maybe you should sit down for a bit. I can do a bit more work before we all take a break.”

He was about to complain when he watched Eskel reach out and lead him back towards the table. He cleared a small square, then helped him sit down like a mother does to a child.

“Um, thanks,” Jaskier mumbled, unsure what else to say. The witcher just nodded and disappeared behind the stacks of books.

It was odd not being able to see them both now that they had indeed made progress.

Jaskier felt his mind drift, wondering what exactly the old library must have looked like. There must have been tables to read at, clear spaces, and books all neatly placed in bookcases.

He imagined a fireplace that was able to be lit because it wasn’t right beside the flammable objects, and many windows so that you could read in natural light.

It must have been beautiful.

He was pulled out of his musings by Eskel and Sam coming round the corner.

“Come on, let’s get cleaned up,” Eskel encouraged, smiling.

Jaskier had assumed that his ears weren’t working correctly when Eskel said they were going to the hot springs.

“There’s hot springs? Seriously? And you are only just telling me this now?”

Sam laughed as Jaskier continued to ramble his confusion, and Eskel wore that soft smile he seemed to keep only for him.

Jaskier could feel himself practically running after Eskel, urging him to walk faster to get to these magical hot springs, his aching limbs almost forgotten.

They headed down a long set of stairs carved into the rock and emerged into a cavernous room filled with lots of little natural pools that were just enough for a single person and two larger pools.

Jaskier had assumed it would feel warm when they got here but the air was just as cold as outside the keep.

He shivered.

“Undress quickly and leave your clothes and towel by the edge,” Eskel instructed, stripping off efficiently and jumping into the pool. He ducked under the water for a few seconds, then emerged, looking up expectantly.

Sam quickly followed his directions, descending into the pool with a satisfied sigh. He moved around to the other side, sitting near to Eskel but leaving a person-shaped space. His head dropped back against the edge of the pool, making him look incredibly relaxed.

“Are you going to come in?” Eskel asked, pointing at the water. He paddled forward, urging Jaskier to get in.

“Yeah,” Jaskier agreed, bringing himself out of his slight trance.

Shucking off his clothes, Jaskier felt quite vulnerable. Usually, he revelled in undressing for someone and he couldn’t quite put his finger on why he felt strange right now.

As his clothes fell off, goosebumps appeared all over his skin and he shivered again. It was hardly dignified.

He sat down, swinging his legs into the pool, then shoved himself forward and sank into the water quickly, gasping in relief at the heat of the water.

His skin flushed heavily, the steam wafting up and making him sweat.

Paddling over, Jaskier found that the middle of the spring was a little deeper than the edges, but he made it across easily and settled in the space left for him between them.

Sam sat up immediately, grabbing a bar of soap and a small cloth and working them over his arms and legs.

Jaskier watched for a moment, but turned to look at Eskel when he felt his eyes on him.

“Hi,” said Jaskier weakly, his face feeling hot.

Eskel looked at him, licking his lips playfully.

“Do my back?” Sam asked, and Jaskier’s head whipped around to look at him.

Standing up, he took the bar from Sam and wet it, before rubbing it gently across the baker’s back.

Being naked with Sam was not something they normally did together, and certainly not with another person also completely naked nearby.

Jaskier let his hands work over the soft yet strong planes of Sam’s back, moving them reverentially over the muscle from all the years rolling out dough.

Eskel was definitely watching them. Jaskier could feel his eyes, and when he glanced back, he saw the witcher’s smile.

There was a softness in his gaze. It made Jaskier feel hotter each time.

Biting his lip, Jaskier turned back and finished helping Sam out as quickly as he could so he could slink beneath the water again and hide evidence of his growing excitement.

Sam dunked himself beneath the water, soapy bubbles spreading across the surface.

When he emerged, he handed the soap over to Jaskier and then sat on his left again. The soap lay in his hands for a long moment while Jaskier thought about anything else than his throbbing cock.

Why was washing Sam in Eskel’s presence turning him on so much?

Eskel grabbing the soap out of his hands made him jump, a little squeak leaving his mouth.

Sam chuckled, pulling Jaskier into his arms and kissing him sweetly while Eskel rubbed the soap across his own skin.

“It’s okay, remember, if you want to touch Eskel. I don’t mind,” Sam whispered, his breath ghosting across Jaskier’s lips.

Jaskier shuddered, the feeling of arousal flooding through him and it was Sam who was encouraging him.

He felt Sam’s hands on his shoulders, turning him to face Eskel.

Then, Sam pushed him forward, making Jaskier almost fall into Eskel’s arms.

It was only then that Jaskier glanced back at Sam, watching him nod at him encouragingly.

Turning to face Eskel, the witcher’s hands ran soothingly up his arms, and then down, underneath the water.

Jaskier gulped.

Eskel’s hands tickled against Jaskier’s wrists, then he turned his hands and placed the soap into his grip.

“Could you- um,” Eskel’s words seemed to be sucked back into his mouth, but Jaskier’s brain clicked back into gear suddenly.

Oh. Right.

Nodding, he watched the witcher turn around and then began caressing the soap against his back with its many scars. Jaskier’s fingers gently traced over them as he went, much like they had during their last coupling, and it made his body sweat even more.

When he was finished, the witcher dunked himself in the water, before turning and rising before him.

Jaskier felt his breath choke in his throat as he focused on Eskel’s broad chest, his bulging muscles.

His blood pumped hard through his body, yet all the while he could hear Sam humming behind him. He wasn’t entirely sure what to make of it.

Eskel leaned into his ear and whispered, “Turn around.”

Jaskier found himself obeying without thinking and quickly Eskel’s hands were on him. He soaped up his back, then reached around and lathered up his chest, rubbing so tenderly across his erect nipples.

Trembling, Jaskier’s body was on fire, his blood was singing.

Through it all, Sam was watching him, his curious eyes taking in his reaction. There was a small soft upturn in his lips, almost like he found the whole thing humorous.

Jaskier felt himself gulping again as, instead of dunking him under the water, Eskel used the cloth to wash away the soap. He knew his cock was already hard and he knew Sam could see it.

After what felt like an eternity, Eskel sat back down again, leaving Jaskier standing alone.

Jaskier turned, looking between them both.

The witcher was breathing hard, clearly just as excited as Jaskier was.

Sam still had that smile on his face.

Back and forth, Jaskier swung his head to look at each of them in turn. He felt frozen as he tried to puzzle out what was happening here.

It was Eskel who made the first move, pulling Jaskier to sit back down between them. Jaskier’s mind was running riot with painful thoughts, even as his treacherous body was pumping all his blood southwards.

This wasn’t going to work, Jaskier cursed himself. Sam, him and Eskel couldn’t even share a quiet bath together because Jaskier got aroused.

Fuck.

“I can hear you thinking,” Eskel announced, and that made Jaskier jerk back, looking at him.

Geralt had often said the same thing to him, usually when Jaskier was ‘being too much’.

“I- uh, sorry,” Jaskier stammered, his fingers tangling together as he fidgeted. He glanced up at Eskel and their eyes met briefly before the witcher’s flickered to Sam behind him.

Eskel made a small nod, then he leaned forward and kissed Jaskier.

Jaskier could hear himself whimper, his body tense and his mind screaming at him that Sam was there, but then he felt warm calloused hands wrap around his middle and a soft kiss placed on his shoulder.

“It’s okay,” Sam whispered into his ear. His hands were an anchor, keeping Jaskier from floating away in this storm they were creating.

Eskel pulled back, smiling, and Jaskier just panted. He glanced back at Sam, who kissed his cheek briefly and then they were kissing like they normally would.

Jaskier almost choked when he felt Eskel wrap a hand around his cock. Pulling back from Sam’s kiss, he began to scold Eskel. “No, not with Sam here.”

“It’s fine. Continue, Eskel,” Sam instructed.

The witcher’s hand tightened, making Jaskier groan. He looked at Sam, worried, but Sam just kissed him again.

It was a struggle focusing on both sensations, wanting to make it good for both people. He knew he was kissing Sam sloppily now, hardly any finesse.

His moans, that were for Eskel, were swallowed up by Sam’s mouth.

Jaskier could feel Eskel move his hand, pulling it down to wrap around the witcher’s length and encourage him to reciprocate.

He gripped tight, stroking slowly as his thumb gently circled the head.

The witcher panted into his shoulder.

At some point, Sam had stopped kissing him and instead rested his forehead against his. They looked into each other’s eyes.

“Kiss Eskel,” he asked of Jaskier.

Jaskier turned, looking at the witcher and hesitating, his eyes wide.

He glanced back at Sam, who nodded.

Sam pushed Jaskier’s torso forward and covered his back with his chest, whispering encouragement into his ear.

Fuck, how had this happened? Jaskier felt so out of his depth that he clung to Eskel as their lips met. It was overwhelming, feeling the heat of the witcher’s lips, his hand firmly stroking him under the water, and then the ghost of Sam’s breath across his neck.

He heard himself moaning loudly despite the kiss swallowing most of his noises. He knew he sounded wrecked.

It was so difficult to concentrate. He felt himself slowly stop kissing the witcher, his chest heaving with the effort not to come on the spot.

As he let his head roll back, panting hard, he felt Eskel’s lips latch onto the neck, nipping just below his ear.

Sam moved backwards, his warmth leaving his back.

Panicked, Jaskier jerked his head round and, oh, he did not expect to see Sam stroking his own cock while he watched them.

Their eyes locked and that was it for Jaskier. He felt his orgasm wash through him, his whole body thrumming in pleasure, all while Eskel nipped at his neck.

He was still gasping for breath when Eskel wrapped his own hand around Jaskier’s and began jerking himself off quickly. It didn’t take long before he spilled, huffing against Jaskier’s shoulder.

For a second, all Jaskier could hear was Eskel’s breath, but then Sam made a muffled groan and Jaskier knew he had come too.

It was then that Eskel laughed. Then Sam joined in.

“Come here,” Sam said, pulling at Jaskier to sit back against the wall and wrapping his arms around his middle. Eskel’s broad arm sat across his shoulder.

The two of them were still chuckling and Jaskier tried to relax into it, he really did, but he couldn’t stop the twitching of his fingers.

Still, when Sam asked him if he was alright, Jaskier lied and said he was fine.

He couldn’t quite find the words to express what he was feeling. His relationship with Sam was definitely changing and Eskel seemed cautious yet happy with what happened.

Despite that, he couldn’t keep Sam’s earlier words about jealousy from his thoughts.

He needed space to muddle this over.

Dinner went by in a blur. Jaskier was barely paying attention to anything that happened.

He even played his songs on automatic pilot.

Somehow, he ended up in Eskel’s bed without even blinking an eye.

The witcher’s hands roamed his body, like he was trying to get some life back into him. Jaskier groaned, feeling thoroughly spent after today.

“Can we just cuddle?” Jaskier asked, and Eskel pulled back, searching his face for answers.

“I’m okay, just a bit exhausted,” he reassured.

Eskel nodded, lying on his back and pulling Jaskier over his chest. They lay like that, wrapped in the furs, the fire crackling, already reduced to embers. The slow thump of the witcher’s heartbeat was lulling him to sleep.

“You mean a lot to me,” he thought he heard Eskel say, but his mind was already swirling with strange images, dreams threatening to take him.

He felt like he was swimming in a warm blue ocean, the sun setting on the horizon.

For a second, all was peaceful, and then he was being shaken, his body thrashing against something large and solid.

His eyes opened, his breath hitched, and he saw Eskel with his brows furrowed and his eyes apologetic.

“You can’t sleep here, remember?” Eskel explained, cupping Jaskier’s face with his hand. “Come on, I’ll walk you back.”

Jaskier hadn’t realised just how late it was until they walked out into the freezing cold of the corridor. He shuddered involuntarily.

“Come here,” Eskel encouraged, wrapping his arm around him and then rubbing him up and down, trying to warm him up while they walked down the hallway.

His teeth had started chattering when they turned the corner and bumped into a figure in the darkness. Jaskier squeaked before he knew what he was doing, trying to hide behind the bulk of Eskel.

“Eskel, Jaskier,” Geralt said in greeting, his golden eyes flickering between them both.

Jaskier let himself walk back round in front of the silver-haired witcher. In the dim light, it looked like his brows were quirked but Jaskier wasn’t sure.

“Sweet Melitele, you scared me. Do you all take turns to roam the halls at night?” Jaskier asked, thinking back to last night when he had heard Eskel walking about.

“Hmmm,” Geralt hummed. “It’s late, you should both be asleep.”

Jaskier waved his hands about dramatically as if shooing away the nonsense Geralt was saying.

“I am being escorted to bed, as you can see.”

Geralt looked up at Eskel, frowning. “You’re up early tomorrow, I can take it from here.”

Eskel just nodded, turned to Jaskier and said with a soft smile on his face, “Good night.”

Jaskier’s mouth is hanging open, he knows, but he can’t help it as he watches Eskel walk away.

He turned to glare at Geralt.

“Did you just send Eskel to bed?”

“Yes,” Geralt admitted. He begins walking in the opposite direction from Eskel, back down the corridor he had come up, as if he expected Jaskier to follow.

He only stopped when he noticed Jaskier wasn’t coming. Looking back momentarily, Geralt’s eyes held his, and then he turned, walking away.

Jaskier realised he was going to be left on his own, and hurried to catch up.

“Why?” he asked to the witcher’s back.

Geralt was quiet, as he usually was when Jaskier asked a question, and he was pretty sure he wasn’t going to find out the answer.

“There was no reason for him to be up when it’s my turn to check the halls.”

Oh. So, there was a rota for this sort of thing.

“Do you think Eskel just found me out wandering in the halls?”

“No.”

“Oh, well. Good.”

There was silence again for a long time, then just as Jaskier was about to speak again, Geralt spoke.

“How does asexuality work?”

Jaskier’s mouth gaped again. After everything that had happened since they had left Oxenfurt, Jaskier honestly didn’t know what he expected any longer.

Yet, this. This puzzled Jaskier. Why did Geralt want to know?

“Um, Sam would be best to tell you that.”

“What do you get out of it?” Geralt asked.

The question wasn’t something Jaskier had ever had a defining answer to. He looked up at the witcher, almost walking into a wall.

“Sam cares about me,” is all he can think to say.

“But I’ve seen you kiss.”

“Well, yeah, we are intimate. There’s kissing and cuddles, he just doesn’t want to be touched sexually.”

Except, he clearly can touch himself sexually, Jaskier’s mind helpfully supplied.

“So, it’s like romantic friends?” Geralt asks.

“Sam is my friend, yes, but I think he is more than that. He is, well, my partner.”

“But you sleep with others,” Geralt states. He must see Jaskier’s shoulders tense because he quickly adds, “I meant, how does that work?”

“Why, dear witcher, looking to get into an open relationship? Polyamory, perhaps?”

“I- I’m just curious. All those years on the road…” Geralt trailed off. Jaskier was just about to say something back when Geralt stopped.

“We’re here. Goodnight.”

Then he walked off, leaving Jaskier open-mouthed again and staring at him as he disappeared round a corner.

Jaskier crawled into bed and pondered the words Geralt had said and the ones he hadn’t.

What did he mean, ‘all those years on the road’? Did he mean something could have happened between them? Was Geralt open to more than just Yennefer as a relationship? Yennefer was so scary, he couldn’t imagine her wanting Geralt fucking someone else while they were in a relationship.

Maybe that wasn’t what Geralt meant at all. Maybe he meant they could have been friends with benefits on the road. They could just help one another and it wouldn’t be anything more. He tried to make himself imagine it, but his heart felt like it was getting stabbed with a million small needles.

He was staring at the ceiling, which he couldn’t really see in the dark but he knew it was there, when he heard a noise in the hall. It was probably Geralt, or maybe Eskel if enough hours had passed.

He scrunched his eyes shut. He would sleep. He had to sleep. It was dark outside and Sam was in bed with him, so it had to still be late at night.

Jaskier sighed quietly so as not to wake Sam but enough to make himself feel better.

His mind kept flashing back to all the time Geralt had shown even the slightest bit of interest in him. When he had given him the smallest of smiles, or pulled him close during the coldest of nights out on the road.

The times he had said ‘thank you’ when Jaskier had mended his wounds for him, or wordlessly grateful when he’d paid for their meal or their beds for the night when contracts were lean.

Then the words Jaskier hated to hear echoed in his head and all those images crumbled.

If life could give me one blessing…

Tears ran down his face and he shifted, wrapping his arms around the pillow and silencing the noises he was making before eventually falling asleep.

Next chapter

#the witcher #jaskier #eskel #sam the baker #geralt of rivia #jaskel #saskier #jaskier x eskel #jaskier x sam the baker #witcher #jaskier fanfic #the witcher fanfiction #tears-and-smiles-ao3 #my fanfiction #cw: sex #cw: handjobs

2 notes · View notes

tears-and-smiles-ao3 · 2 years

Text

Petals In A Storm

Chapter 5: Exploring the keep

Fic masterpost

The room was sparse. A meagre double bed with thin sheets, a wooden wardrobe over in one corner, a chair in the other. It was as cold as Yennefer had described.

Now that they were finally alone for the first time in weeks, Jaskier felt like he could breathe properly. He threw himself onto the bed, his face smushed into the harsh linen. He sighed dramatically, then groaned and turned over.

“Fuck, that was horrible. I never want to do that again.”

He meant the portal specifically but the journey itself had been exhausting, more than the average journey on the road. They’d been dragged along here, somewhere Jaskier had always wanted to come to, but now it was soured by everything that had happened between him and Geralt.

It hadn’t escaped his attention that the witcher had walked away without waiting to see if everyone had arrived safely.

Sighing, Jaskier turned again, his hand running up the rough material of the sheet. He just wanted Geralt to care. Why was it so hard for the dumb idiot to wait a few more seconds?

Sam was putting away their clothes into the wardrobe, somehow not feeling as bad as Jaskier. He hummed as he plucked items from their bags and placed them on hangers.

“Would you hold me?” Jaskier asked, pouting. The smile that spread across Sam’s face made Jaskier feel lightheaded, or maybe he was still feeling weird. It didn’t change how secure he felt when Sam sat on the bed and pulled him into his arms.

Jaskier had fallen asleep, it seemed. He’d only realised this when he woke up in the bed alone, blinking in confusion. He reached out for Sam but he wasn’t there and Jaskier felt his heart rate increase rapidly.

He sat up quickly, began to push back the covers, then paused. Had Sam put the cover on him? He must’ve done it. Jaskier shook himself and got up, grabbing his coat. He needed to find Sam.

The door creaked when he opened it and he looked out into the corridor. His head turned back and forth before he decided to walk down the left one first. He had lived in a city for much of his younger life, so this must be a piece of cake. Right?

Wrong. Jaskier only realised he had been walking in circles when he saw the same cross-stitched banner of witchers standing in front of a castle at least three times. He knew it was the same one because there was also a small etching on the stonework that said ‘Lambert was here’ below it. He stopped and stared at it. Presumably this was the keep: Kaer Morhen. Was this a real past event or just an imagined one?

“Lost?” a deep voice called behind him. Jaskier turned fast to see a hulking man leaning against the wall at the far end of the corridor that he had just walked down. Despite it still being light outside, the hall was dimly lit and he couldn’t make out his features.

“Maybe,” Jaskier shrugged, mirroring how the man leaned against the wall. “Who are you?”

“A witcher,” the mysterious male voice said. “And you are?”

“Bard, at your service,” Jaskier declared, bending forward into an elegant bow. When he rose, he saw that the witcher had walked closer. He could see him better as he passed a candle, illuminating his shape. His arms and chest were big, full of muscles that Jaskier immediately longed to have pinning him down. His short dark hair parted down the middle and tucked loosely behind his ears.

It was his face that really fascinated Jaskier. Red rivets winding down the right-hand side of his face, like rivers on a map. He wanted to touch them, let his fingers run over them.

His clothes were brighter than Geralt’s usual attire; a red jacket with black leather stripes and a grey shirt underneath. His broad shoulders were covered in small metal spikes and his thick thighs concealed in black. The whole ensemble made Jaskier’s mouth run dry.

“So, um, I-”

“You’re new here,” Eskel stated, his eyes not quite meeting his own. His hands fidgeted with the hem of his shirt as Jaskier’s eyes raked over him. It was a curious interaction and Jaskier wanted to know more.

“I am, yes. Do I look that out of place?”

Eskel chuckled. His eyes locked with Jaskier’s briefly but they flickered away before he could see the bard arch his back against the wall. Instead, the witcher spoke to the floor. “I guessed. Do you want me to show you around?”

“That would be nice.” Jaskier purred, then bit his lips playfully when the witcher looked up at him again.

Eskel cleared his throat, his eyes diverted once again. “Let’s start through here.”

While the witcher held out his hand to gesture where to walk, Jaskier took the opportunity to strut slowly, emphasising every small step he took. If he was correct in his assumption that this witcher was both shy and interested, he was going to put on a good show. He swayed his hips, then looked back over his shoulder.

Eskel’s eyes flickered up, blinking as if the light was suddenly too bright for him. He looked affected and that made Jaskier grin. Leaning against the wall, he arched his back again, this time the witcher saw him.

“Um, that door up ahead, that leads to armoury. I don’t know how often a bard needs to go there, but there it is.” Eskel waved his hand out, motioning past Jaskier.

Jaskier beamed at him, pushing off the wall and stepping towards Eskel. He let a finger trace down Eskel’s armoured chest. “I am not defenceless, my good witcher.”

He watched Eskel. How a half smile appeared on his face for less than a second. How his fingers were still fidgeting despite his arms being plastered down by his sides like they were glued there.

Jaskier looked over at the door Eskel had pointed at. “So, what else?”

Eskel cleared his throat, then began leading the way again. They walked down another corridor, stopping at a few doors to look inside. There were all residential rooms, though most of them were in a severe state of disrepair. Jaskier didn’t really pay attention after the first two of these rooms, but each time Eskel opened a door, it gave Jaskier a chance to rub up against him. It was adorable how flustered the witcher looked.

Finally, they turned a corner and there were no more doors. Jaskier was almost disappointed, except it gave him an opportunity to eye up Eskel’s delicious thighs without being caught. Not that he cared about being caught.

“Here is the library,” the witcher explained, turning towards a large door and pulling it open. The door groaned as if it hadn’t been opened in a few years.

“Now this, this is what I like to see,” Jaskier exclaimed, marching straight into the room. It should have looked like a large room but with the amount of books stacked everywhere, it felt cramped. Yet, Jaskier delighted in running his fingers across the old tomes. He desperately wanted to dive into them all if time would allow.

“There’s lots of information here. I haven’t read even a tenth of these books in all my long years.”

Jaskier snorts. “You make it sound like you’re ancient.”

“I am ancient compared to a human. Old as bones.”

“Yeah, right.”

The rest of the tour was fairly uneventful, except for Jaskier’s constant flirting. He continued to let his hands rest on Eskel, small touches on his arms or shoulders whenever he held open any door for him. He winked, he licked his lips, he even waggled his eyebrows. If it had been any other man or woman, Jaskier would have at least known if it was working by now. Eskel had been unreadable. Typical witcher.

“This is the closet where we keep all our furs. It can get really cold at night, so take as many as you need.”

“Oh,” exclaimed Jaskier. “How many furs do you have on your bed?”

“I- Um,” Eskel stammered. If a witcher could blush, Jaskier is sure Eskel would be scarlet right now. As it was, it looked like he was sweating, which was something considering this place was cold even in summer.

Picking up one of the furs, Jaskier spoke in a low voice. “This is a spare room, right? Why don’t you show me how to wrap up warm at night?”

“O- Okay,” the witcher stammered, and then picked up a handful of furs and followed Jaskier into the room.

He had assumed that the witcher would be on him as soon as they entered, but he just stood by the door watching him.

“This is a typical bedroom,” Eskel explained. He was standing so close to the wall, like it would stop him from collapsing. “Not much to see, but, well…” Eskel pointed to the bed and swallowed hard. Jaskier took the initiative, walking towards the witcher, pinning him with a flirty smile.

“And how many furs do you have on your bed?” Jaskier asked quietly while running a hand over the bundled material in Eskel’s arms. The witcher flinched but his eyes were fixed on Jaskier.

“Er, I usually have three furs. You probably need five at least.”

“Aren’t there other ways to keep warm?” Jaskier teased. He looked down at the bed, threadbare material covering the straw within, and then winked at the witcher.

Eskel coughed, looking at the floor again. He stepped forward without looking up, dumping the furs onto the bed and arranging them.

Jaskier came up behind him, reaching around to help pull down one of the furs. Eskel froze, his hands pressed down onto the bedding. “What else do you do if you’re feeling cold, witcher?” Jaskier asked, his voice like silk.

“Um,” Eskel stammered. “I usually have a drink. Alone in my room.”

Jaskier smiled, then crawled onto the bed. “And what, dear witcher, if you had company?”

The witcher looked at him, his eyes growing darker, but remaining where he stood, bent over the bed.

“I don’t usually have people in my bed.”

Jaskier frowned for a second, then opened his legs wider. “What about this bed?”

That did it. Eskel put his knee on the bed and leaned over Jaskier. He brought his head down towards him and Jaskier’s breath hitched a little. He expected the witcher to get down to business, like any other lay would do, but he hesitated, looking at his lips. Jaskier licked them, feeling his pulse quicken underneath Eskel’s stare.

“Can I kiss you?” the witcher asked.

It wasn’t quite what Jaskier expected and his hesitation seemed to have the wrong impact. Before Eskel could move back, Jaskier reached out and pulled the witcher towards him and crashed their lips together.

Eskel’s lips were soft against his own, much softer than he expected. He gripped tight to the witcher’s jacket and began moving them backwards up the bed. Jaskier shuffled and Eskel crawled up after him.

“Are you sure you want this?” Eskel asked, slotting his body in Jaskier’s open legs.

“Yes, I do. More than anything,” Jaskier reassured. He leaned up, kissing the witcher again and letting out little satisfied noises while his hands roamed down that magnificent chest. The muscles were bulging, strong and firm and everything that Jaskier wanted. He began unlacing the witcher’s shirt to get his hands on him.

Eskel was still focused on kissing him senseless. His kisses were tender, gentle as his tongue swiped inside his mouth. Jaskier felt breathless, but it didn’t stop him from trying to get the witcher’s jacket and shirt off his shoulders.

“I’ve got a lot of scars,” Eskel warned before Jaskier could finish his task. He pulled his shirt back down but let his jacket fall down his shoulders.

Jaskier just shook his head. “I don’t mind scars.” It was the truth. He’d seen the scars on Geralt, with more and more added each year. The lines defined him, Jaskier thought, it made him beautiful.

He was still shocked to see the mess of scars on the witcher’s chest and stomach for the brief second he saw them. Huge puckered patches covered most of his skin, some bits raised and other bits sunken. If Jaskier had thought his face was like a map, this was something else. They were like sprawling towns, seeking to expand and join up with each other. Towns that had been built on top of each other.

Eskel squirmed, clearly not convinced. “It’s awful to look at. Lets- Let me just focus on you.”

“No,” Jaskier shouted, a bit too loudly. He hadn’t meant to make it a demand, but when Eskel seemed to be curling in on himself, he quickly added, “I mean, only if you want to. I don’t mind scars and I mean that.”

The witcher did mind his scars because he tied up some of his laces, drawing a line under that option. Jaskier wanted to pout, see if he could get his way, but instead pulled the witcher back down on top of him.

Then they were back to kissing again and Jaskier let his hands run through the witcher’s hair. It was also softer than he anticipated. He tugged, eliciting a moan from Eskel, who rutted down hard against him.

“What do you want?” he asked softly.

Jaskier blinked up at him, confused. “What?”

“What kind of sex do you want? Do you want me to touch you or pleasure you with my mouth? Do you want to fuck me?”

Jaskier swallowed. He’d never been asked this before. “Anything, really. You decide.”

The witcher frowned a little, but then he rolled them over and kissed him again and Jaskier forgot all about it. Eskel’s hands gripped tight onto his ass, rocking him forward. He was straddling the witcher, his hands resting on the mattress beside Eskel’s head.

Eskel pushed him up to sit, smiling. “Give me a show. Take off your clothes.”

Jaskier’s eyes darkened. He liked it when all the attention was on him and he was only too happy to oblige. He knew his body still looked good, despite his years. All the walking that he had done, only eating what was caught for the night, had made him much stronger than in his teenage years. He had been in even better shape before his two years holed up in Oxenfurt, but he still looked good right now.

He began removing his burgundy coat. The leather creaked and squeaked as he let it slip off his shoulder. Biting his lips, he moved his hands up to his chest. His fingers began to pop each button on his waistcoat, one by one. He moved slowly, deliberately, with his eyes glued to the witcher’s.

When he peeled back the waistcoat with both hands, his chest flexed underneath his shirt. He winked then, before letting the material slip soundly down his shoulders.

His hands moved back up his chest, bringing them up to caress around his neck. He let out a little gasp, then began unlacing the ties of his shirt. As each one fell away, more of his dark chest hair was revealed.

Then, with fingers gripping lightly onto the bottom hem of his shirt, he pulled it up over his head.

Eskel’s eyes were dark with lust as he watched Jaskier’s whole performance. He rolled his hips, rubbing his erection against Jaskier.

“Now, what shall we do?” Jaskier teased. He leaned down, one hand cupping his face as he looked him deeply in his eyes.

In response, Eskel reached between them and began unlacing Jaskier’s trousers. “Let’s get you properly naked.”

Jaskier shivered as he shucked off the rest of his clothes. Eskel’s hands were warm as they ran over his skin, up his thighs, across his chest.

“Now, you, even if it’s just your cock,” Jaskier pleaded. Eskel looked at him for a long second before he nodded. He shifted his hands down to the laces of his breeches and pulled them loose slowly while Jaskier watched. Lifting his hips up into the air, he pushed his breeches down and then pulled his cock out. It was so large, wide and long, that Jaskier felt his eyes widen comically.

”Oh, boy,” Jaskier gulped, his mouth suddenly dry as he contemplated the sheer size. It was larger than any other cock Jaskier had seen. “Well, that’s…That’s a delight.”

“We don’t,” Eskel began, but Jaskier shook his head. He grasped the witcher’s hand and brought it down, urging Eskel to wrap his broad hands around both their erections and start stroking them together.

“We do, we definitely do.”

Tingles ran up Jaskier’s spine as they worked their joined hands up and down in tandem. It felt like an electrical storm brewing within and Jaskier couldn’t help the soft whimpers that left his lips.

He felt Eskel’s other hand run up his chest. His fingers latched onto a nipple and pinched hard. Jaskier gasped.

“You like that?” Eskel asked, his eyes watching Jaskier closely. It was true that he felt a little off kilter, unsure of what the witcher wanted, but he nodded. He wanted this, he really did. In fact, he wanted this like yesterday. He reached with his other hand, searching for his coat pocket to pull out a bottle of oil and then presented it to Eskel.

The witcher stared at the bottle, a frown on his face. It made Jaskier wonder if he had ever fucked anyone before. Surely he knew what the oil was for.

Instead of explaining, Jaskier opened the bottle with his teeth and took the witcher’s right hand in his. He coated Eskel’s fingers with a copious amount of oil and then guided his hand around and behind him. He leaned forward further, giving the witcher more access, ready for his fingers to breach him.

When Eskel didn’t do anything, Jaskier simply pushed down on his hand, sending the witcher’s fingers inside.

“It’s okay, I can take it. I want it,” he reassured. “Just use your fingers to gently stretch me out.” Then he took Eskel’s lips into a deep kiss, groaning as the witcher finally moved his fingers, slowly at first and then a little faster.

It felt strange being the one taking the lead, but the witcher was very responsive and soon had worked him open enough.

Leaning back, Jaskier pulled Eskel’s fingers out and then made him stroke his large, thick cock, coating it in oil. Then, he lifted himself up, positioning himself over the witcher’s cock, and braced himself to sink down.

The head of Eskel’s cock felt enormous pressed against his hole, but Jaskier wasn’t put off. He took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly as he sank himself down. It took a while and Jaskier kept his eyes closed throughout, focusing on his muscles relaxing, welcoming the witcher inside him.

A thumb gently stroked against his skin, Eskel’s hands resting on his hips. When Jaskier bottomed out, he opened his eyes and looked at the witcher. He looked debauched already. Jaskier clenched his muscles, squeezing around Eskel’s thick cock.

“Oh, fuck,” Eskel groaned out, and Jaskier smirked. This was going to be fun.

He began moving, his hips settling into a rhythm as he bounced up and down. His hands settled on the witcher’s chest, pushing a finger underneath the half opened shirt and seeking out the lines that marred his body. Eskel winced as if burned, but Jaskier wasn’t having any of that.

“You’re beautiful,” he breathed, watching as Eskel’s eyes looked up at him, almost reverential.

He continued moving, focusing on the cock deep within him, how full he felt, the drag of it against his inner walls. Being stretched obscenely wide felt amazingly good and he wanted the witcher to know that. Each time he sank back down, he let out a loud moan. The witcher just panted heavily below him.

At some point, Jaskier had let his head drop back and closed his eyes. He was so lost in everything he was feeling that he nearly yelped when he felt Eskel’s broad hands wrap around his cock.

Jaskier wanted this to last longer, but Eskel wasn’t making that easy. His large hands enveloped him completely, and he stroked him so tightly. Fuck, he could feel himself crashing towards orgasm far too quickly.

He opened his eyes and saw that Eskel wasn’t doing much better. His eyes were barely open, his face scrunched up in effort. It took Jaskier’s breath away and he clenched down, grinning at the effect it had on the witcher.

“Fuck, please, I want you to come first,” Eskel begged. Jaskier slowed a little, his eyes raking over the witcher’s face. He was used to pleasuring others and getting his later, if at all, but this was something different. It was curious but he couldn’t focus on it right now. Right now, he needed Eskel to come.

“Let’s race,” he said instead, beginning to ride the witcher faster than before. He could see the sweat drenching Eskel’s forehead, struggling to hold off. It made Jaskier wild with need, whining in pleasure as the witcher stripped his cock at speed.

They moved faster and faster, panting heavily as they crashed towards the inevitable. Jaskier felt Eskel let go first, his cock pulsing within, but he wasn’t far behind. Two strokes later and his body stilled as his orgasm violently shook through him. The world descended into a white blur as his nerve endings were overwhelmed in pleasure. It was the strongest orgasm he had experienced in quite a while.

Eskel was looking at him with soft eyes when Jaskier opened his once more. It was unnerving how they watched him.

“That was pretty amazing, even if I do say so myself.”

Eskel chuckled. “It was not what I expected from my winter at Kaer Morhen.”

That was curious. “Oh. I always imagined it would be fun to be here.”

“It really isn’t.” Eskel said. He reached out and pulled Jaskier towards him, kissing him deeply. “Thank you, I enjoyed this.”

Jaskier scoffed. “You don’t need to thank me.” He pulled back, feeling the coolness of his spend across his chest and noticing how he had ruined Eskel’s shirt. “But we do need to clean up.”

Afterwards, Eskel had walked him back around the keep as they headed towards the great hall. Jaskier tried to take in what Eskel was saying to him, but it was never going to stick in his memory. He was going to get very lost the next time he went anywhere in this place.

When they arrived at the great hall, the evening meal was just being served. There were two long wooden tables that lined the room. Long benches lay on each side, and at the top of the right-hand table was a large steaming iron pot. A few bowls sat beside it.

Jaskier could already see that the witchers, who had taken up residence on the table on the left-hand side, were glaring at him. Sam and Yennefer sat alone on the other table. Ah, so it was like that.

“Well, it seems this is where we part,” Jaskier said, giving Eskel a wink. The witcher just walked away, sitting down beside his brothers. The red-haired witcher slid a bowl of food towards him.

Jaskier just shrugged and headed over to sit beside Sam.

“Hey,” Sam said, pulling him in for a kiss. “What have you been up to?”

“Oh,”Jaskier said, as he sat down, catching Eskel’s eyes on the other table, “just getting lost and having to be rescued.”

Sam laughed. “Sounds about right. You have a ridiculously bad sense of direction.”

“Yeah, I would make the world’s worst spy,” Jaskier replied, grinning widely. Sam returned his grin, too, but when he looked over at Eskel, the witcher was staring at his food. He shrugged. Maybe the witcher didn’t think it was funny.

Yennefer took a bite of her food. “No one wants a twit as a spy, bard.”

“Really, witch? I’m sure you’re right. Secrets can only be uncovered in silence, after all.”

He laughed as Yennefer snorted. It was nice to have her around. It felt almost normal if he didn’t look over at the other table, crowded with witchers like they were enemies at war.

Yennefer caught his quick glances. “Bunch of children,” she said. “I wouldn’t worry about them. They’ll get out of their ‘shy phase’ at some point.”

Sam hummed. “The old man is not so bad. He seemed happy to have my help in the kitchen.”

Jaskier smiled up at Sam. So, that’s where he had gone. It was nice to know he had found something nice to do.

“What did you make then?”

Sam pointed to the potatoes and the veg. “The potatoes. Vesemir wouldn’t let me touch the meat. Seems I’m not yet trusted,” Sam said, with a huge smile on his face. “I’ll break him down.”

“Oh, I know you will,” remarked Yennefer.

“How do you know?” Jaskier asked, his voice rising higher than he intended.

“I know,” Yennefer replied, her eyes sparkling.

Jaskier had barely finished his meal before the witchers were cleaning up the place. His plate was unceremoniously pulled from his clutch.

“Bit rude,” Jaskier commented to Sam, who just chuckled lightly.

“I think you might need to eat faster while we’re here. They seem terribly efficient.”

“I think it’s time we head off,” Yennefer declared and walked out the main doors, with Sam and Jaskier following her lead. Still, Jaskier snuck a look back at Eskel, but the witcher had his back to the door.

2 notes · View notes