Imagine if Geralt treated Jaskier like Roach, not knowing how else to show he cared for someone beyond what he did for his horse.
And Jaskier noticed.
And then decided yeah, okay, he could work with that.
Which leaves the witcher staring, perplexed, as Jaskier haggles with a merchant for a new blanket for Roach, trying to obtain the dark green piece of woolen fabric at a cheaper price. As he watches Jaskier bring out the agreed upon coin, he remembers the way the bard had insisted she needed a new one because hers was getting too thin, and it was getting colder, and honestly Geralt don’t you care for her at all—
It had made Geralt feel uncomfortably guilty, that it was Jaskier who noticed his horse’s need before he did. The bard didn’t even ride Roach, and yet he was aware of the issue.
Not to mention that Jaskier insisted she be brushed every night, that the pets he gave her helped make her calm and happy. And Geralt wanted to refute that claim, he truly did, but Roach did seem to truly enjoy the attention. In fact, Roach had warmed up to the bard in a way that she had never done with others she saw frequently, like the other wolf witchers or Yennefer.
Perhaps, he conceded, that may be due to the bard bribing her with treats. But even in that, the bard seemed to be a step ahead of him, keeping a ranked list of Roach’s favorite snacks in his journal and updating it as needed. Geralt had tried to convince Jaskier multiple times that she did not need such indulgences, to which Jaskier had pointed out quite frankly that the witcher need not buy ale at every tavern they frequented either, or a bath rather than a swim in a stream, or—
Geralt could admit to himself that the bard had some…convincing arguments. After all, Roach worked so hard, was there for him through so much, and she deserved to be appreciated. Truly.
So maybe Geralt started to pay a little more attention to his horse, and to the care the bard gave her. And maybe he noticed that the bard was shivering more, his thin, flashy doublets not designed for the cooler autumn nights. And if the bard asks, Geralt only bought him the cloak because he knew the bard would soon start complaining about being cold all the time, so this was just a preemptive measure.
Yes, Geralt could have gotten the brown cloak for cheaper, but again, Geralt didn’t want to listen to the bard complain about how ugly he looked in it. So he chipped in the extra coin for the royal blue one, the color that Geralt had noticed the bard favored.
And, okay, Geralt hadn’t really meant to start giving the bard shoulder pats after a particularly rough performance, or to give the bard hugs when the man woke up from nightmares that left him drenched in sweat, unsure of what was real. But honestly, it was just logical to use what seemed to work best, no matter how foreign it felt to the witcher.
It was fine, he told himself, pulling Jaskier closer after one such terror-filled dream. He moved his hand up and down the bard’s back, trying to physically remind Jaskier of where he was.
Geralt reminded himself there was nothing weird about this, that this was how one was supposed to treat traveling partners.
After all, it was just like petting Roach, right?
A desperately need Geralt explaining his logic to his brothers and thier reactions
Just -I’m gonna tell him/don’t you dare
