i wrote this while on vacation then forgot about it for a week anyway
jaskier travels to future modern day where geralt is like 800 years old
after the dragon hunt geralt and jaskier part ways
geralt didn’t mean anything he said ofc, he was just angry and frustrated and he took it out on the one person he could always count on
but his stupid pride won’t let him apologize
even though he feels sorry as soon as the words leave his mouth
he watches jaskier walk away, and knows that he has to give his the bard some time
three years is a lot of time to give but geralt can’t find him
he has literally looked everywhere
oxenfurt, lettenhove, pasoda, hell even cintra (which he vowed to never go back to, but he needs to find jaskier)
the bard is nowhere
five more years pass
geralt still looks for him everywhere
every time there’s a bard with bushy brown hair or blue eyes or a lute with flowers on it, he’s reminded of jaskier and is filled with hope for one quick second
but it’s never jaskier
he hears it in a pub
it’s a no name pub he’s never been to, one he just stopped in after a hunt
and he hears it
the bard in the corner, talking to some patrons, acting as if it’s just casual conversation
“yes, yes, the great bard Jaskier, meletele bless his soul, wrote many ballads in his day, and had he not fallen to horrid fate, we might have more. but alas, we make do.” and he finished with a laugh.
a laugh
geralt storms out of the pub, probably scaring the few townspeople sober enough to notice
he takes on contracts that he knows are too dangerous for him
he goes to kaer morehn every winter and drinks himself near death
the others are worried for him, but bringing it up leads to geralt locking himself in his room for weeks
they don’t talk about it
he isn’t sober for more than a few hours at time for a decade
eventually geralt finds his child surprise
and he knows that he can’t keep this up AND be a decent father figure
he and yennifer sort things out and she helps him sober up
blah blah blah season two happens mainly as it did in netflix cannon except without jaskier
a few hundred years pass
everyone’s alive (all the witchers, yennifer, ciri, magic is the answer to everything)
it feels like forever
geralt never stops thinking about jaskier
everytime music changes or a new instrument is invented, all geralt can think about is how jaskier would respond
he cries the day he found out ab recording
all he can think about is how he would never get to hear jaskier immortalized like this
jaskier would never be remembered
that thought makes him cry harder
it takes yennifer and ciri a week to pull him out of his drunken depressive episode
geralt has settled in pretty well though
he’s generally good at adapting to change (even though the fact that his dog is named roach says otherwise)
he has a job that he mostly enjoys (he’s a park ranger. it’s the most fun he’s ever had and he loves it so much. if anyone ever found out he would kill them and then himself)
he and his family try to get together at least once a month
they got closer after they stopped having to kill to survive
when they finally got to a point where they could just be
they almost always go over to vesemirs (because despite what they say, he’s their dad)
it’s at one of these dinners, as everyone’s saying their goodbyes, a loud crack and swear is heard from the backyard
it’s a swear they haven’t heard in a long time
centuries maybe
then more swearing
geralt pauses and listens to the voice that he knows is dead
this is a nasty trick
the other witcher’s know that something’s wrong as soon as they see geralt’s expression change
they got rid of their swords a long time ago (it was the 70s after someone lambert tried to take them to a festival and almost killed someone. now they stay in the attic)
but they all carry daggers ofc
they grab their weapons and slowly stalk towards the yard
where the voice is still ranting and cursing
still in a language long dead
they open the door
geralt doesn’t belive it
“where the fuck am i, geralt” the bards voice is just like it was that day on the mountain
chapter/story two
none of them move for a beat
they can hear the man’s (jaskiers?) heart beating so fast it could come out of his chest
he doesn’t seem like a fake (dopplers went extinct a few centuries ago anyway)
if this was an imposter, they were too good at it
“jaskier” has the same scent he always has (wild flowers and a field after rain)
jaskier looks at the witchers, all big and scary and totally pointing their daggers at him
he can assume the other men are geralts brothers
though they don’t have a madellian, they each have a large ring with a wolf engraved
don’t ask jaskier how he noticed this
he doesn’t know
geralt stalks closer to the man (the man who was dead for almost 1000 years, the man who shouldn’t be here right now)
he hears a light growl from behind him and eskel lightly gripping his arm
but he has to do this, so he shakes the hand off and continues forward
with each step that geralt takes, jaskier smells… calmer
this confuses geralt, because even though they had been… friends for a long time, they parted ways on awful terms
in a language he hasn’t heard in such a long time, jaskier begins to speak
“geralt…” he repeats, “where the fuck am i?”
it takes a moment for geralt to process, and not just because he barely remembers the language
but the man’s voice sounds so much like jaskiers
and jaskier looks not a hair out of place
he looks. like he was simply plucked out of thin air in 12xx and deposited in 2022
* jaskier looks terrified
* smells terrified
* his face creased with concern and eyes filled with unshed tears
* geralt approaches him as one would a rabid dog
* “who are you” he asks
* the words feel heavy on his tongue
* at least he remembered to ask in the same language the other man had been speaking
* “geralt, what the fuck are you talking about. you know me” jaskier puts on a show that he isn’t scared
* but the trembling in his voice gives it away
* “where am i, geralt” his voice is more desperate now
* geralt desperately wants to believe that this truly is jaskier
* but it’s impossible
* he hears footsteps behind him
* it’s eskel, who lays a heavy hand on his shoulder
* “we won’t ask again” eskel is gruff and tries to sound threatening
* he knows that geralt can’t do this
* “who. are. you.” eskels voice is nearly a growl
* a year falls from jaskiers eye
* “you know who i am. i’m jaskier. geralt please” his voice is pleading
* geralt turns away from him
* knowing that he’s going to break
* he turns his back to “jaskier” and hears a broken sound, almost a sob, come from the man
* “please”
* geralt closes his eyes and stands with his brother and father
* eskel is still standing close to the jaskier imposter
* “please, how can i prove i am who i say” jaskiers begging at this point
* geralt doesn’t think he’s ever heard him beg
* not when they first met (jaskier had simply insisted on following),
* not when geralt would be forced to go and be his body guard (jaskier would just ask and geralt couldn’t say no),
* not for his life when they had gotten kidnapped by the elves (jaskier had stayed strong. geralt didn’t know that a human could be so calm under pressure like that),
* and not when geralt had sent him away (jaskier had just. left)
* but now he’s begging, tears falling from his eyes, looking close to dropping to his knees
* the air smelled sour, like sweat and salt
* but even under that he could smell jaskier
* “yennefer” geralt says
* he’s quiet but everyone heard him
* they all look at him
* “let’s get yennefer. she’ll be able to tell”
* jaskiers face scrunches up in a way that’s so familiar yet so achingly distant
* “i didn’t quite understand all that” he says, voice thick but obviously trying to hide it, “but i heard yennefers name. is she here?”
chapter/story three
* yennefer was not having a good day
* it started at the asscrack of dawn when her client decided to confess
* why the fuck would he do that
* she would have been able to get all the charges dropped
* she’s just that good
* but now there’s no chance
* because her clients a fucking idiot
* so now, angry and hungry (because of course she hasn’t eaten all day because she doesn’t have the fucking time), she gets a call from geralt
* “what” she barks the word out, sounding as pissed as she is
* but as geralt explains the situation
* she feels her heart drop from her chest
* “what?” her voice is soft in a way it hasn’t been for decades
* “i’ll be right over”
* no, she never really liked jaskier
* but when she and geralt broke up (mutually ofc)
* she could see without even using her chaos that all he was thinking about was jaskier
* she’s felt his pain for centuries and seen how much he has hurt
* she never really uses her chaos anymore (there’s not really any need to. wanna portal somewhere and there’s no rush? take a car. wanna talk to someone far away? use a phone. god she loves modern day)
* but she portals over
* she’s rusty at first, because she literally hasn’t portaled anywhere since the 70s (and yea, it was to get lambert out of the sword situation)
* but it’s basically muscle memory
* when she gets to vesemirs place, she sees him
* she sees a man she hasn’t for almost 1000 years
* looking exactly the same (and yea, so does she, but he’s a human)
* her eyes are wide as she walks over to jaskier
* “hello witch” he says, voice still slightly trembling
* geralt had forgot to mention that jaskier still spoke old common
* and that should have been a common sense thought but
* she still hasn’t expected it
* “bard” she says, in the same tongue, her voice holding none of the malice or contempt it used to
* “i’m… going to make sure that you’re who you say you are” she says, taking a few steps closer
* “do your worst witch” he says, false bravado coming through
* god as much as she hated him
* she had missed him











