Jaskier opened gritty eyes to a room he didnāt recognize. Rubbing his face, he sat up, wondering whereā
The bard blinked, surprised at the sound of Geraltās voice. He turnedā
āWhat happened to you? You look awful!ā
The witcherās face didnāt even twitch, which was likely more a testament to the manās apparent exhaustion than Jaskierās blurted observation. In Jaskierās defense, though, the man hadnāt seen the witcher look so sicklyā¦well, ever. The manās eye bags had eye bags, his face was even paler than normal, and his hair was half out of its usual ponytail in rather uneven chunks.
Overall, it looked rather like the witcher had spent the past three days ill too.
Which reminded Jaskierā
Geralt stared, looking at Jaskier likeā¦well, like he was some sort of striped unicorn.
Jaskier tried not to wince at how gravelly the witcherās voice sounded. Clearly the man had been through something while Jaskier wasā¦otherwise preoccupied. A point for later investigation, he mentally reminded himself, trying not to lose his caravan of thought.
āYou know, not pulling my weight the past few days. Iāll make it up to everyone though! I have this wonderful recipe from the cook who worked for my family, it makes rabbit tasteāā
Jaskier blinked, surprised at the hands that were gently pushing him back onto the mattress heād been trying to get off of. Honestly, he wasnāt sure whose room this was, but heād been trying to leave before the owner came by and kicked him out.
When he opened his mouth to say this, however, he soon found himself gaping as Geralt manhandled him into lying back down.
āGeralt, what are youāā
Jaskierās jaw clicked shut, and he stared as Geralt tilted his head, hand still splayed wide against Jaskierās chest. He told the bard to breathe in deeply once, twice, and Jaskier found himself doing so, absolutely bewildered.
The feeling didnāt change as Geraltās hand found his forehead, tension leaking from the witcherās shoulders at whatever he found there. But then Geralt was smelling his wrist, and this was getting decidedly weirdā
āGeralt, Iām fine. Seriously, I donāt know whatās happened to you, butāā
The witcher gave Jaskier the most withering look the bard had ever seen on his face before, even after that one time in Toussaint. Which, Jaskier maintained still wasnāt completely his faultā
āYou donāt get to say youāre fine, Jaskier.ā Geralt rasped, grip tightening around the hand he still held.
āYou almost died, Jaskier!ā Geralt growled, voice suddenly vicious in a way that reminded Jaskier far too much of the last time he and the witcher had such a heated conversation on top of a mountain.
For some reason, it was that thought which made Jaskier snap. The idea that no matter how hard he tried, Geralt would always leave him behind, orāor be pissed off, when Jaskier apparently didnāt have the decency to be sick elsewhere.
āOh, Iām so sorry, Geralt. How dare I barge into your home, and demand that you take care of me. How could I beg you to set aside some of your precious time for one measly, useless bard.ā Jaskier yanked his hand back, sitting up and resolutely plowing on when he saw the witcherās mouth open.
āBut wait, it wasnāt me who asked to be here, was it? And I certainly didnāt ask you toāto barge into the abandoned room on the other side of the keep I found, and bring me toāwherever this is!ā Jaskier waved his hand around the room.
And maybe he could have stopped there. Geralt seemed less angry, and if Jaskier didnāt know any better, the man looked almostā¦guilty. But that wasnāt an emotion the witcher ever had, not when it came to Jaskier, and that just pissed off the bard all over again.
āSo no, I didnāt ask you for help, and I certainly never intended to be such a burden to you. Iām well aware that if you could, youād have foisted me off on some poor inn keeper or healer if I so much as sniffled.ā
Jaskier sneered, expression apparently so violent that Geralt physically took a step back. Jaskier used the extra space to stand, ignoring how dizzy the movement made him.
āNow, Iām going to go start shoveling out the stables. If you need somethingāGeralt!ā
Jaskier growled at the arms wrapped tightly around him, pinning his own down. He squeaked as he found himself dragged backwards, in the opposite direction from the door heād been walking towards. Seriously, what did the witcher want?! Heād been perfectly clear earlier about the idea of Jaskier lazing about, so whyā
Jaskier blinked up at the ceiling, wondering how heād ended up back on the bed, this time with the witcher underneath him. What was happeningā
Jaskier froze, brow furrowing at the words.
āI didnātāYennefer found you, and you wereāif Iād just looked, maybe it wouldnāt have been so badāif Iād justāā
Jaskier blinked, trying to make sense of the Witcherās mangled explanation. He vaguely recalled purple eyes andācaterpillars? But he wasnāt sure what was real or not, his fever having gotten rather high very early on this time.
Jaskier cleared his throat.
āGeralt, it wasnātā¦there was nothing you could doāā
āNo, Jaskier.ā The arms around him tightened once, before loosening. āYouāyou tried to tell me, and I justāI ignored you, accused you of being lazy, like youāre not the most hard-working human Iāve ever metāā
āOkay, Geralt, now we both know thatās a bit of a stretchāā
āNo, Jask, youāreāā Geralt exhaled heavily out his nose, the warm air tickling Jaskierās neck. āYouāll complain until I want to stick paper in my ears to find some peaceāā
āBut no lazy human can keep up with a witcher, through rain or sun, or start an entire operation to help save a race he doesnāt belong to, or climb a mountain just to help aāa friend, who doesnāt appreciate him nearly as much as he ought.ā
And thatā¦Jaskier swallowed the lump in his throat, refusing to start crying right now, not when he was literally still on top of the hulking man that was the cause of said tears.
āI almostā¦you stopped breathing, Jaskier. I didnātā¦a few seconds more, if the fever hadnāt justājust vanished, like it had never even been thereāā
Jaskier could hear how ragged Geraltās own breathing was, and he couldnāt exactly blame the other. It must have beenā¦strange, to see Jaskier go from being deathly ill to perfectly fine within a matter of seconds.
āThe three days couldnāt have ended at a better time, then.ā Jaskier mused, only realizing heād said the words out loud when he felt Geralt stiffen beneath him.
āIn my defense, I would have gotten sick regardless! And I did try to tell you.ā
The bard tried not to shiver at the growl he felt through the witcherās chest.
āI, uhm, kind of made a deal. With a fae.ā
āā¦Jaskier, you knowāā
āIn my defense, I made the deal before that incident!ā
āBefore? Jaskier, whenāā
āYou remember that time we came across that ring of mushrooms, right before we separated for the winter?ā
The witcherās arms grew tighter as he spoke through gritted teeth, āyou mean the fairy ring I explicitly told you to avoid?ā
āI repeat, in my defense, you didnāt explain why, so Iāā
āIf you just listened, for once in your lifeāā
āYou know what? I donāt need to explain myself to you. If youād be so kind as to unhand me, Iāll gladly make my way back to my room!ā Jaskier pushed against the unyielding grip on him. āI canāt grant you your one lifeās blessing quite yet, but Iāā
āNo, Jaskier, you canātāyouāre too weak, youāll get sick againāā
Jaskier laughed, a brittle sort of thing.
āI assure you, Geralt, you donāt have to worry about me getting sick any time soon. Iāll be out of your hands by the next time I so much as sneeze, soāā
āJaskier, thatās not what Iāā
Geralt cut himself off, inhaling sharply.
āI donātāI didnāt mean, what I said. On the mountain. I wasāangry, and I took it out on you, becauseābecause youāre always fine, no matter what I say or do, but thatās notāit wasnāt fair. To you.ā
Jaskier swallowed, mouth dry as he closed his eyes against the prickling sharpness.
āI made the deal with the fae, so that Iād never get sick on the Path again. So that Iādā¦Iād always be prepared, and notāā
Jaskier listened to the wind beating against the walls of the keep, the crackle of the fire.
āFor twenty years, Iāve been fine, Geralt. And I canātāI canāt do it anymore.ā
āNo, you donātāI canāt keep being yourāyour beating bard, or whatever you want to call it. I amāā
Jaskier laughed wetly, biting back the whine that wanted to crawl out.
āI am tired.ā He whispered, as if it was his greatest confession. The admission of weakness made his stomach twist even now, a remnant of the fear he had every time he admitted to being less than perfect to the witcher.
āI am soā¦so tired.ā
Jaskier didnāt dare to even breathe, waiting for Geralt to push him away. To tell the bard he wasnāt worth the effort, even with the coin he earned. Maybe if he braced for the rejection, mentally prepared for it, he couldā
Jaskier tensed. That wasnātā¦what?
Geralt moved his arms, and that made more sense. He was just apologizing for having to get rid of the bard, whichā¦that made sense. And Jaskier could help with that, could at least turn to let the witcher push him offā
Jaskier squeaked as he was pulled back down, this time with his head half-smushed into Geraltās chest.
āI said no leaving the bed, bard.ā
Jaskier glared at the black fabric under him.
āYou havenāt eaten anything in three days. Youāre dehydrated. And, while you might not get sick now, it could make next winter worse. Right?ā
Jaskier frowned, grunting out an affirmative. It would figure that now, when Jaskier wanted to just lick his wounds in peace, Geralt wanted to talk.
āWell, itās not like food and water are just going to miraculously appear, dear witcher.ā Jaskier snarked, turning his head so that Geralt could hear him.
The witcher grumbled, but seemed to see Jaskierās point, gently rolling Jaskier onto his back on the side of the bed next to the wall.
Jaskier thought that heād get a chance to slink back to his room, and was already looking around to try to find where his clothes had gone, when Geralt simply grabbed a bowl from the desk. A bowl which had some sort of soup or broth in it already, that the witcher heated with a quick igni.
Geralt carefully handed him the bowl, only letting go once he was sure the bard had a steady grip. Jaskier stared down at the opaque liquid with small chunks of veggies and meat. He couldnāt remember the last time heād been so annoyed at being given food.
It was utterly ridiculous.
āEat.ā Geralt urged, looking like he was about to grab the spoon and start feeding the bard himself.
Jaskier took a tentative bite, eating more quickly when he realized that he was a lot hungrier than he thought, and the soup was well seasoned. Still, he was only able to finish half a bowl before he had to stop, which seemed to bother Geralt if his scowl was anything to go by.
āGeralt, itās fine. I justā¦havenāt eaten much lately.ā
The witcherās eyes narrowed, and Jaskier looked away, wondering if Geralt knew how long ālatelyā was. If the witcher was aware that the meals he didnāt show up to, he didnāt bother making up.
Still, Geralt just grunted, apparently accepting Jaskierās explanation for now as he took the bowl away.
And then Geralt was wrapping him up in furs, practically tucking him inā
āGeralt, I just woke upāā
āAnd you spent the last three days fighting to breathe with fluid in your lungs and a fever so high it should have caused brain damage. You need rest.ā
āI can rest in my own room, then. Not wherever this is. Seriously, Geralt, whoseāā
Geralt gave him a funny look, as if he was second guessing Jaskier not having brain damage.
āYour room isnāt fit to sleep in. Youāll stay in mine, at least until we can find one where you wonāt lose your fingers to frostbite.ā
And that wasā¦Jaskier rather liked his fingers. Rather needed them, too. Heād just assumed all the rooms in the keep were dreadfully drafty and cold, but he had to admit, this oneāGeraltās, apparentlyāwas much warmer than the one heād been using. And, admittedly, he wasnāt exactly eager to go back to the frigid space, so he simply hummed in response, glancing around the room with more interest now.
āSleep, Jaskier. It will be here when you wake.ā
ā¦Jaskier definitely didnāt blush as he closed his eyes, not the slightest bit embarrassed at his curiosity. It was just the heat, from all the furs.
Jaskier turned to the right, then the left, trying to get comfortable. He was, unfortunately, still exhausted, but even though his body craved rest, his mind would not be quiet.
What would happen, when Jaskier woke up? Would Geralt try to find a way to break the blessing (curse)? The witcher had apologized, with real words, but would that actually change anything? Could Jaskier bring himself to believe the witcher, or was he just setting himself up to be hurt again. Andā
Jaskierās eyes flew open as Geralt grabbed his hand, looking rapidly between their conjoined appendages and Geraltās face.
āRest, Jask.ā The witcher leaned forward, calloused fingers reaching out to gently slide Jaskierās eyelids shut. The bard breathed out as he did so, letting go of tension he wasnāt aware he was holding.
āIāll be here when you wake.ā
And thatā¦it didnāt fix everything. It didnāt erase twenty years of being abandoned and yelled at and ignored. But it was a start. Enough, at least, for Jaskier to relax into the mattress beneath him, drawn to the land of slumber by the pull of exhaustion and the soothing circling of Geraltās thumb over his knuckles.
But for now, at least, it was enough.
