2:23am. Thats the time right now. And im standing awkwardly in front of his door, thinking about whether i should knock, ring the doorbell or grab the spare key he's got hidden between some rocks by the door.
He was probably sleeping, like any sane person at 2:30 in the morning. Unlike me- I'd been tossing and turning for hours in my own bed. All alone and cold.
So i decided to come here, Henry wouldn't mind having me stay over. Usually i called him or texted him if i couldn't sleep but i couldn't wait, so i drove straight to his house.
If i rang the doorbell tho, at 2:30, Kal would bark and wake him - possible give him a heart attack.
I check the time again, 2:25am. Fuck it, theres no turning back now.
I kneel down to look for the key and quietly open Henrys front door.
Everything is quiet, the house is dark.
No sign of anyone awake, Kal's probably sleeping in the office as usual and Henry will be laying on his stomach in his underwear, head buried in his pillow.
Quietly i close the door again and carefully peel my jacket off me to neatly place it on the stairs.
After taking my shoes off, i tippy toe upstairs.
Absolute silence still. Quietly i open the door to Henrys bedroom. Darkness. No noise coming from inside the room.
âHenry?" i whisper into the dark room.
Then i hear a rustling noise. âHen?" i say a little louder, still softly.
I stand by the door, waiting for a response.
Then suddenly the bedside table lamp lights up and a very sleepy Henry looks up at me.
âY/n?" He rubs his eyes and sits up.
âWhat are you doing here?" His voice is groggy and raspy. âIm sorry... i know i shouldve called but i can't sleep. The nightmares..." i still awkwardly stand by the door.
He only nods and rubs his eyes again.
âCome here."
I close the door, step towards the bed and look at him. He was in fact only wearing underwear.
He pulls away the covers to indicate me to slide underneath.
I follow his silent command and cuddle up under the covers.
He extends his arm and i thankfully scoot over to him, cuddling into his side.
âYou scared me there darling." he nuzzles into my hair.
âI'm sorry..." i whisper back, holding onto him tightly.
He softly rubs my arm and i drape my leg over his thigh.
âI tried sleeping but i couldn't. My bed was cold and i felt lonely.... Anxiety."
He shushed me. âIt's okay. You can always come here, but please call next time, you really freaked me out for a second.
I look up at him, the dim light of his bedside lamp illuminating a part of his face.
His beard was more prominent due to his spare time at home in which he probably didn't feel the need to shave every day. His curls were slightly messy but he still looked good.
âI understand it you know? About the cold bed. I hate sleeping alone. Been alone for a while too."
Henry takes a deep breath, still softly rubbing my side.
I don't say anything, i only look at him and think of a response.
But i can't think of a good one, so i nuzzle my face against his chest and embrace the warmth of his skin against mine.
His hair is slightly tickling my cheek but i don't mind it, i feel too comfortable laying on his firm chest.
He then reaches over to turn off the lamp and suddenly the room is dark again and all i can hear is the rustling of the bedsheets as Henry gets comfortable next to me.
He turns to his side to be facing me and pulls me close, wrapping both his arms around me.
I feel safe.
His even breathing against my forehead calms me and his facial hair slightly tickling against my skin reminds me that he is in fact there. That im not alone.
âThank you." i then say.
-âFor what?" he whispers back.
âFor being there. For me." I say back, grabbing onto him tighter.
I can feel him smiling against my forehead.
âAnytime sweetheart."
I scoot even closer to him, wrapping my leg tighter around his waist. Henry is carefully rubbing circles on my back as he speaks up again:"You don't even know how much i needed this as well."
I smile. Then i move my hands from around his waist up to his head and start caressing the back of his neck.
I can feel him relax more and he lets out a satisfied hum. Making me smile again.
I softly play with his curls and rub circles on his skin.
The longer we lay there in silence, the more my eyes adjust to the darkness and i can finally see the outline of his face in front of me.
He was perfect.
Too fucking bad.
âHenry?" i whisper softly. He only hums in response. âUr the best." I can see a smile form on his lips while his eyes are still closed.
âNever thought I'd find someone to make me feel as safe as you do." I continue.
He rubs my thigh comforting and i add:"I feel happier when im with you."
The next thing I know is the warm feeling of his lips on my forehead. His one hand on the back of my head, the other still resting on my thigh.
I smile and embrace the love before he carefully pulls away and places another kiss on my cheek.
âYou make my happy too darling." he whispers.
Smiling, I cuddle up closer to him and close my eyes.
For the first time in months I feel genuinely happy, content with myself. Relaxed and most importantly safe. I feel loved again and all i can think about is how fucking perfect he is.
âHey are we still waiting or are you ready to order?" The young waitress asked me for the third time in about an hour. I looked up at her and cleared my throat. âYeah no... I'll just. Pay for the wine." I point at the still half full bottle of red wine I'd preordered for my date that was supposed to show up an hour ago.
She sent me a pityful look and spoke:"I'll be right back with your bill."
I forced myself to a smile and put my head in my hands.
He really stood me up. After all of the texting for weeks and the hour long phone calls...
I took a deep breath to prevent myself from starting to cry. Then i decided to just get my shit together and i sat up straight, took another few sips of my wine and eventually shot the rest of it down.
As the waitress came back with the bill, i simply handed her a bill far more than the actual bill and said âkeep the change".
She smiled softly and carefully laid her hand on my shoulder. âI'm sorry girl, you really don't deserve this. You look amazing."
I smiled at her sweet comment and nodded back at her.
âHave a good night." I spoke as I grabbed my purse and stood up.
She smiled back and replied:"He's a dick."
I only nodded before I walked out of the restaurant.
Ashamed, sad, angry, drunk.
It was only about 8:30 now but due to the time of year, it was pitch black out and it was freezing.
My long coat was trying to keep me warm.
I continued walking for only a few steps before I heard a male voice yell behind me. I ignored it until i felt it coming closer until someone carefully touched my shoulder.
âUgh what?" I turned around, screaming at the person. I was simply fed up by the world that second.
âWhoa sorry!"
He was handsome. Far too handsome. Tall, bright blue eyes, dark hair (i could tell from his dark beard and the few curls that were showing underneath his beanie).
âI'm sorry but you dropped this."
He held out a card.
My card.
My credit card.
âIt must have fallen out of your wallet when you paid inside." He pointed at the restaurant behind us.
âSorry, i wasn't watching you. I just saw how upset you looked and you did in fact drop this."
I smiled softly and took back my credit card. His British accent was charming.
âThank you." I tried to sound nice after all that just happened to me that night.
He smiled at me before extending his hand to me. âI'm Henry."
I hesitated to shake his hand at first but eventually grabbed it.
âY/n."
He smiled again. âI don't know what happened to you but if it cheers you up, my night was absolute shit too."
I couldn't help but chuckle. âDoes help a little." I admitted, grinning.
âGood" he smiled. âYou okay though?" He seemed to genuinely care.
I took a deep breath and looked around for a second. âHonestly? No. Got fucking stood up by a guy who I thought was genuine. But noo men fucking suck!"
He could hear my frustration.
âIm really sorry... You clearly don't deserve that. Fuck him, he must be super insecure."
Henry spoke and smiled a little bit.
âYour turn now. Why was your night shit?"
I asked curiously.
He laughed shortly.
âGot cheated on, found her in our bed in MY house with a guy I'd never seen in my life."
My jaw dropped. âHoly shit." He nodded.
âNow my night seems like a joke. Im so sorry that happened to you! In YOUR house though?"
He nodded again and then let out a chuckle.
âSo yeah my plan for tonight was to get wasted and probably fall asleep on the pavement."
I laughed with him.
âProbably a bit cold in December."
He laughed loudly. His teeth and his smile were gorgeous.
We stood in silence for a few seconds before I spoke up:"Fuck it. Im drunk already. Henry? Do you wanna get drunk and hook up? I know this is super straight forward and I swear to god I've never done this in my entire life but I'm fucking upset and you're feeling just as miserable and i think ur hot and i don't even care if this story was fake or not to pick up women or to get their sympathy but it worked okay? I'm hooked because I think you're hot and we both could need it."
I stopped for a second because I saw the shocked expression on his face.
âIf not, please forget it ever said that, forget about meeting me and I'll walk away and we'll pretend we've never talked and i'll go home and go to bed, you can go to some scrawny bar and get drunk and fall asleep on the sidewalk even though it's fucking freezing and you might die but thats on you and not my problem because i don't know you and i'll never see you again, especially if you're dead then, then i won't see you anymore anyways..."
I finally stopped talking after realizing how ridiculous I'd just sounded.
WARNINGS: practically none: henry being a cutiepie; slight sexual innuendos
Henrys POV:
âYeah for sure." I laughed at my friends joke as we currently took down a Dragonkin in our todays session of World of Warcraft.
Due to the snow its all I could do. And its all I've been doing for nearly 5 days. The snow was seriously an issue for all of us, I'd gone outside twice today to shovel the snow away from my front door.
The only time i've left the house was yesterday to stock up on groceries and get some treats for Kal whom was currently laying by my feet, warming up my cold toes with his furry radiant self.
I was just glad I'd been able to get the heater working properly.
âGo round! I'll stay here." I instructed and made my best effort to shoot my arrows at the creature.
Just as we'd taken it down and cheerfully laughed at our magnificent performance, I felt Kal's head shoot up and he seemed to be listening to something.
âWhat is it buddy?" I asked softly, looking down at him. âWhat no. It's just Kal." I explained to my friend who'd asked what i meant.
Then i heard a soft knock.
Kal immediately got up and ran towards the door.
âSomeone seems to be at the door?" I spoke into my headset to tell my friend - it came out more as a question than a statement.
âBrb." i said before I took the headphones off and made my way to the door myself.
Who in their right mind would leave their house in this weather?
I unlocked the door as Kal jumped around my feet, excitedly waiting to see someone else's face in a good week.
Just as the door was opened enough to reveal the insane person who dared to go outside in that storm, Kal started barking loudly and jumping at the intruder - clearly happy.
âY/n!" I exclaimed and looked at the long coat wearing girl whose hair was covered in little snowflakes and her rosy cheeks drew a contrast to her pale face.
âHi." was all she said before I rushed her inside.
âWhat are you doing? Are you...? Did you drive here?"
She nodded softly as she pulled the scarf off her neck and took off her snow covered coat - revealing the puppy she'd held underneath. Bear.
âYou brought Bear?" I asked, greeting the pup by softly scratching his head.
She nodded and put him down so he could play with Kal a little bit.
Kal was beyong thrilled, having a little doggo companion for now as I grabbed her wet clothes from her hands and placed them on the heater in the hall.
âWhy are you here in this weather?" I asked again, watching her take off her shoes.
âDidn't you watch the news?" She replied, standing back up and looking at me.
Her hair was loosely tied in a low ponytail and her nose was red from the cold.
I had to admit - i hadn't. I'd been too busy playing WoW.
âThey're closing the streets at 6. No one's allowed on the road for as long as it's snowing. And according to the weather guy, it won't stop for another week. We're all supposed to stay home and practically quarantine again. And i.. didn't wanna be alone."
She seemed to be struggling admitting to that.
âCome in first." I gestured for her to step into the living room with me.
âDo you want a tea or a coffee or something to heat up?" I asked watching her body shiver underneath her black sweatshirt.
âYes that'd be nice. It's so effing cold. Didn't think it'd be THAT cold..."
We walked over to the kitchen and she sat down on one of my kitchen chairs while I got the coffee machine running. I knew she didn't like tea.
âSo you've come here to quarantine with me?" I asked, slightly amused at the thought.
âWell... you know how Bear and Kal love each other. And again - i didn't wanna be alone the entire time."
-âSo you risked your life by driving here?" I looked at her all serious. She put her hands up in defense. âI promise I drove very slowly! I just didn't know where else to go and we haven't hung out in a bit because you were away."
I understood.
I made her coffee in silence and eventually handed her the mug.
âIt's getting dark so early..." She suddenly spoke up, taking a sip.
âYeah it's nearly 4 and it looks like it's midnight already." I replied, looking outside, watching the snow.
We then moved over to the couch and i handed her a blanket to cover herself with.
âI don't like the idea of you driving in this weather but you seemed to make it in one piece. But don't you dare do that again, couldve told me about ur plan. I wouldve rather picked u up than you driving all alone in that shit weather."
Y/n's POV:
He scooted closer as he said that but I could only focus on his new look.
The slightly longer facial hair and him finally growing out his curls - he looked different from the last time we'd seen each other.
âSorry." was all i could say, knowing he was right.
We just looked at each other for a bit before he spoke up again.
âI'm sorry if I seemed rude before - i really didn't expect to see you. And again, i don't like you driving here in this weather. Something could have happened to you y/n. What im trying to say... I'm happy to see you and of course you're always welcome to stay." He smiled softly, lifting the blanket to slide underneath it.
I smiled back of course. âI missed this. You. Talking to you."
He smiled even brighter and i could see his eyes light up at my comment.
âI missed you too darling. Come here. I didn't even properly greet you."
He opened his arms and I scooted closer, wrapping my arms around his neck. Laying my head on his shoulder, I enjoyed the comfort of his strong arms holding me. He smelled nice too.
âHmm." Humming he pulled me closer. Our chests were pressed against each other and i swear he could feel my heart beating.
âGod i missed you too." He spoke, low voice in my ear. Smiling I snuggles my face into the crook of his neck.
I couldn't tell how long we were like this or how it happened but at some point I was right on his lap and his thighs flexed under me.
He started caressing my back softly while I bathed in every second of his warm embrace.
âHen?" I whispered then.
He carefully let go but i could feel that he really didn't want to.
We looked at each other for only a brief second before we instinctively smashed our lips together and his hands moved lower to hold me by my lower back.
His beard was slightly irritating my skin but i so didn't mind - i fucking loved everything about it.
Henry seemed to enjoy it just as much as me as I could feel him harden underneath me.
Pulling away, I looked down at his crotch and then up into his eyes.
âI'm sorry... You just do that to me."
I chuckled lightly before kissing him again.
âYou're still freezing darling, how about a hot bath?" He smiled sweetly.
I nodded. âBut only if you give me a Geralt-bathtub-scene-esque show."
He laughed out loud and wrapped his arms around me tightly before picking me up and standing up himself.
âI think I'd prefer a Geralt-Yennefer-Rinde-Scene Show." He lowly chuckled as he carried me upstairs to the bathroom.
âThe what?" I genuinely had no idea what he was talking about.
Henry laughed again before he stopped by the bathroom door.
âOkay you clearly don't remember the show very well..."
It was 2:33am when she hit send. And 2:34 when he was woken from a decent dream and looked around to where the sound had come from.
In the dark bedroom of his, the light coming from his phone's display blinded his eyes and he squinted when he read the text message.
He was confused to be hearing from her. They'd written a song together around 4 months ago, thats when he'd last seen her.
They hung out a lot back then but after the song was done recorded, they parted. Texted every once in a while but her reaching out like this was strange.
âWhat are you up to?"
He sat up and rubbed his tired eyes. His white tank top had risen up, exposing his tattooed stomach.
He stared at the text for a good minute before typing.
âSleeping actually, you alright?"
He waited for her response, which to his luck came very quickly.
âI need company. I hate this."
He didn't know what to respond to that, it had over all been 4 months.
He turned on the little light on his nightstand and typed:"Don't mind me asking but why reach out in the middle of the night after we haven't seen one another in a few months?"
She quickly responded:"At a party. I don't like it here."
He swung his legs over the bed and thought about what was happening.
This was atypical for her. She never went to parties because of her anxiety and her dislike for large groups of people.
And she didn't drink, was she drunk? He wondered.
âWhere are you?"
Hoping she'd tell him the exact address so he could check on her.
To his luck, she just sent him her location. He looked at the maps app and realized that she wasn't too far from his place. Quickly, he put on the nearest pair of pants he could find and grabbed his keys.
Fixing his messy hair real quick, he rushed out the door to his car to pick up the girl he hadn't seen in so long.
The drive was quiet, the soft music coming from the radio calming his nerves just right.
The closer he got, the more cars and people he encountered. A huge house party, he realized and parked his car near the building. With his phone clutched in his hand, he made his way to the entryway.
He decided it was smarter to call her before he wandered around at this party until he finally found her.
âY/n where are you? I'm outside."
He could barely understand her due to the loud music but it seemed like she had understood him and said âokay".
He tried to say some more but eventually she hung up and he looked around full of frustration.
âMatty!" She practically fell into his arms, knees weak from the alcohol she clearly had in her body.
It reminded him too much of himself only a few years ago.
âHey! You alright?" He asked, holding her up and scanning her face for any discomfort.
She pouted at him and held onto her bag tightly
âTake me home please." He immediately nodded and helped her to his car, where he buckled her seatbelt and got in on the other side.
âMatty?"
She asked, voice shaking a little. He looked at her before starting the car.
âYou look good." She smiled sweetly.
Chuckling he nodded and replied:"Thanks love. You look a bit fucked up. Lets take you home alright?"
She leaned her head against the cold window.
âCan't go home." she whispered. He didn't understand so he made her repeat her words.
âDont wanna."
He didn't ask any more.
âI wanna go to the roof" She suddenly spoke up.
Matty kept scanning her face. âTo jump?"
She shook her head.
âTo breathe."
He nodded. âAlright lets get you on the roof."
He started the engine and started driving back to his place where they had shared a few moments together.
She had tried her first cigarette up there. He remembered how she was coughing and asking for water right after. He had found it hilarious and she'd slapped him in the shoulder for it.
He'd loved that night.
They had shared a pizza and worked on some lyrics while the Manchester nightlife was at its peak.
âWhy were you at that party? Did you go with friends?" He asked after a few minutes. Meanwhile she was still leaning her head against the cold glass, holding her arms. She looked like she was cold. So Matty turned on the heater and kept sending her glances. After a bit she seemed to relax a bit.
âDid you know someone at that party?" He tried again after not getting a response.
âYeah." She said.
He didn't know what to respond just yet. But eventually he questioned:"Did something happen at the party? You said you didn't drink."
She shook her head and finally came back up to look straight out the front window.
âMy best friend is dating my ex. Another friend invited me to the party but seeing her again hurt. So I drank."
Matty listened intently. âYou alright though?"
She shrugged her shoulders.
âYeah i guess."
âMatty?" She whispered, turning her head to look at him.
He sent her a quick look and smiled, focusing back on the street. âThank you. You didn't have to come you know? I don't know why I texted you."
Matty simply put his hand on her arm and rubbed it softly. But only for a second, he didn't want to make her uncomfortable.
âI know you don't drink. I was worried."
She couldn't help but smile at the sweet man beside her. Then she noticed what he was wearing. The pants were far too fancy to be picking someone up in the middle of the night.
âWhy you wearing these?" She poked into his left leg and looked at his profile.
âWere my nearest trousers. Wore them on stage tonight."
Her eyes widened.
âYou were on tonight? I'm sorry, you must be exhausted."
-âNo I'm alright it was a fun show. Ended around 9 and I went straight home because I was starving. Went to bed at 10. I'm actually really awake you know?" He shrugged it off and she relaxed again.
âYou smell good." She noticed. She didn't mean to say it out loud but it only made him grin.
âThanks. It's fags and red wine. That I didn't drink don't worry; just spilled it on myself because George.. You know George."
She knew George yes. She laughed. He loved her laugh; it sounded natural and sweet. Like she meant it.
But she was probably too drunk anyways.
âHow have you been?" She forced herself to speak. It helped her sober up quicker.
âGreat! We've been on tour for 2 months. Just came back two days ago. We played our last show tonight; i wanted to end it here because... you know. Home. Home's where the heart is. But no it was beautiful. The whole tour was a lot of fun. Good reactions too. Couldn't be better at the moment."
-âHow's the addiction going?"
He now remembered how honest she could be. The alcohol probably only added to that.
âI've been sober for 3 years now. Barely drank either."
She started to smile brightly. âThats great! I'm so proud of you."
Matty smiled as well. âThanks love."
âAnd here we are, you remember? Do you need help?"
He turned off the engine and got out of the car.
She managed to open the door and step out of the vehicle herself.
Matty walked around the car to give her some support.
âYou alright?"
She nodded.
Holding onto her waist he helped her into the building and dragged her to the elevator.
She leaned onto the wall as he pushed the button up to the 11th floor.
Then he leaned back as well.
She turned her head to her left and looked at him. He did the same and for a split second they just looked at each other.
Her eyes looked more vibrant in that elevator light.
He looked tired, she noticed. But also there was something else in his eyes. Care? Worry?
She broke the eye contact again and started laughing because it felt so weird to her to be back here after such a long time.
âWhats so funny?" He laughed as well.
âAre you takin the piss?"
She loved how he talked. She barely understood his accent or the strange terms he used but she loved it all.
âI missed you." She admitted and scanned the elevator ceiling.
Matty liked the sound of that.
But before he could speak up, the elevator came to a halt and the doors opened.
âAfter you." She stumbled towards his door and he opened it with his key.
Inside the apartment, she took her shoes off and walked towards the couch.
âI'll get you a jumper to put on." Matty spoke and left her alone for a second just to return with one of his garments in hand.
âThanks." She grabbed it and pulled it over her head.
Matty couldn't help but smile at the picture. She looked good in his clothes. They had a very similar size, therefore it fit her perfectly, just a slight bit too long on the sleeves.
She leaned back on the couch and stared at the ceiling while Matty turned on some dim lights and checked his fridge for something to eat.
âHere." he handed her a bottle of cold water.
âNo." she shook her head.
âYou've got to drink y/n. It's going to help you sober up." He practically had to force her to grab the bottle and take a big sip.
He then sat down next to her and watched her.
âStill want to go to the roof?"
She only shook her head no. âToo cold."
âYou're still cold? Come here." He put his arm around her and started caressing her left shoulder.
She instinctively leaned her head against him and closed her eyes.
Enjoying his touch, they stayed like that for a good few minutes until suddenly a loud ring went through the room, scaring her to the point where she flinched.
âFuck." he groaned and pulled his arm back, going to grab his phone.
âWhat?" he spoke into the phone, sounding really mad.
âGeorge you twat what do you want, it's the middle of the night."
She leaned her head against her hand and watched him as he stood on the other side of the room rolling his eyes at his friend.
âFuck no, piss off."
âNo not tomorrow. We can do that on Monday. It can wait.... Yeah bye. Fuck off."
Matty slammed his phone on the table and sat back down next to the girl.
âYou okay?" She asked softly, placing her hand on his shoulder.
He nodded. âGeorge's been worried about a song we're producing at the moment. He was mixing some vocals and something sounded off so he wanted me to fix it tomorrow. But I've got other things to do."
-âLike me? I can go." She initiated to get up but Matty held her back by placing his hand on her thigh. âNot you. You stay."
She laughed and sat back down.
âYou feeling better?" The man asked her then.
âMuch. Thank you." She took a deep breath looking at him.
âCan you play me something?" She spotted the electric guitar in the corner. His eyes followed hers and he eventually got up to get his guitar.
Placing it on his lap, he put his feet up on the table and got ready.
âWhat do you want to hear? Robbers?"
He grinned, remembering how she was singing along to the song that night on the roof.
She smiled and nodded.
Matty started out slow and started playing his own song to the girl who looked at him in awe. She was fascinated by how his fingers were strumming that guitar, producing those beautiful noises.
âSing for me." She whispered and leaned her cheek against his shoulder.
Matty didn't waste a second and sang her favorite song.
He looked at her halfway through the song and she started singing along with him.
By the time the song reached it's highest point they were singing and enjoying themselves. This surely was a core memory for both of them.
Matty noticed how her eyes lit up and how happy she looked. It made him smile and like her even more.
âBut if you just take off your mask."
She sang loudly, still leaning her face against him.
âYou'll find out. Everything's gone..."
He turned his head to look at her.
âWrong."
Then he didn't waste any time and pressed his lips to hers, dropping the guitar onto his lap.
She kissed him back immediately and he deepened the kiss by pulling her closer by the back of her neck.
The girl smiled mid kiss and he let go.
âNow everybody's dead!" they both screamed the lyrics while she held onto him tightly.
She was finally happy again.
âI'm finally a robbers girl." she laughed in his ear. It made him grin widely.
âYes you are. Do you want to be the robbers girl of the year?"
She nodded laughing. âYeah of course."
-âYou look so cool."
She whispered before he kissed her once again and their tongues intertwined.
My casual 4pm stroll went as always, a big comfortable jacket, a pair of headphones playing some nostalgic songs and the chill autumn breeze messing up my hair.
This time, I walked to the east side. Manchester was pretty in fall. Especially the east, the pretty houses by the coast and the crazy amount of coffee shops.
It smelled like salt with a hint of smoke as I turned into a neighborhood right by the coast.
I liked that smell, it made me remember how much I loved my new home.
A few minutes past strolling around, I noticed a bench, surrounded by trees, right by the river. Immediately I walked up to it and made myself comfortable before I picked a new song to listen to.
I looked around, taking in the scenery, enjoying the view, smelling the autumn air and having the time of m life as chase atlantic was playing in my head.
Then, I noticed a man to my left, sitting by a coffee house on the doorstep. He was wearing a long coat and sunglasses and seemed to be busy with his phone while smoking a cigarette.
First, I wondered why he was sitting there all alone instead of being inside or actually finding a decent spot to sit at.
Then he looked up and noticed me staring.
It took him a few seconds but then he waved.
I was confused to why he waved at me. But then he got up. Putting out his cigarette, he made his way towards me. I got a bit nervous but sat up right and took my headphones off.
âHey!" He exclaimed and took his sunglasses off.
Matty, i realized and got up.
âOh my god hey!" I threw myself onto his neck and he hugged me back quickly.
âI can't believe you're here. You alright y/n?"
I let go of him and we both sat down.
âI'm great! I actually moved here about a month ago. I got sick of everything, needed a change. And i loved it here last time."
Matty smiled at me and replied:"Thats great! So how you liking Manchester?"
-âI love it, it's beautiful. Best choice I've ever made. I thought you were on tour tho."
Matty nodded and kept his eyes on me. âWe were; we finished last week. It's good to be back."
I looked around us and realized how truly great all of this was. And it felt nice to see Matty again. It's been about 14 months since last time. We'd met through mutual friends and got along perfectly but had quickly realized that we'd be better off as friends. Not only due to the 10 year age gap but also due to his busy lifestyle and the fact that I'd lived across seas.
âYou look incredible." He complimented me and I started to smile. âThank you! I think the city is really good for me. But hey you too! I like the new look."
Pointing at his long black coat he chuckled.
âThanks! I felt like it was long needed. I'm fucking old now."
We both laughed at that statement.
âDo you want to grab some coffee?" He spoke up, pointing at a building across the street.
âYeah that'd be nice."
We made our way towards the coffee shop and ordered our usuals. âYou still don't like black coffee huh?" He grinned as he watched me poor sugar and milk in my coffee.
âNope it's still gross." He took a provocative sip of his cup and smiled. âDelicious."
-âYou're gross." I laughed and pushed the door open to step back outside.
âSo tell me, how have you actually been?" He nudged me into the side and I looked at him briefly.
âGood. I didn't lie before. I've been really good. Uni is still going good. I got to make a switch to this exchange program and my plan is to finish my bachelors or even my masters over here. Everything is good then, except the fact that I don't know a lot of people here yet."
-âThat sounds amazing, I'm so happy for you! How come you didn't reach out? You knew I was around."
He sent me this look. The puppy eyes as I'd liked to call it.
âI-uh." I started but eventually finished:"I actually didn't think you would care much to see me again. After that conversation on the roof last year."
I remembered that night vividly.
Matty and I had been slightly drunk, talking about god and the universe when he'd suddenly complained about why I was so young and how come god didn't create me years sooner.
I'd always known that there was tension between Matty and me but I also knew that nothing could happen because he was older and I was young and naiv. Probably would've jumped a cliff for him.
âYeah I know, so sorry for the shit I said. Probably had too much wine. But I'm so glad I ran into you!"
Hey, you okay? I havenât seen you around in a while here đĽşâ¤ď¸.
Hey girly! Thanks so much for worrying but Iâm doing great, just enjoying my summer since Ive just graduated 𼰠hope youâre doing amazing as well! @being-worthy đđđ
Iâm a big fan of rough, mean sex and gentle, reassuring dirty talk, but what about⌠the opposite?
Your dom fucking you slowly, lovingly, pressing kisses against every inch of your skin. And then mocking you for the way you squirm under them and beg for more, for rougher and harder. Telling you how pathetic you are because you canât get off to normal sex. That you have to be treated like a slut, like a little sex toy, just to be able to cum. Reminding you of the humiliating ways youâve cum for them in the past, but now, with them slowly moving over you and touching you so gently, you canât even get close, can you?
i hate you zoom i hate you teams i hate you outlook i hate you google meet i hate you email i hate you one drive i hate you attachment i hate you meetings i hate you social media i hate you work hours i hate youÂ
don't read if that triggers you!! please take care of yourselves babes
He doesn't know.
You've never showed him any clues. He wasn't supposed to know.
How she treated you. How it's always been. From since you were little, she had made you feel like you weren't enough. You felt like she'd loved you more if you were like the other girls, if you looked like them.
If you were as skinny, as pretty, as nice as the other girls.
She had never directly told you that in your face but you knew thats how she felt. Because she subconsciously wanted you to be like her when she was your age.
The constant snarky comments she'd made on your body, your weight, your posture.
It never seemed to be fine with her; whatever you wore or how you acted.
So you started binging on food and could barely stop yourself. Then you'd jump into another diet, not really doing anything. You would change your style, switch to baggy clothes instead of âfeminine" clothes.
She'd tell you to dress more girly and more âage appropriate". But when you did, she told you that a certain top was too tight or too short or too revealing. The pants you wore never looked good on you. So you eventually lost your spark and fell into a deep hole.
And besides Henry being there through all of it, being your best friend for years, he never knew how you really felt.
How much you hated your mother for doing this to you- no!- how much you hated yourself for letting it happen.
The second she made a mean comment, your thought shifted to âstop eating"; you didn't really want that but it felt like the right thing to do.
Every time anyone invited you for dinner you felt sick because you thought of the calories; you could almost feel them running through your veins.
When Henry cooked for you, you tried to eat as less as possible without being rude but also not gaining any weight.
He never seemed to notice because you lied to him.
If he asked if you'd eaten yet, you straight up lied in his face.
He'd never question it because you'd stop the stomach noises by drinking gallons of water all the time.
You didn't want him to know because you knew what he was going to say.
But it was eating you alive. You'd lose weight steadily but not drastically, so he didn't notice. You'd simply tell him you'd been working out more.
Which was a lie because you were too weak to move at this point.
You'd tried throwing up but it didn't work. You couldn't get yourself to puke.
It disgusted you, looking at yourself in the mirror, noticing how the spark in your eyes had disappeared completely. Your mind had been fogged up by negativity and all that hatred you felt towards yourself.
But when he was around, you put on a smile and acted like everything was alright.
And you were good at that.
No one around you knew.
You hated yourself.
Henry was full of confidence and charm, he wouldn't understand you like this. He was a great listener and an even greater boyfriend but this was a part of you he was never going to meet.
No one was ever going to meet that you.
So as your mothers words were ringing in your ears, Henry was behind you, getting his tie fixed for a dinner you two had been invited to.
He seemed to be struggling so he didn't notice that disappointed look you gave your reflection in the mirror as you scanned your body in that black dress.
You hated her. She was ugly and useless to you.
You want her dead but also know how much it would take to pull through.
You hated your own sight. How unhappy you were. How much you hated your own mother but most importantly yourself.
Summery: You and Geralt have been traveling together for some time now, and you want him to stop with the tough guy act already and just admit that heâs as crazy about you as you are about him. Luckily, you donât mind poking the bear.Â
Content Warning: fluff, kissing, cursing, one bed trope (kind of).Â
A/N: This is short and sweet, because Iâm missing Geralt and all his grumpiness.
Word Count: 1243
A soft breeze rustled through the trees above you. The sound made you feel at ease. Taking a deep breath, you hummed out contently, earning an irritated look from the grumpy Witcher you were currently traveling with.
âOh Iâm sorry for breathing, Geralt. I will try to be more quiet.â You spoke sarcastically.
âThat would be lovely.â he grumbled, making you roll your eyes.
Can we just talk for a second about how primally sexy & erotic it is the way a man's jaw moves when he's kissing? I can't be the only one getting mesmerized by that shit...
Lovely, I can assure you that you arenât the only one mesmerized by the way he kisses and Iâm happy to discuss. I would, honestly, be a blushing mess if he kissed me the way he kissed his costars. Itâs all passion. đĽ
And so many kisses to explore. Sweet and romantic, steamy and heated, kisses on the forehead, eyelids, neck, etc. Each kiss means something different and beautiful. â¤ď¸
Summary: Fleeing Cintra was tough but you couldnât abandon Ciri, she was a life long friend, she was family. But now there was a witcher involved, her so called soul father popping up out of nowhere. Her father. Her destiny, not yours. so it didnât matter if you fell into his good graces i mean it wouldnât be long before your out on your ass and told to leave kaer morhen right?
â ď¸Warningsâ ď¸: Paternal Geralt, platonic love, Geralt has a brood now, swearing, teenage rebellion, dad Geralt, spanking, parental discipline. Â
A/n: something a little different for you all. Iâm super anxious about this because of the spanking in it, but this is completely non sexual.
Word count: 6466
Ciri paced the room worriedly stopping every few steps and held her head to the side trying to listen. She was worried, worried about Geralt and the leshy, worried about you and what ever trouble youâd be in for running off into the keep when you got scared.
Suddenly the door opened making her jump, yelping as she spun around only to relax and dash towards the white haired witcher and embrace him tightly. Geralt hummed pulling her closer tipping his head down squeezing her tightly. And then extended his other arm waiting for you to fall into him.
He frowned and flicked his gaze around the room. One. There was only one here? Where were you? Geralt pulled his head up taking a second to pray to what ever deity would listen that you were curled up sleeping like a log on the bed.
His eyes darted to the bed. Empty. Fuck. His eyes quickly scanned the room still hoping you were here but he already knew you werenât. He heaved a deep breath and huffed irritated. Why did you have to pull this shit? It was bad enough with Ciri trying to defy almost everything he was doing to keep her safe. But you were much worse.
Extremely bitter towards him, an animosity and loathing for him that seemed to go beyond anything else he'd seen in humans. For the life of him he couldnât  understand why, he hadnât done anything to you, and this was much more then a dislike for his kind. It felt personal. Hell he looked after you, fed you kept you warm and safe along with your surrogate sister. He actually came to care for you to.
"Ciri? Where is Ewa? Wasnât  she here with you?" Geralt finally grunted causing Ciri to sigh and step back.
"She err...she got scared and... She was caught up with the women as they fled, they sort of pushed her" Ciri explained trying not to feel guilty for unable to grab you from the panicking women.
Geralt swore, almost snarling in frustration his eyes glowed a brighter amber as the pupils contracted. Ciri drew a deep breath, it was his tell tale sign of worry, fear even! His eyes did the same thing anytime she was in harms way. It warmed her heart. You had doubts about your place within the new familial group. Ciri relaxed a little seeing that she was right, that Geralt had grown to care for you as well as her.
"Ewa left? Wha-how could she be so stupid!?"
"Geralt"
"Fuck! Donât  worry, stay here I will go find her"
"No Geralt wait; just please wait a moment" Ciri chased him a few steps grasping his arm making him pause. His eyes roamed her for a second questioningly, why wasnât  she letting him chase you? For all he knew you could be half way down the mountain by now with those women.
"What is it? Whatâs going on?" He asked voice dipping lower than before concern etched into each word.
"Ciri?" He prompted once more when the girl remained silent.
"I donât  think she would have left with them. Sheâs just scared Geralt" Ciri began trying to choose her words carefully. She knew you hadnât left the keep, she wasnât  sure how but she did.
"Scared? What of the leshy? Then she should have stayed put" Geralt huffed shrugging and crossing his arms with a scoff.
"Yes that and well... sheâs also? Well sheâs scared of you" Ciri gave up on finding the words and just blurted them out. Geralt tensed under her hand, eyes widening, face growing soft yet a steely defensive look glossed his eyes.
"Sheâs scared of me? What, why?" Geralt frowned almost offended by the accusation. He didnât  want you to fear him, he just wanted to be on the same side, he wanted obedience and to trust youâd be sensible when he isnât around.
"No.. well yes but not how you think... Sheâs scared of caring for you. She thinks sheâs a burden and that you hate her. That you merely tolerate her for my sake" Ciri uttered divulging this truth behind your behaviour towards the witcher
"Thatâs stupid, I care for her she should know that by now"Â Geralt gruffed out almost speaking under his breath scoffing and shaking his head. Unwilling to believe you were such an emotional little soul. By everything he's seen of you, you were a hell raiser. A rebel right down to your Stoney core, nothing could truly get to you.
"She doesnât  believe that. Sheâs never had that type of thing, family, acceptance, love?" Ciri explained releasing Geraltâs arm and stepped back. Geralt spun to face her a little stunned. Youâd never had a family? Ever? He hadn't known that. At the silence Ciri continued to drop the bombshell.
"She-Ewa was abandoned at the castle back gate, she was a few weeks old the servants took her in gave her food and kept her alive but she was put to work as soon as she could hold a wash cloth." Ciri added wincing as her promise to never retell your story echoed in her mind. But this was for your own good, Geralt had to know how truly vulnerable you were, what your insecurities were. Because until he put them to rest you were going to continue being reckless out of your own fear and one day Ciri would loose you because of it.
"She was a servant scrubbing floors. It wasnât  until I saw her and took to her as a friend that things changed. I begged and begged that she got to be my companion. It took weeks but my grandmother finally gave in" the blonde sat on her bed recounting the many weeks it took for her grandmother to let Ciri call the little servant a friend. Up until then Ciri didnât  have many friends around her own age, even then your were a good few years older, now sixteen to her thirteen.
But your bond was strong, you were the older sister she could lean on, an older sister she loved dearly. You protected her from more then just the courtiers sons whoâd tried to build bonds that would get them on the throne.
"Not that she got any kindness either way... we grew up together, she was the only friend I was allowed. A sister. As her sister I know her and she is... as terrified as me for different reasons" Geralt listened carefully committing each detail to memory effectively rebuilding his image of you as Ciri continued explaining her genuine thoughts surrounding you and your idiocy.
"Until I found you she was all I had left in the world. And I was all she had. But I have you now, a chance at another life. A... A chance to have father figure, she feels left out. Like she doesnât  belong anymore." Ciri ended with a sigh and leant forward resting her head in her hands feeling guilty as sin. She felt like she was going to drive you away somehow if she pressed the issue but still she wanted you to see how wrong you were. Geraltâs intervention was the only way things would get better, begrudgingly she knew this wasnât  something that will fix itself.
"Has she said something?" Geralt asked wanting to know for definite if this was all speculation or if youâd tried to reach out and he missed it.
"Well.. sort of. I asked why she was avoiding me and quiet... she just said we need to bond she doesnât  want to interfere with our fate. I think sheâs scared you'll make her leave" Ciri repeated the words that had been playing on her mind. It wasnât  so much your words but how you spat them out like poison, as if the idea of sticking around was the worst thing you could ever endure.
But in reality she knew you were frightened. You had a soft spot for Geralt, you liked him a lot and respected him. But at the same time feared him and being rejected by him. Didnât  want to get your hopes up if youâd be abandoned again later.
"So thatâs it?" Geralt huffed with a humourless laugh giving himself a mental pat on the back for finally figuring out a teenagers problem.
"What?" Ciri asked frowning but Geralt drew a deep breath and took a seat beside Ciri on the bed with a grunt.
"Why sheâs being so difficult. Its not some final teenage rebellion or just to be a pain in my ass. Sheâs scared she'll end up abandoned again. That Iâll take her remaining family away from her, replace her somehow" Geralt shook his head he wished he'd known your background before snapping at you for being obstinate, drawing his own conclusion that your were just a ratty teenager that didnât  have the same self control that Cirilla had because you were a servant. Fuck. His constant scoldingâs and gruff rebukes must have made you feel more and more isolated.
"You never really spoke to her though.. You bicker and she thinks sheâs unwanted, that you hate her for being human and useless. She snapped at me, she didnât  mean to but... She feels weak" Ciri continued feeling as if she had to elaborate for you, to speak on your behalf.
"When we travelled together- after leaving Cintra she.. she was strong, she protected me alone Geralt. And that became her purpose. Now thatâs what your doing. Sheâs lost the one job she had left" Geralt smiled at her shaking his head. God he felt sorry for anyone who had crossed you both alone in the wilderness. He could imagine you mouthing off and trying to stab people with a pointy stick, like you had him when they first met. The tiny teenager had flew at him so fast he almost suffered the pointy end on her stick.
He grunted in amusement before standing once more. And patted Ciri on the shoulder.
"Well I suppose I should go find her and settle this. Thank you Ciri for explaining more. Give me ghouls and monsters and I know what Iâm doing but teenagers? Iâm still trying to catch up" he uttered walking to the door, this time with much more purpose than before. He had an idea of exactly what it was going to take to finally get through to you. And you wasnât  going to like it. Not one bit.
"Wait what are you going to do? Geralt?" Ciri called worry evident in her voice as she questioned him.
Geralt stopped at the open door and turned to look at his child surprise over his shoulder. He pondered his next words and then smirked.
"Iâm going to give her a piece of my mind, and no doubt she will give me a piece of hers... one final battle of wills will fix this. Wait here, get some rest we will come get you soon" he vaguely explained and then strode off before Ciri could pry any further. She didnât  need to know what was about to happen.
You squeaked as the two witchers glanced up at you again... Oh shit. You huffed trying to climb higher on the shelving unit you were perched on. When lambert came closer cursing at you ordering you to get down.
"Lambert leave her be, she cant get down, she isnât fond of heights" Geralt lied whilst huffed as he waltzed into the room after following your scent and the rapid heart beat of a human in peril.
He tipped his head back crossing his arms over his chest and raised his brows. Youâd actually gotten quite high, a good ten feet off the ground. And honestly he was a little impressed.
"Not fond of heights? Then how did she end up half way up the fucking apothecary shelf?!" Lambert yelled raising a hand motioning to you clumsily trying to remain on the wooden beam.
"Get down here now! Before I come up there myself!" He added seething at you. You shrunk into the shelf
"Bite me ginge-" you hissed calling him the derogatory term for red haired. He pursed his lips and lunged at the shelf readying to climb and drag you down so he could throttle you. You both knew he wasnât  angry about you climbing, oh no. He was pissed because Vesemir had hounded him about letting you sneak past him with the other women. You'd wounded the mighty witchers pride.
"Lambert! Easy, easy Iâll handle her" Geralt yelled latching onto his brother in arms, holding him back. Lambert slapped him away and growled 'you better, she needs to learn some fucking respect' giving you one last look before stalking out of the room.
"Geralt she cant do this-" Vesemir began slowly watching the younger witcher closely. He had a few guesses of how Geralt was going to handle your disobedience but was unsure if the wolf had it in him to follow through. Vesemir wasnât  above dealing with this type of stupidity himself if need be.
"I know vesemir, I know I will handle it. Just like you taught us" Geralt huffed closing his eyes not needing to hear the prepared lecture.
You on the other hand were becoming more and more confused. What the fuck was going on? Was there some sort of witcher code speak or something? Why were they all speaking in half sentences? You grunted and glared harder, willing them to feel daggers.
"Good. She sorely needs something to straighten her out. Just remember wolf she disobeyed. And she could have gotten someone killed, not just herself" you gulped as Vesemir cast you another glance serious yet understanding. The look of a man who had seen it all before. But then again he raised a group of witchers so he probably had seen it all before. You felt uneasy, Geralt was just as clueless and the next man but vesemir? He was a smart cookie. He could see through you, could see your vulnerability. It irked you.
"I know Vesemir. I know trust me to take care of it. This wont happen again" Geralt hummed pointing in your directing, a sweeping motion over the shelf you were latched onto.
"Make sure she learns this lesson well wolf. She has to adapt quickly and trust you know whatâs best. This cannot happen again, for her sake next time could be-" you frowned at the foreboding. And just what the hell did Geralt mean he will take care of it? He wont do shit! He cant do shit! Your nothing to him, and he is nothing to you. Your meeting was just circumstantial. Much to your disappointment your relationship with the witcher as mutual tolerance at best.
"She will learn many lessons today." Geralt trailed off. You grunted under your breath when he locked eyes on you, this time he seemed different. Sad almost? Sympathetic? Was he sympathising with the weak little human? Thinks of you as nothing but a scared rabbit sent to be his everyday inconvenience? Asshole!
It was only when the door closed behind Vesemir that Geralt actually spoke. Choosing to have some privacy before launching into another spat and duel of words.
"Ewa come down here" to your utter surprise the command was tired, exhausted. Nothing smug or angry about it. He didnât  even seem to have that ever present disappointed air about him he had when interacting with you.
"No" you pouted quite happy to keep your distance from him. He was acting weird and it wasnât  lost on you that he intended to deal with your little hide and seek stunt. What ever that entailed.
"Yes, you cant stay up there all day, your arms are already shaking you'll fall any second" he argued waving to your arms that were quivering under you as the half knelt on the shelf, hands holding the wood as it your life depended on it.
"i-is it gone?" You asked a small tremble in your words that you cursed afterwards. You didnât  want to be scared or weak. But? You were, you were scared and you did run away in a panic. And youâd darted up here god knows how to try and wait out the shit storm.
"Yes. Yes we dealt with it....You really are stuck up there arenât you?" Geralt spoke softly, trying to coax you into a calmer state whilst also offering to help in a backwards kind of way. Implying he would come and retrieve you if you needed him to.
"A little I donât  know how I got up.. I just did" you uttered after a small pause, you could feel yourself give in to the small scared feeling again.
"That doesnât  shock me, humans can surprise themselves sometimes" Geralt huffed with a small smile. You sounded genuinely shocked youâd managed such a feet. He wasnât  though, he knew you were agile just by looking at you, you just needed the right motivation.
You sighed and turned back facing the witcher and began trying to climb down with shaky limbs. You squeaked when the shelf wobbled and Geralt quickly ran up to the wood pressing his hand on it to hold it steady. You huffed and tried finding a foot hold only to slip and almost fall from your spot.
"No! Hang on- no you stay there let me help, your going to crack your scull or something stupid" Geralt grunted and began scaling the shelf crawling up it.
"Iâm not fucking stupid!" You snapped only to yelp as your hand slipped again. Finally you gave up and held tight praying you could stay on the wood long enough for Geralt to come and get you. Not that you needed the help really. You just wasnât  going to kick a gift horse in the mouth.
"Well running blindly through a witcher strong hold after being told to stay put when thereâs a leshy roaming around the halls aren't the actions of a genius is it? You didnât  even take your stick" Geralt deadpanned as he managed to climb up alongside you grabbing one of your dangling feet and planting it on a sturdy wooden beam so you had more grip.
"Fuck off you musty old goat!" You snarled down at him quickly feeling the need to lash out again.
"Neither is cussing out a witcher whose already annoyed with you" the witcher grunted coming to a stop at your hip. And began trying to manoeuvre you so he could get you down.
"What for!? So I ran? I fucking panicked I cant help that oh mighty wolf-witcher fuck face!" You seethed flushing red and tried shaking him off now determined to get down without help.
"Thatâs enough! Now stop trying to wriggle away! Come here. I've had just about enough of this attitude of yours" the wolf barked at you frustrated as you slapped at his hand. Only for him to catch it and hold tight.
"Well I've had about enough of yours!" You scoffed back at him but moved to take his hand and climb down, the witcher moved quicker than you could dodge. His hand latched onto your wrist and tugged slumping you over his shoulder muttering to hold on. You yelped and squirmed on his shoulder kicking your feet out trying to find the shelves behind you. But as Geralt began moving down the high shelves you clutched onto him, feeling yourself panic.
Anger began to follow the panic, angry at yourself for relying on him. You couldnât  afford to! One day youâd be out on your ass alone. And if you get too used to sitting here being sheltered again youâd just have to go through all the devastation of learning how to survive again. Just like when you first fled with Ciri. You had to be strong, tough and self sufficient.
Lost in your thought you didnât  even realise you were being place safely on the floor. Geralt sighed when you snapped out of your deep thought and glared at him venomously before stepping back and made to turn away and stomp off.
You gasped when his hand wrapped around your forearm jerking you to face him again. You hissed wordlessly as he tugged, dragging you to face him. Your tummy churned when you finally looked up at him. He looked strange, there wasnât  as much anger but something softer in the amber eyes. It made you falter, but only for a second. Your irritation came back, you made to snap at him to let you go but he stepped closer tipping his head down at you sighing.
"You were told to stay with Ciri" his voice was gravely and you could see the exasperation. He was fed up with you. You looked away deflating once again reminded that you were a thorn in his side nothing more. He kept you alive to keep his child surprise happy.
"I know that but i-" you grunted trying to act indifferent to the subtle rejection once again. Geralt growled and shook you slightly drawing your attention back to him.
"But nothing. You were told. You have to understand when you are with me, you need to do as your told" he scolded raising his other hand to point it at you, wagging his finger in your face. You growled and snapped your teeth at him then growled again as his reflexes proved to be as good as ever and you missed.
"Do as Iâm told- Geralt Iâm fucking sixteen summers old! I deserve to be treated like an adult just like you!" You yelled swinging at his arm trying to wriggle free.
"sixteen means nothing to me girl. I've lived almost ten times that. You are a child, and a bratty one at that!" He growled now losing his patience with you, having to resort to shaking you slightly to make you stop slapping at his hand that was now pink from your persistent beating. Not that it hurt it was just annoying.Â
"Hey; you take that back! I didnât  even mean to fucking do this! You think I wanted to end up half way up there?" you screeched feeling every bit as angry as before, frustration and panic all rolling into one big mass of ugly rage. You looked at him and felt horrible each and every single time. It was even worse when he was pretending to be all caring. It was down right sickening.
"Then why? What caused you to run through these halls when you were told to stay put? Why would you put yourself at risk?! Running off to god knows where to be found by god knows what?!"
"What would you have done if youâd run head first into that leshy?! I wouldnât have been there Ewa! I wouldnât have been able to fucking save you! SO WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE?!"
"Geralt I just.. I got frightened, the room was shaking Ciri was scared and- the other women ran and I was pushed along with them" you shrugged and tried to tug your arm free of the man, hoping that your little ounce of truth would be enough to satisfy him and he'd let you go on your way.
"And then? You could have turned back" he pried further wanting to know just how far you went with those whores, at what point did you decide to abandon them and hide.
"I did.. The women they wanted me to go with them, said I could make a lot of money but I... walked them to the main door then I came back. And hid in here so I wouldnât be caught by Lambert and have to deal with his bitching" you shrugged knowing he wasnât  going to let this go. At least not without a few more answers.
"Instead you now have to deal with mine" Geralt drawled smiling tightly at you trying to find a little humorous irony in the whole situation.
"I'm sorry okay? It was dumb I just... I was frightened" you huffed maintaining your story hoping the witcher would give up.
"I know that. But you are under my care. You need to trust me to decide whatâs best for you now" Geralt began trying to subtly slip in the notion of him caring about you. But ever the observant little human you latched onto it quickly.
"Care? Donât  make me laugh Geralt, Iâm tagging along with Ciri; Iâm only here because I grew up with her in Cintra and she wants one reminder of happier times." You scoffed trying to play off your own feelings as sarcastic digs.
"I do care for you" Geralt turned grasping your biceps and shook you quickly. He crouched down to your eye level holding your shocked gaze. But quickly your shock became another wave of anger.
"No you donât  care for me a single bit; you care about Ciri. If anything Iâm just a fucking burden- your lumbered with me for her sake" your voice carried across the room echoing on the walls making the male hiss as your high pitch resounded in his ears.
"That is not true and you know it" he growled down at you feeling himself quickly loosing grip on his own frustration rising as you refused to accept him as your new protector
"I care for you as I do her, you may not be my child of surprise, but you are a sister to her and that makes you mine just as much as she is" he added with a dry swallow eyes roaming you over and over trying to see any indication of you coming around.
"oh spare me-" you tried dismissing him with a growl, once again pulling on your arm trying to make some distance between you both. This was getting heated again and you didnât  want an argument.
"I mean it. And Iâm going to show you." He ground out tensing his fingers and dragged you towards him making you stagger slightly. You huffed at him leaning back snarling in fury as he began to slowly cross the space .
"Oh fucking really? And how are you going to do that? Stop being and asshole? I doubt you can manage!" You yelled at him seething as you tried pulling away from him, but you were dragged cross the room, your boots sliding on the floor.
"Well first Iâm going give you a rude awakening and then we are going to put all this animosity behind us and start anew with the understanding that you are just as much apart of all this as Ciri is." He huffed not eve bothering to throw you a loom over his shoulder as he closed the gap between him and the bench at the other side of the room.
"A rude awakening? The fuck are you on about?!" You squinted, racing your brain trying to solve yet another witcher riddle! You were so sick of having to guess half of what he said. It pissed you off, why cant he just be straight forward and tell you shit!
You made to shout at him some more but he spun on you crouching over you fiercely anger and frustration in his golden gaze. His pupils contracting dangerously. In any normal circumstances youâd scoff at him about 'witchers controlling their emotions' but instead you shrunk. There was something else in his eyes, you couldnât  put your finger on it, but there was something there that made you feel small.
"Quite frankly Iâm tired of your tantrums. You may have got away with this behaviour before but it stops now." He spoke with a sharp tone, a fake enthusiasm and harsh look. You shuddered, he seemed scary, but not like he was going to hurt you. You never truly believed he would hurt you or Ciri. But there was a foreboding cold feeling of dread creeping up your spine.
"You will find I am quite patient, but there is only so much self destructive behaviour I will put up with, especially when its so avoidable. You will change your attitude right now or else." He added quickly sliding his grip from your wrist to your bicep and held you close your hip skimming his thigh. You grunted and tried to plant your feet on the ground, willing your boots to take root into the stone slabs. But he had the unfair advantage of not only being a witcher but also being twice your size. He managed to drag you closer to himself and cross the last few feet to the bench
"Who the fuck do you think you are-" you yelped as he finally stopped moving and sat down on the long firm wooden seat. He paused for a moment opening his mouth to answer you but stopped short, clearly thinking better of it. For a second you felt victorious, as if him shutting himself up was a battle won.
But instead he shook his head and spread hos legs wide you eyed him cautiously. He was up to something nefarious, before you could even ponder the thought you were yelping and waving your arms about trying to regain your balance as best as you could. But it was in vain as he tipped you over his thigh quickly snapping his legs shut around your own pinning you.
"g-Geralt what are you doing- Geralt?! NO! NO LET GO! GET OFF OF ME! GERALT!?" You screamed out as you realised just where this was headed.
"No I will not let go" he grunted and began trying to capture our hands, pulling them behind you holding them in the small of your back.
"I will let sarcasm slide, even cursing. But out right stupidity and disobedience? putting yourself in stupid situations, putting your life at risk is not acceptable!" You yelled in fury ignoring his lecture as he wrangled you still. Overcoming your thrashing and screeched curses.
"so, like any responsible adult I now have to take you to hand. Iâm not loosing you over something so stupid as jealousy" he finally hissed through grit teeth maintaining his tight hold of you.
"j-jealous? Iâm not fucking jealous- get off of me please Geralt stop it!"
"You are jealous! Jealous and scared and your lashing out and making stupid snap decisions because of it!"
"I am not scared- w-wait? What are you doing! Geralt let go!- no donât ! THAT MY SKIRT STOP IT!" You squealed and flicked your feet at him. His hand had began tugging your dress up your legs making you flush. But the brute didnât  care for your wailing. Nor did he listen, he continued speaking as he tugged the skirt from you revealing your smalls to the room, thighs cooling as the unkind chill of kaer morhen engulfed you.
"You are scared, lost frightened of loosing Ciri, of being abandoned, of being caught in the crossfire. But most of all scared of being alone. You are not alone. You will never be alone, you are family"
"No Iâm not-Ah?! Fuck ger-ALT!" You yelped and screeched into the room when his hand finally descended on your upturned rump with a loud slap. You inched forward trying to escape the burning hand that stayed put for a few seconds only to be pulled back and strike you again.
"Yes you are. And to prove it Iâm going to start with holding you accountable. There are consequences" he grunted out and raised his hand again this time landing a more solid spank across your bottom.
"Wha- no! Geralt no donât ! Not that!?Iâm too old!" You pleaded again twisting trying to peer up at him from your vulnerable position. You cried out as his hand landed again in the same spot.
"Your never to old for a hiding, especially one you sorely need" he hissed striking again, landing his hard palm just hard enough to make you yelp.
âNo-ah! fuck no that hurt please stop it!" You screeched kicking out as much as you could with him  holding you. But your struggle was futile against him. He was far to powerful for you to escape.
"Not until you pull yourself together" he growled peppering your backside with more sporadic slaps warming up before really letting you have it.
"wait wait iv never-no ones ever!" You argued trying to reason with him especially now that your ass really was on the line.
"That explains a lot. Now hold still, this will be over quickly" he hummed stull n9t budging as your feet kicked and scrapped the floor trying to rock your way from him by kicking off of the floor.
"Wha- no Ohah! Shit donât !" You cried out as he found a rhythm and began landing slaps across your upturned rump with ease. It would appear this particular witcher had done this before.
You sniffled finally biting down on your lip, unable to curse at him through your pained yelps and hissing sobs. Your eyes watering while he struck you again and again. Your pride crumbling away as his palm blistered your bottom without a word spoken.
You shrieked at him your fury and pain leaving you in one loud broken sound. For some reason being turned over his knee like a child was resonating with you. Something deep and small inside wanted this. Needed to be pulled into line and be held accountable. The strangest feeling of security washed over you. It was infuriating, the way he was holding you down striking you like you were a child- his child! He had no right! No right to touch you or treat you like his own spawn. Yet you could feel your anger ebbing away.
Your ass stung, his heavy palm still littering your sore cheeks with open palms. But he wasnât hurting you. Well not causing harm.
It didnât  take long before your fight was all gone and you finally hung limp over his knee. Geralt let out a breath he hadnât noticed he was holding. He could feel the change. He'd say he had broken you, but no. He hadnât broken you, just the stupid walls youâd built around yourself. He knew you might have finally gotten the message. And it was about damn time.
You sobbed confused, feeling guilty but safe, and sad, happy, embarrassed and calm. All of these contradictions coil in your belly. It was only when you finally gave in slumping over his lap that Geralt stopped. Not that you noticed, his hand might have stopped but your ass was throbbing and you continued to cry.
"This is for your own good. You will do as your told, stop all this teenage pride bullshit" he said calmly, moving his hand to your back rubbing slow circles on it trying to calm you. You mewled at him trying to shake his hand off, despite enjoying the way he was comforting you. Not that you'd admit that to anyone, least of all him.
"Now I want you to listen to me, and listen well. There will be no more shouting, bickering or disrespect from you. And you will accept that neither I or Ciri are going to run off and leave you" Geralt said still rubbing you back as you tried taking deep breaths, sniffling trying to calm down.
"B-but Iâm not-" you tried to speak, arguing stubbornly. But Geralt was having none of it and swiftly landed another open palm to your tender bottom making you jolt yelping at him.
"You are mine. Just as Ciri is. You are both my responsibility, and I care for you both. Say it Ewa if you say it enough maybe you can get it through your stubborn pride" he added not giving you any room to argue again.
"I-Iâm yours" you said the words quietly trying not to let it affect you. You didnât  believe them, you couldnât. Yet something settled in your chest as you uttered them, a tiny spark. Hope.
"You have a family And donât  you forget it. You Ciri and I are family, along with the others here at kaer morhen. Its not a huge family, we're a gruff bunch but we are here for you. Both of you. We protect our own here Ewa, your one of us now" Geralt swallowed nervously eyeing you. This wasnât his thing, he was all hmm, fuck and sarcasm.
You looked down feeling the lump form in your throat. For a moment you felt a strange longing. A family that cared, truly cared enough to chase you down and knock some sense in to you? The fact he had turned you over his knee should make you angry. But instead his punishment and heartfelt words had destroyed the walls youâd built around you. It was odd, no one had ever spanked you before, no one bothered to bring you to hand. It was oddly soothing, you felt secure.
When you didnât  cuss him out and relaxed into him giving a tiny nod of your head Geralt was floored. He expected you to throw another fit. Not try and curl into him without being noticed. He smiled feeling a weight lift from him, he now had one less thing to worry about.
"Now come on sort yourself out, cant have you start training like that" he hummed easing you to stand up again and made a note to even out your skirts again covering you.
"T-training?" You uttered trying not to think about what just happened. You wanted to ignore the embarrassment a d carry on as if nothing had happened.
"Yes, starting today you and Ciri are training, youâll need to know how to defend yourselves, no place better to learn" Thankfully Geralt seemed to want to ignore the embarrassing punishment and slung his arm around your shoulders dragging you into his side with a reassuring squeeze before directing you out of the room chuckling as you hissed under your breath for the first few steps.
It may have been humiliating and painful and scary but perhaps it was worth it I Â the end? After all you have something youâd never had before. A real family.