Chaos and Kittens
For @kueble who wanted kitten (not cat) Jaskier for my Shifterverse!
Feat deaged Jaskier!
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Rated: T Ship: Geraskier
On AO3
_
Curses. Geralt really fucking hated curses. It was bad enough when mages tried to target him as a witcher, at least he had some immunity... but Jaskier was vulnerable. Of course it had been entirely the shifter's fault. He had been acting really childish, taunting and teasing the mage in a way that would obviously end poorly. It was times like that when Geralt realised that Jaskier really was just eighteen, no matter how mature he seemed most of the time. A tragic childhood had forced him to grow up early, which Geralt could relate to, but he was still just a teenager... or at least he had been.
Geralt's boyfriend was now... well... a boy - more a toddler. Gods knows. Geralt hadn't had to age kids in years. He wasn't cut out to be a parent.
Bright blue eyes peered up at him, and Jaskier's bottom lip quivered as he started to cry. Tears rolled down Jaskier's cheek and he held his arms out, reaching for Geralt. It seemed as if his mental age had regressed along with his body. Just what they needed.
"G-geralt?!" Jaskier whined, red faced and snotty already. "What have they done to me?!"
Well... that should have been obvious. Geralt sighed, squatting down so he was nearer eye level to the young shifter. His clothes were hanging off his small body, his trousers around his ankles and his shirt around his shins. He looked more innocent than Geralt had ever seen him, and he was overwhelmed with the instinct to protect.
"I think you've been deaged, Jask," Geralt murmured, trying to be as reassuring as he could but it wasn't easy for a witcher with two swords and armours not to be intimidating to a child, and Jaskier burst into tears once more.Then with a crack of bones, ginger fur burst over Jaskier's skin and he fell to the floor with a pathetic mewl. It was Jaskier's usual cat form, Geralt recognised the markings... but he was tiny.
Geralt very gently picked up the kitten, feeling a little like a bear in an apothecary shop. Jaskier fit into the palm of his hand, and his usual loud meows were squeaky and high pitched. He seemed unsteady on his paws, tripping up as he tried to clamber up Geralt's arm to his shoulder. That was at least something that hadn't changed.
"What am I going to do with you?" Geralt sighed, reaching up to scratch the tiny little kitten behind his ears.
Normally by now Jaskier would be purring contently on Geralt's shoulder, but instead he was making quiet hiccup sort of noises in between his squeaky meows. The curse had distressed the bard more than usual. Gone was the cocky bastard that Geralt had come to love, and in his place was a shy and vulnerable child who was now relying on him to set things right. Unfortunately, the mage was no longer an option... but hopefully it was a curse they would be able to break together. If not, then Geralt might be bundling Jaskier back up to Kaer Morhen for the spring. Hopefully Vesemir would still be there and they could put their heads together.
But for now, Geralt would look after his baby feline friend to the best of his ability. That meant for now, finding food that would be okay for Jaskier's stomach until he decided to shift back into a human, or at least a slightly more steady animal. That and lots of affection. Geralt knew he needed to comfort Jaskier as much as he could, especially with his more childlike mind. So he plucked the kitten back off his shoulder and brought him to his face. Before he could change his mind, Geralt placed a kiss on Jaskier's forehead, right between his fluffy ears, and then clutched him tightly to his chest.
"We'll figure it out, Julek. I promise."
Jaskier mewled again, this time a half purr croaking out. The sound was one that Geralt always loved but he'd never been so relieved to hear it, but before he could really enjoy it, Jaskier's bones cracked again and it was like he popped into a wolf cub. It was quicker and less controlled than his shifting as an adult, startling Geralt. Another pop like crack and Jaskier was a bear cub. In the back of Geralt's mind, he smiled, wondering whether Jaskier would shift into a viper, griffin or baby crane next. It seemed that his shifter friend really did have some kind of infinity to witchers, but instead Jaskier settled back as a kitten and then promptly fell asleep, purring softly in Geralt's arms.