#fighting headcanon

[fandom-junk-drawer]

The Witcher Headcanon (Modern AU) - Fighting

Jaskier is not much of a fighter. Or, at least at he doesn't look like much of one.

He mostly relies on his Scary Dog Privilege when Geralt is with him to get out of having to fight. Being Besties with a Witcher Pack has it's perks.

Not many people want to mess with you when there is a big, scary looking Witcher following you around. Even less want to mess with you when you are regularly seen hanging out with five.

The only problem is that he can't seem to keep his mouth shut. He always has something to say when someone insults Geralt, or gods forbid, Yennefer. And he usually ends up having to have Geralt save him.

While he talks and jokes a lot and will sometimes get into minor fights when he's with Geralt or one of the other Kaer Morons, he is much quieter when he's alone, or with his band. He desperatley tries to avoid confrontation when he's alone.

If he can't avoid a fight, then he'll try to throw the first punch and then run like the devil. It's not the most dignified technique, but it works.

Fearing for his safety, Geralt had tried to teach him how to fight, taking him out to Kaer Morhen to train with the other Witchers.

Lambert thought it was a joke at first. Surely no one could be that mediocre, could they? The Witchers kept waiting for him to show some kind of improvement and start beating their a**es, or at least land a punch, but it never happened.

Jaskier just kept ending up getting layed out over and over. It seemed that the only thing he was good at, and got even better at was dodging their strikes.

It was almost comical, the way he squeaked and squawked as he barely managed to dodge, looking as if he was managing by pure dumb luck. But the longer it went on, the more Geralt noticed the oddness.

Jaskier didn't seem to be putting much effort into landing a hit. It was almost as if it wasn't that he couldn't, it was that he didn't want to... The few punches or jabs he did throw seemed to be purposfully bad, more of a distraction than an attemtp to strike. There were a few times where Geralt noticed some of his dodges seemed way too fluid and deliberate to be accidental.

Geralt had a talk with his brothers. There was definitely something there, some kind of skill, but their current technique wasn't bringing it out. Jaskier knew they weren't trying to hurt him. They came up with a plan. It ended up being a very bad idea. For the Witchers.

At the next training session all four of the Witchers had come at him at once.

Jaskier had mangaged to dodge a few strikes at first, going with his comical dodging act, had thrown a few punches and kicks, and then he'd tried to run, becoming more frantic as he tried to find an escape route. He'd floundered up after getting hit a few time and started begging them to stop, an odd desperate note in his voice. When they didn't let up, his tone took on a strange, hard edge. He'd felt a hand grab him by the arm...and the knives had come out, and everything had gone to h*ll.

Yennefer had been p*ssed when she found out after they contacted her to come calm him down. She'd spent the afternoon healing the more serious knife wounds and b*tching at them.

How dare you push Songbird to that point!

Ar*eholes, every single one of you!

I'm seriously considering taking away your Bard Priviliges for a week!

Come on, Lark, you are coming home with me!

You're sleeping on the couch when you get home, Geralt!"

Geralt finally understood why Jaskier resorted to trying to talk or joke his way out of a situation if he was alone, and in a heavily populated public space.

Geralt finally realized that Jaskier would fight someone twice his size, or fight any drunk who put his hands on Yennefer, because he knew Geralt would step in before things...went too far.

Jaskier had a feral side that could ruin his reputation, his image, and his career if any bystanders saw it.

After finding out about Feral!Jaskier, Geralt always tried to make sure that either himself or Yennefer were with Jaskier when he was out. It worked for the most part, except for the one time it didn't, and Geralt ended up having to call his brothers to do clean up duty.

[litt1edeath]

Ooeeh headcanon about a fight and making up with Henry?🥰

Kiss & Make Up

Basically y’all know what’s bout to go down. And it’s only healthy for couples to fight Henry~ i hope i did this justice i’m new to headcanons n i can’t tell if this is a mini story or naw??? >w<

it’s the first fight you two ever have, and boy is it bad. in the few months you’ve dated the high of the first few weeks never died down. you really thought you would never fight.

but every healthy couple is bound to fight, at least you try to tell yourself that when he’s yelling at you.

henry’s voice is deep and exasperated as he bickers with you over having another man in your shared home. ‘Yours’.

his nose flares, cheeks reddened to impossible heights as his chest puffs with air and deflates. his teeth are clenched and eyebrows drawn near to the middle, making lines crease his forehead.

evidently not everyone else’s, especially guys who were so clearly just a friend.

his accusations come out of nowhere, hitting deep as he shoves things around. breaks items that are materialistic, but a hassle to clean up.

it’s scary to see him like this, so you stay in place. trembling while you cautiously watch him go about his little destruction spell.

what draws the last straw is his words, “are you sleeping with him?”. no one ever likes to hear those words from someone they love.

with the track record you have of being used or cheated on, you’d think henry would be wise to not go there. but stranger things have happened, right?

boy does it sting, like a knife twisting in your heart. you bite your bottom lip bitterly, arguing would only make it worse you knew this from past flings.

finally as if all tuckered out, henry stops yelling. heaving a deep breath as he looks around the mess he’s caused.

little shards of glass, water, flowers and papers all across the wood floorboards. that you took the curtesy or mopping and polishing.

you knew he was stressed and busy from work, so maybe this was all it was? yet the tears stung at the back of your eyes. pushing their way forward to the corners of your eyes.

futilely you try to blink them away but they only seem to go free, cascading down your cheeks and as if sensing the little sniffle you make, henry looks over truly shocked.

all the rage and frustration ebbs away with one look at your composure crumbling.

a heart broken smile directed at him, tears clinging on at the globe of your cheeks. Making them glisten in the fading sun through the window.

he crowds your space quickly as you wipe the dew drops away trying to save face. too late.

he’s all “i’m sorries.”, “i didn’t mean it.” as fast as he can, breathing heavily. promising he’d clean the mess up. to never raise his voice at you again- so forth.

still he doesn’t get much further before your hands, clenched into fists met his sturdy chest. he grunts stunned as he backs away with awe at your sudden attack.

of course you could never go for the face but his body wasn’t off limits- to a degree. If you really wanted to hurt him, and not yourself you could’ve just aimed lower.

that’d be a literal dick move.

the punch is however a big mistake you’re all, “argh, i can’t even fucking hurt you because you’re built like a fucking wall! and now my hand hurts!” (i can’t help but be a dork even when it’s serious fuck 🤣💀)

him tries to help, really he does. genuinely concerned for your wellbeing.

you fight him off mutter things like, “you aren’t a child.”, etc.

as time passes on you get nowhere, and extend your hand out to him. effortlessly he presses against your bones and muscles lightly. asking if it hurts every so often, with a shake of your head, he smiles.

and curse that smile bc you’re weak for it.

he lifts your hand up, cradle in his two larger palms and kisses your knuckles. rubbing over your achy flesh.

henry gets you an ice pack for the swelling, saying you’ll live. you opt to calling him ‘colossus’ after that encounter.

to run his apology forward he cleans the house up, apologizes to your friend he scared off coming home like a raging bull. by phone call. even offered to sleep on the sofa if you were still pissed or hurting. even scared of him.

hell he’d find a motel for your comfort. no compromise was too much for him.

with that done, he vanishes while you’re mid winding down your anxiety watching funny animals videos.

little snorts or giggles filling the air.

curiously you worried over it being so silent only to see he’s leaning into the back of the sofa. watching you with that warmed look in his eyes, somehow you can tell he’s still tense and stressed beneath that fond expression.

so you do what any girlfriend would do, kiss and make up with the lovable teddy bear.

initiating the kiss first, he wraps his arms around your hesitantly. worried he’d hurt you or scare you again.

you spend the better part of coaxing and reassuring him, he would never hurt you.

leading up to him telling about his stressful day at work and how parazzi kept harassing him about his personal life. you in particular in excruciating details.

false rumors, accusations, etc. it had his blood boiling at people saying inaccurate things about you.

him wanting to protect your honor makes your heart flutter to life with those familiar feelings. the highs of your relationship bleeding to the forefront.

with your anxiety down to a manageable level, it’s your objective to also bring henry’s down too. giving him massages that he returns to you in the payment of kithes.

by the time you both fall asleep right there cuddled on the sofa ironically. his larger body covers yours, head cradled between your breast. breathing evenly, and you run a hand through his curly locks whispering a, “i love you ya big idiot.”

[frobin]

It wasn't really an option for the headcanons, but could you do fighting hc's? Like how they work together in combat and junk

Oh! Thanks anyway!… and I’ve never really thought about it… so let’s try this! (I hope that really is what you want to hear) 

- both know that the other is a capable fighter. So, they try not to worry too much about each other while fighting. 

- Franky will worry anyway (and fuss about Robin after the fight.)

- Robin does not really worry about Franky, but she will sometimes get distracted because he just looks too good, fighting. 

- They both start with a  wide range attacks. Franky is shooting and Robin uses Giganto Mano to cause as much damage as possible.

- If debris and dirt is thrown at them or flying around because of explosions/strong attacks, Franky will act as a shield to Robin (different to what is shown in the Anime on Punk Hazard).

- Robin will use that short break to take a breath, refocus her powers and then attacks right after the air is clear once more, crippling as many enemies as possible. This time with very precise attacks. 

- Franky uses the distraction to run to the front to throw some more punches, while Robin will keep his back free.

- Not one moment Franky worries about someone attacking his back because Robin is having it.

- If the enemy reaches her, she will fly away but Franky will also rush to beat up the people who threaten his girl (but Sanji and Brook are faster to reach her, most of the time)   

- after the fight, while everyone celebrates, Franky tells everyone about his (and Robins) coolest moves.

- Robin is listening of course and is proud how well everyone fought.

Some additional thoughts: 

- It was thanks to their little teamwork adventure at Thriller Bark that Robin realised she needs to train her wings. 

- one of the reasons Franky is always creating better weapons is to impress Robin 

- Robin will never be impressed of the power of those weapons but of Frankys creativity.

- They do train together. If the crows nest is vacant they will go up there and do some muscle training. Franky focuses on his back, but Robin her whole body. 

EVERYONE FEEL FREE TO ADD!! 

[miss-scientia]

How do you think the boys would react to a small but surprisingly strong s/o?

Aw I like this idea! Short but strong people should not be messed with!

Noctis:

- “It’s okay, let me handle this, I’m awesome.”- “I’ve also been known to be referred to as THE PRINCE OF PAIN.”- Would attempt to show off and attack one of the monsters around.- Turns back to his s/o with an ‘I told you so’ look.- S/o rolls eyes and totally kicks ass out there. - His jaw hits the floor.- For once in his life this boy is lost for words.- “Hey Noct, they’re even better than you!”- Is stuck between sulking and being seriously impressed.- It becomes a competition between the two of them, who can fight better to Ignis’ despair.

Prompto:

- Would be really nervous having his s/o fighting.- “You don’t have to do this you know. You’re just…just so small and adorable.”- Comes across as patronising but really he’s just super stressed for his s/o.- S/o has to constantly reassure him, they will be fine.- Goes out there and shows him exactly how fine they are.- Holy shit.- “You… you can…” Is star struck. - Never mentions sitting out of a fight again.- He would probably be a little self-conscious, why can’t he fight as well?- Now s/o has to reassure him he’s also a good fighter. He secretly loves having them fawn over him.- “You’re so small and adorable and fucking terrifying when you want to be.”

Gladiolus:

- Would be stoked that his s/o also wants to join in the fight.- Literally wouldn’t give a shit about their height, he would know that they’ve got this.- S/o proves him right and handles everything easily.- Gladio is so impressed he forgets to fight himself for a little while.- “Gladio get your head in the game!”- Can not get his head in the game cause the sight of his short s/o handle themselves so well is definitely turning him on.- Demands they start training with him.- Sometimes the training is cut short due to reasons.

Ignis: 

- Would definitely have his reservations at first about s/o fighting.- He loves looking after them, having them join in fighting is the opposite of that.- S/o also has to convince him that just because they are small, doesn’t mean they can’t be a good fighter.- “You’re right, of course you are.” Reluctantly gives in, but also feels bad for just assuming.- S/o quells his fears by being down right awesome. - Has to take his glasses off and clean them to get a better view.- “You’re… you’re quite the formidable opponent.” - Literally struggling to keep his calm, nonchalant manner.- “Tiny but terrifying…” - Would make sure to take extra special care of them after their fight- Honestly this man can be such a flapper when he wants.

[fandom-junk-drawer]

The Witcher Headcanon (Modern AU) - Fighting - Bonus Scene Part 3

Jaskier became more agitated the longer Geralt was gone. He'd had his thumb in his mouth since the Witcher had left. Yennefer was trying to heal his bruised kidney, but she was having a hard time concentrating. The sounds of the fight going on outside were filtering in, and it was clearly putting Jaskier on edge. She could feel him getting closer to that mindstate that would send him into Feral Mode.

Yennefer kept talking soothingly to him, her free hand running up and down his back. He just kept getting tenser and more restless. His anxious state was burning up the energy her healing magic needed to repair his kidney. And she was running low on magic herself. She had potions in her bag, but they were strong sedatives, and she didn't need for him to be unconscious. She'd asked him if she could put him into a healing sleep, and he'd flatly refused. She offered another option, and he seemed a little more open to it.

Jaskier lay on his back, his head in Yennefer's lap. Her hand holding one of his while her other hand played with his hair. She'd already explained what she needed to do, but he was still on edge. "I'm not putting you to sleep, Julek," she said gently. "The spell will just realx you. It might make you feel sleepy, but it's not going to force you to sleep. It will be like the meds Geralt gave you earlier."

Jaskier squeezed her hand and nodded. Yennefer started whispering the spell, running her fingers over his cheek, tracing them down the pulse point at his throat. He shuddered and twitched, trying for a moment to fight the spell as he felt himself start slipping into that numb haze.

Yennefer brushed his hair out of his eyes and rocked him slightly as she stroked her fingers up and down his breastbone until his eyes got that far away look and she felt him relax in her arms.

He muttered groggily as she moved him off her lap and tucked his blanket into his arms. He hummed to himself, finally relaxed enough to take his thumb out of his mouth. She smiled as he started talking. He never could be quiet for very long. "Oh, how Geralt must have suffered when you two first started travelling together!" Yennefer teased as she rolled Jaskier onto his side so she could reach his flank.

Jaskier continued to talk, sounding like a drunk, slurring and stumbling through random thoughts that came to mind. "Yen? Why are tits bouncy?" Yennefer grabbed her phone and started recording. He was talking about tits. Oh, this was going to be good!

"I mean, have you seen how bouncy they are? Why can men walk around with their, with their tits out but women can't? I wouldn't mind at all...if, if, if women went around topless. Yen, have I ever told you that I love you? Because I really do. I love you, Yen! I love you like a sister, but, but, but it just has to be said: you've got, you've got niiiiice tits. I've always liked your tits. I like tits. Tits. Tits...tits, are nice. I dream about tits...tiddies...a lot. Like all the time. Tiddies. That, that's what I dream about. They're great. Especially yours. You've...you've got really great tiddies. I wouldn't, like, try to touch them, or anything... like, ever. Ever. But I just thought you'd like to know, to know...to know, that. That I think you've got the best tits. Because I like tits. I'm some what of a expert when it comes to judging tits. I've had a...a lot of tiddies in my face in my life time. I know a good tiddy when I, when I see one...two. I know I tell all the ladies that they, they....they have nice tiddies. But, like, I really mean it. Your tits are waaay nicer. Best tits I've never actually seen. You know who else has, has...has nice tits that I have actually seen? Geralt. Geralt has some nice tits, for a dude. I mean...have you seen them? Of course, you've seen them. That, that, that man needs a...a bra for those things. Yen, the man has a nice set of tiddies. Every time he-he takes his shirt off, I'm silently thinking 'Cover them up, slut!' He's got those tits that you just want to motorboat the f**k out of!"

Yennefer somehow managaged not to make a sound the whole time, so it wouldn't ruin the audio.

Yennefer finished her task of healing Jaskier's injured kidney. He'd fallen asleep, but woke when she spoke to him, to tell him that she was finished. He could barely keep his eyes open as he sat up to drink a potion to help his body replace the blood he'd lost.

Yennefer kissed his cheek and ran a hand through his hair comfortingly when he started sniffling and repeatedly asking for Geralt. "He'll be back soon, pet." She replied as she tried to get him to lay down. "Want me to hold you until he comes back?"

Jaskier nodded tiredly, sniffling and wiping his eyes as he laid back down so Yennefer could curl up against his back and put her arm around his chest. He hugged his blanket, snuffling and making quiet noises like a child crying itself to sleep. Yennefer nuzzled the back of his neck, tighenting her arm around him and humming quietly until he drifted off. Probably dreaming about tits.

Outside, Lambert and Eskel stood on the sidelines while Geralt beat seven kinds of excrement out of the Viper. They wanted nothing more than to join in, but Geralt had forbade it. The Viper had started out grinning and acting tough with Geralt, but ended up trying to bargain with him, and evenutally just beg him to stop. Unfortunately, the Viper found out that Geralt's idea of bargaining with him was to relentlessly pummel the f**k out of him until he stopped moving. The only time Geralt even spoke to him was when he'd beaten the Witcher until he couldn't stand up.

Eskel and Lambert had dragged him to his feet and held him up so Geralt could growl, deep and ugly "You tell your School that if any of you worms f**ks with with my Bard again, they'll be f**king with all the Wolves of Kaer Morhen!" Without taking his eyes off the Witcher, Geralt said to Lambert "Lambert, call Aiden so he can tell the rest of the Cats. And tell him to tell the Bears and the Cranes too. Oh, tell Coen too, so he can tell the other Griffins. And I'm sure the Manticores will want to know as well. You know how fond they all are of our Songbird."

Eskel smirked as all the color drained from the Viper's face. "You just put yourself on everyone's Sh*t List! It's a good thing the witch doesn't know what you did, or-!"

"Yen already knows. She's with him right now." Geralt said, yellow eyes reflecting the moonlight like a wolf's eyes in the dark.

"Well, looks like you're f**ked!" Eskel said.

"Take him back into town and leave him where you found him," Geralt said to his brothers.

"I want to see Songbird first-!" Lambert began, worry breaking through his normally prickly fascade.

"No," Geralt said sternly. "Because then you're going to want to kill him, " he said, nodding towards the Viper, "and I need him to be alive to deliver my message. Besides, I don't want to risk Yennefer getting ahold of him." Eskel and Lambert were not too happy, but they dragged the now terrified Viper back to the car, stuffed him unceremoniously into the trunk, and drove off.

Geralt went back to Roach, climbing in through the passenger side door. Yennefer was dozing, pressed up against Jaskier's back with her arm wrapped around his chest. Trying to be the Big Spoon. Geralt thought with an amused 'hm'. He gently shook Yennefer's shoulder and whispered "Yen, I'm back-!"

Yennefer squinted at him and grumbled like a cat being pushed off a comfortable lap. She looked completely knackerd, and very grumpy.

"I was sleeping, you a**! "she hissed.

What are you-! Don't just shove-! You could have just f**king asked me to move over, Geralt!

You are not moving him! Don't you move him! He's asleep, you oaf!

Melitele, you're going to wake him up!

Gods, why don't you just use a forklift! It would be gentler!

Don't just dump him on the bed!

Ugh! just give him here!

Geralt did the only sensible thing and backed away while Yennefer moved Jaskier over. "Come here, Wren." she whispered, tugging Jaskier towards her. He snuffled and gave her a sleepy grunt in reply, but shifted back towards her. She pulled him over and resumed her position as the little Big Spoon.

Geralt locked the van doors, turned off the lights, pulled his bloodied shirt off, then squeezed into the little bit of space in the bed. He slipped his arm under Jaskier's head and put his other arm over him to rest his hand on Yennefer's hip. He felt Jaskier move, bringing his hand up, and Geralt thought he was going to put his thumb in his mouth.

He blinked, surprised when Jaskier groped his chest and groggily mumbled "You, you...you've got...nice tiddies..."

Yennefer snorted and started giggling against the back of Jaskier's shoulder while Geralt lay there, not quite sure what to say. Jaskier made a sudden, weird gasping sound that had Yennefer sitting up and Geralt grabbing his shoulder in concern. "Jask-!"

A loud "PPPPPBBBBBBBBBBTTTTTTT!" abruptly ripped through the darkness, followed by a startled "HhHmMMm!" and a thud as Geralt fell off the edge of the bed, landing hard enough to rock the entire van.

Yennefer rolled to face the wall, both hands clamped over her mouth, her body quaking with the effort of holding in the unlady like guffaw that was trying to escape. Geralt rose from the floor with an indignant grunt, wiping his chest with his hand. He crawled back onto the bed and warily laid back down, glaring at the barely awake Bard.

With what looked like a monumental effort, Jaskier managed to lift his head and give Geralt a slow, glassy eyed blink before slurring "Cover 'em up, slut!"

Yennefer lost it. She just gave up and cackled while Geralt scowled at her and demanded to know what the f**k was going on. The best she could do was toss Geralt her phone so he could watch the video. Geralt laughed at first, then scolwed.

"Don't make that face," Yennefer laughed quietly "He's right. You do have really nice tatas!"

"What did you do to him?" he asked her, noticing that Jaskier was out of it, and all ragdoll-y. "It's a light sedative spell. He was too wound up." Yennefer yawned, tucking a few strands of hair behind Jaskier's ear. "It's mostly worn off. He's just very overtired now."

Geralt 'hm'ed and nodded, tighenting his arms around the Bard when he shifted towards him to press his forehead against his chest. He rememberd the first time Ciri had stayed up all night playing D&D with Jaskier and the Kaer Morons. She'd been so overtired she'd bounced between being extremely crabby, and crying a the drop of a hat. Just the sound of Geralt breathing had been enough to set off one of the extremes.

It was a long rest of the night. Geralt stayed up, whispering comforting nonsense through Jaskier's uneasy dreams. The Bard twitched restlessly, making quiet distressed noises as he slept. Geralt rubbed his hand up and down his arm when his breathing went erratic and he started sucking hard on his thumb. Yennefer woke when he made a noise that was half wail, half whimper and joined Geralt in trying to calm him.

For long moments the only sounds in the dark van interior were Jaskier's ragged breathing and the noises he made as he soothed himself.

"I hope you beat the f**k out that b**tard!" Yennefer whispered fiercely as she ran her hand up and down Jaskier's ribs.

"He's never going to be able to return to the Path."

Yennefer grunted, satisfied with the answer.

"Do you think he'll stop doing that?" Geralt asked, adjusting Jaskier so that his head was pillowed on his bicep.

"Eventually, " Yennefer replied, "I think once he gets his confidence back, and gets past what happened, he'll stop. Right now it's just how he's going to manage the stress. He does seem to do it less when you are here. You calm him down and make him feel safe. That's what he needs right now."

Geralt 'hm'ed in agreement as Jaskier sleepily rubbed his cheek on the arm Geralt had tucked under his head. Jaskier hummed quietly when Geralt lightly scratched his fingers in his hair. He pulled his thumb out of his mouth to sleepily press a handful of his blanket to his face.

Geralt started making a rumbling sound in his chest that was suspiciously similar to a pur . He ignored Yennefer's soft snort, and kept purring until Jaskier's breathing turned soft and even.

The Bard clumsily rubbed an eye and tried to roll onto his stomach. Geralt helped him turn over, feeling a little flash of relief. Jaskier must have felt a little safer if he was getting comfortable in his favorite sleeping position. Yennefer noticed it too and stroked the back of Jaskier's head. He slept peacefully the rest of the night.

It was weeks before Jaskier stopped having nightmares. And weeks before the separation anxiety subsided to where he could sleep alone, and without waking up in a cold sweat, or not flinch when someone moved too fast. He also ened up with a personal army of Witcher bodyguards.

Eskel and Lambert kept introducing Jaskier to Witchers from the other Schools every time they went somewhere. And those Witchers brought their friends to meet Kaer Morhen's Songbird... And soon, Jaskier couldn't walk down the street without being enthusiastically greeted by a Witcher.

Yennefer relentlessly teased Geralt for scent marking their Bard before he left the house, even if Geralt was going with him.

Wherever Jaskier went out alone, he ened up running into at least one of his Witcher friends who decided to hang out with him because he convenienlty had nothing else to do.

Yennefer thought it was utterly hilarious that Jaskier could leave the house with one Witcher and sometimes end up being dropped off at home by a whole pack of them.

[fandom-junk-drawer]

The Witcher Headcanon (Modern AU) - Fighting - Bonus Scene Part 2

Geralt heard Yennefer's sleep rough voice go from barely coherent to fully awake (and very loud) the second she heard him say "It's Jaskier, he's been in a fight..." And she had lots of questions.

And apparently "I don't know, Yen, getting the sh*t beat out of him?" was not an acceptable answer to "What was he doing in a fight, Geralt?" He wondered how long it would take her to locate them and set up a portal. Maybe he had a few hours left to enjoy life...

Geralt made one more phone call. "Lambert, get Eskel. I've got a favor to ask you. I need you to pick up...somebody. At the back of the Forking Good Time. Yes, the one with the sh*tty a** food Yen made us try." He gave them no further explanation.

He headed toward the back of the van, hearing Jaskier start making distressed sounds. The pain meds must have finally worn off, and now he was probably having a nightmare.

Jaskier whimpered in his sleep, crying for Geralt and Yennefer, and twitching. Geralt reached the bed and felt his heart clench uncomfortably with a tangle of strong emotions. Jaskier had one hand tangled in his blanket, and the other...

Geralt lightly bruhsed his fingertips against his hand, and then paused. He'd never seen Jaskier do that before. His go to soothing method was what he jokingly referred to as Blankie Therapy. Never had he ever seen him try to soothe himself like this.

It made Geralt's heart ache. And it made him feel an all consuming rage towards the person who'd caused this.

Geralt was just going to leave him alone and let him have whatever small comfort it brought him, but then he smelled the blood. He looked a little closer and saw the blood that had dripped from the corner of his mouth. He'd dislodged the blood clots from the empty sockets in his gums and they were bleeding again.

Geralt gently took Jaskier's hand and slowly eased his thumb out of his mouth. He diluted some more Swallow and used a finger to rub it over his gums to stop the bleeding. Jaskier shifted with a groggy grumble of protest. Geralt lightly rubbed the back of his shoulder until he settled down.

He went outsided to pace, feeling angry and helpless. D**n that b**tard!

Geralt's angry pacing was interrupted by Yennefer stepping through the portal she'd opened. The sorceress was carrying her old cat plush, Sammy, and carrying a small bag of supplies. She had obviously not bothered to get dressed as she was wearing one of Geralt's old t-shirts, and the pair of Jaskier's boxers that had been missing for weeks. He wasn't going to be getting them back anytime soon. Once Yennefer stole an article of clothing, you could kiss it goodbye forever.

Geralt wasted no time dragging her into the van. Yennefer's eyebrows furrowed and she tenderly touched Jaskier's hand much the same way Geralt had done when she saw him trying to soothe himself. "My poor Julek...what did he do to you?" she whispered softly.

She sat on the edge of the bed and laid her hand on Jaskier's bruised cheek.

"Why is he so warm?" she asked, noting that Jaskier was warmer than he should have been, but not shivering as if he had a fever.

"I...gave him some Swallow."

"You gave him what?! Are you trying to kill him?"

"I diluted it! The bleeding in his kidney was getting worse." Geralt responded defensively.

"So you thought poisoning the poor thing would be better?"

"I swear, every time I leave you two alone for more than five minutes, all your braincells deactivate and you almost kill yourselves!"

"Was that a You're-absolutely-right-Yennefer-we're-idiots 'hm', or was that a Go-f**k-yourself-Yennefer 'hm'? It f**king better have been a Your're-absolutely-right-Yennefer-we're-idiots 'hm'!"

"What's this band-aid on his arm?"

"I gave him a shot of midazolam for the pain and to calm him down-" Geralt began.

"You know he hates needles, you absolute prick! Please tell me you didn't hold him down! You better not have held him down, Geralt! Or you and I are going to have words!

"That 'hm' didn't convice me at all!. You better start using your words right f**king now-!"

Jaskier woke with a thin whine, rolling onto his back with a wince. "YEn..." He whimpered when he saw her, and tried to sit up, reaching for her.

"Shhhh, Lark. It's okay." she said, instantly forgetting about hen-pecking Geralt in favor of carefully laying Jaskier back down. "I'm here, I'm here!" she said, brushing the backs of her fingers over his cheek. "Let me take a look at you." She closed her eyes and focused her magic. She clucked her tongue.

She let him hold Sammy while she started with healing the gash on the back of his head. The missing teeth would have to wait, but she did press healing magic into the empty sockets to help them heal, and keep them from becoming infected.

Her hands were gentle as she ran them over his chest and down his ribs, sweeping away much of the pain and some of the bruising.

Jaskier shuddered, biting back a grunt and squeezing Sammy tighter as Yennefer lightly rested her fingers on his subluxated ribs. She made quiet shushing sounds to him and the pain faded. He felt the ribs click back into place. There was a little discomfort, but it wasn't as painful as it had been a few hours ago.

"Sit up, Starling, so I can get the ones on your back."

Jaskier sat up with Geralt's help, ribs still sore, and put his arms around Yennefer's neck, leaning his head on her shoulder and clinging.

"He was waiting outside the restaraunt. I don't know what his problem was, but he had it out for me... He tried to hit me, but he kept missing..."

Geralt smiled, imagining what the guy's face must have looked like when Jaskier started doing his bumbling dodging routine.

"I ran, thinking I could get away, but..." Jaskier paused with a pained moan as Yennefer's hand found a particularly tender rib. "He was fast. He-he caught me and dragged me into the alley... He wouldn't stop hitting me, Yen," he said, voice trembling.

"It's alright, dear heart." she whispered, running her hands gently over the ribs in his back as he fought back tears. She could feel him shake, and feel his heart pounding in his chest. She tightened her arms around him.

Jaskier was sobbing now, pressing his face into Yennefer's shoulder "He was going to call more Vipers to come play too, b-but I knocked the phone out of his hand...and he got p*ssed... He slammed me into the wall, and...I didn't know what else to do, so I-I... I knifed him."

A Witcher?! Geralt was going to say something, but his phone rang. It was Lambert. He turned to go to the front of the van to answer the call. Yennefer put her hands on Jaskier's shoulders when he reached for Geralt as he walked away to answer his phone.

There was a look of near panic in Jaskier's eyes as he grabbed at the Witcher, tying to stop him from leaving, crying and begging him not to go. Yennefer gently pulled his hands off Geralt's sleeves, whispering soothingly to him. "He's not leaving, my love, he's not leaving!"

Geralt hated to pull away, but he had to answer his phone. He paused long enough to pat the Bard's cheek reassuringly, before moving away. Jaskier watched him anxiously, not even realizing that he'd put his thumb back in his mouth.

Yennefer put her hand on his cheek, gently turning his face towards her. "It's okay, Julek. He's right there. He'll be right over in a minute." She murmured. Her hands started stroking over his arms and shoulders, trying to relax him.

Jaskier looked at Geralt, nervously watching him sitting in the driver's seat. Yennefer gathered him into her arms, not saying a word. Her heart twisted painfully as she listend to him suck his thumb.

Yennefer was deeply worried about Jaskier's mental and emotional state. He had never sucked his thumb before, and the amount of distress he must be in to turn to that type of regressive behavior as a soothing method greatly concerned her.

What unsettled her more was that he was so distressed that he was beyond the point of caring if anyone saw him.

Yennefer ran her fingers through Jaskier's hair as she whispered to him softly in his head while she impatiently waited for Geralt to come back.

"You said we were picking up a body. You didn't say it was going to be a f**king snake, and that he was going to still be alive, Geralt!"

"He's still alive?"

"Yeah. He's got four stab wounds and he's bleeding all over my seats! Why the h*ll didn't you just run him through properly?"

Because I wasn't the one who stabbed him. It was Jaskier. And it was probably hard for him to stab him 'properly' while the ar*ehole was beating the f**king sh*t out of him!

Geralt heard Lambert growl and Eskel ask what was going on. He heard Lambert snarl "This f**ker hurt Songbird!", then "I told you I smelled him in the alley, Lambert! F**k! Some of that blood was his!"

They started quarreling until Geralt snarled at them to shut up. "You want us to cut his throat-!" Eskel began, only for Geralt to snap "No! That f**ker is mine! I have my location turned on. Bring him here now!"

Geralt ended the call and sat back down on the edge of the bed. Jaskier leaned into him, letting him hold him against his chest while Yennefer stroked his side.

"Shhh, I've got you, Julek." Geralt murmured, and was surprised when Jaskier wrapped his free arm around him and grabbed a handful of his shirt.

Yennefer was usually the one he went to when Blankie Therapy wasn't enough. She was so soft with him, and her motherly older sister vibe always put him at ease.

But right now, Jaskier needed Geralt. He was scared and shaken, and he needed to feel like he was safe. Geralt was not as good at being soft like Yennefer, but he was good at being a fierce protector and being a solid, physical presence. Geralt tightened his arms around him as much as he could without causing him pain.

" I'm sorry I wasn't there, but I won't let anyone ever do that to you again." Geralt promised softly, draping Jaskier's blanket over his shoulders. He let him lean on him, silently holding him and rocking gently until he felt and heard his rapidly beating heart slow.

Jaskier pulled his thumb out of his mouth as the tension eased and he started to feel less anxious. He gave a contented hum and put his other arm around the Witcher. Geralt rubbed his jaw and cheeks over Jaskier's head, like a wolf scent marking a pack member, while Yennefer smiled but said nothing.

When Jaskier had calmed down Geralt put him on his belly on the bed, so Yen could take care of the injured kidney. She was just laying her hand over the bruise, when Geralt heard the approaching vehicle. Eskel and Lambert were here.

"Stay with him, Yen," Geralt said gently to Yennefer, as he rolled up the sleeves of his shirt so he had more freedom of movement. Jaskier tensed under Yennefer's hand, rolling an anxious eye at Geralt over his shoulder.

"I won't be gone long." Geralt assured him. He stroked his hand down the back of Jaskier's head. "I'll be right back. I'm going to go make sure that b**tard and all his friends never come near you again."

Yennefer nodded and rose to give him a kiss. "Go avenge your Bard, Witcher." she whispered. "And don't make any extra work for me." she added, slapping his backside as he stepped out through the sliding door...

[fandom-junk-drawer]

The Witcher Headcanon (Modern AU) - Fighting - Bonus Scene Part 4

(Okay, so this series was supposed to have ended with Part 3, but Netflix really ticked me off with what they did, and I needed to write some more whump to help myself (and hopefully some of y'all) feel better.) And I'm even going to post it early!

Jaskier jerked awake. The solid warmth that had been next to him was gone. He floundered up off his belly, ignoring the soreness in his ribs and chest. Yennefer muttered sleepily, her arm slipping off from where it had been draped over his back. Jaskier frantically groped around on the bed in the dark, heart pounding in his chest.

Geralt was gone.

Yennefer woke up at the movement, thinking maybe he was going to be sick, "Lark, what-!"

"gEralt!"

Yennefer sat up, turning the bedside lamp on and tugging him over.

"Wh-whEre is hE?" Jaskier whimpered brokenly, his voice trembling and small.

Yennefer silently cursed herself as she murmured to him, "His knee was bothering him, Bardling. He's just gone to stretch it out. Shhh. He'll be right back."

She had told Geralt she would stay awake to make sure Jaskier didn't panic if he woke up while he was walking the hallway, trying to work a cramp out of his knee. She must have fallen asleep.

"I'm right here," Geralt's voice rumbled reassuringly from the doorway seconds later. He climbed back into the bed and went to pull the bard over to him. That was when he F***ed Up.

Ever since the Alley Incident, Jaskier had been hypersensitive to movement. He had to turn to look at any small movement he caught out of the corner of his eye, or just outright flinched. To describe him as jumpy was an understatement. Geralt and Yennefer had tried to be mindful of the issue, but it was hard.

Jaskier had choked back a yelp, flinching and covering his head with his arms, jerking away and falling into a full blown panic attack when Geralt grabbed his arm to keep him from braining himself on the headboard.

F**k

Yennefer glared hotly at Geralt as she carefully pulled Jaskier to her. The bard leaned into her, letting her press a kiss to his hair and murmer comforting nonsense to him. Her voice in Geralt's head was so acidic, it almost melted a hole in his skull.

What were you thinking, grabbing him like that?

Look at the poor thing! He thought you were going to hit him!

You know how jumpy he is right now!

Don't 'Hmm' at me like that you potoo looking tw*t!

He's having a panic attack! Fix it!

Geralt, wallowing in guilt, very slowly held his arms out to Jaskier. There was only a second's hesitation before Jaskier threw himself against Geralt's chest, sobbing and shaking. Geralt wrapped his arms around him and held him tightly, feeling his heart hammering against his own chest. He held him until the stink of his anxiety faded.

Jaskier had looked up at Geralt when the panic attack was over and had appologized to him as if he'd done something wrong. Geralt had 'hmm'ed unhappily before pulling Jaskier back against his chest and pulled the dingy, tattered blankie back up around Jaskier's shoulders before rumbling "If you ever appologize for something that's not your fault ever again, I'll leave a bad review on every single one of your songs!"

Jaskier had actually smiled at that, and huffed affectionately "So it'll be just a bunch 'Hmm!'s, then?"

"F**k you."

"F**k you, too."

"F**k both of you," Yennefer grumbled in mock annoyance.

"Well, now you just made it awkward Yennefer! You just turned up the Ick Factor. Such a turn off! " Jaskier quipped.

"Oh, please! Like there's anything that makes you feel awkward, Julian Alfred Pankratz! I've heard the bedroom tales they tell about you! There's apparently not many things you shy away from!"

"Yeah, well, none of them involve someone I see as a sister!"

"B**tard."

"B*tch."

"I hate you." Jaskier said, reaching out to hold Yennefer's hand.

"I hate you more." Yennefer said, squeezing his fingers.

Jaskier leaned against Geralt, feeling the warmth and solidness of him. His blanket was draped around him, and he felt Yennefer tuck it up close to his face. Jaskier pressed his thumb against that comfort spot on the roof of his mouth, and let his head rest against Geralt's chest.

He stayed there, listening to Geralt's slow heartbeat and his rythmic purring, feeling Yennefer's warm hands moving up and down his back, chasing away his trembling. The tighness in his chest uncoiled itself, and he allowed himself to float in that moment, where nothing else existed but warmth, comfort, and security.

When he felt himself start getting noodly (and start to drool on Geralt), he took his thumb out of his mouth and gathered up his blanket, yawning as he shifted around to lie back down on his belly. Geralt pulled the blankets up over them and rolled onto his side so he could rest his hand on Jaskier's back. Yennefer scooted over and rested her head on the back of Jaskier's shoulder. It didn't take long for the three of them to fall back asleep.

Melitele knew they were all exhausted. The past few nights had been nothing but the odd few hours of sleep interrupted by Jaskier's nightmares. The Viper that had attacked him plagued him at night, and his days were plagued by the fear that Geralt was going to somehow just disappear.

Jaskier tried to insist that he would be fine, that Yennefer and Geralt didn't need to stay in the room with him at night so he could sleep. He tried to pretend that he didn't feel a surge of anxiety that made him almost physically sick every time Geralt strayed too close to a doorway. He tried to pretend that he wasn't carrying his blanket around all day because he needed the comfort it gave him, and that he didn't need to suck his thumb to soothe himself or fall asleep...

That he wasn't afraid to go to sleep...

Yennefer and Geralt could see he was struggling. He was almost constantly trembling. He hardly ate, barely slept, and the thumb sucking was not normal for him. He tried really hard not to suck his thumb, but Blankie Therapy just wasn't enough, and he knew Geralt and Yennefer couldn't spend all their time with him clinging to one or the other of them like a temperamental toddler.

Yennefer finally found a way to help with the separation anxiety. It was such a simple solution, that once she though of it, she could have kicked herself for not thinking of it sooner. Jaskier was less anxious if he could at least see his friends. If he could see them, he knew where they were, so they weren't 'gone'. So Yennefer decided to try fiddling with their already established mental links.

Yennefer had set up an open mental link for them ages ago, and they had gotten comfortable wtih it. They could get into eachother's heads if the other person allowed it, but it was limited to conversation only. Yennefer decided to try to fiddle with the settings, and then tried it out. And it worked.

Jaskier's anxiety told him that Geralt and Yennefer were 'gone' when they left the room, but the mental link countered it by letting him know that they were still there, even if he couldn't see them. He knew exactly where they were, he could talk to them in his head, feel their emotions and they could even brush his mind the same way they would have soothingly rubbed his back or hugged him. They could feel when he started getting anxious, or needed comforting, and they could either go to him, or use the mental link.

While it helped with the separation anxiety, it did nothing for the nightmares.

The following night found Geralt cursing himself and feeling personally responsible for what happened next.

Geralt felt Jaskier twitch in his sleep next to him and start whimpering. He reached out in the dark and rubbed his shoulder, thinking it would calm him like it usually did...

Jaskier pelted down the dark street, trying to out run the persuing shadow that was behind him. He could almost hear its heavy breath over the pounding of his own heartbeat in his ears. Something grabbed him, and he was swung into an alley.

Jaskier expected it to be the Viper, like it usally was. The Witcher had haunted his nightmares since the first night after Geralt had rescued him. But when he was slammed into the wall and then turned around, what he saw was not the Viper. It had Geralt's body, but a potoo's head. It was almost funny, and Jaskier was just deciding that, f**k it, it was funny, when the d*mned thing changed.

Its body became that of a bird, with feathers that were tattered and sticky and clotted with blood that dripped in thick streamers as it moved. And its face... It's face was human. And it was...Geralt's!? The thing opened it mouth and, screamed "NAAAUUURRRR!", grabbed him by front of his shirt with it's blood caked claws, and then everything was pain and blood...

...Jaskier was suddenly screaming and thrashing, twisting up from the bed. Geralt tried to grab the thrashing arms as gently as possible, trying to keep him from hurting himself or Yennefer, who had been startled awake and was trying to avoid getting smacked by an arm or leg. Jaskier jerked violently, and Geralt let go of his arm when he tensed and yelped. D*mn it! He hadn't heard and pops or snaps, so hopefully hadn't pulled something out.

Jaskier scrambled back with a yelp of pain and bolted off the bed. Geralt leaped after him and tried to grab the back of his shirt, but missed. Seconds later there was a loud, heavy thud as Jaskier blindly ran straight into the wall. Yennefer gasped in alarm and frantically searched for the lamp by the bed.

Geralt ran to Jaskier, crouching down and carefully trying to sit him up. Yennefer switched the lamp on...

...Jaskier felt bones crack, the pain spreading like fire through his chest and neck, spearing down between his shoulders. The creature had changed again. It now looked like Geralt, but it wasn't his Geralt. The face was all wrong. Not Geralt loomed over him, yellow eyes burning like fire, and spoke. "...SsssAAAUUUnng BAUUUrrrd,"

...Jaskier's dialated eyes stared right past Geralt, unseeing as he started violently struggling. "Jaskier, stop!" Geralt shouted at him, "It's me! It's Geralt!" He tried to pin the struggling bard to the floor as gently as possible.

"NONONONO, you're not him! You're not Geralt! That's not his face-!"

Geralt felt something in his chest move oddly under his hand, and Jaskier cried out in pain. Then he went Feral. He punched Geralt three times on the left side of his chest, under his arm, in rapid succession before the Witcher could even react. He managed to block the punch from the other fist that was going right for the side of his neck.

Geralt grunted, and he felt the hair on his arms stand on end. He'd recognized the way Jaskier had held his arms and wrists for each strike. Those hadn't been punches. That was the same motion Jaskier would have used if he'd been holding his push knives. Geralt thanked all the gods that those things were safely tucked away in his dresser.

"You're not him!" Jaskier screamed, "Get away from me, you aren't him!"

The terrified bard snarled and screamed, twisitng and fighting until Geralt was able to pin him down. Jaskier started sobbing in a mix of pain and fear.

Yennefer was already kneeling beside him, getting ready to try to magically sedate him, when Geralt used their mental link to get into Jaskier's head. What he saw both flooded him with guilt, and creeped him the h*ll out.

Geralt felt his stomach turn at the nightmare pinning Jaskier to the ground., whispering that it was him now, and that the other Geralt was never coming back. It turned and glared at Geralt over its shoulder, and the Witcher got a good look at its face. Geralt shuddred. It looked like someone had tried to draw him from memory. No wonder the bard was screaming. Geralt stormed through the dream alley, drawing his silver sword and snarling, "Get the f**k away from my bard!"

The monster stood, facing Geralt and rumbled "NAAAUUURR, MINE! I'm Gaaarauuuult naaooww! "

"Like h*ll you'll ever be me!" Geralt set his silver sword aflame and thrust it straight into the monster's chest before it could move. It turned to ash, tumbling to the ground and blowing away with fading "NNAAAUuuurrr!"

Jaskier staggered to Geralt, grabbing onto him, crying. "Geralt!" he croaked, "It kept telling me it was you, Geralt!"

"That f***er wasn't me," Geralt said as he held Jaskier tightly. "It will never be me. There's only one Geralt Roger Eric du Haute -Bellegarde-Geralt of Rivia."

Jaskier started to chuckle at the old inside joke, then stopped, blinking. "Wow... I've never heard someone pronounce a strike-though before."

"Well, this is a dream. You can do anything in a dream."

"Stop f***ing around Geralt!" Yennefer's worried and irritated voice echoed through the alley, "Wake up, Nightingale," she said, and Jaskier felt warm fingers brush his cheek.

He came to, lying on the floor, with Geralt and Yennefer hovering over him. There was a sharp, intense pain in his chest that stole his breath. "Breathe, dear heart, breathe!" Yennefer said, hands worriedly fluttering over him.

"...hUrts!" Jaskier whimpered, trying to hold his chest without actually touching it.

"You separated those two ribs from your breastbone," Geralt answered, pushing Jaskier's shirt up, pressing a hand against his side to steady him. He could see the lumps sticking up next to his sternum. It was the same two ribs he'd popped during the fight with the Viper Witcher. "Be still, bard, so Yen can help you."

Yennefer whispered quietly to herself, and touched the inflamed cartilage in Jaskier's chest. The pain dwindled to a dull soreness that at least allowed him to breathe comfortably. "Is that better, babygirl?" Yennefer asked, leaning closer and stroking his cheek.

"Babyg-?!" Jaskier began in an offended sqwawk that ended in a pained expletive as Geralt quickly pressed his hand against the separated ribs and gave a short jerk down. Yennefer was right there, immediately fixing the ribs in place.

"I f***ing hate it when you two do that, " Jaskier mumbled after the shock wore off. "Really, Yen, 'babygirl?"

Yennefer shrugged, "What's wrong with it?"

"It's f***ing ridiculous!"

"Well, now that I know it annoys you, I'm making that your new nickname."

Geralt slowly sat him up, feeling the back his neck and down his back when he felt him tense. He didn't feel anything out of place, just a bunched muscle on the back of his neck. A strain, then.

They got Jaskier back in bed and resumed their cuddle pile. Geralt tucked Jaskier into his side, Yennefer cuddling against his other side, her arm over his stomach. He trembled a little, half from pain, half from the memory of the nightmare, and rolled onto his side with a whimper grabbing at Geralt's shirt when he felt him shift.

"I'm just getting comfortable. I'm not going anywhere. " Geralt rumbled softly, slipping his arm under Jaskier's head and scratching his fingers in his hair. "Get some sleep."

"But what if he comes back...? " Jaskier mumbled, words slightly distorted by the thumb he'd put in his mouth, "I-I'm...I'm scared...."

"It wasn't real, Julek," Yennefer said, pressing a kiss to the back of his neck, using a little magic to soothe the biting soreness of the strained muscles. "It was just a bad dream." She lightly rubbed his stomach, then slipped her hand up his shirt when she felt him trying to hold his breath against the pain in his chest. Lying on his side was putting pressure on his injury. She brushed her fingers over the still painful lumps by his breastbone.

Jaskier made a hiccuping sound, and flinched. "Sorry, dove," Yen murmured, "Give me a half a second." The pain receeded to a mild soreness and Jaskier relaxed. "Sleep now." She whispered. "We're right here with you. We'll keep him away."

Geralt tucked Jaskier's blanket closer to his face, and started to pur. Jaskier was out like a light minutes later.

[fandom-junk-drawer]

The Witcher Headcanon (Modern AU) - Fighting - Bonus Scene Part 1

Appologizing in advance because I was really mean to Jaskier in this one...

Oh, d**n.... Well, that hadn't gone well at all...

Geralt was on the way back from a job in Rinbe when Jaskier called him. It was late, and Geralt figured the Bard just wanted to tell him about how well his show in Tretogor had gone. But Jaskier's voice sounded strange over the phone.

At first Geralt figured he was just drunk, but then he started picking up the tightness in his voice. The overly casual tone. And then the slightly too long silence before Jaskier asks, "Where are you right now?"

Just getting into town, now-!

I need you to come pick me up.

F*ck. He was in trouble. "Where are you?"

You remember that one restaruant Yen made us all try, and the food ended up being absolute sh*t? Yeah, that one. I'll be round the back.

Geralt finds him in the back alley ten minutes later, sitting slumped against the wall, one hand holding the back of his head. He turned, going very still at the sound of Geralt's footsteps, and his eyes had that weird light to them that he got when he was... "Easy, Jaskier. It's me." Geralt said as he stopped a few feet away, hands held away from his body where Jaskier could see them. "It's me. Geralt."

Jaskier kept watching him with that eerie stillness as he inched closer and slowly knelt beside him, trying to avoid the blood and broken bottles. Geralt reached out very slowly and carefully touched his bruised and blood smeared cheek like he'd seen Yennefer do. The feral look dimmed. "Geralt..." he whimpered, dropping the bloodied push knife he'd been holding out of sight.

He'd obviously been in a fight. There were over turned crates, scattered rubbish bins, and other debris. And there was blood. It was on the ground, on Jaskier, and pooling next to the hulking mass of a dumpster that squatted a few yards away. Geralt's enhanced eyes could see the motionless figure huddled in its shadow.

Geralt picked up the knife and put it in his potion bag, trying not to make any sudden movements. "Was that the only one you had on you?"

"I-I didn't want to, Geralt!" Jaskier said in an exhausted whisper, handing over a second knife. He paused to spit blood, "He came up to me as I was leaving and tried to start sh*t with me. Said he didn't like my face, or something. I tried to run, but...he caught me, and...I couldn't get away!"

"Then he got what he f***ing deserved." Geralt said as he gently pulled Jaskier's hand away from the back of his head. The hand came away bloody. Sh*t. He leaned him forward and found the three inch long laceration on the back of his head that was bleeding sluggishly down his back. F**k.

He pulled out his pen light to get a better look. It didn't look any better in the light. Jaskier spat more blood, and the Witcher looked in his mouth, finding that he was missing some of his teeth.

Geralt unbuttoned the front of Jaskier's shirt and started feeling around.

"You're going to do this here?" Jaskier tried to laugh between pained gasps as Geralt found all his bruised ribs. "Why don't we go somewhere more private?" *Suggestive eyebrow wiggle* "I know a guy with this really sweet vintage Shaggin' Wagon! It's got shag carpeting and every-!"

Jaskier covered his mouth with both hands to stifle a scream as Geralt's fingers pressed on the two lumps on the left side of his chest, right next to his sternum.

"Sorry! Sorry!" Geralt rumbled softly as Jaskier trembled and panted in short gasps, hand hovering over the subluxated ribs. He tensed when the Witcher went to touch him again, the intense, cold look back in his eyes.

Geralt knew that look. Jaskier had a feral side that would come out on the rare occassion, under certain circumstances. Being cornered and beaten in a back alley was one of them. It made things extra exciting because you never knew what he was going to do.

Right now his fight or flight response had been switched on , and he couldn't run....

"Shhh," he said, his voice low as he slowly rested his hand on his chest. He could hear his rapid heartbeat, and smell the adreanaline in his sweat. "It's me, Jaskier. You know i'd never hurt you on purpose."

It took a moment, but the Bard did relax again and go back to hiding behind the overly casual, cheerful mask. Though Geralt noted that the look in his eye didn't completely fade. The pain was keeping him one step away from his fight response.

Geralt found more bruised ribs on his back and a suspicious bruise on his right flank. He was fairly certain what it was, but he just needed to make sure. "Up you get, Bard," he grunted as he eased Jaskier's arm across his shoulders and slowly eased him to his feet.

It was a slow process, punctuated by Jaskier's muffled exclamations of pain.

"I need you to p*ss." Geralt said when Jaskier had stopped shaking.

WhAt?

It's going to be a long drive home, and I'm not stopping. And you are not going to try to p*ss out the sliding door while I'm driving like you did the last time!

Do I have to? I can't go with someone watching me!

Says the guy who had no problem hanging out the side of a van at 70mph to try to p*ss on the packed tour bus I was passing. I'll close my eyes, okay? Now go.

But he's watching me!

They both looked at the body by the dumpster. Geralt turned the pen light off.

There, now he can't see you. Take a p*ss already!

Jaskier leaned awkwardly against the wall and started watering the cobbles. Half a second later he said in a concerned whispered, "GeRaLt!"

I know, I can smell it. You're p*ssing blood. You've got a bruised kidney-! Geralt paused, tensing. He could hear sirens in the distance. F**k! They probably weren't looking for them, but Geralt wasn't going to take a chance. "Pack it up, Jaskier. It's time to go!"

"Wait! Wait! I'm not done! Jaskier protested. "Hold on a second!" he whispered, turning around and forcing Geralt to dance out of the way of the bloody stream. Jaskier aimed it at the corpse, whispering fiercely, his Northern accent coming out "Take that, ya b**tard!"

Geralt pulled Jaskier's arm back across his shoulders when he was finished, and headed to the van.

He sat him on the floor on a plastic sheet, gave him a towel to hold against the head wound, and then found the main street and casually joined traffic.

He stopped at the hotel Jaskier had been staying at and picked up his things, telling a worried Madeleine that he would call her later with a proper explanation. Then he drove until the town was a distant glitter of lights in the rearview mirror. Geralt pulled off the road and parked behind a bank of trees so he could take care of Jaskier's injuries.

The ride had not done Jaskier any favors. The bumps, turns and stops of in town driving had aggravated his injuries. By the time Geralt pulled over he was shaking from the pain in his chest and back, and was only able to manage shallow breaths. At least his head wound had stopped bleeding...

"I'm going to give you something for the pain, " Geralt said as he sat next to Jaskier and started digging through his supply cabinet. "So you can at least breathe easier. " And stop tensing like you want to stab me every time I move...

He rifled through the cabinet to see what he had. F**k... he was out of morphine.

Jaskier curled up, resting his head on his knees. "Don't worry about water. I'll take them dry,"

Geralt was quiet for a second before he broke the bad news. "I'm out of morphine."

"I'll settle for vicodin, if you have it. Lidocane is good too! I'll even consider naproxin at this point. I'm not choosy."

"I don't carry that other stuff," Geralt replied. " I do have some midazolam,"

"Midawhat?"

"It's like a painkiller plus a light sedative. It's a small dose, so the effects will only last about an hour. It's all I have, but... um... "

Jaskier tensed at the hesitation in Geralt's voice and lifted his head slowly to look at the Witcher. He already had a bad feeling about the answer. He swallowed nervously as Geralt held up a thin syringe.

"oh...f-f**k." he said in a very small, reedy voice, his face going pale. He hated needles. His hands shook as he started fidgeting with his fingers, trying to hold back tears.

"If you don't want it, you don't have to take it. I won't force you. But I will suggest that you let me give it to you. I'm going to need to get you out of your shirt, and with all those bruised ribs, and those two displaced ones I'm going to have to try to put back in, it's going to be pretty painful."

Jaskier swallowed, and blinked a few tears out his eyes, then whispered a thready "Okay."

Geralt let him have a few moments while be busied himself prepping the syringe, rolling his sleeve up, finding a vein, and cleaning the spot on the inside of his elbow. Geralt lightly rubbed his hand on his back, being mindful of the bruised ribs, and pulled him over to lean his head on his shoulder.

Geralt sat with him like that for a few minutes. Talking quietly and getting him to take some calming breaths.

"You ready?" he asked. "Y-yeah..." Jaskier mumbled, shivering a little as anxiety squeezed his chest. He swallowed thickly, looking down at the syringe before looking away as Geralt pressed his finger against the vein in his arm.

Geralt paused when he heard the change in his heart rhythm, saw him go white around his lips, and saw him do a slow blink. F**k.

Jaskier vaguely heard Geralt rumble "I'm going to lay you down," and felt an arm go around his shoulders as a ringing sound hit his ears and his vision faded out. There was pressure in his head, and a sensation of movement.

Moments later his head cleared. He was laying on the floor, a rolled up towel under his head and Geralt's concerned face hovering over him.

Geralt didn't give him time to think. He couldn't. He only had seconds before Jaskier remembered the syringe and either panicked, or tried to fight.

"Take a breath..."

Jaskier winced at the sudden pinch. He didn't even have time protest before the needle was out and Geralt was putting a band-aid on his arm.

"Generic band-aid colored?" Jaskier said shakily, sounding disappointed as Geralt helped him sit up.

"Sorry, I was all out the ones with the naked pin up girls with the ridiculously huge tits."

"F**k you."

Jaskier felt himself relax as the medication started to take effect. He was finally able to take a nice deep breath as the pain faded to the background. He felt pleasantly numb, barely flinching as Geralt helped him strip off his blood soaked shirt before stitching the laceration on the back of his head and washing the blood out of his hair.

Geralt kept talking to him periodically, asking questions, or giving instructons as he cleaned the blood off him and dealt with the minor cuts and scrapes.

Jaskier only felt a brief bit of pain, whimpering quietly when Geralt felt around the subluxated ribs in his chest. The Witcher didn't try to put them back in. There was too much swelling, so he decided to leave them be for now. There was nothing he could do about the missing teeth.

He layed him on the bed and rolled him onto his side to check the bruise on his flank. It looked like it was getting worse...

Geralt diluted few drops of Swallow in a water bottle and got Jaskier to drink it, then pulled off the Bard's shoes and jeans and covered him with a light blanket.

Jaskier shifted onto his left side "Wan' my blanket, Geralt..." He murmured, groggy from the meds.

Geralt dug through Jaskier's duffle bag and retrieved the worn blanket. He put it over him before dimming the lights. Jaskier grabbed at his hand when he turned to get his phone. "Don' leave! Please!" he whimpered anxiously, eyes clouded with fear. "Please don' go an' where..."

"I'm not leaving," Geralt said as he knelt beside the bed, hand rubbing the frightened Bard's shoulder until he relaxed and fell into a fitful sleep. He let his hand rest briefly on Jaskier's cheek before taking his phone and heading to the front of the van.

"Yen. Sorry to wake you, but...It's Jaskier...