Hi Comfy! 💜 Could you write some Tired Dad™ Jaskier, please? Ciri has been really difficult all day, crying because she misses her other daddy. Geralt made a business trip 3 days ago and will only be back at night.
Nonie i love this. I really hope i did your idea justice. I threw in as much fluff as I could!
just for clarification, ciri calls Jask “Fafa” and Geralt “Papa”, also I'm going with her being like 4? so only having a light grasp on language?
Warnings: none unless you don’t like specific dad nicknames? crying toddlers?
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Three days.
It's not that long. It's not a big deal. Jaskier wasn't even worried about the logistics of Geralt being gone (other than Ciri being a morning baby), he was worried about missing his husband. So worried, in fact, that he forgot until night #1 that Ciri was going to miss him too.
"Where's Papa?" She asked, holding one of her feet close to her face to examine the bruised toenail from when she dropped the birdbath on it last week.
Jaskier gently tugged her leg back down so he could tuck her in, "He's working, cub. He went to help Uncle Skel."
Her little brow furrowed just like Geralt's did when he was thinking. They were so much alike you'd think they'd used Geralt's sperm for the fertilization. How she got bright blonde hair and green eyes with Jaskier's DNA was a mystery, they were pretty sure the egg donor they chose had brown eyes too, but either way she was cute as could be. The one thing she absolutely got from Jaskier was how much she loved Geralt.
"Papa will be home late?"
Jaskier brushed the hair off of her forehead as he sat next to her on her brand new big girl bed, "Really late. He'll be gone two more nights."
"But where will he sleep?!"
"At Uncle Skel's house," Jaskier laughed.
Ciri didn't think it was funny in the slightest, "But people sleep at home!"
It was a good half hour before she accepted that, yes, Papa would sleep okay somewhere else, and no, that doesn't mean it's his home now. It was another half hour before Jaskier heard little snores coming from her room and could finally relax. Not that he slept much. The bed was cold and the constant reminder that he was gone just made him worry over his husband.
Geralt called them early the next morning and Ciri was ecstatic, holding the phone up close to her face and cradling it reverently. She prattled on about a dream she had and nearly choked on her oatmeal because simply wouldn't stop talking. When Geralt finally said he had to go, she dragged out the 'i love you's and 'see you soon's as long as she could.
As soon as Jaskier stuffed his phone in his pocket and turned to grab a paper towel, the toddler was in tears.
She wailed as Jaskier pulled her out of her booster seat and cradled her to his shoulder, bouncing back and forth like he did when she was still bottle feeding, "I know Cub, I know. He'll be back soon. It's okay."
"I want Papa!" She shrieked and cried some more, burying her face in Jaskier's sweater.
"I know, darling. I miss him too." Jaskier tried not to be hurt by her little tirade, she was only four, she didn't mean anything by it, but it still stung.
The days passed in a coffee-fueled blur, Jaskier doing his best to distract Ciri and avoid complete meltdowns. They went to the park, went for a ride on Roach (and even gave her a bath), went for bike rides, saw a movie, did two parent/child painting classes, and even baked a cake from scratch to fill the time. Jaskier thought he might fall asleep walking.
On the third night, Ciri crept into their room just as he was about to fall asleep, “Fafa?”
“Hmm?”
“I’m-” she was cut off by a yawn, “I’m not sleepy.”
Jaskier propped himself up on an elbow, “Do you want snuggles?”
She nodded and wiped at her nose. He pulled back the blankets and she scrambled onto the bed and up against his side, flinging one of her lanky little arms over his chest. He tucked her under his arm and made sure they were both pleasantly cocooned in the comforter.
“Fafa?”
He resisted the urge to sigh, just wanting to drift off to sleep, “Yes, Ciri?”
“Do you miss Papa too?”
He looked down at her and frowned, “Of course I do, darling. I miss him even when he’s gone on a regular workday.”
She snuggled in closer and wrapped her little fist around his sleepshirt, “Why don’t you cry?”
He kissed the top of her head, “I don’t want to worry you, love. And I know he’s coming back.”
“Tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow.”
That’s how Geralt found them, snuggled up and both snoring softly as the morning light filtered through the curtains.
He quietly set his luggage down and shrugged off his jacket before slipping into bed on Ciri’s side and pulling them both close. It was a few minutes still before either of them stirred, and even when Jaskier sleepily carded his fingers through Geralt’s hair he didn’t seem to notice till a few seconds later.
A sweet smile spread across his face, still keeping his eyes closed, “You’re back.”
Geralt leaned over to kiss him, doing his best not to squish Ciri, “Did you miss me?”
“Immensely,” Jaskier sighed, going back to playing with Geralt’s hair, still not opening his eyes.
Their talking woke Ciri and before Geralt even had the chance to say ‘hello’ she was squealing and clinging to his neck for dear life.
Geralt laughed and Jaskier just rolled his eyes fondly. “Hope you’re not tired, love.”
Geralt peeled Ciri off him to set her on his chest, “Good morning, princess. What do you want for breakfast?”
She bounced, punching the air out of Geralt’s lungs as she answered, “Pancakes!”
“Pancakes it is,” he roared, hoisting her above his head and rolling to sit up on the edge of the bed. He glanced back at Jaskier, “Coming, Fafa?”
Jask snuggled deeper under the blankets, “Call me when the coffee’s ready.”
