Okay but like. Geralt wearing makeup. Thoughts? I think it'd make him feel nice
that is one Big Yes from me babey!! somewhere in my art tag is a sketch of geralt wearing eyeliner but i gotta do a proper piece sometime soon. but anyway,
jaskier, naturally, is the one to propose it. geralt finds him putting on makeup in their room and jaskier enthusiastically asks to put it on him too, at which geralt just scoffs and goes to bed.
after about the third offer, geralt starts to get a lil curious. jaskier looks nice in it, it seems mildly fun, but it’s still ridiculously frivolous and requires him to let another person touch his face, which is rather unappealing. it takes him getting into a particularly good mood to chill out enough to relent. jaskier makes it as quick as possible, the first time, because he’s very aware of geralt’s hangups with touch and you can only tell a guy to stop frowning so many times. then he grabs a mirror.
geralt is surprised to find that for a brief moment he actually likes the look. then it all sorta. crashes back down on him. suddenly he just feels so grotesque, so fucking stupid to think he could pretty himself up as if doesn’t just make him delusional as well as freakish.
jaskier, contrary to a certain witcher’s belief, can tell when geralt is working himself into one of his self-loathing spirals. geralt is still trying to find his voice to demand jaskier wash it all off when jaskier starts... praising him. gathering his hair back from his face, brushing his fingers along his cheekbones, practically gushing about how lovely he is, how well the black liner brings out his eyes, how dashing he looks with his lips stained dark. and it’s so unexpected that it snaps geralt right out of his thoughts, buys him enough time to calm down under jaskier’s adoring gaze and realize that maybe it isn’t so bad after all.
jaskier takes it off once he’s said his piece, and geralt is left feeling oddly pleased. it sort of lingers in his mind, and the next time jaskier offers he accepts with only minimal grumbling. this time he manages to relax a bit more, finds himself enjoying the feeling of being pampered. jaskier braids his hair as well, and once again he takes special care to point out all the ways the makeup accentuates his features. geralt still isn’t particularly fond of looking at his own face, but jaskier likes it enough for the both of them, and he gradually comes to both enjoy the artistry of it and to accept that he’s allowed to let himself feel nice and pretty sometimes.
he never has any desire to wear it around anyone but jaskier, and after a while his self-consciousness doesn’t even factor into it. it’s something just for the two of them, a moment of reprieve where geralt can let go of everyone’s expectations of him and just relax under jaskier’s touch. the tradition later extends to the other witchers as well, who are just as eager for some positive attention as geralt.
geralt also thinks jaskier looks amazing with makeup on. getting to stare at him for a while is a definite plus.