Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Nope, no, not a chance, no and no .” Jaskier’s voice came out higher than he’d intended, and his mouth snapped shut as he glared at the purple eyed witch who had sat herself down at the bar next to him. “You are not allowed – it’s not fair, it’s not, I was here first, and plus, you can just - you can just magic yourself anywhere, go find somewhere else to drink.” 

Yennefer eyed him with the slightest of smiles before turning to the innkeeper who stood on the other side of the bar. “Shots, now. And leave the bottle.” The man hurried to do as she demanded, pouring them two shots apiece and setting the bottle down in front of Yennefer before making his way towards the other end of the bar to help other patrons. 

Jaskier didn’t move to pick up either of the shots in front of him, instead eying Yennefer with no small amount of wariness. Not looking at him, she picked up one of the shots in front of her and downed it in one go, slamming the glass back down on the counter before picking up the second. Before she drank that one down, she shot Jaskier a look and raised an eyebrow at him. 

“It’s not poisoned, if that’s what you’re thinking. Just alcohol.” She slammed back the second shot and dropped the now empty glass down in front of herself, shaking her head like a dog as she felt the burn of the fiery liquid making it’s way down her throat. “You seemed like you could use it; I know I certainly could.” 

Jaskier kept his eyes on her for another few moments before giving in and picking up one of his shots and downing it without another thought. The burn was exquisite and he took a moment to be grateful that whatever it was that the innkeeper had brought them seemed higher quality than what he could usually afford. 

“So, Yennefer of Vengerburg, to what do I owe this displeasure? If you’re going to insist on getting me drunk, the least you can do is tell me why you’re doing it.” Jaskier downed his second shot while Yennefer picked up the bottle and poured herself two more, refilling his empty glass at the same time. 

When he plunked the shot glass in his hand back down on the bar, Jaskier looked up, finding Yennefer’s eyes. She was studying him, her eyes boring into him in a way that gave him goosebumps, and he got the feeling that she was seeing far too much of his thoughts as she peered at him. 

“Geralt of Rivia is a bastard.” Her words were sneered, and Jaskier felt a flash of true terror at the venom in her tone as she spoke. He didn’t happen to disagree with her, however, and he picked up the shot she’d poured him, lifting it towards her in a toast of sorts. 

“Of that, we are in complete agreement, oh beautiful and terrifying sorceress.” Yennefer lifted one of her own glasses and clinked it against his before they both downed their respective drinks. Once he set his glass down on the bar, Jaskier turned back to Yennefer. “So, I know that you have every reason to think Geralt a bastard, and I couldn’t agree more, but why is it that you felt I would agree with you on the matter? It’s not like we’ve ever seen eye to eye on anything before.” 

She shrugged, running a finger around the rim of her glass idly. “Well, not that it truly matters, but after the fight, after I left, on the mountain–” Jaskier winced, the hurt still fresh in his mind, but Yennefer continued as if he hadn’t. “I wanted to see – I needed to know that Geralt was hurting, after I left... that my leaving had an impact on him.” She shrugged. “I’ve never claimed not to be petty.” 

While Jaskier could feel the effects of the alcohol already fuzzing his mind and blurring his dislike of the witch, he was still able to put together the pieces she wasn’t saying, and he shot her a glare. “Ah, so you’re saying you were listening in, were you? You heard all about how one measly bard is somehow responsible for all of the hardships faced by the great Geralt of Rivia?” 

Yennefer nodded at him, her expression unreadable. “Yes, well, I wasn’t expecting him to take it out on you.” She shrugged again. “But he’s never been one for acknowledging feelings, his or anyone else’s, and I’m not entirely surprised at his lack of tact.” 

Jaskier snorted, reaching for the bottle and pouring himself another shot. In his opinion, what Geralt had said to him last wasn’t so much suffering from a lack of tact as it was suffering from a surplus of honesty. He’d always known that Geralt thought him somewhat foolish and annoying, but he’d thought under the grumpy and unpleasant exterior, the witcher had considered him a friend. 

As he moved, Yennefer watched him, her eyes tracking as he carefully tipped the bottle upright once more. He knocked back the shot gracelessly, slamming the glass back onto the bar and meeting her eyes. “Well, one incredible shit-shoveler, at your service, m’lady.” Without moving from his chair, he gave her a mocking bow, lowering his head even as his hair stood on end at the thought of exposing the back of his neck to her scrutinizing gaze. 

In response, she gave a rather unladylike snort of laughter, and swatted at his arm until he righted himself. When he met her gaze once more, he noted that her eyes were already slightly glassy, the alcohol having affected her more than he would have expected. Granted, Jaskier had spent most of his life drinking with Geralt, so his idea of other people’s tolerances was probably fairly biased. 

“For what it’s worth, he’s a moron in all respects, and despite your incredible talent for annoying everyone you meet, Geralt was lucky to count you a friend.” At Yennefer’s words, Jaskier gaped, his mouth hanging open rather unbecomingly as he tried to understand her. She snorted again and rolled her eyes at him as he tried to align her words with the Yennefer of Vengerberg that he knew. 

“I’m sorry, did you just – are you being nice to me?” Jaskier’s eyes were wide as he spoke, and he looked at her before grabbing the bottle of alcohol and sniffing it dubiously. “Is there some kind of – some sort of potion in here that’s making you like this?” 

She rolled her eyes and grabbed the bottle back from him, lifting it to her lips and taking a swig before setting it down between them once more. “No, it’s not laced with anything. I’m just – I know that you and Geralt, you’ve been friends for so long, and well, you and I – we haven’t always seen eye to eye about things, but I do respect you, you know.” 

Her words were like a slap, and Jaskier sucked in a breath, looking at her in complete confusion. “You – I – what?” He gaped at her, not quite able to fit her words together in a way that made sense. “You’re – Yennefer, as much as I hate to remind you of this fact, but you and I hate each other.” He frowned. “Well, hate is kind of a strong word, but we’ve never – we don’t get along . And you most certainly do not respect me in any way.” 

She chuckled. “Yes, well, a week ago I would have agreed with you, but things change.” She shifted in her chair, dropping a hand to his knee. The warmth of her fingers seemed to burn through his trousers, searing his skin, and Jaskier almost pushed her away, afraid she was actually burning him. But he realized that the touch was just a normal one, no magic involved, despite how aware he suddenly was of the point of contact between the two of them. 

He met her eyes once more, and bit his lip. “Well, I’m not sure exactly what changed so drastically that you’re willing to admit any amount of respect for my person, but I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth.” He shivered when her hand didn’t leave his knee, tracing patterns against the rough fabric there. “Not that, I’m not calling you a horse, of course, I just – the saying–” 

She chuckled at his babbling, a softer grin crossing her face than he’d seen on her before. “I understand you.” He blinked at her, unsure what was happening. “I guess that, well, I may have been a slight bit, uh, jealous before.” She shrugged at him. 

Jaskier wasn’t sure what to make of that. “But you’re - you’re Yennefer of Vengerburg , you’re a beautiful and powerful sorceress who controls elements I can only dream of. I’m a bard .” 

She leaned closer to him, still smiling that soft smile. “Yes, but you’re a bard that Geralt of Rivia was willing to do anything to save.” 

Jaskier was already shaking his head by the time she finished speaking, a scowl on his face. “Oh no, he’s made it indelibly clear that he wants nothing more to do with me, he’d be glad if I fucked right off and out of his life forever. He could care less if I die or not.” 

Yennefer gave him another smile, and leaned closer. “You say that, and yet, you should have heard what he said to me when we first met, when he brought you to me.” Jaskier frowned at her, waiting, and she continued. “You were in a healing sleep; he confided in me that the last things he’d said to you were words of cruelty, and that he needed to make it right, to apologize to you and not have it be the last thing you remembered of him.” 

Jaskier gaped at her, not quite ready to believe that Geralt had actually said that, let alone about him. “No, I’m fairly certain you’re mistaken, I really doubt that he would ever admit to any sort of regrets about anything he’s said to me.” He frowned, biting his lip once more. “Which, really, that should have been my first clue. I just thought….well, I thought that despite his rather prickly exterior, he sort of cared about me.” Jaskier sighed, turning away from Yennefer and rubbing his hands over his eyes. “Clearly I was a fool for ever thinking that.” 

Yennefer made a soft noise, and squeezed his knee where they were still touching. “You’re many things, bard, but not a fool. He does care about you, and once he gets over himself, he’ll realize that the way he treated you was terrible.” She snorted. “Much the same as he treated me. You and I aren’t all that different, really, all things considered.” 

At that, Jaskier let out a bark of laughter that startled Yennefer, throwing his head back and truly laughing, the first time he’d done so since that damned mountain. Once he settled, he looked back at her, wiping tears of mirth out of his eyes. “Yennefer, while normally I would be scared as shit to tell you that you’re dead wrong, I am just drunk enough to be willing to say it to your face.” He leaned closer to her, close enough that he could feel the small puffs of her breath against his cheek. “You, madame, are dead fucking wrong.” 

When he leaned back, she was looking at him with a strange expression. He couldn’t tell what exactly was going on in her mind, and when she spoke it wasn’t what he expected. “He loves you, you know. Geralt does.” 

Jaskier shook his head, grimacing at her. “He most assuredly does not. He loves you , and as we’ve learned, he’s done some truly questionable things in the pursuit of said love.” He shrugged, pouring another shot and downing it dutifully before looking back at her. 

Yennefer was looking at him, and as their eyes locked, Jaskier felt a spark of understanding pass between them. Even before she opened her mouth to speak, he knew what she was going to say. "Regardless of what you may think he feels for you, he does love you, Jaskier." He shivered at the sound of his name from her lips. "But clearly he's unable to actually do anything to keep from hurting the people he loves, namely you and me." 

Jaskier huffed in agreement, pouring the both of them another shot. "Yes well, both you and I have learned that the hard way, haven't we?" She picked up her glass and clinked it against his own before they both downed them. Jaskier, once he was finished, found her eyes again. "But surely you didn't come here just to talk shit about Geralt with me, there are much more interesting things you could be doing, I'm sure." 

He wanted a hand at her, sensing that his words might not be interpreted as he'd intended them. "Not, of course, that you're not welcome. Well, I mean, I wasn't all that thrilled to see you, but I've started to think you're not so bad after all, Yennefer of Vengerburg." He leered at her, letting his eyes drop to the low cut hem of her dress before looking up again. Jaskier was just drunk enough not to be afraid she'd hex his balls off for looking. 

Yennefer gave him a smirk of her own before leaning closer, pushing her breasts higher up in his field of view. "Well now, bard, as I've said, I heard what Geralt had to say to you on that mountain after I left, and I happen to think that the way he treated both of us was unfair and rather cruel if you ask me." 

Jaskier nodded, agreeing with her general assessment of the situation but still unsure what she was there for. She continued on, not waiting for an answer from him. "And while I will admit to having a rather…unorthodox upbringing, I've spent enough time in court learning about the ways of the world to understand some basic truths about how a woman gets back at men who scorn her." 

Her tone was low and heady, and Jaskier found himself leaning even closer to her. "And what are those, then?" 

She licked her lips, looking him in the eyes. "Well, the most basic and tried and true of them all is that if a man hurts you, you get back at him by sleeping with his best friend." 

Jaskier couldn't help but grin at her words, not leaning away from her even as he chuckled. "Well, dearest Yennefer, I do detect one flaw in your otherwise perfect plan. Geralt doesn't care a whit for me, and if he has his way, he'll never see me again." 

Instead of being thrown at his words, Yennefer just smiled back. "Yes, well, we've already agreed to disagree on his feelings for you, and even if you never see him again, I'm doomed to cross paths with him for the rest of my life. Dropping that tidbit into conversation would be something I would greatly look forward to, I have to say." 

Jaskier snorted again, leaning back and giving her a more appraising look. "Well, I'm glad that I come across as such an easy lay that you're already convinced I'd say yes, despite our checkered past." 

At that Yennefer waved a hand at him, rolling her eyes. "Oh please, you're a man, and plus, you forget that I do actually know you, Jaskier. Despite our disagreements , you and I have traveled in similar circles for years now. I've heard tales of your... abilities, for lack of a better word, in between the legs of quite a few noblewomen, and I have to say that I wouldn't be opposed to see if what they've said is true." 

He felt her eyes travel over his body, her stare sending tingles over every inch of skin it passed over. When they locked eyes once more, he found that he'd made up his mind. 

"Well, oh beautiful and terrifying sorceress, I cannot see a reason not to accept, save one." He continued before she could ask. "I'll agree to it on the condition that you not threaten my manhood again, seeing as I'm quite fond of it." He gave her a soft smile in an attempt to take the bite out of the request, even as he knew she could see how serious he was. 

She nodded, running the fingers still on his knee up the inner seam of his pants leg. "Deal." She smirked at him. "Who knows, maybe after tonight I'll be rather fond of it myself." 

Jaskier let himself chuckle for a moment before he leaned closer to her, tipping his head to one side as he telegraphed that he was about to kiss her. She didn't pull away, instead pressing forward, locking their mouths together hotly. 

The kiss was a good one, both of them talented and determined to show the other up. Neither of them were particularly submissive and the kiss turned into a battle of sorts, both trying to showcase their abilities and get the upper hand. 

When they finally broke apart, both were panting and Jaskier held Yennefer's eyes, licking his own lips. "I've a room upstairs, paid up through the next few nights, if you want." She nodded back at him, slipping off her stool nimbly. 

"Lead the way." 

He did just that, turning towards the staircase set into the back wall. After a couple of steps, he paused and turned back towards her, where she'd been following him a step behind. Before Yennefer could ask what was wrong, Jaskier took her hand, interlacing their fingers together and turning back towards the stairs. 

Yennefer let herself be pulled, surprised by the simple intimacy of their clasped hands and enjoying the rasp of his lute-calloused fingers against her own.

He let her to the room he'd rented, opening the door quickly before ushering her inside and shutting it firmly behind them. As Yennefer looked around, she saw the markings that he'd been there a few days already – his lute laid out on a table next to a pad of paper covered in scrawled lyrics, clothes strewn haphazardly about, and a rumpled bed covered with a warm blanket that probably hadn't come with the room. 

Instead of immediately going to kiss her again, Jaskier hesitated, his hands coming up to touch her but dropping back to his sides before he made contact. Yennefer frowned at him. "What is it now?" 

Jaskier shrugged, shuffling his feet and not looking at her directly. "I, uh, I'm not sure what's allowed and what isn't." He gave her a sheepish smile. "I don't want to – I'd rather not touch you in a way you dislike and end up turned into a newt, or something." 

Yennefer looked harder at him. "I've already given you my word that no harm would come to you." 

He waved a hand, dismissive. "That's just in regards to my cock, which, as I've said, I'm rather fond of." His mouth twisted as he thought. "However, I guess if you wanted to be technical, turning me into a newt would probably count as doing something to my cock, albeit as part of a larger spell." 

Yennefer didn't let him get much farther down that train of thought. "Alright, very well. How about this – I'll make you the promise that you will come to no harm from me so long as you aren't consciously trying to harm me in any way." 

He cocked his head, thinking it over. "Hmm, yes that is good, but what about – when you're making love, sometimes there is a certain pleasure that comes from slight pain, things like biting, slaps, stuff of that nature." 

When she looked at him, he was grinning at her, partly sarcastic but also partly waiting for her answer. She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, and deliberately didn’t give one ounce of her thought process towards the phrase making love . 

"Do not aim to do me any lasting or deep damage, and I will refrain from punishing any slights with magic." She shot him a teasing grin of her own. "Punishments of a different sort, however, are fair game." 

Jaskier's mouth was suddenly very dry, and he licked his lips, remembering why exactly she was there with him. "Deal." 

With that, he stepped closer, into her personal space, and cupped her face, drawing her in for a deep kiss. This was more than the kiss they'd shared at the bar, and Yennefer felt tempted to let go and just drift, heady with the passion he was pouring into the embrace. 

The next time they broke apart, Jaskier was smiling softly at her, and he let his hands fall to her shoulders, pressing her steadily back towards the bed. She let him maneuver her back, but when she felt her legs hit the edge of the bed she stopped, not falling back into it like Jaskier probably expected her to. 

Instead, she fisted both hands in his shirt and used her strength to turn them around until he stood with his back to the bed instead of her. He met her eyes, his own wide with surprise, and she planted her fists into his chest and shoved, pushing him over. 

He went easily, landing on the bed with a thump. When she gestured, he crawled backwards, propping himself up against the pillows. She followed him onto the bed then, hiking up her dress and climbing over limbs until she knelt over him, her hips settling down over his own. She moved against him, the friction drawing groans from both of them. 

"So, bard, how about you show me how talented that tongue of yours really is?" Her words were murmured, and Jaskier quickly nodded, pushing against the headboard and sliding down so she knelt over his face instead of his thighs. 

When he got where he wanted to be, he groaned again, lifting his head up to nose against the silk lace of her underclothes, pressing his mouth to her through them and tasting. She grunted, the feeling already threatening to overwhelm her senses, and pulled back. 

He tried to follow her and whined low in his throat when she stopped him. She kept a hand in his hair as she moved, and when she gave a sharp tug he seemed to settle somewhat. Even still, she found herself speaking, reassuring him. 

"I'm just pulling off this infernal dress and underclothes, don't whine. I'll be right here." 

And she was. She disrobed with remarkable speed and clambered back on top of him immediately, her thighs bracketing his ears. As she moved, he smiled up at her before leaning in to lick a stripe against her core. She moaned, tugging on his hair and directing his mouth where she wanted. 

And oh, the ladies of the court were not lying about his talents, Yennefer quickly decided. Jaskier licked and mouthed at her with the kind of talent that could only come from years of practice, something she found herself not a little jealous of his previous partners for. 

When he brought his hands up to his mouth and pushed two fingers inside her, fucking into her at the same pace as he licked over her clit, she tumbled over the edge of her orgasm faster than she'd expected to, crying out and pulling at his hair with the sensations thrumming through her body. He didn't stop though, instead licking her through it before pulling back a little to tongue at her, gentle, while she rode out the aftershocks of oversensitivity. 

Before she could move off him, however, his hands wrapped around her thighs, holding her right where she was. When she looked down, he met her gaze before leaning up to lick at her some more, sucking at her clit and threatening her control. 

Jaskier worked her through another two orgasms like that, uninterested in seeking his own pleasure. She felt blindly behind her at one point, finding him rock hard and (probably uncomfortably) still trapped by his pants, but he made a noise of dismissal and moved her hands back to his hair, encouraging her to pull on it as she moaned her way through her second orgasm. 

Once her legs were shaking so hard she was sure walking was out of the question, Yennefer pushed at Jaskier's forehead, rolling off him and onto the bed beside him instead. He turned towards her, chin and lips wet with slick and a knowing grin on his face. 

"Hmm, had enough? Do I get to claim that I bested the most powerful sorceress there ever was?" 

She snorted and smacked at his arm, and he stopped talking but didn't appear apologetic for his words in the slightest. 

"No, and if you start claiming that to others I might just change my mind on hexing you after all." She expected him to tense at that, at least give her some worried look or other sign that he was concerned at her appearance willingness to break a promise she'd made him. He did nothing other than smile that same blissed out smile, rolling closer to her and tucking his face against her collarbone like he was the one who'd come three times. 

"Nmhh, I doubt you'd do that now, I haven't even fucked you properly yet." Damn him, and he was right, too. She wanted to see if he was as good with his dick as he was with his mouth, and she sighed, resigned to his being rather smug about it. 

She reached up and tugged on his hair some more, not to direct his head anywhere but instead just to cause him pain. He whined against the hollow of her throat, his hips pushing against her thigh instinctively. She fought a smile at his reaction. 

"Oh, we like that, do we?" Jaskier's only response was a nod, his eyes closed as he bucked against her once more. She tugged his hair again. "Alright then, bard, get to it. I'm not going to wait around all day for you to figure yourself out." The words were sharp but her tone softened them, and she cursed herself for sounding so fond of him already. She wasn't there to feel fond about anyone, she was there for the petty bit of revenge she came for. 

He didn't seem to notice her self-flagellation, though, and he just moved himself until he knelt between her legs, still mostly dressed. She lifted one hand to point at the center of his chest with a frown. "Off, shirt and pants, this isn't some teenage fumble." 

He scrambled to obey her, tugging at his shirt and getting it over his head before reaching for the fastenings of his pants. Once he was as naked as she was, he slipped between her legs once more, his dick hard against his stomach. She wrapped her legs around his back, urging him closer until he leaned over her, rubbing his dick against her opening. 

Instead of pushing inside her immediately, however, he leaned forward, content just to rut against her as he captured her mouth once more, kissing her like he wanted to drown in her. She could taste herself in his mouth, and she let him kiss her for a time before the teasing started to get to her. With the legs still hooked around his back, she pulled him closer, canting her hips against him in an obvious plea. 

When he broke the kiss, he was smiling, and she groaned at him, reaching up to tug on his hair some more. “Alright, you’ve had your fun, bard, now fuck me. ” 

He heeded her orders, lining up and slamming into her in two beats. When he finally hit home inside her, she moaned, clenching around him. With how much he’d pleasured her already, she’d felt open and aching and his length was a perfect balm, soothing that need. She groaned again, her heels kicking against his back in an attempt to spur him on like a horse. 

Jaskier was nothing if not attentive to her needs, and he set about making sure that she enjoyed herself, impaled as she was on his cock. It wasn’t the largest she’d ever taken, not longest nor thickest, but he had a knack for finding every spot inside her that would make her see stars when he rubbed against her, drawing out and thrusting back in at marvelous angles. 

Before long, she was a panting, moaning mess, and she took no small amount of pleasure from the fact that he wasn’t much better, pressing his face into her neck and whining against her skin, his hips starting to stutter against her own. He reached a hand between them to touch her, rub at her swollen clit, and she screamed as she came for the fourth time that night, thighs tightening around his waist. He fucked her through the orgasm and as her own waves of pleasure started to trail off, he grunted, his hips shuddering forward as he came himself, bucking into her with short, cut-off breaths. 

She let him ride out his orgasm before pushing him off of her, feeling like he’d more than earned it. When she shoved at his chest, however, he tipped sideways willingly, collapsing onto the bed beside her and throwing an arm over her chest as he cuddled into her side. 

Both of them took long minutes to get their breath back, panting like they’d run a marathon. When Jaskier seemed more coherent, he pulled himself up so he could hold her more securely to his chest, spooning over her back with a sleepy sort of sigh. She surprised herself by letting him, enjoying the contact. 

She shifted against him, feeling sticky, and his grip on her tightened for a moment before he let her up. His hands didn’t completely stop touching her, though, his fingertips skittering over her bare hip bones. 

“You could stay, you know.” His words made her freeze, and she turned to look at him, violet eyes meeting blue. “I’m not – don’t think I’m being foolish, I’m not expecting this to happen again, I know what you were after.” He shrugged. “But I’ve got the room, and I can’t imagine any pressing witchy business you need to get back to in the middle of the night. Stay ‘til morning.” 

Yennefer hadn’t planned to stay the night with him, but she also hadn’t planned on him being as good in bed as his reputation would suggest, and she found herself considering the idea. If nothing else, she hadn’t gotten a chance to ride him properly yet and she wanted to try it. 

Yennefer sighed and stood from the bed, dislodging his hands from her hips. She walked over to the washbasin by the mirror, and wet a rag before tossing it back to a disappointed looking Jaskier who caught it easily. He looked from the rag to her in confusion. 

She waved a hand at him, breaking eye contact and feeling herself flush. “Well clean yourself off – if I’m staying I’m not sleeping in a wet spot.” Although she wasn’t looking at him, she knew he was grinning wide and she heard him obediently wiping himself down with the cloth before he tossed it in the general direction of the washbasin. She cleaned herself off as well, wiping off the worst of the mess between her legs and grimacing as she felt his cum trailing down her thighs. 

Even as she thought about the feeling, she heard him clear his throat behind her. When she turned, he was wearing an expression she couldn’t decipher and looking at her. “What now?” 

He had to clear his throat again before he could answer her. “Not that, well, I’m – look, alright, I’m only asking because I know that with, uh, Geralt, he’s not able to, but I am as far as I know, and I should have asked before I – but well, I didn’t really…” He trailed off, thinking, and when he looked back at her, his expression was steeled. “You have, uh, magic or something that makes it so no child would be conceived from this, right?” 

It was like a bucket of ice water down her back, and she stood ramrod straight, giving him an icy glare. “I’m barren.” 

She’d expected more awkwardness from him, or some relief, or maybe both. What she didn’t expect was a softening of his expression, something close to pity although not quite there. She flinched at the look he gave her, and turned back to the mirror, focused on cleaning off the last of his spend from herself. 

“Yennefer, I’m–” 

She whirled on him. “If you say the word ‘sorry’ I will castrate you, promise or no promise.” 

His eyes widened and he held his hands up, placating. “I just wish I had been more tactful, is all. I should have known better, and I would like to apologize for my wording, not the situation at large.” Despite his worries, he held her gaze, his expression earnest as he looked at her. She skimmed his mind, looking through the surface thoughts and finding no deception in his words. He truly wished he had been able to keep from reminding her of her plight, and wished to right the hurt he’d caused her. 

She sighed and threw the rag she’d been scrubbing at her skin with back into the wash basin. “It’s - it’s fine, you didn’t know.” Despite herself, she found her legs walking her back over to the bed and sitting down. He was still watching her, eyes wide. 

“Well, yes, but I still could have done a better job explaining myself.” 

At that, she snorted and looked him over. “Oh, you need not explain yourself bard, I truly understand your reasons for asking.” She shook her head, looking away. “Gods know that men look at fatherhood the way that they look at pig shit.” 

A soft touch to her wrist startled her, and she looked down to find his fingertips brushing her skin. “That’s not it, but if that’s what you want to believe, I won’t push the matter.” He grinned up at her, and she could tell the expression was forced. “Anyway, if you are to stay, my delightful sorceress, you should settle into bed and then I’ll blow out the candles.” 

She let him tug her back under the covers, throwing the very fluffy and soft blanket over the both of them. He offered her the better of the two pillows and she accepted it wordlessly. When he stood to blow out the few candles scattered around the room she stayed quiet, just watching him. He was unselfconscious in his nakedness, stepping from one candle to the next with sure steps, and her eyes tracked his movements. Once the lights were dimmed, he slipped back into the bed next to her, wrapping his arms around her with only the briefest of hesitations. She let him, unsure why she was doing so. 

Both of them settled in, and Yennefer found herself unable to find sleep immediately, her mind still running around the events of the night. Jaskier’s breathing went quieter against her neck, but she thought he was still awake. 

“If it’s not fatherhood that scares you, what is it?” Her words were quiet, so quiet that if she’d misjudged and he was asleep, they wouldn’t have woken him. 

His answer came moments later, pressed softly against her skin as he held her. “Well, children are – they’re a link to someone else that you have for the rest of your life. Geralt, the bastard, linked the two of you against your will, and I wouldn’t want to do the same thing to you, especially not so soon. I’m not against having children, but I wouldn’t want to force a connection like that between us without your permission.” 

When she didn’t answer him back, he took it in stride, and simply settled himself more firmly against her body, his grip loosening. Despite her threats to his person and his personal feelings towards her, he dropped off to sleep quickly, his breaths evening out against her skin. 

Yennefer stayed awake a while longer, his words running through her mind over and over. He’d always come across as a fool to her, someone of middling intelligence and talent who trailed behind Geralt like a lost puppy, but she was being forced to reassess her feelings about the bard, and rethink her opinion of him. In one night, he’d managed to force her to acknowledge that her previous views about him were almost entirely wrong, and she could admit that she found herself wanting to know the person she got a glimpse of better. 

Eventually, sleep found her and she drifted off, feeling safer in his arms than she had in a long while.

Chapter Text

In the morning, Jaskier woke to Yennefer on top of him, sliding down his cock until he was fully seated inside of her. He moaned weakly, his hands coming up to grip her hips as she rocked against him. 

“Yenn – fuck, fuck ...” Jaskier’s words were breathless and he bucked up into her, his eyes fluttering closed in pleasure. She paid him no mind and started moving almost immediately, lifting herself off of him almost completely before dropping back down. Jaskier felt his control slipping already and he bit his lip, focusing on not coming too soon. 

When he was sure he wasn’t about to ruin their new truce by coming with a hair trigger, he carefully reached a hand between their bodies to pleasure her, teasing her clit with nimble fingers as she rode him. She gasped at the feeling and her hands clawed at his shoulders, holding onto him tightly. 

They moved together, with Yennefer leading and Jaskier content to lay back and let her take the reins. He kept one hand on her hip, the other pressed against her clit, pleasuring her as she worked herself up and down. She seemed happy to accept all he had to give, vocal with her enjoyment, and Jaskier shut his eyes firmly against the sight of her, radiant above him, in order to not come immediately. 

After an indeterminate amount of time, she screamed as she came, shaking like a leaf. The sensations of her around him, her nails digging into his shoulders, was enough to upset the balance he’d found and sent him tumbling over the edge as well, his hands gripping her hips as he thrust up wildly into her, emptying himself with a yelp. 

Once he finally came down from the heights he’d been sent to, he unclenched his hands from around her hips, frowning at the already purpling bruises where he’d gripped at her. Yennefer paid him no mind as she flopped down beside him, one arm snaking out and pulling him tightly to her. 

“You’re thinking too loudly, bard.” Her voice was sardonic, and she raked her nails across his stomach, drawing him out of his thoughts. He turned to look at her, raising an eyebrow. 

“Oh, I am, am I?” He gave her a grin, and leaned down to press a kiss behind her ear. “Now, remember, you promised me no bodily harm, alright?” 

Before she could respond to that, one of his hands shot out to draw across her ribcage, fingers expertly finding every ticklish spot she had, as well as quite a few she wasn’t aware of. She squealed, her whole body tensing up as she tried to escape his onslaught. He stopped fairly soon, his hands settling down more firmly against her skin and soothing any remaining sensations. 

As she tried to catch her breath, Yennefer shot him a glare, twisting away from him on the bed. “Not funny, bard. Just because I promised not to use magic on you doesn’t mean I don’t have any other ways of making you pay for that.” 

Instead of the fear she expected to see in his eyes, his gaze darkened as he looked at her. “Oh really, and what might those be?” 

She smirked. “Well, there’s nothing stopping me from taking your belt and bruising up your cute little ass until you can’t walk; that seems like a good place to start, hmm?” 

Jaskier’s pupils dilated and he moaned, reaching for her instinctively. “You can’t just - you can’t just say that , gods–” 

Yennefer giggled, swatting at his hands as he leaned over, trying to kiss her. He let her swat him away, huffing and rolling onto his back with a groan. “You’re going to kill me, truly.” 

She laughed outright at that and shifted so she lay plastered against his side, one of her hands drawing patterns over the skin of his chest. “Only a little.” 

He grunted and worked a hand through her hair, smoothing it out. “Yes, well, I can’t say I won’t be begging for it by the time you finally get around to it.” He took a deep breath before speaking again. “This is – it’s rather nice, though, yeah?” She felt him shrug. “If anyone had asked me what this would have been like a week ago I wouldn’t have been able to imagine the reality in a million years.” His voice was quiet, like he was admitting a secret, and she didn’t look up to meet his eyes, instead focusing her gaze on the skin in front of her. 

“Yeah.” That small, soft admission was enough to have him shifting against her, trying to meet her eyes, and she let him, gauging his expression. 

“You’re-” Jaskier paused. “You’re not the person I thought you were.” 

Yennefer hummed her agreement and lay her head back down against his chest. “People rarely are.” 

Jaskier didn’t say anything more for a long time, content to run his hands through her hair and lie pressed against her. Eventually though, she shifted, raising one hand and waving through the air. The time shimmered in sparkly numbers where she’d gestured, and she groaned, pressing her face against his chest. 

“I have to go.” Her voice was muffled against his chest, and he nodded, detangling his hand from her hair and shifting so she could get up more easily. Half of her was grateful he was making it so easy to leave, and the other half wished he’d held on to her and insisted she stay. 

She shifted around on the bed before slipping out from under the blankets, shivering in the cool air of the large room. With only a few motions, she banished the dress she’d worn the night before and summoned fresh clothes. If the dress she’d picked out happened to be one of the ones that took the longest for her to put on, well, Jaskier didn’t need to know that. 

When she stepped into the dress and pulled it up over her shoulders, she heard movement behind her and then felt hands drifting along her waist. “May I help?” 

She gave him a nod and felt his deft fingers lacing up the back of the dress, doing up eyelets and hidden hooks with a proficiency that spoke to lots of hours spent helping women in and out of their clothing. It took nearly no time at all for her dress to be secure, and when she was done up she turned in his arms, pressing her hands to his chest. 

“Well, thank you for - for the help.” She cleared her throat, unsure what to say. “I - I look forward to Geralt’s expression, if nothing else.” 

He gave her a small smile, and she felt an ache in her chest at the sadness in it. “Yes, well, I wish you the best with that, and if we ever cross paths again, I do hope to hear the story.” She didn’t have time to respond before he was cupping her cheeks and kissing her deeply, pouring himself into the kiss. 

She kissed back with equal fervor, gripping at his hair and back and trying to pull him closer. Eventually though, they had to break apart, and she stepped away from him with a sigh. 

“I’ll make sure you hear of the consequences, don’t worry.” She offered him a rueful smile. “And I’ll be there to save your ass from one very crabby witcher, if need be.” With a smirk, she reached down to grab a handful of his rather naked ass, groping him like she had every right to. 

Jaskier gave her a real smile in return, ignoring her attempt to rile him. “Oh I’m sure he’ll be annoyed, there’s no doubt of that, but I doubt he’d think me important enough to find and murder for sleeping with his lady love.” 

She rolled her eyes and slapped at his arm. “I’m not his lady love.” 

Jaskier held his hands up in supplication, still smiling at her. “Right, yes, of course, silly me.” He rubbed at the back of his neck. “But really, Yennefer, I wish you safe travels, and I hope for both of our sakes that you don’t run into Geralt for a while.” 

She nodded at him, and then she surprised herself by pulling him into a tight hug, pressing her face into his chest. She let go of him just as suddenly and took a deep breath, turning away from him. Raising an arm, she conjured a portal to the nobleman’s home at which she’d been staying and stepped through before looking back. 

Once she was gone, Jaskier sat heavily on the bed, staring at the spot she’d disappeared. “What the fuck am I supposed to do now?”

Chapter Text

What Jaskier ended up doing was what he’d always done – traveling the continent and performing for various nobility, wealthy patrons, and anyone else who would hire him. Jaskier wasn’t surprised that he managed to find paying gigs, but he was rather surprised at how easily he slipped back into it. 

He’d expected to be rather heartbroken over Geralt, and for the first few days after the mountain, he had been rather broken up about everything that had happened. And yes, of course he still felt an odd clenching sensation in his chest every time he remembered that he wouldn’t cross paths with the witcher again, or at least, he wouldn’t be welcome if he did, but for the most part, he was able to put everything that happened with Geralt out of his mind, instead focusing on his music and his courtly appearances. 

Jaskier was much more well known now than when he’d played at that fated Cintran betrothal so many years ago, and the requests for his performances had grown tenfold in the last few years. While previously Jaskier had prioritized traveling with Geralt and had only accepted a scant few invitations, he now had nothing but time and he started branching out, playing at other courts than the ones he knew well and generally enjoying living the rather cushy life of a court bard. 

He still traveled, of course – nothing could keep him in one place for very long – but he put in more appearances at lower courts. Jaskier played all sorts of betrothals, weddings, coronations, and on occasion, funerals. 

It was at one of the aforementioned weddings that he ran into Yennefer again. 

Jaskier was halfway through one of the more well known and highly requested wedding songs, one that was both high tempo and lively, when her eyes caught his from across the room and caused him to nearly miss a whole line of the song. Consummate professional that he was, Jaskier looked away from her quickly, focusing on the song once more and finishing it out with a flourish. 

He gave a bow to the audience, who were only partly paying attention to him, and made his excuses, citing a dry throat and a need for refreshments. He gestured for the general orchestra to pick up where he’d left off and made his way through the throngs of people gathered in the ballroom in the direction he’d last seen those purple eyes. 

Yennefer wasn’t all that hard to find, and Jaskier did so swiftly. She was standing and looking rather bored as one of the stuffy nobles talked to her in a tone that spoke volumes to his beliefs about his odds of bedding her. When Jaskier strode up to the pair, Yennefer seemed almost relieved, and she offered him a small smile, unseen by the noble to her side. 

Jaskier turned first to the nobleman speaking with Yennefer. “Hello, kind sir, might I cut in for a moment? I haven’t seen Yennefer in too long, and I simply must catch up with her, we have quite a lot of matters to discuss.” He gave the man a grin that brooked no arguments, and before the man could utter a single word of protest, Jaskier had gripped Yennefer’s hand and tugged her away and back through the throngs of people until they found themselves in one of the outer hallways, free from the crowd at last. 

When he turned back to look at her, a sheepish grin on his face, Jaskier was surprised to see her frowning at him, hands on her hips. “Jaskier, what are you doing here?” Her tone was huffy but not too annoyed, which he took to be a good sign. 

He bowed deeply to her, offering his most salacious grin when he bobbed back up. “Why, my beautiful and terrifying sorceress, I’m a famous bard, I’m hired to play at all sorts of events.” He shot her a smirk. “What are you doing here, then? Not following me, I take it?” 

She rolled her eyes at him and gave his arm a swat. “You know if I wanted to find you I have easier ways of doing it.” She sighed, pinching at the bridge of her nose and losing all of the levity in her voice. “I’m here because I heard that there may have been someone invited who has information I’m looking for, but I’m starting to doubt that is actually the case seeing as the celebrations are almost over and they’ve yet to show.” 

Jaskier frowned at her. “Well, maybe they’re here and you just haven’t seen them? I could help you look, I’ve got a good view of everyone while I’m playing.” 

She snorted and shook her head, dismissing the offer. “No, I don’t think so, they’re not...not the type to just let themselves be seen at something like this.” She sighed and leaned back against the wall behind her. “But I suppose I do owe you thanks, for saving me from the drivel being spewed at me back there.” 

At that, Jaskier grinned at her and gave her a wink. “Well you know me, always ready to help a damsel in distress.” She snarled, her head snapping up as she glared at him. He held his hands in front of himself, not backing away. “I’m not trying to suggest you couldn’t have gotten him to leave you alone if you wanted to, but sometimes it’s easier to have an excuse of someone else than just leaving the conversation.” Instead of being afraid of her annoyance, he stepped closer still, until he stood almost between her legs. 

Yennefer didn’t push him away, but she let herself consider it for a long moment. Instead of berating him for treating her like someone who couldn’t handle herself, she just sighed, shaking her head at him. “Yes, well, as long as you’re fully aware that I’m never going to be the one that needs help in this relationship.” 

Jaskier’s eyebrows shot towards his hairline. “Relationship?” The curl of his mouth promised nothing good, and she winced at her wording. “Why, my dear beautiful sorceress, I didn’t know you thought of whatever we have between us as a relationship .” 

She shook her head, putting her hands on his chest and shoving at him a little. He didn’t budge. ”You know what I meant, bard, don’t go making more of it than there is.” She could feel the warmth of his chest through his rather gaudy shirt, and she fisted her hands into the cloth there, unable to stop herself. 

She wasn’t sure which of them moved first, but one second they were bickering in the deserted hallway and the next they were kissing. Jaskier tasted of ale and honey and she worked her hands into his hair, tugging at him. 

He moaned at the contact, his hands coming down to grip her waist, pulling her closer to him even as he pressed her against the wall. They broke apart, out of breath, and even as he gasped, Jaskier bent closer to her, dipping his head and pressing kisses along the column of her neck. 

She arched her head, letting him, and tugged at his hair some more just to hear him whine. He did so with no shame, keening against her skin as she tugged at the strands between her fingers. She chuckled at his unabashed neediness even as she felt her body responding to him in kind. “I should have known that you’d be one for pain, hmm?” Her words were spoken softly even as she tugged harder on his hair, dug her nails into his hip where she gripped him. 

He nodded, his hips pressing into hers, and she felt his length hot and heavy against her stomach. “You know me, always a glutton for pain.” His words were flippant, and she knew if she could see his face he’d have on a wide grin. 

When she balled her hands into fists against his chest and pushed at him, he moved back, taking his lips off her skin and letting go of her altogether as he met her eyes. “Is - is this okay? I know I was - I was teasing, but if you don’t want to–” 

She silenced him with a look, and he went quiet, waiting for her answer. Instead of speaking right away, she reached up to pat at his hair, pushing it back into place from where it was sticking up. “You’re going to be missed.” She jerked her head towards the banquet which was still going strong. 

Jaskier shrugged, not meeting her eyes. “I’ve been known to duck out of things like this before, nobody would mind too terribly.” 

She didn’t answer, still fixing his hair. When she was satisfied that it wasn’t going to get much better, she sighed, dropping her hands from him. “Fuck.” 

He gave her a wry grin and nodded. “Indeed.” He turned then, intending to leave her to her own devices, and she caught his arm before he could move an inch from her person. His eyebrow quirked, and Yennefer sighed again, pinching at the bridge of her nose with her free hand. 

“I really must stay to the end, in order to know that my source isn’t going to show up.” She nodded towards the noise from inside the great hall. “But I’ve not made plans for after the celebration is over.” She pinned him with a look. “Do you have rooms here?” 

A slow smile spread across his face and he nodded at her. “I do indeed, quite nice ones I might add, considering they’d already paid me very well for playing.” He stepped closer to her once more. “Should I request a bath be ready once I’m done playing for the night?” 

Her fingernails bit into his skin where she still held his arm, and he huffed a surprised noise, looking down at the point of contact. 

“Yes, I do believe that would be a good idea. I’ll find you after.” 

She let go of his arm and brushed past him without another word, her shoes clicking against the marble floors loud in his ears. Jaskier stayed hidden in the alcove for another few moments, righting his clothing and willing away the rather bothersome erection he found himself with. 

It didn’t will away as easily as he’d hoped it would, and he sighed again after another minute. It wouldn’t have been the first time he’d had to play while a woman had promised the most delightful distraction after he was finished, but Yennefer was...she was somehow more than anyone he’d ever slept with before. For one thing, he still had the feeling that if she got bored with him, he’d end up magicked in some way to keep from annoying her, but that feeling had mostly faded after the last time he’d run into her.

He loosened the strings of his pants and readjusted his cock until it was less uncomfortable, and less noticeable, and then tightened them again, hoping that the drape of his shirt would cover the worst of it. That, plus the fact that nobody had paid him much close attention over the course of the night so far (save one lovely sorceress) had him hopeful that his situation wouldn’t be noticed. 

Reentering the large banquet hall, Jaskier made his way back towards the stage, picking up his lute and holding it in front of him, covering the worst of his affliction. Nobody shot him any knowing glances or otherwise made a fuss, and Jaskier counted that as a win. 

Playing for the remainder of the evening was suitably harder than he’d expected, mostly because while normally there wasn’t a thing that could appeal more than playing for a large and appreciative audience, he kept catching sight of Yennefer in the crowd, speaking with other partygoers and shooting him glances of her own every once in a while. Her presence made it much harder to focus on his music, to focus on the thought of anything but finding himself between those lovely legs of hers, and he kept having to look away, refocusing on the task at hand. 

The bride and groom had taken off almost at the beginning of the whole affair – once they’d said their vows and made a token appearance at the banquet, they were gone. Jaskier couldn’t find it in himself to blame them for it either, considering his plans for the rest of the evening, but it did make it considerably harder to know when the festivities were supposed to come to an end. The revelers in the hall would likely be there until the morning, but Jaskier wasn’t keen on playing that long, nor was he sure when he’d be able to slip away unnoticed. 

After finishing a fast song with a good tempo for dancing, Jaskier looked down and saw Yennefer standing closer to the stage than she had been all night. She was actually looking at him as well, and so he paused instead of launching into the next song. The crowd grumbled, but didn’t push him to keep playing. 

When he jumped down off the platform he’d been playing from all night, lute in hand, she gave him a dry look. “I’ve concluded the business I needed to tonight.” Her tone was bored, and Jaskier looked at the people around them for a moment before deciding he didn’t really care what the gossip mongers thought of their interacting. 

“You have? I mean, you have, that’s great!” Her only reaction to his sunny grin was a roll of her eyes, but he caught the beginnings of a smile she was trying to tamp down. “Did – I mean, what, uh, what are your plans now?” 

The flat look she gave him would have made lesser men quake, but he just gave her another grin in tandem with a leer down the front of her dress. 

She huffed at him and leaned in so only he heard her words. “Well, I was hoping you would decide you’d played enough and you would take me back to your rooms and let me have my wicked way with you.” She paused, thought for a moment. “And I would kill for a bath.” 

Jaskier’s face was red when she stepped back, still observing him with that rather impassive expression on her face. He tried to answer her but could only stammer out a few syllables before giving her a nod and whirling towards the rest of the assembled orchestra that had started playing when he didn’t start back up again. 

Yennefer watched him approach the conductor. She didn’t hear the words exchanged but the man nodded and Jaskier, who clapped him on the arm in thanks. Then he was standing beside her once more and offering her an arm. She took it and let him lead her from the room, ignoring any and all stares of confusion the two of them got as they left. 

Jaskier managed to hold his tongue until they were alone, walking the halls of the large castle in echoing silence. 

“You – I – Yennefer, I mean, was that–?” 

His words made no sense and she turned to raise an eyebrow at him. “Have you completely lost the ability to speak? I’d have thought that you were experienced enough in the art of getting under women’s skirts that asking you to take me to bed wouldn’t break you.” 

He spluttered, his eyebrows drawing together. After a few more moments, he finally gathered himself enough to speak. “Well, I just – I wasn’t sure that you, well, there were quite a lot of gossipers here tonight, and we weren’t exactly subtle when we left the ballroom.” 

She studied him a moment. “Yes, and? We’ve provided them something to talk about, really, we did them a service. No festivities are complete without something scandalous happening.” Her elbow nudged him in the side, and he gasped in mock pain, dropping her arm to clutch at his side. 

“I’ve been wounded, oh, it hurts–” He gasped, reaching up to steady himself on her, and she laughed outright before tugging him closer and letting him wrap an arm around her waist. He chuckled into her hair before sobering again and giving her a squeeze with the arm wrapped around her. “But seriously, Yennefer, I have to say – when you said you’d find me later, I was rather expecting that you’d slip into my rooms after the whole banquet was over, not - not whisking me away in front of everyone.” 

His voice was quiet, and she frowned up at him. “The next time I see that gods damned witcher I’m going to curse his balls off.” Jaskier met her gaze, confused, and she sighed before urging him to walk faster as they made their way towards his borrowed chambers. “I’m a sorceress , Jaskier, I do what I want and the petty things people talk about behind my back mean absolutely nothing to me. If they want to correctly assume that I’m planning to spend the rest of the night and hopefully a good portion of the morning in bed with you, that’s up to them, and I don’t give a rats ass about it.” She sighed again. “Geralt is a moron, and I’m annoyed that he found a way to make you feel like you’re to be enjoyed in secret rather than paraded around on one’s arm.” 

When she looked up at Jaskier, he was staring back at her in gobsmacked confusion, his mouth hanging open. She snickered at his expression, reaching up to gently close his mouth. “Oh, don’t be so startled, bard, I’m not professing my undying love for you or anything, I just don’t have a problem with people knowing I plan to bed you rather enthusiastically.” 

He finally managed to pull himself together, and he gave her another squeeze with the arm still wrapped around her waist. “Well, in that case, I’ll have to make sure that I don’t disappoint.” He leaned down to press a kiss behind her ear, his lips lingering over the soft skin of her neck. 

Chapter Text

They kept walking in silence after that, and after a few more minutes of traversing the labyrinthine corridors, Jaskier pulled Yennefer to a halt before the entrance to his rooms. He pushed the door open and gestured her inside, following her and closing the door behind them. When he turned to face the room, he found her already striding towards the large tub that had been set up in the center of the room where the water was steaming slightly. 

“Oh, this is perfect, just what I was hoping for.” By the time Jaskier caught up to her, she’d already started pulling her dress off, letting the silky fabric slip to the floor. She looked back at him with a smirk before stepping out of the pool of fabric and climbing over the rim of the bathtub, settling into the water with a sigh. 

Jaskier tugged off his shirt but hesitated with his hands at the hem of his pants, eying her as she lounged. When he didn’t join her immediately, she cracked an eye to study his face. 

“What is it now?” Her eyes shut again as she spoke and she dipped down lower in order to fully wet her hair. 

Jaskier bit his lip, his eyes trailing over her shapely form under the water. “I, uh... would you like me to wash your hair?” 

Her eyes didn’t open again but she groaned with a nod, beckoning him forward. “Yes, by all means, please feel free.” 

He grinned, not that she could see it, and moved around the tub to grab soap and settle himself behind her. He sat at the edge of the bathtub and lathered his hands before reaching for her, working the soap later around her scalp with a practiced air. By the time he touched her shoulder, indicating that she dunk again to rinse the soap out, Yennefer had been letting out little groans of pleasure for a while. 

She dunked and resurfaced with clear eyes, turning around to cross her arms on the rim of the tub and look at him. “So why the sudden shyness, hmm? Or is this just your way of buttering me up in order to ask for something?” 

When he didn’t answer immediately, instead busying himself with the bottles of soap and scented oils, her eyes narrowed and whip-quick, she reached out one hand and grabbed hold of his wrist, making him look up at her. “I’m not in the mood for playing games, bard, out with it.” 

Jaskier stammered for a moment before collecting himself. “I-I’m not, I wasn’t – I didn’t know you’d be at the banquet tonight, Yennefer.” When she didn’t respond, he continued. “I really didn’t, honest. But I was – buttering you up is rather harsh, I think–” Her grip tightened in warning and he gulped, not trying to pull away. “It’s not – it’s really probably not what you’re thinking, I promise, it’s just that the last time we saw each other, well. I, uhm, you had...you threatened to take a belt to me until I wouldn’t be able to sit for a week.” 

She raised an eyebrow, still not understanding. “Yes, and? I’ve threatened you lots of times, Jaskier, and almost never followed through.” 

He shook his head, looking away from her again. “No, I’m not – I wasn’t, uh, I wasn’t asking you not to.” When he met her eyes again his expression was worried but he held her gaze. “I was thinking that if you’re amenable, I’d rather like to try it.” 

She let go of his wrist, surprised by the ask. As a mage, she was no stranger to requests from nearly everyone she dealt with, from royalty to innkeepers, but usually it had to do with power, wealth, the usual things. Every once in a while someone wanted an enemy taken care of, someone made to fall in love with them, that sort of thing. And here Jaskier was, asking not for something she could do for him as a mage, but as a woman. 

When he shifted, moving back from her and looking away, his cheeks red, she focused on him once more. “Right, well, it’s – I realize it’s a lot, and I know that – it was a rather forward thing to ask for, of course, and it’s not like we really know each other all that well–” As he talked, he scrambled backwards, still not looking at her. He gathered the soaps he’d used on her hair and turned to put them back where he’d gotten them from. 

“I’ll do it.” The sound of her own voice surprised her, and Jaskier came to an abrupt stop as her words rang out. 

“You...you will?” He met her eyes once more, his expression too open. She could see too much of his emotion on his face, even without the use of magic, and it nearly hurt to look at him. She was the first to look away, her eyes skimming over the rest of the room before she turned around and stood out of the bath. 

“Yes, well. Don’t go all teary eyed on me now.” She paused in turning to grab a towel from the pile beside the tub to throw a wicked smirk at him. “I guess you’ll be doing enough of that later, hmm?” 

It was enough to snap him out of whatever had caused his brain to malfunction, and he shut his mouth, giving her a small smile. “We’ll have to see, won’t we?” He offered her a wink and seemed to shake off the last of the insecurity that had come from her silence. “Now, before we go about doing any of that, I did want to bathe as well, if you’re not against it.” 

She shook her head and stepped from the bath, wrapping the towel snugly around her body. As Jaskier stripped off the rest of his clothing, she watched, enjoying the view of his body. He was lithe but corded with muscle from his time spent adventuring, and as he moved into the bath she couldn’t help but lick her lips, already excited for whatever he wanted her to do to him. 

Jaskier settled into the bath with a sigh but he didn’t stay still for long, bending to reach over the rim for soap. He washed efficiently, taking care to scrub himself down but not luxuriating in it as she had. 

After a minute of watching him, Yennefer shifted, sitting down on the bed to dry herself off. She toweled her body down, patting at her wet hair with the towel once she was mostly dry. She’d taken her eyes off Jaskier, and when he spoke up she looked over to him. “I can braid it for you, if you want, so you’re not going to sleep with it wet.” He offered her a sheepish smile. “I did it for Geralt a lot, since he always got extra grumpy if he had to sleep with wet hair.” 

Yennefer raised an eyebrow at him. “You do recall that I’m a sorceress, do you not? I can dry it with magic.” 

Jaskier flushed, obviously embarrassed, and shrugged. “Ah, well, yes. Good point.” 

His shoulders slumped and he looked away from her. She clucked her tongue, still staring at him. “If you want to, you’re welcome to it.” 

His grin was bright when he looked up at her once more. “Well, if you’re truly alright with it, I wouldn’t mind, yeah. It’s nice, you know?” 

She shrugged back at him. “Not really.” 

He rose from the bath, finished washing, and grabbed a towel of his own. “It’s like...well, taking care of someone, it’s nice. Being able to help with stuff.” He ran the towel over his own hair before wrapping it around his waist and sitting down on the bed next to her, gesturing for her to turn around. “Not that you need the help, as you’ve pointed out. But it’s still nice, I guess.” 

His fingers settled into her hair and he gathered it from against her neck, pulling it away and finger-combing it for a few moments before taking a few strands and starting to braid. His hands were light and the movements soothing, and Yennefer closed her eyes, letting him do as he wished. 

Jaskier started on one side of her forehead, adding pieces as he went, until all of her hair was between his fingers, worked nimbly into an elegant braid that he draped over her opposite shoulder. She opened her eyes when he let her go, rolling her shoulders and sighing. 

“I can’t argue that that wasn’t rather nice.” She turned to meet his eyes. “But enough about me, hmm? I did say that I’d give you some focused attention as well, did I not?” 

Jaskier flushed at her words but nodded, his hands gripping the edge of his own towel tightly. Yennefer dropped the rest of her towel and shifted so she knelt on the bed, crawling up towards the headboard and settling herself against the pillows there. She stretched her legs in front of her, sprawling back until she was more than comfortable. 

She met Jaskier’s eyes and lifted one hand, crooking her index finger at him. His pupils were already blown wide from watching her move, and he scrambled to obey, dropping his own towel and crawling up the bed until he knelt beside her. She reached up and fisted a hand in his hair, tugging him down until he lay facedown across her lap. 

He groaned, going willingly, and when she had him where she liked, she let go of his hair, settling her hands on his bare back. “Have you done things like this before, then?” 

Jaskier shook his head, bracing his arms on the bed and shifting around in her lap. She could already feel his erection digging into her thigh, and she landed a light slap on his ass. He stopped moving altogether at that, going still against her. 

“N-No, I haven’t. Not really.” He was looking down at the bed instead of at her, and she hummed in acknowledgement. 

“Hmm. Alright then.” She let her hands wander over the skin in front of her, dragging nails across the expanse. He whined in the back of his throat at the sensation, but otherwise stayed quiet. “If you haven’t done it before, you’ll need to pick a word that means you don’t want to keep going.” 

He shifted again, turning his head to look at her. “Why? If I don’t want to, uh, keep going, why wouldn’t I just say stop?” 

Yennefer hummed again and pinched the meat of his ass, causing him to yelp and jerk against her. “Because sometimes you might want to beg me to stop, but you want me to keep going anyway.” 

Jaskier shivered at her whispered words before nodding hastily. “Yes, well, that is an excellent point. I, uh... what kind of word should it be?” 

She shrugged. “Most people use something they wouldn’t normally say during. I usually go with ‘ragamuffin’.”

Jaskier nodded again, spreading his knees slightly in order to better stabilize himself in his position over her lap. “That works as fine as anything, I guess.” 

Yennefer smirked down at him. “Then it’s decided. And to be clear, I’m not going to stop unless you say ‘ragamuffin’, not even if you’re begging me to. If you genuinely want me to stop, you use your word, and I will. Otherwise, you’re free to beg and cry all you like, bard, it won’t make any difference.” 

Jaskier gulped. “Alright.” 

She frowned down at him, running a hand through his hair. "Would you like to say no? Maybe be degraded a little?" 

He swallowed again and nodded, not meeting her eyes. 

Yennefer lifted one hand up and made a lazy sort of gesture in the air, and Jaskier couldn’t see what she was doing but he heard something connect with the palm of her hand with a thwap. When she moved again, he heard the jingle of a buckle and realized she’d summoned his belt from where he’d left it on the floor. He flushed harder, squirming on her lap, and she pressed her free hand firmly against his back. 

“Are you going to be good and stay still, or shall I keep you still with magic?” Her voice brooked no arguments, and Jaskier shivered. 

“Uh, well, magic...magic might be best, I’m not really sure I’d be able to stay still on my own.” 

She hummed in acquiescence and then Jaskier felt cords of magic wrapping around his wrists, tugging them until he lay over her with his arms secured at his back. He wriggled against the bindings, and found them to be tight but not unpleasant, the magic smooth against his skin in contrast with how rope would chafe. 

The bindings made him feel rather safe , if he was being honest, and after another few moments of wriggling against the restraints, Jaskier gave up and nodded. “They’re – I like it, yeah.” 

Yennefer hummed again in acknowledgement. As she did, she noticed Jaskier grinning, and calmly wrenched his head up by the hair, forcing him to look at her. “Why are you smiling like that?” 

Jaskier was breathless when he answered, his pupils dilated. “Heh, well, I was just – you’re humming instead of answering, and I was just wondering if you got that from Geralt.” 

Without a word, Yennefer’s other hand swung and the belt landed on Jaskier’s ass, causing him to wrench forward with a yelp. He sucked in a breath, blinking quickly as his eyes teared up at the unexpected sting, and Yennefer forced him to look at her once more. 

“You do not bring up Geralt in bed unless I allow it, is that clear?” Jaskier nodded at her, still blinking back tears, and she let go of his hair, letting his head drop back down.

Chapter Text

He got no more warning before the belt came down again on his ass, the sting of it lingering even as she lifted her arm once more. With every strike, Jaskier scooted forward on her lap, and she placed her other palm firmly on his back, holding him in place. 

After a few minutes, Jaskier felt tears starting to drip down his cheeks in earnest, and he inhaled sharply, trying to get himself under control. Yennefer noticed his reaction and briefly stopped in her ministrations. 

Jaskier didn’t think she’d be kind, wipe away his tears or anything like that, but when she sneered at him he jerked back, not expecting it. “You’re really so soft that just a few hits with a belt is enough to make you cry, bard?” 

Her voice was mean but not cruel enough that he really felt the hurt from it, and Jaskier got the feeling that if he used his word, she’d have stopped immediately and reassured him that she hadn’t meant it. He didn’t, though, something hot curling in his gut as he considered his response. After a few moments, he was able to clear his throat, the tears thickening his voice. 

“If you’re going to keep hitting me like that, yes, I’m going to respond like any human would.” His own tone was bratty and annoyed, and he felt himself flushing even as he anticipated her response. 

She didn’t disappoint, and the belt landed against his ass three times in quick succession, making him cry out in pain. After she landed the last hit, she dropped the belt onto the bedcovers, hands coming up to grip at his heated flesh. 

Jaskier whimpered at the manhandling and bucked into her grip despite himself, his eyes closing. “F-Fuck, Yenn -” At his utterance, she landed a slap to his already bruising ass. 

“Shut up.” Her no-nonsense tone sent a shiver up his spine, and Jaskier keened again, trying to buck into her grip. He didn’t try to speak, though, and she nearly purred at his compliance. “See, that’s better, isn’t it?” 

He gave her a nod, and she reached under him to stroke him once from root to tip as a reward, letting go before he could even really register the movement. At the loss of contact, he whimpered. 

Her hands settled on his bare back, and he tensed, waiting for whatever was coming next. After a moment of tracing idle patterns into his skin, she dug her nails in, scraping along his back. “How pretty you look like this, Jaskier, all marked up and begging for it.” 

He wriggled against the bindings holding him, and got exactly nowhere. The knowledge that he was completely at her mercy was a heady one, and he found himself panting with lust, wriggling around on her lap in an attempt to get any kind of friction on himself. 

She stopped his movements easily, placing both hands against his back and pushing hard, so he was pressed into her lap and unable to move. “Now stop your whining, bard, or I’ll see that you really can’t sit for a week.” 

The threat was unspecified, but Jaskier couldn’t help the broken, needy sound that came from his throat at the images his mind conjured. 

“P-Please, I need – Yennefer, please– ” His words were jumbled, thick with tears and muffled in the bedclothes his face was still pressed against, but she heard him anyway. 

“Oh, I know what you need , bard, and it’s to be treated like you deserve.” She threaded her fingers through his hair and tugged, pulling his head up so he had to look her in the eyes. “You’re nothing but a slut , Jaskier, and you want it any way you can get it, don’t you?” 

He shook his head, trying to wrench out of her grip, but she held steady, using her other hand to reach down and grip his cock. “You see, Jaskier, you say no, but this says yes.” 

He gaped and jerked under her touch, unsure if he wanted to get away or get more of her. She seemed uninclined to give him what he wanted, so he settled for shaking his head. "N-No, Yennefer, it's not – I don't-" 

She smirked down at him again and let go of him. "Oh, I rather think you do." Before she moved again, though, she paused, looking at him with much softer eyes. "Jaskier, do you remember your stopword?" He nodded, and she shook her head. "I need you to repeat it to me so I know you know it." 

"Ragamuffin." His voice was shaking badly but he got it out, proud of himself. She ran a hand through his hair.

"Good, thank you. Remember that you can use it if anything is too much." 

He didn’t get the chance to wonder why she was reminding him before she shoved him off her lap, her strength more than he’d have guessed. Whether it was magic or just regular muscle, he didn’t know. 

When he landed on the bedcovers, her hands were already on his body, shoving so he lay face-up on the bed, his own hands awkwardly still secured at the small of his back. He wriggled, unsure if he wanted to get away or get closer, and she held him in place with hands on his hips. 

“Ah-ah, not yet. You’ve been rather needy tonight bard, and I think it’s probably about time that you gave back, wouldn’t you say?” She arched an eyebrow and he couldn’t answer, just breathing heavy in anticipation. When she moved so she knelt with one knee on either side of his head, she paused, giving him time to use his word. 

He didn’t, and instead he shifted around, trying to get more comfortable with his hands still pinned beneath himself. When she sat on his face, he could have either smothered or started pleasuring her and he chose the latter option eagerly, running his tongue over her clit in practiced motions. Her hands came to his hair, tugging harshly, and he moaned his approval of the move against her. 

“W-Wait, Jaskier, hold - hold on –” At the sound of her voice, breathless already, he stopped, drawing back to look at her. “You – if I’m sitting on you like this, you won’t be able to say stop if you want to.” He just cocked an eyebrow at her, not anticipating that he’d have a reason to want to stop, but waited for the solution she would no doubt provide. She didn’t disappoint. “If you’d like, I can just skim the surface level of your thoughts, make sure I’d know if you wanted to stop. It wouldn’t be too invasive, just whatever you’re thinking about at the moment, which would probably mostly be, well, me.” She shrugged. “Or I can unbind your hands, and you can tap out if you need to.” 

He thought over the proposal a moment as she shifted back to let him speak. When he did, his voice was hoarse already, thick with unshed tears and lust. “I - I don’t dislike the bindings, but I think I’d prefer you not reading my mind; at least for right now.” 

She nodded, showing no sign of disappointment, and freed his hands with a flick of her finger. “Alright, now back to it – no using your hands to cheat and three taps if you want to stop or slow down. Otherwise, hands on your hips, no touching yourself either.” 

He hummed his agreement and she moved to straddle his face once more, sighing in pleasure as he took to the task with gusto. 

Jaskier wasn’t sure how long he stayed between her spread legs, licking her to one orgasm after another. It was longer than the first time he’d done it, and he wondered in the back of his mind if she’d taken something. He counted at least five times when her thighs squeezed against his head so hard he worried for the blood flow to his ears, and when she finally rolled off him, she was out of breath and red in the face. 

He was rather breathless himself and turned towards her so he lay on his side, putting less pressure on his still sore ass. After a few minutes, her breathing evened out and she hauled herself up on her elbows to look him over. Her smile grew as she took him in, eyes wandering over his debauched form. He knew his ass was probably cherry red and already bruising, his chin and face covered with her slick, and his cock still red and badly wanting some attention paid to it. 

“You’re a rather delicious one, aren’t you?” Her words were murmured and he wasn’t sure if she’d even intended him to hear her or whether she was thinking aloud. He didn’t ask, and she reached for him, wrapping one hand calmly around his weeping erection. He bucked at the touch, gasping at the feeling, and to his surprise she didn’t let go, instead stroking him languidly. 

As he felt himself getting closer to that edge, he whined, pressing his face against the bedspread as he kept his hands clenched into tight fists at his hips, unwilling to disobey her earlier order. “Yennefer, please, I need - I need–” 

Her response was soft when she answered and it felt like all of the hot cruelty she’d had abundances of earlier was gone, sapped from her. “Yes, you need, I know.” She kept stroking him, not quite with the urgency he needed to come, but it felt good and he appreciated it. “Do you think you’d be up to me riding you?” 

His nod was fast and urgent, and he looked up at her eyes, trying to read her expression. She’d asked the question as though she expected more hesitation, and when he showed her none, she shrugged and let go of him, pushing him back so she could straddle his hips. 

As soon as he felt her weight settle against him, he understood why she’d expected him to hesitate. Her frame may be slight, but she was still a whole person sitting on top of him, and the added pressure of her on top of him made the sting of his sore ass magnify tenfold. Jaskier gasped out, wincing as the bedclothes pressed against naked flesh, feeling rough against his skin even though he knew them to be soft. 

“Ah fuck, Yenn, shit, that’s–” It hurt, and it wasn’t an insubstantial ache that he felt, but the pain cut with his pleasure even as she lined up and slid down his length, melding together into a tornado of sensation that had him gasping and clawing at the bedsheets in an attempt to keep from coming immediately. 

Once she settled against him, her ass flush to his thighs, she stopped moving in order to give him a moment to get himself under control. He certainly didn’t feel like he had any kind of control, and as he listened to her moan when he was fully seated inside of her he had to screw his eyes shut, his hands coming up to grip at her hips so tightly he knew he’d leave bruises. 

She didn’t give him long to get used to it though, and when she started moving, it was like she’d knocked all the air out of his lungs. No matter how gentle she was (and really, she wasn’t attempting to be overly gentle, instead chasing her own pleasure and using his body as she liked – an idea that had him fighting his orgasm all the harder), her movements still jostled him a fair bit, sending spikes of pain and pleasure up his spine in equal measures. 

After another minute, Jaskier realized he was babbling aloud, the words nonsensical and pleading for something he couldn’t name. Yennefer, above him, stroked a hand down his cheek and he turned his head, nosing into the touch like a cat. 

“Yennefer, I’m – can you – I’m going to come much too soon – fuck , that’s so – Yennefer, shit–” He kept saying her name, interspersed with half-hearted pleas and moans, and he couldn’t find the mental fortitude to stop from babbling. 

When Jaskier knew his orgasm was close he lifted a hand to touch her, determined that if he was going to come, he’d at least get her off as well. She didn’t push his hands away, instead gasping at the contact as he worked over her clit, rubbed the tips of his fingers along their joining, teasing the flesh there. 

His orgasm was like being struck with lightning in slow motion, when it finally hit, and he could do nothing but lay back and let it wash over him. Vaguely, he realized he was shouting, and he tried to close his mouth to no effect. Yennefer rode him through the waves of pleasure, groaning as she clenched around him. When he started moaning in protest of the sensation, feeling overstimulated to the highest degree, she eased herself off of his dick, letting him pull out of her with a wet noise. 

He sighed, completely boneless, and didn’t move to help her as she pushed at his hip until he lay on his stomach before tucking herself against his side.

Chapter Text

The both of them lay there, unmoving aside from their breathing, for an undetermined amount of time. Jaskier’s mind slowly came back to something resembling normal functioning, but it was a shoddy imitation of his usual quick wit and he seriously wondered whether she’d rendered him brainless. He decided that if she had managed to drain all of his higher reasoning out through his cock, it was well worth it even if it meant he’d be out of a job. 

When she shifted against him, he turned towards her in surprise, thinking she’d already fallen asleep. As it was, he’d been halfway towards sleep himself, comfortably dozing with his face mashed against the pillows. 

She threw an arm over his back, running long nails against his skin, and he sighed into the contact, making a sleepy sort of approving noise. When she spoke, her voice was slow and sleepy. “Mhmm... we should – I should take care of your ass before we fall asleep.” 

Jaskier had almost forgotten about his poor mistreated ass, and when she mentioned it, he shifted to look at the damage. Lying on his stomach meant it wasn’t hurting nearly as much, but when he looked back his eyes widened as he took in the already purpling bruises. 

Welts criss-crossed over each other, some looking darker where hits had landed more than once, and all of the skin was a dark red, turning darker as the bruising set in. He could make out the lines of the hits where they came together to form a lattice, and he moaned as he looked at himself, turning to bury his face into the pillow once more. 

“Fuck, that’s – I didn’t think it was that bad. Actually, it didn’t hurt as much while you were doing it.” She hummed and let her hand drift lower, fingertips skimming over heated skin. He hissed at the sensation, trying to twitch away, but he found himself unable to move much at all because of the bone-deep weariness that seemed to have sunken into him. 

At his grunt of pain, she removed her hands from his person and rolled so she was sitting up next to him, surveying the damage more easily. “Hmm, that’s pretty deep... it’ll probably take a week or two to heal.” 

He groaned, his hands coming up to cover his head where it was still buried in the pillow. “Fuck.” 

She gave a light laugh before sliding off the bed. “You’re lucky that I thought to soundproof the room before we really got started, or else we’d probably have brought half the castle down on our heads.” 

Jaskier made a noncommittal noise of agreement, not bothering to pick his head up from the pillow. From his spot motionless on the bed, he heard her moving around the room. There was the sound of fabric swishing and he assumed, disappointed, that she’d put her dress back on. 

“Jaskier?” At the sound of his name, he dragged his head from the pillows to look at her, bleary eyed. 

“Humph?” His noise was not quite words, but he managed to convey a general sense of ‘yes, what is it that you’re asking?’ with a grunt and a sigh. 

Her expression was soft, and she gave him a grin. “Are you going to be alright if I leave for a moment? I have to get something from my bags.” 

He looked at her in confusion, wondering why she was asking. If she needed to go, he wasn’t about to keep her there. But as he gazed at her, it became clear that she expected an answer, and so he nodded, lifting a hand up to wave at her. 

“Yeah – ‘ts fine, if you’ve gotta go, y’know?” His words were slurred, and her smile got even fonder as he answered her. 

“Alright, I just wanted to let you know. I’ll be back in a few minutes, though, so don’t fall asleep on me.” He was already drifting back down against the pillows as she spoke, and her words only really penetrated his head after he heard the door click shut behind her. 

He wondered why she’d let him know, if she was going to be gone for a few minutes, and why she needed to leave in the first place. He tried to stay awake as he waited for her to return, but sleep was so tempting as he lay there, comfortable against the covers and nestled against the pile of pillows, and he felt his eyes closing despite his attempts to stay conscious. 

Jaskier woke to Yennefer shaking his shoulder, her touch firm but not unkind. “Jaskier, I told you not to fall asleep.” He grunted at her, wiggling as he tried to jolt himself back to the land of the living, and winced as the pain in his ass reminded him why he’d wanted to fall asleep in the first place. 

She caught the wince, and winced in sympathy for his aches. “I know, I know.” She shot him a grin. “To be fair, you did ask me to make sure you wouldn’t be sitting down for a week.” 

He grumbled at her, feeling slightly more away as he wiggled around on the bed, the nap having helped clear his weariness for the moment. 

When he propped himself up against the pillows, still laying on his stomach, he saw that she sat cross legged next to him, looking much more awake than he felt and giving him a grin. She held a small pot of something in her hands, and he gave it a suspicious look before shifting his gaze back to her face. 

“Oh, I’m well aware that I asked for it, and I’m even more aware that it was absolutely and completely worth every bit of annoyance I’ll be feeling for the next week.” His voice was clear and he felt like he could think more easily, for which he was grateful. He shot her an easy smile only slightly marred by another wince of pain as he shifted. 

“Yes, you did. Now, of course, I’m being rather nice in offering this considering that you had no way of knowing I had it when you asked, but I can fix you up, if you want.” She held out the small pot in her hands, letting him get a better look at it. It looked like some kind of ointment, a beige yellowish color, and when she opened it to let him have a sniff, if didn’t even smell too offensive – not like the terrible stuff Geralt insisted on rubbing into his wounds when he was injured. 

The thought of Geralt was enough to break through the last cloud of giddy haze that still lingered around his head, and Jaskier frowned, sinking back down into the pillows with a sigh. 

“I’m assuming that’s some kind of healing ointment or something?” Yennefer nodded at him, and he sighed again. “Well, if you're alright using it on me, I’m all for it.” He frowned as she reached into the pot and scooped some of it onto her fingers. “Wait.” She paused. “Is it – will it heal me completely or is it just going to, uh, speed up the process?” He gave her a guilty grin and a shrug. “I’m not - I’m not against feeling this for another couple days, per se, but some help getting over the worst of it wouldn’t be unwelcome.” 

She pressed a kiss to his forehead in a gesture that surprised both of them, and then looked away from him quickly. She had to clear her throat before speaking. “It’s not going to heal you completely, no, just speed up the process. You’ll have bruises tomorrow, of that I have no doubt, but they should be lessened greatly and fade away in a few days or so.” 

Jaskier nodded, already facedown in the pillows once more. “Well then, I appreciate the kindness, both with the offering of your ointment and also the application of the belt in the first place.” He was glad his face was hidden as he felt himself flushing at the mention of their shared activities, the request he was still surprised at himself for making. 

She didn’t answer him in words and instead used the hand covered in the ointment to spread it over his bruised flesh, fingers lightly working it into the skin there. The substance was cool, and it seemed to leech coldness into his skin, drawing the heat and pain out as it worked. Jaskier sighed more deeply at the feeling and went completely boneless, content to lay there and let her rub the ointment into his skin. 

"Mmhhh, ohhh, that feels marvelous , fuck." Jaskier was surely melting into the bed at this point and he couldn't bring himself to care. "I thank you from the bottom of my heart, oh beautiful and terrifying sorceress." 

Above him, Yennefer snorted even as her hands never stopped soothing over his skin. "There's no need to keep calling me that, you know." Jaskier made a small noise of question and felt more than saw her shrug. "Beautiful, I mean. I do quite like being called terrifying, feel free to keep doing that. But it's not like I don't know I'm beautiful: I paid for this body with blood and sweat and magic, and I made damn sure I'd be beautiful when I did it." 

Jaskier got the feeling that she was admitting more than it seemed, but he couldn't put his finger on exactly what it was. All the same, he turned his head to look at her before melting back down into the pillows. "Well then, I'll endeavor going forward to make sure you know that I'm not just talking about outward beauty, my clever and terrifying sorceress." 

That drew an outright snort from her and she lifted her hands from his ass. "Alright, you're set, you should feel a lot better in the morning." She replaced the lid on the small jar and set it to the side. "And I appreciate your choice of words. You're not going to say you wouldn't think of me differently if I wasn't beautiful, are you?" Her voice was wry as she questioned him. 

Jaskier shook his head into the pillow. "No point to it really, can't say how you'd react to something if it hasn't happened. Plus, I won't claim to be any better than any other human. We're a right bunch of judgemental bastards, the lot of us." 

She laughed again and moved down the bed until she lay beside him, one arm thrown over his back. "You will find no argument from me on that point." 

He mumbled some nonsense into the pillow under him, leaning towards Yennefer and luxuriating in her soft touches. Jaskier fought sleep, wanting to enjoy the moment, but the night had been long and his orgasm had wrenched the last of his energy in one fell swoop. He tumbled into unconsciousness almost immediately, and Yennefer followed him soon after.

Chapter Text

When Jaskier woke the next morning, he was alone in bed, and he stretched out like a cat for a moment before the full events of the night before rushed back into his head. 

He rolled himself over, wincing at the ache in his ass, and quickly dismissed the idea that it had all been just a vivid dream when he felt the lingering soreness. Groaning, Jaskier flopped back into his stomach. 

"Oh, fuck me." He groaned again at the thought of having to pack his things and hit the road that afternoon while trying not to let on just what was bothering him to anyone else. 

After a moment of wallowing in self-pity that he knew full well was unearned (he'd asked for everything he'd gotten, after all, and he wouldn't have changed a thing if given the chance), Jaskier heaved himself up and looked around the room, taking stock. 

Before he could do much more than flop back down, he noticed the small pot of ointment sitting on the side table, weighing down a piece of paper. 

The paper, when he picked it up, was a note written in loopy handwriting. Apply this twice a day – once if you want the bruising to last longer. It also works on other scrapes and bruises, as well as sore muscles. Her words were blunt and to the point, but Jaskier still smiled down at the note before opening the jar and giving the ointment a sniff. He'd not gotten much chance to inspect it the night before aside from a cursory glance, and as he dipped a finger into the little jar he noted that it was creamy and high quality, not the somewhat hit or miss healing salve he purchased when he was on the road. 

Jaskier wasted no time in rolling onto his stomach and reapplying the salve to his tender ass, taking care to work it into the skin and only enjoying the process a little more than was absolutely necessary. After all, the pain was nothing compared to the memory of everything that had come with it, and he felt himself getting hard at the memories of Yennefer around him, above him. 

He ignored the budding arousal, however, focusing on reapplying the salve and forcing himself to think of other things. He couldn't afford to get distracted now – he was scheduled to leave by afternoon at the latest and he knew there were other things that needed tending to before he set off. 

As he went to replace the lid, Jaskier had to do a double take before looking back at the small jar of cream. He'd not been stingy while he applied it, smearing it thickly over his skin and generally figuring he had enough to last another day or two if he spread it out. When he peered into the small jar, however, it looked no less full then when he'd opened it. Surely the amount of ointment he'd used would have left a sizeable amount missing from the container, but it looked untouched. 

Jaskier felt a grin growing over his face as he set the jar back down on the side table. Yennefer may not have expected him to know the value of such an item, but he was well versed in the kinds of magical items used to make one's life easier, and a jar like that was probably worth a small fortune. Not that he'd sell it, he'd get much more use out of it if he kept it, but he was touched that she'd left it with him. 

It more than made up for waking up alone, something Jaskier had already expected. Despite their previous encounter, Yennefer wasn't one for expressions of the softer emotions (rather like Geralt in that regard, Jaskier thought to himself), and he knew she'd rather sneak out and avoid any awkwardness. 

The rest of his day, once he finally forced himself out of bed and clothed himself, was exactly what he’d expected, and he found himself on the road once more by early afternoon, having collected his payment and packed his belongings. 

Jaskier passed the next month in the same way, traveling from one court to another and playing for his supper at the inns on the road. If he kept his ears open for gossip of a specific kind, well, that was his business, and really it wasn’t like he didn’t expect to run into Yennefer at some point soon anyway. 

The next time he saw her was in a court full of drunk nobles, all celebrating the midsummer solstice with dance and festivities. Jaskier had gotten himself a gig playing for the whole week in exchange for room and board, as well as his fill of the many lavish banquets that were planned for the event. 

He’d heard rumors that the organizers of the festivities had hired more than one mage in order to ensure they had someone on hand at all times to tend to anything that came up, but also so they could flaunt their wealth, boasting with mages there to suit their patrons’ any whim. 

By the time he arrived and got himself settled in, Jaskier was exhausted, having spent most of the prior few days traveling by foot in order to reach the court in time. He had to perform that night, however, for the opening banquet, and he found himself desperate to get in a nap before the event, since it was likely that he’d be playing late into the night.

His rooms were the rather opulent, excessive kind that he’d come to expect from nobles trying to entice him to stay, and when he was done unpacking his things, going over his set list, and triple checking the map of the place he’d been handed to ensure he knew where he was supposed to be, he fell with a grateful sigh into the rather plush and comfortable bed. 

The knock at the door couldn’t have been more than ten seconds after he closed his eyes and snuggled into the covers, and he resisted the urge to groan loudly in hopes that whoever it was would hear him and go away. Instead, he rolled three times before coming to the edge of the bed and stood, righting the clothing he hadn’t bothered shedding. 

Opening the door, he blinked when he saw Yennefer standing on the other side, looking bored. “Yennefer?” 

She pushed her way inside without bothering to answer him, and he closed the door behind her, turning to watch her as she inspected the room. 

“Hmm, it’s bigger than mine, but I think my bed is larger, so I’m not sure who they’re trying more to impress here.” Her eyes caught his and he gave her a tired smile, letting some of the tension in his frame go as his body caught up to the fact that he didn’t have to put on a facade for the nobles yet. 

“Yes, well, I’m a world-famous bard; all of the nobles on this side of the continent are trying to woo me into becoming a live-in entertainer rather than a traveling one.” He lifted a hand to stem a yawn, tilting his head away from her as he did. “I think in their place I’d be trying harder to placate you, though, seeing as you wield life and death in your hands.” He gave a wave in her general direction. “And not that it’s not marvelous to see you, but I think I’ve slept maybe eight hours in the last forty eight, and I was hoping to get a nap before I’m to play tonight.” 

His words were blunt and he didn’t bother to smooth them over, instead striding past her and flopping onto his bed once more. She huffed from beside the bed, and he got the feeling she was probably rolling her eyes as well. 

“Well, you’re no fun, I come here to see if you’re up for sex and you’re just going to fall asleep on me?” 

Jaskier didn’t have the energy to be too excited at that, even if his traitorous dick twitched in interest when she mentioned sex. He gave her a muffled sigh. 

“Yes, well, if you’ll be here the whole week, we’ll have plenty of time for that, won’t we?” He patted the bed beside himself. “Let me have my nap and we can see about the rest once I’ve gotten some sleep.” 

To his surprise, she didn’t leave, and instead he heard the whooshing of fabrics before she pulled back the covers and slipped under them next to him. 

“Honestly, you’re not even undressed. Take your pants off and get under the blankets, you’ll be much more comfortable.” 

He grunted and didn’t move, and when he felt her hands at his waist he did nothing to stop her. She pulled his pants down without any further discussion before elbowing him until he shifted up the bed enough so she could pull the covers up. She threw them over him and he sighed, warm and comfortable and pressed against her, sleep claiming him in seconds.

Chapter Text

Jaskier woke up sweaty and disoriented and pressed against someone else. When he pulled himself together, he realized where he was and that the person he lay next to was Yennefer, who had fallen asleep at some point and was curled against him like a limpet. Who would have thought that she’d be so clingy in sleep? Not that he’d ever tell her, of course, since that seemed like the kind of thing that would get his balls hexed, promise or no promise. 

He moved, trying to get a better idea of what time it was, and she used the hand thrown over his chest to swat at him. “Stop moving, I’m comfortable.” He had to laugh at her grumpy tone, and he settled back down against her. 

“Well, oh dangerous and terrifying sorceress, do you happen to know what time it is? I’m to play at eight and I do hope I haven’t overslept.” 

She waved a hand through the air, displaying the time like she had the first morning they’d spent together. It read 7:30, which wasn’t terrible, even if it did cut pretty close to when he had to be on stage. 

Jaskier groaned, waving a hand through the floating text and dissipating it. “Fuck.” He shoved at the covers, detangling himself from both Yennefer and the blankets and falling off the edge of the opposite side of the bed. He landed on his knees and stood, stretching with a yawn that had his jaw clicking. “Mmph, well, at least I got some sleep; I really needed it.” 

From the pile of blankets on the bed, Yennefer made a sleepy sound of disapproval but didn’t move. Jaskier shot a glance at her, only able to see a tangled mess of curls from where he stood. “Yennefer, I didn’t ask earlier, but I’m assuming that you’ll be here for the week, same as me?” She grumbled but answered in the affirmative, and Jaskier grinned, glad at his good fortune. “Well then, you’re more than welcome to keep sleeping in my bed, oh mighty sorceress, but I actually must go, else I risk being kicked out before the festivities have even begun.” 

He whirled on his heel and stalked to his bags, where he’d thankfully laid out the outfit he planned on wearing that evening. It was a rather garish red and gold, but he thought it fit the theme for the festivities and he’d never been one to blend into the background. 

Jaskier dressed quickly, tugging on his boots and grabbing his lute before turning back towards the bed. “Alright, I’m off.” Yennefer grumbled some more from her cocoon and freed a hand to wave at him. Jaskier bit his lip on a grin, enjoying her rather lazy commandeering of his bed, but didn’t comment further. He debated for a moment before walking over to the bed and pressing a kiss against her forehead where it poked out from under the covers. She shifted the blankets down so he could see her violet eyes peering suspiciously at him, and he gave her a winning grin. “Just wanted to make sure you were actually under all of these blankets, and you hadn’t portaled out while I was dressing.” 

She rolled her eyes at him and pulled the covers back over her face. Jaskier wanted nothing more than to slip back into bed with her, but he sighed and left the room instead, jogging down the long halls of the castle in order to get to the ballroom he was supposed to be in on time. 

Hours later, when Jaskier had been performing for a while and the festivities were well underway, he saw a familiar head of curls enter the room and blue eyes met purple, Yennefer’s attention finding him almost before he was aware of her presence. He shot her a grin and a nod as he played, and when he finished his song, he bid the lively audience a moment and scampered off the stage to greet her properly. 

When he reached her, she held out a hand rather regally and he took it with a bow, kissing her fingertips. “Good evening, oh devastating and terrifying sorceress, I’m honored that you’d grace my performance with your presence.” 

He kept his eyes on her face and watched her try to suppress a laugh at his antics. The people around them looked on in mild interest, although Jaskier was sure that most of them would think he was being serious in an attempt to win her favor, rather than an attempt to make her snort inelegantly. 

She rolled her eyes at him and drew her hand back. “Yes, well.” She shrugged. “I had to see what all the fuss was about.” 

He grinned at her once more and let his eyes travel the lines of her frame, taking her in. He hadn’t really spent much time looking at her earlier, and the dress she wore was skintight and had large portions carved out, showing flashes of skin just this side of scandalous. She begged the attention of all passers-by, and Jaskier contented himself in looking his fill, knowing it wouldn’t be too abnormal. 

“Well, dear sorceress, while it has been an honor to speak with you, I really must return to my post, or else I worry the crowds will grow restless without my music to calm them.” Jaskier was enjoying the pretend pompousness, and he kissed her knuckles once more before letting her go in order to make his way back to the stage. 

As the night went on, Jaskier was more and more grateful for the nap he’d managed to steal, since he played almost continuously with only a few breaks for water. The nobles were drunk, rowdy, and eager to get started on their week of merrymaking, and he found the crowd invigorating, their energy feeding into his desire to put on a show. 

He kept his eyes on Yennefer as she wound her way around the room, chatting and socializing with various nobles and other wealthy patrons. She seemed perfectly at home in the crowd, flattering and threatening her way from one side of the room to the other and then back again. He had no doubts that she would come out of the event with connections and favors owed her worth ten times what she was paid to be there, and he found himself happy for her and glad to be able to witness her as she worked, since she was a sight to behold in more ways than one. 

When the clock was much past midnight and the majority of the crowd had disappeared back to their own chambers in order to sleep off the drink (and have illicit sex with partners not their own, Jaskier suspected), he finally called it a night, ceasing his playing and giving the last assembled nobility a gratuitous thanks and wishing them a nice evening. 

He hadn’t seen Yennefer in the last hour or so of playing, and as he packed up his lute, Jaskier scanned the room once more, not seeing her amount the remaining partygoers. He sighed, assuming she’d called it a night already and hoping he could catch her in the morning. 

The walk back to the rooms he’d been given was short, for which he was grateful as he was exhausted despite his earlier nap. When he arrived at his rooms, he was surprised to see that there was a fire burning in the hearth, lighting the room and warming the chilly night air. Before he could inspect further, however, movement from the bed had him turning around, and he came to a halt as Yennefer sat up from where she’d been dozing against the pillows, rubbing a hand through her hair. 

“You took long enough, bard. Had to get all of the adoration you could wring from them before you decided to leave?” Her words, although sharp, held no heat, and Jaskier gave her a grin in return. 

“Well, unlike some people, who are just here to make nice and get paid boatloads of money to be on standby, I have to work for my living, and playing until the festivities are over is a good way to ensure that one gets paid.” 

She groaned and flopped back down against the pillows. “Just shut it and get over here. I’m cold and I want your body heat.” 

He grinned wide at that, setting his lute down and slipping out of his performing outfit. When he was down to his smallclothes, he made his way around the bed and pulled the covers back just enough to send a blast of the cooler air under the blankets, causing Yennefer to squeal as it hit her. 

“Jaskier!” Her voice was annoyed, and he quickly slipped into the bed, pulling the covers back down and tugging her to him, soothing the momentary annoyance. She let him pull her close, leaning her head on his shoulder and hooking a leg over one of his own. “Hmm, well, you’re good for something at least; I was cold even with the fire and the blankets.” 

He snorted before settling himself down, turning in her arms so she was spooned around him, her front pressed to his back. She nosed against his neck, more sleepy than interested, and he felt her hot breath coming in small puffs against his skin. 

“Hmm, you smell nice.” Her words were drowsy, the heat from his body and the comfortable bed already pulling her back to sleep, and he didn’t respond, instead just snuggling deeper into the bedcovers and falling asleep.

Chapter Text

When he woke, Jaskier found that they’d shifted in sleep, and he lay pressed against Yennefer from shoulders to toes, his front against her back and his erection nestled against her ass. He woke slowly and as he did he became more aware of the position he found himself in, his hips rocking gently against her body. 

When he realized what he was doing, Jaskier stilled, unsure whether he wanted to continue or not. Yennefer felt lovely against him and it was almost painful to stop rutting against her ass, but she was still asleep and he didn’t want to take advantage if she wasn’t interested. Coming back to his rooms to find her in his bed did point to her being interested in bedding him, but he didn’t want to assume. Perhaps she’d found that her own rooms were too cold, and she’d just wanted to use him for his body heat. 

While he was debating what his next move should be, Yennefer stirred against him and sighed softly, pressing herself against his body in a sinuous stretch. “Hmm, good morning, bard.” 

Jaskier pressed his nose against her hair and dropped a series of soft kisses against her neck, scraping his teeth against the skin. She moaned, louder, and arched her back against him, pressing more firmly against his erection. 

“Yennefer, can I – do you–” His words were jumbled from arousal and sleep and he moved one hand to her hip, pulling her more tightly against him in an attempt to convey what he wanted. She nodded, bucking her hips against him, but didn’t turn. 

“Yes, gods, yes.” Her hands slipped down her own body and met his at the hem of her smallclothes, pushing them down her thighs just far enough so he could press his cock against her bare flesh, groaning softly at the wetness between her thighs already. 

She reached between her legs to grip him and guide him against her, pressing him into her body without moving from her position on her side, and he gasped as he felt himself enter her, one of her legs thrown over his own as she angled her hips in order to take him deeper. 

Jaskier gripped her hips tighter, pulling her flush against him. He thrust shallowly, the angle not ideal for getting as deep as he could go, and heard her moan into the pillows. It was lazy, with them wrapped around each other, and Jaskier contented himself with pumping into her more slowly than he would have otherwise, drawing out the sensations. 

Eventually he tired of the teasing and he snaked a hand around her body to rub at her clit. Before too much longer she was gasping out her orgasm and clenching around him, her fingernails digging into his thighs where she gripped him. The sensations of her around him were enough to set off his own orgasm, and he sunk his teeth into her shoulder as he came, nearly drawing blood. 

Once they were both still once more, Jaskier’s arms loosely wrapped around her and his cock softening inside of her, he sighed and pressed a kiss over the bite he’d left on her shoulder, licking the reddened skin in apology. 

“Well, that’s one way to wake up.” Her voice was light, and Jaskier nodded his agreement, face still pressed against her skin. 

“Yes, very nice, I could do that every morning.” Before he could tense with worry at how she’d take his statement, she was shifting in his arms, turning to face him with a yawn and a soft expression on her face. 

“I know the feeling.” She sighed and nuzzled against him, pressing her face into his neck. “Hmm, when do you have to perform next?” 

Jaskier ran his fingers across her back, tracing idle patterns there. “Not until this evening, although I should probably practice before then, and I also need to draw up a good set list in order to make sure I don’t forget anything important.” 

Yennefer snorted against his chest. “Ah yes, can’t forget the one about abortions, or ‘toss a coin’.” 

Jaskier frowned, pulling back to look at her. “I haven’t really been doing that one, you know.” She met his eyes, and he sighed again. “Toss a coin, I mean. All of my Geralt-themed songs have been, well, you know.” He shrugged. “Less appealing, I guess, to play. Singing about how great the white wolf is isn’t all that pleasant when you know he’d rather you not exist.” 

Yennefer sighed against his skin and pressed a kiss to his chest. “Yes, well, the great big moron doesn’t deserve your songs. He’s been rather shite to the both of us, and I’m fine with him not getting any more praise at the moment.” 

She squeezed him tighter with the arm wrapped around him, and he squeezed back. “Ah, well, at least we’ve got our own revenge on him, hmm?” Jaskier kept his voice light, not wanting to bring the mood down. “Anyway, you said you’d tell me what he said when you dropped that little tidbit into conversation. Have you seen him since then?” 

Yennefer shook her head and sighed, relaxing further against his body. “No, I haven’t, and I’m quite alright with that. If I don’t see him for another few years I’ll be glad for it.” Her words didn’t match her tone, and Jaskier got the feeling that she was lying, although he wasn’t sure whether it was for his sake or her own. 

They both fell quiet for a while, content to doze against each other in the bed, and Jaskier pushed all thoughts of Geralt out of his mind, instead focusing on the woman next to him. 

Eventually, Jaskier’s stomach growled loudly in protest of the lack of breakfast, and Yennefer snickered against his chest, her fingers mapping his torso as she laughed. “Well, I do believe that’s a rather pointed sign that we should get out of bed and go get some food.” Her voice was light, and Jaskier was pleased that it lacked the traces of her earlier wistfulness. 

“An excellent plan, if I do say so myself.” Jaskier shifted and threw the covers off of his chest, exposing both him and Yennefer to the air. She shivered, and he watched her nipples perk up in the cool of the room. He couldn’t tear her eyes from her goosepimpled skin, and he licked his lips as he took her in. 

She swatted at his arm when she noticed him staring and rolled away from him, dropping to the floor beside the bed. “Don’t you start that now, I’m hungry, and if we go another round breakfast might be over.” 

Jaskier sighed dramatically before hauling himself out of bed next to her and walking over to his belongings to find an outfit for the day. Yennefer did the same trick she’d used the first time she’d spent the night with him and banished her worn clothes, conjuring a new dress with a flick of her wrist. She dressed and sat on the edge of the bed, watching as Jaskier finished doing up the buttons and ties on the outfit he’d settled on. 

He looked up to see her watching him, and when he met her eyes, she gave him a wicked grin. 

“Oh, I don’t know how I feel about that look, Yenn, that bodes trouble, I know it.” Despite his words, he grinned back at her. When she stood from the bed, he let her approach, draping her arms around his neck lazily. 

“It’s trouble for sure, but the best kind of trouble.” Her words were whispered in his ear and he shivered, the sensation going straight to his cock. “I was going to mention, yesterday, but in all the chaos I’d forgotten.” 

Jaskier cocked his head, looking down at her. “Mention what, exactly?” 

She leaned into his chest and nipped at his throat before answering. “I ran into a rather special mage a week or two ago, someone who dabbles in….less than mundane kinds of potions and spells, and I picked up a couple things on the off chance I ran into you again. I found one that might be a fun thing to try, and I know you’d love it.” 

He was fighting the urge to give up on food altogether and nudge her back down onto the bed, and he instead pulled back, looking her in the eyes. 

“What kind of ‘thing’, exactly? I’d like a little more than ‘not mundane’ if I’m going to take a suspicious potion.” He reached up to run a hand through her hair, fingers catching lightly on her curls. 

She smirked at him once more before pulling back from him and walking towards the door. "I could tell you, but where's the fun in that?" She stopped before the closed door and beckoned him to follow her, which he did without question. "If you truly don't like it, I've got an antidote, but it'll wear off in about twelve hours regardless." 

Jaskier followed her out the door and down the long corridor towards the great hall that would be serving as a general banquet area and mess hall. When they arrived, it wasn't empty, but nor was it crowded; there were small groups of people eating at tables set up all along one half of the room, with the other half crowded with tables containing all sorts of food. 

The smells coming from the food were marvelous, and Jaskier's stomach rumbled again as he beelined for the tables, picking up a plate and starting to load it as high as it would go. 

Yennefer followed him more slowly, choosing to walk up and down the banquet tables and looking at all the options before taking a plate herself. 

By the time she'd taken her pick of the offerings, Jaskier had already found a table to sit at and started eating, not bothering to wait for her. She quirked an eyebrow at him as she sat and he couldn't answer verbally around the mouthful of eggs he'd just taken a bite of so he settled for making a rather rude gesture at her across the table. 

She snorted and picked up her own fork before tucking in to the food. 

They ate in silence for a while, both hungry and more interested in the food than in making conversation. When Jaskier's place was almost clear and he was feeling comfortably full, he leaned back in his chair to look at Yennefer once more. 

"So, this…this thing that you think I'll like... is it dangerous?" He eyed her with no small amount of suspicion, and frowned when she smirked back at him. 

"Not particularly, no; at least in terms of doing any lasting harm. As I've said, it'll last about twelve hours, and I've got the antidote if you decide you don't enjoy it for any reason." She shrugged. "But I do think you'll get a kick out of it, and if the idea so offends your sensibilities, I'll let you know that I'd planned for us both to take it, since I'm just as eager to give it a try myself." 

Jaskier mulled over her words, thinking about the proposition. He wasn't sure about trusting a random potion made by someone he didn't know, even if Yennefer seemed sure it would be safe. Before he could open his mouth to say so, however, Yennefer stopped him with a hand on his arm. 

"Surely you're not going to be required to play every night this week, right? You've got to have at least one day off." 

He nodded at her, meeting her eyes. "Yes, I've got a day off in the middle, which I had planned to spend resting my voice and generally enjoying the festivities myself." He shot her a smirk. "Let it not be said that I'm unable to find something to get up to in a castle full of nobles intent of drinking themselves silly for a week straight." 

She smirked back at him. "Ah, yes, I'm not surprised that your plans involve shoving your cock into as many nobles as possible." 

Jaskier spluttered at her vulgarity, looking around to see if anyone had overheard. Nobody was looking at them scandalized, and the tension in his muscles eased slightly when he realized.

Chapter Text

He turned back to her and found her wearing a smug smile. He frowned at her. "Yes, well, that's not how I would have phrased it.” He stuck his tongue out at her, giving up on maturity, since she already had. “I like to think that I fall in love easily. I'm just a romantic at heart, really, not the skirt chasing cad you're painting me as." 

She let out a rather unladylike bark of laughter, and as Jaskier cast another gaze around the room, he noted that they were now getting more than a few stares, both because of the noise and then more lingering looks from those that knew of either him or her. 

He stood, gathering his plate and giving her a meaningful look before she could say whatever it was that she planned to respond with. “I’m done, and you’re more than welcome to stay and finish your food, but I’ve got to deal with my setlist and my instrument.” When she smirked at him, he rolled his eyes. “Get your mind out of the gutter, oh scandalous and terrifying mage, I’ve got to tune and oil my lute, and I mean that literally.” 

She huffed, shaking her head but staying quiet on the topic. Instead, she looked up at him. “Alright, well, go on, I’m sure I’ll run into you again before the week is up. Be sure to give my proposition some thought; it would work best if we did it on your day off, so as not to keep you from your bardly duties.” Her leer said that she expected that monopolizing him on his one day to frolic would be keeping him from his bardly duties, of a sort, and he didn’t dignify it with a response. Instead, he turned on his heel with a nod and made his way from the room after depositing his dishes on a stack of other dirty cups and plates by the doors. 

When he made it back to his rooms, he realized the sun was rather higher than he’d thought, and that it was actually almost noon. Since his playing was going to go until the wee hours of the morning for most of the week, he’d resigned himself to staying up late and waking up late as well, but it meant he had less time to practice than he’d expected. 

Nevertheless, Jaskier oiled and tuned his lute, paying special attention to the one string he’d noticed had started to look worryingly close to fraying and making sure he didn’t need to change it before playing for the night. It never did to have to change a string out in the middle of a performance, and he inspected it carefully for signs of wear before deciding that it looked well enough that it should last him the week. All the same, he packed an extra into the bag he kept near him when performing and made a mental note to check it every day before he started. 

Once his instrument had been tended to properly (and he thought of Yennefer and her pointed smirk not once while doing so), he pulled out his battered song notebook and started going through the songs he wanted to sing that night. Of course, he had them all memorized – one couldn’t play and perform while trying to read sheet music, but being able to entertain a group of travelers spontaneously and performing for a noble court demanded much more than the weary traveler. 

It was something Geralt had never truly understood, the care with which he picked his setlists for performances, and Jaskier shooed the thought of the errant witcher from his mind, instead focusing once more on his music. 

It took most of the afternoon, but Jaskier found himself satisfied by the time the sun had started setting that he knew what songs he’d play for each of the remaining days of the festival and what he needed for each. When finally surfaced from his focus on the task, he noted that his stomach was growling quite loudly and rather insistent that he eat something soon. 

Jaskier sighed and packed his notebooks away, saving the one sheet that had the setlist for the night on it and tucking it into a pocket. He gathered himself up and left in search of food before his performance, passing various merrymakers in the halls on his way. They all greeted him with good cheer and he smiled back without stopping, the hunger gnawing at his insides as he realized he hadn’t eaten since breakfast. 

The same hall that had breakfast was open, and Jaskier stepped inside to find it sparsely populated, with light lunch and dinner foods spread out instead of breakfast. He sighed in relief, not having been sure that dinner would have been in the same place, and ate quickly, keeping an eye on the darkening skies outside. 

He was supposed to play in a different ballroom that night, and when he got back to his rooms to collect his lute and his performance bag, he almost forgot. It was only as he was leaving that he thought to check the schedule, and he breathed out a sigh of relief that he did when he saw that he was in the main ballroom this time, instead of one of the smaller ones. Common sense would dictate that all the ballrooms would be located near one another, but in reality the main was on the opposite side of the castle to all of the others, and had he not double checked he certainly would have been late. 

Even so, he was still walking at a faster pace than he wanted to get there in time, and he breathed out another sigh of relief when he arrived at the main ballroom to find it nearly empty, with only a few guests milling around and looking bored. 

Jaskier set himself up quickly, not having gotten a chance to feel out the room itself yet, and he quickly strummed some of his warmup chords and started walking the length of the room, testing the acoustics. The room was long and the ceiling high, and as he walked he noted that he was able to project his voice easily, to his satisfaction. Too often castles and manors were constructed with no thought to the use of the rooms, and Jaskier had to work around some truly terrible architecture in his time performing. 

By the time he made it back to the small stage that had been erected (gods, Yennefer was in his head now, there was no other way he’d keep wanting to snicker at perfectly normal words without her even being there), more people had filed in, and there were more servants carrying trays with cups and platters with food. 

Jaskier announced himself to the room at large before starting his set, not waiting for the festivities to begin in earnest. He usually liked to be first, after all, since he brought quite a lot of the merriment. After only a song or two, the ballroom really started to fill up and he grinned, grateful for the easy crowd, made easier by the liberal amounts of alcohol that had been flowing since the night before. 

One song led into another, and Jaskier kept the crowd moving with high energy songs for dancing, designed to keep people drinking as they moved and sweat. Jaskier threw himself into the music without looking back, and it was some time later that he finally looked up from his playing to see Yennefer standing against one wall, studying him. From the looks of her, she’d not just entered the ballroom but instead had been there working the crowd for some time, and he felt a flush high up on his cheeks at the thought of her watching him perform. 

The thought was silly; he’d performed many many times for huge crowds who he hadn’t personally known, but there was something about the fact that he generally poured his heart and soul in when he was playing and she’d been studying him for gods know how long without him noticing her. 

She saw him looking at her and smiled. It was one of her sultry smiles, the ones designed to entice, and Jaskier paid it no mind, instead grinning back to the crowd at large. This time, he didn’t stop playing when he noticed her, instead continuing with his set without pause. While he’d been more than happy to drop everything to greet her the last few times he’d seen her in a crowd, he felt surer that she wouldn’t slip away this time, or at least that if she did, he had a reasonable chance of finding her in his bed once he was finished. 

The rest of the night was a blur of song, dance, drinking, and general performance and Jaskier loved it, lapping up all of the adoration easily. By the time he’d run through his planned songs, the ballroom was nearly empty once more and he finished with another flourish, bowing and taking his leave without much ceremony. 

Yennefer had disappeared at some point (he wasn’t sure exactly when) but he gathered his things and departed the ballroom, walking leisurely back to his own rooms and only passing a few people in the halls. Jaskier was grateful for that, as the post-performance high was rather annoying to be around for most people and he preferred to spend it alone or with...limited company. 

Limited company, of course, usually meaning Geralt and/or women Jaskier was in the process of bedding. 

His rooms, when he reached them, were empty of one violet-eyed sorceress. Jaskier only spared himself a sigh of disappointment before he busied himself undressing and putting his things away. His lute was stowed carefully and he settled himself into bed, despite still being wide awake from the rush of performing. He took his composing notebook with him as he settled in, intent on writing until he was tired enough to sleep. That was how Yennefer found him a half hour later – sitting up in bed, quill between his teeth as he worked at a particularly tricky rhyme pair. 

She opened the door so silently that Jaskier wouldn’t have noticed her had she not cleared her throat and shuffled her feet once it was closed. He jumped at the noise, looking up in alarm before finding her standing in a dressing gown and slippers with an annoyed expression on her face. 

“Yennefer!” He gave her an honest grin. “I hadn’t expected to see you again tonight, I rather assumed you’d gone to bed already. Here, come in, can I get you something?” He made to get up, slipping his legs over the side and standing, but she halted his movement by walking towards the bed and tugging back the covers on the other side, getting in without a word. 

Jaskier frowned at her before sitting back down. “Yennefer, is – are you alright? You’re – I’m not at all unhappy to share my bed, of course, but why are you here, exactly?” 

She huffed and picked at the embroidery with a fingernail, not meeting his eyes. “Well, I might be paid to take care of all the prissy nobles for the duration of the week, but I’d expected that at least some of them had better sense than to wake a mage in the middle of the night with their stupid requests.” Her tone had Jaskier wincing, and he sighed, understanding all too well what she wasn’t saying. 

“Ah, they know where your rooms are and they’ve been knocking and asking for potions to help them keep fucking all night long, have they?” 

She gave him a glare and a nod, clearly still irritated by whatever fool had last bothered her. “Yes. The ones that come in the daytime, I’ve helped, but the ones that only know where I am after midnight have been...less receptive to my instructions to find me at a reasonable hour.” 

Jaskier couldn’t help his chuckle at her surly mood, and when she turned to glare at him harder he didn’t feel an ounce of the fear he’d once felt for her. Instead, he just shifted over in the bed and tugged her to him, easing the tense lines of her body with his own. 

“Well, they’ll not find you here, hmm? Nobody would think to look for you in the rooms of a measly bard, so you’re safe for the rest of the night from all of their demanding pricks.” 

She let him tug her, going as he molded her body to his, and didn’t protest even when some of the ink smeared on his fingers rubbed off against her wrists. Once she seemed more settled, Jaskier turned and put his notebook and quill on the side table before making a move to get up to blow out the candles he’d left burning. Her hands on his wrist made him pause, and she snuffed the candles from where she lay. 

Jaskier considered a moment and then turned back to her, drawing her against him. “That’s helpful.” 

She grumbled under her breath, and he just leaned closer, kissing up her neck. She swatted at his head with a sigh, not really trying to stop him but not giving him much to work with either. “I’ve spent most of the day taking care of booboos and sad erections, Jaskier, I’d love nothing more than to actually get some sleep before having to do the same tomorrow.” 

Her voice was tired but not angry with him, and he held her tighter in apology. “Well, I can get behind that, hmm? Sleep is always a good plan.” 

She went loose with sleep in his arms before sleep claimed him, and he followed soon after, drifting off easily with the warmth of her body pressed against him.

Chapter Text

When Jaskier woke up, he tried to roll over and found that he couldn’t. Opening his eyes, he saw the ceiling of his room and he blinked, trying to understand. When he turned his head (he could still do that much!), he saw that each of his hands were tied to a bedpost above his head, splaying his arms wide. Tugging on the rope didn’t move it an inch. 

“Hmm, awake, are you?” Yennefer’s voice was soft, and when Jaskier looked down he found her sitting beside his legs, one hand pumping his cock almost lazily. “I was wondering when you’d finally wake up; it took you long enough.” The words were dry, and she gave him a predatory smirk when he gulped with apprehension. 

“Y-Yennefer, I, uh, my arms are tied up.” He felt a bit stupid, stating the obvious, but his traitor mouth wouldn’t cooperate and he shut it again. She nodded, still stroking him, and reached her other hand up his chest, flicking a nipple. It hurt and he hissed, trying to twitch away from her. “Ouch!” 

He couldn’t help the jerk of his hips even as he tried to get away from the pain, the drips of precome leaking from his erection at the thought of being at her mercy like this. 

“Jaskier.” Her voice demanded his attention, and he looked down his body at her, blinking and trying to keep what little dignity he still had. 

“Yeah?” He couldn’t quite focus his eyes, still bleary from sleep and lust, and he watched as she grinned down at him. 

“Do you remember your word, for if you want to stop?” 

He bit his lip, nodding at her. “Yeah. It’s ragamuffin.” For his troubles, he got another grin, and she tightened her grip on him brutally. “Oh, fuck , that’s–” 

She let go of him and he keened, his hips bucking up into the air. When he got no relief on his aching cock, he forced his eyes open and met Yennefer’s. 

“P-Please, Yenn, I need - I need–” 

Instead of gripping him once more, she flicked the head of his cock, causing him to howl as it bounced against his stomach. “Oh, I know you need, darling, but unfortunately I’m planning to have some fun with you first.” Her voice was calmer than he’d have liked, and he groaned, turning his head to press his face against the pillows under him. 

When she shoved his thighs apart and settled herself between them, he couldn’t do more than whimper up at her, squeezing his legs around her in an attempt to get her to do something . 

Her hands grabbed at his thighs, fingernails biting into the soft skin there. “Ah-ah, no.” She leaned forward and wrapped her mouth around one nipple, sucking and then biting sharply before letting it go. “Now, Jaskier, I’ve got something to ask you.” 

He forced his eyes open and found her gaze. “Wha-huh?” It was all he could do to keep his eyes open and focused on her, and his question came out as a garbled mess. 

“I’ve heard rumors but, well, there’s a difference and I’d rather not surprise you. Are you interested in men as well as women?” 

He felt his face twist in confusion for a moment but nodded, not looking away from her. 

“I – yeah, sometimes, it’s, uh, it’s a nice change, some variety, you know?” He grinned even as he felt his heart speed up. “Don’t tell me you think it’s wrong, for men to, uh, like other men sometimes.” 

She rolled her eyes and scraped her nails down his chest, causing him to suck in a breath sharply. “No, I’d be a moron to believe that. I just wanted to check before I did anything you actually didn’t like.” 

He frowned at her, unsure where she was going with it. “I, uh, well, I will admit to having no idea what you’re talking about now, Yennefer. As far as I’m aware, you’re not a man, and you don’t really seem like the type to invite some random man into my bed without a little more warning than this.” 

She snorted. “Well, not so much, but I was thinking I’d rather like to fuck your perky little ass. I just wanted to check to see that it would be something you’re interested in first.” 

Jaskier gasped, his thighs clenching tighter around her hips instinctively. “Yennefer, that’s – fuck , please, please –” 

She smirked at him before drawing one finger down his inner thigh, leaving a red scrape against his pale flesh. When she reached the juncture of his thighs, she bypassed his cock and instead wrapped her fingers around his balls, tugging at them and causing him to gasp. She didn’t spend long on them, though, just gave a few more gentle squeezes before letting go and trailing her fingers lower and ghosting over his hole. 

Jaskier gasped again, writhing against the bonds that held his hands. “Yennefer, please, I need more, I need–” 

She shushed him again, leaning down to suck at the nipple she hadn’t yet attended to, and when Jaskier squirmed, the sensations almost too much, he felt her finger press harder against his opening and slip inside easily to the first knuckle. It was only after another moment that he realized that her fingers were slicked despite her never reaching for anything. They hadn’t been before. 

He realized after another few moments of hazy pleasure while she worked her finger in and out that she was a sorceress and probably had all sorts of sex magic tricks, a thought which had him groaning loudly and bucking against her hands. 

The hand not currently working him open came to rest on his hip, holding him down so he couldn’t thrust against her, and he bit his lip, whimpering a little. 

“You’ll get what I give you and nothing more, bard. I’m in control here, and I decide how much you’re allowed.” Her voice was sharp and as she finished speaking she slipped another finger inside him alongside the first, scissoring them and stretching him further. 

Jaskier was out of breath now, his inhales labored and quick, and he nodded in acceptance. When he didn’t buck against her hand again, she gave an approving hum and curled her fingers inside of him, hitting a spot that had him seeing stars and clenching every muscle in his body in an attempt not to thrust back against her hand. 

She added a third finger shortly, pumping them in and out of him in quick movements that had him writhing against his bonds and keening with every breath. Finally she seemed satisfied at the preparation, and withdrew her fingers from his body. At the loss, Jaskier nearly wailed, but he instead took a deep breath and held it, forcing himself to stay as quiet as he could. 

When he opened his eyes, he saw her shifting around between his thighs, and he caught a glimpse of some complicated hand gesture she made towards herself. After she was done, she looked back at him and sat up on her knees, a harness strapped around her hips holding a dildo that stuck straight out. It was larger than he expected it to be, and she only smirked as he goggled. 

“Yenn, I don’t – I’m not sure that’s going to fit –” Despite his words, Jaskier gasped and fell silent when she gripped her fake cock and rubbed it against his entrance. It was slick, and he knew she’d likely coated it with the same substance she used to finger him open. 

“Ah, you say that, and yet, I can tell that you want to take it, so badly.” The words were sultry, and she pressed the head of the dildo against him harder. Jaskier made a soft noise in the back of his throat. “I mean, look at you, Jaskier, even I could tell that you’re a size queen, wanting to get as much in your slutty little ass as you can fit.” 

He didn’t argue with her, instead closing his eyes and letting his head fall back against the pillows, his thighs holding her tight. When she pushed more firmly against his entrance, entering him slowly, he sucked in another breath and tried to force his muscles to relax, to take all she was giving him. 

She kept moving against him, small shallow thrusts, until she was fully seated within his body. At that point, she paused to give him time to adjust and he felt as she leaned over him, propping herself up on her arms and breathing hot against his chest. He grinned at the idea of her so affected by nothing other than seeing him in such a state, and after another few moments he gave her hips a squeeze with his thighs, urging her to move. 

Before she started fucking him in earnest, however, she drew back and waved her hand over their joined bodies. Jaskier wanted to ask what she was doing, what with using magic so close to his privates, but he felt the effects almost immediately and he moaned loudly, his feet kicking at her more urgently. Between them, her cock had started pulsing, buzzing really, and the sensations as he felt her hips rock against his ass were enough to have him worrying about finishing immediately. 

“Oh, fuck –” Yennefer’s voice startled him, and she dropped her forehead to his chest even as her hips shifted and she pulled out only to slam back inside. Despite the fact that his brain had liquified and was currently dribbling out his ears, Jaskier had enough thought to realize that the vibrations were also pressed against her clit where the cock was fastened to her, which must have felt equally amazing. 

She wasted no time and after another few fumbled thrusts quickly found a rhythm, propping herself up on her hands in order to get better leverage to fuck into him. Jaskier was beyond words, the sensations shooting pleasurable sparks up his spine, and he could do nothing but writhe against his bindings and try to hold out as long as possible. 

It was far too soon when he felt himself nearing the edge, and he threw his head back against the pillows. “Yennefer, I’m - I’m going to come–” 

She nodded but didn’t reach for him, instead just fucking into him harder, his cock neglected between them. It only took a few more thrusts before he came, gasping his pleasure and squeezing her hips so tightly with his thighs that there would be bruises. White ropes of cum painted both of their chests, and when Yennefer slowed in her movements in order to pull out, Jaskier couldn’t help but strain against his bindings, intent on getting his mouth on one of her nipples that had caught some of it. 

A wave was all it took to free his arms, and he lunged for her, rolling them over and sucking the nipple in question into his mouth, laving at it until she shoved at his head, pushing him down onto the bed beside her. 

“Are you never done?” Her tone was fond even as she pushed at him, chest heaving as she tried to catch her own breath. Jaskier was more than happy to flop down on his side next to her, his limbs like jelly after the orgasm and the bindings. 

“Never, not once.” He snaked an arm around her stomach and pulled her close. “Lucky for you.” 

She laughed and let him gather her in his arms. “Yes, well, that’s true.” As they shifted, her fake cock bobbed and Jaskier couldn’t help but snicker at the sight of it moving through the air. A flick landed on the back of his head and then she was waving a hand again, banishing the harness and the cock with it and leaving her fully nude once more. 

Despite his best efforts, Jaskier’s body let him know that he needed a few more minutes to recover before he would be able to kneel between her thighs and lick her to another orgasm, and so he just nuzzled his face into her side. 

“You’re the worst, Yennefer, I really hope you know that.” She made a questioning noise and he continued. “Despite your declaration that I’m a size queen, which, no comment, that thing was massive. You could have spared me a little.” 

His voice was petulant and she just smiled down at him. “Oh, shut it, bard, you know that you loved every inch of it.” He had no response to that, and she settled a hand in his hair, petting him lazily. He had almost dozed off when she spoke again. “Besides, it was smaller than Geralt’s.” 

That had him sitting up and looking her in the eyes. She said nothing, and he just lifted an eyebrow in heavy judgement. “I thought we’d decided that there would be no talk of Geralt in bed?” 

She shrugged, stretching against him. “I said that you weren’t allowed to mention him, but never that I wouldn’t.” When he huffed, she tugged him back down so he was laying against her once more. “You don’t seem very surprised, though.”

Jaskier shrugged, not meeting her eyes. “Well, I mean. You travel with someone for twenty years, you end up seeing his cock a few times.” 

Yennefer snorted. “Ah, yes, of course, you traveled with him.” Jaskier frowned at her. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

She waved a hand lazily. “It means that I have eyes. You’ve been in love with him for all the time I’ve known the two of you, and he’s been the same.” 

Jaskier gaped at her. “Wha– Yennefer , that’s – you can’t just go around saying things like that.” 

She rolled her eyes and smacked his chest. “I can, and I have just done so. Plus, don’t think I didn’t notice that you didn’t deny it.” 

He grunted at her. “Geralt has never and will never be in love with me, Yennefer. He’s head over heels for you, and no matter what you believe, he has been even before he made that stupid wish.” Jaskier sighed and flopped back against the pillows, cuddling up to her. “I’m not going to say that you need to believe me about him, but I’m–” He cut off, took a deep breath, and tried again. “I was his friend – at least, I thought I was – for twenty years. I know how he is, and I know that he’s been head over heels for you since the first time you locked eyes with him.” 

When Yennefer looked at him, she found him resolutely avoiding her eyes and sighed. “I notice that you didn’t deny the part about you being in love with him.” Jaskier shrugged, not looking at her. She opened her mouth to argue the point further, and then closed it again, looking at him with more scrutiny. “Wait, you said twenty years you were by his side?”

 Jaskier shrugged again. “Yeah, give or take, I think it was more like twenty-two. But it doesn’t really matter now, does it?” 

Yennefer pulled away from him to study his face more closely. “But that makes you – how old are you?” When her fingertips poked at the corners of his eyes, he chuckled and pushed them away gently. 

“Nearly forty, actually, although you wouldn’t know it to look at me.” The words were said with a careless grace and she was treated to a grin. Yennefer didn’t take the bait, instead poking at the corners of his eyes once more. 

“Well, yes, actually, you look the same as you did when I met you.” 

Jaskier grinned some more at her. “Ha! So you admit that I don’t have crows feet!” 

Yennefer rolled her eyes at him before gripping his face in her hands, inspecting. “Yes, well, I wasn’t actually looking, I just knew that humans tend to be rather sensitive about things like that. But you actually don’t, Jaskier.” 

He bit his lip when she let him go, looking away. “Ah, yeah, well. I’m not exactly entirely human, so.” 

The admission was enough to surprise Yennefer, and her mouth dropped open. “What? But you’re – and Geralt was always so – what?” 

Jaskier shook his head at her, flopping back down against the pillows and still not meeting her eyes. “Oh, I haven’t gotten any of the really cool things, you know, like magic or super healing or anything, but I kind of stopped aging at twenty and I probably won’t age much more.” He shrugged. “It’s not that interesting really, just a drop here and a drop there on both sides of the family.” 

Yennefer’s nails bit into his arm and he grunted. When he finally met her eyes, she was frowning at him, eyes narrowed. “What are you, then?” 

Jaskier took a breath, tugging his arm out of her grip. “Oh, give it a rest, I’m not dangerous, Geralt would have killed me if he’d thought for a second that I was.” She didn’t stop looking at him like that, and he finally relented with another sigh. “I’m an eighth elf, on my mom’s side, and an eighth siren on my dad’s, which means I’m one-eighth mix. Just enough to get the longevity but none of the interesting powers.” 

Yennefer finally blinked, her face softening a little at him. “Ah. Well, that’s – you humans are always so vain, I’m sure it’s a blessing to know you won’t deal with any pesky aging.” Jaskier was grateful that she seemed willing to drop the subject, and he gave her a nod. 

“Yeah, I was pretty happy about it when I figured it out, I thought that it’d be good, since–” He cut off abruptly. When Yennefer looked at him, he was frowning. 

“Since you’d be able to accompany Geralt without getting old?” Jaskier nodded at her words, and she placed a hand on his arm. “I’m sorry for your loss, Jaskier, even if you don’t believe me he was in love with you. It was a good friendship and one I’m sure he regrets spoiling.” 

Jaskier said nothing, and instead he just sighed again, tucking his head against the curve of her neck and wrapping his arms around her. 

“Yeah, well. It is what it is, there’s no use fretting over it.” He didn’t protest when Yennefer started stroking his hair, and after a few minutes he let himself drift off back to sleep against her.

Chapter Text

Waking up the second time that morning, Jaskier was unbound, his arms and legs free to move as he wished. He sat up in the bed, feeling antsy, and saw that Yennefer had gotten up at some point and wasn’t in bed with him still. He hadn’t really expected her to stay the whole day with him, but he’d have liked her to be there when he woke up, and he sighed. 

The process of dressing and procuring food took a good portion of his morning, and by the time he’d made it back to his room, he only had enough time to practice a little before he was to play for one of the early afternoon gatherings that was taking place. 

The gathering wasn’t a small one, and Jaskier threw himself into the performance eagerly, enjoying the crowd as much as he always did when he was performing. If he kept an eye on the partygoers and was disappointed when he didn’t find any sets of violet eyes staring back at him, well, that was his business. 

He’d been scheduled to play all afternoon and then again that night in a different ballroom still, and he went from one to the other without stopping, only pausing to retune his lute and ensure that the strings all looked well to play. After that, it was on with the performance and he wandered around the merrymakers as he played, serenading happy couples and generally being both mild bother and excellent bard. 

By the time he was finished playing for the night, he was exhausted from the heavy day of work, and when he returned to his rooms to find them empty he only had enough energy for a small twinge of sadness that Yennefer wasn’t there. He fell asleep almost immediately upon laying down, not even bothering to strip off his clothes. 

The following morning he awoke to an empty bed. Yennefer hadn’t snuck in during the night, and the small part of Jaskier that missed her company wanted to go find her and demand to know why she hadn’t come. He squashed that part of himself, instead deciding to laze about in bed for the morning, since it was the midweek day when his schedule was clear; no performances to put on and nowhere to be until the next evening. 

Deciding that the morning was rather early and he wasn’t particularly hungry, Jaskier reached for his writing supplies from the nightstand without getting out of bed, intending to spend the morning writing. He’d only just put quill to parchment when the door to his room opened and Yennefer slipped inside. 

Jaskier looked up at her in surprise and then even more surprise as he noted that instead of the rather extravagant dresses she favored, she was wearing men’s pants and a masculine tunic that bulged over her chest, clearly not meant for someone with such a figure. 

“Yennefer, what – are you alright? Why are you dressed like that?” Her responding smile had him frowning, wary of whatever it was that she was planning. “Oh no, you can’t just smile at me like that, Yennefer, you’ve got to give me more than that to go on.” 

She shrugged and walked over to the side of the bed, undoing the top buttons of her shirt as she walked. She sighed as the shirt opened, her breasts not stifled any longer, and Jaskier gulped as she pressed closer to him, eying the front of her shirt and realizing that she hadn’t worn any of the usual undergarments that women tended to wear under shirts. 

“Jaskier. It’s your day off, is it not?” Her voice was a purr, and he shivered at the sound. 

“Well, yes, it is, but–” She stopped his voice by pressing her lips to his, and he let her, kissing her back. 

“Well, then, have you made a decision?” At her words, he blinked stupidly and felt her sigh as a rush of hot air against his mouth. “I’ve got something fun to try, you said you needed time to decide, Jaskier.” 

His memory jogged, he nodded at her, pondering. She reached into a pocket and pulled out two small vials, neither much larger than his thumb. They were set on the nightstand before Yennefer was looking into his eyes once more. 

“Those are them, then?” He nodded his head towards the vials, and she gave him a nod. 

"That's it, yes." Her words were whispered against his lips and he flushed, his hands coming up to grab at her arms. 

"That's not - that's not fair , you're playing dirty." His voice was embarrassingly high and when she kissed him again he whined, low in his throat. 

She pulled back with a grin. "Yes, well, I never promised to play fair, and I've been looking forward to this." 

Jaskier frowned at her before leaning over to inspect the small bottle closest to him. It was made of a dark green glass, and the liquid inside looked clearish. "And you can't just tell me what it'll do?" 

She shook her head with another grin. "That would spoil the fun. I promise that if you don't like it, I've got an antidote, but I know you're going to like it."  

Jaskier sighed dramatically before leaning away from her and her tempting bosom, reaching for one of the vials on the nightstand. “Alright, you win, but if I don’t like it I’m going to spend years reminding you of that fact.” 

She didn’t even roll her eyes at him, instead just giving him another grin before grabbing the remaining vial. Jaskier unstoppered his own and looked into the small vial before holding it up to his nose for a sniff. 

“Just down it then? You don’t need to wave your hands over me and chant in Elder or something?” At his words, Yennefer did finally roll her eyes at him, and she made a shooing motion. 

“Nothing else, just drink it. I’ll do it at the same time; it should take hold quickly.” 

Without another second to hesitate, Jaskier downed the liquid in the vial, swallowing it in one gulp. It was one of the most terrible tasting things he ever had the displeasure of putting against his tongue, and Jaskier gagged as he swallowed, reaching blindly for the glass of water on the nightstand to wash it down with. 

The water helped, and as Jaskier spluttered, the taste still making him want to cough, he became aware that whatever he’d just drank was having an effect, as his whole body felt warm and tingly. He handed the water to Yennefer, who was also spluttering at the taste of the potion, and she drank the rest, finishing it off in two gulps. 

Jaskier opened his mouth to ask what was happening, but even as he did, spots appeared in his vision and he felt unconsciousness coming up to grip him so quickly that he could do nothing but surrender to it. The last thing he saw was Yennefer not faring much better, barely managing to place the glass back on his nightstand before slumping forward, her upper body landing heavily over his legs on the bed. 

Waking up was uncomfortable, and as he did Jaskier stretched. His whole body felt…. weird , and he took stock of himself slowly before he opened his eyes. Wiggling his fingers and toes went well, all accounted for there, and he carefully cracked his eyes open in order to better assess what that gods-awful potion had done to him. 

Opening his eyes took some moments of effort, his body still clinging to the aftereffects of whatever had caused him to pass out in the first place, but when he finally got them open he saw that Yennefer was still draped over his legs facedown. 

At least, he thought it was Yennefer. On closer inspection, though, the figure that lay across his thighs had short, curly hair and was decidedly male , his hands larger and hairier than Yennefer’s and his chest hard and muscled instead of supple. 

Jaskier groaned, still unsure what the stupid potion had done, and the sound that came out of his throat surprised him. It was higher than he expected, and when he shut his mouth, running his tongue over his teeth, even that felt strange, like it was smaller than it had been before. 

Another glance down his body made Jaskier stop breathing altogether, his eyes going wide as he stared at himself in shock. Slowly, very slowly, so as not to disturb what had to be a lovely mirage, he lifted his hands to his chest and cupped the pair of breasts he found there. As he did, he sucked in a breath at the feeling, the warmth of his hands against his own skin as he reverently pinched at one nipple, watching it harden and feeling a most peculiar sensation between his legs at the same time. 

When he shifted, trying to figure out what was happening between his legs, he froze again, realizing that he was lacking one very essential body part, one he hadn’t thought to check for when he was taking inventory. He shifted again and felt the distinct lack of a cock between his thighs, instead feeling only a gnawing emptiness and a feeling of lack . 

“Y-Yennefer!” Jaskier’s voice was high and he felt the panic rising in his throat. He reached for the figure still draped over his legs, shaking the man’s arm and hoping like hell that it was Yennefer. The man stirred, groaning and raising a hand up to his forehead before his eyes fluttered open and he looked up at Jaskier. 

When he saw Jaskier’s face, however, he smiled, tongue flicking out to wet his bottom lip. “Jaskier?” 

His voice was somehow familiar, as were the violet eyes, and Jaskier could only gape down at Yennefer as his brain slowly registered what had happened. 

“Yennefer, did you give me a potion that would turn me into a woman ?” His voice was shrill and only got louder and shriller as he spoke, ending in a rather unpleasant shriek. Yennefer grimaced and pushed herself back from the bed, straightening her shirt, which Jaskier now saw fit perfectly over her flat chest. 

She didn’t say anything for long moments, instead shifting around and clearly taking her own bodily inventory. When one of her hands slipped down her stomach and into her pants, she grinned wide at whatever she found there, looking back at Jaskier hungrily. 

“Well, yes, I did do that, Jaskier.” She didn’t sound unrepentant in the slightest, and Jaskier spluttered at her, hands gesturing wildly. 

Eventually he found enough control to form words instead of noise. “Yennefer, I’m a woman .” He gripped his breasts for emphasis and then moaned softly, the feeling stirring something between his legs that he hadn’t expected. “Fuck, what’s – gods, this feels so–” 

He didn’t get to say much more before she was climbing onto the bed, bracketing his thighs with her knees. The front of her trousers was already straining at what was sure to be an impressive erection – Jaskier had no doubt that any part of her could be anything less than incredibly impressive – and she moaned herself as she rubbed a hand over it. 

“Fuck, Jaskier, is this what it’s like?” Her voice was low, rough, and it sent a shiver up Jaskier’s spine. “How good it feels for you?” She threw her head back, her hand slipping under the hem of her trousers. When she gripped herself she groaned again, her hips snapping forward. 

The wanton show of self-pleasure in front of him had Jaskier’s stomach twisting into knots as he watched her. He shuddered as his eyes trailed down her body, taking in the hard planes of muscle that loomed over him. When he shifted under her, feeling unreasonably warm at the show she was putting on, she paused in her ministrations to look down at him. 

“Hmm, Jaskier, how about you? How are you feeling?” Her smirk said that she knew exactly the effect she was having on him, even if he was still struggling to keep up with the signals from his new body. “Let me guess, you’ve got this ache , this need inside of you and your body is just begging for something to fill you up.” 

He bit his lip and met her eyes, giving her a nod even as her hands settled on his hips, tugging him closer to her. “Yennefer, I - I don’t know what’s – it’s like, it’s strange , but it’s – fuck–” 

She stopped his babbling by leaning over and licking into his mouth, kissing him fiercely. He groaned into her mouth and kissed back, his hands coming up to grab at her shoulders and pull her closer. When she moved one of her own hands from his hips to knead at his breasts, fingers tweaking a nipple, he gasped, arching into her touch. 

“Oh, look at you bard, you’re so needy , I should have known.” At Yennefer’s words, Jaskier couldn’t do much more than gasp and writhe in pleasure, the sensations from her hands on his chest so new and different than how he was used to experiencing pleasure that he couldn’t do much more than whimper and push against her touch, needing more. Yennefer leaned down and pressed a kiss to his neck, sucking and biting at the skin there. 

Jaskier’s whole body was on fire, and he was worried that he’d burn up if she kept touching him. It was so different to experiencing pleasure as a man, where all of the focus was on his dick, and sometimes his ass. This was like every touch to his skin - no matter where it was - added tenfold to the pleasure and all of it seemed to weave together until his whole body was one large erogenous zone, every gentle caress multiplying the sensations. 

He was almost too far gone to notice when Yennefer’s hand slipped between their bodies, stroking down his stomach, but he did notice when her fingers rubbed against his clit (his clit , gods) lightly, just a brush of sensation. It was enough, though, and in addition to all of the other sensations his body was throwing at him, he felt his thighs tense and then he was screaming out his orgasm, his hands clawing at Yennefer’s shoulders as he tried to ground himself somehow. 

She was chuckling, but she kept drifting the pads of her fingers over his clit, easing him down from the orgasm as he slowly came back to himself, and when he could finally focus his eyes enough to look at her face he found her smiling fondly at him. 

“Fuck, Yennefer, that was – holy shit, is that what it’s like for you all the time?” His voice was hoarse and he swallowed, trying to regain some of his composure. “That’s – that’s just unfair.” Even as he spoke, he realized that instead of being sleepy and sated, the orgasm seemed to have just revved him up more, and his eyes widened. “Fuck, and women can – I can have multiple orgasms, can’t I?” 

Yennefer’s grin turned wicked and Jaskier gulped again. “Yes, yes you can.” She used the hand still cupping his breast to knead it gently, her fingers rolling the pink nipple, and he moaned again. “But you’re not the only one that wants to try out your new equipment, hmm?” 

Jaskier blinked his eyes open, unsure when he’d closed them, and met her eyes. “Yes, sure, anything, just – fuck, Yennefer, I admit it, you were right and I should have known that you have the best ideas.” 

Her grin widened and she ducked her head down to capture the nipple not between her fingers in her mouth. Jaskier’s hands came up to fist in her hair and he whined low in his throat, writhing under her ministrations. 

When she popped back up, giving him a lazy grin, Jaskier couldn't form words in response, instead just staring wordlessly back at her, delirious with pleasure. Yennefer didn't give him much time to come to his senses, however, and she started pushing at the bedcovers, exposing him to the cooler air. After a moment he shifted and helped her, dragging his legs out from under the covers and marveling at the odd sensation that was moving around without a cock between his legs. 

Once Jaskier was freed from the blankets, Yennefer wasted no time in wrapping his legs around her waist, slimmer now than her usual hourglass figure. Jaskier's thighs trembled and he gripped her tighter, pulling her body against his own. Her erection pressed against him and his hips shifted, grinding them together and making him whimper. 

He would have been embarrassed at how affected he was, except Yennefer seemed just as moved by the novel sensations, burying her face in Jaskier's neck and groaning out her pleasure as she rutted against him. 

Jaskier managed to get his arms around her, working one hand into her hair and tugging at it. She didn't stop him, instead continuing to rut against him, her erection pressing against his core. 

"Yennefer, fuck, that's – not that this isn't lovely, it truly is incredible, but I need – I think I have – Yenn, I need more. " Jaskier's voice was breathless and he sounded needy even to his own ears. If he'd heard his words out of the mouth of a whore, he'd have thought they were trying too hard, but he wasn't acting and instead felt the aching need between his legs growing with every passing moment. 

Yennefer didn't seem interested in teasing him, however, something for which he was grateful. She simply grunted, her face still pressed against his neck, and pulled back so she could align their bodies properly. 

It only took one smooth thrust and Yennefer was pushing herself inside of him. Jaskier couldn't think, couldn't breathe at the feeling of sudden and complete fullness, the shockwaves of pleasure radiating out from where they were joined. He thought he gasped at the sensation, but he couldn't really tell through the roaring in his ears as he held on to her for dear life. 

Yennefer stayed still, buried inside him for long moments and pressing her forehead to his collarbone. Once Jaskier adjusted to the sensations, he realized quickly that his body was screaming for more and he dug his heels into her thighs, hoping to spur her on. She groaned, resisting his efforts, but her hips started rocking despite herself. 

"Jaskier, I - I can't, I'm going to – just give me a moment, fuck, you're so wet -" Her words cut off when she made a soft noise and started fucking into him for real, slow as molasses. Jaskier’s hands scrabbled at her back, trying to find something to hold on to, and he tightened his legs around her waist. 

Despite both of their efforts, it wasn’t very long before Yennefer was gasping out her release against Jaskier’s neck. He wasn’t that far behind her, and when she all but collapsed on top of him he (rather ungentlemanly) pushed at her until she rolled to the side, pulling out of him with a wet sound. Jaskier shivered but didn’t let himself be deterred, reaching one small hand between his legs and rubbing at himself. 

Jaskier was sure of his talents with his fingers, but it took him a minute to get the hang of pleasuring himself , the sensations wholly different now that he was both driver and passenger, so to speak. He soon figured it out, though, and in the space of another few minutes was shuddering out his own release, panting with the effort. 

His head lolled to the side, and Jaskier noticed that Yennefer had propped herself up and was watching while he fingered himself. She wore a lazy sort of grin, still sprawled where she’d landed, and when he noticed her watching, she just grinned wider. 

“What?” The covers were too far down the bed for Jaskier to easily pull them around himself, but he was tempted nonetheless. In the path of her gaze he felt like how he expected monsters felt when Geralt was on their trail, like prey . “Yennefer, what are you looking at me like that for?” 

She didn’t answer with words, and instead licked her lips, eyes traveling the length of his body. Jaskier fought the urge to gulp and shivered as he felt her gaze like a caress. When she finally looked him in the eyes once more, Jaskier’s thighs were trembling from a wholly different reason than the orgasm he’d just brought himself to. 

“How good are you at sucking dick?” 

The question was causal and Jaskier snorted at her before rolling so he was pressed against her from ankle to neck. “Hmm, better than most, worse than some.” She chuckled and he felt it where his face was pressed against her chest. “Why do you ask, oh wise and terrifying-” He broke off, considering. “Would I call you a sorcerer now, do you think?” 

She shook her head, the movement gentle. “No, I’m still me after all. I’m just borrowing this body for a little while.” She pressed her face against Jaskier’s hair, breathing in deeply. He nuzzled closer, wrapping one arm around her and enjoying the feeling of her body solid against him. It’d been a long time since he’d been with a man, and he’d forgotten how nice it was to be able to take pleasure in a larger body, solid planes of muscle that could easily hold him down if he asked. 

Yennefer shifted and pulled back, raising an eyebrow at him. “Well?” Jaskier blinked at her, and she rolled her eyes. “Are you going to suck my dick, or aren’t you?” 

Jaskier bit his lip to keep from laughing, her words blunt and unapologetic as she gestured towards her crotch obscenely. Yennefer cracked a smile as well, knowing how she was coming across, but didn’t apologize or justify her words. 

If he hadn’t known that she was normally a woman, Jaskier would have been offended, but something about the way she seemed to be enjoying playing into the demanding boorish man stereotype had him feeling fond instead of annoyed, and he slithered down her body until he knelt between her spread legs. He looked up to find her staring at him, and when their eyes met she gave him a small smirk. Jaskier, not to be outdone, leaned down and licked a stripe up her cock. 

He had the pleasure of watching as the smirk slipped off her face and her jaw went slack, her eyes rolling back into her head with pleasure. “Oh fuck , yes, Jaskier, fuck, c’mon-” 

Her hands found his hair and pulled him down, forcing his nose into her stomach as she tried to get his mouth around her cock. He bit back another smirk and gripped her length before licking gently over the head, causing her to mewl and roll her hips into the sensation. It took him a moment to realize what the slightly salty taste of her skin was, aside from the natural musk of cock, and when he realized that it was the slick from when she’d fucked him, he groaned, pressing his thighs together as he wrapped his mouth around her cock more firmly, chasing the taste of himself and laving his tongue around her as he did. 

Yennefer groaned loudly, tugging insistently at his hair, and Jaskier let her guide him down further, swallowing around her as he took more and more of her length into his throat. After another minute, his nose pressed into the soft curls at the base of her cock and he groaned around her. The vibrations had her hips thrusting up, trying to get further into his throat, and he pressed his elbows into her hips, holding her down so she couldn’t thrust up into his mouth. 

When he looked up for a moment, making eye contact with her, she was biting her lip and looking conflicted. Jaskier got the feeling that she was torn between thrusting up into the feeling of his mouth, his weight holding her hips down be damned, and knowing what it was like to be on the receiving end of such treatment. He pushed her hips more firmly into the bed and set a punishing pace as he bobbed up and down, nearly choking himself on her. 

It didn’t take long for Yennefer to start pulling his hair harder, grunting low in her throat as she shuddered under his ministrations. Jaskier could tell when her orgasm was close, as her blunt nails dug into his skin, scratching at him and groaning her pleasure. 

“Jaskier, I’m – fuck, I think I’m-” Yennefer’s voice was low and growly and she bucked up against his face, tugging his hair and pulling him down harder against her as she came. Jaskier, knowing full well how it felt, let her tug at him and ride out her orgasm, not stopping her from fucking into his mouth as he worked her through it. 

When she was finally done, she released his hair, flopping back against the pillows and panting hard. Jaskier shot her a grin from between her legs before crawling up her body to kiss her. She made a face as she tasted herself in his mouth and Jaskier just laughed, enjoying her discomfort. 

“For your first blowjob, you weren’t half bad, Yenn, aside from the hair pulling and fucking my mouth.” Jaskier’s tone was playful and Yennefer swatted at him, too exhausted from the orgasm to really take offense. 

“Yeah, well, you do know what it’s like.” He hummed and nuzzled closer to her, throwing an arm over her chest. 

“Yes, I do indeed.” He glanced up at her, a smirk hovering around his lips. “But you know, I don’t know what it’s like to be on the receiving end as a woman. Care to enlighten me?” 

She huffed and rolled her eyes at him, but shifted herself until she knelt between his spread legs, her hands resting on his thighs. Jaskier shivered at the touch, feeling the way her palms had gotten rougher, the feeling of them brushing against his inner thighs delightful as she made her way to his core. 

Jaskier grinned down at her, a snarky comment on the tip of his tongue, but when Yennefer leaned down and licked at his clit he lost all higher functions and cried out, bucking into the light touch and throwing his hands to the sides, gripping the bedcovers in an attempt to ground himself. 

“Oh, fuck -” Yennefer didn’t answer Jaskier’s curse with words, instead choosing to hook her hands around his thighs and spread them wider, licking him more firmly as she did. Jaskier’s body was on fire in the best of ways and he keened, eyes rolling back into his head as he held on for dear life. 

Yennefer took her time with his body, teasing him and drawing out his pleasure. After a while, she added fingers, pumping two in and out of him as she licked at his clit and causing his vision to go dark around the edges as he panted and tried to get more of the sensation. 

Her mouth and hands worked his new body expertly and soon enough Jaskier was crying out his orgasm, squeezing her head between his thighs as he did. Instead of stopping, however, Yennefer continued to work his body, not ceasing in her torrent of sensation, and it was all Jaskier could do to remember to breathe. 

She worked him through two more orgasms, each coming faster than the last, and by the time Jaskier was shouting out his climax for the third time, he was worried that he might pass out from the sheer pleasure. 

He was trembling all over by the time she finally lifted herself up, pushing away from his body with a lazy smile, her chin covered with his slick. Jaskier was still beyond words but he gestured to her and she crawled back up his body, snuggling into his side and watching his face as he tried to regain some semblance of control. 

It took more than a few minutes, but Jaskier finally managed to get himself under control, and when he felt like he could speak again he rolled his head towards Yennefer, giving her a sappy grin. 

“I’ll admit that you women might just have us men beat, at least in the orgasm department. I don’t think I’ve ever felt like that before.” His words were slurred, and she giggled at him, pulling herself closer and tucking her nose against his neck. 

“Yes, well, I’ll hold you to that next time you’re between my thighs.” Yennefer stretched like a cat, using the edge of the sheets to wipe at her face lazily. “Now that you know how good it feels, you’ll understand when I get demanding.” 

Jaskier chuckled, holding her tighter. “Ah, but how will I know when you’re being demanding , as opposed to just your usual self?” 

His comment earned him a pinch to the hip, Yennefer’s fingers finding the new swell of soft flesh there and digging in. Jaskier yelped, jumping at the feeling, and Yennefer laughed softly, her face still pressed against his neck. 

Jaskier groaned and relaxed further into the pillows, feeling immeasurably content. “I suppose I deserved that.” 

Yennefer hummed in agreement. “You did.” 

Jaskier yawned, freeing one hand to cover his mouth. “Yes, yes, I deserve all of your lovely punishments, my dear.” He groped blindly for the blankets and tugged them over their legs, his eyes fluttering closed as he made himself comfortable. “I do believe that I’m worn out from the excitement, though, and I think I could use a nap.” 

Yennefer mumbled her sleepy agreement against his chest, not bothering to answer in words. Jaskier ran a hand through her hair, enjoying the feeling of the short, dark curls. 

Both of them fell asleep quickly, tucked against each other warm and content. 

When they woke, it was to morning wood (or afternoon, really) for Yennefer, a sensation she declared herself to be in favor of, as long as she could wake up with her cock pressed against Jaskier’s ass. Jaskier moaned out his agreement, grinding back against her and enjoying the sensations as she rubbed herself against him, her cock full and heavy between his thighs. The fucked lazily, laying spooned on their sides, and when Yennefer finally snaked a hand down Jaskier’s body to play with his clit, he came with a gasp and clenched tightly around her, pulling her over the edge as well. 

The rest of the afternoon was spent exploring each other’s bodies, taking stock of the differences that they found as well as the similarities, and by the time dinnertime rolled around they were both starving and physically exhausted despite their nap.

Chapter Text

Jaskier rolled over, falling facedown into the pillows as Yennefer pulled out of him once more. He’d lost track of how many times they’d fucked at that point, but it was the first time he’d tried it doggie style, and the new angle had made stars erupt behind his eyes while Yennefer pounded into him. He couldn’t be bothered to move from where he’d collapsed into the pillows, and he felt Yennefer drop down beside him, panting heavily. 

“Yenn, this has been some of the most fun I’ve ever had but I think if I even think about having another orgasm my body may revolt.” 

She chuckled lowly and gathered him to her, slotting his newly smaller body against her broad chest. 

“You can say that again.” Her voice was sleep-slow and he felt her dropping a line of soft kisses against the back of his neck. “I’m surprised that you’re not uncomfortable, with how much cum I’ve fucked you full of.” 

Jaskier shivered at the crude language, his body tingling with arousal and protesting the idea of getting off again at the same time. “No, I definitely have that too-sticky feeling, but I’m ignoring it in favor of the many, many orgasms I’ve just had.” A thought occurred to him and he twisted in her arms to look at her. “Uh, Yenn? Not that, I know it’s a sore subject but I just – I thought of something and I have to ask. Is there – there’s not a chance that I could get uh, pregnant from this, is there?” 

His voice trembled as he asked, both from exhaustion but also nerves. To his surprise, Yennefer just chuckled against his skin. “No, not unless you plan to spend the next nine months as a woman.” Jaskier breathed out a sigh of relief at the words, and Yennefer continued. “You’d have to keep taking the potion continuously, and that’s if the coupling got you pregnant.” She shrugged and her arms tightened around him. “Either way, the potions should wear off soon, and as soon as it wears off your body will be set back to the way it was before you took it. If you weren’t pregnant when you took the potion, you won’t be when it wears off.” 

Jaskier snorted at the insinuation. “Well, no promises, given how much you seem to like fucking me even as a man.” 

Yennefer snorted as well and ran a hand over his hip, tracing lazy circles into the skin there. “I’ve yet to see magic that could get a man like yourself pregnant as a man, aside from some rather intricate blood magic that would probably do more harm than it’s worth.” 

Jaskier hummed, only half paying attention. His eyes were starting to droop and he snuggled closer to Yennefer, enjoying the warmth coming off her body. “Well, if you ever need someone to carry a child to term for you, just let me know. This has been so lovely that I’m not entirely convinced I don’t owe you my firstborn.” 

His remark was offhand but when Yennefer tensed behind him, he jerked awake, twisting in her grip to look at her face. She was staring wide-eyed at him, her jaw slack, and Jaskier looked back at her, unsure. 

“Did – I’m sorry, Yennefer, if I said something inappropriate. I wasn’t intending to – I didn’t mean to, uh, hurt your feelings? If I did, I’m sorry, and please tell me what I said so I don’t do it again.” 

He reached up a hand to cup her cheek, looking at her imploringly. She blinked a few times and finally shook herself, eyes refocusing on his face. “You’d do that?” 

Jaskier cocked his head. “Do what?” 

“You’d – if you could, you’d bear me a child?” Yennefer’s voice was soft, and her eyes cautious as she watched him carefully for his answer. 

Jaskier’s expression softened and he leaned forward to press a gentle kiss to her forehead. “If I could give you a child, of course I would, Yennefer. You’d be a great mother, and I think any child would be lucky to have you.” 

Whatever response Jaskier was expecting, it wasn’t for Yennefer’s eyes to get misty, and she looked away abruptly, blinking hard. Jaskier didn’t try to make her look back at him, instead giving her a moment to collect herself. When she finally met his eyes once more, her expression was clear and her eyes were soft as she watched him. 

“I cannot tell you how much that means to me, Jaskier. I appreciate you wanting to offer it.” 

She leaned forward and kissed his forehead and he flushed, feeling his cheeks heating up at the softness in her voice. He readjusted himself in her arms so he faced away from her once more, unable to bear her seeing the emotions he wore on his face. 

“Yes, well, as you’ve said, it’s not a likely possibility, so it’s not like I really could do it for you.” He shrugged, snuggling back down into the blankets. She gripped him tighter and pressed her lips to his ear. 

“Still, I appreciate you offering.” He didn’t respond to her, and instead they both lay there for a while, snoozing lightly against the pillows. 

What finally woke Jaskier up for real was a searing pain shooting through every extremity, and he cried out, shooting up in bed as he searched for the source of the pain. He didn’t see anything immediately wrong around them, but even as he writhed, he noted that Yennefer seemed to be in much the same state, her face contorted as she fought the pain. 

Jaskier couldn’t do much more than cry out, which he did, as the pain intensified and his vision dimmed from the sides, unconsciousness drawing him under despite his best efforts. His last thought before he fainted was that he hoped if they were being attacked that Yennefer would be able to get away even if he couldn’t. 

When he woke, Jaskier’s body ached mightily, and he groaned, screwing his eyes shut as he willed himself to fall unconscious once more to avoid the pain. It was no use, however, and he groaned again as he realized that it was a pain he vaguely recognized from when he was a teen – the growing pains he’d suffered one year when he shot up eight inches in six months, like all of his muscles had been pulled on a taffy puller. 

Before he could do more than make vague complaining noises, he heard a responding groan to his left and opened his eyes. He looked to his side and found Yennefer, returned to her usual body, laying there with her hands pressed over her eyes. 

“Fuck, I’d heard the change back was less pleasant, but I wasn’t expecting it to be this bad.” Her voice was quiet, just a whimper, and Jaskier looked down quickly, finding himself male once more. Some of the tension drained out of his body as he realized that they hadn’t been attacked at all and it was just the effects of the potion wearing off, but the pain was still at the forefront of his mind and he whined, rolling until he was pressed face first into Yennefer’s chest, burying into her soft skin and trying to block out the worst of the hurt. 

Yennefer didn’t even protest his presence between her breasts, she just groaned lowly and dug her fingernails into his back, pulling him closer as though skin contact could remove some of the ache. The sharp pinpricks of her nails served to distract from the total and complete soreness that was threatening tears in his eyes, and he didn’t try to remove her. 

“Yenn, remind me never to drink a potion you give me ever again.” Yennefer didn’t respond, instead just moaning weakly against his hair. 

They lay like that, pressed against each other, for long minutes, willing the aches to go away. Eventually, the pain did lessen a bit, enough for Jaskier to pull himself more together and sit upright against the pillows, tugging Yennefer so she lay splayed across his chest. She didn’t protest the motion, just let him arrange her how he wanted. 

They stayed like that for a while longer, until both Jaskier and Yennefer’s stomachs made angry, hungry noises within seconds of each other, protesting the lack of food. Jaskier met Yennefer’s eyes and then they were laughing, clutching each other at the absurdity of it all. When they finally caught their breath, both had tears in their eyes and were still grinning wide. 

“I do think that we should take the hint.” At Yennefer’s words, Jaskier nodded, pushing himself up and swinging his legs over the side of the bed. 

“Yes, I agree.” 

They dressed and went in search of food, finding one of many banquets in full swing, with some other bard playing onstage for the party-goers. Jaskier barely shot the man a glance, too intent on his beeline for the tables laden with food. 

The meal was hearty and when the two were done they both leaned back in their seats, aches from the potion mostly gone and replaced with a deep contentment. Jaskier looked over at Yennefer, who had half-closed her eyes, listening to the music. 

“This has been fun.” His words were barely a whisper, but she heard them nonetheless and cracked one eye to look at him. 

“Yes, well, I did promise you that you’d like it, although I do have to say that the next time I run into that seller I’ll be giving her a piece of my mind about the ‘mild pain’ warning.” Yennefer sounded more sleepy than wrathful, and Jaskier just smiled. 

“I didn’t just mean today... I mean the week. It’s been - it’s been nice, you know?” He shrugged, stretching his arms up above his head. “I know we’re – uh, well, I can’t actually think of any way to describe sleeping with one’s ex-best-friend’s ex-lover in any meaningful way, but whatever the hell it is, it’s been nice to have someone around for the week.” He sighed. “These events are usually so taxing. It’s all ‘play play play’ and no time to relax, but with everything this week I still feel like I’ve had a good amount of downtime, and I suspect that’s largely thanks to your presence.” 

Jaskier fell silent after that, unsure of what else he was trying to say and deciding that it was probably best to just stop while he was ahead. 

Yennefer had her eyes closed once more, but he could tell she wasn’t ignoring him by the way her head was turned towards him. She didn’t respond at first, but Jaskier was used to unusually taciturn companions and it didn’t bother him, he just settled back into his chair, content to watch the festivities going on around them. The nobles on the other side of the room where a large space had been cleared for dancing had all formed a ghastly congo line and were drunkenly snaking their way around the stage, cheering whenever someone else jumped in. 

“It’s been nice, yeah.” 

Jaskier had stopped expecting a response from Yennefer and he startled slightly when she spoke, looking over to see her eyes open now, watching him. He smiled at her, and she just kept watching him. 

When she spoke again, it was with forced levity. “I’ve got an engagement in Novigrad in a month and a half, a formal dinner with some nobles there, and I’m supposed to bring a plus one. Are you free?” 

Jaskier, who had expected almost anything else to come from her lips, could only gape at her for long moments, his mouth hanging open quite unbecomingly. Yennefer stifled a snicker at his confusion, hiding her mouth behind her hand. 

“Oh, don’t look quite so surprised, bard, I’m not just asking you for the sake of your company. I need someone with me who can maneuver social situations and wheedle information out of people, both of which you seem to be infuriatingly good at. It’s not just a social party; there’s information I’m hoping to glean so some northern countries can better fend off Nilfguard’s armies.” She shrugged, giving a good impression of not caring about his answer either way. 

Jaskier finally shut his mouth, chewing over the question in his mind. “If I agree to do you this favor-” 

Yennefer held up a hand, frowning at him. “No, I’m not asking as a favor , bard, unless it’s as a favor to you , helping to receive more social status than you already possess.” Her words lacked any real bite behind them, and Jaskier knew it, grinning back at her now. 

“If I grant you this rather large favor, Yennefer, what’s in it for me?” He shot her a wink. “Hmm, maybe I should demand riches, or fame from you in exchange, or, oh, yes! I know what I want in return: I ask that you strike down Valdo Marx.” He frowned. “Hmm, maybe death is too good for him, though. Maybe I should just have you curse his cock so that it shrivels and falls off, and then kill him.” 

“Jaskier !” Yennefer’s words were hissed and when he looked her in the face, she was glaring at him. “I am not doing your bidding, and I’m not killing anyone.” 

The sudden bite in her tone surprised him, and he rocked back in his chair. Her face was, well, actually, if he didn’t know better he would have said she was blushing, but he knew Yennefer had more control than that so it had to be something else. 

Jaskier reached across the table, laying a hand over her own and not removing it even when she hissed again wordlessly at him. He noted that she didn’t try to remove her hand from his, and counted it as a good sign. 

“Yennefer, I was joking. Of course I’ll go with you – you’re a friend and I’d not ask for payment in return.” His voice was soft and his words seemed to truly shock her, her mouth forming a perfect ‘O’ before she regained her composure and carefully blanked her face. Jaskier stroked his thumb across her wrist. “Just let me know where and when and I’ll be there.” 

At that, she shook her head. “No need, I won’t drag you out of your way for something like this. The date is October 21st, but I’ll just portal you there that day, so your busy schedule isn’t disrupted.” She sneered the last part, but Jaskier could once again see through her. He’d surprised her with the declaration of friendship, and she was trying to regain her footing. He didn’t pick up the bait, instead just giving her another smile. 

“That sounds wonderful, I thank you for being so considerate.” He quirked a brow at her. “How will you know where I am, though? To be able to portal to me and back?” 

She frowned at him before rolling her eyes. “Don’t you worry about that, I’ve got something that will work. I’ll have it to you before we leave here at the end of the week.” 

He nodded at her and they both fell back into a companionable silence, the matter settled for the moment. 

The rest of the week passed quickly for Jaskier; between playing, partaking of the festivities, and a lot more sex with Yennefer, the week was over in a blink. 

On the last day of the festival, Yennefer caught up with Jaskier and pushed a small charm on a chain into his hand. He took it from her without question, only looking up when he felt it humming slightly against his palm. 

“What is this?” 

Yennefer was doing her best ‘nonchalant’ impression, even if Jaskier wasn’t fully convinced. “A charm. It will let me find you when I have need of you.” She hesitated before speaking again. “It’s also got some basic protection charms, so that you don’t anger the wrong people and force me to have to find someone else to bring to the party.” She shrugged. “I don’t feel like dealing with any more male bullshit than I absolutely have to.” 

Jaskier grinned at her, already slipping the chain around his neck and dropping it under the neckline of his shirt. “Why, Yennefer, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you might just care about me.” 

She sniffed, sticking her nose up in the air. “I most certainly do not. This is for my benefit, so that I’m not asking Geralt at the last minute.” The air between them cooled at the mention of the witcher, and Jaskier found himself frowning. “Gods know that he’ll be absolutely no help in ferreting out the information I need, unless I need someone to threaten to behead the people I’m supposed to get the information from.” 

Jaskier snorted at that, breaking the sudden tension, and nodded at her. “Yeah, he’s truly terrible at social events. Have I ever told you the story of what happened in Cintra, at Pavetta’s betrothal?” 

Yennefer looked torn at that, and shifted her feet. “You haven’t, and while I’d truly enjoy hearing more stories of Geralt making an ass of himself, I can’t stay.” Jaskier blinked but nodded after a moment, inclining his head gracefully. 

“Well, don’t let me keep you then.” He lifted up the charm she’d given him. “I’ve got this, so if you ever do want to hear that story, you just find me.” He grinned at her, easy and understanding, and her face fell even more. 

“Fuck, I’ll hold you to that even if I probably won’t see you between now and the party.” She was frowning at him now. “I’ve got a lot to prepare in the next few months and even less time to do all of it, so I’ll be going full tilt from now until I portal you in for the party.” 

Jaskier reached for her, cupping her chin in his hand. “I’m not sure what’s got you so upset about that, but we’ll be able to catch up then, at least. I’m looking forward to it, Yenn, and I’ll just have to tell you the story that night, since I’m sure we won’t be interrogating partygoers nonstop.” 

When he pressed a soft kiss against her mouth she froze, tensing against him. Jaskier pulled back quickly, but Yennefer’s face was already closed off. She stepped back from him, looking away even as she spoke. 

“Yes, well, I’ll see you then.” Her eyes flashed with something and then she darted in, so fast that Jaskier almost missed it, to press a quick kiss against his cheek. Before he could respond, she’d already raised her arms and conjured a portal, stepping through it with one last wave to him. 

In a matter of seconds, Jaskier was left alone, standing there with a hand to the cheek she’d kissed.

Chapter Text

Jaskier managed to mostly lose himself in his travels once more over the next month, traveling far and wide and generally enjoying himself a little too much as he fucked and sang his way across the continent. It was lucrative, though, and when Yennefer next found him, his money pouch was fat with coin. 

He was in his rented room above a small tavern in a no-name village when she appeared, a glowing spluttering portal opening on the opposite side of the room to where he stood inspecting himself in the mirror. At the sight of the magic, Jaskier tensed. He didn’t know who or what was coming through, but when Yennefer stepped in, closing the portal behind herself, he let himself relax. 

Jaskier straightened from the ready pose he’d adopted, looking at her in confusion. “Yennefer?” She stepped closer to him, and he met her halfway, wrapping her in a tight hug. “But I thought – you said the party was the twenty-first; that’s three days away.” 

She shook her head, hugging him back for only a moment before stepping back. “It is. That’s why I’m here, actually, I - I learned some unpleasant news and wanted to inform you, so you’d be able to decide whether or not you still want to accompany me.” 

Jaskier frowned, looking her over. She looked healthy, not too run down, but that also could have been her magic covering any signs that she’d been running herself down. Either way, he gestured to the small, lumpy mattress and she sat gratefully. 

“Well, what news? I can’t imagine much that would keep me from wanting to accompany you to this event.” He swallowed. “Unless, of course, you’ve changed your mind and don’t wish me to, which, of course, I would respect.” 

She shook her head and tugged at his hands pulling him down to sit beside her. “No, nothing like that, I just. I hadn’t realized that destiny would be meddling in my life so quickly... I thought that I had more time than this.” 

Jaskier wrapped an arm around her shoulders and she leaned against his body. “Ah, destiny is a right bitch. What’s happened?” 

Yennefer was tense in his arms, and he waited patiently for her to find the right words. “There was a - a drowner problem, on the outskirts of Novigrad. They’d managed to kill five people before the city finally caved and summoned a witcher to deal with the problem.” 

Jaskier tensed at the mention, hoping against hope that his guess as to what had happened was wrong. Yennefer just kept talking, not mentioning his sudden stiffness. “Well, they hired a witcher and he’s dealt with the problem, but of course the city elites throwing the party had to insist that he attend, so they can show him a good time as part of their repayment for his services.” 

Jaskier didn’t realize that his nails were clutching at Yennefer’s arm until she shifted, trying subtly to loosen his hold. He let her go abruptly and stood, pacing the length of the small room. When he looked back at her, his eyes were wild. “It’s Geralt, then?” She nodded. “Fuck.” She nodded again. Jaskier paced back and forth a few more times before speaking again. “I - I’ll admit to not really wanting to see him again, but more than that, I’m certain that he won’t want to see me in the slightest, and might take some offense at my being there with you.” 

Yennefer sighed and nodded once more, running a hand over her face. “And I don’t blame you, either, which is why I wanted to let you know. I’m assuming I’ll have to find another date for the party?” 

Jaskier didn’t answer her right away, instead pacing some more. He did a few more laps and then looked up, meeting her eyes. “I would like to have a nice evening, though. I’d been looking forward to this.” He sighed, frustrated, and ran a hand through his hair. “Fuck! Fucking Geralt , of course it had to be him, there’s no chance they could have found any other witcher , no, of course not.” 

His grumbling didn’t expect any sort of response from Yennefer and instead she leaned back, taking the time to watch him as he paced. His hair stuck up where he’d run his hands through it, and he had his tongue poking out from the corner of his lips, clearly thinking hard. He looked delectable, and Yennefer had to shake her head to refocus herself on the issue at hand. 

When Jaskier finally stopped mumbling, he looked up at her, mouth set. “Yenn, I don’t think I’ll be able to go with you to the party if Geralt is there. I can’t risk him tearing my head off my shoulders when he realizes that not only have I shoveled shit his way for twenty years, I’ve also bedded the love of his life.” 

Yennefer’s shoulders sagged, and she gave him a sad nod. Before she could thank him for wanting to go with her, he held up a hand, halting her words. “I didn’t say I wasn’t going to go. I just...can’t go with you as myself.” Yennefer’s gaze found Jaskier’s, and he squirmed, feeling like she was reading him like a book. He continued before she could say anything. “You had those potions, the ones that made us swap genders, the last time we met. Is there any chance we could do that again, and go with you as a man and me as a woman? The after effects were very uncomfortable, but I’d be willing to put up with the aches if you were.” 

Yennefer bit her lip, considering the offer. After only a moment, she shook her head, looking back at him. “No, I’m fairly certain that I’ll have to be there as myself, since I’m rather well known and I’ve got contacts I need to speak with as well. They wouldn’t trust anything from someone they hadn’t met before.” 

She was frowning as she spoke, but Jaskier got the feeling that she was thinking his proposal over. When she looked back at him, he cocked his head, waiting for whatever she’d come up with. 

“I don’t think it would do to give you one of the gender changing potions, but I might be able to work something out.” She stood. “I’ll have to do some research, but I should be able to either make or buy a potion that will change you, not into a woman, but into a totally different man. It would last about twelve hours, same as last time, but you’d just look like a man that Geralt’s never met before.” Stepping closer, she took his hands. “You could attend with me, we’d find some false name and background for you, and Geralt would be none the wiser.” 

Jaskier frowned, not letting go of her hands. “That sounds like it could work, but Geralt is a witcher, Yennefer. He’d still be able to smell me.” 

She shook her head, giving his hands a squeeze. “No, he wouldn’t. The potion I’m thinking of would change your body, changing your scent as well as everything else. You’d be, for all intents and purposes, a completely different man for the evening.” She smirked at him. “Of course, you’d probably have to bathe and wear clothes not your own, so Geralt wouldn’t be able to smell you from your clothes or the scent still clinging to your skin.” 

Jaskier gave her a responding smirk and dipped his head so that his lips brushed against hers. “Oh, I’ll have to bathe, is that it? I’m assuming that you have a rather large and luxurious set of rooms in Novigrad, set up just for that purpose. Maybe this was all just a ploy to get me naked and wet with you, hmm?” 

She shivered and instead of answering,kissed him soundly on the mouth. He responded in kind and soon Jaskier had her pressed against a wall, one hand trailing down her stomach in search of her core. Before he could drift much lower than her navel, however, she broke the kiss with a gasp and pushed at him, breathing heavily. Jaskier went, backing off her, and met her eyes. 

“Not that – I am very interested in continuing this, gods, it’s been a while, but if I’m to secure the potion I’m thinking of, I should probably leave now.” Jaskier frowned and Yennefer frowned right back at him, crossing her arms. “I don’t want to leave, but I need the information that’s to be gleaned at this party, and if I don’t start now, I might not have the potion ready in time.” 

Jaskier sighed and nodded. “Alright, that’s fair enough. I guess you’ll come find me, then? When you’ve got the potion and it’s time?” She nodded at him. “Well, then it’s decided. I’ll attend the party under a false name, as your date, and you and I can have raucous, enthusiastic sex once it’s over.” That earned him a soft smile, and Yennefer nodded at him. 

“Yes, I’ll hold you to that, bard. Especially if I have to see him again, it’ll be something to look forward to as we’re avoiding the oaf as much as we’re able.” She smirked, a wicked glint in her eyes. “And I trust that you’ll be helping me wind him up while we’re there? After all, what fun is rubbing the fact that I’m sleeping with other people in his face without a partner who isn’t afraid to ruffle his feathers a little?” 

Jaskier grinned back at her with a nod. “It sounds like a lovely evening all around; I’m looking forward to it.” 

She smirked once more before stepping closer to him, tugging him down for a hot but brief kiss. When they broke apart, they were both panting a little, and Jaskier had to resist the urge to sweep her off her feet and deposit her back on the bed, potions be damned. 

Before he could decide that potions be damned, he was going to ravish her, she stepped back and raised an arm, conjuring another portal. Before going through, she hesitated, looking back at him. 

“I’ll return in a few days with the potion, and to portal you to Novigrad.” He nodded at her words, and she offered him a soft smile. “Thank you, Jaskier, I appreciate your willingness to help me.” 

He flushed, not expecting the sincere thanks, and before he could respond she stepped through the portal, closing it behind herself. 

Jaskier sat heavily on the bed, staring down at his hands. “Well, fuck.” 

The next few days were spent with, for Jaskier, an excess of nervous energy. He found himself alternating between practicing his lute, pacing, and wanting to scream. He also didn’t travel any further, since he wasn’t sure how long it was until the next town and he didn’t want to be caught with his pants down, so to speak. 

When Yennefer reappeared a few hours after noon on the day of the party, she found Jaskier laying on his bed, tuning his lute as he tapped his foot incessantly, trying to ward off the excess nerves. Her appearance made him look up, and before she could say anything he was standing and putting his lute away before turning to face her. 

“I trust you were able to procure everything we need for tonight?” His voice was steadier than she expected, and she nodded at him. 

“Yes, we should be able to pull it off without anything going awry.” At that, Jaskier chucked, shaking his head. 

“You of all people should know better than to say that. When has anything ever gone the way it’s supposed to when Geralt of Rivia is involved?” Jaskier said. 

Yennefer could do nothing but purse her lips at that, and she folded her arms across her chest. “Yes, well. We have to be going, Jaskier. Here.” She unfolded her arms to hold him a small vial which he took from her, inspecting it. 

“This is it, then?” He held it up to the light shining through the window, inspecting the color of the sludge inside. It didn’t look any more appetizing than the one she’d had him take before, and he resisted the urge to groan. 

“Yes, and you should take it and undress before we go.” Yennefer flicked a finger at him, her voice droll. Jaskier didn’t believe her as indifferent as she was trying to seem, and he grinned widely at her. 

“Ah, of course, you’ve got such a fondness for my body, hmm?” He winked at her and got an eye roll for his trouble. 

“You have to know better than that by now, Jaskier.” She made a vague gesture at him. “Now strip, bard, before I strip you with magic.” He shivered a little at the idea of what that might entail but obeyed, pulling off layer after layer of brightly colored frippery. 

“I have to say, I was expecting to fuck you at some point in the night, Yenn, but I didn’t think the first thing you’d say was that you wanted me naked.” He grinned up at her once more, and she pinched the bridge of her nose. 

“I’m not hitting on you , bard, I’m making sure that Geralt won’t see through our ruse in an instant.” The reminder of why they were doing all of this sobered him, and he finished undressing quickly. “Good. Now, Geralt might have the nose of a bloodhound usually but we should be able to mitigate the worst of it. Take the potion now that you’re naked, without any more of your own scent on you than we can avoid. I’ve got a bath waiting for you as soon as we’re through the portal.” 

Jaskier fluttered his eyelashes at her, reaching out to kiss her hand in thanks. She tugged her wrist back before he could, and he gave her a pout. “I don’t want you leaving any more of your scent on me than we can help, Jaskier.” He huffed but didn’t try to touch her again, conceding the point. 

It was only a few seconds for him to pull the stopper from the little bottle, drinking all of it in one gulp. Somehow, it tasted even worse than the one he’d taken before, and he fought the urge to gag. He walked over to the table with his waterskin, but Yennefer’s hand on his wrist stopped him. 

“No touching anything. I’ve got water for you at my place, come on.” He groaned, swallowing around the terrible taste in his mouth, but followed her. As he walked through the portal, he spared a thought to the fact that he hadn’t passed out this time at least, but as soon as he hit the spinning whirlwind of lights and colors that was a magic portal, his vision dimmed worryingly.

Chapter Text

It was only Yennefer’s hand on his wrist that kept him moving forward until they were finally out of the portal and presumably in whatever rooms she had in Novigrad. Jaskier tried to look around but was distracted when a water glass was pushed into his hands. He drank deeply, finishing the glass as he tried to wash the taste out of his mouth with only mild success. Once he’d finished the water, he tipped his head back and looked around the room he found himself in. 

It was opulent, as was Yennefer’s style, and covered in various swaths of cloth and luxurious furs, all soft and very expensive. He caught a glimpse of a door leading out of the room but it was closed, and he turned back to find Yennefer staring at him, tapping her foot. 

Before he could say anything, she noticed him looking at her and rolled her eyes. “Alright, bath. Now.” Yennefer pointed to her side where a large steaming tub of water lay, and Jaskier practically scrambled in, groaning in pleasure as the hot water hit his skin. Yennefer didn’t comment as he submerged himself, instead just walking over to a small table covered with a variety of bottles, all different colors and shapes. “I hope you don’t have a sensitive nose. I’m thinking that if we douse you with perfume, it’ll cover any lingering scent and bother Geralt enough that he won’t want to stick around long.” 

Jaskier nodded his agreement with the plan, and she picked up two bottles before walking over and handing them to him. “Choose whichever you like more.” He sniffed them both, finding one to be a sweet, flowery scent and the other a more dark, woodsy one that seemed more masculine. Jaskier sniffed them both again before handing her back the flowery one and keeping the woodsy one for himself. 

Yennefer raised an eyebrow at his choice and silently replaced the bottle she held on the small table. When Jaskier saw her expression, he shook his head at her. “Yes, I liked that one better, but I’m not about to pick a smell that would be something I like, considering the whole point of this ridiculous plan is to keep Geralt from suspecting I’m me.” He watched as her eyes widened, moving from his face and then back to the small bottle on the table. 

Jaskier paid her no mind and instead opened the woodsy scent before upending the entire bottle into the bath and tossing it onto the floor. The scent was instantaneous, and he regretted the move almost instantly, as his eyes watered at the concentrated scent in his nostrils. 

When he looked to Yennefer, blinking rapidly and trying to keep from breathing, she had her lips pressed together in a way that made him think she was holding back laughter. Finally, she gained some measure of control over herself and was able to speak without losing her composure. “That was – that is one of the most expensive bottles of perfume available in Toussant, and it cost five hundred crowns for that bottle.” 

Jaskier frowned and looked back at the small bottle he’d tossed to the side. “Well, how was I supposed to know that, Yenn?” He pouted at her. “And can you please do something about this? I know we were going to make me smell strongly, but if this continues I doubt anyone there will be willing to get within fifteen feet of me. Gods, this is ghastly.” He waved a hand over the still steaming bathwater, trying to alleviate the worst of it. 

Yennefer, still smiling, waved a hand towards the bathwater and muttered something. In an instant, most of the overpowering smell dissipated, leaving Jaskier sitting in much more tolerable waters that only smelled somewhat of the perfume. He grinned at her in thanks, and she rolled her eyes at him. “Don’t think I’ll forget that, bard; if you’d waited a moment I would have let you know that a few drops would suffice.” 

Jaskier shrugged at her before reaching for a sponge on the side of the bath. “Yeah, well, now I know.” He started scrubbing at himself, working methodically over his body as he didn’t want to miss any spots and give the game away to Geralt. As he worked, Jaskier took stock of himself, remembering that the potion was supposed to change his appearance. 

When he realized, he popped his head up and looked at Yennefer, who was still standing to the side, waiting for him to finish. “Yenn, wait. Did the potion work? I still feel mostly like myself. The last time there was a lot more…difference when I took it.” 

She smiled at him and picked up a mirror, handing it to him without a word. Jaskier took it and sat up in the bath, holding it so he could look at his face. 

He sucked in a breath as he did, eying the new features carefully. Instead of the delicate, almost feminine features that he usually sported, his jawline was sharp and his cheekbones spaced farther apart than usual. His hair had darkened to almost black, and his skin was a few shades darker, like how he got when he’d spent all summer outdoors. The new coloring alone would have been more than enough, he thought, but the more masculine features made him look striking. 

He made a few faces in the mirror, testing out how each looked on his new features. When he switched from a grin to a pout, widening his eyes, he noted that instead of the sky blue irises he sported usually, his eyes had turned a muddy hazel. All in all, he was handsome, but not in any particular way – none of his features were distinct enough to warrant remembering, other than as an attractive blur. 

Jaskier looked back up at Yennefer, who was watching him inspect his new features. She gave him a smile when he caught her eye, and he smiled back. “Why make me so appealing?” Yennefer snorted, breaking their eye contact. 

“Because I won’t be seen with anyone who isn’t.” She strode towards him and rested a hand on his chin. “I have to say, I still prefer your true face.” 

Jaskier grinned back at her and cupped his hand around hers. “I may get flayed for this, but Yennefer, I’m starting to think you might just be a romantic at heart.” 

The smile slipped off her face and she grunted, turning away from him. “Don’t even start with that, bard. Just finish your bath.” 

Before Jaskier could answer, she strode out of the room through the door he’d spotted, pulling it closed behind her. 

Jaskier let her go and instead focused on finishing his bath, scrubbing every inch of himself as he went. Once he was as clean as he could possibly be, he hauled himself out of the bath and located a stack of fluffy towels on the floor next to him. 

Towel secured around his waist, another over his hair, he pulled open the door Yennefer had disappeared through. “Yennefer?” Jaskier leaned forward, unsure where she was, and unwilling to happen himself upon any hired help that might have been lurking. Nobody came when he called, however, and he stepped further out into the second room, looking around. It was done up in much the same as the room he’d entered first, with fabrics and furs and a gigantic four-poster bed that sat in the center of the room. 

There was another door on the other side of the room, and before Jaskier had even reached the center of the room, it opened. When he saw that it was just Yennefer, Jaskier let out a breath, leaning back against one of the posts of the gigantic bed. 

“Yennefer, you’re going to give me a heart attack. I wasn’t sure if I would walk out of there naked to find a whole room of servants or what have you!” He wasn’t angry, just petulant, and even that faded away as he slowly lost the tension of worry. 

She just rolled her eyes at him. “Don’t worry, I wouldn’t spring that on those poor, undeserving servants.” Her grin was sharp, and Jaskier put a hand over his heart, rearing backwards.

“Ouch, you wound me, oh powerful and dangerous sorceress.” She chuckled, and he continued. “Had I been in my own body, I would protest such a statement, but seeing as I’m in this borrowed one, I’m willing to let the matter drop.” 

She rolled her eyes again and brushed past him towards a dresser near the door leading to the room with the bath. From one of the drawers, she pulled out a shirt and pair of pants before tossing them towards Jaskier. He caught them one-handedly and set them down on the bed, not wanting to get them wet. 

At her encouraging look, he quickly finished drying himself off before picking up the clothes again. They were dark, nothing like his usual colorful array, but that was probably on purpose. He pulled the shirt on before holding up the trousers and giving Yennefer a look. 

“No underclothes?” His tone was unamused and she just smirked back at him. Jaskier sighed before pulling on the pants, frowning as he realized they didn’t fit quite right. “Hmm, Yennefer, they’re rather large.” When he looked back to her, she gave him another smirk and waved a hand in his general direction. 

The clothes, which had been loose and fluttered around him with excess fabric, pulled taut, stitches undoing and redoing until the shirt and pants fit him perfectly, as though they’d been painted on his skin. The motion finally stopped and Jaskier looked up at Yennefer, eyebrow raised. 

She didn’t comment and instead pointed in the direction of a mirror that stood against another wall. He walked over and looked himself up and down, turning so he could see how the pants fit his ass. 

“Well, that’s much better, if not my usual style.” He turned back to face her once more and held his hands out, asking silently for a critique. She studied him carefully, dragging her eyes up and down his frame. 

“Hmm. You’ll do.” She waved her hand carelessly at him. “As long as you’re able to worm information out of people, that’s all I really care about. I gave you the pretty face to make it easier.” Her hand patted his cheek dismissively, and Jaskier spluttered at her. 

“Wha– yes, I’ll be able to help you just fine, thank you very much.” His eyes narrowed and he crossed his arms as he looked at her. 

She didn’t pick up the bait and instead sat down at a small table, still watching him. “We’ll have to give you a name, of course.” 

Jaskier shrugged, taking a seat on the bed. “Sure, if you want to. I just figured we’d go with the easy one on that.” 

She frowned at him. “Easy one?” 

Jaskier was biting his lip, aiming for nonchalance when he answered. “Well, yeah, I, uh.” He slid back off the bed and bowed formally at her, the movement rusty but well practiced. “Julian Alfred Pankratz, Viscount of Lettenhove, at your service madame.” He topped the bow off with a saucy wink, the only thing that kept her from worrying that he’d somehow been replaced by an imposter even while she looked at him. 

Yennefer shook her head, rolling her eyes. “No, we can’t pretend you’re a viscount, someone else would notice , Jaskier. You might not care, but there are people who know these kinds of things upside-down and backwards and they’d know you were faking.” As she watched him, his smile went a little wonky and his hands clenched in the bedcovers. 

“Ah, well, yes. I, uh, actually. I’m the viscount of Lettenhove; or at least, the heir to it, if my father’s not dead yet.” His voice was shaky and Yennefer’s eyes widened as she realized he wasn’t joking. 

“You’re a viscount?” 

Jaskier shrugged, avoiding her eyes. “Sort of, I mean, I’ve never been any good at that kind of thing. But unless they’ve disowned me, technically I’m the viscount heir apparent, even though my sister has actually been the one to take an interest and gain the wherewithal to actually run the place.” He smiled, and it was a brittle thing. “I would give up the title if I could, but I’m still not sure that they wouldn’t give it to one of my horrid cousins instead of my sister who would do a much better job of it, so I’ve got to wait until dear old dad kicks the bucket.” 

Yennefer didn’t say anything for long moments, instead just choosing to study him. Jaskier squirmed under her gaze, uncomfortable with the scrutiny. After a minute, she sighed, looking away. 

“Well, that should work as well as anything else, and it makes more sense that I’d bring some lower noble than, say, a bard.” Jaskier snorted, rolling his eyes at that. 

“Yes, yes, talk shit about my noble profession, why don’t you?” His tone was haughty but he shot her a grin to show he wasn’t annoyed. “Either way, it seems that the matter is settled, unless you have an objection to the use of my given name?” 

Yennefer eyed him. “Well, you’ve said it yourself, you traveled with Geralt for twenty years. You’re saying you never mentioned the fact that you’re a viscount to him?” 

Jaskier laughed at that, tipping his head back and holding his stomach. Once he regained control of himself, he looked at her with mirth in his eyes. “No chance, my darling. You actually expect that Geralt would willingly ask me something about my own life?” He made a dismissive noise with his mouth. “No, he never asked and I never volunteered the information. No point in making myself more of a target for his ire - I know how he feels about the nobility.” 

She nodded, conceding the point. “Well then, we’re set for the evening, unless you have any other qualms.” 

Jaskier shrugged. “No qualms per se, but it would probably help if you’d tell me what information I’m actually supposed to be trying to get from these people.” 

Yennefer grinned and nodded, launching into an explanation of what exactly she was hoping to gain from the evening, aside from the festivities. Jaskier listened as she spoke, taking it all in and only interrupting to ask clarifying questions. The information Yennefer shared took a while to expound upon, but it all boiled down to asking about any shipments from neighboring countries being halted, finding where the disruptions in the trade lines were, and generally creating a map from the findings that would let them get a clearer picture of where the Nilfgaardian army was located. 

When she was finished, Jaskier had a much better idea of the feedback he was looking to help her find and he slid off the bed, stretching his arms above his head. 

"Well, that all seems doable. I look forward to the challenge." Jaskier winked at Yennefer, and she smirked back at him, standing as well. 

Yennefer waved a hand in the air in front of herself and the time appeared in blinking numbers. She studied it a moment before waving her hand again, dismissing it. It happened too quickly for Jaskier to make it out backwards, but whatever Yennefer saw there seemed to satisfy her. 

She pointed at the bed. "Sit there, I'll change, and then we can leave. It's a block away; we can walk instead of portaling there." Jaskier heaved a sigh of relief at that and sat back onto the bed. Yennefer didn't waste any more time, instead slipping into the bathroom where she'd portaled them both to. 

In another fifteen minutes, Yennefer reemerged, changed and perfumed and flawless as always. Jaskier couldn't help but gape at her for a minute as he looked over her dress with wide eyes. 

Before, she'd been wearing her usual, which consisted of a quite stunning, slinky dress that outlined her form without restricting her movements too much. Jaskier had expected something similar for the party – Yennefer was nothing but stunning no matter what she wore, and most of her dresses were beautiful but interchangeable in terms of skin shown and general shape and color. 

This dress was very different, and she smirked as Jaskier took her in, stunned into silence. For one, Yennefer tended towards dark colors, much like Geralt did, and her wardrobe was mostly black, deep red, dark purples, and darker blues. This dress was a stunning white, made up entirely of what looked to be fine white lace. Instead of carefully placed cutouts that drew attention to flawless skin in strategic places, the dress covered her from wrist to toe, sticking to her legs closely instead of flaring out at the bottom. Every movement she made drew attention to the fact that she wore nothing underneath, and Jaskier realized that it had to be magic that kept him from seeing anything untoward, since the thin lace was the only thing covering her. Woven through the lace in an intricate pattern was a deep red ribbon that crisscrossed and accentuated her curves in all the right ways. 

She'd done her makeup to match, lips a deep red to complement the ribbon accent of the dress. The color reflected in her eyes and made them even more striking as she eyed him, no small amount of glee on her face. 

Jaskier opened his mouth and then closed it again, unable to dredge up words from where his brain had decided to take a holiday. He blinked and shook himself, trying to regain control, and it helped a little. It was enough for him to regain his higher brain functions anyway, and he opened his mouth once more. 

"You look absolutely stunning, Yennefer. More than stunning, but I'm afraid that I'll never be able to do you justice with mere words, you're too beautiful." Yennefer laughed, high and amused, and grinned at him. 

"Don't hurt yourself, bard." She smirked. "Besides, much as I hate to admit it, the dress isn't really meant for you." 

It should have stung, the reminder that despite whatever was between them, they both still held torches for Geralt, but instead Jaskier just felt warm. He hopped to his feet and strode over to Yennefer, wrapping one hand around her hip and tugging her close. 

"You say that, my dear, and I cannot disagree except on one crucial point." He paused a moment, stretching out the anticipation before continuing. "See, you may say you're wearing that for Geralt, and I can't disagree that you're sure to rile him up good and proper, but I'm the one you'll be leaving with, and I'll be the one to strip you out of it later tonight." He was practically purring, stepping closer and pressing his lips against her neck, teasing her with hot breath and heady promises. "Geralt may see you and want you, of that I'm certain, but he's going to be made painfully away that I'm the one you're with, even if he doesn't know I'm me." 

At the sultry words and tone, Yennefer's breath hitched, and she drew closer to Jaskier, letting him press tightly against her. When he leaned in to kiss her properly, though, she only acquiesced for a moment before placing firm hands on his chest and pressing him back. 

"We have to go, or we'll be late." She sounded out of breath, and even as he sighed in disappointment at not getting his chance with her before they left, Jaskier felt a smug kernel of satisfaction at causing her even that slight loss of control. 

Jaskier did let go of her though, and she took a moment to straighten her dress, smoothing down nonexistent wrinkles and generally composing herself. After a minute, she turned back towards him and held out a hand. He offered an elbow and she took it, wrapping her arm around his own and tugging him towards the other door he hadn't been through yet.

Chapter Text

Yennefer led him out through a similarly decorated sitting room and down half a flight of stairs, onto a street Jaskier vaguely recognized as somewhere in Novigrad. He didn't spend too long trying to figure out where exactly they were, however, and let her lead him across the street and down a few doors before stopping in front of an ornate looking mansion. 

Yennefer knocked on the door and it was pulled open almost immediately, a manservant peering out at them cooly. Yennefer wasn't cowed, of course, and she looked right back at the man down her nose. 

"We're here for the Devoors' dinner – I trust we're not the first?" She raised an eyebrow at the man and he nodded, inclining his head ever so slowly at her. 

"Yes, allow me to show you to the parlor, ma'am." The man ushered inside before closing the door and then led them down a dusty hallway and through a set of double doors. Through the doors, they found themselves in a large parlor that was moderately full of people, all chatting in small groups. Some of them looked over when Yennefer and Jaskier entered, but the rest seemed absorbed in whatever they were discussing. 

The manservant waited until they stepped into the parlor before closing the doors behind them, not entering himself. As much as Jaskier wanted to think himself over everything he found himself scanning the room for Geralt's looming, awkward frame. 

Geralt was nowhere to be seen and Jaskier fought the urge to sigh. He looked over at Yennefer and saw her scanning the room as well, likely for the same reason as Jaskier. "I don't think he's here yet." He kept his voice low, in case Geralt had somehow avoided his notice, and felt Yennefer sigh as well. 

"Gods damn him, I'm still so angry and I know in my head that I don't want to see him, but here I am, waiting to see him like a teenager with their first crush." At Yennefer's words, Jaskier snorted. 

"Yes, well, he does tend to bring out different sides of people than what they expect, doesn't he?" Jaskier's voice was still low, but he relaxed a little as she scanned the crowd again and found no traces of Geralt. 

Yennefer smirked back at him but instead of answering she just used her grip on his arm to tug him forward, walking over towards the nearest group of people chatting. 

They introduced themselves and were pulled into the conversation easily, with both Jaskier and Yennefer asking innocent questions and slowly but steadily gaining some of the information they'd come for. 

The next half hour passed quickly, and Jaskier marveled as Yennefer pulled him from one group to the next, flirting to and fro as they spent time talking with everyone assembled there, gauging how much each person knew and what it would take to wheedle the information out of them. 

Jaskier was in his element and having the time of his life. Being able to flirt, tease, poke, and prod the assembled lower nobility, wealthy, and various city officials without even having to worry about his reputation was fun, and he was happy to help Yennefer get the information needed to rein Nilfgaard in. 

Of course like all good things it couldn't last, and after they'd made one and a half loops around the room the doors opened once more and in walked Geralt of Fucking Rivia. 

Both Jaskier and Yennefer froze as the Witcher entered. Geralt wore the same frown that he had when dealing with aldermen, nobility, or the wealthy; it was one Jaskier had seen many times and his first urge was still to find a way between Geralt and whoever made him look like that. 

Jaskier was the first to steady himself, blinking and looking away from the intimidating figure. He turned back to Yennefer who was still staring at Geralt. Geralt luckily hadn't noticed them yet. He tugged at her arm and eventually she turned to look Jaskier in the eyes. 

"Right, well." Yennefer swallowed. "Let's just do what we came here to do, yeah?" 

Janet nodded in agreement to her words, and together they turned to the next group of people, who seemed to be discussing the prices of fish along the coast. 

Geralt had other plans, however, and it was only seconds after his entrance that Jaskier felt a heavy hand land on his shoulder, moving him out of the way. Yennefer whipped around and the way her eyes widened let Jaskier know that it was indeed Geralt behind him, if he hadn't known the man's touch at a hundred paces. 

"Yennefer." Geralt's voice was rough, and Jaskier knew that despite Geralt's hand on his shoulder, he likely only had eyes for Yennefer. "I didn't know you'd be here. Can we talk? In private?" 

It was supposed to come out as a question, but in Geralt's growled tone it seemed much more like an order. Jaskier, tired of Geralt's demands after only four sentences, shrugged off the hand on his shoulder and turned to stand beside Yennefer, both of them glaring Geralt down. 

Geralt hadn't expected Jaskier to shrug him off like that, and narrowed his eyes at the other man, giving him an appraising look. Jaskier's heart sped up at the annoyance from the grumpy witcher, but he hoped that Geralt would chalk it up to normal human fear of witchers and nothing else. Before Geralt could say anything more, Jaskier turned to look at Yennefer, ignoring Geralt altogether. 

"Hmm, so this is the Witcher you told me about? I'll have to agree that he does seem rather brutish, but he's not nearly so unattractive as you made him out to be. I'd say he's mediocre looking at worst." Jaskier kept his voice droll and didn't let his eyes flick back to see Geralt's reaction, instead focusing solely on Yennefer's face. She looked torn between smiling and groaning, and Jaskier gave her arm a squeeze where he held it. 

Yennefer gathered herself after a moment and looked back at Jaskier, raising an eyebrow. "I wouldn't have thought you an expert on the male form, Julian , is there something you're not telling me?" 

Jaskier grinned back at her, appreciating the banter for what it was – half reminder of who he was supposed to be, half distraction. "Of course not, my dangerous and powerful sorceress, I just thought he'd be, hmm, more monstrous?" 

He spared a bored glance at Geralt, who looked nonplussed at their conversation, and then looked back to Yennefer. "But I'll admit, not entirely not monstrous either." 

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Geralt tense, the topic at hand making him even more wary than he'd been already. 

Before Yennefer could answer him, Geralt grunted and brought their focus back to himself. "Yenn, I don't think I've met your…friend." 

Yennefer shook her head at him. "No, I don't believe you have. Geralt of Rivia, Julian Alfred Pankratz, Viscount of Lettenhove." She gestured to each of them in turn, sounding bored. "There, now you've met. Will you leave me be now, Geralt?" 

Geralt frowned deeper at her, looking between her and Jaskier for a long moment. Clearly he'd expected her to care nothing for Jaskier as she had Sir Eyuk, but her insistence on telling Geralt where he could shove it seemed to just confuse the large man. Geralt leaned forward, probably to say something cutting and/or grumpy, but stopped suddenly, his eyes growing wide as he invaded her personal space. 

He stepped closer to Yennefer, ignoring Jaskier altogether, and leaned closer still to sniff at Yennefer's collar, breathing in her scent deeply. Before Yennefer could even push him back he was already stepping away, eyes wide as he looked at Yennefer in confusion. 

"When were you with Jaskier?"

Chapter Text

Aside from the sudden and almost painful speed at which his heart was now beating Jaskier didn’t move, his focus trained on Geralt’s face. Luckily for him Geralt was still fixated on Yennefer and he barely acknowledged Jaskier’s presence. 

Jaskier looked to Yennefer as well, admiring the way her expression didn’t shift an inch. “What’s it to you, Geralt? Last I heard you’d thrown him out like yesterday’s garbage.” She looked down her nose at the witcher. “It shouldn’t make a difference when I saw the bard.” 

Geralt grit his teeth, eyes narrowing as he glared at Yennefer. “Well it does. Why were you with him?” 

Yennefer arched a perfectly shaped brow, judging Geralt soundly. “I ran into him at the market; we traded barbs, as usual.” The lie was so effortless that it took Jaskier a moment to realize it was a lie. Yennefer’s face didn’t change and she continued giving Geralt that same withering look. 

Geralt on the other hand blinked, straightening up. “Here, at the market in Novigrad?” His hands clenched and unclenched at his sides and he looked around, like Jaskier might pop out of some dark corner shouting ‘surprise!’. 

Yennefer cut through Geralt’s tension with a single blow. “ Not here. I ran into him in Oxenfurt. I had need of a specialist who has a shop there.” Jaskier noted with relief that Oxenfurt was in the opposite direction of where he was actually staying, so if for some reason Geralt were to seek him out the man wouldn’t find a trail to follow. 

Geralt deflated and frowned harder at Yennefer. “Oh. I see.” 

Jaskier rolled his eyes at the other man but before he could interject, another manservant entered the room. “Ladies and Gentlemen, now that we are all together I’ve been asked to let you know that dinner is ready, and you should take your seats.” 

With that the small groups of people started drifting towards a door that Jaskier could see led to a small hallway and presumably the dining room. Yennefer didn’t bother saying anything to Geralt, just wrapped her fingers tight around Jaskier’s wrist and tugged him forward, leaving the stunned witcher behind. 

They joined the trickle of people - not the last to leave the parlor but close to it - and eventually found themselves in a large, similarly ornate dining room. Yennefer pulled Jaskier along, not letting go of his wrist until they stood before two chairs that had little placards with their names. When she let go of him Jaskier felt the loss of her touch and looked back at her. She was grinning but it was more predatory than anything else. 

Yennefer gestured for Jaskier to take his seat and then joined him, sitting beside him. He didn’t protest when she leaned over to whisper in his ear, knowing that she was aware of the range of Geralt’s hearing and wouldn’t say anything to give away their game. 

“I switched the seating around so that we’re seated on either side of two other couples, both of whom have important information. Might as well make the most of this, hmm?” 

She pulled back and Jaskier nodded, eying the man that took the chair next to him before introducing himself with a smile and a handshake. The man seemed jovial enough, already drunker than Jaskier would have expected before the meal had started, but he wasn’t one to look a gift horse in the mouth. 

As the food was brought out Jaskier and Yennefer chatted with the couples on either side, making light conversation. Jaskier noted but didn’t acknowledge when Geralt entered the room and took a seat on the opposite end of one of the tables across from them. He glared at both Yennefer and Jaskier, alternating between the two as they worked their sources. 

Soon it was time to eat and everyone mostly settled down, crunching and slurping and not leaving much room for chatter. Jaskier had to keep himself from moaning at the food, which was incredible – it probably cost a fortune to feed so many of them such rich fare. He kept his composure though and quickly finished off the plate, using a piece of bread to wipe up the last of the gravy. 

When the dinner section of the evening was finished most of the guests dissolved back into light chatter, sitting at their places before another manservant led them to a smaller sitting area for light refreshments. Jaskier knew this was probably the best time to get what they were there for and he followed Yennefer without complaint even as some of the other guests departed. 

While the number of people there dwindled, Jaskier couldn’t help but notice that Geralt remained and was still glaring at the two of them from across the sitting room. He rebuffed the few attempts people made to engage him, sometimes not even responding at all, and eventually the people in the room just started ignoring him since he clearly wasn’t interested in talking. 

Jaskier and Yennefer circled the room together, taking in all the remaining guests and making small talk. Yennefer at one point smiled and Jaskier knew that a vital piece of information had been obtained, even if he couldn’t hear it while engaged in a separate conversation. She smiled again, wider this time, and placed a hand on the arm of the man she was speaking with. 

Soon after that she reappeared at Jaskier’s side, both of them free of their conversations for the moment. She led him a little ways away from everyone else and pressed her nose into the hair behind his ear, looking for all the world like two people who wanted to sneak away for a quickie. 

“I’ve got what I need.” Her words weren’t more than breath and Jaskier nodded, grinning like she’d said something dirty. His eyes met Geralt’s from across the room and he had to quickly look away, since the witcher was glaring like he wanted to burn a hole in Jaskier’s forehead. The whisper of Yennefer’s voice once more held Jaskier in place. “I’ve got to get this to my people as soon as possible. Will you be alright if I leave for a few minutes?” 

He heard what she was asking, and spared a glance towards Geralt once more, who hadn’t stopped glaring at him for the last half hour, and really the whole dinner. Jaskier looked back at Yennefer, who had pulled away from him slightly. “Yes, I’ll be fine, go take care of what you need to. I’ll be here when you get back.” He let a bit of dirty promise leak into his tone, eying her in her lace, and was pleased at the shiver she gave. 

“Alright, then. I’ll be back in a few minutes darling, and try not to start any trouble in the meantime, hmm?” At the warning Jaskier just gave her a saucy grin, raising his arms in the universal ‘who, me?’ gesture. 

She snorted before leaving the room and Jaskier couldn’t help but hungrily watch her, as the tight dress accentuated the curve of her ass just so .

Before he could do much more than turn around, though, a large hand wrapped around his throat, pushing him back and pinning him to the wall behind him. Geralt’s face loomed and Jaskier blinked, looking up. Geralt was pissed ; he growled wordlessly in Jaskier’s face, looking at him with disgust.

Chapter Text

“You should be more respectful.” Geralt’s words were soft but Jaskier heard the distinct lack of any other noises in the room that signaled everyone had turned to watch the spectacle. He brought his own hands up to tug fruitlessly at Geralt’s fingers, which hadn’t closed off his airway completely but were making it much harder to breathe than it should have been. 

Geralt didn’t budge and Jaskier just raised an eyebrow at him, breathing as much as he was able. “Really? You’re going to threaten me? In front of everyone?” Jaskier threw a hand out, gesturing to where he thought people had been standing. He could see nothing but Geralt, the man looming large in front of him. “Not all that smart, are you? I should have known you’d be just another meathead; all muscle, no brains.” It was a low blow. Geralt was smarter than almost anyone else Jaskier had ever met, but he wasn’t Jaskier right now and he wasn’t planning on letting Geralt find that out lest the man decide to kill him after all. 

Geralt snarled and dropped him. Jaskier leaned over, hands coming up to clutch at his neck as he sucked in deep breaths. When Geralt spoke, it was a hiss. “Don’t think that you know me. And you had better respect Yennefer, or else I won’t be so gentle with you.” 

Jaskier snorted at that, a sort of hysterical spurt of laughter that cut off quickly. He straightened and looked Geralt in the eyes. “If you think that woman needs your protection you’ve got another thing coming. She’s more powerful than I am, more powerful than yourself, and if she wanted to she could kill everyone in this room with a flick of her wrist.” He huffed, crossing his arms. “But you know what? Unlike you she doesn’t act like a brute, hurting people without the whole story. She actually cares .” 

He paused in his tirade as Yennefer herself walked back into the room, eyes widening as she saw Jaskier, back to the wall with Geralt standing too close to him. Her eyes narrowed and she stalked over to the two men, pushing at Geralt until she stood between them. 

“And what were you doing with my date, Geralt?” Her tone was sharp and Jaskier knew that one wrong word would get Geralt banished somewhere very cold so he could think about what he’d done. 

Geralt shrugged at her, frowning. “He was...looking at you. I just wanted to make sure he had more respect than to covet what’s not his.” 

Jaskier was standing behind Yennefer and couldn’t see her face, but he imagined she was pursing her lips as Geralt wilted, taking another step back. 

“Oh, and you were just saying that I’m not his?” Yennefer stepped closer, not letting Geralt get away. “And who would you say I belong to, hmm?” Geralt didn’t reply. “Because as you’ve so very politely pointed out I don’t belong to anyone.” Her voice got sharper as she spoke, leaving Jaskier eternally glad that he hadn’t fucked up as badly as Geralt had. At least not yet. “And, Geralt, since I am the one in possession of my own facilities, I am quite free to use my assets as I see fit.” 

She took another step, pushing Geralt back and glaring at him. “It is my decision on who I decide to bed and who I do not. As it happens I’m quite fond of this one,” She reached back and tugged Jaskier forward a little by the wrist. He flushed at being claimed , turning his head and looking away. “And as such I welcome him looking at me since we quite happily enjoy each other’s bodies.” 

Geralt flinched but said nothing, knowing full well that anything further would not be a smart idea. Yennefer continued. “As it so happens I’ve decided that I’ve no need for you anymore. Despite the fact that you’ve seen fit to bind me to yourself without even asking me, I owe you nothing, no matter what you believe.” 

She huffed and finally turned to look at Jaskier. “He didn’t hurt you too badly, did he?” Yennefer raised a gentle hand to where Jaskier suspected his throat was already starting to bruise. He shook his head but didn’t speak, trusting her to take care of it. 

When she turned back to Geralt her glare was back in full force and the larger man shrank back further. “Hmm. I do believe that we’re going to be leaving now, seeing as this party has become rather....unwelcoming to me and my date.” She looked around Geralt, towards the other shocked members of the room. “My apologies kind ladies and gentlemen for the disruption. We’ll be going so as not to interrupt your evening further.” 

With that she turned on her heel and led Jaskier from the room by the wrist, not stopping until they were outside. When Jaskier felt the cobblestones under his feet he halted, tugging his wrist back from Yennefer and giving her a nod when she looked at him with concern. 

“I’m fine, just - just need a moment, yeah?” Jaskier’s voice was raspy and for all that he’d snarked back at Geralt in the moment, the adrenaline caught up with him now. He bent over, hands on his knees as his heart raced and his lungs fought to take in enough air. 

Yennefer made a soft noise and wrapped arms around him, which helped more than he expected. He let himself be held for a moment, nestling his face against her neck, and when she let him go he gave her a weak smile. 

“Thanks, Yen. I think I’ll be alright, yeah? Just...not what I expected, really, although I should have known to anticipate something like that happening.” 

She shook her head, taking his hand and threading their fingers together. “No, it’s my fault. I knew he’d try something but I didn’t expect him to be such an ass about it.” She used her other hand to touch his throat once more. “Once we get back I can fix this, if you’re alright waiting?” 

Jaskier nodded and let her tug him back to her rooms. Luckily they were close and it was only a matter of minutes before they found themselves back in the bedroom where they talked about their plans for the evening. Jaskier sank down on the bed, grateful for its softness, and didn’t move even as Yennefer busied herself, moving around behind him. 

A vial was thrust in front of Jaskier’s face and he took it from Yennefer, looking at the small bottle. It was similar to the one he drank earlier, and he looked up at her in confusion. 

She smiled and waved at the vial. “It’s the antidote. It’d wear off in a few hours, but there are two upsides to taking it now.” Jaskier didn’t drink just yet, looking at her and waiting for the reasons. “Upside one is that it’ll heal that nasty bruise, since it’ll reset you to before it happened.” Her smile grew sharper and Jaskier gulped. “Upside two is that I’ll be able to see your pretty face as I’m fucking you so hard you forget your own name.” 

At that, Jaskier unstoppered the bottle, tipping it back and downing it on one go. He shuddered as he handed the empty bottle back to Yennefer, the taste not any improved from the others he’d taken. She traded him for the bottle, handing over a glass of water she had ready for which he shot her a grateful smile. 

The water helped, but the taste still lingered in his mouth. Even as he swallowed convulsively, wishing the taste away, Jaskier felt his body changing and melting back to his usual looks. He raised a hand to his throat and Yennefer brought him the mirror he’d used in the bath. 

He looked back to normal and he grinned back at Yennefer. “That’s lovely, thank you. It wouldn’t have been terrible spending the next few hours with that bruise but I appreciate being able to skip it altogether.” 

He set the mirror down on the bed beside himself and reached out a hand towards her, tugging her up and onto the bed with him. She let herself be tugged and ended up kneeling beside him still in her tight white dress. Without more delay, Yennefer leaned down and captured his lips. Jaskier moaned into the kiss, letting her take control.

Chapter Text

When Yennefer pushed him down so he lay on the bed with his head against the pillows, Jaskier didn’t argue. He only tipped his head back so she could more easily reach his neck and she peppered kisses along the smooth, unbroken line of skin. Jaskier groaned, his hands coming up to grip her as he tried to steady himself. 

She continued pressing kisses against his skin for a few minutes, alternating between licking, sucking, and biting, and Jaskier was left to pant and writhe under her talented mouth. Soon, though, he realized something. 

“Hmm, Yennefer?” Jaskier tapped her head as she sucked on one of his nipples, looking down at her with a frown. She lifted her mouth from his skin, bringing her eyes up to meet his own. “I – not that I’m not having fun, with, uh, this, with you, but I-” He sighed and rubbed his palms over his eyes. “I don’t – my mind is still racing, I’m – I want to do this with you but I can’t keep my thoughts from intruding...I can’t help but drift into a different train of thought even though I’m enjoying what you’re doing.” He shrugged, looking down at her. “I don’t want to not be focused on you, but I don’t know how to focus with my head all scrambled.” 

Instead of getting annoyed or being unhappy with him like Jaskier expected, Yennefer just sat back on her heels and looked down at him. She studied his face for a moment and then leaned in close, pressing a chaste kiss against his lips. 

“I understand. And if you don’t want to do anything tonight I’m more than alright just laying with you.” She cocked her head, looking at him. “But if I’m hearing you right you do want to do things, you just can’t focus enough to be able to do them. Am I correct?” 

Jaskier nodded at her, biting his lip. 

She still wasn’t upset and he wasn’t sure where she was going but he trusted her – crazy as that was. He lay back against the pillows, waiting to hear what she thought. 

“If - if I were more aggressive, if I force you to pay attention to what I’m doing and only me, do you think you’d be able to?” Yennefer’s voice was soft, and she ran her fingers over Jaskier’s hip. He considered the question, rolling it around in his head. 

“Hmm. I don’t – what are you thinking, exactly?” 

She smirked down at him. “Well I was thinking I’d flip you over, bind your arms so you couldn’t move, and then fuck your ass so hard that you’d be crying and begging me to stop.” She shrugged. “Obviously you’d have your word and if you actually needed me to stop I would, but, well. Sometimes it’s nice to feel like you’re helpless to do anything but take what you’re given.” 

Jaskier’s mouth was dry and he ran his tongue over his lips, trying to moisten them. “That – yes, Yennefer, that sounds incredible. Are you sure?” 

She smiled at him, looking down at his body. “Of course, bard. You said it yourself – I do owe you for coming with me tonight. Plus, well. I can’t see myself not enjoying it, having you at my mercy.” The casual admission had him squirming and hopelessly aroused. 

“If – I don’t want a pity fuck Yenn.” 

Yennefer rolled her eyes at him before scooting off the bed, her hands coming up to work at the hidden zipper on her dress. Jaskier tried to move, wanting to help, and she put her palm in the center of his chest, pushing him back. 

“It’s not a pity fuck, it’s me wanting to fuck you and being glad that I can give you something you need at the same time.” Her tone was no-nonsense and Jaskier realized that she probably meant it. 

“Okay, well, sure then.” His voice went a little high and squeaky when she abruptly found the zipper and let the dress fall off her body to pool at her feet. Before he could regain what little composure he had, she looked up to find him staring at her and her eyes narrowed. 

A quick flick of her wrist was all it took for Jaskier to find himself thrown onto his stomach in the middle of the bed, his vision full of nothing but the embroidered pillows. Before he could lift his head to protest the treatment, invisible bonds grabbed hold of his wrists and pulled them forward until he found himself held soundly, his arms spread eagle. The position didn’t give him any leverage and with his hands held against the bed as far as they could go, his face was mashed into the pillows. 

Jaskier turned his head to the side and sucked in a breath, glad that he could at least still move his head a little. He felt the bed dip as Yennefer rejoined him and then there were delicate hands on his ass. 

“Hmm, Jaskier, do you remember your word?” The words were soft and Jaskier nodded in reply. 

A sudden smack landed on his ass - her hands were small but capable of hitting hard. “I asked you a question, Jaskier. When I ask you a question you will respond verbally. Now do you remember your word?” 

Jaskier swallowed, his cock deciding to take an exorbitant interest in the proceedings. “Y-Yes, Yennefer.” 

Another smack. He didn’t cry out, but mostly because he turned his head and bit into the pillow hard to keep himself quiet. “And what is it, Jaskier?” 

“R-Ragamuffin.” 

Yennefer’s hand smoothed down the curve of his ass, soothing the sting of the slaps. “Good boy. Now I want you to tell me what will happen if you use your word tonight.” 

He paused, thinking. “I, uh, well, if I use my word you’ll stop whatever it is that you’re doing and let me go?” It came out as a question but she didn’t smack him again so he figured the answer was more or less what she wanted to hear. 

“Good, Jaskier. Yes - if you use your word, I’ll stop immediately and free you from the bindings. But keep in mind that anything else you say, like ‘stop’ or ‘no’ won’t mean that, and you’ll have to use your word if you really want to stop.” He nodded at her again, turning his head as far as he could and still only able to catch a glimpse of her form behind him out of the corner of his eyes. 

She shifted her weight behind him and he sighed, wondering what she was doing. Before long her hands were on his skin again; pushing at his hips and legs until his knees were under him, propping up his behind so his ass was high in the air.  The movements meant he was easily accessible, his face still pressed firmly into the pillows. The position left him feeling very vulnerable and his whole body tensed as he tried to adjust to the feeling. It wasn’t bad though, and every time Yennefer touched his skin it felt like fireworks going off. 

“Right, there you are, Jaskier.” Her voice was slippery and Jaskier felt more magic bindings wrap around each ankle. They didn’t pull him as far as the bindings around his wrists, but they tugged his ankles out to either side of him, pulling his legs apart and holding them tight. He tugged against the bindings, trying to close his legs, and found that he couldn’t move an inch. Yennefer’s hand pressed against his lower back, rubbing in small circles. “Now, are you comfortable?” 

Jaskier snorted against the pillows. “Not particularly, no.” He wasn’t in pain but the position wasn’t exactly comfortable either, letting alone how exposed it made him feel. 

Another smack landed on his ass and he breathed out in one gasp, wriggling against the bindings. He was so hard that it nearly hurt.

“You should be grateful when someone does something for you Jaskier. You shouldn’t complain about the accommodations.” Her voice held censure, and Jaskier had the oddest urge to talk back, to sass her even if it surely meant more punishment. 

“Well, I’m not exactly here willingly, am I?” He struggled against the bindings, playing it up. “You’ve got me trussed up like a turkey and you expect me to thank you for it?” 

It was exciting with a hint of danger to defy her like this and he smirked against the pillow even as he felt another smack to his ass. 

“Why you little–” Yennefer broke off and took a deep breath, centering herself. “Alright. Clearly you want to be punished and I’m not going to deny you that.” A moment passed and then her hand appeared in his limited field of vision, holding something. Jaskier squinted, trying to focus his eyes, and found that she held a riding crop out for him to see. 

He shivered, wondering what exactly her plan was. 

“Now since you’ve practically begged me to punish you darling, I think it’s only fair that you help out, hmm? Let’s start out with say, twenty hits?” Jaskier gasped as Yennefer spoke, tugging against his bindings harder. 

“T-Twenty! Twenty is a lot, Yenn.” There was some real fear in his tone and a soft hand landed on the small of his back. Yennefer leaned over him, pressing herself against his skin until she could murmur against his ear. 

“If you want to use your word, we don’t have to stop completely. I can find something else.” Her breath tickled his ear and Jaskier had to resist the urge to squirm. “Do you need to say it, Jaskier?” 

He shook his head, still tugging at the bindings fruitlessly. “No, I’m – you can keep going. I don’t want to use it. I promise I’ll say it if it gets to be too much though.” Yennefer hummed in approval before pulling back from him. 

“Well, I won’t delay any longer then. Count them.” Before Jaskier could respond Yennefer landed the crop hard against his ass, making him jump as much as he was able to and yelp in shock. The pain wasn’t as terrible as he’d feared although the sharp sting and following ache was nothing to laugh at. It sort of reminded him of thunder after lightning and he bit his lip, committing the comparison to memory so he might include it in a song. 

“Jaskier.” Yennefer’s voice was stern and dragged him back to the here and now quite efficiently. He tensed, waiting for the next hit, but it didn’t come. “Are you forgetting something or were you not listening even one minute ago when I instructed you to count them?” 

He sucked in a breath, ungluing his tongue from the roof of his mouth. “Right, right, sorry. I just – lost in thought, but it won’t happen again.” She huffed, conveying her disbelief of that fact, and Jaskier rolled his eyes into the pillow, glad she couldn’t see. “Anyway, counting, yes, right. Uh, one?” 

As soon as the word fell from his lips he heard the whistle of air as the crop swung towards him once more and tensed in anticipation. The second hit hurt more than the first, and Jaskier groaned against the pillows. 

“Two, that’s - that’s two.” He received a little pat to his ass for that, not quite soothing but more of a ‘good boy’ pat. At least that’s what he thought it meant. 

The third through sixteenth hits came relatively fast and Jaskier counted each one dutifully, not bothering to hide the noises he made or stifle the tears that started falling around number seven. After sixteen Yennefer set the crop down on the bed beside Jaskier and smoothed her hands over his ass, rubbing at the welts she left. It hurt but the pressure also felt nice, like pushing on a bruise to test how much it had healed. 

Her fingers found the ridges she’d left in his skin – none enough to leave a lasting mark and none that overlapped which Jaskier was thankful for. As she touched him he wondered what she was doing and turned his head towards her as much as he was able. He still couldn’t see much but the motion got her attention. 

“What are you looking at me for?” She landed a light slap on his ass, not hard at all but still painful enough to have Jaskier yelping and tugging against the bindings. It took him a moment to regain the ability to answer her question. 

“I - I was just wondering what you were doing. We weren’t at twenty yet and I - I like it, I just wanted to see.” 

Yennefer hummed and ran her fingers over his ass once more. “I was looking at them, checking to make sure none had gone too deeply.” She pressed hard against a sore spot and Jaskier moaned, slumping forward slightly in an attempt to get away from her hands. Her grip on his hips was strong though, and he couldn’t move. “How do you feel?” 

He groaned again, burying his face into the pillows and not answering immediately. Another slap to his ass had him crying out. “Ouch! Fuck, Yenn, how do you think I am? It fucking hurts and I can’t move and it’s–” To his dismay, his words stuck in his throat and he heaved in a breath, tears coming unbidden to his eyes. 

Great big sobs wracked his body and Jaskier pressed his face into the pillows in front of him, trying to muffle it as much as he could. Soon he felt Yennefer’s hands stroking along his sides, rubbing small circles into his back. It was nice and he slowly stopped crying. He didn’t try to look at her and she didn’t try to make him look at her, which he appreciated.  

Yennefer sighed behind him and crawled up the bed so she sat next to his head. Her fingers found his hair and started running through it, soothing him. She sat with him like that for gods knew how long, just playing with his hair and not asking anything more of him. 

Eventually Jaskier felt brave enough to tip his head to look at her, eyes still bleary. When they made eye contact he noted that Yennefer was smiling at him. 

“How are you doing?” Her voice was soft and he had to stop to blink away more tears at the unexpected kindness. 

“I’m fine.” He sighed, burrowing deeper against the pillows. “Hurts, but it’s fine. Don’t wanna use my word.” 

She relaxed at that but continued to work her hands through his hair. “I’m glad. I don’t think I’ll finish the punishment since it seems like you got what you needed out of it, hmm?” 

He shrugged, looking down again. “If you want to finish it, I don’t – it’s fine, Yennefer.” She frowned down at him. 

“I don’t really, since I’ve used up all the space on your backside. Despite what people may think I don’t actually want to leave permanent marks on you and I’d rather not overlap the hits if I can avoid it.” She shot him a teasing smirk, which he didn’t expect. “It turns out that even you, with your lovely, plush, bouncy ass, run out of skin sooner or later.” 

Jaskier snorted and winced when the movement reminded him of just how much snot crying produced. Luckily, Yennefer didn’t seem to notice and he pushed his face down again. When he spoke, his words were muffled. “So, if you don’t want to, uh, continue, are we done?” 

The hand in his hair froze and then resumed it’s petting. “We can be if you want to be, but I would still like to fuck you if you’re amenable.” 

Jaskier shivered at that, a full body shiver that had his toes curling. “Yes. Please, yes, I’m very amenable.” He shifted, spreading his legs wider and tilting his hips so his ass was sticking up higher. He hoped that he presented a lovely view and was rewarded with a small gasp as Yennefer saw the movement. 

Before she could respond he had a thought and hummed, thinking. “And by that, I mean, if...if you were interested in, uh, forcing me to uhm, well. I wouldn’t be opposed to that either.” His cheeks were hot but he heard her approving noise.

Chapter Text

“Mmm, I’ll just bet you are, aren’t you?” Her voice was a purr and she crawled back down the bed, ending up between his still spread legs. “Flaunting your assets tonight, Jaskier, I would have guessed you’d sell it to anyone that would have given you the information we were after.” 

Her hands were on his ass now, and Jaskier whimpered, the pain and pleasure of being fondled roughly blurring. She palmed the globes once more before dropping her hands. Jaskier let out a bereft noise and whimpered against the pillows. 

“Yennefer, please. I don’t – please don’t do this, I don’t want you to.” Let it never be said that Jaskier wasn’t a master of more arts than just barding: he was a trained actor and he enjoyed playing a role such as this one. His protests fell on deaf ears, and Yennefer stroked her fingers down his cleft, slippery with whatever lube she’d used the last time. 

“Oh I think you do want to, bard.” Her other hand came up and wrapped roughly around his cock, tugging in a way that made him cry out. It wasn’t a soft grip and Jaskier writhed against his bindings. “I think this right here says that no matter what you might protest your body very much wants to get fucked like this, like the whore you are.” 

Jaskier was almost beyond whole sentences, his breath coming faster. “Yenn, no, please– ” The first press of one finger inside him caused him to cut off mid-sentence, keening. “I don’t want – fuck, Yenn, come on, let me go!” Jaskier let himself get louder, confident that Yennefer had put a silencing spell around the room like she mentioned doing the first couple times they fucked. 

“I’m never letting you go little bard; you’re mine .” The statement was punctuated with the addition of another finger much before he was really ready and Jaskier heaved in a breath, trying to relax into the sensation. “Maybe I’ll keep you tied to my bed like this, ready for whenever I feel like having you.” Her fingers pumped in and out of him steadily, building a rhythm. Much to his dismay Jaskier noted that she seemed perfectly aware of where his prostate was and wasn’t hitting it at all. 

“Yennefer, no, I - I can’t, I’ve got to–” She sped up the thrusts of her fingers, cutting him off once more with ease. 

“You’ve got nothing, bard, you’re not going to do anything for the rest of the night but lie there and take it for me like a good boy, hmm?” 

He shook his head, unable to turn to see her. “No, I’m - I’m not your boy, and I want you to stop , I want to leave!” She was still avoiding his prostate, damn her, and he bucked, trying to angle his hips so she’d hit it at some point. 

Instead of speeding up or adding more fingers Yennefer stopped altogether, making Jaskier groan loudly. He heard her chuckle and shivered, wondering what she’d do next. 

“Oh Jaskier, you say you don’t want it but here you are, trying hard to get my fingers where you want them, hmm?” Jaskier stayed silent because that was exactly what he’d been doing. “You’re just such a needy slut, aren’t you?” 

She started moving her fingers again and this time she hit his sweet spot with every thrust, moving so hard and fast that he was reduced to a blubbering mess, unsure if he was saying no or yes or stop or more. When she finally pulled her fingers out of him he almost sobbed. 

“Hush yourself boy, no use whining.” She shifted around and when she sidled forward, pressing closer to him, he felt the tip of what was sure to be a truly massive toy pressing against his hole. 

“Yenn, wait, how big is that? You’re not really – two fingers isn’t enough, Yenn, come on–” Paying him no mind, Yennefer pushed more firmly against his hole and Jaskier felt the head of the toy press into him, popping inside of him with an achy stretch that was just this side of pleasurable. 

“Hmm, I think you can take it.” She pushed forward a little more and Jaskier felt tears gathering at the corners of his eyes. To get the leverage to push into him her hands gripped his hips tightly, thumbs digging into the welts she left there earlier. It hurt but it also distracted from the pain of the stretch, for which he was grateful. “Are you going to be good for me, Jaskier, and take what you’re given?” She pushed in another half inch and Jaskier tried to relax his muscles, to let her in. 

“Yen, please, it hurts –” 

She hummed a pleased noise and leaned over him to press her lips to his ear, her chest against his back. “I know it hurts, but you can do this for me.” He struggled against the bindings and she paid the movement no mind. “Do you want to know something special about this cock, Jaskier? Something that might convince you that it’s worth being good for me?” He shook his head and she chuckled. “Hmm, I think you really do.” The pause was agonizing, but finally she spoke again. “It’s Geralt’s cock that’s fucking you open. I magicked this up just for you since it’ll be the only way you’ll ever get it.” 

Jaskier gasped, sucking air in like there wasn’t enough of it. His vision wavered and Yennefer paused instead of trying to work the cock deeper inside him. 

He shook his head, still trying to get enough air. “Not – don’t want to use my word, I like it, but fuck, fuck– ” Yennefer leaned back, apparently pleased with his response. She canted her hips forward, pushing into Jaskier once more. He could feel it now - how wide it was splitting him open - and he groaned, setting his teeth around one of the many embroidered pillows in front of his face. 

“Hmm, I should have known that you’d like that, you little slut.” She was still less than halfway inside him he estimated. He pushed back against her, bearing down on the larger-than-life cock inside him. Yennefer laughed at the high, needy noise he made when he got more inside him. “Whore like you, Jaskier, you’ve been gagging for it for long enough, haven’t you?” 

He moaned but shook his head, some spark of contrariness pushing him forward even as his body gave in to her ministrations. “No, Yennefer, no, you’re – it hurts and it’s too much, and I can’t - I can’t –” 

At his words she gave a sharp thrust forward and finally slid the rest of the way inside him, her hips meeting his ass and making him nearly sob with the sensation. He was so full and it hurt but it was good at the same time and he couldn’t do anything but lie there and take it, focused solely on her and what she was doing to him. 

“Ohh, fuck, Jaskier, fuck –” Yennefer sounded breathless and Jaskier groaned again, shifting back and nudging his hips against hers, urging her to move already. She didn’t, instead coming to a stop pressed against him. Jaskier was about ready to beg but instead her hands left his hips and he remembered what she did the last time she fucked him. Just as he remembered he felt the toy start vibrating inside of him, pushing relentlessly against his prostate and making him wail. 

“Ahh, fuck, I can’t – Yennefer, it’s too much, it’s too deep, I can’t – you can’t–” Jaskier was just babbling now and he felt more tears leaking down his cheeks. He wasn’t full on sobbing but he’d lost the battle to keep himself from crying again. It was so much and so good and he was overwhelmed with sensation. 

Her fingers bit into his skin as she gripped him once more, fucking into him with a strength that he was 85% sure was magically enhanced. After the first testing thrusts to figure out the best angle Yennefer picked up her pace, pistoning into him with a near superhuman speed. Jaskier was too far gone to really do much more than hold on for the ride but he did have enough strength of mind to utter a weak “No” every once in a while. 

Jaskier’s orgasm was approaching quickly - too quickly - and he keened again, tipping his head to the side in an attempt to let Yennefer know. Whatever he’d planned to say was very abruptly and soundly cut off as the door to the bedroom was kicked in with no small amount of force. Geralt stood in the empty doorway looking more furious than Jaskier had ever seen him, glaring down at both of them.

Chapter Text

The first thought Jaskier had upon seeing Geralt glaring at the pair of them was that Yennefer had gone too far. Copying the man’s dick was one thing but copying his whole image seemed like an invasion of privacy. Then again, she’d spelled Geralt to go on a rampage through a town square the first time they’d met, so Jaskier wouldn’t entirely put it past her. 

The second thought Jaskier had as he watched Geralt take three lightning quick steps into the room was a sinking dread that this wasn’t Yennefer’s doing. If it were Jaskier was certain she wouldn’t have made Geralt look so angry, since that wouldn’t be nearly as much fun. 

He didn’t have time for a third thought as Geralt snarled and grabbed Yennefer by the back of her neck, ripping her away from Jaskier and throwing her halfway across the room. Jaskier winced as her cock pulled from his body much too fast, the pain less of the ‘fun’ variety and more of the ‘painful’ kind. He’d be feeling that particular move for a while.

As quickly as he entered the room, Geralt whipped around, facing away from Jaskier and bearing down on Yennefer, who’d pushed herself to her hands and knees and knelt glaring up at Geralt. Jaskier would give his left foot to be half as intimidating as she was when naked, even with an overly large fake cock bobbing about her waist. 

“Geralt what the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Yennefer’s voice had shifted from the teasing cruelty she’d given Jaskier and into a cold rage that Jaskier was, once again, very grateful wasn’t being shone in his direction. He could handle her acting angry but wasn’t about to deal with the real thing if he could help it. 

Geralt didn’t answer her with words, only stooping to grab hold of her by the neck and walking forward until he held her against a wall - a mirror of what he’d done to Jaskier earlier in the evening. She gasped as her head banged hard against the wood and when Geralt tightened his grip on her Jaskier felt a bolt of true fear race through him. 

“Geralt! What are you doing?” Jaskier’s voice was rough but he got the words out, still bound by Yennefer’s magic as he was. While Yennefer’s question hadn’t moved the larger man an inch, Jaskier's voice drew Geralt out of whatever insane rage he was in at least enough for him to turn to look Jaskier in the eyes. 

“I - I’m sorry Jaskier. I didn’t - I didn’t know that she would – that she’s–” Geralt ran out of words abruptly, turning back to Yennefer with a growl. “Yenn, Let. Him. Go.” 

She couldn’t speak - Geralt still had too tight a grip on her for that - but she reached a hand up and waved it in Jaskier’s direction. He felt the bonds around his wrists and ankles dissolve and pulled his limbs back, rolling his wrists in an attempt to soothe the pins-and-needles feeling. When he looked back at the pair against the wall he noted with relief that Yennefer had also magicked away her strap-on. 

“Geralt, I don’t know what you think you’re doing but you need to let her go. Now.” The words pushed themselves out of Jaskier’s mouth even before he’d finished grabbing a blanket and tossing it over his half-wilted erection. He lifted his gaze to glare back at Geralt, who faltered, face flickering with confusion before it settled into wary anger once more. Jaskier huffed and slipped off the bed, wincing as the movement reminded him of the welts on his ass. He took the blanket and wrapped it around himself like a toga. With small, aching steps, Jaskier finally made it over to where Geralt still held Yennefer tightly against the wall. 

Geralt didn’t say anything but kept his eyes on Jaskier, watching intensely. As Jaskier approached he growled again, this time a warning for Jaskier to stay back, but Jaskier was far beyond giving two shits what Geralt wanted him to do. 

Jaskier gripped Geralt’s fingers, prying them off Yennefer’s neck. He wouldn’t have been able to free Yennefer if Geralt didn’t let him but the witcher seemed willing to let her go, at least if it was Jaskier tugging at him. 

It took another moment but finally Yennefer was free of Geralt’s grip and she landed back onto the ground with a thud, hands going to her throat as she heaved in breaths and tried to get enough oxygen to her lungs. She doubled over, leaning against the wall heavily and sliding down it until she sat with her knees in front of her face, still audibly breathing and looking up at the both of them. 

Jaskier didn’t hesitate to drop to his knees by her side, his own fingers coming up to gently probe at her neck. “Yenn, are you okay? You’re not - you’re not seriously hurt, are you?” 

She shook her head, still gasping and unable to speak, and Jaskier looked up from her for a moment to glare at Geralt again. “And you! What the fuck was that?” Confident that Yenn would be alright he straightened once more, facing Geralt with a new fury. “You claim to love her, you treat her terribly, and then you barge in while we’re in the middle of sex and fucking strangle her half to death?” 

Jaskier took a step closer to Geralt and the witcher stepped back, eyes wide. Jaskier could no longer parse his expression but after a moment Geralt gulped and his brows furrowed once more. 

He looked away from Jaskier and back to Yennefer, growling again. “Whatever you’ve done to him, Yennefer, fix it. Now.” 

Yennefer was still gasping against the wall but she’d regained most of her color when Jaskier chanced a look and was now back to glaring at Geralt. 

“I haven’t done anything you ass.” Her words were thin, like, well, like she’d just been strangled, but she got them out. Geralt just growled harder at her, his eyes narrowing. 

“How can you possibly claim that you haven’t done anything to him?” Geralt gestured wildly to Jaskier. “You were - you were hurting him and now he’s defending you like I’m the one who’s wrong here. You’ve got him enthralled and you’re still going to pretend that he was with you of his own free will?” 

Jaskier winced, frowning back at Geralt. “What do you mean? Of course I was with her of my own free will.” He glared harder at Geralt and stepped between him and Yennefer, breaking Geralt’s line of sight to her. “Geralt, what the hell are you talking about?” 

Geralt didn’t answer, and from behind him, Jaskier heard Yennefer groan feebly. He whirled, kneeling again in order to look her in the eyes. “What is it? Can I help with anything?” Yennefer shook her head and just groaned again, closing her eyes and leaning her head back against the wall behind her. She winced and Jaskier realized that she probably had a bruise (or worse) on the back of her skull. “Yennefer, you’re scaring me. What is it?” 

Without opening her eyes she shook her head. “I - I might have forgotten to set a silencing ward.” Jaskier blinked, trying to make sense of her words. She’d forgotten to...what? Keep others from hearing them? 

As the truth of her words hit him all at once Jaskier’s eyes widened and he whirled around to face Geralt once more. “You thought she was forcing me?” His voice was high and more than a little pitchy as he spoke but Jaskier thought that was well within his rights. “You – fuck, fuck, you heard us and you heard what - what I was – and you thought–” Jaskier groaned as well and closed his own eyes, hiding his face in his hands. He found the wall and slid down it so that he sat shoulder to shoulder with Yennefer, eyes still closed. “Fuck.” 

Beside him Yennefer lifted a cautious hand and ran it through his hair. Jaskier leaned into the touch, not opening his eyes yet. “Fuck is right.” Yennefer’s voice was quiet and she didn’t stop stroking his hair. When Jaskier finally opened his eyes to look at her he found her looking at Geralt, her face hard. “I guess we’ll have to explain, then.” She pointed towards the door to the bedroom. “Go. Five minutes for us to put on clothes and we’ll explain.” 

Geralt didn’t move, instead choosing to glare at Yennefer some more. “How do I know you won’t just portal out of here if I leave?” 

Yennefer rolled her eyes, dropping the hand she’d pointed with. “You don’t, but I could also portal us out right now without offering you an explanation.” Geralt’s frown only deepend. He turned to look at Jaskier in question and Jaskier sighed. 

“We’ll explain but I would really prefer to do so while dressed.” Jaskier shifted a little, suppressing a wince as the movement reminded him of just how sore his ass was. “And, uh, preferably with something soft to sit on.” 

It was a testament to how unfortunate the whole situation was that Yennefer didn’t snort with laughter at that declaration, although Jaskier felt her shift as he said it. 

Geralt frowned at both of them, looking from one to the other before sighing. “Fine. Five minutes, no more.” He looked to Jaskier, his expression softening slightly. “I’ll be able to hear you so if – if she does anything I’ll know, alright?” 

Jaskier nodded his agreement, baffled by Geralt’s attempt to be soothing , and the witcher turned, walking out the door to the bedroom and pulling it closed behind him. 

When Jaskier turned to look Yennefer in the eyes once more she was looking back at him, her eyes wide. “I honestly don’t even know where to begin, Yennefer. What - what are we going to tell him?” 

She set her jaw, glaring at the door before refocusing on Jaskier. “We’ll tell him the truth. If he doesn’t like it, or if he takes issue with any of it, I can portal us out of here before he can hurt us again.” She reached up to touch her throat which was already significantly darker than a minute ago. “Fuck, I’m sorry, Jaskier.” 

He lifted an arm and pulled her to himself easily, hugging her close. “You don’t have anything to be sorry about, not anything .” He sighed. “Really, I’d say it was my fault. I’m sorry that we – that everything–” He didn’t know how to finish the sentence and shrugged, not bothering to try. “I’m sorry, too.” 

Before she could protest his apology, he retrieved his arm from around her shoulders and pushed himself to his feet. The sudden movement was a shock to his already rattled system, and on the pain he felt at the change in positions, he let out a pained gasp. 

The door was thrown open and Geralt stepped through to glare at them (more Yennefer than Jaskier, Jaskier realized, now that he knew what Geralt thought he was seeing), taking in Jaskier’s frame as though he was trying to catalogue what had caused the sound. 

Jaskier rolled his eyes and pointed back towards the door. “Out. Now. I will ask for your help in the unlikely chance that I need it, but until then, you are leaving.” He shifted his weight and winced again at the motion. Geralt didn’t move, and Jaskier glared at him. “Geralt. I am in a lot of pain, no thanks to you , and I am going to be sore for a while. I will continue to sound like I’m injured because I am injured. I do not need or want your help with it, what I want is to get dressed in private. Now leave .” 

Geralt was still frowning at Jaskier, but he nodded and left once more. Jaskier sighed, his shoulders slumping as his body released a little of the tension it still held. He looked over to Yennefer, who still sat against the wall, staring up at him. “He can still hear us.” Jaskier said. Yennefer shrugged. 

“It is what it is. But we should probably get dressed.” Her voice still sounded wrong to Jaskier and he hoped her throat would heal soon; he didn’t want to be reminded of this every time she spoke. He gave her a nod, pointing to the dressers on the other side of the room. 

“I’ll get you clothes, just sit here, okay?” He reached down to cup her cheek. “I can’t tell you how worried I was. I’m glad you’re alright, or at least that you will be soon.” She leaned into the touch and Jaskier held her cheek for another moment before straightening again. “Now, what dresser?” 

Instead of arguing, like he expected her to, Yennefer lifted a hand and pointed to the leftmost dresser. “Second drawer from the top.” Jaskier hummed in thanks before making his slow way over to the dresser. When he reached it, he pulled it open and found to his surprise a couple sets of silken pajamas, in both Yennefer’s size and his own. He pulled them out and turned back to Yennefer. 

“Did you - did you just happen to have these?” At his astonishment she grinned and chuckled weakly. 

“I figured you’d be staying over and since I made you strip before portaling you I wanted to give you the option of ‘not naked’ while you’re here.” 

Jaskier chuckled as well at the explanation and walked back over to her. He was achy all over from being bound in one position and his ass was sore in two completely different ways so walking was not the most pleasant thing he could think of at the moment but he made it back to her with a minimum amount of fuss. He handed Yennefer the smaller set and started tugging on his own. 

When Jaskier tried to bend at the hips in order to pull the bottoms up, he hissed and froze as the movement tugged on the welts from the riding crop. Yennefer, who had stayed sitting to pull her own clothes on, looked up at him and frowned. 

“Let me help with those.” Her hands found the waistband of the soft pants and guided his feet through the holes before tugging them up his hips. They didn’t fit perfectly, the pyjamas were slightly too big, but Jaskier didn’t mind as anything tighter would have been uncomfortable. 

When Yennefer stood he noted with some surprise that her pair of silky pyjamas were also a size or two too large. He would understand getting his size wrong, she hadn’t tried to clothe him until that afternoon. But her own? Yennefer never wore anything unless it emphasized her figure or she was just naked, but the large shirt she had on rendered her rather shapeless. 

As Jaskier looked at her he realized that more than anything else she looked cuddly , and he felt a grin stretch over his face despite himself. “Yennefer, did you get these a few sizes too big on purpose ?” When she looked around at him, eyes wide and a lip caught between her teeth, his smile grew wider. “You did! Ha!” Jaskier reached for her and pulled her into his arms. “See, I told you. Secret romantic.” 

Yennefer rolled her eyes and batted at Jaskier’s arm, taking care not to hit anything that ached. “Shut it, bard.” She wrapped her haughtiness around her like a shield and Jaskier didn’t poke further, knowing Geralt could still hear them. Instead he let go of her and straightened his own clothes before turning towards the door. 

“We’re ready, Geralt. You can come in now.” 

It was no more than a second before Geralt was in the room once more, looking Jaskier over for signs that he’d been hurt while Geralt was gone. Jaskier rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, frustrated at the treatment. “No, she didn’t secretly paddle my ass while you were outside, Geralt, I’m fine.” His ass throbbed and Jaskier winced at the reminder. “Mostly fine, anyway, but nothing I didn’t ask for.” 

Geralt frowned at him some more. “I heard you. You weren’t asking for it.” 

Jaskier sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers. “That’s - that’s probably not the best place for us to start, really. Before we do start, however, I’d really like to not be standing.” 

At his words, Geralt’s eyes widened, and he nodded at Jaskier. “Yes, of course. Where – hmm, what do you want?” 

Jaskier had to bite back a bit of hysterical laughter at the question, one he’d wished Geralt would ask him for years preceding the mountain. He took a breath and looked around the room. There was the table where he’d sat with Yennefer earlier which had wooden chairs set around it, but Jaskier ruled out that option almost immediately given the state of his poor ass. His eyes drifted to the bed next but he was hesitant to tell Geralt to sit on the bed, not wanting to give the other man the wrong impression. 

His problem was solved when beside him, Yennefer shifted and then spoke. “Geralt, you can sit at the table. Jaskier and I will take the bed since he can lay down and talk without aggravating any of his injuries.” 

Geralt made a face like he wanted to protest but nodded sharply before sitting down at the small table. Jaskier sent Yennefer a small smile of thanks, grateful that he’d be able to lay on his stomach without feeling too self-conscious about it. The bed was raised quite a bit, so if he lay on his stomach with his head at the end of the bed Geralt wouldn’t be able to see much more than his face as they talked. 

Together, leaning on each other, Yennefer and Jaskier made their way to the bed while Geralt waited for them in the wooden, hard-backed chair. Jaskier let Yennefer help him up onto the bed, laying with his feet near the pillows and his head on his hands, facing Geralt. 

Geralt was tense and he frowned at Jaskier, switching between looking at Jaskier's face and back to Yennefer where she settled down cross-legged at Jaskier's side. "Alright, you're dressed, you're sitting down, now talk. Explain why I should believe you that Jaskier isn't here against his will." Geralt frowned deeper, shooting another glare at Yennefer before sneering at her. "And where's your date? With how much you two were all over each other, I'd have thought that you'd be fucking him instead of Jaskier."

Chapter Text

At that Jaskier sighed deeply, dropping his head forward until his face pressed against the bedcovers. When he spoke his words were muffled. "Fuck. This is going to be an even longer discussion than I thought." 

Yennefer didn't say anything to that, just dropped a hand into Jaskier's hair, stroking through it. Jaskier moaned a little at the feeling, melting into her touch. When he finally dragged his head up once more he found Geralt looking at the two of them, bewildered. 

Jaskier sighed again, louder this time. He met Geralt's eyes, holding the other man's gaze. "Do you remember what you said to me on the mountain?" 

Geralt, who clearly hadn't expected the question, flinched. "Yes." His teeth were clenched and he stared back at Jaskier intently. 

Jaskier rolled his eyes. "Well, yes, I'm glad we have that settled." Yennefer snorted above him, and he leaned harder against her legs. "But really, that's where the explanation starts." Jaskier cleared his throat. "As it turns out Yennefer wasn't entirely gone when you turned your anger on me; she was listening in and heard what you said." 

Geralt winced again, looking from Jaskier to Yennefer and back again. "Jaskier, I–" 

Jaskier held up a hand, stopping Geralt in his tracks. "No. Don't even think about it, I don't want to hear it right now. We're telling you what led to this, to everything, and you're listening. Got it?" Geralt gave him a silent nod. "Good." 

Yennefer cleared her throat, getting both of their attention. "I will admit to being…curious as to how you took my leaving." Jaskier turned his head to look at her while Geralt barely moved. She shrugged. "I wasn't expecting you to turn on Jaskier like that but when I saw what you said, I realized I might have more in common with the bard than I thought." 

Jaskier grinned up at her and leaned his head against her leg. "Yeah, well, I think we were both surprised to figure that out." 

Yennefer cleared her throat. "I saw you toss him aside and blame him for everything you've ever done wrong and I knew I wasn't the only one hurting." Her fingers never wavered as she combed through Jaskier's hair. "So I found the bard drinking his sorrows and made him a proposal he couldn't refuse." 

She smirked at Geralt and he glared at her some more. "And why exactly couldn't he refuse it?" Geralt's tone held barely contained anger; Jaskier admired Yennefer all the more for not giving even a hint of fear. 

"I simply let him know one of the cardinal rules of having your heart broken." Yennefer's smirk got mean. "If a man breaks your heart you sleep with his best friend to get back at him." Her words were hissed and Geralt reared back as if slapped. 

"What?" Geralt's voice was tense, and Jaskier could see that his jaw was clenched. "That's bullshit." 

Yennefer laughed, throwing her head back. Eventually she regained her composure, shooting Geralt another smirk. "Hmm, I wouldn't say it's entirely wrong. Tell me that when you saw us together, heard us together, that you didn't have even the slightest bit of jealousy, hmm? You've never worried that Jaskier and I would get over our dislike of each other and decide we’re better off without you?" 

It was a low blow and Jaskier sucked in a breath, watching Geralt's expression. The only sign he'd even heard Yennefer was a muscle twitching in his jaw. After a minute or so it became clear that Geralt wasn't planning to answer. Yennefer shrugged at him once more. 

"So I asked the bard if he was interested in helping me get back at you for how you've treated us both, he accepted, and we spent the night fucking." Her voice was low now, sultry. "And might I just say, Geralt, that the rumors you've heard about him in bed? All true, and then some." She winked at Geralt, who Jaskier suspected if he was a normal human would have been puce with anger right about now. 

Jaskier nudged his head against Yennefer's leg, drawing her attention. "Yennefer, while your storytelling isn't incorrect in any way, maybe let's stick to the facts?" 

She grinned down at him. "Yes, of course, I'll try to keep from getting distracted with tales of your prowess in bed." Jaskier couldn't help but grin back at her and he only remembered Geralt was in the room at all when the man cleared his throat, drawing both of their attention back to him. 

"So you fucked, because you thought I wouldn't like it. Still doesn't explain why Jaskier was begging you to stop and why you weren't stopping." 

Yennefer sighed and withdrew her hand from Jaskier's hair. "Darling, if this conversation is going to take as long as I suspect it might, I'd like to put salve on you where I hit you earlier since the sooner it's applied, the sooner it'll start healing." He looked up and found her looking at him with a soft expression, her eyes trailing over his body.

Jaskier considered the suggestion. His ass hurt a lot, and having Yennefer rub her magic salve into his skin sounded heavenly. On the other hand Geralt was right there and while Jaskier was pretty sure Geralt couldn't see anything but his head and arms from where he sat, being so exposed in the other man's presence wasn't something he loved the thought of. He worried at his bottom lip for a moment. 

"I guess so, if Geralt isn’t planning on arguing." They both looked to Geralt then, who was watching them with confusion and wariness. 

"If it'll help him I'm fine with it." Geralt looked like he was having trouble getting the words out, but he eventually got there. "No tricks though." 

Yennefer rolled her eyes and slid off the bed. "I was planning on doing it before you arrived – really, all you've done is delay my healing him." She didn't give Geralt a chance to answer, instead disappearing through the door that Jaskier knew led to the bathroom. 

As soon as she was gone Jaskier and Geralt looked back at each other, both uncomfortable. Geralt hesitated before speaking. "She's not – you swear you're truly here of your own free will?" 

Jaskier rolled his eyes. "I swear it. Although I have to say I'm surprised that you'd even bother, considering your biggest wish is for me to be taken off your hands." He frowned down at the Witcher. "You hurt Yennefer just because you thought she was hurting me. All I'm good for is shoveling shit; I'd think you'd be happy at my being taken down a peg or two." 

Geralt looked deeply unhappy at Jaskier's words, but before he could answer the bathroom door opened once more and Yennefer returned with a small pot of balm in her hands. She looked from Geralt to Jaskier and then back again, and Jaskier got the feeling she’d overheard their conversation. 

If she had, she didn’t say so and instead returned to the bed, settling herself down beside Jaskier. When her hands tugged down his pants, letting the waistband and drawstring rest just below the curve of his ass, Jaskier’s face heated up and he looked away from Geralt, who might not have been able to see much but definitely knew what Yennefer was doing. 

Before she started applying the salve, though, she looked at Jaskier and then back to Geralt. “Don’t let me stop you, Jaskier, you can tell this story just fine. I’ll chime in if you get anything wrong.” She waved a hand at him before dipping said hand into the salve and scooping some out. 

Jaskier gulped and looked away from her, turning to face Geralt once more. “I, uh, so, well, yes. She made me an offer, and I was hurt and angry and I accepted, despite being quite scared for my manhood at the time.” 

Behind him Yennefer snorted. “That you were, bard. Why you keep coming back to that particular piece of your anatomy, I’ll never know.” Her hands had started spreading the salve over his ass, but as she spoke, she froze. Jaskier turned to look at her and was treated to the sight of her pressing her non-slicked hand into her mouth and biting down, trying to suppress what would no doubt be a loud guffaw, probably accompanied by ridiculous snorting. 

Jaskier just raised an eyebrow at her, and she shook her head, still trying to keep her composure. “Yennefer, what is so funny?” He shifted, reaching for her, and she had to remove her knuckles from her mouth in order to scooch back and out of reach. That was enough to break the dam and Yennefer laughed loudly, dropping her head into her hand. 

When Jaskier looked back at Geralt the witcher seemed just as confused by Yennefer’s laughter, and he turned back to look at her once more. “Yennefer, what the hell is so funny? You can’t still find it that funny that I was scared you’d make me a eunuch.” 

She shook her head, and managed to blurt out a few words between peals of laughter. “Not - not that...you were afraid...and I… the potions , the party where –” Yennefer lost it again, falling back against the pillows and struggling to catch her breath. Her words were enough to convey to Jaskier exactly why she was laughing so hard, however, he felt a laugh bubbling up as well. 

Soon they were both laughing outright and Jaskier only managed to stop once he had tears running down his face and his breath was coming in short, tight pants. When he sobered enough to regain his composure somewhat he looked back to Geralt, who was glaring at the both of them, arms crossed. 

“I’m – fuck, I’m sorry, I just–” Another round of giggles burst from Jaskier’s throat, and he held up a hand to Geralt, signaling that he’d finish his thought once he had himself more under control. Jaskier knew that it wasn’t really that funny, but he suspected that the sheer amount of tension in both he and Yennefer needed an outlet somehow, and he’d take laughing over most other ways to assuage it. He controlled himself once more, and finally turned to Geralt, still grinning. “Alright, well, I guess it’ll only make sense when we get to that part of the story, not that I was planning to mention it specifically, but I guess now we have to.” 

Geralt’s frown deepened and he didn’t uncross his arms. “So tell me, then. What happened between then and now?” 

Yennefer finally collected herself as well, righting herself and retaking her place by Jaskier’s side. Her fingers settled on the small of his back, tracing small circles, and he shivered. 

“We’ve had our laugh, I’ll finish applying the salve while you talk, alright?” Her voice was low, and Jaskier nodded without looking back at her. Her fingers returned to the task of spreading the thick paste over his backside, soothing the heated skin, and Jaskier fought the urge to moan at how nice it felt. Instead, he looked Geralt in the eye, folding his arms under his chin once more. 

“So, well, we fucked.” Jaskier shrugged. “And it was good, more so than I expected, since we’d hated each other until that night, but I guess if you’ve got passion sometimes it’s easier to turn it into something else instead of trying to dissipate it.” 

Yennefer snorted behind him. “Yeah, it was good, I suggested it. I don’t ever suggest things that aren’t good ideas.” 

Jaskier turned back to face her, one eyebrow raised. “Oh, you mean like how you suggested loud sex that would have any passers-by concerned for my wellbeing and then forgot to set up a silencing ward?” 

Yennefer’s eyes narrowed, and with the hand covered in salve she delivered a sharp slap to his backside. Jaskier went cross eyed, dropping his head back down against the bedcovers with a moan. It hurt, but it also sent sparks of pleasure up his spine, reminding him that despite how close he’d gotten earlier, he still hadn’t come . 

When Jaskier lifted his head to look at Geralt once more, flushed but ready to finish explaining so Geralt would fucking leave , Geralt was glaring back at the both of them, the rest of his face tight and giving no sign to his emotions. Even Jaskier, who’d been friends with the man for twenty years, couldn’t make out what was happening inside Geralt’s head.

Chapter Text

“ Anyway , we had sex, and it was good, and we just...kept running into each other?” Jaskier said and then shrugged, trying his best to ignore Geralt’s expression. “We ran into each other a few more times and it was nice, fucking whenever we had the chance.” Yennefer, behind him, hummed her agreement. 

Geralt made an annoyed noise. “So you fucked a couple times, because you thought it would annoy me. That still explains nothing about how you ended up here .” He sneered at Jaskier, and Jaskier just stared back at the man impassively. 

“Well, yes, more or less. After the first time it wasn’t to annoy you, although that was a nice bonus.” Jaskier shrugged again. “We just liked it. And so we kept doing it. The last time we saw each other Yennefer mentioned that she had a dinner party that she needed a date for and asked if I would go.” Jaskier didn’t miss the twitch of Geralt’s lips, like the man wanted to frown deeper and stopped himself, but wasn’t sure what exactly it meant. 

From behind him Yennefer cut in. “You should probably explain the bit about your manhood, if you’re going to mention the last time we met up.” As she talked she finished spreading the salve over the meat of Jaskier’s ass, covering every welt from the riding crop. Jaskier sighed and shifted, expecting her to finish up and wipe her hands off, but instead she brushed her fingers across his hole, making him jump. 

“Yennefer! What are you–” She shushed him and Jaskier fell silent, albeit glaring at her behind him. 

“You’re hurt, Jaskier. Here too. The salve will help with any soreness and repair any tearing.” She used a single finger to push some of the salve inside of him and while she made her best efforts to be clinical about it it still felt far too good, making Jaskier bite his lip. Luckily she finished with that part quickly enough and soon she was screwing the lid onto the jar once more, wiping her hands down with a clean rag. 

Once he was sure he could control his expression, Jaskier turned back to Geralt. After a moment, he felt Yennefer moving and she lay down next to him, head on her arms and looking down at Geralt much the same as Jaskier was. 

“So keep talking then, bard, I’ve hardly seen you tongue tied.” She smirked at him, and Jaskier narrowed his eyes at her before turning back to Geralt. 

“The reason we were laughing earlier was that I’d been very scared about Yennefer damaging some rather sensitive parts of my anatomy and she promised me that she wouldn’t curse my cock unless I attacked her. Her reassurance did put my mind much more at ease.” Jaskier sighed again, taking a deep breath. “And, well, the last time we met up was at a week of festivities thrown by a noble where I was playing and her providing her rather unique services.” 

Yennefer snorted. “Yes, providing erections to men wanting to fuck the night away with all the young girls and boys running about, such a noble calling.” Jaskier elbowed her. 

“Well she was getting paid boatloads more than I was to give men erections, which, I mean look at her, she could do that without magic.” He shot Yennefer a wink and she rolled her eyes at him. “So we spent a good portion of the week fucking. At one point Yennefer brought me a lovely little potion, refusing to tell me what it would do.” 

Geralt’s eyes widened a fraction, and he turned his gaze on Yennefer’s face. “You gave him a potion without knowing what it would do?” His words had a dangerous tinge and Jaskier huffed. 

“No, I had no way of knowing what it did. Yennefer knew precisely what it was and just kept me in the dark for fun.” He elbowed at Yennefer again but she dodged it easily this time. “Anyway, we both took the potion, which tasted terrible by the way, and as it turns out I was right to fear for my manhood.” Jaskier smirked. “But I will admit that Yennefer gave me an experience I’ll treasure until my dying day, since I surely would never have even thought about something like that existing until she shoved it into my hands.” 

Geralt grunted, looking from one of them to the other. “You still haven’t said what it did .” 

Jaskier waved a hand, attempting to look casual about it. “Oh it turned me into a woman and her into a man.” 

Had he been a normal man, with normal emotional reactions, Jaskier was sure that Geralt’s mouth would have dropped open from the shock. As it was, he was a witcher, so the most Jaskier got was a deepening of the furrow between his brows and a twitch by his eye. 

It took Geralt a moment to respond. “You...took a potion that turned you into a woman?” He was still eying Jaskier, looking him up and down (as much as he could, with the angle) as though trying to imagine it. “Why?” 

Jaskier gave his best performance grin, sunny and unfazed. “Why, my d-” He stopped abruptly, and took a breath before continuing. “Why, Geralt, because it was an experience . Giving and receiving pleasure as a woman is an entirely different thing to doing so as a man and I am eternally grateful to Yennefer for giving me the chance to learn it.” 

Geralt still looked disbelieving and Jaskier continued. “Why, for instance, did you know that women feel pleasure everywhere? It’s not just all directed in one spot, like with a cock. As a woman, I swear the soles of my feet tingled when I came, something I’d never imagined possible.” Jaskier shrugged again, looking over towards Yennefer. “What about you, did you learn anything from that excursion?” 

She gave him a thoughtful glance before shrugging herself. “I learned that being a pushy man and demanding blowjobs is even more fun than I’d imagined, but I suspect you had some inkling of that already, bard.” 

Jaskier spluttered, making offended noises at her. “Yennefer! You – why I’ve never done anything that boorish in my life!” He pouted at her and she smirked back at him. “You cannot say I haven’t pulled my share, Yennefer, I won’t hear it. The first time we slept together I gave you at least four orgasms before I came, and at that point I didn’t expect it to happen again, between us.” His tone turned petulant, and he looked away from her and back to Geralt. 

When he met Geralt’s eyes, the other man frowned at him. Nobody said anything for long moments, and Geralt was the one to finally break the silence. 

“Four?” The question was quiet, but genuine, and Jaskier looked to his side to see Yennefer giving Geralt a patronizing smile. 

“Oh, yes, four at least, although I want to say five.” She hummed in thought. “But either way, yes, four is dreadfully low, compared to our more recent trysts.” Yennefer turned to Jaskier. “How many would you say we had between us, the time with the potion? It had to be somewhere around fifteen.” 

Jaskier smirked back at her, shaking his head. “No, fifteen is far too low. I’d be willing to bet that I had fifteen on my own, which, women’s bodies are amazing. It’s truly unfair that you’re able to do that.” He shrugged. “But between us, I’d say probably twenty or twenty-five, since it was what, twelve hours?” 

Yennefer nodded, and they both turned back to Geralt, who looked distinctly uncomfortable with the way the conversation had gone. 

Jaskier, despite his desire to draw it out and prove to Geralt that the bard was a better lover than he was, took pity on the other man and sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. “But we’re getting off track. So, anyway, Yennefer asked me to accompany her to the party, which was tonight’s event, since she needed to gather information for the war effort and she knows that I’m brilliant at weaseling information out of people.” Jaskier grinned wide. “So I accepted as a very large favor to her, and, well, here we are.” 

Yennefer wasn’t about to let that stand, however and she grabbed one of the expensive looking throw pillows from the end of the bed and whacked him over the head with it. Jaskier cried out, trying to catch it, but Yennefer was too fast and she gave him another bonk. 

Eventually Jaskier managed to tear the pillow from her, grinning wide, and stuffed it under his chest, propping himself up. “Well, if you’re going to object to my telling of the story, darling, why don’t you finish the rest, hmm?” 

Yennefer gave him a haughty look before turning back to Geralt. “I will. I asked Jaskier to the party as a favor to him , seeing as it would expand his social circles, and he agreed to go with me.” 

Geralt frowned at them. “But he wasn’t there. You were there with that...Viscount or whoever he was.” 

Yennefer rolled her eyes so hard that Jaskier worried they might stick like that. “Geralt, you are very smart but sometimes your inability to see what’s directly in front of your face astounds me.” She pointed at Jaskier. “Jaskier was with me tonight. Honestly, we just finished telling you about a potion that let us switch genders for a night, you think there’s not something that would keep you from discovering who he truly was?” 

Geralt frowned deeper at her. “I don’t understand.” 

Yennefer gave him such a pitying look that Jaskier winced. “Geralt. I found out that you’d been invited a few days ago, which is probably related to the fact that you bound our destinies together without my consent.” She sighed, and continued. “When I realized you’d be there, I portaled to Jaskier to let him know.” Yennefer looked over to Jaskier, who shrugged back at her. “I expected he didn’t want to be anywhere near you, given how the two of you parted, and I wanted to let him know that his services weren’t so necessary that he should put himself in harm’s way just to go to a stupid party.” 

Jaskier wrapped a hand around Yennefer’s wrist before slipping his fingers between her own. “Well, I had my heart set on going, and I suggested a disguise of some kind. I’m not scared of you, not really.” He turned to look back at Geralt. “You might be an ass who wouldn’t be happy to run into me, but you wouldn’t actually do me harm. But it would have brought a lot of unnecessary dramatics to something where we were supposed to lie low and gather what information we could, and I didn’t want to disrupt Yen’s plans.” 

Yennefer shook her head. “Either way, he made me remember a potion, one that would change his appearance, including his scent, for a night. It’s an expensive one, but well worth the coin, I think.” 

Jaskier’s eyes widened and he looked over to Yennefer. “Wait a moment, you didn’t tell me it was expensive. Yennefer, how much did you spend on that?” 

She shrugged at him and set her jaw, and Jaskier knew he wasn’t going to be able to get the price from her no matter how much he wheedled. He sighed, shaking his head. “Fine, don’t tell me, but see if I let you do that again. I’m asking about the cost up front, next time, and I’m making you split it with me.” 

Yennefer rolled her eyes. “That is a discussion for another time, Jaskier.” She faced Geralt once more. “He took the potion and became someone else for the night, which worked perfectly right up until you decided to cause a scene anyway.” 

Geralt got a shade paler at that, and looked at Jaskier. “Wait, it was – you were the one with her tonight? So I–” 

Jaskier nodded at him. “Held me up by the throat, much like you did to Yennefer? Yes.” He brought a hand to his own throat, feeling over where the bruise had been. “Luckily, reversing the effects of the potion negated that bruise, for which I’m grateful.” He tossed a smile to Yennefer, who smiled back at him. At the mention of being held up by the neck, though, Jaskier gave her another look, eyes running over the clear hand-shaped marks already half-formed around Yennefer’s throat. 

He turned back to Geralt, newly annoyed at the other man. “And you’re lucky that Yenn is going to be fine. If you’d managed to bring harm to her, I’d be sharpening pointy sticks and telling the villagers to grab their pitchforks.” 

The threat was not a small one and Geralt knew it by the way his eyes widened. Jaskier had spent nearly his whole career building up Geralt and other witchers in the eyes of the masses and even when Geralt had cast him aside, he hadn’t stopped singing about them. If he truly meant to do Geralt harm he could undo all that good work in a heartbeat and Geralt would be fucked. 

Geralt cleared his throat, looking chastised. “I didn’t - I didn’t mean to hurt her. Or you.” His eyes skittered over Jaskier’s throat, unmarked but for a few bruises Yennefer sucked into the skin there. “But that still doesn’t explain why she was hurting you, and why when you said you didn’t want to, she didn’t stop.” 

Jaskier closed his eyes, gathering himself. It wasn’t every day that you admit to enjoying being pushed around in bed to the man you’ve been in love with for twenty years. 

Yennefer spoke before Jaskier could. “I asked him if he’d let me. Seeing you tonight was...unpleasant, and I needed more of a release than our usual fucking would provide. So I gave him a word to say if he really wanted to stop, told him that if he said it, I’d stop immediately, and then asked him to fight me, pretend he didn’t want it.” She grimaced. “I guess in the excitement, I forgot to set the silencing wards I usually use, which was clearly a mistake. I’m assuming you heard him begging me to stop and came to the reasonable conclusion, which was unfortunate for all of us.” 

Geralt nodded at that. “Yes. I was on my way to the stables for Roach but I heard both of you, him asking you to...to stop, and you refusing. I couldn’t…I couldn’t not do something.” 

As he finished speaking, all three of them looked at each other, wary and unsure where they went from there. 

Eventually Yennefer broke the silence. “You were headed to the stables?” 

Geralt nodded at her. “Yeah. Had to stay in town for the party but I’ve already been in the city too long, I need to get back. I can–” 

Yennefer was already shaking her head. “It’s much too late for you to try to leave the city at this hour – you won’t even have time to make camp before the sun is up. You should stay and head out in the morning. Roach will surely be grateful for the evening to herself instead of having to carry you in the dark.” 

Geralt frowned. “Don’t have the coin for a room.” 

Yennefer brushed his complaint off with a wave of her hand. “Did I say anything about paying for a room? I meant you can stay here; I’ve got extra bedrooms nobody is using.” 

Geralt’s eyes widened and Jaskier watched him searching for any sort of excuse that would get him out of having to sleep in Yennefer’s spare room. Unfortunately for him Yennefer’s plan was a solid one and he really wouldn’t gain anything by leaving earlier than the morning. 

“Fine, then. I’ll take the room.” Geralt grit his teeth. “Thank you.” The words were tense, and Jaskier was surprised he was willing to say it at all. 

Yennefer stood, sliding off the bed with practiced ease. “I’ll show you, then. I’m sure we’re all exhausted by the events of the night, and could use some sleep.” Geralt got up as well and turned towards her.

Chapter Text

When Geralt stood the movement reminded Jaskier that his pants were still down around his knees, his ass bared to the room.  His eyes went wide and he sucked in a breath, praying that Geralt would follow Yennefer out of the room without looking back at him. Since this was Jaskier and Geralt, of course, luck was not in the cards. 

Geralt turned back to Jaskier instead of following Yennefer when she beckoned, and upon realizing that Jaskier still had his pants tugged down, froze. After a second Geralt averted his eyes, looking away, but Jaskier knew he’d gotten a good look at the marks, still red and raised where Yennefer had hit him earlier. 

Geralt cleared his throat, sheepish expression firmly in place. “I wasn’t – I didn’t think.” 

Jaskier, though he was still blushing red as a tomato, waved a hand. “I didn’t realize either. Just say what you were going to say.” And go , he didn’t add. 

Shuffling his feet, Geralt cleared his throat once more and looked for all the world like he wanted to be anywhere but there. “I - I’m glad you’re not hurt – at least, not against your will.” 

Jaskier gulped, unsure what Geralt was saying. “Yes, well, as am I. Now I’d really like to get some sleep at some point tonight, so…” 

He trailed off and Geralt nodded, eyes still fixed firmly on the floor. “Right.” Geralt turned and walked towards the door where Yennefer waited for him. He followed her out without another word and Jaskier heaved a sigh when the door finally swung shut. 

“Fuck.” 

Jaskier’s head dropped down against the bedcovers and he stayed like that until Yennefer returned a minute later. She shut the door and walked over to run her fingers through Jaskier’s hair. 

“I’ve warded the room properly; nobody can hear us, not even those with enhanced senses.” She sighed. “I’m sorry, Jaskier. I know we went through the whole elaborate setup to make sure he wouldn’t know who you were and I ended up blowing the whole thing by forgetting to set a ward.” 

Jaskier’s fingers wormed their way out from under his other arm and he reached for her, tugging her free hand to his face and kissing her knuckles. “I’m not angry, you were just as caught up in what we were doing as I was and I’m sorry that it happened.” He sighed. “I will say that he at least could have waited until I came, though, keeping a man from his orgasm is just plain rude.” 

Yennefer chuckled softly. “Yes, well, if you’d like, I can help with that now?” 

Jaskier squeezed her fingers before shaking his head. “No, I’m – I don’t really want to try laying on my back right now and it’s not worth the effort to stand. I’m sorry. I think I just need to sleep.” 

She made a soft noise and tugged on his hair. “That’s a perfectly acceptable answer, Jaskier. I agree that some sleep will be nice.” 

Between the two of them they managed to get Jaskier turned around so that he had his head on the pillows and he buried his face into them, sighing as he finally let go of the tension he’d been holding. Yennefer snuggled down next to him and he held an arm out, tugging her so she was curled against his side. 

Jaskier was halfway to sleep when Yennefer shifted again, turning her face to look at him. “I told Geralt that he has to stay for breakfast.” 

Jaskier just sighed, looking at her. “And why would you do that? I don’t know that either of us want him to stick around longer than he has to.” 

She shrugged, avoiding his gaze. “I don’t know. You’re free to avoid him, if you want, but I’m stuck coming back to him over and over. I’d rather not kick him out the door with nothing but a ‘by your leave’ if I have any hopes that strangulation doesn’t become his customary welcoming gift.” 

Jaskier sighed again, turning his head so he could look into her eyes. “I’m sorry, Yen. Despite everything, we both care more about him than we probably should. Breakfast is a good idea, if we don’t make him eat he’ll probably forgo food altogether in hopes of getting away from us as fast as possible.” Jaskier closed his eyes, nuzzling his nose into her hair. “Gods help me but I think I’m still in love with him after everything and I’d rather not let him go hungry if I can help it.” 

Yennefer didn’t respond right away and Jaskier was left with his own ringing thoughts. He realized it was the first time he’d actually admitted to her that he was in love with Geralt; it came so naturally. Usually with things like this there was bad blood or jealousy or something of that sort, but Jaskier felt none of those. He cared deeply about both Yennefer and Geralt and now, when he looked at Yennefer - knowing she loved Geralt just as deeply as he did - he felt nothing about it other than an ache at how Geralt treated them both. Yennefer deserved more than that and so did Jaskier. 

He spent so long stewing in his thoughts that he almost didn’t hear Yennefer’s mumble against his throat. “I might have also warded the front door so he can’t leave, since I know he’s going to try to sneak out.” 

Jaskier held her tighter and chuckled against her hair. “And that is why I take the time to remind you that I know you’re such a clever and devious sorceress, my darling.” Geralt would be extra grumpy if unable to sneak out at dawn, but Jaskier fell asleep too quickly in Yennefer’s arms to really form any opinions about that fact.

Chapter Text

When Jaskier woke the next morning it was to the heat of Yennefer’s body pressed against his side and an ache in his ass. He grunted, shifting, but she held tightly to him with the arm she had thrown over his back; he was well and truly trapped. 

“Stop moving.” Yennefer’s voice was sleep slurred and she pressed her face closer to his neck, nuzzling against his skin. “‘M comfortable.” 

Pressing a kiss to the top of her head, Jaskier chuckled. “Just trying to bend my knees, Yen, they’re stiff from laying on my stomach all night.” 

She grunted before shifting back a few inches so he could stretch properly, still laid out on his stomach. As he moved Jaskier took stock of his body, cataloguing all the aches and pains. The welts on his ass felt a lot better and the soreness from the bindings and sudden tension of Geralt’s arrival had faded into the background. Carefully Jaskier rolled so he lay on his side, facing Yennefer. He was glad to find that it didn’t hurt too much to lay like that and he gave her a soft smile. 

“Good morning.” Jaskier kept his voice low and Yennefer smiled back at him. “How are you feeling?” 

One of Yennefer’s hands went to her throat, where the bruise left by Geralt’s hand had darkened into a nasty purple. “As well as I could be expected to be, I guess. I still can’t believe Geralt of all people heard us last night. It could have been anyone, but somehow it’s always him.” She sighed. 

Jaskier reached for her and stroked a finger down her neck, tracing the outline of the bruise. “Even if you feel good, this still looks very uncomfortable. Would you let me rub some of that salve you used on me last night on it? If it’d help.” 

Yennefer yawned widely, covering her mouth with a hand. “Sure, can’t hurt.” She rolled away from Jaskier and grabbed the salve from the side table where she’d left it. “Here.” 

He took it from her and opened the jar, scooping some out with his fingers. Jaskier gave her an appraising look before making a circle motion with his finger. “Lay on your back, I don’t want to get any of this on the pillows.” 

Yennefer did as she was told, laying back against the pillows and tipping her head up, baring her neck for easier access. Jaskier carefully spread the salve over her bruise, keeping his touch light. Yennefer’s eyes fluttered closed as he worked and before long he’d covered every inch of the darkened skin. 

Jaskier replaced the lid of the salve and dropped it onto the bedspread, deciding that putting it back on the side table wasn’t worth the effort of moving. He lay down against Yennefer’s side, wrapping an arm around her stomach. 

They were quiet for long moments, enjoying each other’s presence. After another minute, though, Jaskier felt himself getting restless, as he was wont to do whenever he wasn’t talking or moving or both. He tapped out a rhythm on Yennefer’s hip bone, fingertips dancing over her skin with light movements. 

Yennefer was the first to break the silence. “How about you?” Jaskier looked at her confused, and she gestured to her throat. “I wasn’t the only one in pain yesterday. How’s your ass?” 

Jaskier snorted, squeezing her tighter and pressing his face into her shoulder. “About as well as can be expected, I think; that salve of yours is truly incredible.” He sighed. “I guess we should probably get up soon and make sure Geralt hasn’t punched a hole in the wall in an escape attempt.” 

Yennefer chuckled. “I think he knows better than that, since I explicitly told him he was not to leave before breakfast.” Jaskier snorted again. “But as we both know Geralt is a contrary man, so we probably should try to get up at a reasonable time.” 

He shifted against him, stretching her arms up and yawning again. Jaskier leaned in to press a kiss to her lips, intending it to be chaste, but Yennefer moaned into the kiss, fisting one hand into Jaskier’s hair and tugging hard. Jaskier let himself be led, kissing Yennefer back with equal fervor, and when they broke apart they were both panting for breath. 

Yennefer gave him a slow smile and leaned forward, using her grip on his hair to press their foreheads together. “We could be responsible, orrrr…..we could be late to breakfast?” Her voice was a purr and Jaskier felt his cock taking a rapid interest in the proceedings. He nodded. 

She wasted no time dragging him into another deep kiss, tugging on his hair hard enough to hurt in the way Jaskier loved. He moaned into her mouth, whimpering as she pulled at him, and when they broke apart again, he could only press his forehead against hers, staring into her eyes. 

"What do you think – how do you want to do this?" At the question Jaskier bit his lip, thinking over the logistics. His ass still ached, which meant that anything where he was laying on it was probably out, much as he so loved to watch her do all the work. He cocked his head and shrugged at her. 

"Probably best with me on top." He winked at her. "Much as I'd love to spread my legs and let you fuck me into oblivion, I don't think my poor ass is ready for that yet." 

She chuckled and rolled so she lay on her back once more, beckoning him closer. "Well come over here and get on with it, then." 

Jaskier wasted no time doing just that, and soon he lay on his stomach between her spread thighs, mouth hovering over her clit. He didn't press his lips to her, however, instead looking up at her with a smirk and letting his hot breath tease her. Yennefer squirmed, using one foot to nudge his side. 

"Don't tease Jaskier, it's not nice." She growled at him. "And, much as I hate to admit, we probably don't have a whole lot of time before Geralt comes looking for us." Jaskier bit back a wince, turning to glance at the door that Geralt had kicked in the night before. There wasn't a witcher hovering there now but he still shuddered at the thought of Geralt barging in on them again. 

"Don't even say that, Yennefer. Once is more than enough." Instead of pouting at him, however, Yennefer's smirk widened dangerously. 

"Hmm, think of the possibilities though. If instead of being a complete ass last night he'd barged in and realized he wanted to watch ." 

The image was a heady one and Jaskier groaned a little at the thought. To stifle the noise he lowered his head and teased her clit with short, sharp licks. Yennefer sighed at the sensation but after only a few seconds, she was talking again even as she gripped his hair to direct his mouth where she wanted. 

"Mmm, you'd have liked that, wouldn't you? You’d be all trussed up, needy and wanting, with Geralt standing over the bed watching me fuck you." Jaskier made a punched out noise and ground his now insistent erection against the bed. Yennefer didn't stop talking. "I feel like he'd be one to give instructions, if he thought I wasn't doing a good enough job. I can picture him watching closely, telling me to fuck you harder, letting me know when you got close so I could pull back, keep you right on the edge." 

As she spoke, Jaskier felt the words like a blow and he groaned against her once more, working his tongue faster in hopes of bringing her over the edge faster since his erection was demanding to be put to use, and soon . 

"If he'd known what we were doing, last night, or even if he didn't know but guessed, do you think he'd have reacted differently? Seen you being used like the slut you are and just watched? Maybe he'd have asked to take a turn when I was finished with you. I feel like he wouldn't mind my sloppy seconds." 

Yennefer's voice was rough now and she was breathing heavy; Jaskier's ministrations were affecting her more than she wanted to let on. He slipped a finger inside her and then a second, pumping in and out while he licked, finding her sweet spot with ease and rubbing it mercilessly. Her thighs tightened around his ears and Yennefer’s breath went shaky before she groaned loudly, riding out her orgasm. He kept fingering her through it and after another minute, she pushed his hands away. 

“Fuck me, c’mon, fuck me now.” 

Jaskier wasn’t about to argue with that, and he pulled himself to his hands and knees before crawling up her body. Her hands gripped the sheets and she welcomed him when he leaned down to kiss her. Jaskier didn’t waste any time and wrapped hands around her thighs, pressing one leg to her shoulder, the other pushed to the side, held in his opposite hand. 

Sliding into Yennefer was like coming home and as he bottomed out he firmly brushed that thought to the side, determined not to examine it. Helpfully, her hands tangled in his hair, one behind his head and the other curled against his chest, pulling him closer, and that served as a lovely distraction. 

He set a fast pace, enjoying the way she moved with him, meeting him thrust for thrust. It was a whole body experience and Jaskier reveled in it. 

When he slowed the pace down Yennefer groaned, clawing at his back and trying to get him to speed up again. Knowing that he wouldn’t last at the quicker pace, Jaskier deepened his thrusts, pressing so firmly against her that she stopped protesting and wrapped her free leg around his waist, trying to pull him deeper. 

Just as he was starting to think that maybe they should wrap it up, the door to the room bounced open and Geralt stormed in, eyes blazing and already speaking. 

“Yennefer, you can’t just keep –” Geralt cut off with a sharp inhale, coming to a stop just a few feet inside the room. Jaskier turned his head to glare at the other man, not stopping the movement of his hips against Yennefer’s body as he did. 

“Geralt. Get. Out.” Jaskier’s words held all the pent up tension that had been brewing since the night before when his orgasm was interrupted. Geralt still didn’t move, his eyes fixed where Jaskier and Yennefer were joined and his mouth half hanging open. 

Rolling his eyes, Jaskier turned back to Yennefer, even as he raised his voice to ensure Geralt heard him well enough. “Fine, either leave or don’t, but I’ve already missed out on one orgasm because of you. I’m not stopping just because your sensitive little ass can’t handle this.” He fucked down into Yennefer with renewed force, channeling his annoyance into something more productive, and she let out a surprised cry, arms and legs tightening around him. 

“Oh, fuck yes , don’t stop, don’t stop –” Her voice was high and needy, and Jaskier did exactly as she instructed and didn’t stop. He barely heard it when the door closed again, and didn’t look around to see if Geralt was actually gone, too focused on Yennefer. 

When Jaskier felt himself getting close despite his best efforts at pacing himself he snaked a hand between their bodies, fingers finding Yennefer’s clit with ease. He teased at her and then rubbed harder, grinding their bodies together. 

Yennefer’s moans and whines rose in both volume and speed as Jaskier continued his onslaught, and after another minute he felt her convulsing around him. He groaned, leaning his forehead against her shoulder and finishing inside of her with just a few more thrusts. It was one of their better fucks in his opinion and he wasn’t about to admit even to himself that having Geralt’s eyes on him had spurred him on.

With another groan Jaskier collapsed against Yennefer, barely managing to pull her leg off his shoulder before he did. He lay there mostly on top of her while they caught their breaths, both flushed and sweaty.

Chapter Text

When he finally felt like he could move again Jaskier pushed himself up and rolled to the side, pulling her with him so she ended up pressed against his side, her hair sprawled over his chest. From his position, he could see that the door to the room was closed, Geralt nowhere to be seen. 

“That was fun.” Yennefer was breathy and she curled her hand against his hip when she spoke, driving her nails into the skin. “We should have Geralt watch more often; I don’t think I’ve seen you like that before.” 

Jaskier’s cheeks heated and he coughed, trying not to feel self-conscious. “Oh shut it. You of all people should know–” A hand landed over his mouth and he stopped speaking, looking at Yennefer with furrowed brows. She stared back at him. 

“When he stomped in here like a spoiled child, he broke the silencing ward I’d put up. I wasn’t about to fix it while we were busy , and I still haven’t. He can hear us with those senses of his.” 

Eyes wide, Jaskier looked down at her and nodded, and she took her hand back. “Ah, well then. We should probably dress and go feed the poor man so he can get out of our hair.” 

Yennefer nodded at him before slipping from the bed and gathering the silky pajamas they’d tossed to the side in their hurry to undress. Jaskier’s were tossed up to him and he caught them easily. He looked sideways at Yennefer for a moment, considering asking her for real clothes, but decided better of it when he saw her tugging on her own pair. The wide neck easily showed off the large, hand-shaped bruise around her throat, and Jaskier’s own shirt showed off the handful of love bites she left on him. 

Yennefer caught his eyes and smirked, gesturing for him to follow her when she saw he was dressed. She pushed open the door to the room and Jaskier followed, unsure what to make of everything. What he didn’t expect was to find Geralt standing just outside the door, looking like he wanted to be anywhere but where he was. 

Yennefer didn’t seem surprised to see Geralt there, and Jaskier guessed she’d checked with magic. Jaskier didn’t look at the witcher and kept his eyes fixed on Yennefer’s face as she turned to Geralt. 

“You won’t be able to open the front door until you eat something and I know you’re not going to keel over from starvation halfway out of the city.” Her tone was no-nonsense, and Geralt only growled a little at her. They held each other’s gazes, glaring, and Geralt was the first to look away, grumbling something under his breath that Jaskier didn’t catch. 

Yennefer seemed happy with the victory and turned towards the part of the apartment Jaskier hadn’t seen yet, away from both of them. One of her hands beckoned them forward. “Come on, boys.” Jaskier wasn’t sure what to feel about the teasing tone she took, nor the fact that she’d grouped him and Geralt together. 

He spared Geralt a glance and found the witcher staring back at him. Geralt jumped, seemingly surprised at being caught out looking. He looked away almost instantly, but before he could Jaskier realized that the look Geralt was giving him wasn’t one of annoyance or anger; instead it was merely assessing. 

Brushing the thought away, Jaskier hurried to follow Yennefer through the apartment and into a dining room that he privately thought was overkill. The table itself was gigantic and surrounded by large, ornately carved wooden chairs. The sight of the chairs had Jaskier wincing. 

The table was also laid out with more food than three of them could possibly be expected to eat; all of it looked and smelled amazing. Yennefer took a seat at the head of the table before gesturing Jaskier and Geralt closer to her with a roll of her eyes. 

“Honestly, it’s not poisoned. Sit. Eat.” She pointed at the chairs to her right and left, which faced each other. Jaskier wasn’t sure about spending an entire meal facing Geralt and he was even less sure about sitting on the hard wooden chairs for the length of time it would take to eat. 

Geralt pulled out one of the chairs and sat heavily, already reaching for the food. His eyes were fixed on the table in front of him, not looking at either Jaskier or Yennefer, and he scooped eggs, bacon, and cinnamon swirl bread onto his place with no hesitations. 

Yennefer, instead of starting to eat as well, gave Jaskier a look and raised an eyebrow at him. “Well?” 

Jaskier shrugged at her before stepping closer and leaning his elbows on the back of the chair facing Geralt. “I might just stand, instead of sitting.” 

She shrugged back at him, glancing down at the chair he leaned on with carefully uninterested eyes. “If you like. I won’t stop you as long as you’re eating too.” 

She got a nod and Jaskier pulled the chair out and back, taking his place standing to the side of the table and reaching for food himself. Satisfied that both boys were actually eating, Yennefer stopped watching them as closely and served herself. 

The food was even better than it smelled, and Jaskier groaned when he got the first bite of the cinnamon bread in his mouth. Still chewing, he turned to Yennefer. 

“Gods, this is amazing, Yen.” She rolled her eyes, gesturing for him to swallow before speaking, and he did so sheepishly. “Sorry, just, wow. It’s great. Thanks for breakfast.” 

Jaskier stuffed another piece of bread into his mouth, chewing it with abandon instead of trying to have any more of a discussion. As they ate, Jaskier found that while he did prefer standing to sitting, the height was awkward, and he kept having to stoop over to scoop a forkful of food into his mouth without dropping it. After the third time he did so, Yennefer snorted. 

“You know you could just ask for help.” Her tone was dry, and Jaskier looked up at her. 

“Help? I’m fine. It’s a little awkward, but I’ll manage, I don’t mind.” Yennefer’s eyes narrowed at him, and Jaskier gulped, unsure what she was thinking. He didn’t have to wait long, though, and she raised her hands, flicking them towards him. A thick, comfy pillow hit Jaskier in the chest, nearly knocking him over, but he managed to grab it without losing his balance. 

Yennefer wasn’t looking at him, instead already focusing on her next bite of eggs. She seemed to know Jaskier was looking at her in confusion, and waved a hand without looking up. “Kneel on it, it’ll put you at the right height.” 

Jaskier dropped the pillow onto the floor in front of the table and knelt, finding himself more or less level with Yennefer, which put him at a much more manageable height to eat. He shoveled another bite of bacon into his mouth without delay, giving Yennefer a pleased hum of thanks. 

They returned to eating in mostly silence, broken only by Yennefer asking Jaskier or Geralt to pass one tray or another. Jaskier never asked Geralt to pass things to him, thankful that there was plenty of food within reach so he didn’t have to. 

As the meal wound down Jaskier put down his fork and rubbed a hand over his stomach, pleasantly full. “That was truly amazing, Yen, seriously. I don’t know who you had to bribe to get this, but I appreciate it.” He turned a sunny smile towards her, meeting her eyes and finding her looking back at him softly. 

She waved a hand, dismissing the thanks. “It’s nothing, really, and it’s the least I could do. I still owed you a thank you for accompanying me last night.” 

The mention of the party the night before cooled the temperature of the room a few degrees and Jaskier very carefully didn’t look at Geralt, not wanting to see the other man’s ire. He could hear that the witcher had stopped eating as well. 

“Can I–” Geralt’s voice came as a surprise, and he stopped just as suddenly as he started, retreating back into silence. Jaskier saw out of the corner of his eye that Yennefer was frowning in Geralt’s direction. 

“Yes? Can you what?” She directed the question at Geralt, and crossed her arms, waiting for his response. 

Geralt sighed and Jaskier heard the sound of Geralt’s hands picking at the seams of his armor. He only did that when he was annoyed or stressed, and Jaskier had to fight the urge to look over to the other man even harder, as he wondered what was making Geralt so stressed now . 

Geralt shifted in his chair and Jaskier finally looked up only to find Geralt’s gaze fixed firmly on Yennefer. “Can I talk with you in private, Yen?” 

Jaskier only barely controlled his wince and Yennefer cocked her head at Geralt, clearly thinking the request over. She looked to Jaskier who gave her a shrug and a frown, unsure what she was asking. 

Yennefer sighed. “Yes, alright then. What do–” 

Jaskier stood abruptly, turning to Yennefer and ignoring Geralt completely. “I’ll give you some space, Yennefer, I can—I’ll wait for you in your room? So you can portal me out when you’re done, if you don’t mind.” 

She frowned harder at him but nodded and Jaskier took his leave, walking quickly from the room and not looking back at either of them. He knew Geralt was still in love with Yennefer, he knew it, but it was one thing to know and another to be faced with the reality. He rushed back towards the direction of the bedroom, blinking quickly and trying to breathe deep and ignore the sound of his own heart breaking. 

When he pulled the door to the room open he found it as they’d left it—messy and still reeking of sex. Jaskier let his sense of dramatics take over and flopped down on the bed face first before tugging one of the embroidered throw pillows to his chest and hugging it tight. 

He lay there and tried not to think of Geralt and Yennefer, of Geralt apologizing to her and managing to use his words and show feelings and generally do the impossible for her where he’d never bothered with Jaskier. What made it worse was the knowledge that Yennefer was worth it; she was wonderful and funny and good in bed and had a good heart and oh fuck, Jaskier might be in love with her. 

The thought wasn’t exactly a pleasant one considering his circumstances and he just squeezed the pillow tighter in recompense. 

After an undetermined length of time in which Jaskier berated himself for falling for not one but two beautiful people who would eventually figure themselves out, djinn bond or no, he heard the door crack open once more and soft footsteps entering the room. 

He didn’t move from his spot on the bed and Yennefer ran a hand through his hair when she got closer. “Jaskier?” He looked at her, chewing his lip and waiting for whatever she said next. “Are you alright? I know Geralt is…he’s a moron.” 

Jaskier snorted and let himself smile at her, uncurling from around the pillow to turn towards her. He noted that she stood next to the bed and when he flicked his eyes to the doorway, he saw no hulking witcher there. 

“He’s gone?” 

Yennefer sighed and nodded at him, looking away. “Yeah.” 

Jaskier’s heart cracked a little further but he ignored it, willing himself to smile at Yennefer. “Ah, well, probably for the best, then.” 

She didn’t smile back at him, instead giving him a grimace that had Jaskier worrying all over again. “Jaskier, I’m sorry.” She put her hand on his arm, her eyes earnest, and Jaskier had to pull away, rubbing his hands over his eyes. 

“It’s fine, I’m fine, Yen. Really. I know he’s got witchering to do or something, I’m not—I just shovel shit, after all. I know he probably wasn’t fond of having me around at all, considering I constantly need saving .” Jaskier let out a hysterical chuckle and Yennefer’s hand on his arm just gripped him tighter. She pulled on his arm, forcing him to look her in the eyes. 

“Jaskier, please listen to me. He cares about you and he was worried about you. Just because he’s an ass who won’t admit he feels things doesn’t mean he’s not torn up about how you parted.” 

She was still frowning at him. Jaskier shook his head, looking away. “No, he’s not. But it’s—it’s fine, I’ll get over him eventually, and in the meantime, I’ll just keep traveling, like I always do.” Yennefer flinched at his words and Jaskier’s heart started beating faster. “Oh, come on, don’t tell me there’s something else.” When she didn’t immediately speak, Jaskier’s heart sank even further and he gulped. “What is it? Just tell me, have out with it.”

Chapter Text

Yennefer looked away. “He’s–you know about the child surprise?” Jaskier nodded, already hating where this was going. “He found her, he’s taking her north to Kaer Morhen. He–Jaskier, he was rather insistent that you’re in danger if you’re traveling alone.” 

Jaskier rolled his eyes and threw up his hands. “Oh, so now he gives a shit?” He laughed bitterly, still not looking at Yennefer. “Alright, so what commands does the mighty witcher issue? Am I to find somewhere to hide out the winter? Cut my hair and grow a beard to hide from Nilfgaard? Surely he has some proclamation in regards to my wellbeing that I’m to treat as though it came from the mouths of the gods themselves.” 

Yennefer sighed and Jaskier saw her reaching for him again. He let her wrap her arms around him and didn’t protest when she buried her face into his neck. “He wants you to go with them to Kaer Morhen.” Her words were mumbled against his skin and Jaskier’s mouth clicked shut. 

He tensed in her arms but she didn’t stop hugging him tight when he turned to face her. “He what ?” 

Her eyes met his. “Wants you to go with him to Kaer Morhen. Well actually he wanted both of us to accompany him but I told him there was no way in hell I’d walk up a mountain when I can just portal as needed. The little one has magic and needs training, so I agreed to help once they’re settled.” 

She pushed her face against his neck once more, leaving Jaskier staring down at the top of her head as he tried to parse out his feelings about that. 

“So you’re going to portal in and out? Why can’t I go with you instead of with them? Surely you’ll be able to keep me safe; you’re a big bad sorceress and you’re probably much more protection than one measly witcher or even a keep full of them.” 

Against his neck Yennefer shook her head. “You can’t stay with me–I’m not going to be staying anywhere.” She pushed herself back so she could lean against the pillows and sighed, looking up at Jaskier. “Sodden Hill destroyed the ranks of mages and I’ve been picking up the slack since I regained most of my strength. I’m going to be running all over the continent for the next few months and even if it slows a little when the snow comes, it’ll still be too much too fast.” She tugged, and Jaskier let himself be pressed against her chest. “I’m already stretched too thin, Jaskier, I can’t protect you too; even though I desperately want to.” 

They hadn’t talked about Sodden Hill. Jaskier had heard about it while he traveled, it happened between the first time and the second time they’d fucked, the longest time they’d spent apart since starting this whole terrible idea. Jaskier gathered that a lot of mages were killed and Yennefer had been hurt but recovered, but he hadn’t pressed the subject with her. 

“Oh.” His voice was thin and Yennefer clutched him tighter. “Well, I won’t have to portal everywhere with you I guess, so that’s a nice upside. Portaling is truly one of the most horrible ways of travel known to man.” Yennefer snorted and hummed her agreement with that. 

“Yeah, it’s not all that pleasant. But Jaskier, Geralt was very insistent that you go with him to Kaer Morhen and I don’t think he’ll take no as an answer.” She sighed. “Plus, it’ll make me feel better knowing you’re not out there by yourself while there’s a war going on.” 

Jaskier groaned and pressed his face against her skin. “That’s cheating and you know it.” She chuckled, and he just groaned again before continuing. “He’s not going to let this go, is he?”

Yennefer shook her head. “I told him I’d portal you to him once you gathered your things.” Jaskier sat straight up at that, glaring at her. 

“Yennefer! That’s–I can’t believe you!” Jaskier pouted at her. “You sold me out!” 

She shook her head emphatically. “I didn’t. I told him I’d talk to you about it, that’s all.” She hesitated, and then added: “But I get the feeling that if drop in to let him know you aren’t coming, he’d insist I take him to you so he could argue the point himself.” 

Jaskier sighed again, conceding the point. “Fine. Fine! I’ll go... I’ll—I’ll go to Kaer Morhen, but I’m not forgiving him—not yet.” He slumped back down against Yennefer. “I’m not sure if he even cares if I do or not.” 

She stroked a hand over his hair. “He cares, Jaskier. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be insisting on protecting you personally.” 

Jaskier snorted. “He feels guilty. Nothing more.” 

Yennefer rolled her eyes. “Believe what you want to believe, I’m not arguing anymore. But you'll travel with him, yes?” 

Jaskier sighed again and nodded. “I’ll go. Can you portal me back to the inn where my things are? And did Geralt say where I’m to meet him? If he’s going to be somewhere around here, he may have to wait a while for me to catch up.”  At the sound of her chuckling against him, Jaskier tilted his head up, looking her in the eyes. “What’s so funny?” 

A hand landed on his chest and traced small circles over his skin. “You understand that I’ll be portaling you back to where I picked you up, but you didn't realize that I can just portal you to Geralt?” 

Jaskier groaned, closing his eyes. “Fuck, I really do hate portals. And I was hoping to have more time before I have to see him again. Fuck.” 

Yennefer made a sympathetic noise and kept running her fingers over his skin where the pyjamas had fallen off one shoulder. Jaskier leaned into the touch, not bothering to open his eyes. 

“It’ll be alright, Jaskier. Geralt will eventually pull his head out of his ass and apologize.” 

Instead of answering her verbally, Jaskier groaned again and pulled himself up and away, forcing himself off of the bed. He turned back to Yennefer and found her studying him, her eyes sweeping over his frame. She looked up and met his eyes, her expression going soft. 

“It’ll be alright, Jaskier. Once you get to Kaer Morhen you’ll be able to avoid him for the most part and I’ll have more time once the snows set in.” She winked at him. “Plus, we’ll be able to sneak off on our own once we’re in the same place at the same time. Who knows, Geralt might even walk in on us again.” Her smile turned sly, and Jaskier got the feeling she was plotting already. He found himself smiling back at her, some of the tightness in his chest easing. 

Yennefer sat up and slid off the bed as well, eying Jaskier up and down. He looked down at himself and frowned at his pyjamas. “I guess I’ll have to go back in these, since you pulled me through without clothes.” Yennefer chuckled, looking not the least bit guilty, and Jaskier stuck his tongue out at her. “Well, you’ll have to wait for me to change once we get there, then, since there’s no way I’ll show up to meet Geralt and his child surprise in these.” He gestured down at his body. 

Yennefer clicked her tongue and nodded, conceding the point. “That’s fine. Are you ready now, or do you need more time?” 

Jaskier frowned. “I supposed we should probably go, seeing as if I show up any later I may have to go inquiring about my belongings to the innkeeper and if I do that in just these.” He gestured down at the silky sleep clothes. “I’m sure to encounter many more questions than I really want or need.” 

Raising one arm to conjure the portal, Yennefer gestured Jaskier forward and he stepped through without hesitation. Once he was inside the portal his senses revolted against him, as per usual when traveling by portal, but Yennefer grabbed his shoulder and steered him onwards, not stopping until they landed with a thud on the floor of Jaskier’s rented room. 

Jaskier fell to his hands and knees upon landing on the hard floor, trying not to be sick. After another few moments’ panting and wrestling back control of his body through sheer force of will he looked up to Yennefer who’d taken a seat on the bed, watching him. 

“I cannot impress upon you just how much I dislike portals, Yen.” Jaskier’s voice was rough and Yennefer just chuckled a little at him, some of the tension in her shoulders settling as he got more of his color back. 

“You wouldn’t be the first. I offered to portal Geralt back to his child surprise since he was gone longer than he said he’d be, but he insisted he’d rather ride.” She rolled her eyes. “Honestly, that man has an abnormal fear or portals. He also insisted on making his way back to Kaer Morhen himself, instead of letting me save you all the trip.” 

Jaskier’s eyes flew to hers in surprise, finding her gaze. “You offered to portal us to Kaer Morhen?” Yennefer nodded. “Why? I thought portaling was a big energy drain, and with that many of us plus a horse, wouldn’t it be too much for you?” 

As she watched him, Yennefer’s expression softened and she shook her head. “It’d be a lot, yes, but not overly so, and I’d be glad to know all of you were safe.” She frowned. “Even Geralt, ass that he is.” 

It was Jaskier’s turn to chuckle at her and he did so as he stood, looking around the small room. He always traveled light–it was a habit Geralt drilled into him and it was convenient, so he’d kept up with it. He only had one bag of clothes and other knicknacks and then his lute case, which still sat where he’d placed it against the wall. 

Without much fanfare Jaskier shoved the clothes that still lay about the room into his bag, sweeping everything inside without bothering to fold it neatly. Usually, he took more care with his things, but he wasn’t about to get bitched at for slowing them down, especially when the man was himself the one insisting that Jaskier join them. 

All too soon Jaskier’s things were packed and he cast one more look around the room, looking for anything he’d missed. There was nothing save the lute case on the table, and Jaskier swung his bag over one shoulder, hoisting the case over the other. He turned to Yennefer with a frown. 

“And you’re absolutely sure that the only way to get me there is to use another portal.” 

She laughed and held a hand out to him. 

“I’m sorry but we must, unless you plan to disappoint Geralt. And we both know he’d come find you, now that he’s put his mind to it.” 

Jaskier shook his head, rolling his eyes. “My existence is a disappointment to Geralt.” Before Yennefer could argue with him, however, he shook his head again and slipped the lute case off his shoulder once more. “Yen, would you carry this for me? I’m not sure I won’t actually be sick if I have to go through a portal again and I’d really rather not do so anywhere near that.” She took it and swung the strap across her chest, holding the case comfortably against her back. Jaskier bit down on a smile at seeing her like that, carrying his lute and looking for all the world like any other traveling musician. Well, a traveling musician that wore silk pyjamas. 

Jaskier looked down and realized with a groan that he still wore the pyjamas. He dropped his bag of clothes on the ground before starting to dig, looking for something cleanish that wasn’t too wrinkled. Yennefer didn’t interrupt but he felt the whoosh of disturbed air from above him that signaled she was doing something magical. 

When he stood, Jaskier held out the clothes in triumph before quickly stripping to change. In a matter of a minute he was dressed, for real this time, and he stuffed the silky pyjamas back into the bag of clothes. 

Turning to face Yennefer, Jaskier stopped mid-turn when he realized that in his haste to change, he’d missed her magicking her own garments into one of her regular dresses—a deep red one that flowed out at her knees. Jaskier gulped. 

“Wow. You look lovely, Yennefer.” 

Yennefer rolled her eyes and waved off the complement. “Oh, don’t start, we haven’t got all day.” Despite her words she was smiling and she leaned forward to tug Jaskier into a kiss, pressing her lips against his softly. 

He met her easily, kissing back as easily as breathing. When they broke apart, Jaskier raised an eyebrow at her in question. Yennefer didn’t flush, but she wasn’t exactly unflapped either. 

“Shut up, you said you might be sick when we portal again. I’m not about to kiss you goodbye if you’ve gone and done that.” 

At that Jaskier laughed again and nodded, still grinning. “Fair point. Alright then, now that we’re both somewhat presentable to outside company, shall we go?” He offered her his arm and she took it, her smile crinkling the corners of her eyes. 

“We shall.” Yennefer raised an arm and conjured another portal in front of them. Jaskier couldn’t see through to the other side but he knew that Geralt was there and waiting for him, which was altogether too normal and so foriegn that Jaskier didn’t want to think about it for long. 

He shook his head and strengthened his spine before stepping forward into the portal, Yennefer’s hand on his arm. She held tight to him this time, not letting him enter by himself, and her hands on his body helped him stay upright. In what felt like an hour or a second, they were through the other side and landing on soft grass. 

Jaskier let go of Yennefer as soon as they landed, pushing away from her in order to fall to his hands and knees again, trying to keep himself as still as possible as the nausea washed over him. Luckily for everyone he managed not to be sick, but it still took a few minutes for him to lift his head up from where he’d pressed it against the cool grass. 

Yennefer stood to his side, still holding his lute case and looking at him with no small amount of concern. As Jaskier looked around, he saw that they were alone in the cool forest instead of surrounded by a grumpy Geralt and mystery child surprise. When he looked to Yennefer in confusion, she shrugged at him. 

“I figured you’d want a minute to compose yourself. I couldn’t put us far enough away to keep Geralt from hearing us, since that would have made for a hike, but I did what I could.” 

Jaskier breathed out a sigh and nodded at her, overly grateful for the small favor. Geralt had seen him in much worse positions before—he’d watched in judgement as Jaskier threw up after too much alcohol more than once—but having a few moments to set himself to rights before having to face the man of his dreams (maybe his nightmares) meant Jaskier would be able to gather himself. 

He stayed kneeling for long minutes, focusing on his breathing until he had it back under control. When he pushed himself up, Yennefer offered a hand, pulling him easily to his feet and steadying him with a hand on his chest. 

“Are you really okay? You don’t have to go with him if you don’t want to.” Her voice was soft and Jaskier offered her a shaky smile in return. 

“I’m not even a little bit sure this is a good idea, but it’s the only one I’ve got at the moment Yen. That, and besides, I wouldn’t portal anywhere else right now if you gave me all the gold in Nilfgaard’s coffers.” 

Yennefer snickered at that and nodded her head at him. “Very well. Then I’ll see you off, yeah?” 

Jaskier gave her a soft grin and let her steer him towards his inevitable doom.

Chapter Text

Geralt and Ciri’s camp was a little more involved than what Geralt had acquiesced to when he traveled with Jaskier, and he had to wonder whether that was Ciri’s doing or Geralt’s. There was an oilcloth tied between a few trees to provide safety from the rains, something Geralt derided every time Jaskier tried to get him to purchase one. He’d said it was unnecessary, a frivolity, and he wouldn't force Roach to carry anything more if he didn’t have to. Jaskier hadn’t argued with that, since Roach deserved much better than the shit she put up with already, and he’d sighed and given up. 

Jaskier wasn’t sure if he was jealous that Geralt seemed to have caved so easily to a child or soft at the idea that Geralt had finally found someone he cared about enough to change for. Geralt helped people all the time but he wasn’t really one for sticking around and ensuring their continued wellbeing, since he usually just pulled them from the jaws of danger (sometimes literally) before setting them down and going on his way. 

The man himself emerged from the trees on the other side of the camp, holding two waterskins that showed what he’d been doing. There was no sight of Ciri. 

Geralt wasn’t frowning at them, at least not more than usual, but he didn’t look particularly pleased to see them either. Jaskier tightened his grip on Yennefer’s wrist without looking at her, and she squeezed him back. 

“Ah, well, hello again Geralt.” Jaskier’s voice was scratchy and he coughed, looking down at his feet. “Yennefer says I’m to accompany you to Kaer Morhen?” 

Geralt nodded and grunted. “Yes.” 

When it became clear that no more words were forthcoming from the witcher Yennefer sighed and rolled her eyes. “Honestly, the pair of you. Geralt, tell Jaskier that you actually want him and you’re not planning to off him in his sleep.” 

Geralt caught Jaskier’s eye and nodded once before looking away again. Jaskier looked to Yennefer, betrayed. “Yennefer! I didn’t think he was going to-” He spluttered, unable to even get the words out for a moment, and then sighed. “Whatever. If he wants to kill me he wouldn’t have to wait until I’m asleep, unless he’s worried about scarring any innocent minds that may see.” 

Jaskier held out a hand for his lute case, which Yennefer handed over without a word. Re-luted and ready to start trudging across the continent, Jaskier hesitated as he looked at Yennefer’s face. Before he could look back to Geralt, the witcher coughed and then cleared his throat. 

“Ciri will be back soon, she knows we’re breaking camp and heading out as soon as we can.” It was on the tip of Jaskier’s tongue to ask where she’d gone but he held on to the question, still looking at Yennefer. 

Before either of them could speak, however, there was a sound of whooshing leaves from their left and Yennefer and Jaskier both looked towards the noise. Geralt didn't turn, having probably heard it from much further off. 

After another few moments however, a figure emerged from the treeline, covered in a thick, warm cloak. Jaskier could see that the figure was small and then the hood was pushed back and he found himself looking at a young blonde girl with a hunted look in her eyes. 

Hunted or not, the girl gave them a bright smile before looking to Geralt. 

"These are the ones you said were coming?" Geralt nodded at her wordlessly and she turned back to Yennefer and Jaskier. "Hi!" She narrowed her focus to just Yennefer. "You must be the mage, the one Geralt said would help me learn to control…it." She fumbled over the last word, clearly unsure what to call her gifts. 

Yennefer, for her part, softened noticeably and gave the girl a smile. "That would be me, yes. Might I ask your name?" 

The girl fished and nodded, looking down at her shoes. "Right, sorry, that was rude of me." She looked up towards Geralt for a second before looking back to Yennefer. "I'm Ciri. Or Fiona when we're in public." 

Yennefer offered her a hand and the girl shook, stepping forward to do so. Jaskier didn't miss the way Yennefer's eyebrows rose at the touch of Ciri's hand, clearly surprised by something she felt there. Jaskier didn't ask, and instead just sighed. 

Before any of them could say anything further, Ciri piped up again. "How'd you get all the way out here, anyway? I thought Geralt said he saw you in the city, you can't have made it all the way back out here unless you left right after he did." 

Jaskier's own eyebrows rose and he shared a look with Yennefer. The girl was bright, chipper, and if the way Yennefer had reacted to her touch was any indication, probably overflowing with magic just as her mother was. 

Yennefer was the one to respond to her. "We portaled. Magic can be used for big things, the stuff you hear about in legends, but it's just as useful for things like getting around more quickly." 

Ciri's eyes went even wider. "That's so neat! How many people can you portal at once?" 

Yennefer shrugged, looking away as she thought about it. "Probably ten or twelve on the high end, although with another mage to help stabilize the portal it would make it much easier to maintain for a long time, so you'd be able to take many more than just double the number of people that one person can portal." 

Ciri seemed to be drinking in the information, her eyes wide. When she next opened her mouth, Jaskier got the feeling that she'd be trouble. "Would you be able to portal us to Kaer Morhen? We're still a week away and Geralt has been grouchy because winter is falling early this year and he doesn't want to be late." 

Her description of Geralt was enough to have Jaskier choking back a laugh and turning away to keep Geralt or Ciri from seeing him smile. He missed the expression on Yennefer's face as well, but he could imagine the exact set of her jaw at such a question. 

"I offered, my dear, but unfortunately Geralt said no, because he doesn't like portaling." Yennefer kept the words light, but there was still a hint of derision in her tone as she spoke. Ciri turned to Geralt, who now looked more sheepish than anything else. 

"Geralt! Oh please, please can we let Yennefer portal us there? We'll be there today! And then we won't be late, and we can - oh it'll be lovely, we won't have to camp every night!" Her eyes turned pleading. "We'll have beds ." 

The girl had a talent for pleading, Jaskier gave her that, and he watched Geralt's resolve crumble like wet tissue paper. Geralt tried to keep the frown on his face for a few moments longer but eventually he broke, giving Ciri a fond look. 

"Fine, we can portal." Geralt said. Ciri squealed and jumped forward to hug him. Jaskier watched as Geralt stiffened at the unexpected contact and while he didn't return the embrace, he let Ciri hug him as long as she wanted. He'd done much the same when Jaskier hugged him on occasion previously; Jaskier privately thought that the man was so touch starved that he wasn't able to reject the contact outright, even though he was unable to make himself hug back. 

When Ciri finally stepped away from Geralt, the witcher looked to Jaskier, his brow furrowed. “Is that acceptable to you?” 

Jaskier opened his mouth to ask why Geralt was asking him and then paused, closing it again. Geralt’s gaze never left Jaskier’s face and as they stared at each other Jaskier remembered what he’d told Yennefer as they arrived. 

The realization that he’d have to portal, again , nearly made Jaskier groan out loud and was only very mildly tempered by the fact that at least it meant that Jaskier wouldn’t be spending an entire week in the woods, unable to wander off for even a quick wank without the other man being able to hear him. 

He bit back on the complaint about having to portal and met Geralt’s eyes once more, giving him a short nod. “It’ll be fine. I’d rather have more time to make sure I won’t actually be sick, but it’s - it’ll be fine.” 

His reassurance didn’t seem to reassure Geralt in the slightest and the grumpy witcher just frowned harder, still staring at Jaskier. Unused to such scrutiny from the man (and not expecting it) Jaskier looked away, instead letting his eyes fall on Ciri, who’d skipped over to where Roach was grazing and had started running her fingers through the mare’s mane. 

It looked like she and Roach were well acquainted, at least well enough that the horse wasn't trying to bite Ciri's fingers off. Jaskier felt another wave of half-softness, half-jealousy; Roach had taken multiple months to warm up to him, although that was partly because Geralt wouldn't let Jaskier bribe her with apples. 

Jaskier moved his gaze further and finally came to a stop on Yennefer, who was also looking at Ciri petting the horse. Yennefer's expression was fonder than Jaskier was used to, at least not outside the privacy of a closed room after a raucous round or two of sex. She watched the girl with a half-smile on her face and Jaskier was reminded of what she'd confided in him about wanting to be a mother. 

A loud throat clearing brought everyone's attention back to Geralt, who—to absolutely nobody's surprise—was still frowning as he looked at them. 

"We should head out as soon as we can." He looked to Ciri. "Pack your things, but don't put your bag on Roach." 

Ciri gave him an eager nod and, with one last pat of Roach's mane, zipped over to where a few bags still lay open on the ground. 

Geralt turned to look at Yennefer and Jaskier. "We'll be ready soon, just need to finish breaking down camp. You can...just wait there, I guess." His focus was mostly on Yennefer, his gaze not quite landing on Jaskier. 

Yennefer nodded back at him and waved a lazy hand, conjuring a sturdy loveseat out of thin air. She sat down on one half and then looked at Jaskier, raising one perfect eyebrow. He sat without additional prompting, feeling more than a little awkward as the two of them watched Geralt break down the rest of the campsite. 

Jaskier was more or less able to tell what task Geralt would do next without having to think about it—they'd spent so much time living in each other's pockets and camping that Jaskier could have broken down camp blindfolded. Just sitting back and watching Geralt do it felt wrong, but Jaskier was still more than a little queasy and he decided that it was best for everyone involved that he not offer to help. 

Between Geralt and Ciri, the campsite was soon fully broken down: most things were loaded onto Roach's back, the mare offering Geralt a sassy huff as he tied the final pack on. Once all their bags (except one of Ciri's and one of Geralt's) were secure, Geralt turned back to where Yennefer and Jaskier sat. His face twitched when he saw them sitting there, pressed against each other (Yennefer could have easily made a bigger seat, Jaskier thought privately, but he was glad for the contact) but he only grunted to let them know he was ready. 

Ciri bounced around Geralt's legs, looking for all the would like she'd been promised a whole cake to herself. Jaskier couldn't help but smile, entertained by her childish glee. 

Yennefer stood from the seat, looking down at Jaskier with a frown. “You’re alright to portal again?” 

Pulling a face, he nodded, not looking forward to the portal but more than ready to just have it over with. 

“I’ll be fine.” 

Yennefer pursed her lips but didn’t argue with him. Instead, she turned to Geralt. “I’ll open the portal, and the two of you go first, with Roach. I'll help Jaskier through and make sure he doesn’t get lost.” 

The expression on Geralt’s face matched the one on Yennefer’s, both of them looking more than a little displeased with the entire thing. Jaskier could only guess what his own expression was doing, but he stood as well, letting Yennefer get rid of the loveseat. 

Conjuring the portal took only the work of a few seconds and before long Jaskier was watching as Geralt shepherded Ciri through, one hand holding tight to the smaller girl’s fingers. Geralt’s gaze lingered on Jaskier’s face, the last thing he looked for before finally stepping through, although Jaskier couldn’t tell what the other man was thinking. Fifteen years of traveling off and on with each other and Jaskier still wasn’t able to decipher some of his silences, which the bard was justly miffed about. 

He was pulled from his musings when Yennefer wrapped her own fingers around his wrist, drawing his eyes to her face. She nodded wordlessly towards the portal and he let her tug him through, her cool fingers the only thing keeping him moving forwards. 

On the other side of the portal Jaskier opened his eyes and only got a second to view what looked like a beautiful, albeit run down, keep before his whole body let him know that it was absolutely done portaling. 

“Yen-” Jaskier didn’t get out more than that, but to his relief a bucket was shoved into his hands just in time. He couldn’t focus on anything except for what was directly in front of him and soft, cool hands held him steady as he retched, running through his hair and down his back and providing a counterpoint to the havok the portal had wrought on his nervous system. 

Once he was finished, Jaskier gulped and wiped at his mouth with a hand, straightening up to sheepishly meet Yennefer’s gaze. She didn’t seem bothered by him being sick and instead just magicked away both the bucket and it’s contents before stepping closer. 

One hand landed on his cheek and Jaskier let her look him over for a long moment before she stepped away, seemingly satisfied that no harm had been done to him otherwise. 

As Jaskier swung his gaze away from the sorceress, he realized that they stood next to Geralt and Ciri, who both looked rather worse for wear from the portal as well. Geralt’s face was even more ashen than usual and he looked like he’d just barely escaped being sick alongside Jaskier. Ciri, for all her youth and magical propensity, didn’t look thrilled by the experience either, although not nearly as bad as Geralt. When Jaskier met her eyes, she gave him a weak smile of reassurance. 

“You’ve done that three times today?” Her voice was a little rough, but she otherwise sounded alright, and Jaskier managed a return smile for her, even if it was a little shaky. 

“I can assume, my dear, you see my hesitations about traveling by portal now?” Jaskier reached out and gave Ciri a poke and she nodded, batting away his hand with another smile. 

“I’m glad to have tried it, but I think I’d prefer to take the trail back down the mountain.” 

In response to Ciri’s declaration Geralt gave a rumble of agreement and shook his head. The look on his face made Jaskier suspect that he was regretting the movement, but the witcher quickly schooled himself, expression going neutral once more. Jaskier looked away from him, instead turning so that he could take in the expansive keep that would allegedly keep them safe from Nilfgaard. 

Even crumbling, the structure was magnificent. Jaskier sighed as he looked it over, his poet’s heart aching to put the weathered beauty of the stones into song. He knew that it wouldn’t be allowed, however, so instead of pulling out his composing notebook to scribble down ideas, he just let himself drink it in with his eyes. 

“Geralt!” The shout came from the doors to the keep, the owner of the voice breaking into a run even as Jaskier turned to look. The man was gigantic, maybe even larger than Geralt himself, and he didn’t slow even a little as he approached them. Jaskier saw what was about to happen a split second before it did and gasped, reaching out to tug Ciri away from Geralt’s side just before the larger man crashed right into him, arms coming up to wrap around Geralt’s chest. 

The both of them went down hard and Jaskier watched in amazement as Geralt—one of the grumpiest men he’d ever had the pleasure of meeting—met the man’s wide grin with one of his own and immediately flipped them over so that he was on top. That, of course, turned the happy reunion hug into a wrestling match, which the other witcher won, although just barely. 

When Geralt huffed and tapped out, rolling his eyes as the man let go of his arms, the man was still grinning widely. “You only won because we just portaled.” Even Geralt’s snark seemed lighter and Jaskier was astonished to see the corners of the man’s frown threatening to turn into something softer. 

In Jaskier’s grip, Ciri turned to look up at him, her face mirroring Jaskier’s thoughts. She gestured and he bent down so she could speak in his ear. “Have you ever seen him that happy?” 

Whispering was a lost cause, Jaskier knew, but he shot a glance up at the two men, who were still light-heartedly bantering. 

“Didn’t think he had it in him.” She frowned at that, getting a sad sort of look, and Jaskier winced as he realized the implications. “But he doesn’t like me much, I don’t think I’m the best person to ask, really.” He ruffled her hair. 

"But he talks about you all the time!" Ciri's protest was loud and Jaskier winced when both witchers looked over at them. He turned to the girl, smiling tightly. 

"I'm sure it's because I made myself a nuisance over the years I've known him." Jaskier shrugged and then frowned when he saw a shiver run through her. "But enough of that, it's freezing out here and you're not dressed for it. Now Geralt and his friend might be impervious to the cold, but us bards have a much lower tolerance and I'll bet princesses do too. How about you and I find our way inside so we don't lose any precious toes to the snow, hmm?" He waggled his eyebrows at her and she giggled, nodding. 

The two witchers had paused in their conversation to watch them, but Jaskier paid them no mind, collecting his things and gesturing for Ciri to do the same. He led her forward and to his surprise Yennefer followed suit, tagging along beside them and leaving the witchers and Roach behind. Jaskier would have liked to get Roach out of the cold as well, but trying to take her from Geralt would be pointless. 

A minute into the trek towards the keep, Jaskier felt Yennefer reach out and take his hand, her fingers cold as they wound around his. Jaskier frowned as he noticed just how worn she looked.  

“You alright, Yen?” The witch squeezed Jaskier’s hand and nodded, looking away and back towards the keep. 

“Yeah, I’m fine. Portaling so many people just takes it out of me sometimes.” 

Jaskier didn’t bother mentioning that she’d actually portaled them around multiple times before she the most recent time, and she’d also managed to conjure him a bucket within a second of closing the portal. Instead, he just squeezed her hand back and led the two of them towards the keep. 

Geralt and the other witcher had started off towards the stables, still deep in discussion, and the trio of bard, witch, and child made their way towards the large doors that led inside. 

They were met at the doors by an older man who offered a tight lipped smile but allowed them to come inside without fuss. Once he'd closed the door behind them, he turned to face the trio. 

"I see Geralt decided to bring some strays this year. How he's managed to keep his soft heart after all these years, I'll never know." The old Witcher rolled his eyes and led them further into the keep, missing the look that Jaskier and Yennefer shared.

Chapter Text

There was a fire roaring in a huge fireplace on one end of a great hall, and all three of them gravitated to it. The old witcher followed, watching but seemingly uninterested in stopping them. 

Once Yennefer stood with her hands out towards the fire, thawing out, and turned her head to look at the man beside them. "I'm afraid you're mistaken about at least one of us; I'm not staying the winter. I only came along to see them here safely." 

The man snorted. "Yeah, I can smell the magic on you from here. Didn't expect you'd be here long. You're Yennefer." 

She nodded. "You have my name but I don't have yours." 

"Vesemir. I used to be the fencing instructor, back when this place….well. Now I just take care of it the best I can, and make sure the boys get some training while they're here for the winter, or else they'll get fat and slow." 

His sneer did absolutely nothing to hide how much he cared for the other witchers, nor how much he worried about them. 

Jaskier couldn't help but want to correct Vesemir on his earlier point. "Excuse me, Mister Vesemir," 

" Master ." 

Jaskier blinked. "Master Vesemir, then. I'm afraid that I must protest your earlier assessment, that I'm here because of some sort of fondness on Geralt's part. He's simply feeling guilty, or trying to keep me out of Nilfgaard's hands so they won't torture his location out of me." 

Jaskier thought he did a pretty good job keeping his voice level as he spoke, but frowned when Vesemir only snorted before rolling his eyes. When the man stepped closer, Jaskier had to fight the other to take a step back. 

Vesemir leaned in for a moment, inhaling, and then stepped back. He crossed his arms, looking at Jaskier like he'd won the argument already. 

"These other two have magic, but you—you're the only non-magical human that's been inside this keep since it was sacked over eighty years ago. He could have easily found somewhere else to keep you hidden for the winter, but he brought you here instead." 

Jaskier had no reply to that. Vesemir looked him over once more, but didn’t get a chance to speak again as the doors to the hall slammed open and Geralt and the other witcher who’d met him at the gate tumbled in. They were both ruddy and shoving each other, and Jaskier was struck once more as he saw Geralt’s frown threatening to become a smile. 

Vesemir looked the two men over as they came closer before rolling his eyes at them. “You didn’t think to wait to start drinking until after you saw your guests settled in?” He raised an eyebrow and Geralt shrugged, looking looser than Jaskier had seen him in a very long time. 

“You had it handled.” He nodded at Vesemir, barely glancing in Jaskier and Yennefer’s direction. Before Vesemir could make a counter argument, Geralt grabbed a flask that Eskel had been holding and took a long swig, his throat working as he drank. Despite his best efforts, Jaskier couldn’t bring himself to look away, his eyes tracing the powerful movements of Geralt’s throat. 

When Geralt finally dropped his arm again, he looked up, meeting Jaskier’s eyes. Surprised, Jaskier didn’t immediately look away, instead matching Geralt’s gaze. Geralt’s expression shifted and for a moment Jaskier caught a glimpse of something that looked an awful lot like pain, but he blinked and Geralt looked away, his expression guarded once more. 

The other witcher, the one who they hadn’t been introduced to yet, stepped forward, extending a hand towards Yennefer. “I’m Eskel, Geralt’s brother. Am I to assume that you’re the Yennefer that Geralt’s talked about so much?” 

Yennefer looked down at the proffered hand, hesitating before taking it with her own and shaking. “I am Yennefer, yes. I couldn’t say if Geralt’s stories are correct, though.” 

Eskel smiled back at her, his expression genuinely pleased. “Well, I look forward to figuring it out.” He turned to Jaskier and Ciri, who both stood close to the fire, still shivering slightly. “And who are you?” 

Ciri was the first to speak, offering him her hand and straightening her back. “I’m Princess Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon of Cintra. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Her tone and cadence suggested that she’d practiced the greeting, and Eskel took her hand with a soft smile. 

“Well, Miss Princess Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon of Cintra, it is a pleasure to meet you as well.” He smiled at her and she gave him a shy smile back, her eyes catching on the scars that took up one side of his face. Tactfully, Eskel didn’t say anything as she stared, instead pulling his hand back and turning to Jaskier. 

Jaskier gulped and bobbed his head as he looked at the witcher. “I’m Jaskier. Nice to meet you.” He shook Eskel’s hand as well, with less ceremony than Ciri had. Eskel’s grip was warm and strong, and he gave Jaskier a genuine smile as they shook. 

“Ah, the bard. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’ve heard about you from Geralt.” 

Jaskier had to fight to control his wince, and from the questioning look he got from Eskel, he hadn’t done a very good job. “Right, I’m sure you have. It’s nice to make your acquaintance, Eskel.” 

He dropped his hand and stepped back, away from Eskel and towards the warmth of the fire. Jaskier didn’t look in Geralt’s direction, having no interest in seeing whatever the other witcher was thinking, and instead gave Ciri a glance. Her brow was furrowed as she looked at him, but she said nothing when he met her eyes. 

Vesemir cleared his throat, drawing everyone’s attention back to him. “As enjoyable as this little meet and greet has been, I believe that there is some work to be done.” He looked at the other witchers. “Geralt, Eskel, the two of you should go out before it gets dark and chop firewood. I hadn’t planned for three extra guests, especially ones who feel the cold a lot more readily than we do. I’ll get these three settled into their rooms in the meantime, and make sure that they know where everything is.” 

His tone brooked no arguments, and both Geralt and Eskel nodded, grimacing. They shared a commiserating look before trudging out of the hall the way they had come. Once they’d left, Yennefer turned to Vesemir. 

“I thank you for the offer, but I have no need for a room. I’ll not be staying long—I just portaled the three of them here so they would be sure they arrived before the winter snow set in.” She attempted to keep her tone haughty, but Jaskier could see the exhaustion in the lines of her body, and he got the feeling that Vesemir could as well. 

The older witcher grunted, shaking his head at her. “There’s no reason not to set you up with a room of your own, it’s not like we’re lacking for space here. And you must be tired, I know how magic can take it out of you; you might as well spend the night and leave in the morning, unless you have pressing business to attend to tonight.” 

Yennefer bit her lip and Jaskier knew that she’d decided to stay, confirmed when she sighed and nodded, running a hand through her hair. “Alright, then.” She snuck a look at Jaskier. “I’ll stay the night, but I’ve no need for a separate room. I can stay with Jaskier, that way there won’t be such a need for firewood.” 

Vesemir didn’t look surprised, which made sense given the witchers’ famous senses of smell. He’d probably known what they were to each other as soon as he’d gotten within ten feet of them. 

“Very well, then. Come, I’ll show you to the empty rooms, and you’ll have your pick.” He beckoned with a hand and started walking, with the three humans falling into step behind him. 

It wasn’t a far walk but the hallways were cold enough that Jaskier was shivering lightly by the time they turned a corner into a smaller hallway and came to a stop. Vesemir gestured to the doors on either side of the hall with a hand. 

“You have your pick of any of these, they’re all empty and should be serviceable enough. Feel free to move any furniture from one room to another if you so desire, as well, it’s not getting much use as it is.” He eyed Jaskier for a moment. “Eskel’s room is a floor up, and Geralt is seven or eight doors down.” He nodded his head in the direction they’d just come from, and Jaskier quickly looked away as he felt Vesemir’s knowing gaze shoot straight through him. 

In order to keep from thinking about how much Vesemir likely knew about the nature of his and Geralt’s relationship (or lack thereof) Jaskier just nodded, stepping forward and throwing open the first door in the hall. Behind it lay a small bedroom with a single bed, a fireplace, and two dressers that looked like they’d seen better days. There was a window set into the stone wall with a large crack running down the center of it. When the door opened, a blast of cooler air rushed out, clearly a result of the broken window. 

Jaskier gave a cursory glance around the room before shutting the door quickly. “I don’t think that room is a good idea for any of us to sleep in.” 

Ciri nodded her agreement, wrapping her arms around her torso. “Yeah, I’d rather one that’s not so cold.” 

Humming his agreement, Jaskier pulled open the next door, sighing in relief when the temperature in the room hadn't changed from that of the hallway. Inside, he could see that the room was bigger than the first, with a small nook under the window that would be nice if one wanted to sit and read. The bedspread was a garish orange color that clashed with the rug, and Jaskier wrinkled his nose at the color scheme. 

“Well, this one is warmer, at least. Let’s have a look at the others.” 

The three of them worked their way down the hallway, all peering into every room and cataloging the contents. There were two more rooms with broken windows, but the rest were warm enough, all slightly different sizes and containing different furniture. When they were done, Jaskier looked from Yennefer to Ciri. 

“Do either of you have any preferences?” He cocked his head at Ciri, silently intoning her to go first. 

She shuffled her feet, looking at Jaskier and then back to the rooms they’d just inspected. “I don’t really care, as long as it’s warm.” She shrugged. Jaskier got the feeling that there was more to it than that, but he just hummed his acknowledgement of her answer and turned to Yennefer. 

“And you, my dear? Anything strike your fancy?” 

She nodded, meeting his eyes for a moment before looking back down the hall. “Yes. The second from the last that we looked at, it’s bigger than the rest.” 

That room was indeed bigger than the others, although the bed inside was only a single. It had a reading nook by the window, and several dressers pushed against the walls. Jaskier nodded his head, walking back over to the room in question. 

He pushed the door open, giving the room another look over before turning to smile at Yen once more. “I think that’s a marvelous idea. We’ll have to move one of the larger beds inside if we’re both to stay in there, of course, but that should be no bother.” 

Yennefer shook her head at him. “No need. I can just conjure a better bed-one that hasn’t been gnawed on by termites for hundreds of years.” She gave a derisive sniff, glancing towards the bedroom door once more. 

Jaskier just grinned back at her, nodding agreeably. “An excellent plan.” He turned once more to Ciri, raising his eyebrows. “And would you like to take one of the rooms next to ours, dear? I’m sure you’d prefer to have someone close by, and we all know that if you were next to Geralt you’d never fall asleep on account of his snoring.” 

Ciri giggled, brightening at Jaskier’s suggestion. “Yes, I’d like that. I’ll take that one.” She pointed to the door to the right of the one they’d taken, which had been perfectly serviceable. Jaskier nodded, patting her on the shoulder with another smile. 

“That’s perfect.” He looked back at Vesemir, who was standing back, waiting for them to finish deciding. “If that works for you, Master Vesemir?” 

The older witcher grunted, nodding. “It’s fine. I’ll tell Geralt and Eskel where to bring the firewood, if you want to unpack your things. Dinner should be ready in an hour.” 

Without waiting for their responses, he turned on his heel, walking back the direction they’d come from. All three of them watched him for a moment before turning to look at each other.