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"They spent their days on lazy strolls, and long conversations…"
And most of those conversations were held more often than not in bed--with the both of them facing each other, tangled together between the silken sheets. Her fingers would gently trace the curves of his face, the angles of his jawline, the edges of his scars. While he would lovingly caress her skin, and breathe in her scent of lilac and gooseberries.
This was what they wanted. What they sought for. A place where it was just the two of them.
They've confessed many things during the two centuries they've been together chasing after one another. But those moments were fleeting--only temporary. Years ago, the nights spent in each other's arms were bound by ticking clocks and their own pressing responsibilities. A chaste kiss and a brief goodbye were what they were used to. Yet, they always longed for something more.
And now.
Destiny has led them to have forever as an option, a choice. And, of course, they had taken it without hesitation. A vineyard in Toussaint, a manor with enough rooms to house Ciri and other guests, and a quiet place for the both of them to spend the rest of their lives together. Finally.
In the past, however, he would've never dared to hope for this paradise. If not for fate intertwining his life with Ciri and Yennefer, he would have died a witcher's death--alone, forgotten.
It was during one late night in which Yen asked him a question that prompted this thinking. A simple yet profound question that made him pause and search himself. It was raining that evening, and the storm only grew after dinner. Maybe the weather caused this time of self reflection.
"Geralt…" She murmured, gently tracing lines on his chest. She looked up to find his eyes closed, knowing that he was listening to the soft tapping of the raindrops before her voice pulled him out of his trance.
"Hm?"
"What kept you from pursuing your destiny?"
His eyes opened, letting the words hang in the air for a few moments. The candles flickered in the moonlight, the light casting a soft, warm glow on his face as he hesitated to think.
Fate, he thought, was a difficult concept to grasp. In fact, he ran away from his destiny for years. He made an effort to avoid the Child of Surprise and continued to pursue the dreary life of The Path. He would have never taken Ciri, never would have been with Yennefer, if not for fate.
"Back then, I was used to being alone," He began. "The Path, slaying monsters, peasants telling me I was a degenerate mutant who couldn't feel emotion--it was what I was used to, what I believed."
He felt Yen shift to her side, propping her head on her hands to look at him. He felt her piercing gaze, her question still only partially answered.
"...but then I met you. I felt something stir within me. Something more. And then Ciri. I saw her with my own eyes, and I realized that I couldn't leave her. Something pulled me towards her. It was the same feeling I felt with you. Something more than fate. Pushing my destiny aside was impossible--"
She hummed, and he paused. A faint clap of thunder sounded, and he turned to meet her violet eyes.
"Perhaps that 'something more' was your ability to love. Deeply."
"Hm," He replied, reaching a hand to gently push a stray raven lock behind her ear. She was right. As usual. Though in the past, he would have never admitted it. He never tried to explore that side of himself because the life he used to live never required his capacity to feel--let alone to love.
A witcher was meant to rid the world of monsters. Nothing more.
Geralt felt her hand softly brush his cheek, and he knew that she read the thoughts that still lingered in his mind.
"Destiny is what led you to Ciri and to me. You could have walked away from that completely. You could have stayed a simple witcher."
That was almost the case. He thought. He almost abandoned this beautiful life that he had now--
"But you didn't, Geralt." She interrupted his brooding, not allowing for anymore self-pity. "You didn't abandon Ciri, nor did you leave me. And that is what makes you who you are now. The man I love and the father Ciri always needed."
As she finished, he turned on his side to face her fully, reveling in the fact that this indeed was his destiny. Their destiny. Her words resonated within him as he gazed into her eyes, its depths reflecting the same emotion that he felt: the feeling of genuine, unconditional love.
Her lips slowly pressed against his in a tender kiss, and he returned it with matching sentiment. As they pulled away, he hummed in quiet contentment.
"I love you, Yen."
"I love you too." She smiled, adding on.
"Besides, I do think the two of us make great parents."
He let out a soft laugh and leaned in for another kiss, this time longer.
"Of course we do."