Work Text:
“Well boys you can go take a nice nap and I’ll come wake y’all up when everyone leaves. Lammy and Aiden, you can go ahead and be upstairs. I’m gonna turn on The Peabody and Sherman Show down here if you want to stay. Just stay in one place okay? I’m going to be very busy.” Jaskier explained to the pups as they washed up from being outside. They got rather icky today, given they were all almost naked and sweaty rolling around in dust and sand. So each got a shower and their hair brushed out by Vesemir. The older witcher had been picked up earlier though, dental appointment or something.
Geralt, who was scratching absently at his own stomach hairs, nodded and yawned. He had decided that he really only needed to wear a pair of grey sweatpants. Eskel was pulling his head through his heavy wine red knit sweater, he hadn’t bothered with pants but put on a pair of plain black boxer briefs. Lambert, who was helping Aiden pick out a short, was clad in his favorite grey fluffy socks, green plaid boxer shorts, and a snuggly grey cotton sweatshirt. And Aiden, getting pulled into wearing a pair of borrowed black sweatpants and a Champion brand t-shirt.
“Um… we’re gonna go to Lam’s room.” Aiden said and walked out of the bathroom and across to Lambert’s room. The other cat was close behind him. Geralt and Eskel snicker at them and smiled over at Jaskier. Geralt walks by him and gives him a kiss on the cheek.
“I’m so tired, daddy. I’m gonna make a nice nest and sleep.” Geralt says tiredly, his eyelids drooped. He had run himself to exhaustion. Surely he would be drowsy even after his nap. Geralt made his way down to the ground level and then to the basement door. Eskel hugs Jaskier and snuffles his hair with his nose.
“I’ll go nap with Bear. I’m tired too. I wanna cuddle up with bubba.” Eskel says and yawns. He walks down to the basement and Jaskier follows him.
“You’re such a sweetie. That’s alright. I’m gonna be up late tonight so get your cuddles in now. Maybe Lammy will let you sleep in his nest with Aiden tonight.” Jaskier said and set the TV to play the animated show. It was one of the boy’s favorites, so it should keep their attention should they wake up.
Geralt was hauling out an armful of blankets to the already piled up pillows. Eskel automatically went to fix them into a large U-shape. Jaskier checked the small fridge that was near the TV. There were a few juice boxes, a half gallon of chocolate milk, waters, and plenty of puddings and cheese sticks. He looked over at the few snack baskets and they were moderately still full. He’d need to remember to buy more cheese crackers and popcorn…
“Alright, well darlings my friends are gonna be here soon. Have a nice nap, I love you both!” Jaskier said and watched the two flump down into their nest next to each other. He hopped up the stairs and closed the door behind him. He picked up the living room where a few pillows had been on the floor and he pulled out his wine glasses and made sure he had a few nice bottles pulled out in the fridge. He looked around and made sure Lambert and Aiden weren’t being too loud but he couldn’t hear anything. He clicked his stereo system on to play some quiet instrumental music.
There was a knock at the door, signaling his bandmates were finally here. Jaskier happily walks over to the door and opens it smiling.
“Welcome to my kinda new home! Come on in!” Jaskier calls out and steps aside to let everyone else in. Gwen and Alfie smiled and handed him a large bottle of honey rum (one of his favorites!) and walked into the living room, flopping down on his couch. His manager, Rosemary, walks in and gives him a great big hug and tells him “You have a beautiful home!” and she sits in the large cushiony black chair. Finally his drummer, Gino Patrick, walks up to him and engulfs in a big hug.
“Hey man! Sorry I couldn’t make it to Valdo’s party! I was swamped with my taxes! I wouldn’t get my papers, it totally sucked. I’m so glad to hear that you’re back though! I heard about the uh… dogs? Bears? I dunno, I heard a lot about your new house mates.” The shorter man said and patted Jaskier on the back. Gino was a shorter man who always had something going on. He was only a few inches shorter than Jaskier but still. He had dark black hair and dark brown eyes that are always lined. Gino shoved a small bag into Jaskier’s hands.
“Here’s a little somethin, somethin, from Mama. She’s been bored.” Gino said and walked in and said hello to everyone else. Jaskier looked down and noticed it was a few thin pieces of hand carved wood, guitar picks. Jaskier laughs and slips them into his pocket.
“C’mon, house tourrrrrrr~” Gwen egged as Jaskier walked into the living room. He laughed and shook his head.
“Fine. Whatever, c’mon losers.” Jaskier joked and motioned to be followed. Everyone stood to follow him. First he pointed over to the basement door but stood in front of it to make sure no one opened it.
“This is the boy’s kinda playroom. They’ve got a TV and toys and stuff down there. I’d really like to show you guys cause it’s so cute but Bear, uh I mean Geralt and Eskel are sleeping and stuff down there right now. But yeah don’t go in there, it’s their safe space to relax and play.” Jaskier explained and Rosemary put her hand over her heart and ‘aw’ed. Everyone nodded and Jaskier showed them over to the kitchen where everyone grabbed a glass and he pulled out the chilled wine.
“I kinda freaked out about safety before they came home so everything is both child proof and puppy proof so like yeah… lots of latches. Which by the way do not work when you have a two hundred pound beasty wanting a snack at 2 a.m.. I swear I thought one night a raccoon got in the house but no it was just Lambert scavenging for spaghetti Os.” Jaskier said and laughed.
“Oh my gods… how do you even control them like… they’re huge. Gino they’re the size of volkswagens.” Gwen said and smacked the drummer's arm. He in return looked shocked and looked up at Jaskier. The singer sipped his wine and leaned back against the sink.
“They’re so well behaved. I really don’t have to reprimand them all that much. Sometimes I have to kinda pull Eskel off of Lambert at night because he has a bad habit of like… rubbing himself on pillows and stuff at night and Lammy hates it and occasionally Geralt chews on the banister but really they’re very good listeners.” Jaskier says and the guitarist hums in understanding.
“Oh he self soothes at night then? I’ve heard of cats doing that sometimes.” Alfie said and Jaskier nodded and walked to the recording studio and bathroom. They were the same as before he had renovated. Then he stepped onto the stairs but halted for a moment.
“Um… Maybe we can not go up there. Lambert and Aiden are… They canoodle in Lambert’s bedroom and let’s just say they like to be left alone. It’s just their bedrooms, their bathroom, and then my bedroom still. I really just added onto the back.” Jaskier said and Gwen, Alfie, and Gino all looked shocked. Jaskier started to walk to the backyard but the guitarist grabbed his arm.
“You let them have sex? What if one of them gets pregnant? You already have three, you couldn’t manage a litter!” Gwen whisper yells and the other two nodded. Rosemary smirked and put her hand over her mouth. Jaskier giggled a bit but shook his head and answered.
“They’re witchers. They’re sterile. They’re all neutered. Completely. Plus they’re just boys, no worries.” Jaskier said and walked to the back deck. It was getting dark now so the air was much cooler than it was earlier.
“I added onto the porch and ya know… decorated. Eskel keeps asking for more planters and he takes such good care of his flowers so it’s really pretty out here. That’s their sand pit, and they were wrestling in the big mud puddle earlier today. They always put their toys up and keep the deck clean and everything too.” Jaskier said as everyone went around to look at the large variety of plants and hanging baskets. Vesemir had brought the eldest boy a few books on botany and grafting plants and propagation, since then he was really into planting. There were a few large pots around the railing that held lush green flowerless varieties and there were baskets hanging off the railing with small colorful flowers and hanging baskets of plants that spilled over the lip of the pot to hang down. Jaskier loved to sit back here and watch Eskel water them and clip and cut and poke cuttings into different boxes. There were many bowl shaped pots that lined the outer wall that had many varieties of babies growing and putting on new leaves.
“Woah dude, it did this by itself? That’s awesome man!” Gino said which Jaskier smiled at but corrected him.
“He, Gino, He did it by himself. But yes, yes he did. A much older witcher that comes over often, he gave Eskel a few books on plants and he just has a knack for it.” Jaskier said.
They sat and talked on the porch for a while before they traveled back to the kitchen for more wine that ended up just being brought to the living room. They spent hours drinking and talking. Art, new artists on the music scene, gossip, drama, family, social life, everything Jaskier had missed.
Jaskier was sitting on the loveseat with his manager and everyone else spread out in the room. He was saying something about a new line of guitars that he saw but the basement door opened and a pouting Eskel walked out. His ears were drooped down and his tail was sagging behind him. He kept his head down until he walked over to Jaskier.
“Hey baby, what’s up? Why're you pouting?” Jaskier said, concerned. Eskel looked so down in the dumps. He could tell by the way he was chewing on his own lip that he wasn’t quite out of his softer mindset. Eskel sniffled and kept his eyes on Jaskier’s knees.
“Geralt kept shoving me ‘way from him and he wouldn’t let me under the blankie and he snapped ta me when I tried to cuddle him and he won’t let me hold him and and and-” Eskel said in a hush rushed voice. Tears prickled his eyes and started to fall by the time he was done. Everyone in the room was quiet. Jaskier stood up and hugged him, though the pup didn’t hug back but instead kept crying and sniffling.
“Aw, poor thing. Well maybe he’ll want to cuddle later tonight. How about you go get a bath upstairs and you can watch a show in your room till it’s bedtime? How’s that sound?” Jaskier said quietly as he thumbed away his tears. Eskel sniffled and shook his head. Everyone else was whispering around them and Jaskier was about to suggest it more but Rosemary stood up and shooed away Jaskier’s hands. She lifted his face up to look at her and his face relaxed some.
“You poor little baby! Oh you just need some lovin’ don’t you? Come here, you can come sit with me. Shoo stinky ole daddy away and you can sit right here.” The woman said and shoved Jaskier’s shoulder and sat Eskel right next to her. Jaskier looked at her in surprise for a moment but decided to go sit on the couch with Gwen and Alfie.
Eskel smiled and happily let her situate him. He was sitting on one side of her and his legs were thrown over her lap. She pulled his head to rest on her collarbone. She cooed at him slightly and had one hand in his hair to rub the bases of his ears and the other rubbed up and down on the outside of his thigh. Eskel purred loudly and closed his eyes.
Jaskier watched with his mouth open in disbelief. Gwen reached over and closed his mouth with her hand. Jaskier just stared and threw his hands up.
“I’m being replaced!” Jaskier said dramatically. Everyone, void Rosemary, laughed and joked at him that he stank and that he was ugly and such. All the while Rosemary pet gently around Eskel’s ears and the pup flicked his tail up into her hand.
“Aw what a soft tail. Do you brush it? So pretty, yeah, you are so pretty.” Rose whispered quietly to the pup as he purred and snuffled into her exposed collarbone. She was wearing a soft red gingham a-line dress that had a square cut neckline. The fabric was so nice to Eskel… It made Rose look like a lovely lady right out of a picture book. Eskel had a handful of the skirt fabric in his hands, rolling it back and forth in his fingers.
“Oh soft ears too. You’re just a big fluffy baby, aren’t you. Just need some pets, huh.” Rose whispered again and kissed his forehead. This caused Eskel to freeze. His breath was still in his lungs and his eyes were wide open. He was stiff as a board. Rose seemed concerned about the quick change.
“Oh, I’m sorry I should have asked first. I’m sorry, Eskel. I won’t do it again.” Rose said frantically which caught Jaskier’s attention. Eskel was sitting stone still and hadn’t even let out a breath. His eyes were open and his muscles were frozen.
“Hey, Wolfie, baby, what’s wrong? Bad thought?” Jaskier asked as he walked up and bent down in front of Eskel. Suddenly Eskel breathed out and his face turned a roaring red color.
“Daddy, Miss Rose kissed my forehead. She gave me a kiss on my head. Daddy, daddy she she kissed my forehead . Miss Rose did. Me , she kissed my forehead.” Eskel said frantically and smiled widely. His eyes blew out wide so only a thin ring of yellow showed. His feet and hands started to curl up and then stretch out, a funny little movement to see on such a large creature, making biscuits most called it. It meant that he was overly happy. Jaskier laughed and looked at Rose’s worried face.
“I think a certain little wolf has a crush on our ‘ Miss Rose ’! How cute!” Jaskier announces to the room. Aw’s spread through the room. Rosemary looked surprised but then hugged Eskel against her chest.
“Aw! Do you like me, little pup?” Rose asked and Eskel buried his face into her neck and nodded quickly. Rose pets him and smiled.
Eskel relaxes and Rosemary goes back to talking to everyone else in the room. She thought that the weight of him felt nice. His little sleepy sniffles and even breaths were cute as she felt them against her skin. She assumed he was fast asleep when he started to rock up slightly. She shushed him and petted his tail. He stilled and slept peacefully.
“Alright, it’s fuckin’ late I’m gonna crash out in the Uber probably. Peace out Jask.” Gino says and walked to the door. Everyone else called goodbye. It was starting to get late… The boys would need to go to bed soon. As if reading Jaskier’s thoughts Gwen piped up.
“Hey, we should probably head out too. You probably need to start putting the pups to bed right?” She said and stood up. Her and her partner put their glasses in the sink and said their goodbyes. Jaskier stood up and stretched. Rose was still petting the eldest pup and was leaning her chin on his head.
“You think you can leave him last? He’s just so good. He’s sleeping so well. Poor little thing.” Rose said and looked at Jaskier with the world's best puppy dog eyes. Jaskier thinks for a moment before nodding.
“Yeah I can go ahead and put Geralt to bed and check on Lamm and Aiden. Ya know he usually doesn’t act like this to strangers. He really only cuddles up to me and Yennefer.” Jaskier says and picks up the last few wine glasses and the bottles. Rose smiled and explained.
“You don’t remember? I sat next to him at Valdo’s party. He just about climbed into my lap that night. Maybe he just likes me. Maybe I smell nice or I look like someone he loved.” Rosemary explained and scratched lightly at the back of Eskel’s head. Jaskier put the dishes in the sink while thinking about it. Lambert loves Aiden so maybe Eskel had someone he fell for?
“He’s never mentioned anyone he liked, except Geralt. They used to ‘ do stuff’ . But maybe he really does just has a crush on you… He’s got a big heart. It’s locked away in fucking fort knox but it’s huge. Big ole lover boy. Maybe when we start recording again he can come sit with you.” Jaskier said and looked at the sleeping witcher. Even dozing Eskel had a smile on his face.
Maybe Eskel found someone else to entertain when no one else wanted to.