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The entire town was in the middle of celebration. Music filled the streets, crowded with people at every corner. Decorations hung on top of houses and locals. The mere air was vibrant and electric. The lighthearted and exciting energy was contagious.
You walked around with a grin on your face, observing and taking in every ounce of it as you advanced. It was certainly great that destiny had brought you there, because a dull ache seemed to cover your heart at all times. Some days you could ignore it in favor of other distractions you could focus on. You thought this was one of those days, until destiny and your aching heart collided.
Just as you passed by it, out of a close-by tavern came a well-dressed man, stumbling and giggling to himself. At first you had only glanced at him, disinterested. Upon taking a better look at him, however, your heart skipped a beat when you recognized him.
A bright colored doublet combining with pants of the same color. Messy soft brown hair that made you want to sink your fingers into it. Beautiful blue eyes that made you want to stare at them all day. And that blasted charming grin that stirred your insides.
Of course, it could be no one other than the bard. You dear and beloved Jaskier. He wasn’t looking as impeccable as he always was. His lips were stained with red, and the bottle of wine he clutched on his hand was definite proof of his drunken state. He appeared messy and disheveled. For some reason, it didn’t stop him from being attractive. The mere sigh of him brought a familiar tingling to your stomach.
“Jaskier…” You uttered to yourself, although loud enough for him to hear you.
“Y/N?!” His eyes immediately fell over you. Amused by the coincidental encounter, he laughed out loud. “Well, if it isn’t the most beautiful person on all of the Continent!”
“Having fun, I see” You only said, pursing your lips as you tried to be polite.
Contradictory emotions stirred within you. A part of you was profoundly glad to see him again, making you realize how much you had missed the bard. The other part, however, told you it was best to distance yourself from him and save yourself the pain.
“They absolutely adore me” He slurred over his words slightly, and you knew him well enough to realize he wasn’t as drunk as he seemed. Merely a bit tipsy.
“Did they take your lute, your oh so dear companion?” You ventured, assuming what he meant.
Surely, he had just played in that tavern and had received a warm welcome by the listening public. He was on a high. All the more so than from the alcohol. The way he couldn’t stop smiling and was breathing heavily, as though he couldn’t contain such excitement in his chest, was telling enough.
“Oh, how I’ve missed you and your wonderful wit” Jaskier chuckled, placing a hand against your cheek. You gently moved away for him. Still, he put an arm over your shoulders. “Celebrate with me, lovely Y/N! What better way to do so than to share this success with you, darling!”
“No, thank you” You grit your teeth, holding back a drier response. The fond appellative was having a strange effect on you, bringing you both fond and bad memories.
“I insist, I have the coin to buy you a drink!”
“I said no”
“But you must! Please, I beg of you”
“I said no, Jaskier!”
The two of you grappled for a moment. He tried to press you against his torso and taking you with him while you pushed him away. In the end, the struggle ended up in him accidentally emptying the rest of his wine onto your clothes.
The two of you stilled, staring at each other. You gasped, glaring at him. Jaskier, however, was gawking at you as his mildly affected mind tried to assimilate it.
“Oh, heavens... I am so terribly sorry!” Jaskier dramatically sighed. “Look at you, what a mess I did, maybe you should-”
”Stop it right this moment” You warned him, angrily holding a finger up. Unfortunately, you knew him too well to realize what he was about to say and you didn’t want to hear it.
“What is it, love?” Jaskier grinned and attracted you closer to him, nimbly wrapping an arm around your waist and pressing you against his torso after all. “Are you telling me you’re not attracted to me anymore?”
“No” You quickly replied, averting your gaze and pushing your hands against his chest to put some distance between your bodies. “And you’re drunk”
“Drunk on love!” He announced, throwing his free hand to the air.
“You are short of a marble, Jaskier”
“Ah-ah” His hand gently pressed against the small of your back. You could see his smirk with the corner of your eye. “If you don’t look at me when you say, it doesn’t count. Now… are you not attracted to me anymore?”
You rolled your eyes before letting them fall on his. A muscle tensed in your jaw. You had forgotten how beautiful and hypnotizing his blue eyes were up close. How expressive and lively. You could never resist him.
Instead of replying and making a fool out of yourself, you grit your teeth and refused to look him in the eye again. You had some pride left.
“Your silence speaks for you, my love” Jaskier, however, saw through you. His obnoxious smirk made your blood boil in a very different way than it usually did. A very different sort of heat overwhelmed you.
Refusing to suffer through that once again, you finally pushed him away. He allowed you. In a desperate attempt to escape your feelings, you began to walk away. You heard the sound of his wine bottle shattering as he let it go and it hit the cobblestone floor. He was intent on getting through to you.
“Why are you resisting me, Y/N?” For the first time during your encounter, and nearly in all the time you had known him, his voice was serious. Genuine. “Have I done something wrong? Are you… actually upset with me?”
Against your better judgment, you stopped walking. Yours hands closed into tight fists. Nonetheless, you turned around to face him, hoping your expression could showcase the burning anger you felt within.
“You don’t get it, do you?” Your voice shook, and you hoped he didn’t notice the hint of a sob in your throat. Or your eyes as they started to become watery as your anger turned to heartbreak. “This can’t happen again!”
“It can’t?” Jaskier blinked, intently peering at you. “I thought we had fun, isn’t that the point?”
“N-No!” You sobbed this time when your strong emotions poured out in an explosion of frustration. “You stupid, careless bard!”
He frowned, mildly hurt by your angry words. Trying to separate the distance that kept you apart, Jaskier stepped forward. You averted your gaze from him yet again, doing your best to hold back the tears. When you were forced to step back to avoid him, you walked backwards into a tree. Trapped between it and him.
“Talk to me” Was all he said, all but a tender whisper that gave you goosebumps.
“I’m done with our mindless encounters”
“Why?”
“You wouldn’t understand”
“Why?!”
“No…”
“Try me, Y/N”
“Because I’m in love with you, you idiot!” Tears freely rolled down your cheeks now. “Is it that hard to see? I don’t want to be with you if I’m only another one of your flings! I don’t want us to be together if it means nothing to you!”
An awed silence followed. You didn’t dare to look at him. All you saw with the corner of your eye was the way he opened and closed his mouth in silence. Then he sighed.
“Then you’re in luck, my dear Y/N” He whispered, in the same tone as before. Jaskier paused, slowly inching closer to you as his thumb delicately wiped your tears. “Because you mean everything to me”
“W-What?” You babbled, turning your head to face him.
“You mean absolutely everything to me, you mean the entire world to me”
The breath hitched on your throat when he leaned even closer. His lips made contact with yours, and a chill came over your spine. You told yourself that you shouldn’t give in to it, despite how electric and wonderful it felt. Not if it was only a kiss for him. Despite it all, you succumbed to his charm and closed your eyes, melting in the exchange.
Goosebumps overtook your entire body, plaguing your skin. The once forgotten butterflies had returned to their home in your stomach. Your head emptied, only filled with thoughts of how much you loved him. His lips were like a drug to yours.
“You are cruel, darling Y/N” Jaskier whispered, slowly breaking away, even if barely enough to be able to speak. His mouth still pressed against yours. “I have fallen under your spell”
You gawked at him. Heart racing. Breath faltering. You wanted to reply with a witty remark, but your mind was completely blank. You gulped, instead asking something else.
“What do you imply?”
“I am not used to serious relationships… Perhaps that is why I have been so reluctant to admit it to myself, but…” His pause, although only lasting a few seconds, felt too long to your yearning self. “I too am in love with you”
“How…” The voice caught in your throat for a moment. “How do I know that’s not the alcohol talking?”
“Ask me tomorrow. I’ll remember, I promise you that, and I’ll tell you the same thing I just did” Jaskier’s hushed tone still carried that passionate and genuine hint. “If I don’t, you have my absolute permission to break my lute”
You suddenly found that you didn’t know what to do. Although you had been so angry and adamant on staying so, his words had completely disarmed all your defenses. Instead of saying anything else in response, you gently wrapped an arm around him when you noticed him swaying slightly. Perhaps he wasn’t that drunk, but he was affected enough to need some rest.
“Go on” You took him with you as you headed for the town’s inn. “I’ll look after you”
“As you always do, my angel” Jaskier, in a mixture of fondness and whimsical obliviousness, allowed you to drag him along.
The silence felt tense, as though his confession still hung in the air. Despite it all, the physical intimacy of your bodies glued together as you walked felt like the equivalent of your broken heart finally mending. Of it merging with his at last.
The sun caressing your face woke you up. It blinded you even through your closed eyelids. Lying next to you, face to face and so close that his nose nearly grazed yours, was Jaskier. You smiled when you saw his disheveled hair and the faint circles under his eyes. As though he felt your gaze on him, he stirred and looked at you.
“Mmm…” He rubbed one eye. “Good morning”
“Good morning, my drunkard” You said, wondering if he still remembered the events from yesterday.
“What…?” Jaskier squinted at you, finding the brightness of the room to be disturbing. No doubt, a hangover had something to do with his unwell. “What happened?”
“You got drunk” You carefully studied his features, observing his reaction. “I bumped into you”
“Oh…” His eyes became wide as he stared at you, and you read the recognition growing in them. “Oh!”
“So do you remember what you said?”
“I… I do…”
“And did you mean it?”
“I did” Jaskier chuckled, gingerly lifting a hand to caress your cheek. “I swear on my lute”
“Good” You whispered, leaning closer to him until your lips were at mere inches from his. “Because if you break my heart, I’ll break your lute”
“I am under your spell” He insisted, repeating his words from yesterday. “But I think that’s fair”
Grinning, you moved closer to separate that insignificant distance that separated your mouths. When your lips met once more, the kiss felt even more electric than the last time. Perhaps it had something to do with your mended heart. Or with his cleared mind. Or perhaps you were under his spell just as much as he was under yours.