Chapter Text
Geralt was running in the park with his greyhound, Roach. She was from a rescue, a former racing dog. He was wearing noise canceling headphones and listening to a mix he had put together of his favorite musical group.
On the green up ahead he could see a small brunette man training his Great Dane puppy. As he got closer, he realized that the man in the flamingo patterned shirt wasn't just signing his commands to the white dog, he was signing a whole conversation with her.
“Good girl, good girl, so good! Yes! Now we’re going to try the new one again, ok? Such a good girl! Ok, sit… and now stay.”
The Great Dane puppy sat still while the man backed up four big steps. The leash in his hand still had some slack in it, he was probably using it to give them room for things like this. Geralt slowed to watch.
“Good girl! Ok, come.”
The Great Dane puppy happily ran to him and bowled him over. He fell right on his back without catching himself, his legs flying up in the air. The puppy licked his face enthusiastically, completely indifferent to the fact that she was standing on the man’s chest and thighs.
Geralt unhooked Roach’s leash from his belt and fastened it around a tree. He signaled her to stay, and went over to help the man under the dog.
When he got closer Geralt could see that despite his mishap the man on the ground was smiling. Geralt signed to the man, “Are you alright? Do you need a hand?”
Now that he was close, he saw that the puppy was bigger than he thought, but the man underneath the dog did manage to get her to shift. He reached out a hand and Geralt took it and helped him up.
Geralt realized that he had been wrong about the man’s size as well- he was as tall as Geralt himself, but everything about his clothes and way of moving made him seem smaller, graceful, delicate. “Delicate” was an odd way to describe a grown man, Geralt thought, then the man was signing.
“Thank you, Baby gets a little excited about training. But she is doing so well. Aren’t you, Baby? You are my good girl! Yes, good girl! Sit! Good Baby, yes, use your good manners.”
The Great Dane was wagging her tail so hard that her whole butt went back and forth with it, but she sat. Geralt held his hand out to be sniffed, and was again struck by the largeness of the pup when she licked the back of his hand with the biggest dog tongue he had ever seen. He took his hand back so he could sign.
“She’s friendly.”
“Is that your dog?” the beautiful man indicated Roach.
“Yes. She’s a bit nervous sometimes so I don’t bring her close to new dogs or people until I know they can behave.”
“Of course; that’s very responsible of you. I’m not sure yet how to introduce Baby to other dogs actually, since she can’t look at them and me at the same time.”
White Great Danes, Geralt belatedly remembered, were often deaf.
“I could hold Baby’s leash for you while you go over, if you like.”
“I seem well behaved to you?” the man asked with a smile.
“For a human.”
The man laughed. Geralt couldn’t hear it with the headphones, but the way his face lit up made him feel warm all over.
He turned a little so Baby couldn’t see his hands and signed “For a human I’m quite naughty, but I’m very well behaved for a dog; I would lay down wherever you asked me to.”
Geralt’s breath caught in his throat. Surely this beautiful man did not mean that as dirty as it came out.
“What is your dog’s name?”
Geralt did her name sign where Roach couldn’t see it, and then finger spelled “R-O-A-C-H”
“What a name for such a beautiful pup! I must go meet her and explain that I am not judging her for the ridiculous name she was given.”
Geralt found himself smiling at the beautiful man. He turned and whistled for Roach’s attention, then signed a command.
“I’m sorry, did you just do the sign for U-N-I-C-O-R-N to your dog?”
“It’s the sign for her to stay calm to meet someone new,” Geralt sheepishly admitted, “when I got her I started training her to be a therapy dog, for kids, and they love it when the commands are funny signs. She doesn’t have the temperament for it though.”
“That’s adorable!” The beautiful man gave Geralt Baby’s leash and signed “Stay, good girl,” to her. He approached Roach calmly and offered his hand for her to sniff. After smelling him, Roach pushed her face into his hand to demand pets. She liked him. He happily squatted down and pet her enthusiastically. Geralt smiled.
All of a sudden the leash yanked Geralt’s arm. He yelped in surprise as Baby dragged him toward her owner. He tried to hold her back but he was still a bit off balance and couldn’t get solid enough footing to counter her momentum before she reached them.
Baby licked the back of the man’s head and then started sniffing Roach. Roach was sniffing her back and as Geralt reached them Baby happily licked Roach’s face. Roach accepted the affection as her due, and demanded more pets from the beautiful man. He was laughing again, and Geralt wondered what it sounded like. He was tempted to remove his noise canceling headphones, but it felt rude when they were already in the middle of a conversation. He didn’t want him to feel pressured to switch to speaking and lip reading, especially when they were both fluent in Sign.
“They seem to like each other,” the beautiful man signed, “that’s a relief.”
“Sorry, I didn’t expect her to pull so hard; she got me off balance.”
“Oh believe me I’ve had the same experience! Most of our training time has been spent on leash-walking. I guess she needs to work on not pulling when it’s someone other than me.”
They chatted a bit more. Geralt really liked this sweet, interesting man. He wondered if he’d see him in the park again. He hoped so.
Geralt’s phone vibrated. It was a text from Eskel asking if they could move their plans an hour earlier.
“It’s my brother. We are meeting up tonight. I should get home and shower.”
“Sounds like fun! Here, let me give you my number.”
He held his hand out for Geralt’s phone. Geralt gave it to him and he tapped out the new contact. Then he looked up at Geralt, bit his lip and winked!
Geralt’s heart did a complicated maneuver that he was fairly certain hearts weren’t meant to do. The beautiful man smiled and tapped the phone a few more times before handing it back.
On the screen was a new text thread; apparently when he winked at him the man had snapped a picture of Geralt’s gobsmacked expression, and texted it to the contact he had typed in. Geralt glanced at the top of the screen to learn the man’s name, only to find the contact listed as “Baby’s Daddy ;-)”. He looked back up, hoping he wasn't blushing.
“You’re single, right?” The beautiful man signed. Geralt nodded, missing his pocket twice as he tried to put away his phone. “Great! Hope you and your brother have fun. Don’t be a stranger!” And with that he and Baby headed for the street.