Work Text:
"They're hiding something from us."
Geralt had said the week before when the mage had come up to them at the local tavern, offering him a contract.
Jaskier didn't think the mage was acting suspicious. He even thought the mage seemed genuinely concerned about the monster sightings and missing people, but Geralt has never been wrong about these kinds of things.
"Does that mean you won't take the contract?"
Geralt shook his head, "No, I think I should take the contract, if not for them, then for the townspeople. Though I think we should be cautious about what we tell them."
Jaskier nodded his head. Caution was good, he never really gained the skill, but he knew it could be good. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized he couldn't come up with anything that would be dangerous to reveal to them. It's not like he knew about some secret weakness of Geralt's, and all of their adventures had been put into very popular songs, so if there was anything in those songs that could be used then-
" For example, I don't think we should reveal the true depths of our relationship," Geralt said as if he were just merely stating a fact.
As if this wasn't a completely emotional decision. As if this wasn't a decision based on fear, the fear of them using his feelings for Jaskier against him.
This caused Jaskier to snap out of his own thoughts for a moment. He hadn't even thought about the fact that he could be used against Geralt, and why would he? Whatever was going on between him and Geralt was so new; they hadn't even put a name to it yet. It had barely been a month since they started sharing a kiss goodbye before Geralt went to complete a contract, and since they silently agreed to share a bed at the inns they stayed in.
"Okay," Jaskier said, "I can keep my hands to myself for a while."
Then that was it. They set off towards Lord Landgraves' house, where they had been offered rooms till Geralt finished his contract. Jaskier had tried to tell Geralt that he could stay in the local inn, but Geralt convinced him not to, considering there was a string of disappearances. They had dropped off their things, and Geralt immediately started searching for these monsters that he assumed were behind the disappearances. Jaskier had been left to his own devices and only ever caught glimpses of Geralt.
Now a whole week has gone by, and Jaskier is at the bottom of the turret wondering if the mage has any stories that can be turned into songs. He figures it's worth a shot, and it's better than another day of wandering around the castle.
He makes his way up the winding staircase and lets his fingers glide across the craggy stone walls that surround him. He glances outside the tall windows carved into the stone to the courtyard and sees the stableboys pampering Landgraves' horses. He even sees Roach getting her hair done.
Maybe it was his mild distraction, or maybe it was the witcher’s superhuman ability to be quiet, but suddenly Jaskier was looking up at Geralt. Jaskier felt his breath catch for a moment when he noticed the man in front of him. He noticed that his companion had anger blazing behind his eyes, yet his face stayed ever still and stoic.
"Geralt," Jaskier said as he gave him a soft smile, " Is everything okay?"
"Everything's fine," Geralt said, but Jaskier could tell he was lying through his teeth, "I believe I found where these monsters are coming from. I'm going to deal with them now."
There's a pause. Jaskier would be lying if he said he wasn't tempted to lean in and give Geralt a kiss goodbye. The bard had gotten used to having his blissful moment with Geralt before he went off on some dangerous mission, and now it seemed almost sinful to leave Geralt without a token of his affection. Not when he might not come back.
Not when he could die.
"Well good luck then," Jaskier chirped as he forced himself to wear a smile, "And don't go getting yourself killed, okay? It's no fun writing a song about a dead person."
Jaskier could act, any Oxenfurt student worth his salt could act, so Jaskier can just act like there wasn't an ache in his heart as he walked past Geralt.
'He'll be back. You're doing this to help him,' He thought to himself when suddenly he felt Geralt grab his hand.
There was another pause as they both decided whether they should just let go, pretend it didn't happen, or if they should take the risk.
He didn't allow himself to look back when Geralt lifted his palm towards his lips. He placed a soft kiss onto the back of his hand and held him there as if not wanting this moment to end. Jaskier could feel the slow breath dance across his skin as they stood in that staircase. If Jaskier was a more cautious man, he would have pulled away and pointed out that there was a window right beside them where anyone could look up and see them. If he were a more cautious man, he would have ended this moment long ago.
But Jaskier wasn't a cautious man. He instead turned his face towards the stone walls of the turret because if he looked back towards Geralt, there is no telling what he would do.
He felt Geralt place one more soft kiss into Jaskiers wrist before whispering into Jaskiers skin, "Sorry."
"Please, don't apologize for this," Jaskier said so quietly that he barely even heard himself. The message that went unsaid was that Jaskier doesn't think he could handle Geralt acting like any of this was a mistake. The idea that any of Geralt's sweet whispered words or Jaskiers delicate kisses could be viewed as wrong cut Jaskier to his core.
"I've found some things out about these monsters," Geralt sighed, which caused goosebumps to spread over Jaskiers arm, "I don't know what I'm about to walk into."
Jaskier felt his heart choke in his chest. Whenever Geralt didn't know what monster he was dealing with, he always returned with more bruises. More claw marks. More near-death experiences. "Don't go and get yourself killed," He said, but there was no playfulness tacked on this time. This time it was just him begging Geralt to return, safe.
He felt Geralt give one more kiss into his palm, a final goodbye, before gently returning Jaskier’s hand to his side. Then the Witcher continued walking down the stairway as nothing had happened.
Because to everyone but them, nothing did happen. To everyone but them, they were just friends. Friends don't yearn for each other's touch, they don't get caught staring for too long, and they certainly don't share secret kisses in castle corridors.
And because nothing had happened, Jaskier continued up the stairs. He continued to act as if everything was fine when he entered the mage's office and began to ask him to tell his tales. He smiled and nodded at the right times, jotted down notes, and even asked the mage a few insightful questions. And Jaskier did all this because he was fine; and because he definitely didn't still feel the ghosts of Geralt's kiss on his wrist because Geralt never kissed him.
And because nothing had happened, Jaskier didn't go back to his room that night and write songs quietly to himself. He didn't make them about what happened on the stairway because nothing happened on the stairway.
Nothing had happened. Nothing at all.