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You kept your coat tight around your body as you walked along the market stalls in the small village you and Geralt were currently staying in. It had gotten noticeably colder over recent weeks and you wondered if you should plan upcoming travels around taverns rather than sleeping in the woods. You had spent more than one winter shivering near a fire, desperately praying that no wild animals would sniff you out and you had no intention of repeating that. The money Geralt earned by fulfilling contracts plus the additional coin you got from selling potions to villagers was plenty for your modest needs so you hoped for the best. “Here,” your Witcher’s gruff voice rang out nearby and you jumped in surprise at the sudden closeness. He really needed a bell, his silent footsteps would scare you into an early grave one day. You turned to face him and with a lopsided grin he handed you a thick woolly hat. You carefully took it and pulled it over your head and Geralt had to suppress an embarrassing squeal at how adorable you looked.
“Thanks,” you mumbled and stood on your tiptoes to quickly kiss him on the cheek before smiling widely. He clearly wasn’t satisfied with that and grabbed your hips to keep you close and closed the distance between you. You sighed happily as his warm mouth descended on yours and your arms came up to tangle in his hair. You moved softly against each other and it was without urgency and your heart fluttered happily in your chest. Kissing Geralt always felt like coming home and you couldn’t get enough of it. He pulled back to look at you and he felt tingly all over when you met his gaze with an adoring smile. “Let’s finish up and go back to the inn,” you suggested, “It’s getting cold.” Once you were seated at a comfortable table with ale and a hearty stew you finally felt warm again and you sighed happily.
“We could go to Kaer Morhen over the winter,” Geralt suddenly said and you stared at him with your mug almost to your lips and he chuckled at your bewildered expression. You obviously knew that the Witchers of the wolf school often wintered at the keep but you had never considered that Geralt would take you there. As soon as the shock had worn off you enthusiastically agreed and after a few days of stocking up on essentials you started the trek towards the Northern mountains. You were close to dozing off on Roach’s back when Geralt whistled and pointed at an impressive fortress in the distance. “Oh thank the gods, I thought I was going to freeze to death before we got there,” you whined and he haphazardly patted your leg in response. He knew that your body was not as accustomed to the cold as he was and while he outwardly mocked your complaints he was secretly relieved that the journey had come to an end. He wanted nothing more than to keep you warm and spend some quality time together over the winter.
You finally arrived at the massive gate and you were greeted by a Witcher with grey hair who introduced himself as Vesemir. You had heard a lot about him and you were pleased to finally meet Geralt’s mentor in person. “If I had known you would bring a guest, I’d have cleared up the fort better,” he grumbled but you were quick to assure him that you didn’t care and that you were grateful for the opportunity to stay at Kaer Morhen. He nodded and after setting Roach up in the stable he led you and Geralt to the main hall to meet the other two Witchers, Eskel and Lambert. Geralt introduced you to everyone and you suddenly felt small and awkward as their gaze inevitably fell on your pointed ears and you shifted uncomfortably. “This is probably the first time you didn’t bring a sorceress as your guest,” Lambert said in a mocking tone and you wondered about the hint of bitterness in his voice. “Shut up and behave yourself,” Geralt said in response and you felt touched by his protectiveness.
You gently took his hand and when he looked at you his expression instantly softened and you smiled at him. “Don’t worry, love, I think I can handle it.” A collective gasp echoed through the great hall and Geralt’s eyes were shining with unadulterated joy at your use of endearment. He couldn’t believe how lucky he had gotten and he could deal with his fellow Witchers’ teasing if it meant you would be there with him. He led you to the room he had previously shared with both Yennefer and Triss and he was glad to see that Vesemir had removed any personal effects either of them had left. You slumped onto the large bed and he immediately began making a fire to warm up the place. The journey had tired you out more than you had realised and you fell asleep without even taking off your coat or your shoes.
When you woke up the room was cosy and the flames were dancing in the fireplace. Geralt had been reading on one of the chairs but as soon as he noticed you were awake he came over to lie next to you on the bed. He had folded your cloak and put your shoes next to the fire to dry them and you felt a rush of affection wash over you at his obvious care for you. You pulled him closer to you until your face was only a few inches from his and he put his arm around you and started caressing your lower back. “Thank you for coming with me,” he murmured and you responded by kissing him on the nose. You nuzzled into his chest and his hand came up to gently stroke your hair and you sighed happily. “I would follow you anywhere,” you said quietly and you were certain his heartbeat increased slightly at your words. Geralt felt as if his chest was ready to burst from the love and affection he felt for you and he pulled back slightly to gaze into your bright eyes.
As if drawn together by magic both of you instantly moved closer and your lips met in a soft touch. He took your cheek in his large hand and changed the angle to deepen the kiss. You whined as his tongue begged for entrance and he made it his goal to draw more of those delightful noises out of you. Your tongues intertwined and you started moving more insistently against him. Your hand slid under his shirt and when you lightly dug your fingernails in his back he growled and moaned into your mouth. You were starting to feel too hot and slightly overwhelmed but you never wanted the sensation to end. His movements were urgent and you lost yourself in the feeling of his lips against yours and the way his tongue kept invading your mouth. Eventually you broke apart to breathe and you were proud to notice that even your Witcher had to inhale a bit faster than usual. You gently nibbled at his lower lip and a sound akin to a purr rumbled through his chest and you couldn’t help but smile widely at him.
Your stomach growled so loudly it startled you both and you laughed awkwardly. “Let’s get some food,” you begrudgingly announced and after a few more stolen kisses Geralt finally released you and you got up. He almost pouted at you and you lifted your hand to stroke a teasing thumb across his lips “There will be more time later.” After breakfast you spent most of the day exploring the fortress and Geralt told you all about raising Ciri and even a bit about his own training at Kaer Morhen. You soon realised that the Witchers mostly kept to themselves, either out hunting or repairing parts of the fort to withstand the biting cold. You enjoyed seeing the place where Geralt grew up but you could also feel the melancholy and sadness past experiences had etched into these old walls.
You fell asleep in your Witcher’s arms that night and you couldn’t remember ever feeling as safe and content as in that moment. When you opened your eyes the next day the bed next to you was empty and you got dressed in the quiet of the large stone room. The door opened and Geralt walked in, dressed in a light tunic and holding a tray of what appeared to be freshly baked bread rolls. Your eyes went wide as you inhaled the delicious smell and you were surprised to see a bashful smile on his face. “Did you make these?” you asked with a smile and when he grunted in affirmation you stood on your tiptoes to leave a light kiss on his cheek. He felt strangely vulnerable being seen doing something so domestic but the expression on your face was open and genuine and he started to relax.
You sat down on the bed and enjoyed the baked goods together with some dried meat and you were mesmerised by the soft look on Geralt’s face. “You know, I never baked anything in my life,” you admitted quietly and he took your hand in his to gently stroke your knuckles. “I could show you,” he responded and you immediately agreed, feeling excited about the prospect of learning something new together with your favourite person. Since you had spent most of your life on the road or in the woods you were a decent cook over an open fire but you never had access to a proper oven. You asked Geralt how he had started baking and he explained that it was a good way to pass the time in winter and Vesemir always insisted that warm bread could lift anyone’s spirit. You chuckled and leaned into his chest with a pleased sigh and he flung his arms around your body to hold you close. He couldn’t wait to introduce you to the nicer Kaer Morhen traditions and he was delighted to see you so eager.
“Vesemir is a wise man,” you said and Geralt responded with a rumbling laugh that made your heart flutter and your face heat up. He could feel the warmth of your cheek when he lifted his hand to tuck some stray hair behind your ear and he adored the way you looked up at him. Staying at the Witcher fortress had been a spur of the moment idea but he now congratulated himself on being a genius since having you here felt like everything was right with the world. You stayed in bed enjoying each other’s presence for a little while longer until you started feeling restless and you were itching for something to do. You tidied up the room a little bit before leaving hand in hand to see if there was any activity in the rest of the castle.
You found Eskel near the hearth in the main hall and when he told you that he was making potions you offered your assistance while Geralt left to clean up the kitchen. He wanted everything to be perfect for your first time so he insisted that he needed to take stock and create some space before you started baking. You prepared the herbs and you were able to impress Eskel with your in-depth knowledge of Witcher potions and ingredients. “When I started travelling with Geralt, I asked him to show me so I could make sure he always had enough for his contracts,” you told him and he nodded in understanding. He looked at the liquid brewing in the large pot before turning his attention to you again “I’ve never seen him like this, you know.” You threw him a questioning glance and a wide smile appeared on his scarred face.
“Geralt has always been a sourpuss and being involved with sorceresses certainly didn’t help. But now he’s practically a ball of sunshine,” he said with a wink and you felt warmth spread in your chest at the insinuation that you were part of this transformation. Geralt returned and you marvelled at the way his expression instantly softened when his gaze fell on you. “Thanks for the help,” Eskel exclaimed when you got up to follow your Witcher into the kitchen. You nodded and waved before grabbing Geralt’s hand and smiling up at him with barely contained excitement. He admired the way your eyes were sparkling and he hoped you would enjoy baking as much as he did. He found it relaxing and a good way of focusing the mind; it was similar to meditation and in the end one even had something delectable to show for it.
He led you to a large wooden counter and started mixing the ingredients together in a bowl. Once it all came together in a sticky mass he sprinkled flour on the surface and started carefully kneading the dough. “You need to work it,” he said and you stared at the confident way his hands were moving, getting only a little bit distracted by how strong they looked. You knew from experience that Geralt could easily pick you up without breaking a sweat and that his firm hands felt wonderful on your body and you shuddered at the thought. He turned to look at you and when you blushed brightly he shook his head and a grin appeared on his face. You wanted to give the kneading a go and Geralt decided to tease you a little and stood right behind and put his arms around you to reach your hands. His face was right next to your ear and you shivered when he whispered “Just follow my lead.”
You found it increasingly difficult to concentrate on handling the dough since you could feel his warm body behind you and his hands were touching your wrists as you moved. He knew exactly what he was doing to you and you could only imagine the satisfied grin on his face as he encouraged you to keep going. When he started leaving soft kisses all along your neck you couldn’t help but whine and lean into his not so innocent touch. “We will never finish the bread if you keep this up,” you scolded him and he laughed before taking a step back to allow you to breathe and collect your thoughts. Once the dough was ready you turned around with a triumphant smile and Geralt felt his heart flutter at the adorable look on your face. He spotted a bit of flour on your cheek and when he reached out to wipe it off you blushed instinctively and he couldn’t stop staring. You were so beautiful it almost took his breath away.
You were unable to resist him when he was looking at you like you were the moon in the sky and you reached up to press your lips to his. He responded instantly and lifted you up to sit on the table so your faces were at the same height. You gently tugged on his silver strands to deepen the kiss and when his tongue requested entry you parted your lips with a groan. His mouth was hot and insistent against yours and you felt the warmth of his hands seep into your lower back. Geralt revelled in your taste of fresh herbs and sweet milk and he tilted your head for even better access. He was licking into your mouth with determination and you wanted nothing more than to be consumed by his need and desire for you. You felt tingly all over your body and the need for air was competing with the urge to keep going forever.
He pulled back with a final lingering kiss that made your breath hitch and then he was gazing at your flushed face and heaving chest with a tender look in his eyes. You slid off the table to investigate the lonely ball of dough and Geralt took a moment to gather his thoughts before focusing on the matter at hand. He showed you how to cut the top of the loaf and put the bread in the oven after quickly adding more logs to the fire to ensure it was hot enough. Once it was done he carefully extracted it from the oven and proudly presented it to you on a wooden plate. “It looks great,” you laughed and poked the top to hear the crunching noise of the crust. Geralt shook his head at your playful demeanour and leaned in to leave a small peck on your forehead. You smiled up at him and declared “It’s great to do things with you that don’t involve danger or blood.” His laugh echoed through the kitchen and felt incredibly grateful for him taking you to Kaer Morhen for the winter.