Chapter Text
By the gods, the stars and the sun above Jaskier had never seen such a handsome man! Platinum hair half up-half down, the length falling to brush the man's impressively broad shoulders. Sweet Melitele what he wouldn’t give to pull that hair or mark those shoulders as he- no, this is not the time for those thoughts. It was 8 o’clock in the morning! He was waiting for the same train as every other morning for the past 3 years, on his way to teach at the prestigious Oxenfurt University, whereas the delicious stranger was waiting mysteriously-sexily- no stoically on the opposite platform.
Where had he come from? If he had been here before Jaskier would have definitely noticed - those thick downturned eyebrows and golden irises alone would have sent his heart (and libido) into overdrive, nevermind the rest of his obscenely song-worthy physique. The man could surely lift him one-handed with no more difficulty than picking up a bottle of water. Oh no, this train of thought was not helping to calm him down, his panic must have shown on his face as he turned to face the opposite direction from the specimen of human perfection as the woman stood not far behind him startled and whispered a quick, “Are you alright sir? You seem quite red, do you need to sit down?”
His voice came out much higher and thinner than its usual melodic quality, “No-no-no, I’m um quite alright thank you dear, just um warm.” He nodded to himself and set his face in a brittle smile as he reiterated, “yes just warm, the weather has been unseasonably so don’t you think?” Her face became more obviously concerned as she processed his words and looked around to confirm that she was far from the only person wearing a long quilted coat, with a hat and gloves to match.
“Sir, I really think maybe you should have a seat, I can try to find a staff member to help if you’re feeling unwell, I can be discreet if you’re embarrassed too.” She nodded as she gently took him by the elbow and led him to a nearby bench - coincidently the one directly opposite the adonis, who was scrolling through his phone, allowing strands of his hair to fall around his face. At such a sight Jaskier nearly swooned and his legs buckled as he reached the bench. His companion’s expression morphed into alarm as she felt his weight drop onto the cold, worn bench. “Oh my! I’m getting help,” she quickly turned and asked the surrounding people he hadn’t noticed gathering around him, “is anyone here a doctor or nurse?”.
A young girl with blonde hair steps forward and confidently assures her, “I’m a nurse, let me treat him” Fuck! This can’t be happening, what is he going to do? What does he say when she asks him how he’s feeling? Fine, except I’m now incredibly horny thanks to that greek statue of human perfection on the platform opposite- who is now looking over at the commotion-AT HIM! FUCK! “-ir? Sir? My name is Cirilla, can you hear me? Are you in any pain?” Her tone was completely professional as she rested a hand on his shoulder and attempted to make eye contact with him.
Unfortunately for her as soon as he had seen the reason for his sudden ailment turn his way he had dropped his eyes to the ground and head into his hands as he groaned aloud. “Fuck, this is so embarrassing. He’s so hot I’m gonna die!” He whined quietly to himself, thankful that only he could hear it.
Until he heard a snort to his right, his head whipped round so quickly he expected it to swivel right off his shoulders, but no - instead he made eye contact with the blonde nurse to his left. Her professionally concerned expression had cracked as she began to giggle quietly at him. “Why don’t we go to the coffee shop over there and discuss your… condition and its cause?” Leaving him no room to argue, she put her arm around his shoulder and led him to the door, not before reassuring the rest of the platform that his blood sugar had simply dropped and she was taking him to get a drink and some food. What was it with women dragging him around this morning?
It was an awkwardly silent walk to the closest table after an equally awkward wait in line for their breakfast. “So…” Jaskier began, not sure where he was going with it.
At that her shoulders began to shake as she started giggling uncontrollably, “Oh-oh my” her laugh was very pleasant, like the tinkling of small bells “You-you-you swooned in public at a-a hot guy!” She managed to squeeze out between her clearly witch-like cackles - bells were for lovely people - she was a witch! His face began to heat all over again, he’s sure he could feel steam rising from his scalp as his mouth flopped open and closed like fish.
“What are you talking about? Honestly I’ve never heard something so ridiculous, I absolutely was not swooning! I was-was-was, shit I was swooning” he finally cringed resolutely, fixing his eyes on the menu board behind her. “In my defence, he was without doubt the most beautiful man I have ever seen! That hair, those eyes, that body! And don’t even get me started on that grumpy face he was pulling - I never stood a chance!” he finished with a cry, waving his hands around to emphasise his exclamation. “And-and-and I’ve never seen him before, so how could I have possibly prepared myself for such a sight at this time in the morning! I mean really, I should be claiming compensation from him for nearly melting me into a mushy puddle of madness!” Clearly the witch had a heart as her cackles began to subside, fading into a soft smile as she gazed at him as though lost in thought.
After a while of feeling like a puppy getting cooed at he cleared his throat, thankfully pulling her back. “Well, Mr…?” She trailed off in question.
“Oh, how rude of me! Professor Julien Pankratz of Oxenfurt University at your service Miss Cirilla. But please just call me Jaskier, especially considering our unique meeting.” He finished with a flourish of his left hand, very nearly knocking over his cooling hot chocolate with extra cream, as his voice faded towards the end.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you Jaskier, I’m Cirilla Rivia of Kaer Morhen Hospital” Her smile was sweet and she reminded him so much of his dear younger sister Essi, they must be about the same age. “I can’t blame you for reacting to a handsome man, but please do try to be careful not to react so obviously in public, not everyone will be so unobservant as those people were today.” Her words were interrupted by her chuckle as she raised an eyebrow as though she was giving advice to a teenager experiencing their first love.
Well, that just would not do, to have her thinking he was swooning left and right at every handsome face he came across. He was Jaskier Pankratz! Famous in his university days as the sluttiest, most talented bed partner in the entirety of the Arts and Humanities departments. “Please believe me my dear, such a reaction has not occurred since I was a teenager! I’d be embarrassed if I wasn’t so sure it was all that man’s fault, really it should be illegal to be that beautiful. And that’s coming from me!” She was beginning to giggle again, which made his chest feel warm and brought a genuine smile to his face. “Thank you dear one, for all of your help today, and your um discretion, but I really must be off. If I miss the next train I’ll be late for class and my students will be positively furious at their favourite professor, which cannot happen.” He shot a quick wink her way, then turned from his seat and strode back towards the platform where his train was pulling in.
Completely packed.
Of course it was, he usually tried to catch the 08:15 for that exact reason. Oh well, he was feeling good after seeing a handsome face and meeting a positively lovely new person. Not even being packed into the carriage like a sardine for the next half an hour could keep the soft smile from his face, nor the humming from escaping his lips.