It was...unexpected would be putting it gently.
The whole winter had been unexpected and out of their control, why they hadn't expected something like this to happen Geralt had no idea, going by their past and their luck, not to mention the fact that Jaskier seemed determined to break down the rules of humans and Witchers utterly and completely, blowing them apart harder than a grapeshot would do.
The winter had started with Geralt being badly injured and taking three weeks to recoup, Jaskier had been frantic with worry, but he had made sure that Geralt was looked after, bartering heavily with the innkeeper to allow Geralt and he to stay in the inn while Geralt healed, the dislike of Witchers meaning that the owner had not been eager for the Witcher to stay for any length of time in his inn, even if it was The White Wolf who had saved the towns hides by killing the vampire that had been making his way through them all.
Jaskier had danced and sung his arse off for the innkeeper to keep half his earnings, burning through the rest and their savings to pay for the herbs and potions that Geralt needed to heal, and small things like bandages, food and water. By the time Geralt had been fit enough for them to leave the inn and for them to retreat to the far cheaper option of the forest nearby, they had been faced with the fact that they were nearly into the proper onset of winter and had very little money.
They definitely did not have enough money for Jaskier to make it anywhere where he could earn a living over the winter to be able to eat and have shelter, they were in the arse end of nowhere, without the funds to travel by coach the snow and ice would have well and truly set in by the time he would make it to any type of court to perform in, and there was no guarantee that they would take him on.
Geralt could allow Jaskier to go wandering off on his own in the hope that the Omega would find somewhere for the winter, especially not when the reason he was in so much trouble was because he had spent everything on keeping Geralt alive. It had been a no brainer to suggest Jaskier come to Kaer Morhen with him, they were closer to it anyway, and Geralt was feeling frayed as it was with how vulnerable they both had been for so long.
Jaskier had been excited at the thought of seeing where Geralt had grown up and meeting the other Wolves of Kaer Morhen, and aside from clearly being uncertain of his welcome, which Geralt had assured him off, he had quickly agreed.
Vesemir, Eskel and Lambert had been surprised by the human addition to their winter, and they had been amusingly baffled by the fact that the human among them hadn't been scared or wary of them, and had actually been excited to meet them, and wanted to get to know them. Geralt had been highly amused watching his mentor and brothers not know what to do with the brightly dressed, enthusiastic, friendly bard, and he had planned on enjoying that amusement for most of the winter.
They were settling into the depths of winter now, and the four Witchers had headed out to do the last spot of hunting for their stores before the snow fully encased them into the old fortress. Jaskier had waved them off cheerfully the day before, promising to have all the fireplaces cleaned out and replenished in the main living areas for their return.
When they had come back and had not heard Jaskier moving around and found only half the fireplaces done, Geralt had gone into defensive mode right away, growling at Lambert's suggestion that the 'wishy-washy bard has gotten bored'. Jaskier could seem laid back and flighty, but if he said he would do something, he did it, especially right now with his eagerness to impress Geralt's 'family' he would not half do a job.
"Where have the rugs gone?" Eskel asked baffled, pointing to the fireplace they tended to spend the evening around, and sure enough, the three heavy rugs were missing.
"What about...the laundry is missing...no Geralt's laundry is missing," Vesemir frowned.
"What is that smell?" Geralt asked scenting the air heavily as the scent fluttered down to him, down from upstairs and there was...something...familiar…
"Geralt!" Lambert called as Geralt took off up the stairs like a wyvern was behind him. The others followed him, and he was absently aware of their feet racing behind him, and their confused calls for him, but he was focussed on one thing, and one thing only. He raced towards his own bedroom, his heart thundering in his chest as the scent that he was following got stronger and stronger.
Skidding to a halt in the doorway to his bedroom he found his missing Bard, curled up in the middle of Geralt's bedroom floor with the bedding from the room that he had been using, and Geralt's bedding, a mix of their clothing, the rugs from downstairs, some cushions, and some nice blankets in a nest lay Jaskier, curled up on himself, covered with his blankets and shivering slightly.
"He's gone into heat!" Eskel squeaked, skidding to a halt and staggering backwards when Geralt barred his teeth at him, holding his hands up quickly.
"Omegas are only meant to go into heat where they feel safe though!" Lambert protested.
"Idiot," Vesemir huffed smacking Lambert around the head before quickly yanking him backwards when Geralt snarled even louder, hunkering down as his Alpha rumbled at how close they were to his exceedingly vulnerable Bard.
"He feels safe with Geralt, and this is Geralt's home," Eskel realised.
"This is probably one of the safest places in his mind," Vesemir nodded before levelling a serious look at Geralt. "I need you to calm down and listen to me now Geralt!" Vesemir said in a tone he only ever used in the most life and death of situations. As he hoped Geralt hesitated for a second, before straightening from the slight crouch that he had fallen into, the snarl dropping from his face as he looked at them. He was calm enough that Vesemir risked taking a step closer, and then another, though he kept his movement slow, and kept his hands up.
"Vesemir," Geralt grumbled.
"Enough Pup, I am no danger to your Bard!" Vesemir said sharply. "But we need to talk and talk quickly. Your Bard has gone into heat, that only happens when an Omega feels safe, and in an area where there is an Alpha that they want,"
"Dear Melitele," Lambert rolled his eyes when Geralt glared at him and Eskel.
"Use that brain cell you have Geralt, he's in your bedroom, and it smells like he has rolled around in all your clothes and blankets," Eskel snorted amused.
"It is you Wolf that he wants, you need to think about this seriously, you either sit outside this room, guard him and make it clear that this is platonic, or you go in there, look after that Omega, but you dedicate yourself to him!" Vesemir warned.
"Why wouldn't I…" Geralt said absently drifting towards the room and the heavenly scent. He snarled when Vesemir grabbed his arm, flashing his teeth at his mentor who just looked back at him unimpressed.
"You have to make a choice between him and that Witch of yours Geralt, you can't go in there and spend his heat with him, and then go back to being at the beck and call of that Witch when she snaps her fingers,"
"I.." Geralt frowned confused.
"You go back to that omega smelling of sex and the witch and you're going to drive him over the edge of a cliff. It seems as though you are finally going to have to make a choice between the two of them and make sure that it is a choice that you can stick to Geralt, he can survive this alone, he won't survive smelling the Witch's sex all over you if you spend his heat with him," Vesemir warned.
"I...I know," Geralt grit out.
"I would choose the Bard if I were you," Lambert called over his shoulder as he started making his way down the hallway. "I will go gather some food and drink together for whatever happens," he added, giving himself away.
"We will support whatever choice you make Geralt. I will go help him," Eskel smiled, daring to reach out and pat his much calmer brother, though he did hurry away chuckling at the growl that Geralt let out when he could not help but sneak a glance of the Omega sleeping in his nest.
"He is right," Vesemir nodded.
"What choice would you make?" Geralt asked glancing back to Jaskier, who was thankfully fast asleep.
"I can not answer that for you, you know the right choice for yourself. Choose what will make you happiest," Vesemir shugged. "We will leave the food just down the hall for you,"
Geralt sat down in his doorway, absently listening to make sure that his mentor retreated all the way down the stairs, making sure that Jaskier was safe despite trusting the three Witchers in this fortress utterly before he turned his attention to the Omega wrapped in the nest that he had created while they had been gone.
There was a faint scent of fear and worry, despair in the room from Jaskier, and Geralt had no doubt that it was from his worrying about Geralt was going to react to coming back and finding him nesting in his bedroom in a mix of their things. Whatever happened, whatever choice Geralt made, this was going to change things between the two of them.
But when it came down to it, it wasn't really a choice. He stood and stepped into the room, closing the door behind him before quickly stripping off his outerwear and kicking off his boots, rubbing his hands to try and warm his hands up from the cold outside. What choice was there when he had his gorgeous, sweet Omega Bard curled up in the nest that he had created in Geralt's room, gone into heat because he trusted and loved Geralt enough to trigger his winter heat when it only happened when an Omega felt truly safe and content. When they were around an Alpha that they truly wanted.
Geralt was fairly sure that Jaskier was one of the few, very few, Omega's that had gone into heat for a Witcher.
Jaskier jerked a little at Geralt's touch to his cheek, his blue eyes opening to blink rapidly at Geralt as he tried to clear through his heat haze. He sniffed deeply, recognising Geralt more by his scent than the sight of him.
"Geralt!" He gasped sitting up quickly. The Witcher steadied him with a hand on his back when he swayed a little with the heat going through his system, propping him up carefully.
"May I enter your nest Little Bard," Geralt crooned in his deep, gravelly voice that had Jaskier shivering.
"Geralt...you need to...I can't….if you don't…" Jaskier panted licking his lips.
"I know, I want to be with you. Just you," Geralt was not one for words, no matter how much he wished that he could be right now.
"Just me?" Jaskier licked his lips.
"Just you, only you, my Omega, are you my Omega?" Geralt growled.
"Yours...please Geralt," Jaskier whined reaching out to tug at his top to pull him into the nest. As soon as Jaskier tugged him he was crawling into the nest, nosing into his Omega's neck, panting heavily as the already delicious scent of Jaskier was sweetened by the musk of his heat.
"Yes, mine," Geralt growled pulling back to scatter kisses over Jaskier's face, his hands cupping the Omega's hips with just enough strength to make him groan. He looked around the nest, taking in all the clothing that they had placed within the nest except for what they were wearing, the comfy bedding, the pillows, the rugs from around the fortress that lined it. Then the realisation struck him.
"Geralt?" Jaskier asked nervously, looking up at him with wide blue eyes that were obviously worried.
"Such a perfect nest, you made it perfect for us, perfect Omega, perfect," Geralt rumbled out, watching delightedly as Jaskier glowed under his words, preening. And Geralt couldn't help but preen back, the realisation of the fact that Jaskier had made this nest for them, that he had chosen him, going into heat for him, that this was for him went through him like a blast of heat, warming the chill that had always been like shards in his heart, the chill that Jaskier had slowly been working away at since they had met for the first time. "Need to make it safe, need to make us ready," Geralt managed to rumble out, the Alpha in him coming to the surface, his never before used instincts flaring alive within him.
"Ok," Jaskier settled back contentedly to watch Geralt, happy that his Alpha was taking up his part of this moment. Geralt stood and poked his head out the doorway to find the promised food and drink waiting for them halfway down the hallway, sniffing heavily he made sure that no one was around before racing down the hallway to gather everything together.
When he stepped back into the room Jaskier was sitting in the nest watching with warm happiness as Geralt stepped back into the room, closing and locking the door behind himself. He stashed the food away in safe places around the room that wouldn't get too warm, or wouldn't get knocked over, and then set his blades around the nest in areas that would be within reach to allow him to protect them if they came under threat. He placed his potions within reach, and only once he had finished a patrol around the room, making sure that it was secure for them did he return to Jaskier, who welcomed him with open arms and a content coo.
"Such a good Alpha," Jaskier cooed happily as Geralt crawled into the middle of the nest, closed his arms around Jaskier and buried his face into his neck, sucking in deep breaths of the delicious scent that Jaskier was giving off, the delicious normal scent that he gave off, just sweetened and honeyed with the smell of his heat.
"How long Jaskier, how long have you…" Geralt started to say before cutting himself off when Jaskier's scent was tinted with fear and sorrow. "I am sorry, I am sorry that I made you think that I didn't see you. I thought...I thought you were too good for me and would never want me the way that...the way that I wanted you," Geralt stammered out.
"I have wanted you for so long," Jaskier rubbed his face into the Witcher's chest, trembling slightly in his arms.
"I am sorry, so sorry, I want you so bad, just you," Geralt promised.
"Just me?" Jaskier looked up at him with hopeful blue eyes.
"Just you, from now on, just you and me, no one else, for either of us, I couldn't bear that," Geralt growled lowly.
"Just you and me," Jaskier tilted his head back, and Geralt followed his silent request, leaning down and kissing him, sealing the promise between the two of them. Geralt held him closer as the kiss rapidly turned hungry, the two of them grasping onto each other as they tried to make up for the lost time between them in the kiss, hands stroking over each other's bodies in a desperate motion, familiarising themselves in a whole different way with a body that they already knew as well as their own.
But this was completely different, and Jaskier felt in a way that he was feeling scars for the first time as he slid his hand under Geralt's shirt and stroked his hand down his back, his fingers following claw marks and bite marks, blade marks and burns that covered Geralt's skin as proof of the man that he was and life that he had led, the things that he had suffered. Jaskier hoped that his touch would be able to heal the scars that he couldn't feel, that his love would be able to heal those that were engraved into Geralt's heart.
Geralt slid his hands under Jaskier's loose shirt and slid it upward, guiding it up and over his dark head, leaning down to press his lips to Jaskier's chest, licking and nipping over his shoulders and neck leaving behind his marks on his pale skin. He nibbled teasingly on Jaskier's earlobe, stroking his hand down Jaskier's back to his slender hips, digging his fingers into his muscles in just the right way to have Jaskier trembling in his arms, the smell of slick and heat filling the air between them.
The noises that Jaskier and Geralt let out when their naked skin pressed together for the first time filled the room, and Geralt absently thought that it would probably be heard downstairs by the others, but he didn't care right now, all he could focus on was the feeling of Jaskier's naked hips pressed to his, the sounds of his pleasure as they rocked gently against each other, arousal rising higher and higher between them as they panted into each other's mouths.
The White-haired Witcher stroked his hand along his lover's thigh, slowly and teasingly, appreciating the feel of the pale skin, soft as silk under his sword calloused hand, sliding his hand down to where he longed to be, where he had longed to be for so long.
Jaskier gasped as Geralt's fingers found his slicked entrance, dipping in testingly and teasingly, groaning when he found Jaskier wet, hot and ready for him.
"Don't tease please, Geralt, please, I've wanted you so long, please, inside me," Jaskier begged licking his lips, wiggling against him as he wrapped his legs around Geralt's waist.
"I dreamed about taking my time with you, taking you slowly, taking you apart," Geralt said with some regret in his voice.
"You can still take me apart, and we have time for you to take me slowly, we have time to make love in every way that we have imagined, I know that I have at least 50 different ways I have imagined making love," Jaskier smiled cupping his Witcher's face, the heat of the moment eased a little with the honesty shining his Geralt's golden eyes.
"50 huh?" Geralt smiled leaning down to kiss Jaskier deeply.
"At least," Jaskier nodded wrapping his arms around Geralt's shoulders and tugging him back down for another kiss that became rapidly heated again, their tongues battling with each other, heat sizzling between them. The two of them groaned into each other when Geralt's rock hard erection brushed against Jaskier's slick entrance. Instinct took over and the Alpha thrust his hips forward, the two of them again making noises of pleasure into each other's mouths when the head of his erection pressed into Jaskier.
The Omega wrapped his legs around his Alpha's waist and tugged him forward, pulling their mouths apart as he tilted his head back in delighted pleasure as Geralt pressed even deeper into him. The scent of pleased, aroused Omega filled Geralt's senses, and the heat of him wrapping around Geralt's sensitive erection, the tightness of him, all of it washed over his senses, and slowly but firmly he pressed himself deeply into Jaskier's body.
The noise that Jaskier made when Geralt was finally fully inside of him made Geralt feel proud, his chest would have puffed up if he hadn't known Jaskier would tease him about it later. Jaskier's clever, nimble fingers reached out to stroke over his chest and stomach, fingers following the lines of his scars as the Alpha waited for Jaskier to adjust around him, not that that was long, quickly enough Jaskier was squirming on his cock, making pleading coos that were pure animal instinct, and got exactly what they were looking for.
Geralt started moving his hips right away, thrusting into Jaskier in slow, deep movements, building up until he was thrusting into Jaskier's at a pace that only a Witcher Alpha could give him, the sounds of their pleasure filled the room and drove Geralt on, even more, the scent of Jaskier's arousal and slick filled his senses and he was sure that he would never smell anything better, and he wanted to smell it a million times and more, he wanted to make love to Jaskier a million times and more.
"Yes, yes yes," Jaskier whined when he felt Geralt's knot pressing against his entrance.
"Are you sure? Are you sure Jaskier?" Geralt grit his teeth as he carried on thrusting into the beautiful body underneath him.
"Yes, want it please, Geralt," Jaskier panted. "Not like I am going to get pregnant," He added with a hopeful grin.
"Want to though, want to fill you with my pups," Geralt blurted out before he could stop himself, instincts burning through him like fire for the man underneath him, his Alpha mind overwhelming him, for the first time in his life losing the cast-iron control that he had on that part of himself, for the first time in his life wishing that he could give Jaskier pups, that he could see him heavy with his children, that he could see children that were a mix of him and Jaskier.
The noise that Jaskier made seemed to come from his gut, arching into Geralt and actually thrusting himself down onto Geralt's half inflated knot. After that there was no more thought, Geralt thrust into Jaskier a few more times, pressing his knot into him and pulling it back out, enjoying the pleasured whining that his Omega was letting out until finally, he could feel that it was going to reach a point that he wouldn't be able to press himself back in.
Jaskier wailed throwing his head back when Geralt thrust into him and sealed them together, coming apart on Geralt's knot, the Alpha following not far behind, grinding himself up into Jaskier as he pressed their chests together, burying his face into his Omega's shoulder, sucking deep breaths in to take in that perfect scent.
"Well that was unexpected," Jaskier said softly, his voice a little hoarse from the 24 hours of lovemaking between naps to refrain their energy, they were lying in the middle of Jaskier's nest which was more than a little gross by now from the last 24 hours, they were pressed tightly together with Geralt holding Jaskier close, the fire that Geralt had managed to have a mind to keep going for Jaskier keeping them warm despite their nakedness.
"Hmm, in a good way," Geralt cracked a golden eye open at the scent of Jaskier's nerves filling the room and the slight tenseness in his muscles. At Geralt's words though he relaxed against his Alpha's chest, making mindless patterns on his scarred chest as he clearly thought things through.
"I didn't think you wanted me like this, you have never given me any indication that it is what you wanted," Jaskier admitted, biting his lip once he was done. Geralt reached up with a slightly aching arm from all their...activity, to tug the already abused lip from between his teeth.
"I did, I just thought that you wouldn't really want me this way. I worried about losing you," Geralt frowned to himself, trying to get his thoughts in order. "I felt...lucky to have you in my life, in any way, as my friend, I was scared of frightening you off,"
"I want you to be my Alpha," Jaskier said and chuckled at the punched out noise that Geralt made under him, his arms tightening automatically around him, hugging him closer to his bare chest.
"I want to be the Alpha you deserve, I don't know if I can be that," Geralt frowned up at the ceiling.
"You are the Alpha I want, that is all that matters Geralt, and I know that you are the Alpha for me, I have known that for years," Jaskier rolled tiredly on top of Geralt, nosing his throat and breathing in the scent of the man that he… "I love you,"
"I love you too," Geralt wrapped his arms around Jaskier, shock echoing through him at hearing those words from the Omega.
"Then that is all that matters," Jaskier sighed happily.
"Is it really that easy?" Geralt wondered grabbing a cleanish blanket and threw it over the two of them.
"Of course it is," Jaskier chuckled.
"But…"
"That simple," Jaskier chided poking Geralt in the side.
"Ok," Geralt smiled a little wrapping his arms firmly around Jaskier and settled down to sleep, both of them utterly exhausted.