Geralt didn't hear Jaskier shouting for him. Instead, he spent the next couple of minutes enjoying his scalding hot shower, blissfully unaware of the drama that was about to unfold.

It had been a long time since he'd slept with anyone, longer still since he'd met anyone that seemed to be as compatible with him in the bedroom. In a strange way, it made the evening all the more bittersweet: as much as he had enjoyed the sex—by god, had he enjoyed it—and as sweet as Jaskier was (well, maybe because of that), Geralt simply didn't have the time for a relationship. His hectic work schedule just didn't lend itself to the sort of domestic lifestyle that Yen and his other friends now had. He supposed that he could suggest something more casual, but he'd been burned before and knew himself too well now to follow that treacherous path again.

When he reentered the bedroom a few minutes later towelling his hair, the light had been switched on, and he found Jaskier sitting on the edge of the bed with the quilt pulled over his lap, looking sheepish. Geralt suppressed a smile. Honestly, Jaskier had just thoroughly shagged Geralt, and he still had that bashful look about him. It was kind of adorable.

"Bathroom's all yours if you need it," he said, tossing the damp towel to a washing basket in the corner of the room.

"Geralt…"

"Yes?" Jaskier worried his lip for a moment before holding out his hand. Geralt looked at what Jaskier was showing him and he froze. "What is that?"

"The condom," said Jaskier quietly. "It um...well, it looks like it broke."

Geralt's eyes widened with alarm. "Are you serious?"

"Believe me, this isn't something I'd joke about!" Jaskier cried, lowering his hand. "If it's any consolation, I was tested recently and got a clean bill of health. But um...urgh. Look, I hate to ask, but is there anything that I should know? Like, sexual health-wise where you're concerned?"

Geralt felt a stab of fear shoot through him then. Fuck. Fuck. Well, this was just typical, wasn't it? He'd only gone out for a night of fun, he did not have time to be dealing with this shit. At least Jaskier had been honest enough to inform him of what had happened—he knew a lot of guys wouldn't have done that. For that reason, he believed that Jaskier was being sincere about his sexual health status, but he'd still arrange an appointment for himself at the GUM clinic, just to be sure. However, that was the least of Geralt's worries— the fact that he was an Omega complicated matters somewhat...

"Geralt?" Jaskier repeated, his voice cracking. "Is there anything that I should know?"

Geralt's mind was racing—should he just tell Jaskier that he was an Omega? Based on the short time they'd known each other, he didn't seem like the type that would freak out over it. Not that Geralt's status should matter, but he knew from experience that prejudice against his kind was still rife. Oh god, what if he got pregnant?

Geralt shook his head clear. Stop it, he told himself. That's not going to happen. He'd go to the chemist first thing and get the morning-after pill. He looked at Jaskier, whose panicked expression made his gut twist with guilt. No, this wasn't a can of worms that he wanted to open, especially not with someone he was likely never to see again. He didn't see the point in making the poor guy worry about something that would probably come to nothing.

"No," he croaked. "I mean, it's been a couple of years since I last got checked, but you're the first person I've slept with since then."

Jaskier looked visibly relieved. "Wow, you had me worried there for a moment! Okay, that's good news. Obviously, the condom breaking is unfortunate, but if we're both okay, I guess no harm, no foul, eh?"

"Yeah," Geralt replied distractedly. "Are you wanting a shower before you go? I've got work first thing in the morning, so…"

"Oh." Disappointment flashed across Jaskier's face but he quickly replaced it with a smile. "Uh, yeah. If you don't mind?"

"Fresh towels are in there," said Geralt, turning his back on Jaskier to pull fresh clothes from his dresser. "Bathroom's first door on the left."

"Right. Thanks."

As Geralt pulled on his pyjamas, Jaskier quickly grabbed his clothes strewn across the floor and slunk out of the bedroom. Geralt retrieved his phone from his trouser pocket and saw that he had a couple of new messages from Yen waiting for him. The first one asked if he had gone home with his 'twink', and the second (Geralt couldn't help but grimace) jokingly reminded him to use protection. He sent a quick reply confirming that he had made it home in one piece and then arranged for an Uber to take Jaskier home before stuffing his phone into the pocket of his joggers. He knew Yen would be keen to hear the deets on Jaskier, but he wasn't in the mood to talk to her— or anyone else, for that matter. A few minutes later, Jaskier reappeared at the bedroom door, fully dressed with his chestnut locks still wet from the shower, slicked back and curling at the ends. Geralt couldn't help but think how much Jaskier suited his hair like that, but he quickly came back to his senses and cleared his throat.

"I called you an Uber," he said. "It'll be here in a couple of minutes."

"Alright." There was a long pause. "Um...how much do I owe you?"

"I'll pay for it," Geralt insisted. "It'll make up for the beer you bought me earlier tonight."

Jaskier fixed a tight smile across his face and nodded. God, Geralt always hated this part of the evening. The lead up to sex was fun— the flirting, the foreplay, the anticipation— and the sex itself had been spectacular, but afterwards...well, reality always came crashing back down and everything was just so awkward. It was better just to rip off the proverbial band-aid and send the guy packing before things got too weird. Geralt walked Jaskier to the front door but as Jaskier exited the flat, he lingered in the corridor.

"I uh...I just wanted to say that I had a great time tonight."

"Yeah, me too," said Geralt sincerely. He really had. Right up until the mishap. "Maybe I'll see you around."

Jaskier perked up then. "Yeah, I'd like that. Um, should we swap numbers then?"

Geralt sighed. "Yeah, sure."

He pulled his phone out of his joggers and handed it over. Jaskier typed in his number and pressed dial, let his phone ring once before hanging up again. He handed Geralt's phone back with a big smile on his face.

"Cool. Well, it was really great meeting you."

"Yeah, you too. Have a safe journey home."

"You too. I mean," Jaskier blushed furiously and rolled his eyes. "Obviously, you're already home. I just meant— I'm talking too much, aren't I?"

Another smile teased Geralt's lips. Goddamn, this guy was adorable. "You're going to miss your ride."

Jaskier nodded. "Right. I'm going to go now, so...bye."

He gave a small wave goodbye and strode towards the lift with a definite spring in his step. Geralt watched him enter the lift and disappear from sight before closing the front door and thudding his head against it. He was definitely getting too old for this shit.

Half an hour later, Jaskier was in his own bed chatting to Triss on the phone about his night with Geralt. As effective as her choice of clothing had been, it wasn't the most comfortable attire and he was glad to be back in his oversized hoodie and thermal leggings.

"How big?" Triss asked.

"Huge," Jaskier assured her. "Honestly, it was bigger than my flat and yours combined."

"Urgh, you lucky sod," she groaned. "He must be absolutely minted, then. Did you find out what he does for a living?"

When Jaskier thought of Geralt, he couldn't help but smile so broadly that it hurt his cheeks. "Well, we didn't really get much of a chance to talk, if I'm honest."

Triss laughed and let out a triumphant cheer. "Didn't I tell you? It was that shirt! It totally worked its magic."

"Oh yeah, it was all the shirt," he replied sarcastically. "It had absolutely nothing to do with me and my irresistible personality."

Triss hummed thoughtfully for a moment before replying lightly, "Nope! It was definitely the shirt."

Jaskier rolled his eyes. "We'll agree to disagree on that. Okay, I'll concede that it may have been partly responsible for how successful my night was. But the rest of it was all me."

"Sounds to me like you had a great time," said Triss fondly. "I'm glad. You deserved a night of fun! It's been long overdue."

"Yeah, thanks for dragging my sorry arse out of the door tonight. I do feel a lot better now."

"A good shag will do that," she chuckled. "So, you and Geralt, I have to ask— was it a one-time thing, or do you think you'll see him again?"

Jaskier hesitated. He couldn't ignore how off Geralt had been with him afterwards and how he couldn't get Jaskier out of the flat quick enough. After what had been an almost perfect evening, it felt like someone had thrown a cold bucket of water over him. "I'm not sure. I mean, I'd like to."

"Did you swap numbers?"

"Yeah."

"Well, that's a good sign!" said Triss enthusiastically. "Have you texted him yet?"

Jaskier pulled a face. "No! Why? Do you think I should?"

"I would!"

Jaskier wasn't so sure that was a good idea. "I dunno. I don't want to come across as too clingy…"

"Did you at least text him to let him know that you got home safely?" she asked.

"Well, no…"

"There's your in," she declared. "If I were you, I'd send him a casual text just to say that you made it home safe and thank him again for a good night. I don't think that comes across as too clingy, you're simply keeping him informed."

"Hmm, I suppose so."

Sensing his wariness, Triss continued, "You put your trust in me with your wardrobe this evening, and it paid off, didn't it? Well, trust me with this. Go on, what's the worst that could happen?"

"That I scare him off and he never messages me back," said Jaskier.

"Well, if he's scared off by a little text message, then he clearly wasn't that brilliant to begin with," she argued. "Now, if we're done talking about your night of wild and passionate sex, I need to tell you about my evening with Vara!"

Jaskier smiled and settled himself back into a more comfortable position to listen to Triss's exploits. By the sounds of it, she'd had as good a night as Jaskier had, only she and Vara had already agreed to meet up again next weekend for a 'proper' date. He and Triss chatted for another hour and arranged to catch up for lunch in a couple of days' time before they decided to call it a night. Jaskier tucked his phone under his pillow and closed his eyes only to grab it again a minute later. He stared at the blank screen, wondering if he should take Triss's advice and send Geralt a text. He hadn't planned on doing it, but Triss had provided a persuasive argument: what was the harm in letting Geralt know that he'd gotten home safely? If that scared him off, then evidently he'd never had any intention of calling Jaskier back anyway.

Screw it, he thought to himself and began to type a quick text message:

Hi, just wanted to let you know that I got home safely. Thanks again for a great night. Hopefully, we can do it again soon. Jaskier x

Jaskier read the message over again a couple of times and hit send before his courage failed him. He stuffed his phone back under his pillow and tucked the quilt under his chin, his heart pounding. He didn't really expect Geralt to message him back tonight since it was late and he had said that he was up early in the morning for work. Still, he wasn't going to smother that inkling of hope that bloomed in the centre of his chest when he thought of Geralt. Fingers crossed that come morning, an unread text message would be waiting for him.