Mae govannen!
I apologise for the shortness of this chapter, but longer ones will come! I promise!
I hope whoever is taking the time to read this is enjoying it ;) I won't blab on too much- so without further ado:
again: WARNING: do not read if you don't ship Geralt and Jaskier! There will be plenty more Witcher fanfictions coming from my pen- this is just the way this one decided to go ;)
Disclaimer: i own nothing of this universe!
And please reveiw!
enjoy! ;)
"So- are we using the good stuff?"
Jaskier turned to see Essi holding up a bottle of wine, a glint of mischief in her eye. Her long hair was done up in a ponytail, the dark gold curls struggling to escape. As usual, a rogue curl hung down over her one eye- a jewel of rich sapphire.
"Dream on, poppet," he replied with scorn. She grinned and replaced the bottle in the wine cabinet. "You're no fun."
"Tell you what; one day we can have a party to ourselves and then we can use the good stuff."
"Deal."
Jaskier went back to shaking the punch jar, trying to get it all combined. He was unprepared for Essi to suddenly say,
"Soooooooo..."
Instantly on alert, Jaskier pretended not to have heard her. He knew what was coming. It had been hovering between them for the better part of two hours. Though he dreaded the final result, he knew he couldn't escape it for much longer. So it was with a heavy sigh that he turned to face his friend, the bottle forgotten on the sideboard.
"When do i get to meet Geralt?"
"He said he would be coming." Jaskier ascended a wobbly old stool to better attach a bunting to the kitchen doorway. "So, when everyone else gets here, i suppose."
"Does he know?"
"Does he know...? Fuck, NO! Essi! I swear to god- if you say anything to him-"
She was laughing. "Jaskier, relax. I won't."
Relief struck Jaskier like a bolt of rogue lightning. If it had been anyone apart from Essi Daven...he would have been doomed. "Thank you." His voice came out slightly hoarse.
"Say no more about it." She fetched another bunting. "I still want to meet him though."
With that out of the way, it didn't take much longer before the house was looking exceedingly festive, and Jaskier gave a satisfied nod. "Perfect."
Essi giggled. "You have glitter on your face, Jask."
Did he? Damn...the last thing he wanted was to look like a fairy had thrown up on him...he would never hear the end of it. "How bad?"
Essi snagged a damp dishcloth and dabbed at his face. "Not that bad. I mean, it's pink...but..." She grinned at his scowl. "Calm down, i can fix it."
It took a moment to persuade the glitter to come away from his skin, but soon the cloth was sparkling with little motes of pink. Essi studied it with curiosity before throwing it into the sink.
Jaskier refrained from complaining that the last thing the dished needed was pink sparkles in the soap. There were more important things to do- like getting the ale keg and wine bottles set up along with the punch. In the end, they decided to turn the kitchen countertop into a home bar. Essi claimed the novelty of bartender, seeing as she shook drinks down at the waterfront tavern. Jaskier didn't argue. An artist was an artist: no matter their niche.
He cast a glance at the clock and groaned. An hour to go, and they still had so much still to do... Fuck it, he thought in resignation. We need help. "Poppit, we need more people."
"Oh really?" She sounded sarcastic, stretching up to hang a bunting over the fan.
There was really only one person that Jaskier could think to call- he needed strength to set up the canopy outside in the garden. With a sigh, he rung Geralt.
It rang for nearly five minutes, before the bass rumble came over the phone,
"Hello?"
"Hellllllooooooooo..." Jaskier sighed again. "Um...are you able to come now? Or is it too early?"
A rough chuckle. "What shit did you pull now, Jaskier?"
"Essi and I can't get it all done in time. We need help. Please?"
"Alright. No need to whine. Give me ten minutes and i'll be there."
Jaskier groaned in relief. "Thank you."
The call disconnected, and he let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. Oh, he had it bad. Ignoring Essi's eyebrow that was skyrocketing, he merely hit play on his favorite music playlist. Ironically, the first sone on was Just Give Me a Chance by Rosewater Murder.
...Geralt's damn ringtone, on Jaskier's damn phone...
i can see that look in your eyes,
You know i have it too.
Come close to me baby,
let me show you what to do.
I can hear it in your sigh,
You think i'll let you down.
Close your eyes and relax,
Wipe away that frown.
I know you can't really trust me,
Perhaps i can't trust you.
But your arms around me, darling,
Tell me that you do.
So come closer to me,
We'll create our own dance.
Skin to skin with the candles lit,
Baby, just give me a chance.
I have thorns like a rose,
You, the heat of a fire.
My petals are flammable,
Our love becoming dire.
Breathe as i breathe,
Kiss me so warm,
Take my love and fear,
And see through this morn.
I know you can't really trust me,
Perhaps i can't trust you.
But your arms around me, darling,
Tell me that you do.
So come closer to me,
We'll create our own dance.
Skin to skin with the candles lit,
Baby, just give me a chance.
It was Essi who bellowed to Jaskier when the doorbell rang. He turned the music down and checked his face in the hall mirror as he scrambled for the door. No glitter. Thank god. He was in such a hurry, that he had to struggle with the latch for what seemed an eternity before the stubborn bastard finally gave and swung open.
Geralt looked the same as ever- clad in black, silver-studded leather and sturdy boots. His white hair was up in a bun, though. That was new. There was laughter in his golden eyes as he saw the panic in Jaskier's forget-me-not blue ones.
"Running a bit behind schedule, are we?"
Jaskier gave him a rude hand gesture that made him laugh. "Shut up," he grumbled. "I underestimated how long it would all take...anyone could make that mistake."
"Perhaps," conceded Gerlat in his deep rumble. "But I think not."
"Bastard." Jaskier led him down the hall and into the living room, where Essi was donning a stylish apron embroidered with the words, I'm no princesses.
"You must be Essi," said Geralt.
She looked up with a wide smile. It reeked of evil and Jaskier gave her a look of warning. She waved a hand at him, before shaking Geralt's hand. "And you must be Geralt."
"I am."
She looked him up and down then whistled. "I would not wanna run into you on a dark night."
Jaskier griped silently to himself as he fetched the canopy out from under the umbrellas in the closet. Why had he told Essi the story of how he had met Geralt? What madness had possessed him to provide her with yet more ammunition? He loved Essi with all he had, but sometimes she crossed the line. And when she did, you felt it.
Geralt had come to the same conclusion. "I see Jaskier's shared the story." His tone was amused but final. He would not be sharing his version anytime soon. Bless him. Sometimes, the slowness of Geralt was a godsend. Jaskier loved him for it.
...then again...Jaskier was just in love with Geralt, period.
Essi smirked. "I won't pry."
Jaskier hauled the canopy's canvas carrier along behind him, aware that it looked like a body bag. "In my own defence, no crime has been committed," he insisted as Geralt grinned. "Well, not that i know of."
"And you see everything," teased the white-haired devil. "Here- give me that. I'll go put it up while you two finish up in here."
"You're an angel," said Jaskier fervently.
"Oh, shut up." Geralt took the canopy from him and shouldered his way out the back door.
Essi coughed. "Damn. I see what the problem is..."
Jaskier ignored her. They had a half-hour. A half hour, before all the guests came. That was hardly any time at all. Rolling up his sleeves, Jaskier got to work, determined to reach his goal, and then get down on a long earned party.