A/N: Not gonna lie, there's a lot of sex in this one.
Chapter updated (02/17/2023)
He stood in front of the living room windows and gazed out into the night. The thick curtain of rain obscured the view of the city. Only from time to time, a bolt of lightning would split the sky in half, followed by the loud rumble of thunder. He looked over his shoulder; Criss was sitting at her desk with one leg under her, hunched over some papers. It was close to midnight, and she had been working for hours. He sighed, grabbed another book and sunk into the couch. The only light in the room came from her adjustable desk lamp, but he didn't need any more to see the words. He busied himself with the novel a while longer, hoping to see her take a break. There was no such luck. He read on until the words jumbled in front of his eyes. It was time to call it a night.
"I'm going to bed. Will you be long?" he asked her, walking towards the bedroom.
She looked at him with tired eyes. "A few more hours. I think I finally found a solution I like."
She wished him good night and turned back to her work.
He could hear the rustle of papers and the scratching of pen on paper, even as he fell asleep.
In the middle of the night, he woke to the feel of her hand on his chest. He pulled her close and kissed her, but she could barely keep her eyes open. Within moments she was asleep. He caressed her cheek and buried his nose in her hair, taking in her comforting scent and falling asleep with a smile on his face.
In the morning, he woke up to an empty bed. He sighed as he heard the rustle of paper again and found her sketching at her desk, with headphones on. She was so absorbed by her work that she didn't even register his presence. Trying not to scare her, he gently ran his hand down her back, but she still jumped, startled.
"Morning. How's it going?" he asked.
She shrugged. "I'm progressing, but I'm not even close to being done. But I need a break and we should have breakfast."
She stood up and kissed him while infusing him with energy. It took only a moment and, when she was done, she sighed and rested her head on his shoulder. Dark circles had formed under her eyes and he urged her to get a little more rest. "I would if I could," was her answer.
"You can. I'll make breakfast and you can nap a bit."
"You? Cook?" Her raised eyebrows spoke volumes.
"Not unheard of. I'm not great at it, but you'll not starve."
She chuckled. "Alright. I'll try my luck. It's not like I can get food poisoning, anyway," she teased without malice.
"What can I say? Your trust is flattering…" he replied amused.
He did as promised and even if it wasn't a gourmet meal and just some scrambled eggs, bacon and toast, it was one less thing for her to do.
Since she would be busy for quite some time, he tried to be productive by practising the spell she taught him. The idea of finally being able to keep his thoughts hidden from Yen's prying mind made him positively gleeful.
Wanting to make faster progress, he added more memories at once, but the result was just a thinner and less resilient veil. So he armed himself with patience and resigned himself to the tedious task of only adding a single memory at a time. The words became a mantra and soon he built up his concentration.
The soft touch of her hand caressing his cheek broke his focus. Then her lips touched his, and he opened his eyes.
"I'm glad you're practising, but it's time for therapy and lunch."
"Mhm," he hummed and kissed her neck. "I'm not hungry for food, but I could certainly eat something else," he whispered as he dragged her on top of him, and his hands snaked up under her shirt to feel her soft skin and lush curves.
"Geralt…" she protested weakly as he lifted her shirt.
He ignored her and continued to kiss her breasts, latching on to one of her nipples and suckling on it until she moaned. Agile fingers made their way under the top of her leggings and pulled them down to her thighs.
"Geralt… Don't…"
His mouth moved to her other nipple, and she moaned again.
"Don't, what?" he asked, licking a finger and dipping it between her legs. His tongue lapped at her nipple before pulling on it with his lips.
"Don't stop…" came her breathy answer, and he smiled.
"Thought so."
He pulled the shirt over her head and lavished every bit of skin on her neck with kisses while his fingers glided between her legs. Her body relaxed under his touch and her moans got louder. With each stroke of his fingers and lick of his tongue, she became more and more pliant. He pushed her onto her back on the couch and took off the rest of her clothes, sliding the leggings down to her ankles. Dipping down between her legs, he replaced the touch of his fingers with the press of his tongue. Her fingers tangled in his hair as she gasped and moaned and writhed until her breathing became erratic. His hands hooked around her thighs while he worked her up to her peak, savouring every pleasure-filled sound he dragged out of her until her thighs clamped his ears shut and he couldn't hear her scream his name in ecstasy.
Once her grip loosened, he continued kissing up her body, slowly, deliberately.
Since she started working, their long and passionate trysts had grown shorter and more rushed and his hunger was never sated, always living off scraps while being forced to gaze upon a feast the whole day. He focused on making it last as much as he could, drawing as much pleasure as possible for both of them. She, on the other hand, seemed to be in a rush again, pulling on his clothes with desperation. Normally it would have been a joy to see her so eager, but it wasn't simple lust; it was lust coloured by practicality and that soured the sweetness of her touch.
He grabbed her wrist to stop her, and she looked at him, surprised.
"We don't have to. I know you don't have time," he said.
A frown creased her brow. "Nonsense. I want to."
"You sure?"
She nodded and pushed her hips into him. He couldn't help but respond in kind. Their bodies moved as one and he rode her until his knees gave out and sweat dripped down his chin and onto her neck as he kissed her. He could have stayed entwined with her forever. The touch of her soft tongue was all he craved. She hummed with her legs still wrapped tightly around his hips.
"Oh, how I wish we could travel to my little off-world retreat and forget about everything else for a long time."
He kept kissing and caressing her, not wanting it to end.
"Maybe you could take a very long break and we don't need to travel further than the bedroom."
"I wish I could, but I have so much work left to do and we still haven't had lunch."
She unwrapped her legs, gave him a kiss and gently pushed him back. He sat up, pulling her with him, his mouth on her neck.
"Screw work. Stay with me..."
"I wish I could. I need to take a shower and eat... then it's back to work again."
He couldn't help but grimace.
"Now, now, don't give me that look," she tutted. "Imagine I'd have asked you to give up taking monster contracts..."
"I'd rather drop dead..." he answered, frowning.
"Then you understand that it's the same for me with my work." She leaned in and gave him a quick kiss. "I'd never want you to give up doing something that's such a big part of what I love about you."
She walked off into the bathroom, and he was left dumbstruck, wondering if it was a tongue slip or a figure of speech.
Monday was uneventful, but she was so busy she barely had time to speak to him and, when she did, their conversation was focused on his training; he wanted to add spectres to the session planned for the next day.
In the evening, when he had to go to bed alone yet again, he looked thoroughly unhappy, and she promised herself to make up for her neglect once her time was her own again. He'd just have to be patient and wait until Friday.
Thankfully, by Tuesday the weather had improved, and they went to train at the same spot outside of town.
The realm she constructed was fittingly a graveyard this time.
Detaching herself from her feelings was like breaking an arm and casting it away, but it was the only way for her to be objective and not pull her punches when orchestrating attacks against him. The spectres cast an eerie green glow over him, and in the dim light, his features were sharper and his face looked gaunt.
She observed him through the eyes of his enemy as he fought, his jaw clenched, his eyes permanently adjusting to the change in light, his movements swift and decisive. Even detached as she was, she appreciated the grace and power in his movements. He was a force to be reckoned with, even judging by what she had seen in her fights on other worlds. She swiped him a few times, but he recovered quickly and fought back. It was hard to keep up with his agility once his elixirs took effect and the intelligent use of his traps made him even more formidable.
After he had easily dispatched the wraith spectres, she decided he wasn't being pushed enough. She summoned a hym and a few barghests for good measure. Geralt danced around them, trying to lure and separate them. He killed a few while evading the hym's attacks, but the remaining spectral dogs surrounded the witcher quickly. The hym teleported behind him and thrust his claws deep into his body. He groaned in pain and there was agony in his eyes as the hym delivered what would have been a fatal blow. There was no physical damage done to him, but the pain he felt was genuine enough.
She sent away the monsters and immediately cast a healing spell. The surrounding ground glowed brightly, and as soon as he felt the effect, he got up and called to her to go again. Stubborn as he was, he wanted to face the same monsters again. She unwillingly obliged, and the fight resumed. He adopted a different tactic, laying out the enhanced Yrden traps to slow the dogs and force the hym out of hiding. He dealt with the hym first, not letting it out of his sight, forcing it to show itself, then slicing through its shadowy form. Once that threat was neutralized, the dogs were children's play and, after that, he called for her to stop.
The construct melted away, and she reconnected with her emotions. Disconnecting was an excellent tactic, but the downside was that once it was done, all her suppressed emotions came flooding back like a tidal wave threatening to break her composure. She bit the inside of her mouth and dug her nails into her palms to give herself something else to think about.
Thankfully, Geralt was taking his time cleaning his blade before returning. It gave her time to settle herself. She didn't want to break down in front of him, not after that four-letter word escaped her lips just two days prior. Such a fool she was for saying something so stupid when the feeling was not mutual. A stupid slip of the tongue. He was quick to school his features, but his reaction didn't escape her: he was shocked. And although he seemed to enjoy her company, he never mentioned any feelings he might have for her. For all intents and purposes, they were two adults engaging in consensual and pleasurable activities. She planned to leave it at that, at least until he was healed and no longer required her presence. Until then, she justified her actions as an indulgence on her part.
As he approached, she smiled, wiping away any unrest from her face.
He was shaking his head and cussing himself. "I'm such an idiot, don't know why I didn't do that the first time around. What was I thinking?"
"That's what training is for, to get you prepared for whatever you might face... even if it might be unlikely."
He removed his armour and sat down next to her.
"It hurt like all living hell, but at least that will deter me from getting complacent knowing it's just a simulation."
She looked away, pretending to search for something in the basket. The thought of hurting him was abhorrent and yet there was no way around it if he wanted to train.
"I warned you to take it as seriously as if they could kill you."
"I am... I will. I won't let that happen again."
"Good, now let's eat and then we need to go back. I need to keep working."
"Again?" he groaned, but after seeing the look on her face, his expression softened. "Of course, you're right, I got to train, it's only fair you get your work done. In any case, I think I could use some sleep. I feel exhausted. I haven't been sleeping well ever since you left me alone for half the night... Don't take it as a reproach, it's just something I noticed."
"Strange. That should have no effect on your recovery. Come here, please." She placed her palm on his chest and closed her eyes. He was recovering as fast as ever. "There's nothing wrong. In fact, you're doing so well that next week you won't have to come to work with me if you don't want to." She smiled. "You're done with my boring lectures."
"So it won't be long until I can go back?"
"At this rate, after New Year you'll be home." She realized that might not be explicit enough for him. "A little over three weeks," she added.
On the car ride back, he fell asleep, so she was alone with her thoughts once more.
"Three weeks... three weeks until pretending to play house ends... Maybe it's better. I'll focus on helping Ciri, then I'll get back to my job and all will be forgotten. There's no point in kidding myself. For him this is just sex and nothing else," she thought as she drove through the weekend traffic. She didn't dare indulge the idea that their fling could turn into something more. The disappointment would be too great if she got her hopes up.
The whole rest of the week until Friday, she worked tirelessly whenever she was home. He was growing frustrated with the lack of affection from her, but he kept silent and made efforts to hide it. She had enough on her plate without him whining about what she couldn't give him. He had to make do for a while. After all, there were other things besides sex to be enjoyed.
When he wasn't practising the spell, he would pull up a chair next to her and pass the time with pleasant conversation; sometimes about one of the novels he read, other times about the way her world worked. She never turned him away and always entertained his questions, even if most times she did so with her eyes still on the computer screen. He found their political systems fascinating, and his questions often turned towards them. It was an interesting thought exercise to imagine how his world would be affected if democracy was ever implemented. Perhaps if Dijkstra got his way, this wouldn't be so far-fetched.
The rest of the time, he tried to ease her burden as much as he could by taking care of the small things, even if that meant making a meal, ordering takeout, or doing small chores to keep the place from becoming a mess. Other than that, there wasn't much he could do for her except hold her each night as she fell asleep and be patient.
On Thursday when she tarried to come to bed even later than usual, he found her asleep with her head on the desk over the laptop's keyboard. He picked her up and carried her to bed, hoping it would be the last time he saw her in that state of exhaustion.
Finally, Friday after work, she finished her design and emailed everything to Andy. For the first time that week, she could think of something other than work. She had made it through and not in small part due to a certain witcher who had been attentive and patient all week.
Geralt was on the couch, practising once again. She sat by him, planning on waiting for him to take a break, but he opened his eyes as soon as the couch cushion moved under her weight.
"Sorry, didn't mean to ruin your practice." She smiled at him.
"Are you taking a break or..." He looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
"I'm quite done. Finally!" She moved closer to him. "And I thought maybe I'd reward your patience..."
Her voice trailed off as her hands began undressing him. His reaction was that of a thirsty man offered a drink in a desert. He poured all his desire into a kiss that made her head swim. She arched into him, yearning to have him close, but just when she thought things were about to escalate fast, he broke the kiss.
"Mm, don't rush," he groaned in her ear. "I want to take my sweet time with you."
The kiss that followed reinforced his words; it was slow, sensual and delicious. God, she had missed him - this! All of it: his hands, his mouth, the heat of his body, the smell of his skin, the prickle of his beard against her lips. His tongue swirled around hers until they both had to take a breath of air.
"Any preference for your reward?" she asked, making use of the opportunity.
"Undress."
It was a simple demand, but she could turn it into a treat. She stood up slowly and took a step back, leaving him on the couch watching. There was no music, but her mind imagined it all the same as she started dancing for him, tentatively lifting her shirt to give him a peek before dropping it back down, acting all coy. A wry smile spread across his lips as he laid back into the seat to enjoy the show. She swayed her hips and turned; her hands hooked under her shirt and lifted it halfway up her back. She paused and threw him a playful look across her shoulder. His hand dropped to his crotch, and he grabbed himself through his trousers, staring at her with lust.
"Off with it," he demanded.
"I thought you didn't want me to rush," she teased in return.
He chuckled and shook his head. "Are you sure you're not a djin?"
"Certain," she replied, still playing with her shirt.
In a moment, the shirt slipped up her neck and off. She threw it at his grinning face, but he caught it and set it aside.
She continued her dance, covering her breasts with her hands.
"Tease," he protested.
She laughed and lowered her hands down to her stomach, then slid them back up, this time not to cover herself, but to fondle the curves he greedily eyed. He let out a low groan. With his hand still on the hard bulge between his thighs, his eyes dropped to her lower body, suggestive. She obliged and began to shimmy her leggings down, stopping with them halfway down her ass before turning her back to him, bending over and dragging them down to her ankles. He hummed, pleased as she stepped out of them, only a black lacy thong to be removed.
With languid movements, she strode towards him, and his smile widened as she approached. She stopped in between his splayed thighs, turned and lowered herself into his lap, her back glued to his chest. Her hands found purchase on his thighs as she hovered just above his hard length. With slow rolling movements, she rubbed her ass against his groin. He drew a loud breath in while his hands caressed her legs, moving up towards her hips, to her stomach, in the end cupping her breasts. His lips swept across her shoulder to her neck, laying open-mouth kisses along the way.
"Stand up," he asked with his lips right next to her ear.
She did as he requested and his hands stroked the back of her legs, going up to her ass, before pulling down the small thong, leaving her naked. She meant to turn around, but his hands were planted firmly on her hips, holding her in place.
"Spread your legs." His voice was low and full of want. A surge of warmth travelled through her body and settled between her legs. She did as told and moved one leg to the side.
"Bend over." Came his next request, and she obeyed as well, leaning forward with her hands resting on her knees. The warmth between her thighs turned into a searing heat, but soon his tongue soothed the anguish. A jolt of pleasure made her gasp as he licked down, then back up again. He repeated the path a few times before moving away.
"Come here." He leaned back on the couch, his hands pulling on her hips to get her closer. "I want to taste you properly."
"I thought I was the one rewarding you," she joked.
"Who says you're not? This is a reward."
"Mmm, such a giving lover," she hummed. "But how about we make it mutually satisfying?"
She straddled his shoulders, facing his legs, and a small chuckle came from him as he realized what she wanted to do. He hooked his arms around her thighs, his palms splayed over her ass, spreading her open, and he dived between her legs. Another jolt of pleasure rushed through her, making her fingers tremble when undoing his pants. When she lowered herself over him and took him into her mouth, it was his turn to moan against her skin. The low vibrations of his voice weaved with the tingling of his skin against hers and made the pleasure his mouth brought that much sweeter. She grinded against his lips while he pushed his hips towards her mouth, driving himself further down her throat in long, hard strokes.
Soon they were both lost in a lust-filled frenzy, their movements becoming increasingly chaotic and desperate as they neared their climax. She fought to swallow him as her body quivered in blissful waves and his explosive release told of the pent-up desire he harboured.
He welcomed her into his arms as she shimmied down his body and curled on top of him, resting her head on his chest. His touch was feather-light as he held her waist with one arm and caressed up and down her back with the other.
"Thank you for being patient this week. And for cooking," she said.
"Of course. I know I'm no chef, but we both survived."
"You're being modest," she said with a chuckle.
"As for the patience, I must admit I've thought of bending you over the desk more than a couple of times."
She whole-heartily laughed.
"I..." he hesitated before continuing, "I missed your touch. The bed felt empty without you next to me."
"You have my touch now and we can make use of the bed for as long as you want."
"Are you sure you're not reading my mind?" he asked, grinning. "Because that's exactly what I plan to do."
He grabbed the back of her thighs, picked her up, and carried her to bed. The bed didn't feel empty for a long time as they both toiled for their pleasure amidst the bedsheets.
"We should sleep at some point, you know," she eventually said. "You'll be training tomorrow and in the evening we have the charity event to go to. You might want to save your strength."
"How about we skip both? I'd rather spend the entire day with you right here, making up for time lost this week." He kissed her again.
"Normally I'd be happy to, but you'll go back to your world in three weeks, and you need to be in the best shape possible."
"I can't say I like it when you're the voice of reason. I much prefer you when you lose your head," he bemoaned but his mouth stopped its assault on her breasts. "We haven't even discussed training tomorrow."
"Sorry, I know I neglected a lot this week."
"Don't worry, I'm happy you finished your work. I was thinking maybe elementals for tomorrow. The Hunt uses these ice hounds and I'm sure to go up against them again. They are not particularly dangerous when alone, but they are rarely alone and their speed is concerning."
"Perhaps we should practice with some Hunt opponents as well."
He nodded and recounted everything he remembered about the Hunt.
The next day, he trained in an icy world. Not only had she constructed the feel and shape of the jagged ice blocks, but he could feel the cold as well. It permeated his clothes and added an extra layer of difficulty to the fight.
He fought off wave after wave of hounds until he couldn't feel the cold anymore. Then she summoned a combination of riders and hounds. He needed to keep the dogs at bay while he dealt with the Elven wraiths. Casting Igni with one hand, he swung his sword at a rider. A burst of concentration enhanced the sign and a stream of flame continued to shoot out from the tips of his fingers. He cut down the rider, then quickly swung back to catch a hound midair as it lunged at him. Another Igni deterred the two hounds that were approaching his back. When the flames licked their bodies, they yelped with the sound of cracked ice.
He fought on without rest and his endurance was better than ever. Her constructs had done wonders for him. He was more agile, his signs were stronger, his sword felt lighter in his hands and the battlefield was littered with the corpses of his enemies.
Although he could have kept going, he called for her to stop. The ice melted, and she looked at him once again with her usual beautiful smile.
"I cut it short today. I want to give you time to get ready for the party," he told her as he approached.
"Mhm, how thoughtful of you." She smiled even wider. "How did training feel today?"
"I... hmm... I don't think I've ever felt this good. Is it my imagination or do you think it's some side effect from your healing?"
"It might be the spell you've been so diligently practising. It requires a focus that becomes second nature and spills into everything else you do. I've been meaning to ask you how it's been coming along."
"I've extended the veil around all memories of my time here. It's becoming easier and easier to maintain."
"Good. The next step is for you to maintain it while you go on about your day. By the end, it should be something that can run in the background without taking up any of your willpower."
"I've actually started doing that since yesterday morning."
With eyebrows raised and a look of approval, he felt her search his mind.
"It's not bad at all. With some training, you could probably do many other things."
"Training as a mage takes too much time, I'd rather be out hunting than reading tome after tome in a dusty library."
"As you wish. I was merely saying you have a lot of potential." She handed him a sandwich and patted the spot beside her. "Come, sit, eat, therapy and then we can go."
He looked up at the sky.
"It's still early. Maybe we have time for something else too," he alluded, not too subtly.
She laughed and patted the blanket again. They did as she wanted, they ate, drank and then they did as he wanted and the forest resounded with their moans.