A/N: Chapter updated with minor edits (30/01/2023)
When the alarm started blaring, she slapped the phone off the nightstand, still dazed by sleep. For all her efforts, she wasn't a morning person. She rolled onto her back and looked over to see the other half of the bed was empty. A lazy yawn escaped her as Geralt was coming out of the bathroom, skin still wet and wearing a towel.
"Do you ever sleep in?" she asked him grumpily, trying not to ogle him.
"Oh, so there is something that annoys you!" he smirked, looking happy that he had found a chink in her armour.
"Sure... I'm not made of stone, am I? You might be though..." she muttered the last part.
"What's that supposed to mean?" His brows furrowed as he took on a guilty expression.
"Nothing," she replied as she passed him and entered the bathroom. She couldn't tell him he looked like a goddamn statue.
When she was done washing up, she found him going through clothes, trying to decide what to wear.
"If you need an opinion, you should wear sweatpants or shorts and a T-shirt," she said. "Although I would advise against the grey ones unless you want to enter the grey sweatpants challenge."
He raised a single eyebrow, waiting for her to give him an explanation.
"Just google it."
"Is this like the porn thing?" he asked with a displeased grimace.
She waved him off. She tended to be a little morose so early in the morning but, since she was used to being alone, usually there was no one there to hear her be grumpy.
"Not really. Sorry, I don't enjoy getting up early. I'll just get changed, pack some towels and water and we can go."
Soon they were both dressed and the gym bag was packed. The only thing left to do was to give him a boost in energy before they headed out. She decided that asking for permission might make the entire process more bearable for him.
"Therapy before we go? Will you allow me?"
"You're the boss."
He smiled and came closer to be within her reach. She wasn't sure what made him so amenable to her. Although it was probably just guilt, she hoped it was the first feeble token of trust extended to her and she didn't plan on squandering it.
Thankfully, he didn't fight her and in a few moments, she recovered.
They hurried to the gym, seeing as they were on a tight schedule to get everything done on time. It was easy enough to acquire the new membership; she was a longtime client, and they didn't even question her. They issued him a new card with his picture on it under the name of Geralt Rivia.
"A souvenir to show Ciri when you get back home," she said as she handed it to him. His mouth twitched in an almost imperceptible smile as he put it in his pocket.
As she expected, the gym wasn't very busy yet; it was open 24/7 and most went in the evening after work.
"Did you decide what you want to work on?"
He nodded. "I have some things in mind." His eyes wandered over the equipment in the gym.
She got started on her first exercise and, as she was warming up, she watched him do pull-ups and caught herself unwittingly staring at his muscles.
Keep it together! she told herself. He's not interested and you shouldn't be either.
Yet, her eyes sought him in every mirror until she forced herself to look at the ceiling instead.
She went through her routine, rarely stealing glances at Geralt just to check how he was doing. At least, that's what she told herself. When he got to the bench press, her jaw dropped as the bar bent under the weight he was lifting. It was lucky there weren't many people around to record it or he would have wound up making a sensation on the internet. She laughed to herself, imagining the "natty or not's" he would inspire.
They finished their workout and walked back to the apartment to wash the sweat off and grab a bite to eat if they had time.
After taking the shortest shower possible, she wrapped herself in a towel and hastened to pick her outfit.
"Damn, looks like we don't have time for a proper breakfast," she said, checking the time and picking up her pace while he dipped into the bathroom.
She was just fixing her hair into a bun when he got out of the shower.
"I'm almost done. I'll go search for some protein bars in the panty while you dress."
She found the bars quickly and went to pack her laptop and get her shoes. Geralt was just buttoning up his shirt.
"Does this look ok?" he asked, unsure of his choice. She looked him up and down with a quick glance. The fit of the dark blue pants and white shirt was perfect for him.
"You look good in anything," she answered much more earnestly than she had intended. He was looking at her with one eyebrow raised, so she had to add something so he wouldn't think she was making a pass at him. "Brown shoes and belt go with what you chose and you can roll up the sleeves. That would look good on you."
She grabbed her phone and left the room like a whirlwind. He watched her with calm as she silently flittered about like a firefly in a jar, trying to get all her things. As they headed out, she threw him a protein bar to eat on the way. It was all the breakfast they were going to get.
"Is this punishment for yesterday?" he joked, looking at the small bar that looked even smaller compared to his hand.
"Sorry, I didn't have time to make anything. These are a pretty good healthy snack." She threw him her bar as well. "Here, have mine too. I can't eat while driving, anyway."
She checked her watch and moved even faster to get out the door, almost running to the elevator. Geralt had no problem keeping up, but, then again, he wasn't the one wearing heels. She drove as fast as morning traffic allowed her to and parked the car on the campus at ten to nine. Instead of getting out of the car right away, she looked around to see if anyone took notice of them. Thankfully, there were few people in sight and all were busy, on their way to class or work.
"Can I?" her hand tentatively reached out for him without making contact.
"Of course, and you don't need to keep asking me every time. I told you I was sorry about yesterday, you don't need to rub it in."
"I'm not... That wasn't my point, but yes, it's important you don't shut me out today. I can't afford to faint at work. You can imagine that would cause people to worry and I don't need or want to end up in the hospital."
He said nothing. Instead, he took her hand and placed it on his chest, keeping his own hand on top. His eyes had a gentle expression, and his lips held the faintest of smiles. Her heart skipped a beat as he spoke in a low voice.
"I promise... and I'm also one to keep his promises."
For whatever reason, she believed him. Her head rested on the seat, she closed her eyes and poured into him as much energy as she could manage, hoping it would be enough to tie him off for a few hours. It all took less than a minute, and then she was back in her rush to work.
They raced through the corridors, heading to the classroom she would be teaching in. Elly was hovering outside, busying herself with hanging printed instructions on the noticeboard, directed at the students who needed to turn in work for her class. She noticed Geralt by her side and she got an all-knowing kind of smile on her face. Criss didn't need to read her mind to know what she thought. She only hoped she won't be liberal with expressing her assumptions.
"Hi, Elly. This is Geralt. He'll be joining me at work for a while," she rushed to say and attempted to evade further questions by going into the classroom. "Find a chair and sit, Geralt," she whispered, knowing his hearing would catch her words.
The students were mostly already seated, so she dropped her bag onto the desk and went straight into the day's topic. Geralt found a seat on the edge of a row somewhere midway down the classroom while Elly passed by her, smiling, and went into the adjoining classroom.
The layout of the two classrooms had been thought out for a different kind of class that involved a presentation, followed by a practical part. They had been used for a very short while for their original purpose before being converted into normal classrooms, and she and Elly jumped at the opportunity to claim them for their courses. They had been best friends since university and Elly was one of the few people in her life that wanted nothing from her except her friendship, offering the same in return. It was refreshing and comforting to talk to Elly, even if most of the time Criss listened more than talked.
The two atypical classrooms were joined through a door and, at the end of the second one, there was a small bathroom and an office where they usually kept the printers and papers that needed to be graded. That's where she usually spent the short breaks between seminars chatting to Elly and avoiding everyone else in the process. It also meant she knew she wouldn't be able to escape Elly's questions indefinitely, not with five seminars in adjoining rooms. The first class went by quickly. The students left the room, and she went to Geralt, hoping to postpone the inevitable questioning a while longer.
"Hope this wasn't too boring for you," she apologized.
"Hmm, haven't made up my mind yet," he teased, then looked at someone behind her. She turned to see Elly in the doorway, trying to get her attention and making desperate gestures with her head to get her to come over. If she didn't go to her soon, Elly would develop a permanent twitch in her neck and eyebrow. Criss sighed, excused herself in front of Geralt, and went to Elly with as much enthusiasm as one would have when heading for the gallows.
Once she was within reach, Elly grabbed her arm and dragged her into the next room. She sighed once again, knowing that only meant that the questions would be the worst intrusive kind.
"So that's who you've been doing since Thursday!"
Apparently, questions were not needed, conclusions had already been drawn, and she was already wedded and bedded to Elly's mind.
"That's not what..." she feebly attempted an explanation before being cut off by her over-enthused and impatient friend.
"Oh, call it what you will! He looks... mmm... good enough to eat! Must be, if you took a day off work for him!"
"Please stop, he's going to hear you..." She was already sure his ears could pick up Elly's enthusiastic chatter and was getting worried that it might cause another mood change in him, despite his earlier promise.
"There is no way he can hear me from over there." She peeked her head over Criss's shoulder to look at Geralt again, then continued with her unabashed remarks. "Didn't know you were into silver foxes. Where did you find him?"
"His daughter is a friend..." Somehow she never managed to finish any sentence, Elly kept interrupting her and jumping to conclusions.
"Oh my, if women are milfs, I guess he would be a dilf. You got daddy issues I don't know about?" she giggled, happy with her own joke.
Criss rolled her eyes, exasperated. "You're the worst! Who says that kind of thing? And please stop, you are making me feel so bad!"
"You should, you're a bad, bad girl! Does he spank you? Bet that's part of the appeal!" she laughed and teased her.
She couldn't listen to her anymore. Her face and ears burned; she didn't even know why. It wasn't like there was anything between the two of them. Luckily for her, the next batch of students was coming in. For the first time, she was thankful for the shortness of the breaks and made her escape.
She went back to her desk and threw a glance at Geralt. He had on his poker face, but just for a split second, she saw one corner of his mouth twitch up in a half-smile. If he heard everything and his only reaction was that shadow of a smile, then maybe it wasn't as bad as she feared. Hopefully, he found it only amusing and maybe slightly flattering to be drooled over by her friend. It also gave her an idea of how she could work the situation to their advantage. She didn't have time to pursue her thought further before the next class began. A few debates on the ethics of different restoration methods and this class was over as well.
During the next break, she was caught between a rock and a hard place, having to choose between being verbally assaulted by Elly again, or facing Geralt. He should have been the safer option, but he might find it amusing to tease her and she feared she would violently blush at any possible mention of him spanking her or worse. So she pretended to be busy and remained at her desk, looking at her laptop.
"Criss!" Elly called once again from the doorway.
Criss pretended not to hear her and instead acted as if her laptop screen was the most interesting thing in the world. Unfortunately, on this day Elly seemed to respect no boundaries and just came up to her, leaned over and started whispering in her ear.
"I need details! Married life is so monotonous. I need to live vicariously through you! Plus, you owe me. I covered for you on Friday!"
"If I had known this was the price, I wouldn't have asked!" She was at her wit's end.
"Come on, don't be a grouchy prude! He looks spicy! He must have done something right if he got you to miss work," she kept on nudging her.
Criss gave Geralt a pleading look, but he smiled and shrugged with fake helplessness. He appeared to be reveling in watching her struggle to get out of answering the barrage of indecent questions.
She once again breathed out in relief as new students poured into the classroom and Elly had to break off her incessant questions. She decided she would spend the next break with Geralt. Anything was better than Elly, and she had an idea of how she could heal him without anyone suspecting a thing.
When the third class was over, she got up from her desk and walked over to where Geralt was seated.
"You don't look too good," she sighed. "This goes against my 'giving you space policy', but I haven't got a better idea and since everyone seems to think that I'm... doing you... we might as well benefit from their assumptions," she whispered so that only he would hear, then she boldly sat on his leg and wrapped her hands around his neck as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
He instinctively put one arm so low around her waist that it was bordering on indecent and placed his other hand on the side of her leg, pulling her to him and firmly holding her in place. His initiative pleasantly surprised her and the strange feeling she got whenever he touched her was amplified by the sheer amount of points of contact between them. Still, she refused to entertain the thought that it was anything more than a clever charade for either of them.
She leaned in towards him, her lips dangerously close to his, pressing her chest to his while moving one hand from his neck to his shoulder, then down to his chest. As much as she wanted to deny it, she would have liked for this embrace to be more than just forced role-play. But that was all it was, and she didn't intend to abuse the situation, even if it was tempting.
She rested her head on his shoulder as if she was whispering sweet nothings in his ear and cursed herself for buying him her favourite fragrance as it only made him more desirable. She closed her eyes and heard him hum when her breath glided over his neck as she was falling asleep.
They remained entangled in the embrace for a few minutes and no one was any wiser about the real reason behind it. When she regained consciousness, she slowly leaned back and looked into his amber eyes. Once again, she had to fight off the urge to kiss him.
"Was that..." he said, nodding toward Elly "... what you were afraid of?"
His words had the effect of someone splashing cold water over her face.
"Oh, no, I was expecting it... but I wasn't expecting her to be so forward. She's married, has two kids, loves her husband, I can't imagine what got into her..."
"Maybe her husband should spank her sometimes," he joked.
She laughed at the mental image of Elly bent over Darren's knee, but didn't get the chance to say anything; the new students coming in interrupted their conversation. Some were already eyeing them and elbowing each other. She got up, stroking the side of his face as she removed her hands from around his neck.
After returning to her desk, while the students were settling in their seats, she placed an order for takeout. Neither of them had any lunch, and it was getting late. The food arrived a few minutes before the class ended, so she dismissed the students early.
They went to the small office at the back, where Elly was grading some papers at a desk. She smiled knowingly when she saw them enter.
"Sorry, we'll try not to disturb you. We're here just to have a very late lunch. Gym took up too much time this morning and we didn't have a proper breakfast. There's enough for you too if you're hungry."
"Mhm, gym, sure..." Elly replied, amused, but Criss refused to play along. It was better to just leave her thinking whatever she wanted, protesting too much would only strengthen her assumptions.
They sat down and started unpacking and eating while the food was still warm.
"I think I'll leave you two lovebirds to have some alone time. This was my last class anyway and I'll take these to finish reading at home," Elly said, gathering her things. "By the way, the Dean was looking for you this morning. He wants you to drop by his office this week for your tenure interview."
It wasn't like she didn't know it was coming, yet her heart still sank and an icy chill rushed up her spine.
"I'm off! It was a pleasure to meet you Geralt." She extended a hand he gently shook.
"So from the look on your face, the Dean was the one you were afraid of?" he asked once Elly left the room.
Her lips curled in a grimace, and she nodded.
"Want to tell me why?"
She looked at him with a questioning gaze. "Why do you want to know?"
"I was curious what could make a sorceress afraid in this world. You should have the upper hand on anyone."
"He's known for... expecting favours from younger female staff for them to advance... The real problem, and what makes it even worse, is that even if I don't give him what he wants, just going to his office, even for an interview, will make people think I... Ugh... He's known for saying that if you want to get ahead, you have to give a little head..."
"Charming and witty, bet the ladies love him," he replied sarcastically. She snorted.
"Yea, it's not even original. He stole the line from a famous old creepy dude."
"Can't you bypass him? Or just work a little magic and make his head explode or something. Yen would do it without blinking and I assume your powers are no less than hers."
"I'm not Yen," she answered, perhaps a little bluntly.
Why did I get irritated by the mention of his ex? She rubbed her forehead. It was late, she was tired, and he was suggesting she solve her problem by doing something immoral. That was all.
She was overthinking things again when there was no need to.
"The interview should be a formality. I've already met all the standards for getting tenure. He could just skip it if he wanted to, but he insists on doing it. I've been avoiding it for a while, but I can only push it back for so long, and I either need to do it or just give up on getting tenure and... I'll probably give up."
She sighed, thinking of what she would lose, then shook her head and snapped back up with a forced smile. He was making conversation to pass the time and she was dumping her problems on his lap.
"Never mind, it's just a job, it's not really that important." Her eyes darted past him through the open door that led back into the classroom where students were gathering. "We can take the rest of the food to eat at home. Right now I need to get back to class."
He followed her back into the classroom, but there were only a handful of empty seats, so he had to sit further back. Luckily, it was a small classroom and there was no risk of breaking the tether.
Some of the female students turned and openly stared at him even after the presentation started. By the next day, rumours would be flying through her students.
She carried on with her presentation, but, at times, she had trouble focusing. Luckily, no one noticed. His perfume had rubbed off from his neck onto her hands and was still lingering on her skin. It brought back the feel of him pressed against her with his hand on her thigh. She desperately chased the images away, but each time she looked at the classroom, her eyes were drawn to him. She kept repeating to herself that it was unethical for her to pursue him, but it didn't help much. Neither did the fact that he seemed quite eager to put his arms around her.
The class was finally over and she packed up her things while he was leaning against a desk, waiting for her to be ready to leave. The corridors of the building were now empty as they walked back to her car. A comfortable silence settled between them, and neither of them felt the need to break it with small talk. Instead, she drove back calmly, her mind on work, thinking of the subjects she was supposed to be teaching the next day; they would be far more technical and probably incredibly boring to him.
After finishing the cold takeout food, they settled on the couch for another therapy session. She found herself sitting closer to him and longing for his touch. Ignoring her desire, she tried to be as professional as possible, but their embrace had also made him more comfortable touching her. He now wrapped one hand around her waist, while the other rested along the length of her back. Even if he wasn't inappropriate, her skin burned in response. She blamed her reaction on being alone for too long; she had forgotten how good a man's touch can feel and, once therapy was done, she moved back further from him.
"Maybe we can watch some TV tonight? I think they're running old Game of Thrones episodes. It might remind you of home." His eyebrows shot up. "It has dragons," she added as an explanation.
"There aren't many dragons left in my world, too many treasure hunters searching for dragon gold."
"They don't have many either. Just three left in their world, so you have that in common, but they have no gold treasure; they're the treasure themselves."
She turned on the TV and nestled into the couch cushions. Fortunately, she didn't have to explain much of the storyline as the episode they watched was part of the first season and not much had happened. Having already seen it, it held little interest for her and sometime during the episode, her eyes closed and she just drifted to sleep.
When she woke, she was in bed. The room was dark and she couldn't see a thing, but his even breathing made her assume he was fast asleep. She was still wearing the blouse and skirt she had on at work, and the underwire in her bra was digging into her flesh. If she didn't get out of it soon, it would drive her crazy.
She felt under her pillow to find her sleeping clothes and pulled them out when she recognized the silky material. Without thinking twice about it, she took off her blouse and undid the bra hook. She pulled it off, then reached around to unzip her skirt. It was halfway down when he cleared his throat.
Panic enveloped her when she realized he wasn't sleeping.
"You do know that I can see in the dark?" his deep voice rumbled.
She covered herself with her hands and spun around, only to realize the wardrobe doors had mirror panels and he could still see her in them.
"I thought you were asleep. Can you please look away?"
The mattress shifted under her and she assumed he had turned.
She dressed in a rush, cursing her inability to see in the dark. Would he think she did it on purpose? She pulled the covers up to her neck, hoping to fall asleep again.
Can't believe I just flashed him! So much for giving him space...
The more she thought, the more sleep avoided her. She tossed and turned until exhaustion finally won over embarrassment.
