A Midsummer Dream

Chapter 3

Luckily for Geralt and Jaskier, the relentless Scottish rain eased off in the early hours of the morning, so when Jaskier crawled out of the tent at the break of dawn, he was greeted with a glorious sunrise: as the sun bloomed over the horizon, spears of brilliant white light crossed the surrounding hills. The sea, no longer a black abyss, glistened crimson and gold as the gentle waves lapped the white sandy shore. Jaskier was sorely tempted to take off his clothes and go running into the water, but after tentatively dipping his toe in, he had a change of heart. The plume of cigarette smoke drifting out of one of the campervan windows told Jaskier that Triss was awake too, even if the patchwork curtains were still drawn. Jaskier turned back towards the tent when he heard rustling from within, and a moment later, Geralt appeared, looking more tired and angry than usual.

"Morning," Jaskier yawned. "Sleep well?"

"Did I hell," Geralt snapped, scratching at his neck and arms. "Those fucking midges ate me alive last night. Look at the state of me!"

Jaskier winced at the sight of the bright red blotches mottling Geralt's normally flawless pale skin. "Ooft. Does it hurt?"

"No, but it itches like fuck," he said through gritted teeth, scratching at his arms in a vain attempt to alleviate the irritation. "You didn't happen to bring any chamomile lotion, did you?"

Jaskier shook his head. "No, sorry. Triss! Do you have any chamomile lotion on you?"

Triss's frizzy brown mane popped out of the curtains. "What was that?"

"Chamomile lotion," Jaskier repeated. "Geralt's covered in midge bites."

"Oh dear! Nope, sorry, I didn't bring any. But saltwater's an excellent natural remedy for relieving the itch of insect bite. You could always go for a dip in the sea."

Geralt looked from the seafront back to Triss. "Don't you have any better suggestions?"

"Well, it's either that or you let Jaskier pee on you," she shrugged before disappearing behind the curtains again.

Geralt and Jaskier shared a horrified look before Jaskier declared, "I'll come into the water with you. As a show of solidarity."

"Appreciate it," Geralt mumbled, already pulling his t-shirt over his head to reveal his strong arms, firm chest and abdomen. Jaskier both loved and hated it when Geralt took off his clothes; he was beautiful to look at, but since his thoughts were far from honourable, he always felt a tad guilty about it. But not guilty enough to stop himself from stealing a quick glance before he took off his own clothes. Tossing his kimono back inside the tent so that it didn't get covered in sand, he followed Geralt across the sand and stone beach towards the shore. When Geralt reached the water's edge, he unceremoniously pulled off his boxers before tossing them aside.

"You're brave," Jaskier mused.

"Your boxers aren't going to stop you from getting cold," Geralt pointed out.

"Hmm, I suppose not." Throwing caution to the wind and his briefs over his shoulder, Jaskier and Geralt grinned at each other, keeping their eyes firmly above the waist.

"Ready?" asked Geralt.

"No," Jaskier admitted before they both proceeded to wade into the water. The second the icy water licked the bare skin of his feet, Jaskier's eyes widened with shock. "Jesus fuck that's cold!"

Geralt just laughed and kept moving forward until the water was up to his chest. He turned to face Jaskier, slowly moving his arms through the water as the waves gently nudged him from side to side. "Come on Jaskier, you're only ankle deep in the water! Come closer."