THE WITCHER X READERS

THE VERSE ABOUT LOVE [JASKIER]

You had stared at Jaskier for what felt like an hour now. Seeing your best friend Yennefer sitting across from him, her hand on his arm, laughing, was a pretty clear sign that their resentment from months ago had melted away and turned into something... positive.

Just not in a way you would have wanted it to turn out. You had hoped that they'd put their disagreements aside, maybe even become friends because you cared about them both, but back when you told Yennefer that for the first time, you didn't know how you'd feel about Jaskier, your fellow bard, years later.

Because somewhere along the line, you had fallen hopelessly in love with him.

But now, watching him with Yennefer, seeing how he laughed with her, you couldn't help but have flashes of what happened between them behind closed doors.

"You look like someone ran over your favorite lute," Geralt's voice pulled you from your thoughts. He slid onto the seat across from you, the contents of his mug sloshing a little as he set it down.

"I'm fine," you muttered, quickly averting your eyes from Jaskier to your drink.

Geralt turned to look at the pair and grunted. "If you're worried about them," he said, "don't be. They're not–"

"It doesn't matter," you cut him off. "He's free to be with whoever he wants."

Geralt raised his eyebrows and you knew he didn't believe you actually didn't care and were okay with it, but respected your unspoken plea and said nothing further.

You took another sip of your drink, hoping the taste of alcohol would wash away the feeling in your throat. But of course, it didn't. You closed your eyes as you swallowed the bitter liquid, and you heard Geralt grunt again.

"Things aren't always what they seem," he said, and you slowly opened your eyes to meet him.

"It pretty damn much looks exactly what it is," you argued, holding yourself back from looking at those two lovebirds. "You travel with them, at least more than I do. Are you seriously claiming there's nothing between them?"

Geralt didn't answer at first, taking a swig from his mug. Then, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "You should talk to him."

You scoffed. "What difference does that make?"

You swore you saw a small smirk on his lips. "You might get surprised."

Geralt chuckled, which caught you off guard. You had never seen him chuckle like that. When he was amused, he grunted. When he was annoyed, he grunted. You had only learned to tell what kind of grunt it is after months of knowing him. You stared at him, and he shook his head. "Yennefer doesn't want him. And he doesn't want her."

"What? No, that can't be right. Just look at them, they–"

Geralt interrupted you, "and if you weren't too busy wallowing, you'd notice that Jaskier's been sneaking glances at you every time you're not looking."

Your heart skipped a beat, and for a moment, you thought he was joking. But Geralt didn't joke. Not like this. "You're lying."

Geralt grunted, looking over at Yennefer, who had left Jaskier's side, and then at Jaskier who still leaned against the counter. "Go ask him. See it yourself."

Then Geralt left your table without another word, leaving you to stare at Jaskier.

For a moment, you felt like roots grew under you as you sat there in daze. Could it be?

Jaskier seemed to notice your staring and flashed you a smile, which finally made you stand up. You didn't want to seem creepy by just staring at him with wide eyes, Jaskier would soon think you're possessed by some kind of desire demon if you looked at him like that.

You took in a big breath and walked over to him, which prompted him to smile at you again.

"Hello there, my darling," Jaskier greeted you, and your heart skipped a beat. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

You faltered for a moment, suddenly hyper-aware of the way his hair fell slightly into his face and how his shirt was just a little loose at the collar, the top button undone. Focus, you scolded yourself.

"I need to talk to you," you forced yourself to say, and Jaskier tilted his head.

"Oh? Well then, what's on your mind?"

Your brain short-circuited again. Say it. You opened and closed your mouth like a fish, and hit yourself internally from how stupid you must have looked. Wide-eyed, mouth opening and closing, looking like an idiot.

After a moment, Jaskier spoke again. "Hey, are you all right?"

That was it, it broke the dam. Before you could think better of it, the words spilled out.

"I'm in love with you, Jaskier," you blurted out, and the words after that came in a quick flurry, your lips barely able to keep up with the pace. "I have been in love with you ever since we began singing together, and I know it's stupid, especially since you and Yennefer seem so happy–"

"Wait, stop!" Jaskier cut in. You blinked and to your surprise, you saw how his cheeks flushed pink, before your shoulders dropped again in disappointment. Of course even the name of Yennefer made him blush, he was a romantic, acting like a teenager in love after all. "What did you just say?"

You groaned, there was no going back now. "I said I'm in love with you. But it doesn't matter and I will leave if you want me to. You're happy with Yennefer, and that's what I want for you, happiness. Even if it's not with me."

He stared at you for a moment, and you could hear your heart drumming in your ears, you could feel the blood rushing into your face. You wanted to sit down, you regretted all of this, you had ruined everything, you–

"Yennefer?" he repeated, cutting off your thought train. "You think–? Oh, stars above, no." He let out a short laugh, shaking his head. "Yennefer and I? That's not... It's not what you think. We're friends now, yes, but that's all. She's been teasing me about–"

He cut himself off, before he looked down for a moment.

"She's been teasing me," he continued, "about how often I look at you. How I can't seem to stop writing songs about you. How obvious I am."

Your eyes widened. Was he saying what you thought he's saying? "Obvious?"

Jaskier smiled, a little shyly, and nodded. "Apparently to everyone but you. I..." He trailed off, taking a deep breath. And then he spoke almost as quickly as you had a moment ago, "I've been in love with you for ages. Truly, madly, hopelessly. And I thought you'd never notice."

You stared at him, your heart pounding so loudly you were sure he could hear it. "You... what?"

He reached out, his fingers brushing yours on the counter. "I'm saying," he murmured, "that if you're in love with me, and I'm in love with you, perhaps we could... uh, do what people in love tend to do after finding out about each other's feelings."

For a moment, the world seemed to stop. The whole tavern was quiet, blurring around you, and you could only see Jaskier standing there before you. Then, without thinking, you leaned in and kissed him – hesitantly at first, but it deepened as soon as Jaskier pulled you closer.

When you finally pulled away, you rested your foreheads together and Jaskier chuckled. "This is going to make my new favourite song."

You laughed, still not quite believing what was happening. "Shut up and kiss me again, bard."