My Domestica | My Bodyguard Book 2

Chapter 24 | Domestic

Geralt POV

Geralt frowned as he felt Jaskier beginning to shake, the salty scent of tears filling the room. The usual musty and slightly damp scent of the room was still present, but it wasn't what Geralt was focusing on. He could feel his shirt getting wet, could feel tears dripping down against his chest. But Jaskier's humming remained steady.

He gently stroked Jaskier's shoulder with his thumb, finding himself matching the pace the man was using on his hip. Geralt could make out a faint trace of the specific shade of blue that was Jaskier's eyes, though the dimness of the room cast a shadow over it.

"What?" Geralt asked finally, voice a whisper into the still room around them. "You're bothered, what is it?" His voice came out a tad more aggressively than he had meant, but he didn't think it tampered with his meaning. Something was eating away at the man, and if it had to do with Geralt, then the bodyguard could sort it out. Probably. 

If Vesemir or the elder Pankratz was also tied into this, then there wasn't a whole lot Geralt could do. But if it was Geralt bothering Jaskier with his sleeplessness, then he would go. He needed to get up soon, anyways. He would rather not leave everything until the following morning to do, and Ciri needed to get dinner. An actual dinner. Chocolate didn't count.

She was perfectly capable of cooking the basics, but Geralt preferred to be on hand, without a man who needed to get some rest lying atop him. He trusted the girl not to set the place on fire, but accidents did happen. Of course, all of this was only if Ciri actually remembered to eat. She was too much like him got to comfort, in some ways.

Julian POV

Jaskier laid on Geralt still, not bothering to move or cover up the fact that he was crying. There were small puddles on his shirt anyways so the man was bound to of felt them by now. He stayed where he was, looking up at the gorgeous amber eyes. He relaxed slightly under Geralt gentle stroking of his thumb, always so gentle. That touch, he is going to soak as much as he can of it up before he departed from them in a week's time. He wondered how Ciri was going to take it, he didn't dare to think how Geralt would.

He snapped out of those thoughts, being pulled out of them by Geralt's eyes looking back at him. When did he move to look at him? He blinked a couple of times as he listened to Geralt asking, well it was more so demanding, what was wrong. He didn't mind it though, Geralt wasn't one for soft cooing voices. At least Jaskier thought so.

He looked to Geralt for a moment, his humming finally dimming once Geralt stopped speaking. He was listening when he spoke but the tune couldn't just stop halfway through, it had to finish on the beat or at the end of a segment, just a little habit Jaskier had.

"It's nothing, darling," He spoked gently, not bothering to put on a convincing voice because he didn't need to. There was nothing in particular busy upsetting him. He was just thinking deeply about everything happening that was all. "Just missing you and the family already." He said with a small smile, placing a gentle kiss on Geralt's chest before resting his cheek on it again. 

"Sorry, I'll try to sleep." he muttered out, the energy was still with him but if he closed his eyes for long enough, maybe it would help him to sleep. His eyes though remained open and staring at the wall parallel to the bed. He was still unsettled, but Geralt's soft caresses did help him to relax.

Geralt POV

Geralt couldn't say he believed Jaskier when the man said it was nothing. Because obviously 'nothing' caused the silent tears Jaskier was shedding. Geralt had to wonder when he had grown to be this sarcastic. He had a dry sense of humour, one that surfaced most around his brothers after they completed their training. He'd probably picked up the rest of it from Ciri and Yennefer, and likely some from Jaskier as well. That was not as welcome a thought as Geralt would have liked it to be.