#the witcher x male reader
Terms and Conditions
Pairing: Jaskier x GN!Reader
Requested: Yes
Request: “could you write a fic about an ace non binary/gender neutral reader meeting Jaskier and having adventures together + slow burn and best friends to lovers sorta thing? I think it’d be really cute if the reader was scared of telling Jaskier how they feel because they’ve never been in love/dated anyone before (speaking from experience lol) but when they finally confess Jaskier’s just like “why the fuck didn’t you say so sooner, I’ve been in love with you from day one” and he gets all flustered and cute when the reader flirts with him/shows him affection❤️”
—–
As a witcher, you were no stranger to late nights and early mornings, but that didn’t mean you’d ever really be accustomed to your best friend waking you up at some god-awful hour of the morning.
“Come on, come on, come on,” Jaskier exclaimed frantically as he burst into your room at the inn the two of you had chosen to stop at, hurriedly crossing the room to shove at your shoulder. “We need to leave immediately!”
He relented when a groggy groan escaped you and you sat up, moving instead to gather your things into your pack and bring your boots to your bedside for you.
“What’s wrong this time, Jask?” you asked blearily, rubbing sleep from your eyes as you pulled on your boots.
Jaskier looked up from where he was crouched by your bag, “You know that woman I was with last night?” When you nodded he continued with his story, “Well, her husband came back and, needless to say, he was less than pleased to see me. So we should go very quickly because he was right behind me.”
You huffed out a laugh, ignoring the sharp stab of hurt at the thought of Jaskier with someone else. “Have you ever considered that your life would be in substantially less danger if you chose to stop sleeping with married people and settled down with someone?”
He gave a sarcastic laugh, though he grinned a little when you pushed yourself to your feet and slung your bag over your shoulder anyway. “Yes, well, that would be far easier if the only person I’ve had genuine feelings for shared that interest.”
You raised an eyebrow curiously, though Jaskier ignored your probing questions as he led you cautiously down to the main floor of the inn to return your keys and then out to the stables for your horses. “Have you told this person how you feel about them?”
“Of course not,” he said, finally giving in to your questioning. He gave you an odd look as he pulled himself up onto his horse. “I am… decidedly not their type.”
You remained quiet as you mounted your horse, lost in thought as you considered who exactly might be the unknowing bearer of your friend’s heart. Certainly none of the lords or ladies he’d fucked his way through throughout the time you’d been traveling together; he never spoke of any of them after spending the night with them and hardly ever remembered their names. Really, the only person he’d ever spoken fondly to you about had been…
Well now, that really made too much sense. You nodded to yourself, now certain that the bard was in love with his former traveling companion; a white-haired witcher by the name of Geralt. You’d heard the dozens of songs that Jaskier had written about the witcher and his adventures, and he’d told you enough stories that his fondness was easy to see. And with what you’d heard about Geralt’s exploits with a mage named Yennefer and the women of the towns they passed through, you could understand why Jaskier didn’t think he was the witcher’s type. With all that in mind, you understood why he wouldn’t want to say anything.
Hell, you couldn’t judge; it wasn’t like you were planning on saying anything to Jaskier about your own feelings anytime soon.
—–
Eventually you pulled your horse to a stop when you judged that the two of you were far enough from town to be safe from slighted husbands, and Jaskier followed suit. You opened your mouth to say something, but stopped when the faint sound of bells chiming caught your ears. Your brows furrowed and you slid down from your horse, tying off your reins to the branches of a nearby tree before turning and making your way into the treeline.
You could hear Jaskier scrambling noisily through the brush behind you, though your attention remained focused on the small figure sitting crouched at the bank of the murky lake ahead of you, partially obscured by the trees.Your hand fell to the hilt of your sword and you noiselessly drew it from its sheath as you approached the child.
“You’re quite far from home,” you said, eyes locked on the creature as you stopped, gaze not wavering even as Jaskier came crashing into the clearing behind you. “And I suspect you’ve caused a lot of trouble for a great many people.”
The young girl turned to look at you, blond curls tumbling over her shoulder with the movement. She cocked her head as she noticed the blade leveled on her, “I suppose you mean to make me go home?”
“I do,” you replied firmly, “Though I’d prefer it be by your choice rather than force.”
Jaskier puts a hand on your shoulder, leaning forward to speak softly to you, “She’s just a little girl, is the sword really necessary?”
A wry smile crossed your features and your grip tightened on the hilt of your sword until your knuckles went white, “Except it isn’t a little girl, is it?”
The creature let out a delighted laugh and its glamour fell away; fair skin fading to a dark ash gray and brilliant green eyes being consumed by the darkness of the pupils until there was nothing but black left. The curl of the hair straightened and silvered, falling as easily as snow on a winter’s morning. “You’ve good instincts, witcher. He’d have been dead without you,” it said, gesturing at Jaskier.
“You’ve a decent glamour, fae,” you acknowledged, sheathing your sword. It’s visible amusement had you convinced that you weren’t actively in danger. “However, I still cannot allow you to remain.”
It nodded thoughtfully, “I would not be opposed to returning to my court, though I will not do so without payment.”
“What would you deem adequate?” you asked, knowing you’d have to make an iron-clad agreement to lock in a faerie.
It made a thoughtful noise, tapping its too-long fingers together, “You’ve caught me in a good mood, so I will agree to return home to my court and leave this town undisturbed for the foreseeable future in exchange for some…” Its eyes flickered between you and Jaskier once more and a sly grin formed across its lips, “Entertainment. A secret will do.”
Your eyebrows furrowed in disbelief; everything you’d ever heard told you that the fae would rake you across the coals in any deal they made, but a secret? It sounded too easy. “Just a secret, huh?”
“Yes,” it confirmed with a nod, “I quite wonder what a witcher such as yourself might value as much as your most private secret.” Their eyes locked onto Jaskier once more, and their grin grew predatory, “Tell me, how do you truly feel about your companion?”
The faerie’s question had you blanching, tensing under the weight of Jaskier’s baffled stare. You were half tempted to lie, to say he meant nothing more to you than a brother might, but you knew that would void the terms of your deal. You steeled yourself, closing your eyes as you forced yourself to speak. “I’m in love with him.”
Jaskier’s shocked gasp echoed through the clearing behind you, but you couldn’t bring yourself to turn and look at him, instead keeping your gaze fixed on the faerie and its smug smile as it vanished into thin air.
Twigs and leaves crunched under Jaskier’s boots as he moved to stand in front of you. “You… love me?”
You couldn’t meet his gaze, instead keeping your eyes fixed on the far bank of the lake as you nodded.
“Oh, thank fuck,” he said, not even giving you a chance to respond before he was taking your face in his hands and surging forward to kiss you. He pulled away after a moment, smiling brightly at you, “Why the hell didn’t you say something sooner? I’ve been in love with you since literally the first time I met you!”
For a long moment you struggled to process what you’d just heard, but as it set in an embarrassed flush spread over your cheeks, much to Jaskier’s amusement. “I didn’t think that- You seemed interested in anyone butme!”
“I didn’t want you to break my heart!” Jaskier huffed, stealing another quick kiss.
You rolled your eyes at the very thought, but you couldn’t help but smile at the thought that this would now be a regular occurrence. You supposed that every now and then a faerie’s deal could have good results.
Watch Me Burn
Pairing: Jaskier x Reader
Requested: Yes
Request: “Something with Jaskier flirting with a rival bard?”
A/N: Me, listening to Burn, Butcher Burn for several straight hours to write this? No, never.
—–
You were no stranger to dingy bars and bards with something to prove, but it had been a long day of traveling and you just wanted to drink in peace, not be met with your old nemesis strutting about the place with his damned lute.
“I hear you’re alive; how disappointing,” his voice called as the weathered oak door thudded open before you and your adventuring party, “I’ve also survived, no thanks to you-”
You rolled your eyes, shaking off your party mates’ pointed looks and taking a seat at the bar, easily sweet talking your way into a free ale from the flustered barmaid. Your companions settled into the seats at your sides and you were grateful, hoping, for once, not to be noticed so you wouldn’t have to put on your performance persona yet again.
“All those lonely miles that you ride, now you’ll walk with no one at your side-” Jaskier sang, eyes fixed a million miles away from his audience. “What for d’you yearn? It’s the point of no return…”
Even as you tried to avoid him spotting you, you couldn’t tear your eyes away from your rival. The pain in his eyes was real, a far cry from his usual wide smile and the exaggerations and hyperboles that his tunes were normally filled with. His hair, typically clean and well-kept, hung shaggy and lank in his face.
“At the end of my days when I’m through,” Jaskier’s voice came in a rough growl as emotion began to consume him, “No word that I’ve written will ring quite as true as buuurn, burn Butcher, burn.” He fell back to sit on the edge of the stage, voice beginning to trail away as his fingers began to slow on the stings of his lute. “Watch me burn all the memories of you…”
As his voice echoed through the tavern, you realized exactly who this song was for; Geralt of Rivia, a witcher also known as the White Wolf and the Butcher of Blaviken. He was the same man that Jaskier had been traveling with the last time you’d bumped into him. You’d seen the way Jaskier had looked at the blond, the love in his eyes. You knew what that look meant; after all, it was how Jaskier made you feel.
You pushed yourself to your feet as his song ended, leaving your friends to their drinks and conversation as you prepared to make your exit. You paused as you passed the stage, pulling a gold coin from your coin purse and tossing it toward the downtrodden bard without a word.
“Much obliged, kind sir-” he started, catching it and lifting his eyes to look at his newest benefactor. His eyes hardened as they locked with yours, “The hell do you want?”
You bit out a sigh and shook your head, turning on your heel and making your way out of the tavern. You ignored the sound of Jaskier calling after you as he scrambled to his feet, following quickly behind you.
Eventually you came to a stop on the small porch looking out toward the forest path that led into town and took a seat on the step, resting your arms on your knees as you watched the trees.
“You did always have a flair for dramatic exits,” Jaskier said as he pushed through the tavern door and moved to sit beside you.
The corners of your lips twitched up into the barest hint of a smile, “You always had a flair for writing dramatic songs about your ex.”
Jaskier’s brows furrowed as he shot you a confused glance, “My ex? Who, Geralt?” He let out a bitter laugh, “No, no, we never-”
“So you write songs like that about all your friends then?” you prompted, jerking your head back toward the bar pointedly. “Should I be offended that I haven’t heard my ballad yet?”
A shocked laugh escaped your companion and you couldn’t help a slight feeling of accomplishment taking root. “I don’t know how I would even begin to write about you. There’s so much-” he trailed off, but you could understand. All the years of trying to out-perform each other and the insulting stanzas that you would improvise in your more competitive meetings.
“History?” you prompted.
He nodded, “Yeah. There’s just so much to say, I don’t know where I could even start.”
“You could always use that line about my voice sounding like a raven with a sore throat again,” you supplied with a grin. You’d never been particularly offended by his jesting, and that line had always been a favorite of yours.
He snorted, flipping the coin you’d given him between his fingers idly. Jaskier stayed quiet for a long moment, “You know I never actually meant that, right? I hate to admit it, but you do have a rather good voice.”
In all the years the two of you had known each other, you’d never heard Jaskier pay you an honest compliment before. It was… kind of nice, actually. “You’re quite talented yourself, Jaskier. Among other things.”
Jaskier perked up at the compliment, clearly curious about the ‘other’ as well. “And what might those other things be, hm?”
You faltered, suddenly aware of what you’d said and that there was no taking it back now. You knew that your friends would be laughing at you if they could see what you’d gotten yourself into. “Talented and creative, clearly. Funny, sometimes,” you started quietly, eyes fixed firmly on the horizon, even as his gaze remained fixed firmly on you. “Handsome, perpetually.”
Jaskier’s eyebrows raised and a smile spread over his lips, “You think I’m handsome?”
“Obviously,” you said, fingers tightening against the rough material of your trousers.
“Wish I’d known that sooner,” he said, “I’d have been nicer in the verses I wrote about you. Seen if I could’ve won you over in the first place.”
You laughed, pushing to your feet, “You say that as though you didn’t have my heart from the beginning.” You shook it off, preparing yourself to head back inside the tavern and up to the small room you’d rented for the night.
“Your… heart?” Jaskier sounded confused and you figured you might as well throw it all out into the open. If your heart got broken at least you could start healing.
“My heart, Jaskier,” you confirmed, sucking in a shaky breath before pressing on. “I’ve been in love with you for years. I just never said anything because I doubted you’d be interested.” He stayed quiet and you sighed, scrubbing a hand over your face as you made for the door. “Forget I said anything; good night, Jaskier.”
It took him a moment to process what you’d said, but then Jaskier was up on his feet and scrambling after you. He managed to catch your wrist before you could duck inside, tugging you back to face him and hesitating for only a few seconds before lurching forward to kiss you.
He pulled away after a moment with a fond smile, cocking his head to the side as he studied you. “Well then, are you going to invite me up?”
You couldn’t stop an answering grin and you nodded, taking his hands and lacing your fingers with his. “Sure. We’ll see what you’ve got for that ballad come morning, yeah?”
As the two of you ducked back into the building and up the back stairwell, you ignored your friends’ excited whoops as they caught sight of you, too busy laughing at the silly lyrics your new beau kept proposing between eager kisses.
