doesntsing | open post

Her hand always feels great on his head, and Jaskier hums in delight while enjoying the afterglow. He's pretty content right now - nothing else matters except for the bliss zooming in his mind and the warm body against his.

It's her question that brings him back to reality.

"The perfect way to start the day, if I say so myself." He kisses her just as tenderly. "Standing ovation, my lady. I'd ask for a reprise if I had the time."

Reality is quite boring, but Midge has some things that she needs to get done today as well. With a sigh, she tries to stretch out her legs for a moment before standing on them.

“There’s always tonight.”

They’re seeing an awful lot of each other, aren’t they? Midge isn’t really complaining about it, but Jaskier was pretty clear about not wanting a relationship. And yet, he seems to cherish her so much. It leaves her with mixed feelings, considering that she’s not even sure if she wants a relationship.

[ OOC: want to fast forward to his show? ]

...oh, dear.

Jaskier closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. This is why having friends-with-benefits can be so hard at times. Which is frustrating, because they're much more fulfilling than one-night stands. He likes having a connection with his lovers.

He throws water on his face and rubs his eyes, gathering the strength to have this conversation.

"Midge," he says looking up at her, not daring to stand up yet. "I'd love it if you come to see me perform. But tonight is Rainbow Road. That means I'm leaving that club with a man."

She isn't the only one who wants to be dicked real good.

His words hit her like a bolt of thunder and she deflates immediately like a popped balloon.

There’s a long moment of silence before Midge replies to him. “Oh. Right. Of course.”

She agreed to all of this, didn’t she? What was she expecting? She said that she could handle a relationship like this, that she wanted it, even.

Why does she feel like she’s been kicked in the ribs?

Midge feels foolish standing naked in the middle of the bathroom, so she wraps a towel around herself and starts to dry off.

“You said your family would be there tonight, right?” she asks, trying to keep her voice even.

She’d like to meet them, if he wants her to. If she backs out now or doesn’t show up tonight, Jaskier will think that she can’t handle something casual. Midge has no choice. She has to go.

But she’ll make a quick exit afterwards so that she doesn’t have to see who he goes home with.

Fuck. Double fucking fuck. It hurts him to see her like this, it truly does. But he's also done this song and dance before - so many fucking times, in fact. He doesn't want to give her false hopes, and he doesn't want to be chained. This is to protect both of them.

It does make him wonder if she can truly handle this. A worried Jaskier watches her for a second and remembers how new all this is to her - this isn't a woman playing some kind of game, she's a sheltered housewife. So he decides to give her a chance; she's earned that much. It may not be as fun as new sex experiences, but it's another thing she can learn about the real world, just like Jaskier got to see what the real world outside the fancy family estate was like when he was just a teen.

He leaves the tub and grabs another towel to help her with her hair, staying behind her in case she doesn't want to look him in the eye right now.

"Yes, they will," he answers as he gently dries her hair, softly petting her head in the process. "But you don't have to come if it makes you uncomfortable. I'll have other gigs."

Jaskier’s right that she’s never done something like this before. He’s only the third man she’s ever slept with, and she was married or engaged to the other two. What she didn’t expect was to grow so attached to him so quickly. That’s on her, though. Surely she’s old enough to not confuse sex with love. Maybe that’s what this is, the consequences of so many happy hormones coursing through her brain after so many orgasms. She’ll feel better tonight.

In spite of herself, Midge closes her eyes when she feels him drying her hair. “Scared that Yennefer is going to tell me something embarrassing about you?” she asks. “I’ll be fine.”

It’s easier to lie to herself when she can’t see either of their reflections in the bathroom mirror.

She's trying to kid around and he appreciates the effort, but it may also be a joke to cover up the other stuff, which is worrisome. He doesn't want to treat her like an idiot, though. So for now, he won't push. She deserves the chance - if it ever happens again, then he'll insist on having a new conversation about the topic.

"As long as you're sure." Jaskier kisses her shoulder before stepping back, leaving the towel on top of her head as a protective hood. He then steps back into the tub to wash up really quickly - he soaped her up, but he didn't clean himself. "Are we still having breakfast at the cafe?"

He isn't sure where their boundaries lie at the moment.

Midge is the type of person to make jokes and make light of things in order to hide her real feelings, because there are some things that will eat her from the inside if she doesn’t turn them into jokes. The insecurity that lies very deeply inside of her that she’ll never be good enough for another man to love. She buries it, makes jokes about it, because it’s one of the few things that truly makes her sad.

Feelings safely tucked away, she smiles at Jaskier. “Sure.” They’ll discuss other things and Midge won’t think about his gig until it’s time to go to the club. “I need some coffee after all that sex.”

"Ah, yes, the bitter fuel that keeps this city running." He doesn't like coffee very much, unless it has a healthy amount of cream and milk.

At least breakfast goes well. Once they're out and about, chatting about everyday things, it seems Midge's mood improves. Jaskier hopes it's a good sign for the future. Before they split, he makes sure to explain that these flowers will live longer, but they still need their water. Even magic needs its fuel.

The client is a complete ass, but honestly, Jaskier takes out his frustration from earlier with him, so it works out. The day passes in a blur, and before he knows it, he's at the club getting ready to perform.

He isn't on stage yet when Midge arrives. She'll notice only a handful of men turn to look at her - all the attention she gets comes from other women.

Yet it's still a very deep, manly voice that talks to her from the dark corner of the club.

"Did he bribe you to come?" The voice is, of course, Geralt's. He's sitting at a table with simple black jeans, a black leather jacket, and -you guessed it- a black t-shirt. A hand is on his beer pint, the other one is around Yennefer's shoulders. She also wears black, but her dress is elegant and beautiful, with touches of white and gray that emphasize her silhouette. A glass of whine is in her manicured hands, and the shadow that Midge recommended frames her eyes.

Midge dresses for the night at the club like she would any other, in a cocktail dress with heels and tasteful jewelry. She notices that a few of the women give her a once over, but Midge doesn’t react to them one way or another.

Geralt’s voice is hard to miss and Midge gives him a smile. “What do you mean?” she asks. “I’m here every week.” She wonders briefly if they think she’s a fool coming to a place like this. Regardless, even if Jaskier strikes out tonight (and she doubts he will), he’s not coming home with her. He’s made his choice for tonight and Midge won’t settle for being a consolation prize.

“You must be Yennefer,” Midge says to the woman whom Geralt is holding onto for dear life. The men in this club must have gone nuts when they saw Geralt, only to see Yennefer at his side. “Midge. Nice to meet you.”

She takes a seat next to Yennefer, not wanting to sit too close to Geralt in case the witch thinks she’s making a run on her man. “Your makeup looks great. Is that the liner that Jaskier bought you?”

Geralt snorts at her joke, and coming from him? That's high praise.

Yennefer keeps a close eye on Midge, curious about the woman Jaskier talks about so much. She does notice Midge's style and respects her taste. Her choice of seat doesn't go unnoticed; it confirms she's as smart as Jaskier said. Yennefer can appreciate that. Without Triss and Sabrina here, her contact with other women (besides her daughter) has been low. Maybe Jaskier is onto something here.

"Likewise," Yennefer replies with a nod. "Yes, it is. You have good taste." She knows who recommended it, alright. "Except for your music preferences."

That's just a jab at the bard, don't mind her.

Midge can tell that Geralt is not the type of man who laughs often, so to hear him laugh at something she said is very satisfying.

A waiter comes to take her order and she asks for a martini before turning back to Geralt and Yennefer.

“Yeah, well, try not to hold it against me,” Midge replies, realizing that she’s really insulting Jaskier. His ego does need a bit of deflating, doesn’t it? Midge did nothing but prop it up all last night. She guesses that’s what five orgasms in 24 hours does to a woman.

There’s silence at the table for a moment as Midge observes the other two, each of them with otherworldly eyes and auras. She’s never had much experience with the magic-using community here, though most of them don’t seem as ‘high fantasy’ as Geralt and Yennefer. Neither of them are very talkative either, so it’s up to Midge to do what she does best.

“Jaskier speaks highly of both of you,” she says.

Geralt shrugs. "We are here too." So they all have 'terrible music taste', really. Nobody can hold it against anyone, no matter how much Yennefer likes to keep the tough mask up. They all have a soft spot for the bard.

Midge's next comment makes Geralt feel a bit awkward - even after all these years, he still doesn't like how Jaskier presents him as some kind of big hero. His self-esteem doesn't allow him to see himself as much.

"He exaggerates a lot."

"I sure hope so," Yennefer says at the same time, showing her completely opposite reaction to compliments. She may not be Jaskier, but she thinks highly of herself, too. "He spoke highly of you as well. You must've caused quite an impression to stand out among his usual lovers like that."

Geralt sighs, knowing Jaskier will get mad at her for that comment later.

Midge grins when husband and wife give conflicting answers. Geralt’s humbleness is refreshing, though Midge likes Yennefer’s confidence.

The witch’s comment takes her aback. Midge doesn’t think it’s intended to be a backhanded compliment, the way that some women insult each other with kindness. And yet, she’s not sure how she feels about being referred to as one of Jaskier’s lovers. It’s what she is, of course, though saying it out loud is rather blunt. Is it a good thing that he’s spoken about her to his family?

She clears her throat, her cheeks a bit pink. “Yes… well. I was glad I could come tonight. It’s one of the few nights when I didn’t have a gig too.” It doesn’t really matter that they’re at Rainbow Road. Even if the gig was at Elftown, he still could have gone home with someone else. Would it have been better or worse for her if it were a woman?

Not wanting to dwell too much on whatever is going on between she and Jaskier, Midge changes the subject. “How are you finding Earth?”

As Midge's cheeks turn pink, Geralt's nose wiggles, and he smirks.

Yennefer sips her wine while watching Midge closely, studying her reactions. Her eyebrows raise at the change of subject, but she doesn't comment on it.

"It's been... interesting, to say the least," she replies as she puts her glass down. "Mostly, it's been relief. We're willing to overlook this realm's quirks if it gets us away from war." From Nilfgard.

"Too much fucking paperwork," Geralt adds with a frown.

Geralt, Midge likes you, even if you can apparently smell her embarrassment. His blunt assessment of too much paperwork is bang on.

“You could have landed in a worse country,” Midge says. “Immigrants have been coming to America for over two hundred years.”

Her martini arrives and Midge has a sip, gazing up at the stage. “Jaskier said you had a rough night last night.” He’d given her what basic details he knew over breakfast. They’d had to deal with a monster, which was why he had to deal with one of Yennefer’s clients.

"I doubt it could be worse than our homeworld," Yeneffer replies. Cirilla isn't wanted here, and that beats everything else. "But if our landing place had been different, that's what portals are for."

I hate portals, Geratl grumbles under his breath. And that sound becomes a growl when Midge asks about last night. He drinks more of his beer before answering, although alcohol doesn't affect him that much.

"People here keep complaining about the monsters invading through the portals, but they still want to touch them and take pictures. So many idiots getting hurt. It was a fucking mess."

That might be the most animated that Midge has ever seen Geralt get, which is pretty amusing to her.

“With some people, it’s very tempting to let natural selection run its course,” she replies. “Do you get called in by anyone in particular? Local governments?”

"Maybe I should let natural selection take care of them," he grumbles. Her question gets a shrug from him. "Whoever pays."

Yennefer shakes her head, a bit tired of Geralt not paying attention to that kind of thing. She's about to tell Midge that Jaskier will have better knowledge of their clients, but at that moment the lights go down and the announcer invites Jaskier the bard to the stage.

Jaskier's wearing his full bard outfit today, except for the hat. Long coat, brocade vest, big puffy sleeves under the jacket. He's also made his eyes very smoky with the makeup Midge recommended, which emphasizes his blues. People here like it when he's colorful and outlandish; in fact, they encourage it. Saying fuck it to what is expected of their sexes is what their community is about, and Jaskier loves to encourage it. Besides, it feels fucking good to go all out like this.

He leaves the lute against the stool by the microphone before sitting down... with a guitar. Learning new instruments has been an obsession since he arrived, and while he hasn't mastered them, the guitar is close enough to the lute for him to do at least one song.

With a soft smile, he winks at the audience before he starts playing Love Run, his smooth voice flowing into the mic and echoing in the club. Jaskier looks at every face in the audience, making them feel like he's talking directly to them. When he notices Midge, his eyes soften and his smile grows.

Soon, couples are on the dance floor, rocking close to each other while basking in the lyrics. Midge may even receive offers to dance from other women. Geralt leans back and Yennefer rests her head on his shoulder, both of them keeping their eyes on the bard with all the attention in the world. They may give him shit, but it's clear they still care for him and do like the sound of his voice.

Midge’s attention turns to Jaskier as soon as he’s on the stage. He looks good in his ridiculous bard outfit; as out of fashion as it may be, he wears it with such confidence. Midge’s attraction to him is obvious. Even as she allows herself to feel desire while looking at him, she scolds herself for it. She shouldn’t be so easy for him. Besides, Geralt can probably smell her right now.

She politely turns down any women that ask her to dance. It’s flattering, but she’s not interested. Jaskier sounds great and Midge sits back to enjoy the show.

Having a bunch of people get horny when Jaskier performs is something Geralt has been dealing with for decades now, so he's learned to tune it out. Midge's smell is barely noticeable since, right now, there's a room full of desire, either for the bard or between couples.

Once the slow song is done, everyone claps and Jaskier bows to the crowd. But he isn't done yet. He grabs the mic and brings it close, speaking with his more seductive voice.

"Good evening, my rainbow walkers. Are we ready to have some fun?" The crowd cheers as he grabs his lute. "I think a few regulars may know this one~"

He jumps off the stage to join the crowd as he starts playing his tavern songs and funny ditties. More people join the dance floor, even without a partner. They're happy to stomp, clap, and do some of the moves Jaskier has taught them, going from arm to arm around the dance floor as if it truly was an old-timey tavern. Jaskier flows around them, never missing a beat as the end of a song becomes the beginning of another one in a seamless connection. He smiles and winks for everyone, not minding it when men get too close to brush their bodies against his.

When he has a clear view of his family's table, he grins at Midge and tilts his head, inviting her to join, too.

With the personal invitation from Jaskier, Midge gets up to join the group on the dance floor. Life’s too short not to be adventurous.

She gets the hang of the dances very quickly and is soon lost in the crowd, dancing with both men and women alike, though never partnered for long. It’s easy to get lost in the music, though her eye always searches for Jaskier. He’s in his element, performing his upbeat songs for the dancing crowd around him. Seeing him glow like this only makes him more attractive to her.

Jaskier jumps from song to song as he hops from dancing partner to dancing partner, even spending a few seconds to whirl around with Midge. He's genuinely happy to see her here, both because he likes having her around and because it may mean she's able to handle this.

After a few more songs, Jaskier returns to the stage to end his performance with another slow tune so the couples can enjoy themselves one more time. By the time he's done, the whole crowd claps for him with all their energy, and he bows a couple of times just to enjoy the attention. On his way out, he even blows a few kisses.

Minutes later, Jaskier approaches the table with open arms.

"Absolute success, and I'm kicking out anyone who dares to deny it."

Midge gives him another round of applause when he approaches the table. After Jaskier hugs his family, Midge goes in for a somewhat awkward hug. She’s still not sure what her role is here, or if she should be making herself scarce. Jaskier seems happy to see her though and she relaxes once his arms are around her.

“I could make jokes, but I won’t,” Midge tells him after she pulls back. “That was wonderful.”

Not to pump up his ego, but it’s true. Midge had a lot of fun watching him and it seems like the rest of the crowd did too.

"Thank you, my witty lady. I'm glad someone has good taste around here."

Both Geralt and Yennefer roll their eyes at that, so in revenge, Jaskier steals Yennefer's cup to drink her wine. She smacks his hand as he does so, but that doesn't stop him.

"Get me kicked out, this place is too loud," Geralt says in obvious sarcasm, but Jaskier kicks his leg anyway. He barely feels it. Geralt is supposed to be working on being a better friend after the mountain fiasco, though, so he adds- "You did well." Yennefer nods, and in both cases, those little things mean a lot in their grumpy ways of communicating.

Jaskier smiles more sincerely instead of his smug grin, and he's about to answer them when a gasp escapes his lips. He turns to Midge. "Speaking of jokes! Do you want to take over the stage? I can talk to the manager."

no subject

no subject

we can fast forward after this amazingly awkward moment lmao

oh jeez

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject