doesntsing | open post

"Oh, darling..." Desperate for more touch but not wanting to push the temptation too far, he brings her hand up to nuzzle it. He's smiling softly, his heart feeling all fuzzy by her affection.

"What Yennefer told you wasn't a lie - during hunts, I may not always be available to answer. But even if I'd actually been busy-" He waggles his eyebrows. "There'd be nothing wrong with you messaging me. I'd just answer it when I see it. I promise you I don't expect you to answer me immediately, either, if you're with the kids. Or any other kind of busy." He'd pout a lot, because he can get annoying when he's attention-hungry. But that's not her fault.

Then he kisses her hand. "I love talking to you, of that you can be sure. Being a hedonistic bitch means I don't keep around anyone or anything I dislike."

She strokes the back of her finger down his cheek. “I love talking to you too,” Midge replies. “And sometimes letting our bodies talk instead.” Leaning in, she kisses his other cheek.

Midge smiles at him referring to himself as a hedonistic bitch. “You’ve been nothing but sweet to me.” Mostly. “I guess you must like me a lot.”

Her kiss makes his whole body shiver, and he lets out a little sigh. He likes sweet moments and small tokens of affection - not everything has to be about sex (no, really!). But considering the current context, he can't help but feel a bit frustrated. Hearing Ciri's laughter coming through the window is what helps him pull back.

"You're an absolute sweetheart, and it's contagious," he explains after another sip of his tea. "I joke a lot about corrupting you, but the real miracle is that you've managed to keep so much of the sweet housewife with you after so much time in clubs, the stage, and the harsh reality of the nightlife." He wrinkles his nose. "And you can't tell Geralt that I said that, because usually I'm the one trying to bring sunshine into this family."

But he's also seen the world, and had to learn to navigate what it's made of outside the family estate.

She loves to make him shiver like that. It’s comforting that even a small touch from her can make him react in such a way.

“It’s not an easy business,” Midge says, resting her head against Jaskier’s shoulder, “but I don’t want it to change who am I. I’d like to think I’m not naive about a lot of things, although you’ve perhaps changed my mind about that. I know showbiz is ruthless. I hope I can survive without becoming ruthless myself.”

"It's not only about the business," he clarifies. There's an awkward pause then. When he first talked about his family, he was high on fever. The second time was on text, and the devices help put a distance when it comes to difficult matters. Having to bring this up face-to-face feels different, but he's glad he can trust her with it. "It's also about living in the real world outside the family money."

Been there, done that; many harsh lessons were learned. Her comment on naivety makes him wonder if she means in general or regarding sex.

He grabs her hand and gives it a squeeze. "You have no idea how happy I am to hear that. I hope you achieve it, I truly do. It's always been my goal while traveling with Geralt, helping him see the brighter things in life while walking in the dark. And we're hoping we can keep Ciri safe in the sunshine, too, which is why we don't want to go back to our homeworld. But like I told you about morbid humor, there's no denying I've absorbed some of it." Cynicism, he means. He lets his head rest on top of hers. "Although I suppose my own family made me a bit of a bitch, too. That's the other amazing thing about you - you're not snobbish."

Midge wraps her arms around him, unable to help herself. “Even though my family has money, my parents always wanted me to be practical. I also never really looked down on people for being different. The way I see it, my people have been judged to the point of almost being wiped off the Earth. I can’t very well believe stereotypes about black people or gay people if I know that the ones about Jews aren’t true.”

She raises her head to look at Jaskier. “I haven’t met her yet, but I think all of you are doing a wonderful job with Ciri. You make your decisions based on what’s best for her, which is what you should do.

I’m no stranger to morbid humor, but there’s a time and place. I don’t want to live being cynical all the time. My comedy points out hypocrisy in what I hope is a funny way, but a way that still makes people think.”

And what else can he do but hug her back? He's weak. Sue him.

Her explanation makes a lot of sense, yet here's when Jaskier's world perception comes in - sadly, not everyone who belongs to a certain group is as accepting of other groups, too. He's met many bigoted elves and racist queers. Hell, the fact that he's here thinking she's very accepting for a religious person says this about himself, too. Is he going to say that aloud? Hell no.

The comment about Ciri makes him smile. "Thank you, darling. It means a lot to hear that." He kisses the top of her head, his body still itching for more affection. "You're right, it's not fun to be cynical all the time. That's usually my philosophy, too - I never meant to argue against it. I simply can't help being amused by how you see me. That's all."

She’d like to think that her religion is a little bit different, but she won’t ever press Jaskier on it. It’s clear that he has had bad experiences with religion that were very formative for him.

Midge rests a hand on his chest. “Because I see you as sweet and not as a hedonistic bitch?” She looks at him with obvious fondness in her eyes. How quickly she’s grown attached to him.

There’s a pause and then she speaks again. “Do you have plans for the last weekend of September? I was hoping you’d come to my cousin’s wedding in the Hamptons with me. As my date. A friend.”

Perhaps that’s too much to ask, and she hadn’t exactly meant to ask him now. It has just… come out when she was contemplating how much she liked him. Jaskier is probably the only person who can help her get through this God-awful wedding.

Jaskier puts a hand on top of hers on his chest, nodding as he hopes she can't tell that his heart skips a beat when she looks at him like that. It's too much, too risky - yet he can't help but bask in it.

He's distracted by the way she looks at him and how he's internally dealing with this crush, so her question catches him by surprise, completely throwing him off.

"...what?" His eyes are wide, his body tense. He's touched that she wants him there; he's also absolutely panicking. "You-- you want me around your family? As your-- plus one?" He can't say 'date'. It's fine to tease about going on dates in private, but context suddenly makes it a big word. "What are you even going to tell them?"

“Yes,” she says, her confidence faltering a bit at his reaction. She did spring this on him out of nowhere though. “I’ll tell them you’re my plus one for the wedding. They already know you’re my friend.” Midge sighs. “I understand it’s a lot to ask, and you can have some time to think about it, but my cousin and her family are absolutely insufferable. I can’t go alone.”

Having Jaskier there will make things so much better.

Seeing her falter does make him feel a bit bad, but it's not enough to overtake the panic. Even if she only introduces him as a mere plus one, he knows exactly what they'll say behind their backs. And if this was merely like being seen with one of his other lovers in a bar or something, it wouldn't be a big deal - but he knows how much the family affects Midge's life. Not to mention, he has to wonder if she asking him means something else from her in the first place.

"A lot indeed," he replies as he swallows. Fuck. His hand tightens around her. "Let me think about it and I'll get back to you soon? This is... a lot." He already said that, didn't he? But his silver tongue is rather stuck at the moment.

“Of course,” she replies. That’s fair, isn’t it? Midge will try not to be disappointed if he says no. She thinks a lot of him, and thinks that a man who grew up rich and who has sang in the courts of kings and queens will know how to charm her relatives.

She kisses his cheek again, then picks up her coffee to finish it. “It’s getting closer to 10:00. What clothing did you bring me?”

That kiss almost makes him want to say yes on the spot, and that thought alone is terrifying. Thank goodness she changes the subject.

"Oh, right!" He leaves the bed to get the clothes, which he hands to her one by one. "Panties, bra, flats, aaaand-" He unfolds some dark green fabric. "Dress. Yennefer's spell used your hair, so it should fit perfectly. You'll be able to wear it one or two more times before it fades away, if you wish."

“Oh,” she says, looking at and then feeling the fabric of the dress. “That’s beautiful.”

Done with her breakfast, Midge pushes down the straps to her nightgown and lets the satin fall down her naked body. She’s sure this is doing nothing for how much both she and Jaskier want each other, but Midge allows him to admire her for a moment before she reaches for the panties and bra.

His breath catches when her nightgown falls (gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous), and Jaskier forces himself to look away before his cock wakes up. Looking out the window is a horrible idea, however, because a sweating Geralt makes it worse. Jaskier is mostly immune to it nowadays, but right now his body is needy and sensitive to certain kinds of stimuli.

He distracts himself by searching his closet for one of those retail paper bags from his many purchases so she can throw her robe and nightgown in it. When he puts it down on his desk, he notices his Polaroid camera and picks it up.

"Do you think we could--" He then realizes how it sounds for him to ask for a picture when she's still getting dressed. "-once you're done, of course."

Midge doesn’t blame him for looking away in this situation. It’s hard not to try to entice him at this moment, even though she knows she can’t.

She glances up when he speaks again. While she might not be opposed to doing pictures for him in her underwear, or even topless, now isn’t the time. It’s a relief when he says he wants a picture of her in the dress, though she’s still unsure.

“Really?” she asks as she steps into the dress. “But my hair’s a mess and I have no makeup on.”

"So you look like I just fucked you? Oh no!" It's both sarcastic and extremely dramatic. "How could I live with that image taunting me between the pages of my poems?"

He comes closer to help her with the buttons at the back of her dress, moving a bit more slowly than he should because he wants to savor the brush of his fingers against her skin. "I think you look amazing in everything, including naturally." He kisses her shoulder. "But I understand wanting to look your best. Bathroom is at the end of the corridor. You'll find my brush, my creams, and my eyeliner. I know it's not much, but it's safer than Yennefer's private vanity."

She closes her eyes, enjoying the sensation of his fingertips on her skin. The offer to use his cosmetics is nice, but she thinks she can bear this. Midge looks in the mirror and runs her fingers through her hair, flattening it down. She twirls a little in the dress too; it fits her like a glove.

“You can take a picture of me like this,” Midge tells him. “It’s just for you anyway.”

"You are too good to me," he replies with a soft smile. Jaskier makes her sit on his desk, just because he likes the idea of her next to his work, and quickly takes the photo.

While he shakes it, he looks at her with his head tilted. "Should I take the camera to your next gig? I'd love to take one together, too, but no makeup will save my nose now."

Not to mention he seriously needs a shower. When the picture is ready, he shows it to her and kisses her cheek. "As pretty as the real one."

“Sure, if you want to. Don’t let Susie tell you no photos.” Knowing her, she’d try to monetize it somehow.

Midge smiles at the Polaroid. Fortunately, they don’t show a lot of detail, so you can’t really even tell that she isn’t wearing makeup. “Thank you. This dress is beautiful.”

Jaskier tucks the picture in his notebook but before he can answer, the door opens.

"Thank you. Enjoy it while it lasts," Yennefer replies as she comes inside.

"Don't you know how to knock?" Jaskier glares at her.

"As if that stopped you before." Yennefer doesn't even look at Jaskier, who pouts at her answer. She approaches Midge and hands her a box with twelve small potion bottles, all filled with a grayish-purple liquid. "Birth control. That pill your doctors sell here--" The disgust is clear in her voice. "-messes with women's hormones. These are safer." She looks at Jaskier then. "What did you call the tiny ones?"

"Oooh, free samples! You finished them?" He runs to peek inside the box. "Most of our clients are men. Husbands think magic and monster matters are too dangerous to be handled by their wives." He rolls his eyes. "We've been looking for a way to reach women."

Yennefer nods. "You can keep one or two, if you wish, but we'd appreciate it if you share them with your friends." Her eyes are rather intense when she says appreciate - she's playing nice, but she thinks Midge owes her after so many portals. "Together with Jaskier's number, of course. So they can order more."

Midge is taken aback when Yennefer presents her with the box of potions. A tinge of pink forms on her cheeks after the witch explains what they are.

“O-Oh…” she says. “Yes, of course I will.” Giving out an unregulated potion sounds like a way to get the FDA on your case, but Midge knows that women will be very interested in this, even if it’s considered taboo to talk about.

She glances at Jaskier. “Did you put her up to this?”

"To make free samples? Yes, it was my idea. To ask for your help to hand them out, though?" Jaskier shakes his head and raises his hands in a gesture of innocence. He doesn't say more, wanting Yennefer to finish explaining. Like Geralt, she needs to socialize more.

Yennefer glares at him before turning to Midge. "Well. Since you wrote to me, asking for--" She hesitates, unsure of how to approach this.

"Frieeeeeendshiiiiiip?" Jaskier teases. Yennefer smacks him on the arm, but he just laughs.

“I meant to make it in the first place,” she clarifies. It seems like a very Jaskier thing to ask for, considering that it will enable them to not have to use condoms anymore.

Midge won’t bring it up right now, but there’s still the risk of disease, especially because she and Jaskier aren’t exclusive. Unfortunately, they may not be done with condoms after all.

She grins at Yennefer. “I know. It feels weird asking for something like that as an adult, but adults need friends too.”

"Oh." His eyes widen when he realizes Midge may think he asked Yennefer to do it for them. Or for Jaskier's night adventures. Or both. "Oh, fuck no! Nope, nothing like that - that was all her." He waves his hands in Yennefer's direction, so she smacks them away. "I didn't even know she could do that until she brought it up."

Yennefer offers Midge the tiniest of smiles - just the smallest turn of the corners of her lips. But she has a reputation to maintain. "You sound like him. No wonder you two get along so well." She turns to Jaskier. "Is everything ready?"

Yennefer raises her hands to open a portal behind Midge's building, near the fire escape. Even if she's entering through the front door this time, she shouldn't show up in the middle of the street.

Jaskier rushes to put Midge's clothes and the box of mini potions inside the paper bag and hands it to Midge as he kisses her cheek. "Let me know how it goes with your family, alright?"

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it's a few years off for the pill but fuck the timeline

we do what we want

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