It's strange to see her get shy over something that isn't sex. Jaskier is about to tease her for it, but then she drops that bomb and-- welp.
"Fuck." He hugs her tight and rubs her back. "Sorry, darling. I couldn't have guessed...· He kisses her softly. "Let's send that memory back to the past where it belongs. You own the stage now."
"Not for singing," Midge mutters. "It's annoying when I step on stage and people assume that I must be a singer."
She rests her chin on his chest. "I'll sing for you if you want me to. Just don't say that I didn't warn you."
Midge sings an okay rendition of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, mostly because she doesn't know what else to sing. It's nothing to write home about, but it's not horrible either.
He's dying to hear her sing, but after that reaction? "You don't have to--"
Ah. Nevermind. Jaskier rests his hands on her lower back and patiently listens to her song with a little smile. It's actually a pretty average voice for someone with no training, not really painful.
"Thank you, love." He kisses her nose. "My ears aren't hurting at all. You're no singer, but it wasn't horrible either. Judging you by a musical isn't fair - I imagine that had hard low and high notes. Like..."
His rendition makes her smile because of how ridiculously dramatic it is. Way to milk a children’s song for all its worth.
“I got in over my head,” she admits. “By the time we all figured out that I couldn’t sing very well, it was too late. Your voice is so soothing though.” She gives him a gentle kiss. “I love to hear you sing.”
"You were already yearning for the stage back then, you just didn't understand how."
Her compliment gets a big smile out of him. He's always hungry for praise and attention, but also, it's important to have a pattern that appreciates what's more important to you.
"Soothing, huh? Will I have to start singing you to sleep?" He thinks about it for a second before he begins to sing a soft version of Mr Sandman.
Her smile widens to a grin when he starts to sing again. She even joins in with him, trying not to throw him off with how off tune she can be at times. Singing with him helps keep her on the right notes though.
Midge kisses him again when he finishes. “I love you so much. Anyone who can’t see how wonderful you are doesn’t deserve you.”
Hearing her sing does take him by surprise, but he's professional enough not to be thrown off. Since she's trying to match him, this time her lack of singing skill is a little more obvious, but still not horrible.
"Hey, those are supposed to be my words," he teases her and kisses her again. "Love you too. And thanks for singing along, that was delightful. Our art isn't exactly compatible, so it was nice to have something to share."
“We could always write funny or bawdy poems or songs together.” Midge takes one of his hands and laces their fingers together. “What would it be like if we were back in your world? Did you ever travel around with any other performers?”
It’d probably be even more difficult for her to be a comedian there than it is here, but Midge would like to imagine a fantasy where she and Jaskier travel around and perform for people.
"You'd be up for rhyming? Because I like your idea." He sounds surprised but also curious about the result.
Her next question makes him pause. Oh, dear. "No. I've collaborated with other musicians, but I've only traveled with Geralt." He squeezes her hand. "I'm afraid we wouldn't have been more than fling back in my world, dear. That is, if your husband let me approach you at all."
She huffs. “Women were treated like chattel where you come from, weren’t they? What if I wasn’t married though? Or my husband had died of a long, lingering suspicious disease?”
Theoretical death. Midge doesn’t want to actually poison Joel. In Jaskier’s world, she could have been married to someone far worse than Joel, someone whom she might have needed to poison to get away from.
“What I meant was that we maybe could have performed together. You’d sing and I’d tell jokes and we’d travel around like minstrels. I understand what you’re saying though. If I was a lady in your world, we probably wouldn’t have met.” She gazes into his eyes. “That’s one good thing about this world and this country. It’s not perfect by any means, and we have a long way to go, but it’s much less restrictive than where you come from.”
A woman traveling alone in his world would've been fucking dangerous. And sure, technically she would've been with Jaskier, not literally alone, but he isn't exactly able to protect her from bandit gangs. That's why he has Geralt - sometimes he wonders how far he could've gone without him.
He doesn't want to ruin the cuddling by describing the horrors of his world. Thankfully, Midge gives him an opening.
"I know. That's why we don't want to go back. Even if we didn't have Ciri to protect, we would still choose this world. Safety beats the difficulty to perform any day."
He’s kind to not burst her bubble when it comes to her fantasy of traveling around with him. Midge has led a relatively sheltered life, though she’s also grown up in New York, so she’s not completely naive.
They could always do a double act here. Susie would probably hate that idea.
“Your love for Ciri is so strong,” Midge says, giving him a gentle kiss. “It’s very attractive.”
He wonders why she finds his love for Ciri attractive, yet he's afraid to ask. Because in his experience, such a comment means a woman is picturing him as a father, and that's not a happy topic.
She accepted his no children rule, yet she's open to a third. He wonders where her heart really lives. He wonders if her career will clash against it. He wonders how far they'll go like this.
"Everything about me is attractive," he teases to take the attention off Ciri and silence his brain. "I even make monster guts look good."
She does think Jaskier would be good with kids, though he may not be the most responsible father. Still, her biological clock is ticking and there’s a human instinct to want to find an appropriate mate. Midge is open to another child, but doesn’t necessarily want one. He’s made it pretty clear that he has no desire to be a father.
Doesn’t mean she can’t fantasize about it though.
“You do,” she confirms. “I loved washing them off of you this morning.” It seems like that was forever ago.
"You loved washing them off Geralt," he jokes while playfully poking her waist. He realizes he doesn't know if she's ticklish, so he tests it by tickling her stomach.
"Right in front of his wife, too! You naughty, naughty girl. I've created a monster!"
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"Fuck." He hugs her tight and rubs her back. "Sorry, darling. I couldn't have guessed...· He kisses her softly. "Let's send that memory back to the past where it belongs. You own the stage now."
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She rests her chin on his chest. "I'll sing for you if you want me to. Just don't say that I didn't warn you."
Midge sings an okay rendition of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, mostly because she doesn't know what else to sing. It's nothing to write home about, but it's not horrible either.
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Ah. Nevermind. Jaskier rests his hands on her lower back and patiently listens to her song with a little smile. It's actually a pretty average voice for someone with no training, not really painful.
"Thank you, love." He kisses her nose. "My ears aren't hurting at all. You're no singer, but it wasn't horrible either. Judging you by a musical isn't fair - I imagine that had hard low and high notes. Like..."
He sings the first few lines of Twinkle Twinkle with the drama of a theatre kid.
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“I got in over my head,” she admits. “By the time we all figured out that I couldn’t sing very well, it was too late. Your voice is so soothing though.” She gives him a gentle kiss. “I love to hear you sing.”
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Her compliment gets a big smile out of him. He's always hungry for praise and attention, but also, it's important to have a pattern that appreciates what's more important to you.
"Soothing, huh? Will I have to start singing you to sleep?" He thinks about it for a second before he begins to sing a soft version of Mr Sandman.
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Midge kisses him again when he finishes. “I love you so much. Anyone who can’t see how wonderful you are doesn’t deserve you.”
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"Hey, those are supposed to be my words," he teases her and kisses her again. "Love you too. And thanks for singing along, that was delightful. Our art isn't exactly compatible, so it was nice to have something to share."
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It’d probably be even more difficult for her to be a comedian there than it is here, but Midge would like to imagine a fantasy where she and Jaskier travel around and perform for people.
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Her next question makes him pause. Oh, dear. "No. I've collaborated with other musicians, but I've only traveled with Geralt." He squeezes her hand. "I'm afraid we wouldn't have been more than fling back in my world, dear. That is, if your husband let me approach you at all."
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She huffs. “Women were treated like chattel where you come from, weren’t they? What if I wasn’t married though? Or my husband had died of a long, lingering suspicious disease?”
Look up ‘slow poisoners’, Jask.
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"Then the one keeping your purity away from the bard whore would be your father."
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“What I meant was that we maybe could have performed together. You’d sing and I’d tell jokes and we’d travel around like minstrels. I understand what you’re saying though. If I was a lady in your world, we probably wouldn’t have met.” She gazes into his eyes. “That’s one good thing about this world and this country. It’s not perfect by any means, and we have a long way to go, but it’s much less restrictive than where you come from.”
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He doesn't want to ruin the cuddling by describing the horrors of his world. Thankfully, Midge gives him an opening.
"I know. That's why we don't want to go back. Even if we didn't have Ciri to protect, we would still choose this world. Safety beats the difficulty to perform any day."
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They could always do a double act here. Susie would probably hate that idea.
“Your love for Ciri is so strong,” Midge says, giving him a gentle kiss. “It’s very attractive.”
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She accepted his no children rule, yet she's open to a third. He wonders where her heart really lives. He wonders if her career will clash against it. He wonders how far they'll go like this.
"Everything about me is attractive," he teases to take the attention off Ciri and silence his brain. "I even make monster guts look good."
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Doesn’t mean she can’t fantasize about it though.
“You do,” she confirms. “I loved washing them off of you this morning.” It seems like that was forever ago.
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"Right in front of his wife, too! You naughty, naughty girl. I've created a monster!"
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“You love it. You don’t think it’s naughty at all.”