#Toss a coin at your Witcher my ass this guy can’t catch a break

[tovarishch-dyke]

me playing the Witcher 3: Jesus Christ almighty this man is just always in situations. I will never escape the situations. Can’t you idiots solve your own problems for once instead of hiring a crossbreed of a private eye and mercenary?

[fictionplumis]

themyrkness replied to your post “Listen.  I’ve discovered that I love Lambert with all my heart and I...”

Lamden! Aiden proves to be low maintenance. Just be prepared for him hunting monsters exclusively at night and how he tends to sleep on top of you. He is always perfectly clean and groomed despite hating baths.

Bless you. 

And while I absolutely agree that Aiden would mostly be low maintenance I just really love the idea of those Cat mutagens sometimes being Too Much, and most of the time it’s shit like being giddy and elated after a good fight and then emotionally dropping and being kind of withdrawn and despondent for a bit, but there are the rare times a nerve is sparked and one emotion spikes over the others in a way that’s too overwhelming to properly control. It’s something that Cats could use as an excuse to, oh I don’t know, slaughter an entire town that’s tried to jilt them out of coin? But Aiden is the good guy��Lambert knows because he doesn’t use it as an excuse, he’s learned to manage it, to walk away from the Alderman no matter how bad he’s shaking with rage, to focus himself on being angry at something else, at anything, at the damn birds singing in the trees, at anything else until he’s far enough away from the town that he can take that energy out with a crossbow on the birds or go hunt down a bear or whatever. 

It’s easier with Lambert because Lambert understands being angry like that. Half the time he’s being an asshole is because he wants to provoke someone into a fight, wants some way to get that tense energy out of his system and there’s no better way than steel on steel, exertion of muscles, and the ache of it afterwards. Especially since he’s usually goading Geralt or Eskel during the winter, and they always kick his ass. 

So the first time Aiden whirls on him, shaking with anger over something that’s not Lambert but is currently going to be directed at Lambert, looking more feral and out of control than Lambert’s ever seen, and demands that they fight, Lambert gets it. 

He also understands why Geralt and Eskel always kick his ass when he’s like that, what with Aiden’s strikes lacking their usual thought and precision, just mindless, frustrated swings that hit hard enough to jar Lambert’s bones. Even then, Aiden isn’t out of control, per se. Maybe he catches Lambert off guard and manages to knock his sword away and there’s that brief moment of he’s gonna fucking kill me but Aiden tosses his sword away and takes to tackling Lambert to the ground and wrestling with him instead. It ends when Lambert tosses his head back and breaks Aiden’s nose, and he goes stumbling back to stare at Lambert with wide eyes, one hand trying to stem the flow of blood. Then tosses his head back and just laughs. Tired, wary, maybe even a little grateful as he mutters, “You broke my nose, you bastard.” 

“Am I supposed to fucking sorry about that?” 

“...No. Was a good hit.”

And when he tries to apologize later, to explain, Lambert grunts and waves it off because he gets it. So the one other time he sees it happen, Aiden doesn’t even have to pull himself away because Lambert is already grabbing him by the hair and yanking to get his attention. 

The one Lambert has a harder time dealing with is stuff like happiness and gratitude, when those things spike to an almost unbearable level for Aiden-- And usually those are directed at Lambert, caused by Lambert, which just makes it harder for him to deal with. Like maybe when Lambert goes through the effort of convincing Vesemir to make an except for one Cat. 

They always part at winter, meet up again in the spring, and Aiden does well for himself during the cold months, he knows how to survive, and he knows his history, what happened between the schools. The fact Lambert trusts him to watch his back is kind of a big deal. So he’s never asked about going to Kaer Morhen, already knows it’s not happening, because Lambert is loyal first and foremost to the Wolves, no matter how much he grumbles about them, no matter how angry they make him. That’s just how Lambert is. And bringing a Cat to their sanctuary, showing him the way there, it’s too big of a risk. Not that Lambert doesn’t trust him, but it would be a sort of betrayal to the others. 

But see, Lambert starts thinking eventually about Big Gestures. Because he kind of sucks at this whole hey I think I love you? thing. So he starts thinking about how other people show that without telling, but getting Aiden flowers feels very stupid, pointless, and underwhelming. Like what the hell would Aiden do with flowers anyway? They’d look nice in hair. For like a day, until they wilted. Dumb.

Maybe jewelry or something? Not an awful idea. He decides to keep an eye out and see if anything strikes his fancy.

But then he ends up overhearing a lovestruck maiden talking to her friends about how the blacksmith’s son the next town over wants her to come have dinner with his family and for some reason the story makes Lambert’s heart twist bitterly and he spends the rest of the night fuming to himself over the shit he thinks he can’t have. 

Until he removes his head from his ass and realizes he still can. 

So he goes through all this effort of heading to Kaer Morhen early, telling Aiden that he has some personal things to do elsewhere, might take him awhile, but he’ll absolutely meet up with Aiden in Novigrad around the middle of fall. And he goes to talk to Vesemir, and the conversation is, uh. Not great. Hardly ever is between them, but Vesemir eventually concedes enough that he’ll allow it, if and only if he goes to track down Geralt and Eskel first and they decide they’re alright with it. 

Those conversations also don’t go great but it’s not nearly as bad because for all their differences and annoyances, they all would die for each other, and Lambert may be a miserable prick who likes to pick fights, but they both know he would never do anything that would risk the safety of their pack. So they reluctantly allow it. 

And Lambert makes sure to make it clear to Aiden on their way up that it is very much a reluctant thing. They don’t trust him, it’s not gonna be a warm welcome, they probably won’t even be pleasant, expect some standoffish wolves and lots of distrust. But I mean, Aiden’s a Cat, so. When does he not deal with that from other witchers, even his own? 

It doesn’t fully hit him until he sees the keep, though. And then it’s like a sledgehammer to his chest, just how much Lambert trusts him. How big of a deal this is. For both of them, because there’s no way it was easy for Lambert to just invite someone home that might have been a potential risk of any kind. And it shows how much the other wolves must trust Lambert. Cats don’t trust each other, they don’t have that bond between members, it’s each one for themselves out there and hell, most of the time the biggest threat a Cat has is their school deciding to take them out for one reason or another if they think one has been doing something that might make them all look worse. Sacrifice the one for the all. And here he is, being invited to sit with them, these people who would do anything for each other, he’s being given a chance all because of Lambert. 

There’s not enough coin on the damn Continent to make him betray that. 

And for awhile the only thing he can do is clutch himself to Lambert, shaking like a leaf, so overwhelmed with gratitude and relief and love that he can only repeat Lambert’s name like a prayer and try to remember how to breathe. Poor Lambert is just awkwardly patting him on the back, hugging him and holding all like, “Uh, yeah. Yup. I know. It’s a lot. I’ve gotcha. You just... Take your time.” Because he doesn’t really get this side of things. Doesn’t know how to handle someone loving him so much, or him making someone this happy. When Aiden finally calms down enough to move he’s still shaking as he grabs Lambert’s face and kisses him, laughing damn near hysterically against his lips and he just can’t stop. 

Which is fine, in Lambert’s opinion, because he kind of loves this fucking maniac Cat, whether he fully understands Aiden or not. 

And of course Aiden’s a good guy and the others see it. By the end of winter they’re sparring together and swapping stories and everything’s great, but then the pass starts melting and Aiden starts getting a little withdrawn. It’s one of the other witchers that can’t sleep who sees him up one night, curled by the hearth in the main hall, wrapped in furs and staring blankly at the fire. 

Now Aiden’s been nothing but pleasant and easy to be around, so even though Lambert’s told all of them he’s a Cat, I won’t deny that, he’s batshit fucking insane, but he’s a good man, I mean he’s absolutely crazy but he’s the best person I’ve ever met-- They haven’t quite gotten a taste of that yet. 

Not until this one sits down to see what’s up with Aiden and Aiden spends a second staring into the fire before muttering, “I don’t want to leave,” in a quiet, wistful voice. And then, even quieter, “I think... If I could control the snow and keep that pass blocked off for the rest of my days, keep you all trapped here with me like this, I wouldn’t hesitate to do it.” 

And the other Wolf is just like okaaaaay well anyway, so long as you don’t go out there and tell every Cat how to get to Kaer Morhen, you’re free to come back with Lambert next year. 

They walk off shaking their head, deciding that as nice as Aiden seems to be, they’re just gonna let Lambert handle that one and not ask too many questions.