#and yes some of it is jaskier projecting his own insecurities

[roughentumble]

thinking about Jaskier going up to Kaer Morhen with Geralt and Ciri and it's almost like a role reversal because now Geralt's the one telling stories and laughing with his brothers and Jaskier's eating meals by himself and keeping to himself because he feels like an interloper

NOOOOOO SHUP UP

[auroracalisto]

Hey! If it is okay. Could I request an Arranged Marriage AU with Jaskier x insecure female reader, please? (Bonus points if it turns out to be a romantic loving marriage in the end with a pregnancy too if you’re comfortable with that) Thanks so much!

summary: follows the request

pairing: prince! jaskier x princess! insecure! reader

word count: 2k words

warnings: controlling mother, manipulative mother, insecure reader, female reader, arranged marriage AU

a/n: i did not put in a pregnancy because i felt like this was just going to go on forever.  perhaps i’ll make a part two to include the pregnancy.  and it’s not really romantic in this; it’s more of a realization between two parties that it could be romantic??

“What do you mean, my wedding?”

You stared incredulously at your mother, wondering what she had to say.  Nothing that would come out of her mouth would be good.  

She gave you a soft smile, her hand reaching out to touch the side of your face.  “Now, now, [Your name],” she spoke, “you knew that this was only a matter of time.  You are being wed to a man from another kingdom.  It will unite our kingdoms and we will be stronger for it.  Nothing you could do will stop it, my love.  I know you are thinking of ways.”

Half of you knew that your mother did everything out of the love and pride she had for her kingdom.  After your father died, it was only a matter of time before your mother projected her controlling ways onto the kingdom and onto you.  This was proof enough.  The other half of you stood there, in disbelief.  You had grown up, hearing stories about how your mother and father fell in love with each other and were married on their own accord.  But now, you were to be wed to a man you didn’t even know. 

Everything inside of you buzzed with anxiety.  You closed your eyes, taking in a deep breath.  All you could do was allow your mother to do what she set out to do in the first place.  There was no changing her mind.  

“May I at least know his name?”

“Jaskier.”

Your eyes shot open and you looked over at your mother, your eyes wide.  Jaskier was the prince of a rather expansive kingdom.  They had good fortune, power, and beautiful people.  Not to mention that the prince, himself, was rather attractive.  

Your blood ran cold and your palms began to sweat.  “Mother, is this a good idea?  Surely, I am not good enough to marry someone like him.”

She gave you what she believed to be a comforting smile before taking a hold of your hands.  “They will be here in a week’s time.  Your wedding will be in a fortnight, my love.  Be prepared.”

The week in question went by faster than you had wanted it to.  You stood by your mother in an uncomfortable dress, fit with the royal colors of your kingdom, waiting for the carriage that had brought Jaskier and his parents to a full stop.  

Your mother nudged your elbow, sending you a look.  She did this many times when she wanted you to stand up straight—you did just that.  

You nervously watched as one of the coachmen hopped down from his seat, walking over to open the carriage door.  

His parents stepped out, first.  And then, Jaskier stepped out from behind them.  

He’s pretty.  

You felt your cheeks grow warm as you keep your eyes on Jaskier.  He laid his eyes on you and he gave you a faint smile.  

Neither of you wanted to be here, and that was obvious.  

His parents began to converse with your mother, shortly after introducing the two of you to each other.  Not that you would need it.

“If this is going to happen,” smiled Jaskier, “I’m glad to be able to marry such an exquisite beauty.”

That’s all it took for your cheeks to burn once more.  You averted your gaze, clearing your throat in a very un-princess like manner.  “I beg your pardon?” you asked, your teeth biting the inside of your cheek as to try and prevent you from saying anything else.  

Jaskier smiled even more.  “I realize this is unconventional.  For both of us.  But we do what’s best for our kingdoms.  I hope so, anyway.”

“No… no, you’re right.  My mother has talked about that many times with me.  I know what we are doing is for the betterment of our lands.  But,” you looked up at the man, furrowing your eyebrows.  “I haven’t a clue why she chose me.  Let alone to someone who could have anyone that he wanted.”

Jaskier couldn’t help his blush and he chuckled in response.  “Well.  Perhaps I can make it worth your while.”

—

And just like the week leading up to Jaskier’s arrival, the week to your wedding went by faster than you had expected.  

Your wedding ceremony had been a blur.  Jumbled thoughts, anxious feelings, nothing felt like it was going right.  And now, you sat beside Jaskier, looking at those of your kingdoms joining together for the celebration.  

“Princess,” Jaskier said, turning to face you.  “Perhaps you should eat something.  Your mother has been eying your plate ever since you sat down.”

You frowned and returned your gaze onto his.  “She is making sure I do not eat everything.”

Jaskier fell silent for just a moment, a look of confusion washing over him.  “What?”

You forced a smile after seeing your mother with a not-so-happy look.  “Like I told you before, Jaskier.  My mother does what she has to for the kingdom and for herself.”

“What does eating have to do with anything?”

You blinked slowly, thinking of an answer.  But before you could say anything else, Jaskier’s father stood, toasting the two of you to a happy marriage.  You and Jaskier drank to that, but it still didn’t stop his concerned look.  

“We have the choice as to where we will live.  Right?”

You looked at him, frowning.  “Yes.  My mother would never give up her crown willingly.”

“Then why don’t you come back to my kingdom with me?  You will be able to have lots of good food, good atmosphere, and especially good company,” he gently nudged your arm with his elbow.  

Your eyes widened and your cheeks felt hot.  “I don’t see why not…”

Jaskier smiled at you, but there was something else beneath his smile that you couldn’t quite make out.  

Everything your mother put onto you had happened so quickly.  You were not sure if telling Jaskier yes would have been a good idea, but it was far too late to change your mind.   

Shortly after the banquet had finished, Jaskier informed your parents that you would be traveling back with them to live in his palace.  

Your mother seemed displeased, but you knew that deep down, she was glad.  She would not have to worry about you ruining her image if you were not around her.  And that would mean she would always have someone from her kingdom within Jaskiers’ palace.  It worked out well, just like the arranged marriage. 

—

You were only a couple of months into your marriage with Jaskier.  His kingdom was just as beautiful as the stories you were told growing up.  You hadn’t heard much from your mother, not that that was an issue.  However, and this was something you had noticed from the time that you had arrived, Jaskier was a huge flirt.  And it didn’t matter what their status, or who they were, really, he would flirt.  And a part of you hated that.  He was sweet to you.  But he never talked to you the way he talked to other people.  Perhaps that was a good thing.  But the other side of you wished that he would treat you like what seemed to be his fleeting crushes. 

You knew what these feelings were.  Jealously.  But it didn’t make sense.  You weren’t supposed to have any sort of feelings towards him, were you?  It would have posed a problem.  That problem being, you weren’t good enough to like him as much as you were starting to.  

What especially didn’t help were moments like this—where you were out with Jaskier in the kingdom and he flirted with people as you walked by them.  As you passed the third girl Jaskier flirted with (who returned the flirtatious remarks), you found yourself growing increasingly upset with this.  Something overcame you, lest it is called jealousy, and you suddenly grabbed ahold of Jaskier’s hand, turning him to face you.  

His eyes were wide and he stared at you for a split second, trying to figure out what you were thinking. 

“[Your name]?”

“Why don’t you talk to me like that?  Am I—am I not good enough?”

He couldn’t help his smile that quickly formed.  “Not good enough?”  He let out a laugh, and he leaned forward to kiss your warm cheek.  “You are too good for me to talk to you in such a manner.  I couldn’t imagine being the reason for—”

“—if you aren’t going to talk to me in that manner, please refrain from talking to others in front of me in such a way.”

You let go of his hand and proceeded to walk past him, an angry look on your normally calm face.  

“[Your name],” Jaskier quickly called after you, taking a hold of your hand once more.  “Where is all of this coming from?  I always believed you thought so little of me.”

Your eyes widened as you turned your head to look at him.  “Jaskier,” you breathed out.  “You truly are oblivious.”  You squeezed your eyes shut as you gathered your words.  “I never believed that I was good enough for you.  You spend your time flirting with girls far prettier than I’ll ever be.  Far thinner, far too beautiful.  What am I to assume if you continue doing so?  I never once thought that you would have been alarmed had I said something about it.  What is all this, Jaskier?  If I have hurt you in some way, could you not imagine what every passing comment does for me?”

“I—” Jaskier frowned deeply.  “I realize that perhaps I should not have flirted with the women in passing.  But in my defense, princess, never once did I stop to think that you would feel so strongly about something like this.”

You jerked your hand away, frowning.  “Well.  You should have.”

This time, instead of grabbing you and stopping you, Jaskier let you walk off.  You made your way back to the castle and went straight for your quarters.  You had nothing to offer the kingdom, let alone your husband who flirted with everything that walked.  You sat down on the edge of your bed, a million thoughts racing through your mind.  

He was right.  Why did you feel so strongly about this?  Why did you care?  You were both in this marriage out of the necessity for your parents and for the kingdom.  He should be allowed to flirt with whoever he chooses.  So, why did it hurt so bad?

You were only alone for an hour with your thoughts.  A knock brought you back to your bedroom, and you quickly cleared your throat and called out. “Come in.”

Jaskier opened the door and came in as soon as he heard you speak.  He had realized that maybe he shouldn’t have flirted as much as he did, especially when he knew he felt so strongly about you.  

“I have something to tell you, princess,” Jaskier spoke.  

“So do I.”

Jaskier stared at you for just a moment, coming over to sit down beside you.  “What do you have to tell me…?”

You closed your eyes, quickly taking a hold of his hand.  “I do believe I’ve come to a conclusion.  On why I feel so strongly about you.”

Jaskier began to blush.  He couldn’t help it.  That was similar to what he was about to admit.  

He began to smile at you, and when you realized that he was smiling, your face began to heat up.  

“What?”

“I do believe that I feel the same way, [Your name].”

You had never expected to fall in love with Jaskier, especially in the way that you were feeling now.  Perhaps, the controlling nature of your mother was looking out for you, for once.  

Pieces of Jaskier still could not fathom how you talked about yourself.  You were just as beautiful as the women he flirted with, if not more.  But now, he realized, he would have so much time to properly show you that, especially since, now, the two of you were on the same page.  

[cami-chats]

Backwards Relationship

Fandom: The Witcher (TV)

Pairing: Renfri/Geralt

Warnings: None

The problem with Geralt being her best friend is that he always used the least amount of words possible in any given situation. Most of the time, that was fine. Very often, it was actually amusing-- like when Renfri asked if he liked Thai food and he responded that he ate food; she couldn't stop laughing for so long afterwards that it got hard to breathe and there were tears leaking out of her eyes. But when it was something serious, it was pulling teeth to get him to admit all the important parts. 

Unfortunately, this was one of those more difficult times. He was calling her phone, and as soon as she answered, "Hello?" she barely managed to get the word out because he cut in. 

"I need you to go on a date with me." 

She'd heard Geralt ask people out before. It didn't sound like this. That was disappointing, but not unexpected. They'd been friends for a decade; if he wasn't in love with her yet, he wasn't going to be. "Uh-huh. How's that?" 

"Jaskier's wedding." 

"Jaskier's getting married?" Renfri had only met him a handful of times, but he didn't seem the kind to get married. 

"Yes." 

"And what does that have to do with me going on a date with you?" 

Geralt grumbled something unintelligible. 

"In words I can actually understand," she clarified. 

Geralt sighed, like this was a great inconvenience to him, and said, "His fiance gave me a plus one seat without asking and assumed that I would be bringing my partner." 

"Okay," she said slowly. "And?" 

"And then he paid for the dinner without checking with me, and Jaskier said I have to come before I make his fiance cry. Again." 

"I'm seeing how this translates to me coming to the wedding with you, but I'm not seeing the part where it has to be a date." 

"Apparently," Geralt said with a growl to his voice that meant he thought this was stupid and didn't want her to think it was his idea, "correcting Jaskier's fiance about such topics is detrimental to his constitution." 

Renfri snorted, then started laughing. "'Detrimental to his constitution'? Did Jaskier find himself a bridezilla who has the occasional fainting spell?" 

"Yes." 

"I've got to see this. What day is it?" 

"The fifteenth, next month." 

"Amazing. I'll be there. Send me the details. And I'm not driving," she added quickly. She hated driving. 

"I know," Geralt said, tone conveying that he thought it was unnecessary she felt the need to remind him. Which was fair, since Geralt seemed to remember every little thing she told him, but she was in the habit of giving that reminder as often as she could. Just because she had a driver's license didn't mean that she wanted to use it. "Are we still on for dinner?" 

Take-out and Bollywood musicals while they talked shit about their coworkers and updated each other on the progress for their current projects. "Absolutely. Do you feel like braving my attempts at curry?" 

Silence. 

She let it last for seven seconds before cracking, laughing loudly enough that people stared at her. She thought about flipping them off but elected to ignore them instead. "Relax, I learned my lesson the last couple times. We're ordering from Taki's, as usual. Feel better?" 

He gave an affirmative grunt. 

"Mmhmm. See you at five," she said, then hung up. Ugh, she had to finish shopping, and she didn't feel like it. 

*

Jaskier had called both of them ahead of time-- well, he called Geralt, and Renfri happened to be there so he lectured both of them-- to make sure that they dressed appropriately. It had basically been Jaskier telling them over and over that he knows they don't like to dress up and that Geralt was able to get out of being a groomsman, but there were going to be pictures so they had to look nice. Again, most of this was directed at Geralt, but Jaskier decided to include Renfri because he figured if they were best friends, they likely had similar taste in clothes; he wasn't really wrong. The conversation ended when Geralt said, in no uncertain terms, that he knew how to dress for a fucking wedding so shut up, and ended the call. 

Then Geralt turned to her and asked what she was wearing. She dragged him to her room and pulled out one of her two formal dresses-- one was for events with her friends, the other was for events with her family. One was bright red, sleeveless, and sparkly, meant to draw attention; the other was a forest green and often described as being 'too boring for how pretty you are'. She was planning on wearing the green one, which she wore around her friends. 

"What about you?" 

"Hmph. I'll have to go shopping." 

"You have a suit." 

"Not one that matches you." 

"While that's a nice thought, I'm not sure we care that much. Your normal black suit will be fine." 

Geralt looked relieved at being given an out from having to go shopping, and he relaxed again. 

*

"This is Jaskier's friend Geralt," Jaskier's newly minted husband introduced, "and his fiance." 

Geralt blinked, and Renfri's grip on his arm tightened in surprise. 

Later, when Geralt managed to track him down, Jaskier waved it off. "My dear sweet Geralt, I have no idea why my love would say that. I certainly didn't tell him that." 

"He's telling it to every single person at this wedding," Renfri said flatly. 

"I don't care what he thinks, just tell him to stop it." 

Jaskier gave an over dramatic wince that, for Jaskier, was probably a normal wince. Fucking actors. "Yes, um, about that." 

"What." 

"What harm would it really do? Your two best friends are right here, so there's no one to find out and get mad at you. Trust me," he said, clapping a hand on both of their shoulders, "one night of some drunken arseholes thinking you're engaged won't ruin anything for you." With that, he got pulled away for a dance by one of his friends/ex-girlfriends. 

"I no longer like him," Renfri said. 

Geralt nodded. 

"He's not funny." 

He grunted in agreement. 

"And I don't like his singing." 

Geralt snorted. "Want a drink?" 

"Open bar, right? Sure, drown me." 

*

It was not a one night thing. Renfri knows, because her father called her, immediately babbling about caterers and venues and asking who her wedding planner was. She didn't get a single word in before he was hanging up with promises of getting her the best help money could buy. 

My father is looking up wedding planners, she texted Geralt. Your friend Jaskier is about to sing a quick goodbye to his FUCKING HUSBAND. 

It took a minute for a response to come in, after a few tries of the typing bubble appearing and disappearing. I'll help. 

*

Renfri felt like pounding her head against the table. Nothing else had gotten through to her father, so she gave in to the impulse and methodically thunked her forehead against the hard wood. 

"Renfri darling," he said, sticking his hand between her head and the surface of the table, "I know that weddings are stressful, but there's no need for that. Grimhilde had a few difficult times during the course of our engagement, but it all turned out in the end. Your wedding day should be magical; a day you never forget." 

Renfri let out a loud, annoyed groan. Every single time she tried to tell him that she wasn't getting married, he thought it was just nerves or insecurity. As far as she was aware, he hadn't actually managed to pin down a wedding planner yet, so she was thankful for small favours. She pushed herself up from the table. "I'm going to call Geralt," she said, already dialing his number as she left the room. 

"My father is driving me absolutely batshit." 

"Not surprised. What about your stepmother?" 

"I think she's electing to ignore that I'm getting married entirely, which means that I actually like her more than my father right now. A sentence I never thought I'd have cause to say, by the way." 

"Hm." 

"I don't suppose you want to come over here and back me up? All I need you to do is nod and agree with me when I say that we're not engaged." 

"Right now?" 

"If you're free. If not, we can do it whenever you are free." 

"I'll be there soon." 

She let out a relieved breath. "Thank you so much. Love you." 

"Love you," he grunted, and they hung up. He really was the best friend. He would also make the best fiance, if he ever found himself in that position, but she wasn't going to be able to enjoy that personally. 

*

One year later

"They're not going to believe me," Renfri said, looking adoringly at the plain black wedding band on her ring finger. 

"Do they need to?" Geralt asked. He had a matching wedding band on his own hand. He'd wanted silver, but she was allergic. She'd wanted gold, but he hated the color. They'd compromised on black, and honestly, she was glad that she didn't have an engagement ring with a rock in it that could mess up the form of her hand when she needed to get it in smaller spaces. 

"Not really." Their marriage certificate was legal, and they were living together. What people chose to believe about it hardly mattered. "But it's hilarious that no one believed us when we said we weren't together." 

Geralt grunted noncommittally, as if she didn't know that he agreed with her. 

Mostly though, it was funny that he'd come to her parent's house to get it our of their heads that they were engaged, and then he'd asked her on a date when they were leaving the driveway. And, of course, she'd said yes. After a sneak preview of what an announced engagement would do to them, Geralt had asked, she'd said yes, and they immediately went to the courthouse to get a license. 

[hale-of-stiles-heart]

#for once geralt fits in. he's with family and friends who dont fear him. that he can trust and let his guard down #act like a normal person #and ciri!!! the child that he now wants and treasures so dearly!!! #he gets to start making a family with her!! in his own way!!!! #and for once jaskier is the outsider. doesnt know how to charm them or slip into conversation even #when folk dont trust him as a bard they treat him as human-- which he complains about to geralt #because he thinks geralt should be treated as a person too #but now he's in a strange place with social moors he doesnt always grok #and people who look at /him/ and potentially see threat #outsider. interloper. #because it was humans who sacked kaer morhen!! #and yes some of it is jaskier projecting his own insecurities obviously geralt's brotheren trust someone geralt vouches for (someone geralt's been talking about every winter for a decade) #but he still doesnt know where he /fits/. he still feels outside. which is so different for him just. is. #its a whole Thing

after the mountain and being apart for so long it's so awkward and uncomfortable, Jaskier's worried about being a burden about being a bother, so he holds back! He graciously accepts his meals and eats away from the others so he's not intruding on their private conversations, gives them all a lot of distance trying to be polite but it all just ends up with him being withdrawn and lonely

And maybe it's not Geralt who confronts Jaskier about it, it's Vesemir because he can see that neither Geralt or Jaskier are entirely happy so he starts making an effort to explicitly include Jaskier in things, whether it's just having him help prep dinner or join them around the fireplace to relax after dinner

thinking about Jaskier going up to Kaer Morhen with Geralt and Ciri and it's almost like a role reversal because now Geralt's the one telling stories and laughing with his brothers and Jaskier's eating meals by himself and keeping to himself because he feels like an interloper

NOOOOOO SHUP UP