every_blossom_blooming | Sometime in December

After winter's first real bitter snap, Nina was pleased to find Geralt of Rivia spending more time in the city, either in his own apartment or hers. She'd made it clear that he was welcome to stay with her as often and as long as he wanted. She lived on the top floor, which meant no noise from above, and she kept a comfortable home these days. She gave him a key and left the invitation open.

She'd been looking for jobs for a few months; maybe she was being too picky. She helped Geralt when he had jobs that she could be useful for, and she'd started a small side business doing tailoring and "aura calming." She didn't have Genya's talent for it, but she had some skill, especially since Inej started helping her find things to include in her tailoring kit to make the things she needed.

She did most of her work out of her apartment, which meant that some days she had clients leaving or getting work done when Geralt came in from the woods.

"The effects will fade in a week," she warned the middle-aged man that had been sitting at her kitchen table. "Likely the hair first, then skin, then the eyes. If you want it to last longer, you'll have to come for touch-ups."

Nina ushered him to the door and winked at Geralt when she saw him come in.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

worstsin

Of course he knew. There were only two ways to come into money like that and the other was inheritance.

"That's about the least silly thing I've ever heard."

From:

every_blossom_blooming

She gave him a smile and held her bowl close as she finished what she had in it.

"I won't be much use in the actual building of it," she admitted. "But I'll bring you food and lemonade and ease sore muscles or heal construction injuries."

For half a moment, a vaguely horrifying thought occurred to her and she met Geralt's gaze. "And this isn't me trying to kick you out, by the way. I hope you realize how much I-- I like having you here."

But this cabin, cottage, whatever it would be, was something that he wanted. Besides, summer would come again eventually and she knew he would prefer not to be in the city through the warm seasons.

From:

worstsin

"Nina, if you were planning on kicking me out, I assumed you'd go straight for defenestration."

Geralt liked being there. He wasn't planning on pissing her off. He reached out and covered one of her hands with his own, stroked it with his thumb.

"You've made up your mind. And I really want a proper horse stable."

From:

every_blossom_blooming

"You're not wrong," she confessed. Nina relaxed again and she squeezed his hand.

"I expect there to be space for me," she said, trying to sound haughty, but her voice and her eyes were warm. She wanted to come see him, she wanted to spend the same kind of time with him, whether it was here in her apartment or out in the woods when the house (cabin, cottage, whatever) was finished. "Either in the barn or in the house."

She hoped he would want her there.

From:

worstsin

"Even Kaer Morhen had a well-appointed guest room. But ... maybe you'd prefer a canopy bed fit for a king and generous dresser drawers?"

Geralt's yellow eyes glinted, his phantom smile returned to play.

"I'll even leave the lab in the barn. There's a stench."

From:

every_blossom_blooming

Nina grinned. "Such a gentleman. I guess that leaves the kitchen free for me to cook in. Or to watch you cook while I drink and act a distraction. And if you insist on a canopy bed, then I won't turn it away."

She liked his smile; she had decided that months ago. It was subtle, but somehow that made it even better. Like a secret in plain sight.

From:

worstsin

"For the lady." Geralt sketched a courtly bow over his lap. "Anything."

He thought he might be in love. It wasn't the binding, breathless thunderstorm of Yennefer, at times treading the line of hatred and resentment. It was sweet and intoxicating, like spring in Nenneke's garden, the scent of every blossom he could name and some he couldn't.

"So that's the plan."

Edited Date: 2018-05-24 01:48 am (UTC)

From:

every_blossom_blooming

Nina just smiled, and she tried to ignore the little flutter in her stomach. She remembered that feeling, and she remembered where it landed her.

But Geralt was a different man, and he had never, not once, looked at her with murder in his eyes.

"I think this calls for some kind of celebrating."

From:

worstsin

"Mmm, what kind?" Geralt asked, not out of lack of imagination. "Champagne? It tickles my nose."

He shoveled his food down his throat quickly, wondering at what Nina might mean.

From:

every_blossom_blooming

Nina chewed thoughtfully, seeming to consider their options very carefully.

"Well, I can think of a few possibilities. At least two of them involve me naked at some point. And I have some good port that a client gave me. Sadly, no champagne."

She took another, small bite of food, and tried to keep her eyes wide and innocent.

From:

worstsin

At the thought, Geralt swept from the chair and gathered Nina onto the cradle of his hips. He made a familiar trajectory toward hr bedroom with a playful growl

From:

every_blossom_blooming

Nina couldn't help it: she squealed a noise when she found herself, rather suddenly, swept up into Geralt's arms and carried toward the bedroom.

"But you didn't even hear about the option with the melted chocolate!" she managed to laugh out, too delighted to sound serious. She cradled Geralt's face and kissed him, sweet and eager and warm.

From:

worstsin

"Don't care," he murmured. Geralt dumped Nina on her bed and climbed on top of her, trailing his mouth over the hollow of her pale throat.

"Like you better."

He worked the hem of her shirt up over her stomach, to the bottom of her bra. He kissed every freckle he found there.

From:

every_blossom_blooming

As soon as he was on her, Nina pulled at Geralt's layers, even as he tried to kiss every inch of skin he could find. Nina squirmed, just a bit, trying to undo the ties holding her skirt on without hitting Geralt.

Every brush of his mouth sent warmth cascading through her like a promise. He never hesitated, had never been disgusted by her.

"Always so charming," she laughed, breathless as she managed to get the skirt loose. She gave an ineffective tug to try to get it out from under her, then gave up. She was far more interested in hauling Geralt up for another proper kiss.

From:

worstsin

Geralt lifted her hips, tugging her skirt from around her legs. He lifted one, stroked a hand over the soft skin of her calf. He gave a long swipe of his tongue to the delicate arch of her foot. Geralt loved every part of Nina.

"I've heard otherwise."

From:

every_blossom_blooming

Nina squeaked a laugh and she couldn't help the way her leg jerked; Geralt's tongue tickled. While he loving lavished attention on her legs, Nina managed to get her blouse off, tossing it somewhere to join her skirt.

"Well, they're wrong," she said, softer and more breathless when she felt his mouth on her thigh. "Unless you've been asking kelpies and-- and incubi for feedback."

From:

worstsin

From between Nina's thighs, Geralt chuckled.

"As you might imagine, we're actually popular with succubi and incubi. We don't hunt sentient beings. And they feed on sexual energy."

He rested her leg on his shoulder so that he could deftly tug at the fastens on his studded doublet. He rubbed his beard against her thigh gently, promising.

From:

every_blossom_blooming

Nina shivered and stretched her arms over her head for a moment, luxuriating in how good she felt, even just then. She could hurry herself along, but she never needed to with Geralt.

The scrape of his beard made her smile.

"Mm, but you still needed me," she teased, remembering the first time she'd helped him in the field, luring an incubus. She reached down to stroke his beard as he worked on getting his doublet off. "Winter has you so layered up, love. I thought summer was bad enough."

Geralt had always been in no less than two shirts - and at least on two occasions he'd given his top layer to her, once while she was in torn teal chiffon, and the next during an unexpected blizzard. She swore winter saw that doubled.

From:

worstsin

He wasn't my type.""

Geralt's humor was warm. The leather went, the velvet jerkin, and the white blouse beneath. He tossed it at Nina, a joke.

Then he allowed himself a long look at her, in bed, in her fancy underthings. He thought he liked her best that way, but then, healso loved her bare.

From:

every_blossom_blooming

"Oh is that it? I was thinking you weren't his."

She caught his blouse and maybe she held it to her face a moment, breathed him in, before she tucked it beneath her head. Maybe she'd steal it.

Nina lolled her head to get a better look at him, enjoying the soft look on his face. She'd always indulged in feminine things, even during the harder courses of training in the Little Palace, or when she barely had to sticks to rub together in Ketterdam. She hadn't stopped in Darrow, with a propensity for lacy underthings - rich, vivid red today. Geralt certainly never seemed to mind.

"Should I stay very still so you can admire me?" she asked, even as she reached toward him a little and found his pulse, curled her fingers to quicken it. Just a little.

From:

worstsin

Geralt felt his pulse quicken under Nina's skilled touch. Labile pupils shifted in his yellow eyes, a helpless response, his chest flushed. Nina received a look of frustrated amusement in return.

"No. That's what flattering paintings are for. I've got a warm body in fot of me. A nice one."

He stroked both hands up her legs, hooking his thumbs on the waist of her panties.

From:

every_blossom_blooming

"Lucky me, only the royals get grand portraits done. Lucky you."

Nina lifted her hips as his fingers slipped beneath her panties, enjoying the slide of his touch down her legs, the gentle drag of the fabric.

"You're still terribly over-dressed."

From:

worstsin

"Some women prefer me that way."

But Geralt took Nina's hands and placed them over the fstens of his leather trousers and codpiece.

He smiled.

"Your pillows still smell like your hair.*

From:

every_blossom_blooming

Her fingers were deft, quick; this was far from the first time she'd wrestled him out of clothes. Full armor was the worst, so at least he hadn't been on the job - or at least, not a difficult one.

She sat up more, scooted closer so that she could kiss Geralt while she worked. As soon as she could, she pushed leather and fabric out of her way and curled her fingers around his cock, stroking slowly.

"I haven't changed the cases yet. And when I do, you'll complain they don't smell like my hair anymore." She grinned against his mouth.

From:

worstsin

"True."

Geralt let out a long, low groan into hr kiss when Nina's hand finally touched his cock, already throbbing. Fumbling, he slid his trousers and smalls down to his knees.

"Your patience with me is endearing."