Despite being fully human, Jaskier was raised by the Fae. He never knew his birth family—never even knew the name he was given at birth.

All he knew was the story they told him: that he had been found as an infant in a field of buttercups, and so they called him Jaskier. The name stuck, replacing whatever he had been before.

For most of his life, Jaskier was taught that he existed by the Fae’s mercy. He was raised to serve the royal court, reminded often that he owed them everything for sparing his life. Gratitude was expected. Obedience was assumed.

Then, one day, he was given a different kind of task.

The Fae wished to learn more about witchers, and they decided Jaskier would be their eyes and ears. A harmless bard, wandering from place to place, was the perfect spy.

That was how Jaskier met Geralt.

But the longer Jaskier travelled with the witcher, the more cracks appeared in the story he’d been raised to believe. And with every shared road and quiet moment, Jaskier began to question who he truly owed—and whether the life the Fae had given him was ever really his at all.

Here’s the thing: it isn’t that Jaskier dislikes sex—quite the opposite, really. The problem is that nearly every relationship he’s ever had seems to end there.

Every friendship Jaskier makes, or tries to make, eventually follows the same pattern. Someone will talk about the connection they share, about how close they feel. Jaskier, wanting to be wanted, gives in. They sleep together.

And then they leave.

Again and again, it happens the same way. People enjoy Jaskier’s body, his warmth, his willingness—but never seem interested in staying for who he actually is. Sometimes Jaskier can’t help wondering if that’s all anyone ever sees: not a man, not a poet, not a friend, but a prettily wrapped indulgence. A glorified sex object, easily enjoyed and just as easily discarded.

That’s one of the reasons Jaskier likes Geralt so much.

Despite all of Jaskier’s teasing, his flirting, his half-serious attempts to turn things physical, Geralt never wants that from him. The witcher listens. He stays. He treats Jaskier as something solid and real.

And for once, Jaskier doesn’t feel like he has to give his body just to be kept around.

THE WAY HE SMILES AT HIS BF 🥹🥹

had the thought that when jaskier backs up milva and gets geralt to wait for the crossing to clear he says "give us both some time to heal" because he knows geralt will never stop looking for ciri just for his own sake (so saying "give you some time to heal" will never work) but he also doesn't phrase it around himself needing rest because the last thing he wants is to be the reason they stop (as he literally says "I will not be what slows us down." and tried to slur out the words "just find ciri" and get geralt to leave him behind while his head was actively gushing blood) but he also knows that geralt is all too willing to stop if jaskier really does need rest (as much as he hates it) so he had to phrase it around both of them and not focus on one over the other in order to get geralt to (however begrudgingly) wait for the path to clear. ok whatever im gonna go eat drywall

jaskier's reluctance and the pleading "do I really have to do this?" look to geralt when regis says he wants to put in sutures for his head wound... convinced they did this shit for me specifically tbh

one of my favorite things is when geralt finds out jaskier's birth name is julian alfred pankratz and it's like when a kid finds out their mom's name isn't mom