Actions

Work Header

Rating:
Archive Warning:
Category:
Fandoms:
Relationships:
Characters:
Additional Tags:
Language:
English
Series:
Part 1 of Geralt and Roach, Jaskier and Baby
Stats:
Published:
2022-02-08
Completed:
2022-02-23
Words:
3,111
Chapters:
3/3
Comments:
50
Kudos:
540
Bookmarks:
25
Hits:
4,426

Signs and Dogs

Summary:

While jogging with Roach, Geralt meets Jaskier and his dog.
Inspired by the tumblr post https://dat-carovieh.tumblr.com/post/659480965876465664/also-as-true-dog-owners-they-dont-know-each

Notes:

In this fic I have Geralt and Jaskier conversing in an unspecified Sign Language. It is meant to be the Sign Language of whatever country or region this takes place in- thus far I'm not specifying, but I live in the United States and that's my frame of reference, so probably ASL.
I am not part of the Deaf/HOH community and my knowledge of ASL is very limited, so it's possible that my dialogue would not flow naturally in Sign. I really like Sign Languages and wish they were more widely taught and used.

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Chapter 1

Chapter Text

Geralt was running in the park with his greyhound, Roach. She was from a rescue, a former racing dog. He was wearing noise canceling headphones and listening to a mix he had put together of his favorite musical group.

On the green up ahead he could see a small brunette man training his Great Dane puppy. As he got closer, he realized that the man in the flamingo patterned shirt wasn't just signing his commands to the white dog, he was signing a whole conversation with her.

“Good girl, good girl, so good! Yes! Now we’re going to try the new one again, ok? Such a good girl! Ok, sit… and now stay.”

The Great Dane puppy sat still while the man backed up four big steps. The leash in his hand still had some slack in it, he was probably using it to give them room for things like this. Geralt slowed to watch.

“Good girl! Ok, come.”

The Great Dane puppy happily ran to him and bowled him over. He fell right on his back without catching himself, his legs flying up in the air. The puppy licked his face enthusiastically, completely indifferent to the fact that she was standing on the man’s chest and thighs.

Geralt unhooked Roach’s leash from his belt and fastened it around a tree. He signaled her to stay, and went over to help the man under the dog.

When he got closer Geralt could see that despite his mishap the man on the ground was smiling. Geralt signed to the man, “Are you alright? Do you need a hand?”

Now that he was close, he saw that the puppy was bigger than he thought, but the man underneath the dog did manage to get her to shift. He reached out a hand and Geralt took it and helped him up.

Geralt realized that he had been wrong about the man’s size as well- he was as tall as Geralt himself, but everything about his clothes and way of moving made him seem smaller, graceful, delicate. “Delicate” was an odd way to describe a grown man, Geralt thought, then the man was signing.

“Thank you, Baby gets a little excited about training. But she is doing so well. Aren’t you, Baby? You are my good girl! Yes, good girl! Sit! Good Baby, yes, use your good manners.”

The Great Dane was wagging her tail so hard that her whole butt went back and forth with it, but she sat. Geralt held his hand out to be sniffed, and was again struck by the largeness of the pup when she licked the back of his hand with the biggest dog tongue he had ever seen. He took his hand back so he could sign.

“She’s friendly.”

“Is that your dog?” the beautiful man indicated Roach.

“Yes. She’s a bit nervous sometimes so I don’t bring her close to new dogs or people until I know they can behave.”

“Of course; that’s very responsible of you. I’m not sure yet how to introduce Baby to other dogs actually, since she can’t look at them and me at the same time.”

White Great Danes, Geralt belatedly remembered, were often deaf.

“I could hold Baby’s leash for you while you go over, if you like.”

“I seem well behaved to you?” the man asked with a smile.

“For a human.”

The man laughed. Geralt couldn’t hear it with the headphones, but the way his face lit up made him feel warm all over.

He turned a little so Baby couldn’t see his hands and signed “For a human I’m quite naughty, but I’m very well behaved for a dog; I would lay down wherever you asked me to.”

Geralt’s breath caught in his throat. Surely this beautiful man did not mean that as dirty as it came out.

“What is your dog’s name?”

Geralt did her name sign where Roach couldn’t see it, and then finger spelled “R-O-A-C-H”

“What a name for such a beautiful pup! I must go meet her and explain that I am not judging her for the ridiculous name she was given.”

Geralt found himself smiling at the beautiful man. He turned and whistled for Roach’s attention, then signed a command.

“I’m sorry, did you just do the sign for U-N-I-C-O-R-N to your dog?”

“It’s the sign for her to stay calm to meet someone new,” Geralt sheepishly admitted, “when I got her I started training her to be a therapy dog, for kids, and they love it when the commands are funny signs. She doesn’t have the temperament for it though.”

“That’s adorable!” The beautiful man gave Geralt Baby’s leash and signed “Stay, good girl,” to her. He approached Roach calmly and offered his hand for her to sniff. After smelling him, Roach pushed her face into his hand to demand pets. She liked him. He happily squatted down and pet her enthusiastically. Geralt smiled.

All of a sudden the leash yanked Geralt’s arm. He yelped in surprise as Baby dragged him toward her owner. He tried to hold her back but he was still a bit off balance and couldn’t get solid enough footing to counter her momentum before she reached them.

Baby licked the back of the man’s head and then started sniffing Roach. Roach was sniffing her back and as Geralt reached them Baby happily licked Roach’s face. Roach accepted the affection as her due, and demanded more pets from the beautiful man. He was laughing again, and Geralt wondered what it sounded like. He was tempted to remove his noise canceling headphones, but it felt rude when they were already in the middle of a conversation. He didn’t want him to feel pressured to switch to speaking and lip reading, especially when they were both fluent in Sign.

“They seem to like each other,” the beautiful man signed, “that’s a relief.”

“Sorry, I didn’t expect her to pull so hard; she got me off balance.”

“Oh believe me I’ve had the same experience! Most of our training time has been spent on leash-walking. I guess she needs to work on not pulling when it’s someone other than me.”

They chatted a bit more. Geralt really liked this sweet, interesting man. He wondered if he’d see him in the park again. He hoped so.

Geralt’s phone vibrated. It was a text from Eskel asking if they could move their plans an hour earlier.

“It’s my brother. We are meeting up tonight. I should get home and shower.”

“Sounds like fun! Here, let me give you my number.”

He held his hand out for Geralt’s phone. Geralt gave it to him and he tapped out the new contact. Then he looked up at Geralt, bit his lip and winked!

Geralt’s heart did a complicated maneuver that he was fairly certain hearts weren’t meant to do. The beautiful man smiled and tapped the phone a few more times before handing it back.

On the screen was a new text thread; apparently when he winked at him the man had snapped a picture of Geralt’s gobsmacked expression, and texted it to the contact he had typed in. Geralt glanced at the top of the screen to learn the man’s name, only to find the contact listed as “Baby’s Daddy ;-)”. He looked back up, hoping he wasn't blushing.

“You’re single, right?” The beautiful man signed. Geralt nodded, missing his pocket twice as he tried to put away his phone. “Great! Hope you and your brother have fun. Don’t be a stranger!” And with that he and Baby headed for the street.

Chapter 2

Notes:

You all have been so sweet that this chapter came really easily. I did up the rating to Teen because they are pretty flirty, and also Lambert.
Note: there are image descriptions but no images.

Chapter Text

When Geralt got out of the shower, he saw a text alert on his phone. He hoped Eskel wasn’t pushing their plans back to the original time; he really would have liked to talk to the man at the park for longer. Geralt smiled when he saw the text was actually from the fellow he was thinking of.

Baby’s Daddy ;-) 4:35 PM
[a photo of Baby, the white Great Dane, sprawled out asleep on the floor right next to a large dog bed]
Worn out from our trip to the park!

Baby’s Daddy ;-) 4:37 PM
[a selfie of the man holding a glass of what appears to be rainbow sherbet punch, smiling in a way that Geralt is trying very hard not to think of as flirtatious]
Thought I’d have a little treat too since I was a good boy.

Geralt looks at the second picture again. Had the man had his shirt unbuttoned that far at the park? He didn’t think he had. It was a very nice view.

Geralt dressed and went to the living room, only to find Roach was behind the sofa cushions again. He wished she wouldn’t get behind them like that, but she was allowed on the couch, and she always looked so cute with her snout and her little black nose sticking out between the cushions that he couldn’t stand to scold her for it.

The beautiful man would probably appreciate a goofy picture of Roach in return for the picture of Baby.

He might like a picture of Geralt too.

Then again he already had the picture he’d taken at the park… (Geralt had refrained from full screening it, not eager to see the candid photo in detail. They were always so unflattering.)

Geralt decided to send a goofy dog picture, and if he happened to be in the corner looking good, well, Baby’s Daddy could pay attention to that corner or not, as he chose.

After the shower he’d put his hair up for convenience, but it made him look a little severe. He took it down, finger combing it over his shoulder, and perched on the couch in front of Roach. He framed up the shot and then hesitated.

Geralt looked at the picture of the man again. His eyes sparkled, his lips glistened pink as if he’d just been licking them, and there was no way that delicious chest had been on display earlier and he’d not noticed.

Well, Geralt had said he was going home for a shower.

Geralt 4:52 PM
[a selfie from a high angle centered on Roach, the greyhound, spread out very long between the cushions and the back of a yellow-orange couch. She is looking away with regal indifference. At the bottom of the frame, Geralt smirks, one eyebrow raised. His hair is loose and his shirt hangs open, offering a teasing peek at his torso.]
This sofa sure is lumpy.

Baby’s Daddy ;-) 4:52 PM
Lol

Baby’s Daddy ;-) 4:54 PM
They say with some types of stuffing you have to roll around on them often to keep them fluffy. I could help you bounce on that sofa sometime if you like.

That…

That definitely read like flirting.

Geralt buttoned his shirt back up and tried not to imagine Baby’s Daddy bouncing on anything.

But he couldn’t leave him hanging…

Geralt 5:15 PM
Jumping on the furniture? Now I know why at the park you said that you were naughty.

Geralt got out the pizza dough and cheeses, and Eskel showed up before the beautiful man had texted back.

“I made eggplant sauce for the pizza this time,” Eskel said, as if that wasn’t his go-to when it was his turn to bring sauce. A few minutes later Lambert rolled in with roasted garlic, caramelized onions, and balsamic spinach for toppings.

They were each stretching their own ball of dough when another text alert popped up on Geralt’s phone. He had set it down by the refrigerator, so Lambert was standing next to it.

“Why are you receiving texts from someone called “babydaddy”? Do you have plans we don’t know about?”

“Texts from who?” Eskel asked, incredulous.

“Babydaddy, it was right on the screen! Is there a babymama somewhere in your phone book too?”

“No!”

“Oh Ger-ger, didn’t pops tell you about the birds and the bees? You haven’t got the parts to be babymama,” Lambert teased, “babydaddy can give it to you all he wants, you’re not getting knocked up.”

“It’s not babydaddy, it’s Baby’s Daddy. Baby is his dog.” Geralt snapped.

“Uh-huh, right, so what’s Daddy’s name?”

Geralt rolled his eyes. “I don’t know; we met today in the park and that’s the name he put in my phone.”

“So he does want to give it to you,” Lambert said with a smirk.

“Wait, today?” Eskel asked, “You just met and you already asked for his number? That’s big for you!”

Geralt knew he wouldn’t normally get someone’s number before they’d been interacting in person for weeks, but Eskel didn’t have to make a big deal out of it. “I didn’t. Our dogs liked each other and he offered.”

“Queen Roach liked Baby? What, was it one of those trembling purse dogs?”

Geralt sighed and wiped his hands. Grabbing his phone, he unlocked it and pulled up the picture of her the man had sent. “This is Baby.”

“That’s a horse,” Eskel said, glancing over at Roach in surprise.

Lambert snatched the phone to get a better look. Before Geralt could stop him his brother was flipping through the other pictures from their texts. He snorted when he saw the one Geralt had sent, then flipped back. “Is this the guy?”

“Yes. That’s Baby’s owner.”

Eskel examined the picture, “Uh, he wants you.”

Lambert clicked back to Geralt’s couch picture.

“Oh!” Eskel fumbled to hand the phone back quickly, “you’re interested in him too.”

Geralt grunted an affirmative and quickly looked to see what the man had texted.

Baby’s Daddy ;-) 5:32 PM
Only as naughty as you want me to be ;-)c

“Look at your face, is he sexting you?” Lambert said, “Oh gods, you’re beet red, did that Daddy from the park send you a dick pic? So rude! I wanna see!”

Geralt smacked Lambert’s hand away from his phone. “There’s no picture. I told him I had plans with my brother.”

“Just one brother? I’m hurt.”

Eskel cut in, “he said something flirty though, right? Don’t leave him on read; write something back.”

“Woah woah woah. I want my brother to get laid as much as the next guy, but I don’t want to witness him sexting.”

His brothers decide Geralt should send a photo of the three of them and their pizzas. Eskel claimed that food and family were great conversation starters. Lambert said being a good cook was attractive, but that “showing park Daddy that you’re with your brothers should remind him not to send you his dick until we’re gone.”

They finished getting their pizzas ready. Geralt had hoped that agreeing to the photo would put an end to it, but then his brothers were fussing with the pose.

“Flex your arms a bit,” Eskel advised.

“They aren’t that heavy.” His brothers had positioned him with a pizza in each hand.

Lambert sighed, “You put too much effort into looking like you do to not use it to get into park Daddy’s pants.”

“I’m not trying to get-” Geralt huffed, “he seems nice. He’s interesting.”

Lambert’s tone actually softened a little at that, “we get it Ger-ger, you’d rather a relationship than a fling,” he paused, “but any guy who flirts this hard right after meeting you?” his usual bravado was back, “Also wants tickets to the Gun Show!” Lambert flicked Geralt’s bicep.

Geralt sighed. And flexed so they’d hurry up and take the picture.

“Smile!”

The picture was good. All three of them were clearly having a good time, the pizzas looked tasty, and, although he had no intention of admitting it to them, all of his brothers’ tweaks and maneuvers did make Geralt stand out in a good way.

Geralt 5:46 PM
[a selfie of three men crowded together. The shortest is on the left, taking the picture and looking slightly feral. Geralt is in the middle holding two of the pizzas, and an absolute mountain of a man is slightly behind him, holding the last pie, his head turned most of the way to one side] About to put our pizzas in the oven.

Baby’s Daddy ;-) 5:47 PM
Yum yum. I would like a piece of the middle one please!

Geralt 5:52 PM
My brothers are wondering if you like to cook?

“You didn’t send him what I just said, did you?” Eskel asked.

“What’s wrong with it? I said you guys wondered if he likes to cook.”

“So that you could suggest cooking dinner together! It’s not smooth if it’s your brothers suggesting it.”

Baby’s Daddy ;-) 5:53 PM
Sure. I mostly make soups and stews.

Baby’s Daddy ;-) 5:54 PM
Maybe we could cook together sometime soon, if you don’t mind things getting steamy in the kitchen.

Oh dear. Geralt really needed to put this conversation on hold until his brothers weren’t around.

Geralt 5:55 PM
Sounds good. We could talk about it after my brothers have gone. Probably around 9 if you’re still up?

Baby’s Daddy ;-) 5:58 PM
It’s a date to make a date!

Chapter 3

Notes:

Hey y'all. This has been so much fun to write and to get everyone's responses to! I have some ideas for them dating, but that might involve smut and I already felt bad changing the rating to Teen when it was G on the first chapter, so I decided to make this a series.

Chapter Text

Eskel had to leave by 8, the reason he’d moved up their plans. Before heading out himself, Lambert made a show of checking that he hadn’t forgotten anything.

“I’d hate to run back for my jacket only to find you and park Daddy on a naked video call,” he teased.

Geralt let him out the door and he turned back, “Don’t get in your head about it. He likes you, you like him, your dogs get along, see where it goes.”

Geralt 8:18 PM
Free to chat when you are.

After hitting send, Geralt edited the beautiful man’s entry in his contacts. Hearing Lambert refer to the man as “Daddy” had been too weird.

BD ;-) 8:19 PM
I believe the topic was meeting for dinner. You could come over some night next week. When are you available?

Smiling at the phone, Geralt texted back offering two possible evenings he was free. He still used the guidelines Eskel had worked out with him back in the day for scheduling activities with people ”if someone asks you when you want to do something, don’t say you’re available any time- they’re looking for your input. Suggest a couple times that they can choose from. If the times you said don’t work for them, then you can bounce it back and ask when they are available.

BD ;-) 8:22 PM
Tuesday works for me too, and it’s so much sooner. Can’t wait for a taste

BD ;-) 8:23 PM
I’m looking forward to trying your cooking too ;-)c

Oh my.

Notes:

So I have backgrounds in mind and a couple of thoughts for further scenes, but nothing solid yet and I don't know if I'll add chapters or make it a series or leave this as a one-off.

Series this work belongs to: