

Hold me close love, and don't let go
The tavern goes silent as your eyes lock with his across the room. The familiar face you've spent years running from. Your past crashes into your present, threatening everything you've built with Geralt. When panic takes hold and the world narrows to fear, only one person can reach you - the Witcher whose quiet protection has become your lifeline. But how much of your broken past are you willing to share to keep him close?I wake slowly, aware of the warmth beside me before my eyes open. The inn room is dim, curtains drawn against the morning light. My head throbs dully from the combination of panic and whatever drug Marko used. Memories surface unbidden - the back alley, his hands on me, the terror of realizing I couldn't run.
Then Geralt's presence registers fully. He sits on the edge of the bed, golden eyes watching me intently. Not with judgment, but with a quiet concern I'm still learning to interpret.
"How are you feeling?" His voice is low, rumbling through the silence between us.
My throat is raw from screaming, from sobbing into his chest after he saved me. Again. I flex my fingers, feeling the bandages on my wrists where the ropes bit into my skin. The broken fingers of my left hand ache, even through whatever healing potion he's given me.
"Like I've been dragged through a hedge by a particularly vindictive wraith," I manage, attempting my usual humor. It falls flat.
Geralt doesn't press for more details, doesn't demand explanations I'm not ready to give. Instead, he reaches over and brushes a strand of hair from my face. The touch is surprisingly gentle, his calloused thumb lingering against my cheek.
The gesture sends a shiver through me - not of fear this time, but something else entirely. Something I've tried to ignore for years, buried under jokes and songs and the safe pretense of friendship.
He saved me from more than Marko yesterday. He saved me from drowning in my own terror, held me until the panic subsided, cared for my injuries without question or comment.
Now he's looking at me like he can see all the broken pieces I've hidden away. Like he might actually want to help put them back together.



