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oohh eskel would be so good with kids ... !
don’t get me wrong they would be pretty scared at first and he knows how he looks, but he’s so careful around them because he doesn’t wanna hurt or scare them, and eventually they would realize he’s far gentler than his appearance lets on and become more comfortable around him
i mean the kaer morhen kids for example after being around him and seeing how careful he is with everything they kind of realize he’s actually really chill and i feel like he has a natural soothing energy that just kinda calms them down? especially babies
after they realize he’s actually just a big ol softie i feel like they would get along so well like little kids would be climbing all over him and he’d be giving them piggy backs rides and laughing and playing hide and seek with them ...
he would carefully show them his gear (being super careful with the swords and stuff of course) and laugh and give them small tree branches to show them some basic sword fighting moves and they’d all sit in a circle at his feet and listen attentively as he tells them a story
they would all beg him to show them cool stuff and lambert and geralt would just watch as he herds a group of kids through the forest ourside kaer morhen, teaching them about plants and bugs and stuff, taking them all fishing ...
he definitely takes them out on secret fishing days when they’re supposed to be doing chores and when they get back he quickly does them all for them so lambert and geralt don’t find out ... it’s their little secret he’s standing there doing the dishes with the biggest smile ever
one time he’s just sharpening his sword in the courtyard and they come back excitedly with fish and show him what they caught by themselves thanks to what he taught them, he almost cries then and there he excuses himself for a second before coming back to congratulate them
geralt and lambert are obviously great father figures to the kaer morhen kids but eskel is just such a Dad like he’s the one they go to when they’ve had a bad day or a nightmare and they like to come hang around and bother him but it’s just bc they like him so much
geralt and lambert go to wake up the kids and see half of them are missing and they go to eskel’s room to find them all asleep around him. this happens like 3 times a week the kids will have trouble sleeping and come to eskel’s room and then leave in the morning, eskel and the-
-kids think they’re being super sneaky about it, it’s another one of their ‘little secrets’ but lambert and geralt totally know, they just never tell them, just find the kids in eskel’s room in the mornings and just smile and gently close the door as though they saw nothing
he just cares about them so much and the kids know it like he’s obviously responsible because he knows he has to teach them but he really treats him as his own kids, not just students, like when classes are over for the day he goes full dad he loves them so much
they also KNOW he’s a big softie and they kinda use it to their advantage lmao whenever lambert or geralt say no to something they go ask eskel because they know he’ll say yes after trying to pretend to be disgruntled cuz he just wants to make em happy
for the younger kids (and sometimes even the older ones) every night they come into his room and sit on his bed all around him and fight for the spaces right by his side and all sit together and have him read them a story
he finishes the story and the older kids stumble off to bed looking all tired and he has to quietly call for lambert and geralt to help him carry all the little ones to their beds because they all fell asleep against his arms or on his chest and he doesn’t wanna wake em up
on that topic he would be very naturally comforting to very small children, i mean babies would cry when they see him at first but he’s super gentle cuz he’s scared of hurting them and the second he gingerly takes them into his arms they’re calmed down by how warm and soft he is
he has a very comforting smell and i feel like babies would stop crying the second he holds them close ... he knows he’s big so he’s super wary and careful when holding them, like he is with all small things, but he just has something naturally soothing about him
it’s just so funny because everyone who sees eskel for the first time is like shit this guy must be big and scary but all the kids who once felt the same way but have now seen his soft side are like ... hehehe i Know something you don’t
obviously he takes teaching seriously and he doesn’t tolerate kids fucking around with dangerous things like sword fighting but he is also lenient with it like he’s really understanding if kids are having a hard time he just wants to make sure they’re doing ok ...
anyways eskel as a dad to all the kaer morhen kids ... he is so good ... he has such a big heart and he really just cares about them so much ... they love him just as much too and it makes him emotional to think about he feels like he doesn’t deserve such a positive force in-
-his life but he’s so grateful, like not only to be able to carry out the kind of legacy vesemir and kaer morhen had but also just to be able to care for and love these kids, it feels like such a privilege and it makes him so so happy
this is entirely self indulgent and so not coherent with the timeline but in a modern au typa thing eskel would make the kids a really nice breakfast for their birthdays, and the kids would make eskel geralt and lambert fathers day cards on father’s day and every single time-
-eskel would cry over them, like he’s so touched whenever he receives something, i mean he’s the kind of dad that keeps EVERYTHING he has a big box under his bed where he keeps all the cards and stuff kids have given him over the years, he keeps the sticks they used as their-
-first practice swords and other sentimental stuff because he’s a sap ... he just cares so much it overwhelms him sometimes and he’s so proud of everything his kids do he’s just so ... he’s just such a good dad he’s so good with them he makes them laugh and feel loved and-
-just makes them feel safe and cared for ... he’s such a good guy
also the kids look up to him so much like they’re so impressed when he tells them about his adventures and they think it’s so cool when they watch him practicing in the courtyard ... they love him
lambert and geralt like to poke fun at how soft eskel is for them but they’re also just happy that he’s so happy like agh they’re just all such good dads to these kids it’s insane i love them
anyways yea i will probably add to this thread if i have any more thoughts i am just very, very soft for caring dad eskel because he has so much in his heart and he’s just so great w kids aughhughh it makes my heart hurt
ohhh i just remembered the eskel pretending to be annoyed but secretly loving it hc hhh he would grumble about doing chores and making dinner but he would really just be making dessert and seconds for the kids and then shooing them away while they’re doing chores to do them-
-instead like he’d be minding his business and he hears geralt tell the kids to sweep the floors and he sidles over and whispers to them to scram and go play in the woods and he sweeps the floors for them ... geralt comes back and is like wow you guys did so well ! and eskel-
-and the kids share a little conspiring look ... like he’d just do all these little things for them so they can go have fun and be happy ... he’s so sweet and caring he likes to spoil them
just eskel scolding the kids gently for doing something dumb like i can& #39;t emphasize this enough im so soft for how he would be both stern because he has to teach them but also so kind about it like . he would never make the kids feel bad for doing anything he would just-
-actually educate them and be so nice about it like. the kids are super respectful of him while also being total homies w him just because that& #39;s the vibe he& #39;s established w them like he treats them w respect and teaches them well but he& #39;s still so chill w them like-
-does this even make sense idk there& #39;s just something about the way eskel would be so good w the kids auhughugh
dad eskel who treats his kids with respect and treats them like actual people and never makes them feel bad about having difficulties with something supremacy. he is so Understanding and Parient and Caring and Respectful yes i am Projecting
eskel calls all the kaer morhen kids His kids i mean so do lambert and geralt but eskel has really just adopted them as his own like he really sees himself as a father to them and after years of being alone on the path it’s so special to him like he really is so grateful
eskel puts his heart and soul into caring for these kids and the rest of his kaer morhen family because the path was such a lonely and awful time he is such a family man and being able to be a father for these new kids is just so amazing to him
they have a board game night in front of the fireplace and eskel falls asleep cuz he& #39;s a fuckin DAD and geralt and lambert walk in on the kids stacking dice and other game pieces on eskel& #39;s shoulders lmao
just eskel being dadly and falling asleep on the couch snoring as he& #39;s supposed to be watching the kids. i just. he& #39;s. he& #39;s so dad ... i need it
is this an appropriate time to resurface the ol eskel socks and sandals jangles the car keys around his fingers "you ready to rock and roll?" herding the kids into applebee& #39;s dad headcanon
OH. eskel learns to do hair for all the kids with long hair at kaer morhen ... the amount of times geralt and lambert walk in on him practicing his braiding on a doll in his room ... they dont question it
HE. he ... geralt eventually lets him braid his hair from time to time so that they can learn put the kids& #39; hair up in nice ways ... both to make them feel good and pretty but also so that it& #39;s safer when they practice swordfighting ...
kaer morhen lads best dads prioritizing both the kids& #39; happiness and their safety
