Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Smeerensburg had been hit by a sudden, brutal blizzard and the post office rocked and creaked to an alarming degree in the wind.

Jesper lay wide awake, trying to ignore the moans and swaying of the poor dilapidated building they called home. Of course, he wasn’t the only one awake.

Sophie had once again wriggled her way, uninvited, into his arms and was most likely the most comfortable person in the room. She drifted in and out of sleep, seemingly mad at the storm for interrupting her rest as she grumbled and rolled over every time the wind picked up and shook the walls.

At this late an hour Jesper had resigned himself to a sleepless night with an armful of squirming toddler and just tried to appreciate being off his feet for a bit.

He felt another tiny hand on his shoulder and just barely heard Agnes' soft voice over the storm.

"Can I sleep over here with you?"

This was odd. Agnes almost always slept next to Nelly. He'd never seen it any other way.

"What happened to Nelly?" He asked.

"Nelly isn't sleeping." She told him in the closest thing to a whine he'd heard so far from the soft-spoken girl.

He squinted into the darkness behind her and saw the outline of Nelly sitting up ramrod straight with her back against the wall.

He groaned.

"Sure, the more the merrier."

Agnes had barely managed to settle in around the already disgruntled Sophie when Jesper felt someone else breathing on him.

"Hey, can I come over here too?" Joelle whispered, far too close to his ear.

"Yes, of course. Why not?" He said, barely bothering to keep his voice down since apparently no one was sleeping.

Joelle added herself to the group much less carefully, greatly upsetting Sophie who wasn't used to having all this company.

None of the girls actually went to sleep and it wasn't much later when something broke loose somewhere and the wind and snow began pouring in at full force.

Suddenly everything was knees and elbows as the boys jumped over to Jesper at the same time Nelly and Yvette jumped to the wall to try and patch up the hole.

When the wind was once again slightly more muffled Yvette made her way over to their little pile, yelled "Move over!" at no one in particular, and put her self right in the middle.

Nelly never asked to join them, but Jesper heard shuffling behind him and felt another small hand bunch up the back of his shirt as he fell asleep. Nervous and uncomfortable and bruised, but warm.

-

It had been a few months since that first Christmas, and only a few weeks since they'd all moved in with Klaus and made that cabin in the woods a little less lonely.

And it was a good thing they'd finished settling in when they did. The rapidly approaching Spring meant nothing to the weather of Smeerensburg and the island was once again expecting a massive blizzard.

They were ready for it though. Everyone was safe inside for the night, the kids were in bed, and Jesper was waiting for Klaus to settle into their bed next to him.

For once Klaus was the one doing most of the talking. He was going through a list of what Jesper liked to refer to as "Klaus Things", things Klaus always had totally under control.

They had plenty of extra food and firewood in case they got snowed in. The reindeer and horse were safe in the stables with plenty of feed. He was listing off the most likely areas of the house and workshop that could be damaged in the rough weather and made it clear he would check on them first thing in the morning.

It was all things he didn't need much (if any) help with, so Jesper tuned him out a bit. Just half listening as he lay in bed. He had his own preparations for the storm to worry about and he was trying to figure out if he should tell Klaus what to expect.

He wouldn't have to worry for long though. Almost as soon as Klaus had the lights out and had joined him under the covers they had their first intruder.

Sophie had slipped in and made her presence known by going up to the bed and smacking Jesper on the arm without saying a word.

Jesper turned over and reached down to pick her up but she climbed right over him and into Klaus' arms.

"Since when do you prefer him over me?" Jesper asked her in mock outrage.

"Papa." She said matter-of-factly, patting Klaus on the cheek.

"Mouse, how could you betray me like this?" He continued, burying his face in his pillow and pretending to sob dramatically. His emotional display only made her giggle.

Agnes was the next to sneak in, completely unnoticed over their joking and laughing.

"I still want you to hold me, Dad." She said softly.

"Well!" Jesper said, helping her up into the bed. "At least someone around here still likes me!"

Sophie continued laughing at all his noise as he tucked Agnes in next to him.

"More than one someone." Klaus said, reaching over and running a hand through Jesper's hair. "Now, let's get some sleep." He said to the girls. "The storm won't bother us in here."

"Oh, we're not done yet." Jesper told him. It wasn't unusual for them to find their two littlest curled up with them most nights, but he was pretty sure it would be more than just the four of them this time.

Even though the howling storm was much more muffled in here than it had been in the post office and the sturdy, well built walls of the cabin did an excellent job of keeping the snow out he was sure they'd have more visitors soon.

Klaus didn't even have time to ask Jesper what he meant before the boys were peeking around the side of their door.

"Can we stay in here?" Oskar asked. "Oliver's scared of the storm."

"What?" Oliver exclaimed. "You're the one who woke me up."

"No, you were awake too!" Oskar tried to defend himself.

"You were crying." Oliver said, flatly.

"Boys!" Jesper yelled over them before they could continue. "Please stop arguing and just get over here already."

The twins ran over to the bed and quickly climbed over Jesper to plant themselves right in the middle, Oskar carelessly stepping right on his stomach in his hurry.

"Sorry Dad." He said when he heard the strangled noise Jesper made as he tried not to curse.

"Jesper?" Klaus sounded much more genuinely concerned than Oskar did.

"I'm fine." Jesper said, taking a deep breath. "I've been through worse."

They had a few moments where it seemed like someone might actually fall asleep, if they didn't have to keep fruitlessly shushing the boys who would not stop loudly whispering to each other.

Then Joelle wandered in with Chekhov in her arms, the excessively tolerant cat allowing her to carry him cradled like a baby.

"That cat is not getting in this bed." Jesper told her before she could even ask a question.

"What?" She asked, clearly unhappy with that new rule. "But he always sleeps in my bed!"

"And he can go back to your bed." He said, staying firm on his statement.

"Joelle," Klaus said over them. "Why don't you set him down and see where he wants to sleep?"

Joelle frowned but set the cat on the floor before climbing into bed next to Klaus and Sophie, making no effort to hide her lingering frustration with Jesper.

Chekhov jumped up and made himself comfortable at the foot of the bed and it took everything Jesper had in him not to comment on it.

Yvette stormed in soon after, going right up to the bed and leaning over Jesper to look at Joelle.

"Why aren't you in our room?" She asked her.

"I couldn't sleep." Was all Joelle had to say.

"Well I couldn't sleep neither once I saw you were missin'!" Yvette said.

"If you're scared of the storm you can just stay here with us." Joelle told her.

"I'm not scared!" Yvette insisted. "You're just being a baby!"

Suddenly there was a loud bang, like something hitting the side of the house hard, and Yvette was in-between Joelle and the boys in an instant.

"Now who's the baby?" Oskar teased her.

"That's enough name calling." Klaus said in a firm but gentle voice.

The kids weren't even pretending to try and sleep now, just quietly bickering and joking with each other and Jesper. Klaus had gone oddly silent. When Jesper looked at him he was watching them with a soft smile and wet eyes.

"Hey," Jesper called to him quietly over the noise in-between them. "You doing alright?"

Klaus rubbed his eyes with the palm of his free hand. Uh oh.

"You know what, I think you still owe me a thank you and I can't believe I've let it slide for this long." Jesper joked, mostly for his own benefit. If Klaus started crying he would cry too, and then the kids would notice and they'd all just be a big mess.

"Oh really?" Klaus smiled. "What exactly have I forgotten to thank you for?"

"For making all your dreams come true." Jesper whispered, doing his best to sound smug.

But, oh, maybe that was a little less jokey and a little more sincere than he'd intended. Klaus' smile got wider, but tears had begun forming in the corner of his eyes. He looked away and Jesper was worried he'd really gone too far with what was supposed to be just a little teasing.

Except Klaus wasn't just looking away from him, he was looking at something behind Jesper. Jesper strained his neck to look over his shoulder. Nelly stood there silently, her own blanket bunched up in her arms.

"Well, are you getting in," Jesper asked her, raising an eyebrow. "Or are you just going to stand there all night?"

Without waiting for her answer, Jesper moved towards the center of the bed making room for her on the edge. He knew she wouldn't want to be stuck in the middle.

Everyone else grumbled and shifted over as Klaus chuckled and Nelly climbed up, pressing in close next to Jesper but cocooning herself in the blanket she'd brought with her. She made no excuses for why she was there, and no one asked her to.

Eventually the chaos settled and the children fell asleep, the adults doing there best to remain quiet. Jesper watching Klaus' face as best he could in the dark.

"You're welcome." He whispered once it seemed like the kids were really asleep. "I really want to kiss you right now, but I don't think I can reach that far without causing a disaster."

Klaus laughed, doing his best to keep it quiet and not disturb Sophie who was curled up on his chest. "I guess we'll have to wait for that."

Jesper reached over and Klaus met him in the middle, taking the man's hand in his own.

"I love you."

"Love you too."

They stayed like that for a while, hand in hand, Jesper completely trapped in bed by his not-so-little family all around him.

He knew they'd wake up in the morning with elbows in their ribs and weird aches from not being able to move and the kids fighting because someone else got up too early or because they couldn't find their way back out of bed.

But it was worth it for this.

Chapter Text

It was surprising, how quickly the abandoned, cluttered barn full of toys had become a comfortable place to be. A predictable part of a daily routine. Company that wasn’t a child. Somehow this little window between the mornings swarmed by kids and the nights climbing through windows and down chimneys had become the highlight of Jesper’s day.

Letters had been read, toys were being packed, and the sun was just beginning to set. Jesper was talking animatedly, happy to have someone listening to him. Even if the conversation was a bit of a one way street, most of the time.

“What’s that?” Klaus asked, interrupting the routine chatter.

“What’s what?” Jesper followed his line of site to his wrist, where an ugly purple bruise was peeking out from the cuff of his sleeve. “Oh, that.”

Klaus continued to stare at his arm intently. “That’s not from delivering toys, is it?”

“Oh no, definitely not.” Jesper reassured him. “Not this one at least. I know exactly where this one came from.”

He rolled his sleeve back revealing more of the long skinny bruise running diagonally across the inside of his arm.

“I got this because those destructive little goblins I live with suddenly lost all sense of self preservation the other day and almost got Oliver crushed under a loose beam because they were roughhousing in the post office.” He explained. “I tried to catch it, which, I guess technically I did.”

Klaus continued studying Jesper’s raised arm intently.

“What about that?” He asked, pointing to a scrap of lightly bloodstained cloth tied around Jesper’s index finger.

“Sophie bit me.” Jesper answered, wiggling his bandaged finger.

“She bit you?”

“I mean, I did stick my finger in her mouth.” Jesper shrugged.

Klaus’ face was the picture of confusion and concern.

“She was eating a bug!” Jesper exclaimed defensively.

All he got in response to that was raised eyebrows.

“What was I supposed to do? Just let her eat it? Is this something I don’t know about kids? That your supposed to let them eat bugs?”

Klaus turned his head and put a hand over his face, but Jesper still caught a glimpse of the smile he was trying to hide.

“Well, I definitely didn’t eat bugs as a kid.” He continued. “I know that much.”

“I’m just glad to hear you're not getting hurt delivering toys.” Klaus said sheepishly when he turned back. “I’d hate for you to be getting hurt just for this.”

“I mean, I don’t actually know where all the bruises and scratches come from. But I’ve definitely had some memorable ones.” Jesper said, then pointed to the left side of his jaw. “It’s gone now, but I had a good one right here for a while. The kids were having a snowball fight. Somebody got mad and threw a rock instead. Hit me right in the face. That one was an accident though. At least, I think it was an accident. I heard one of them yell ‘Look what you did!’ While I was on the ground.”

Klaus didn’t try to hide his smile this time, his expression an odd mix of concern and amusement.

“And Yvette was in the habit of just kicking me in the shin for the longest time.” Jesper continued, pointing to his leg. “She’d just walk by and kick me, same place every time. That was an ugly one.”

“At least she doesn’t do it anymore?” Klaus offered.

“She likes to surprise me with it now. Keep me on my toes. But there’s still plenty of bruises that I have no idea how I got.” Jesper said, rolling his other sleeve up to show a series of small, faded bruises. “Like, look at this. No idea where those came from.”

He was not in any way prepared for Klaus to gently take his arm in both hands, pulling it closer so he could carefully inspect the bruising himself.

“Oh, if you think those are bad you should see my ribs.” Jesper laughed, placing his hand on the front of his coat.

But Klaus wasn’t laughing. In fact, he dropped Jesper’s arm and moved a few feet away, busying himself with the remaining pile of unwrapped toys.

“Or, I mean, you don’t actually. Obviously. It’s just more bruises. You get the picture. You know what bruises look like.” He added hurriedly, but the silence continued.

Good job Jesper, you made it awkward again.

He resigned himself to Klaus being a quiet companion again, until suddenly he wasn’t.

“Ice.” He said, not looking up from his work.

“Hmm?”

“You should put ice on an injury if you think it’ll bruise, or as soon as you notice one. Wrapped in a cloth. A few minutes on, a few minutes off. It’ll help it heal faster.”

“Oh.” Jesper was momentarily at a loss for words. “I’ve never heard that before. Uh, thanks.”

“Of course.” Klaus said, then simply returned to packing up toys without another word.

Chapter Text

The months leading up to Jesper's second Christmas in Smeerensburg were very different from the first.

Instead of it being a time of desperation and stress and secrets, it was a time of excitement. A time of anticipation, joy, cooperation.

It was long days at the post office, sorting letters to Klaus out from the the normal mail before making his regular deliveries around town.

It was people smiling at him in the street and waving to him from their windows, happy to see their postman even when his deliveries didn't come from a certain toymaker.

It was seeing children playing in the schoolyard, unconcerned with their playmates family history, and looking around to realize the adults in town had also spent the last year making new connections with people they'd lived next door to their whole lives.

It was amazing how quickly mixed households had become a common sight in Smeerensburg.

It was coming home to find Klaus hard at work, turning new ideas into concept sketches and blueprints and mock-ups. So focused that he didn't even notice Jesper had been watching him until the kids came in asking about dinner.

It was listening to all the ridiculous things about Klaus their friends at school had come up with.

"Gregory said kids who are extra good get candy too. Where are you gonna get all that candy?"

"Well, the answer to that is simple. None of these kids have been good enough for candy."

"Jesper!"

"What? Are you a candy maker now too?"

And the equally ridiculous "insider information" they decided to tell them in return.

"Nobody believes that Papa knows all the bad stuff they do now that they see him all the time. So I told them their toys can see what they do and report back to you so you can make the naughty list."

"Wha- Why would you do that?"

It was waiting in anticipation for that first day their Saami friends would return to the workshop to help get things started in earnest.

Which, of course, only came after a few nights of good food and music and dancing and catching up.

It was a workshop filled with chatter and laughter and busy hands and people coming to him for help making decisions.

It was making the kids weak milky hot cocoa after a long day of "staying out of the way" running around in the snow with their friends while their parents were hard at work.

It was sitting by the fire, listening to Agnes carefully and methodically read fairy tales or children's books and enjoying a quiet moment with everyone at the end of the day.

While simultaneously thinking to himself "Go to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep" as he looked at them, hoping the kids would pass out before they did so he could have a few quiet moments with just Klaus before the night ended.

It was knowing that for once they might actually have their bed to themselves because, yes, the kids did pass out first, and they were exhausted enough to sleep through the night right where they were. Half of them right there on the floor.

And, oh, how strange it was to feel nostalgic for his kids sleeping on the floor.

It was nights spent utterly exhausted but warm and content, strong arms wrapped around him.

And waking up actually excited to do his job.

It was finding a second in all the noise and busyness to look over at Klaus, to lock eyes and feel that little zing of excitement and know they were both proud of what they were doing.

What they were doing together.

Chapter Text

It wasn’t the first time Jesper had taken Klaus and the kids for a visit to the mainland, a little vacation to his childhood home, it was the second.

That first trip had been well intentioned but poorly planned, ill timed, and short.

The idea had been to give them a break after the hustle and bustle and rush of Christmas, which at first Jesper and Klaus did genuinely appreciate.

But it quickly became clear that the children did not.

January in Isaksdal was barely warmer than any given day in Smeerensburg and they’d had no time to adjust and almost nothing to do.

It hadn’t been a complete disaster but it was enough of a disaster that Jesper and his parents had, independent of each other, decided to put a little more thought into what the next visit would look like.

Now they were back again, it was early summer and they had over a month to settle in and enjoy it.

And while it was certainly proving to be a better time than the first, it still had it’s fair share of ups and downs.

His mother wasn’t home when they first arrived, though she promised to try and make it back before they left, but apparently the last time she had been home she’d done some “child proofing” in the garden.

Jesper wasn’t sure what all that actually entailed, but he did know that it meant the children didn’t have to be stuck inside all day.

Which was a godsend after the fiasco that his father’s “planned activities” had turned out to be.

And the kids were all very excited to run around outside in the grass and flowers. Unfortunately that excitement didn’t seem to mean actually getting them outside would be an easy task.

It had been a morning full of contradictions so far. Some kids up before the sun and others refusing to part from their beds until breakfast was already cooling on the table, some barely sitting still long enough to actually eat and others more than happy to keep eating all morning as long as there was food in front of them.

But finally they were all awake and fed and ready for a simple day enjoying one of the few luxuries Smeerensburg lacked that couldn’t be shipped to them in a box; a warm summer’s day.

Ready, that is, until Joelle tried to run out the door wearing nothing but a pair of long drawers and an old stained undershirt.

“Hold up.” Jesper told her before the other children could even stir from where they lay bored and restless around the room. “Get back here.”

“What? What’s the problem?” She asked, crossing her bare arms in an uncharacteristically aggressive manner.

“I know it’s just the garden, but you can’t go outside like that.” Jesper told her. “Go put some clothes on.”

“But it’s so hooot!” Joelle whined, melting into a sad under-dressed puddle on the floor.

“It’s really not.” Jesper said, looking down at her unsympathetically as the mild summer breeze blew in through the open windows.

He had expected it to be a nice treat for the kids, getting to spend some time outside of the arctic climate of Smeerensburg in the summer months. But after spending all their lives on an island of perpetual winter they were struggling to adjust to even the coolest of summer days, despite all efforts made to make them comfortable.

“And you have perfectly good summer clothes that your grandfather made sure to get for you waiting up in your room.” He continued. “Which you’re all going to thank him for!”

That last statement was addressed to the entire room full of the other bored but thankfully dressed children. Not that they payed him much mind in their irritated stupor, all itching to actually get outside and move.

Joelle grumbled but picked herself up off the floor and slowly and begrudgingly made her way upstairs.

Jesper was surprised, a very frustrated kind of surprised.

If any of the kids would’ve appreciated a pretty new dress he would’ve expected it to be Joelle, but apparently the summer heat had spoiled the excitement for her.

And it was a shame, because his father had been sure to ask for the all the kids’ favorite colors and styles and texture preferences along with their measurements before handing it all off to his mother to make sure it was translated into something at least moderately fashionable.

As Jesper turned to watch Joelle leave the room he noticed Klaus in the corner, looking at him with all the fondness in the world. As if he would happily do it all day.

And while it wasn’t uncommon for Klaus to look at him that way when he did just about anything parenting related, he had a feeling it was about something else this time.

“Oh no. Don’t look at me like that.” Jesper told him. “I’m wearing exactly the same thing I do at home all the time.”

“No you’re not.” Klaus said, still watching him with that lovesick smile.

Jesper looked down at the rolled up sleeves of his light linen shirt and the subtle striping on his trousers.

“Ok, it’s a slightly nicer version of what I wear literally every day at home.” He said. “But you don’t get free reign to stare just because I’m wearing linen instead of thermal underwear.”

Klaus’ smile only grew wider as Joelle returned, loudly tromping down the stairs before entering the sitting room again. She made a big show of still being angry about the whole thing, but Jesper caught her taking appreciative glances at the delicate purple flowers on the hem of her little smock dress.

“Do I have to go back and get shoes?” Yvette asked, looking scornfully at Joelle’s little brown shoes.

“I’m not arguing with you about shoes. Nobody needs shoes. Just go outside.” Jesper said. “This is supposed to be nice. We’re going to have a nice day.”

Jesper crossed his arms as he watched all the children quickly file outside. Some with shoes and some without shoes, but all at least the bare minimum of dressed.

Klaus came up behind him, placing a hand on each tense shoulder and kissing him on the top of his head.

“What are you so worried about?” Klaus asked, wrapping an arm around Jesper’s chest.

“I don’t know.” Jesper said. Sighing to himself even as he looked down to appreciate the novelty of Klaus’ bare forearm in broad daylight.

He reached up, pulling that arm closer to him with both of his own and leaned back into Klaus’ chest for a proper embrace.

“They’ll be fine.” Klaus told him fondly. “It’s not like there’s anyone here they need to impress.”

Jesper felt the phantom of old panics rise up in him.

“Of course, right. No one to impress.” He said. “No one but the servants, or the gardener, or neighbors who come peeking in at us as if they don’t have anything better to entertain themselves with than looking for flaws in other people’s lives.”

Klaus held him tighter and kissed the top of his head again.

“There’s no one here you need to impress.” He said softly.

Jesper slowly relaxed back into that embrace as the sudden terrifying feeling of eye’s all over him began to fade.

He turned around in Klaus’ arms and looked up at him.

“Are you going to be ok?” Klaus asked, studying his face with concern.

“Yeah, I think I’m good. Now come here.” Jesper said with a smirk, pulling Klaus down for a kiss.

Jesper was more than happy to lay down in the grass and enjoy the sun and the breeze once they’d joined the kids outside, closing his eyes as Klaus sat down next to him.

The peace was short lived though. It wasn’t long before the familiar sounds of children fighting rose up among the happy sounds of playing.

“Sophie bit Yvette.” Klaus informed him quietly. “And I think Yvette just bit her back.”

“That’s not my problem.” Jesper said as he rolled over in the grass, his eyes still shut.

“I think it might be, actually. You’re their father.”

“Well so are you. I’ve already used up all my parenting for today, I’m done.”

Jesper kept his eyes resolutely shut as he listened to the sounds of Klaus gently breaking up whatever all the biting had been about, only opening them again when he felt Klaus sit beside him in the grass again.

And while there was still some scattered scuffles and more complaints about the heat, the kids spent the rest of the day well occupied with their free reign of the garden and the green open field beside it.

Rolling around in the grass, picking pre-approved flowers (the list of which Nelly had very carefully memorized), and giving their new clothes a good breaking in. Only pausing briefly for a quick picnic lunch until hunger and exhaustion finally drove them back inside for a late dinner and an early bedtime.

Jesper lounged with his feet up on the sofa and his back against Klaus’ side as he watched his children all sleeping soundly draped across every open bit of floor and furniture in the sitting room. If they had been home they could just let them sleep right where they fell, but this house was too big for that. And he was pretty sure if he and Klaus didn’t want to join them and sleep on the sofa then they’d have to find a way to get the kids to their beds.

Which was exactly the problem his tired brain had been slowly mulling over for far too long now. How many kids could Klaus carry all at once? Four? Five? Six? And more importantly, could Jesper himself carry more than one?

He was still pondering this conundrum, not exactly feeling rushed to get up and abandon his own comfort just yet, when his father walked in. He stood in the doorway, briefcase in hand and coat still on his back, as he took in the scene.

“Is everything alright?” He asked.

“Oh, yeah. We’re fine.” Jesper told him. “Just trying to strategize how to get the kids up to bed.”

“Did you ask the servants to help?”

“The servants?” Jesper asked, staring blankly at his father.

There was more than a little amusement in the man’s eyes as he pressed his lips together tightly and looked away, a dead giveaway that he was trying not to laugh.

“Did you forget? About the servants?”

And yes, maybe Jesper had forgotten about the servants. He’s been happy to call on them throughout the day but here and now, sitting by the fire with the kids sleeping wherever they landed and Klaus warm at his side, he’d almost forgotten where he was.

He didn’t see what his father found so funny about it though.

It was only a matter of minutes before they’d recruited enough help to get all the kids up to bed without waking them or leaving anyone behind.

They’d nearly escaped without so much as one little eye cracking open until Joelle woke long enough to notice her grandfather leaving and trap him in a sleepy recounting of their day. He listened happily until she drifted off but then found himself trapped again, this time by Nelly who had been patiently waiting to ask him about his day.

He seemed happy enough with the situation though and Jesper didn’t feel the slightest hint of guilt leaving his father to the mercy of the girls and their sleepy chatter and questioning. Especially since he didn’t seem to be minding it one bit.

He pulled Klaus along back to their own room, his old room, and breathed a sigh of relief as the door shut behind them.

“This is supposed to be a vacation.” Jesper said, falling into Klaus’ arms. “Why am I still exhausted?”

He looked up at Klaus and that damned twinkle in his eye and interrupted him before he could even speak.

“And don’t you dare say parenting.”

“I think that’s exactly what it is though, love.” Klaus said, smiling as he cupped Jesper’s face and leaned down for a kiss.