Work Text:
Pär sat silently in the living room, he had a piece of wood in his hands that was slowly taking the shape and form of a raven, it was a beautiful and intricate work of art that Pär had perfected over the span of a millennium,
It was something that the Nordic people, his people, had done for years, woodworking and wood crafting, it was by far his favorite hobby on this planet, second to leather and smith working,
He hummed a tune of ancient times, it was once a lullaby that his mother used to sing to him sleep to, one he absolutely loved and deeply cherished but sadly had forgotten the words to,
As he deeply concentrated on his work, he allowed his mind to wander,
He recalled how Tommy’s curiosity had been piqued when he caught him wood working, he had asked the young man if he wanted to learn how it was done, but he didn’t really seem too keen on wanting to,
Tommy told him that he liked to just watch as it relaxed him, Pär was happy that he was able to relax the young man, although a part of him was hurt, he didn’t know why he had that sort of reaction but didn’t think too deeply on it,
Next, his brain recalled Chris’ reaction and how he too didn’t want to take up wood carving, but was more than happy to paint his creations for him to help decorate the base and bring a little more life to the place,
Of which Pär happily agreed to and always enjoyed how Chris intricately painted each piece, his hands where truly far more suited for the delicate work of painting,
Lastly, came Hannes, who didn’t really like wood working or carving as a hobby but didn’t mind watching Pär diligently work on his pieces,
Pär didn’t mind their reactions,
Well… at least that’s what he often told himself….
He almost didn’t hear the approaching footsteps from behind him, he pauses his work and turns his head over just in time to see Joakim standing there and looking at what he’s been doing,
The young man flashes him a sheepish grin as though he’s been caught with his hand in the cookie jar when he shouldn’t have,
“Hello Joakim…” he speaks to him, his voice gentle as always,
“Ah, S-Sorry… I didn’t mean to bother you…!” he replies, already walking off to leave the older male alone and to his own devices,
Pär stops him, “Ah, no its alright… do you want to know what I’m doing?” he asks him,
Joakim sheepishly nods and walks over to him, he takes a spot in front of him on the floor as he watches on in intense curiosity,
Pär flashes a quick smile to Joakim that the other almost doesn’t catch in time as he then begins to explain what he’s doing, how it’s done, and what it is for…
Joakim’s eyes widen in delight and he nods, “Oh! That sounds like a lot of fun-“ he pauses before continuing, “-…c-could I maybe give it a try?” he asks, he seems worried as to how Pär will respond to the request,
Pär’s eyes widen in surprise, it’s the first time in a long, long while since anyone has ever taken in interest in his hobbies,
He gives him a simple nod as he reaches over for a medium sized block of wood and a beginner’s blade, he hands these items to Joakim, to which the other gets to working on the block of wood,
After about three hours, Pär is already half way done with the wooden raven, it looks amazing, all he’s missing is the tail and feet on the avian,
“Pär!” Exclaims Joakim, he sounds delighted with himself and Pär turns his head to face him,
Joakim has a hand extended to him as he shows off his creation, the once medium sized block of wood has now been turned into a heart!
It looks awfully rough but the shape of the heart is definitely there, and for a beginner? It’s an excellent start!
like a child at a candy shop, Joakim is flashing him an excited grin which is extremely infectious to Pär as he reciprocates it,
“Look! It’s a heart! It came out good don’t you think?” Joakim says, and Pär nods
for a moment, he clears his throat and rapidly blinks away at small tears that threaten to come forth,
*“I-I’m very proud of you, sonur” he says,
Pär can’t help but get emotional as the way that Joakim is behaving is reminding him far too much of all his children that he’s had, more specifically of those who too took up his craft,
He sees that same air of excitement and youth of them in him and it tears at him in a melancholic way,
Joakim spots a tear fall down Pär’s cheek, one that he wasn’t too fast at hiding from him, and an instant wave of worry overtakes him,
Joakim rises from his position and quickly scrambles to his side, he sits next to Pär on the couch and gently helps put the wooden sculpture on the nearby coffee table, Joakim then pulls him into a deep hug,
Joakim is well aware that his friend is a very private man and seldom speaks of the things that bother him, so Joakim decides to not pry and instead provide him with silent comfort,
Pär melts into the warm embrace, strong secure arms envelop him and remove him of all his worries,
Pär moves his head to the crook of Joakim’s neck as he holds him, tears free-flowing as they embrace,
Pär is instantly reminded of his past as a father, of all the children he’s fathered and the countless lovers he’s amassed throughout the ages, he doesn’t cry bitterly but he does weep,
Not for himself, but for them,
For those who didn’t live past the age of one,
For those who left him to start their own lives,
For those he raised,
For all those whom he loved,
They say that a father’s love is one that runs deeper than the rivers who are filled with the bloods of ones’ enemies, and Pär believes that saying to be correct because after all these years he still, in the back of his mind wanders if he has any living descendants,
And he often finds himself praying to Odin that he does...
He pulls away from the embrace with Joakim and presses his forehead lovingly onto his,
*“…Ég gæti hafa verið faðir einu sinni, en fyrir þig ... ég myndi gefa neitt upp til að verða einn aftur...“
he speaks in a soft voice,
Joakim doesn’t know what he said but he doesn’t ask what it is, as he just interprets it as him giving him a ‘thanks for comforting him when he was down and at his worst’,
When Pär finally pulls away to wipe at his tears he sees Joakim give him a worried look,
He chuckles, “What?” he asks as though he wasn’t crying a few minutes back,
“…Are you sure you’re ok?” he asks him, with worry laced into his words,
He nods and places a tender hand on his shoulder, “Yes… I can assure you…” he replies, and sees how Joakim doesn’t believe him, seeing right through him,
*“strákurinn minn, I’m perfectly fine I can assure you…” he says,
and Joakim nods but it is then followed quickly by a frown, Pär raises an eyebrow at him,
“Something wrong, sá litli?” Pär asks him,
Joakim nods, “Yeah… what does what you’re calling me mean?” he asks him, head cocked to the side like a curious puppy,
Pär chuckles at how adorable he looks, “It’s nothing bad if that’s what you’re afraid of…”
“Then what is it?” he asks
Pär hesitates for a moment before he gently grabs Joakim’s head and places a loving kiss on his forehead, “Nothing for you to worry over…” he replies,
Joakim melts at the kiss and lightly blushes, he gives him a nod and says nothing more,
Pär smiles warmly and reaches over for Joakim’s abandoned wooden heart that which rests upon the coffee table, he examines it closely, running his fingers through it,
Joakim watches him examine it, “What do you think?”
*“It’s beautiful…” he says before looking up at him, “I’m very proud of you, litli björninn minn…”
And Joakim grins, his posture rises as he puffs out his chest with pride, “Thank you!”
“What are you going to do with it?”
“I’ll keep it!” Joakim happily chimes,
Pär chuckles, “Alright… good…” he nods,
Joakim doesn’t rise, instead he nervously shifts around in his seat, before finally turning back to Pär, “Ah, can you teach me more of this? I really enjoyed it and I want to do more… please? O-Oh! B-But only if you have time! I don’t want to-“
“-Yes-“
“-Wh-What?”
Pär chuckles, “I said ‘yes’ Joakim… I will gladly teach you more, I’ll teach you everything I know… trust me…” he says with a warm and gentle smile that only a father can bestow,
And Joakim beams brightly with joy,
Inside of Pär, he can feel his heart swell tremendously in size, for he has finally found someone who reminds him of his own children, with his “child at heart” nature that brings a comforting peace to his heart.
Now all he needs to do is find the adoption papers…