The Greatest Gift
Written for Comfortember 2020, Prompt: Make/Build/Create Something Beautiful. Could technically follow my other Klaus fic, Winter Winds, but this was written first and without that in mind, so can also stand alone. Comments and kudos would be awesome. Enjoy!
The package shows up in the mail from the mainland three days before Christmas. Mogens makes a show of lugging it in (it's the first piece of incoming mail he's had to deal with since Jesper arrived here that isn't letters to Klaus, boo hoo) and Jesper's just as stunned as he is to see it. Even more surprising than actually getting mail that isn't related to Christmas - it's from his father.
Jesper can't remember the last time his father gave him something. That's not to say that he didn't fund Jesper's extravagant lifestyle, but when your selfish kid has access to all your money and spends it as he pleases, things like presents kind of go by the wayside. And this is a present. It's wrapped in shiny blue paper with an elegantly scrawled name tag.
Amazed, he reaches for the elaborate bow.
"Not gonna wait 'til Christmas?"
Jesper frowns. No one would know if he didn't – except Mogens, of course – but now that he's been reminded, it feels wrong to open it. Sometimes he hates Smeerensberg for what it's turned him into.
The sound of a knock on the door drags him away from it. He finds a whole gaggle of children waiting to drop off their letters outside the post office. Once they're sure he has their letters, they remain, splitting off into little groups to chat about toys and traditions and songs until Alva shows up to herd them off to class, where they'll be making up their own Christmas carols and decorating cookies (since their attention is not easily held in the days leading up to the holiday). He smiles fondly as he watches them go, and sometimes he loves what Smeerensberg has turned him into.
Still, he puts the present out of his mind for the next few days, too busy with all the work that needs to be done before Christmas comes to dwell on what it might contain. He sorts out the new letters, sends Mogens off to pester someone else, and tries to figure out the logistical nightmare of just how they're going to fit all of the gifts they'll be giving into the sleigh – it had been overfull last year and this year they've gotten even more letters from even more places.
When the day finally comes, he takes the present with him, along with one from Alva, one from Mogens, and a handful of small gifts from some of the children. He'll be spending Christmas at Klaus's he's sure, and likely most of it asleep after the exhausting task of delivering presents is complete. They celebrate before they leave on their gift-giving mission, sharing a great feast of a meal with the Sámi people who'd helped make it all possible, singing and dancing and making merry until it had been time to get to work.
As expected, they're both tired when they finally do make it back to Klaus's place and all either of them wants to do is pass out on a comfortable bed somewhere warm and quiet. Before that, though, they ensure the reindeer are comfortably put away for the night (for the day, rather), fed and groomed and watered before they head in themselves. It's only after a nice, long nap that they get back into the Christmas spirit, sharing hot cocoa and cookies around the fireplace, just the two of them.
When they're properly awake, they open their own gifts. Alva gifts him a new sketchpad and charcoals. Mogens gives him some tiny noisemaking device that's undoubtedly designed to go off at random and drive him slowly insane. Márgu wrapped up an ornament made to be a miniature version of the sled he and Klaus had made for her. A smattering of cute little crafts and trinkets from the children of Smeerensberg.
Then comes the present from his father. He tears into it and is stunned to discover the array of things it contains. His favorite espresso. The gourmet chocolates he loves so much. Several bottles of extraordinarily fine wine. Sets of silken sheets like the ones he'd slept on at home. Warm, thick blankets and warm, thick clothing meant to chase away the persistent cold of Smeerensberg. A care package full of the luxuries he'd left behind in choosing to stay here.
"Ooh," Klaus hums in thought as he runs a hand over the plush blankets and silk sheets, both perfect for the cold, harsh Smeerensberg weather. "Oh, these are nice."
"Aren't they?" Jesper agrees, already reveling in the mere idea of having those on the bed. He grabs up a bottle of wine and two of the included glasses, "Perhaps we should celebrate another successful Christmas?"
But Klaus reaches for another present, a small one that Jesper hadn't noticed set into the display of the carved tree. It is a beautifully ornate, handcrafted, wooden box and Klaus hands it to him. Jesper notes the faint hints of worry on the other man's face. "Perhaps we could celebrate this, instead," Klaus counters, motioning for Jesper to open the box.
So, he does. In it, there is a simple golden ring. "What?" he manages, because this can't be what he thinks it is. He looks to Klaus, floundering for words and finding none.
"Marry me," Klaus verifies that it is, in fact, exactly what he thought it couldn't be. "You've given me so much, Jesper – purpose, joy, friendship, family, love. Things I never thought I'd have again after I lost my wife. We've built something wonderful together and I can't imagine living the rest of my life without you by my side for everything to come."
Jesper is absolutely not crying.
"I will absolutely marry you," he easily agrees, surging into Klaus's arms for a kiss.
And celebrate they do. With wine and chocolates. With silk sheets and plush blankets.
And Jesper would trade every single one of those luxuries without a thought for this simple life in Smeerensgberg, for a life with Klaus, happy and content and full of love and the magic they've created here.