Chapter Text
Jesper kept thinking about his mother.
Sure, blame his subconscious, but there was something about her absence that struck him wrong these days. There was something about his dad that didn't sit well in his stomach either.
He was staring at his daughter’s painting. Klaus had displayed it in a beautiful room, full of golden artifacts and silk curtains. It felt precious and… loved.
Moon, how he missed Alva. She would know what to do. She would know what to say, how to untangle the mess of Jesper’s thoughts and feelings.
How unreal and uncanny he felt to love so many people in so many different ways.
“Emil always loved your art, Naya.”, Jesper smiled sadly. “I hope he was proud to be your brother. I hope he supported you, even when no one else did.”
He tugged his sleeping robes tighter.
“I hope you two… knew how much I loved you. How much I still do.”, a broken smile took over his face. “I hope you can forgive me.”
Jesper took some letters from his pocket. Those letters that, no matter how much he tried, he just couldn't fix. Maybe Klaus was right, maybe he was just new to this, maybe he was just tired but….
That strange mist over the papers. It unnerved him.
Lara’s handwriting was cute and flowery. He knew because he searched for all of her past letters…. Always on the nice list, always a good kid. She was nine years old now, probably wanting some bicycle or a carousel.
But Jesper wouldn't know. He couldn't help.
He touched the letter while looking at the painting. Brought it slowly to his lips.
“I hope you can forgive me too.” He closed his eyes tightly. “But I promise I'll fight. I'll fight for you.”
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Phil was happy. He loved the festivals. There was something about being in his Ancestors home that revigorared his bones, made him feel loved and protected in ways that were hard to describe.
So, he was whistling while strolling the Workshops hallways. He was a nice manager, letting his cousins sleep while he took care of night patrol. They deserved some rest, after all the day’s ruckus.
A breeze reached his fur, causing Phil to furrow his eyebrows. Something was wrong. That door shouldn't be open. Everyone knew not to go in there, especially if they didn't want The Boss not to speak for weeks…
Phil closed the entrance to the Frozen Garden with a loud thud.
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After such a full day, he walked slowly towards Klaus’s room. Two knocks. One greeting smile.
“Shouldn’t you be resting, Jes?”, he teased.
The Postman simply grinned, leaning on the doorway with a tired face. It was a nice night. Cozy. Candlelight warming the pair.
“I will. I just wanted to say goodnight. Tomorrow is gonna be…” he scratched the back of his neck. “Promise me something?”
Klaus furrowed his eyebrows, concern coloring his beautiful brownish eyes.
“Anything.”.
Jesper felt like laughing. Of course he would say that. Of course he would be earnest and kind and everything he had fought so hard to become.
Somehow, Jesper found himself reaching forward.
Promise me we can do this. That you'll be alright.
Somewhere in the path between his heart and Klaus’s face, his hand stilled. Couldn't go forward. Backed out.
Promise me you'll love me.
He lowered his gaze, so he wouldn’t have to face his own cowardice.
“That you won’t do anything stupid.”.
Even without being able to see his expression, he could feel Klaus shifting his weight uncomfortably.
“I’m not the one who almost fell down a hill fighting for a bunch of fake toys.”, Klaus laughed, trying to deflect.
Well, Jesper could take an opening when he saw one.
“Yeah, haha, you are right. Sorry. It's probably just nerves or something.”, he closed his robe a little tighter. “This entire Syrena thing, I guess it's messing with me more than I thought.”
There was silence for a while, which was disturbing enough. Then Klaus held out a hand with one finger raised, asking for a moment. Jesper granted it. Of course he did. He would do anything if Klaus asked.
The man came back with a bundle of cloth in his arms. He cleared his throat and licked his lips - don't get distracted - before opening the fabric and revealing….
A wooden fox.
Jesper raised an eyebrow, smiling, and in response, Klaus sprinkled some snow over it. He turned his gaze towards Jesper's expectantly.
The little creature stretched his body, yawning sleepily. She shook herself. Blinked heavily. Then she stared at Jesper and… Jumped!
He yelped, ducking so she wouldn't hit his head. But the fox merely cackled, leaping all over the air around them, a trail of snowflakes coloring the corridor.
“She's beautiful.”
Klaus chucked deeply, taking Jesper’s hand into his. It felt like lighting.
He got closer, and closer, his breath reaching Jesper’s ear. His voice got husky. His name like a prayer in the other’s mind.
Klaus. Klaus. Klaus.
“I promise to take care of you. To be careful.”, he smiled sweetly. “But sometimes, we have to do stupid things… for the people we care about.”
Jesper looked back at him with surprise. Desperately.
Klaus met his gaze head on.
It felt like the universe was expanding. Like being someone Klaus cared about meant fucking everything. Like the word care wasn't really care something untranslatable, something impossible to pronunciate, something the musicians would spend lifetimes trying to define.
Could it really be…? Was that something they could do? Even if Klaus felt the same?
Even with all the time and space between them, with all the stories beneath the marks on their skins, with all the lovers and stilled wounds in their hearts…?
…. but Jesper kept thinking about his mother.
“There are a thousand stupid things I would do for you, Klaus.”. He closed his eyes to stop the tears from coming. “But right now, I really need to do the smart thing.”.
He took a step back.
“And go to sleep.”
Klaus looked small, which was almost enough for Jesper to take it all back. But then he gave a tiny smile, the wrinkles in his face growing more prominent.
“Of course.”, the wooden fox laid over his shoulder, curling on herself and falling asleep. “Like I said. You should be resting, Jesper.”
“Yeah. I really should.”
There was a beat of silence. A beat of prolonged companionship. Brokenheartedness.
“Good night, Jes.”
“Sleep well, Klaus.”
Promise me you'll love me.
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Those three lonely islands in the middle of the Pacific were not much to look at in the first place, but quite easy to miss if you weren’t actively trying to find them. Stone and moss and almost no sign of life. Certainly not like the colorful and shiny reefs those three mermaids used to frequent - no wonder it took so long for someone to find them.
Bunnymund and the others hovered quietly above the clouds, strategically out of the view of the creatures below them.
Maya, Mirage and Fantasia were known for their viciousness while in their prime. Talented and devious enough to survive multiple lifetimes of being hunted by humans - the same, unfortunately, could not be said for some of their sisters.
Quite like the yetis, Merfolk joined forces with a stronger entity in order to keep themselves safe. They were quite diverse really. A few had glistening tails and human faces, others wings and smoldering eyes, but they all had one thing in common: Desire. They fed on it. Showed you your deep secret wants and feasted on the energy it created. Thankfully, there seemed to be only three of them at the moment.
It was times like this Bunnymund remembered being a kid who loved playing spy. He imagined himself blending in with them, gaining their trust, changing their minds… Teaching them about hope and joy and spring. Wishful thinking, really.
He hadn’t been able to blend in with anyone for a long while now.
Don’t get him wrong. There was a time where everyone had looked like him, fluffy ears and all. Thinking too much about it made the world grow crooked and opaque, so he didn’t. Bunnymund wasn’t the same anyway, so maybe it didn’t matter, maybe his loss was just another line in a book, no matter how big and tragic it had been.
So what if he was the last of his kind? A lonely survivor? Did it even matter when it happened so long ago even Time himself might have forgotten it?
Sometimes the pain we go through is just another footnote in our story.
“How do you wanna do this?” North deferred, because now that Jesper was around, he sure wasn’t bursting straight into dangerous battles anymore.
“With ear plugs. And patience.”. Bunnymund wasn’t planning on hurting them if he could avoid it. There was too much they didn’t yet understand about what was happening.
Tooth lingered by his side, her feathers ruffling anxiously. A small fairy sneezed on her shoulder.
“There!”, she pointed. “I knew I had seen something.”
Bunny twisted his head, but low and behold, there it was. A small entrance to a cave, only visible when the light hit it right.
“Brilliant as usual, Toothiana.” Jack smiled, all teeth and no good. “Brilliant as usual.”
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Let him just say, this language thing? Totally awesome. Even with the plugs covering his ears, it was like he could understand the melody the mermaids were singing, just by reading their lips. Amazing.
Looking around, Jesper figured he was the only one having such particular epiphany. Bunny’s eyes never wavered from the islands, Sandman wasn’t shy about cracking his knuckles and Tooth’s eyebrows were frowned in angry determination. Even Klaus was different. Shoulders wide, hair pulled back in a low bun, no trembling fingers as he guided the sleigh towards the water.
Suddenly, he understood why those yeti kids believed Klaus was a Destroyer of Armies.
Those were warriors around him. Battle-worn. It shouldn’t have taken him so long to realize that.
The sleigh floated right above the sea while Sandman hovered on his cloud. Right in front of them, the mermaids stopped lounging on their stones, facing them drily.
With her tail fully in the water, Fantasia narrowed her eyes and leaned her back against the rock surface, using her elbows as support. She was beautiful with her olive skin, dark curls and straight nose.
But she didn't seem the talking type, so her sisters took the lead.
“My, my, my….”, Maya twirled her straight black hair while sitting on the stone, her green tail half-submerged in the water. “Santa brought us gifts”.
“And it’s not even Christmas yet. We must be special.” Mirage cooed from where she laid on her stomach, her rich black skin glimmering in the sunlight.
“We aren’t here for games.” Bunny rose to his full height. “We’ve come to visit Syrena.”.
“Wrong place, rodent. Try on the next rock.”, Mirage twisted her silver tail side to side while the other two giggled.
Jesper felt more than he saw the disdain rising in the Guardians. But they didn’t need to fight, not yet, not with so much at stake.
“Look, we know she lives here.”, he stepped as close to them as the sleigh would allow. “We need her help. It’s important. We just need you guys to show us the way.”
“Oh, is that all you need, gorgeous?” Maya smiled with all her pointy teeth.
“Of course it's not, look at him. His heart is a funfest of hidden desires.” Mirage played with the seashell on her neck.
“Is that so?” Fantasia slurred and looked knowingly at Klaus. Both of them flushed brightly, and Jesper would have to fight himself not to overanalyze that later.
Toothiana stepped forward, like a knight in shining armor.
“I’ll show you something I desire”, she cracked her knuckles.
Maya flinched back, but Mirage rolled her eyes.
“Urg. The only woman in a room full of men. Must be truly exhausting, Tooth.”
The fairy almost growled back, her tiny companions rising around her. Mirage seemed delighted, sitting up, a feral grin on her lips.
“Oh, yes.”, she laughed slowly, her tongue maliciously licking her lips. “That trapped rage… is Fucking. Delicious.”
Sandman put himself beside Tooth, his sand forming a gigantic fishnet, of all things. Bunny kneeled down, readying himself to pounce, a pissed off Jack Frost sneering behind him.
But Fantasia was still staring at Klaus. Unmovable.
“You don't want to find out what happens to sand in the Ocean, North.”.
Klaus put a hand up, holding back the others.
“What do you suggest, then?”
“A game.”. Maya answered, even if uncomfortable under the Guardian’s threatening poses.
“A game”, Jack taunted. “We are not falling for that. I don't exactly trust your idea of fun.”
“But it will be a nice game. I promise.”, she put her hand over her heart dramatically. “All you got to do is take off those nasty ear plugs and Fantasia will sing to you about where My Lady is hiding. If you can hear her, you can find Syrena.”
Bunnymund scoffed.
“And the two of you will also be singing to confuse us, I imagine.”
“Of course. That's the easy way in.” Mirage sighed disappointedly. “But we can't make it too easy, now, can we?”.
Oh, yeah, that could become really bad really fast.
Sandman drew a wall of sand around the Guardians, crossed his arms angrily, a bunch of signs going over his head.
“We know you can take them, Sandman, this isn't about that.”, Jesper looked over at Klaus, who nodded encouragingly. “It’s about keeping all of us safe. We are tired. Angry. We are vulnerable to them right now, this is the best way. There's no need to fight.”
“Fine.”. Jack groaned. “But I'm not taking off my ear plugs. If things go south, I'm the best chance of getting us out of here.”.
There were nods all over the group. But Bunny was looking over at Toothiana.
“What do you think?”, he asked her.
She took a deep breath, swallowing down her anger.
“They are going to mess with us. Just like Pitch did.”, she whispered determinedly. “But this time, we are not losing anyone. We are stronger.”
Bunny smiled brightly.
“We got this.”
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Klaus wasn't one to give up easily. He couldn't. He had a mission to do, people to protect.
A broken heart to mend.
He couldn't waste his precious time with Syren Songs.
And yet, there he was. Sitting still on his sleigh, the farthest away from Jesper as he possibly could, subjecting himself to the mermaid’s game.
But if that was the best way to make sure all of his family would come home, then it was worth it. The fact Jesper seemed to think that was the best option surely had nothing to do with his decision.
Fantasia’s voice was low, her notes blending while she sang about a blue lagoon, hidden away from everything and everyone. As the melody reached his ears, Klaus thought about a child. The girl had his eyes, Lydia's hair. Jesper’s nose.
He dreamt about his ax, about countless birdhouses, about days that bled into one another, seasons eating away his youth.
He felt….
“Enough.”, he got up, shaking over the sleigh.
With the disturbance, most of the Guardians snapped themselves out from their traces. Jack, unaffected, was by Tooth's side, holding her hand as she got herself up with trembling knees. Sandman stood by Bunny, both of them slightly wobbly, but still brave. Still strong.
The mermaids looked satisfied, their eyes quietly losing their glow.
“Now, now, no cheating.”, Mirage chanted while playing with her necklace. “Only those who heard Fantasia will go through.”
Klaus looked over at Bunny, his first partner, his brother, surely he would —
Bunnymund shook over his head, pointing towards Maya with his chin. Sandman was staring at her angrily, betrayed.
Oh. No. No, no, no. Please, Tooth, c’mmon.
But his friend was fighting off tears, her rage clear on her face. She was ready to beat Mirage up.
They had listened to the wrong song.
He turned around slowly, praying to the Moon he wouldn't have to do the worst thing imaginable. That he wouldn't have to put his love on the line of danger.
The man he wanted to protect. His partner. His friend. The one who looked at him with stars in his eyes, hope on his face and, yet, still backed out. Still left him hanging.
The one he carried deep in his heart.
Jesper was staring at the entrance Tooth pointed at earlier. Determined. Courageous. Insanely wonderful.
It was going to be just him.
And Jesper.
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The cavern was wide, ancient and tempting. The walls were made of an unnatural black stone, and if it wasn’t for the sunlight reflecting in the deep ended blue lagoon, the pair of them wouldn’t be able to see a thing.
As they climbed down the old and crooked stairs, Jesper noticed a thin mist covering the whole floor. It unnerved him.
Maybe what scared Jesper the most was the lack of silence. He had expected quietness, not that discordant note repeating again and again without showing signs of stopping any time soon.
He followed the sound. A little bit forward, there was an unevenness in the ground, creating a platform where the creature stood playing an onyx harp.
The first thing Jesper noticed was the blood. Old, dark. It smelled. The bandages covering her eyes were stained with it, like she never bothered to change them after whatever wound had scarred. It made him wonder if they were even healed in the first place.
Her skin was as white as marble, covered in red freckles, just like the pristine clear wings bursting from her back. A pair of crimson horns raised from her head, blending with the fiery hair. The seams of her ivory dress were dripping water and she didn’t seem to care. She was a ghost. One who would disappear completely if not for the angered red which delineated her features.
Klaus stepped forward, shoulders back and voice undarkened.
“Syrena.”, he raised the sword. “We are The Guardians. Man on the Moon sent us here.”
She didn’t stop her horrid music, her breathing didn’t even change. Couldn’t she hear them? Klaus cleared his throat.
“We’ve come to make you answer for your actions.”
Slowly, she tilted her head towards them, curls vacantly falling off her shoulder. Red lips moved, but her monotonous voice only arrived later.
“And what action have you come to punish me for, Postman?”
There was a strange stillness in the air. Klaus put himself slightly in front of Jesper, who was more than thankful for it. He felt attacked and unnerved and he didn’t even know why. He couldn’t understand. Holding his breath, he took out the misty letters from the bag - the ones he hadn’t managed to fix, that no matter how much he tried, their content remained unknown, hidden, locked away with the same fog covering the cavern.
He swallowed dry. Jesper would take the lead. He had to. It was why Moon had chosen him, right?
“Is this your work?”
“Mmmmm…”, her free hand moved into a slight circle and the mist over the papers swirled around. “I suppose.”
Well, that was some progress, right? He squeezed Klaus’s arm once before moving towards her.
“Maybe then… Maybe you could fix them? All of them?”
The harp was soundless.
“There’s nothing to be fixed, Jesper. Everything is exactly as it is supposed to be.”.
Rage wasn’t an unfamiliar feeling to him, but whatever surged inside his chest, that was red hot righteousness. He rolled up his sleeves, stomping forward.
“How dare -”
“How do you know his name?”, Klaus asked quietly, staring unwavering at Syrena.
It was so unexpected that it shut Jesper up. That was what he was worried about? Not the kids, not their mission, but…
Syrena leaned back, her neck turning sideways in an unnatural way. He wished he could see her eyes. Maybe her gaze wouldn't be so terrifying then.
“We’ve known each other for a very long time, haven’t we Jesper? It almost hurts that you didn’t tell him.”, she smirked. “We had so much fun in your silk sheets.”
Too fast for him to understand, North had his sword on her throat.
“Don’t you ever speak to him that way.”.
Her wings were raised high and her face expressionless. Jesper felt frozen in place. She put her finger on the blade, effortlessly moving it a few centimeters away.
“Was that supposed to scare me?”, her delayed voice gave him shivers. “I can’t feel fear, North. Don’t you know that?”
With gritted teeth, he pressed the blade forward, but none of them broke away from the stalemate. Jesper wished desperately for his legs to move. He looked down only to realize the fog was growing taller. Thicker.
“They feel like charcoal.”, the words tumbled out his mouth.
The duo looked at him, one with an incredulous face and the other with unchanged bandages. He almost felt like laughing, the whole situation being way above his pay grade. With trembling fingers, he closed his hands into fists, the pages folding under his grip.
“The letters. They feel like charcoal. It’s because the kids who wrote them are on the naughty list, aren't they?”
Why wasn’t he breathing? Had he forgotten how?
Klaus' eyes were jumping around his face, trying to understand what he was doing. Desperation coloured his voice.
“What are you saying? Lara and Mike always behaved nicely. Of course they are not naughty, Jesper.”, he turned to Syrena, pushing the sword more strongly. “She is the problem here. She is the one who’s hurting them!”
Suddenly, the mist reached the opening of the cave, keeping the sunlight away. The only light came from her glowing red horns.
“Why do you even care what those children want anyway, Santa Claus?”. She pushed him away, her wings flapping behind her. “So you could have the pleasure of denying them their desires?”
“Don’t try to trick me, Syrena.”, he growled. “You and your Apathy! You are the one to blame here!”
He struck her, but she was already dodging it away, flying in the air.
“Me?”, her delayed emotionless voice carried through the cavern. “Always so quick to make others the bad guys. I barely had to do anything, Guardian.”
For Jesper, it felt like she was laughing, and he couldn’t tear his eyes away even when the mist started to reach his neck.
“You and your little Moon fan club handed me the world on a silver platter and didn’t even notice. It’s sort of amusing, really.”, she turned her head, seeming lost in thought. “You know… Pitch isn’t really fond of me. Even he agrees feeling something is better than feeling nothing. But his attack?”
Finally, Jesper managed to get up on the platform, with Klaus helping him up. They held onto each other tightly.
“What a work of genius. No hopes, or dreams, or wonders… What do you think happens to a kid when they are all alone? Desperate? With no one to turn to?”, she flew close enough to face them both. “They meet me.”
Klaus attacked her again, this time nicking her arm before she had a chance to fly too far away. She didn’t even seem to notice.
“You monster! You need to fix all of it!”, he yelled while putting Jesper behind him.
Syrena almost sounded bored.
“Once you feel nothing, it’s not so easy to fix it.”, she was looking at Jesper, he was sure of it. “The sacrifices you make to protect your own heart, you can’t just undo them. Or forget them. I stay. I always stay. And it’s better when I do.”
Her horn glowed brighter as she pointed to Klaus’s chest.
“You will remember. I never left you either, Mr. Klaus.”.
The mist engulfed them.
They were in the dark.