Jackson snoozed peacefully, his arm draped across his eyes as a warm body shifted beside him in his king-sized bed. He rumbled contently, rolling over to grip the woman he loved in his arms. He was startled to find a much smaller figure, and his eyes popped open to see Klaus staring at him head on. He gave a startled little jump, clutching his chest as the young boy jumped up and down on the bed.
“Heavens, son, what has got you all excited?” Jackson mumbled, looking in the immediate area for his wife. She wasn’t in bed, the shower wasn’t running, but the tantalizing scent of pancakes wafted through the open bedroom door.
“Mama said it was take-your-son-to-work day,” Klaus blurted, rising on his feet and jumping up and down full force. Jackson groaned under his breath, glancing at the clock and cursing the fact that he’d been woken well before the alarm was due to go off. “She said I should come wake you up. Something about you being a lazy bum and trying to put off the work day,” Klaus continued, as he idly bounced up and down. Jackson quirked a brow, sitting upright and considering the young boy. He bared his teeth, lunging towards the child who had dared to disturb his rest. Klaus screamed as he was captured in Jackson’s grip, his squeals giving way to loud peals of laughter as Jackson tickled him relentlessly.
“And you listen to her over me? You should know better than to drag me out of hibernation! Now, you must suffer!” Jackson roared, pinning Klaus to the bed and tickling his sides. The young boy managed to scramble away, nearly falling out of bed before Jackson caught him. “Seriously, son. Go tell your mom I’ll be ready for work soon. I have to get a shower, find something to wear, get you dressed…,” he trailed off as Klaus offered him an indignant look.
“I am dressed, dad,” he insisted, gesturing to the vibrant green t-rex shirt he wore with a pair of matching dinosaur pajama bottoms. “I’m dressed for business! I’m gonna be a fun boss, unlike you and mom,” the young boy grinned, bouncing away from the bed and towards the door. “Mom also told me to tell you that she laid your clothes out in the bathroom. See you at breakfast!” Klaus called, slipping out of the room. He sang loudly and out of key as he descended the stairs, some awful made up ditty about take your child to work day. Jackson could have killed the person who’d come up with such a day for his place of work, but mused he would then be a widow. He chuckled to himself as he slipped out of bed, grabbing a quick shower and getting dressed before meeting the rest of his small family at the dining room table. Klaus was stuffing piles of hotcakes into his mouth, and Svetlana rose from the table to greet Jackson with a tender kiss. Klaus pretended to gag between his bites of pancakes, nearly choking in the process.
“Easy, easy,” Jackson chuckled, thumping the young boy on the back.
“He takes after you. Both of you eat like pigs,” Svetlana teased, moving to her own breakfast of scrambled eggs. Jackson and Klaus exchanged a look before turning to Svetlana and loudly oinking like pigs. They continued until she erupted into giggles, holding her hands up in surrender. “Alright, alright! I get it. No wonder this place seems like a pigsty,” she grinned. The three fell into a comfortable silence, enjoying their breakfast until Svetlana’s phone began to chime. She drew it out of her pocket, swiping the screen to read the message. “Ugh. Melissa says the office is already in crisis mode. Looks like you’ll be getting an early start as future boss of daddy’s business,” she hummed.
“Mommy and daddy’s business. You hold just as much of a share as I do at this point,” Jackson murmured, rising to his feet and putting their dishes in the dishwasher.
“Who is Melissa, mom?” Klaus inquired absently, already distracted with his own personal tablet; though he was more interested in racing games than organizational skills.
“She’s your mom’s personal assistant. Like what your mom used to do for me,” Jackson grinned, nudging Svetlana in the side. “Here’s hoping we don’t have a repeat scenario,” he murmured under his breath, just loudly enough for Svetlana to hear. She rolled her eyes, chuckling under her breath before shifting away from the table.
“Alright boys, get your bags. Klaus, is that what you’re wearing? I told your father to get you dressed,” she whined.
“He said he wants to be a fun boss,” Jackson retorted. Klaus smiled proudly, hesitating for a moment before grabbing a small blanket off the couch before they slipped out the door.
“I think a fun boss would wear a cape,” he declared, tying the blanket around himself. Jackson and Svetlana exchanged a look, and as Jackson fastened the young boy in the back seat, Svetlana slipped into the driver’s seat.
“That’s your son” Svetlana said drolly.
Jackson chuckled before tousling Klaus’ hair. “What? You don’t want to claim him? He’s your son too,” Jackson riposted.
Klaus bubbled with amused laughter as the older man got in the passenger seat and fastened his seatbelt. Within moments, they were going down the highway towards the office building where their story began.
As Svetlana pulled into the parking lot, Jackson wasn’t awfully surprised to see her young, blonde assistant waiting for them. Svetlana breathed a sigh, slipping out of the car and approaching the younger woman.
“What does mom do here? I know she used to be your assistant, but she seems to do a lot more, now,” Klaus murmured, causing Jackson to give pause as he made to unfasten his seatbelt. The older man smiled genuinely, looking in the direction Svetlana had gone.
“When we got married, it didn’t feel right for your mother to be my assistant anymore. She could offer the company a lot more. Now, she runs things alongside of me, and profits have never been higher,” he hummed, opening Klaus’s door and allowing the young boy to hop out. The two circled around the car, with the young boy gripping his father figure’s hand tightly.
“Melissa, honey, I got here as quickly as I could. You know we agreed that I could bring Klaus in today, to show him around a bit. He’s eager to take his place as future head of company, and it’s never too soon to get a head start on business know how,” Svetlana explained exasperatedly as the two males stepped up behind her. The younger blonde assistant fretted, looking over her tablet before seeming to notice Klaus. Her expression brightened, and she crouched in front of the young boy to get a better look at him.
“Oh, Svetlana! This is little Klaus? He’s such a handsome little boy,” she cooed, and Klaus reddened in embarrassed delight. Svetlana cleared her throat, and Melissa rightened herself.
“Yes, that’s the man of the hour. He’ll be in the office with Jackson and I for most of the day, so I trust you won’t mind helping keep an eye on things,” Svetlana gave her an alert gaze. Melissa smiled, saluting awkwardly before seeming to realize that was a foolish gesture. She awkwardly dropped her hand to her side, smiling nervously at her bosses.
“Of course. Anything for you, Miss Wethers. I’ll go fetch coffee for Mr. Wethers and yourself, and maybe a carton of milk for my future boss…?” She trailed off, obviously eager to please. Jackson chuckled, resting a hand on the younger woman’s shoulder.
“Relax. She won’t bite your head off. She saves her really hissy fits for when she’s home alone with me,” he grinned. Svetlana snorted, hiding a smile behind her hand. Melissa gave a reinforced smile and nodded before shuffling away. They watched her go, and as they made to follow, Klaus reached out to take Jackson by the hand.
“Dad… when I’m in charge, I’ll get an assistant like her, right?” The young boy inquired. Jackson hesitated before nodding. “Great. I want one just like her,” Klaus asserted with adoration in his eyes. Svetlana rolled her eyes in exasperation as Jackson erupted in laughter.
“Like father, like son,” she muttered, leading them to the office. Jackson couldn’t argue that fact, but then again…
He wouldn’t have it any other way.
*****