𝐋𝐄𝐔𝐂𝐈𝐏𝐏𝐔𝐒 [𝐓𝐊]

Chapter 21

Adulta et Pueri

Adult and Child

What his angel told him, the day after New Year's Eve, eased away some of his worries. It appeared his father was suffering from a lot of stress and some deep-rooted guilt. The stress, he could understand because of his job, but the guilt was something he had to figure out on his own. And he guessed it was something related to him and his accident still.

He tried speaking to his mother about his father's weight loss but she reassured him, telling him it was normal. Apparently, it happened every time he was working on a new project but he'd been too young to notice. She did tell him not to bring it up in front of his father because it made him self-continuous, so he promised her he wouldn't. And she, in turn, promised him she wouldn't spare any effort in his father's lunches.

Quicker than he would've liked, his father had to go back to the lab and he had to go back to school. His mother, to their surprise, told them she would help wife Mary with her cake shop for an hour or two in the afternoon to get out of the house for a bit, and they were delighted with the news.

His school friends had done as they promised. Their brains were nearly empty when they met again, and Jungkook laughed as loud as Mike. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed them until he saw them again and they were all smiling as if he was their favorite person to be with. It still felt odd to have friends. The girls hugged him and the boys patted him gently on the shoulders and he, once again, was placed right between Dorothy and Lizy.

- Here. It's for you. - Lizy said, extending a small, long box wrapped like a present over to him with an excited little smile as they were on the small break between classes. The boys that always sat around him had gone out and it looked like that gave her the courage to come closer.

Jungkook looked astonished from the present up at her and extended weak hands up to take it from her.

- You–... But I didn't bring you anything. - He panicked once he realized and tried to give it back to her, but she shook her head.

- I wanted to give you a Christmas present, that's all. - She smiled wider, holding her hands in front of her as she moved sweetly from side to side. Her black hair moved as gently as her cream-colored, long skirt, causing a nice effect.

Jungkook smiled a little and looked down at the present in her hands.

- Well... Thanks. Thank you, I mean. I appreciated it a lot. - He nodded as he held the present in his hands and looked up at her.

She was smiling even wider, her green eyes shining in the gray light of morning.

- Come on, open it. - She urged him, excitedly.

Her excitement was so infectious that it made his heartbeat go faster and he chuckled.

- Ok, ok. - He agreed and turned the present over to find the tape that kept the wrapper sealed so he could open it without breaking it. Once he finished and opened the long, little box, his eyebrows raised and he looked up, unable to believe it. Her smile was dazzling.

- Do you like it? - She asked as she lifted her little fists to place them under her chin, a hopeful look gleaming in her eyes.

Jungkook gaped.

- Do I...? - Carefully but fast, he left the gift over his table and stood up to hug her, his eyes closing with emotion.

It was a Montblanc pen. A Montblanc fountain pen. A Meisterstück Platinum-coated Montblanc fountain pen. ¡A hundred-dollars-worth MONTBLANC FOUNTAIN PEN!!!!