I can love a block of wood (septiplier nutcracker AU)

Chapter 5

Godfather watched as he pulled out the Nutcracker and a happy smile slowly crossed his face. He smiled as well while he watched the man grinned at him and hold it close. "I knew how much you wanted it. I even saw it in your face before you mentioned not being able to get it."

"Thank you so much." He hugged Godfather before looking back down at the Nutcracker. He saw that twinkle again in the nutcracker's eye and his mouth dropped a small bit. Godfather chuckled seeing his reaction.

"Did you see something, Jack?" Jack looked at the man with a somewhat knowing smile. He didn't answer and just looked down at his nutcracker again. That twinkle didn't appear again so he watched it to see if it would return, but eventually, he snapped out of it when his father called his name.

"Let us see what you got." He said and jack went over to his parents. "Ah, a nutcracker!"

"And a handsome one at that." His mother said in approval. "I take it he is going to be placed on your special chair?" The three chuckled a bit. In his room, there is an overstuffed and worn-out armchair he has had since he was a child. He would sit in his mother or father's lap as they would read to him, comfort him from nightmares, hold him when he was sick. It is where he told his parents about his choice of spouse, men, and where they warned him not to let anyone know so he doesn't get hurt. It was his throne when he was pretending to be a king and a ship when he was a pirate. He loved that chair so much but now it is empty and not really used. Jack couldn't help but smile at the thought that the chair he loved so much was going to be holding something else he cherished.

"Of course I am. I am going to go do that now." He told them before excusing himself and heading up the large staircase. The stairs sat in the middle of the room and his mother and father had pulled out the carpet for the party. Red carpet, Gold trim, White marble steps. It was elegant and blended with the rest of the house beautifully. Towards the top of the steps, some boys were fooling around without paying attention to the things around them. They had decided to have a race of who can reach the bottom of the stairs fastest. The loser was a rotten egg.

"On your mark!" a boy had his hand up and Jack was a starting up the stairs, staring at his gift. "Get set!" He was halfway up the steps, lifting his head. "Go!" The boys started to run down the hall, where the race starts, and when they reached the stairs they ran into him hard at the very last step. The four tumbled down all those stairs, the nutcracker flying through the air over the railing, and all sprawled out on the bottom in an unpleasant heap. Everyone gathered around to see what had happened as the air filled with worried questions and remarks. Jack groaned and achingly sat up. 

"Ow..." He whined in discomforting pain before looking around. Allison and Simon came over and assisted him to sit up. "That as painful." The parents of the other three came over as well and fussed over them an instant before scolding them.

"Billy! We have told you this before!" One parent yelled as they hauled the child out of the house, his father collecting up gifts and giving them an apology. Jack stood up slowly while Allison checked his head for any bumps.

"My head is fine, just fine." He looked around then panicked a bit when he didn't see his nutcracker. "Where is Mark?"

"Mark?"

"My Nutcracker!"

"You got it?"

"It had been a gift."

"You named it?"

"He already had a name." Suddenly rose came through frowning sadly. "Oh no..." The Nutcracker was broken, his jaw hanging crookedly and his arm limp by his side. Jack took the Nutcracker, cradling him gently in his arms. Godfather came over and pat his shoulder. "Don't worry Jack. Here, why don't you go upstairs and fix him?" He handed the heartbroken man a set of small tools. They were in a little beige pouch and contained a screwdriver and a tiny wrench with extra screws and bolts.

"Thank you." With that, Jack was sent upstairs carrying the tools he was given and the broken gift. 

"Godfather, why did you ask him to fix it?" Rose asked the older man curiously.

"Because we will see just how much he loves that Nutcracker when we see how well it is fixed."

Jack sat on his bed cross-legged with the tools beside him and Mark in front of him. He had a look of concentration on his face as he worked on him. His hands were gentle but firm at the same time. It took a good half an hour to work on him and forgetting there was a party downstairs until he was to Jack's standards of fixed. When he finished Jack smiled in happiness as he held him up. He smiled more seeing a twinkle in that Nutcracker's eye, a sign that his beloved gift was alright still. "You're incredible..." He said quietly. "You make me wonder..." Fingers trailed over the grooves in the nutcracker's hair while he started to get lost in thought. There was a knock on the door. "Who?"

"It's your mother." A high pitched voice called, making him laugh. Rose opened the door with a smile. "Did I have good timing?"

"Like always." Rose came over and plopped down, leaving the door open, before looking at Jack's handiwork. "Wow, you can't even tell it as broken!"

"I know." Jack agreed proudly. He lifted Nutcracker's arm and his mouth opened like it was supposed too, then he lowered it to close the mouth. "I wish I had some friends for him. He would get lonely up here when I'm not here..."

"Oh, maybe Godfather will let you go to the shop later and pick out some friends for him."

"That's wishful thinking."

"Is it really?" Jack was quiet as he looked at the Nutcracker. He had wanted Mark so badly and Godfather had given it to him. Maybe if he asked for friends...

"I guess not." He stood up from his bed and placed Mark in the over-stuffed chair.

"Exactly. Let's go back downstairs and enjoy the rest of the party." Rose told him as she stood up from his bed.

"Alright." Jack's eyes lingered as he looked at his nutcracker before standing and leaving, closing the door behind him.