Chapter 189: Chapter 189 Gifts giving
"Happy birthday, Lucien!!" Drake said proudly, bouncing forward with a big gift box in his arms. He placed it on the coffee table and puffed out his chest.
Lucien opened the box eagerly, his eyes sparkling when he saw the shiny pearls and beads inside. They glittered under the light, so pretty it made him gasp.
But just then Boo floated closer, squinting hard at the contents. His round ghostly mouth dropped open. "Waaait a second..." he said slowly, pointing his finger. "Boo knows those pearls... Boo knows those beads too... THAT’S the same shiny stuff that went missing from our classroom last week!!!"
Everyone froze. And turned their heads to Drake.
Drake blinked, his chubby cheeks turning red. "W-what? No no noooo! These are... these are totally different pearls!!" he said quickly, waving his hands in denial.
Boo gasped dramatically and clutched his head. "Teacher!! Drake is thief!! He stole classroom treasure and wrapped it in box!!!"
"I-I didn’t!!" Drake cried, his tail (if he had it in dragon form) would’ve been thrashing by now. He pressed his little hands together as if swearing an oath. "They’re... they’re from... uh... my secret dragon stash!! Yeah! Totally dragon stash!!" His voice cracked halfway through, and he gave Lucien the guiltiest, most pitiful look in the world.
Vlad Jr. sighed like a disappointed noble. "Shameless."
Luna crossed her arms. "Hmph! Drake, even a wolf pup knows stealing is bad!"
Rocky tilted his head. "But... if he’s giving it to Lucien... does that make it okay?"
"NOOOO!" Boo howled, spinning upside down. "Once a bead thief, always a bead thief!!"
Alina pinched the bridge of her nose, trying not to laugh at Drake’s terrified little face. "Drake..." she said in her teacher voice, "next time, ask before you take things, alright?"
Lucien, still holding the beads carefully, looked up at Drake with a small smile. "...I like it anyway."
Drake’s eyes watered immediately, and he clutched his chest like he’d been saved from certain doom. "Lucien... you’re my bestest friend forever!!!"
Then Drake puffed out his cheeks like a little pufferfish, stamping his foot. "Anyway!! Those shiny things in classroom looked sooo pitiful because no one ever used them! They were just sitting there all lonely and sad!" he declared, crossing his chubby arms. "So I took them home... to give my shines company, okay!!!"
Boo gasped so loudly he flipped upside down. "Company?? Drake made SHINY DAYCARE!!!" He pointed at him dramatically. "Teacher, arrest him before he makes SHINY KINDERGARTEN too!!"
The whole class burst into giggles.
Luna smacked her forehead. "Dragons are hopeless."
Vlad Jr. muttered under his breath, "Excuses fit for a toddler."
Sable tilted his head curiously. "But... if the shiny things were sad, maybe they really needed friends?"
"SEE?!" Drake shouted, eyes sparkling with sudden hope. "Sable understands dragon logic!!"
Alina sighed, trying not to laugh at his desperate face. "Drake... next time, please don’t sneak things away. If you want something from class, you ask. Shiny or not, they belong to everyone."
Drake drooped like a wilted flower, but Lucien smiled softly at him and hugged the beads closer. "...I still like it."
And just like that, Drake’s pout vanished, replaced by a grin as wide as the sun.
After Drake’s dramatic "shiny daycare" defense, the room was still lively with laughter. Lucien gently set the pearls aside, smiling at him, and that seemed to calm the dragon down.
Then Felix stepped forward, hugging a neatly wrapped box with both arms. His pink outfit made him look like a little fox prince, his ears twitching nervously.
"H-happy birthday, Lucien," Felix said shyly, handing him the gift.
Lucien’s eyes softened as he carefully opened it. Inside was a beautifully carved wooden fox figurine, its tail painted gold, along with a tiny pouch of candied peaches.
Lucien’s eyes widened in delight. "It’s... amazing."
Felix straightened his back proudly, his eyes sparkling. "Mama helped me choose it! She said every friend deserves something special... and the peaches are my favorite, so I wanted you to have them too!"
Boo gasped dramatically again. "WAIT! Felix gave his favorite food?! This is... TRUE LOVE!" He floated upside down and clutched his chest like he was about to faint.
Drake immediately stomped his little foot. "No way!! Just because Felix gave peaches doesn’t mean he loves Lucien more than me! Shiny beads are way better than peaches!!"
Luna crossed her arms. "Both of you are hopeless."
Vlad Jr. adjusted his cap, muttering, "Pathetic displays... embarrassing the noble art of gift-giving."
But Lucien only smiled wider, hugging the figurine close. "Thank you, Felix. I’ll take care of it."
Felix’s cheeks turned red.
And then it was Luna’s turn. She marched forward proudly, clutching a small gift box in her little hands. Her tail swished with excitement as she set it on the table in front of Lucien.
"Happy birthday!! Open it fast!" she urged, bouncing on her toes.
Lucien carefully lifted the lid. Inside was a soft, well-loved rabbit toy and a folded piece of paper. Curious, he unfolded the paper and his eyes widened. It was a messy crayon drawing: a boy with horns labeled Lucien, a girl with wolf ears labeled Luna, their teacher standing tall beside them, and two larger figures marked Luna Daddy and Luna Mummy. The page was full of bright colors and scribbled stars.
Luna’s golden-brown eyes sparkled. "Do you like it??" she asked eagerly, her voice high with pride.
Lucien looked at her, then back at the picture, and nodded with a small, rare smile. "I like it."
"And the bunny too!" Luna added quickly, pointing at the rabbit toy. "It was my favorite toy! My father bought it for me, but I’m giving it to you because you’re my best friend!"
The class gasped. Boo spun in midair, clutching his cheeks. "SHE GAVE AWAY HER FAVORITE!! THIS IS... TRUE SACRIFICE!!!"
Drake slammed his little fists on the table. "That’s not fair! That makes my shiny pearls look cheap!!"
"Your pearls were cheap," Vlad Jr. muttered under his breath, giggling behind his handkerchief.
Drake puffed his cheeks angrily, but Luna only crossed her arms, smug as ever, her ears twitching with pride.