flourishing • wolfstar

unwrapping.

"Bagsy I get mine first!" Peter screeches, standing up powerfully.
"Okay, but telling you now, we all chipped in to get you something and we really think you'll like it so don't do a Sirius squeal, we beg," James says desperately, looking at him pleadingly. Sirius glares at him, his expression practically saying 'you really had to say that?'.
"I'll go get it." Remus stands up, excited for the reaction of Peter. The Marauders had seen him glancing lovingly at the gift they got him when they were buying the necessary items for seventh year at Diagon Alley. Remus quickly comes back, a spacious cage in his hold. It has a golden sticky bow on the top and, as James hoped wouldn't happen, Peter squeals. Loudly. Inside the cage is a rat, thick creamy cashew-coloured fur and black gleaming eyes.
"Hey, Pete, he has a worm tail just like you!" Sirius quips and Remus smiles at him, handing Peter the cage.

"Have you guys been feeding it? Giving it something to chew on?" Peter asks worriedly, stroking the fur of his new pet,
"We did our research and have be feeding it a low-fat diet of perfectly selected rat food and the occasional, occasional, fruit or veg, as well as providing it with ropes and other items suitable for its itsy bitsy rat teeth," James says elegantly, fondling the ear of the animal.
"Why are you calling him an 'it'? He's a he! Goodness, I'd have thought you'd know how to respect people's pronouns by now," Sirius says disappointedly, shaking his head sadly. James looks at him and folds his arms.
"Sirius, I think you're the one assuming this poor rat's gender because they haven't verbally told you what pronouns they prefer, so Peter, I believe we need to pick a gender-neutral name so they feel at ease."

Sirius huffs.

"We'll think of a name later. I want to see what you lot got." Peter claps his hands, breathless with excitement, crazed from excitement. He hopes his gifts exceeds expectations.

Remus traces the patterns on the wrapping paper of his gift, outlining Father Christmas' hat as a thrill bubbles in his stomach. He's going first out of him, James and Sirius, and he can tell, from the name tag, that the gift he is holding is from Peter. It's in a small, square box, but still feels oddly special.
"Open it, Moony! I know it's probably not gonna be all that fantastic," Peter mumbles through his clenched teeth, "but I hope it's at least kind of cool?"
"It will be, I'm certain," Remus assures, peeling of the paper delicately. He can see a mahogany brown box, polished. He opens it and is blown away by the intricately painted pin sitting on the carmine felt lining. It's a rectangular shape and looks like a mini canvas with the scene of luscious green fields and a relaxing tree looming overhead, books covering the ground. It seems to be from the perspective of a person as it gives the impression of sitting on a picnic blanket, overlooking the world beyond. Flocks of swallows are just about visible with their metallic blue feathers and outstretched wings. Remus is so engrossed in picking up every little detail that he doesn't notice Pete anxiously awaiting his reaction.
"Did you- did you draw this?" questions Remus, his jaw agape.
"I got Lily to help me with main designs and getting proportions right, but I tried to paint most of it myself," Peter says, a little embarrassed.
"Telling you now, Wormy, I love it." Remus does a small round of applause.
James pats Peter on the back, making a small comment about how Remus only claps when he's impressed. Sirius nods in agreement, adding on to what James said.

"James, are you gonna open the one that I gave you?" Sirius asks, attempting to hide his excitement but failing miserably. James eyes him wearily.

"Yes, but I swear to god, that if this is a framed picture of your cock," James picks up a wrapping paper covered frame from the pile of three presents that Sirius has gifted him,, "then I'm disowning you as my best mate."

Sirius smiles, not caring too much because it isn't a framed picture of his dick, it's something far more extravagant. James tears away the naughty elf wrapping pape to reveal a golden, fancy frame containing a white piece of card with a condom stuck on it. On the card, the words 'IN CASE OF MIRACLE BREAK GLASS' are written in black letters, the last two words under the blue packet while the other four are on top. Peter is as much as wetting himself from laughing too much as Remus tries to muffle his laughter in to his pyjama sleeve, but is failing miserably.

"I actually want to kill you, Sirius. If you must know, it is not a miracle of I need a condom. I thought that since you were my actual roommates, you would know that."

James winks and Remus gags.

James also ends up getting fake antlers and new headphones from Sirius as well. He gasped out loud when he saw the headphones because he'd been dreaming about them for ages, but had never had the guts to gift them to himself. He also gets a stag plush from Remus that he had stitched himself and a pin, a lot different from the one Remus got, with a left fist on it. He was very confused, but it soon became clarified why he got such an odd symbol. From his parents, he received a robe, soft and grey, perfect to sit in front of a fire in. Lily sent him new football trainers in the post because he'd been groaning and moaning about how the one's that he currently has are all battered and old and he hates it, so the new ones are quite an improvement.

Sirius gets a bag of coal from James, as well as a drawing of a dick for 'whenever he needs to satisfy his rainbow needs'. From the Potters he gets a robe similar to James', except that his is white and accentuates his affluent lifestyle. Following with the theme of gifting plushes, Remus gives Sirius a hand made dog, black stitches running along the seams blending in to the black coat of the stuffed animal. Peter's pin is a completion of James', since his is a right fist, and when you put them near each other, it's a fist bump. Sirius praises Peter's wit. Lily, understanding what a problem long hair is, gifted Sirius a pack of four hundred hair bobbles and a small note saying 'Now you'll never have to steal mine!".

Remus' own pile of presents is something he's quite satisfied with because he is entirely fond of everything he got. Sirius gave him a journal with a black cover; it's extremely rustic and aesthetic. Quite Remus' drift, then. He doesn't notice the note at the back until that night when he's flicking through the pages, letting the heavenly smell of a new book make its way up his nose. On the very last page, in Sirius' cursive writing does it read a message that brings tears to Remus' eyes. It expresses happiness, how he has the ability to be reliable and how he should always talk about what goes on inside because it's the least anyone could do in return to him. He feels the sudden urge to embrace Sirius in his arms, but as he looks over on his side of the bed, Sirius is already fast asleep. James plays it safe and gives Remus a jumper, but instead of getting something solid coloured and bland, he ventures far in to the abyss of ugly jumpers and uncovers the most foulest one he can and gifts that to Remus, which he ends up absolutely loving. From Lily he gets a copy of a book he didn't know how much he wanted until he read the first page.

Other than his new pet rat, Peter receives mostly articles of clothing, all humble and suitable for the season. James gets him fluffy socks with dancing Christmas turkeys on them which he finds not only utterly hilarious but comfortable too. Sirius thought it would be a good idea to add to Peter's already extensive amount of scarves and gives him another one, except the one he got him is a wonderful navy blue. Remus gives him a hat and it can be paired well with the scarf because it's common knowledge that blue and white go together. Lily knows all about Peter's love for comics and gets him a new one to broaden his collection.

As night looms again once more and the turkey has been eaten, Remus looks back on the day, like he usually does, and likes to think of the day as good. Christmas cheer is still strong in the Welsh cottage and Sirius is feeling it too for he has curled up right beside Remus and fallen fast, pretty smile on his face.

did y'all miss me? hey, everyone! i know it's been a long while and as i am writing this it's three in the morning so i'm having a jolly good time. this chapter was an absolute wreck to write because i'm using google to use wattpad on my phone and it sucks. by the way, it's the thirty-first of december, so that means it's the last day on 2018. my anxiety always gets so bad around this time because i'm always under the thought that everything will worsen and i'll be depressed again and i hate it. i'll keep positive though, but i certainly will not be making a new years resolution bc that's always been kinda bs to me. why don't i just start my goals whenever i want to? i guess it's good if it helps you seriously schedule a time to start, but who even keeps up with their resolution? everyone gives up after a week.
see you next millennium