HIM // wolfstar

22 when I bought presents

I didn't know whether I liked his eyes or smile more.

Sirius, Angeline and I spent some time planning his birthday party. He didn't seem to look forward to it, but Angeline said it was a defence mechanism. Instead of expecting a lot, he pretended to not care so he wouldn't be disappointed.

Maybe I should have done the same, but I couldn't help but feel excited. I wanted this to be memorable for him, for him to feel excited. Which is also why I told James and Peter it was his birthday so they could get him presents as well.

I had sorted everything out for his party, balloons, cake. Everything except my present for him, which had to be absolutely amazing. I wanted to give him something which showed I care.

But what did Sirius like? We had never talked about our interests before. Only math and that would be a lousy gift. I could give him a rainbow flag, but shipping would take too long. More books?

"Remus!"

I was ripped from my thoughts and looked up. My mum was staring at me, frowning. I had just come home from the hospital, and we were eating dinner. His birthday was tomorrow, and I still hadn't found a present.

I sighed. "Sorry, mum. I was just sitting in my own thoughts. I'm supposed to buy a gift for a friend, but I don't know what to get him."

"What does he like?" 

She had moved the chair slightly closer to me, and even my dad perked. They knew I was bi and using the word 'friend' instead of James or Peter was a dead give away I was talking about a guy I liked. I came out to them about a year ago. I felt ready but also frightened. Luckily they were very accepting of me after the initial shock. James and Peter had acted the same way. I had felt like the luckiest person on the planet.

"That's the problem! I don't know what he likes."

"Well, if you care about him I'm sure you'll figure something out." My mum smiled. "For our last anniversary, your dad bought me archery lessons because I had been talking about Hunger Games so much, and how I love Katniss Everdeen." My parents smiled at each other.

"Katniss is amazing," I agreed. "But I don't think he would like archery." Or rather, he couldn't take any lessons as long as he was stuck in the hospital. I had no idea if he liked archery.

My mum smiled wryly. "That's not what I meant, but anyway. Is the present for a special occasion?"

"It's his birthday tomorrow."

"So... what does he do in his free time? Maybe you can gift him something for a hobby of his."

Of course! How could I forget? He was an artist. He liked drawing. It was one of the only ways he could spend his time, being in the hospital and all. Sirius had even given me a drawing not long ago. It was the perfect gift! 

A smile quickly spread across my face. "He likes to draw." I clapped my hands together in a pleading manner. "Oh, mum, you have to drive me somewhere I can get supplies for him. Please."

She laughed at my ridiculous manner. "Of course, sweetie."

We quickly finished dinner and my mum drove to a place she knew, just on the edge of town. She promised me they had everything an artist could ever dream of. Of colours, I had never heard of. All different types of pens, because apparently there was a difference between those. She also promised coloured-pencils, markers and crayon in all colours imaginable.

It sounded perfect.

It was already dark, as it always was in November, but the sky was clear and I looked at the stars, finding his. It was the one which shone the most. Thinking about him filled me with nervous energy and excitement.

We finally arrived, and as we entered the store, I was overwhelmed. My mum hadn't exaggerated about the colours. It was gay heaven. Shelves upon shelves and then more shelves were filled with different pens and markers, all forming rainbows. It was insanely aesthetically pleasing. I could stare for hours.

"What do you think?" my mum asked.

At first, no words wanted to come out, but after a few moments, I regained my ability to speak. "It's amazing. So beautiful. But now I think I have the opposite problem than before. How do I choose?"

"Just go with your instincts, you know him best," she said.

I nodded and we began walking. The shop was mostly empty — they probably closed soon. I found some notebooks and other equipment, but it didn't feel right. The coloured pencils were tempting me though. I hadn't seen any at his desk, and the drawing he made me was colourless.

There was a set which had caught my attention. It was a box with twenty-five pencils with different colours on both ends, which meant fifty different colours. That should be plenty, right?

"That's a fine choice." I turned around and saw one of the employees next to me. He had long brown hair tied into a bun and light brown skin. His nametag told me his name was Stan. I blushed slightly. "They're from a great brand, are excellent for blending and they come at a very reasonable price."

"Really?" I inspected the box again. If everything he said was true, then surely Sirius would love it.

"Yes. All our buyers have loved them. You can always check the reviews online, but I can promise you, you can make great pieces of art with them."

I shook my head. "I'm not an artist. It's for my friend, it's his birthday tomorrow." I could feel my mums burning gaze behind me.

"Well, then he'll be able to make great things. It's a lovely present." Stan smiled with perfectly even teeth. "Want me to wrap it for you?"

I thanked him and my mum and I followed him to the counter. He wrapped it in black paper with stars on it. Perfect. I paid and thanked him again before exiting the store.

My mum poked me in the ribs. "If it doesn't work out with this other guy, this one seems really sweet." We both laughed, but I shook my head. Sirius was the only guy for me — unless he didn't want me, of course. Then we would just be friends forever.

As we drove home, I was lost in my thoughts once more. I wondered what James and Peter had gotten him — neither would tell me. I was imagining seeing him open my present. If he liked it, he would probably smile, and he would look so cute. Then I got lost in the thought of him smiling.

Suddenly something caught my eye, and I asked my mum to stop the car which she did. There was a big sign in the jewellery store about a new pendant. I jumped out of the car and hurried into the shop.

An old woman was sweeping the floor. As she turned around, I saw she looked very annoyed. "Sorry, young man, we—"

"Sorry. I know," I quickly said. "But I saw the pendant in the window, the one with the moon. It's me and my girlfriend's anniversary tomorrow, and I just know she'll love it." I hoped she didn't see through my lie.

The woman smiled warmly at me. "Of course." She walked over and picked out the pendant from the display window. It was a silver crescent moon with a red crystal in the middle, hanging from a thin silver chain. 

She put it in a box and wrapped it carefully. Excitement filled me once more as I imagined him opening the present.

I couldn't wait to see him tomorrow.

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