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“You’re drooling, Pads.”
Sirius pulled the mug from his face, wiping away the hot chocolate that ran down his chin. He couldn’t help it. Here they were in the middle of the woods, snow falling all around them as he sat on the porch of their cabin for the holidays, and his view was of his gorgeous boyfriend chopping wood. Chopping motherfucking wood.
His very own lumberjack. It was a fantasy come true.
Remus could have used his wand—he would have enough wood chopped for the fire for weeks in mere minutes—but Sirius would not be the one to remind him of that. Regulus had come out and almost stopped him, and it took everything in Sirius to not kill his only brother right then and there. If it had been James, Regulus would have been in the rocking chair next to him, his mouth hanging open and a hand down his pants, the horny little bastard.
He turned to the redhead next to him, rolling his eyes at the smirk on her lips.
“Go bother your girlfriend, Lils, and leave me to ogle in peace.”
“You know what, that isn’t a bad idea. Maybe I can convince Mary to join him.”
Sirius scoffed, licking the cream off his lower lip as he watched Remus swing the axe again, bringing it down in one hard swoop. “Sorry, witch, but Mary would never look that good with an axe in her hand.”
“You’re right, but you should see that woman with a dagger.”
The words took a few seconds to pierce the bubble he was currently living in, but when they did, he quickly shook the image of what exactly Mary would be doing with that dagger from his mind. A chuckle haunted him as the heavy cabin door closed, signalling he was once again left to his own devices.
Good, there was only one thing he wanted to imagine right now.
Sirius didn’t know how much time had passed. It could have been hours or minutes before Remus finished with the pile at his feet, filling his arms full of wood as he trekked back up the small hill and towards him.
He had a giddy look on his face, one he knew his boyfriend only sported when he was rightfully sated and content.
“Have fun out there?”
“Almost as much fun as you had watching me.”
Sirius’s lip quirked as he eyed Remus head to toe, taking in the beads of sweat that fell from his hair, the way his arm flexed under his white henley as he held the wood, and how the flannel hugged his hips from when he had taken it off.
“Darling, I would have died if I missed that show. How’d you get so skilled with wood anyhow?”
“Well, it all started back in fifth year when this annoying boy…”
“Oi,” he pelted him with his glove, “I was not annoying. Maybe annoyingly handsome, but that's not what I meant, and you know it.”
Remus chuckled, finally dropping his pile and coming to sit on the handle of Sirius’s chair, running his hands through his jet-black curls.
“I’m not sure; it was just always something I’ve known how to do,” he shrugged. “I mean Mum’s dad did always take me to chop down our own tree for Yule, but I knew how to properly hold an axe before a wand.”
He eyed his boyfriend, seeing the hurt that filled his eyes. Remus’s Grandad had passed away a few months ago and was the only one to really accept him after he had been turned. Even though he hadn’t known his daughter had married a wizard until after Remus had a spurt of accidental magic in front of him, he had accepted him immediately and without question–loved him despite what he was, while his father only saw him for what he became once a month.
Sirius leaned into Remus’s touch, his hand coming to grip the other man's hip, pulling him into his lap so they were at eye level.
“Let’s do it.”
Puzzlement crossed Remus’s face, “Do what?”
“Cut down our very own Christmas tree.”
_____
“It’s cold.”
“This was your idea, Sirius.”
Somehow, Sirius, trying to be the good boyfriend that he was, and giving Remus back a small piece of his childhood with his Grandad, had led to their whole group waking up before the sun and hiking into the forest that surrounded their cabin for the perfect tree.
Regulus looked like he was still half asleep, his head bumping into James’s shoulder every few seconds as he used his boyfriend as his guide. Mary and Lily were in front of them, ever the morning people, two cups of coffee deep, and talking animatedly with Dorcas about some funny story from their Hogwarts days as Marlene blushed embarrassedly from under her girlfriend's arm.
Peter was dragging at the back of the group, pulling the wagon they would need to cart the tree back in.
“I know, but I didn’t think I’d have to wake up before my own wood to cut this fucking tree down.”
“Stop it, Sirius. This is supposed to be wholesome.” Remus glared back at him, but he could see the glint in his eyes and knew he’d wake up each year for the rest of their lives to cut down a bloody tree if that's what it took to make him happy.
They walked for a good half an hour before stopping, all eyes landing on what could only be described as the perfect Christmas tree.
It was easily seven feet tall. Tall enough that it wouldn’t brush the ceiling and full, not one spare spot noticeable as they circled it. The branches were strong, perfect for all the ornaments they had found in the attic and the ones they had bought from the shops in town. The needles were soft enough that they wouldn’t poke Lily’s cat, Crackers, in the eye when he eventually climbed it. It was just perfect; it even smelled better than all the other trees they had passed.
“This is it. This is our tree.”
Sirius couldn’t help the way his eyes softened as he looked at their little group. His chosen family. This was what love was. This was what Yule was meant to be. Spending it with the people he held most dear to him in the world, doing something that brought back happy memories from their childhoods into their lives. He may not have many of those, having spent most holidays with his family, stiff-backed at parties full of blood purists who didn’t know the first thing about true happiness. But now, he had this, and he could live off of this feeling for the rest of his life.
He held out the axe to Remus. “Care to do the honours?”
Sirius watched as Remus gripped the axe, took a deep breath, and swung. Time after time bringing it down onto the tree trunk, creating perfect cuts that would let it fall slowly, leaving the tree unharmed.
He watched the pride in their friends' eyes as they observed Remus. All of them knowing they could have easily apparated out into the forest and back, could have easily severed the tree from the trunk with the swish of their wand, but enjoying the journey of it all anyways.
With one final swing, the tree fellinto the pillows of snow that blanketed the ground, cushioning its landing.
Roars of laughter and glee surrounded them as they cheered on their friend.
_____
Sirius added a bobble to the tree, finding the perfect spot for his creation. It was beautiful, a happy memory of them all standing around watching Remus chop down the very same one, replaying over and over within.
To their Slytherin companions' dismay, the tree was decorated in Gryffindor colours. Garnet ornaments with gold accents covering every spare inch, as a mini replica of the Hogwarts Express circled the Christmas skirt, carrying their shrunken presents in circles as Crackers tried to swat it off the tracks.
“Oi, I was looking for that.”
He felt Remus pull at the edge of his sweater, well Remus’s sweater, as he yanked him back into his arms, circling them around his waist as his chin rested on his shoulder.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Moony. This sweater was in my bag.”
He had actually swiped it from his boyfriend's trunk before they left for the holidays, so it wasn’t technically a lie. He knew it was Remus’s favourite; he wore it so often the edges were unravelling, but that also meant it smelled of him. A linger of coffee, chocolate, and oak always edged his senses when he brought it to his face, inhaling deeply.
Remus’s nose brushed his ear, kissing that spot on his neck he loved so much as he whispered, “I’ll just have to take it off of you later.”
A giggle escaped his lips as he leaned his head back, capturing his boyfriend's lips.
“Oi, get a room.”
“James, please. That’s my brother.”
Rolling his eyes, he called out to Regulus, “Did I, or did I not, catch you running starkers through the cabin last night with Prongs right on your heels, oh brother of mine?”
“That wasn’t my fault! James vanished my pyjamas!”
“I told you that you didn’t need them, love. We were going skinny dipping in the hot tub.”
“Tell that to my eyes,” Sirius scoffed.
Dorcas came into the room, bowls of popcorn floating behind her as she carried a tray full of hot chocolate. “Evan and Barry are going to be sad they missed that one. You know how they love your pale bum, Reg.”
“It’s not that pale.”
“Yes, it is.”
Laughter filled the space as they gathered pillows and blankets to sit around the fire crackling, full of the wood Remus chopped as they admired their tree. Christmas melodies filled their ears between stories of their days at Hogwarts, and everyone guessing what the others got them for Christmas.
But to Sirius, this was the best present of all.
All his family in one place, spending what would become a tradition for them for years to come, and his very own lumberjack.