Work Text:
The morning after the Gingerbread Incident of 1978, things were fairly quiet.
Remus made his tea and was sipping it quietly as Sirius sauntered into the living room, serious face on as he gazed gravely down at the Christmas list of things to do. The werewolf steeled himself quietly, he knew this was coming.
“Moony.”
Here it comes.
“Why aren’t the giant socks Lily and Prongs had hanging on their fireplace on here? I nearly hung myself on them. They weren’t there on November 30. What are they and why aren’t they on my list?”
“They’re on there,” Remus insisted, holding out his hand.
Sirius held out his list, but didn’t relinquish his hold on it.
The werewolf poked ‘Christmas stockings hung by the chimney with care’. A few lines down from the top.
“Stockings? Are they old socks giants use?” Sirius flopped down in his chair with a pondering look.
“Remember, yesterday Lily told you about Santa Claus, the muggle character on the cookie cutter?”
“Oh yes! The one she wouldn’t let me transfigure.”
“Do you remember the story she told you about?”
“Yes, although it’s highly unbelievable a muggle could do all that.”
“Well, children hang large stockings by the fireplace, and Santa, or their parents, fill them with things like oranges, chocolate, little presents. Mum always put a new toothbrush in mine.”
“Moony.”
Sigh.
“Yes, Padfoot.”
“We need stockings. Right now.”
“I’ll get my coat.”
*Thirty minutes later*
“Padfoot, I can’t believe you brought all that with you.”
Sirius proudly carried his bag of random things from their apartment.
“My dear Moony, how else am I going to make sure these muggle contraptions can hold up everything?”
“Of course, I’m sorry I ever asked.”
“No listen. I’ve got a system worked out. Each option will be given points based on colour, depth, width, elasticity, theme, and how much my mother would hate it."
“That’s quite the criteria you have there. Is that an orange?”
“Of course!”
“Did you get that chocolate bar from my bedroom?”
“Everyone knows your bedroom is a treasure trove of chocolate, Moony.”
“… Is that the chew toy Wormtail bought you for your birthday?”
“Snuffles needs a stocking too.”
Remus actually snorted.
“Getting a little greedy, aren’t we.”
“Not at all.”
Sirius then spent the next hour at their neighbourhood homemade craft shop filling up potential stockings with things form his bag. Silently judging them.
Remus was more aware of the passersby that were judging them less silently that they thought. He grew more embarrassed of the man-child he was currently supervising.
The shopkeeper had been quite annoyed at first, and quite nearly shooed them out, until Sirius explained it was his first stocking because his parents were massive bigots (more or less).
“All I want is to make this the best Christmas with my best mate, here.”
The old woman was absolutely smitten at the strange, mischievous innocence Sirius gave off. She set about helping him fill up each stocking, and was impressed by his system.
“The overall theme of this stocking works well with the one we picked out for Remus, and our dear Snuffles, but I’m not sure my mother would hate it quite enough.”
“Oh! I just remembered we got a shipment in this morning. Wait here, dear, I think I have the perfect stocking for you.”
Sirius turned to Remus with a huge grin. The kind of shit-eating grin that made his heart do a little tap dance on top of his stomach.
“I don’t know what Prongs always complains about, muggle are so nice and helpful!”
Remus nodded, and then noticed the stocking the shopkeeper brought out. He laughed, scarred face finally breaking out in giant, genuine smile. The whole tap dancing heart was a mutual feeling now.
It was the ugliest, most obnoxious, largest stocking Remus had ever seen. Words couldn’t even begin to describe the abomination.
Naturally, Sirius saw it, or rather, Remus’s reaction to it, and absolutely fell in love.
“I’ll take it!”
Later, when the stockings were hung up with Sirius’s patented sticking charm, the two of them sat side by side on the couch, admiring their day’s hard work. Sirius had made them tea.
“Well, I’m glad you didn’t get us kicked out of the store.”
“Of course not! Sarah was a lovely muggle, and bloody helpful. Only the best for my Moony!”
“And our Snuffles too, right?”
“I should hope you get him one of those rawhides he loves so much.”
“Only if he stops chewing on the chair.”
“Oi! That was one time. You can’t hold that against me.”
Remus ‘hmm’ed into his mug.
“Moony! Moooooonnnnnyyyyyyyy!”