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Matt had told Neil that actually wrapping presents was a part of the Christmas experience. Neil wasn’t sure if that was because he had simply handed over his birthday present earlier in the year after he scrambled to get him something. At first, Neil brushed it off. But, a few days ago, Neil found some perfectly wrapped presents in Andrew’s drawer. If Andrew wanted to make an effort when he usually used gift bags, surely he would appreciate receiving a present that was wrapped as well.
So, despite never having wrapped a present before, Neil bought several rolls of wrapping paper and a few rolls of Sellotape and settled down in the empty dorm to wrap them. He decided to start with Matt’s since he’d been the one to tell him about this tradition. Looking at his options, Neil decided on the paper with Santas that had sunglasses. Laying it out carefully, Neil placed the present - a new game that had just been released - on the blank side. He was proud of this present as he’d coordinated with Dan so that he could give it to him. Smiling, Neil snipped his scissors twice and got to work.
Fifteen minutes later, he deeply regretted starting the endeavour. There was sticky tape in his hair and on different parts of his face. Bits of wrapping paper were strewn around him, some of them stuck to the couch and coffee table. Two presents were ‘wrapped’, but the folds kept popping open so Neil had to stop and use even more Sellotape to stick it down. Now, Neil wasn’t sure how Matt was going to open his present - or why it looked so much bulkier than it should.
Just as he was about to give up and find gift bags instead - he could even ask Andrew for recommendations - the door to the dorm opened. Flinching, Neil looked up and hoped that no-one whose presents were still visible would walk in. Thankfully, it was Kevin whose present was tickets to the America versus Ireland friendly that would be played on New Year’s. Since he wasn’t sure how you were supposed to wrap something like that, Neil had decided to place them in a card and hope for the best.
When Kevin stopped in his tracks, Neil winced. “What are you doing?” Kevin asked, warily.
“I’m wrapping Christmas presents, obviously,” Neil petulantly replied.
Kevin looked between the ‘wrapped’ presents - as he did, a fold of the paper popped off of Dan’s present to reveal the autobiography of the first woman who played Exy after Kayleigh Day - and Neil himself. “You’re doing it wrong,” he said, dropping his backpack on his desk. Before Neil could protest, Kevin had joined him on the other beanbag and yanked a roll of wrapping paper towards him.
“What are you doing?” Neil snapped, trying to pull the paper away from him before he crumpled it.
“I’m going to show you how you’re supposed to do it,” Kevin said, haughtily.
“I seriously doubt you’re any better at this than me,” Neil told him.
“Well, we’ll see, won’t we?” Kevin grabbed at Allison’s present - two jewellery sets in the one box, one of which had foxes - and held out his hand for the wrapping paper. “I’m sure you’ll learn something along the way.
Two hours later, the door to the dorm opened but Neil was too busy arguing with Kevin to wonder who it could be. “I don’t want that present to be wrapped like that, Kevin. Besides, it’s coming apart already!”
“There must be something faulty with this sticky tape,” Kevin declared.
“You’re just not using enough!”
“And you’re using too much!”
“What?” said Andrew, suddenly standing over them. When Neil looked up, he could see that the corner of Andrew’s mouth was twitching.
Neil looked at the mess. More of the wrapping paper had been cut up and ripped and was scattered in piles around them. Some of it even stuck to the beanbags and coffee table. A lot of the tape was now on Neil’s shirt and probably stuck to his hands. Kevin had some in his hair. There was even a bit of wrapping paper stuck to his cheek from when Neil got so irritated he whacked it on Kevin while he was distracted. Somehow, Kevin hadn’t noticed and it was now covering his tattoo. Half of the presents had paper draped over them, though none of them were staying closed. The other half were still out in the open, including Andrew’s gift - a signed edition of a book from one of his favourite authors, a hat with grumpy eyes and soft socks specially for this time of year.
Kevin seemed to understand that the situation looked dire. “This is all Neil’s fault,” he exclaimed. “This would already have been done if he’d just let me take over.”
“They’re my presents!” Neil protested. “I want to be the one to wrap them. That’s the whole point.”
Wilting, Kevin gave Andrew a guilty look. But Andrew only shrugged. “Just use gift bags,” he said.
With that, he headed towards the bedroom. Neil slumped. He’d kind of been hoping that Andrew would have helped them. But, looking at the time, Neil realised that he was going to have to hide everything again so that Nicky wouldn’t blab to everyone. Maybe he could try again tomorrow, without Kevin hovering. Some of his advice was probably good and Neil could wrap the presents himself.
Or he could just get fancy gift bags to make up for not being able to wrap presents.
Sighing, Neil began to gather up the used wrapping paper so he could stuff it into the bottom of the trash. “Come on,” he said to Kevin. “Let’s put this away.”
Kevin looked like he wanted to keep going, his competitiveness getting the better of him. But he looked at the time and sighed. “Yes. I have a study group to go to before night practice.”
By the time Nicky and Robin turned up, Neil had erased all evidence of his efforts. Or,, he thought he had. Robin tilted her head when she saw him, her gaze intent on his cheek. Before he could remove the Sellotape that was probably still on his face, Nicky gasped and darted forward to the coffee table. “Hey! Is this wrapping paper?”
Neil grimaced. Sure enough, a piece of the Santa with sunglasses paper had been missed. “Looks like it,” Neil said with a straight face.
Nicky gasped in an overdramatic fashion. “Was someone wrapping presents? Was it you, Neil?”
“Uh…” Neil didn’t want to say it was Kevin and the only other person was Andrew who usually used gift bags. Nicky wouldn’t believe him if he said it was Andrew. Maybe he could say he’d been helping Matt?
But he’d hesitated for too long. “You did!” Nicky squealed. “Oh, my God! This is gonna be the best Christmas ever! Wait until I tell the others.” He pulled out his phone as he wandered further into the dorm and Neil watched him go in disbelief. How was he supposed to give out presents now that everyone would think they were wrapped? Nicky had looked so delighted by the prospect that Neil didn’t want to let anyone down. His shoulders drooped; he was going to have to figure out how to do it instead of giving up.
As Robin helped him get the piece of sticky tape off his cheek, Neil caught Andrew’s eye and wondered how long this ‘fun’ task was going to take him.
Later that night, when all the others were asleep and Neil had somehow found himself in Andrew’s bunk again, he lay awake, fretting about it. He was thinking of getting out of bed to go try again when Andrew spoke into his ear, sending a shiver down Neil’s spine. “Come on, rabbit. Let’s go.”
Unsure what Andrew was up to, Neil slid from the bed and landed lightly on his feet. “Where are we going?” he whispered, wondering if Andrew wanted to be intimate without the risk of the others hearing them.
“Living room,” Andrew muttered as he got up. “Bring those presents and the wrapping paper.”
Surprised, Neil did as he was told, though he tucked Andrew’s presents away. If Andrew was going to help him with the other’s gifts, then Neil would just have to get a gift bag for Andrew’s. At one point, he nearly dropped something but he managed to catch it before he could wake the others. By the time he reached the living room, he was waddling in an attempt to keep everything in his hands. When Andrew spotted him, he sighed.
“Sit down,” Andrew ordered. “Watch.”
With deft fingers, Andrew unpicked the wrapping paper from around Dan’s present. Then, with swift movements that Neil didn’t understand, he had turned and turned the book within the paper. Before Neil knew it, Andrew was sticking the paper down into a neat package. Neil stared at it and then at Andrew.
“How did you…?”
Again, Andrew sighed. “Like this,” he said. More slowly this time, Andrew began to rewrap Matt’s present. Eventually, he was finished. Neil understood it a bit better but he also felt that he would be unable to manage it. “Your turn,” Andrew insisted, handing over Aaron’s joke gift - a toy stethoscope.
“Can’t you just do it for me?” Neil pleaded, amused.
“That’s not the point of this,” Andrew pointed out. “And also, no.”
“What if I give you a kiss for each present?” Neil bargained.
Andrew stared at him for a moment, clearly torn between maintaining his aloofness and wanting to kiss Neil. Eventually, he sighed for a third time and said, “You owe me two already.”
“Okay,” said Neil, easily. “Yes or no?”
“…Yes.”
Smiling, Neil leaned in close and kissed Andrew. They lost themselves in that for a long moment. Neil felt a sweet sort of pleasure. Triumph over the impossible task and the intimacy of the kiss woven together.
Perhaps Matt was right about the tradition being a necessary part of Christmas.