AU!

THC, Round 2

Standard

Slytherin, DADA

Prompt: (object) bucket and mop, (pairing) Lily Evans and Peter Pettigrew

WC: 1086


Lily rubbed her pregnant belly and groaned as she looked at the mess in the room. The floor was littered with chocolate wrappers and confetti, and mud and pudding stained the walls and corners of the room. Outside, James and Sirius were running around spraying each other with the water guns Peter had bought for them a few days ago.

"Need any help, Lily?" Peter asked, startling her into dropping the mop. He lunged forward and grabbed it before it could fall onto the floor. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm okay," Lily said with a smile. "Give the mop here, I'm going to start cleaning up."

"Can't you just use magic to clean up?" Peter asked, his grip tightening on the mop and not handing it to her just yet.

"I'm nesting, Peter," she said patiently.

"Uh… I have no idea what that means," Peter said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "But okay, I guess?"

Lily laughed softly and stepped closer to take the mop from his hand. "You didn't read the pregnancy books James forced Sirius and Remus to read, did you?"

"I… no, not really," Peter muttered, his round face red with embarrassment. "The images were a bit… terrifying. I don't know how anyone could get past the first chapter."

Lily laughed and shook her head good-naturedly. "It's alright. Basically, what nesting means is that I'm tired of being pregnant for so long and I just want the baby to be out now. That's why I'm going to clean the entire house from top to bottom and reorganise the shelves and—"

"Is that even okay for you to do that all by yourself with you being so pregnant?" Peter asked, worry evident in his furrowed brow. "What if you hurt yourself or the baby? Is it safe?"

Lily sniffled and suddenly threw her arms around Peter's shoulders, yanking his face closer to her chest. "You're so sweet, Pete! I love you!"

"Hey, you trying to steal my wife, Wormy?" James asked, walking in, drenched from head to toe with water. His jeans were splattered with mud, and his white shirt was covered with grass stains. Sirius followed right behind him, his clothes in a similar state. His curls were plastered to his forehead, and he looked like he had lost a fight against the giant squid.

"I would never!" Peter said, raising his hands defensively, but the effect was ruined as Lily was still clutching onto him for dear life. Peter peeked at James from over Lily's shoulder and choked out a weak, "Help me."

James and Sirius took a moment to laugh at Peter's obvious discomfort before James came over and helped extract him from Lily's wrestler-like grip. James cooed, "Lils, my sweetie, my darling, the apple of my eye. In case you've forgotten the fact, let me remind you that I'm your husband. Me, James Potter, the most handsome bloke to have ever lived. Not… him."

Lily scoffed and smacked James's arm, and he cried out in pain. "Peter was being helpful." She rolled her eyes and shooed them away. "Go, go, I want to clean up the Muggle way. It'll help calm the baby down, too."

"Aww, is the baby Prongs running out of womb?" Sirius teased, reaching over to ruffle Lily's hair.

Lily scowled and said, "Keep your dad puns to yourself, Sirius. Now, all of you, get out. I need to clean."

James and Sirius gave her quick kisses on her cheeks before sprinting for the door, their water guns filled with more water. Peter, on the other hand, didn't leave. Lily glanced at him and asked, "What's wrong? Don't you want to go out there and have fun with the boys?"

Peter shrugged and ducked his head. "I'd rather help you here."

"Aww, you're so sweet," Lily said, beaming at him. She made a move towards him, but Peter quickly stepped away. Lily laughed and said, "Don't worry, I won't hug you. I just want to get the broom."

"You're going flying? In this state?"

"No, Pete. I'm going to clean the kitchen first," she said, snickering at the look on his face. "You do remember Muggles use brooms to clean, right?"

"Oh, yeah," Peter said with a relieved sigh. "I forgot for a minute."

"It happens to me, too." Lily laughed and used the Muggle broom to sweep everything towards the rubbish bin. Peter quietly followed her around as Lily dipped the mop in the bucket of cold water and began cleaning the floor. She told him about the time she called the flirtatious old woman who lived down the street a 'witch' as an insult before remembering that she herself was a witch.

When sweat began to bead on Lily's brow, Peter took her arm and tugged her towards the chair. He subtly managed to make her sit down while she was still talking, and he took the mop from her hands. And then, as she rambled about the time she had dressed up as the Muggle version of a witch on her seventh birthday (with green skin, warts and all), Peter soaked the mop in the bucket of water and let it drip on the floor. He began to wipe the floor, making sure it shone like the fucking sun, before dipping the mop back into the bucket.

Suddenly, Lily gasped and said, "Hey! I was cleaning!"

"And now, I am." Peter grinned at her over his shoulder. "You need to rest a little before you do anything else."

"Are you sure you haven't read the pregnancy books?" Lily teased, rubbing her belly as she gazed at him.

"I'm sure. Trust me. But… James might have given us all a few lectures beforehand," Peter admitted sheepishly, making Lily laugh at his tone. Peter shook his head and added, "Just because James is having fun out there with Sirius doesn't mean he's forgotten about you. I'm on Lily-duty today."

"I don't know whether I should be offended that you boys think I can't take care of myself, or amused at how sweet you all are."

"Let's go with the second one. I don't want you to hex me for wanting to care for you," Peter said, and Lily laughed heartily at his obvious fear. Even if her family was far away, she was still so grateful that the Marauders had welcomed her as one of their own. She knew if nothing else, her child would always know love.