Note: Rugrats!AU, so misspelt words are deliberate
Situated in the living room inside the play-gates, Lee held the duck by its scarf, the toy swung and hit leg occasionally as Lee paced with it in front of his friends.
"Listen up, babies and gentlemen," he said, looking at his friends. "My baby sister has been crying over an hour now cause she doesn't have Mr Fluffykins." He held up the duck for them to see.
Alicia gasped, covering her mouth with wide eyes while Fred and George looked at one another with their hands covering their ears from the cries.
"I thought it was–" George said.
"–Oliver's cat next door again," Fred finished.
"It is our duty to get to this back to her so my mummy and daddy can have naptime," Lee finished, stopping to clasp his hands behind his diaper. "Any questions?"
Alicia raised her hand. "Where is your sister?"
Lee pointed down the hallway where the shadows from the sun outside made it look dark and scary. "Lizzie's in the old playroom," he answered.
Fred and George gulped, looking from one another to Lee.
"But to get to the old playroom–" George started.
"–we have to pass the launder room," Fred said, whispering the last bit. "We never pass that without our mummies and daddies, Lee!"
Alicia shook her head. "We can't do that, Lee! Last time we went past the launder room, the monster got mad." She brought her knuckles to her cheeks. "'Member?"
"We tried to throw a bad diapey in the monster once at home," George said. "It only got angrier til Mummy stopped it."
Fred sighed happily at the statement. "Our hero."
"Come on guys!" Lee exclaimed. "We can do this! You guys are the bravetest babies I've ever known." He held the stuffed animal up again. "Don't you want my baby sister to stop crying?"
Alicia, Fred, and George glanced at one another before their expressions changed to determined ones.
"Let's get Mr Fluffykins to Lizzie," Alicia said with the puff of her chest.
Fred pumped his fist in the air. "Yeah, let's do it!"
George jumped up with his fist held up high. "That monster won't stop us. I'll throw another diapey at it!"
Lee smiled at his friends, clutching the duck's scarf. "Mush on, babies!"
With his friends in tow, Lee opened the play-gates and walked beyond the sofa. He peered past the corner to see if his parents were roaming around because of Lizzie, but he didn't see them. He looked back at his friends, giving them a nod that it was safe to keep going.
They moved quickly but as quietly as possible; a low rumbling sound came from the laundry room down the hallway.
"It's growling," Alicia whispered.
"Cause it can smell us," George whispered back.
"...Sorry," Fred replied in a sheepish tone.
Lee waved at them. "Come on, you guys. We're almost there. Whatever you do, don't look in the launder room and it won't get you."
The three babies nodded and sucked in their breaths, following Lee's step as they walked against the wall. They could no longer see their shadows as they blended in with the darkness of the hallway, the entrance to the laundry room is the only source of light.
Lee swallowed hard, staying true and moving down the hallway without looking in the laundry room. His grip on the duck's scarf was tighter when the rumbling got louder, and the only fuel motivation to keep going was the sound of a cry coming from the old playroom.
He felt the wind brush against his cheek before his mind registered that Alicia had run past him.
"I looked inside and it won't get me!" she declared as she pushed at the old playroom's door.
"We got you, 'Licia!" Fred and George said simultaneously and ran after Alicia, pushing the door along with her.
Lee was right behind them, reaching up for the handle to help his friends. He glanced back at the laundry room, thinking about what George has said about his diapey when he got an idea. Lee swung the stuffed animal upwards, its scarf getting caught around the handle.
"Yes!" he cheered, pulling down on the handle while his friends pushed the door open.
It swung open, causing the babies to tumble inside where the crying got louder. They recovered and dusted themselves off, and Lee went to grab the stuffed toy from the handle.
When he pulled it off, Lee inspected it to make sure it was still in good condition. Since it was, he made his way to the crib in the corner of the room.
"Gimme a boost," Lee said as Alicia, Fred, and George came behind him. Fred and George got on their knees next to one another, and Alicia helped push Lee on their backs. Lee stumbled a bit, mumbling a quick apology as he looked inside the crib at Lizzie.
She was kicking her feet up, eyes clenched shut as she cried.
Lee waved the duck over Lizzie's face. "Lizzie," he said before adding in a sing-song tone, "Don't cry. Look what I got!"
The baby opened her eyes as her brother spoke, hiccuping. Her eyes went wide at the duck dangling in front of her, and she reached for it with a wide, toothless grin.
Lee smiled at her and dropped it inside. Lizzie wrapped her tiny arms around it, cooing and giggling.
"Mission accompished?" Alicia asked, clasping her hands together.
Lee moved off the twins, nodding with a toothy grin of his own. "Mission accompished!"
George and Fred flopped to the floor. "Thank goodness," George said.
"And no eating by the launder room monster," Fred added.
Alicia sighed happily, flopping to her bum on the carpet next to the twins. "So what now?"
"I don't know about you guys," Lee said as he sat down, "but I think I could use a nap myself. Delivering Mr Fluffykins and dodging monsters is tiring business."
The twins tucked their arms under their bodies, yawning.
"At least this way we'll be right here if Lizzie cries again," Fred said.
"Yeah," George agreed. "And when our mummies and daddies come check on us, we'll look so cute sleeping here and won't get in trouble for breaking out the gates again."
Alicia covered her mouth as she yawned. "Agreed," she said.
Lee smiled, laying on his side and using his hands as a pillow. Not a moment later, the four babies were sound asleep while Lizzie played happily with her stuffed toy.
A/N: Written for HSWW (Challenges and Assignments) and The Houses Competition
(THC) House: Gryffindor; Year/Position: Year 4; Category: Standard (750-1500 words) Representing your houses traits; Prompt: [Object] Stuffed Animal
(HSWW) Assignment #9 Home Economics & Domestic Magic Task 10: write about teamwork
Word Count: 1,088