Author's note: Frankly, it was hard not to name the story "The Quarantine Drabbles" since that is literally what these are. I, like the rest of the world, am touch-starved and losing my mind a little bit during this pandemic. Sirius, Lily, and James are on my mind enough that I have a feeling that I'm going to be writing multiple short stories about their time hidden away so I thought 'hey, start another drabble collection.' How many will I write? Unclear. How often will I update? Hard to tell. For now, enjoy!

Hogwarts: Ballroom Dancing Task #1, Write about a couple/lovers' anniversary.

Disclaimer: The following characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and this story derives from her original works, storylines, and world. Please do not sue me, I can barely pay tuition.

Warnings: NA

Woke Up In a Safe House

I've been gone, I've been gone, I've been so far gone lately

And I know it's bad when we look out

But bad, bad people don't live in our house so

I'm gonna look good for you honey

Get my myself together, spend you all of my money, yeah

And I know it's hard enough to love me

But woke up in a safe house singing, "Honey, let's get married"

— "Let's Get Married" by Mitski

Sirius was sitting on the floor with Harry on his lap when Lily came downstairs and peeked into the living room.

"Oh," she said, smiling. "Sirius, I didn't know we were expecting you…"

"Pafoo," Harry said, announcing the news.

"That's right, angel boy, Uncle Padfoot's here," Lily said, beaming at her little boy.

"I don't think you were expecting me but James asked me to babysit," Sirius said.

Lily arched an eyebrow. "Why?"

It wasn't that Sirius wasn't a good and reliable and trustworthy babysitter—they just hadn't needed his services in, well, months since they'd gone into hiding. He hadn't been over much lately, not even for a visit, since Dumbledore had warned them to watch the frequency of visits and entries into the house to help cement the Fidelius Curse's efficiency.

Lily was tempted to ask 'why' again, since she still wasn't sure what was going on. Then again, she had learned to limit her questions about what her boys were all up to.

"You should put on that little black dress that looks good with the red heels and then go to the backyard to find out," Sirius said. "Actually, he just wants you to meet him in the backyard. That first part's not from James, that's just from me because those are really nice heels."

"Yes, they are," Lily mused. "Alright, then. I'll go get dressed up."

"I'm talking about the red heels!" Sirius shouted as she went upstairs.

"I know!" Lily shouted back.

She went upstairs and dug out her going out clothes, which hadn't gotten much time in the sun lately. Not since the before times when they weren't in hiding—which had, indeed, started to feel like its own distinct era. Because of that, it took her a while to find the left shoe to complete her pair. Since she had already taken forever to get dressed, she took the time to put on a pair of earrings she quite liked. Her dress was a little wrinkled, since it had spent most of the last year and a bit on the closet floor without her noticing it.

Sirius gave her an approving thumbs up when she came down the stairs before turning back to Harry, to offer him a new plastic ring to chew on. There were several other colourful toys on the floor and chewing was an infinite source of amusement for that little boy. And, worst comes to worst, Sirius could always turn into his dog form and lick the baby's face. That was hours of entertainment right there.

"Okay," she said, fiddling with her earring. "Umm, if you need anything…"

"Don't," Sirius said. "Harry and I have got this and you're basically torturing the man."

She proceeded back down the hall and to the kitchen. She peeked back through the sliding door and into the backyard, then she smiled at what she saw.

The apple trees that lined the yard were strung with fairy lights, and as September had rolled in the leaves were now touched with colour and heavy with fruit. The various patio and backyard furniture had been dragged around and covered in spare tablecloths so it might have been a charming bistro. There were candles lining Harry's sandbox, the swing hanging off the oak tree, and the various other toys that had taken over the yard. And there was James, wearing the clothes his mother used to force him into to go to church.

Lily slid the patio door open and slipped outside of the house. When James heard the door, he looked up from the wine that he was pouring and smiled at her.

"Hey," he said. He looked at her from top to bottom and smiled a little brighter. "Heels, huh? Sirius spoiled the surprise, I guess."

"He didn't spoil anything, just made some recommendations," Lily said.

"Good recommendations," James said.

"Since he didn't spoil, you should probably explain what all this is," she said, leaning against the back porch railing.

"It's our first anniversary in lockdown," James said. "I want it to be special, you know, because we'll be here doing this as long as it takes until it's safe…"

Lily smiled from the porch.

"Yeah?" she said with a grin.

"Yeah," James said, smiling back.

"Alright," she said. "So what exactly are we doing in this grand plan of yours?"

"Well, I'm glad you asked," he said. He gestured to the table. "We've got wine, since Sirius is the only babysitter we have who can make Harry drink formula so you can actually drink."

"A great start," Lily said.

"And I was going to cook something fancy, but then I realized that I have nothing but time to cook you fancy things so that's not exactly special anymore—so we've got fish and chips instead," he said. He picked up a big brown paper bag from the ground and dropped it on their dining table. "And when they asked me if I wanted slaw or mushy peas as a side, I told them to give us both. And an extra side of onion rings because it's our anniversary and we deserve it."

She laughed.

"We sure do," she said. She propped her chin on her hand and looked him over.

"What are you thinking about?" James asked.

"I think our lockdown anniversaries are going to be excellent," she said. "I will have to take the heels off to come down to the yard and join you, though."

"A necessary sacrifice," he said. As she pulled off the heels he circled back to the porch and came by, offering her an arm and a smile as he escorted her to their table.

Stacked with: Hogwarts; Shipping War

Word Count: 1019

Shipping Wars

Ship (Team): Lily Evans/James Potter (Thorns)

List (Prompt): Spring Big List (Earring)