darker_london | Sconces or Scones (Peter, Aly)

Aly sort of knew it was a mistake to try and move the box of books Peter had been translating herself, but they were in her way and Peter was in the shower. Aly had gone into mad nesting mode and she decided she just had to dust the inside of the light sconces adorning the walls. As if there would be dust anywhere in Peter's house (besides the attic)...but that was hardly the point. She was going to do it. And to do it, she needed to climb up on the chair. And to do that, she needed to move the box off the chair. The operation reached crisis mode when she realised she couldn't bend over to put the box on the floor. Being 8 and a half months pregnant wasn't good for that. So she waddled to the bed, carrying far more weight than she was supposed to, and she was halfway there when Peter stepped out of the bathroom, toweling his crazy hair off. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" He said, dropping the towel and rushing over to take the box from her. "Aly...what are you doing?"

"Cleaning!" She said, heading straight back for the chair the second the box was in Peter's hands. Peter moved and he placed it on the bed and then he turned in time to see Aly attempting to climb up on the chair.

"Alyona!" Peter hurried over to her again and he took her hand to stop her progress. "Honey, uhm...is this taking it easy?" He asked carefully because sometimes pregnant women snapped and he didn't want to be snapped at...

"I just want to dust the sconces!" She said with a smile.

"I can do that! What the crap is a sconce? Makes me want Devonshire tea..."

Aly pointed at the light fixtures on the wall. "Those are sconces. Though now I want Devonshire tea too...do we have scones?"

"I can get some!" Peter said quickly, giving the sconces a weird look. He thought they were just 'wall lights'. Damn fancy names for things... "But you have to not stand on that chair. And..you know what, why don't you lie down? Let's lie down!" Peter rushed over and he moved the box of books again before leading Aly over to the bed.

"Are you being innuendoey?" Aly asked him critically.

"Wha? No! Aly! You shouldn't be all...up on chairs and dusting...thingies. I'm supposed to do that."

"You were in the shower. You still don't have a shirt on by the way."

Peter looked down at his bare and scarred chest which was now wet with the water from his drippy hair. "It'll survive." He said, looking back up at her. "And you're avoiding the issue. With nakedness, yes, but still avoiding."

Aly smiled. "I just wanted the sconces cleaned. And I think the nursery needs to be cleared out a little. And maybe we could put the crib together. I wanted to do it while Thomas was napping."

"That's...a lot. A lot of things. How about you let me make you Devonshire tea, then when Thomas wakes up, you can play with baby and I will dust the damn skonny things, and clear out the nursery, and but the crib together."

"The great Peter Kemp, demon liberator and defender of justice, putting together a crib?"

"I so don't defend justice...I cooperate with it..." Peter winked. "And, my Alyona, there's nothing I would rather be doing today, than helping you. But you have to help me. By not thinking you're made of steel, okay?"

"That's just you who is made of steel?" Aly said softly, touching his cheek.

"Something like that, yeah." Peter leaned in to kiss her. "Do we have a deal? Pampering and scones and baby cuddles for manual labour?"

"Will you do that shirtless too?!" Aly said brightly.

Peter laughed. "Would that give you a rather odd sort of thrill?"

"Oooh baby!"

"Well then, Mrs demon liberator and justice cooperater..er... shirtless handyman you shall have!" And then Peter paused. "Uhm...honey? Where's your toolbox?"

And Aly snorted.