Growing Pains
poly!marauders x female!reader
summary: you are in desperate need of a job, and the marauders are in desperate need of a babysitter, what's the worst that could happen?
warnings: eventual smut! 18+ | age gap between marauders & reader (not heavily identified) | reader is 21 + | mature language.
author's note: hello everyone! so i have multiple poly!marauder fics going on at this very moment (i know) but this was something that came to me and i thought it would be so cute to write since i never really dip my toes into this kind of normal au's. but please enjoy!
! divers by @cafekitsune & @saradika-graphics !
Being unemployed right out of university was not part of your plan.
You knew that it wasn’t unusual to be unemployed after attending university, but you also had high expectations for yourself.
Originally, you were going to intern at your father’s law firm for a while just to get on your feet, while living in your own studio apartment, which he would pay for—his reward for you ‘stepping up’ straight out of university.
After that, you planned to gain some experience and then be able to work at an actual law firm—not just intern—and pay off your studio apartment on your own.
But, as usual, you and your father had gotten into a blown-out, heated argument about your future. All you had said was that you ‘wanted to do some writing on the side’ during dinner, and everything blew up when he claimed that ‘writing is unreliable and wouldn’t get you anywhere in life,’ which only pissed you off.
It ended with you saying some things you didn’t regret, but maybe should have, and him cutting you off financially, retracting the offer at his law firm.
Instead of groveling, you let your stubbornness take over, storming out and having to find somewhere to live as soon as possible.
Thankfully, your cousin, who had graduated a few years before you, was openly looking for a roommate and wasn’t charging a high rate. You took the offer immediately, but finding a job was a real pain in the ass.
Every place you tried to intern at said you didn’t have enough experience or was in competition with your father’s law firm.
And every place you applied to—whether it was as a barista, waitress, assistant, etc.—rejected you.
For no reason, might you add.
You were growing hopeless and severely depressed. Mary was finding it quite hard to comfort you lately, especially since you were holed up in your room, refusing to leave.
She didn’t even think you went out to use the bathroom.
So eventually, when you came out of your room for your 8 PM coffee, she confronted you.
“Y/N,” She sighed, looking at you as you wrapped yourself in a blanket, dark circles under your eyes. “I love you a lot, but I need you to bloody get it together!”
You groaned. “What do I have to live for if no one will hire me and I’m just unsuccessful?” You sulked. “I mean, I’m going to be living with you until you and Lily have kids!” You screeched, horrified.
Mary looked spooked. “I pray not,” She replied, walking over to you and cupping your cheeks in her hands. “You just need to have more faith in yourself—and maybe a little boost,” She said, letting go and sitting on the counter. “Which is why I got you that little boost and got you a job!” She said excitedly, grinning as you looked at her in shock.
“Wait, what?” You responded. “Doing what? And how?” You asked nervously as her grin widened.
“Well, it’s a full-time babysitting gig,” She said happily, swinging her legs.
“So, a nanny?” You asked, sounding a bit deflated.
“Well, unfortunately, I don’t think you’ll be living with them, but yeah, kind of,” She said, as you hummed.
“And you know the parents?” You asked hesitantly.
“Oh, like the back of my hand,” She said calmly as if your question was ridiculous.
“I mean, should I text them or anything? Or at least let them get to know me before I start babysitting for them?” You asked nervously.
Mary waved you off. “They’re really chill, they’ll love you,” She said happily as she hopped off the counter.
“Wait, but—” You tried to speak again, but Mary wasn’t having it.
“I’ll send you their address. You have to be there at 10 AM!” she yelled before heading to her room.
That wasn’t very informative.
You were never this nervous. You really didn’t want to mess this up. Your palms were sweaty, and you were worried they'd think something was wrong with you, maybe unfit to handle kids if you were this nervous over meeting the parents. And Mary hadn’t even bothered to give you any info about the family—no names, no details about their children.
What made it worse was that you couldn’t decide what to wear. You wanted something casual but presentable, something that said 'I’m approachable, but not a slob.'
You were pretty sure the wife wouldn't appreciate anything too scandolous, and a single dad might misread it.
You ended up choosing a red and green Christmas sweater, mom jeans, and Mary Jane’s—comfortable enough, you thought, to handle kids.
Unfortunately, your timing didn’t match. Without a car (since your dad had cut you off), you had to bike there. And to make matters worse, you’d burned your toast and didn’t have time to make more. You were late, pedaling as fast as you could, praying your GPS was right.
You finally arrived at a beautiful suburban house—exactly what you imagined when you thought of a family of four. The house had a neat front yard, a doormat, and was surrounded by well-kept homes. Taking a deep breath, you rang the doorbell and quickly checked your reflection. Your hair was a mess, but you didn't have time to fix it before the door swung open.
A man with black hair, a black button-up shirt, and tattoos on his arms greeted you. He was strikingly handsome with a charming smile. And.. great, you were already crushing on the dad.
"Hey, you must be Y/N, the babysitter Mary recommended," He said with a grin, extending his hand. "We were expecting you—come on in."
The house felt warm and homey, with photos of kids everywhere and Christmas decorations all over. Toys were scattered on the living room floor but not in a messy way—just lived in.
"Sorry about the mess," The man said, laughing and running a hand through his hair. "You’ve arrived during morning madness."
"Oh, it’s fine," You replied, feeling flustered. "The decorations are lovely."
"They kind of went overboard this year," He chuckled.
Before you could say anything else, another man entered the room—a tall, broad figure with light brown hair, wearing a white button-up shirt and brown slacks. Scars marked his face, but they somehow added to how pretty he was.
“Sirius,” The man grumbled, “I told you to tidy up an hour ago,” He sent an annoyed look his way,
"Remus," The new man said, extending a hand. "Apologies for the chaos. It’s never this untidy."
"Yes, it is," Sirius teased. Remus shot him a look, and you couldn’t help but laugh.
"It’s nice to meet you both," You said with a smile. "Your home is beautiful. It reminds me of my family’s place."
Remus looked relieved. "We’re glad to have you. Can I get you anything? A glass of water?" He asked.
"I think I’m fine," You answered kindly as Remus led you to the couch.
Sirius sat next to you, creating a situation where you were sandwiched between the two men. You felt a little nervous, but they looked extremely comfortable.
"So, Mary didn’t tell us much about you," Remus started.
"She just gave us your last name and I didn't think it would be kind to search you up," Sirius added.
You laughed nervously. "Yeah, she can be a bit mysterious for no reason."
Sirius noticed you fidgeting and put a hand on your knee. "We’re just happy to get to know you ourselves," He said with a kind smile.
"Well, ask me anything," You said, trying to calm your nerves.
"Anything?" Sirius asked with a teasing smile. You flushed, and Remus shot him a warning look.
"How old are you?" Remus asked.
"Ah, the responsible age," Sirius joked, "How has it been?" He asked, trying to make you more comfortable.
"It’s been good," You replied. "More responsibilities now, its been a bit hectic."
"Out of school?" Remus asked.
"Yeah, just finished," You said with a smile.
"What did you study?" He continued.
"Criminal Justice with a minor in Creative Writing."
Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Remus here is a bit of a writer himself."
Remus chuckled. "Just write novels here and there."
"Which ones?" You asked eagerly, looking at him in excitement.
"Probably haven’t heard of them," Remus said, shrugging. "The Idea of the Unknown was one that was popular for a bit," He added casually, and your eyes widened.
"Wait, you wrote The Idea of the Unknown?" You asked in disbelief.
He laughed. "Yeah, that’s me."
He seemed completely nonchalant as he mentioned one of the books that had shaped your entire view on life. You were amazed by how humble he could be about it.
He was one of your all time favorite authors.
You almost fainted. "You’re the Remus Lupin?" You asked, excited.
"Surprised you know my work," He said. "I didn’t think your age group read my books."
"I love your books!" You exclaimed. "The story between Ophelia and Duke had me crying for weeks after the ending."
Remus smiled warmly. "I spent fifteen years perfecting that ending. Glad it made an impact."
"But we're glad you love his work," Sirius teased, a sly grin painting his face.
You blushed, mortified. "Sorry, I didn’t mean to turn this into a meet and greet. I swear I’m not a stalker."
Sirius laughed. "Honestly, this just makes us more sure about you. At least we know you have taste." He nudged your shoulder jokingly.
You felt a bit guilty for not asking more about their kids. "So, what are their names?"
You pointed to a picture of two kids—a boy with dark hair and hazel eyes, and a shy-looking girl with long brown hair. They were both in front of the Christmas tree with matching Rudolph pajamas as the boy smiled confidently in front of the camera and the little girl hid behind him.
"Harry is almost four—he’s a bit of a handful, but he’s brave. Ruby’s shy, but she’s a clever little thing." Remus says, "And don't be fooled by either of them, they love to prank people and be up to no good,"
"They’re both adorable," You said. "I’m sure I’ll love them."
Remus checked his watch. "Actually, they should be back from their walk about now."
And just as he said that, the door opened, and in came a tall man with glasses and black hair that was shorter than Sirius's, carrying Ruby on his back and with Harry hanging from his leg.
Yet another handsome man.
"Okay, go to your daddies," The man said, setting Ruby down. She rushed over to Sirius, while Harry went to Remus, peppering him with questions.
The man turned to you. "And who’s this?" He asked with a grin.
You felt your heart race. "I’m Y/N, the new babysitter," You said, extending a hand.
"James," He said, then surprised you by pulling you into a hug. "Nice to meet you."
Sirius laughed. "He’s a hugger." He picked up Ruby as she pulled on his long locks of hair, earning a pained groan from him as he put her back down, "Not nice," He jokingly pouted as he rubbed his head.
You were too busy by James's embrace to be fully locked on to the kids as his scent infiltrated your nose. James smelled like maple syrup and firewood, and it almost made you dizzy.
When he pulled back, he grinned. "We’re glad to have you."
"Yeah, we need a new face around here," Sirius added as Ruby shyly hid behind his legs.
"Come on, Ruby, say hello," James coaxed, looking at the little girl and nodding his head to you as she went towards you in a shy manner, "She won't bite," James added, trying to help.
You kneeled down to her level. "Unless you want me to," You joked, making her giggle.
"My name’s Y/N. What’s yours?"
"Ruby," She said quietly.
"That’s a pretty name," You said. "You’re pretty too."
Ruby smiled shyly, and you stood up to find a little Harry already approaching you.
"Do you have cookies?" He asked, looking up at you with wide eyes.
"Bwoo," Harry pouted, moving over to James as he picked him up.
"Looks like you’re going to be a good fit,"