Adoration
Severus returned to the room he shared with Lily to find her propped up in bed. The past twenty-four hours had been a strain on her, both physically and emotionally, and she had more than deserved rest. There was a sheen of sweat on her brow, which Severus dried with the towel on the side table as he sat down beside her.
Lily stirred, and her eyes opened slowly. "... Sev?"
"Have you slept well?" Severus asked.
Lily nodded. "I'm knackered."
Severus ran his hand over her bare arm and laid down beside her, turning his body to face her. "It's evening now. Mary's been asking about you."
"She must be worried."
"She's growing restless." Severus moved his hand down to hers and asked, "May I see her?"
Lily nodded.
Severus looked down at the bundle resting in Lily's arms and peered inside, his free hand pulling the hood back slightly. He found himself looking at a tiny head with a tuft of black hair on top, and attached to it was a slightly pudgy body with arms tucked in. Each arm had small, balled-up fists, which clenched and relaxed every so often, as though their owner wanted to grab something. Severus gently placed his hand on top of the baby's, his thumb sliding into one of the fists. He felt some pressure as the hand firmly grasped his thumb, and he looked up at the baby's face to see that her eyes were open. They were ink-black, but the candlelight made them glisten as they widened more and more, fixating on Severus.
"Hello, Alice-Marie," Severus said softly. His throat was growing tight, for an embarrassing reason. "Have you slept well?"
Alice blinked, her hold on Severus's thumb tightening.
"She's rather quiet," Lily said.
"Naturally," Severus replied. "She's sensible-" The last word came out unevenly as he took in this new addition into his life. He pressed his hand to his eyes to stop himself from looking foolish in front of Alice. But looking back at her, meeting her eyes, was enough to melt him entirely.