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“I look like a beached whale.” Harry waddled clumsily to the sofa and sat down heavily, with a pained groan. “And feel about the same.”
Severus looked up from his notes and books. “You have no way of knowing how a beached whale might feel.” He rustled some parchment. “And if I remember correctly last time it was a pregnant hippo you were comparing yourself with.” Severus looked meaningfully to his right, where Jamie was mumbling happily to his throng of staffed dragons.
Harry dropped his head onto the back of the sofa and rubbed his distended belly gently. “You hear that, baby? This is all I get for all my pains and troubles of carrying you.”
Severus smirked. “I didn’t hear you complain when we were making this baby.”
The both glanced simultaneously to the hearthrug where Jamie was playing, worried that the boy might hear them. But Jamie was so absorbed in his game that he didn’t seem to hear or notice anything for the moment.
Harry pretended to glare at Severus without lifting his head. “Yes, yes, mock me while you can, you evil man.” Harry shifted trying to get more comfortable and winced when a sharp jab of pain shot up his back. He closed his eyes and tried to breathe through it.
In a moment he heard a soft rustling of Severus’ robes, and then felt gentle arms being wrapped around his shoulders. He opened his eyes and saw Severus leaning over him, manoeuvring him carefully. The soft pillow was being propped under Harry’s strained lower back.
Harry smiled and raised his hand to brush a lock of hair from Severus’ face. “The saviour of beached whales.” Harry kissed Severus' cheek.
Severus smirked. “Heavily pregnant beached whales.”
Harry tugged at Severus’ arms and the older man sat down near his husband. Harry immediately snuggled into Severus’ side and Severus wrapped his arm around Harry’s shoulders.
They sat in silence for a while, looking at Jamie and his dragons. Severus buried his nose into Harry’s messy hair inhaling the familiar scent of the man he loved.
“Ow.” Harry yelped suddenly and almost jumped up.
“What’s the matter?” Severus straightened and looked at Harry worriedly.
Harry winced and rubbed the side of his big belly. “Our son is playing Quidditch inside me.”
Severus slid his hand under the hem of Harry’s lose shirt to the underside of Harry’s bump. Harry’s tight skin was hot to the touch.
Severus rubbed his hand soothingly in circles. He felt a slight kick land in the middle of his palm. Severus smiled. “A boisterous baby.”
Harry groaned again when he felt another kick being delivered to his insides. “He’s going to kick his way out.”
Severus laughed softly and leaned closer to Harry’s belly. “You still have two months to go, baby, so behave yourself and don’t make your daddy suffer too much.”
“Too much?” Harry snorted. “So it’s okay if I suffer a bit?”
Severus just smiled mischievously and lifted the hem of Harry’s shirt slightly to place a gentle kiss right in the middle of Harry’s belly.
None of them noticed Jamie standing in front of the sofa with a troubled expression on his face and a ruffled staffed dragon in his hands.
“Daddy?”
Harry and Severus looked down at the small figure of their son. The boy’s face was scrunched in worry.
“Hey, sunshine.” Harry smiled gently at their son. He felt Severus’ hand withdraw and tug his shirt back in place.
Jamie was shuffling his feet nervously. “Daddy, are you hurt?” The dragons tail was about to be torn off by the small fidgeting fingers.
“No, baby, I’m not. Come here.” Harry tried to lean down to pick the boy up, but Severus stopped him with a hand to his knee and did it himself. Jamie snuggled comfortably in Severus’ arms, but still leaned forward to Harry.
“New baby hurting you, Daddy?”
Harry smiled at Jamie and brushed the lock of jet-black hair off the boy’s face. “No, sunshine, he isn’t. Daddy’s fine. Just a little too big and clumsy.”
Jamie looked doubtfully at Harry and then turned his head to look at Severus. “Papa, is Daddy alright?”
Harry laughed and rolled his eyes. Even their three-year-old son doubted his mental facilities.
Severus smiled at the boy. “Yes, sunshine, Daddy’s fine. Your little brother is just being too active.”
Jamie looked at Harry’s belly suspiciously. “I don’t want him to hurt Daddy.”
“He won’t, sunshine.” Severus kissed Jamie’s forehead gently.
Jamie sat pensively for a moment, and then fidgeted a bit. His dragon was becoming more ragged with every passing minute. Jamie frowned, drawing his tiny dark brows in a manner so resembling Severus’. Something was still bothering him.
“What is it, sunshine?” Harry gently opened Jamie’s hand and released the poor dragon. He brought the tiny hand to his lips and kissed the sweaty palm.
“Will you send me to the elves?” Jamie’s voice was barely a whisper.
Harry blinked stupidly and looked at Severus, bemused. “What do you mean, sunshine?”
Jamie turned his head to look at Severus. “When the new baby comes, will you send me to the elves?”
“Why on earth would we do that?” Severus was astonished. He stared at Harry’s equally surprised face, lost.
“You will have a new baby,” Jamie pointed at Harry’s belly with his tiny finger, “and I will be an old baby. And old babies go to elves.”
Harry’s eyes resembled those of the mentioned elves in size.
“Jamie, who told you this stupid thing?”
“Uncle George and Uncle Fred.” Tears were welling in Jamie’s eyes.
“I don’t want a new baby. I don’t want to be an old baby.” Jamie began sobbing.
Severus’ face became thunderous. Uncle George and Uncle Fred were in for a good thrashing in the nearest future. “Uncle George and Uncle Fred should have been given to the trolls the day they were born.” Severus mumbled to himself.
Harry shifted awkwardly and managed to wrap one arm around Jamie who was still mainly sitting in Severus’ lap. Severus shifted the softly crying boy so that they both could hug him.
“Jamie, sunshine, no. Of course we won’t send you to the elves. You’re our baby and we love you very much.” Harry was wiping away the tears from Jamie’s face with his thumb. “Don’t listen to them.” Harry made a mental note not to leave the twins babysitting any of their children ever again.
“But you will have a new baby.” Jamie’s tears wouldn’t stop flowing. “You don’t need me anymore.”
“Of course we need you, sunshine. We couldn’t live without you.” Severus said in a deep and soothing voice, even though his eyes were burning and the muscle in his cheek was twitching with anger. Luckily, Jamie didn’t see his father's expression and Severus managed to take it under control before his son saw his face.
Then Jamie looked up at Severus. “Really?” His bright green eyes (just like Harry’s) were filled with tears and were breaking Severus’ heart.
“Really.” Severus brushed away another tear from the boy’s face.
Jamie turned to look at Harry. “Really?”
Harry nodded solemnly. “Really.” Harry looked at Jamie’s tear-streaked face and then at Severus. “You’re our precious baby.”
Jamie hiccuped. Severus conjured a handkerchief, distracting his son a bit with his wandless magic, which always impressed Jamie. He dabbed the wetness from Jamie’s face. “You won’t become an old baby, sunshine. You’ll be a big brother for Albus, remember?”
Several months ago Harry and Severus talked to Jamie carefully about his future little brother, and the boy was quite excited about this prospect, and would often come to Harry to pat his still almost flat stomach at the time, and to talk to his little brother.
Jamie looked at Harry’s belly doubtfully. He extended his hand tentatively as if he wanted to touch it, the way he had done countless times before, but then he snatched his hand back and pressed it to his chest.
“Will Al like me?”
“He will love you, sunshine.”
Jamie grabbed the sleeve of Harry’s shirt lightly. “Will I still be your sunshine?”
Harry smiled. Severus chuckled and kissed the crown of Jamie’s head. “Of course you will. You will always be our sunshine.”
“Good.” Even with his face still mostly smeared with tears Jamie looked very solemn. “And Al? Will he be too?”
“We’ll find a new nice word for him.” Harry brushed the damp lock of hair off Jamie’s face.
Jamie nodded seriously. “I’m your sunshine.”
“Only you, baby.” Harry leaned forward and kissed Jamie’s forehead softly.
He settled back and gasped when the baby kicked him from inside again. “Your brother wants to say hello.”
Jamie looked back and forth between his fathers, unsure what to do next. Severus understood his worry and took Jamie’s small hand from Harry’s sleeve, placing it atop his own hand; Jamie’s hand looked positively tiny compared to Severus’.
Severus slowly moved their hands to Harry’s belly and placed them gently atop the bump. Jamie sat still for a few moments, and then slid his hand down, to rest it near Severus’ on Harry’s belly.
The boy looked up at his fathers in astonishment when his little brother kicked his palm. “Al.”
Harry nodded, smiling. “Yes, that’s your little brother.”
“Hi, Al.” Jamie traced his hand in a small circle. “I think I like him.” Jamie was serious and concentrated.
Severus and Harry laughed. “He likes you too.”
Jamie quieted after that, snuggled tightly between his fathers. His small hand was still touching the side of Harry’s belly, tiny fingers tickling Harry lightly. Severus’ hand was still drawing slow circles atop Harry’s bump.
Harry closed his eyes and lowered his head to Severus’ chest. Being a parent and a husband could be difficult, but Harry knew that he wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Severus smiled softly at two dark messy heads pressed to his chest. The two most precious people in his life were in his arms right now (well, three actually), and he knew that he would never trade these incredible feelings of love and comfort for anything.