You Are My Sunshine
Dad!Copia drabble. Copia spends a little time with his baby girl in his office.
Copia scribbles his signature on the document before him, the paper moving slightly, causing the V in IV to skew crookedly across the signature line. He chuckles softly to himself and then looks down at the little bundle wrapped in his left arm.
"A little harder to write, but entirely worth it, eh, bambina?"
He sets down his pen to adjust the blanket, pulling it down slightly so his baby girl's face is clear. Copia grins, joy in his eyes as he watches her little mouth pucker, searching for a pacifier or a bottle even in her slumber. Her eyelashes are such a light brown, delicately dusting her cheeks. He gently smooths a hand over the fuzzy hair on her head, and Copia idly wonders if she'll have curls when she's older.
“My little sunshine baby," he coos at her, leaning back in his chair to hold her closer. Paperwork can wait when his very life rests in his arms.
For a man above 50, alone most of his life, this baby is his miracle. He can never thank his Prime Mover enough for showing him he deserves to be loved and to give love. For accepting him as their husband, and now the father of their child. Copia loves his little family with every fiber of his being and could burst into tears from just the very thought of what the Dark Lord has blessed him with.
The baby squirms and makes a disgruntled noise, her little hand coming up, fingers moving in reflex against her face. Copia gently cups her hand, letting the small digits wrap around his finger to pull it softly away from her cheek. Newborn nails, to his surprise, are awfully sharp, and he nearly had a panic attack the first time he saw a small cut on her sweet face.
"We'll have to clip these again, piccolina," he tsks.
She stretches, slowly coming out of her doze, those precious little newborn grunts escaping her lips as she opens her eyes, blinking heavily against the light. Copia sighs softly, entirely in love with his baby. He strokes her warm cheek with a finger, gently tapping the tip of her nose.
"Buongiorno, my love. Did you sleep well?" The baby's tiny mouth opens wide as she yawns, and he laughs in delight. "Oh, si, mio dolce bambina, hai dormito così bene mentre Papa lavorava."
She looks toward his voice with sleepy eyes, her pink lips stretching into a smile, and although Copia has been told it is a reflex at this stage, he chooses to believe that she is smiling at her Papa. It never fails to make tears spring to his eyes, and he wipes them away, his shoulders shaking with quiet laughter.
"Look at your Papa, bambina. Such a mess. You have me wrapped around your little finger, you know this, huh?" He uses a single finger to tickle at her belly. "Are you laughing at your sciocco vechio Papa?"
Another smile stretches across her small face, and she moves in his arms, fingers opening and closing, legs kicking under the little embroidered rat blanket she is wrapped in. Copia leans his head against the back of his chair, staring up at the ceiling for a moment while a rush of emotion flows through his chest. He swallows and looks back down at her, a watery smile on his lips.
“I love you so much,” he whispers. “My precious little miracle. This is my paradise. This is my home.”
Oh, si, mio dolce bambina, hai dormito così bene mentre Papa lavorava - Oh, yes, my sweet baby, you slept so well while Papa worked. Sciocco vechio Papa - Silly old Papa.