A Christmas Surprise
Christmas in July {Day 3}
Azriel + Elain
Written alongside the beautiful and talented, @throne-of-ashes-and-beauty
Elain had spent the entire day preparing. It was Christmas morning and Azriel was still upstairs fast asleep, thanks to getting drunk too late with his brothers the night before.
With a deep breath and a content sigh, Elain put a bouquet of red and green dyed roses in the middle of the table. Looking over her shoulder, she found the tree was lit bright, the fireplace lit, their one-year-old black lab fast asleep in front of the warmth.
Their family would be coming over for Christmas brunch, a long standing tradition, and since it was their first Christmas as a happily married couple, Elain was excited to host it. She’d been up cooking since 8:30 and after putting the cinnamon rolls in the oven to bake, she decided it was time to go get ready and try to rouse her sleeping husband.
After washing the flour off her face and tossing her hair into a messy bun, she crawled back into bed, finding him face down into the mattress, a soft snore coming from him. She began to pepper his back with kisses.
He didn’t stir in the slightest.
“Az, baby,” she breathed into his ear, and kissed the back of his neck.
“Mmm.” He didn’t move, but the tiny sound of recognition he made was a good sign.
Elain let out a soft chuckle. “It’s Christmas morning,” she sang. “Don’t you want to get up and watch Dexter open his gifts?”
“Dexter is a dog,” he mumbled, not unkindly, but humored. “Does he really need a crowd?”
Elain pressed her lips to his favorite spot- the middle of his back, just between his shoulder blades. “I can help you wake up, if needed.”
“Does it include Gatorade and Advil?”
She pressed a kiss to his shoulder. “That is downstairs, along with your coffee and your first present of the day.”
He finally turned his head towards her, his bangs sticking up in a multitude of directions from his heavy sleep the night before. Elain laughed and pressed a kiss to his nose. “Merry Christmas, baby.”
He snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her closer, burying his face in her chest. He snuggled in and sighed contentedly. “Merry Christmas, Wifey.”
He gazed up at her, pressing a kiss to her mouth. He opened his mouth to say something, but paused and said, “Do I smell cinnamon rolls?”
Elain got up and said, “Yes, but they’re off limits. They’re for brunch, which is in,” she paused and looked at her watch, “less than two hours. So come on, let’s do our presents and help me get everything ready.”
He groaned, but pulled himself out of bed, naked, as he had been when they finished making love after he’d come home at 2:30 in the morning, and made his way into the bathroom. Elain enjoyed the view, smirking as she made her way back downstairs.
By the time Azriel shuffled into the kitchen, wearing flannel pajama pants, but still bare chested, Elain had his coffee on the counter, next to two Advil and a bottle of blue Gatorade. And next to that was a series of packages, all wrapped and bundled together.
His eyes narrowed as he made his way to the counter. He popped the pain relievers into his mouth and washed them down with the Gatorade. Picking up his coffee, he glanced from the stack of presents to Elain. “I thought we said one present this year.”
Elain huffed a giggle. “Two are for you, the rest are for Dexter.”
Azriel looked back to the bundle of gifts and realized just how spoiled their puppy actually was.
“Mother help us when we actually have a baby,” he muttered under his breath as he helped himself to his coffee.
Elain’s eyebrows rose slightly, and he walked into the living room, carrying the presents in one arm and his coffee in his other hand. He set them all down on the coffee table and grabbed a rectangular box from under the tree. Elain retrieved the stockings from the fireplace and set them with the presents. Dexter continued to sleep in front of the fire, and Azriel laughed as he leaned back on the couch.
“I guess Dexter doesn’t want to go first, so that falls to you, my love.” He handed her the package, and she was surprised by its weight. She opened the present and her hand flew up to cover her mouth. “Azriel, baby, this is…”
She trailed off, unable to put into words how much she appreciated the present.
It was a new laptop to replace the one that she’d had for years, the one that was a fire hazard and sounded like it was getting ready to take flight every time she booted it up. Not only was it brand new, but it could be converted into a tablet, allowing her to draw and design for her wedding planning company.
“I love it, baby, thank you.” She leaned across the couch and gave him a kiss.
“You’re welcome,” he breathed, holding her against his lips for a couple seconds more, before letting her go.
Elain cleared her throat and handed him the two wrapped boxes. “Open the bigger one first,” she said, gnawing on her lip. He set the long slender box down on the table and tore into the other.
He slowly unwrapped the metallic, silver snow-flaked wrapping paper and smiled what appeared in front of him.
A new Xbox, exactly what he’d been hinting at wanting. Inside were three controllers, too. Azriel raised his brows. “I love it, babe. Why three controllers, though? You hardly ever play...I mean, one would’ve been great. It’s all great. It’s great.”
Elain laughed at his mumbling as he leaned over to kiss her lips.
“Thank you,” he smiled. “Cassian and Rhys will be happy with the other two.”
He picked up the smaller gift and fiddled it in his hands.
It was much smaller in comparison and almost felt empty until he rattled it around. He glanced up at her, seeing the mischievous smile on her face. “What did you do?” He asked, unwrapping it slowly.
As he took the lid off the top and froze, Elain said, “I think you mean, what did we do?”
Azriel sat, unmoving, for long enough that Elain became worried. She was just about to say his name when he looked up at her, tears running down his cheeks, and asked, “Are you sure?”
As if the positive pregnancy test in his lap wasn’t proof enough, Elain pulled a strip of ultrasound pictures from behind her. She handed them to him.
So small. The baby in the image — their baby — was so small. Azriel studied the image, not quite able to believe it until he looked in the upper right-hand corner. There, above the time and date, declaring these had been taken two days before, was “Draeven, Elain A.”
He whispered, “You’re pregnant?”
Elain nodded, dropping down on her knees in front of him where he sat on the couch. Her small, slender hand rested softly against his cheek. “We’re going to have a baby. You’re going to be a dad.”
Elain had never seen joy like the joy that swept over Azriel’s face. His eyes grew wider, his smile bright, a soft sob sputtered through his lips.
“I’m going to be a dad,” he whispered, unbelievably.
“You’re going to be the best dad,” she said, not even noticing as she began to cry as well.
He pulled her up onto the couch until she was on his lap and he rested his forehead against hers. “We’re going to be parents. We made a baby.” He kissed her softly. “How far along are you?”
“Just shy of eight weeks,” she said, and when his eyes lit up in understanding, she laughed and said, “Yes, it was during the snowstorm.”
He smirked and said, “I had to keep you warm somehow.”
“We have heat and a fireplace,” she laughed, throwing her head back.
He pressed a soft kiss to her neck. “Semantics.” She looked back down at him and smiled, and he kissed her lips softly. “You’re going to be the most amazing mother. I love you so much.”
Tears pooled in her eyes again. “You’re happy?”
“Beyond, baby.” He kissed her again. “I don’t have the words to tell you how happy I am.”
They stayed on the couch for a few minutes more, before rousing Dexter, taking a few pictures of him with the ultrasound shots to post later on, and opened his presents for him. Soon enough, he was back asleep in front of the fire, guarding his new bone and the hoard of new toys.
After a quick shower, Azriel was downstairs, helping Elain in the kitchen, already protesting as she picked anything that weighed more than four pounds up. They’d hung the ultrasound images on the side of the fridge, so they could look at them as they finished up brunch.
Every few minutes, Azriel would come up behind Elain and place a careful hand over her still flat stomach. Sometimes he rubbed, sometimes he just left his hand still, and sometimes he pressed a soft kiss to her shoulder.
“So this is why you haven’t been drinking when we go to Rita’s,” he said, piling the bacon and sausage onto plates as Elain cracked egg after egg into the bowl. He had just come back downstairs from changing into jeans and a black sweater.
She nodded, knowing he was watching her. “I suspected about two weeks ago and took an at home test. I was just able to get in with Madja on Monday though, and she confirmed it.” She turned around and beamed at him.
He crossed the room and took her in his arms. “I love you so much. Both of you.”
Elain’s eyes filled with tears as she leaned up on her toes and kissed him. “We love you.”
He kissed her again and herded her out of the kitchen to get ready. Their family would be there soon and she was still in a tank top and a pair of his boxers.
Azriel could take over for ten minutes, even though there wasn’t much left to do. He decided to straighten up the kitchen, the dining room, and the living room just before the doorbell rang.
As he headed for the door, he called up the stairs, “Babe, they’re here!”
She hollered back, “Be down in five, I’m almost ready!”
He shook his head and headed for the door, opening it to find Rhys and Feyre.
“Oh, my god, it smells so good in here,” Feyre said in greeting, leaning up to press a kiss to Azriel’s cheek, before heading inside.
“Merry Christmas to you, too.” He laughed, as Rhys clapped him on the shoulder. There was still snow in his blue-black hair.
“Merry Christmas, brother,” he said, pulling Azriel into a hug.
Az smiled back. “Merry Christmas, man.”
He wanted to do nothing more than tell them, but they’d both agreed they wouldn’t say a word until after brunch and after all the presents had been opened.
“Where Elain?” Feyre called from the kitchen, her mouth already full. Rhys shook his head and Az only chuckled as he shut the door behind them and they made their way into the kitchen.
“Still upstairs getting ready, she’s been busy this morning. She-.”
“Dude, new Xbox, yes!” Rhys interrupted, pointing to his gift still propped up by the tv.
And as predicted, he was excited about the extra controllers.
The front door flew open once more and Cassian let himself in, Nesta following behind with their nine-month-old.
“Merry Christmas, ya filthy animals,” Cassian said in greeting.
Nesta rolled her eyes. “He’s already said that at least a hundred times today.”
Cassian’s grin simply widened as he gave Azriel a big, obnoxious kiss on the cheek before doing the same to Feyre and Rhys.
Alexander was babbling quietly as Feyre took him and began baby talking to her nephew. He giggled and Feyre chuckled quietly, too.
Cassian looked at Rhys and wiggled his eyebrows. “Won’t be long before Feyre’s begging for one, too.”
He laughed and ran a hand down his face while Nesta let out an exasperated sigh. “For the last time, our son is a human, not a puppy.”
Cassian just shrugged and Elain came down the stairs, just as the doorbell rang again. She barely heard Cassian say, “People actually ring the doorbell before coming in?”
She could’ve sworn that she heard Nesta’s eyes roll back into her head.
Mor, Andie, Lucien and Vassa were all outside, having arrived at the same time. Merry Christmas’s were exchanged and presents put under the tree.
Mor set a bottle of champagne on the counter and set to work making mimosas for everyone, except for Nesta, who was still breastfeeding. When no one was looking, Azriel switched Elain’s glass out for one with plain orange juice, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. She threw a grateful look his way as she took a sip of her juice.
“Alright, everyone,” Azriel said, for once the loudest in the room. “Let’s eat.”
They needed no persuading as they gathered around the dining room table, Elain’s homemade feast laid out before them.
“This looks delicious,” Lucien observed.
“No one else eats the cinnamon rolls,” Mor said, mouth full of the gooey goodness. “They’re mine!”
Andromache chuckled and quickly reached across her girlfriend, taking a cinnamon roll off the platter. Mor scowled, but couldn’t help the smile that lit up her eyes.
Elain was watching everyone thoughtfully, laughing and talking amongst themselves. Azriel reached for her under the table and took her hand.
“Shit, I forgot my drink,” Cass said, standing and heading back into the kitchen. He didn’t return immediately, taking longer than expected, but when he did, there wasn’t a glass in his hand.
Instead, there was a strip of three pictures.
Azriel glanced up at him, saw what he was holding, and before he could ask him to not say a word, Cassian asked, “Is this what I think it is?” holding the ultrasound out for all to see.
Elain looked over and choked on her juice.
Even the cinnamon roll fell out of Mor’s hand.
Alexander was the only one making noise in the silence, banging his tiny fists on the tabletop and hollering gibberish.
Elain looked at Azriel, then back to the others. A smile crept across her mouth as Azriel said, “We were going to tell you all after brunch, and we had a nice plan so, thanks, Cass.”
Elain, unable to contain her excitement any longer, clapped her hands together. “We’re having a baby!”
Another second of silence, then the table erupted.
Nesta was immediately out of her seat, clutching her younger sister to her chest, hugging her and crying. Feyre wasn’t far behind. Rhys had stood and hugged Azriel, while Cassian clapped him on the back. Mor was crying quiet tears of joy and Lucien and Vassa — five months pregnant herself — sat back and smiled at their friends.
Once everything settled down and everyone had returned to their food, questions were being hurled at the couple. Mor gasped and looked at the glass in front of Elain.
“I gave you champagne, I’m so sorry!”
Elain smiled and rested her hand over Azriel. “Az swapped it out when you weren’t looking, it’s okay. He only just found out this morning.”
Feyre and Cassian asked at the same time, “This morning?!”
Azriel just laughed and said, “It’s been a very Merry Christmas.”
After everyone finished eating, they made their way into the living room for the gift exchange. Alexander, freshly learned how to crawl, was buzzing back and forth between his aunts, giggling each time they lifted him into the air kissed his round cheeks. His hazel eyes shined and Elain couldn’t help the tears that rolled down her cheeks as she held him.
Presents were passed out.
Most of them were for Alexander, although all of the adults each got one from each couple. Mor and Andie had even brought a giant bone wrapped in a red bow for Dexter.
They carried on like that for another few hours into the early afternoon, sitting around with their family, laughing and joking and playing games. After everyone had left, Azriel carried Elain up the stairs as Dexter nuzzled himself back into his favorite spot in front of the fire. They sleepily held on to one another in their bed for a long while before making love late into the starry, Christmas night.
