acotar one shots + imagines

Hold on for me (Azriel x reader)

Requested by Kgirlofkorea I hope you enjoy!

When you had met Azriel you could have never imagined the life you were gifted with him. When the mating bond snapped into place you were the happiest person alive and so was he.

He cherished and valued every second with you and you did the same, spending as much time with one another as you could. You were inseparable.

It's why you were both so elated when you learned that you were carrying his child.

Well, children actually. Twins.

It was rare to see a fae pregnancy in general but twins. You felt so incredibly blessed but unbelievably terrified at the same time.

The second baby made everything so much riskier but you took every precaution that you could, not to mention that Azriel refused to go anywhere and looked after you the entire time but that was just entirely unrealistic when taking the good of the court into account, so he made a deal with everyone to make sure someone was always watching you when he wasn't.

In the final two months you were put on bedrest after a scare and that was when he put his foot down, no one dared to object.

You had awoken that morning just as you always had, with the soft sunlight streaming in through the curtains, Azriel basking on the sofa by the windows. He made his way over with a smile when he heard the rustling. "Good morning beautiful." He spoke softly, his voice gravelly.

"Good morning Azzy."

He cupped your cheek, stroking his thumb back and forth gently. "How are you?"

"Tired, and I just woke up."

"You can go back to sleep my love."

"I can't sleep all day." You laughed lightly.

"Yes you can, you need the rest. The boys will be here any day."

You just sat up and gave him your hands. "Help me up."

"Yes ma'am."

He pulled you up and you did your typical morning routine to establish some sort of normalcy before you went to sit with Azriel. His shadows immediately enveloped your belly, you just laughed at the protective barrier and snuggled up to your mate. "I love you."

"I love you too."

With each breath you took in Azriel's scent, it's gentle sweetness lulling you back to sleep despite your attempts to fight it. "It's alright darling, I'll be here when you wake up, don't worry." He whispered, kissing your hair.

You only slept for a short while though, being awoken by a long, constricting, sharp pain up your back and around your stomach. It was so bad that you couldn't breathe through it, you were just clenching your jaw the entire time.

Azriel wasn't there but he winnowed in seconds later with Madja and brought you onto your shared bed. By the smell of the items he had discarded on the floor, you assumed that he had slipping away to get a surprise for lunch.

He held your hands in his and you gripped onto him like the world was ending. "It's alright, you can break them if need be, whatever helps you."

Madja confirmed that you were in labor and that made your heart pound in your ears. Azriel just got into bed with you, whispering sweet nothings to you, trying to keep you calm. "Just think, when it's over we'll have our boys."

You were trembling. "I wasn't expecting today." You whispered. "It's too fast."

"Have you ever known a single delivery to go exactly as planned?"

"No." You admitted as another wave of pain came through.

"Me either." He whispered, taking you into his arms. "Just breathe, I'll be right here my love."

It was honestly nothing like you had heard from the female inner circle members and other people that you knew who had children.

You weren't progressing quickly at all and the pain was so intense that your dinner from the prior night made a reappearance at one point.

And then you started bleeding when you were close to welcoming your sons, and it wasn't just a small amount either. The sheets were drenched crimson in minutes and Azriel's eyes were swirling with every negative emotion possible.

But he stayed, kneeling at your bedside and grasping your hands, praying to anyone he could think of. When you started slipping away he moved to your ear. "Hold on for me." He begged. "Hold on for our boys."

More healers winnowed in as your vision blurred and your hearing phased out, you were becoming delirious.

Your speech was slurred, your grip weak, but you managed to hold his hand. "Azzy. Stay."

"I'll be here when you wake up." He sobbed. "I promise."

*****

The bedroom was quiet when you finally opened your eyes again in the evening, the crackling of the hearth being the most prominent thing you could hear.

When you attempt to sit up you were met by blinding pain and someone easing you back down. "Let me help you." Madja spoke gently.

She sat you foward and stacked the pillows behind you before bringing you back. "Where are my babies?" You panicked.

"They're perfectly fine, Azriel just couldn't handle watching over all three of you on his own so I moved them to the room next door. My team and your family have been taking excellent care of them. Azriel is on the couch."

She crossed the room and awoke your mate with a single touch, he bolted upright from where he slept and locked eyes with you. He fell all over himself trying to hurry over and held your face in his trembling hands when he did. "I thought that I had lost you."

"I'm more resilient than you give me credit for."

His kiss was soft. "I shouldn't have left you."

"Azzy you couldn't have prevented this."

"But I still should have been here, I told you that I would be here when you woke up then."

"You're here now, and frankly that's all I care about." You smiled, kissing his hands. "Tell me about the boys."

"They're perfection. They look like you with my hair color."

Madja had apparently snuck out unseen because the next time you spotted her, she was wheeling in a bassinet with two infants actively squirming inside. She gently laid both of them on your chest and you were in instant bliss.

They were so small and soft and made the most precious snoring noises that you had ever heard. They had wings just as your mate did and they did in fact look exactly like you thought you would if you had Azriel's hair color, you wanted to hold them like this forever.

Azriel rested his forehead on yours, his eyes glistening with tears. "Thank you for giving me our family."

"Thank you for taking such good care of us."

"You are my everything, I wouldn't do anything less for the three of you."

"I know."

Your family was finally complete after so many years of trying and hoping for a child. Now you had two beautiful sons and your mate and despite the rough beginning to this new chapter, you wouldn't have it any other way.

*****

Hello my lovely readers! I've been meaning to do something like this for quite some time but could never write anything that I felt was great to share but now I have! Thank you Kgirlofkorea again for the request it was so much fun to do. :)