12 Days of Christmas || A Festive Collection of Ziall One Shots [2018]

"joy to the world"

Song: "Joy to the World"

Being Zayn's boyfriend for six years and his husband for one shouldn't have made Niall as nervous as it did when it came to exchanging Christmas gifts. They had been doing so for years, and Zayn had cherished each and every one, but this year was different.

It was their first Christmas in their very own house, and Niall had tried to make it as special as he could. They had bought their very own tree this year, and had even had their parents and some friends over the night before for Christmas Eve. It had turned out to be a late night, but Niall still found himself restless, tossing and turning and waking Zayn up more than once or twice. Zayn, bless him, had stayed up with Niall until he managed to finally fall asleep, only for that same sense of nervousness and worry to settle back in the next morning.

Niall shuffled closer to Zayn, cuddling up to him for warmth. His husband softly snored on, his back gently rising and falling with each breath. Studying him, Niall let his mind wander in the early Christmas Morning sunshine. 'What would Zayn think?' Niall wondered. 'Will he be happy?'

Of course he would be. Niall knew that. What he knew however, didn't stop his worries about how Zayn would react. Niall shuffled even closer, wanting Zayn to stem his worries with morning cuddles. Zayn let out a little snuffle, then sleepily opened one eye. A groggy smile broke his face, and Zayn wrapped an arm around Niall's back to scoot him closer.

"Mornin', Z," Niall whispered, gently pecking him on the mouth. "Merry Christmas!"

Zayn brought him in for a second kiss, moulding their mouths together in the sweetest way. "Happy Christmas, baby," he said, thumbing the little dimple in Niall's chin. He brushed some loose hairs behind Niall's ear, then frowned at the bags under his eyes. "You all right?"

Niall nodded against the pillow, then smiled to hide his nerves. "Course I am! It's Christmas, why wouldn't I be?"

"I know you didn't sleep well last night, that's all. I love you, honey; was worried about you, like." Zayn's concern for his husband was clear, so Niall kissed a smile back onto his face.

"'M fine, promise. Now, let's get tea so I can give you your present!"

-

Niall sat flush against Zayn's side on the sofa, his legs tucked securely under him. Zayn sat in plaid pajama pants and a grey hoodie, bedhead making him look extremely snuggly and warm. It was just them this morning, and Niall was happy for that. Most of the gift giving has occurred last night between the family and friends, which left a minimal stack of what Zayn and Niall had left to give each other.

Butterflies erupted in Niall's belly once more, making him gently rub over it with his thumb. There was one last gift to give; Niall had made sure to save the best for last. Thinking his chance was now or never, Niall set his steaming mug of tea down and scooped up the flat package from under the tree. After handing it to Zayn, he sat back, almost tempted to bring his thumb to his mouth to bite his nail. "Erm, this one's for - for you. Saved it for last," he mumbled.

Zayn threw him a worried look at his husband's odd demeanour, but with Niall's insistence, flipped it over to slide his thumb under the wrapping. The immaculate packaging and bow seemed to take forever to come off the picture frame inside. Once Zayn had picked all the tape off the back, he gently turned it over and nearly dropped it when he saw the front, hands shaking.

"Niall, are you - you're, you're sure?" Zayn's voice was barely above a whisper, but the expression on his face was unmistakable.

Niall nodded, covering his grin as tears sprung to his eyes. Every single fear and worry washed away, every doubt and every ounce of nervousness melted as Zayn cupped his cheek in one hand and his belly in the other.

"We're dads?"

"Had the scan a while back, just been too scared to tell you," Niall mumbled, his expression blossoming into one of utter joy as Zayn looked at him wide-eyed, heart brimming with happiness. "'M pregnant, Z, we're having a baby!"

Zayn, unable to contain himself, gushed forward to kiss him, tears freefalling down his face and into his whiskers. "Oh, Niall," Zayn gasped lightly, rucking Niall's jumper up to reveal his tummy. His hands ever so softly skimmed over the skin, like he was almost afraid to touch the life inside. "A baby,"

Niall sniffled and wiped his eyes on his sleeve, letting out a wet laugh. "Yeah! A baby, Z, can you believe it?" Picking up the sonogram, Niall held it close, thumbing over the little grey bean that was theirs, their baby.

Zayn lifted his head up to cup Niall's cheeks, kissing him until they couldn't breathe. Niall crowded his space and shuffled into his lap, burying his face in Zayn's neck as they both cried. "Niall, I've dreamed about this! I could only hope that one day this would happen, and now it has, and I - I don't think I could be happier! I love you so much, and now, and now we're gonna have a baby!"

"You've been the best thing to happen to me, Zayn, and I love you so much I can't bear to stand it sometimes," Niall whimpered, running his sleeve across Zayn's cheeks to dry his tears.

Niall kissed him once more, and when he looked at Zayn, he noticed he was a smiling in a way Niall had only ever seen on their wedding day last year; Zayn was completely and utterly happy. Their life together was about to get a hell of lot more exciting, and Niall could not wait to see what their Christmas baby had in store for them.