Angel on Earth

Chapter Twenty Five: Merry Christmas!

Monroe's POV

I grunted as a heavy weight fell on my side. Upon hearing Axel's groan, I slowly blinked opened my eyes and looked to the right. Jay and Raven were shaking him awake while he swatted at them as he tried to pull the covers over his face. I turned my head to the left and was met with the grinning faces of Drake and Robin. 

"Merry Christmas, Monroe!" they shouted as they bounced on the bed. 

I yawned and looked over at the clock, blinking out the tears that suddenly gathered in my eyes. What in the world?

"Guys, it's five in the morning. Go back to sleep," I muttered as I closed my eyes.

I groaned as one of the boys sat on my stomach. I cracked open my eyes as Drake threw his head back with a dramatic sigh. "We're too excited to sleep!"

I looked over at Axel to find him already looking at me, Jay and Raven kneeling beside him with their hands clasped together, bottom lip jutting out in a pleading pout. I shrugged, causing Axel to groan loudly but throw the covers off of him. "Fine! Fine, we're up now!" The quartet cheered loudly and ran out of the room. 

"Don't start opening the presents yet!" I called after them, earning myself a series of groans afterward. I yawned and pulled Axel's pillow over my face. "Why did we agree to get up this early?" 

Axel snorted and took the pillow off my face. "Because we love them." Axel yawned and blinked the tears out of his eyes, causing me to do the same. He sighed and pulled me into a sitting position. He gave me a smile and said, "I'll go start the coffee. We're gonna need it today."

I smiled back before forcing myself out of the warm bed to follow Axel down the hall to the living room. I plopped down on the couch with a sigh and grinned at Axel's siblings. Each one of them was sitting in front of their respective pile, picking up various boxes and telling each other what they thought was inside. Raven saw me sitting on the couch and asked, "Open now?"

I shook my head as I put my hand over my mouth to cover my yawn. "Wait for your brother to sit down first."

"I'm here," Axel said as he sauntered back into the living room, holding two steaming mugs of coffee. I accepted mine and took a big sip, ignoring how the coffee scalded my tongue. 

Arden leaned back against the couch, prompting his siblings to tear into their first gift. After each present, they would lift it up with a huge grin and show us what they got. We, of course, already knew what they got since we're the ones who bought the gifts, but we pretended to be amazed at each of their gifts. 

By the time Axel's siblings finished opening their presents and throwing away the wrapping paper, I was on my third cup of coffee. I helped the quartet out of their pajamas and into regular clothes as Axel went to start a breakfast of pancakes and bacon.

"All right guys, come eat!" Axel called from the dining room. I laughed quietly as Raven overtook all his siblings in the race to get to the dining room. 

I sat down next to Axel and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Thanks, baby."

Axel grabbed my chin and pulled me closer when I tried to move away. He pressed a kiss to my lips and said, "It's no problem, darling."

I smiled and dug into my food as Robin and Jay began talking loudly about their favorite presents. 

"Ow! Raven!" Drake whined with a yelp. "Don't stab me with your fork!"

Raven glared at Drake out of the corner of his eye as I looked at Axel to see what he would do. Axel was frowning over his mug of coffee but made no move to speak up. Raven finished eating his strip of bacon and wiped his fingers on his napkin.