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

"christmas in killarney"

Song: "Christmas in Killarney" by Bing Crosby

Also sorry is this is lame and not too detailed, but ya girl was tired as hell. Might come back to this one and patch it up a little.

"They'll love you, Z! Nothin' to worry about!" Niall cooed, straightening out his boyfriend's collar and dusting snow off his coat. It was Christmas, and Niall had invited him home to Ireland for the holidays to meet the parents. "You don't know how excited me mam's been to finally meet you in person!"

"You sure I look all right? I feel stuffy in these pants," Zayn mumbled, picking at his belt. Butterflies erupted in his tummy, and he blew out a nervous breath. He knew that he would be fine, but an anxious feeling creeped at the back of his mind.

Niall, sweet as he was, kissed him reassuringly. "You look stunning. I love you, and if my family are anything like me, you'll be fine!" Of course he would say that; Niall looked beyond perfect in his dress shirt and blazer, and he had no trouble meeting new people as everyone liked him instantly.

Niall's kiss settled some of his doubts, but Zayn didn't have enough time to dwell on the rest because a woman in a gorgeous maroon number had opened the door. "Hello! Come in, you!" She beamed; Zayn figured by her sparkling blue eyes she must have been Niall's mother.

Niall grinned easily and dropped the gift of Guinness he was holding to kiss her cheek and wrap her in a warm hug. "Hiya, Mam!" He cheered, snuggling into her warm embrace.

Maura kissed him again, then stood him at arm's length to look him up and down. Satisfied, she turned to Zayn, who had taken refuge behind his boyfriend. "And this must be Zayn!" She exclaimed, holding back a grin that matched her son's. Zayn held out his unsurely held out his hand, surprised when she took it and used it to wheel him in for a hug and a kiss on the cheek as well. "It's lovely to meet you, my boy! Come inside now before you catch your death out here in this chill," she said, ushering them in through the doorway. "Everyone's already here, but that's all right. There's food and drink to go around, so help yourselves, and your father will be wanting to see you, love, he's in the kitchen with Greg and the rest!"

Niall let his mother bustle away after she had taken their coats, and turned to face Zayn in the foyer. "Told you she was excited, huh?" He grinned, and grasped Zayn's fingers reassuringly in his own. "C'mon, I want you to meet me da!"

Still holding on, Niall shoved his way through throngs of his aunties, uncles, and dozens of cousins, stopping briefly to chat and introduce Zayn. The atmosphere of the big house was warm, and in spite of himself, Zayn began to feel rather at home.

Sooner than he would have liked however, Niall had pulled him towards the back of the house to the kitchen. The crowds were sparse here, which Zayn was thankful for, but that also meant there was more focus on him. A man Zayn assumes to be Bobby stood in one corner, talking animatedly to a taller man in a rather gaudy Christmas sweater.

"Da!" Niall shouted from across the room. Bobby glanced up from his conversation, and Zayn immediately knew where Niall got his charming looks from. He and Bobby were the spitting image of each other; same youthful eyes, ruddy, boyish cheeks, and pleasant smile. "'Scuse me, Tom, but me boy's come home for Christmas!" Zayn let go of Niall to let him envelop his father in a tight hug, taking the case of beer from his boyfriend and setting it on the countertop.

"So," Bobby began, letting go of his son to get a full look at Zayn. "This is your boy, is he?"

Niall blushed bright pink at his father's choice of words. "Yes, dad, this is Zayn," he explained, hoping to God his father wouldn't be too hard on his poor boyfriend. Bobby was very accepting of his son's bringing a boy home, but he was just protective.

"Treatin' you well?" He questioned and folded his arms, still managing to keep a hold on his pint.

"Dad!" Niall groaned.

Bobby huffed and finally broke out in a smile. "All right, all right!" He said, setting his drink down to give Zayn a tight, one-armed hug. "Just had to make sure he's bein' good to me boy! It's nice to finally meet you, son. Niall's been going on and on about you, you know!"

This made Zayn feel relatively at ease, if at least slightly embarrassed; the butterflies settled a little, and he finally started to feel relaxed, something that hadn't happened since before they got there. Feeling confident, Zayn smirked. "Oh you have, have you?" Bobby chuckled along with him, and the anxiety and fears and every little worry ebbed away; Niall's family had accepted him with open arms.

-

Exhausted, Zayn trudged up the stairs after Niall. They were to spend Christmas Eve in his old childhood bedroom at his dad's house where the party had been held. It was past midnight, and the snow had begun again. Full of food and Christmas wine, Zayn slowly peeled off his clothes to change into a pair of pajama pants.

Niall's room still remained the same from when he had moved out; posters of footy players plastered the walls, rugby trophies and photos of friends sat on bookshelves, and an old guitar sat abandoned in a far corner. The room was so Niall, but that's what Zayn loved most about it; sport, family, and music were essential to Niall's life, and Zayn was just happy to be apart of it all.

Niall settled next to him in the squished twin bed, having to lay practically chest to chest to fit. "So?" Niall let slip a little expectant grin in the dark.

Zayn reached out to tuck some hair behind Niall's ear. "Weren't so bad," he sighed. "Guess if I can put up with you, I can put up with anyone."

Niall laughed out loud, one of those ones where he laughed so hard his head tipped back. "Sure you can, Z," he chuckled and rolled his eyes fondly. "Honest, I'm glad you 'tink they're all righ'. I know they can be exhausting, 'specially all the cousins.

Zayn brushed it off and leaned in to kiss his boyfriend, softly squeezing his bare hip. "Course, Ni. Know it's important to you."

Niall blushed and let himself be kissed. He knew in the back of his head that his family would love Zayn, but in all reality, he had been just as nervous as his boyfriend. "I love ya, Z. I'm glad we get to spend Christmas together," he sighed.

Zayn squeezed his hip again and shuffled even closer, close enough to trace the stubble on Niall's jaw. "I love you too, baby. Merry Christmas." He whispered, kissing him lightly on the nose.

Niall kissed him back, and they fell asleep together like that, softly dreaming of each other.