Baby, It's Cold Outside | Ziall Christmas AU

Day One (Part Two)

"So, um...what's your kid's name?" Zayn questions. It's cold as hell, and they're still waiting for the cops to show up, so they have no choice but to sit and wait in the cold.

"Caleb," Niall answers, smiling. "Do...do you want to see a picture?"

Niall's obvious delight at talking about his son makes Zayn smile. "Yeah, sure," he nods, and Niall pulls out his phone and shows a few painfully adorable pictures of Caleb blowing bubbles in the backyard. "How old is he?"

"Three," Niall smiles, and then laughs at a picture of Caleb looking at one of the bubbles delightedly.

"He's adorable," Zayn smiles.

"Thank you! How about your kids?"

"I've three. Hazel's thirteen, and Leo and Aurora are four." Zayn fishes out his own phone to show Niall. He can't help but smile at these pictures of the children.

"Absolutely adorable," Niall beams, and Zayn beams back and thanks him. As the cop cars show up, somehow they've ended up in a heated argument about what type of cookie is better. "Peanut butter cookies are obviously the best, Zayn! You're insane for thinking sugar cookies are better!"

"Okay, but have you ever had a really good sugar cookie?"

Someone clears their throat, and when they look up, a cop is standing above them. Filling out the form is monotonous and annoying, but soon enough they're able to get back in their cars and be on their way. Zayn is suddenly aware of his phone ringing as he heads to the store, and he grabs it out of his pocket.

"Hello?"

"Dad! I've been trying to call you forever, where are you? You've been gone for way more than an hour," Hazel says.

Zayn checks the clock to see that this is indeed true. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart. I was in a fender bender and had to wait for the cops to show up. I'm heading to the store now."

"You were in a car accident!?" Hazel yelps.

"A really minor one. Everyone is okay," he reassures her quickly. "Are Leo and Aurora behaving?"

"Yeah, Moana just finished. I think they're watching The Aristocats now." She pauses. "You're sure you're okay, Dad?"

"I promise, kiddo. I'll be home soon, okay?"

"Okay."

- - -

"Alright...I've got everything but flour," Niall mumbles to himself. His mother has always insisted that he make the cookies from scratch, which definitely is a hassle, but Caleb always has a blast from doing so. When he gets to the aisle, though, somehow someone is grabbing the last bag of flour off the shelf. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me."

And to make it even stranger, the person is Zayn. "Oh, hey, Niall," he says, sounding surprised.

"That's the last bag of flour," Niall responds.

Zayn looks down at it, and then back up at the shelf. "Yeah, you're right."

Niall glances over. "You have, like, three bags of flour in your cart already! How many cookies are you making!?"

Zayn looks into his cart. "A lot."

"Can you give me one of those bags...?" Niall asks, unsure of how to ask without sounding like an asshole.

Zayn raises an eyebrow. "What's in it for me?"

"Uh...the acknowledgment that you're a nice person?"

Zayn frowns. "Nope, not good enough."

Niall huffs. "Come on!"

"Nope. See, if I give you this flour, I'll be losing part of a family Christmas tradition. I'll admit, I'm willing to do that, but I need some motivation to do so."

Niall pauses, thinking. He could reach into Zayn's cart and just snag the flour, he supposes, but that kinda seems like a dick move. "How about...we have a bake-off? You give me the flour, and I'll prove that peanut butter cookies are better than sugar."

A smile makes its way onto Zayn's mouth. "Okay, I am most definitely down for that." He hands the bag of flour over, and Niall takes it, beaming. "How are we doing this competition, though?"

Niall shrugs. "I suppose we could plan it out."

Zayn nods. "Okay. Sounds good to me," he shrugs. They make their way to the front of the store to check out. The lines are long, and somehow, it's not weird for Niall to be standing in line with Zayn, just chatting casually as they wait to check out. "What kinds of cookies does Caleb like?"

Niall is surprised that Zayn remembered his son's name. "Uh, he really likes monster cookies. You know, the ones that have m&ms and peanut butter and oats in them or whatever?"

Zayn laughs and nods. "Yeah, those are Aurora's favorite!"

They go through the check out line, Zayn somehow managing to pay for Niall's stuff despite Niall's disapproval. They make their way out of the grocery store, putting all their stuff in their cars, which are only across the aisle from each other.

Blushing, Niall makes his way over to Zayn. "Um...could I get your number? You know, for...for planning the bake-off." He gets flustered as he speaks, because Zayn is leaning so effortlessly against his (dented up) car, smiling down at Niall.

"Of course," Zayn grins, and he scrawls his number down on a napkin he has in his car and hands it to Niall. When he takes it, their hands brush, and Niall blushes deeper. "Are you hitting on me by asking for my number?"

Niall is surprised by the question. "I...I don't know?" He swallows nervously. "Are you hitting on me by giving it to me?"

Zayn's grin widens, and he winks at Niall, who's blushing to the point where it's beyond embarrassing. "Definitely," he answers, and with that wide grin on his face, he gets into his car and drives away.