little do you know: the december drabbles // niall horan au

day 20: shopping for presents (in which niall doesn't want to be alone)

Niall felt like his head was about to split in two.

It didn't help that Harry had dragged him and Zayn shopping during the busiest time of the year. Niall couldn't stop scowling.

"Niall, your face is going to get stuck like that one day," Harry chastised, tossing a bunch of rubbish into the trolley. "If you didn't want to come you should've said so."

Niall rolled his eyes, suppressing the urge to smack Harry upside the head. "I did say so," he retorted, annoyed. He hated the way his voice sounded, hoarse and groggy, and wished more than anything that he could just crawl back into bed and hide for a few days. "I wanted to sleep but you literally dragged me out of bed."

Niall wished they were still back at the cabin. They'd driven out this morning, but before he had the chance to fall asleep in his bed, Harry was begging to be accompanied to the store so he could buy gifts for his family, because he, Zayn, and Liam were flying out to ring in the new year back in England. Harlow was also traveling back to San Francisco, and Niall hadn't spoken to Mona yet but he had a hunch that she might be going as well, which meant that Niall would be all alone in New York City, because he sure as hell had no intention of going back to Ireland. Not that he could afford it anyway.

Beside him, Zayn was rolling his eyes, his arm lazily resting on Niall's shoulder. "Why didn't you just shop for presents before Christmas like a normal person?"

Harry rolled his eyes, frowning at the two of them. "It's not my fault everything goes on sale after Christmas. I'm not rich y'know."

Eventually, Zayn and Niall gave up, because Harry was stubborn and he'd make them wait with him until he'd completed the remainder of his shopping. So they lagged behind as Harry bustled about, Niall's headache only growing worse as time went on, and the only thing he wanted at that point was to sleep. It had gotten to the point where Niall had enough, and Harry finally gave into his pestering, paying for whatever he decided to buy and driving them home.

Niall had been watching Liam pack when Mona strolled in through the door. She plopped onto Liam's bed beside Niall, mimicking his slumped posture, and watching as Liam folded yet another shirt, placing it rather haphazardly into his bag. After a few more moments of absolute silence, Liam looked up at them, displeased. "Don't you lot have things to do?"

When Niall looked over, Mona's face was impassively unreadable. "Are you leaving tonight too?" she asked, lips tugging downwards into a frown.

Liam sighed, closing his suitcase and zipping it up with ease. "Yeah. Gonna be gone for the rest of the week."

Niall didn't want to hear the rest of their conversation. He didn't want to think about Liam leaving because it meant thinking about the rest of his friends leaving, and that meant him being alone. So he left Liam's room in favor of his own, crawling beneath the blankets because his headache had started up again, and he suddenly felt a bit dizzy from thinking so much.

Someone's hand was pressing against his forehead then, but his eyes were too heavy to be bothered to check who it was. "Niall, you are absolutely burning up." He was surprised to hear Mona's voice as opposed to Liam's, but before he could dwell on it, she was pulling the blanket away from his face so she could take a better look at him. "Did you take anything for your fever?" There was something about the concern in her eyes that made his stomach flutter, and suddenly he wanted her next to him. "How about your throat? Still in pain?"

Niall nodded, searching for her wrist so he could tug her into the bed with him, but she was already crawling in, settling in beside him, and he couldn't help the hum that rose from his chest. "Liam gave me something about an hour ago. Tylenol, I think." He relished in the warm feeling that spread throughout his body when she scooted closer, smiled when she pressed her lips to his hairline.

He didn't want to be all alone in New York City. He wanted to be with Mona.

"Are you leaving too?" he asked quietly, a bit scared of the answer.

There was silence for a few moments, and Niall wondered if Mona could feel his erratic heartbeats as the time dragged on. "No," she finally said, and if Niall didn't have such a bad headache then he probably would've jumped up and down in pure giddiness, thanking whatever force in the universe for this absolute miracle. But since he couldn't do that, he simply pulled her closer, tucking her curly hair behind her ears before pressing a kiss to the hinge of her jaw. She looked a bit taken aback, so he kissed her again, on her cheek, her nose, her forehead.

He peppered kisses all along her face until she started to giggle, pressing her hands against his chest so he'd stop. "What are you doing?" she laughed. "You're like a fucking dog."

He found himself laughing with her, ducking to nuzzle into the curve of her shoulder, dizzy with delight. "You have no idea how happy you just made me," he whispered into her skin.

Niall relaxed against her body, the fatigue finally catching up with him, and Mona realized it immediately, rubbing tiny circles on the base of his spine. "Go to sleep," she whispered.

"Don't leave, okay?" He knew she wouldn't, and yet for some reason he needed to hear her say it.

Her lips ghosted over his skin, a slight shiver running down his spine. "I won't."