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

day 24: a childhood holiday wish come true (in which niall realizes the truth)

Louis Tomlinson was quite possibly the only person in the world who could get Niall tickets to the observatory decks of the Empire State Building for less than half the price. Not only that, but he was also the only person in the world who could achieve said tickets in under an hour, which made Niall's surprise for Mona all the more incredible. Not only was Louis super smart but slightly conniving, but he was one of the first people Niall had met when he'd arrived to the States, Liam following shortly afterwards, and they'd hit it off right away.

The only reason Niall ended up being roommates with Liam instead of Louis was because Louis was a senior who led a busy, busy life interning at some office up at the Empire State Building. Also, he had found a roommate before Niall had gotten the chance to ask him so that had been that.

Nevertheless, Louis and Niall were amazing friends, despite the fact that he didn't get along too well with Liam.

It was because of Louis that Niall ended up dragging Mona on the R train near city hall, managing to ride it all the way up to Herald Square all while ignoring Mona's rather demanding pleas to tell her where they were going. It was only when they were walking up the stairs back up to the street that Mona finally realized where they were.

"You..." Niall grinned at her loss for words, simply grabbing her hand and speed walking towards the entrance, Louis standing on the other side.

"Hey, mate!" Niall greeted, patting Louis on the shoulder before bringing him in for a hug. He didn't know why he'd been feeling so light and happy for the past few hours, but whatever the reason, he definitely didn't want the high to stop. "How's everything?"

The sleeves of Louis's dress shirt were unbuttoned and rolled up to his elbows, his hair a bit disheveled. But his smile was set in place, eyebrows waggling at Niall once he'd glanced at Mona. "Everything's mad up at the office," he said with a shake of his head, holding his hand out to Mona. "Louis. And you are?"

Niall watched as Mona struggled to keep her smile on her face, stumbling over her words a bit. "Uh, hey. I'm Namona." Reassuringly, he stepped closer, hoping that the proximity will ease her nerves.

Louis handed him the tickets, shooting him a wink, and Niall was glad he'd worn a scarf because he could feel the blush rising up his neck when he returned his attention to Mona. "Nice to meet you, Namona," Louis said with a smile. "Niall, you didn't tell me your girlfriend was so pretty."

If Niall was slightly pink before, then he was full-on blushing now, a slightly nervous chuckle bubbling from his lips. "We're not—"

"Anywho!" Louis clapped his hands together enthusiastically. "Come on. I'll walk you guys."

Niall nodded. He didn't dare look at Mona, sure that if he did, his skin might just burst into flames. Suddenly, the proximity made him want more, because Mona had scooted so close to him that their arms brushed together as they walked. His hands itched to touch hers, fingers craved to tangle into her own, and then he was blushing again.

Louis told them that he knew a shortcut to the top, which went right past the rather short queue. He led them up to the floor where he worked, but Niall wasn't paying attention to which one it was, because Louis had made a joke and Mona was laughing and Niall couldn't stop staring. Somehow, between Louis's floor and the lift, Mona's arm had ended up wrapped around Niall's, and when Louis had unlocked the employee-only lift, she had hid her head in the crook of his neck because Louis had said something that probably embarrassed her; but fuck if Niall was paying attention because her lips were almost pressing against his skin and, suddenly, a thousand and one memories were resurfacing to the forefront of his mind, most of them from their time at the cabin.