icicle ♡ narry christmas au [COMPLETE]

two

"daddy, i'm sick of driving," livi whined from the backseat. she'd finished her pretzels and was alternating between dozing off and whining about being in the car.

"i know, sweetie. i am, too, trust me," harry said honestly, fiddling with the radio. "but we'll be there in about --" he checked the gps on his phone, "ten minutes."

"in washington?"

"no," he laughed. "at the hotel, remember? but you can only bring noodles in if you're good, yeah?"

livi squished her penguin tighter to her chest. "i'm bein' good, daddy!" she messily brushed her dark curls out of her eyes. harry had tried to put her hair in a ponytail at one of the rest stops, but most of it had fallen out of the hair tie because livi was a reckless sleeper.

"i know you are." harry was smiling. he loved his daughter so much. "do you wanna hear jingle bells one more time? by the time the song ends, we'll be really close to the hotel."

"yes!" livi clapped her little hands in delight.

- - -

when niall woke up, he was still sad. the urge to stay in bed for the rest of time was pulling at him, but instead, he got an idea.

he wasn't going to wallow in his sadness.

he crossed his disgustingly messy apartment (which grossed him out, he was a bit of a clean freak) and sat at his desk, powered at his laptop. the internet in this building was frustratingly slow, so he picked up the stray clothing on the floor and bagged up some of the garbage on the floor and coffee table. when he sat back down, he scrolled through a few listings for new apartments across town.

he needed a new start.

he brightened when he found one, and he emailed the realtor asking for a showing. they emailed back almost immediately, saying there was one one-room apartment left, and he could see it later that day.

with a smile on his face, he went and got in the shower.

- - -

"yaaay, we're at the hotel!" livi cheered as they parked. "i can bring noodles, right?"

"yes, you can," harry said with a smile, opening the door so livi could get out of the car. he grabbed their suitcases, and livi galloped behind him as he checked in. "you wanna put the key in the lock, liv?"

"yes!" livi cheered, and swiped the key card. she jumped on the bed, landing on her tummy with a loud giggle.

"silly little girl," harry said fondly. "come on, sweet pea. it's bedtime for you."

she pouted, but a half hour later she was curled up in the bed, dozing off to sleep as harry hummed her a lullaby. when she was finally asleep, he pressed a kiss to the top of her head and he dozed off himself.

- - -

"this is awesome," niall said excitedly to the landlord. "i'll take it." it was perfect. it wasn't tiny or disgusting, and he was allowed to have a dog. (he'd always wanted a dog.) "when can i move in?"

"anytime after tonight," the landlord replied. "the last tenant moved out last week, and after tonight we'll have finished cleaning and everything. theoretically, you could move in tomorrow morning."

niall nodded. "oh -- one last thing before i sign...who are the neighbors? are they nice?"

the landlord smiled. "they haven't moved in yet. it's a man and his daughter. i think she's six? he was very polite on the phone, seemed very nice."

niall nodded with a smile. as long as they weren't stoners that would make the place reek of weed, he didn't care. "okay. i'll sign."

he couldn't stop smiling even as he read through and signed the lease. when he got back to his place, he started to pack his stuff. he called his friend, liam, to see if he could help him move the stuff he couldn't move on his own, and when liam said yes, he packed up the rest of his stuff.

- - -

"livi, wake up," harry said gently, shaking her awake. she blinked a few times, and then groaned, reaching up for him. since there wasn't too much of a drive left, he let her stay in her pajamas, pulling her coat and hat on over them. "ready to get in the car? you can sleep the rest of the way there," he murmured, and she nodded, making grabby hands for him.

"noodles!" she cried, and harry handed her the stuffed penguin before setting her on his hip. she nestled her cheek against his neck, humming softly with her eyes still shut. within twenty minutes, she was dozing in the backseat and they were only a few hours away from their new home.

- - -

a/n: so the decision has been made -- this will be girly!niall! i'll incorporate it more in the next chapter -- this chapter was already written as nongirly!niall just in case. :) have a great day, y'all