Great Expectations [ A Niall Horan OU ]

drabble: telling niall's parents

a/n: surprise! if you have any requests for drabbles, feel free to send them in. 

Gia was all for telling Niall's parents, but now in the light of the day, she's not so sure. 

She's hiding in the kitchen, rearranging Niall's mugs over and over again in the cabinet as he talks to his mum in the living room. They decided it'd be better if he broke the news alone first before introducing her. 

She's trying not to make too much noise, but she also doesn't want to eavesdrop on what he's saying. She doesn't want to catch him pleading or trying to calm his mother down — or explain to her that Gia isn't a gold digger who is after his money — among one of the many horrible, terrible fantasies Gia's brain has cooked up on how this can go down. 

Maybe agreeing to this wasn't a smart idea after all, but he'd been so excited with his shiny blue eyes and big smile — and Gia can never expect him to keep anything from his parents. Just because it's her way of coping with things, doesn't mean it's his. 

But she can't help but worry in Niall's spotless kitchen, pacing back and forth along the smooth floors. What if his mother doesn't think she's good enough for Niall? What if his father loathes her for wrecking  his son's life like a tropical storm? She's not exactly a parental favorite and frankly she's expecting them to be skeptical of her because that's all she's ever known. 

This was definitely a bad idea. 

She walks back over to the cabinet and pulls out her favorite mug, heading over to the Keurig because she's not sure how much longer she can cope. Her stomach brushes against her wrist and she pauses, realizing that she's already had her one cup a day. She leaves the Keurig and digs around for the tea kettle instead.  Just as sets the kettle on the stove,  she hears Niall's voice getting closer. 

"It's pronounced Gia, right?"

"Yes, mum," Niall replies. Gia can hear the grin he's sporting in the tone of his voice and it soothes her nerves. She quickly turns and looks at her reflection in the microwave door, fixing her hair and blinking at herself. 

Niall walks into the kitchen holding his phone in front of him, spotting Gia as she turns around. He gives her a nod as he walks over to her. 

"Mum, this is Gia," he says carefully, lifting the phone so Gia comes into the frame. He slings his arm around her waist, pulling her into his side. 

Gia can't tell who Niall looks like more, his mother or father. Unlike his brother Greg, he's a cross between his two parents. His mother is taking Gia in, her eyes flickering across the screen and making Gia's nerves bounce around. Finally, a gentle smile lifts on her lips, "It's nice to meet you, Gia."

Gia smiles back, glancing nervously at Niall first, "You too, M-"

"Call me Maura, dear," Niall's mother inputs. 

"Maura," Gia finishes, twisting her sweaty hands together against her stomach. 

There's an awkward pause of silence — no one sure of what to say to make the conversation continue. Gia gulps. 

"Well, then, love tell me about yourself. My son's been gushing about you," Maura says. 

There's a slight hint of mama bear protectiveness in her tone, one that Gia is surprised she recognizes. Not from experience with her own mother, but the type of protectiveness she feels for her baby already. Perhaps that's why she isn't entirely unnerved by it. 

"Well, I'm 24. I run a event business..." Gia trails off. Why is it that everything remotely interesting about herself has conviently flown out of her brain at this very moment?