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

day 1: ice skating (in which mona really can't stand the cold)

Namona Shaw really hated the cold.

It didn't help that Harlow, Mona's best friend, had dragged them all up upstate to her family's log cabin as soon as winter break began. While the log cabin itself, once there was a cheery fire roaring in the fireplace, was nice and toasty, the air outside was absolutely frigid, a flesh-biting, teeth-clattering cold that seeped so deep into Mona's bones that not even the warm fire was able to melt it away.

"Mona," Harry tutted, followed by Liam and Niall. "You're overreacting. It's not that cold."

Mona rolled her eyes, burrowing even deeper into her cocoon of blankets. "You seem to be forgetting that I am a California girl and I've never seen snow in my life." She accepted the mug of piping hot chocolate placed in front of her by Harlow, who, much to her dismay, joined in with the boys in mocking her for her low winter tolerance. "I hate you guys," she muttered under her breath, her gaze particularly directed towards Harlow. "And fuck you for dragging me here in the middle of nowhere in the freezing cold."

"Shut up," she chastised, wriggling her feet into a warm pair of socks. "Be happy that it's not snowing."

"But there's snow outside." Her feeble retort was returned with another round of laughter from the boys. They were easily amused by the perpetual scowl that had etched itself onto Mona's features since they'd entered the cabin.

Harry had opened his mouth to say something else before being interrupted by the squeak of the door opening, Zayn's bundled up figure emerging from behind it. Balanced in his hands were two rather large boxes, Niall immediately springing up to help him with one. "I've got what you asked for." Zayn bent a bit to press a kiss to Harlow's forehead, Mona's brows lifting a bit at the sight. She wondered if her two best friends would finally put a label on whatever relationship they were having. But then she thought otherwise, figuring that if they were happy with whatever they had going on, then she didn't really mind.

"Nice!" Harlow beamed, opening the box Niall had set in front of her. She reached inside and pulled out a pair of...ice skates? She had to be kidding, Mona thought. There was no way she was getting out of her blanket cocoon in order to put a pair of those on to skate on the frozen pond a few ways from the cabin. How were they to know if skating on that pond was even safe? What if they fell right through?

At the thought of the freezing water beneath the ice, Mona pulled the blanket tighter around her, hiking it further up to her nose, her shoulders giving a slight shudder.

"You alright?" Niall asked as he took a seat beside her, squeezing in despite the fact that she'd taken up most of the room on the loveseat with her many layers of warmth. "Look a bit pale." Niall always made her a bit nervous. His moods changed a bit too quickly for her liking, and beneath his ever-changing smile was a story Mona couldn't quite figure out. She liked being able to predict people, but with Niall, it seemed like that was near impossible.

"I—uh..." But his eyes were also impossibly blue, not the cold, icy color that reminded Mona of the snow outside, but a friendly, warmer tone, and she couldn't help but think she should probably give him a chance. "I don't really know how to ice skate."

Niall smiled, an affable, welcoming gesture that made the tingling in her nerves subside some. "That's all?" he asked, pushing the bridge of his glasses up his nose, a laugh bubbling from his lips. "Don't worry. I can teach you."

Zayn snorted from the couch in front of them, Mona jumping a bit because she'd been so engaged with Niall that she hadn't realized that anyone else would care to listen. "Don't trust him, Mo. Niall's a terrible teacher."

But Mona was too focused on the tiny quirks in Niall's smile, trying to decipher his next mood, to focus on the look Zayn was giving her. "I'm sure I can give him a chance," she said, surprised at the words that left her lips, but accepted the skates given to her by Harlow, nonetheless, Niall's promise ringing in her ears and encouraging her to shed the blankets and reach for her bulky winter coat.