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

day 2: mistletoe (in which niall and mona make a great team)

Niall could not care less about decorating the cabin so that they would "get into the festive spirit, you miserable souls!" as Harlow had so kindly put it. But he found himself hanging fairy lights on the huge evergreen tree Zayn and Harry had dragged in yesterday, because this sure as hell was better than going back home for the holidays, where he'd be under the scrutinizing gaze of his father. It was why he moved to the States after all, because he didn't want to be surrounded by people with whom he couldn't see eye to eye.

"Niall, can you come help me in here please?" Harlow called from inside the kitchen. Niall hadn't ever stepped foot in a log cabin before. He'd always expected them to be small and congested, much like the sorry excuse for a house he, his brother, and his Dah used to call home many, many years ago. However, much to his surprise, Harlow's family cabin was huge, with all its two stories and warm interior. It was a nice escape from reality, something everyone needed every once in a while.

Harlow was balanced on a stool when he had walked into the kitchen, Mona standing on the floor beside her munching on a freshly baked brownie. Niall cleared his throat and then Harlow was spinning around, almost losing her balance before Mona had reached out to steady her. "Ah, you're here," Harlow said almost breathlessly, a delighted look swimming in her dark eyes. "I need your help." She gingerly hopped off the stool, flipping her long dark hair over her shoulder and eyeing Mona warily. "Because Zayn and Mona are basically good for nothing and you are my only hope."

There was always a dramatic quality about the dark-haired girl, which had always surprised Niall because she always carried herself in a way that was graceful and almost mysterious, like she had a million and one secrets hiding behind her chocolate colored eyes. But when she spoke, it was light and airy, her outgoing and welcoming persona captivating all those around her. Niall laughed. "Sure. What do you need?"

"I need you and Mona to help me with dinner. Because you two are the only ones who don't burn water."

Niall gave her a look. "How do you burn—"

"Don't ask," Mona cut in, brushing the brownie crumbs from her hands with a couple of swipes. "She'll actually try to explain and it'll only bore us all to death."

Harlow scowled in her direction before turning to Niall again. "Make whatever you feel like. The pantry and fridge are all stocked up." She was about to say something else but then a string of profanities was roared by someone in the sitting room followed by Zayn's loud laughter and then she was distracted, rolling her eyes before rushing to the scene, leaving Niall and Mona to themselves.

Mona had already started towards the panty, shifting a few items around before pulling out two boxes. "How do you feel about stuffed shells?"

Niall smiled, peeking into the refrigerator to scan the options. "And some steamed veggies and garlic bread on the side?"

When he looked up, the light caught her eyes and they seemed to glitter. Niall didn't know it was possible, but her eyes were even darker than Harlow's, her long face framed nicely with her dark wavy hair. She grinned. "And brownies for dessert!"

Niall laughed, reaching into the fridge to pull out the necessary ingredients for tonight's meal. "We make a great team. Although it looks like we may need to bake more brownies," he said, eyeing the half empty pan.

Mona blushed a light splattering of pink blooming across her cheeks. The sight actually had his own face feeling warm. "Zayn ate more than me, to be fair." Niall opened his mouth to respond but then Harlow was screeching from the sitting room, the pair of them rushing towards the door to see what on earth was going on. It turned out that Harry had dropped a box of ornaments, shards littering the floor, reflecting the light and looking a bit like confetti.

"You idiot!" Harlow scowled, whacking Liam instead of Harry.

"Hey!" he protested, but Harlow's eyes had already drifted up to watch Niall and Mona, who were standing in the doorway trying not to look too amused.

"Freeze!" she squealed, and Liam flinched beside her. Her finger pointed to something just above the pair, and Niall didn't have to look up to know what was there. "Mistletoe!"

When Niall glanced over at the girl beside him, he watched as her features fell, fingers nervously twirling around a strand of hair before she apprehensively smiled in his direction. To save her the embarrassment, he simply leaned over to press a feather light kiss on her cheek, right where that pink flush had pooled earlier, before pulling back quickly, sticking his tongue out at Harlow and grabbing Mona's wrist to pull her back into the kitchen.

And throughout the rest of the night, he tried not to think about how she smelled of peppermint and chocolate, much like the scent he had been so accustomed to back when he was still living in that small house in his hometown.