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

day 19: cuddling by the fire (in which niall is whiny when he's sick)

Harry was telling some nonsense story when Mona and Niall finally emerged from the room, hands flailing animatedly as Zayn pretended to be listening. Harlow and Liam were sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace, chatting amiably. From what Mona had gathered, Harlow was yammering on about romanticism and impressionism, and it was enough for Mona to know that she didn't want to join that conversation. Also Liam was nodding his head as if he understood what the hell she was talking about and Mona felt as if she should leave them to it.

Niall, on the other hand, sluggishly dragged his feet over only to plop right next to Liam, throwing his arms around his shoulders just like he always did when he wanted a cuddle. Liam only glared at him, but then his eyes softened into a fond look, Niall already grumbling something about how he didn't feel too good. His hair was disheveled and his glasses were askew, and Mona couldn't help but reciprocate Liam's affectionate expression towards him.

So, regardless of the fact that she didn't want to hear about Harlow ranting on about the different forms of art she'd been trying to decide on studying, Mona made her way over to the group, already relishing in how warm it was by the fire. As soon as she slumped into the couch, however, Niall noticed, patting Liam's head before rising to his feet and heading straight towards her, stretching out on the couch with his head in her lap.

He fell asleep again soon after that, and Mona found herself removing the glasses from his face before carefully shifting, replacing her lap with a pillow as she headed for the kitchen to prepare dinner. She couldn't help but think about how she'd been so accustomed to sharing the kitchen with Niall every night, that it was strangely quiet when he wasn't there, despite the clattering of the pots and the fact that she always seemed to make so much noise when she was in there. She was actually glad that Harlow had decided to stroll in, the absence of Niall a bit maddening.

Harlow reached over to taste a bit of the pasta Mona was preparing, Mona swatting her hands away. "No touching."

Harlow frowned. "It's not like I burn everything I touch, y'know!" she exclaimed, a bit of exasperation laced in her tone.

Mona simply shrugged her off, reaching up to flick her nose, knowing that she'd receive the same scowl in return. Suddenly, Mona remembered the conversation she'd had with Harry and Niall on the hill yesterday, eyeing Harlow carefully. "Hey," she started, being sure not to stare, as she had a habit of doing that. "I have a question."

Harlow hummed, her mouth full of pretzels. She raised her eyebrows at Mona's unnatural words. Normally she'd go ahead and ask. "Shoot."

Mona stood silent for a few moments, being sure to choose her words carefully. "It's about...it's about you and Zayn."

She quirked her brows again, popping another pretzel in her mouth. "Okay. Go on."

"Um." Mona didn't know how to ask without being awkward. She'd normally leave this type of thing alone, not wanting to get into something that wasn't any of her business. But Liam was her friend and she needed to know, if only for his sake. "I just... I wanted to ask what exactly is going on between the two of you."

Harlow huffed out a laugh. "Why? D'you like him?" At that, Mona rolled her eyes because she knew Harlow was just stalling. Harlow conceded. "Okay, okay. This is serious. I get it." She paused for a few moments, fiddling with the ends of her hair before frowning slightly. "I don't really know?" she finally said, her uncertainty piquing Mona's attention. "Like, I like him. But I don't really know...in what way."

Mona nodded, going back to preparing dinner, deciding it was enough information for tonight. She moved on to a lighter topic. "What are you gonna do when we leave tomorrow? Go back home?"

Harlow shrugged. "I don't really know. I guess so, because we're still on break. But...I don't know. I don't really want to."

She scoffed, remembering the time she was invited to Harlow's for dinner once. "Why? Scared of your dad?"

Harlow giggled, opening yet another bag of pretzels. "Nah. It's my mom this time. Pestering me about my major."

They kept light conversation until dinner was finished and ready to be taken out. Because Niall was still snoozing away, unresponsive to Harry's attempts of waking him, the group ate dinner in a comfortable silence, the bittersweet moment at the realization that they'd be officially leaving in the morning returning. If there was conversation, it was kept light, everyone still feeling a bit sluggish after a day of resting.

After dinner, Mona found herself gravitating towards the couch where Niall was sleeping, poking at his shoulders until he stirred. "Come on," she spoke softly, flicking his nose and waiting for him to grumble. Except he never did. "What's wrong?"

He whined, rather petulantly if Mona was being honest, but it still didn't stop her from scooting closer towards him, scratching at his scalp lightly. "Don't feel good," he murmured, eyes opening only for a split second. "Wanna sleep."

Once again, Mona felt that surge of protectiveness rising in her when it came to Niall, her fingers automatically tapping against the corners of his lips so he'd frown a little less. "Talk to me. What hurts?"

He blindly reached for her fingers, tugging on them so they'd rest on his forehead. "Here," he croaked, voice a bit hoarse and rugged, his normally ruddy cheeks now a bit more flushed. "And my throat." It was as if he was still fluttering in and out of sleep, breaths stuttering before evening out.

Mona frowned. "It's probably because we were out in the snow all day yesterday." She stroked his head once more, deciding from the unnatural temperature that he indeed had a fever. "I'll go get you some medicine, okay?"

Except Niall only held on, their fingers still tangled together when she'd begun to move away. "Mo," he whispered, hoarsely. "Please don't leave?" She looked at him for a few moments, brows furrowed even in his semi-unconscious state. She smiled slightly, shaking her head before sliding in next to him, allowing him to rest his head on her chest before falling asleep, listening to him sigh contently when she began to twirl his hair between his fingers. And Mona held him, both the heat of the fire and the warmth of his body being stored in her brain as another small memory, added to the many she'd gathered from this trip.

All she could think about was how she didn't want to leave.