Christmas carols were playing softly in the background while the four girls, Fizzy Lottie Daisy and Phoebe, were running around the house in huge fluffy Christmas sweaters and wholly socks. Louis was in the kitchen with his mother, preparing everything for their traditional baking session. His family had already baked lots of Christmas cookies beforehand, but they always came together on December the 23rd to bake some as a whole family even though Louis was shit at it and the younger twins were most likely to ruin everything anyway.

"Can you call in the girls, Darling?" asked his mother him.

"Sure thing" gave Louis her a thumbs up before he went into the living room that was attached to the open kitchen.

Fizzy and Lottie were watching some Christmas adverts on the TV and Phoebe and Daisy were playing with some dolls in front of the huge glass door to the back garden. For a short moment, Louis just watched them with a smile. He had missed this simple family life and seeing his sisters every day.

"Are you coming, my little flowers?" he called attention to himself.

Immediately, four heads shot up into his direction and the next second the younger twins Phoebe and Daisy dropped their dolls and ran over to Louis, who held his arms open for them and picked them up one after the other.

"Can I lick the spoon?" stuck Phoebe her bottom lip out, looking like a puppy.

"And me the bowl?" tugged Daisy on Louis' sleeve.

"Of course, but first we have to bake the cookies" carried Louis them into the kitchen. Sometimes he forgot that they were already eight years old.

"You mean we have to do it while you watch us" followed Fizzy him into the kitchen.

"I'm not just watching you" asserted Louis offended and sat the two girls back down.

"No, you're ruining the dough too" snickered Lottie.

"Maybe I didn't miss the two of you that much" grumbled Louis bitterly but jokingly.

"Can we do this for once without any of you teasing each other? Everyone does what they can do best" went Johanna in between her kids.

"What if someone can't do anything?" questioned Lottie with an evil smirk.

"I'm gonna poison your cookies" glared Louis at his oldest younger sister.

"For that, you have to bake them first" winked his sister at him.

"Enough now. Fiz, can you start with Daisy and Phoebe? We take the second one" addressed Johanna her other daughter, referring to one of the already prepared doughs lying on the counter.

Fizzy, Daisy and Phoebe took the one side of the counter and Johanna, Lottie and Louis the other half. His three sisters started off pretty good, but it ended in a sea of flour around them and on their faces. They even had some in their hair and they were laughing a lot, so Johanna just let them be.

On the other side, his mum and Lottie did a pretty good job with the dough while Louis was only able to knead it until it was firm but then he was very much out of talent. After a long time, he only had to cut out the cookies with the moulds and that was really the only thing he was good at. He simply wasn't made for the kitchen and Lottie let him feel that every so often much to Jay' dismay.

When the cookies were inside the oven the whole family went into the living room and started to decorate the waiting Christmas Tree. Louis had asked them why they hadn't done it already and they told them they wanted to wait until he was back home. So they had to do it now. Phoebe and Daisy decorated the lower parts while Lottie and Fizzy took over the upperparts and Louis and his mother fastened the fairy lights on the Christmas Tree. This was always a hell lot of work, but it brought them all together as a family and Louis loved it.

While Johanna took out the delicious smelling cookies, Louis and the girls set up the couch and a movie for their cosy evening. Everyone got a fluffy pillow and a blanket and Louis put in the movie. It was simply called A Christmas Story, but they watched it every year. It was a classic.

The movie was about an old grumpy woman who hated Christmas because she was always alone. Like in so many Christmas movies. On her way back home from work on Christmas Eve, she got stuck in the middle of nowhere. After walking around in the cold snow for a while, she finds an old church. Other people are in there too to celebrate Christmas with homeless or lonely people, who have no one left. At first, the old woman isn't pleased about the situation but during the span of the movie she warms up to the thought and even connects with some of the people and in the end opens up about never bonding with anyone in her whole life but now she did exactly this on that evening, and this was her biggest and best Christmas gift.

When they talked about the bonding, Louis gently stroked over his marks and wished Harry was here with him. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his mother watching him and felt her eyes on his arm and that's when he remembered that she was acting kinda strange. Since he arrived back home, she hasn't mentioned Harry once. She didn't ask to see the mark or how Louis felt without having Harry with him and that was weird for her after showing so much interest in it before over the phone.

After the movie was over and he had wished his sisters and his mum a good night, Louis went upstairs into his old room. It was weird to be back home in his room now after sharing a dorm room with someone for months. Everything still looked the same. Simple blue walls, shelves, a cupboard, a single bed and his TV. It was like he jumped back into his old life, being his old self. But he wasn't like that anymore. He had changed and his life has changed with him.

To Haz:

'Hey, Love. How was your day?'

From Haz:

'Amazing. I spent it with my parents and my sister. We went shopping and bought some last Christmas decorations. What about you, Lou?'

To Haz:

'Mine was great too. My family and I baked some cookies and watched a movie together. Simple and cosy'

From Haz:

'Did you burn your cookies? ; )'

To Haz:

'Are you accusing me of being bad with my hands? :O'

The moment he had sent that message Louis wanted to take it back right at the spot. What was he even thinking? That sounded so wrong and dirty and maybe he was thinking that way for a second, but they weren't on that page yet. Harry was too innocent, and Louis probably just scared him off.

From Haz:

'Never. I just know you're horrible in the kitchen. Maybe you're better elsewhere'

And if Louis dropped his phone at that reply and let it fall on his face, nobody had to know that. There weren't many times he was lost for words, but this was definitely one of them. He did not expect Harry to answer this dirty or even understand Louis' text in that way. Not at all. He was shocked.

To Haz:

'You have to find out ; )'

'Anyway, I'm heading to bed now. Sweet Dreams, Darling. Sleep tight. x'

From Haz:

'Sweet Dreams, Lou. xx'

---

Christmas Eve was always a very relaxing day in the Tomlinson's household. They never did much. Only spent the day altogether and watched some more Christmas movies. There were enough in the world for days on end. Today though they had some plans in the evening. At his sisters' school was a Christmas Play taking place and a concert and they were part of it. That's how his mother and he ended up in the third row with a good view of the empty stage. It was about to start soon.

"I'm sorry if it seems like I don't care about your soulmate, Louis" spoke his mother up so low that only the two of them heard what she was saying.

"It's okay" shrugged Louis, confused why she brought it up now.

"No, it's not okay. You recently bonded and we haven't talked much about it. Not one word since you're home and this is my fault. I should have said something" insisted his mother remorsefully.

"Why didn't you?" Louis wanted to know.

"When you're away from each other, talking about it could hurt even more. With that in mind, I tried not to remind you of it but that was very stupid. You think about him all the time anyway" explained Johanna her reasons.

"Actually, I don't. I think about him a lot and of course, I miss him, but not all the time. I don't know how to explain it but thinking about him or talking about him makes me feel better. It's like I can feel he's feeling good right now and this makes me feel at ease. Don't know" opened Louis up to his mother.

"You can feel him with you even though your miles apart?" hooked Johanna in a voice Louis had never heard before.

"Yeah. I thought that was normal for soulmates" furrowed Louis his eyebrows together.

"I mean, yes. Kind of. From my personal experience and the experiences from my friends I know you can feel if something isn't right or if your soulmate is happy but after years of being together and not with a big distance between you. You should miss him terribly and feel your soul longing to be with him instead of feeling at ease" frowned Johanna a bit.

"I do miss him. A lot. But every time the longing gets stronger, I touch the mark and it gets better. I feel warm all over as if he'd be here with me and it feels like he is doing the same, thinking of me" shifted Louis in his seat, feeling a bit uncomfortable now.

"I don't know anyone who ever felt that, but I'm glad you do" let Johanna him know.

"But what does this mean for us?" wondered Louis lost.

"I'm not sure but from everything I've heard from you today and over the phone, I can tell you I've never met anyone with a bond like the two of you," told Johanna in a whisper right before the play started.

At the beginning of the play, Louis didn't pay any attention to it at all. He was lost in his own thoughts. His mother's words were circling around in his head. Every time he explained to someone how he felt about Harry and the bond, people were shocked, surprised or stunned. His mother told him she never saw anything like their bond. Àmber had told him her bond with Aria might be strong but it wasn't anything compared to Louis'. And even Zayn was obviously surprised but didn't say it out loud for Louis' well-being. But he had seen it in his face. Something was different about him and Harry and Louis wanted to know what it was. What did they do wrong?

---

On Christmas morning there was a lot of commotion in the living room around the Christmas Tree. The younger twins had dragged Louis out of bed and downstairs and woke up Johanna afterwards. Tired and in their pyjamas, they were all six gathered around the Christmas Tree now. Excitedly and with sparkling eyes, the girls opened their presents and squealed in joy and happiness over the new things they got from their family. For a few years now, Louis enjoyed watching his sisters being happy more than receiving gifts himself. For him, the whole meaning of Christmas was love and happiness and family. That's all he needed today.

"Louis?" coughed Lottie weirdly.

"What's the matter, Lots?" Louis wanted to know calmly.

"Can I ... um ... see your mark?" stuttered Lottie out nervously. Immediately, the room fell silent and everyone was looking at the two siblings.

"Lottie! You can't just ask someone to ...".

"It's okay" cut Louis off his mum's scolding. "Sure you can".

With everyone's eyes on him, Louis rolled up the sleeve and bared his three marks with Harry. His sisters inspected them with big curious eyes while his mother scooted closer and looked for any sign of discomfort.

"Why Sorry?" wondered Fizzy perplexed.

"Because he hit me with a door and sent me flying to the ground" laughed Louis at the memory.

"Did it hurt?" hooked Fizzy warily.

"What? The door or the bonding?" checked Louis relaxed.

"Both?" said Fizzy but it sounded more like a question.

"The door hurt pretty much but help was right there in form of a gorgeous boy named Harry, who really made me fall hard for him, didn't he?" joked Louis, earning some cute little laughs. "The bonding was a different thing though. You know how those friendship marks feel but getting the rope mark hurt. My skin was burning like it was on fire, but it was over pretty soon".

"But why a rope?" furrowed Lottie her eyebrows together.

"Maybe because they're tied to each other now" nudged Fizzy her sister.

"Not the worst guess I heard" chuckled Louis amused. "I think it's symbolic for both of us. He has the fitting anchor. Apart they're no use but together they're one".

"He doesn't have the same mark?" questioned Fizzy perplexed.

"No. Ours don't match. They're complementary" shook Louis his head, making short eye contact with his surprised looking mother.

"If you have a dagger, what does he have?" Lottie wanted to know.

"A delicate rose" mumbled Louis softly, smiling to himself. He still thought it fit Harry perfectly. He himself was delicate as a rose. The most beautiful rose in the universe.

"Aww" cooed all four of his sisters at the same time.

He was thankful when his phone started ringing next to him. With a blush, he felt for it and glanced at the screen. This only made him blush even more.

"Uh, it's him" cackled Lottie with tears in her eyes.

"That's Harry" coughed Louis embarrassed.

"Answer it. I take care of them" smiled his mother understandingly at him.

Quickly, Louis stood up and ran up the stairs into his room. He closed the door and leaned against it as he answered the call. "Haz, Hi".

"You sound out of breath. Are you okay?" sounded Harry concerned.

"I just ran up some stairs. I'm good" panted Louis out.

"Why did you run up the stairs?" hooked Harry curiously.

"Because I wasn't keen on answering the phone with four over curious girls listening to every word I say" replied Louis and walked over to his bed to sit down.

"Did I interrupt something?" asked Harry worriedly.

"No, Haz. We were done. They just held me captive and bombarded me with questions. So actually, you saved me" laughed Louis happily.

"Sounds like an interrogation. Who was the target?" chuckled Harry amused.

"We" breathed Louis out.

"Really?" hitched Harry's voice and Louis was scared he had said something wrong.

"Yeah. They um ... wanted to know some things. Nothing major" cleared Louis his throat.

"At least they asked. My poor excuse of a sister almost ripped off my arm when I didn't want to show her the marks" grinned Harry through the phone.

"Were you ashamed of them?" gulped Louis heavily.

"What? No! She was just getting on my nerves. Like she always does. I'm not ashamed to show them. I won't hide them" clarified Harry fast.

"That sounds like an indirect accusation. You think I'm hiding them?" got Louis a bit too defensive now.

"When did I say that?" wondered Harry taken back.

"Between the lines" stated Louis weakly.

"I did not. I was just saying that I'm too proud of my soulmate to hide the marks from anyone. Nothing more. Lou, I know you have trust issues, but you can trust me. I know you wouldn't hide them on purpose or without a reason. That you hid the mark before was a totally different thing and I'm not mad at you for this anymore. You know that, right?" cleared Harry the air.

"Now, I do" murmured Louis shyly.

"If I didn't make it clear already: I'm in love with you, Lou. I was for a while and I'm happy I have you now. I know you're scared but I'm here to take away your fears" confessed Harry lovingly.

"I'm in love with you, too. I'm glad I have you by my side now and I do trust you, Haz. I'm working on my fears and if you have any, I'm here for you. Always" revealed Louis to him gently.

"What did I do to deserve you?" sighed Harry out fondly.

"Probably something really bad" cracked Louis up laughing.

"Aye" laughed Harry wholeheartedly.

"Was there any specific reason you called by the way?" stifled Louis his laughter.

"I just wanted to hear your voice and wish you a merry Christmas," told Harry him.

"Merry Christmas, Baby" blushed Louis, the petname just rolling off his tongue.

"I miss you, Boobear" admitted Harry. Every other person would be dead for using his mother's petname from when he was a little child, but for some reason hearing Harry calling him that every so often felt right. He pretty much loved it.

"I miss you too, Love. But we'll see each other soon. Until then we can text or call all the time, yeah?" suggested Louis with a heavy heart. Knowing Harry was missing him made his heart and marks hurt.

"I'd love to. But now I have to help my Mum. Talk to you later, Love" said Harry with a sad undertone.

"Talk to you later, Babe" ended Louis the call and fell back on his bed with a sigh. Just a few more days. 

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Question of the Chapter: Why is everyone always so shocked?