Soulmate Search // larry

'How's My Lovely Boyfriend'

"We've only been gone like four days, and you adopted a panda?" Eloise laughs, shaking her head in slight disbelief.

Harry and Eloise arrived home safely, and were greeted with hugs and kisses and smiles from their loved ones. Their families were ecstatic to see them again after three long weeks, seeming happy and healthy. They all gathered at Harry's parents' house the next evening for dinner and listened to the tales of the soulmate search.

Of course, one small detail was, and still has been, left out.

Harry thinks that his family will accept him for who he is, and accept the one he loves, but he can't be positive. The fear of not knowing for sure holds him back. So, for the time being, his relatives all believe that this 'Lou' he keeps raving about is a girl.

Today, Eloise and Harry are lazing around Eloise's apartment, as they do every Wednesday night. Except now they are joined with two other people, though they're a thousand miles away.

"Its name is Watermelon," Kat says, holding up her adoption certificate and the picture of the panda to the camera so they can see. "Isn't that the best name ever?"

Eloise rolls her eyes. "You're such a dork."

"C'mon, it's cute," Kat pouts. "Besides, I did a good deed. I saved Watermelon's life."

The four have been on Skype for the past few hours, and really, they don't know how they've managed to talk to each other this long. There hasn't been much to fill each other up on, leaving them with little to converse about, and yet they've managed to not stop talking. Kat shares the news of her panda, Harry talks about work, Niall talks about getting icing in a costumer's hair, and Eloise simply makes comments about what is being shared because all she has done these past few days is work and take some quizzes on Buzzfeed.

She leads quite the extraordinary life.

"Did you know that pandas are actually kind of vicious?" Niall pipes up, licking a Tootsie Pop. "Cause they are."

"Yeah, well my panda is adorable," Kat says, crinkling her nose a little.

"You guys are weird. I'm glad we got away from you while we still had the chance," Harry laughs.

Kat gasps loudly at his words, then frowns and crosses her arms against her chest. Niall just looks a bit surprised that Harry actually said that.

"Meanie!" Kat exclaims, sticking her tongue out at him before ending the call.

"Harry!" Eloise squeals, hitting his forearm repeatedly. She goes to call them back, but her friend stops her.

"Just wait for them to call back. I know they will."

"No, that's what they're waiting for."

"Ellie, don't."

"You probably hurt Kat's feelings."

"I was joking."

"She isn't weird. She's just unique."

"Aw, you two are cute. I ship it."

Eloise's cheeks heat up at his statement, and she glances down, her hair shielding her face from his view. "We're just good friends."

Harry clucks his tongue. "Uh huh, and that's what I told you. Look at Louis and I now."

Eloise had come out to her family as bisexual a few years ago. It took a while to explain to them that, though she had a slight preference for boys, she also took interest in girls. They all told her that they didn't care who she loved and that they still loved her. She told Harry before any of her other friends. He, too, promised that it didn't change the way he saw her.