Elf Bites ❄ l.s. AU

37: Gifts and Gatherings

C H A P T E R   T H I R T Y S E V E N

Gifts and Gatherings

14 days til' Christmas

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An elf and a scrooge – two separate worlds, two separate hearts, side by side on the seat of a train: The elf sleeps, lips in a pout poised to drip off his peaceful face. The world doesn't hurt him here. The scrooge watches while he waits for their destination to arrive in a flurry of dancing white and crisp London cold. Mischief sparkles with the blue in his eyes. He slips his free hand – the one not tangled with a larger one in his lap – into the elf's jacket pocket and pulls out a cell phone that isn't his.

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HARRY COULD BARELY contain his glee on their way up the floors to Louis' flat, so he knew the human a few steps ahead of him couldn't be faring any better. If Harry could see energy, he would see it crackling off Louis' skin. It'd look like those small firework sticks Americans take pictures with during their summers.

They'd dropped Robert off at the hotel first and made sure he would settle in fine. Harry grabbed a change of clothes so that he could spend the night here. After all that's happened, he wasn't sure when he'd be able to bear being apart from Louis again. He still had the day off tomorrow, but he's taking Robert shopping and reacquainting him with the London he left long ago. And then he'll be making his grand return to caroling practice to see how much progress everyone's made in his absence.

But he didn't want to think about any of that right now. Right now, he and Louis were standing outside Louis' door, and Louis was smiling in a way that was familiar to Harry now but still unfamiliar in this setting. So while Louis fumbled with his key, Harry ducked and kissed the top of his cheekbone.

And then the door was open. Lottie, Tommy, and Fizzy were lounging on the sofa, and Harry couldn't help himself. He gently shouldered past Louis and hurried into the living room where Lottie met him halfway, and he wrapped her into a hug.

"How was your trip?" she was asking when they pulled apart. God, Harry was so happy to see her.

As Fizzy approached, he pulled her into a hug as well. "Better than I ever dreamed it would be."

"Your mum?"

To his own surprise, Harry had almost forgotten that's why they'd gone in the first place. "Much better."

Louis was standing with them now, and the hugs started all over again. Harry went to shake Tommy's hand, to pet Dashing, who was lounging on the chair, and then finally took his jacket off and hung it up in the closet by the front door.

While Louis continued reuniting with his sisters and Tommy, who finally stood to join them all, Harry snuck into the kitchen for a water bottle and nearly had a heart attack when he was confronted with not only all the lads, but Ella and Olivia as well.

The lads all shouted "Harry!" in unison, but Ella was the first to throw herself at him.

While he embraced his coworker, he stared at the others over her shoulder. He knew his mouth had opened and closed too many times, that he probably looked like a ridiculous fish, but he couldn't believe they were all here. How had they known when he and Louis were coming home? The lads probably heard it from Louis, but Ella and Olivia? What?