Baby "Jayn"

"What's a yeawr?"

"Take care," Louis told Harry, giving the boy a hug. Zayn wiggled back in between them. "And now we pwretend Niall and Liam here too!" 

Louis let out a laugh as the boy made his own imaginary group hug, though he only reached to hug Harry's legs seeing as he was too short to hug his torso. 

"I'm not in the band, but I want a hug too," Gemma teased and joined the group hug. 

"I have too many fwriends," Zayn whispered to Harry secretively. Harry stared at the kid in amusement. "I can't imagine how that must be."

Zayn nodded seriously, and Louis wondered what this little troll would grow up to be. One thing was for sure, hearing Zayn say he had many friends made Louis' heart sigh with a different kind of content than he'd ever felt.  They were doing well, they were doing good actually. He couldn't be prouder. 

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Two days later

Zayn was jumping around excitedly in the foyer, pushing his beanie down his face. Tips of his unruly hair stuck out and the kid pushed them away as they tickled his eyebrows. Louis let out a laugh as Zayn zoomed past him and out the door, forgetting his mittens. "Oii." 

Things had calmed down once the Styles' family flew back, and it was a little emptier without Harry around. Yet, the past days had been great and Louis was really satisfied with how Zayn's first Christmas had been spent. They were going to fly back to London right in time for New Year.

Today was their last day in Doncaster.

Zayn came running back, a sheepish smile on his face. "I fowrget my mittens."

Louis helped him put them on. "Wait here while I fetch the car keys from Dan."

"Okay!" Zayn chirped, rocking on the balls of his feet. Louis walked inside, reminding himself to grab his phone as well. They were taking a  drive to the local McDonald's Drive-Thru, and would then go to the park. They had already grabbed a bag of carrots and a box of muffins Daisy had baked. The carrots were for the snow figures they would be making, while the muffins were for them. 

When Louis returned to the foyer, the four year old boy was gone, and the door was wide open, letting a cold gust of wind blow inside. The carrots and muffins were gone as well. Louis shook his head and put on his boots before heading out, making sure to close the door tightly behind them. The weather had grown milder, but the neighbourhood was still covered in snow like a white sheet. As Louis expected, Zayn stood beside the car waiting. He was drawing on the snow covered car, talking to himself. Louis could see the outline of a smiley-face and something that looked like a meatball with legs. He walked closer and jiggled the keys in his hands. "What did  I say about waiting inside?"

Zayn stuck his tongue teasingly out at him. He pointed to the meatball with legs. "Look, its you Louis!"

Louis arched an eyebrow, an amused smile pulling on his lips. "OH really?" He lifted a finger and drew against the cold window of the car. "Then this is you," he said finally as he drew a dog.

Zayn got on his tippy toes to get a closer look, and he grinned. "I like dogs."

Louis grinned mischieviously back at him. "Except this dog is a chihuaha."

Zayn gasped, and Louis wiped the dog away, the cold biting into his skin. The snow he'd brushed off fell on Zayn's nose, and the boy tried to blow it away. It melted quickly. "I don't like chi-chi-owawa."

They had established that a couple of days ago when they'd been going out for a walk. Zayn had been excited to pet the little doggy, except it had growled at him, nearly scaring the kid to tears.