Making A Pack

Three

Luke jumped upon hearing his name.

"Luke," Michael sighed, sounding exasperated, "you know you're supposed to be in bed."

The omega felt his face getting hot from embarrassment. It was the fourth time they had caught him out of bed in the last two days.

"M'sorry," Luke muttered. "I just hate being in there..."

The happy couple walked in behind Michael only for both of their faces to drop at seeing the youngest in their band out bed. It made Luke's guts twist with a stab of guilt more. Wait, no, he thought, having to sit down in the closet chair he could find. Actual pain. Ever since coming back, his pain hadn't gotten any better. He felt like his entire mid section was wrapped in barbed wire constantly, like a dull never ending ache. Every once and a while though he get sharp, stabbing pain that made him feel faint from how strong it was.

The boys hadn't caught in yet, though, and that was the way he wanted to keep it.

"Luke-" Calum started to reprimand.

"Cal, it's okay," Ashton said. "He's probably just up because we told him before we left that his food was waiting in the fridge, right, Luke?"

Luke's face went red, and suddenly, he was incredibly interested in the string of his hoodie. "I-I was about to," he said.

In all honesty, the only thing he was about to do was go hunting through the bus for his phone. Ashton caught him scrolling through Twitter when he was supposed to be sleeping and took it from him like he was a middle schooler getting caught texting in class. He figured Ashton didn't mean much by it. He probably thought he was just helping his friend out, but with all the indignity that Luke had been through recently, he just wanted his goddamn phone. It was bad enough he felt incompetent, having his band treat him like he was 5-years-old was even worse.

"Luke-" Ashton started in this time.

"I know, I know," he said. "It's just so uncomfy, and I haven't slept–"

"Haven't slept?" Michael interjected.

Luke cut himself off suddenly. He tried to just look away and ignore the question, but a glance at the alpha from the corner of his eye informed him that wouldn't be an option. He nodded just a little.

"Like, at all?"

Luke bit his lip – an old habit from the days of his lip ring that never went away, but to be fair neither did the hole. With some hesitation, he shook his head.

"No, Luke, answer us," Ashton cut in.

"I try... it's just so cramped that I toss and turn, and then eventually I pass out because I'm just too exhausted to keep going, but..." Luke trailed off in his explanation. He didn't want the boys to worry. They had enough to worry about when it came to all the promo and meet ups and other responsibilities that he was currently bailing on.

"But what?" Michael asked.

His green eyes bore into Luke. Luke marveled at how they could be so sweet sometimes and so intense other times, like they were now. Without his own consent, he felt a confession coming from him. "The– the pain wakes me up."

"Pain? You're still hurting that bad?" Calum asked loudly. 

"Why didn't you say anything before?" Michael asked, raising his voice as well.

Luke felt overwhelmed. He hated when people people were angry with him, and everyone definitely looked and sounded angry right now.

"Well, I didn't want to make a big deal out of this–" Luke started to say. He could feel his throat getting right and eyes getting wet. He tried to stave it off, though, because he hated crying in front of other people, especially people who thought he was basically an invalid already.