i love you (it's ruining my life) » l.s.

one

Rain fell steadily from the February sky while Louis' plane taxied at the gate. Heathrow Airport looked like a blur behind the dewy raindrops on the oval-shaped window beside his seat. He hadn't been back home in ages. Not since before the band's last album came out. Since then, they'd gone on a long promo trip, announced the world tour, and rehearsed for it, all of which took place in various cities, but namely Los Angeles. And as much as Louis hated being away from home, The Rogue was always going to be his priority.

He had started the band when he was only 19. Bored during summer break, he found his step-father's old guitar in the attic and began teaching himself how to play. In a few short weeks, he was able to do covers of all of his favourite songs from Fleetwood Mac to Sex Pistols. It was great having jam sessions with his best friend, Liam, but creatively, Louis felt like he could be doing more. He thought about the bands he listened to then and the ones he'd grown up hearing. What drew him to them were the lyrics, relatable and comforting words woven into poetry, and the gritty, rock production that felt raw and emotional.

Louis had never set out to become a musician, but suddenly, it felt like something he could do and something that he'd be good at. He played the first song he wrote and felt good about (it was called "Heaven is You" and he wrote it about his omega at the time) for Liam, who told him he genuinely believed Louis had a knack for this stuff. Encouraged, Louis began writing more. From songs about the dreary anguish, one felt as a teenager to love songs, which soon turned to heartbreak songs after his then-boyfriend broke up with him. He was on a high, unable to stop the creativity flowing out of him.

Liam was the one who pushed him to start a band. Christian, an alpha and one of their friends from sixth form, played drums. He knew a beta named Niall, who used to be a bass player for a local band that broke up. The three of them played together a couple of times and it instantly felt electric. Songs that Louis put down on paper were coming alive, but they all felt like something was missing. It wasn't until Ziggy, also an alpha, joined them with his keys and Liam became their manager that things really took off. The Rogue was born and thus began the greatest journey of Louis' life.

Five years deep, they'd just released their sophomore album and were embarking on the U.K. leg of their second headlining world tour. It was their most successful year yet. The album, Modern Idiots, went number one on the charts across multiple countries and this was their fastest-selling tour yet. They'd kicked it off in America and Canada before heading to London, their first show on the U.K. leg.

It had been non-stop since things picked up and Louis wasn't ready for any of it to slow down.

Niall let out a crackling snore and Louis flicked his gaze over to his bandmate. The beta was curled up on his large business-class seat, wrapped in his blanket like a burrito. Louis reached over to shake Niall awake. Once the gate opened, their security team was going to hustle all of them off this plane before the rest of the passengers could start moving, so Niall needed to be up and ready to go. Louis certainly didn't want to stick around for any longer than he had to. Plane rides were efficient, but he hated the mixing scents in such a contained space. He could only take it for a certain amount of time before he was done. Unfortunately, Niall didn't budge. He only snored louder, which made Liam, who was sitting behind them, snicker in amusement. He motioned to Louis that he would handle it and gently roused Niall from his slumber.

Two rows ahead, Ziggy and Christian were chuckling about something with their stylist, Hannah while unbuckling their seatbelts and stretching out their limbs. The plan was for everyone to head to their respective houses before reconvening tomorrow for soundcheck at the venue. Louis was very much looking forward to the alone time. As much as he loved his bandmates, sharing an Airbnb with them for months was enough to drive anyone crazy. He missed being in his own space and his own messy bedroom with the fairy lights hung up around the walls. He missed having a wank without worrying if three other people would hear him and smell his arousal.