Muke One-Shots

Sickly Sweet

requested by @StacyStonier
this is terribly late I'm rlly sorry, don't hate me pls
hope it doesn't suck x
if you're a little squeamish, might wanna skip this one.

~

Michael noticed that Luke was ghostly pale as soon as he walked into the studio. He didn't look like his slightly tanner self lately, and offered him some water.

"Uh, yeah. Water would be nice." Luke said, clearing his throat after, seeing as Michael cocked an eyebrow when his normally smooth voice came out scratchy and hoarse.

"You alright, mate? You need anything else?" Michael asked one more time, standing up from the couch. Luke shook his head, sitting down on the couch that he claimed was his own, even if Ashton bought it two years ago. Michael reluctantly nodded, going to get the boy some water.

Luke sighed, knowing he should probably go see some doctor about this little bug, but he figured he could deal with it until John lets him go for the day. He's skipped too many sessions as it is with his previous migraine and stomach bug, forcing Calum to come and take care of Petunia and him both, since Arzaylea was visiting family. (Luke thinks Calum likes Petunia more than him in a day than in over a decade. Traitor.)

But when Michael thought about how after Calum was finished in the studio that Luke would be next, he decided to go the extra mile and hunt through the cabinets until he found some tea that was supposed to help with sore throats.

Luke heard the microwave and figured that Michael was making some food, too, so he shook his head and pulled out his phone, texting Ashton how Michael was making himself some food instead of getting him water.

But he was surprised when Michael yelled, so he looked up and saw the blonde-brunette   boy holding a mug and glaring at the floor.

"Fucking hell," Michael muttered, looking up and seeing Luke looking at him with a bewildered expression, and then start laughing.

"What was that?" He asked, his voice still a bit scratchy and hoarse. Michael flipped him off and stepped over the puddle of tea, handing the cup to Luke, who definitely wasn't expecting Michael to make him the tea that he bought for John when he had a cold. "Thanks."

"Your throat seemed weird, and that's supposed to help, so I figured why not? Can't hurt." Michael said, being his modest self. Luke shook his head with a small smile and drank from the mug, chatting with Ashton, who was looking after Petunia while he was gone.

~

After Luke had finished his tea and could speak normally, he still felt like his stomach was churning. He thought that it was the weird restaurant Calum took him to last night, and just continued on.

Calum walked out of the studio and nodded to Luke, who got up and said a hello to the Maori. He walked into the studio, and thanked John mentally for the dimmer lights, blaming his lack of open windows and fluorescent lights in his home.

"Alright, Luke - you feeling alright?" John asked. He furrowed his brow at Luke, noticing his unusual paleness.

"Yeah, I'm good." Luke said, relived that his voice was back to normal.

"Alright. You remember the chorus, right?"

"Yep."

"Whenever you're ready, then." Luke nodded, and began to sing, stopping and changing things along the way as John asked.

About thirty minutes into the recording, Luke's stomach was hurting and he blamed him lack of breakfast, but when he felt bile creeping up his throat, he knew something else was wrong. He tried to finish the last verse, and as soon as it was over, he tore off the headphones and kneeled over the trash can, vomiting.

John cringed for a moment, before quickly walking out of the room and calling for one of the boys to come and help him with Luke.

"What's happening?" Michael asked, looking up from his phone.

"Luke's puking into a trash can," John started, "and I don't feel like vacuuming up puke, so can you both help me calm him down and get him to the bathroom?"

"I can't handle puke. If I see puke, I puke." Calum said, his face twisting into disgust. John sighed, and Michael got up from the couch, slipping into the studio.

Luke was hunched over in the recording booth, gagging and coughing up bile. Michael walked in and pushed the hair out of his face as he retched again, chest heaving.

"Luke, do you think you can make it to the bathroom?" Michael said, watching as Luke tried to control his heavy breathing, nodding. "Alright. Come on, we'll go slow." He said, pulling Luke up gently. He ignored the disgusting smell, but was astonished that Luke managed to keep it in the bucket.

They walked out of he studio, with Michael holding onto Luke's bicep and guiding him by the shoulders to the nearest bathroom. John mouthed him a thank you, and Calum steered clear of Luke's line of fire.

Michael got Luke into the bathroom and sighed as the blonde leaned over the toilet and gagged again, so he got down next to Luke and rubbed his back, before harshly pressing on his stomach.

He cringed as Luke vomited into the toilet bowl, but pushed his long hair back anyway. Luke slowed his breathing and spat out the rest of the lingering bile in his mouth.

"You good?" Michael asked. Luke nodded and let go of his iron grip on the toilet, leaning against the wall.

"Didn't Calum just come down with the flu a few weeks ago?" Luke asked quietly, and Michael nodded, before realisation hit him.

"And you're the one that went over to his house to take care of his dog, weren't you?" Michael asked. He nodded, face palming himself.

"I'm an idiot, aren't I?"

"Yep."

~

An hour later, Luke was curled up in his own bed, the blinds drawn and curtains closed. Michael had already gotten his flu shot earlier in the month, so he drove Luke home and made sure he wasn't going to puke all over himself.

"You didn't have to do this, you know." Luke said, half asleep as Michael sat down on his bed.

"Do you honestly want to be here alone?" Michael asked, and smiled as Luke shook his head instantly. "That's what I thought."

"You're a good friend, Michael. Fucking great friend."

Michael's smile faltered, and he was glad that Luke's eyes were closed. "Yeah, I guess I am." He murmured, hearing the small snore that indicated Luke was asleep. He pushed his hair out of his forehead and sighed, going to clean out the halfway filled puke bucket.