Archive of Our Own

“What’s with the yelling?”

“Zayn’s on the phone to his alpha,” Louis grumbles, watching the omega on the balcony, pace back and forth as he has his phone glued to his ear. “Zayn’s clearly not happy about something.”

“He’s been yelling for like five minutes. Why haven’t you gone out there?” Niall asks the beta, frowning.

“Because, it’s not my place. Zayn isn’t part of our pack. We can’t just- fuck. This fucking sucks, Niall,” Louis groans. “He’s clearly unhappy with that alpha. Why can’t he just leave him and be with us?”

“Because, they’re bonded, and it’s not easy for an omega to leave an alpha when they’re bonded like the two of them are,” Niall says. “We all want him just as badly, but we cannot force him away from his alpha. That’s cruel.” He sighs, and pushes Louis over so he can sit next to him.

Finally, Zayn walks back inside, though he looks visibly upset.

“Everything okay?” Louis asks as soon as he sees Zayn.

Zayn blinks, and looks up at the two. “Shit. Sorry. I didn’t mean to be so loud on the phone. Did you-?”

“It’s fine,” Louis quickly cuts him off, shaking his head. “No relationships are perfect. Everyone fights. Just, you know you can talk to us, right? You don’t have to be so awkward about your alpha around us.”

“I don’t want to make you guys uncomfortable. I know how-” Zayn gulps. “I know how the alpha’s are.”

“Don’t let Haz and Li hear you talking about them like that,” Niall giggles. “They don’t care, Zayn. They- They just want to make sure you’re happy, and that you’re being taken care of.”

Zayn frowns at that. “What do you mean? James takes care of me,”

“Shit. That’s not what I meant. “They’re just protective, because even though you aren’t in our pack, you’re still unofficially in our pack. They just fucking care about you, alright?”

Louis huffs out a lot. “Way to be subtle, babe,”

Zayn can’t help but roll his eyes. “Yeah, well can you tell them to back off a little? James doesn’t like it. He’s got a jealousy issue. He already doesn’t like that I’m off with two alpha’s,”

“Who are bonded,” Niall grumbles under his breath.

“Is that what you two were fighting about on the phone?” Louis asks curiously.

“What? No,” Zayn shakes his head. “I’m just trying to get him out for the London show tomorrow, and he’s being so fucking stubborn about it. Is it too much to ask for my alpha to be there for me?”

“Absolutely not,” Niall replies instantly, standing up. “What you’re doing is- it’s absolutely incredible, Zayn. What we’re doing. Omegas working the way we do. No traditional alpha wants to see that.”

“James is proud of me. He just-”

“Zayn,” Niall warns. “I’m only saying this because I care about you, but you deserve an alpha who would fly across the world in a heartbeat to see you perform at the O2 Arena in front of thousands of fans.”

“Stop,” Zayn takes a step back, unable to hide the emotion in his voice. “Don’t talk about James like he’s a bad guy. He’s not. He cares about me, and he loves me.”

“We never said that, Zayn. We’re just saying you deserve better,” Louis tries as well.

“You shouldn’t have to beg your alpha to come support you during one of the biggest tours of your life,” Niall says. He reaches forward to touch Zayn’s arm, but Zayn snaps his arm back. “Zayn-”

“You don’t get a say in this . You have two alpha’s who are constantly with you,” Zayn snaps.

“And if they weren’t with me, they’d drop anything if I asked them to come see me,” Niall snaps back.

“The hell is going on in here?”

Niall looks over, and sees his alpha’s walking into the room. “What-?”

“We can feel you through our bondmarks,” Liam says, nodding towards Niall.

“Is everything alright? What’s got you so upset?” Harry asks, walking over to the Irish omega.

Zayn snaps. “You’re upset?” He asks, glaring at Niall. “You’re not the one who has to be miles and miles away from his alpha every day.” Zayn scoffs, and storms out of the dressing room.

“Okay. What’s going on?” Liam asks, throwing his arms up.

“We tried to talk to Zayn about his alpha. He didn’t like what we had to say,” Louis tells him.

“Boys,” Liam groans. “We’ve talked about this. No matter how much we want him, we can’t. He’s taken, and there’s nothing we can do about that. Stop trying to meddle.”

“But he’s clearly unhappy!” Niall exclaims. “It’s not even about how he’s bonded with another alpha…”

“It kind of sounds like that’s what this is about, Ni,” Harry says calmly.

Niall scoffs, and pulls away from Harry. “I thought we were all on the same page here?”

“Yes, we are, baby. But, we have to take Zayn’s feelings into consideration here too,” Liam warns softly. “You can’t just rip a bonded omega from his alpha. I can’t even describe how awful that would be for him.”

“I know that. I would never wish for an omega to go through something like that, but he’s clearly unhappy, and I just want to see him smile again,” Niall pouts.

“We know, sunshine, you’ve got such a good heart,” Louis whispers as he walks behind Niall, gently wrapping his arms around him from behind. “But, all we can do is look after Zayn the best we can,”

Before the interview, Niall goes to find Zayn, wanting to apologize to him.

“Zayn?” Niall calls as he walks down the hallway. One of their security guards had informed Niall that Zayn’s been wandering around the halls, glued to his phone. Niall looks up, and sighs when he sees Zayn leaning against the wall, texting on his phone. He doesn’t look upset, just focused. “Zayn?”

Zayn’s head snaps up, and sighs in relief when he sees that it’s just Niall. “Is it time?”

“Almost, but that’s not why I came to find you,” Niall says.

“Your alpha’s actually allowed you to walk the halls by yourself?” Zayn teases.

Niall rolls his eyes. “Right. I’ve got Paddy and Preston close by, so technically, I’m not walking by myself,” he says, before walking up to Zayn. “I didn’t want the interviews to be awkward. I just… I wanted to say I’m sorry. I mean, not solely because of the interview thing. Because, I feel bad. Honestly.”

“Niall, you don’t have to apologize. I’m the one who was being a dick,” Zayn says.

“Don’t. Please. You’re missing your alpha. I totally get it. I hate being away from my alpha’s for more than twenty minutes, but they’re always near me. But, bloody hell, Zayn, you have to go weeks without seeing your alpha sometimes. I can’t even imagine how that must feel,”

“It’s the worst feeling in the world,” Zayn admits. “I- I know you guys think he doesn’t care, but he does. Sometimes his work gets in the way, and he can’t make it out to see me. But, he tries.”

Niall nods. “I believe you. I just hate seeing you so upset sometimes,” Niall says.

“Niall Horan!”

Niall yelps at the booming sound of his alpha’s roar, and immediately hides behind Zayn.

Zayn laughs at that, unphased by Liam’s roar, because it’s not directed at him. “Shit, Niall. You really didn’t tell them that you were going off? Nice knowing ya, mate,”

Niall whines. “Shut up, I’m not here! You never saw me!”

Zayn looks up and sees Liam storming towards them. “Hi Liam,”

Liam scowls. “Niall, how dare you take off without telling Harry or I that you were going?”

Niall slowly steps out behind Zayn. “It’s not like I was running off outside! Besides, I- I didn’t take off, Liam. I actually went and found security first, like you always tell me too. I wanted to talk to Zayn alone,”

Liam sighs as he stares at Niall. “I’m proud of you for getting security, but you have to tell me or Harry if you’re going off by yourself. Not knowing where you are- you don’t know what that does,” he warns.

“I’m sorry,” Niall apologizes, walking up to Liam to kiss him. “It won’t happen again. Promise.”

“Better not,” Liam growls, and pulls Niall into a rough kiss.

Zayn sighs as he watches the two, before sulking off.

Niall instantly pulls away when he hears footsteps disappearing, and groans when he sees Zayn. “Oh, dammit. You totally ruined my plan!” He turns to look at Zayn. “Shit. Does anyone have James’ number?”

“Why do you need his number?” Liam asks, frowning at Niall.

“Because, as much as I hate his stupid face, Zayn is miserable without seeing him,” Niall grumbles. “Come on. We’ve still got time. I need to make a phone call.”

Finally, Niall gets James’ number from Paul. Paul had his number for emergency purposes only.

Liam stays with Niall as he makes the phone call in their dressing room.

“Hello?”

“Hi!” Niall greets cheerfully, and glares when Liam can’t help but laugh. “Uhm, hi. It’s- It’s Niall.”

“Niall?” James asks. “As in, Zayn’s bandmate? How did you get my phone number?”

“Well, I begged Paul to give me your number until he got annoyed with me,” Niall admits. “Anyways. Uh, you’re aware that our London show is tomorrow, right? Like, it’s our biggest show yet.”

“Yes, Zayn won’t let me forget that it’s tomorrow,” James sighs.

“So, why aren’t you on your way here?” Niall asks. “All of our friends and family are coming. Well, everybody except for you, clearly. Look, I know that Zayn doesn’t ask for much, so the fact that he’s asking you for this one thing and you won’t even consider coming down-”

“You can’t do that to me. You don’t know my personal life,” James growls.

“No,” Niall says, unphased by the alpha’s growl. “But, Zayn is important to me. He’s my best friend, and I’m sick of seeing him so miserable because you’re not here. I just want to see him happy.”

“Zayn’s miserable?” James asks, his tone changing. “He’s been telling me that he’s happy.”

“Zayn’s a terrible liar. As his alpha, you should know that,” Niall says. He looks up when there’s a knock on the door, and sees Paul poking his head in.

“Ten minutes til interviews, boys. You two need to get in action,” Paul says.

“We’ll be there in a few,” Liam says, nodding to the phone in Niall’s hand.

“Better be,” Paul grumbles before walking out of the room.

Niall rolls his eyes. “Anyways. Don’t make me beg. I shouldn’t have to, and neither should Zayn,”

“Look, I’d love nothing more than to make it tomorrow. I’m drowning in work, and I’ll get so behind if I skip just one day. But, I’ll see what I can do. I’m not making any promises,” James warns.

~~~

Zayn takes deep breaths as he paces back and forth. He’s just watched his mom and sisters take off, because the show is about to start in a half an hour, and he’s freaking out.

If only his alpha were here to make him feel better. It’s not fair. The other four boys have each other, and Zayn doesn’t have the comfort of his alpha to make his nerves go away like Niall does. Even Louis. Despite being the beta of the group, Louis has somehow wormed his way into the pack.

“Zayn, calm down, babe. Everything’s going to be just fine,” Liam tries to assure him.

“Yeah, we’re going to smash it as always!” Niall exclaims, grinning.

“This is the biggest show of our tour,” Zayn grumbles. “What if I forget my lyrics tonight? What if I mess up the choreography? God, I don’t need to see people making fun of me online.” He groans.

Niall frowns as he watches Zayn panic, wishing there was something more he could do for his best friend.

“Knock, knock. Sorry for the interruption,” Paul says, popping inside the room. “But, we’ve got a visitor-”

Niall looks over, and perks when he sees James walking in behind Paul, because he can’t believe James actually showed up. He looks over, and rolls his eyes when he sees Zayn pacing still. He walks over to his fellow omega, and turns him so that he’s facing James.

Zayn’s eyes widen as soon as he spots James. “Oh my God. Jay?”

“Surprise, sweetheart,” James says, grinning at Zayn.

“You came!” Zayn squeaks, before running over to James and jumping into his arms, hugging him tightly. He melts into James’ arms as James wraps his arms around him. “Missed you, alpha.”

Liam watches Zayn fondly, and looks over to see Niall scowling. He laughs, and throws his arm around Niall, pulling him close. “You did the right thing, babe. Look at him,” he whispers, nodding towards Zayn.

“I know. I just hate that alpha,” Niall grumbles. “But, I’ll do anything to see our Zayn happy.”

Zayn pulls away as he looks up at James. “I can’t believe you made it. I thought you said-”

“You should thank your nosy little friend over there,” James says, nodding his head over towards Niall. “He gave me a call, and made me realize that I needed to be here with you.”

Zayn frowns as he looks over at Niall, who only smiles innocently at him. “It’s that Irish charm of mine,”

Zayn rolls his eyes. “I’ll thank you later, Ni, but I’d like to spend some alone time with my alpha,”

“TMI!” Louis shouts, laughing when Harry whacks him on the shoulder.

Zayn huffs, before he grabs James’ hand, and he quickly leads the way out of the dressing room. Luckily, he finds an empty room to use, and locks the door shut. He gasps when James suddenly grabs him, and pushes him against the wall harshly. “James, wh- what are you doing?”

“I came all this way to see you during one of the busiest weeks at work,” James growls.

Zayn whimpers. “I- I just needed to see you, alpha. Needed you,”

“Now I’m here, sweetheart. How much time have we got, hm?” James whispers, kissing Zayn’s neck.

“Before a show?” Zayn squeaks as his eyes widen.

James pushes up against Zayn. “Are you gonna decline your alpha?”

“No, I- I wouldn’t ever,” Zayn replies quickly. He glances at the nearest clock in the room. “We’ve got twenty minutes. We’re gonna have to be quick.”

“We haven’t seen each other in weeks. Don’t worry about that, babe,” James smirks.

Zayn moans as James pushes him up further on the wall, and he wraps his legs around his alpha’s waist. “Don’t you dare mess up my hair, James. Lou will kill me,”

“Such a bossy little omega, aren’t you?” James chuckles, before kissing Zayn roughly.

“You love when I’m bossy,” Zayn mumbles against his lips.

When they’ve finished, it’s ten minutes until showtime. Zayn says goodbye to James as he goes to sit with the rest of Zayn’s family in their seats. Zayn walks back to the dressing room. He looks up and blushes when he sees the other boys staring at him, clearly knowing what they’ve just done. “Shut up,”

“You gonna be well enough to do the show, eh, Zaynie?” Louis teases.

“I said shut up,” Zayn hisses, glaring at Louis. “I haven’t seen him in weeks.”

“Ah, come on, give him a break, Lou. Zayn has to put up with us horny idiots all the time, and he hasn’t seen his alpha in weeks. He deserves this,” Niall says.

Zayn looks over at Niall gratefully. “I- I don’t know what you said to make him come, but thank you,”

“I probably just said to him what you said to him a thousand times,”

“Fine, don’t tell me. I just wanted to say thanks,” Zayn says, pulling his fellow omega into a tight hug.

Niall laughs as he hugs Zayn back, taking in the hug while he can, because he doesn’t get many hugs from Zayn these days. “You would have done the same for me,”

“Well, us omega’s gotta stick together, right?” Zayn grins at his best friend.

The show was one of the best ones they’ve done throughout the tour so far. Everyone sounded amazing, and Zayn killed all of his high notes. The energy was the best they’ve had. Even Zayn had more energy than he usually does on stage, and the crowd could see that. He was so happy, knowing that his alpha was in the crowd, watching him. Zayn is always in a better mood when his alpha is around.

“That was amazing!” Niall exclaims, a wide grin on his face as he and the boys walk backstage.

“Zayn, you seriously killed it. Your high note in Rock Me had the whole arena shook,” Harry says.

Zayn blushes at the compliment. “I was just… really feeling it, I guess,”

“I’d say. I can’t wait to check Twitter later and see everyone freaking out,” Niall laughs. He turns to look at Liam. “Please tell me we’re going out to celebrate tonight. I’m too buzzed to sleep right now.”

“Yeah, babe. Of course we are,” Liam says, throwing an arm around Niall. “We just gotta wait for our friends and family so they can join us. We’ll go to that one restaurant that’s omega friendly.”

Niall grumbles, hating that they have to go to restaurants specifically omega friendly.

“I know, Ni. But, it’s not just you and Zayn going to be there. It’s also friends and family,” Liam says. “Besides, I don’t know why you hate those places. They’re giving jobs to omega’s who need them.”

“Yes, but we shouldn’t have to have places specifically for us,” Niall snaps.

“Niall’s right. If alpha’s would just learn keep their hands to themselves, and not be arrogant bi-”

“Zayn,” Liam warns, glaring at the omega.

Zayn glares right back at him, not afraid to challenge an alpha. “Arrogant little bitches, then we wouldn’t have to have those places and omega’s would be able to work in normal jobs,”

Liam sighs. “Yeah well, unfortunately we’re not there in our society yet,”

“How depressing,” Niall scoffs, shaking his head.

Zayn looks over and grins when he sees James walking towards them. “Jay!” He rushes over to him, melting into James’ arms when James opens his arm. “Did you like the show?”

“Of course I did, babe. You were incredible, as you always are,” James says, leaning down to kiss his omega’s forehead. “I’m glad I got to see it tonight.”

Zayn smiles as he looks up at James. “I’m glad you came, thank you,”

“Sorry to interrupt. Will you be joining us for tonight, James?” Liam asks.

“For what?” James asks, looking up at Liam curiously.

“We’re going out to dinner to celebrate,” Niall tells him. “I mean, how can we not after that show?”

“So late?” James asks, glancing down at Zayn.

“It’s kind of the only time we have before we get back on the road,” Harry says.

“Won’t fans be swarming you guys?” James asks, frowning.

“I mean, kind of. We call the restaurant that we’re coming ahead of time,” Liam says. “They’re really good at keeping fans out of the restaurant. We’ll have security and everything, if you’re worried about that.”

“Will you come with us, please?” Zayn asks, tugging on James’ arm.

James chuckles. “Well, how could I say no to that face?” He bends down to kiss Zayn on the lips.

Eventually, the boys find themselves at the restaurant with their friends and family. They’ve taken over with everyone who is joining including friends, family and security.

“How did you even manage to get these tables? This place is-”

“Being famous does have its perks, James,” Zayn replies with a grin. “Restaurants can’t say no to us because it brings their business even more business. I mean, you saw all the fans outside.”

“Yes, I saw them,” James says, before wrapping a protective arm around Zayn.

Zayn can’t help the smile that forms on his face, loving when James is protective of him.

The boys are led to a table, including James. After they order their food and drinks, Zayn tells James that he needs to use the bathroom. This time, he actually gets to go by himself without security because of the omega friendly restaurant. One of the good things about these restaurants.

However, when five minutes pass by, and Zayn isn’t back, James starts to grow worried.

“You can go check on him if you’d like,” Niall finally says, seeing the look on James’ face.

“No,” James shakes his head, letting out a sigh. “Zayn hates it when I constantly check on him. He likes to do stuff on his own, and I try to let him whenever I can.” His head suddenly snaps up when he feels fear through Zayn’s bondmark. He growls, causing Niall to cower, and hides by Liam.

“James, is everything okay?” Liam asks worriedly, wrapping a protective arm around Niall.

“Zayn’s in trouble,” James growls, before standing, and storming towards the bathroom. He slams the bathroom door open, and sees Zayn being cornered by an alpha. He’s trying to fight him off, but the alpha is clearly stronger than him. “Bastard. Get away from my omega.”

Zayn yelps when the alpha is pulled off of him. He watches with wide eyes as James throws kicks and punches at the alpha, before tossing the alpha out of the bathroom, making sure he calls security.

Once the alpha is dealt with, James walks back into the bathroom, marching right up to Zayn.

“Alpha! I- I didn’t-” Zayn whimpers, unable to find words to speak after the incident. He gasps when James slams him against the wall. Zayn immediately bears his neck for the alpha.

James grabs a hold of Zayn before biting down onto his bondmark.

Zayn gasps as the alpha’s teeth sinks into his skin. He closes his eyes for a moment.

When James finally pulls away after cleaning the bite, he looks at Zayn in his eyes. “Did he touch you?”

Zayn winces. “N- No alpha, I- I tried-”

“Hush,” James warns. “Get cleaned up. I don’t want you out of my sight the rest of the night.”

“Alpha-”

“Do as I say omega, now,” James warns, glaring at Zayn.

Zayn takes a deep breath, before walking over to the sinks. He looks up at his reflection, and sighs. Tonight had been such a good night, and now it’s been ruined by some psycho alpha.

Once Zayn is cleaned up, he and James walk out of the bathroom. He keeps his head down as he walks back to their table. He can feel eyes on him, and it’s making him feel awkward.

Zayn sits back down in his seat, watching as James sits right beside him.

“Zayn-” Zayn looks over, and sees the other boys watching him worriedly. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Niall,” Zayn lies, rubbing his arm nervously.

Zayn can’t be more relieved once they get back to the hotel.

“You should get ready for bed. You’ve got a travel day tomorrow,” James says.

Zayn turns to look at James. “Are you leaving tomorrow?”

“You know I have to, Zayn. I have to get back to work,” James says.

Zayn huffs. “Why can’t you just come with me for a couple of days?”

“We’re not having this conversation again,” James warns. “You’re going to get upset no matter what I say, and me the same. There’s no solution to this.”

“I’m taking a shower,” Zayn mumbles. He starts to walk away, but stops when James grabs his arm. “James. I need to take a shower. I still smell him on me.”

“You really want to spend our one night together fighting?” James asks.

Zayn takes a deep breath as he stares at James, before grabbing James’ hand, and leading the way into the bathroom. He’s still upset, but he’s too exhausted to fight with his alpha.

Zayn hates saying goodbye to his alpha, but he knows James has to go back home to work.

“Give him some time, love,” Liam says when Niall desperately wants to comfort Zayn after James leaves.

Niall whines. “But he’s so sad again,” he looks up at Liam.

“He’s like this every time James has to leave. It’s natural,” Liam assures him. “You’re the same when Harry or I have to leave you, even just for a little bit. Just give him some time by himself.”

Zayn keeps to himself for a couple of days, before Niall finally drags him out to the lounge where he and the other boys are lounging about as they drive to their next tour stop.

“I’m bored. Zayn, do you wanna play FIFA with me?” Niall asks, turning to look at Zayn.

“You’re just going to beat me, and then I’m going to get mad at you. I think I’ll pass, Niall,” Zayn says. He glances at the TV. “Why are we watching the gossip channel? I thought we didn’t watch those.”

“There’s nothing else on,” Harry answers. “And we couldn’t agree on a movie to watch.”

Zayn rolls his eyes playfully, before leaning back against the couch, trying to relax. He pulls out his phone, and sees that James still hasn’t responded to any of his messages. He sighs sadly, sending another text.

“Alpha James Evans was seen last night at a bar, surrounded by omega’s-”

Zayn’s head snaps up as soon as he hears the woman on the TV speaking about his alpha. His heart is pounding against his chest as he listens, knowing this isn’t going to end well.

“Oh no, Zayn, don’t-” Niall begins, immediately reaching for the remote, but Zayn pushes him back.

“Don’t,” Zayn warns, his eyes glued to the TV, his heart breaking as he sees pictures of James with other omega’s at his side. Zayn never thought he would see this happen. He and James have been together since he was fifteen. They were put together by their parents, but they quickly fell in love…

“Evans is known for being the alpha to Zayn Malik, omega of One Direction. He was seen getting cozy to omega’s all night, and even seen getting in a car with a female omega at the end of the night. Could this possibly mean that Zayn has split from his alpha? What are your thoughts, Sarah?”

“It doesn’t make any sense to me, Taylor. James was just seen looking loved up with Zayn the night of One Direction’s London show. There’s only one possible explanation for this-”

“You think Evans is cheating on his omega?”

“He’s moved on very quickly if he and Zayn have split,” the woman, Sarah, argues.

Zayn immediately stands up, storming out of the lounge without saying a single word.

“That bastard,” Niall hisses, grabbing the remote and turning off the TV.

No one talks to Zayn after Zayn had stormed out. He spends most of the night trying to get a hold of James. He doesn’t get any sleep. It’s early in the morning when James finally answers Zayn’s calls.

“What the hell, Zayn?”

“No, you what the hell?” Zayn hisses, trying to keep his voice down. “You think I wouldn’t find out?”

“Watch that tone of yours, omega,” James growls.

“Don’t,” Zayn snaps. “You don’t get to do that. How- How could you do this to me? To us?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Zayn,”

“You cheated!” Zayn cries, taking a deep breath. “You had those omega’s all over you!”

“What are you talking about?”

Zayn scoffs. “Stop trying to make me look crazy, James. I saw the pictures. They talked about it on TV. You’ve been seeing other omega’s while I’ve been away,” he chokes on a sob. “It all makes sense, now. Why you’ve never wanted to come see me. You were too busy seeing other omega’s.”

James lets out a sigh. “You’re always gone, Zayn. What else am I supposed to do?”

“Be loyal to me!” Zayn cries. “You- You think this isn’t hard on me? But I’ve never- I’ve never cheated.”

“Zayn, you need to come home so we can talk about this,” James says calmly.

“No,” Zayn scoffs, tears welling up in his eyes. “I don’t want to see you again.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Zayn. We’re bonded,” James says, and Zayn can hear the worry in his voice.

“Bondmarks can disappear after time,” Zayn whispers. His heart breaks just thinking about no longer being bonded to James, after being together for so many years, but he can’t be with someone who isn’t loyal to him. How can Zayn trust that James isn’t going to cheat again?

“Zayn, you don’t want to do this,” James warns. “You know I’ve always loved you.”

“But I’m clearly not enough for you,” Zayn snaps. “I’ve made up my mind, James. We’re- We’re done.”

“Zayn-”

Zayn hangs up on him before he can say anything else. He buries his face in his hands, letting out a sob, as tears pour out of his eyes. He has no idea how he’s going to get through these next few months.

Zayn startles when he suddenly feels a hand on his shoulders.

“Hey, it’s me. It’s okay,”

Zayn looks up and he sees Liam through his watery eyes. He immediately falls into Liam’s arms, allowing the alpha to engulf him into a comforting hug. Liam places himself on the couch beside Zayn, gently pulling the omega into his lap so he can properly hug him.

“Shh, it’s okay, it’s okay,” Liam whispers, holding Zayn close.

“It’s not okay,” Zayn cries as tears fall out of his eyes. “My alpha-”

“Shh, you don’t have to talk about him, it’s okay. Just let me be there for you,” Liam whispers.

Liam doesn’t leave Zayn throughout the morning. The other three boys don’t bother them either.

“There’s no way Zayn’s going to be able to finish the rest of the tour. Not when he’s going through an unbonding process. I’m no omega, but even I know that’s one of the most difficult things to go through,” Harry says as he stands with Louis, Niall and Paul. “He needs to go home.”

“Go home?” Niall hisses. “We’re not sending him back to James.”

Harry rolls his eyes. “I meant his family, you spoon,”

“Oh,” Niall mumbles. “We- We can do it as a four piece. Can’t- Can’t we?”

“It’s not ideal, but we’ve done it before,” Louis adds. He looks over at Paul.

Paul lets out a sigh. “Normally, I’d agree with you, Louis. I know you four can finish the tour. But, Zayn’s been clinging to Liam all morning, refusing to let go. I don’t think he’ll be so quick to leave Liam’s side. He’ll need a familiar alpha with him to take care of him.”

“You’d think he wouldn’t want an alpha around like that, after losing his,” Louis says. “Right?”

“So, you’re saying we have to cancel the rest of the tour?” Harry asks, frowning.

“We either cancel, or postpone the dates for later in the year. It could take months for Zayn to recover,” Paul says. “Whatever you three decide, it’s up to you. I’m sure Liam will back you up.”

“We postpone,” Niall says. “The fans at least deserve a show. They spend tons of money to see us.”

Paul nods. “I’ll talk to management, and we’ll release a statement on Twitter later. We won’t say why, other than there’s been a family emergency. The fans don’t need to know-”

“They already know. Everybody’s been talking about it on Twitter,” Louis says. “Damn gossip sites.”

“We’ll talk care of it. You boys pack, and let Liam know of the plan,” Paul says, before walking away.

Harry turns to look at Niall. “I know you don’t like sharing, but Zayn needs Liam. Will you be okay with Liam spending time with him? He could be gone for-”

Niall quickly shakes his head. “Harry, you know how I feel about Zayn. You know that I’ve always wanted him to be pack. Whatever Liam has to do, I’m okay with. Of course I want Zayn to recover, and I want him to be okay. I just hope Zayn will trust us enough one day to-”

“I know,” Harry whispers, pulling Niall into his arms. “That could be a long way away though.”

“We should go talk to Liam, let him know that we’re going home,” Louis says, looking at the two.

Harry nods, and the three make their way back onto the bus. They had to the lounge, where Liam still is sitting with Zayn in his lap, arms protectively wrapped around him.

“Li?” Harry says quietly.

Liam lifts his head as soon as he hears Harry’s voice.

“We’re going home,” Louis tells him. “We’ve decided to postpone the rest of the tour dates for Zayn. Paul says management will release a statement later. Zayn needs time to recover, and heal.”

“And, we think Zayn should go home to his family. You should go with him,” Niall says.

Liam frowns. “Ni-”

“It’s okay,” Niall reassures him. “I’ll have Harry and Louis. Zayn needs you more than us. I trust you.”

“We trust you,” Harry adds, glancing over at Niall, before looking back at Liam. “We’re going to pack for you and Zayn, okay? Just keep doing what you’re doing. Don’t leave his side.”

“I wouldn’t ever,” Liam says. He looks at Niall, and holds one of his arms out.

Niall smiles a little, and walks over to hug Liam carefully. He kisses him once, before pressing a kiss to the sleeping omega’s forehead. “Love you,”

“Wait a second, are you talking to me or Zayn?” Liam asks curiously.

Niall grins. “Both,” he says, before walking back over to Harry. “Come on, we’ve got packing to do.”

When Zayn wakes up again, he’s sleepy and groggy.

“Li?”

“I’m right here, babe,” Liam replies quickly, moving to sit beside him again.

“Where are we?” Zayn asks, blinking.

“On our way home,” Liam tells him. He sighs when Zayn’s head snaps up. “We’re going home, because the boys decided that it would be best to postpone the tour, and I agree with them.”

“Wh- What? No!” Zayn exclaims, shaking his head. “No, you can’t do that!”

“Zayn, you’re not in the right state to be performing every single night, especially when you’re going through an unbonding process. We want you to have enough time to heal,” Liam explains.

“I need this,” Zayn begs. “Please, Liam. Performing is the only thing that keeps me going.”

“Zayn,” Liam warns. “You have to trust me on this.”

Zayn whimpers. “Of course I trust you. I- I-”

“This will be for the best. You’ll be able to focus on yourself, and I’ll be there to help you,” Liam tells him.

Zayn gasps. “But Niall, and- and Louis-”

“They’re the ones who suggested that I go with you, so they are more than okay with this,” Liam says. “They have Harry, so they’ll be in good hands. Don’t worry about anything.”

“You know me, Liam. I worry about everything,” Zayn complains.

“Well, that’s true,” Liam chuckles, gently running a hand through Zayn’s hair, seeing the omega relax. “Besides, it just shows that you’re caring, and that’s a good quality to have.”

“Because I’m an omega,” Zayn grumbles.

“No, because you’re you, and I wouldn’t change you for anything,” Liam says softly.

“I don’t want to postpone the tour,” Zayn mumbles.

Liam frowns as he stares at Zayn, and his heart is just breaking for the young omega, who didn’t ask for any of this to happen. “I know you don’t, Z, but it's the best thing to do for your mental health right now. You need to go home, and allow yourself some time to heal, if- if you are not going to be with your alpha. It’s going to hurt, whether you want to admit it or not. Unbonding is a terrible thing to go through. I mean, that’s what I’ve heard at least,” Liam whispers.

“How- How could everything go so wrong?” Zayn asks, looking up at Liam. “I thought we were happy.”

“I’m sorry, Zayn. You don’t deserve this,” Liam whispers, before pulling Zayn into a comforting hug.

Eventually, they make it to the airport where the boys are heading home. Harry, Louis and Niall are all heading to their home in London while Liam is heading to Bradford with Zayn.

“I’ll be back before you know it,” Liam says as he hugs Niall in the airport.

“I know,” Niall mumbles, burying his face in Liam’s chest, knowing he won’t see him for a while kills him, but he knows that Zayn needs the alpha more. Niall’s got Harry, and he’s got Louis.

“We’ve got to get going before we miss the flight,” Liam says as he pulls away from Niall. He glances over at Harry, who instantly steps forward and gently pulls Niall back, wrapping his arms around the omega. “We’ll see you soon.” He looks over at Zayn. “Ready to go?”

“No,” Zayn complains. “I don’t want to go home. I want to finish the tour.”

Liam sighs, and gently places a hand on Zayn’s arm, but Zayn immediately pulls away. “I know, love,”

“Call us as soon as you get to Bradford,” Harry says, smiling reassuringly at Liam.

“Take care of them, Harold,” Liam warns as he points at Harry, as he and Zayn start walking away.

Harry huffs. “Please. Like I’d let anything happen to my pack,”

Liam smiles at him, before turning, and walking away with Zayn.

“Now what?” Niall asks, pouting. He looks over at Liam. “How are we going to survive without Liam? He’s- He’s our pack leader!” He throws his arms up.

“Relax, sunshine,” Louis says as he gently places his hand on Niall’s back. “Everything will be fine.”

“And we should get you home before you have a meltdown in the middle of an airport,” Harry says.

****

It feels weird for Zayn to be home when he knows he’s supposed to be on stage right now.

“Sweetheart, I’m so glad you’re home,” Trisha greets as soon as she sees Zayn, pulling him in for a hug. “We heard about what happened. They were talking about it in the news.”

Zayn whines, and buries his face in Trisha’s chest. “I don’t want them to talk about it on the news!”

“I know, and I’m so sorry,” Trisha says, gently rubbing his back. She looks over and is surprised when she sees Liam standing in the doorway. “Oh, Liam. We weren’t expecting you.”

“Hope it’s alright,” Liam says, giving her a small smile.

“Of course it is,”

Zayn looks over as his mom waves Liam inside the house. She lets go of Zayn to hug Liam.

“If it’s alright,” Zayn begins, clearing his throat. He watches as his mom looks over at him. “I’m- I’m tired, so I’d like to take a nap. Can we catch up later during dinner?”

“Of course dear. I’m sure you’re exhausted from all of the traveling,” she says, smiling softly. She watches as Zayn heads up the stairs. She sighs, and looks over at Liam. “How bad is it?”

“Pretty bad,” Liam says. “I don’t want to worry you, but I can’t lie either. Zayn’s taking this really hard, and it’s only going to get worse when the unbonding process begins. That's why we sent him home.”

“Well, I appreciate you for looking after my boy. I’m glad he has someone like you around,”

“Zayn’s pack. He always has been, and I look after my pack,” Liam assures her.

****

It doesn’t take very long for Zayn to become depressed after he gets home. He hides in his room, despite Liam trying his best to coax him out, knowing it’s not good for him to stay cooped up in there.

Zayn’s not usually a crier, but there’s been a few nights where he’s cried himself to sleep, desperately wanting to see his alpha even though James cheated on him.

It’s two weeks after Zayn gets home when things go downhill.

James shows up at Zayn’s doorstep, and Liam is angry as soon as he sees him. He quickly goes to slam the door in his face, but James stops him. James growls at him. “Where is my omega?”

“He’s not your omega anymore,” Liam growls back. “You’re not stepping foot in this house.”

“Liam, what’s going on?”

“Nothing, Trish! Just getting rid of an unwanted visitor!” Liam shouts. He tries to shut the door again, but James stops him once more, and steps into the house. He slams Liam against the wall.

“How dare you try to keep me from seeing my omega?”

“He stopped being yours the second you started sleeping around with all those other bloody omega’s!” Liam hisses. He groans when James punches him in the face, his head banging against the wall.

“James!”

James looks over and sees Trisha standing in the hallway.

“You can’t be in here! I’ll call the police if you don’t leave!” Trisha shouts.

“I’m not leaving. Not without Zayn,” James growls, before storming up the stairs.

Trisha gasps, and rushes over to Liam. “Liam, honey. Are you okay? Oh my God-”

“I’m fine,” Liam shakes his head, and pushes himself up. “Call the police. I’ll try to keep James away from Zayn.” He says, before running up the stairs.

Zayn is laying in his bed, tears on his cheeks, when the door slams open. He gasps, and looks over to see James bursting into his room. “James!” He gasps, sitting up. “James, what are you-?”

James growls, causing Zayn to whimper, causing him to want to submit immediately. James walks over and pulls Zayn up, a little harshly, before slamming his lips against Zayn’s.

Zayn grips onto James’ shirt, unable to keep himself from kissing him back.

“Mine,” James growls. Just as he’s about to bite Zayn’s neck, he’s being thrown off Zayn.

“Liam!” Zayn cries. “Don’t! Stop Liam!”

Liam immediately looks over at Zayn with anger in his eyes. “You can’t be serious, Zayn. You seriously think I’m going to let him touch you? After everything he’s put you through these last two weeks?”

Zayn whimpers. “He’s- He’s my alpha! You can’t hurt him!”

Liam scoffs, and bends down to grab James by the collar. “He’s not your alpha anymore, Zayn, and I swore to you that I wouldn’t let you go back to him. You asked me to do that, so I’m doing it,” he snaps, before dragging James out of the bedroom, despite James’ protests.

“James!” Zayn cries, tears pouring out of his eyes. He feels torn. Zayn knows deep down inside, that he doesn’t want to go back to James after all the cheating he’s done, but his omega is telling him otherwise. Zayn whines, and falls onto the bed. His head snaps up when he starts to hear James and Liam fighting. He wants to go out to the hall, but he knows it’s not safe to.

Ten minutes later, the police finally show up, dragging James out of the house.

When everything has calmed down, Zayn finally gets the courage to walk out of his room. He stops when he sees Liam slouched up against the wall, Doniya looking over him. Liam looks exhausted.

“L- Liam?” Zayn asks, slowly stepping forward.

“Don’t,” Liam warns, refusing to look at Zayn. He shakes his head when Doniya tries to look at the bruises on his face. “I’m fine. I don’t need to be looked after. I need- I need to talk to Niall. I need my omega.”

Zayn freezes at the mention of the other omega, and he instantly feels sad and jealous. He knows that he’ll never be officially a part of their pack, and it hurts.

Doniya helps Liam stand up. “I’m looking at those bruises later. You’re not getting out of that,” she warns.

“Fine,” Liam grumbles, before making his way down the stairs, without saying another word.

Doniya sighs as she looks over at Zayn. “Liam almost killed himself trying to keep James from you,” she says. “And you’re not even going to tell him thank you?”

“I- I wanted to see James. Liam took him away from me!” Zayn cries.

“You don’t want to see James,” Doniya shakes her head. “That’s just you’re omega talking. James only wants you now because he knows he’s fucked up. That’s the only reason why he came today. I’m sorry.”

Zayn stares at his sister, before running back into his room, slamming the door shut.

When Liam is sitting outside on the porch, he FaceTime’s Niall, needing to see him again.

“Liam!” Niall greets as soon as he sees Liam, but frowns when he spots the bruises on Liam’s face. “Liam, what the hell happened to you? My God- is that a black eye?”

“James paid us a visit today,” Liam grumbles. “Nearly got myself killed trying to protect Zayn.”

“God,” Niall whispers. “Are you okay? Is Zayn okay?”

“I don’t know what else to do, Niall. I can’t get Zayn to do anything when he’s cooped up in his bedroom. He’s barely eating. I- I’ve tried everything. I feel like I’m failing him,” Liam complains.

“You’re not failing him,” Niall tries to tell him. “You just protected him from a dangerous alpha-”

“Zayn didn’t want me to protect him,” Liam scoffs. “He kept begging for James when I dragged him away, and I know it’s his omega. Zayn would never do that in his right mindset. I just- I don’t know. I miss you.”

“I miss you too,” Niall says softly. “Wish I could come visit you.”

Liam perks up at that. “Maybe you could?”

“That wouldn’t be a good idea, Li. Me coming over to Zayn’s house could trigger him, and I don’t want to upset him,” Niall says. He sighs as he stares at Liam. “I’m sure things will get better.”

Liam huffs, and slumps down in his chair, feeling defeated. “Doesn’t feel like it,”

“It’s still the early stages of his unbonding process,” Niall tells him. “It’ll get worse before it gets better.”

Liam talks on the phone with Niall for a bit longer, before he finally hangs up and goes upstairs to check on Zayn. He feels bad for how things went down, and wants to talk to him about it.

“Zayn?” Liam calls, knocking on the door, before slowly pushing it open. He walks in, and sighs when he sees Zayn curled up in his bed. “Zayn. Can- Can we talk?”

“Go’way,” Zayn mumbles, not even looking at Liam.

“Zayn,” Liam begins, and he slowly walks over to Zayn’s bed, taking a deep breath as he stares at the back of the omega. “I’m really sorry-” He doesn’t even know why he’s apologizing to Zayn. He just protected from a psycho alpha. “I just wanted to protect you. I just-”

Zayn bolts up, turning to look at Liam with wide eyes. “I’m not yours to protect!”

Liam blinks, shocked by Zayn’s outburst. “Zayn-”

“You’re not my alpha! You already have an omega! So just go home, Liam!” Zayn shouts.

“You-” Liam begins. “Fuck you, Zayn. After everything I just-” He scoffs, and turns around, storming out of the bedroom without saying another word.

Zayn lets out a sob. “Liam,” he chokes out weakly. “Liam.” He scrambles to his, and runs out of his room, racing down the stairs as Liam is about to leave the house. Zayn runs over to him, throwing himself on him. “Don’t go. Don’t go. Don’t go. Please. I didn’t mean it. I didn’t mean it.”

“Zayn,” Liam breathes as Zayn continues to ramble, begging Liam not to go. “Zayn, stop.”

Zayn whimpers at the command, and instantly looks up at Liam.

“I know your emotions are high right now, but I- I need to know if you want me to stay or not,” Liam says. “If not, then I’m going to go home where I’m wanted.”

“Stay,” Zayn begs. “Please. I- I can’t lose you too. Everybody keeps leaving. Please stay.”

Liam takes a deep breath, and shuts the door behind him. “Okay. I’ll stay. But, we have to talk. Okay?”

Zayn whines. “Do we have to talk now? I’m so tired,”

“We’ll take a nap,” Liam says, chuckling when Zayn sighs in relief. “Then we’ll talk.”

“You’re not doing anything until I look at those bruises,”

Liam groans as soon as he hears Doniya’s voice, and looks over at Zayn’s sister. “Doniya, come on,”

“No. I’m a beta, and it’s my duty to make sure you’re being looked after. Besides, we were taught how to look after people with injuries like yours, because alpha’s are stupid. Go-” She points to the living room.

Zayn giggles. “Alpha’s are stupid,” and Liam can’t even be mad after he’s heard Zayn’s cute giggle.

Things slowly start to get better after that.

Of course, Zayn has his bad days, especially when his bond mark starts fading. He becomes depressed, but Liam doesn’t allow him to coop himself up in his bedroom. He watches a movie with him, or gets him to paint something in his art studio, or they’ll write lyrics together. Anything to help him recover.

When it reaches month three of being away from his pack, Liam is itching to see them again. He has never gone this long without seeing his pack. It’s killing him, but he can’t leave Zayn by himself.

So, when Zayn suggests he and Liam go out and meet the boys at a local coffee shop, Liam says yes.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Liam asks.

“Liam, you’ve done so much for me the past three months. Like, you’ve literally given up pack time to be stuck with me. This is the least I could do for you. Besides, I kind of miss the boys too. I just hope they’re not too mad at me for postponing the tour. I can’t stand the thought of Niall being mad at me,”

“Trust me. They’re really not mad at you, babe,” Liam says, and opens the door, letting Zayn inside the coffee shop. It’s empty, except for the three boys and their security team. Harry rented the place out.

“Liam!”

Liam looks up, and grins when he sees Niall, and instantly opens his arms, sighing contently when Niall runs up and falls right into his arms. “Oh, God. I’ve missed you so fucking much, Niall,”

“This has been the longest three months of my life without you,” Niall cries.

“Zayn, good to see you again, mate,”

Zayn looks over and sees Louis walking up to him. Zayn immediately pulls him into a hug, surprising both Louis and Harry. He’s not really one to be cuddly with the pack. “Missed you,”

“Missed you too,” Louis breathes as he cuddles into Zayn’s side. “Feeling better?”

“I’m getting there. It’s- It’s been really hard, but I’m slowly getting there,” Zayn whispers.

“You look good,” Harry comments, smiling at Zayn. “You’ve been taking care of yourself, yeah?”

“Yeah, of course. I’ve got that big oaf making sure that I do,” Zayn says, pointing at Liam.

“Excuse me,” Liam huffs, though he still keeps his arms around Niall tightly. “This big oaf kept you from being miserable. You should be thanking me.” He playfully glares at Zayn.

Zayn grins. “Yeah, yeah. You’re the best. Is that what you wanted me to say?”

“Of course he’s the best,” Niall says, squeezing Liam.

After the boys all reunite with each other, Harry pulls Liam aside.

“Have you talked to him?” Harry asks.

“Harry,” Liam warns. “He’s still going through the unbonding process. His mark is fading, but it’s still there. It’s not the right time to ask him about joining our pack.”

“But, do you think that he would say yes if we asked him?” Harry asks hopefully.

“Yes,” Liam answers confidently. “Yes, I do think he would say yes to us. We’re just not there yet.”

“That’s all I need to know,” Harry says. He grins, reaching up to kiss Liam. “Oh, and Liam. Never ever leave me alone for that long with those two idiots again. They’re menaces, I tell you!”

Liam laughs, and throws his arm around Harry, leading the way over to the table where his pack is.

“So, tell me boys. What have we missed?” Liam asks, and he grins as soon as Niall and Louis start excitedly chatting about everything they’ve been doing the past three months, being separated. For the first time in a long time, Liam can see Zayn relaxing around his boys. He’s happy, and being himself, and that’s all Liam really wants for him to be.