FicWad

"Slash!" Axl yelled from the back room of Vicky's apartment. "Where the hell are my contact lenses?" Slash sighed as he heaved himself off of the couch. He didn't know where Axl's stupid contacts were, and the singer probably knew that. But, he'd throw a hissy fit anyway, unless Slash helped him. Axl came into the living room eyes blazing. Slash knew by now not to get in his way.
"I'm not going anywhere until we find them." He stated, brushing past Slash. "Those fuckers can wait all day, I don't give a shit." Just then, Vicky came out of the kitchen.
"They're not in there, Axl." She said. Axl turned around and headed toward the kitchen himself. She looked at Slash who just shrugged.
"You know how he is." He said simply. "He'll make them wait, you know he will." They were already late for a meeting with the people who could possibly give them a recording contract. It had been in the works for a few months now, and they were just some dotted 'i's and crossed 't's away from it actually happening. Axl came back out of the kitchen, and walked out the door. Slash watched as he headed for the restaurant across the street.
"Okay, we're gonna have to find those fucking lenses." Vicky sighed. So, she and Slash commenced turning the apartment upside-down. Not that it was in such great shape to begin with. Ever since Vicky had let the band crash at her place, they had slowly but surly begun to decompose the whole thing. Vicky had been keeping all the windows, and sometimes the door open at night just to alleviate the smell.
Finally Slash found the small container underneath the couch, probably right where Axl had left it. He shook his head and smiled. Pocketing them, he called for Vicky, and walked to the restaurant to get Axl. The owner, whom Slash had spoken to on occasion, said he didn't know where Axl went. Another patron sitting at the bar said he'd seen the 'skinny little red-head with the bad attitude' walk up the back stairs leading to the roof. Slash rolled his eyes, and went up. He found Axl sitting cross-legged on the gravelled top. He sat next to him.
"Whats up?" He asked. Being with Axl for the past year had led Slash to learn a little about his weird quirks. And usually when Axl was in one of his 'moods' just talking to him for a minute would smooth things over.
"Couldn't find my fuckin' contacts." Axl said simply. He didn't look at Slash, but continued to stare out in the distance.
"Yeah, I know." Slash said. "I found them under your couch. So, what's really up?" Axl just shrugged. "Axe?" Slash pushed. Axl finally looked at him. It never failed to surprise Slash how strikingly fierce Axl's eyes could be sometimes. How they changed color with his mood, and how they shaded when Axl wanted to fade into the background at parties. Slash had been under the belief from the very first time he'd met Axl that, given the chance, he'd be able to hypnotize an entire stadium of people. That's why he knew to follow Axl. Because only with Axl did he know they'd make it.
"Everything's gonna get fucked." He finally stated. He let out a breath, as if he'd been holding something in. "You know we're the most demanded band on the Strip right now? I've seen what happens to bands that start out like us. They flame out. I don't want that." So that was what was bothering him. He'd been acting strange for the past few days, getting worse as this meeting drew closer. Slash just sighed.
"I don't know how to make you feel better, Axl." He said. "All I know is that this type of deal is what we've been waiting for. What we've been working our asses off for. You know better than anyone what it's like not to have anything. I'm sick of sleeping in the gutters, man. Sick of waking up, and having no money....no food." Axl looked back into the distance. "Hey, you know what Tom promised us. He seems like a good guy. I don't think they're gonna fuck us over. And what if they try to mess with our music?" Axl's eyebrows knit together.
"We kill them." He said. Slash laughed.
"Yeah, something like that." He said. "So, you wanna do this, or what?" Half and hour later, they were in the office, signing papers.



***


"Congrats, you guys!" One of the strippers shouted over the crowd. Slash looked up, as she poured Axl yet another shot. He was getting shit-faced, which was rare. Slash was usually the first one drunk at parties, but Axl was packing them away like a pro. He just laughed and downed another shot of vodka.
"Hey, we fuckin' did it, man!" Steven came up, slurring his words in Slash's ear. "It's gonna be easy livin' from now on, dude!"
"Don't know how easy it's gonna be, but they better give us the fuckin' money soon." Izzy said. He was sitting next to Slash, sipping from a glass of scotch. "Maybe we can all get our own places now. Stop moochin' off Vicky." Slash knew Izzy was feeling guilty about leaving her out of the contract. After all, they needed a manager that knew the business inside and out, and Vicky was just too small-time for what they had in mind.
"Hey, don't I know you?" He heard Axl shout from across the room. He looked up to see Axl yelling at some guy. "Yeah, I think we talked once."
"Well, looks like the party's over." Izzy said, noticing who it was Axl was yelling at. "Thats the fucker that keeps heckling Axl at all our gigs." Izzy started to get up, but Slash stopped him.
"I'll get him." He said. He knew that drunk Axl was not someone anyone wanted to mess with. Hell, sober Axl wasn't someone to mess with either.
"Got something to say, now, wise ass?" Axl said, moving toward the guy. He was holding a bottle of beer, which in about ten seconds could be broken over this guys head. Slash grabbed Axl's arm.
"Hey, man, lets get outta here." He said, not wanting yet another bar fight to start and end with them. It usually ended up with one or more of them bleeding, and kicked out of the bar, which meant no more booze.
"Oh, hey Slash!" Axl said, pulling away. "You remember this little fucker from the other night?"
"Look, man, I'm just here for a drink." The guy said.
"You best get the hell away from here if you know whats good for you." Slash said. He didn't try to sound threatening, just stating a fact.
"Hey, we got problems over here?" Steven came up, obviously loaded. "Hey, Axl, this fucker botherin' you?"
"Steve, I think Kelly's over there with a drink for you." Slash said, trying to distract him. It worked somewhat, until the guy spoke again.
"Look, I'm not leaving." He said.
"Oh, really?" Axl said. "Why don't I bust your head in, like I did the other day?" Slash tightened his grip on Axl's arm. But it wasn't Axl Slash should've been holding onto. All he saw was a blonde blur as Steven tackled the guy to the floor. They knocked over a few tables, pushed some people into eachother, and that was it. The entire bar erupted. And two local police officers chose just that moment to enter the building.
"Oh, perfect." Slash said. He began pulling Axl towards the back entrance, as the police scanned the crowd. Slash knew exactly why they were there, and he wasn't about to let them arrest Axl for something else that wasn't his fault. Once they reached the safety of the alley, Slash let go of Axl.
"Well, what the fuck, Axe?" He asked. "Now we can't go back inside."
"Hey, you do what you want, Slasher." Axl was laughing. He tripped over some garbage, and fell. He began laughing histerically. Slash watched as he attempted to get up a few times.
"Now I'm your fucking babysitter?" Slash said, annoyed. But he knew that he couldn't leave Axl by himself. He'd already found him once, passed out on a park bench, stripped of shoes, jacket, and of all things, his bandana. Axl just didn't know where to pass out. So, as much as he wanted to go back in the bar and get wasted, he decided to pick up his singer, and half-carry him back to Vicky's.
"You know that song by that band?" Axl asked, halfway to the apartment. It surprised Slash, who'd thought he'd passed out, seeing as he was basically being dragged down the street. "It's like us."
"What's like us?" Slash asked.
"You know, that song, about the two people." Axl continued. He started to hum a tune Slash had never heard before. "Because you got my back, man. I can't talk to Izzy and them about stuff." Axl continued. Slash looked down at him. His eyes were closed, and he was humming again.
"What do you mean? You talk to Izzy all the time." Slash said. Axl was quiet, this time Slash was sure he'd passed out. Then he whispered, "Not like the way I talk to you. Can't with them. Always complicated." Slash pulled him closer as he stumbled a little.
"Really?" Slash said. Axl mumbled something incoherently. They were finally at Vicky's. Slash pulled him into the empty apartment. He was about to put Axl down on the couch, when he was suddenly pulled into a hug. Axl gripped his neck with more force than he'd thought someone that drunk could have. He hugged him back, not exactly sure what was going on. Axl let out a soft sigh into his hair. Slash took a shaky breath, suddenly nervous. He lay Axl down, more gently this time, but Axl held onto his neck. He looked at Slash, his eyes bright green. Slash felt a tightening in his stomach. In that breif moment, he had an inexplicable urge to close the distance between himself and Axl. He was confused, and admittedly freaked-out. But not in a scary way. It was more, this-is-weird-but-I-like-it way.
"Hey, guys." Vicky walked in just then. Slash pulled away, leaving Axl laying halfway on the couch. She looked at Axl. "Party hard?"
"Uh, yeah." Slash said, scratching his hair. "I just brought Axl home, cuz the cops were trolling for him again." Vicky looked at him, and shrugged.
"Whatever, I'm going to bed. Dont let Steve bring home any gutter-rats tonight. I gotta get up early." She walked out of the room. Slash sighed with relief. She hadn't noticed the way he'd been looking at Axl when she'd walked in. He looked back down. This time he was sure Axl was asleep. He sat down and put his head in his hands. Maybe he was more drunk than he'd thought. He took his shoes off and lay down. Maybe things would be clearer in the morning.


***


Things weren't clearer. In fact, things were a whole lot more confusing. Slash hadn't slept at all, and he was tired as hell. He stared at the clock and closed his eyes. Nine-thirty seven in the morning. Usually he would have just crashed out a few hours before. But he'd spent the entire night on the floor directly underneath the couch where the person that all of his thoughts were centered around slept. That moment, that strange, exciting instant last night in which he'd seen Axl in a completely different way wouldn't leave his mind. And it didn't help that Axl was softly snoring less than two feet away from him. He'd looked up at him, stared at him, traced his eyes over every line of his face. Something had definately changed, and Slash didn't know how to deal with it.
Axl moaned, and shifted slightly, his hand falling off the side of the couch, and landing on Slash's chest. He felt his heartbeat pick up. He gazed at Axl's hand, not knowing whether to push it off or not. Instead, he just lay there. He could feel the heat coming off of Axl, and he scooted closer to the couch. Axl moaned again. "Just sound mmpgh -ing up...." Axl was talking in his sleep. Slash knew that he did this on occasion, but never really paid attention to what he said. "How's it gonna work..." Axl mumbled. He was quiet for a few minutes, and Slash leaned his head toward him. Axl shifted again, and this time his hair fell over Slash's face. Slash inhaled, taking in the different scents that came off it. He could identify a mixture of sweat and booze, but something else, too. Maybe lavender? He knew that Axl used Vicky's shampoo instead of using the little money he ever had on his own bottle. Slash closed his eyes, and inhaled deeply. Suddenly, Axl growled. It was a raw animalistic sound that reminded Slash of a pent-up ferocious wildcat. He opened his eyes, and saw half of Axl's face, his green eyes blazing. He gasped as he realized Axl was awake. He sat up, and moved away from the couch. Axl growled again, and grabbed his head.
"What the hell did I drink last night?" He moaned. Sitting up slowly, he put his head between his knees. "Think I'm gonna hurl." He whispered. Slash just sat there, waiting. Had he seen? Had Axl noticed what he was doing? He slowly realized that Axl probably wasn't in any state to notice anything. He kept moaning and rubbing his head. Slash sat next to him.
"You okay?" He asked. Axl shook his head, eyes closed.
"What the hell happened?" He asked.
"Well, you got loaded, tried to pick a fight with someone, the cops showed up, and I dragged your ass home." Slash recounted. Axl lay back down.
"Did I at least get in a few good hits?" He asked.
"Well, you might've if Steven hadn't tackled the guy first." Slash said. Axl chuckled. He loved seeing Steven get in fights. Nine out of ten times the drummer got his ass handed to him by guys three times his size. "But I think you scared him away from ever coming to a Guns show again." Axl smiled. Slash got up, and headed into the kitchen.
"You want some juice, or something?" He called back.
"Got any eggs?" Axl asked. Slash opened the refrigerator. He was surprised, but there was actually four eggs in the container. Usually their food consisted of ketchup, pickles, and maybe if they were lucky, a bag of bread. He cooked up the eggs, not even bothering to whisk them. Not feeling very hungry, he just poured himself a glass of suspicious looking milk. He handed the eggs to Axl, and sat down.
"So, you really don't remember last night?" Slash asked, not wanting to go into any detail of what took place after they'd made it back to the apartment. Axl shook his head, mouth full of eggs.
"Not even a little." He said, glancing at Slash. "Why, something interesting happen?" Slash just shook his head. He got up then, not able to sit anymore. He had to get out of here, attempt to clear his head.
"I'm gonna go for a walk. You know, I'm feeling kinda sick." Axl stared at him, but Slash just walked out into the cool morning. He'd walked for about five minutes when he heard footsteps behind him.
"Yo, Slash!" He heard Axl call. "Whats up, you alright?" Slash turned around and saw Axl jogging toward him. He was wearing his leather pants and no shirt. Slash moaned. Why couldn't he just go back to not noticing things like this about Axl? It had been less that twelve hours, but everything had changed. He saw Axl so differently now, and he couldn't even begin to understand why. Axl slowed down, and walked up to him. He looked confused. "Whats goin' on?" Slash just scratched his hair, a nervous habit that he couldn't break.
"Nothing, I just felt like a walk." He turned around, and continued walking. Axl stood there a minute, then followed.
"Did I like, do something to you last night? Like, did I say something?" Axl pressed. "Cuz you're acting really weird." Slash kept walking.
"No." He answered. "I just....I dunno." He honestly didn't know what to say, so he just kept walking. Axl didn't take the hint, and followed.
"Hey." He punched Slash in the arm. "Let's go find the other guys. We gotta work on some new stuff."
"I don't know where they are. They never came back last night." Slash said. Axl just looked at him. Slash seriously needed to get away from him if he was going to sort anything out.
"Look, I'm just gonna go hang out with Marc, or something. See you later, okay?" He said. Axl looked a little hurt, and Slash immediataly wanted to take it back. But Axl just shrugged.
"Whatever, man. See you later." Axl turned around and headed down the street. Slash sighed. He kept walking, and thinking.
What the hell was going on? He wondered. Axl wasn't acting any different. He knew he wasn't, either. So, what then? He closed his eyes and pictured that moment for the hundredth time. He could see clearly Axl's eyes, the way his hair fell around his face.....his perfect face. How his lips had been parted so slightly....Slash opened his eyes, and shook his head. Stoppit! He yelled at himself. Axl was his friend. His friend who was a guy. He felt crazy. But hard as he tried, he couldn't get rid of this. Couldn't dispell the image of Axl, in his arms, gazing right back at him. "Aaagh!" He shook his head again, more violently. This was going to make his life so much more complicated....
That evening, he met the rest of the band at the Troubadour. They had a show that night, and he purposefully skipped rehearsal, not showing up until five minutes before they were due to go on.
"Slash, where the fuck you been?" Duff asked when he walked in. Slash plugged his guitar in, ignoring him. He didn't meet anyone's eyes, but knew they were all looking at him. It wasn't like him to miss rehearsal.
"Slash, where have you been?" Axl came up to him. He knew that tone too well, and knew that he'd get nowhere ignoring it. He raised his eyes up, looked at Axl, and swallowed. Damn why does he have to have those eyes? Slash wondered. They were so distracting. "Well?" Axl pushed. Slash just looked at him.
"I....lost track of time." He finally said.
"Well, don't let it fuckin' happen again." Axl said. He walked offstage, and headed for the bathroom. He looked at the other guys. Steven was smiling, and Duff and Izzy were fiddling with their guitars. It was kind of an unspoken law that if Axl reprimanded you, the other bandmates would lay off. The P.A. announcer came on then to introduce them. Axl came back onstage just as they started You're Crazy. Axl danced around like a man possesed. They swung into My Michelle, and Slash walked around behind Axl, careful not to let him get too close. He kept his eyes on his guitar. Axl was just too distracting. Slash was having a bad time, which was throwing off the entire performance, and everyone could tell. Duff and Izzy kept glancing at him, but he just looked straight down. When they went into their rendition of Heartbreak Hotel, Axl kept putting his arm around Slash, who stiffened every time.
After the show, he was the first one out of the bar. He knew the others would stay behind and have some drinks. It gave him some time to himself. Which admittedly wasn't what he needed. He'd had all day to himself, and nothing was clearer. What he really wanted was to talk to Axl, hang out with just him, and see if what he was feeling was anything real. But he was terrified of what he might discover about himself. He walked down the Strip, not really paying attention to where he was going. He found a dive bar and headed inside. Ordering a shot of jack, he sat there, his head down. He recognized the tune playing over the radio, and let himself sink into it, not wanting to think about anything.
He'd been there maybe half an hour when someone sat next to him. Looking up, he saw Axl, chin on hand, staring at him. "You're not so easy to find." He said. He ordered a beer, and kept staring at Slash.
"What?" He asked. Axl just shrugged.
"You tell me." He said. "What was up tonight? You haven't played that awkwardly since....well, never I guess. What's up?" He swiveled his chair so that his whole body was facing Slash. He just shrugged and went back to his drink. "Slash?" Axl pressed. He kept looking at his drink, wishing everything would dissapear. Axl sighed. "Ok, guess we're gonna have to do this the hard way." Axl took Slash's drink.
"Hey!" Slash grabbed for it, but Axl held it out of reach. "Axl, give it back."
"Not till you tell me whats going on." He said. "Ever since this morning, you've been acting really fucking weird."
"Yeah, well that was before." Slash said, getting angry.
"Before what?" Axl asked. Slash just got up and walked out of the bar. He knew Axl would follow him, and was joined by the singer less than a minute later.
"Slash, would you fuckin' talk to me?" Axl asked, this time with genuine concern in his voice. Slash turned around.
"I can't talk to you!" Slash said. "I don't know what's going on, okay? I'm just.....I don't know. Confused about some things." Axl followed him as Slash turned down a narrow deserted alley.
"Confused about what?" Axl asked. "You don't.....I mean....you don't want to leave the band,do you?" Slash turned around, and stopped. Axl's face showed real worry.
"No." Slash softened his tone. "I don't want to leave the band." He turned around. Axl grabbed his shoulder, and forced him to turn back around, his face inches away. Slash backed up quickly.
"Talk to me, damnit!" He said. "Who the hell else are you going to talk to?" He had a point, Slash realized. He was able to have pretty good conversations with Duff and Izzy, and Steven was fun. But when it came to real problems he was having, Axl knew that he was the only one that Slash came to.
"Just. Leave. It. Alone." Slash said, emphasizing each word. He turned to leave, and this time Axl grabbed his arm, and pressed him against the brick wall. His face was so close, their noses were almost touching. He was taken completely off gaurd, and didn't fight back. Instead, he just gazed at Axl, breathing fast. Axl's eyes widened slightly, and Slash moved a fraction of an inch closer. He leaned his head in, never breaking Axl's gaze. Axl glanced at Slash's lips, and his toungue flicked over his own. He pressed his chest against Slash, who then grabbed him by the arms. This all happened in a span of less than three seconds. Suddenly, Axl pulled away. Slash took a step forward as he did, but went no further. Axl looked just as confused as Slash felt.
"Hey...." His breath came out in gasps. "Whatever problems you're having....maybe we can talk, like tommorrow, or something...." He backed up even further. Slash just stood there. Axl turned and basically ran back down the alley, leaving Slash by himself.
Did that really just happen, or had he imagined it? Slash knew something definitely had happened. Axl's face had been less than an inch from his. And there had clearly been something in his eyes, if only for a second. Slash scratched his hair, trying to disect the situation. Axl had been a few feet away, then suddenly he wasn't. He'd looked at him....gazed at him. Looked at his lips? Slash couldn't be sure anymore. Maybe he really was going crazy. And now he was going to have to face Axl again. Maybe not tonight, but at some point. He scratched his hair again, and continued walking. Before long he'd found another bar where he knew the owner. Losing his thoughts in booze sounded pretty good at the moment, so he went in.

***

Everything was too loud. It was too bright, too hot, and way too fucking early to be anywhere but in bed sleeping. Those were Slash's thoughts as he was forced by Duff into the studio in which they would begin recording their album. He'd just gotten back not even an hour ago from doing nothing but drinking, and getting high. In fact, that's what he'd been doing for the past week and a half since that night with Axl in the alley. That night....He hadn't even spoken to Axl since then. Whenever he saw him, Axl would either turn the other way, or just ignore him completely. He barely even looked at him. He knew the other guys had noticed this avoidance, but they hadn't said anything. So, Slash didn't try to push it. If Axl wanted to ignore him, treat him like he didn't exist, that was fine. He'd just kept all the thoughts of that night away with booze and smack.
"So, dude, do you got that lick down in the middle of-" Duff started.
"Fuckin' shit, Duff." Slash said. "I got the fucking song down, okay. Lay off." He walked into the studio, and picked up his guitar. Duff just followed. Slash silently cursed himself. He knew he shouldn't take it out on Duff, or anyone else. But he couldn't help but be pissed.
Axl walked in then, wearing his aviator shades so that Slash couldn't even see his eyes anymore. He just turned away and sat on his amp. Steven started beating out a beat on his drums, and Duff came in with his bass. Slash mindlessy played along, no longer even paying attention. He'd played for about fifteen minutes when he became aware that he was the only one still playing.
"-still into all that shit!" He heard Axl yell. Looking over, he saw Steven flick Axl off.
"Fuck you, man!" Steven said. "I'll fuckin' play how I think it sounds good. I'm the fuckin' drummer, not you!"
"Really?" Axl said. "Cuz last time I checked, you-"
"Leave him the fuck alone, Axl." Slash said. He'd said it quietly, and was surprised that everyone was now looking at him. Even Izzy, who usually just ignored everyone else's bitter squabbling.
"What?" Axl asked. He looked at Axl, trying to see through those stupid lenses. He was pissed. Pissed because Axl ignored him, hadn't even spoken to him in over a week. He was pissed because no one should effect him like this. And pissed because Axl wouldn't admit that something had indeed happened between them in that alley.
"You heard me. I said shut the fuck up, you fucking bastard." He said. "Who the hell do you think you are, telling the drummer how to play his instrument?"
"Yeah, anyway!" Steven interjected.
"Steve, shutup." Slash said. Slash was staring at Axl, all the built-up frustration he'd been feeling suddenly burst out. "Why don't you just go and fuck yourself, Axl? No one here can fucking stand being around you. I know I can't. So, that's it. I'm done." Putting his guitar down, he walked out of the studio, Duff calling after him.
He didn't know where he was heading, he just walked. Duff was next to him in less than five minutes.
"Dude, okay, you gotta tell me what's going on with you two." He said. "You've been treating eachother like lepers for over a week. What the hell happened?" Slash knew Duff meant well, but he just didn't get it. Axl was the only person who could ever truly get under Slash's skin and just make him want to hit something.
"He's the one who's been ignoring me, not the other way around." Slash said.
"Okay, but have you tried talking to him?" Duff asked. Slash rolled his eyes.
"Would you, if he was acting like that toward you?" He asked. Duff sighed.
"Hey, I know how Axl can be. We all do." He said it like he was letting off a large amount of steam. "But, it's just the way he is. We gotta accept it, move on, and hope for the best."
"Is that what you'll be happy with? Hoping for the best?" Slash asked.
"I gotta be." Duff answered. "How else is this going to work?" Slash knew what he meant. Their band....everything they'd worked for...the fucking hell tour for christ's sake....had built up to them getting a record deal. A bit of the anger he'd been feeling slowly decreased. He was at least calm enough now to walk at a normal pace.
"Hey, tell you what." Duff said. "How 'bout you call it a day. Me and Izzy can get some shit done without you. Maybe just go hang out at Vicky's for a while. Mellow out a bit." That sounded good to Slash. He agreed and headed to the apartment.
He crashed out on the couch the second he went in. It seemed like seconds later he was awoken by a crash in the kitchen. Getting up, he looked at the clock. He'd been asleep for six hours, and it was dark out.
"Hey!" He called. "Who the hell is that?" Axl looked around the corner.
"Sorry." He said. "Just trying to find my other shoe." Slash rolled his eyes, and lay back down. Axl was constantly losing things. After a few minutes, Slash realized he wasn't going to fall back asleep, so he sat up. Axl came in, one shoe on a foot, the other in his hand.
"Hey." He said, not looking at Slash.
"Thats it?" Slash asked. "Hey? You ignore me for a week, and thats all I get?" He got up, ready to leave.
"Wait!" Axl called. Slash stopped, but didn't turn around. "I'm.....sorry. For everything." Slash closed his eyes. He heard Axl take a few steps toward him.
"Why'd you do that?" He asked. "You could've at least talked to me. Said something." Even if it was the one thing Slash wouldn't be able to bare.
"I wasn't sure if you even wanted to talk. I mean.....I was just......surprised." Axl continued. Slash knew exactly what he was talking about. The alley.... Slash turned around then, and was caught off-guard by how vulnerable Axl looked. He took a step forward, feeling automatically protective.
"Axe..." He said. Axl shook his head.
"You have no idea....Slash I wanted to talk...." Axl said. "But every time I saw you, I lost the nerve. I felt so.....helpless." Slash moved forward. He was now just a foot away.
"We can talk now." He said. Axl looked up. "What are you thinking?" Axl took a breath.
"Confusion." He said simply. "I mean....you....well, you're you. I can't explain it. You've always been just you. And now, suddenly it's like......"
"A completely different version." Slash finished. Axl nodded. Slash could barely breath. He looked at Axl, and all the resentment he'd felt washed away. Here was his best friend, being so honest...Slash decided to do the same.
"Axl....I-" Suddenly he wasn't a foot away from Axl. He wasn't even a few inches. Axl grabbed at him, pulling him in with an eagerness that stunned Slash. But he gave in, and finally he was able to rest his endless debating. This was his friend. The best friend he'd ever had, and now he was so much more, Slash could hardly comprehend it. He stopped thinking, and just surrendered. Axl tasted just like he thought he would. He pushed him against the wall, and in turn, was pulled. He raced his hands over Axl, savoring every curve, every contour of him. Axl's hands were in Slash's hair, running through his thick curls, down his face, down his back....
They broke apart, panting for air. Axl's eyes knit together, and he pulled Slash against him again. Before either of them knew it, they were on the couch, Axl's shirt crumbled up in Slash's hand. He couldn't get enough. He had never felt this eager for another person in his life. It was something raw, and he reveled in it. And Axl was more than willing to let him. Suddenly they heard a noise. Someone was coming in.
Axl grabbed his shirt, as Slash jumped off the couch, buttoning his pants. Axl got the shirt back on just as Duff came in.
"Hey, guys." He said. Slash smiled at him as he tried to control his breathing. Duff looked at them. "You guys work things out?"
"Oh, uh....yeah." Axl said. "We're cool now. Nothing to worry about." Duff smiled.
"Good, because I was starting to really get annoyed with the pissy way you both have been acting." Duff said. "Anyway, just need to get some cash." He grabbed his wallet off the coffee table. "So, we're all headed over to the Roxy. Faster Pussycat's playing tonight. You guys coming?"
"Oh, yeah." Slash said, looking at Axl. "We'll be right there." Duff just shrugged.
"Okay, well see you there I guess." He grabbed his jacket and left. They sat there for a minute, just looking at eachother.
"So....." Slash said. "Does this mean we're no longer fighting?" Axl smiled, made his wildcat growl, and tackled Slash. Two minutes later they were in the only room in the apartment that actually had a lock.