Guns Fic
Title: Circus Days.
Author: Screamer06
Pairing: Axl/Duff
Status: COMPLETE
Warning/Summery: Axl sees an unexpected face at the circus.
Disclaimer: Fiction. No money, not mine, don’t sue.
Axl came home after running a few errands. He took off the cap, his hair falling free from where he had tucked it. He took off the large sunglasses and hung them from the front of his shirt. He heard little screams of delight and splashing as the children played in the pool. He leaned on the kitchen counter and watched them play.
“Are you sure you’re going to be okay with them?” Karen asked concern in her eyes.
“Karen I looked after them when they were babies, tiny tiny babies so I’m sure we’ll be fine.”
“Okay but they can be a handful and fight like cats and dogs.” Karen replied checking the bag once again.
“What brother and sister doesn’t. Besides when Uncle Axl is cross he means business. Now if you don’t leave you’ll miss it all together.”
Karen was nervous. It was the first date in years and she was trusting Axl Rose to look after Jacob, 7, and Bonnie, 5, her two children both had dark eyes and brown hair and Bonnie was very much her mother. Jacob was a little dare devil who didn’t know the meaning of fear and you had to have several pairs of eyes to keep tabs on him. Axl and Karen had met when she was 9 months pregnant with Bonnie. Bonnie was born that evening backstage and Axl had never been so scared in all his life while Karen leaned up against him, her back to his chest and squeezed his hands as she pushed her daughter into the world. It was breathtaking to hear that little person take a big healthy breath and let out an ear splitting cry. Karen had handed the squirming pink bundle to Axl and thanked him profusely with tears in her eyes. Axl could only kiss her cheek and give his congratulations.
Karen left the house with a wave looking more cheerful and confident than she felt. Axl rolled his eyes and ran a bath for the children. He went out to try to coax them in though he was pretty sure it would work.
“Kiddies! Come on in now and have and bath!”
“Oh.” Said Jacob loudly in protest, “I don’t want to go to bed yet, I’m fighting a crocodile!” to make his point further he held the inflatable crocodile in a head-lock.
“Jacob I don’t remember crocodiles being in my pool.”
“Well there is and if I don’t get him he will eat my little sister.” Bonnie wandered across and held Axl’s hand ready for her bath because she knew Uncle Axl always put bubbles in the bath. Besides she was board not being allowed in the pool because if she went in the crocodile will eat her. Axl picked Bonnie up and put her on his hip. He sighed and shrugged dramatically, “Well I guess it’s just me and Bonnie for the circus tonight then.” He announced loudly and made a big show of turning away. Bonnie bounced on his hip feeling very safe on Uncle Axl and clapped. “I go with you Uncle Axl, I will.”
“CIRCUS!” Jacob screamed as he dashed past Axl and put himself in the bath.
X X X
Duff was sipping coffee after an early dinner. He had tickets for the circus and was looking forward to taking his girls along. The Nanny had been given the evening off which she was spending with her family. Duff would be lost without her looking after and home schooling his girls as they travelled from concert to concert. She had bought some stability to his daughters’ lives.
The girls had been instructed to wash their hands and faces and clean their teeth. They now stood proudly before their father for inspection. He ran a brush through each of their hair and admired their pretty dresses which they had chosen to wear.
They were strapped into the car and drove to the Big Top. As the flags swam into view the girls shrieked with excitement. They found a parking space and went to find their seats.
X X X
Axl had taken Bonnie and Jacob out for pizza and regretted not bring Beta along to help control the excited children. Jacob wouldn’t sit down to eat his slice instead he preferred to wander about with it and Axl frequently had to fetch him and place him back at their table. Bonnie was intent on getting his attention too. Tugging on his sleeve and asking to look at his “pictures”, the tattoos that adorned his skin. Pointing to the Appetite art and asking who everybody was and why.
“Who’s that?” she asked, tapping his skin to get his attention.
“Ugh, Duff I think, yeah a man called Duff.”
“Why is he Duff?”
“Because that's his name honey...Jacob! Stop spitting!”
“It’s he your friend, do you love him?”
“He was my friend Bonnie but not...Jake, if you do that one more time I swear....” Bonnie spilt her drink ruining what was left of dinner. Axl scooped Bonnie out the way of the dripping blackcurrant juice, grabbed Jacob by the arm and apologised to the young waiting staff that appeared to clean up the mess. He tucked some dollar bills into the waitresses’ apron, “Sorry I’m so sorry, I swear they’re not mine.” With that he left the pizzeria and practically threw the giggling children into the car. Maybe taking them out wasn’t one of his best ideas. However they found a space and walked into the big top holding firmly on the little hands. He bought popcorn and went in to find the seats.
Jacob managed to slip from Axl’s grip and disappeared and in his distraction Bonnie got loose too. The place was only lit properly in the performance area and there were lots of children about. Axl looked frantically about but could see neither of his young charges.
X X X
Jacob had seen his friend Grace. She was standing holding on to her sister, Mae.
“Hello Grace and Mae.” He waved to them before Bonnie appeared at his side.
“Mae that is a pretty dress, are you going to wear it for school?” Bonnie asked spilling popcorn onto the floor.
“No, this is a special dress for going out.”
“Where is your Mummy Jake?” Grace asked tucking a stray hair behind her ear.
“She has gone out and we get to swim in the pool and eat pizza.”
Grace and Mae turned to see Duff walking towards them. He handed each of his daughters’ toffee apples, warning them to be careful of their dresses.
“Hello Jacob and Bonnie.” He said ruffling Jacobs hair and squatting down to their height, “Who are you with honey?”
“My Uncle,” Jack looked about but couldn’t see Axl, “But I can’t see him now.”
“Well why don’t you and Bonnie come and sit with us for a little while?” Bonnie whimpered getting upset at the loss of a reassuring hand. Mae came forward and gave a cuddle, “Don’t cry Bonnie my daddy will look after you.” Mae tried to give Bonnie her toffee apple to cheer her up but Bonnie shook her head as tears dripped into her popcorn.
“Come on Bonnie, you can sit right next to Mae and shout out if you see your Uncle, Okay. C’mon.” Bonnie took his offered hand and followed, sniffing. Duff sat down with Bonnie stood in front of him he wiped her face with a tissue before hoisting her on to the seat between himself and Mae.
X X X
“Bonnie! Jake!” Axl looked frantically about him. He stood on a chair to get a better view.
Jacob spotted him and waved “Uncle Axl, here I am!” Axl pushed his way through the milling throngs and made a beeline for the waving Jacob. “Don’t ever ever ever run off again you scared the hell outta me, where’s Bonnie?” Slightly taken back he pointed to his sister making her way to Axl. Axl picked her up and held her close. “Don’t let go of my hand again.” He chided her.
“You lost me Uncle Axl.” She said sniffing. It was then he saw Duff, Mae had scrambled on to his lap. The two men looked at each other. Axl noted Duffs eyes still hadn’t changed but he did look markedly older. Duff saw Axl had put on weight, no longer the waif like youth sporting heroin chic. He guessed not all of Axl’s pounds were fat though.
Somebody had to say something...”Ugh, they are friends, they go to the same school.”
“Right.” Axl said coldly before turning abruptly saying cheerily to the confused children, “Our seats are over there, let’s go or will miss the show!”
Axl watched Bonnie and Jacob squeal and shout. Occasionally they would wave to Grace and Mae who were sitting on the other side of the ring. Duff would occasionally catch Axl’s eye. He wanted the children to be together. Duff wanted his daughters to have as much of a ‘regular’ life as possible, they went camping and went to a public school. Axl also felt terrible denying Jacob and Bonnie their friends, it honestly didn’t matter where they sat he thought maybe it was rather childish stomping off like that but he wasn’t going to move now.
The performers came out for the final bow. Jake and Bonnie waved to them, Bonnie received a kiss on the cheek from one of the glittering female acrobats, a smear of lipstick was left behind. The now over-excited children went screamed out of the big top, Grace, Mae and Bonnie clutching hoola hoops and Jake flapping his cape around. Tired and resigned to the fact there was no way he was going to be able to control them Axl followed wordlessly wondering where the hell these small people got their energy from. He watched the four children run about chasing each other figuring they would get tired soon. He lit a cigar and leaned on the fence around the field.
“At least they’ll sleep tonight.” Came a voice next to him, Duff, he hadn’t seen him come but figured he would have been around because his girls where there.
“Small mercies.” Axl managed to reply, switching his phone back on and answering a text from Karen. He put it back in his pocket and took the cigar out his mouth.
“I didn’t know you had children now.” Duff said quietly sipping water from a bottle.
“Oh God no! Not mine, do you remember Karen?”
“No I don’t think so.”
“Yeah she was one of the tec’s wives just before we all....went about our own things.”
“Oh yeah that chick that had the baby back stage?”
“That's the one.” He pointed to Bonnie.
“No way!”
“Yes way.”
“So are you...you know.”
“No I’m not banging her thanks, but I did try I really did...she told me to fuck off. Firm friends ever since.”
Duff laughed at this and Axl joined him. For those few moments it was like all the bad stuff had never been.
“Axl...I...Slash and me, we...”
“Don’t really want to know.” Axl said blowing aromatic smoke through his nose. There was no malice or anger in his words it was merely a statement. There was comfortable silence for a few moments as they watched the children play.
“We’re going to have trouble getting that lot apart.” Duff said, more to hear himself talk, sending out feelers trying to figure out what was going on in Axls head, trying to anticipate his next move. That move took both of them by surprise.
“You could always come back to mine...for drinks, coffee and stuff?” He offered. Duffs eyes widened in surprise and Axl wasn’t quite sure it was him that had said it.
“Uh, yeah sure.” Duff sounded more excited than he wanted to. It made Axl smile,
“Follow my car then, it’s the silver one.” They rounded up the children and put them in the corresponding cars.
X X X
Duff let out a low whistle, Axl looked back smiling, “Changed a bit hasn’t it?”
“Yeah. I like it when you said about having it all white I was dubious but it works.” Duff followed him through into the kitchen. Axl busied himself with the children, fetching cups of milk and settling them on the sofa. Leaving Duff and the kettle the boiling he dashed up to his room and slipped into a pair of comfy jogging bottoms and a tee shirt that had more holes than thread. He made cappuccino and settled on the floor in front of the children who were lined up sitting with milk. Duff perched on a chair and listen to Axl begin a story at the request of Bonnie. He found Axls reading voice very soothing and began to relax. So did the children. Soon thumbs were put in mouths and little eyes drifted shut.
It made Duff think about when he first saw Axl, before he joined the band, before Guns N Roses. Before the arguments and messy endings. The bar Axl worked in was more or less closed. Axl had served him a beer before sitting cross legged on the bar, the lights low and the carpet sticky. That night he had told the tale of the violin that was hanging about the bar. He told how the owner had killed himself for love and his ghost coming back to claim his beloved instrument. He had the few punters hooked. He claimed sometimes, in the flat above the bar where him and Izzy lived they could hear faint music of the violin giving voice to its owners heartbreak.
“Told you they would sleep.” Duff said softly as Axl draped and blanket over the slouching little bodies. Axl answered another text from Karen, reassuring her the children were fine and asleep.
“You want another?” He asked Duff bending the pick up the empty cups.
“Sure yeah why not.”
Axl walked into the kitchen and put the kettle on to warm the coffee pot.
“So how is...everything?”
“Well I’m divorced, again. Slash is still with Perla.”
“Oh, I never thought he would settle.”
“Yeah what a shock huh?” Hearing the news that Slash was happy came as a slap to Axl but he was careful not to show it.
“Sorry Axl, I know you and him had a....”
“How?” Axl snapped, his green eyes suddenly cold.
“I saw you two once, in the studio....and he told me.”
Axl began to shake his voice unsteady, “You were spying on us! He fucking told you?!”
“Shh, Axl the kids are asleep.”
Axl lowered his voice to a sardonic hiss, “How dare you, if this gets out....” the threat was left lingering, cracking in the air.
“I won’t say a word.” Duff tried to reassure him. Axl poured coffee then suddenly turned back,
“Is that why you left Duff, is that why you fucked off?”
“No! No it wasn’t Axl and you know it.”
Axl laughed humourless as Duff folded his arms across his chest and stared out the window. Tears pricked his eyes and Axl continued his torment.
“You ran because you saw us fucking didn’t you? You ran because you couldn’t stand not being Slashes ‘number one guy’ any more, his go-to person...”
“I ran because I was jealous!” Duffs outburst shut Axl up like a kick in the teeth. Duff took a step forward towering over Axl, who had to look up slightly determind not to be the first to break eye contact. “Yeah that's right Axl. I wanted it to be me who kissed you like that, wanted it to be me who ran my fingers through your hair.” Duff ran his hand gently through Axls loose locks and fisted it tugging harshly pulling Axls head back. He leaned in, bringing his lips close to Axl’s bejewelled ear. Diamonds glinted as he whispered, struggling to keep tabs on the sudden temper. Axl was holding on to the side his back against the counter top, his grip white.
“I loved you.” Duff let go and turned to fetch the girls. He carried them out, one on each arm and drove away.
Axl Rose sipped coffee, standing in the kitchen. He opened a news paper, heard the car pull out but didn’t look up.
Author: Screamer06
Pairing: Axl/Duff
Status: COMPLETE
Warning/Summery: Axl sees an unexpected face at the circus.
Disclaimer: Fiction. No money, not mine, don’t sue.
Axl came home after running a few errands. He took off the cap, his hair falling free from where he had tucked it. He took off the large sunglasses and hung them from the front of his shirt. He heard little screams of delight and splashing as the children played in the pool. He leaned on the kitchen counter and watched them play.
“Are you sure you’re going to be okay with them?” Karen asked concern in her eyes.
“Karen I looked after them when they were babies, tiny tiny babies so I’m sure we’ll be fine.”
“Okay but they can be a handful and fight like cats and dogs.” Karen replied checking the bag once again.
“What brother and sister doesn’t. Besides when Uncle Axl is cross he means business. Now if you don’t leave you’ll miss it all together.”
Karen was nervous. It was the first date in years and she was trusting Axl Rose to look after Jacob, 7, and Bonnie, 5, her two children both had dark eyes and brown hair and Bonnie was very much her mother. Jacob was a little dare devil who didn’t know the meaning of fear and you had to have several pairs of eyes to keep tabs on him. Axl and Karen had met when she was 9 months pregnant with Bonnie. Bonnie was born that evening backstage and Axl had never been so scared in all his life while Karen leaned up against him, her back to his chest and squeezed his hands as she pushed her daughter into the world. It was breathtaking to hear that little person take a big healthy breath and let out an ear splitting cry. Karen had handed the squirming pink bundle to Axl and thanked him profusely with tears in her eyes. Axl could only kiss her cheek and give his congratulations.
Karen left the house with a wave looking more cheerful and confident than she felt. Axl rolled his eyes and ran a bath for the children. He went out to try to coax them in though he was pretty sure it would work.
“Kiddies! Come on in now and have and bath!”
“Oh.” Said Jacob loudly in protest, “I don’t want to go to bed yet, I’m fighting a crocodile!” to make his point further he held the inflatable crocodile in a head-lock.
“Jacob I don’t remember crocodiles being in my pool.”
“Well there is and if I don’t get him he will eat my little sister.” Bonnie wandered across and held Axl’s hand ready for her bath because she knew Uncle Axl always put bubbles in the bath. Besides she was board not being allowed in the pool because if she went in the crocodile will eat her. Axl picked Bonnie up and put her on his hip. He sighed and shrugged dramatically, “Well I guess it’s just me and Bonnie for the circus tonight then.” He announced loudly and made a big show of turning away. Bonnie bounced on his hip feeling very safe on Uncle Axl and clapped. “I go with you Uncle Axl, I will.”
“CIRCUS!” Jacob screamed as he dashed past Axl and put himself in the bath.
X X X
Duff was sipping coffee after an early dinner. He had tickets for the circus and was looking forward to taking his girls along. The Nanny had been given the evening off which she was spending with her family. Duff would be lost without her looking after and home schooling his girls as they travelled from concert to concert. She had bought some stability to his daughters’ lives.
The girls had been instructed to wash their hands and faces and clean their teeth. They now stood proudly before their father for inspection. He ran a brush through each of their hair and admired their pretty dresses which they had chosen to wear.
They were strapped into the car and drove to the Big Top. As the flags swam into view the girls shrieked with excitement. They found a parking space and went to find their seats.
X X X
Axl had taken Bonnie and Jacob out for pizza and regretted not bring Beta along to help control the excited children. Jacob wouldn’t sit down to eat his slice instead he preferred to wander about with it and Axl frequently had to fetch him and place him back at their table. Bonnie was intent on getting his attention too. Tugging on his sleeve and asking to look at his “pictures”, the tattoos that adorned his skin. Pointing to the Appetite art and asking who everybody was and why.
“Who’s that?” she asked, tapping his skin to get his attention.
“Ugh, Duff I think, yeah a man called Duff.”
“Why is he Duff?”
“Because that's his name honey...Jacob! Stop spitting!”
“It’s he your friend, do you love him?”
“He was my friend Bonnie but not...Jake, if you do that one more time I swear....” Bonnie spilt her drink ruining what was left of dinner. Axl scooped Bonnie out the way of the dripping blackcurrant juice, grabbed Jacob by the arm and apologised to the young waiting staff that appeared to clean up the mess. He tucked some dollar bills into the waitresses’ apron, “Sorry I’m so sorry, I swear they’re not mine.” With that he left the pizzeria and practically threw the giggling children into the car. Maybe taking them out wasn’t one of his best ideas. However they found a space and walked into the big top holding firmly on the little hands. He bought popcorn and went in to find the seats.
Jacob managed to slip from Axl’s grip and disappeared and in his distraction Bonnie got loose too. The place was only lit properly in the performance area and there were lots of children about. Axl looked frantically about but could see neither of his young charges.
X X X
Jacob had seen his friend Grace. She was standing holding on to her sister, Mae.
“Hello Grace and Mae.” He waved to them before Bonnie appeared at his side.
“Mae that is a pretty dress, are you going to wear it for school?” Bonnie asked spilling popcorn onto the floor.
“No, this is a special dress for going out.”
“Where is your Mummy Jake?” Grace asked tucking a stray hair behind her ear.
“She has gone out and we get to swim in the pool and eat pizza.”
Grace and Mae turned to see Duff walking towards them. He handed each of his daughters’ toffee apples, warning them to be careful of their dresses.
“Hello Jacob and Bonnie.” He said ruffling Jacobs hair and squatting down to their height, “Who are you with honey?”
“My Uncle,” Jack looked about but couldn’t see Axl, “But I can’t see him now.”
“Well why don’t you and Bonnie come and sit with us for a little while?” Bonnie whimpered getting upset at the loss of a reassuring hand. Mae came forward and gave a cuddle, “Don’t cry Bonnie my daddy will look after you.” Mae tried to give Bonnie her toffee apple to cheer her up but Bonnie shook her head as tears dripped into her popcorn.
“Come on Bonnie, you can sit right next to Mae and shout out if you see your Uncle, Okay. C’mon.” Bonnie took his offered hand and followed, sniffing. Duff sat down with Bonnie stood in front of him he wiped her face with a tissue before hoisting her on to the seat between himself and Mae.
X X X
“Bonnie! Jake!” Axl looked frantically about him. He stood on a chair to get a better view.
Jacob spotted him and waved “Uncle Axl, here I am!” Axl pushed his way through the milling throngs and made a beeline for the waving Jacob. “Don’t ever ever ever run off again you scared the hell outta me, where’s Bonnie?” Slightly taken back he pointed to his sister making her way to Axl. Axl picked her up and held her close. “Don’t let go of my hand again.” He chided her.
“You lost me Uncle Axl.” She said sniffing. It was then he saw Duff, Mae had scrambled on to his lap. The two men looked at each other. Axl noted Duffs eyes still hadn’t changed but he did look markedly older. Duff saw Axl had put on weight, no longer the waif like youth sporting heroin chic. He guessed not all of Axl’s pounds were fat though.
Somebody had to say something...”Ugh, they are friends, they go to the same school.”
“Right.” Axl said coldly before turning abruptly saying cheerily to the confused children, “Our seats are over there, let’s go or will miss the show!”
Axl watched Bonnie and Jacob squeal and shout. Occasionally they would wave to Grace and Mae who were sitting on the other side of the ring. Duff would occasionally catch Axl’s eye. He wanted the children to be together. Duff wanted his daughters to have as much of a ‘regular’ life as possible, they went camping and went to a public school. Axl also felt terrible denying Jacob and Bonnie their friends, it honestly didn’t matter where they sat he thought maybe it was rather childish stomping off like that but he wasn’t going to move now.
The performers came out for the final bow. Jake and Bonnie waved to them, Bonnie received a kiss on the cheek from one of the glittering female acrobats, a smear of lipstick was left behind. The now over-excited children went screamed out of the big top, Grace, Mae and Bonnie clutching hoola hoops and Jake flapping his cape around. Tired and resigned to the fact there was no way he was going to be able to control them Axl followed wordlessly wondering where the hell these small people got their energy from. He watched the four children run about chasing each other figuring they would get tired soon. He lit a cigar and leaned on the fence around the field.
“At least they’ll sleep tonight.” Came a voice next to him, Duff, he hadn’t seen him come but figured he would have been around because his girls where there.
“Small mercies.” Axl managed to reply, switching his phone back on and answering a text from Karen. He put it back in his pocket and took the cigar out his mouth.
“I didn’t know you had children now.” Duff said quietly sipping water from a bottle.
“Oh God no! Not mine, do you remember Karen?”
“No I don’t think so.”
“Yeah she was one of the tec’s wives just before we all....went about our own things.”
“Oh yeah that chick that had the baby back stage?”
“That's the one.” He pointed to Bonnie.
“No way!”
“Yes way.”
“So are you...you know.”
“No I’m not banging her thanks, but I did try I really did...she told me to fuck off. Firm friends ever since.”
Duff laughed at this and Axl joined him. For those few moments it was like all the bad stuff had never been.
“Axl...I...Slash and me, we...”
“Don’t really want to know.” Axl said blowing aromatic smoke through his nose. There was no malice or anger in his words it was merely a statement. There was comfortable silence for a few moments as they watched the children play.
“We’re going to have trouble getting that lot apart.” Duff said, more to hear himself talk, sending out feelers trying to figure out what was going on in Axls head, trying to anticipate his next move. That move took both of them by surprise.
“You could always come back to mine...for drinks, coffee and stuff?” He offered. Duffs eyes widened in surprise and Axl wasn’t quite sure it was him that had said it.
“Uh, yeah sure.” Duff sounded more excited than he wanted to. It made Axl smile,
“Follow my car then, it’s the silver one.” They rounded up the children and put them in the corresponding cars.
X X X
Duff let out a low whistle, Axl looked back smiling, “Changed a bit hasn’t it?”
“Yeah. I like it when you said about having it all white I was dubious but it works.” Duff followed him through into the kitchen. Axl busied himself with the children, fetching cups of milk and settling them on the sofa. Leaving Duff and the kettle the boiling he dashed up to his room and slipped into a pair of comfy jogging bottoms and a tee shirt that had more holes than thread. He made cappuccino and settled on the floor in front of the children who were lined up sitting with milk. Duff perched on a chair and listen to Axl begin a story at the request of Bonnie. He found Axls reading voice very soothing and began to relax. So did the children. Soon thumbs were put in mouths and little eyes drifted shut.
It made Duff think about when he first saw Axl, before he joined the band, before Guns N Roses. Before the arguments and messy endings. The bar Axl worked in was more or less closed. Axl had served him a beer before sitting cross legged on the bar, the lights low and the carpet sticky. That night he had told the tale of the violin that was hanging about the bar. He told how the owner had killed himself for love and his ghost coming back to claim his beloved instrument. He had the few punters hooked. He claimed sometimes, in the flat above the bar where him and Izzy lived they could hear faint music of the violin giving voice to its owners heartbreak.
“Told you they would sleep.” Duff said softly as Axl draped and blanket over the slouching little bodies. Axl answered another text from Karen, reassuring her the children were fine and asleep.
“You want another?” He asked Duff bending the pick up the empty cups.
“Sure yeah why not.”
Axl walked into the kitchen and put the kettle on to warm the coffee pot.
“So how is...everything?”
“Well I’m divorced, again. Slash is still with Perla.”
“Oh, I never thought he would settle.”
“Yeah what a shock huh?” Hearing the news that Slash was happy came as a slap to Axl but he was careful not to show it.
“Sorry Axl, I know you and him had a....”
“How?” Axl snapped, his green eyes suddenly cold.
“I saw you two once, in the studio....and he told me.”
Axl began to shake his voice unsteady, “You were spying on us! He fucking told you?!”
“Shh, Axl the kids are asleep.”
Axl lowered his voice to a sardonic hiss, “How dare you, if this gets out....” the threat was left lingering, cracking in the air.
“I won’t say a word.” Duff tried to reassure him. Axl poured coffee then suddenly turned back,
“Is that why you left Duff, is that why you fucked off?”
“No! No it wasn’t Axl and you know it.”
Axl laughed humourless as Duff folded his arms across his chest and stared out the window. Tears pricked his eyes and Axl continued his torment.
“You ran because you saw us fucking didn’t you? You ran because you couldn’t stand not being Slashes ‘number one guy’ any more, his go-to person...”
“I ran because I was jealous!” Duffs outburst shut Axl up like a kick in the teeth. Duff took a step forward towering over Axl, who had to look up slightly determind not to be the first to break eye contact. “Yeah that's right Axl. I wanted it to be me who kissed you like that, wanted it to be me who ran my fingers through your hair.” Duff ran his hand gently through Axls loose locks and fisted it tugging harshly pulling Axls head back. He leaned in, bringing his lips close to Axl’s bejewelled ear. Diamonds glinted as he whispered, struggling to keep tabs on the sudden temper. Axl was holding on to the side his back against the counter top, his grip white.
“I loved you.” Duff let go and turned to fetch the girls. He carried them out, one on each arm and drove away.
Axl Rose sipped coffee, standing in the kitchen. He opened a news paper, heard the car pull out but didn’t look up.