Knockin' on Heaven's Door (Axl Rose)

24: I'll Wait By Your Side

I'd come to visit Axl about two weeks after our incident. This time, I'd warned him that I was coming. He was ecstatic to hear this, but I was really coming on the notion that I'd heard some concerning things from other members of the band. Slash said that Axl was losing his mind just a little, and Izzy told me that he just needed for me to come and tame the beast for a few hours. I guessed Axl was having some attitude problems, if you know what I mean.

Now, I was sitting on his lap in the dressing room. I was facing him, fixing his hair while he smiled at me. He would put little kisses on my neck while I combed the back of his long, ginger mane. He'd been rowdy when I'd gotten here, yelling something at the manager. The minute I touched his arm, he stopped everything. He pulled me into his dressing room and made me braid his hair. Once I'd done this, be told me to take it out and straighten his hair. After I did that, he made me tease his hair, which is what I was doing now. I did all of it without question, hoping that the nature of me touching him would calm him a little bit. There was a knock on the door, and Axl tensed visibly. "Who is it?" I asked.

"Duff!" A muffled voice called from the other side. He opened the door, and Axl grabbed my hips, pulling me even closer to him. "Sorry if you're busy," he started, "but management-"

"Can go fuck himself. Now leave me alone!" Axl snapped.

I slapped the singer's arm. His mouth dropped open. "Don't talk to Duff like that. He's just the messenger," I scolded him. "But if you don't want to talk to management, can't someone else do it for you?" I looked over at Duff. The bassist shrugged.

"I'll go deal with it," he sighed, closing the door.

"I can't believe you hit me," Axl gasped, dumbfounded. "My little Angel-face hit me!"

"You're being a jerk. Duff didn't do anything wrong." I ran the comb under his hair, tugging it up as I pulled it through. "Where did I put that hairspray?" I wondered allowed.

"It's behind you," Axl told me. He flicked the comb out of my hand, putting his hands up to the back of my neck. "You're so beautiful, you know that?" He kissed my lips, tasting lightly of warm whiskey. I broke the kiss.

"I haven't finished with your hair."

"Can't I just skip the show and show you around the city instead?" He pouted.

"Love your enthusiasm, but you've got a couple hundred fans that are counting on you," I giggled, getting off of his lap to get the comb back. I picked the piece of plastic up off of the floor, and then I picked up the bottle of hairspray. "Now," I paused, sticking my tongue out a little, "hold still."

We checked into the hotel that night, and I collapsed onto the bed, happy to be spending the night with Axl. I giggled as he peppered my face with kisses, smiling at the thought of finally being able to spend a night with me again. "I'm so happy you're staying," He said.

"Me too." He moved up to the headboard, sitting back against it. I crawled up to sit with him, laying my head against his chest. I sighed happily. 

"This has been nice. I think the guys missed having you around." I hummed in agreement, thinking about how Steven had thanked me about ten times for keeping the peace. "Just think, in two more weeks, this'll be our every day again."

I smiled at the thought. "This has been the longest month of my life," I concluded. I closed my eyes as I thought of being with him every night again. "I love you," I whispered. Axl froze, and I opened my eyes again at his tenseness. 

"Yeah, well, goodnight." He tried to get under the covers to avoid any further conversation.

"Don't you love me too?" I asked, cocking my head a little while I sat up.

He stopped. "Angel-face, Lucy," He corrected himself, and I knew he was serious, "I don't know. I'm overwhelmed by you, by my feelings for you, but calling them love, it feels very premature."

I nodded slowly, feeling as though I understood a little bit. "Alright," I said, laying my head back against his chest. But I knew that he had been saying it this whole time. From when he changed his behavior to keep me happy, from when he bought me those stupid string lights, from when he believed that verse, and even to when he calls me Angel-face. But he doesn't have to say 'love' until he wants to admit it. 

And I'd patiently wait by his side until that day came. 

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Fin!!

This was very, very fun to write, actually. So sad to see it go....But if you're looking for MORE Guns N' Roses, there is a Slaxl story called Sweet Agony with a very different vibe than this one.  If you're looking for more 80's hair metal, I also have a completed story called Dear Diary, Something Finally Happened Today with Nikki Sixx.

TWC: 26212

Always and forever,

Davy fuckin' Jones