Welcome to the Jungle, Sweetheart

Weak

          When Axl woke up, he felt a dull pain in his ribs. Well, he was awake, he just didn't want to open his eyes. For a minute, after the feeling went away, he almost went back to sleep. Then, he felt it again and he gave a low grunt, still too tired to open his eyes. He had a feeling it was morning, but the sun hadn't risen yet in the sky, it was just almost there.

After feeling the pain a third time he groaned and closed his eyes tighter as his head pounded. He heard people talking close to him, but he didn't hear what they were saying or who said it. But whether he couldn't hear them or he chose not to, he didn't know. Some voices he thought he recognized but it was all too hazy. They continued talking and Axl wasn't sure if they were talking about him or just near him, either way he didn't know and didn't care. 

 He felt movement against his side and felt something heavy on his shoulder. He rested his head against it and it was soft and fluffy, but his mind didn't want to think about what it was. He just didn't want to think. Then it was gone, like it was never there.

Axl now was so tired of the talking he laid down on his side, curled into a tight ball. His head ached too much and his body was stiff from sitting like that all night. The talking grew quiet into whispering and Axl was sick of it. If he had energy or motivation to, he would have yelled at them or kicked them to shut up, but he just didn't care anymore.

Suddenly, he felt something slide underneath of his body and scoop him off the ground. He figured he was being picked up. 

Axl groaned at the sudden movement, which made his head throb. He felt so weak, and fragile, so helpless. It was a familiar feeling, but that doesn't make it any better. It was just enough to remind Axl that he had suffered the same feeling before. The helplessness. The weakness.

Axl finally got the will to half-open his eyes and look up at the person who had lifted him from his spot on the side walk. And never before had he been so happy to see Slash. 

Slash glanced down at him for a second, only a second because otherwise he would trip on his own feet. He looked very lost in thought, like he was thinking about something that was bothering him. Axl wanted to say thank you for coming to get him, but he just couldn't, and he hoped that Slash could see he was grateful. Slash just smiled at him gently, but Axl couldn't shake the feeling that Slash was worried about something. What was he worried about?

Axl decided not to think about it too much, every second he kept his eyes open he felt more and more tired. So he just closed his eyes with a tired grunt and buried his face into Slash's jean jacket. Slash's body was so much warmer than the cold he had been sitting out in for who knows how long. He wondered if to Slash, Axl was as cold as he felt. 

Axl appreciated how gentle Slash was carrying him, if it were Duff or Izzy, he probably would feel too much movement, but Slash was good at keeping him still for the most part. Axl was thinking if the other guys were there too or if it was just Slash. He didn't think he cared. He was just grateful Slash was there. 

Axl rested his head against him, nestling his eyes into his jacket and he was about ready to go to sleep again. He hoped Slash knew how tired he really was. And he did fall asleep, too. He slept in Slash's arms all the way to the cab, where he slept in Slash's lap, and then slept as he was carried into the house.

Slash carried Axl's limp body all the way up to his room, where he laid him down on his bed, took his jacket and boots off, and pulled the blankets up to his shoulders. Axl shivered from the cold of his bed, Slash's warm body now gone. Axl opened his eyes ever so slightly to look up at him pleadingly, and he hoped Slash knew all he wanted to say, but was just too weak to.

Slash folded back the blankets and climbed in next to him, pulling his body next to him so he wasn't cold. Axl closed his eyes again and rested his body against his. His mind drifted away about how he found him, why he wasn't angry at him for leaving without saying where he was going, why he had been so distressed when he did find him, and Axl was so confused again. 

But Slash just combed through his hair gently with the tips of his fingers, tucking strands of his wild red hair behind his ear and holding him closer. Axl couldn't remember later if he had fallen asleep again because he was tired, or if because Slash was still there. But it didn't take long for Axl to drift off into sleep again. And at least this time it wasn't on the sidewalk.