Bandom One-shots book 3

Merry Christmas (Slaxl)

The soft hum of Christmas music filled the room, blending seamlessly with the crackle of the fireplace. Our living room was a mess of holiday cheer: twinkling lights wrapped around the tree, garlands draped over the mantle, and a pile of unopened presents waiting for us. Snow fell lightly outside, blanketing the world in quiet, but inside, it was warm and alive, full of the kind of peace I never thought I'd have in my life.

Axl sat cross-legged on the floor in front of the tree, wearing a loose-knit sweater that brought out the copper tones in his hair. He was fiddling with the ribbon on one of the presents, his lips curved into a faint smile. It wasn't often that I got to see him like this—relaxed, content, the weight of the world momentarily lifted from his shoulders.

I leaned back against the couch, a glass of whiskey in my hand, and just watched him for a moment. The way the firelight danced in his eyes, the way he absentmindedly hummed along to the music, the way he looked so perfectly at home here with me... it was almost too much to take in. How the hell did I get this lucky?

"You're staring again," he said without looking up, his voice teasing but warm.

"Can you blame me?" I replied, taking a sip of my drink. "You're kind of hard to ignore."

He rolled his eyes, but I caught the faint blush that crept up his neck. "Come on, Slash," he said, glancing over his shoulder at me. "You gonna help me with these, or are you just gonna sit there and ogle me all night?"

"Can't I do both?" I teased, setting my glass down and sliding off the couch to join him on the floor.

He handed me a box, wrapped in glossy red paper with a perfectly tied bow. "This one's yours," he said, his smile turning a little shy. "Open it."

I raised an eyebrow but didn't hesitate, carefully pulling at the ribbon and peeling back the paper. Inside was a leather-bound notebook, the kind I'd been meaning to get for months but never got around to buying. It wasn't just any notebook, though. When I flipped it open, I saw that Axl had filled the first few pages with handwritten notes, little snippets of song lyrics and ideas he'd been working on.

"I thought maybe we could... I don't know, work on something together again," he said, his voice soft. "If you want to."

I stared at the pages, my chest tightening. It wasn't just a gift. It was an olive branch, a promise, a reminder of everything we'd built together—and everything we still could.

"Axl, this is..." I trailed off, swallowing hard. "It's perfect. Thank you."

He shrugged, but I could see the relief in his eyes. "Figured it was about time we made some new memories."

"Yeah," I said, reaching out to pull him into a hug. "It's definitely time."

We stayed like that for a moment, his head resting against my shoulder, my arms wrapped tightly around him. The world outside didn't matter. Nothing else mattered. Just us, here, together.

"Alright, your turn," I said eventually, pulling back and grabbing a small box from under the tree. "This one's for you."

He arched an eyebrow, taking the box and shaking it gently. "You're not gonna make me guess what it is, are you?"

"Just open it," I said, smirking.

He tore into the wrapping paper with surprising enthusiasm, revealing a delicate silver bracelet. It was simple but elegant, with a small charm shaped like a rose dangling from it. I'd had it engraved on the inside with the words, "Always yours."

He stared at it for a long moment, his fingers tracing the charm, before looking up at me. "Slash..."

"I figured you've got enough rings," I said, trying to play it cool. "Thought maybe you'd like something different."

"It's perfect," he said, slipping it onto his wrist. "Thank you."

I leaned in, pressing a kiss to his forehead. "Merry Christmas, Axl."

He smiled, leaning into me. "Merry Christmas, Slash."

And for the first time in a long time, everything felt exactly as it should.

~Merry Christmas~