Bandom One-shots book 3

Polar Opposites (Izzy Stradlin x Steven Adler)

It was no secret that Izzy and I were as different as night and day. He was the quiet, brooding type, always keeping to himself with a cigarette in one hand and a notebook in the other. Me? I was a ball of energy, always moving, always talking, always looking for the next adventure.

Somehow, though, it worked.

Like today, for instance. We were holed up in Izzy's apartment, a rare break in the chaos of recording and touring. I had been trying to convince him to go out for hours. Bowling, skating, even just a walk around the block—anything to get us out of this tiny space. But Izzy, as usual, wasn't budging.

"Come on, Iz," I whined, flopping down dramatically on the couch beside him. "You're gonna turn into a statue if you keep sitting here like that."

He smirked, barely looking up from his notebook. "Statues don't write songs, Stevie."

"Yeah, well, they don't have any fun either," I shot back, nudging his shoulder with mine. "Live a little, man. The world's not gonna end if you put the notebook down for an hour."

He finally glanced at me, his dark eyes flickering with amusement. "And what would you have us do, exactly?"

I grinned, already bouncing to my feet. "Anything! Bowling, dancing, hell, we could go to the arcade and kick some kid's ass at Pac-Man."

Izzy laughed, a low, rare sound that always made my heart skip a beat. "You're insane," he said, but there was no malice in his voice. He set his notebook aside and stood, stretching lazily. "Fine. Let's go."

"Wait, really?" I asked, genuinely shocked.

"Don't make me change my mind," he said, grabbing his jacket.

I was practically buzzing as we walked down the street, the cool evening air doing nothing to dampen my excitement. Izzy walked beside me, hands shoved in his pockets, his usual calm, unbothered self. I couldn't help but tease him a little, nudging him every now and then to get a reaction.

"You know, I think this might be the first time I've seen you outside when it wasn't for work," I joked.

He rolled his eyes, but the corner of his mouth twitched upward. "Don't get used to it, Adler."

We ended up at a little diner, the kind with a jukebox in the corner and greasy food that tasted way better than it had any right to. Izzy let me pick the music, which earned me another one of his rare smiles when I chose something loud and obnoxious.

Over burgers and milkshakes, we talked about everything and nothing. He told me about the songs he'd been working on, and I told him about the dumb prank I'd pulled on Slash last week. He laughed, a real, genuine laugh that made my chest feel warm.

"You're something else, Stevie," he said, shaking his head as he took a drag from his cigarette.

"And you love it," I shot back, grinning.

He didn't deny it. Instead, he reached across the table, his fingers brushing mine. It was a small gesture, but it was enough to make my heart race.

"Maybe I do," he said softly, his eyes meeting mine.

For a moment, the world outside the diner didn't exist. It was just us, two opposites who somehow fit together perfectly.

"Come on," I said after a while, standing up and holding out my hand. "Let's go find that arcade."

Izzy groaned, but he took my hand anyway. "You're lucky you're cute," he muttered.

"And don't you forget it," I said with a laugh, pulling him toward the door.

We may have been opposites, but in moments like this, it didn't matter. All that mattered was us.

~Polar Opposites~