Whole New Complexity (A Sequel to Crazy As Normal)(Izzal)

Chapter 3

In fact, Axl feels safer with Izzy than anyone else. He loves curling into his arms with zero sexual motivation as well as how Izzy's hands and lips incite his sexual arousal. They've shared the single bed on a daily basis with or without lusts since they had adapted them into something new. He hasn't experienced a kind of warmth, which parents give to their children for granted, but it might be a little similar to what he has gotten from his friend. He feels some solid comfort. He's wondering whether or not the bond tying them is a friendship, he appreciates this mysterious intimacy so far. He doesn't want to jump to conclusion too quickly.

"Hi, puppy." says Slash when Axl is walking in the living room.

That is perhaps his paraphrase of good evening. Axl glares at his smirk. He knew this afro guitarist saw Izzy and Axl through the door left ajar by accident. The half naked friends were spooning, Izzy's arm tangled around Axl's hips, Izzy was putting soft kisses along the other's bare shoulders, half awake and half asleep. The kisses were too languid to allure them so nothing sexual happened. A typical afternoon it was.

"What the fuck do you mean by a damn puppy? Because we took a nap in my bed this afternoon?" Axl doesn't let it alone, of fucking course. He cannot believe that he allowed Slash to make fun of him. He's perfectly manned up. He doesn't see a single adorable element in himself.

Slash is optimistic enough not to sense the vexation in front of him. "You always cuddle up to him and he always caresses you. He's a dog lover, so," in the sentence he quails at the sight, which is a demon-like look, and turns down his voice in the latter half of his saying. "I guess a puppy suits you better than a kitty."

Axl punches him in the face wordlessly. No word is needed! Even the f-word is too good for this moron. He groans at Slash who has fallen on the floor. Slash's nose is bleeding a bit.

"There, there. I get it." Slash shows his palm from where he falls on his buttocks.

Axl feels that his blood is boiling in every inch of his body. "You don't get it."

"Okay, I don't get it." Slash repeats the words as he wipes the blood with the back of his hand, standing up.

"Slash, this is a warning. You better know I don't stick to him." Axl snarls in a totally manly way.

"You're right."

"And I'm not a goddamn puppy!"

"Absolutely not."

Slash gets out of Hell House before Axl rumbles an order. He recognizes that his face has done it in a loquacious manner. The anger fades far more quickly than he thinks, instead uneasiness spreads all over his head.

"What the hell was wrong with me? Was I clingy to him?" He sinks down in the couch. He needs Izzy in both his musical and private lives since he truly believes that Izzy is one of the greatest musicians and the most understanding person. Clearly, it doesn't necessarily mean that he follows his best friend around like a shadow.

Then Axl calms himself in the wake of someone's body temperature. Izzy's sat beside Axl and put his arms around him from behind without Axl's noticing. Izzy asks. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah?" Axl finds himself falling in his embrace perfectly naturally. Isn't it a bit effeminate?

"You act like...distracted." Izzy puts a tender kiss on his cheek and tilts his head.

Axl nuzzles into his shoulder in need of comforting since he's a bit confused, but he gets to be aware of what he's doing after a few minutes pass. Oh, he's way too girly. This isn't an ideal situation at all, obviously he can't denounce Slash if he keeps going on this way. He goes out of his arms slowly, giving his full attention not to wreck the peaceful moment, and embraces his friend conversely.

"I like it when you're in my arms." He exerts himself to make his voice sound nonchalant. There isn't a bluff and needless to say, Izzy doesn't know the mocking earlier, yet he's still conscious of his puppy part. Izzy reclines on Axl completely with a slight smile and starts talking about the song they're currently working on together.

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Peaceful thirty minutes end all of a sudden when a girl knocks on the front door. Axl's never met her. She gives him a fake smile when he opens the door, but her smile turns wide as she finds Izzy standing in the house from behind the door.

Izzy draws her inside. Axl feels they're standing a little too close.That must say something. They're dating, that is.

"Hi, Axl." She stretches her arm to shake his hand or hug him. Axl doesn't know which. He doesn't need or want to get it anyway. He also hated it when she called his name over-friendly. However, he's already been famous in the vicinity, accordingly most of the girls hanging around here act over-friendly anyway, so he leaves it at that.

He avoids her hand and looks at Izzy. The intimacy before him gets on his nerves. They gaze at each other like they share a happiness only they're privy to.

Axl asks. "Jeffrey, where did she find you?"

Izzy knits his eyebrows, seems to fathom the redhead's real intentions of why he becomes stiff suddenly. Axl doesn't wait for the answer and moves on to the next question. "How long has she been seeing you?"

Izzy throws his arm around her hips. He still appears to want a clue of his homeboy's stiffness. He sure won't get it because Axl doesn't know where this greed for an attack is coming from. "Axl, don't be shy. Maybe we can have some beer with you to get to know each other before we go out."

I'm not shy fourteen year old Bill anymore, Axl curses in his head. "I don't know her so no thanks."

Izzy rolls his eyes. It's so dramatic that he might see his brains. "Axl, don't keep calling Annika by the third person in front of her like she's not here!"

Ah, so her name is Annika. This tiny piece of information is far from helping Axl to cool down. He can't stop his impulse to be harsh to both of them. "'Cause I don't know her."

"Do you dig in your fucking heels since I haven't told you about us!? Okay, look, Annika and I--"

"There's no us. " Not to mention, Axl interrupts him in full of enthusiasm.

"Goddamnit. Fucking enough of your rudeness!"

Okay, basically Axl's not made from rudeness one hundred percent and he can be as sociable as he wants. He looks at her eyes. See? He's a perfect gentleman.

He adamantly says, "You don't go on a date with Izz tonight." He doesn't use the third person in his statement over and above looking into her eyes. That's the politest attitude someone could think of, huh?

"Stop it, asshole!"

She draws a deep sigh. "Izzy, I'll see you at the bar around the corner tomorrow. I think I came over here at a bad time."

She's talking about the secret bar Axl has no idea of, which totally flaunts their intimacy and causes him to unleash his resentment on him. Axl glares at them from beneath his thick red eyelashes. She cups Izzy's cheeks, their faces getting closer.

Oh, they're kissing so lovely. Fuck that.

"You cannot see him tomorrow and the day after tomorrow and two days after tomorrow and..."

While Axl is listing the words which denote the future in a loud voice, they go through the door. Izzy comes back alone right away against his expectation.

"We ain't on the same page. Get the fuck outta my face." Giving the back to Axl, Izzy wings frozenly before he lights a cigarette.

Axl feels that warm water is gathering on his lower eyelids. He purses his lips, his nose crinkling. He's not going to cry. Because he's not a puppy.