1980's Rock Imagines

Axl Rose/ GNR - Graduation

Word Count: 2,739

"Wait, how long are you going to be on tour again?" you asked Axl over your shoulder, sitting at your dining room table, pondering the schedule planner in front of you. You bit the end of the pen in your hand, eyeing the dates and trying to memorize how your life was mapped out for the next couple of months, including Axl's, who would be leaving for tour the next day. Unlike Axl who never really cared about anything, organization and planning included, it was something you were often preoccupied with.

"Hm... the end of this month into late May. About three months," he added before leaning down to kiss your cheek. "Why?"

"Oh... I thought Saul said you would only be gone for two months and that you would be back by the end of April," you said, disappointment dripping from your voice. Axl didn't quite understand why you were so upset suddenly, other than the fact that you wouldn't get to see him for an extra month. 

"Well, that was the original plan. We added a few weeks worth of dates to expand the range of the tour though, since the album has been doing so well. But, don't worry Honey. One month won't kill ya'. I'll be back in no time."

"It's not just that," you sighed, now resting your head in your palm as you leaned onto the table and drew invisible patterns across the surface of it. 

"What's the matter?" Axl was still standing, but he now leaned in curiously to see your face, your somber expression breaking his heart. He hated leaving you at home and would have taken you on the road with him in a heartbeat, but you were finishing up your degree and couldn't afford to be gone for months at a time like he was. He knew how important school was to you. It wasn't until a few seconds of him pondering in silence had gone by that he realized something, but you vocalized his thoughts before they managed to make their way past his lips. 

"You're going to miss Commencement."

"Oh, Sweetheart... I'm sorry. The band's schedule has been totally out of my hands."

"It's okay..." you tried to hide your melancholy, not wanting Axl to feel guilty about anything. You knew when you agreed to be his girlfriend a few years ago that this was how things would work out sometimes. After all, it wasn't the first time he had missed a special occasion. He'd missed your birthday before, Valentines, and even Thanksgiving. This was nothing new to you, so you tried not to seem as hurt and disappointed as you were.

"Shit, Honey. I know you wanted me to be there, and the guys too. I really am sorry."

"No, really, it's okay," you tried to smile. "We can all celebrate when you get back. I'm sure that I'll be too exhausted at the end of the semester to want to do anything fun. At least now, I'll have  a month to recharge so I'm not a party pooper."

"I'll make it up to you. I promise."

This put a genuine smile on your face, since Axl was always a man of his word. When he missed your birthday, he took you out to dinner and spoiled you the same day he got back from tour, despite how tired he was. He sent you love letters and had flowers delivered on the Valentines day he was on tour, also delivering on his promise to make it up to you in bed when he returned. 

Axl grinned when you cheered up, kissing your lips before peppering your face with kisses, causing you to laugh and playfully swat him away.

"Go finish packing. I don't want a repeat of last tour when you forgot half of what you needed and complained to me on the phone about it." Axl was amused by the way you called him out for what happened last time, and he knew it was his fault, so he didn't argue. 

He only chuckled and said, "Yeah, yeah. I'll be careful not to forget anything." 

As he was walking away, you called after him, "Maybe you could just forget a sweatshirt or two?" He turned to look at you, your soft eyes staring back at him. You had been a sweatshirt thief from day one of your relationship with Axl, so he was already well aware by now of why you wanted him to "accidentally" leave some behind.