80's Band Oneshots/ Imagines

Axl Rose x Izzy Stradlin - Fifteen Years

1991

Axl walked off stage that night in germany, the red hot ball of anger still brewing in his chest. They narrowly avoided another riot, or so he was told. He disappears as soon as the lights go up, going off to further stew in his rage. He thinks about Matt and how he had found the singer sitting in the van to go back to the dressing room, and told him to "Get his ass back on stage". Axl can still see red when he thinks about it. If it wasn't for Slash who had put himself between them at the last moment, Axl would have for sure taken the first swing.

But now it was over and it was time for the band to pick up again and fly to London where they would play wembley stadium, their final show before a three month break period.

Axl arrived back at his hotel room and immediately flung his shirt off angrily, tossed his bag across the room and sent his fist flying into the wall. The pain that exploded through his hand helped snap him out of his blind rage and he sat down on the bed. He was only a singer after all, he could afford to break a few fingers.

"One more fucking show" he muttered to himself as the pure exhaustion set in and his eyelids began to force themselves shut.

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The next morning Axl was looking forward to getting on a plane and getting the hell out of dodge. After a shower he heard a knocking at his door. Assuming it was just the wake up call he began tossing his clothes into his suitcases and made a mental note that he had to get them washed.

Finally he went to open his door, hopping they had left some breakfast behind. Outside the door there was no breakfast, but a stack of a few papers stapled together. That wasn't unusual, most of the time they were the band's daily schedules, reminders for things or legal stuff they had to sign. This time, however, there was a folded piece of paper on top of the packet with Axl's name printed in bold letters and underlined. He looked up to see Duff and Slash standing in front of Duff's door, also looking down at their packets. They looked up at Axl with shocked eyes.

Curiosity peaked, Axl picked up his packet and unfolded the letter. His eyes scanned the first few lines, he felt a twisting feeling form in his gut. He kept reading, his hands began to shake. Anger, betrayal, disbelief, hurt. So many things began to swirl inside him. His hands clenched the paper until it crumpled.

"Axl" Slash started towards him. Too late. Axl threw the packet across the hotel hall and began in the direction of Izzy's room

"Axl wait!" Slash called after him, but Axl barely heard him.

He reached the room he knew was Izzy's. Down a separate hallway on the same floor. The door was already propped open, there was a maid inside cleaning. A roadie appeared, carrying a suitcase. Axl felt Slash catch up behind him. If Axl couldn't punch one guitarist today, he might have to settle for another.

"Where's Izzy?!" Axl fumed at the poor teenaged roadie, who was already stunned from coming face to face with the singer.

"Um... they said his flight left this morning. I'm just picking up his luggage" Axl felt a wave of something wash over him. Did he go back to LA? Was he really gone? Did he really quit Guns? Just like that? Would Axl ever see him again?

"Left where?" Slash was still standing silently behind him, clearly wanting to hear the answer just as much as Axl did.

"London, you guys are playing wembley next week... remember?" London? Izzy was going to play in London? The note had just said, according to Alan their manager, that Izzy was done. That he was leaving Guns, that he wasn't interesting in changing his decision, although Alan had tried. But now Izzy was going to London? Had Alan managed to change his mind after all? Axl turned around to look at slash, all his anger now turned to confusion. Slash looked just the same, and raised his shoulders in a shrug.