Come A Little Closer (A Duff Mckagan Fan Fic)

Chapter 15

Duff put his bass against the wall and slid out of the room, immediately making me feel guilty. I started to stand up to go after him, but I felt Axl's hand grab mine.

"Don't just run off again! Well, not without at least giving me your number."

"Listen Axl, I-"

"I know you don't want a relationship, but you seem cool. There's not too many people hanging around here who aren't looking for a handout so I figure we better keep the good ones around."

A small smile peaked out from under the worry clouding my head and I decided to sit down with Axl for a bit, maybe let Duff cool down. Well, that turned into a drunken powwow with Axl, Izzy and Slash, and at some point, Steven and Josie made their way in too.

"-And the dealer guy chased Iz and I for a good three blocks before we finally got away! It was crazy!" Slash finished his story, causing the room to lift into an uproarious bout of laughter.

Of course, I had to pee just as the party was really getting fun, so I excused myself and walked from the room, trying to find a bathroom. I made my way down the hall and exited a big door that apparently led outside. I looked out, realizing my mistake, but before I could turn around, I noticed a figure leaning on the wall of the bar. It was Duff, of course.

Since I had a bit of booze in my system, I had enough nerve to go over and talk to him without trying to cause a fight. He was chain smoking and tightly gripping a bottle of Jack, just staring up at the smog coated night sky.

"Hey!" I shouted, catching his attention.

He didn't reply. I walked up next to him, taking the bottle of Jack Daniels from his hand before taking a swig. I leaned against the wall, about a foot away from him just staring at him, waiting for a response.

He broke his focus from the sky and he turned his head towards me, motioning for me to hand him the bottle back. I did and he immediately took a swig.

"Don't fuck around with Axl. He may seem like a good guy now, but once you piss him off-"

"I told him I wasn't interested. But I can handle myself for your information." I snapped back.

"I know you can, but he's-"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

We both went silent again for a few minutes before I decided to head back inside, but just as I was walking in, I felt Duff grab my arm.

"It's nice to see you again. I missed you." He said before letting me go and following me back inside to the room where the rest of Guns was sitting.

He went over to sit with his bass and I sat down next to Axl again. We joined in the conversation again, both of our moods noticeably lighter than before, like a haze was lifted off the both of us.

We all only got drunker and drunker, passing the time along telling stories and goofing off. It wasn't too much longer before the bar's manager shooed us off and we made our way home. The boys from Gun 'n Roses, as well as Josie, were going to make their way back to the house the Gunners shared and I was prepared to call a cab.

"Just come home with us. We have a pull out bed on the couch, its really not a big deal." Axl said

"I'll be fine, ive got a pocket knife in my purse, worst case." I replied.

"Oh, come on, we haven't had a sleepover since we were, what, like ten?" Duff flung his arm around my shoulders with a big, drunken smile on his face.

"Wait, you two know each other?" Izzy asked.

"Yeah, what the hell?" Axl added

"We've known each other forever, practically." I responded

"You guys are fucking weird. Okay, let's go before I pass out." Izzy said to us as we all started the walk back to the Guns house.

By the time we arrived I was dead tired and my filter had completely shut off. I was saying shit I would have never said sober. Luckly, everyone else was so wasted that nobody would remeber a thing.

I had my arm around Duff's waist and his was around my shoulders, both of us holding each other up.

"I just love you so...much! You know I always have, ever since we were, uh, what do they call the tiny people?" I slurred.

"Hobbits?" Slash added as he pushed open the front door.

"Uh, no...kids! Yeah thats what I meant!"

"Are you kidding?" Duff asked "I had a crush on you forever, probably still do to be honest." He said with a burp at the end.

Everyone was chit chatting as we piled into the house, except Axl. He just kinda hung around with a blank expression plastered on his face. I didn't think too much of it at the time, seeing as how I was busy making a drunken fool of myself.

As everyone staggered off to their respective corners of the house, I attempted to take out the pull out bed. I was struggling with straightening out the blankets when Duff flung his long body on the bed, effectively scaring the piss out of me.

"What the hell was that for! Are you trying to kill me?" I screamed with no concern as to how loud I was being despite the time.

"Maybe. I've gotta say, i'm still so shocked that you're here. I mean, I really didn't think i'd hear from you again. I was kinda hoping that you'd move on and stop hanging around slouches like me, ya know? You still got a chance to be someone, you're just so....intelligent!" He put a bunch of emphasis on the last word.

"Intelligent?"

"You're basically perfect! Thats why I hang out with you!" He flashed a cheesy grin before getting himself up and slouching off to bed.

"If you need me i'll be upstairs. Goodnight Livvy." He muttered as he walked up the stairs.

"Goodnight Duffers." I whispered back to him before laying down and drifting into an easy sleep.