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

Chapter 8

Duff goes on with their story. "The guy who booked our shows gave us these boxes. They seemed to buy them too much." He beckons Erin to him. "Erin, come here."

Izzy takes the beer cans which are previously in the refrigerator and cold enough, sliding one of them on the kitchen counter. "Here you are, Axl."

Every time Izzy calls his name, it turns out to be a term of sweet endearment. He never calls him honey or baby or whatever, of course not, yet his three letter name rings with lusciousness when it breaks through Izzy's lips, and Axl lets his whole body melt in the sound. After the endearment, a soft kiss lands on his forehead every time that he comes back to him. Axl waits for it. He completely forgets about Erin's existence, his eyes fixed on Izzy's lips.

Izzy sticks a fork into a piece of fried chicken. "I'm starving as hell."

Axl's heart sinks a little, but soon Erin's voice pulls him back to reality. "Izzy, thanks but Axl's having red wine."

Izzy looks at Axl. Axl cannot find any clue of satisfaction or disappointment in his golden green eyes. They are neutral.

Reducing the vertical distance with Izzy, Erin stands in front of him across the counter smiling at him. "You know, we've kinda had a good time."

Not in Axl's understanding, by no means have they had a good time! They were a power keg when his friends came in, and that he knows what he needs. BEER! Axl catches a glimpse of Izzy's face. His expression is still neutral.

There isn't much logic in what she's saying. Duff invited her to the free meal party for goodwill, so did Izzy, and in the first place they live here. She doesn't have any reason to be rude. Basically she's not the person who has such a lack of common sense. That's why she's smiling on the surface for good or for bad.

"Okay." Izzy replies when he swallows the chicken. Though the muscles around eyebrows don't move an inch and his voice sounds casual, Axl acutely catches his irritation. Izzy averts his gaze quickly when he gets nervous. He did that now.

"So he'll," she comes around behind the counter, looking at Izzy way too friendly, extending her hand to him.

She's totally off the point yet acting like she perfectly grasps Axl. Oh hell, that's the annoying mounting thing Izzy's talked about.

Just before the brazen hand reaches Izzy, Axl stands beside the corner of the counter, grabs the beer can Izzy slid and shouts. "Don't touch my Izzy!"

"What?" Wide-eyed, she turns her face. "Did you just say my Izzy?"

"You're aspersing him! I'll never let that go!" Axl drinks the beer in a big gulp.

"What's my Izzy?" Her voice is getting louder. "I didn't asperse him, but you should keep being on my side even if I was wrong! That's what a boyfriend should be! And, what the hell is MY IZZY?" Her brown curls bounce on her shoulders in excitement.

Axl's loved the contrast of her brown hair and pure blue eyes, but now these colors are too noisy on his eyes. "I won't be on your side if you're wrong, and there's nothing to blame. He's my fucking best friend!"

"A man calls his friend mine? Who in their right mind would do that?

"Don't reprove us for what we are!"

"I still cannot believe you called him MY IZZY! You," Erin stutters, she's too excited to control herself. She points at Axl, her fingertip dyed in red-colored. "You, you ought to say 'don't touch MY ERIN.' How dare you!" Her index finger is trembling all over.

She flies away from behind the counter and slaps Axl's cheek. Axl doesn't wait for even a second. He dashes a splash of his beer on her face then showers the yellow liquid upon her head until the last drop falls, tossing the empty can against the wall and grabbing her by the lapels.

"Axl, stop! Axl!" Izzy slips his own body between them. Axl's struggling in Izzy's arms while he keeps yelling verbal abuse.

"Drama."

A thoughtless, calm voice stops them completely. Three people turn their heads to Duff. Duff clears his throat and clumsily nips a garlic shrimp with a pair of chopsticks while six accusatory eyes are glaring fiercely at him. He drops the greasy shrimp before he takes it into his mouth. "Oops." He sticks the folk into it and brings it in his mouth successfully this time.

After seeing the shrimp's whereabouts, Erin hysterically shouts. "You homewrecker!" The ruckus starts again. Erin hits the back of Izzy's head with her fist.

"Fuck you!" Axl almost jumps out from Izzy's arms but Izzy doesn't let him go. "Get your hands off! She fucking hit you! I don't acquit people who hurt you, no matter who the fuck they are!"

"Calm down!" Izzy tries to haul Axl to their own room.

"No! She hit you! Let me slap this bitch!" Axl reaches the extent of his patience where he's perfectly capable of hitting a woman.

Two friends are jostling, Axl's stretched hand accidentally flaps a box of stir fried noodle on the counter, then the noodles inside fly all over the floor, a part of them flying so dramatically in the air that they land onto Erin's top of the head. She screams and kicks the homeboys' shins.

"Ow!" The boys shout.

Erin sweeps the noodles and wrings beer out of her hair, storming out of the room to the bathroom. The silence comes after a big banging sound. Izzy relaxes his hands but keeps them on Axl's hips, his eyes examining Axl's skeptically. Axl grips the other boy's black shirt in his fists. His knuckles are shaking with anger.

Erin glares at them as she's back with a towel in her hand. "You two are still holding each other. How cute!"

Izzy steps back and shakes his head. Axl doesn't soften his hands' tense, so that doesn't make their distance much difference. "Erin, you've lost your mind. We're-"

She cuts him off. "I don't need your bullshit. I assess precisely what I'm facing. Look at your Axl," she puts an obvious irony in her objection and jerks her chin at Axl. "He's completely sticking to you! Duff, have they had sex? Do you know who's on top?"

"They're tight but I don't think so." Duff quickly gives her a model answer and forces himself to curl both sides of his mouth. Clearly he's annoyed by the outburst of anger from her.

"If you want me to hit you, I'll do it!" Axl yells in a rage.

He bears unbearable anger, his fists trembling more. If Izzy didn't keep his position between Erin and him, he would definitely attack her. She doesn't know about the days in their teens, she has no idea how they protected each other in LA before Guns N' Roses, then she concludes what they are with an inexcusable affront. Have they had sex or not? God, she's blemishing what Izzy and Axl have built from the beginning.

Erin hurls the towel at Axl, grabbing her bag and leaving without a word.