Marcelline woke up before Axl but instead of getting out of bed to talk to the others, she decided to stay in. She just lay there, head rested on his chest and thinking about last night. Axl's eyes soon opened and his arms snaked around her waist.
"Mornin'." He murmured.
"Morning." Marcy started tracing patterns on his chest. She had long since been fully aware that she was wearing nothing on her top half. That's another thing she liked about Axl, he made her feel comfortable in her own body. There was no way she would have felt so relaxed around anybody else.
"Feeling any better?" Axl asked, he had shut his eyes again. Marcy wished he wouldn't, she liked the way he looked at her.
"Yeah, I guess." Marcy told herself she would apologize to Duff later that day.
"That's good." Axl smiled. She liked his smile. It was nice.
Marcy thought for a while. There was a question on the tip of her tongue, the back of her lungs. It had been burning away at her mind for a long time now. "Why are you different from the others?" She finally asked.
"Huh? What d'you mean?" Axl murmured, his breath rustled her hair.
"You don't take drugs." Marcy stated quietly.
"Yes I do." He insisted.
"Not like them. You don't do hard shit, like smack or anything."
Axl sighed and then chuckled. "I guess not. What're you getting at?"
"Well, why don't you? What makes you decide against it?"
"Because I don't wanna die before I turn thirty."
Marcy's breath caught in her throat. Was he implying that everyone else would? "You must be temped though. At least a little."
"I suppose I am. But just because I don't use now, doesn't mean I haven't before." Axl smirked.
"Then why'd you stop?" Marcy let her hand wander lower and listened as his breathing shuddered.
"That stuff is toxic and I could see it changing me. So I stopped." Axl wrapped his long fingers around her wrist and moved Marcy's touch away.
"Was it really that easy?" Marcelline twisted her hand from his grip and purposely trailed her fingers up and down his leg, knowing what effect that would have on him.
"You're asking a whole lot of questions today Marce," Axl chuckled in a strained way, trying to ignore what she was doing. "But, no it wasn't easy. I wasn't an addict but I still went through withdrawal and shit."
"That's very admirable of you." Marcy tilted her head up and pressed a gentle kiss to his collarbone.
"What about you Marce? I've never even seen you smoke. What's your deal?"
Marcelline was slowly trailing her kisses higher. Closer to Axl's. "I only drink. Nothing else." She murmured, lips brushing the stubble on his jawline.
"And you've never taken anything?" Axl asked.
"Nothing." Marcy muttered.
Axl tilted her chin up and searched her pretty eyes. Marcy leaned forward and paused, hovering so close that their breath mingled in the air between them.
It dawned on Axl then that he loved her.
Marcy was beautiful. She was perfect. He loved how she wrinkled her nose when she laughed. He loved her smile. He loved the way she fit in his arms.
Axl had never been in love someone before. He wasn't quite sure what to do. So he kissed her.
It wasn't the usual fiery, heated kiss. It was slow and passionate. Butterflies filled Axl's stomach and his toes tingled as he worked his lips against hers.
