I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE THINKING, but please just hear me out, okay?
don't judge before you read please 😭 this took me almost two months to finish, but here it is, all 10,000+ words of it.
•
"welcome to where time stands still,
no one leaves and no one will"
san francisco, california — june 10, 1987, 7:12pm
The family can hear the rain building up outside in the evening heat, falling hard against the worn roofing of the home.
It fades to background noise as Stuart petulantly goes on about how unfair it is that his older brother gets to leave the state for the summer but he doesn't.
"How come Axl's the only one that gets to go?" Stuart whined from across the table, earning himself a hard glare from Stephen and Axl. "I wanna go too!"
"Because," Sharon begins patiently as she gently stabs her fork and knife into her baked chicken, "Hawkins is as interesting as a blank sheet of paper. I can't take another summer of Billy—"
"Axl." The boy corrects swiftly without looking up from his own plate of food, knowing Stephen has flipped the glare onto him.
Sharon continues without acknowledging him, "— Being the neighborhood terror." Then she looks to her oldest child, jabbing her fork in his general direction. "He's going to get a job down at the mechanic place with his uncle and cousin and he's going to work all summer. Being away from the city gives him the advantage of not knowing anyone and not having fun."
Axl rolled his eyes, lifting his head from where it rested on his hand, to glare at his mother. "I don't terrorize anyone."
"Boy, you watch your tone with your mother." Stephen snaps, speaking for the first time since he'd gotten home from work. "I don't care how grown you think you are."
The table goes silent.
Axl rolled his eyes again, mumbling, "Fucking prison house,"
Ever since Axl had broken into his pre-teen years, Stephen had always aimed to target him. Like he was threatened by the boy.
Stephen had always targeted Axl, ever since he'd married Sharon. But the abuse really increased tenfold when the boy started getting older.
Stephen cocked his head to the side. "You got something you wanna say to me boy?"
Axl slammed his fist onto the table, suddenly gaining a bout of courage, making Amy and Stuart's eyes widen. "I said this house is a fucking prison!"
Stephen lunges across the table and grabs Axl by the front of his already stretched out t-shirt and growls out, "Well, that's too damn bad now, ain't it?"
Axl swallows shallowly, nostrils flaring as he angrily stares up at his step-father.
"As long as you under this here roof," He clenched the shirt tighter in his fist, drawing Axl closer. "You live by my damn rules."
"Now if that makes it a prison, then so be it. Inmate." Then he shoves Axl back down into his seat.
Axl's glare doesn't waver and it doesn't move from Stephen's own.
Sharon silently stared down at her plate, unmoving. Amy's eyes were widened full of fear and Stuart was leaning closer to her.
Stephen glares over the table angrily, disapproving of this sad excuse of a family. With one strong swing of his arm, he sends the food Sharon took hours to prepare and swiped it all onto the floor.
"This is my house!!" He screamed, making them all flinch.
Then he stalks off before yelling, "Clean this shit up!"
It's silent for a while. Nothing could be heard over Axl's heavy breathing.
He could be angry all he wanted; could huff and puff and mutter all the curses in the whole wide world. But he knew he still wasn't man enough to stand up to Stephen. Not in the way he wishes.
Stephen was too big, too strong, lived far longer than him and held more pent-up anger than any deacon Axl's ever known.
And Axl wasn't a punk — not by a long shot. But he knew his strengths. And a fist fight with his step-father would land him in the morgue.
So for now, the dining table is where he sat, seething in his anger, holding it in.
Just for now.
Sharon speaks then, calm and derisive, "I told you about riling up your father like that—"
"HE'S NOT MY FUCKING FATHER!" Axl yells, jumping to his feet.
His siblings and mother flinch.
"I don't know why you put up with this shit for all these years. How could you sit back and let this man hurt you?! Hurt your kids?! You're not a fucking mother! You're a goddamn enabler!" He wipes at his face irritably, as his mother stands with a fire in her eyes that he knows so well.
"Don't you dare ever question my morals! Don't you stand there and dictate the choices I've made in my life!" Sharon lectured. "Not when you were among many of those choices!" She slowly rises from her seat.
"William, I have put up with your behavior for almost 20 years now! Now if you wanna be some bad-ass, then, by all means, go the hell on! But you remember this here,"
She's standing before Axl now, and he's staring, now eye-level with her — after many years of delinquency and being looked down upon — and he's not backing down or showing weakness.
Sharon continues, "I am your mother and I raised you."
Axl swallows then, "And how did that work out, Mom?"
Sharon only narrows her eyes. "Clean this up. Then go to your room and make sure you're packed. First thing tomorrow mornin', you won't have to worry about me for the rest of the summer."
"Sounds like fuckin' music to my ears mom." Axl shoots back.
Sharon ignores him and ushers her other children to their rooms.
—
Axl couldn't even be mad anymore. Not when he had spent the last three and a half hours cleaning food off the walls and floors before cleaning the dishes.
Everyone had disappeared into their rooms for the night before Axl heard the thunder over the house as the storm clouds rolled in, but Axl was out in the kitchen on his hands and knees scrubbing like his own, personal fucked-up version of Cinderella.
But in a weird kind of way, he liked it. Cleaning was very therapeutic when someone wasn't forcing you to do it.
At least no one was bothering him. He'd wished he could at least play some music, but he honestly didn't want to deal with the mouths of anyone in this house until he left tomorrow.
As he dipped the sponge back into the bucket of soapy water, the landline began ringing.
Axl ignored it for a bit, hoping someone else would come and answer it, seeing as he was particularly busy at the moment, but after hearing the fourth ring followed by no footsteps, Axl huffed in annoyance.
Blowing a loose strand of red hair out of his face as he stood, he dropped the sponge into the bucket and peeled off one of the rubber kitchen gloves before quickly rushing over to where the phone was, on the wall at the other side of the kitchen beside the back door.
Axl sighed as he answered, monotonously reciting the words that Stephen had beaten into him since he was a child, "Bailey residence. The deacon isn't in right now, but I can take a message." He stares out over the small backyard.
"Actually, I'm looking for a pretty-looking redhead. You may know him— 19, hair past his shoulders, ill-tempered, perfect ass."
A smile and blush spread across Axl's face as he leaned against the wall, just two more words from the other side of the line away from twirling a lock of his hair like a schoolgirl.
"Hey Izzy," He rolls his eyes, smiling so big his face starts hurting. He hears the soft murmur of the Ramones through the speakers in Izzy's bedroom in the background and wishes he could be with Izz right now.
"Hey babydoll." He can feel Izzy's warm smile through the phone. "What are you up to, beautiful?"
Even after being stuck at Izzy's side, constantly receiving compliments like that for years, Axl still blushes. Every fucking time.
But then his smile drops as he recounts this evening's troubles.
When he's done, Izzy growls, "Ax, just give me the word and I'll fuckin' gut him."
Axl shook his head, "Iz, it's fine. By noon tomorrow he won't be a problem until September."
Izzy sighs. "The offer will stand for as long as I deem."
At Axl's light giggle, Izzy is comfortable enough to change the subject. "Speaking of tomorrow..."
Axl sighs in relief. "I don't give a fuck if this is some type of punishment. I just need to get outta this fucking nuthouse. I feel like a damn prisoner."
"I know, baby. But on the brighter side, we'll be together all summer."
Axl nods, even though he knows Izzy can't see him. "What about the other hairballs?"
"Oh, Slasher and Popcorn are spending the night at mine. Duff's sister is dropping him at the airport tomorrow." Then Izzy pulls the phone away from his ear and holds it up. "Say hi to Ax, guys."
"HI ROSIE! HI AXY!"
Axl laughs uncontrollably at his obnoxious friends. "Hey guys." He replies.
Izzy puts the phone back to his ear and his tone shifts. "Don't let those fuckers bring you down baby." He says softly.
"I won't." Axl assures. "So far they haven't won, so I think I'm good." He chuckles, but the humor isn't there.
He knows this house has never been a home. It's been a monster, with its claws sunk deep into the backs of everyone who lives here, dragging them back in every time they get the strength to crawl out.
In an attempt to change the subject, Axl opens his mouth to say something flirty, but ends up gasping as the phone is snatched out of his hand and slammed back into the cradle on the wall, inevitably ending the conversation.
With wide eyes, he looks up and finds Stephen's angry face staring down at him. "I don't pay the damn phone bill so you can play social hour with those damn delinquent friends of yours." He hissed, making Axl jump.
Axl finds himself trembling as he says back, "They're not delinquents."
They are.
Stephen outright ignores that. "So you're still on with that damn prison thing, huh?"
Axl is breathing hard, eyes frantically searching Stephen's face as his lips remain sealed.
Stephen slams his hand into the wall beside Axl's head, succeeding in making him flinch again. "Answer me!" He backhands the teen.
Axl, eyes widened and glossed over, still doesn't say a word as he holds his cheek.
A flash of red catches his eye and he looks over Stephen's shoulder to see Amy and Sharon standing at the end of the hall, watching them.
He looks back at Stephen at the exact moment the man's large hand comes up and chokes him, slamming him into the wall.
"Stephen!" "Daddy, stop!!"
Tears rise to Axl's eyes at his sudden lack of oxygen as both his hands unsuccessfully claw at Stephen's one hand closing around his windpipe.
"You will not disrespect me in my own damn house! I will not be made to be the fool under the words and actions of some cretinous teenager!"
"Please..." Axl manages to whimper out with the remaining breath he has, legs kicking in a failing attempt to get Stephen off of him.
The wicked grin that spreads over Stephen's face screams nothing but pure evil.
He likes seeing Axl struggle; he likes knowing that he is the only border between Axl and death.
As tears roll down his face, Axl cries, "I'm sorry."
Stephen shook his head. "Not yet."
And he drags Axl by his neck, through the kitchen and living room as Sharon and Amy scream, pleading for Stephen to stop.
It's like he's deaf, the way he ignores them. He throws open the front door and shoves Axl out onto the porch.
Axl lands in a heap, coughing and rasping hoarsely as the sudden rush of oxygen painfully claws its way down his throat.
His suitcase and duffel that were by the door for tomorrow morning were tossed out right after him.
He looks up at Stephen, gasping in breaths with heavy tears rolling down his face.
Stephen then says, "Now you're sorry." Before slamming and locking the door in Axl's face.
Axl manages out a broken sob as he pulls his knees to his chest and sobs some more.
He can hear the storm raging on behind him, can hear the rain rolling off of the corrugated porch roof and spilling onto the porch, ultimately soaking Axl.
The sobs that come from deep within him hurt as they tumble out, but he can't stop them.
He's crying for 20 minutes before he realizes. He can't spend the night outside. Under other circumstances he might have, but there was a storm tonight.
So, on shaking legs, he hauls himself up and grabs his duffel. He swings it over his shoulder, but winces and drops it due to the pain flaming up his arm from where he'd landed when he was quite literally thrown out.
He switches the duffel to his good arm and hauls the suitcase with the other.
Luckily, the suitcase had wheels.
As he limped off of the porch, he knew immediately where he had to go.
—
10:20pm
Walking five blocks in a pouring thunderstorm with a limp was probably the worst thing to do, but, alas, Axl Rose had no choice.
When he realized he'd made it to the McKagan household, he looked up from his bare feet and at the front of the house, wiping away never-ending tears.
Fortunately, most of the lights were on, so Axl believed he had a shot.
Worst case, they kicked him to the curb because — knowing the McKagans — they were more than likely out of room.
No matter how big their large house was.
There was a clan of them. Two generations worth. Under one big ass roof.
Axl lugged his suitcase up to the porch, taking one stair at a time, before he stood in front of the door and inhaled a shaky breath.
He gently rapped his knuckles against the door before remembering they had a doorbell. Fancy fuckers.
He then pressed the doorbell and waited for a while before he heard the loud voice of a woman yelling, "Ethan, stop jumping on the damn sofa and go get ready for bed!"
That was Duff's sister, Joan. Axl knew her loud voice from a mile away.
The door swung open and Axl flinched away from the light emitting from inside the house.
The words on Joan's lips died instantly with her smile. "Axl?"
Axl swallowed and nodded.
"Mom!!" Joan yelled into the house.
—
"Are you crazy, Ax?!" Duff exclaimed, wrapping him in a dozen warm towels.
His siblings watched with broken hearts as Alice, their mother, and Duff, their baby brother, try to get some form of an answer out of Axl.
The tears coming down Axl's face couldn't be stopped. "I—I'm sorry, I didn't...I had nowhere else to go and I have no money—" He cried.
His voice was shot and he could tell they noticed, by the way they cringed as he spoke.
"Axl," Duff took the boy's cold hands in his as he slowly spoke. "What happened?"
"Stephen...he...I..." Axl stammered without a clear sentence in mind.
That one name told the whole McKagan clan all they needed to know.
They've known Axl and his family since the boys were in 4th grade, when Axl first moved to San Francisco, following behind Izzy and his mother, Sonja.
The three became friends and were super close. Still are.
In middle school they met Steven and Slash and all five of them could not even be pried apart with a crowbar, not even to this day.
But the young boy could only show up to school or one of his friends' houses so many times before people started to notice the bruises littering his body.
Duff shook his head. "I gotta call Izzy..." He stood.
"NO!" Axl's hand shot out to grab Duff's wrist, stopping him.
Everyone looked at Axl, surprised at the sudden volume change in his voice. "And why not?" Joan asks.
"You....if you tell him, he'll kill Stephen." Axl swallows. "Believe me, I want Stephen dead more than anyone, but it can't be at the hands of Izzy....I can't lose Izzy." Tears brimmed in his eyes and he looked down.
Alice and Duff share a knowing look while Duff's siblings share confused looks.
Axl pulled the towels closer to himself as he sat, the shame inside him building up as he felt all eyes in the room on him. "I'm sorry for....bringing all this shit to your home."
Alice takes a seat beside him and gently takes his face in her warm hands, making him look her in the eyes.
Now that she's closer she can see the bruise forming on Axl's cheek and the one that's painfully obvious around his neck. Instead of bringing attention to it, she decides to comfort him. "You are always welcome here, sweetheart. You are family."
"Don't..." Axl gently pushes her hands away. "You don't have to say that. It's...I....I'm okay. I just...have to learn to...shut up sometimes." There was a soft sound that came after.
A weak attempt at a laugh, though the humor never reached his tone or eyes.
He knew the others didn't find it the least bit amusing when not even a flicker of a smile crossed their faces.
"Look, honey," Alice laid her hand on his shoulder and he flinched away at the pain. With worry in her eyes, Alice continues, "You stay here for as long as you need to."
Axl immediately began shaking his head. "I...I can't."
"Why not?" Mark, one of Duff's older brothers asks.
"Because I'm going to Indiana....and I'm staying there."
Now Duff was the shocked one. "What the fuck are you talking about?" He asked from the other side of his best friend. He ignored the disapproving looks his parents sent him.
"I....talked to my Uncle Wayne. My mom's brother. I asked to stay down there with him. I'll get a job down in Hawkins and hopefully by next summer I'll have enough to rent out a place down there."
The family makes the same face — which is honestly utterly terrifying — and goes, "Hawkins?!" At the same time Duff goes, "Are you out of your goddamn mind?"
"I can...I'm fine. Wayne said it was okay." Axl says. "I won't bother him for too long—"
"Axl, why in God's name would you ever go and live all the way down in Hawkins?" Alice asks.
"And what about us, Ax?" Duff asks softly.
Axl looks at Duff for a minute before absorbing the question. His heart sank. "I..."
Duff rolls his eyes and pulls Axl up from the sofa, making the redhead's eyes widen at the sudden movement.
"Michael!" Alice scolds, crossing her arms.
"We'll talk later mom, I promise." Duff assures as he pulls Axl up the tiled stairs
—
Duff gently pushed Axl so he was sitting down on the bed before he wandered into his large closet.
Axl was always in awe of the McKagan family and their home. They were fucking loaded. Large bedrooms, big kitchen right out of the magazines, giant backyard with a pool, and two goddamn living rooms. They called one 'The Den'.
A few moments later, Duff emerged from the closet with clothes thrown over his arm, saying something that Axl had subconsciously tuned out.
"...all the way down there in shitty ass Hawkins....with me! My family loves you!" He drops the clothes down onto the bed beside Axl and stands before him, hip cocked and hand placed upon it.
"I'm sorry, what'd you say?"
Duff rolled his eyes. "Of course you ignored me!" He sighs. "Put the damn clothes on before you get sick."
Axl sighed, pushing the towels off of his shoulder.
Duff doesn't take his eyes off of the other teen for a moment as he begins talking again. "Why in the world would you move to Hawkins? What about you and Izzy?"
Axl shrugged as he pulled his shirt off and Duff's eyes widened at the bruise that was making itself known on the right side of Axl's body.
"I love you guys, but you know I can't stay here. I can't be where they can easily access me—"
"What the hell did he do to you, Ax?" Duff kneeled down and gently touched the side of Axl's thigh, just below the soaking night shorts he'd been wearing.
"He literally threw me out of the house." Axl snorts, smiling gently, as he pulls the university sweatshirt over his head that he was absolutely sure once belonged to one of Duff's older siblings.
Duff looks back up at Axl, utterly heartbroken. "Ax, this isn't funny. It's literally abuse."
Duff stood up and sat on the bed as Axl stood up and switched his soaking shorts out for some pajama bottoms that hung loosely around his hips.
"It's not abuse, Duffy—"
"It is!"
"—He only hits me when I run my goddamn mouth."
"Axl, you always run your damn mouth. You talk so much you can't hear your own thoughts." Duff fussed.
Axl fixed him with a look as he crossed his arms. "Is this your idea of being comforting? Cause I can tell you right now, it ain't workin'."
Duff's face contorts into something softer. "Ax, I'm being serious."
"Can we please drop this? At least until tomorrow?"
Duff stares at his best friend for a while before standing. He steps closer to the redhead and gently grabs his face in his hands. "You're a dumbass and I love you enough to let it go. For now. But I will be like a bloodhound on your ass tomorrow."
Axl smiles. "And you're a mother hen, Duff McKagan."
Duff rolls his eyes and drops his hands from Axl's face. "You guys need to stop calling me your mom." He rolls his eyes.
Axl giggled as he flopped down onto Duff's very comfortable bed.
Duff glowered at the boy as he kicked off his house shoes. "Stop jumping on the bed and go to sleep. We will not miss that flight tomorrow."
"And you say you're not a mom." Axl laughs into the comforter before yelping when his foot is smacked.
—
san francisco, california — july 11, 1987, 9:00am
Axl and Duff can hear the boys before they can even see them. "Steven, get off the floor!"
"All the seats are taken, Iz."
"No, they're not. Put your ass in a seat, Adler."
Axl smiles when he hears them.
"You're not even listening to me." He hears from beside him.
Axl snaps his head over to Duff, smile falling. "Oh! Sorry! What'd you say?"
Duff rolled his eyes. "Why do I even bother?" He pulls both of their suitcases behind him as they follow the voices of their friends.
They know they're close when they see Slash's wild head of hair and hear a gasp as Steven yells, "LOOK, IZ! AXL AND DUFF ARE HERE!"
The bubbly blonde earns glares from older people around them, but he doesn't seem to care as he bounces in his seat, waving erratically at Duff and Axl.
The two smile at their utterly adorable friend and Axl waves back for the both of them, since Duff's hands are full.
When they've finally made it over to their friends, Duff immediately drops the bags as Slash jumps into his arms, pressing quick little pecks all over his face.
They earn more disapproving looks, but they can't bring themselves to care. Not when they're with each other, hopefully, for the whole summer.
Izzy stands when Axl's finally within arms reach and wraps him in a gentle hug, resting his chin atop his boyfriend's hair.
"I fuckin' missed you, Rosie." He whispers into Axl's hair, gently rocking them side to side.
Axl buries his face into Izzy's chest, placing a soft kiss there. "I missed you more, Iz..."
Since summer began and school ended, Axl hadn't been allowed to leave the house unless he had explicit permission from both parents.
He would go to church with his family everyday, a lot earlier now that school was over.
The annual churchgoers would still give him nasty looks — didn't matter if he was the deacon's son or not.
The two had decided that since they both were being sent down to Indiana for the summer, they may as well have fun with it and bring their friends.
Izzy was going down to spend the summer with his father and two younger half-brothers.
Axl was being sent to do work with his Uncle, so he'd be staying in his Uncle's trailer.
Izzy's dad, Richard, happened to have extra bedrooms in his home, so Duff, Slash, and Steven had a place to stay while they spent their time down there also.
The plan had worked out pretty well.
The other parents knew about this, but none of them consulted Axl's parents — mainly because his parents weren't that involved in their kids' lives and they were the type of parents nobody wanted to be associated with.
But Axl was a sweetheart, so they welcomed him with open arms, being a parent when it counted whenever it came to Axl because his parents were lacking in many departments.
"So what's this job they're making you do?" Izzy asks, pulling back from the hug.
Axl shrugged. "Some mechanic shit. My cousin Eddie said he'd show me the ropes. After he finished teasing me about being punished for the summer."
Izzy smiles brightly. "This Eddie sounds like my kinda guy."
Axl gently smacked his chest, "Don't go gettin' any funny ideas about my cousin, Stradlin."
"I won't." Izzy puts his hands up. "Not if he's ugly."
Axl rolled his eyes, turning to Slash and pulling the hairball into a hug.
"Ready for a summer in the countryside, Axy?" Slash teased, gently poking Axl's side, making the redhead giggle and pull away.
"No." Axl sighs. "But anywhere is better than here."
Slash shrugged. "I'm nervous 'cause I'm a city boy. I've never been to those small country places. When I do get to go, people start looking at me funny."
"They aren't gonna lay a finger on that pretty, curly head of yours. If they even try, I'll break their damn wrists." Axl gently lays a hand on Slash's shoulder.
Slash kicked up his leg, clasped his hands and began mock batting his eyelashes. "Axl Rose. My knight in shining armor." He says in a falsetto.
Axl rolled his eyes and laughed. "Fuck off."
—
The flight took four and a half hours, which was good for Axl because he got to sleep more, which meant avoiding that conversation Duff kept pestering him about.
When they filed off of the plane and mindlessly walked through the small airport, following signs and gut feelings, Axl did everything in his power to ignore and avoid the conversation.
"Ax, please talk to me about this. Are you planning on telling Izzy?" Duff whispered the last part.
Axl ignored him and then his eyes brightened when he caught sight of his Uncle Wayne holding a sign that had WILLIAM ROSE in big, bold, sloppy handwriting.
"Oh, guys, my uncle's here!" He exclaims, quickly walking over to Izzy and giving his lips a chaste kiss. "See you guys in two days!"
He hugged everyone, including a clearly angry Duff.
"Yeah, I saw my dad, too. You be careful, Rosie." Izzy warned as he lit a cigarette.
"Yes sir." The redhead winked at his boyfriend, laughing when he heard Slash gag.
He waved them goodbye as they split before he waved shyly at the Uncle he hadn't seen in years.
"Little Billy. You're all grown up now, man." Wayne says as soon as Axl's within hand reach.
He closes the distance between them and gently pulls the redhead into a hug. "I missed you, Uncle Wayne." Axl sighs, melting into the hug as he hugged his uncle back.
He felt oddly safe in his Uncle's presence.
When they pulled back Wayne took in Axl's style and chuckled. "You are definitely a city boy." He reached a hand forward and gently plucked at a copper lock.
Axl giggled, a genuine smile splitting his face as he asked, "What's that supposed to mean?" In mock offense.
Wayne shook his head and held his hands up.
"Uncle Wayne?" Axl began tentatively.
Wayne raises his eyebrows, letting Axl know that he was listening.
"Could you...can you please call me Axl? It's....I just....my given name hauls around trauma and I don't wanna be associated with it. You don't have to if you don't want to or if it's too much, I just—"
"Yes, Axl. I will call you by whatever name you want. Whatever makes you comfortable."
The harsh pounding in Axl's chest began to slow and a small smile played at his lips.
He was merely expecting Wayne to outright say no and was prepared to handle any emotions that came forward after. So to finally be validated and respected and heard made Axl not want to ever even think of California ever again.
"Come on." Wayne gently grabs Axl's duffle from his hand. "Your hyper cousin's in the truck and he's been pestering me about you all week."
Axl smiled big at the mention of his slightly younger cousin, Eddie. "Lead the way, Unc."
—
2:22pm
"WILL!!" The brunette yelled, practically leaping out of the passenger side window.
Axl laughed as he was rushed and hugged by his cousin, who'd lifted him into the air.
When he was sat back onto his feet Eddie gently took his face in his hands. "Jeez, you are quite the city boy, Bailey! You changed so much! Look at your hair! You look like a rocker, dude!"
Axl's eyebrows raised, a large amused smile on his face as his uncle took his bags and put them into the truck.
"I could say the same, Munson. You sprung up like a weed! You totally got the metalhead look goin' on."
Eddie's large brown eyes sparkled. "You really think so?"
"Spin for me." Axl says.
The boy does, but it looks more like a puppy chasing its tail.
"Yeah, you look like Eddie Van Halen." Axl laughed softly.
"Yes!" Eddie jumped into the air, pumping his fists like a maniac.
Axl's eyes widened and he kept laughing. "And, please Eds, call me Axl. Axl Rose."
Eddie's eyes, if possible, widened even more. "Did you choose that yourself?"
Axl blushed and nodded.
"Dude, you are so fuckin' awesome, I have to show you to my friends."
Axl blushed harder at that and let his cousin pull him to the truck where Wayne was patiently waiting.
"Sorry for holding you up, Uncle Wayne." Axl apologizes as he climbs into the backseat.
Wayne and Eddie look at each other, eyebrows furrowed because, why was Axl apologizing?
"It's okay, son. Nothing could ever make me tear apart that reunion." Wayne says as he starts the car.
Eddie quickly switches the topic to make Axl more comfortable, seeing as the teen did look a bit ashamed and nervous. "Just wait till you see my guitar. She's a beaut."
Axl's eyes immediately lit up again. "You have one? My friend Slash has like a dozen—"
"Hold on," Eddie cut him off, slowly turning in his seat. "You have a friend named Slash that plays guitar?"
Axl nods with a smile. "I actually have three friends that play guitar. But Slash, he's like a god on that damn thing. Never goes anywhere without it."
"I need them in my life right now."
Axl laughs loudly at that and they continue talking about rock and metal music, their inspirations and their friends, and Eddie tells Axl about how the 'earthquake' last years destroyed half of Hawkins and that it'll take them a little while to get back home. Axl says he doesn't mind.
Wayne looks between them every few minutes with a fond smile on his face, happy as a clam at his nephews.
They hadn't seen each other in over 5 years, yet they have conversations like they'd seen each other yesterday.
This is what family is. Wayne just wished his sister and brother understood that, but they lost themselves in other things and other people.
Wayne wouldn't let that happen to these boys. Over his dead body.
—
3:15pm
"HOME SWEET TRAILER!" Eddie yells, as Wayne parks the truck in front of their trailer.
Axl laughs at his cousin as they all climb out of the truck.
Axl is left bending over the backseat to grab his bags when he hears a low whistle behind him, "Whoa, Munson, who's the chick?"
Eddie laughs loudly, doubling over, as Axl's eyebrows furrow and he turns away from the car, holding his bags.
The boy, someone Axl hadn't known was there up until he spoke, looked at Axl for a good ten seconds before his eyes widened and his face dropped, cheeks flushing.
There was a younger boy beside the older one who was laughing just as hard as Eddie.
Wayne just shook his head with a small laugh as Axl asks, "I look like a chick?"
Both of the unknown boys' eyes widened at how deep Axl's voice was.
Eddie waved the boys off dismissively. "Ignore them, Ax. Come get settled in. Then I'll show you around."
Axl nods, looking the boys over before he follows Eddie out from the heat of midday July in Hawkins and into the semi-cool trailer.
He immediately smiles at how 'home-y' it feels.
Baseball caps and shelves of mugs line the small living room's walls. There's a small television against the wall beside the front door and a recliner across the room, tucked into the corner.
A loveseat that's honestly seen better days is against the kitchen counter, which happened to be the first thing you'd see once stepping into the trailer.
The counter was lined with things from magazines to random papers, and when Axl looked to Eddie, the boy immediately began gathering random things up with a tight smile.
"Sorry for the shit. I was so excited to see you I didn't even think about cleaning."
"No, it's okay. This place is cool. Really cool." Axl parked his suitcase in front of the sofa and walked around the living room, looking at the pictures and mugs on the walls.
Eddie smiles softly. "They're cool, Right? I get Wayne one every year for Christmas; Though the last few years I've been getting him the most ridiculous ones I could find whenever I found 'em."
Axl giggles when he spots one of the ridiculous ones. "Snow White? Really?"
"I will not take your judgement." Eddie turns his nose up theatrically. "I'll have you know, Wayne thought it was absolutely hilarious. He lost his shit."
Axl burst out laughing at that. "Well, in that case, good for him. It's quite funny."
Eddie smiles proudly at that. He goes to say something else, but that kid from earlier busts in and scares them both, making them whirl around.
"Eddie! I know this is important to you, but if we don't get to the arcade now, we won't be there for long before El and Will's curfew." He demands sassily.
Axl's eyebrows raised and he looked at Eddie.
"We'll be there, Henderson. Give us a minute."
The kid, Henderson, rolls his eyes and closes the front door behind him as he leaves back out.
"Sassy." Axl giggles.
"It's his tone, right?" Eddie scrunches his nose with a shake of his head, making Axl nod. "He needs to get that in check."
Axl then asks, "His name is Henderson?"
"Nah, it's Dustin."
Axl nods and then Eddie says, "I don't know how comfortable you are sleeping with other people, so I think you could sleep on the pullout. It's not much, but if you do want to sleep in my room, my door is always open. Just don't...question anything in there."
Axl nods again. "Thanks. So where are you guys goin' again?"
"To the arcade." Eddie says with a big smile. "Let me tell you right now, Robin's gonna flip her top when she sees you."
Axl blushed. "Me? Why?"
"As far as I know, there are barely enough metal heads in this run-dry town to fill up a Honda Civic. We only ever see rockers that look like you on MTV. She's gonna dig your whole look, dude."
And Axl nods as he's led out of the trailer, both boys waving goodbye to Wayne, who was looking over some papers in the kitchen.
—
4:22pm
"Took you assholes long enough!" A redheaded girl yells as she throws her hands up. "We almost went home."
The boy driving, who Axl now knows as Steve, sticks his hand out of the window and waves the child off and scolds, "Language, Mayfield!"
He'd been avoiding eye contact with Axl since the 'chick' moment, even though Axl assured him that it was fine and it didn't really offend him.
Axl, on the other hand, was nervous. Already, this little group Eddie was with seemed a bit intimidating with their harsh glares.
Like they'd lived a million lives already. Seen things that others wouldn't even be able to dream up.
As they all climb out of the air-conditioned car, all eyes fell on Axl while Dustin began complaining. "I told Eddie to hurry up, but you know how he is when he gets talking."
"Hey!" Eddie frowned.
Axl gently elbowed his cousin, making the boy look at him. "You don't talk more than my buddy Stevie, so I don't have a problem with it. Talk all you want."
A warm smile spreads across Eddie's face and he slings his arm around Axl's shoulder.
The redhead winced a bit, but he would never push his cousin away.
"Brat Brigade plus three," The metal head began, making everyone groan and roll their eyes. "This is my awesome fucking cousin, Axl Rose. Axl, these are the brats that give me headaches: Dustin, Lucas, El, Mike, Will, and Max." He points them each out before turning to the older kids. "And these are the ones I give headaches: Nancy, Robin and Steve."
Axl's face flushes and he waves at the group, shyly muttering, "Hi."
"Dude," one girl began. "You are so....different. Where are you from?" She steps forward, gently grabbing a lock of Axl's red hair and examining it like she hadn't seen a redhead before.
Steve rolled his eyes. "Well he's not from Mars, Rob, let him go."
"Originally," Axl began. "I was born and raised in Lafayette. Indiana. But I moved to California when I was like, ten."
Another kid laughs, "Looks like the two redheads have something in common."
Axl looks away from the girl petting at his hair and back to the group, trying to match the voice to a face.
The redheaded girl, Max, rolled her eyes. "I'm not standing around waiting for you dipshits." She huffs, turning around and marching off to the arcade.
A boy with a high top fade, Lucas, immediately chased after her and so did Will and the girl that only glared confusingly at people like she was trying to figure out if everyone was real or not.
"Okay, Robin," Steve came over and pulled the handsy girl away.
"Enough petting the boy." Steve demands.
"You comin' in?" Eddie asks, walking backward toward the arcade.
Axl shook his head. "No, no, I'm not a game person. But I'm glad you invited me out. Have fun." Axl leans against the side of the car.
"You sure, Ax?" Eddie asks, following the kids.
Axl laughs. "Go away, Eds."
The metalhead rolls his eyes playfully before disappearing off into the arcade.
"So, Axl," A girl in a long skirt begins after a moment of silence, sliding onto the hood of the car.
"Not the car, Nance—'' Steve griped, running his hands through his elegant hair.
She continues without a beat. "What brings you to boring-ass Hawkins?"
Axl looks away from the sky and to the girl, staying quiet for a moment.
Nancy. That was a pretty name.
"Initially? It was because my mom was sick of me. Now? I'm running." He finally replies.
Then, as if they're suddenly realizing something, the three begin to look at his bruises.
Axl looks down, self-consciously, beginning to mess with the rings on his fingers.
"We're all running from one thing or another, aren't we?" Nancy speaks softly, making Axl look up again. "It's good to know you're not alone with that."
Axl nods at her and offers a small smile. Steven and Robin look at each other then back at the two.
For a little while, it's silent, but then a car honks as it skids its way onto the lot, and scares the four.
A head of wild, curly hair sticks out of the passenger window of the van. "Is that my Rosie, or am I just hallucinating?!"
A big smile split Axl's face as he watched Izzy park his father's van.
As soon as the car stopped, Duff, Slash, and Steven were hopping out and approaching Axl.
"Axy!" Steven jumped into his arms.
Axl hugged him back tightly and laughed softly into his hair. "It's barely been four hours, Popcorn." He sets Steven back onto his feet. "What the fuck are you guys doing here, anyway?"
He placed a hand on his hip and looked to the guys as they approached him.
Slash shrugged. "If we were gonna be in this hick town for a whole summer, we may as well find some fun shit to do." Slash smiles, planting a kiss on Axl's cheek.
The redhead laughs again, swatting him away.
"Hey, keep your lips to your own man, Hudson." Izzy warns.
Slash rolled his eyes and took Steven's hand in his. "Come on, let's go find some games."
"Bye, Ax!" Steven waves as he's dragged away. "Bye Axl's new friends!"
Just then, Axl remembered that he was indeed with other people.
Duff and Izzy's eyebrows furrowed and they looked behind the car Axl was leaning against to see two girls and a guy staring at them with wide eyes.
"Oh!" Axl exclaims, embarrassed. "Sorry, guys. These are my cousin Eddie's friends." Axl begins, then he points them out. "This is Steve, Nancy, and Robin."
Izzy and Duff awkwardly wave to the two, and Axl begins again. "Steve, Nancy, Robin, this is my best friend Duff, and my....my boyfriend. Izzy."
He blushed at the last part, feeling his face heat up as he looked down at his feet.
Nancy and Steve's jaws drop. It's silent before Robin begins repeatedly rambling to Steve and Nancy. "I'm not the only one!"
Thank God the parking lot is relatively empty, besides them. Otherwise, they'd probably be getting weird looks.
Axl's head snaps back up. "Huh?" He looks to Steve and Nancy, but neither of them can form a coherent enough sentence.
"Wait, let me get this straight," Steve begins with a wave of his hand, bringing Axl, Izzy and Duff's attention back to him. "You two," he points between Izzy and Axl. "Are dating?"
Izzy removes the finished cigarette from his lips and drops it to the ground, smashing it under his boot. "Is there a problem with that, pretty boy?"
Steve flushed, and began stammering out, "N-No...not a problem...nothing bad...I just...how..?"
Axl shrugs. "We've known each other since Lafayette. We grew up together."
Duff rolls his eyes. "Honestly, this is very sweet and all, but Ax, you're not wearing sunscreen and you know you burn like a lobster, so why aren't you wearing sunscreen?" Duff props a hand up on his cocked hip.
A big, comical grin spreads over Robin's face and she turns to look at Steve, who doesn't give her the satisfaction of any kind of reaction.
"So you have a group mom, too?" Nancy laughs softly, voicing Robin's exact thoughts.
Both Duff and Steve make an obnoxious noise in offense and say, "I am not a mom!"
The two look at each other and blush in embarrassment, making everyone else laugh at their expense.
—
7:53pm
It's almost 8:00 by time the kids come stumbling out of the arcade, laughing, joking and teasing each other.
Axl perks up, holding his melted slushie in his lap as he sits on the curb.
"I can beat your score with my eyes closed, Max! I just...wasn't trying." Lucas, argues with the Max.
"Maybe in your dreams, buddy." Max scoffs.
Just as the kids began getting into another argument, Slash and Stevie came barreling out of the arcade. "Izzy let's go get drunk!" Slash yells, making the group quiet.
"Oops, sorry children." Slash waves shyly at the kids, who then laugh.
Slash smiles and skips over to Duff, hair bouncing as animatedly as he was as most of the kids go back to their fussing.
He wraps his arms around the taller man's neck and practically hangs there as the two whisper back and forth.
The kids are very much confused and surprised by this level of carelessness.
"Uh, what are they doing?" The judgmental backtalker that Axl soon knew as Mike Wheeler, points to the two.
"Being grossly in love." Stevie says, before turning to Axl and smiling big. "Wanna get drunk with us, Rosie?"
Axl blushed as all eyes fell on him. "No, not tonight, Popcorn. I...I got a lot on my mind. You know how alcohol makes me a motormouth."
"You're already a motormouth." The short blonde retorted, head tilting like the confused puppy he embodied to a T.
"I'm gonna fuckin' strangle you, Popcorn." Axl laughed. "Get the fuck outta here, alright? And tell Izzy to drive safely." Axl makes a point to look around Steven and at Izzy.
Izzy throws his hands up. "Not makin' any promises, Red."
Axl hobbled to his feet and balanced himself on some railing behind him.
"You kill my guitarist, Stradlin, and you will never see the end of my wrath." Axl points at him teasingly.
Eddie's eyes widen. Guitarist? He's got a band?
Izzy's eyebrows furrowed. "What the fuck was that?" Izzy pointed at him.
"A threat. Not a promise." Axl clarifies.
"Don't play dumb with me, Rose. You and I both know you have a way above average IQ." Izzy says, tone now serious.
Axl rolled his eyes as Eddie, Robin, Nancy and Steve looked at each other, mouthing, "Above average?"
Axl, looked down at his cup and shrugged before looking back at his approaching boyfriend. "It's nothin', Iz..."
Izzy stopped a few feet in front of him. "Come here."
Axl's eyebrows knit together and he looks over at Eddie, who's also staring at them confused. "Wh-what?"
Izzy rolled his eyes. "Walk towards me, Angel."
Axl's face fell. "Iz..." his eyes darted around, self-consciously.
"Is someone gonna take us home or what?" Max snaps, making everyone quiet.
"Yeah. You guys split." Nancy says, sliding carefully off of the hood of Steve's car. "Half in my car, half in Steve's."
Eddie frowns. "But what about—-"
"I'll catch a ride with Izzy, Eds." Axl smiles fondly as everyone, once again, looks at him. "I'll be fine."
Eddie sighed. "Fine. But get home soon, I wanna show you stuff."
Axl smiled. Home.
Then his smile fell because he felt at home with his Uncle and cousin. But he was also at home when he looked into the eyes of his boyfriend and best friends.
And then the guilt of hiding things from Izzy came crawling back into his gut and he could feel his breath being taken away as he lifted his eyes back to Izzy's.
The man had never stopped looking at him, analyzing, studying, looking for any chip or crack in this wall that Axl had put up to hide himself behind.
And when Axl finally looked in his eyes, Izzy found the fragile crack that this whole foundation was resting on.
As Steve and Nancy's cars peel out of the lot, Izzy says again, "Baby, walk towards me."
And then.....the wall crumbles and the foundation collapses as tears rush to Axl's eyes. "I...I can't Iz." His voice trembles.
His eyes are stinging and his throat is constricting. His vision is going blurry and he can't hold himself up for much longer.
"Why not?" Izzy's tone has shifted into something lighter, more calm.
"Because....." Axl sobs silently. "Because my...my whole body hurts and...and I can't feel my foot."
Izzy and Duff's eyes widened as they rushed toward the redhead on instinct and caught him before he dropped to the ground.
Steven's eyes go as wide as saucers.
"Izzy, it hurts...." Axl cried, burying his face into Izzy's shoulder.
Izzy's heart broke.
"What's going on? What happened?" Steven asked, cautiously stepping closer.
Duff spared a glance at Axl, but the boy wasn't looking so he sighed and said, "Stephen roughed him up yesterday. Left bruises all over him. He came to my house at like ten, rain-soaked and crying."
Izzy shot a heated glare at the blonde. "Why the fuck didn't you call me?!"
"He told me not to!" Duff argued. "He didn't want you to do something irreversible. He said he couldn't lose you to something as stupid as that!"
"Guys!" Steven shouted, garnering their attention. "Can we just get him some help first? Talk this shit out later?"
Izzy and Duff nodded, a bit surprised that Steven had to be the voice of reason.
"I'm gonna go ask the guy at the desk where the nearest hospital is. You guys get Ax into the van." Steven instructs before heading back into the arcade.
—
8:20pm
Being at the hospital had been awkward. People had stared at them like they weren't real.
If Axl hadn't been so busy focusing on the pain shooting up the entire right side of his body, he'd give these people a decent piece of his mind.
When they'd finally got a doctor to look at Axl, the doctor's face contorted into a bit of horror before she immediately masked it.
"May I ask what happened?" She asks, gloved hand lightly holding Axl's bruised ankle and examining it.
Avoiding his friend's eyes, Axl muttered, "I....I fell. There was something on the ground and I fell over it."
The doctor, Hannah Wilson, didn't look the least bit convinced. "And the bruises?" She eyes his neck and face.
Axl lowered his head so his neck wasn't visible. "They're nothing. Not important."
Doctor Wilson looked over at the four other boys and then at Axl. She gently set down Axl's foot and stood. "Could you boys give us a minute, please?"
Izzy's eyebrows. "Wait, why?" He immediately became protective.
Duff just took his arm and dragged him away saying, "We'll be in the hall."
Steven and Slash followed behind the two, Slash closing the door as they left.
Doctor Wilson turned back to Axl and leveled him with a look he couldn't place.
"I'm gonna ask you a few questions, okay?" She pulled her rolling stool over and sat on it.
Axl shrugged halfheartedly.
"First, what's your real name?"
Axl swallowed. "William Rose. Please just call me Axl."
Doctor Wilson nods. "Okay, Axl. And where are you from, sweetheart?"
"What does this...what does this have to do with my ankle?" Axl's breathing picked up, his eyes darting around the room, looking for anything that might reveal that this was a setup and he could get into trouble.
"Axl, please calm down, these are just standard protocol questions, okay?"
Axl's hands began fumbling in his lap and he nodded shakily, avoiding the doctor's eyes. When he manages to level his breathing, he says, "I'm coming from Cali. Spending the summer with my uncle."
Wilson nods. "And your Uncle's name?"
Axl swallows. "Wayne. Wayne Munson."
Wilson looks as if she was flipping through things in her mind. "Related to....Edward Munson?"
Axl nods slowly.
Wilson hesitates before asking, "Are they....have they been....hurting you? You know, hitting, yelling, anything?"
Axl's eyebrows furrow in anger. "Why the fuck would you ask that?" He snaps, making Wilson's eyes widen. "No, they don't hurt me! They never have."
"I'm sorry, Axl, it's just mandatory questioning. I meant no harm. I promise."
"Can you just help me with my ankle? Then I'll be outta your hair."
Wilson swallows and waits a moment before she nods. "Okay, sir. I'll be back."
Then she stands and practically flies from the room.
Why would she even suggest something like that? About Eddie and his Uncle, of all people?
How had she even known them?
He sighs, laying his head in his hands and trying to ignore the painful throbbing in his bones.
"Fucking hell, man."
—
11:45pm
"No....no...I got it." Axl holds out his hand towards his best friend, trying to stop the blonde from helping him climb out of the van.
Duff ignored him, helping him out anyway.
Axl rolled his eyes, but said nothing as he stood upright on the rocky grounds in front of Wayne's trailer.
The boot that he'd had to wear for a couple weeks to a month felt like an anchor, pulling him down beneath the ground.
He loosened himself from being wrapped around Duff and more-so dragged his sprained foot along with him as he started up the stairs to the trailer's front door.
"You sure you're gonna be alright angel?"
Axl turned to see Izzy standing at the bottom of the stairs, staring up at him, worried.
Axl offers him the smallest of smiles, but it's reassuring. "I'll be fine, fucker. I'm a big boy."
Izzy, against his better judgement, snickered. "Alright, big boy, get inside. It's way past your bedtime."
Axl rolled his eyes. "Go home, Isbell."
Izzy waved him off as he and Duff climbed back into the van where the other two were knocked out cold.
"See you soon, Rosie. And try not to stand on that foot for too long. You heard the doctor. It'll never heal if you don't rest." Duff warns, heeding the way Axl was limping.
Axl rolled his eyes again. "Yes, mom..."
Duff flipped him off before pulling out of the trailer park. Axl gave the disappearing van one last goodbye and turned to knock on the door.
As soon as he raised his fist, there was an indistinct chittering noise coming from somewhere in the woods surrounding the area.
Axl's eyebrows furrowed as he looked around. Maybe someone forgot to lock up their dog.
He went to call out to whatever the noise was, when an unholy screeching came from the same place within the woods.
His eyes widened and he backed into the door.
Then, someone screamed and Axl whirled around, knocking harshly at the trailer's door.
He had to take a step back when the door swung out, opening to show Eddie standing there with wide eyes, in his ratty old band shirt and boxers. "Ax? Where the hell have you been?"
Axl's eyes were wide with fear as he looked over his shoulder and around the trailer park before limping into the trailer when Eddie stepped aside.
Uncle Wayne stood from where he'd been sitting in that recliner in the corner once he saw Axl.
He pulled the boy into a hug that Axl hadn't been expecting at all. He truly expected Wayne to backhand him into another dimension. Anyhow, Wayne pulled away a few moments later and began inspecting him.
"What happened to your foot, son?" He asked, eyes lingering on the boot.
Axl looked down at his leg, completely forgetting that he had gotten a boot for his badly sprained ankle. "It....I just..." He stammered. "I, uh, I...I fell. Back at home." He lied. "It hadn't gotten too bad until I got here. With all the moving around that I'd been doing."
"You....you fell?" Eddie and Wayne echo, eyeing him in disbelief.
Axl nods, avoiding their eyes. "Yeah. I fell."
Eddie's eyes became hard. "And your neck? Did you fall into someone's grip with that, too?" The boy crossed his arms.
"Eddie!" Wayne whispered lowly, shooting a look over to his younger nephew.
Axl swallowed, rubbing his arm nervously as Wayne looked back at him. "Axl..."
The redhead keeps his eyes to the ground.
"Axl," Wayne begins again. "Who did this to you?"
As tears rushed to his eyes, Axl opened his mouth to say something but nothing came up.
"Yes Axl..." A voice growled as the room grew dimmer. "Who did this to you?"
The teen's head snapped up and he looked around confused, finding that his uncle and cousin had evaporated into thin air. They were just...gone.
He could hear the faint chiming of a clock coming from the back of the trailer and wanted to follow it, but couldn't. He was scared.
"Wayne?" He calls out tentatively. "Eddie?"
There was nothing significantly noticeable for a while until a shadow raced across the hall at the back of the trailer.
Axl gasped, eyes widening as he started for the door.
"Didn't you ever stop to think maybe you deserved it?" The growling voice came again, this time from right behind Axl.
Axl whirled around with his hand still on the door's handle and came face to face with something that wore his step-father's face and clothes and skin, but was not Stephen. This was not Stephen Bailey.
"The broken ankle, I mean."
Still, with teary eyes, Axl whispers, "Stephen?" into the cold, dead, biting air of this trailer that suddenly felt no longer welcoming. No longer like home.
"All that running you've done.....something ought to have slowed you down."
Axl stared at the man, not believing he was actually there, but not wanting to test it either.
"Maybe something like...eighth grade..." 'Stephen' begins. Immediately, Axl's face blanches.
"What?" Axl whispers, body going numb.
Despite Axl not wanting to ever remember that year, Stephen continues; as if Axl could stop him.
"Do you remember Mr. Howell's math class? How you got a C- and begged him to change it?"
Axl stumbled back a bit. "Please, stop."
Stephen smiled a wicked smile that sent ice running through Axl's veins.
Axl felt physically ill as he kept backing away, feeling around behind him for something to put his weight on.
Stephen only moved closer and closer, his appearance edging on something more horrifying the more he spoke.
"You'd seen the way he looked at you in church, knew what he'd want in exchange. All you had to do was bat those pretty eyelashes of yours."
Axl's back slammed roughly against something and his heart hammered with the knowing that he was well and truly backed into a corner. "Please stop." His voice trembled.
He turned his head to avoid those menacing eyes and ended up staring at a broken grandfather clock lodged into the wall of Eddie's bedroom.
It was broken, but the chimes didn't stop.
'Stephen' gripped Axl's jaw in a bruising hold and turned the boys face back to his, making the redhead look into those eyes that held nothing but an empty, milky white that hid something sinister behind them.
There were dark black veins creeping over Stephen's neck and face as his grip grew tighter and tighter. "Was that A+ really worth getting to your knees on that dirty floor behind Mr. Howell's desk? Or did you want it?"
Axl sobbed, screams clawing from his throat as he slid down the wall.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." He repeatedly managed to ramble in between his broken sobs.
"You went home that night, scrubbing your tongue raw and wishing like hell that you'd just die right then and there."
The floor fell out from beneath Axl as those sobs tore from his throat in the most painful way possible.
"Don't worry, Axl." His grip let up. "It's almost time...."
He clutched onto his legs so tightly that he drew blood from the way his fingernails dug into his bruised skin. He needed to wake up. He had to be dreaming. This had to be some kind of fucked up nightmare.
WAKE UP!
"AXL!"
The boy jumped, trying to scramble back on trembling forearms, but finding himself backed into the same corner from his nightmare. He snapped his head up to see his uncle and cousin kneeling in front of him, worry and fear struck across their faces.
He looked into Eddie's room, but found the clock no longer there.
He looked around, blinking more tears out of his eyes as he panted heavily.
Shakily, he finally turned his terrified gaze to the two. "Eddie?"
Wayne and Eddie looked at each other, then back to Axl.
"It's me, Ax..." The boy reassured, comfortingly, carefully moving closer.
Axl's eyes were still wide and dodging around frantically, avoiding Wayne.
When Eddie suddenly wrapped Axl in his arms, it took a moment for the boy to slow down his breathing and melt into Eddie, sobbing the whole time.
Eddie looked over his shoulder at Wayne as Axl clutched his arm like a lifeline.
When Wayne's returning look offered him nothing, Eddie realized exactly what this was.
And he also realized that what he and his friends had thought they ended, hadn't gone away as much as they'd wished.
ta-da! i'm sorry if you didn't like this, but i did. if you did like it, i could probably make a part two. bye! ꨄ
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