Leaving Lafayette

Axl eyed the road warily, driving as slowly and smoothly as he possibly could. Under any other circumstances, he'd be racing through the lanes of Indiana traffic, paying no attention to other drivers. But tonight was different. Tonight he had Izzy in the back seat of the car, going through heroin withdrawals.

Tonight was the night they finally escaped, together. No one in town seemed to understand them, and when they got a knock on Mrs. Isbell's door from the local sheriff, they knew it was time to leave. The kind woman had held them up for as long as she could, but Izzy wasn't her little boy anymore.

Suddenly, it dawned on the redhead just how serious things had become in last six months. They were both seventeen, and marijuana and drinking had somehow lost its effect.

Axl had heard about hard drugs hitting LA and Miami in waves, but they were almost non-existent in their little town of Lafayette. In fact, if ever the boys wanted to experiment with weed, they used to have to go all the way across town and climb under the old bridge.

Their dealer was some Hippy love child who looked he'd just stepped out of the 1960's. The guy was harmless, and nothing bad ever came of their business.

How on earth Izzy had ever gotten his hands on heroin, Axl would never know. People in town had never seen what a person was like on hard drugs, so they naturally assumed that Izzy was sick. Hell, even Axl had believed it for the first few months.

But one day when Axl came in and sat on the bed, the guitar player had a faraway look in his eyes. He could barely speak and it was hard just to keep him awake. Panicking, Axl carried his boyfriend out to his car and drove him to Lafayette's only doctor. Once Axl had gotten Izz into the clinic, the doctor asked to see Axl and sat him down in a room alone.

Axl was in tears, thinking that Izzy had some incurable disease, and the doctor's worried look didn't do much to reassure him. But when the doctor finally spoke, it wasn't at all what he had expected.

"Mr. Rose, I've known Jeffrey since he was a young boy... Now, I'm not going to make any assumptions, but I understand that you care very deeply for Mr Isbell, is that correct?"

Axl looked like a deer caught in headlights and froze, not knowing what to say. Instead, he swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded, not making eye contact with the other man. The doctor simply pushed his spectacles up and peered down at Axl with a knowing gaze.

"Mr. Isbell has various marks and well... indications on his body suggesting some form of sexual conduct with another male. I'm guessing that would be you?"

Axl breathed out shakily and looked up at the doctor with teary eyes. The doctor put his hands down on Axl's shoulder and gave him a reassuring pat. "Well then, you'd be the best person to say this to."

The doctor took his hands away from Axl and sat down in his chair, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Mr. Rose, has it ever occurred to you that Mr. Isbell was a user of various drugs of sorts?"

Axl nodded and decided to be honest, seeing as Izzy's health was on the line. "Just a joint here and there, nothing too serious though."

The doctor nodded and wrote something down, before looking back up to Axl. "Well, I'm afraid then, he hasn't told you. Mr. Rose, you're uh... significant other has been using heroin."

Axl pinched himself involuntarily and jumped at the word. "Heroin? As in, injecting himself with a needle?"

The doctor nodded and leaned forwards. "There isn't anything I can do here, but young Jeffrey isn't sick in the slightest. In fact, if anything, I'd say he was perfectly healthy. But heroin affects people in ghastly ways. The earlier he quits, the easier it will for him and his health. Leave it too long, and the results could be catatonic."

Axl didn't know how to feel. He and Izzy had never had any secrets between each other. He wanted to be upset at Izzy for not telling him, he wanted to cry. Instead he asked the question he was dying to know. "How long has he been using?"

The doctor blinked owlishly and assessed his notes. "Well, from the track marks on his arms, his swollen arteries and his almost dream-like state... He could have been using from anywhere between two to three months."

Axl sighed and shook his head, not paying attention to the speed hump in front of him. The car came straight up and Axl nearly hit his head on the roof. There was a yelp from behind him, and Axl remembered where he was, and what he was doing.

Coming to the nearest park, Axl pulled over and stopped the car to check up on Izzy. Unbuckling his seat belt, the ginger climbed into the back of the car and sat crouched in the place where people's feet rest. Izzy himself was laid over the three backseats in a foetal position without any seatbelts protecting him. He was shivering, drenched in sweat and clutching a blanket to him.

Axl traced his thumb over Izzy's features and rested his forehead against the guitarists. The streetlights from outside illuminated both men, and Axl couldn't help thinking that Izzy looked beautiful, even when he was withdrawing.

The trembling guitar player reached out a hand and lightly gripped Axl's wrist, bringing the singers hand to rest on the side of his face. "I'm s-so s-s-sorry, Ax. This was n-never supposed to happen."

Axl smiled and shook his head, planting a kiss on Izzy's bare shoulder. There was a slight sigh from the guitar player, and Axl nuzzled the crook of his neck. "Don't worry Izz, it'll just be us. No one will be around, not even my stepfather. We can spend every night in the same bed and live in the same house. We can even kiss each other without having to sneak around. Isn't that what we always wanted?"

The corners of Izzy's mouth twitched into a light smile as he leaned in and beckoned Axl closer. The red head did so, and kept going until their noses were almost touching. Izzy smiled with his eyes still closed and weakly brought his hands to rest on the singer's shoulders, capturing the other man's mouth in a soft, tender kiss.

The singer shivered and decided to quickly turn around and check the petrol tank. They were running out of money, but according to their calculations, they had enough to make it to L.A.

Izzy continued to lavish the ginger with kisses, when Treader decided to jump down from the passenger seat and join the two men in the backseat. Izzy leaned into Axl's arms and wrapped the blanket around them, thankful that they had the young pup. He was a royal pain in the ass sometimes, but he was adorable, and more importantly, warm.

Axl rubbed his eyes and yawned, wrapping his arms around Izzy's frail waist. The guitarists' withdrawals were killing him at the moment, but the singer had made everything worthwhile. Their car rested in the park, just outside of the Indiana border, and Izzy knew that once they crossed that line, they'd be together forever, and they'd never come back.

Still shaking, Izzy buried his face in Axl's chest and inhaled his sweet scent. Tangling his hands in the other man's soft hair, Izzy began gently running his hands down into the small of Axl's back. There was a soft groan from Axl, and he gently pulled the guitar players hands away, letting them rest back on his shoulders. Izzy had been so eager to please, but he needed his rest and Axl wouldn't take advantage of him in his state of health.

Axl didn't want Izzy to overwork himself, but Izzy was worried that Axl had to everything. It was a perfect Bill/Jeff moment. Axl wanted to do everything and take care of everyone, even though he needed taking care of the most. Axl had given up almost everything for Izzy to drive them out to L.A, and Izzy couldn't but help love the man in front of him.

The singer's long auburn hair gently spread out around them, softly falling over Izzy's neck and collarbones. It felt like expensive silk, and it smelled just as beautiful. His red head had a peaceful look on his face, and Izzy was thankful to have him.

Carefully, so as not to wake him up, Izzy reached out to gently stroke the singer's jaw, planting a soft kiss on his cheek.

"Good night, Bill." Izzy whispered, before slowly closing his own eyes and resting into a soft slumber.