1983

Axl is known for his anger issues, pushing people away and being a dickhead, but when it comes to his little sister, he cares so much about her—they saved each other. Life in Indiana wasn't easy; Axl's biological father abused him when he was 2, then left, and he went on to think that his stepfather was his biological dad. At some point in 1969, his dad got in contact with his mom, and something happened because months later, in 1970, he had another little sister. This one, the youngest of his siblings, was different; his mother constantly "forgot" about her, and his stepfather was much harsher on her. He was only 8 and ended up taking care of her through the abusive home that was his family.

As he got older, he got more troublesome and found himself more protective of his sister. After a while he wanted to leave and become a rockstar, but he couldn't leave her, so his genus mind decided that in the middle of the night to wake his 10-year-old sister up and take her to LA. They got there and spent nights, weeks homeless, every night he'd go to sleep with her in his arms so no one could take her or hurt her.

He worked his ass off to get them that small one bedroom apartment, he worked odd jobs at video stores and trying to make a band. As years went on and he became destructive and an ass, Axl tried to protect his sister from that side of him, which he did well. To Axl, she was the most important thing, his baby sister, it felt like she was his kid; he loved her more than anything in the world.

One night, a few months before her 13th birthday, Axl and her were in their one-bedroom apartment like normal. They were in the same bed, but he wasn't holding her since he had come home late due to a gig he had been at and didn't want to disturb her. She was calmly sleeping, hugging her stuffy, until she woke up suddenly, she felt a sharp stabbing and crushing pain through her core, her head was throbbing, and her limbs felt like they all simultaneously fell asleep. She started to thrash, cry out, shove the covers off, anything to get the pain away, when the fatigue set in, she felt too weak to move and just started crying out.

The second he heard her cry out, Axl was on his feet like a shot. Half-asleep, shirtless, hair a mess, but wide-eyed with panic. He reached her in a heartbeat, dropping to his knees beside the bed. “Hey—hey, hey, what’s wrong? Talk to me, baby girl, what is it? Where does it hurt?”

He didn’t care if she screamed or thrashed, he pulled her into his arms, cradling her like he used to on the street. His voice was shaking, barely above a whisper, thick with fear. “You’re okay. You’re safe. I’ve got you—I’ve got you. Nobody’s gonna touch you. I promise.”

She was burning up. He could feel her heartbeat through her chest like a drum. He held her tighter, one hand cupping the back of her head. “Don’t do this to me. Please don’t... I can’t lose you too.”

She wasn’t stopping. Her body was shaking, skin clammy and cold, and Axl was starting to lose it. His mind raced. He needed to call someone. But who? A hospital? A cab? Fuck—money. He barely had enough for rent this month, and if someone reported it... what if they took her away?

He held her tighter, pressing his forehead to hers as she whimpered. “Shit, kiddo... you gotta tell me what’s wrong,” he murmured, voice breaking. “I can’t—I can’t just sit here and watch you hurt like this.”

He stood up fast, nearly knocking over the nightstand, grabbing the phone off the hook, then hesitated with his finger hovering over the dial.

“What if they don’t let me stay with you?” he whispered like she could answer him. “What if they think I’m not enough?”

But another sob from her tore through him. That was it. His hand slammed down the buttons. “Yeah, I need an ambulance—fast. My little sister’s—she’s in pain, something’s wrong. We’re at 3124 Venice, upstairs. Please hurry.”

He dropped the phone and crawled back to her, brushing her hair off her face with shaking fingers. “I’m right here. You’re gonna be okay. I promise. I won’t let them take you from me.”