Young Axl- this is a Soulmate AU-this is a pain one; when you get hurt, your soulmate feels the pain and vice versa- Pls don't hurt me for being so cliché-Also, this isn't my best, so please don't hate me for that either

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1980

I felt a pain erupt in my cheek; it was a stinging pain. Like a slap. I screwed my eyes shut, exhaling slowly from the pain. I was used to this by now. Unfortunately.

This had been happening for longer than I could remember. Sometimes, the pain was so bad that I would cry myself to sleep. Nothing could be done to soothe the pain, though; my soulmate was going through this as well. It was his pain, and I had to bare it with him.

When I told my mother of the pains, she gave me a sad look as she explained that there was a possibility my soulmate's family was abusive toward him. I remember crying myself to sleep thinking "I can only feel the physical pain, but he has to live with mental pain as well as the physical pain."

I placed my cool hand on my stinging cheek. The action was futile. The pain wouldn't numb.

————
1985

It was around four in the morning when I felt it; I felt the familiar stinging sensation of a slap. I shot up from my bed, confused. I hadn't felt that pain in five years.

After the stinging sensation went away, I no longer wanted to fall into the silent arms of sweet slumber. I wanted to find my soulmate and make sure he was okay. The only problem was: I didn't know who my soulmate was.

The pain numbed after a bit. Still, I held a brewing worry for my soulmate. What was he doing now? Why had he suffered so much in his life? Who inflicted this pain on him? Little did I know, I would find answers to my questions very soon.

————

I entered the Whiskey, nodding toward the bartender, Joe. He had shaggy brown hair that fell on his shoulders, big brown eyes, and a killer grin. He was also my best friend.

I seated myself at the bar, just in front of him. He gave me his signature smile and poured my usual into a line of shot glasses, pushing them my way when he was done.

"Who's playing tonight?" I asked before downing the row of shots. Joe put his elbows on the bar, leaning on them.

"Guns N Roses. They're awesome. Just getting popular, too," he said, looking toward the stage. He looked around and nodded toward the other bartender.

"Going on break," he said. The other bartender gave him a thumbs up and turned back to an eager drinker.

Joe hopped on the bar, sliding to my side. He took a seat next to me.

"They should come on any minute now," he said. Then, he waved the other bartender over and ordered some drinks.

Suddenly, a man walked onstage with fluffy blond hair—fluffier than any hair I'd ever seen,—and he seated himself at the drum set with a huge grin on his face. A tall, gangly blond walked out, a bass hanging around his neck. Following him was a shorter man with straight black hair and a guitar around his neck. Another man with long, dark, curly hair walked out, a cigarette between his lips, also sporting a guitar. Finally, a red-headed man strutted out, a microphone in his hand and a cocky smirk on his lips.

My whole body tensed as his eye caught mine. Almost immediately, the hair on my arms stood up, goosebumps prickling my skin. My breath hitched. I could see his body react the same.

Quickly, he regained himself and the smirk was back.

"DO YOU KNOW WHERE THE FUCK YOU ARE?!" He screamed into the mic, his eyes searching the crowd as people responded to him.

"YOU'RE IN THE JUNGLE, BABY!! YOU'RE GONNA DIE!!" The sound of the guitar followed his statement, and people started getting really into it. I smiled, in awe at this man.

He seemed to notice my eyes on him, as he looked in my direction, sending a wink my way. I simply smirked, enjoying the performance.

————

When Guns left the stage, the crowd was still roaring. I turned to Joe, who had already resumed his bar tending duties.

He lifted a brow at the awed look on my face.

"Did somebody catch your eye?" He asked, handing someone a gin. I nodded, biting my lip.

"The ginger. What's his name?" I asked. Joe looked at me for a minute, then sighed.

"He's Axl Rose," Joe said simply. I cocked my eyebrow.

"Do you know anything about him?" I asked.

"I know he's in a band, and he's their lead singer," he said, cracking a smile. I groaned. Joe's such a killjoy.

"Anything else?" I asked, hoping to find out as much about him as I could. Joe smirked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"He's headed our way," Joe said, nodding in the direction the red-head was coming from. He then pushed a glass in front of me.

"Here. You might need this," Joe said simply. He left to tend to someone else's alcohol needs. I sighed, anxious about meeting this Axl guy.

Suddenly, I felt a presence sit beside me. It was Axl. The goosebumps returned, the hair on the back of my neck stood on end, and my stomach was twisting itself into knots. Only Axl had ever made my body react that way.

I slowly turned my head to look at him, offering him a small smile. He was looking me over with his piercing, crystalline gaze. When he met my eyes, he returned my smile with a cocky smirk. Just to confirm my suspicions, I subtly lowered my hand to my side, and I pinched my thigh. Hard.

Axl's gaze faltered to his thigh, before returning to me.

"Are you pinching yourself?" Axl asked, a small smile quirking on his lips. I released my thigh immediately, bringing my hand up to rest on the bar.

"No," I denied, not lying because I was no longer pinching my thigh. Axl shook his head, letting out a laugh.

"You were, though!" He exclaimed, smirking. I shook my head frantically, denying it. Axl simply chuckled, and he pinched his forearm, causing me to feel it. I sucked in a breath and resisted the urge to rub my forearm to relieve the pain.

Axl's smirk grew, and he pinched his forearm harder. I drew in a sharp breath, rubbing my forearm. Finally, he stopped pinching his arm. I sighed in relief, still rubbing my arm.

Axl gently took my arm and rubbed it himself, looking into my eyes as he did so.

"So, we're soulmates," Axl said, still rubbing my arm. I gave him a shy grin.

"Yeah, I guess we are," I said. By now, Axl had stopped rubbing my arm, and he was looking deeply into my eyes, his piercing gaze seemingly looking into the depths of my soul.

"You're so fucking beautiful," he said, his face edging closer to mine.

"Thanks," I answered, not knowing whether to look into his eyes or at his lips. I settled for his eyes, which held a glint of uncertainty. This would not do.

I knew that in order to make his uncertainty go away, I would have to do something.

So, I leaned in the rest of the way, touching my lips to his. His hands immediately cupped my face, pulling me closer to him.

Never have I felt more at home.

When my lungs screamed for air, we pulled apart, gasping for breath.

"When I look into your eyes, I can see a love restrained. Don't restrain it. I'm your soulmate," I finally told him, watching his eyes.

Axl grinned brightly.

"You just gave me an idea for a song," he said, getting off his stool and helping me off of mine.

"Oh, really? You just met me and you're already writing songs about me?" I asked, teasingly. Axl smiled, plopping a few bills on the bar and taking my hand.

"Yeah. You're my muse, I guess," he said.

I grinned, thinking of a little tune to put to my words.

"When I look into your eyes, I can see a love restrained..." I sang to him, fluttering my eyelashes playfully. Axl's grin was unwavering as he watched me.

"You're a minx," he said. I only confirmed his words when I pulled him in for a long, passionate kiss in the middle of the sidewalk.