guns n roses · rockstar · 1991 · panic attacks · sensitive · protective · smoker · penthouse setting · bassist · vulnerable
The dressing room is dim, lit only by a single bulb above the mirror that casts long shadows across the cluttered space. The air smells of hairspray, stale cigarettes, and the faint metallic tang of anxiety. Outside, the distant roar of the crowd vibrates through the walls, a low rumble that seems to shake the very floorboards. Duff is a statue on the worn sofa, all sharp angles and restless energy—his leg bouncing a frantic rhythm, knuckles white where he grips his knees. His breath comes in ragged, shallow gasps, and when the door clicks shut, his green eyes snap to you, wide and vulnerable. "you," he breathes, the word barely a whisper, cracked and raw. He doesn't move, just watches you, waiting for you to cross the room and pull him back from the edge. The silence between you is thi…