Summary: Being the lead singer of Corroded Coffin had it's pros and cons. Pro, you get to make great music with your best friends. Cons, your boyfriend Billy hates how much of your time rehearsals take up, he especially hates the fact that you're spending that time with Eddie Munson of all people
Warnings: Swearing, unhealthy relationship
A/N: ok so uhhh, second time posting my writing,,,, again it's another Part 1 since I seem incapable of writing anything short enough to be a one shot
Being the lead singer of Corroded Coffin was fun, it meant you got to spend time with your closest friends playing the heaviest music you could manage. It was even better when you started getting gigs down at the hideout playing for an actual live crowd, even if it was just a handful of old drunks. But everything has its pros and cons, even Corroded Coffin. Getting to perform live meant having to practice a hell of a lot more, ever since you guys started the gig you found a major chunk of your free time spent in Gareth's garage rehearsing. You didnât really mind it, Gareth's mom always provided great snacks, it gave you a chance to chat about whatever campaign you guys were playing through in Hellfire and of course it just meant more time bantering and goofing off with Eddie. But just because you didnât mind the extra practice sessions didnât mean no one had complaints, in fact someone had more than a handful of complaints about the whole situation. Your boyfriend Billy was not shy when it came to voicing his opinion and that did not change when he starting commenting on your sudden lack of time to spend with him. To be fair you still spent almost every spare moment with him but that just didnât seem to be enough.Â
âYouâre seriously turning me down to hang out with those dorks againâ Billy was angry, he always got angry when this subject came up.Â
âBilly you knew I had practice today, Iâm not turning you down Iâm just sticking to my scheduleâ You said, sighing as he leaned against your bedroom door frame and threw you a harsh glare. Usually that menacing glare was enough to get people to do what Billy wanted but it barely fazed you, it never really had. Billy didnât intimidate you, itâs the reason he was so intrigued by you in the first place and a major reason he loved you as much as he did. But in moments like these it got on his nerves, not being able to get you to forget your dorky friends in favor of staying with him all day really ticked him off.Â
âYou know Iâm starting to think you just donât want me around anymoreâ His glare simmered into a soft, sad expression that struck you with a pang of guilt. âNever make time for me anymore, always talking âbout your band, âbout himâ
This got you up out of your seat, abandoning the homework you were rushing to finish. He lowered his gaze, looking down at the floor as you walked over to him, only increasing the guilt you felt. Raising your hand to his face you gently brought his gaze back up to meet yours and offered him a small smile.Â
âBilly, I always want you around. I love you, you know that. There's one more important to me than you, no one â You spoke softly, gently resting your other hand on his chest. You knew this was another ploy to get you to blow off practice but you could read Billy well enough to know there was also some truth to his words. âBut you also know I canât just skip practice outta the blue, I made a commitment to the band, to practicing. Iâm not the kind of girl who just blows off important stuff like that.â
Billy just let an annoyed huff at your words, but his expression softened and you saw his lips start to curl up into a small smile. Keeping your hand on his face you stood up on your tiptoes to kiss him softly, you felt one of his hands wrap around the small of your back to pull you closer as his other hand grasped onto your hand still resting on his chest. You hummed softly as he deepened the kiss, losing yourself a bit in the tenderness of it all. Tender moments were far and few between with Billy and as much as you loved his brash chaotic energy you cherished these small exchanges. But you knew you were on a time crunch, taking one last second to savor the sweet kiss you pulled yourself away, smiling to yourself at the way Billy leaned forwards to chase the kiss.Â
âYouâre welcome to stay while I get readyâ You said, moving back to your desk where you quickly shoved your half finished homework back into your backpack before pulling out your makeup bag. You always practiced in the dramatic makeup you wore on stage, it helped it feel less daunting to wear it on stage. âBut itâs only like another 20 minutes, I donât wanna be lateâ
âWorks for meâ Billy agreed, flopping down on your bed before turning to watch as you applied the bold eyeliner, dark shadow and black lipstick with a deft hand. He had to give it to you, you made it look easy and he had to admit he found it really hot. The makeup made you look like one of the heavy metal chicks on his posters, only hotter because it was you wearing it and you were his girl. His girl was a heavy metal chick and that was a fact Billy absolutely thrilled about. He wasnât so thrilled when you were already packing sheet music and crumpled lyric sheets into a drawstring bag and tying the laces on your beat up sneakers.Â
âAlright Billy times up, I gotta get goingâ You said smiling as you stood up and slung your bag over your shoulder, grabbing your car keys off your bedside table. Billy groaned but didnât get up. âCome on donât be an asshole, I gotta goâ
âYou sure you couldnât be just a bit late?â Billy asked, propping himself up on his elbows and offering you his trademark mischievous smirk. âIâm sure theyâd understand, I mean look at you, who wouldnât wanna spend some extra time up close and personal with you looking like thatâ
âIâm not sure Eddie would be thrilled if I showed up late and told him itâs cause my boyfriends got no self controlâÂ
âDonât need an excuse if youâre not thereâ Billy countered, his voice deepening low and sultry âYou seriously telling me that youâd rather sit in a garage all day than spend some time with your boyfriend?â
âWhat Iâd like to get some practice in before the gig this friday, and trust me Billy I need all the practice I can getâ You said rolling your eyes, his antics were always entertaining but had a tendency to get old real fast especially when he dragged them out far too long. âYou can crash in my room while Iâm gone but I doubt thatâd be any funâÂ
âI could go with youâÂ
âI doubt youâd have any fun at practice eitherâ He was officially dragging this out far too long. âYouâd just be sitting in the corner listening to our shitty musicâÂ
Billy finally got up from the bed and walked over to you, using the height difference to tower over you. He knew it wouldnât intimidate you or get you to relent and stay but he still enjoyed seeing just how small you were compared to him.Â
âNow babe donât go talking âbout yourself like that, Iâm sure you sound lovelyâ He gently brushed a loose strand of hair behind your ear, leaning in a little closer while doing so â Is it so wrong that I wanna watch my girl sing in that nice makeup?âÂ
âBilly,â You hesitated, weighing your options as you took a glance at your alarm clock, it was already 4:45, shit you were going to be late if you didnât get going now. âOk listen, we take a break around 6:30ish and we end around 7:45-8ish. If you wanna drive me there you can stop by during the break, and I could give you your own private concert on the drive homeâ
âShit dollface youâve got yourself a dealâ Billy said as he broke out in a wide grin, throwing his arm over your shoulders before you both made your way out to his Camaro. You still werenât exactly sure how youâd explain this to the guys but theyâd just have to deal with it if they wanted you there on time. And if you were being honest with yourself, getting to ride with Billy in his camaro was more than worth the complaints youâd be getting from the guys later.Â
It didnât take long to get to Gareths, he lived just a few neighborhoods away and thanks to Billys signature reckless driving you arrived a couple minutes early and somehow both in one piece. From the driveway you got a clear view of the weird looks the guys were shooting you, and you didnât blame them given how shocked you were when you first saw the way Billy drove. You offered them a small wave and smile, which they reciprocated before going back to tuning their instruments and talking amongst themselves, though a glance was occasionally thrown your way.Â
âThanks babe!â You said cheerfully as you reached for the car door only to feel Billy grip your arm tightly, pulling you back towards him.Â
âThat anyway to say thank you?â He joked, rolling your eyes you leaned in and kissed him. Like at your house he quickly moved to deepen the kiss, using his grip on your arm to keep you close for just a few moments more before he finally let you push away.Â
âBilly!â You felt your cheeks heat up with embarrassment, a quick sideways glance confirmed your fears as all the guys were once again staring at the two of you.Â
âWhat? Canât I kiss my girl goodbye?â He feigned ignorance, even laughing a bit at you for blushing so aggressively.Â
âNot in front of the guys Billy, seriously!â
âBut it's so fun getting you all riled up, you look cute when you get all flustered like that '' He went to pull you in again but you forcefully pulled your arm away from his grip making his grin fall into a tight frown. âHey what's the problem, thought you liked kissing meâ
âI like kissing you, I just donât like making out with you in front of all my friendsâ You said grabbing your bag and opening the car door but you paused before getting all the way out, you didnât want the guys to hear this less than stellar conversation. âI told you that already, if youâre gonna act like this you probably shouldnât be back during break and Iâll find another ride homeâÂ
âJesus princess, you sure have a fucking attitude todayâÂ
âBilly Iâm being seriousâ You hold yourself back from snapping at him but your annoyance was clear as day to anyone listening, clear as day to the guys who were still staring at you. âIâve told you this shit like 5 times already. If you wanna make me and my friends uncomfortable just donât show up,âÂ
âIâll be here at 6:30, Iâll visit you during your break like a good boyfriend and then Iâll swing back around at 7:50 to drive you back to your place.â Billy snapped each sentence out with the same restrained harsh voice he used whenever he got angry at you and had to stop himself from saying something worse. Sometimes he didnât stop himself, sometimes when he started using that voice the things he said kept getting worse until both of you were red in the face and screaming. Usually heâd avoid you for days after only to show up with chocolate or flowers and a sugar sweet apology. You were thankful that today he actually had some self control and didnât start a screaming match in Gareth's driveway, though you knew he was still a ticking time bomb that you werenât in any mood to diffuse.Â
Instead you just got out of the car and slammed the door shut behind you, as you made your way into the garage you could hear Billy curse and slam his hand against the wheel but you didnât turn around until you heard the sound of his rumbling engine far off in the distance. As soon as you could no longer hear it you let out a breath and started setting up your music stand with the lyric sheets youâd brought, thankfully one of the guys had already set up the mike for you and even got it at the perfect height.Â
âSo what song are we starting with? Cause Iâd like to go over the chorus in Witch's Curse a couple times, the latin spell part keeps giving me troubleâ You ask turning to face the guys who all made a piss poor attempt at hiding the fact theyâd still been staring at you, each of them turning their heads to look at something random as you felt the blush creep back up in your face. You knew what they saw, what they possibly heard and that this certainly did not help improve their less than stellar opinions of Billy.Â
They all looked at you but were clearly avoiding direct eye contact, it was Eddie who quickly swooped in to break the silence and ease some of the tension as he gently put his guitar back onto his stand before making his way over to you.Â
âWhich parts giving you trouble?â He asked leaning over your shoulder to look at the lyric sheet, his long curly hair falling over your shoulder and nearly onto the sheet of paper. He was overexaggerating how far he had to lean, but Eddie over exaggerated nearly every move he made. It was one of your favorite things about him, how he could so effortlessly make a room full of people burst out laughing or sit in horrified silence as led a session of D&D. You found yourself staring at him as he edged a little closer, squinting his eyes as if he could barely read the large writing on the paper. You giggled at his antics, finding yourself distracted and staring at him, he was so close to you you couldn;t help but feel a little star struck. It felt weird, reacting like a blushing school girl when it was just your best friend leaning over your shoulder. Itâd just been so long since Eddie and you had been this close, you guys used to be the kind of friends that would cuddle or roughhouse but after Billy came around it all sort of stopped. You missed it, just being close with your friend.Â
âDonât go zoning out on me man, I canât be that boringâ Eddie laughed as he noticed you staring at him silently âCome on what parts giving you trouble, I can always try and rewrite it for you if its too trickyâ
âOh, uh, no no you donât have to do that. Itâs a great song, it's just the latin lineâ You said pointing to the lyric in question. âI just have trouble pronouncing it right, I didnât take LatinâÂ
âI know, we had Ms. Mortens Spanish class together your freshman year, remember?â you nod, smiling at the memories. âI had to use this shitty latin dictionary for this part so I'm not entirely sure on the pronunciation myselfâ
âYou wrote the song but you canât pronounce part of the chorusâÂ
âHey latin always sounds creepy canât blame a guy for wanting a dark sounding chorusâ He raised his hands in mock defensiveness as you yet again found yourself giggling âjust say it however is easiest to say it, I donât think anyone listening to us will know latinâÂ
âYou make a fair pointâ You shrug, turning your attention back to the paper as Eddie makes his way back to his guitar, swinging the strap over his head and getting ready to play.Â
âMaledictio arescit Sed mea erga te fuit semper verumâ You mutter to yourself, repeating it a few times as the guys start going through last minute preparations before playing.Â
âAlright guys, Witches Curse from the top!â Eddie shouts, giving you a small smile and brief thumbs up as Gareth starts clashing his drum sticks together in a steady count and on three you burst into song in unison.Â
An hour or so passes and youâve perfected Witches Curse and a handful of other songs that just needed one or two more play throughs. You were already tired, it was surprising how much energy it took to sing along and keep pace with how fast the guys would play but you found you loved the challenge and the adrenaline rush you got as you continued to nail each note right on beat. It was invigorating but right now all you wanted was a piece of the Pizza Gareth's mom had brought out for you guys and some cold water.Â
As you were shuffling around the lyric sheets just to be ready to start right up after break Eddie snuck up behind you, grabbing your shoulder so suddenly you nearly jumped out of your skin. This sent all the lyric papers flying as Eddie burst out laughing, the guys joining in as you scrambled to grab all the papers. Only you werenât annoyed at all, you were laughing right along with them, just happy to have this moment of ease and humor with your friends. You were still chuckling as you stood back up to set the sheets down, turning then to Eddie who was stifling even more laughter as he held out a slice of pizza on a paper plate for you to take.Â
âThanks manâ You took the plate from his hand, hungrily taking a bite.Â
âYea no problemâ Eddie said shifting his weight from leg to leg as he stood, heâd never really been able to stay still. âYou killed it with the latin by the way, sounded metal as hellâ
âReally?â Eddie nodded again, smiling brightly âShit that's a relief, everytime the chorus came up I was so sure Iâd blow it. Latins tricky man, itâs a dead language for a reasonâÂ
âDoesnât change the fact it sounds sick as hell, Especially when youâre the one singing itâ Eddies smile grew wider as he watched your own smile grow âseriously you killed it, I canât wait to actually watch you sing it on stageâ
âWhatâs it mean by the way?â You asked between bites of the pizza, youâd been curious about the meaning of the words since you first saw the lyricsÂ
âOh it's nothing important, just picked out words that I thought would sound coolâ He shrugged off your questionÂ
âI call bullshit, youâre really trying to tell me that Eddie Munson, the king of overthinking every last lyric he writes, just picked out random words that looked cool?â You scoffed at this, you had a point after all. Eddie put so much effort into making sure each lyric of his songs had some sort of meaning, he always said the song didnât sound quite right without a deeper meaning.Â
âItâs boring, trust me the song sounds cooler if you donât knowâÂ
âAgain I call bullshit, seriously you gotta tell meâ You countered, finishing your slice and setting the paper plate on your music. Crossing your arms over your chest you tried your best to strike some sort of domineering pose. âCome on spill, what's it mean?â
âOk ok Iâll tell you, just not hereâ He glanced over his shoulder at the guys who were currently competing to see who could eat the most pizza in under a minute. âCome onâÂ
Eddie grabbed your hand and led you outside, the sky was just starting to turn pink and orange as sunset was just beginning. Once the garage door was securely shut behind you Eddie glanced around a second time, jokingly ensuring you were safe from evesdroppers.Â
âNo ones listening Ed no spill!â You giggled at his anticsÂ
âAlright hold your horses sweetheartâ He chuckled leaning closer to whisper into your ear. âThe curse is withered But my love for you has always been trueâ
âAre you telling me itâs a love song?â You asked, feigning extreme shock as Eddie leaned back against the wall of the garage already blushing. âEddie Munson wrote a love song?â
âYea yea itâs a love songâ He waved your mockery off with his hand as if thatâd get you to stop prying. âYou see why I donât want the guys hearing that shit?â
âYouâre probably right to keep that little detail away from them, I donât think they really appreciate love songsâ You said, still stifling giggles at how embarrassed Eddie was acting âWhose it about?â
âWhoâd you write the song about?â You asked âLove songs are always written with someone in mind so whoâd you write the song about?â
You didnât think Eddies face could get any redderÂ
âYou got a secret crush Edâs?â You pried further âCome on who is it? You gotta tell meâ
âNope, my lips are sealed. I shared enough dorky secrets for one dayâ He said crossing his arms âSorry Y/N youâll never know, itâs a secret i'm taking to the graveâ
âYou wonât even tell your best friend? Come on this is exactly the stuff youâre supposed to tell your best friend, you know I can keep a secret!â You were practically bouncing as your curiosity grew âPlease, Iâm so fucking curiousâ
âCuriosity killed the cat you knowâ Eddie quipped with a smirkÂ
âYea but satisfaction brought it backâ You countered with a smirk of your own âPeople always forget that part of the sayingâ
âCan we drop this for now?â Eddie asked starting to look serious, some of the goofy energy beginning to dissipateÂ
âIs it Chrissy?â You asked before you could stop yourself âYouâve always had a thing for cheerleadersâ
âMe? A thing for cheerleaders?â Eddie attempted a laugh but his smile continued to fall ânever. And I'm never telling you who its aboutâÂ
âItâs totally chrissy isnât itâ You said with a triumphant grin
âItâs not chrissy Y/Nâ Eddie nearly snapped, the jovial mood almost entirely gone now âSeriously can we drop this for now?â
âEddie itâs just a song and a crush, it canât be that embarrassing can it?â You wouldnât drop it, not now when you were so sure you could get the secret out of himÂ
âWhyâre you dating Billy?â His question stunned you, left you scrambling to process it as you stood there mouth agape.Â
âWhy does that matter?â
âHeâs an asshole Y/N, you always seem uncomfortable or pissed off when he's around and it's just worryingâ He explained himself but only succeeded in further confusing you.Â
âHeâs just not good around other people, never knows how to act and it just gets frustrating after a while alright?â Now it was your turn to explain yourself âHeâs not always like that, when weâre on our own heâs a total sweetheartâÂ
âArenât boyfriends supposed to be like that all the time, not just when youâre alone?â Eddies question left you speechless, you had nothing to counter with and again were left just standing there
âIâm just saying that youâre a really sweet girl and you shouldnât let a guy treat you like that just cause heâs shitty with social situationsâ Eddie continued âGod knows none of the guys, or hell even me, know what weâre doing when it comes to meeting other people but do you see us acting like assholes?â
Again speechless, you were still trying to process his first comment as he continued speaking and you just couldnât seem to keep up fast enough to respond. In fact you never even got the chance as the rumbling engine of Billy's camaro could suddenly be heard, and in what felt like moments the shiny blue car was pulling up and parking in the driveway just ahead of you.Â
âSorry Iâm late sweetheartâ Billy said as he climbed out of the car, making his way over to you and eddie. His voice still had that low gravelly touch of anger, you didnât know if heâd just stayed angry the whole time or got angry again seeing you outside alone with Eddie. âBut it seems like you found a way to entertain yourself just fineâ
It was definitely about Eddie.Â
