FicWad

“First consideration: the deck is not stacked in our favour.” David Mustaine stated. “As you’ve seen, L.A. is riddled with ugly posers.”
“Which means it’s gonna be especially hard to find other people to play with, right?”
“Yes, and most of those who aren’t posers, are already in a band.”
Kimberly reclined on the armrest of the couch and put her legs on Dave Ellefson’s lap. She and Dave were now officially dating, and she had developed a slightly possessive streak that manifested whenever Dee was around.
Jealous of a lesbian woman, that was really preposterous. But the more those two talked, the more the bassist seemed to get past his rocky start with the redhead and become mesmerized by her.

“Some of those guys you call ‘posers’ are actually pretty solid musicians.” She replied to David. “Don’t diss them because you don’t like the music they play.”
“It’s not just a matter of technical ability, but also of style. I don’t want any of their wimpy playing in my band.”
“So we’re looking for a drummer, a singer and a second guitarist, maybe?”
“Well, this music needs two guitars, only one simply wouldn’t cut. If he can sing too, all the better.”
“Ok, so, what should we put in our ad?”
“‘Bassist and lead guitarist looking for other real metal musicians to start a band. No Glam posers, please.’ Here you go.” Kimberly said.
“Isn’t it too short? Shouldn’t we add more information?”
“It’s an advertisement, not a fucking essay.” David sentenced. “It’ll do.”

~֍~

Two empty pizza boxes laid discarded on the bedroom floor, as well as four empty cans of beer. Kimberly was drinking the fifth while Dave and David fought for the last one of the six-pack; the double sized bed squeaked under their moving weight, and their writhing almost knocked Kimberly down.
“Will you two stop squirming? If you wet my sheets, I’ll kill you.”
“I’m sure this bed has seen way worse than some beer.” David smirked.
“Not after the great ketchup disaster of the 1980.” Kimberly said, “So share your booze like good kids and stop fighting.”

David crushed the now empty can and threw it towards the trash bin, missing it. They still had a couple of hours before Kimberly’s parents arrived and they would have to clean the mess on the floor.
“So, what are your ideas for your ‘perfect beast’ of a band? Are you planning to bury the entire L.A. metal scene?” the girl asked, relaxing in her boyfriend’s arms.
“The L.A. metal scene is a fucking lost cause and it can rot in hell. They aren’t even in the same league as us.” David replied. “What I’m planning is for this band to be a lean, mean, killing machine. We’re gonna play faster, harder, and more intensely than anyone else.”
Kimberly turned her head and looked at Dave. There he was, with that reverent expression on his face again. She knew for sure Dave didn’t look at her the same way. Not that they were in love, but the fact that another girl was the recipient of his adoring gaze stung her.

~֍~

David cut off a car and turned the corner, flipping his finger at the angry driver who honked at him. Kimberly had gifted him with her big brother’s old bicycle, out of pity for his forced state of pedestrian, and he was very thankful for that.
He was headed to Club Lingerie, where he would meet Tiffany, but a part of him was second-guessing the decision. Did he really want to date that girl? Did he want to date someone at all? When she had asked him out, he had been caught by surprise, and had answered in the spur of the moment.

He didn’t want to embark on a serious relationship, of that he was sure; his life was already complicated enough, and all his energies had to be focused on kick-starting his new band.
And then there was sex. He hadn’t got laid in months and his sexual drive was a mess; sometimes it was dormant, other times it was like a whirlwind. He didn’t know if it was normal for women or if it was just his fucked-up condition that made it that way.

In any case, there he was, in front of the club. Tiffany was already there, waiting for him; she was wearing an all-black attire, make-up included, except for an acid green t-shirt under a studded leather jacket. Sure thing he couldn’t risk losing her in a crowd, even though she was quite short. Here we go, no more time for doubts.

~֍~

David let Tiffany take the lead and have her decide where they would spend the evening; all things considered, he shouldn’t have been that disconcerted when he discovered she had taken him to a lesbian bar.
“Not very original, I know.” Tiffany chuckled. “But here we’re gonna feel more comfortable.”
David’s expression must have revealed his actual shock, since the young woman quickly assured him that they could go anywhere else, if so he pleased.
“No, it’s fine. I just wasn’t expecting it.” he replied.
“No? The Palms is basically the main hangout for lesbians in L.A.” she frowned.
Oh, fuck me. That was a thing he hadn’t considered; he knew nothing, absolutely nothing about the lesbian community, be it in L.A. or any other place. He could lie all he wanted to straight people, but he certainly couldn’t fool a bisexual woman. He had to find a valid excuse.
“It’s… kinda complicated. The way I’ve come to accept… this thing…”
“You don’t have to explain yourself.” Tiffany interrupted him. “Not right now, if it makes you uncomfortable.” She smiled kindly, and he felt very relieved. Crisis adverted, for the moment.

The two women took their seats and ordered something to drink. David was racking his brains to elaborate a believable justification for his behaviour, and he finally came up with something that seemed acceptable.
“I never liked any boy when I was growing up, so I thought that I simply wasn’t interested in romance.” He started explaining. “It was only later that I realized I was attracted to girls.”
“And you never thought of reaching out to the queer community?”
“No, I was pretty much stunned, I didn’t want to talk about it with anybody. It was only when I met my first girlfriend that I came to terms with it.”
Tiffany smiled and reached David’s hand, as to comfort him. “You know, David, the reason why I decided to ask you out… not only because you’re very pretty, of course, it was because you were so candid about being lesbian.”
“Um, what do you mean?”
“You just said it, you know, as a matter of fact. I’ve never met anyone being so nonchalant about their homosexuality. Well, not with strangers, and in a place outside the community, I mean.”
Ah, right. Real lesbians were probably much more guarded about their sexuality than he had been. For him it was as natural and trivial as saying that he liked beer, or heavy metal.
“I thought you were so brave.” Tiffany continued. “I didn’t considered that you might have struggled with it in the past.”
“It’s all right.” David dismissed the praise. He needed to move the conversation to a more comfortable ground.

~֍~

“So you’re a musician. That’s pretty cool.” Tiffany said; apparently, straight girls weren’t the only ones to be charmed by a guy (or chick) with a guitar. “What kind of music do you like to play?”
“Heavy metal. In the likes of Slayer and Anthrax. Not Bon Jovi or crap like that.” David emptied his glass. “You look more like a punk girl, though.”
“Quite right. When I was sixteen, I became very involved in the early punk scene; I loved bands like X, The Alley Cats, The Bags. But now…” she shrugged.
“Don’t like it anymore?”
“Well, there are bands that I like, but the movement, you know, shifted quite drastically in a certain way, when hardcore barged in. Going to a show now feels like stepping into a boxing ring.”
“I like hardcore much more than ‘classic’ punk, many of those bands sounded too wussy; they lacked the right intensity and strength that make music interesting.”
“But see, it’s not just about blowing off some steam; for many guys it’s not even about enjoying music at all. Concerts for them are just an excuse to be violent and start up fights. It’s like the same movement that was invented by the weird kids has now been appropriated by the schoolyard bullies. And it sucks.”

Dave ordered another beer, some onion rings, and cheese fries. Tiffany had offered to pay for the date, and he intended to take advantage of that.
“So you don’t listen to punk anymore, but you’re still a punk. At least, visually speaking.”
“More or less. Hardcore has taken the reins of the scene, but there are other kinds of punk bands. Now I’m into what is called deathrock; groups like Christian Death and Voodoo Church.” David shook his head, suggesting that he didn’t know what she was talking about. “We can call it dark punk, if you want; it somehow overlaps with gothic rock.”
“I’m not familiar with it. I like the Misfits, if that counts.”
“Close enough.” Tiffany chuckled.

~֍~

Since David had left his bike in the backyard of Club Lingerie, Tiffany had offered to drive him home. When she stopped her car in front of his condo and gave him one of her sweet smiles, he felt the urge to kiss her, and then take her to bed. But he couldn’t rush it, could he? He didn’t want to move too fast and scare her away.

Tiffany stopped his train of thought by leaning in and kissing him. Oh, how he had missed the touch of a woman! Tiffany’s mouth had barely touched his that he immediately deepened the kiss, yearning for her taste, but she broke it as soon as David’s hands started roaming under her t-shirt. Too much too soon, dammit!
“You’re a greedy kisser.” She said, and caressed David’s lips with her index finger.
“I’m just hungry for you, baby.”
Tiffany laughed. “Don’t throw lines at me, woman, especially such cheesy ones.”
“Right, right. But you got me carried away.”
“Sure, I’m so irresistible.” She joked. “But I need to take it a little slower. For now, you can have my number.”
Tiffany scribbled her phone number on a little piece of paper and handed it to him. “Use it wisely.”
David took the note and kissed Tiffany’s hand. “I would give you mine, but I don’t have a landline phone anymore.”
“You don’t?”
“After my flatmate left, I needed to cut some expenses, and the phone bill was the first to go.” He explained. “Also, I have to be honest with you; I need to keep this relationship casual.”
“What do you mean?” Tiffany looked disappointed, but David had to make his point, and if she didn’t like it, so be it.
“As I told you before, I’m starting a band, and that will take most of my time and energy. I want to date you, but I can’t promise to be the most attentive girlfriend.”
“I see.” She replied, biting her lips, in a way that David found very sexy. “All right, fine by me, as long as you don’t disappear on me for days without notice.”
“Won’t happen.” David reassured her, reaching once more for her mouth.