#daisy jones and the six fic

[its-vannah]

Rojas | Warren Rojas x Reader

A/N: This is TV storyline, not book storyline.

Warnings: Mentions of drugs and alcohol

Eddie: As much as we'd all like to think that Warren was this laid-back, freespirit, there's a part of him that had been broken and taped back together so many times that he never really showed anybody. He just hid it with drugs.

Graham: It really hurt him when Y/N stayed back.

Warren: God, I haven't heard that name in years. Y/N? Y/N L/N? 28 Birchwood avenue, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania? Yeah, I remember her.

Graham: He was infatuated with her.

Eddie: He meant everything to her.

Warren: She meant a lot to me. I mean, of course she did, I almost married her.

Camila: Warren made me stand in the bushes by his house with a camcorder in my hand so I could get the proposal on tape. It turned out good, except for the part when he forgot I was there and started making out with her.

Warren: I picked out a ring and everything. The band didn't know this, but I worked odd jobs on the side. One week I was cleaning someone's gutters and the next I was mowing a lawn, another I was dog sitting. It took me months to save up for a decent ring.

Y/N L/N: Of course I remember Warren. He was the first man I ever loved. I still love him.

Warren: She came to every gig we ever played. Every single one. That is, until we left for LA. I asked her to come with me, but she was still in school.

Graham: We were so proud of her for getting into college. We still are, honestly. Look, I'm happy that I pursued music. Nothing will ever change that. But there's something about going to college that just... I don't know, it sounds right.

Warren: She said she'd meet up with me after she graduated. That was another three years away. But I was willing to wait, and so was she. I promised to call every day and visit when I could.

Y/N: Warren knew how to say all of the right things. And it's not like he was lying, he believed what he was saying. He just didn't always follow through, even if he intended to.

Warren: I called her at the same time every day. Four o'clock. Before we had a gig and after she had school.

Y/N: Everything was fine at first. Then he started going a day or two without calling. That was okay, I knew he was busy. But those days turned into four, then six, then a week. The longest it went was two, three weeks without a single call.

Eddie: I answered the phone one time. She called at the same time every day, so I knew who it was. Warren was on his ass, high and drunk. He couldn't make it to the phone.

Y/N: I asked Eddie to tell Warren to call me when he got the chance. That I needed to talk to him.

Warren: I did call the next day, with a bad hangover. I had a lot of explaining to do.

Y/N: I was not happy when I found out how he had been spending his time.

Warren: She wasn't happy when she found out I was getting high and drinking myself to sleep every night.

Y/N: Drugs, alcohol, you name it, he probably did it or tried it. He knew better than to get into another woman's pants. I would've come up there myself.

Warren: Never cheated though. Point for Warren, I never stooped that low.

Y/N: I told him to get his shit together. Just because two people are apart doesn't mean they can make reckless decisions.

Warren: I thought she hated me. I felt like shit. She was the love of my life.

Y/N: I told him that if he didn't watch it, he'd lose himself, the band, and me.

Warren: I cut back on everything after that. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed weed. I just did it in moderation. Same with the beer.

Y/N: I was proud of him.

Warren: I finally got to see her again when we started going on tour.

Y/N: He got to see me and a positive pregnancy test.

Warren: Turns out, we weren't as careful as we thought.

Y/N: You would've thought he had won the lottery when I told him.

Warren: Warren Rojas Jr...

Y/N: I chose the name. And it was a girl.

Warren: Emilia Warren Rojas...

Y/N: Emilia Lynn Rojas. Everyone called her Em, except for Graham, Eddie, and Warren. Graham and Eddie called her Emi, and Warren called her Warren. My dumbass of a fiance.

Warren: We went everywhere together. The store, backstage, front row of concerts, up the stairs to Y/N's house. She was my little best friend.

Y/N: It was love at first sight. But by the time I moved to LA, the band had split up.

Warren: I missed the music, but I spent my time on boats. It's where I was happy. With my wife and my daughter.

Y/N: We did get married, eventually. I just kept my last name for business reasons, and for privacy. But I guess that's all out the window now. Marry a hall of Fame inductee and your privacy is a window. You have none.

Warren: Warren Jr loved being the center of attention.

Y/N: Em was her father's daughter, she still is. Took up the drums. Back in the day, it wasn't common to see a woman on the drums. They usually stuck to vocals or the keyboard, sometimes the guitar. But not our Em.

Warren: Our son was born a few years later.

Y/N: I was high on pain killers when Warren named our son Theodore Graham. I had agreed to the names separately, not together. Because I knew what was going to happen.

Warren: My little Teddy Graham. She liked the names, just hated the fact that everyone called him the nickname I picked out. Said it reminded her of the cracker. That was the point, though.

Y/N: "C'mon, hot stuff, I want to honor my friends legacies" my ass. It was for that damn nickname.

Warren: She loves it, she just doesn't admit it.

Y/N: Horrible taste in names, but he's all mine.

Warren: Teddy Graham wound up being just like his mama.

Y/N: He likes to try and make me feel better by saying that Teddy is just like me. But I'm an honest person. Both of them are their father made over. It made vacations fun.

Warren: I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Y/N: He's a good husband, always has been. He's an even better dad.

Theodore "Teddy Graham" Rojas, son of Warren and Y/N Rojas: My parents made me into who I am today. My mom definitely did the disciplining and made sure we stayed in school, while dad was letting us sneak into the kitchen at two in the morning to make cookies.

Y/N: I knew everything they did. Playing guitar at midnight when I was in bed on a school night, baking at two, eating junk while I was away on business trips. I just let it slide. They were kids, they deserved to have fun and let loose. It just blows my mind to think I have one out of the house and another a year away from graduating high school.

Emilia Rojas, daughter of Warren and Y/N Rojas and lead drummer of Shortcircut: I was a daddy's girl growing up, still am. But the older I get, the more I appreciate my mom. I've always loved her, but being in her shoes today, I'm unbelievably grateful for her. We talk almost every day now.

Y/N: I'm proud of Warren and the kids. They pushed the limits. I realize they that were privileged to have a father who was in the industry, but they really did this all on their own. We got them lessons, they put themselves out there. Em is touring right now, and Teddy is at home playing his heart out. I'm telling you, just like their father.

Warren: Em and Teddy both have that fire in them like their mother, something I don't think she realizes. They're a lot more like her than she knows.

Y/N: Oh, to be with a Rojas.

Warren: I'll be kissing the ground she walks on for as long as I live—I'm never letting that one go.

[reasonsmandy]

As long as I'm here

Graham Dunne x Fem!Reader x Eddie Roundtree

✧.* requested by anon — hey, i was wondering if you can write one where the reader and graham were best friends growing up, (she in the band) and the reader slowly started to develop feelings for him. but then karen came into the picture and the reader saw them kiss at a party so the reader drank too much but eddie was there to bring her home and comfort her. also love your work!! and so so happy you are active ❤️❤️

✧.* summary — you were in love, but things don't seem to work the way your heart wants

✧.* warnings — full angst!

✧.* word count — 2.1k

✧.* 🪕 — Graham's masterlist

✧.* 🎸 — Eddie's masterlist

✧.* mandy's notes — I'm sorry for all the time it took me to come back, hope you have a great reading! 🫶🏾

“Was that before or after I spent all my money on that van?” Rojas' voice came out in a muffled laugh, with the coexistence you knew how to tell that he was in disbelief.

“Come on Chuck, you can't do that!” You interfere, hoping he understands that you all need him. “We have a big gig tonight.”

Billy turns around irritably, running both hands through his hair, Graham is staring at the ground and the thought of seeing him sad causes a knot in your stomach. You try to hold it together, that's what you used to do since you joined the band.

You had heard the conversation between Graham, Warren, Chuck and Eddie that day when the creation of the band was proposed. They knew you were a good vocalist, they had heard you sing on a few occasions and they knew that losing you as a member would be stupid, even if the band went nowhere.

Even though he thought he was the protagonist, Billy wasn't so reluctant to share his attention with you, seeing you more as an addition to something that would be very good. Everything was on track, you were actually gaining a lot of visibility and opportunities lately and the thought of Chuck giving up was a catastrophe.

You come back from your thought when you hear Chuck's low voice say “You're out of your fucking mind”

“So now what do we do?” Rojas asks, lighting a cigarette.

“Eddie you switch over to bass” Billy orders, you can feel how tense Roundtree turns in a second.

“No.” He scoffs, rolling his eyes.

“Please Eddie, just this time.” You ask affectionately, a little desperately.

“Fine.” He throws the unlit cigarette on the ground, heading towards the van that had brought you here.

…

“You ready Y/N?” Eddie asks through your door, you quickly grab your jacket and fix your hair before opening it.

“Let's do this.” You were nervous, it was the first time you had to do a big change for a gig and besides it was a big opportunity. All you wanted was things to go well. “Hey, I know you didn't want this but, thank you for doing it.”

Eddie smiles small, nodding before you are interrupted by some horns outside your house, you hurried towards Rojas' van where you saw him accompanied.

“New girl?” You ask Eddie before you reach the van.

“Yeah, Warren is kinda dating her right now. I guess.” Roundtree offers you a cigarette and you take it in his hand. “Hm, talking about love…”

He looks at you with a smirk, you immediately roll your eyes.

“Don't even start.” You ask, feeling your cheeks hot.

“You should tell him, you know.” As you two sit in the back of the van he “starts” even though you asked him not to. “I think you guys look cute together.”

“Y'all talking about y/n+graham’s?” Warren turns from the driver's seat with a smirk.

“What the fuck is y/n+graham's?” You ask with the cigarette between your lips, confused.

“Your couple name, we talk about you two a lot.” Eddie teases you, as Rojas nods starting the van.

“I don't know where you guys got the idea that we are something.” You lay your head against the window, feeling the breeze as you try not to smile with the thought of Graham and You as something.

The truth is that you were in love with him for years now, since before you guys were a band, you always felt amazed by him and little by little you noticed that it had become a passion. You fell in love with him deeply since you started to hang out more together, you tried to hide it but things got impossible when Eddie found your lyrics to a song that well… was pretty clear about your feelings.

You barely noticed when Warren parked in front of the place where they were going to perform, you could hear ‘The Winters’ checking the sound to make sure everything was okay. By coincidence, you had also arrived with Billy, Camila and Graham, who were getting out of the car with their instruments at the same time as you were doing the same.

You enter the place admiring the environment, happy and shocked by the different size than what you had expected. Camila hugs Eddie and then wraps her arms around Billy, Warren and his girlfriend walk hand in hand with Graham beside them when the younger Dunne stops, his eyes fixed on the stage.

His eyes follow in search of what made him stop, the figure of the blonde keyboardist singing along with the band is what your eyes see, instantly your body withers, feeling vulnerable as your feelings were completely exposed.

“Keep dreaming Peaches.” Warren teases his friend, and then turns around to show the place to his girl.

…

You were trying your best to understand how you got here, standing next to the payphone you were trying to hide how upset you were with all of this. You were silent since everyone had agreed to call Karen into the band, you weren't against her at all, but there was something that made you sad about all of this.

“I'll be right back” You mutter, retreating out of the diner with a cigarette in hand. It selfish to think that you were being replaced, you knew it, but the pain on your chest made you want to scream with this situation.

“Are you okay sweetie?” You jump in fright at Camila's voice behind you, coughing from smoke.

“Yeah, why do you ask?” Between coughs you ask, trying to hide your nuisance and overcome the burning sensation in your lungs.

“You just left and please don't get me wrong but you look upset” Out of nowhere Warren's girlfriend joins you, and you get scared once again.

“Could you guys stop scaring me?” You laugh small with your hand on your chest. "I'm fine, let's go back inside.”

And next thing you know, there was a big change for you to handle.

…

Karen wasn't the problem itself, but the way Graham's eyes lighted up everytime she opened her mouth or the way he can't stop the smile on his face when she enters the room. The problem was the ache growing on your chest when you witnessed those moments, the way your brain knew how that would never be you no matter how hard you tried.

Things were going great, you had an amazing hit and gradually you felt the band finally going the way you stopped when Billy left for rehab. But somehow even when you put all your efforts to see things on the bright side the feeling came back, it was eating you alive second by second.

You made your way downstairs to grab something to eat when you see Graham and Karen ready for something, desperately you check the clock thinking you somehow lost track of time.

“I thought Billy's housewarming party was at eight…” Eddie let out the question you were repeating in your mind, you gladly thank him in thought.

“And it is, she just asked us to come early and help them get ready.” Graham explains.

“And also take care of Julia.” Sirko adds, you hold the urge to scream in frustration.

“So I'll see you guys later.” The younger Dunne says goodbye to Roundtree with a handshake and smiles at you before leaving.

You rest your body on the sofa, exhausted, resting your head on the shoulder of the bassist next to you. He doesn't dare move,

Knowing what kind of comfort you would like at the moment, he's content to be by your side.

“Is exhausting, I know…” He says under a breath, his eyes fixed on the wall in front of you.

You don't answer, and he takes that opportunity to go on. “It feels like it won't ever stop hurting but eventually, you get used to it.” He lets out with a chuckle, getting a small smile from you.

“I don't even know if I can handle this party anymore.” You complain, covering your face with both hands.

“Don't worry, Warren and I will have you back.” He nudges you with one of his elbows, and you feel lighter with them.

“Like Warren will give me attention after his girlfriend arrived from that job trip.” Eddie laughs, knowing this is very likely.

“You know I've been in love before, with someone pretty impossible…”

“Camila” I say, he suddenly stops.

“What? No.” His cheeks flush.

“It's Camila!” You say arching your eyebrows

“It doesn't matter, okay?” He rolls his eyes. “The thing is, it passes… you'll be fine.”

This time you stay in silence

…

The party was great, even though you didn't find a specific group to join and spend time with, your company was enough for you. Suddenly you are taken by surprise as the lights go out, every room is filled with small conversations while some look for the root of the problem. You search in the darkness for Camila or anyone else in the band, trying to understand what was happening.

Your eyes see Eddie and Camila lighting some candles, you smile and leave them be. You hear crying coming from the rooms above, and worried you go towards the sound.

You find Julia crying in her crib, you take her with you downstairs trying to find Billy somewhere. Turning down some corridors you come across Graham and Karen kissing, Your body freezes and your eyes widen, you feel your heart break into mine in your chest as if a rope is tying a knot around it.

All you can think about is running away, but the child in your lap is something that holds you there. You take a deep breath, desperately looking for Billy and when you find him it's a matter of time before the tears escape your eyes. The older Dunne doesn't ask, he just picks up his daughter and watches you make your way through the crowd.

You struggle to find a corner quiet and private enough to let it all go, you open the beer you had picked up and drink it all in a few sips, feeling the alcohol rip through your throat as you open another one.There was nothing more frustrating than this feeling of incapacity, vulnerability and, above all, rejection. You feel the air leave your lungs as the crying begins, you try your best to keep your crying down but it becomes more and more difficult.

“Hey, what happened? Are you okay?” Eddie finds you, “I saw you running” He waits for your answer, but you just cry. “Everything will be fine, I'm here with you” He holds you, you let him hold you as you fall apart.

“I can't deal with this.” You bury your face on his chest, upset and feeling ashamed.

“Let me take you home.” He asks, holding your hand as he helps you up. “I'm sure Camila will understand why we're leaving.”

“Don't! Please don't tell her.” The tears fall slowly on your face. “The fact that you see me like this is already too humiliating."

“Humiliating?” He seems confused, a little bit hurt as he guides you to the car. “You don't have to be always strong with me. I'm here for you, you can cry all you want.”

As his car makes its way to your house you watch the street in silence, your eyes filling with tears every time you remembered what you had seen.

“I just.” You begin to say, crying a little. “I can't help but feel this way.”

“I know what it looks like.” He whispers, turning the car to another direction.

“Where are you going?”

“I think you don't want to stay at the house with them, what about we spend the night on the beach?” You look at him, your teary eyes curious.

“What?”

“Just walk around, swim and talk.” He knows you feel pretty comfortable at the beach, so he's looking for something that will make you feel okay.

“That sounds fun, thank you.” You try your best to smile, the car parks at the beach.

Eddie helps you walk up some rocks so you can watch the waves better, you feel the cold breeze against your body and it makes you feel a little more alive, of course, things weren't fine and far from feeling better… but not impossible to go through.

“Thank you for this.” You say in a whisper, closing your eyes as you rest your head on Roundtree's shoulder.

“Just like I always told you, you will never be alone as long as I'm here”

...

Hi, I hope you enjoyed it... If you wanted to ask for something my requests are open, and if you want to ask and don't have any ideas check out my prompt list :) xoxo

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Graham's taglist:@lantsovcolors @ariianelle @jaidaschampagneproblems @warrenrojaswife @hopelessromantic727 @eddiesaurora @number1chonie @scenesofobx

Eddie's masterlist: @jaidaschampagneproblems @boredshit-shadow @warrenrojaswife @o1iv3 @hopelessromantic727 @eddiesaurora @scenesofobx @vyctorya

[whatstruthgottodowithit]

Stay With Me

Fandom:  Daisy Jones & The Six

Pairing: Daisy Jones x GN Reader

Characters: Daisy Jones, Reader, Billy Dunne

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 1399

Summary: Guess it’s true I’m no good at a one-night stand.

Tags/Warnings: Songfic, Love, Fluff, Angst, The Six, Messy Relationship, Friends With Benefits, Situationship, Kissing, Smoking, Cigarettes, Drugs, Drug Use, Drug Problem, Addiction, Stay With Me // Sam Smith

Notes: I have the biggest crush on Daisy Jones and Riley Keough in general

SONG LINK // HALLOWEEN MASTERLIST

I knew it was wrong, that I shouldn’t be here. This hadn’t been the plan, yet nothing to do with her ever seemed to go the way it was supposed to. I knew I should’ve made some excuse and left before things got too far, and yet I hadn’t. And as I found myself buried between her milky white thighs, breathy moans spilling from her lips as I tipped her over the edge of ecstasy I found myself not caring. But that was always how I felt when Daisy was around. If anything that was the way most people felt when Daisy was around because she made it so easy not to worry or think about anything. She was the sun and those around her just felt lucky to be able to bask in the glow.

‘Fuck,’ she panted tapping my shoulder which made me look up at her with a grin. She had pushed herself up on her elbows to look at me, a hand running through my hair as I pulled back, her hair was splayed around her like an auburn halo, her blue eyes satiated yet vibrant, and a grin on her own face. Yet this grin looked different. Happy, the first truly happy smile of hers I’d seen in a while. It was an image I wished I could take a picture of; the feeling that gave me something I longed to bottle up. In fact, that feeling was something I wanted to cling to as long as possible and so I moved forward, pressing kisses up her soft skin until I was above her, our lips meeting in a slow and gentle kiss. She hummed into it, falling back against the pillows as I kissed her, determined to get her to make that noise again. When we broke apart I was breathless but kissing, like everything she turned her hand to, seemed to come easily to her. As I tried to catch my breath she smiled, her fingertip tracing down the planes of my face.

‘You’re getting good at that y’know,’ she mused.

‘Yeah well we’ve had enough practice tonight don’t you think?’ I said as she pushed me off of her making me collapse down beside her on my stomach. As I flopped into the pillows I allowed my arm to drape over her, not ready to break contact just yet, though it was disturbed as she leant over to grab a cigarette off the nightstand, sparking it up and taking a drag in one quick motion, her eyes closing as she did. As she opened them and found me watching her she smiled, offering me the cigarette in question, which I took though it meant I was forced to roll away from her. I wrinkled my nose as I took a drag, again wondering how she so easily talked me into things I would never normally do. Anyone would think it had been the cocktail of pills that had been coursing through my system when we’d stumbled back to her apartment last night but I knew it wasn’t. My drug wasn’t anything other than her.

As I handed it back to her she took it from me, going to place it on the ashtray beside her, but before she did she sat bolt upright and said, ‘shit, we’re late.’

‘Since when do you care about being on time?’ I asked though I may as well not have spoken considering she ignored me, throwing herself from the bed towards the pile of clothes on her bedroom floor that were in various stages of wearability. I pushed myself up until I sat against the headboard.

‘I don’t,’ she said, finally acknowledging me as she fished a muted purple top off the floor and threw it over her bare shoulders, tying it around her front. Given that she hadn’t opted to wear a bra meant there was only one layer between us yet that felt like one too many. I wasn’t ready to get out of bed yet, to leave our little bubble of ignorance, the one that only included me and her.

‘So come get back in bed then,’ I said. She was in the middle of throwing on a pair of shorts but she stopped to look at me for a second, her eyes flashing as though she’d thought of a reason why she couldn’t. Whatever it was though went just as quickly as it had come, her aloofness taking its place.

‘And have them all be angry at me again?’ she said rolling her eyes as she went back to what she had been doing. At her words I stiffened. I stiffened because I knew what she really meant. It wasn’t them she was worried about, The Six. It was him. Billy. I knew it was stupid to care given it wasn’t as though I could call her out on it. After all, what were we to each other? Friends? Something a little more than friends? Certainly not anything more substantial and even if we were there wasn’t anything I could say about her and Billy because I wasn’t sure what she and Billy were. Hell, they didn’t even like one another most of the time. I supposed he was to her what she was to me. Something to love, something to want, something that was just out of reach.

‘Exactly,’ I said hoping she’d concede, ‘I mean they’ve already been mad at you once why not another.’

‘Because the party can't start without me right?’ she quipped. She was fully dressed now, moving to grab the small bottle of pills she had left on her nightstand but as she did I moved to grab her, my hand encircling her wrist as I pulled her back onto the bed. She fell down with an ‘oomph’ and though I knew it was unfair I moved in to kiss her, hoping to pour that feeling I had wanted to bottle up into her, as if that would make her see she didn’t need anything else but me.

‘The party here needs you too,’ I mumbled as we broke apart.

 ‘I’m sure it’ll be alright for a couple of hours,’ she smirked.

‘Dais-’I said trying to push the feebleness from my tone but finding it all too present. She didn’t seem to hear it, actually, she didn’t even seem to be listening to me at all and instead moved back to grab her pills, slipping a couple of them into her hand before she choked them down. I watched her through it all, unsure as to what it was I wanted to say. What was there to say? Don’t go? Stay here with me? I didn’t even know what this was, love? Lust? Something else entirely?

Deep down I knew whatever it was it wouldn’t work. That I was allowing her to mess with my head the way Billy played with hers. Yet like her and Billy, I couldn’t allow myself not to enjoy the masochism of it all. Like her eagerly running to rehearsal for whatever tongue-lashing she was going to receive I ran to her just as easily. Fell into her bed time and time again. I needed to stop, to get some perspective, some self-control. But how could I? She was the sun, her warmth radiant around me whenever she was near.

‘Come on,’ she said, snapping me from my thoughts.

‘What?’ I asked confused.

‘Since you’re gonna miss me anyway might as well make yourself useful,’ she said slinging her fur-trimmed coat over her shoulders, flicking her hair from under the collar. Given that she hadn’t brushed it out it was wild and unruly, a product of us, which made my heart flutter. She leaned in, her blue eyes sparkling as she pressed a quick kiss to my lips and said, ‘you’re my ride.’

I should’ve said no. I should’ve got dressed and left, told her I couldn’t, I wouldn’t do this again. But then she smiled at me, that shining smile I loved so much, and I felt all my willpower melt away.

‘Okay,’ I mumbled, allowing her to kiss me once more before she moved away, giving me room to climb out of bed. I moved, shuffling to the edge of it as I watched her flutter around the room entirely unaware of the twinge in my heart. That was the problem with people like her, as radiant as the sun, as nice as it was to stand in their warmth it wasn’t long until you got burned.

[hiddenqveendom]

* — LARK LENNON || MORAL OF THE STORY poster/cover

JULIA: “so how did you come to meet daisy jones and the six?”

LARK: “through my cousin, karen, actually. we’ve always been pretty close and both aspired to break into the industry at the time. so when she mentioned moving to la to join the band, i followed her over from london. that’s how i eventually became acquainted with daisy and the band. it’s also how i met my ex husband…eddie roundtree.”

lark tag: @m0g444

tag list : @mysticalficvoid​ , @victoriapedrcttis​ , @sgtbuckyybarnes​ , @joaquinwhorres​ , @decennia​ , @veetlegeuse​ , @arrthurpendragon​ , @raith-way​ , @scootermcooter​ , @stanshollaand​ , @chrissymunson​ , @foxesandmagic​ , @eddiemunscns​ ,  @waterloou​ , @endless-oc-creations​, @kingsmakers​, @https-svnshine​, @starlit-epiphany​, @dyhlanobrien​, @fragilestorm​ , @nolanhollogay​ , @carmens-garden​ , @impales​ , @emilykaldwen​, @darkwolf76​, @princessmadelines​, @iloveocs​, @nectarines-rule​ ​

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[femininomen0n]

deep blue (but you painted me golden) now out on ao3! just a few hundred words of karengraham, nothing fancy :)

[bossyladies]

                               ✧ ֢ ( 🎶🎤) ۪ ׂ  COME OUT, VIRGÍNIA!                                      ── Daisy Jones and The Six  ──

[daisy-billy]

Your Needs, My Needs: a daisybilly fic

summary:

Six years after that fateful show in Chicago, Ellemar Records calls in on the band's unfulfilled contracts, forcing Daisy, Billy and the rest of the band to grapple with their past and present. But it also might be able to help them save their futures. It's 1983, and Daisy Jones and The Six aren't done just yet.

(CHAPTER 25) (PLAYLIST)

(START FROM THE BEGINNING)

[chaotic-woso]

Contributing to the post-finale Daisy Jones and the Six fics

[horror-sapphic]

Daisy jones ff

Should I make the fic into a y/n read fic, or should I use a real name (almost done with the fic but i could always edit it)

[viranellee]

i know our mornings (were as good as it ever could be)

synopsis: eddie thinks he's doing a pretty good job at hiding his relationship with the youngest dunne sister. until he isn't.

warnings: smut, dirty talk, usage of alcohol & drugs, billy dunne

a/n: thank you so much for the love on the previous eddie post! this is shit but it's eddie smut and that's all that matters

⁠♡

It all happens so fast you think you’ve imagined it - one minute you’re snorting your (fourth, maybe fifth) line of coke and reaching for another glass of beer, and the next you’re being pulled by your belt loops until you can breathe in the fresh evening air through your slightly powdery nostrils. You’re still looking down at your feet, hands outstretched and trying to regain your balance, which is a surprisingly hard thing to do using a coked-up brain, when the mystery assailant, probably Billy, starts speaking. You sigh and brace yourself for yet another lecture.

“The fuck do you think you’re doing?”

Welp, that’s definitely not Billy. You don’t know if you should be happy about it or not.

You look up and meet Eddie’s eyes, his eyebrows so furrowed that the annoyed wrinkle between them is especially pronounced - you want to reach out and smooth it out with your fingers, you want to tell him that as hot as he looks when he’s pissed off, he shouldn’t be getting wrinkles this early on. You don’t do any of that.

“What does it look like I’m doing?” You respond instead, putting a hand on your hip with such force that you make yourself stumble a little bit. In the blink of an eye, Eddie is holding you by the waist, concerned, and you pray to every single entity out there to just make the goddamn sequin dress separating your bodies disappear into thin air, simply to feel his large hands against your skin. “I’m having fun.”

Eddie lets out an exasperated sigh and tilts your head upward, cleaning up the cocaine residue around your nose. A part of you finds it weirdly cute.

“Too much fun.” He tells you and you shake your head.

“I’ve seen you do, like, six lines one after another. You can’t just lecture me when you do the exact same thi-”

“That’s because I’m used to it, I can handle it.” Eddie interrupts, grabbing you by the chin gently. He’s looking at you right in the eyes, wanting to drive his point home, but all you can focus on is his lips. “You could barely handle a shot of whiskey before and now you’re drinking and doing lines like you’ve done it all your life.”

You roll your eyes, although you understand what he’s trying to say.

“Eds, just leave me alone. I’m not going to die or somethin’. I’m just having fun.” You defend yourself, but the hiccups in-between your words do absolutely nothing to convince the man in front of you.

In fact, something flashes in his eyes. It’s a look you see rarely, but one you recognize as the look he gets when he sets his mind to something. You don’t get to dwell too much on it, because he’s crouching and picking you up, and before you know it, you’re thrown over his shoulder with such ease it makes something at the bottom of your stomach flutter.

“Eddie, put me down, now! What are you doing!?” You protest and hit his back with your fists as hard as you can, waving your legs in the air. He doesn’t even flinch and instead places a hand on your calf and squeezes, a gesture you can only interpret as “calm the fuck down” - and something in you listens, despite the drugs and liquors in your system screaming at you to keep acting bratty.

You vaguely recognize Warren’s wolf-whistling at the pair of you, but you don’t pay him any attention - by the time he’s asked for your room key at the reception desk in that deep voice that drives you crazy and you’re in the luxurious elevator, you’re already half-asleep but still have enough leftover energy to complain.

"Can you put me down now? You’ve proved your point.”

In response, Eddie’s hand moves higher up your leg, slipping underneath your dress. You can feel yourself blushing as he starts drawing circles on your inner thigh.

“Hm, I really don’t think I have, sweetheart.” He tells you and you want to strangle him for knowing exactly what buttons to push to make you speechless.

The rest of the elevator ride is spent in torturous silence, as he absentmindedly drags his fingers across your skin and you stubbornly hold in your whimpers and gasps, because you’d rather die on the spot than have him know how sensitive his touch makes you.

Only he can make me feel like this, you think to yourself in a striking moment of clarity.

After what feels like an eternity, you finally arrive at your floor. Eddie confidently walks towards your room and opens it - as soon as the door closes, he strides over to the bed and gently drops you onto it. You’re looking at the ceiling, thinking about nothing and everything at the same time, as he removes your heels. When he stands up and kisses your forehead, ready to leave so you could get some sleep, you grab him by the collar.

Sleep is the last thing on your mind right now.

You kiss him hard, and he responds immediately - you feel his heart thumping when your chests press against each other, and you’re pretty sure he can feel yours too. He moans into your mouth when you tug on his hair and you feel like you’re on the brink of getting what you want - except, he pulls away from you. You look at him, confused, and when you reach out to try and bring his face towards you, he grabs your wrists in one hand.

“You’re drunk, sweetheart. We can’t.” He explains and you want to cry. Why did he have to be so thoughtful?

“But I want you.” You try and he just smiles at you, wide and toothy, as he stands up. You catch his hand. “Can you…can you at least sleep next to me? We don’t have to do anything, I just..."

He turns to look at you and you see surprise painted across his features. You open your mouth to take it back, tell him you don’t know what you’re talking about, play it off as the drugs talking, but he’s already dropping his jacket on the ground and getting into bed with you before you get the chance to say anything.

He opens his arms, inviting you to come closer and you gladly take the invitation.

"You're cold." You tell him when you lay your head on his chest and feel him wrapping his arms around you. He smells like cigarettes and citrus. It’s your favorite smell in the world.

“You’re hot.” He responds, grinning as he kisses the top of your head, and you giggle.

It’s the last thing you remember before you fall asleep.

—

You wake up horny. Not unusual by any means, considering you fell asleep horny and next to Eddie. Still, you know you can't ignore it for long.

As your eyes adjust to the sunlight pouring in through the windows, you feel Eddie, still asleep, wrapping a long arm around your waist and pulling you towards his chest. His gentle hums do nothing except fuel the growing need in you to have him. You decide to do just that.

Careful not to wake him, you slowly move down his body and when you reach the part you're craving the most, you greedily undo his belt like you're opening a Christmas present. You pull his jeans and boxers down at the same time, impatient, and immediately get to work.

You run your tongue from the tip to the base, savoring the shiver you receive in response. You do that a couple of times but as soon as you take him in your mouth, Eddie gasps and you know you've woken him up, because you feel a hand in your hair.

"Shit, baby, good mornin' to you too." He laughs and the rasp in his voice makes you throb.

You take him in deeper, tracing the vein in his shaft with your tongue and Eddie practically howls. Biting his lip, he buries his other hand in your hair too as the sounds of your gagging and his moaning overlap.

"I love this fucking mouth on my cock." He breathes out. "God, I can't get enough of you. Come 'ere."

You shake your head as you press open-mouthed kisses down the shaft.

"No, I want you to cum in my mouth." You declare stubbornly and he swears out loud at your words.

"I'll cum in that pretty little mouth as much as you want me to, but I need to be inside of you right now, baby, please." He almost begs and you look at him beneath your eyelashes.

He's panting heavily, his bottom lip slightly bloody because he bit it too hard, brown eyes glazed over and hair splayed out on the pillow beneath his head like a halo. He looks like a mess and it's the prettiest thing you've ever seen.

Well, how can you say no to that?

You crawl towards him and he grabs the dress you've slept in from yesterday and pushes it up your body, hastily trying to remove it. You help him and soon, the dress is a mere clothing item on the floor. Left in only your underwear, he licks his lips as his eyes look you over. If it was anyone else, you would have felt like a piece of meat being ogled at, but his look only turns you on even more.

You tug on his shirt, wanting it off, and he complies immediately.

As you climb into his lap and undo your bra, Eddie watches, mesmerized, when you start grinding on his cock like a woman starved, your tits bouncing along with every movement. In an attempt to tease him, you reach out to play with your nipples, but he smacks your hands away, shoves his face in your chest and starts worshiping your tits with such vigor you think you can cum from this alone.

"Eddie! Oh!" You mewl and he groans in response, tugging your underwear down your thighs. He rubs a finger against your folds and your head gently knocks against his when his finger glides right inside of you.

"So fuckin' warm and tight and all for me. Only for me." Eddie whispers, kissing your neck. You nod, burying your fingers in his tangled hair.

"Only for you. Always for you." You whisper in his ear and he exhales sharply, relieved, like he's being told something he never once thought would be true.

You don't even notice when one finger has become two, and two has become three in your haze of pleasure until Eddie pushes you down onto the bed, looking at you like you've hung the moon and stars. You smile at him and pull his face down to kiss him, and you can feel him chuckling against your lips. Wrapping your legs around his waist, you melt in his embrace. In response, Eddie grabs your hips, something you've noticed he really likes doing, and carefully enters you. You open your mouth in a silent scream, and he groans loudly, squeezing you so hard you're sure he'll give you yet another pair of bruises. You don't mind though, not at all.

"You okay, sweetheart?"

"Very much am, Roundtree."

---

"What did you just say?"

Warren laughs nervously, scratching the back of his neck.

"Look man, I don't fuckin' know, all I'm saying is that I saw them leaving together."

It's quiet in the breakfast hall as Billy ponders on what to do.

"I get that she's our little sister, but she's grown up now. Even if she is, y'know, sleeping with him, why should that matter? I mean, it's Eddie, do you really think he'd do anything to hurt her?" Graham argues, gesturing with the utensils in his hands as he speaks.

Daisy and Karen nod in agreement.

"He's got a point, you know. I really don't think it's that big of a deal. They've got the hots for each other for a while now, too, it's only natural." Karen adds and Billy's mouth turns into a tight line as he death glares the uneaten toast on his plate.

"Good morning everyone!" Eddie greets his band members when you and him enter, suspiciously cheerful. Billy's glare only becomes more hateful.

"Morning." He greets with gritted teeth, carefully observing the way Eddie gallantly pulls out your chair first, before sitting on his own. Everyone else around him also seems to notice, if Daisy and Karen's quiet giggles and Warren and Graham clearing their throats were any indication.

"Aren't you going to get breakfast?" Graham questions and you smile innocently back at him.

"Nope, I've already eaten." You respond and Eddie adds a "I'm very full, actually."

Awkward silence descends on the table for a moment before Roy arrives as well.

"Hey, Roundtree." He starts, an accusatory finger pointed at the bassist's neck. "What kind of vampire were you fooling around with? Jesus Christ, son, look at the size of that thing."

A beat passes as Graham chokes on his water.

"Roundtree, you fucking son of a bitch, I'll kill you."

---

BILLY DUNNE: The prick was fucking my sister behind my back. Of course I decked him.

KAREN SIRKO: And people call women the emotional ones.

WARREN ROJAS: Dude, I thought I was hallucinating, for real.

DAISY JONES: So overdramatic.

GRAHAM DUNNE: [sighs]

EDDIE ROUNDTREE: Worth it. [smiles]

[una-hopeless-romantic1118]

𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐈: 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐇𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐀 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐃𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬?—𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐧 𝐑𝐨𝐣𝐚𝐬/𝐑𝐡𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐬

hola bitches <3 haven’t updated in a year and this is nikolai unrelated so here’s me in my djats era. 

also planning on reading the book after i finish the show bc im incredibly late to the fandom. warren is so hot that it’s driving me to write a fanfic about him.

This chapter: Part 1 

Part 2  

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

(maybe??) epilogue

NO COPYING THANK YEW

•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•

timeline: according to show, by the end of eps. 2 

disclaimer: THE READER AND WARREN MEET DURING THE BAND’S HIATUS. I HAVE NOT READ THE BOOK (BUT I AM PLANNING TO). I HAVE NO IDEA HOW THE STORY IS GOING TO GO. THIS IS JUST A CUTE LITTLE IMAGINE I VIVIDLY CAME UP W BC IM WATCHING THE SHOW AND I AM THIRSTY FOR THIS MAN + BC I AM MENTALLY ILL <3.   

warnings (in this chapter): sexual tension, warren being horny, mentions of STDs (as a joke), smoking, angst, cursing, drugs. Let me know if there are more but im pretty sure this is it.

summary (3rd person narrative): reader is an up-and-coming fashion designer. she’s gained popularity quickly by keeping up with the latest trends and for her lovable persona. she’s brought herself a yacht to celebrate her self success and invited her friends, and one of her newest friends in the Hollywood Industry, Karen Sirko, extended the invite to her band members and unintentionally played matchmaker with her womanizer of a bandmate and her work-focused friend.

had too much fun with this, so here u go :3

fic cover by me (made in canva, inspired by the tv show intro (guys im actually kinda good at something??))

•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•

The party on her yacht was not only for Y/N to relax after a good season of fashion shows, but also to get absolutely wrecked, and get as high as an unrestrained balloon can get.

However, Y/N never drank to get drunk, nor has she even touched a speck of cocaine or a drug. She’s learned how easily abused the two things can be, so she’s laying off.

She’d have a couple glasses of wine or champagne during late nights working with her designs. Smoking she figured was okay, as long as she kept control over how many she was having a day. She’d seen cocaine in play before, and it freaked her out how vulnerable it made her friends, and obviously, how hooked they were on it.

One would call her uptight, with the thinking and wants of a woman nearing her grave, but where she was now in the world was too important, too risky, to waste over alcohol and drugs. She achieved all she wanted to and all she wanted to be; her life was absolutely perfect. The fans, the money, the recognition. She loved it. She got her high from it all, and she was satisfied. 

But this party was reserved only for her closest friends, those from her hometown, and the new ones she’s made ever since stepping into the world’s spotlight.

Looking up at the large crowd in the center of her yacht, conversing and laughing, Y/N smiled to herself. She liked gatherings. She liked seeing her friends gathered together like this. Not to mention, on a yacht this perfect for gatherings more to come.

It was a picture perfect moment from where she was, lounging on her yacht couch, with the way the sun hit them perfectly, and the music playing from the background, drowned by their laughter and voices—until, someone staggered into them and broke the circle.

Everyone parted for him like the Red Sea. A curly, black-haired man, who apologized absentmindedly as he continues to stagger about, until he spots the woman in front of him.

No less than 6 feet away, he squints through the sunlight, and as if it were any help, squinted harder at the figure. 

Warren had come with his bandmates, Graham and Karen, on a mission to have some fun while they were on hiatus. Warren’s one-man mission however, was to see who the latest commotion was about, the highly praised, new talent of California, introduce himself, maybe get close enough to sleep with her.

Close enough? Warren chuckled to himself. I’m an up-and-rising drummer of a new band, she’ll be ringing me up every night wanting for more of me.

•─────⋅(cut to documentary)⋅─────• 

Warren (in his boat): I had no idea what she even looked like. *chuckling* I went to the party with Karen, looking for a good time with this new fashion icon I had no idea what looked like until I had had enough of hearing that she was, apparently, a friend to every woman, and forbidden fruit to their husbands. And I thought, “I want some of that forbidden fruit. I want that. I want her.”

And then, my thoughts escalated to wanting her for the sake of saying “I had a taste of the forbidden fruit, you motherfuckers! *chuckling* I did what all of you couldn’t!”

Y/N (out in a patio): Rest assured, I was kind of a bitch back then. *laughing* I was so fucking stubborn. It wasn’t like I wanted to date anyways, or hook up, I was way into my work and my art. I wanted to go the distance by myself. No distractions, no asshat trying to hold me down from my potential. I took what I wanted, and I got it. If it’s not what I wanted, I could get rid of it pretty easily.

Except, y’know, this one thing was pretty anti-resistant.

•─────⋅(cut back)⋅─────•

Warren stepped out of the broken up circle of guests to set his eyes closer on the woman who sat in the yacht’s couch. 

Her eyebrows are furrowed at him. The way her lips tugged down into a scowl, her beautifully long legs on top of one another, though, hidden in her jeans.

She looked like she wasn’t having any fun. She looked serious, and mad. At him. 

What the fuck did I do?

High on cocaine, he still managed to make his way to the woman, giving her a friendly grin he hoped to make him less intimidating. If he needed to know where the lovely host was, he might as well ask a friend of hers. Of course, roughly assuming she is.

She’s every woman’s best friend after all. 

Y/N leans back and watches in disgust as the man staggers towards her, with a cigarette in one hand, and a free hand saluting her.

As a response, Y/N took in a deep inhale of her cigar. An act to prepare herself for whatever this man had up his sleeve.

Or in his pants, Y/N shivered.

“Hey! You from here?” Warren began with a sincere smile.

Y/N gave him a tight-lipped smile. Reluctant. Obvious she wanted to be left alone. “Uh huh...”

“That’s cool. I’m not though, I’m from Pittsburg. There’s snow there, and I mean like, the things that, y’know, fall from the sky, not—”

“I think I get what you’re saying.” She interrupted, taking in a much longer drag after.

“Sure, yeah. Tha-That’s my bad.” Warren stammered. At the same time, he decides to sit right next to her. But it was more like a slump down, and it almost sent Y/N into the launch out of her seat.

He keeps a distant proximity from the woman, taking note of her discomfort.

But why would she be uncomfortable around him? The ladies he messed around with all told him how charming he was, how comfortable they felt around him, that he was all they could ever want in a guy.

That‘s not even his intention with her. But looking deep into her deep V halter top, he almost changed his mind.

This one lady, with her arms across her chest, furrowed eyebrows, eyes anywhere but on him seemed like she wanted nothing to do with Warren, and he would be lying to himself if it didn’t hurt his ego a bit.

“You’re free to tell me to fuck off after this,” he assured her, “but are you by any chance, familiar, with this fashion lady?”

Y/N shifts uncomfortably. She blinked at him multiple times. “Depends...that whole ton right in front of us are fashion ladies.”

Warren only hummed, accepting the hostility. “She’s new, I think.” He explained. “She had a fashion show this summer, and everyone went crazy about it.” He took a hit, giggling. “Apparently she’s everything a man could ask for.”

Stunned, she turns to the man in search for sarcasm or flirtatiousness, but all she found was genuine curiosity.

“Yeah?” She teased.

“It’s what I heard.” He shrugged. “You think I’ll be able to have her in my arms by the end of the night?”

Y/N’s eyebrows shoot up. 

This man doesn’t know who she is.

Sure, people would recognize the name Y/N Augustine in the fashion industry, and she’s been televised quite a few times. Celebrities outside of the fashion industry began to recognize her in public and even ring her. It doesn’t upset her, but she is a bit surprised.

Maybe she could make something out of this weird interaction.

“She’s a bitch.” She pretended to sigh exaggeratedly. “I’ve worked with her so many times, she’s unbelievable.”

The man next to her furrowed his eyebrows, visibly confused. “Oh.”

Y/N does everything in her might to stifle her laugh. She felt no sympathy for the man. In fact, she had no idea who he was either.

But all Warren could suddenly do was ogle the woman next to him. The way she’s fully turned to him now, he couldn’t help but stare into her deep cut halter top.

“You work for her?” He managed to continue.

“Something like that,” Y/N brought her cigarette to her lips. “Barely knows our names, doesn’t acknowledge our presence but when she does, it’s because we’re doing something wrong. Everything’s about needlework and pushing the needles in the right places. It gets a little too sad.”

Warren snickered at the joke. “She’d say that on purpose?”

“Hell no,” Y/N returned the snicker, blowing out a smoke. “Lady hasn’t had any in a while, and she makes it as obvious as possible.” Y/N looks into his eyes for the first time, only to manipulate herself the image of regret to him.

He notices. “...What?”

“I don’t think I can tell you any more...”

“No! Please, tell me more,” he chuckled at his sudden need to plea. “Save an innocent man here, please.”

Y/N pretends to ponder over it for a while, forcefully jutting out her lip. “I would be saving you…wouldn’t I?”

Warren nods frantically. “Yes! Again, please, before I let this buddy of mine control me, only to end up catching a disease as a consequence.”

Y/N let a laugh break out of her, which surprised her. “Oh, hun, no. She doesn’t have STD. But...” She motions a finger for him closer.

He responds quickly, leaning forward towards her shoulder, but not doing so without peaking at her deep cleavage.

“Those sweet sexy rumors you keep hearing?” Y/N whispered, “they’re fake. She pays the press a shitload of money for them to only say nice things about her. She’s an old bastard, probably as old as my grandmother. It’s a miracle she’s still alive to find out what plastic surgery is. Maybe knew a bit too much, y’know? She looks like a wax figure now.”

Warren erupts laughing at the joke.

•─────⋅(cut to documentary)⋅─────•

Karen: How should I put this...Y/N...has always been unpredictable. There isn’t any dull moment with her, and I think that comes from being an artist, y’know, she’s always up and going, welcoming unpredictability and ideas. No matter how beautiful and wild they were.

*smiling down* That’s exactly who she is. Unpredictable. Wild. Beautiful. In all the best ways.

Warren: *he sucks his teeth* I wasn’t used to girls not...flirting with me. I mean, there was Karen and Camilla, who I knew would gut me if I even dared to wink at them the wrong way. I got all the groupies I wanted, whenever and wherever...but there was something off about this one.

interviewer: In what way?

Warren: Well first of all, she never touched me anywhere. Never hinted to wanting me, at all.  It was kind of offending me every minute I spent talking to her.

Suddenly, *exhaling heavily, flicking his hand away* I forgot about the fashion goddess. It was just...her. Nameless girl with nice tits and a sense of humor that was refreshing. To me, at least.

•─────⋅(cut back)⋅─────•

The man’s mouth went agape. “Wouldn’t you get...fired for that?” He chuckled nervously.

“Nah.”

The man whistled in amusement. “Damn, girl.”

“Won’t be the end of the world.” She shrugged.

•─────⋅(cut to documentary)⋅─────•

Y/N: I had no idea what I was doing that afternoon. *chuckling behind her hand* It was fun, though. I like messing with people.

•─────⋅(cut back)⋅─────•

Perhaps he would call this unlocking a national discovery, but Warren wanted to talk to her more than he wanted to fuck her. And it isn’t because he isn’t turned on by her at all, but fuck, did he really want her for more.

“She’s super gullible though,” Y/N insisted, turning her body back to the crowd. “You’ll have a chance.”

Warren shook his head with a laugh, the slight movement of his curls grabbing Y/N’s attention back. 

“What’s your name?”

“You need my name?” Y/N teased. “Were my tits not enough for you?”

•─────⋅(cut to documentary)⋅─────•

Warren: It was like a boner and my heart acting up at the same time. Fuck the high the nicotine gave me, I think I just found the love of my life.

Graham: Entering the party with people we didn’t know, and with Karen talking it up with another guy, I was forced to look for Warren somewhere in the yacht, praying he was sprawled naked on the floor with a girl or two...but I did not expect him to be laughing it off with a woman next to him, who, I might add, both had their clothes on.

I mean, the man looked more alive than I’ve seen him, and it was all without any hardcore drugs.

So, I just kinda left them alone.

Warren: I wasn’t necessarily angry when she refused to tell me her name, but it actually made things 10 times worse for me. 

The whole mysterious shit got to me. It was hot.

•─────⋅(cut back)⋅─────•

“What if I want to know your name?” The man beside her kept insisting. “Is that too forward?”

“It’s Flora.” The lie rolled off her tongue casually. Y/N’s middle name was Flora, and while she wanted to keep up with the joke of lying about who she was to the man next to her, she just had to give him something about herself.

The man was charming, she wasn’t going to lie. Charming and attractive, with that headful of curls.

But she couldn’t just...give in completely. Jokes aside now, she wants men off the table for as long as she could.

She should stop this. Before she practically launches herself at this man.

“Flora...” Warren wagged a finger at her. “You’ve got a hold on me. And I don’t think it’s gonna leave for a while.”

Y/N rolled her eyes playfully, while her stomach was infested with butterflies, and her heart banging against her ribcage, telling her to open up to this man.

This stranger, she added to herself, who you don’t know at all. “I bet.” She said flatly.

“Warren,” he introduced himself. He offers her his hand. 

“What are you doing?”

Warren’s eyes widen at her sarcastically. “Shake my hand. C’mon!”

Y/N blows in a smoke before placing her hand in his. Calloused they may be, Y/N felt a sense of attraction anyways.

“I’m a drummer.” He excused himself. “My hand’s probably scraping your skin alive—”

“You drum?” Y/N squealed out suddenly. “Shit...”

Warren’s grin only grows. “Do you?”

•─────⋅(cut to documentary)⋅─────•

Y/N: I could’ve stopped there, y’know? I could’ve kept my mouth shut when he mentioned he drums, but I also drummed. Past tense. My older brother was in a college band. So was my dad. Both were drummers, and they insisted I learn how to too.

Again, I could’ve stopped it. *scoffed* But it felt...wrong. I’ve met hundreds of drummers, amateur and professional, but I didn’t geek out as much as I did that time with Warren. So...what was the big deal? Why was it so much more exciting to find out this guy also knew how to play the drums?

•─────⋅(cut back)⋅─────•

Y/N cleared her throat in hopes to wake herself up from this trance. “I have to go—”

Warren’s grin fades, slowly but surely. “Right now?”

Y/N is already up from the couch. “...Yeah.” 

Warren’s mind is racing, revisiting his responses and trying to figure out how he could mess up such a thing. They were going on just talking and laughing so well...he couldn’t just leave it at that. 

She can’t leave it like this.

“Hold on, wait,” he gets up after her, investigating the blank look on her face. “Did I say something wr—”

“Oh, geeze, no.” Y/N let a giggle slip out at his sudden concern. At the sight of him, closer, she realizes he’s a lot taller than her. She also gets a good look at his downset and brown eyes, and while they normally attracted her, it was more than enough motivation to really get her head back in the game.

She couldn’t take it. She’s worked so hard for this job, and she can’t risk it all for a guy she just met.

Her back is already turned away from him, but Warren was still able to hear a quick,  “bye!” He watches her push through the crowd, a sudden emptiness sucking out of him the farther she gets.

•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•

a/n: comment if you want to be added to the taglist in the upcoming parts <3

THIS WAS SO FUN LOL

•─────⋅☾ ☽⋅─────•

[its-vannah]

Girl, Put Your Records On | Eddie Roundtree x Reader

A/N: I haven't seen any fics with him, so I had to make one. I love his character so much.

Blurb: Being the daughter of a music producer has its perks, and one of those is meeting Daisy Jones and The Six's Eddie Roundtree.

Warnings: Just fluff and a hit of angst, implied intercourse (no detail)

Daisy Jones and The Six Masterlist

Being the daughter of a music producer had it's perks. For starters, you were able to listen to new albums and singles before anyone else. While the rest of the world waited for upcoming releases, you were already taking the record out of its sleeve and putting it on the phonograph.

Not to mention all the artists and bands you were able to meet. Your father was constantly popping open a bottle of champagne to celebrate his clients to celebrate their upcoming albums and tours.

Although you were too young to drink yourself, it was nice to feel included. Being there with your father, surrounded by new and interesting people with dozens of stories to share.

But being the daughter of a music producer has its downsides, too. On the smaller scale, sometimes your favorite songs wouldn't make the cut. When you were younger, it hit harder. But as you got older, you just accepted it and moved on.

That wasn't the only down that the role came with, however. You were a young, beautiful, kind girl with a heart of gold and a lot of love to give. Not many men in the industry had any problem taking advantage of that.

There was a thrill to it, for them. Sneaking around with their producer's daughter with the possibility of getting caught at any moment. You were sixteen when you had your first love. He told you all the right things, did all the right things. But the night before he left, he tried to convince you to "live in the moment" while leading you to his van.

It didn't take long for you to realize what was happening, so you freed yourself from his grasp, shoving him back and walking back inside your home.

He was too old for you, anyway. He was twenty, and you were still a kid. It wasn't right, but it was the seventies and he was gaining popularity. It didn't matter what he did, he had every girl in America wrapped around his finger. You, however, had made the choice not to be one of them.

A few years later, when you were nineteen, an up and coming group walked inside your father's studio. He was hesitant about letting them record, but he trusted Teddy and gave them a shot, alllowing you to sit inside the sound booth to hear them play.

You could see the nervousness written all over their faces as they got ready to play. They wanted to impress Teddy, and you didn't blame them. He wasn't easy to read.

Reclining in your seat beside Marcus, who gradually increased the volume on the lead vocalist and lowered the sound of the guitars, you smiled as you listened to them play.

By the end of their demo, you were on the edge of your seat waiting to find out whether or not they'd get an offer.

While Teddy went to discuss it with your father, you stepped out of the sound booth and made your way towards the group.

Smiling, you held out a hand to the only woman, who was closest to you when you walked in, introducing yourself, "Hey, I'm Y/N."

Karen gave you a gentle smile, shaking your hand, "Nice to meet you, I'm Karen."

The drummer, who was fiddling with his drum sticks, hollered over her, "That's Karen Karen."

Raising a brow, you couldn't help but release a small laugh, "Karen Karen?"

The blonde shot him a look, "Fuck off, Warren."

Warren grinned, nodding his head as a way of greeting you.

Beside him, the lead vocalist looked over at you, "Is there something you need, Samantha?"

"It's Y/N," You corrected, "And I just wanted to say I like your sound. It's different. I think you guys have a good chance of getting a deal."

One of the guitarists, the one with curly hair who had been ogling Karen for the past half hour, smiled up at you from his seat on the amp, "Thank you, Y/N. Our main focus is creating music that people l-"

"For the love of God, Graham, shut up," The vocalist grumbled, turning back towards you, "Look, it's nice to meet you, but we're a bit busy here."

Graham held his hands up in surrender, returning to fiddling with his guitar, mouthing "sorry" to you.

The fifth member of the group, who had been nervously tapping his foot flashed his bandmate an irritated look, "C'mon, Billy, she's just being nice. At least people actually like our music."

"Eddie, all I'm saying is that we need to spend less time socializing and more time figuring out what we do if we don't get this deal."

On that note, you cleared your throat, "You'll get the deal."

Simultaneously, Eddie and Billy spoke over one another, the former asking if you really thought so and the latter asking how in the hell you knew.

"I know Mr. L/N well, and so does Teddy. Look, the last few bands Teddy has invested in haven't been doing too great. But I really think you guys have a chance. I know you guys do."

Eddie gave you a lopsided smile, "They liked us in Pittsburgh, I don't see how this is any different."

Billy glared back at him, "If you'll excuse us, I think we have a few things to discuss."

Nodding, you turned to exit, giving the band one last smile. But before you could step out the door, Teddy came back in with your father in tow.

Teddy looked at the band, "We're giving you a shot, don't blow it."

The band, who Teddy had earlier referred to as The Six, erupted in smiles, hugging each other and patting one another on the back.

Your dad wrapped an arm around you, addressing the band, "I see you've met my daughter?"

Billy's eyes widened a bit. He thought you were just some random kid. But you had been in the sound booth, he should've known better.

Warren, who was very obviously high, nodded, "Yeah, she's hot."

Wincing, Karen glared at him, "She's been very kind, Mr. L/N."

Your dad eyed Warren, kissing you on the head before congratulating the band one last time, kissing you on the forehead, and walking back to his office.

Once he was out of sight, Eddie took one of Warren's drumsticks out of his hands and smacked him on the head with it, muttering, "Dumbass, that was her dad."

The drummer's mouth formed an "O", "You think he knows?"

"Jesus Christ, Warren," Karen said, shaking her head before turning to Billy, "And you, you need to get the stick out of your ass."

A look of pride settled on Eddie's face. You could tell the two of them didn't see eye to eye just from the small interactions you had with them.

Moving towards the exit, you waved them goodbye, "I'll see you guys around."

Warren and Graham waved happily, Karen and Billy nodded, and Eddie tilt his head to the side with a smile.

Once you were out of earshot, Karen looked back at Eddie, "Jealous, are you, Roundtree?"

"Piss off, Karen."

Warren looked between the two of them, connecting the dots, "Psst, Karen, I think he's jealous."

Rolling her eyes, she flashed him an irritated smile, "Yeah, I figured that out, thanks."

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Billy: As soon as we got the news and packed up, I ran to the nearest phone to tell Camila. She had always believed in us, and now everything was falling into place.

Karen: I think I went back and got drunk in my room afterwards. We may have gone out to eat, I don't remember. We had been living gig to gig, I was just happy to have an income.

Camila: It was the first time in a while that Billy really seemed happy with how the band was going. He had always believed in it, but I really think it helped him to see that everything was coming into place. That we wouldn't be living in a shack forever.

Warren: I don't even remember being in the studio. I was in my twenties, I was doing anything I could get my hands on. Drugs, alcohol, women. I was just along for the ride.

Karen: I could still kill Warren for telling the producer's daughter, Y/N, that she was hot in front of her dad.

Warren: We all thought it. Especially Eddie. I was just the one who said it.

Eddie: There was something about Y/N that was different. She wasn't just a newfound fan, she believed in us from the start. She and Camila were the first people to have our record in their hands. As for Warren's comment to her dad... She was beautiful, still is, I just think he could've handled it better. A lot better. By not saying anything.

Graham: It was nice to know that someone outside of the band and Teddy believed in us. Moving out to LA meant that we were starting over. In Pittsburgh, nearly the whole city had heard of us. At least, the people our age.

Eddie: That day was a turning point for the band.

Camila: There was no going back after that. They started recording and within a month, they were on their first tour.

------------------------------------------------------------

You came to every recording session The Six had, excitedly listening to their songs and giving input. You studied the way Marcus moved the volume and reverb, making a mental note of it. What he did had always fascinated you, and he was willing to teach you. It was one of the perks of being F/N L/N's daughter. People bent over bsckwards to make you happy.

Over the course of their time recording, you went out for drinks a few times with them.

You met Camila, who you adored, and quickly became friends with. You wouldn't have changed any of it for the world.

Well, except one thing.

From the moment you met Eddie Roundtree, your heart hadn't stopped fluttering, skipping a beat every time he walked into the room.

Warren constantly teased the two of you about it, suggesting different ways to release the tension between the two of you.

Karen kicked him under the table, giving him a look that sent fear down his spine.

It made the moment awkward for a minute, but the band could sense it was bound to happen.

Eddie was used to being pushed around by Billy, who was by far the most popular and well-known member of The Six. But for once, he was first place. With you.

The two of you often nursed a glass of champagne, talking to one another at the bar while Graham attempted to flirt with Karen, who wound up finding another guy to hook up with, and Warren fell into a crowd of women.

He took a sip, looking down at you, "What's it like, getting to hear new music before anyone else? Not just ours, but in general."

"It's incredible. Don't get me wrong, being in the studio so much has its ups and downs, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. There's nothing else I can imagine myself doing. That's why I want to work in the sound booth."

"You do?"

"Yeah, Marcus offered to teach me a while back. I just wanted to wait until you guys went on tour. I just want to focus on The Six, just taking it all in."

Eddie bit his bottom lip, "So... You and Marcus...?"

You shook your head, "Are friends. My mother is friends with his. We grew up together, he's just a few years older. He's protective, like how I imagine an older brother would be."

He nodded, "So, are you seeing anyone?"

"No," You let out a shaky breath, not meeting his eyes, "Are you?"

"No, are—I already asked you that," He said nervously, swirling his glass in his hand, "Do you... Have an interest in... You know, seeing anyone?"

"It depends on who it is," You said, heat rising to your cheeks, "And you? Anyone on your mind?"

He set down his glass, looking at you, "There is."

Meeting his eyes, you turned your back to the counter, leaning on it for support, "What's she like?"

"You have a mirror?"

You burst out laughing, "Is that your best line, Eddie? C'mon, you can do better than that."

He put his head in his hands, embarrassed.

Pressing a hand to his back, you used your other to pry his head away from his hands, "Don't worry, you can make it up to me."

Raising a brow, he tilted his head, "And how can I do that?"

"Pick me up on Friday at six."

"That's the day before tour starts."

"I know."

He nodded, "Wear something nice."

"Don't I always," You tease, stumbling into his chest.

He lifted the glass from your hands, "You know what I mean. I do, however, think you've had enough of this. C'mon, I'll drive you home"

------------------------------------------------------------

Warren: I was so happy to see Eddie leaving with Y/N. He was growing up, leaving the nest. It was about time he got laid.

Eddie: I drove her home. She had driven herself, but I was worried with her having three glasses. Truthfully, I just wanted to see her get home safe. And she did. I dropped her off at her door, walked her up, and waited until she got inside before I left. Once I got back in the car, it hit me—I had a date with Y/N.

Karen: I think he was more excited about the date than the record deal.

Eddie: It had just been a big few months. Moving to LA, getting a deal, meeting Y/N. Things were finally going my way.

------------------------------------------------------------

Eddie: Long distance relationships weren't easy by any means. I was the one who had to call, since we were constantly moving around. It strained us a bit, but she was able to go to a few of our concerts and I got to see her, take her out a few times.

Karen: Y/N visited us while we were in the northeastern part of the states. She stayed with us for a week and a half. And I never got any damn sleep while she was with Eddie. They could've been quieter, but I guess it was young love.

Eddie: She had her own hotel room during her time staying with us. Her dad set it up. We'd just stay in mine talking to one another.

Warren: Eddie swore nothing happened in his hotel room when he was alone with her, but I was on the other side of the wall. Look, I was pretty high, but it'd be hard to forget that. I may have been the one to call her hot, but he was the one that took it three, four steps further. Good for him, though.

Eddie: It was only when we got back from the tour that things started to go downhill with me and Y/N.

Camila: After I gave birth to Julia, Billy checked into Rehab. I was on my own for a while. But when the band came back, they were there to help me. Julia enjoyed time with Uncle Graham and Eddie, and Y/N whenever she was off work.

Graham: Eddie and I were there a few times a week just helping out and checking in on Camila and Julia. I loved that kid more than anything. We'd just sit out in the grass and I'd sing to her.

Eddie: Camila needed all the help she could get, especially with Billy not being there. Not that he would've done much anyway, to be honest. I tried to be there for her and Julia in any way I could. I didn't realize that it would tear Y/N and I apart.

------------------------------------------------------------

"Eddie, I barely ever get to see you. Can't you go one day without seeing Camila and Julia? You can stay with me. It's better than that shack."

"That shack is my home, whether it's shit or not, Y/N," He grumbled, "Camila needs all the help she can get with Julia. She's only a few months old."

"Her mother is with her, Eddie. She's got her mom, Graham, the whole band really. It's not that I don't want you to be with them, I just want to see you. I never get to see you."

Eddie sighed, "Y/N, they mean everything to me."

"They're your bandmates, I get it, I just—"

"Y/N..."

It was written all over his face. He wasn't just talking about The Six.

------------------------------------------------------------

Karen: We'd all known, except for maybe Billy and Camila, that Eddie was in love with Camila. We just thought that he had put those feelings aside when he met Y/N.

Warren: Out of all the girls Eddie had dated, which hadn't been much, she was my favorite. She was fun, she kept up with us, she was passionate about music and the band. When they broke up, I nearly snapped the guys neck. And I'm not a violent guy. She just deserved better than whatever the hell that was.

Eddie: Camila and Billy were married. I would never have come in the way of that. At the same time, it wasn't fair to Y/N. I loved her with my whole being, but I still had some unresolved feelings for Camila that started stiring when Billy was gone. It's wrong, and I know that, but it wasn't fair.

Graham: Eddie was an idiot for what happened. I remember when he came back from their first date. He swore up and down that they'd get married one day.

------------------------------------------------------------

When the band broke up, everyone went their separate ways. Karen continued touring, this time without Daisy and The Six. Warren got married and started working on boats, which became a passion for him. Billy stepped away from music and settled into life with Camila and his daughters and Graham continued working in the music industry, starting his own family. Daisy recovered from her addictions, and wound up adopting kids of her own.

These all took years to play out. But not for Eddie.

As soon as the band was over with, the first thing he did was buy a ticket to LA and knock on Y/N's door.

He explained everything and told her he loved her, he always had.

------------------------------------------------------------

Y/N Roundtree: Eddie proposed to me the night he showed up on my doorstep. He told me he couldn't imagine a life without me. I was touched.

Eddie: But she said no.

Y/N: I loved him, but I told him it would take time. We still had so much we didn't know about each other. It had been ages since I had seen him. I didn't even know that the Six had split up until he told me. He was back in LA that fast after the split.

Eddie: We did get to know each other, though. And I proposed almost a year later. We got married a few months after that. And the rest is history.

Y/N: It was a quiet ceremony. Eddie didn't want Billy there, and thought it may be a bit off putting for me to have Camila there. But I knew how much he cared about her and the girls, so we extended an invite.

Camila: Billy and Eddie never really saw eye to eye, and with Billy finally getting comfortable with family life, I didn't think it would be good to thrust him back into that.

Eddie: Y/N was a little upset they chose not to come, but understood. If you invite half a family, it doesn't exactly work.

Billy: I was surprised Eddie found the balls to get married.

Y/N: It wound up just being Eddie's immediate family, mine, Marcus, Warren, and Graham. Daisy showed up a few days earlier to congratulate us on our wedding, bringing a guitar with her as a gift. She just didn't think being back in that environment would be good for her. There would be too many questions.

Daisy: Just because the band was over doesn't mean the music couldn't continue. Eddie was a good guitarist and Y/N knew everything about managing sound and rhythms, so I figured it was an appropriate gift. I was really happy for them.

Eddie: Karen was touring at the time and wasn't able to make it, but she visited once the tour was over and stayed a few days.

Y/N: I preferred having a smaller wedding, with the people we knew the most.

Warren: They had great alcohol. I wasn't high during the reception, so I was actually able to enjoy it. I even met my wife there.

Graham: It made me long for a relationship, honestly. But it also made me realize I need to focus on myself first. I didn't want to just settle to settle.

Y/N: Our son was born a year and a half after we got married and music was automatically a big part of his life. He'd sit on Eddie's lap at not even a year old while Ed played the guitar. I still have pictures of them back then on the mantle.

Grant Roundtree, Eddie and Y/N's oldest son: I remember when I decided I wanted to pursue music. Dad sat me down and explained what happens when you achieve fame and how to handle it. Mom told me that I needed to take it one step at a time and really enjoy my childhood.

Farrah Roundtree, Eddie and Y/N's daughter: Grant never stopped playing that damn guitar mom gave him.

Grant: Sometimes I played just to drive Farrah and Eli crazy. I never stopped.

Eli Roundtree, Eddie and Y/N's youngest son: I wanted to be just like Grant when I was younger. He was my cooler, older brother. He even taught me how to play the guitar and I could carry a tune, but my stage fright got in the way of anything beyond that.

Eddie: Grant went into the music field, Farrah pursued modeling and is now acting, and Eli is just now graduating from high school, planning to attend college this fall.

Y/N: I'll always be grateful for Daisy Jones and The Six, but I've got to be honest—I'm even happier it ended when it did.

Eddie: Everything happens for a reason, and for me, it couldn't have ended at a better time.

[reasonsmandy]

Silver Springs

Eddie Roundtree x Fem!Reader

✧.* requested by @navia3000 — hi hi hi!!! i’m OBSESSED with your writing and i was wondering if you could write an eddie x reader story for me! i thought of this in the shower, but basically, reader is the bassist of the band and has been in love with eddie for a long time, but eddie is in love with camila. everyone knows she’s madly in love with him, but he doesn’t seem to realize it. after cami and eddie get together that one night at the bar, and then when they’re talking at the party, reader overhears the whole thing and is really upset because camila and her are very close and she knew that reader loved eddie. camila walks back to the party but sees reader standing there and realizes she heard everything. reader gets mad and stops talking to both eddie and cami, just ignoring them every time they’re around. it gets to the point where cami gets fed up and says some mean stuff to reader about eddie not wanting her in front of everyone else. reader packs her stuff and leaves the band without saying anything, basically just pulls a houdini. some time later, the band is at a festival and the band performing before them is the reader’s and she’s the lead singer, and they realize it’s her and are like omg. reader sings her hit song silver springs (og by fleetwood mac but im pretending its reader’s song) and it’s obvi about eddie. she sings it while staring at him just like stevie does lindsey. and you can end it however you want. i know this is really long and im sorry 😭 i just love your writing and wanna see how you do this. thank youuuu :))

✧.* summary — a fic based on Silver Springs by fleetwood mac

✧.* warnings — Camila being a jerk :(((

✧.* word count — 3.2k

✧.* 🎸 — Eddie's masterlist

✧.* mandy's notes — This was soooo fun to write, I'm just obsessed with this song

Love is fucked up, and you were living the worst of it since you fell in love with Eddie Roundtree. Of course, it's not about every type of love, but you knew very well that there is nothing as painful as unreciprocated love. It was like being slowly consumed by a feeling that will always be there, and there's nothing you can do to make it stop.

When you guys decided to move to follow the band's dream, it wasn't an easy decision, you were scared to death that you were making the wrong decision but there was comfort in doing it with those you were close to. Now that you were having the chance to create a new album, you felt like it was time for you to grow up in a big way.

The work had been difficult, you spent a lot of time in the studio recording again and again, and only being done when it was perfect. And despite the regrets, you knew that everything was heading towards what you were going to and were living. There is something that was addictive about work, it made you forget about the disaster surrounding your love life, you felt pathetic for futilely insisting on a feeling that had no direction or departure.

You felt yourself falling in love with Eddie when you guys moved to the new town, despite your time performing gigs and also with other gigs out there, you still spent a lot of time together, something that was enough to make you fall in love with him. He was always very kind and understanding with you, even more so when you missed home a lot, slowly as you became closer to each other you couldn't help your feelings anymore… something you just hated.

Everyone knew that he was deeply in love with Camila, including yourself. You knew that when your heart started beating faster everytime he passed by or talked to you, there were several times you tried to hold every feeling back, knowing that it would only lead to heartbreak.

As everyone knew about Eddie's feelings towards Camila, slowly everyone noticed your feelings towards him. Of course there were jokes and teasing (even more coming from Rojas), but it slowly became an unspoken topic that everyone knew but no one said a thing. And you honestly appreciate it!

You had no idea if Eddie knew about it, and you hoped he never did. Because even if you didn't have any hope, or at least tried not to, you wanted to deprive yourself of the look full of pity coming from someone who doesn't feel the same way. Looking to escape all your thoughts, you spent many more hours than necessary in the studio working late, and today was no different.

“God! You're still here?” Daisy says as she opens the studio door, a cigarette hovering on her lips.

“I have a lot to do.” You say shrugging, while giving her a small smile.

“No she doesn't.” You are startled a little when you hear Karen's voice behind you, turning slightly to see her blonde hair.

“Is this some kind of intervention?” Your laugh came out nervously, they look at each other.

“Well, maybe?” Jones gets closer to you, you can smell the cigarettes on her clothes.

“You're working like a dog, so we thought you could come with us to a party?” Karen suggests, her eyes showing her eager for you to agree.

“I don't know guys…” You scribble some things in your notebook, nothing specific other than lines and circles.

“Come on!” Karen holds one of your hands to help you up. “Just try it, I promise that if you don't like it Daisy will take you home.”

“Oh, I will?” Daisy looks at her, you can't help but laugh when you see Karen giving her a threatening look. “Yeah, of course I will.”

You see no escape, so you soon find yourself among a considerable number of people wearing your favorite dress. Karen had been called by a boy to talk better, you hadn't noticed who it was but you knew where she was in case it took too long and you got worried, Daisy was lying on a sun chair around the pool talking to a group of people you had no idea who they were, and you, as expected, were standing there waiting for something interesting to happen.

With your half-full glass in hand, you approach the chairs looking to sit somewhere, your steps stop when you see a familiar figure you blink a few times to make sure you were right, and after a few blinks you confirm that Eddie was there too. Having been alone for a long time and bearing in mind that you wouldn't have company anytime soon, you decide to go to him.

As you make your way into the crowd you see him getting up, you frown trying to get a look at where the hell he was heading to. After a few attempts, bumping into some people and a couple of "I'm sorry" to those who had been pushed past you, you are amazed at what you find. It was unusual to see Camila leaving the house for a party, especially alone, you were immediately surprised, looking around to see if other band members were around.

Well, it wasn't the worst case scenario! At least now you have more company to spend the night with, you continue but immediately notice a different air between them. Your body weakens and your heart races, he gets closer to her and she doesn't step back, you can't help but wonder what the fuck was going on so you decide to sit near them and try your best to hear them.

“Wow, you chose me over sure thing like that?” You barely hear Camila's voice among the others.

“I'll choose you over everyone.” Your heart hurts on your chest, you felt sad.

The silence between them is all you hear even with the noise around you, you turn to see what was happening and bitterly regret what your eyes found. Camila holds Roundtree's face gently, her shaking hands indicated apparent nervousness and her fingers didn't show firmness, she was kissing him.

You couldn't believe what your eyes were showing you, your friend forever was kissing the man you were in love with. It was more than a pain, it was a deep betrayal. You didn't give a shit about the fact that Billy was also being betrayed, he had already done worse to her, but you... She knew your feelings, nothing could justify what your eyes witnessed.

You quickly grab your bag, not bothering to tell Daisy or Karen that you were leaving, you just wanted to disappear.

Knowing that you would eventually have to see Eddie if you returned home, you decide to go to any 24-hour establishment, any place where you could get your head around work in peace. Maybe it was raw feelings, or just lack of attention, but you didn't care if disappearing caused a fuss among your friends. If it were up to you, a complete song would be created that night out of all your frustrations.

…

When Eddie opened the doors to the house he was surprised to see the lights on, Karen was on the sofa with her hands in her hair and her legs kept moving up and down. He frowns and gives a questioning look to Warren who was eating a banana in the corner of the room, he just takes a deep breath and doesn't give another answer.

“I swear to God, if she's not having sex right she better have a good excuse to just disappear!” Karen utters, Graham puts one of his hands on her back as comfort.

“What the fuck is going on?” Roundtre asks, a little bit worried.

“Y/N, Daisy and I went to a party and she just vanished.” Sirko's blonde locks got messy as she frantically ran her hands through it.

“What?” Eddie widens his eyes, worried. "You left her alone?"

“Are you going to keep throwing things in my face? I know I fucked up, alright.”

“I think we all should take a rest, it's late.” Graham says.

“Yeah, and besides… I'm pretty sure she'll be back tomorrow.” Rojas tries to comfort everyone, and after a while he manages to get them all a little bit more calm.

…

You were a mess, your hair was a mess, your papers spread across the table were a mess and you didn't even want to look at your face. But you had a song made, lyrics complete, rhythm organized and the guitar and bass part was done, and even with a lot of anguish, you were proud of your work.

You quickly stuff the papers into your backpack, and order a taxi to the house you shared with the band, knowing that you would be scolded for disappearing last night. But honestly, all you wanted was to forget what happened.

“I'm gonna kill you.” You hear Karen's voice and Immediately let out a long breath, she stops when she sees your face. “Bloody hell you look horrible.”

“Thank you very much” You roll your eyes, trying to pass by her, he holds your arm.

“What happened?” You can see she was worried, but you felt pathetic just thinking about saying any of this out loud.

“I can't say it.”

“Bullshit!” She crosses her arms and stops in front of you, preventing you from going forward.

“Fine, I don't want to say it.”

“Where were you yesterday?” She tries once more.

“Writing.”

“You left in the middle of the party to write?” Karen arches her eyebrows, in disbelief. “Without any extra reasons?”

You see Camila approaching, and it takes a lot for you not to cry when you see the person you trusted who had broken your heart so easily. You avoid her eyes, wiping away the tears that escaped.

“Look, I don't want to cause any fuss.” Your voice was choked, your gaze fixed on your foot.

“Karen called me worried yesterday, what happened? Where were you?" Camila comes with her calm voice, you feel a disappointment growing in your core.

“I left, alright?” You say louder than you expected, closing your eyes to take a deep breath. “And I'm leaving.”

“Who's leaving?” Warren's voice comes behind you, he joins everyone. “Hey Y/N, you good?”

“Not really, no.” You give him a small smile, he for sure would be one of the things that made this harder. “I'm quitting the band.”

“What?” They all say together, you swallow hard.

“Why?” Karen was shocked, in disbelief.

“I love you guys so much.” You say between tears, taking a while to pull yourself together. “But I only get hurt lately, and I need time to heal.”

“Who's hurting you?” Warren says in defence. “I'll kick their ass!”

You let out a laugh, “I don't want to cause a mess between you guys, I'm just going to pack my things and go.”

“I don't get it.” Karen says, so lost.

“Just be honest with us.” Camila asks.

“Look, it's fine.” You shrug, holding your bag close to you. “Just like I said, I don't want scandal.”

“You're being ridiculous.” Sirko let's out, frustrated.

“Can I talk to you for a sec?” Camila asks, nodding towards the balcony, you go with her. “What's happening to you?"

“I saw what you did yesterday." Your voice became more choked, you tried hard not to cry. “How could you?”

“What are you talking about?” You can see that she is taken by surprise.

“I saw you kissing Eddie yesterday.” Your vision is blurry with tears. “Why?”

“Look, let's not over react this…” Her voice is lower now, as if trying her best to avoid any attention.

“How on earth am I overreacting?” Slowly you got mad, trying to hold back all your emotions. “All this years I told you how I felt about him, how I bad I felt and yet you… you still did it.”

“Y/N, that's no reason to leave the band.” She avoids the subject. “They need a bass player, you can't just leave when they're recording an album…”

“No fucking reason?” You were shocked, your heart racing. “You don't even care about me, you're worried about the band.”

“Stop being like that.” She rolls her eyes. “It's been years of this, he doesn't like you. I know I did wrong but not with you, with my husband…”

“You think that what you did with me was not a betrayal?”

“I honestly don't think so.” She laughs, and that sents you. “He doesn't feel a thing about you, maybe it's time for you to get over it.”

You cry, your chest hurts. “I'm leaving.”

You turn to leave, knowing that your conversation has been heard by the others when you are met with pitying eyes.

…

You said you would and you did, you left there and only kept in touch with Karen after a few months of leaving. Little by little you got good opportunities, and over time you joined a band that was having great success.

Your song 'Silver Springs' had been written on one of the most troubled nights of your life and had now become your ticket to glorious days like this one. Festivals were your favorite days, you just loved to feel the audience's energy and sing along with them.

But besides loving all of this, today was being chaotic… You knew you went on stage in a few minutes and your guitar player was extremely drunk, you were furious and extremely nervous.

“Oh my God!” The British accent said each word slowly, you turned to see your ex bandmate with a wide smile heading towards you. “You look amazing! It's been so long.”

You go to her hugging her for a while, after some usual questions like "how have you been?" "How are the others?" "Any news?" She looks into your eyes with her eyebrows showing concern.

“Is everything alright?” She asks.

“Not actually, our guitar player fucked up.” Your voice was filled with nerves. “And we're up soon, I don't know what to do! He is the only one who can actually sing and—

“I could help.” You jump when you hear Eddie's voice behind you, you're body reacting weirdly at the sight of him after so long.

“Hearing our conversations?” You try to hide your small smile. “I see you didn't change, uh.”

“Not a bit.” He gives you a smile and you remember why you fell for him in the first place. “So, what do you say?”

“Do you really know the song?” You wanted to hide the way your body automatically wanted to go to him.

“You kidding me?” He jokes, adjusting his collar. “Everyone knows this song, it's amazing.”

“I'd love your help Eddie, thank you!” Somehow you feel peace between you two.

…

You feel the lights on your skin as you get yourself ready, amidst the expectant hush of the gathered crowd, the first haunting notes of "Silver Springs" begin to weave through the air. You get to the center of the stage, paying attention to the audience as you let the notes lead you, your presence commanding and vulnerable all at once. Opposite you, Eddie Roundtree appears—a silent sentinel, yet a potent source of the tension that fills the space between you.

The audience goes crazy, everyone knew the rumors about your song and what has inspired you. There was a huge controversy about the release of this song right after you left Daisy Jones and The Six, so when they all see Eddie Roundtree by your side to play it was for sure a fact to cheer for.

As your voice rises, imbued with a raw, piercing emotion, the air seems to thicken. Each word you sing, a testament to love lost and the pain of what could have been, hangs heavy in the atmosphere. Somehow you remember ‘Regret Me’ and how Daisy let out her feelings in the lyrics, you felt connected to her even though you left. Eddie's gaze, intense and unwavering, meets yours. It's a look that speaks volumes, a silent dialogue that only those who have loved and lost can fully comprehend.

You feel the audience’s attention, and your heart softens as you hear their voices sing along with you. As the song goes on, its lyrics casting spells of everything you once felt for the man by your side, the connection between you and Eddie becomes palpable, almost a living thing that reaches out and enfolds every heart in the venue.

With every verse, the space between you seems both to widen and to shrink, a paradox that only deepens the allure of your interaction. It's as if the song is a bridge you're both building back to a moment lost in time, laden with all the things left unsaid. The air vibrates with the tension of the unspoken, the weight of history that both separates and binds you two. It's a tension that speaks to the heartache of love's aftermath, the beauty of art born from pain.

You see in Eddie's eyes curiosity and at the same time regret, you consider looking away, but once you connect like that it is impossible for you to look away. It was like letting your souls show, and dance together. You approach him without taking your eyes off at any time, he accompanies you to the music feeling tense.

As the song reaches its crescendo, a silent conversation occurs in the span of a few heartbeats. It's a moment of vulnerability and power, a clash of emotions that spills over into the audience, leaving an indelible mark on the collective consciousness of the crowd. The applause that follows is thunderous, not just for the technical brilliance of the performance, but for the courage it took to bare such raw emotions in the full view of the world.

“Thank you so much ladies and gentlemen! I hope you enjoyed our show and have an amazing time with my friends… everyone, please welcome Daisy Jones and The Six"

You leave the stage accompanied by your band, you imagined that Eddie would stay on stage to save time, but the touch on your shoulder that makes you turn around tells you no.

“Hey, can we talk?” Eddie says, you can sense his tension.

“But, you guys are up next.” You point to the other band members arranging their instruments.

“I just, I wanted to know…” He holds back, trying to figure out what to say. “I just wanted to know if you still… if you still feel the same way about me.”

You swallow hard, “Do we really have to talk about this?”

“You know I didn't mean to hurt you.” You avoid his eyes. “I really didn't.”

“It's okay, we don't have to talk about it.”

“But I do want to, this song is…”

“Eddie, it's the truth.” You didn't know how to say this in another way. “I was hurt, and I guess I did a good job, because I'm sure you'll never forget the sound of me.”

He avoids your eyes, letting out a chuckle. “Do you think we can be friends?”

“I don't think I'm ready for that.” You say honestly, his eyes, despite being sad, seem to show understanding. “But maybe we'll meet again someday.”

“I really hope so.” He whispers.

“Hey brother, we gotta go.” Warren calls out for Eddie, turning to you. “You guys nailed it up there.” You murmur to him a “thank you.”

“Good-bye guys.” You say goodbye, leaving Eddie with just the sound of your love.

...

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[whatstruthgottodowithit]

Good 4 U

Fandom:  Daisy Jones & The Six

Pairing: Graham Dunne x Original Female Character

Characters: Graham Dunne, Original Female Character, Karen Sirko, Warren Rojas, Eddie Roundtree, Camilla Dunne, Daisy Jones, Reader, Billy Dunne

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 4793

Summary: Maybe I'm too emotional or maybe you never cared at all.

Tags/Warnings: Songfic, Love, Fluff, Angst, The Six, Messy Relationship, Situationship, Implied Past Relationship, Secret Relationship, Past Friendships, Jealousy, Moving On, Good 4 U // Olivia Rodrigo

Notes: I count it as personal growth that I'm attracted to Graham and not Billy

SONG LINK // HALLOWEEN MASTERLIST

The wind was cold as it whipped past Graham, making him shiver in his thick coat. There had been a time that temperatures like this wouldn’t have phased him but he’d become too acclimatised to the California sunshine. In fact he’d become too acclimatised to everything out there, so much so he’d forgotten how condensed everything felt here though he was awakened quickly to that fact as the people in the house next to him popped up at the window, the chugging of his engine evidently loud enough to have disturbed the whole street. He hurried off the sidewalk, taking the two steps up onto the porch in one long stride until he was standing at the front door. Her front door.

He’d been there a thousand times before; every morning before they trudged to school together, every weekend when he’d called by to see if she wanted to hang out, prom night when the pair of them had insisted on going as ‘just friends’ though it had felt like a lot more than that. And yet now it didn’t feel like any of those times. Those times had been simple and uncomplicated. Now everything in his life was a mess, a mess he didn’t know how to fix apart from standing at the door of his best friend’s house and hoping that she’d help him. As he knocked he heard people inside and he cursed himself for not remembering the date. It was Thanksgiving which not only meant the house would be packed with people but that it was highly likely it’d be one of them who would answer it and he didn’t have the energy to explain his presence here. So he held his breath, hoping it would be her, which to his fortune it was.

Delilah. 

She appeared from behind the door, calling to someone inside the room before she looked out towards the porch and found him standing there. Shock fell on her pretty features as she realised it was him, her blue eyes going wide as she tried to get her thoughts into order.

‘Graham?’ she asked, shock still plastered on her face.

‘Hey,’ her replied as he watched her, a smile playing on his lips as he took her in. She looked different from the last time he had seen her, her auburn locks now gone and replaced by a much darker tone, one that echoed through the makeup she was wearing. She didn’t take him in though, instead, she moved to stand on the doorstep, closing the door behind her before she looked at him and said, ‘What are you doing here?’

‘Well I figured you might be here,’ he said.

‘No, what are you doing in Pittsburgh?’ she corrected, folding her arms as she looked at him.

‘I’m back,’ he shrugged.

‘Back?’ she said.

‘For good. It’s over…everything’s over so I decided to come home,’ he said watching as her face fell into a look of sympathy before she said, ‘okay but uh what are you doing here?’

‘Well I had to see you,’ he said as though it was obvious though given her face moved to a look of surprise he realised he may have been the only one to think so.

‘You came all this way to see me?’ she asked.

‘Of course I did,’ he said as if it was expected.

Delilah paused. It wasn’t expected in fact she wasn’t even sure why he’d even bothered. It wasn’t as though their last meeting had gone spectacularly, a meeting that had only come about when she had hauled her ass across the country to see him.

‘Delilah!’ Graham shouted as he noted his friend looking around on the tarmac for someone she recognised. At his voice she turned, her face breaking into a smile as she noted him standing there before she dashed towards him. They collided in a mishmash of limbs that neither of them seemed to care about, smiles present on both of their faces as they pulled out of their embrace and Graham said, ‘you came!’

‘Of course I came,’ she said swatting his arm as he let her go, her small frame peeling away from his tall one as he let her go. He had known she would of course, it had been her idea after all, but still it felt good to have her here, a reminder that he hadn’t lost complete touch with his old life.

‘Man it’s good to see you,’ he said, slinging his arm around her as they started to head towards baggage claim.

‘Yeah?’ she asked, a smile playing on her lips at the sentiment.

‘Yeah, it feels like it’s been forever,’ he said.

‘It has,’ she chuckled, of course it had felt like forever, it had been well over a year and in that time span his life had changed beyond belief. He was on track to become a rockstar and she was just the girl he used to know back home and yet he never made it feel like that. No, though they were separated by distance he still kept her close and so to finally be on the same soil made her happier than ever. As did the way his arm was slung over her shoulders and the beaming smile he gave her as he said, ‘Good flight?’

‘Eh it was fine,’ she shrugged as they broke apart so that she could grab her bag from the carousel.

‘Could’ve been worse?’ he mused as he took the bag from her before they headed out towards his car.

‘Could’ve been better I mean don’t you have a private jet or something these days?’ she teased.

‘Nah I only use that for real friends,’ he quipped making her shove him.

They were quiet for a moment, idly chatting until they made it to his car which she climbed in with no issue, allowing him to put her suitcase in the trunk before he followed suit. It was only when they were finally out of the airport grounds, heading for the freeway, did she decided to do away with small talk as she said, ‘So how’s everything going?’

‘Good,’ Graham said, ‘I can’t wait for you to meet everyone.’

‘I know everyone,’ she said rolling her eyes as he glanced at her before putting his focus back on the road.

‘Yeah I know,’ he started realising his words had come out wrong, ‘but it’s different now. I mean I have a niece now y'know?’

‘Oh yeah,’ she said realising what he meant. Of course she knew everyone and she had been kept up to date with most of the goings on and yet things were different, ‘so how’s it all going now…with Billy.’

‘Oh, fine,’ he said, keeping his tone casual though he noted his grip on the steering wheel tightened.

‘I know you said he went to rehab and everything…how is he?’ she mumbled.

‘Better, he’s a lot better now,’ Graham said.

‘That’s good,’ Delilah replied and after that they fell silent. Graham seemed to be unwilling to elaborate any more than that and she was unsure of what to say for the best. When they’d spoken of it before he’d gotten quiet and addiction wasn’t really something she knew a lot about so she had been at a loss for what to say.

‘So,’ she said after a moment, feeling more awkward the longer they stayed silent, ‘a niece huh?’

‘Yeah,’ he said finally cracking a smile, ‘she’s amazing you’ll love her.’

‘Oh yeah? Making you want to be a dad?’ she teased making him blush.

‘As long as I can hand them back at the end of the day sure,’ he chuckled. They were falling back into their rhythm now, the awkwardness ebbing as she turned in her seat to face him and said, ‘so come on.’

‘What?’ he asked glancing at her.

‘Who else have I got to meet?’

‘Well there’s Daisy,’ he said, ‘you’ll love her.’

‘Oh really?’ she asked trying to ignore the nervous flutter in her stomach at the mention of another woman.

‘Yeah, she’s a great musician and she’s really helped our sound change a lot. Plus she doesn’t take any of Billy’s shit which is a bonus,’ he chuckled, his tone laced with sisterly affection that made her relax.

‘Sounds like my kinda gal,’ she smiled.

‘And there’s Karen our keyboardist,’ he said.

‘Yeah?’ she said looking for the same sisterly affection he had spoken about the other girl with and yet it didn’t come. In fact, he seemed to feel her eyes on him, squirming in his seat as he cleared his throat and said as casually as he could muster, ‘Yeah, she’s pretty cool too.’

‘Oh?’ she said.

‘Yeah,’ he said, shifting again as he swiftly moved on, ‘and of course there’s the folks we’re recording with. Teddy, who discovered us, but we can get into that when we get to the studio.’

‘I get to come to the studio?’ she asked.

‘Of course,’ he said looking at her with a smile.

The ride to the studio wasn’t a long one though once inside Delilah found herself less intrigued by the place her friend had started to call home and instead found herself longing to be back outside away from the dim lights and swirling cigarette smoke that made her want to retch. The only alluring bit of the whole thing was the fact that as she stepped into the studio Eddie and Warren seemed to come to life by her presence.

‘Del!’ Warren said standing up from his drum kit and coming towards her, offering her a hug as she said, ‘Hey!’

‘Man it’s good to see you,’ he chuckled as she hugged him back.

‘You too,’ she chuckled as she pulled away from him moving to the boy who had flocked towards them as she said, ‘Hey Ed.’

‘Hey Del,’ he said hugging her quickly.

‘So this is what you guys have been busy doing all these months huh?’ she chuckled.

‘Someone's got to,’ Warren said as he moved back towards his drum kit.

‘It’s a step up from the garage I’ll admit that,’ she giggled.

‘Sounds a lot better in here too,’ Eddie chuckled, moving back to where he’d been setting up.

‘Well I can’t wait for that,’ she said, ‘Graham says I get a sneak peek.’

‘Yeah well you will whenever Daisy gets here,’ Warren said.

‘Which is whenever she decides to show up,’ Billy said moving past her towards his guitar, barely even acknowledging she was here as he too moved to set up.

‘I’m sure it’ll be soon,’ Graham said rolling his eyes as he headed to get his guitar too leaving Delilah standing in the middle of the room suddenly unaware of what to do with herself. She supposed that was the problem with already knowing everyone, they all seemed comfortable enough to let her see to herself, the way she had used to when they’d spent hours rehearsing in their garage in Pittsburgh. She and Camilla had seen to themselves as the boys rehearsed yet now it didn’t feel as natural. She wondered if that was because she was missing her counterpart, her fellow spectator, or whether that was because from behind a keyboard towards the other side of the room a girl was watching her closely.

As everyone carried on with their own tasks she decided there wasn’t much point in her loitering like an idiot and instead she moved towards the girl in the corner in order to introduce herself. She tried to ignore the flip flop in her stomach at the sight of her, effortlessly pretty and cool in a reserved kind of way and instead chose to treat her like she had the others.

‘So,’ she said catching her attention though admittedly she’d forced herself to pretend she was in the middle of something the moment Delilah had headed her way, ‘if Daisys not here that must mean that you’re Karen.’

‘What?’ the girl replied, taking Delilah off guard as her British accent hit her ears, ‘oh yeah, uh hi.’

‘I’m Delilah, we haven’t met,’ she said sticking her hand out for the girl to shake though she merely glanced at it.

‘Right, Graham’s friend,’ she said coolly.

‘Well yeah but I mean I know everyone,’ Delilah said, wondering why the urge to explain felt so strong inside her. Maybe it was because of the way she was watching her as though she didn’t belong in this little group as though she was the outsider here.

‘Right,’ she said, ‘well I’ve got to set up.’

‘Oh, okay,’ Delilah said turning around quickly feeling as though she had been dismissed. Yet as she moved to take a seat in the corner of the room, ready to watch the performance, she couldn’t help but notice the warning look Graham shot towards his friend. One that made her feel as though there was more to the friendship than Delilah had anticipated.

Over the next few days that feeling didn’t disappear from inside Delilah and yet she wondered how given that throughout her whole stay Karen had opted to stay away from the group. In fact they’d spent the majority of her time there doing things just her and Graham though she couldn’t help but feel his heart wasn’t really in it. He showed her the sights of course and they hung out a lot yet it felt as though he was going through the motions. In truth the only time he seemed to be his old self was whenever they were around other people, as if he didn’t need to act around them but with her he did. She tried to ignore it but the sting it left inside her was something that was getting harder and harder to squash down, especially when he chose to sit next to Karen at dinner. They were at Billy and Camilla’s new house, sitting on the terrace eating pizza and chatting over a roaring fire. Delilah was sitting quietly eating her pizza as she watched the pair of them across the fire, chatting to one another in hushed whispers the group didn’t seem to notice.

‘This is good,’ Warren said though it was garbled as he was still chewing.

‘Not better than Vito’s though,’ Eddie said, as he took his own bite.

‘Man I’d kill for Vito’s right now,’ Graham said, earning a smile from the girl beside him that didn’t go unnoticed by Delilah. Karen didn’t even seem to notice she was being watched, the warmth of Delilah’s stare evidently getting lost in the flickering flame between them.

‘Nah man, Vito’s sucks,’ Warren said.

‘Does not,’ Eddie said.

‘Billy back me up here,’ Warren said looking to where Billy was sitting across from him, Camilla sprawled across his lap.

‘Warren’s right Vito’s sucks,’ Billy said earning himself a glare from the other boys.

‘Oh, so what’s better?’ Graham wagered.

‘That place we went on tour remember?’ Warren said.

‘Up in San Francisco?’ Eddie asked.

‘Yeah man,’ Warren said looking towards Billy who shrugged, ‘it was pretty good.’

‘You have to be kidding me!’ Eddie said sitting up in his chair he looked as though he was bracing himself to argue though before he could Delilah found herself speaking whether to dispel an argument from occurring or because she felt as though she had become a fly on the wall, a non-entity, she did not know.

‘Best pizza ever is Ali’s,’ she said causing six sets of eyes to turn in her direction. Given that Eddie had been the one amping himself up for a verbal tennis match he seemed to be able to get his mouth to work quickest as he said, ‘is that downtown?’

‘No,’ she said, ‘it’s in Cleveland.’

‘Why were you at a pizza place in Cleveland?’ Graham said accusatorily, his attention finally falling on her for the first time all night. She shifted, feeling the weight of his narrowed gaze on her face.

‘Me and Chuck went,’ she shrugged though she knew that would only generate more questions than answers.

‘You’ve seen Chuck?’ Eddie asked.

‘Yeah,’ she said quietly.

‘How is he?’ Eddie asked.

‘Still wanting to put his fingers in people’s mouths?’ Warren asked.

‘He’s fine,’ Delilah said ignoring the jab from Warren though she should’ve expected it. She should’ve expected how they were all watching her as if they expected her to spill some sordid secrets about their ex-bandmate. Still, the scrutiny of them watching her made her face burn and so she said, ‘what?’

‘Nothing,’ Billy said, ‘it’s just we haven’t heard from him.’

‘Well you guys are a lot busier than I am,’ she shrugged.

‘True,’ Camilla said.

‘Besides I thought you guys were cool now,’ she said.

‘Yeah, I suppose,’ Eddie said though it earned nothing more than a disgruntled shrug from both Warren and Billy.

‘Yeah, Dels right I mean if he was still in the band you might not have your other members,’ Camilla said capturing the girl’s attention as she offered her a smile.

‘You’re right,’ Billy said placing a kiss on his wife’s cheek. Delilah smiled, finally feeling more at one with the group than she had all night.

‘When did you see him?’ a voice from the other side of the circle said, snapping Delilah’s attention towards him. It was Graham and whatever feeling of unity the other’s had provided now felt ripped away under his scrutinous glare. 

‘What?’ Delilah asked, tucking her hair behind her ear self-consciously.

‘Chuck,’ Graham said flatly, ‘when did you see him? I mean I thought he was at college.’

‘He was,’ she said quietly, now feeling everyone’s eyes on her, ‘but he came home for Christmas.’

‘And you two hung out?’ Graham asked.

‘Yeah,’ she said shifting in her seat.

‘And what then you just went to visit him in Cleveland?’ Graham asked incredulously.

‘He invited me,’ Delilah said starting to feel irked by his questioning, ‘is that a problem?’

‘No,’ Graham said, glancing towards Karen before back at Delilah, ‘I just didn’t think you guys were that friendly that’s all.’

‘Well we are,’ she said defensively.

‘Where did you hang out?’ he pressed.

‘What?’ Delilah replied.

‘You and Chuck,’ he said, putting full emphasis on Chuck’s name though it reeked of mocking.

‘What does that matter?’ she snapped. She could feel everyone’s eyes on them, watching what she was sure was an argument though she didn’t know why. She didn’t know why he even cared after all he seemed to have had no issue with moving on and yet the whiff of her and someone else had his panties in a bunch. It made her angry, evident in her tone as she said, ‘we went for dinner is that a problem?’

‘I didn’t even think you guys liked each other and suddenly you’re travelling across the country to see the guy,’ Graham said exasperatedly.

‘I did not travel across the country!’ she said, feeling her voice getting shriller with every sentence.

‘No just a hundred miles-’

‘Well maybe we were both bummed out that the majority of our friends moved three thousand miles away and left us behind!’ she said.

‘That’s not what-'

‘Excuse me,’ she said flatly standing up and throwing the piece of pizza she had been holding down back into the box. She could feel people watching her, though only fleetingly, each of them swapping between glancing at her and then anywhere but due to the palpable tension. Yet she didn’t pay attention to that, instead, she headed away from the group ignoring the calls of her name from Graham. She could hear him calling her yet she kept moving, through the house until she was out the front door, barrelling down the street down back to their house.

‘Delilah!’ he called as she continued to move, her shoes the only thing making noise in the empty street. She heard him speed up, a frustrated grunt emitting from his lips when she failed to slow down, ‘Del wait!’

‘Go away Graham,’ she said, but he had caught up, capturing her by the wrist and spinning her around. She spun around, folding her arms across her chest as though she was preparing herself for whatever he was going to say. She half expected it to be a defence for the way he had acted but it wasn’t. If anything he looked confused.

‘You’re mad at me,’ was all he said, confusion still on his face and because of it she too felt confused because how could he not have realised that? She’d stormed away and yet her coolness seemed to be unexpected, like he didn’t know why she could possibly be feeling put out. She felt as though she ought to explain, to ask her clueless boy if he was only just realising how she had felt this entire trip and yet she couldn't. She didn't have the patience to take her time with him so instead the words she found coming from her were, ‘why did you invite me here?’

‘What?’ he asked, his confusion continuing.

‘Why did you invite me here?’ she repeated.

‘Because I miss you,’ he said, ‘we all do.’

‘Right,’ she scoffed.

‘What?’ he said.

‘Nothing, I just thought,’ she said feeling her anger ebbing, replaced by sadness, ‘I just don’t know what I thought…actually that’s not true.’

‘Del-’ he said but she couldn’t stop. It was coming from her now, everything that she had held in for the last few days if not months. She moved away from him, though she looked up at him, her blue eyes finding his as she said quietly, ‘I know what I thought. I thought you invited me here because you missed me.’

‘I do,’ he said but she shook her head, smiling sadly at his protests.

‘Just let me talk,’ she said quietly watching him until he nodded conceding not to interrupt, ‘I thought you invited me here because you wanted to see me. I thought that you’d done the whole rockstar thing for a while and you were realising that you missed me and that you wanted me to come out and join you. I thought you’d been feeling like I had…I mean I travelled a hundred miles to have dinner with a guy I don’t even really know that well because it meant I had a chance of talking about you.’

The smile she offered him was one of embarrassment, something that grew as he gave her a look of pity.

‘Then I get here and it’s not the same. That stuff between us before you left it’s like it never happened actually it’s like you’re not even the same guy anymore. You’ve moved on and I was an idiot to think that you wouldn’t,’ she said, her words coming out shakier than intended.

‘Del,’ he sighed.

‘Don’t,’ she whispered, ‘don’t tell me it’s not true or that I imagined it, you moving on or the way we felt before you left. And don’t tell me you haven’t moved on.’

‘It’s not that I’ve moved on,’ he sighed taking her hand in his as he fiddled with it nervously, ‘I’ve just been busy. You don’t understand Del, it’s been hectic. I haven’t had time to think about that stuff.’

‘Yeah?’ she asked, daring to dream he was telling the truth though she knew he wasn’t.

‘Yeah,’ he confirmed.

‘So how long have you been fucking Karen?’ she asked flatly. His gaze that had been locked on their joined hands snapped up to her face, guilt plastered on his own as she sighed and said, ‘That’s what I thought.’

‘Del,’ he whispered but she didn’t let him carry on. Instead, she pulled her hand from his grasp and moved away from him, feeling the anger bubbling in her again.

‘Del,’ he said again.

‘Look, you don’t have to explain. If she’s the one for you great, I’m happy for you…I just wish it was as easy for me to move on that’s all,’ she explained.

‘It’s not moving on-’

‘Isn’t it?’ she said exasperatedly, ‘I mean when you left you said all you were doing was chasing a dream.’

‘I am!’

‘And she’s just part of that huh?’ she said.

‘Del,’ he said.

‘Stop pretending,’ she said, ‘at least allow me that.’

They stood in the street watching one another, deathly silence lingering between them which was only disrupted as the echoes of their friends, his friends, started to waft down the street from where they were sitting on the back porch, more noticeable now they weren’t arguing. After one last look she turned determined to head back to their house down the street and not back to that god-forsaken party.

‘Del,’ he said as she turned to walk away.

‘Just go back to the party,’ she said not bothering to look over her shoulder.

‘But-’ he protested which was enough to make her pause and look back at him, annoyed he wasn’t just letting her go.

‘Go back to your life Graham,’ she said sadly, ‘it’s better this way.’

That was why she didn’t understand why he was standing here now, at her front door as if nothing had happened. He too knew it wasn’t going to be easy but throughout all the turmoil he’d been going through he had found one thing to be consistent; how much he missed her. He longed to tell her just how much and he hoped she’d let him.

‘Can we talk?’ was all he could ask yet as he did the door opened behind her, a familiar floppy-haired man coming out from behind it.

‘Hey, who was, oh, hey Graham,’ Chuck said looking between them for a minute before he said, ‘What are you doing here?’

‘Oh, uh I’m in town,’ Graham said, feeling a pit form in his stomach.

‘No kidding,’ Chuck replied.

‘Yeah,’ Graham said flatly.

‘He just stopped by,’ Delilah said, shifting nervously, ‘he’s not staying.’

‘Me either,’ Chuck said, ‘though maybe we could hang out sometime?’

‘Maybe,’ Graham said half-heartedly. Chuck didn’t seem to notice his friend’s lack of enthusiasm as he was too enthralled in getting Delilah’s attention, kissing her on the cheek as they spoke in hushed whispers he pretended not to listen to before Chuck said goodbye to both of them and then toddled off down towards the car that was parked out front. Graham watched him go before he looked back to Delilah, whose cheeks were now tinged with pink he doubted was from the winter chill.

‘So,’ he said making her look at him, ‘chuck.’

‘How’s Karen?’ she countered making his heart clench at the thought.

‘Del-'

‘What? What do you want me to say, Graham? Do you want me to run into your arms and drop everything now that you have nothing else going on?’

‘No that’s not what-’

‘You expected? Not even a little bit?’ she said staring at him pointedly. Graham dropped his gaze, if he was being honest with himself maybe that was what he had been hoping for. He had been hoping that she’d still continued to feel that way for him even though he’d been blinded by the glamour of the dream he’d been chasing to appreciate it.

‘I just…I guess I got to thinking and well it’s just that I used to think that being a rockstar was what I wanted…all I wanted, ‘he said quietly, his gaze on his shows as he dared not look at her face, ‘but now it’s over and well I don’t care. I don’t miss it…but all I can think about is how much I miss you.’

‘Shame you didn’t miss me at the time,’ she said.

‘I know,’ he said, ‘but Del I miss you and I know it’s not great timing but I do. I really miss you and I know I have no right but I was hoping you missed me too.’

‘I did,’ she said quietly, ‘for a long time…but Graham I have a life now.’

‘With Chuck?’ he asked bitterly.

‘Yes with Chuck,’ she snapped.

‘You really wanna date a dentist?’ he asked.

‘I want to date someone who wants me and not just when they’ve no other options. You got what you wanted Graham.’

‘What if that’s not what I want anymore?’ he asked.

‘And what if I upend my life for you to realise you want something else?’ she asked.

‘Del,’ he sighed yet she didn’t offer him an answer, only a sad smile as she moved back inside the house, resting on the door for a minute before she said, ‘Say hi to Karen for me.’

And then she was gone, leaving him out in the bitter cold of fall in Pittsburgh wondering how the hell he’d messed everything up quite so badly.

[shieldofiron]

Pretty Boy Live in Santa Fe, 1977

Part 1/3 Also on Ao3 here

For @harringrove-relay-race. Very happy with how part 1 turned out, and there will be more to come. Thanks to @foxxtastic for the intro and next up will be something stunning from our fearless Relay Race leader @half-oz-eddie

Rated M / 5k words / Part 1/3

Part 1: Into Hades

Rolling Stone Magazine - May 2002

Billy Hargrove arrived after I did, in his lovingly maintained blue Camaro, the subject of his song, “Lady Blue.” “Lady Blue” was recently named #93 on Rolling Stone’s Top Love Songs of the Century.

“I wrote, ‘She’s the wind in my hair, the rumble in my soul.’ I thought it was so obvious,” He laughed, his blue eyes still boyish. “My niece made it her wedding song, I said ‘Really? It’s about a fuckin’ car!’”

He showed me several pictures of his niece, the supermodel Tyler Sinclair. It seems good looks run in the family. He suggested the diner and he ordered waffles, winking when I mentioned that we’ll be here a long time.

The decades have been kind to him, maybe a few more lines. It’s not hard to imagine him stepping right back onto the stage, as if no time has passed at all.

“A little extra glitter on the eyes,” He said with a smile, “to hide my crows feet. That’s all I need.”

I ask what he’s going to wear to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony for Kaleidoscope's induction and his smile dims only for a moment.

“I think I should pull out some old costumes. You know, the butterfly still fits.”

He was referring, of course, to the sheer butterfly cape costume that nearly had him thrown off the stage in Houston Texas in December 1976. He caved to putting on a pair of silvery shorts rather than the nude underwear it was designed with. He later wore it with the nude underwear on the inside cover of Kaleidoscope, the album that will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in just a few short weeks. Kaleidoscope was his last album with the iconic Glam Rock band Pretty Boy, which famously broke up at the height of their career while touring for the album, onstage.

It’s not often that a band is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and there’s a question if all of them will even show up.

“I’ll be there,” Hargrove said, fiddling with the silver band on his middle finger. “I have no problem with seeing him.”

The him is, of course, the lead guitarist and other lead singer of Pretty Boy, Steve Harrington.

Steve Harrington invites me to his oceanfront house in Malibu later that afternoon.

“I haven’t decided if I’m going to go,” He said thoughtfully, his brown eyes darting around the room.

When I mention that Billy is going to go, he seems surprised.

“He didn’t say he was going to punch me, did he?” Harrington smiled, but it doesn’t seem like much of a joke.

For one of the most famous rock stars of the 70s, Harrington is shockingly low key. He wears a t-shirt and slouchy linen pants, and he jokes that he ought to have shaved when I take out my camera. The house is stunning but empty, with miles of blank white walls and overstuffed white furniture.

“I’m looking for a little peace,” He shrugs, “I used to have all these pictures up, all this furniture… It was too much.”

It was hard not to see him as an artist without a muse. He drifted listlessly, picking things up and putting them down as we talked. So it was a surprise to me to hear that he’s been recording.

“I may never release it but… Yeah,” He laughed, “Music. After all this time. Bet you didn’t know.”

He picks up a rare photo from the piano. It’s from the early days of Pretty Boy, before Billy Hargrove. Harrington has his arm around his bandmate, Eddie Munson. Their drummer Chrissy Cunningham is balanced precariously across their shoulders, laughing and cringing at the same time. Bassist Robin Buckley smirks from the corner of the frame, messy bangs in her eyes.

“Who knew, right?” He asked no one, shaking the frame a little.

There are no pictures of Billy Hargrove.

“That’s a… a long story,” He said, when I asked.

But I have time. I tell him Rolling Stone will pay for it. At least that makes him laugh.

It was just by chance that Pretty Boy’s last concert was filmed.

“We were meant to just film in Vegas,” The director, Argyle Molina-Zapata, sat down with me after a private screening of Pretty Boy Live in Santa Fe, 1977, “But there was a freak rainstorm, and I couldn’t get my camera’s out of the back. The crowd was digging it, refused to leave. I remember when Billy hit the high note for ‘Mother Make Me,’ there was this lightning crack… brilliant.”

Molina-Zapata shook his head, “But the footage, what I got of it, was awful. Awful! So I begged Murray to let me come with them to Santa Fe.”

Murray was Murray Bauman, famed tour manager, who handled the Boys, later Pretty Boy from their first album Starfire, all the way to Kaleidoscope.

“And I was lucky,” Argyle nodded, “They had that extra tour bus.”

The tour busses are featured in the first few minutes of the film. They roll around the corner, one reading Billy Blue (Billy’s original stage name was  Billy Blue before he dropped the Blue), and the other, Steve’s Six (Named after Steve’s best friends from his hometown.)

“They were nightmares,” Murray Bauman’s voice crackled over the phone, “Nightmares on tour. Separate buses. Separate hotels. Fuck me, I swear to god at one point they wanted separate stages. And the label caved on almost all of it. Fucking nightmare.”

It’s almost impossible to imagine it when you see them on stage together. There’s something electric that passed between Billy Hargrove and Steve Harrington, something that drove crowds wild. They gravitate towards each other on the stage, orbiting like planets until they can share the same mic. They can’t seem to stay apart.

It’s hard to see exactly what happened that night.

“I’ve watched it a million times,” Argyle laughed, “But the only two people who can really say what happened are Billy and Steve.”

What you can see is this: Steve tearing into “Pride & Prejudice”, the lead off Kaleidoscope and the last song of the night.

Billy was trembling, visibly shaking as he sang and Steve harmonized along.

What can I say, if you ask me to walk away?

Baby, there’s no words for you.

Baby. I don’t know what to do.

Billy danced closer, joining Steve, his handheld mic loose at his side.

Can you ever put away your pride?

Is it worth it to not have me at your side?

I guess it must be, because I’m yours,

Regretfully,

Baby.

Billy leans in, sharing Steve’s mic for the bridge.

Is it really a mystery?

What I mean to you, and you mean to me?

Is it really, baby?

Billy shook his head, curls bouncing. He looked into Steve's eyes. He smiled. Steve looks at Billy, and Billy looks at him. It almost looks like Billy mouths something, but bootleg footage also has appeared where it looks like Billy just nodded. Steve goes a little shell shocked, hand freezing on his guitar, falling out of sync.

And then Steve turned away and left the stage, handing his guitar to a stagehand. Billy turned to the crowd, his expression strangely triumphant. He was always magnetic on stage, but this moment transcends that. It somehow feels like he’s getting everything he wants.

So I guess I’m losing you,

You promised me you would and it’s true.

Baby, there’s no words for you.

Baby. I don’t know what to do.

Steve Harrington hasn’t performed in public since 1977.

“None of us knew what was going to happen that night,” Chrissy Cunningham curled up next to her husband, Eddie Munson, on the large white couch of their Seattle home.

They’re a handsome couple still, draped in rock and roll finery. He toyed with the edge of her scarf, and she curled his long hair around her long fingers.

“We had some of our own shit going on at the time so…” Munson shrugged, “Maybe we were distracted.”

Their living room was crowded and verdant, every spare flat surface covered in plants. Their partner, former record executive Jason Carver, puttered in the kitchen in an apron that read Plant Papa.

“Yeah,” Chrissy smiled, “We had some stuff going on at the same time. But still… It seemed like they were getting better. Didn’t it seem like they were getting better?”

Munson shrugged, “The thing about Billy and Steve… they were soulmates. You don’t write music like that and not… it was like they had a second language, just for them. They were soulmates, I really believe that. Everything they did, everything that happened… they could only hurt each other that badly if… yeah.”

When I ask what they did to each other, Eddie and Chrissy just scooted closer together, like teenagers in a slasher, hiding from the killer. She laid a hand over his leg, her two stone diamond ring catching the sunlight.

“Steve never wanted Billy to be in the band,” Eddie shook his head, “but Jim had a soft spot for Billy. And Steve had… I mean Jim was…”

“Jim was like a father. To all of us.” Chrissy’s knee jiggled.

“We were this little tiny band from Nowhere, Indiana,” Eddie nodded, “And Jim believed in us.”

“I was just a junior exec at the time. I was put on the Kaleidoscope tour in case of catastrophic failure, which by the way it was,” Jason Carver is making risotto while we speak, the steam curling the lock of hair that falls over his face. “But it wasn’t my fault although I was high as hell on coke half the time. I guess I deserved to get fired. But Jim was the real deal. Gold records out the ass, best wife in the world, and his daughter, I mean… she was something else.”

They’re referring, of course, to Jim Hopper, producer on Kaleidoscope as well as Billy Blue and The Boys’ records, and the father of pop superstar Eleven aka Jane Hopper.

“Jim was…” Steve Harrington’s eyes always got a little misty talking about Jim, staring out over the ocean. “Yeah, I guess he was a little like my dad. My own parents were always gone. Which is like… I grew up so privileged so like I’m not saying… I just mean I grew up mostly by myself. And we were just so lucky he even agreed to listen to us when we got to LA.”

“I remember that night,” Joyce Hopper’s voice was raspy, cigarette-y in the way only old movie stars are. She’s a gorgeous woman in jeans and a gardening hat, speaking to me while she tends to her garden at her home in Castellammare. “He came home and said, ‘I have the next ones, the next big ones. Fuck, Joyce, they’re brilliant. Unpolished, but brilliant.’”

When I ask about when Jim discovered Billy Hargrove she just laughed.

“If Steve and the rest of The Boys were unpolished, Billy Hargrove was a fucking ten carat diamond,” She said. “But Steve’s band was Jim’s, and he could polish them up how he wanted. And then when he thought they were just right for it… he set the diamond.”

Jim Hopper was a big man, larger than life both in appearance and in personality. His fingerprints are all over some of the best hits of the decade.

Watching him on old interviews, there’s an immediacy to his presence that leaps off the screen.

“My daughter is the one who really found him. She snuck out with her sister and wandered God knows where. And she just… found him. Called me the next morning, saying ‘Dad, you have to hear this guy.’ He was playing in this… terrible club,” Jim said, tapping his cigar on the table of Merv Griffin’s set. “Absolute shithole, pardon my french. And he’s got a great voice, you’ve heard his voice, right?”

“I have,” Merv said.

“I had to get him out of there. He was a star.”

Billy Hargrove was a teenage runaway from San Diego when he came to LA in 1971.

“I had a girl’s backpack from my stepsister, eight dollars, and an extra pair of underwear. By the end of the next week? I had two more dollars,” Billy laughed. “But I got lucky. I met Heather.”

Heather Holloway was a showgirl at Wildwoods, a nightly revue. She found Billy at the backdoor, and took him to her apartment.

“She saved me,” He frowned. “Whenever I needed her most.”

Heather Holloway, Billy Hargrove’s first and only wife, died in 1979. 

“I got a job singing at Sugar, this great gay club downtown. It was in the late afternoons, so I had a crowd of about… two. But those two brought two more,” Billy smiled, “Heather would talk me up to all the promoters. He’s a singer, he’s great, you’ll love him, he’s so cute.”

“He was an instant hit,” Sugar’s manager, Bob Newby, tells me by phone as well. “I did have to keep a couple of creeps off him, when he just started he was only nineteen. But even if you closed your eyes… he was a hit.”

“Guys used to think that because I was a part of the entertainment, I was fair game. And let me tell you, the novelty of that wears off mighty quick,” Billy shakes his head.

He shares a diary entry from his late wife of a night in April 1972. He came to her home with blood all over his face.

“Some guy thought because I was a fag…” Billy’s mouth twisted, but he went on, cradling the little marble notebook in his hand. “He could do whatever he wanted to me. When I fought back… he cracked a bottle over my head.”

He’s not just a piece of meat. He’s a person. I don’t understand these people. I just don’t understand, Heather Holloway wrote. I cleaned him up and he’s sleeping now.

The next diary entry is from a day later. April 12. Billy and I drove to Vegas and got married. When we spoke in the morning he said he was afraid for me too, even though I’m careful with the girls. He’s afraid of the cops trying to bust up the Wildwoods and picking me up. At least this way, he says. He and I can come home to each other. Look out for each other. Always. The groom wore band aids and his great velvet pants. The bride wore lavender. It was perfect.

“And lucky too. Because within a month… I met Jim,” Billy smiled. “And my whole life changed.”

Upside Down Records signed Billy Blue, unagented, in1972 and he spent the next year working on his debut album with Jim Hopper.

“I didn’t even realize, when it happened,” Billy shook his head. “A couple of girls came by after a show, wanting to talk to me, wanting to meet me. That wasn’t that unusual. But they were young, far too young to get into the club. And the little one, she was asking all these weird questions. Did I have an agent? Did I know if I had enough songs for an album? Weird fuckin’ questions. And then she said I have to meet someone. To be honest, I thought she was coked out of her mind when she said, ‘You have to meet my dad.’”

“I was not,” Eleven promised me, “coked out of my mind. But that’s just Billy.”

Eleven aka Jane Hopper, meets me backstage at one of her shows. She’s dressed in slouchy leather pants, to match her sister and drummer Kali Hopper.

“I knew he was something special. My dad was always talking about the IT factor. That thing that made a person something special. But I didn’t get it until I saw Billy Blue singing on that tiny stage,” She smiled. “He didn’t just have the IT factor. He was IT.”

It’s odd then, that Billy Blue’s first album had a surprisingly tepid response. His first single, in 1973, “Let Alone,” came in at only 26th for the month of April on the pop charts.

“People liked it,” Billy shrugs, “But I don’t think they knew what to do with it. You have my songs, these like… little pop love songs and ballads. I wasn’t that strong of a writer at the time. It was like half my songs, half covers. And so they’d book me, expecting fucking… Peter Frampton. And here comes this big queer with glitter on his nipples.”

But the lyrics of “Let Alone” would hint at his later songs, a hallmark simplicity that shone off his raw voice and poetry that hinted at a troubled past.

And if you were meant to care for me

You would, and that’s how it has to be

You said I couldn’t go on without you

Ha, look at me, looking brand new

At the same time, The Boys’ song “Paper Girl,” penned by Harrington, was number one.

She’s my paper girl

She’s my paper girl

Wakes me up every morning, right on time

She got me smiling, got my head in a whirl

Picture perfect, paper girl

“Billy didn’t have much commercial appeal. Sex appeal, yes,” Jason laughed, toying with Chrissy’s hair. “But for sales? That’s where The Boys came in.”

“I hated that name,” Eddie said, “To start with we were half girls.”

The Boys had already had a somewhat successful tour under their belt by the time Jim suggested a collaboration with Billy Hargrove.

“It was a nice, short tour,” Steve Harrington glances away when I ask about the first tour.

“It was a nightmare. Balls to the wall nightmare,” Robin Buckley’s voice is a warm crackle over the phone. “Steve went on like thirty overlapping benders at once.”

Her partner, soap actress Vickie Carmichael cackles behind her, at their home in Salt Lake City.

“The thing about Steve is… well… he’s never found a good way of coping with himself,” Robin huffs. “Music was about as close as he ever got. But in those early days, he just kept looking for more and more.”

“You don’t think it was about-” Vickie asked, just barely into the phone.

“No.”

“It was about Nancy,” Eddie said confidently when I mentioned their first tour. “Nancy, Nancy, Nancy.”

The Boys got their start in the late sixties, beginning with Eddie and Steve. Eddie gave Steve guitar lessons, which turned into some talent show performances. They used to practice at Eddie’s Uncle’s trailer.

“That’s where we got the name,” Eddie nodded, “My uncle used to just call us that, and it stuck.”

“I don’t even remember,” Chrissy said.

“That’s not how we got the name,” Steve shook his head, when I mention Eddie. “It was our first gig, after we got Chrissy and Robin. Robin put it down after the headliner kept asking when ‘you boys’ would go on, and kept addressing it to Chrissy’s chest. She blew him out of the fucking water.”

Nancy Wheeler was there that night, writing about local bands for a tiny column in the school paper.

“She was beautiful. Smart. So smart. Could hear her talk forever,” Steve said, eyes falling.

Steve Harrington and Nancy Wheeler were married in 1972 after they graduated high school.

“Steve made his own choices,” Chrissy shook her head.

That summer, the Boys plus one drove to LA and Nancy Wheeler took a job at Women’s Day Magazine and later, Rolling Stone. Steve Harrington and The Boys got a “steady gig” at La Bonita Rosa on the strip, playing for drunks every night from seven to eight.

“I really liked playing at La Bonita,” Steve said. “The audience, right there. You could smell the sweat. You could see on their faces if you were bombing. And we used to bomb. A lot. But it was a great place to try things. Experiment. We played there for about a year but… it felt too short.”

Within the year they had met Jim Hopper, who got them into the recording studio and sold their demo nearly on the spot to Upside Down Records.

“They had a great sound. They had got this way of playing. Smooth like a polished stone. Everything sounds good sitting in a frame like that,” Jim said in an interview with Rolling Stone in 1981. “Their songs were… catchy, but basic. But they had the sound.”

Upside Down records set the Boys on a US tour after “Paper Girl,” and “Joy to Love You,” both charted.

“It was like… overnight. One day we’re in a studio, messing around. Kid stuff. I was nineteen,” Steve Harrington shookhis head. “But…”

“That tour,” Chrissy trails off, playing with her ring again.

“I…” Steve Harrington scratched his nose. “I was losing it. Majorly losing it. It felt like we had just moved to LA and we were already neck deep. I mean, I had a number one fucking song. And for some reason I got it in my head to call my mom. She told the maid she wasn’t home. And I could hear her over the phone. My mom. So yeah. I lost it. Lost about half my damn mind on that tour. And people will say it was because of Nancy, because we got married just out of high school, and she wasn’t supportive… but that wasn’t true. Nancy saved me.”

“Nancy never wanted him to be in the band. But… she also didn’t seem to care that much either,” Eddie shook his head, “It’s… complicated. Love is supposed to be. Simple. Like the chords of a song. 1-3-5.”

Jason Carver rolled his eyes at that, “Then what are we?”

Eddie grinned, “We’re a band.”

Nancy Wheeler met me on a Thursday in New York City, slim sunglasses dominating her small porcelain face. We get lunch at her favorite deli shop, and she perches at the counter, loafers dangling. She’s an editor at The New Yorker now, but she still has a soft spot for rock and roll, as evidenced by the Grateful Dead t-shirt under her blazer.

“That tour. I didn’t even know anything was wrong. He just came home with a funny look on his face, saying, ‘We’re headlining.’ So I said, ‘That’s great, Steve.’ He just kept… saying it. It was starting to piss me off, if I’m being honest,” She shook her head. “I should have known something was wrong.”

“I wish she had stopped me. But how could you know right? Hindsight is always 2020,” Steve Harrington said. “I mean, she was my wife. How could she not want me home? But that’s just… sorry. That’s not fair to put on her. I chose to go.”

“I flew out to meet them when they were in Indianapolis, visited my family, and I came a day early to see him,” She smiled warmly, and then it fell. “He was… Well, first, Eddie Munson tried to intercept me at the hotel, so I wouldn’t see him. I told him, ‘I’m here to see my fucking husband.’”

Steve Harrington didn’t add any more details about the tour, just shrugged when I asked.

“He was coked up like you wouldn’t believe,” Robin scoffed. “She walked in on him with two girls and coke all over his… well.”

“I just asked him. Do you want to come home? Do you want to get help? Or not?” She purses her lips. “And so he came home and we found a rehab place near Hawkins.”

“The tour kind of… fell apart. Obviously. We had lost our lead singer and guitarist to fucking… Hawkins, Indiana,” 

Everything stopped for the Boys. Upside Down offered to let them out of their two album contract, but Steve couldn’t afford to pay it down.

“Rehab,” He shrugged. “Is expensive.”

Right as it seemed that everything would be over for the Boys, things were looking up for Billy Blue.

“Jim was always saying, ‘the record is selling alright, the songs are getting there but he needs a… push,’” Joyce said. “‘He’s so close. So close. He’s a star.’”

“He always believed in me,” Billy smiled, toying with his ring again. “Always. Even when I threw a jug of milk at his head.”

Joyce laughed when I asked about that moment, “He came home saying, ‘He milked me, Joyce. But he’ll fix the song tonight.’”

“And I did,” Billy said. “And the album was going alright. I did a little tour, socal and the southwest. And then one night, Jim brings me this song. He said, ‘I want you to tell me what’s missing from this.’”

The song was, of course, the Boys’ biggest hit, “Hades.” Steve Harrington’s first version was called, “To Orpheus” and the chorus goes:

Don’t turn back don’t look behind you baby

I’m close, I’m right behind

The future's so bright, and I want you to take me

Wanna be holding your hand when I make it across the line.

“It was fine, but just kind of… nothing. It was supposed to be about Eurydice, but it was so… nothing. She just loved Orpheus and that was it. There were no insides to her. She was going to follow him to her doom,” Billy shook his head. “That’s not right.”

This was not the version that made it to the recording booth, of course. The Boys’ single, “Hades featuring Billy Blue,” came out in 1975. The actual chorus goes: 

Turn back on me and I won’t forgive you baby

Don’t want you to see me like this

Up ahead is bright, and I want you to take me

If you’re strong enough to cross that finish line

“‘Hades,’ was a real step forward for the Boys. Gone were the teenybopper tunes,” Steve Harrington’s biographer and personal friend Dustin Henderson wrote in his book The Pretty Boy. “Their first album got the kids dancing. But the second proved that they actually had something to say.”

“Still hate it,” Steve Harrington said. “I wrote that song in rehab. It was deeply, deeply personal to me.”

“He came out, all ready. He wanted to start recording right away,” Robin sighed. “Like I mean the next day. All these songs, just pouring out of him. But the label had lost faith in us. And they certainly weren’t going to let us start recording with a guy who had only just earned his thirty day sober chip.”

“The song wasn’t ready,” Billy shook his head. “But I guess he was. Jim said he needed this. So Jim asked if I would come and like… pitch some stuff as a personal favor. Songwriting credit, that’s all it was supposed to be. Get the songs moving, get them going.”

Steve Harrington takes a long time to continue speaking about it. 

“I felt it, writing for that album. I felt proud of those songs. They didn’t belong to anyone else but me,” He toyed with some piano keys while we talked, and then finally sat down and began to play something tuneless and half formed.

“That album was all about Nancy,” Chrissy said. “I mean. I know it. You know it. Nancy knew it. And she kind of hated it. But-”

“You can’t leave your husband right as he gets out of rehab,” Nancy said to me, toying with her wedding ring. “When he writes all these songs about how you’re the only thing… Steve was always like that. Heart wide open. That’s why when he met Billy. I almost thought… it would all be okay. That sounds fucked up but. I thought they could save each other. That the music could save him.”

“It was just a songwriting credit,” Billy raised his hands. “Jim swore up and down. I was just gonna come in there and sit down with this guy Steve. But when I walk into the studio, there’s two mics set up.”

“I was the Boys’ only singer,” Steve Harrington shook his head. “And to be absolutely honest, I was kind of a jackass about it. So to have some guy come in and say he’s gonna sing me my song… well…”

“Steve was the only one who would ever argue with Jim, And he let him have it that day,” Eddie laughed. “He called him the most low down, dirty, rat bitten bastard in California, and that he would die rather than give up his band to someone else.”

“I did not want his band. I did not know his band. And I did not care. And his song sucked. And I told him so. And then I sang it. Better.” Billy smiled.

“Billy was…” Chrissy shook her head. “Incredible.”

I ask Steve what Billy was like that first day in the studio.

“He was,” Something passed over his face. “Alright. He has a great voice, alright.”

“I was good. Better. Best.” Billy smiled.

“But he didn’t understand the song. He wanted Eurydice to… doubt. To think she wasn’t going to get out,” Steve slammed his hands on the keys. “It’s been… almost twenty years. I still don’t understand it.”

I asked why he let Billy stay. But Steve doesn’t have an answer.

“They were like oil and water, right away,” Chrissy said.

“Yeah, but oil on the water can catch fire,” Eddie shrugged.

“Jim asked me to stay,” Billy looked away from me, down at his waffles. “It was a favor to the label.”

“If Billy said louder, Steve said mute,” Robin snickered. “It was kind of great, actually. Finally someone called King Steve on his shit. One day I came in and they were arguing over how close the microphone should be to your throat. Almost got in a physical fight over a fucking microphone. I mean, I love Steve. But he always thinks he’s like… the babysitter. It’s his job to do everything for everybody.”

“Like who was this guy? Really? He came into my studio with no shirt on, most of the time still half smashed from the night before, and he thinks he can make all these changes. But Jim keeps telling me it’s just business, the label thinks it’s good business.” Steve frowned, and then smiled, and then frowned again.

“Yeah, I never wore shirts back then. Or underwear,” Billy said with a grin. “I was a rockstar!”

“Steve fought for every song on that album,” Nancy Wheeler patted her lips primly with a napkin. “He only lost on one.”

“Billy Hargove has songwriting credit and lead vocals on “Hades.” Dustin Henderson wrote.

“Billy was all over that album. He’d make some minor suggestion, maybe this chord instead of that, this word is better. And Steve would flip out, yell at him, yell at Jim, threaten to storm out… and then two days later quietly tell me to change the chord, he’d start singing the new words. Billy was there with us about every single day,” Eddie said.

“Of course, it was our biggest hit,” Chrissy laughed. “Everything but that song, Steve did what he wanted. Oh we had Billy in the studio, making suggestions. But Steve did what he wanted except for ‘Hades.’ Jim said that song is the album, and he wouldn’t cut it.”

“Jim was always right,” Steve closed the piano. “The bastard.”

Hades exploded onto the radio in late 1975. They didn’t have the same distribution as their first record, but the Boys had another hit.

“Billy had this way of singing it. Still does. He broke four mics when we recorded it. Singing so loud I had to keep an eye on the cymbals to stop them from shaking. You can feel him, right in your chest.” Chrissy giggled. “Like he was trying to wake all the dead from Hades. If anyone could, he could.”

“It’s a really, really great song,” Robin said.

This song belongs to Billy Blue, Rolling Stone wrote in 1976. The only question now is, what will The Boys do next?

“I remember that article. Fucking… Harrington said that he basically wrote the whole song. But he said, ‘the label thought bringing Billy in was a good idea,’” Billy gets tense for the first time. “I’m not saying I was like… I just mean. It would have been nice. To treat me like an equal. I’m more than just a singer. I’m not just… a piece of meat.”

“Billy was really pissed about that article. I remember, the day after the article came out, we were getting breakfast at this tiny place off La Cienega. Steve had this car back then, a big maroon BMW, and Eddie had got him a vanity plate when he bought it. Stupid thing it said, ‘BIGBOY.’ Anyway, We’re having breakfast, and we hear this screech outside, like an accident,” Robin Buckley gets uncharacteristically quiet as she goes on through this story. “Billy’s car is parked halfway out of the parking lot, and he comes in like a bull in a charge. Billy… he wasn’t some wimpy guy. He was small, but he was strong as hell… He came right over and grabbed Steve by his collar and lifted him right off the counter. And he said, I’ll never forget it because Steve used to recite it from memory, yell it at me, ‘Tell me I’m not dreaming. Is that Steve fucking Harrington? The lead singer of the Boys. Hey man, I love your song ‘Hades.’ How’d you get your voice to sound halfway decent for once?’”

“I don’t remember that,” Steve Harrington said flatly when I asked.

“And Steve used to be a fucking dick in high school. So he starts getting real bitchy, shoving Billy off him, asking what his problem is, why he’s such a dick all the fucking time, when it’s not even his band. And Billy said something like, ‘No one wants your shit band. Not with you in it,’” Robin paused for a moment. “And they just. Stare at each other. Like… daring each other to do something.”

Billy just shrugs when I ask, “I was pissed. I gave this guy a number one hit, and he still wanted to treat me like some… airhead singer the label brought in as a stunt. I’m not just a singer. I’m not a piece of meat. I’m a person.”

When I ask Steve about that day he’s pretty quiet, deflated at his piano. He only wants to talk about the song. The music. Can’t seem to talk about Billy any other way.

“He sang it like he not only knows Orpheus can’t save him, but that he won’t. It was supposed to be hopeful. A happy ending.” Steve said.

“So you still hate the song?” I asked.

“No, I don’t. It’s brilliant. And that’s the whole problem.”

To be continued...

Next up is Half-Oz-Eddie's piece at 7:00 pm. GET HYPE!

[femininomen0n]

warmth of my life (noun): a collection of karengraham-centric, karen-pov vignettes, loosely inspired by this jacques prévert quote. out now on ao3!