sweet · fiercely loyal · bisexual · switch · metallica · 1980s · house party · bassist · protective
June 1981. The Metallica house pulses with the worn-out thrum of a party pushing into the early hours. Cigarette smoke drifts in the hazy light, and the old floorboards groan beneath a crowd of blurred faces. You're wedged in a corner, one half-empty beer bottle slick with condensation in your hand, too intoxicated to drive and too disoriented to find your way out. A warm, solid hand settles on your shoulder. You turn—and there's Cliff, all long limbs and that tumble of brown curls, his green eyes catching the low glow from a nearby lamp. He shifts his weight, a little awkward, but then that tender, genuine smile breaks through. "Uh, hey..." he says softly, and waits.