Chapter Text
The next day, you tried to cover up the purple bruise on your neck with your hair and the cheap foundation you owned. Luckily for you, no one mentioned it. Even if they did see, everyone would assume a jock gave it to you, maybe your ex Chance. They would never guess that a metal-loving drummer was the one who gave you a hickey in his garage.
At lunch, you occasionally saw the boys sitting with Gareth turning to look at you. You knew Gareth was spilling everything to them, and you didn’t care. If you were brave enough to tell your friends the feelings you had for Gareth, you would be talking nonstop about yesterday too.
“And when she hugged me in the car, I could feel her boobs!” Gareth gushed to his friends.
“Aw hell yeah dude,” Doug cheered.
“Next date, you gotta kiss her with tongue. Then third date, well, we all know what happens on the third date,” bragged Eddie, who had alternated between sitting and pacing with excitement during lunch.
To Gareth, that felt really fast. He didn’t know how experienced you were, and he hated the stereotype that everyone expected you to go all the way in two dates time.
“What number date do I bring her to Hellfire?” He distracted.
“Not just anyone can enter Hellfire Club. That’s some deep commitment shit,” answered Eddie.
When you opened your locker before heading home in Jason’s car, you spotted a note waiting for you inside. You knew it must be Gareth, and loved that leaving notes in each other’s lockers had become your thing.
I can’t stop thinking about you
You practically squealed when you read it. He liked you back, it was like God had heard your prayers. You quickly took out your notebook and wrote down your family’s landline number. You then applied a pink lipgloss and kissed the page. Immediately, you headed to Gareth’s locker to post it, but he was standing there with his friends, so you awkwardly handed it to him before scurrying off.
All his friends gathered around him to see what was written. When they saw your number, they took Gareth's shoulders and started to shake him in celebration.
You made sure to do your school work near the door to the hallway, incase he decided to ring you tonight. When you first heard the phone ring, you sprang up and ran to it.
“Hello,” you said, anticipating whether it was Gareth or not.
“Hi babe,” he greeted. You melted when you heard his voice, hoping no one at home would see you blushing at the phone.
“That’s a new name. I like it.”
“Yeah, there’s plenty more where that came from. What you up to?”
“Just homework and waiting for you to call. I might frame the note you left me. It’s the best thing I’ve ever received,” you complimented.
“I meant it. Wanna kiss you again,” he flirted.
You bit your lip and smiled while whirling the cord of the phone around your finger. He wasn’t even your boyfriend and he made you feel better than Chance ever did.
“Take me out on another date and I’ll kiss you again,” you whispered into the phone, not wanting your parents or brother to over hear you.
“Good. The girls won’t stop talking about you.”
“Oh God, what did your mom say when you got back home? Did she believe your sisters or you?” You quizzed, thinking about how his siblings snitched on him kissing you.
“She saw right through me, then asked me if I own any condoms. She’s so embarrassing.”
“Oh wow,” you said stunned, blushing from his mother’s assumption of you. “How did you respond?”
“I just slammed my bedroom door shut, before she could offer to buy me some,” he cringed.
“Ew, do you think she would really do that?”
“I don’t know. Maybe she just wants to live vicariously through me to relive her teenage years. When should we go out?” He questioned, wanting to change the subject away from his mother’s eagerness for him getting a girlfriend.
“I want it to be as soon as possible. Tell me when you’re free and I’ll make it work.”
“How about Friday night?” He offered.
“I have cheer practice after school, but we could do something after?”
“Perfect, I’ll pick you up outside school,” he agreed.
“But, I’ll be all sweaty afterwards. Maybe you could pick me up from my house instead?” You panicked. You didn’t want him to see you not looking pristine.
“I won’t care. Maybe I want to see you all sweaty in your cheer outfit?” He teased.
“Mmmmm really? Then I’ll make sure to really work up a sweat. Should we get food? I’ll be hungry after practice,” you claimed.
“Sure. Burger and fries sound good?”
“Of course you pick the messiest food. How am I meant to eat that and stay ladylike?” You complained, already imagining getting sauce all over your face.
“I promise I won’t judge you for it. And unlike my sisters, I actually keep my promises,” he joked.
You thought about how you were going to explain all your future dates to your family. You wanted to just tell them. You knew they would have no problem as you have dated before, but you couldn’t tell your parents without Jason finding out. You just hoped that he would be too distracted with Chrissy to notice your absence.
A second date turned into a third, and a fourth. And soon you got into a routine where you would eat or get a soda, then hang out in the back seat of his car. You were leant up against his chest, using him as a pillow as he wrapped his arms around you. It was dark in the evening, the only light available to you was from the moon and lights in the parking lot.
“You’re so cute like this. Like a teddy bear,” you commented. You wished you could be cuddled up together in a bed or couch, but there was no way you could bring him home to your house with Jason there, and he was now scared to take you back to his after his mom’s condom comment.
“You calling me fat?” He defended. He was insecure about his weight, and hated the way his stomach and chest looked. Your ex was a fit basketball player, so Gareth knew you were not used to bodies like his. He believed you would be disgusted if you ever saw him naked.
“Of course not. I’m complimenting you. You know, I love hugs and snuggles. And you’re so comfy to lay on.” You complimented. You loved how he looked and never thought of him as fat.
“Yeah, sure.”
You sat up, turned to face him. You could hear annoyance growing in his voice and wanted him to see your sincere face.
“I know what your body looks like. I spent a very long time staring at it in case you forgot. I don’t understand why you think you’re fat. You’re perfect.” You then leant forward to press kisses all over his face.
“So cute, baby,” you moaned.
“I just want a girl to think I’m sexy. I’m sick of being called cute. That shit isn’t a compliment,” he huffed.
“A guy can be cute and sexy. Like when you’re looking after your sisters, that’s cute. But when your tongue is in my mouth, that’s fucking hot. You know how much I fantasise about this body?” You purred.
Gareth shook his head. You moved yourself to sit on his thighs and face him.
“My man has these really powerful legs,” you started, and rubbed your hands up and down his thighs. “Like, the type that could pin me in place, no matter how much I squirm.”
Your hands moved to his arms and squeezed his biceps. “He’s a drummer you see, so naturally he’s really strong from moving his drum kit around.”
You then let your hands rake through his hair. “I don’t know how, but his hair is thicker and softer than mine. Definitely something to hold onto and pull while…..”
He looked so nervous underneath you, like he thought this was the moment you had both been looking forward to.
“I wonder if his cock is as perfect as the rest of him,” you whispered. You smiled at his flushed face and leant back down onto him to continue the cuddles.
“Wha-what are you doing?” He stuttered, all his blood rushing to his dick.
“I told you l like snuggles. I’m continuing where we left off.”
He thought perhaps you wanted to have sex with him in his car. Eddie had been bugging him since your third date that you should be having sex by now, but you were clearly not up for it.
“You’re like my bear. Ahhh, my garebear! Yes!” You gasped, loving the nickname.
“Absolutely not, princess. You’re not calling me that,” he ordered.
“If you get to call me princess, I’m calling you garebear. Done deal,” you disagreed.
“I preferred it when you called me your man,” admitted Gareth.
You had not discussed anything about the seriousness of your relationship together. To you, this wasn’t just a casual thing. You had no interest in any other boys, and didn’t want him seeing other girls.
“Well yeah, that’s what you are,” you boasted.
He gripped you by the shoulders and sat up you to face him.
“Will you be my girlfriend?” He shyly asked, his blue eyes staring into yours.
He asked you so softly, like he was scared of any brashness ruining this moment. You wanted to scream with happiness. This was all you wanted for months, and now you were officially a couple.
“Gosh, of course babe,” you agreed, your head nodding until you leant in to kiss him again. It was full of passion, you loved the feeling of his tongue against yours. He was self-conscious that you thought he was a bad kisser with how inexperienced he was, but you promised him that every kiss you shared was better than the last. You liked the fact that you were his first everything, and hated that you had already done your firsts with someone else.
When you pulled away, you both stared down to the bulge in Gareth’s jeans.
“Every time, man!”he exclaimed. It was a running thing now that whenever you made out, he always got a boner.
“I don’t mind at all. I’m going to be insulted the day you don’t get hard,” you joked.
He was relieved you found it funny, and didn’t think of him as a pent-up pervert.
“One day, I’ll help you deal with that,” you assured. You were girlfriend and boyfriend now, and as much as you wanted to have sex with him, it scared you that people could find out. You knew Gareth and his friends had not spilled anything about the two of you, but there was always the chance it could get out and everyone would call you a slut for sleeping with him.
Gareth would never pressure you into anything. When Eddie wouldn’t stop talking about how to seduce you and make you horny, he eventually told him to shut the fuck up. For a guy who was single, Eddie tried to mentor Gareth as though he was a relationship counsellor. Gareth knew that if he pestered you for sex, you would end things. He didn’t care about whatever advice Eddie offered him, he knew what you had was special and if you were to be intimate with each other, your relationship needed to be nurtured to enable it to grow.
When he dropped you off home, he parked a little up the street so no one at home would see whose car you were in.
“I’m going to tell the boys about us as soon as possible. But maybe, you shouldn’t tell your friends. I know they’ll all make fun of you if they knew about us,” he advised.
It sucked. You wanted to be with him at school and brag to your girlfriends about all the romantic stuff he did, but you knew he was right. You would likely be ostracised from the friendship group for associating with the freaks.
“I don’t want you to hate going to school. I don’t want them to make you feel the way they make me feel,” he rationalised. He was too sweet, he cared so much about your well-being, even if it would hurt him not being able to see you at school. You were unlucky enough to not share any classes with him, so you would only be able to steal glances at each other. You were used to that.
You nodded in agreement. You just hoped the rest of the school year would fly by. Once Jason graduated, you could enjoy your senior year with Gareth by your side, but until then, you’d have to grin and bear it.
When you entered your home and laid on your bed, you tried to push the secrecy of your relationship to the back of your mind. You had gone from staring at Gareth during lunch to being in a relationship with him. You felt like you had won the lottery. You were his first kiss, and soon you would take his virginity. The fact that you couldn’t be seen together, it kind of reminded you of Romeo and Juliette. Maybe you and Gareth were star-crossed lovers? You just hoped no one died at the end.
You stared at the note left inside your locker as though it was written in a foreign language.
The Hideout. Tuesday. 10pm.
He told you about where his band played, but now he had invited you to see them. He wanted you there to see him in his element.
You had no idea how you were going to get there. Jason had his own car, but you didn’t. There was no way your mom or dad would let you use their cars that late at night on a school night, especially when you would be shifty about where you were going.
You would have to sneak out, but you had never done that before. Even if you successfully snuck out, you would have to sneak back in again without getting caught. You clung onto the idea that it was easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.
You decided to wear jeans and a vest top, with a push up bra underneath. Despite Gareth telling you they never check for ID, you still wanted to look as old as possible. You knew better than to wear a skirt if you would be hanging around a bunch of drunk old men.
After you managed to tiptoe your way out your back door, you put on your sneakers and began to run down the street, wanting to get as far away from your house as quickly as possible. You then alternated between running and walking your way to the bar. From the outside, it did not look inviting. They had a neon sign, but all the windows were boarded up. Everything about it warned you from entering, but you could hear music emitting from inside and knew seeing Gareth would calm your worries.
There was no security so you walked straight in, into the empty dive bar. There were about 5 men scattered around the room, none of them interested in the act performing on the rickety stage. Eddie had a better voice than you imagined, and he gave you a wink when you looked at him. When Gareth finally looked up from his Corroded Coffin drum kit, you gave him a smile and wave. You hadn’t spoken in school, so were happy to be reunited with him. He could only smile back at you while keeping up with the beat. He loved that you came to see him, but seeing your wide smile highlighted that you didn’t belong in a place like this. It was dark and dingy, unworthy of the light your presence brought.
You sat down at a table and watched them. You didn’t recognise any of the songs they were performing, but it didn’t matter. The fact that they were performing anywhere other than Gareth’s garage, it was like they were celebrities. If they were more popular at school, you knew this place would be packed out.
A woman came to your table and gave you a glass of coke.
“From drummer boy,” she said and walked off behind the bar again. You brought the drink Gareth gave you to your lips, and immediately discovered it wasn’t just a glass of cola. You couldn’t tell what liquor it was, but it was something that tasted like paint stripper.
You took little sips of the drink while unashamedly staring at your boyfriend. Turned out that habit was very hard to break. You were admiring how his skull and bones necklace swayed and hit his chest as he played when a man sat down right next to you. If he sat opposite you, you might have been able to understand that. But he sat next to you, and it immediately put you on edge. You picked up your drink and sat at a different table, but the middle aged man followed. The sound of the band was drowned out by the sound of your heart beat in your ears. You hated this, and was scared what this man might do. You stood up again and stood in the middle of the bar, looking around for a good place to sit where you could be left alone, and yet again, the man stumbled his way to stand next to you. Tears started to prick your eyes when you felt a stranger’s hand touch your hip.
You looked up at the stage to try to get anyone’s attention. But they were all either looking down at their instrument or had their eyes closed. You thanked God when Eddie looked out to the audience.
“Help,” you mouthed to him, and Eddie stopped singing to watch what was going on. His hands still strummed his guitar, but when he saw your eyes look at the man next to you, he stopped his actions all together. Eddie’s sudden silence made the rest of the band come to a halt too.
“Hey asshole. Leave her the fuck alone,” Eddie shouted.
Gareth now stood up behind his drums to see you looking terrified. Some drunk was harassing his girlfriend, and fury instantly took over his body.
“Do you need me to come down there and whoop your ass? Because I will motherfucker, don’t test me!” He exploded. He used to be an angry child, but he went to therapy for it and now knew how to handle his problems in a healthier way, but the ability to become enraged was still there.
“You okay?” he asked you softly, his body language instantly relaxing when looking at you. You nodded back, but you weren’t okay. You just wanted to go home now, you wouldn’t be able to enjoy the rest of your night.
He could tell you weren’t alright, so made his way off the stage to you. His arms surrounding you did little in calming your racing heartbeat. He placed soft kisses on the top of your head and whispered, “Talk to me, princess. What do you need? Did he touch you? Cause I’ll beat his ass right now if needed. I’ve got three boys up there for backup.”
You shook your head against his chest. You hoped he would give you a ride home after the gig, so you just had to wait it out until their set ended. You saw the bartender drag the drunk guy out of the bar. She couldn’t let anything else happen or she’d be arrested for letting underage minors into the bar and serving them alcohol.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have invited you to this place. Or I should have made you sit on the stage with us. I let you sit down there all by yourself,” he reflected, smoothing your hair with his palm. It saddened him that young, pretty girls were not safe here by themselves, and he felt guilty that he had endangered you.
“I’m sorry for interrupting your set. You can go back up there and perform with the boys. I’m sure they want to keep going,” you reassured. You didn’t want all his friends to hate you for ruining their night. Gareth’s time with them had already been reduced since dating you, and you feared that they would resent you for taking away their friend.
It was Eddie that suggested they end the show, none of them really in the mood to perform after you had nearly been assaulted. Instead, they ordered a final round of beers and you all sat around a table. You didn’t really enjoy the taste of beer, but it was a good opportunity to bond with them all. Eddie put a pack of cigarettes on the table, and the boys all helped themselves and lit up. You knew of Eddie’s side hustle of selling drugs so seeing him with the cigs didn’t shock you, but watching Gareth so easily put the cigarette in his mouth, like it was second nature to him, was a surprise.
“Do you want one?” He asked after noticing you staring at him.
“I’ve never smoked before,” you admitted. You weren’t for or against it, it was just very foreign to you.
“Have a puff of mine,” Gareth encouraged, and let you take it from inbetween his fingers. “Inhale it into your mouth first, then into your lungs.”
You followed his instructions, and coughed when it hit you.
“People smoke this for fun?” You exclaimed, not enjoying the experience.
“We only smoke as a post-show ritual. And you can’t tell my family about this,” he panicked.
“And you can’t tell my family I just took my first puff of a cigarette. They would think I’m turning into a bad girl,” you joked.
Gareth raised an eyebrow at you. He very much liked the idea of his cute cheerleader girlfriend being a bad girl.
“Stop,” you flirted and pushed his arm.
Eddie, Jeff and Doug simply watched you and Gareth interact from the other side of the table. They had never seen Gareth speak to a girl before, and were intrigued to see what your relationship was like. You didn’t hang out at school, therefore didn’t know what your dynamic was like. It didn’t seem like you had anything in common, it was like you were a different species to them.
“You know, we understand why you don’t sit with us at lunch, but you could come to Hellfire Club to see what we’re all like. I hope Gareth the Great has told you all about it,” offered Eddie. They were all desperate to see more of the two of you together, and Eddie hoped that seeing more of your relationship would help him give more advice to his friend. Gareth was the baby of the band, and Eddie wanted him to succeed with any girls that liked him. After all, not many girls at school fancied the D&D players.
“Gareth the Great?” You questioned.
“My D&D name,” he clarified.
“Aww,” you smiled. “The list of nicknames just keeps growing.”
Eddie, Jeff and Doug all looked at each other. When they had you alone, they would ask for this list of names you had for him. They were buzzing off the idea of having new ways to annoy the drummer.
“I’d love to come, as long as you know that I still don’t really understand how it works, but I’m open-minded,” you encouraged, thinking about your brother’s views on Hellfire Club. He believed it was evil and they were doing sacrilegious acts. He had shown you the newspaper article when he first read it a few months ago, but knew the boys wouldn’t be into stuff like that. Nothing Jason could have shown you could have changed your crush on Gareth. To you, D&D just sounded like a board game for nerds.
“And you guys could come to a basketball match to watch my friends and I cheer, if you want,” you suggested.
Eddie, Jeff and Doug all put on their best fake smiles for you. Watching the popular jocks play sports sounded like hell, but they didn’t want to ruin Gareth’s chances with you.
After their beers ended, all the instruments and amps were packed up in the back of Eddie’s van. Gareth brought his own car in the hopes you would show up and need a ride home, so while the rest of the boys left with Eddie, you were left alone with Gareth.
“I’m really sorry,” he sighed. He moved his right hand to your lap to lace your fingers together. You rubbed his finger with your thumb, relishing in the little connection.
“Forget about it. Men will be men,” you excused. If you wanted to support his dreams of becoming a rockstar, you would have to get used to being in weird bars. You had already thought over what you could have done differently with the drunk creep, and knew that the next guy that tried that, you would throw your rum and coke over him.
“Thank you for coming tonight. It really means a lot,” he praised.
“I think I’m Corroded Coffin’s number one fan now. Of course I would come to see you,” you joked.
You fiddled with his fingers and rings for a few moments until you voice your next question.
“Do you reckon you would still be able to play the drums while I was fucking you?” You posed.
“Jesus Y/N!” He gasped. “I thought you were a good Christian girl.”
“I never claimed to be that,” you teased.
“Holy shit,” he muttered, trying his hardest not to crash his car a few blocks away from your home.
“Well, would you? Would a blowjob be less distracting?” You pressed, not really caring about the answer, but just entertaining yourself with how uncomfortable Gareth was becoming.
“It would……probably be very off-putting,” he spluttered, pulling up to the curb across from your house with the little blood that hadn’t rushed to his cock.
When the car came to a halt, you used both hands to lean you over the centre console and leant into him for a kiss. His arms stayed firmly by his sides, as though you would dissolve if he touched you, as you were clearly too good to be true. He tasted like alcohol and smoke, everything you weren’t allowed to do. If your parents caught you, they would think he was corrupting you, but in reality, you were the one corrupting him with the temptation of your body. It would happen soon, you could feel the tension between you reaching boiling point and it would only be relieved when his body would join yours.
You ended the kiss and said, “see you at school tomorrow garebear,” before exiting his car and making your way to your back door to sneak in. You had read in a magazine that to keep your man thinking about you, always leave him wanting more.
Gareth looked down to his lap - to his poor, hard cock needing release.
“I’m sorry she’s doing this to you,” he muttered to his dick. He leaned his head back to the head rest and closed his eyes, willing his throbbing erection to go away before meeting Eddie and the boys at his house to unpack his drum set.