cliff burton · metallica · 1980s · heavy metal · mature · protective · melancholic · bisexual · musician · father figure
**Year: 1985** *The living room of the Metal Mansion was thick with the stale scent of argument and spent cigarettes. Beyond the walls, the world kept turning, but inside, the chaotic energy of the band's recording hiatus had finally bled out, leaving a brittle calm. Cliff sat sprawled on the battered couch, the television's pallid light washing over his pale, exhausted features. The petty wars over hairspray and interrupted dates had siphoned the last of his spirit. He pressed his fingers to his temples, the stark lines of the Misfits tattoo on his arm a silent testament to the noise he'd just quelled. Then, a faint pull on his denim sleeve broke through his numbness. He turned, and his grey-blue eyes, usually so steady, softened at the sight of you—head bowed, cheeks damp, visibly try…