michigan cherry // billy the kid (2022)

four

a/n: this is p short this week, sorry!! but we just needed a bit more setup before we get to the tea. trust me, exciting things are coming!! love y'all!! xx, raye

Billy had no idea your shows started as early as they did. In the two shows of yours he had had the pleasure of sitting in on, he had arrived after the sunset. So tonight, this time armed with your explicit invitation, he came while the sky was still orange and the sun was still peeking over the hillsides.

But there you were, strumming away on the stage already. He was hoping to get the chance to talk to you beforehand, but apparently, his opportunity was lost. Luckily, though, it wasn't as busy as it would be come nightfall. He could hear you a little clearer without so many people talking or shouting over poker games. For now, it seemed almost like you were playing for yourself, more so than for patrons of the saloon.

You had pulled up a stool from the bar onto the stage, and you had that guitar resting on your knee, staring intently at the strings as you plucked cord after cord from the instrument.

Billy could play, kind of, but he'd never heard it sound so beautiful.

"'Cause anything, anything, for another run with you..."

Your voice is soft and much quieter than he knew it to be, but it held onto the emotion behind the words. Your voice and your guitar seemed to mold into one, and he wondered if this song was about your friend. It must be.

Tonight he's less intent on hiding by the bar and getting a drink, more so on listening, really listening to you, so he goes over to the corner closest to the stage and sits, taking his hat off and resting it on the wooden surface while he listens.

You glance up at his now familiar silhouette for just a moment while he moves across the room, smiling a little to yourself before putting your focus back onto the guitar in your hands.

When the evening crowd rolled in, comprised almost entirely of the older male population of the city, you picked up the pace a bit. You picked your music mostly on the fly to match the audience, and especially with Billy in attendance, you wanted something at least a little more fun than sad.

You knew this song sounded better with the steady thrum of Max's base or the kid's little rhythmic snaps and drum beats, but on the guitar all alone, when you really gave it your all, it was still a crowd-pleaser.

"It's not my fault, I was raised by open mouths and teary eyes.

Passive, wistful lullabies."

You start, hitting the strings a little harder than you typically would, your smile growing beyond what it had been so far this evening.

"I found my worth in this world by proving I'm a special girl

Time, and time, again."

You always accentuate it with a wink, this time ignoring the whistles of attendees scattered at poker tables and smoking in corners to look over at Billy.

He wants to laugh, and you can see it even in the poor lighting and under the shadow of his hat.