A Man For All Seasons (Queen or Freddie Mercury Fanfic)

How the Other Half Lives: A Change in Lineup, Part Two

Roger was as awestruck as he had been that afternoon- but certainly not dumbstruck. "Why don't you tell me," he snapped, "this was your idea after all!"

"You chose to go looking for me, dear; I didn't ask you to do it, you chose to. So really, you did sort of bring this on yourself," Freddie said with a swing of his wrist. 

John's mouth curved upward in a complacent little smirk, which set Roger off all over again. "Oh really? Getting stuffed into a car against my will, basically abducted and dragged forcibly onto some shabby pier before I am permitted to so much as see you? I asked for that?" 

"You think that's bad, be glad you're not in our place- which reminds me," Freddie added, lifting his voice, "Rudy, did anybody see you leave?"

"A few, I think," the driver called, still hidden behind the wall.

"Anyone likely to follow?"

"His security team."

Freddie shoved off the rail and straightened up, ready for a fight. "I told you to be careful!" 

"I did the best I could, considering I had been instructed to lure him out and wait for him, and I quote, 'in the motor court'." Rudy peeked around the corner at the four of them. "It was inevitable that there would be some kind of scene- and he was certainly making one."

"How long would you say we have before they come rescue him?" Freddie asked.

"We have time," the driver replied calmly. "I managed to give them the slip before rerouting back this way. It's the car they are looking for anyway, and I've already taken care of that."

Freddie nodded, his shoulders sagging a little in relief. "Right. So then, Roger, back to what I asked before: what are you doing here?"

Roger made himself ignore the jaundiced eye John was still favoring him with, and walked toward Freddie. He had changed clothes since Roger last saw him, trading his white button-up shirt for the more casual ensemble of an unzipped grey jumper thrown over a polo, which was also white save for the bright red collar where every button was strategically left undone to expose as much of his chest as the article would allow. For all the power in Freddie's stance, Roger couldn't help but notice how tightly he clamped down on the hand Julia had slipped into his. 

"I'm here to say, that-" Roger hesitated, the anxiety within stealing his voice for a few moments before he cleared his throat and tried again. "Well, first of all, I had absolutely nothing to do with any of what happened this afternoon, all right? I didn't know Brian was going to say what he said, I didn't know Preus was going to show up. I swear, Freddie, I had no fucking idea- I mean, to be honest, I still don't even really know what happened in the first place-"

"Pfft," John scoffed.

Roger whirled on him. "Oh, what do you fucking know about it? You weren't there!"

"You really had no idea?" Freddie repeated.

"Swear to God. I don't know what that Preus guy was doing there, he wasn't invited- at least not by me."

The dark eyes narrowed. "Was it Brian?"

"I don't know, I just- I can only speak for myself, and I didn't invite him, I didn't want him there."

"So you do know him."

"I do," Roger nodded. "That is, I know who he is, I've met him, and I know he's the reason you're here. But that's genuinely the extent of-"

"No, he's not," Freddie argued, shaking his head.

"But Preus told us-"

"Then he was lying. Every time he opens his mouth, a lie comes out of it. He's not why I'm here. If anything, I am here in spite of him."