the scent of heat → r . taylor ( COMPLETED )

twenty two

Adeline stood beside Miami, a lanyard around her neck and a coffee in her hand. It was early in the morning, and the boys were preparing for a small press junket for their newest album, Hot Space. She had come along, reprising her role as Queen's personal assistant, but she'd forgotten how early they had to get up to be there on time.

"Can we take a nap when we go home, Rog?" she asked her husband as he walked over to her.

"I don't see why not. I'll probably be needing one myself." He glanced down at her coffee. "Can I steal a sip?"

"Go for it. I hate coffee. You wouldn't let me buy a tea," she said, holding out the steaming cup. He took it from her and sipped it slowly, then gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Coffee helps you wake up a bit more. And your reluctance to get out of bed told me to try and force caffeine into you."

Adeline rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, arching her brow as he handed the cup back to her. She shook her head and glanced outside, swallowing thickly at the growing mass of reporters outside of the building.

"Are you sure you're all ready for this? I mean, the papers haven't been very kind to Freddie lately," she whispered, looking back at Roger.

"We'll be fine, I hope," he whispered back, looking to his bandmates. With a sigh, he turned back to Adeline, and put the now empty cup down on the low windowsill.

"Almost time?" she asked, straightening his jacket for him.

"Mhm," he gave her cheek another kiss, "it'll only be a little while. What could go wrong?"

***

It was like everything had gone wrong. Question after question was shouted at the four, and all Adeline and Miami could do was listen. Reporters pounced on Freddie like a lion would a limping zebra, and anyone with an ounce of common sense could see his patience was wearing thin.

"Well, at least he got off of one high horse," Adeline whispered to Miami after Freddie denounced himself as the leader of the band, only the lead singer.

"It's a... humbling step forward, I'll admit," he whispered back. The two shared a look as more and more questions were thrown Freddie's way, asking about his talents and whether or not he should fix his teeth.

"Well, that's nothing but a crock of shit," Adeline mumbled.

"Agreed," Miami whispered again, and the smallest of smiles graced her lips. For a moment, Brian looked over to the pair, and Adeline shrugged her shoulders, and with one hand, she tucked her hair back, but he could see her middle finger was a bit more prominent than it should have been.

"In your song, Life is Real, what do you mean by the line, 'Love is like a roulette wheel'? Are you implying that the more partners you have, the more chances you have of... contracting something?" a male reporter asked.

"I don't know, I haven't figured out love yet," Freddie replied.

"But it implies something else, Freddie," the reporter insisted.

"That might be a better question for Rog."

Adeline froze, her eyes wide for a moment. The flash of a camera snapped her out of it, and when she looked, she noticed the lens was pointed at her. She could taste bile at the back of her throat, and the room spun slightly. The only thing keeping her grounded was the firm hand on her shoulder, courtesy of Miami. Her stomach flopped, and he whispered something in her ear, but she couldn't make it out. Not with the interrogation of one Freddie Mercury happening in front of her.

"I had a cold last week, if anyone cares," she heard John say, and the room began to come into focus once again.

"As much as we'd love to answer questions about colds, I'd like to speak about the album," Brian said. "If anyone's got any questions about the music?"

The room erupted into calls for Freddie once again, but Adeline wasn't listening. Her mind drifted back to the night of Freddie's party, the first time he'd cracked a joke about Roger being unfaithful. And instead of denying it, he simply pulled her through the crowd harshly, where he lost her, and that man...

"Jim," Adeline whispered, reaching for his hand. She was aware of the cameras flashing in her direction again, but she didn't care. She needed out of that room.

"What's wrong?" he whispered back, keeping a hold on her to steady her.

"I need to step outside. I can't... I can't be in here anymore," she said, her voice wavering. He only nodded, and with a quick glance at Brian, he helped escort Adeline outside the building. He sat her down on a bench, then crouched in front of her.

"Do you want me to stay out here with you?" he asked gently.

"No, I'll be fine. They need you in there with them. Head back in," she said, and after he squeezed her hand, he went back inside, leaving Adeline alone. Tears began to fill her eyes, and she covered her face with her hands. Two times Freddie implied her husband was unfaithful, and two times, her husband only warned him, never rebuked. As tears ran down her cheeks, the clamor behind her grew louder, and a crash from inside made her jerk her head up. Inside, the table was flipped over, and Miami was holding onto Freddie, keeping him in place. All emotions forgotten, Adeline got back to her feet and hurried inside, shoving past reporters to get to the front. She elbowed a camera man out of the way as she locked eyes with Roger. He opened his arms for her, and she wrapped hers around his middle.

"Are any of you hurt?" she whispered.

"No, I don't think so. The table didn't catch any of us," he said, looking down at her and brushing her hair away from her face. "Are you all right? I saw you outside."

"I'm fine," she lied, "just worried about Freddie, that's all."

"I am, too. We'd better just get out of here. I don't want to give these assholes another second of my time." With his arm firm around her shoulders, Roger walked Adeline out of the building, keeping her face hidden from the cameras. As she walked with him, she glanced back at the bench she'd been on, the five moments of clarity she had to herself just about gone, ditching her at the feel of his embrace, leaving her more confused than ever.