Time Passages (Queen or Freddie Mercury Fanfic)

65. A Breath of Ecstasy

Sal here!

First off, I feel I ought to say congratulations to Mr. Rami Malek for falling off the sta- I mean, for winning his first Academy Award for his portrayal of Freddie Mercury in the film Bohemian Rhapsody. While I personally did not enjoy the movie as much as many of you guys have (no disrespect meant, it's merely a matter of taste), Malek put a great deal of himself into the role, and it would be the height of poor sportsmanship not to acknowledge the man is very talented and deserved the award more than any of the other nominees for Best Actor.

Second, caution! This chapter contains... Well, you know. The title kinda gives it away. ;)

Julia

Despite the heater blowing at full blast on our feet and faces, Freddie and I were still freezing by the time the three of us finally reached the house. Already our neighborhood looked like a genuine winter wonderland, the kind they use for illustrations on Christmas card covers. A thick layer of virgin snow had collected all along our rooftop, and the forecast only predicted more to fall throughout the night. Needless to say, Danny was thrilled.

"We should build a snowman," he chirped as I opened the garage. "Can we?"

"Not right now, we aren't; I can't even move my toes," I replied.

"I don't mean right now! I mean tomorrow!" Danny unbuckled and leaned in so his dark head was hovering just above the armrest between Freddie and myself. "Do you wanna build a snowman, Freddie?"

The temptation was too great. In a silly, nasal voice, I softly trilled, "Do you wanna build a snow-maaaaaan..."

"NOOOO! I hate that song!" Danny howled, covering his ears. "I already hear it enough going to school!"

"I never see you any-mooooore-"

"GAAAAH!" Danny scrambled frantically out of the car and unlocked the garage entrance, disappearing into the house before I could torture him with any more Frozen lyrics.

Snickering, I took the key out of ignition, then turned to Freddie to say something, I don't remember what. For I forgot whatever it was the moment I saw him. He was staring down at his lap, one hand motionless in his lap while the long, slender fingers of the other quietly drummed against his thigh. I knew what that stance meant; I'd only seen it a million times before, after all.

"Are you all right, Freddie?" I asked.

"Mm," he nodded, glancing at me. "I'm fine."

I knew better than to believe him, of course. His sweet dark eyes looked staggeringly woeful, as they had all throughout the drive home. For that whole hour, in fact, Freddie barely spoke at all. He just sat there and listened as the boy chattered happily from the back seat, softly singing along to the odd tune that he recognized and providing only short, vague answers when directly addressed by either of us.

Granted, I did have a pretty good idea why he was so pensive then. Any time Danny said anything that remotely hinted of attitude, and all the while Danny belted out "I Wanna Be Your Lover" in that darling soprano of his, Freddie's lips would purse as though in fighting back a melancholy little smile. I could almost hear him thinking, "Good Lord, how did I not see it?"

But only God knew what was running through his mind now.

All the same, I didn't try to make him tell me. Instead, I touched his cheek, causing those eyes to flutter closed and his face to nuzzle gently into my palm. What could I do but smile, while inside my weak heart threatened to break just one more time for good measure.

He took my hand off his face, kissed its palm, and with a little gratuitous wink quietly slipped out, shutting the door as he walked off the direction our wild Danny had run. I watched his every move, those beautiful words echoing gently in my ears, the words we finally had the guts to utter only two hours before. With a soft smile, I too clambered out of the Jetta, forgetting to be annoyed for now that Danny had left his empty White Castle bag in the back seat.