the scent of heat → r . taylor ( COMPLETED )

eleven

Adeline was sitting in the attic studio, leaning back on the couch with Roger. In the large booth, Brian played his guitar, belting out the solo she'd seen him write a few days before.

"It sounds really good altogether," she whispered to Roger, who nodded with a small smile. He took a drag from his cigarette as his arm draped itself around her shoulders lazily. She smiled to herself, then glanced over at the booth, giving Brian a thumbs up as he and Freddie had finished talking. She was so used to the music by now that it could put her to sleep, the steadiness of it all. And she could always count on Roger to bring her back down to their bedrooms, letting her curl up in his arms with her head on his chest.

Early one morning, the five of them, and Roy, were back up in the studio. This time, Roger was in the booth with soundproofing boards stood up around him. Addy was dozing off, this time with her head against Brian's shoulder, and he held a notebook in his lap and a pen in his hand.

"Galileo! Galileo! Galileo, Figaro!" Roger's voice was much higher than Addy had ever heard it, and it snapped her awake. Freddie stopped the tape as Addy rubbed her eyes, holding a yawn back as best as she could.

"How was that?" Roger asked his voice muffled by the glass.

"Freddie?" John asked.

"Higher."

Brian and Addy shared a look, and he went back to his notes. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair as John leaned forward to speak into the microphone.

"Can you go a bit higher?" he asked.

"If I go any higher, only dogs will hear me," Roger argued.

"Try," Freddie said with his eyes closed.

"Freddie's note. Sorry." John sat back, and Roger sighed softly.

"Go on, roll the tape."

Again, he sang the lyrics, his voice slightly higher than the last one. Adeline was definitely awake now, and she had her arms and legs crossed, an amused smile on her lips.

"How was that? Better?" he asked, smiling a bit.

"Higher," Freddie said again. Behind him, Brian motioned to Roger, pen in hand, practically poking at the air. Addy, too, brought her hand up and bent her fingers inward, chuckling softly.

"Jesus! How many more "Galileos" do you want?" Roger asked, taking his headphones off.

"Freddie wants to do a few more overdubs," John explained.

"Do we even have any tape left?"

"I do have to say the tape is wearing out. It can't take much more."

"Yeah, we can't afford much more," Brian said, "we're already three weeks over schedule."

"You're kidding," Addy said, but Brian shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. So, again, the tape started to roll, and Roger's voice got higher and higher with each attempt. He'd gone through what felt like dozens more, pausing every once in a while to take a breather.

"Who even is Galileo?" he asked, and Addy could have sworn she saw Brian's eye twitch. She snorted and leaned back, shaking her head with a smile. Finally, Freddie stopped the tape after one more round, and Roger inhaled sharply.

"My nuts feel like they're in my chest right now. Are we done?" he asked.

"That's it. He loves you," John said, and Roger smiled.

"Thank Christ. Can we please move on to other lyrics now?"

Adeline smiled as she watched Roger in the booth, spinning slightly in the one office chair closest to Brian. And soon, it was just her and Roy in the studio as the four boys were in the booth, singing together. Adeline was on her feet as she watched them unable to contain her excitement as they sang in unison. And as Roger hit his final high note, none of the boys could hold it back, either. In celebration, they jumped around, knocking over the soundproof walls and falling over. Outside, Adeline was laughing and jumping as well, clapping her hands together. As the boys got back to their feet, they were finally able to finish the song. And once they did, and Roy gave them the thumbs up, cheers erupted from the booth. They all hugged each other, clapping one another on the back as Adeline looked on with a smile. Back in the booth, Roger pulled off his headphones and made his way over to the door, throwing it open and walking over to Adeline.

"Rog, you all sounded fantastic!" she said, a wide smile on her lips. He simply nodded before gripping her hips and pulling her forward, planting his lips on hers. Right in front of everyone else. And for the first time, Adeline didn't care. She wrapped her arms around his neck and returned the kiss, humming when she felt her feet leave the ground for just a second. When the two pulled apart, Roger grinned down at her, and then looked back into the booth. Adeline's face was flushed, and her smile was a bit more sheepish, but she still waved at the others.

"You know, I'm not even shocked," Freddie said.

"I am," Brian said, placing his hands on his hips.

"Brian, you're banging my roommate. I don't want to hear it," Adeline said, pointing a finger back at him. The room went silent for a minute, and Freddie started to laugh.

"Oh my god, I love you." Roger once again pressed his lips to Adeline's, wrapping her legs around his waist. When he pulled back from her again, her eyes sparkled, and he spun her around, making her laugh. The others came out of the booth as Roger set her down, wrapping his arm around her waist.

"Well, if anything, it's nice to see my best friend with a bloke I trust," Brian said, smiling a bit.

"Oh, I'm so glad you approve." Adeline rolled her eyes. Roger simply shrugged his shoulders and pressed a kiss to her temple.

"I'm just glad we don't have to hide it anymore," he said, giving her a squeeze.

"That's definitely a plus. Oh, and Roger, I love you, too," she said, resting her head on his chest. He smiled down at her, and together, they made their way down from the studio, with the other three following them.

"I can't wait until Foster hears this. He won't know what hit him," Adeline said softly, and Freddie nodded, looking back up at the studio.

"We've given him a masterpiece. And don't any of you forget it."