You Don't Exist (Maylor)

Good Company

"Brian Harold May, why on earth has it taken you so long to call me? I have been worried sick about you, young man. You haven't even bothered to drop in and say hello." Ruth scolded him from the other side of the phone, Brian's smile growing more and more at the sound of her voice. It had been a few weeks, well almost two months, since the guitarist had gotten a chance to talk to his mum. With him and Roger getting together and the struggle of trying to balance the band and school, he hadn't been able to find a few minutes to call. Finding his time occupied by finishing papers, practicing and writing songs, planning gigs, and finding at least an hour to spend with his boyfriend.

"Sorry, Mum, it's been a little crazy lately." He leaned back against the arm of the couch, reading through another sentence or two with a highlighter in his other hand. The phone cradled between his head and shoulder as he worked.

Roger sat snugly beside him, curling up as much as he could with the other so focused on rewriting his paper. Snacking on some popcorn, he had popped after practically breaking into the flat. Watching some movie rerun, he didn't exactly care for.

The older boy could hear an almost childish huff from the other side of the phone, "you could at least call every once in a while. You know I love hearing about your little band and what was his name again," there was a short pause, "Roger? Roger, that's it. I loved hearing all about my son's new adorable crush."

Brian groaned, "mum."

Roger's ears pricked at the sound of his name from the other end of the line, leaning in closer.

A warm laugh greeted him when the drummer finally moved close enough to hear. Now utterly uninterested in the tv and more interested in whatever Brian and his mum had been talking about, the older boy's face a lovely shade of red. "Oh, don't you 'mum' me. It's adorable. Have you two talked about being soulmates? I remember your soul mark being an 'R'."

Another groan of embarrassment.

The glimpse of mischief on his boyfriend's face had Brian preparing for the worst. Shaking his head and mouthing 'no.'

"Hello, Mrs. May!" Roger's smile was wide, laughing as Brian tried to pull the phone further away from the boy. Shifting and fighting until he ended up straddling the guitarist, phone now pressed against his ear — papers falling to the floor and popcorn long forgotten.

"Oh, hello. John is that you, Love?" Ruth had heard a lot about her son's flatmate, finding him to be a charming young man.

"No," Brian lay defeated under Roger with a pleading look on his face, "it's Roger. Nice to meet you."

The guitarist could feel the embarrassment light upon his face. Moving down his neck and down to his chest. His mum would have a field day embarrassing him in front of Roger.

"Oh," it was long and drawn out. Brian could practically hear the smirk in her voice, "The infamous Roger I have heard so much about?"

"Infamous? You're too kind." Roger was having just as much fun. Wondering how many more shades of red Brian could turn. "All good things I hope."

"Yes, yes he's told me you are a part of his little band. The drummer I think he said? For Smile?"

And they went on talking for longer than Brian would have cared for. Glad that the two got along, but not trusting his mum not to embarrass him. Knowing Roger would take the information and run with it, teasing him for as long as he saw fit.

"It was lovely talking to you too. I'll put Brian back on now," and with a playful smile, Roger handed the phone back to his boyfriend who wished the ground would swallow him up at this point.