Funny How Love Is (Maylor AU)

Chapter 22

The professor set the empty glass down with a force that—if it was just a bit stronger—would've shattered the glass and stood up. "Well, as nice as this has been, I think it's time for me to leave." He shoved his hand into his coat's pocket and extracted his wallet, pulling out a fiver and placing it on the table. "Thank you for the drink, really. It was an absolute pleasure meeting you, Freddie, and Roger, I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?"

"Wait!" Roger cried out as Brian went to leave, getting out of the booth himself and grabbing the taller man's arm. "You can't leave yet. W-We just got here."

The professor frowned, brushing the music instructor's hand from his arm as he mumbled, "I really should get going, Rog."

"Please," the blonde begged, mirroring Brian's step back as he tried to get closer to the entrance. "I just—"

"Liz?" a third voice joined the conversation, drawing the group's attention over to the man who'd emerged from the crowd. He spoke with a heavy Scottish accent and was dressed to the nines in his ironed suit, polished shoes, and expensive Rolex watch that dangled just a few inches away from the various rings he'd adorned himself with. "What are you doing here? And looking so...dull." He crossed his arms and straightened his posture, tacking on a haughty, "You told me you weren't coming back for a while."

"Liz?" Brian repeated, his eyebrows furrowing together.

"I-I'm afraid you've mistaken me for someone else," Roger replied to the man, the blush that had lingered on his face intensifying once more, "My name's not Liz."

"Oh, so we're going to play that game tonight, are we?" the gentleman sneered, shortening the distance between him and the blonde and grabbing him by the tie to yank the two of them closer. "I like it. Why haven't you done this before?"

"Please get your hands off me," the blonde whispered, ignoring the stranger's comment and the professor's quickly changing facial expression as he leaned in and added on in an even quieter voice, "I'm not doing this anymore."

Brian stood there dumbfounded, unsure of whether he should step in or step away. The situation was clearly beyond his understanding, and even if he was to intervene, he wouldn't know what to do or say. He'd never been one for confrontation, let alone for someone else.

"Bugger off, Reid. He's not here for that," Freddie interjected coldly from the table, waving a dismissive hand and shooting a glare in the man's direction that gradually separated him from the blonde. "He's here to celebrate, not to make your pathetic night a little more exciting. Go home to Reggie, why don't you? He's probably worried sick." The well-dressed stranger tugged uncomfortably at his suit jacket and reluctantly disappeared back into the crowd, Roger heaving a sigh of relief once he was out of sight and placing his hands on his hips as he stared at the ground.

After a moment of silence—though it was anything but with "Dancing Queen" by ABBA coming on the speakers and the whole bar exploding into an excited and energetic roar—the professor shook his head and brought a hand up to his forehead, parting his lips to ask about what had just happened when the music instructor blurted out, "I-I'll be back," and frantically brushed past him, squeezing his way through the people dancing and singing along to the hit song.

Brian turned towards Freddie, not needing to say a single word for the dark-haired man to tell him, "It's a long story, Brian. I'd tell you all about it, but I think he likes you too much for me to do that." He slipped out of the booth and stood up to match the professor at eye level, saying, "And I like you too, so for your own good, let's not go into it, yeah?" He patted the curly-haired man on the arm and smiled that big-toothy grin he was known for.

The professor looked back over his shoulder to catch the blonde slipping into the bathroom on the other side of the bar, bumping into someone who was on their way out and getting yelled at for doing so. The blonde put minimal effort into apologizing, shaking his head out of aggravation and pushing past him to get inside.

"He certainly seems upset," Brian thought out loud, "Is he going to be okay?"

"Probably," Freddie replied in such a way that didn't make Brian believe him. The simple shrug of the shoulders didn't help, and neither did his acceptance of the drink that was randomly offered to him.

"I-I should probably go talk to him..." he murmured, unable to deny the internal pull he felt to go after the blonde and see if he wanted to talk, or even go home—after all, he had driven him there and, although he was ready to abandon him only minutes before, it wouldn't be fair to leave that responsibility to Freddie. The man he watched get pulled by his tie and called a different name, that wasn't the Roger he knew. It was an imposter, someone who looked exactly like him but in no way, shape, or form acted like him.

"Oh no, don't do that," the dark-haired man advised sharply, shaking his head in disapproval and explaining, "If you went in there, it would only make things worse. Let me talk to him." He shoved the drink into Brian's possession and wandered off before the professor could object, deserting him in the corner of the lively room that didn't seem disturbed at all by what had just gone down.