Funny How Love Is (Maylor AU)

Chapter 40

Brian shifted his car into park and let out a sigh, leaning over the center console and peering through his passenger side car window at the house he prayed was the right one. After convincing Chrissie to give him the weekend to think things over, Brian hopped in his car and used his memory to the best of his abilities to retrace his trip to Freddie's house, hoping that it's where Roger had been hiding out these past few days, and if not, perhaps his friend could direct him in the right way.

He wrapped his hand around the door's handle and stepped out of the vehicle, adjusting his jacket and trekking up the walkway that felt very strange to him. Similar to the night Roger had taken him to the bar to celebrate his first student, the professor felt out of place in the dark, shadow-cast neighborhood, and all he could see when he looked at the door ahead of him was the blonde kissing the man who answered it; the man he thought to be his boyfriend but wasn't. The memory was strong enough to elicit the feelings that accompanied the sight too, bringing back the confusion and desire he felt towards the music instructor who'd only entered Brian's life because Chrissie found him with her husband and offered him the job as a mere trade-off.

The professor stepped up to the door and drew in a deep breath, nervously raising his hand and knocking three times. He took a cautious step back and shoved his hands into the pockets of his coat, surveying the street behind him to see if he'd attracted any unwanted attention, but the coast was clear.

Brian returned his attention forward when he heard the rattling of some chains, followed by the sound of locks being undone and the door being pulled in. Much to the professor's surprise, it wasn't Freddie who'd answered the door, but a woman—a woman he knew very well. He straightened his posture and cleared his throat, greeting shyly, "Oh, hi."

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Brian May," the blonde sneered, crossing her arms over her chest, "I thought you said you were moving to America. I mean, that's the reason you suggested we stop seeing each other, innit?"

A nervous chuckle slipped past the professor's lips and dug his hands deeper into his pockets, replying uncomfortably, "Yeah, that...that didn't really work out."

"So, what are you doing here, then? Trying to win me back?" she guessed, her response laced with venom as she laughed and continued as though she'd practiced this encounter several times before, "That's sweet, Bri, really, but it's too late for that. I'm already taken. 'Have been for a while now."

"That's wonderful, Mary, but I-I'm not here for..." Brian's voice trailed off, his eyebrows furrowing together as he shook his head in slight frustration and explained, "I'm here for Freddie. I want to know if he's seen Roger. Is he here?"

"Brian?" the dark-haired man's easily recognizable voice sounded from inside the home, the professor looking over the woman's head to see the flamboyantly dressed man appear from out of the kitchen. "Brian!" he gasped, rushing towards the door and pushing the blonde out of the way so that he was standing before him, "What a lovely surprise it is to see you, darling. Come in, come in, we were just about to have dinner!"

"Freddie," the blonde whispered angrily, gripping his upper arm tightly and leaning in closer to growl, "You promised me it'd be just you and me tonight."

"Oh, we have the rest of our fucking lives to do things just you and me, Mary. Why don't you set up another plate for the kind gentleman and we can discuss it later?" Mary scoffed and stomped off towards the room Freddie had emerged from, Roger's friend looking back at the professor and muttering with mock humor, "Women, am I right?"

Brian chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. "So, you two are dating?"

"Engaged, actually," the dark-haired man retorted, glancing back over his shoulder and grinning widely, "I got her the most lovely ring; spent nearly everything I had on it." His pensive eyes wandered back to the professor and widened ever so slightly before he clapped his hands together excitedly and exclaimed, "Oh, Brian, you'll have to see it. Mary! Come back here and show—"

"I-I actually just came here wondering if you've seen Roger," he stammered, not wanting to stay any longer than he had to, "I haven't seen or heard from him in days and I'm worried."

Freddie brought his hand up to his chin and rubbed the smooth skin as if he was going into deep thought about the matter. A moment of silence passed over the two—disturbed only by the clinking of dishes as Mary angrily put out another table setting for their unexpected guest—before the dark-haired man moved his hands to his hips and replied, "Come to think of it, I haven't." He met Brian's troubled gaze and offered, "But if I knew anything about the man, he either got into it with Tim again or ran away. He's done both before, so it's very possible that that's what he's been up to."

The professor swallowed the lump that formed in his throat and ran a shaky hand through his hair, his mind spiraling out of control as he tried to find a different solution to the problem. He wasn't ready to face Tim again—the man scaring him enough just by inquiring about Roger's whereabouts—and he certainly didn't have the time to travel all around London in search of the blonde. For all the professor knew, he could've left the country by now with no intention of ever coming back.

"I wouldn't worry about it, though, Brian. He does things like this all the time," Freddie attempted to console the concerned professor, placing a hand on his shoulder and flashing him a reassuring grin that Brian couldn't muster up the courage to return. Roger's friend quickly picked up on this and brought his hand back down to his side, the smile on his face faltering a bit as he suggested, "Besides, Roger's a grown man. He knows what he's getting himself into and he can take care of himself. So why don't you relax a bit and join the two of us—"

"I really messed things up, Fred," Brian interrupted him, his heart pounding against his chest as he confessed, "I just...I freaked out when he told me."

Freddie folded his arms over his chest and leaned against the threshold. "Told you what?"

"Everything."