nostalgia | a Brian May x Reader fanfiction

Familiar Faces

South Kensington
October 28, 1968

Relocating after living with your parents was very difficult. But after getting a job at King's Insurance made things miles easier. They had good pay, and you liked what you did. It certainly wasnt your dream job, but it was better than struggling as a college student.

You always thought the school system was corrupt when you legally had to attend, and as soon as you left secondary school you booted off elsewhere.

It wasnt a difficult move, though. Moving from Feltham to Mayfair was difficult as a kid. You had a whole life built for yourself. You had friends, good grades, and was on track. But you were just a little kid. You remember distinctly being 11 years old, about to go to primary school in Feltham, and all of a sudden you had to leave it behind.

Even your records were lost when you moved, so you were a nobody.

Somehow, the kids were so mean in Mayfair. You went through being the school reject, enduring teasing and bullying. It never got physical after you turned 14, since you were taught to fight. You only had a few friends then.

You remember something else distinctly, and it was quite childish to you not to let this go, but it was your first and only childhood crush. Sure, you went out and did crazy shit, sneaking into pubs and dating guys way too old for you, but that wasn't like this one boy.

He was nerdy and always had the nicest hair, it was slicked back into a neat hairstyle but you could tell it was at least wavy. He knew multiplication before everyone else, and oh how you loved nerdy kids. You two held hands on the playground once, and it was adorable. You were blushing like a schoolgirl, because, well, you were a schoolgirl. He was the classic childhood crush. His name was Brian, and ironically his last name being May, which was a teasing point to other kids but it made him that much more special to you.

That year you had gotten angry at him because he wouldnt sharpen your pencil, so you 'broke up' with him on the last day of school. You still liked him, and by the way he took it he still liked you too, but neither of you had the same class ever again.

However, when you were 13 you came back to Feltham to visit your grandmother for a week, who was Brian's neighbor from down the street. You two instantly reconnected and talked about everything, and when you found out he was still nerdy, your 13 year old self went head over heels.  He was still very shy and awkward, so your first conversation was mainly made up of Brian blushing awkwardly and his mother egging him on to talk to you.

His parents were aware of you, and frankly, amused by you. His mother was a very kind and generous woman, but his father was a bit rough to crack out of his shell. He was hard on Brian of course, and conservative in his beliefs. However, he was still as nice as he could be and you gave him credit for that.

You wondered if everything was still the same as your train of thought stopped, as well as your bus. You got off to go to your local coffee shop.

"Hey George!" You greeted to one of the employees. You were quite a frequent here, so much so you noticed when something new was posted on the  bulletin board. There were a couple of new things, as expected. "Let me guess, youd like your usual order?" George asked with a smile. He was also one of your friends from secondary school, who worked here so he could pay for his dorm at Imperial College. "Yes sir," You replied in a chipper tone, a bit more excited to start your day now that you had a little bit of a nostalgia trip.

He readied your order and you took a seat, fishing your wallet out of your purse. You pulled the money out of your wallet and waited for George to call your name to retrieve your order and pay for it. You spot the bulliten board from the corner of your eye. Just some band advertisement, as usual.