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“...and I know, you will make Roger happier than any other person in the world. No matter how hard anyone else tries, he really does love you the most. So thank you, Dom, for taking care of our boy. And being there for him when we couldn’t, and giving him everything none of us could…”
Brian’s heart dropped into his stomach as Freddie’s once beautiful, tightly rehearsed best man speech devolved into drunken ranting. He had tried his best to keep Freddie from drinking too much, but Freddie was learned in the art of drinking as much as possible in a short time frame. Now, there was nothing left to do but scramble onto the floor as quickly as he could, plastering on a smile as he grabbed Freddie’s arm and carefully pried the microphone from his hand.
“I’m sorry, folks, it seems the champagne has been flowing a bit too freely tonight,” Brian joked, letting Freddie plaster himself against his side, but keeping the microphone away from him. He ignored Freddie’s grumbles about not having finished. “We might’ve gotten a bit off track, but for both Freddie and me, from the bottom of our hearts, we know that Roger and Dominique will be amazing partners in life together, and we both wish you all the best.”
From their spot on the floor, Brian could see Rog and Dom at the head table, sitting with their bodies touching, heads bent slightly towards each other They both looked slightly concerned, surely knowing at least in part what Freddie’s drunken ramble really meant (at least as much as Brian knew) and hoping he was alright. But they both smiled warmly as Brian finished the speech, handing the mic off to Dom’s maid of honor and steering the protesting Freddie away from the crowd.
“Let’s have a smoke, Fred,” Brian said softly into Freddie’s ear as he tugged him away from the reception, out to a little bench under a tree.
“You don’t smoke,” Freddie observed wisely, before clasping a hand over his mouth like he was about to be sick. It seemed to pass after a moment, but Brian let his hand rub soothingly over Freddie’s back.
Taking a moment to pat Freddie’s pockets to see if he had a pack tucked away, he found nothing, but shrugged it off. “Let’s just sit for a bit, then. I think we could both use it.”
Away from the crowd, Brian felt no qualms about wrapping an arm around Freddie’s shoulders. He didn’t shift away when Freddie immediately turned to tuck his face into Brian’s neck and twist fingers into the front of Brian’s shirt for a firm hold.
“What’s wrong, love?” Brian asked finally as Freddie started to settle a bit. “What’s going on inside that beautiful head of yours?”
Instead of making Freddie smile, the compliment seemed to make Freddie’s mood worse. Brian could barely see Freddie’s face, but he could feel a few tears drip onto his neck and down his chest where his shirt was unbuttoned.
“Oh, Freddie.”
He wrapped his arms around Freddie as tightly as he could, letting his thumbs rub into Freddie’s back.
“You’re going to leave me next, aren’t you?”
It was whispered so quietly, Brian barely managed to catch it. But he still didn’t understand what Freddie meant by it. “What? What are you talking about, Freddie? No one is leaving.”
Freddie sniffled loudly, his fingers gripping Brian’s shirt tighter. Brian feared the fabric might rip.
“They did. John found Ronnie. Now Roger has Dom. And soon you’ll find someone and you’ll leave too and I’ll be all alone with no one.”
Brian blinked in surprise. He had known it was something along those lines that was bothering Freddie, but not that. It didn’t really even make sense.
“Freddie, love. I won’t leave you. And yeah, they have the girls, but Deaky and Rog aren’t leaving you either. You know the girls are fine with it.”
It was something that had come as a shock to them all when John nervously told them that he had proposed to Veronica. They had been happy for him, that he had found the perfect girl to marry and start a family with, just like they knew he had always dreamed about. But they had also been devasted, knowing that meant their little band shenanigans would no longer include John. Suffice to say, none of them expected to spend the first night of their next tour after John and Ronnie’s wedding taking turns sucking John’s dick as he talked to Veronica on the phone, describing every detail to her as casually as if they were discussing the weather.
Similarly, Dominique had been very okay with their odd relationship. In fact, Roger and Dom, unlike John and Veronica, were only getting married for financial reasons. They had worked it out, with John and Veronica’s help, that between Dominique’s lack of citizenship and Queen still not getting paid what they were worth, that marriage was the best decision for them (it did not, however, stop them from throwing a huge party and inviting as many people as they could). She was quite happy with a semi-open relationship, and even enjoyed her own adventures from time to time with certain friends back in France.
It seemed to have been working just fine for them, and there had been absolutely no indication before this that it might no longer be working for everyone.
“It’s not the same though, is it?” Freddie said. “They never stay the night anymore, always wanting to stay home when they can. And soon John and Ronnie will start having kids, and we will never see John. Then Roger. Then you. And me? I have nothing.”
Brian’s heart ached at this reveal from his friend. “That’s not true. You have to know that’s not true, Fred. You have us. You will always have us.”
“You can’t say that. You can’t make promises for them.”
“Okay. Then I promise for me. Freddie, look at me.” Brian carefully maneuvered Freddie so that he could hold one of his cheeks as they looked each other in the eye. “I promise you, I will never leave you. Even if I find some poor woman who actually wants to marry me, I could never, and will never, love her more than I love you.”
And before Freddie could doubt him, Brian pulled them together and kissed him. Even knowing how many people were at the damn wedding, how many photographers who could immortalize this moment, how many ways they could get into trouble if caught, Brian couldn’t care. Freddie was more important to him than all that.
He could feel Freddie start to calm, as if Brian was absorbing all the bad clouding Freddie's head through the kiss. Later, he could ask Roger and John to convince Freddie they would never leave him. But for now it was just Brian and Freddie.
"Do you want to us to go home?" Brian whispered against Freddie's lips.
Freddie shook his head. "It's Roger's wedding. We can't miss this."
"He would understand. So would Dom."
"No. Let's stay. Let's dance and sing and make fun of the old people who leave early." Freddie's face turned serious for a moment. "It's okay. It hurts and it's scary as hell, but I still want to be here for him. I love him."
Brian nodded. But when he went to stand and start walking them back to the party, Freddie stopped him. "Just a moment, darling." And then Freddie was kissing him again, much sweeter and softer this time. "Thank you, Brian."
“Any time, Fred.”
Freddie nodded before standing and pulling Brian to his feet in tipsy excitement. “Let’s go get this party started!”
Laughing at Freddie’s antics, Brian added, “Maybe just no more vodka for you.”
Freddie pouted, but it was the easiest thing in the world for Brian to lean forward and kiss the pout away. “I love you, Freddie.”
“I love you too, Brian.”
Together, they walked back to the party.