A Man For All Seasons (Queen or Freddie Mercury Fanfic)

2. Bring It On

Julia

While Danny vanished around the corner, it seemed that John still could not bring himself to let go of his old friend. Even as Freddie suggested a bit awkwardly that they both sit down at the table, John's hand was glued to his arm, the sweet grey-green eyes utterly transfixed on his chiseled face as they took their seats.

It was a few seconds before I found my own voice again, and cleared it of new emotion enough to ask, "Can I- pour you a cup of tea, John?"

"Yes, thank you," he answered quietly.

"The usual way?"

"Yes."

I nodded, turning to Freddie. "How about you?"

He shook his head, sticking a cigarette in his mouth with his free hand. "I'm all right, thank you."

No sooner had I turned toward the teapot than Wes Adams's voice drifted into the kitchen, together with the rumbling sound of rolling luggage being dragged across the floor. Danny appeared first, our little wiener dog Fry squirming fitfully in his arms. But it wasn't too many seconds later that Wes walked in, upon which Farnsworth squawked and flew straight for his cage, grazing the top of Wes's frizzy hair as he went. Anyone else might have freaked, but this had happened to him so many times before, he scarcely even flinched.

"There you are!" our neighbor greeted us, favoring John with a smile. "I wondered where you ran off to, I woke up this morning, came down, and you were just gone."

Deacy shrugged meekly. "I didn't go far."

"I guess not." He turned to face Freddie, but the look he received in return all but withered the cheer in his. My prince was leaving no room for doubt that Wes had arrived at a bad time.

Come on, Freddie, I sighed to myself. I know you're tired, so am I- but now's not the time to be bitchy.

"Anyway, uh, I brought your stuff over." He dragged the suitcase closer to John, who thanked him politely.

"Wanna see my snowman?" Danny piped up again.

Freddie looked his way, his sharp gaze instantly softening. "Is it finished?"

"Yeah, basically, he just needs a nose." He stuck his head into the refrigerator and grabbed a carrot out of the produce drawer. "Right now he looks like that skeleton guy."

Freddie squinted. "What?"

"You know, the guy who goes 'What's this? What's thi-'"

"Oh!" Wes exclaimed. "That's Jack Skellington."

"Is that what he's called?" Danny asked.

Wes looked shocked. "Haven't you ever seen The Nightmare Before Christmas?"

"No, but Lauren wears a shirt with his face on it sometimes, and plus, I like that song." Pushing his glasses back up his nose with the carrot's pointed end, he casually sauntered back to the stairs. "So are you coming?"

I handed John his tea, swallowing yet another yawn. "As soon as I cut these out and put them in the oven, I'm coming down to take a look," I said, gesturing at the dough.

Danny nodded. "What about you guys?"

Wes agreed right away, but Freddie seemed to have stopped listening about halfway through the conversation. Without so much as batting an eyelash, then, the boy gently tapped on Freddie's shoulder and asked him one more time, "You coming, uh- Rick?"

"Hm? Oh, yes, yes," Freddie muttered, tapping the ash off his cigarette while he tossed one more uncomfortable glance toward his arm, where it ricocheted off the hand still resting on top to strike my eyes dead on. If ever was a silent plea for help, that certainly qualified. But again, it was a plea that would have to remain unanswered while Wes was here.