Author’s Note: Okay so hello! This is my first piece of writing, so I guess you could say I’m fairly new to this whole writing thing. I’ll get used to it though, hopefully. I really hope you enjoy this. Comments and requests are appreciated!
Summary: You and Queen’s drummer Roger Taylor do not get along, and it’s unclear why until one night when the both of you are found stuck in a broken lift, alone together.
(This can be read as either BoRhap!Roger, or real Roger. It’s all completely up to you)
Warnings: Swearing, Mentions of Alcohol/ Intoxication, Smoking, Mild Self-Harm (?), Panic attacks, Break-Ups, Etc.
I would rate this fic T just because of the swearing and subject matter.
If you want to read the prequel, you can find it here
He was the one person you hated the most.
Why did you have to get stuck in a lift together now?
You had been Brian May's best friend since high school. After graduation, the both of you had unfortunately gone your separate ways.
You'd reconnected a handful of years after university, only to discover that Brian joined a band as a guitarist. The band, according to him, was "not half bad". That band was Smile, which later on became Queen.
You befriended the frontman, Freddie Mercury, faster than it took for you to introduce yourselves to one another. Not only did he enjoy your company, but your generosity when it came to willingly helping them set up, and pack up their sets when you attended their small pub gigs.
You did it so many times that it just became a norm for you to tag along with the band in order to be of assistance to them. That was also how you ended up becoming a "full-time roadie" for the band, as John Deacon liked to put it.
One of your most important jobs, according to Brian, was not just to manage their coordination and placement on stage, but to follow them around like a lost puppy, all day, everyday. Although the guitarist insisted your presence everywhere was beneficial to your work, as well as theirs, Freddie told you at a later date that Brian just really liked having you around again.
All of the boys liked having you around.
All except for him.
You could see him, Roger Taylor, the drummer of Queen, forcibly laugh, and shake his head from the corner of your eye; and before he opened his big mouth to start complaining like always, you raised your finger up.
"One word, Meddows, and I will strangle you."
"It was your fault, y/l/n!"
"How so?!"
"You pressed the buttons last!" What a weak argument. "I should have taken the fucking stairs like everyone else."
It was clear Freddie, Brian, and John took the stairs to narrowly avoid the arguing between you and the hot-headed blond. Even when there were others around, it was hard for the both of you not to bitch at one another.
You didn't even understand why you two chose to ride the lift down together. Neither of you ever complained about it, though... you had noticed, however, that it was becoming a rather common occurrence.
You assumed it was better to ride the lift with Roger, and suffer for a handful of seconds rather than having to endure a long, dreadful walk down the stairs with him, anyways.
You reached out, and tried the open door button, like you had moments before. It didn't do anything. You hit the button again. And again. And again.
"Don't expect shit to change, y/n! Jesus Christ--"
"Do you have any other bright ideas, Car-Fucker?" Your words were cold as you turned to stare down the blond who'd retreated to the back corner of the lift.
Roger's mouth twitched threateningly, and you turned back to the refusing doors. You huffed, and hit the call button before moving to sit at the very opposite of Roger in the lift.
He watched as you sat yourself on the floor, and cross your arms over your chest.
"Take a photo. It'll last longer."
He simply shook his head, leaning himself against the wall and staring at the yellow light in the ceiling.
"... Bitch."
"Dick."
And then there was silence.
Roger spent nearly ten minutes staring at either the wall in front of him or the ceiling light, and you picked at the dirt underneath your fingernails.
There was something very uncomfortable about the lift's silence. It was so odd to be in the same room as Roger and not be verbally attacking him the entire time, and vice versa.
Roger, after standing against the wall for about five minutes more, moved to the button panel next to the door. You opened your mouth, in preparation to ask him what he was doing, but when he began to mash the open door, and call button, and then kicking the steel doors as hard as he could afterwards, you knew very well not to piss him off.
You had never physically attacked one another, and today was not going to be the day that reality would change.
"What a load of fucking bullocks," Roger's voice shook, and his shoulders heavily rose and fell with his chest. He pounded his fist one more time against the door before pacing back to his original spot against the wall. You watched him sit on the floor, and after realizing you were watching him, he crossed his arms like you had before.
"Take a photo. It'll last longer."
The mock made you even more uncomfortable. Not because he quoted the bitchy line you used beforehand, no.
Something about him not only seemed irritated, but anxious... And it struck an unpleasant nerve in you.
You had never seen the Roger Taylor unnerved in your life... and you didn't like it.
Roger's gaze was now on his hands, which he'd resided to wringing in his lap. His right foot tapped rapidly on the lift's floor, as if he was getting more restless as time ticked by.
Soon enough, the drummer was back on his feet, pacing towards the button panel and pressing the call button over and over, like it was the only thing he knew how to do.
"... Rog--"
"Come on, open up!" Roger began to slap the lift's doors with the palm of his hand, his pleads strained with distress. Sooner than later, he tore himself away from the panel to sit back on the floor. His movements were quick, and only then could you see the panic in his glassy eyes.
That's when you realized it.
Roger was claustrophobic.
You could see him looking at the lift's walls as if they were way too close for his liking. His feet began to tap against the floor like before, and he swallowed thickly before squeezing his eyes shut.
"Open up," you could hear the blond whisper to no one in particular. He brought his legs up to his chest, and buried his face into his knees.
"Oh god, get me the fuck outta here."
Considering the situation, Roger must have really thought his song about his "love for cars" was strong enough to be on the B-side of Bohemian Rhapsody if he was willing to sit in a tight cupboard for hours until Freddie agreed to cooperate with his wishes.
But seeing Roger shake in his panic made you feel sick, and even though you felt unwillingly sympathetic towards him, you also felt like you were compelled to do something.
When Roger lifted his head up next, you were relocated, right next to him, your brows furrowed with-- as much as you hated to admit-- worry.
"Take some deep breaths. Can you do that for me, Roger?"
When he didn't answer, and his silent tears spilled over his waterlines, you sighed, and slowly reached out to rest your hand on his shaking shoulder.
"I'll breathe with you. Okay? Just breathe in..." you took a deep breath in through your nose, watching as Roger began to cooperate. As he did this, you rubbed his shoulder comfortingly.
"... And out."
You both exhaled through your mouths, although his came out shakily. You could feel the smallest of smiles on your lips, and you nodded your head in approval.
"Good. Do that a few more times, Rog."
Roger slowly drew in, and released some deep breaths, like you had asked. You found relief to see the distress physically cease from his being. A few minutes passed, and after Roger had calmed down, he rubbed at his eyes with the pads of his hands.
"... You gonna be good, Meddows?"
His gaze moved to your face, and his eyes narrowed as he stared into your own. He opened his mouth, and closed it. He did it a handful of times before frowning, and clenching his jaw.
"... Why are you being nice to me all of a sudden?"
His question wasn't meant to be condescending; even you knew that. Honestly, if you were Roger, you would have been asking the same question.
The tone in his voice was soft... which threw you off guard. You hadn't heard Roger speak in such a gentle manner towards you for... a very long time. You felt like you were talking to a different person entirely.
"I..."
Roger raised his eyebrow expectantly, and that made you hesitate even more. He was listening to you.
He never listened to you.
"I was..."
You stopped again.
You didn't know whether or not you wanted to tell him the truth. If you told him you felt sympathy for him, you feared it'd only inflate his already-large ego, and he wouldn't be grateful for your actions at all.
"... I could hear your mumbling as clear as day over there." You decided to go the harsher route.
"I wanted the noise to stop."
Roger's eyebrows lowered, and he opened his mouth as if to speak...
But no words came out.
You sighed again, and shifted to a kneeling position in order to pull yourself back up to your feet, but once you were halfway up, Roger suddenly grabbed your elbow, and gently pulled you back down to the floor.
You landed next to the drummer with a thud, and you stared quizzically at the hand cuffing your appendage.
Your eyes moved from Roger's now soft grip on your arm, to his face, your eyebrows lowering in confusion. Your stare was enough to ask the question you were thinking. 'What?'
"... What even went wrong between us, y/n?"
That was a question you were not expecting to hear.
"... Excuse me?"
"You heard me."
You pursed your lips, and looked back down at Roger's hand, which was still planted at your joint.
"I don't even know why you and I even started fighting," he confessed gently.
After a beat, as if he had been thinking about doing this beforehand, his fingers began to glide down the length of your forearm. Very slowly.
For the first time in your feud, you let Roger touch you. The contact, although minimal, brought an ironic sense of comfort to you.
"I just woke up one morning... and it was like we'd hated each other since birth..."
Roger watched himself trace mindless patterns slowly over the back of your hand once his fingertips reached it.
You would have been repulsed by his actions if he would have been doing this minutes beforehand; but now... you honestly didn't want him to stop.
"We hit it off the day we met... why did that have to change?"
You could hear your heart beating hard, and loud, and fast against your rib cage, which was an issue since Roger's voice was barely even a whisper.
The blood rush in your ears only grew more intense when Roger unexpectedly, yet slowly, curled his warm fingers around your own. Even if you wanted to pull away from Roger, you didn't think you had the strength to move.
"... You don't remember what happened... do you?"
You asked, just as quietly as he had. At the response, Roger's gaze moved up to meet yours, his face branded with confusion.
"I don't."
"You were shitfaced. No wonder you don't remember..."
You finally pulled your hand away from Roger's touch, and the fingers that were once keeping yours warm hovered in the air for a moment.
The blond eventually dropped his hand in his lap, pursing his lips, and silently waiting for you to continue your explanation. With a sigh, you continued.
"Remember Steven?" The name made the corner of Roger's mouth twitch unpleasantly.
"How could I forget him?" he said tightly.
Your stomach sank at Roger's tone, and you took a deep breath or two as a natural remedy for your mild nausea.
"... Why do you think you haven't seen him in, what, two years?"
Roger's cold gaze softened, and he parted his lips after putting two and two together.
"You two--"
"He left me," you finished. Roger ran his tongue over his teeth before hollowing out his cheeks in thought.
"... What's this have to do with me, though?"
"We were hanging out at that one pub you guys met me in. You were doing a gig that particular night, and I was helping you guys pack up." Roger tried his best to remember the night that ended your friendship.
The night that birthed your rivalry.
"The last time I remember you ever being nice to me, I went to get you a drink from the bar..." Roger's face twisted. He was clearly bothered that he couldn't remember much about that night.
"You got blackout drunk," you reminded the drummer with a tight-lipped smile. "... you offered to buy me one drink, but one turned into five, and God knows how many for you." Roger then smiled the slightest bit, rubbing his nose with the back of his hand. That did sound like him.
"And at some point in the night, I went out for a smoke... I think Brian called Steven to come and pick me up."
Roger's mouth twitched again, and he nodded his head slowly after his smile completely disappeared again.
"... alright."
"You stumbled out of the pub at some point. Sat down on the curb right next to me..." The entire night was coming back to you, almost as if it were a film you hadn't seen in years, but just the mention of a scene or two had you remembering every little detail about it. You could have recapped the whole night to Roger; everything that happened in blunt detail. In times like this, you were glad to have the gift among few that allowed you to easily remember things while under the influence.
And in times like this, you were a little disheartened that Roger was not one of those people.
"... You were getting a little clingy. Physically." You laughed a little, your eyes trained on the loose dirt on the lift's floor. You didn't want to see the look on Roger's face from then until the end of your recollection.
"Shocked me, really, seeing as you're very much a "hands off" kinda guy when it comes to romantic stuff. You had your arm around me, your head on my shoulder..." You took a deep breath, and cleared your throat awkwardly. Following this was a strained huff of laughter.
"... Then you kissed me."
It was hard to keep your eyes off Roger's face in that moment, especially since he didn't say anything in response. You hoped to God the blond believed you, and didn't think you were trying to make a joke out of this whole situation. But knowing Roger, if he had suspected this to be a joke, he would have called you out on it already.
"You actually cut me off during a conversation with it..." You frowned again, your fingers moving to clasp together in your lap. You shook your head, and huffed another sarcastic laugh.
"And I was with Steven at the time. I-- I knew it was wrong for that to happen... But I kissed you back."
Your fingers began to curl in at the memory, and you watched as your fingernails began to press harshly against the skin of the knuckles on your opposite hand.
"And Steven-- he fucking showed up at the worst of times! He showed up while we were sucking face, and I had to spend the rest of my night fighting with him!"
You hadn't noticed your calm tone had blossomed into a shout. Even when you shot up to your feet, bounded towards the steel doors to the lift, and kicked them as hard as you could, you couldn't tell how scary you'd become.
You listened to the sound of the door's assault ricochet through the elevator shaft, and you dropped your tense shoulders when nothing could be heard anymore.
Roger said nothing.
The people who may or may not have been outside the lift said nothing.
You said nothing.
... You said nothing for a very long time.
And when you did, your tone was miserable, and your voice was full of tears.
"I told h-him I l-loved him! I s-started to believe it l-less and less with every time I s-said it...!" You peered through your tears at Roger's disfigured reflection in the lift's door. Even though your back was to him, he still watched you as if you were facing him. You took a few deep breaths to relax yourself, and when you decided you'd spent enough time calming down, you spoke again, in a better-controlled tone.
"He ended things. He told me you could have me."
You frowned, crossing your heavy arms over your chest.
"... He said it like I was some kind of toy he was just tossing away."
You opened your mouth, but hesitated with your next words.
"... I couldn't help but blame you at first, for everything that happened." A pause.
"And then I blamed the both of us... I blamed us for a very long time."
You finally turned to look at Roger, who was staring at you with empty eyes. When he still didn't respond, you continued.
"Months after the separation... and my pointing of fingers... I knew I fucked up. You were my friend, and just because we kissed while we were drunk, our friendship was sacrificed to make me feel better about myself."
You swallowed thickly, your eyes surveying his to see if he was going to say anything yet.
Nothing.
"I realized it was me who tore us apart. And when I finally came to terms with myself, I thought it was too late, and you could never forgive me."
One of Roger's eyebrows slowly raised, and you shifted from one foot to the other.
"All this time I'd pretended to hate you because you hate me. I was too scared to ever apologize because I feared rejection..." You looked around the lift, and pinched your bottom lip between your teeth.
"... And here we are, now. You know what happened, and..." you rested your eyes on Roger one more time. "... I just want you to know that I forgive you. And... I'm so sorry, Roger."
The blond's eyes softened, and he shifted a little to sit up straighter against the wall.
"... C'mere," he finally spoke.
After a pause, you uncrossed your arms, and moved to sit next to Roger again. He gestured down to your hand with his eyes, and you raised it up, to which he took in his own grasp.
The physical affection shocked you, even if Roger had been doing this with you minutes prior. The touching was just so unlike him, even if he were doing this with someone he genuinely liked.
"... God, y/n I don't even know where to begin..."
"... Begin?" You questioned, to which Roger nodded his head.
"My Doll, I never hated you. The distancing was a charade. I've lied to myself every day for the last two years. I told myself I never cared about you, and I don't love you. I thought that was what you wanted. I kept it up. I never believed it; those lies. I never could. You're just too... special."
You watched with an open mouth and big round eyes as Roger raised your hand to his mouth and pressed a tender kiss to your knuckles. He then opened your hand and slowly kissed the tips of your fingers, his glossy blue eyes watching your face as his lips made contact with your skin.
"Roger..."
"My Doll, I have been in love with you since the moment I set eyes on you, and I never stopped."
Your heart pounded in your chest. You feared it was loud enough that Roger could hear it.
While his one hand held onto yours, his other hovered just above your waist. His eyes moved from his free hand to your eyes. You granted him permission to touch you with a small, single nod. At the signal, Roger's fingers gently settled onto your clothed skin, and he squeezed your hand.
"Steven made me so goddamn jealous, y/n. How much I wanted to be him when he'd pick you up after our gigs, holding the car door for you like you were a princess. How I desperately wanted an oversized rain jacket so during pouring days I could offer you space in my arms and warm you up until we got somewhere dry..."
As Roger continued on, your eyes began to tear up. At first you assumed all of Roger's wishes had you missing Steven; but your heart knew that was wrong.
You wanted these things to happen as much as Roger did.
"What I would give to dance with you under a streetlight in the middle of the night like a cliché film," Roger let go of your hand, and reached up to curl a piece of loose hair around your ear. "Or what I would give to taste your strawberry-flavoured lip gloss I can smell from a room away." While he mentioned your lips, Roger didn't shy away from admiring your slightly opened mouth.
He swallowed, and looked up to you, his eyelids falling ever so lightly as his hands found their way to your elbows, and the two of you found yourselves gravitating towards one another.
"Y/n..."
Your mouths were just inches from each other when the lift jolted, and it began to move down to the ground floor. You and Roger watched as the floor numbers became smaller and smaller, and you rose to your feet, offering a hand to Roger to help him up as well.
He held your hand for a moment or so after he properly got to his feet, and he looked down at you. You returned his gaze, and he opened his mouth to speak.
The lift's doors finally opened and a man in a maintenance outfit greeted you and Roger with a curt nod of his head and a twirl of his wrench. "Sorry 'bout that, kids. Lift's been actin' up lately. Thanks for bein' patient." He moved out of the way, and you and Roger left the building after thanking him.
The two of you stepped out into the pouring rain, and you cursed.
"After all that time, I forgot my helmet upstairs." You turned to make your way back into the studio, but Roger grabbed your hand. "Princess, you're not biking home in the rain. I'm taking you."
You didn't argue. Roger unzipped his jacket and stretched it to the side. "There's room in this jacket for the both of us."
You just grinned, and slipped into the area under his arm, and the both of you rushed to Roger's car while he did his very best to shield you from the elements.
He opened the car door for you, and made sure you were in fine before closing the door and climbing in on his side. He blew hot air into his hands and rubbed his palms together, glancing over to you.
You were looking out the window until you took notice of the vehicle's silence, and you turned to look at Roger, matching his toothy grin. You laughed and shook your head
"What?!"
"I'm just so glad to have you back in my life."
"I never left, Meddows," you teased.
"You know what I mean." You reached over and grasped his hand, giving it a squeeze as he started the car. Before putting the car into drive, he glanced at you. "I'm glad too, Roger."
The next little while was you directing Roger to your house as you listened to the music on the radio, Roger's thumb rubbing the back of your hand gently. You could tell he was enjoying your company, as did he with you.
Eventually, you told him which driveway to pull into, and Roger was almost reluctant to put his car into park. He didn't want to leave you just yet.
"Hey,"
You looked at him with a tilted head, and you kissed the back of his hand, something you weren't expecting to do this morning when you greeted him with your regular insults.
"I just miss this," he explained, gesturing between the both of you.
"I miss being near you, and touching you, and..." He stopped talking on his own, and he moved his eyes up to look into yours.
"... D'ja wanna go to dinner, y/n?"
Your face burned hot, but you never hesitated in nodding, trying your best to hold back a grin. Roger on the other hand, wasn't scared to show his teeth when he grinned. He smiled so much it looked like it hurt.
"Brilliant," he exclaimed with an exhale.
"How does Friday night sound? Seven o'clock. I'll take you to a really special place for a really special lady." He winked at you to which you laughed in reply.
"That sounds perfect, Roger."
He got out of the car, and opened your door in the pouring rain, offering you protection from the weather in his jacket again. After escorting you to the door, Roger watched as you unlocked your door. He shoved his hands in his pockets, and watched as you turned to look at him one last time.
"Friday?"
"Friday," you confirmed, leaning up, and kissing Roger's cheek. He rested his hand where you kissed him, and watched you leave with starstruck eyes, and a goofy smile on his lips. "Drive safe, Lover Boy."
You closed the door to your place, and you leaned against the wall in the main hall.
You were already impatient for seven o'clock Friday.
Author’s After-Notes: Let me know if you want a sequel. I’d be down to write some more
A/N: Been a long time coming. I know it’s been literally half a year. I’ve been working through stressful family things, prep for university in the coming fall, spending as much time as I can with my boyfriend before we go our separate ways for a few months, etc.
Stuff just got busy and I am SO sorry I haven’t addressed any of that. I know many of you want part two, and here it is. I don’t know if it’s as good as my other works on here, but the only way to find out is to post it, right?
But anyways, yes, this chapter is here, and it’s kinda a filler. there’ll be more plot development in the next chapter, and I promise, if this part does well, I will not hesitate to post a continuation.
Like I say in my other author’s notes, feedback, and any sort of note, whether it be a reblog, a like, or a comment, is greatly appreciated. it inspires me more to keep writing. So thank you!
Summary: Moving day is here, and you and Roger had the honour of meeting the neighbours across the street, the Garrisons.
(This can be read as Borhap!Roger or IRL Roger. Whatever mows your lawn)
WARNINGS: Swearing, mild sexual content (but NO smut), and zero knowledge of U-Haul History (I know they no longer exist in the UK, but I’m Canadian and I’m too lazy to do any research to make sure the timeline is matched)
Like the previous fic in this series, it’s rated a T for Mature Subject Matter
It was a bright, sunny morning in London (shocking, right?).
The day would have been hot, but the wind chill cooled down the city rather nicely.
Not only was this a wonderful day, but it was moving day.
Roger was pushing the last box of vinyl records into the trunk of his car. He shut the trunk, and huffed a sigh before running his fingers through his sweaty hair. He didn’t remember the last time he’d lifted so much.
He took a minute to catch his breath, two ladies roughly the same age as him, jogging past. He drank in their appearances before winking at one of them and retreating to the apartment in which he and you once resided.
He made his way down the hallway leading to your room, and although he was planning on going to the empty room that once was his own, he figured he could receive the same amount of nostalgia when looking at your now vacant bedroom.
Roger found it so strange– The bare walls and stripped mattress. The empty closet and the unoccupied corners of the room.
“Weird, eh?” Roger asked you, who was simply packing away the last of the books on your shelf. You turned to him, and he leaned against the threshold of your bedroom door, arms crossed over his chest.
You shrugged your shoulders, glancing down at the floor and scratching the back of your head.
“Just a little, yeah.”
Roger playfully pouted at you, shoving his hands into his jean pockets as he entered the bedroom.
He looked around silently, and you went back to shoving your final books into its box before closing it up and labelling the cardboard.
“I’m gonna miss this place,” you said, frowning at the realization that you’d already slept, ate, showered, cleaned, and cooked for the last time in this apartment.
Roger took immediate notice of your upset tone. “Don’t get all melancholic on me now, y/n,” Roger teased, taking a seat right next to the box you just packed.
“But won’t you?/"
"Miss this place? Of course.” Roger smiled a little. “And Brian will miss us."
”Oh yeah. He’ll definitely miss my awful singing in the shower every morning, and your extremely loud noises when you bring a girl over to bed.“
He just shrugged. "What can I say? I’m not about to fake being unsatisfied, especially when I’m trying to get a girl off."
You shuddered. "I don’t wanna hear about your sex life, Roger."
He laughed loudly, rising to his feet and picking up the box of books on your mattress. "Then I don’t wanna hear you complaining about how loud I am in bed."
"You’re making it sound like we fuck,” you crossed your arms accusingly, your face twisting sourly.
“Might as well be. We’re basically a couple.” He turned on his heel and left the room, but not before he sent a teasing wink your way.
You simply shook your head, mumbling “gross” under your breath jokingly and moving to the bathroom to retrieve your remaining possessions in the medicine cabinet.
_____________________________
“Are you sure you don’t need my help, guys? Christine isn’t going to get here for another few hours."
"I think we’re all good, Bri,” Roger assured the tall guitarist, giving him a kind slap on the back.
“But if we do, we’ll give you a ring,” you added, to which Roger smiled. He liked that about you. You were so humble, but weren’t afraid at all to ask for assistance. It was an admiring trait of yours.
“Will do,” Brian confirmed with a grin and a simple nod of his head. You and Roger returned the nod, and walked to the car.
After climbing in, and giving one last look at the apartment building the both you and Roger once called home, he drove you both off to your new humble abode.
____________________________
“We can just put it here,” Roger directed as the both of you lowered the piece of furniture on the floor. When it was set where the both of you wanted it, you plopped down in the chair on the other side of the living room, sighing loudly.
“It was real nice of Christine to give us some of her furniture,” you commented, watching as Roger collapsed on the sofa in exhaustion.
“Well she’s got all Bri’s stuff now, right?"
The question sounded more like a statement, and Roger wasn’t surprised when you didn’t respond.
”… d'ya know what’s left to bring in from the U-Haul?“
"The mattresses and all the boxes from the car, I believe."
Roger groaned, and got to his feet, much to his dismay. "Then we can rest,” he exclaimed with a sigh. You just smiled at the idea, pushed off from your place on the chair, and followed Roger out.
He walked straight towards the moving truck and into the back, where one more box hid with the mattresses, which were now the only things occupying the truck. You, on the other hand, stood at the steps of the condominium, your eyes wandering around the complex.
Roger, who was just about to pass you with the final box in his hand, bumped your hip playfully with his own before slipping away into the building. You turned to where he was a moment ago, smiling to yourself at the idea of just how childish Roger could be.
Your eyes shifted to the right a little, and you caught the gaze of a man and woman who appeared to have been in their early to mid sixties, across the complex’s main stretch of road. You smiled, and waved at the couple, something you’d expect them to return.
What you didn’t prepare for was when they waved back, and began approaching you to properly greet themselves.
Your eyes widened and you began to internally panic. Roger was just exiting the front door, and you extended your wrist out, grabbing his arm tightly and pulling him back before he could go any further.
You turned to face him, your expressions hidden from everyone but him. “Neighbours’ coming,” you warned in a hushed tone, your eyebrows bent in worry, and your bottom lip rolling between your teeth anxiously.
“Hey, hey, nothin’ to worry about. I’m here. All you need to do is hold my hand, yeah? I can do all the talking."
You let go of his arm after a moment, and he slowly curled his fingers around yours. He took a deep breath, as did you, before putting on bright smiles, and turning towards the neighbours, who just appeared from in behind the truck.
"Hi! You two must be the new couple. Welcome to the complex! I’m Anna Garrison, and this is my husband, Charles."
You and Roger branded the friendliest smiles you both could muster. You watched as Roger let go of you to reach out and shake the couple’s hands.
"I’m Roger Taylor,” he introduced, glancing down and snaking an arm warmly around your waist.
“… and this is my beautiful girlfriend, y/n.” You tried to ignore what Roger said despite feeling your face grow hot. You reached out and politely shook the Garrisons’ hands as well, keeping the smile plastered on your mouth no matter how much it ached.
“I remember when we were that young and in love,” Charles mused in a soft tone. Conversations like this, Roger knew, you wanted to avoid at all costs, and he did as well. He was just… really good at lying.
Although the Garrisons looked nice, there was something about them that made them seem rather nosey.
And your suspicions were proven true when you watched Anna’s gaze fall on your bare wedding finger despite just hearing Roger and you were only “boyfriend and girlfriend”.
“So… do you two plan on marrying soon? You may be young, but time does pass."
You knew you should have remained quiet, but you began to panic, and you let out a laugh. "Yeah. We… we kinda talk about it. Not much."
"We wanna settle in first,” Roger offered, knowing if he didn’t start talking soon, you would have said too much.
You wondered how Roger could do that so easily: pretend, yet be so believable. You wondered if he simply tossed extra words in without thought. Like adding “girl” before “friend”, something he’d called you since you met.
You wondered if he found it awkward to hold your hand, or have you so physically close to him. Then again, you two never exactly had/ personal space.
You knew he had a method of doing this, but you couldn’t quite place exactly what he was doing, or how he did it so naturally.
“Well, it’s gonna be nice, having another couple to have over for dinner."
You could feel your throat swelling. If you made a list on everything you wanted to avoid doing with these neighbours in this complex that you were gonna end up having to do, a quarter of the list would have probably already been crossed off.
"That sounds lovely,” Roger nodded politely, silently wishing himself that the day never had to come, for your sake.
But it seemed Charles and Anna thought differently, and when the married couple made eye contact with one another, you and Roger just knew this invitation was not going to be forgotten about.
“Why don’t you two come tonight?” Charles asked, to which his wife nodded in agreement.
“Don’t worry about having to cook after a long day of moving in. I’m making a lovely casserole, and we can send you home with leftovers. There’s always too much for Charlie and I to eat anyways, with our kids having moved out and away long ago."
Roger opened his mouth to politely decline the offer, but like a few moments before, you panicked and spoke again. "That sounds great, actually!"
The blond looked down at you, and you could see in your peripheral that Roger seemed lost, though the Garrisons didn’t even notice.
"Perfect! We’re right across the road. I suspect it will be done near six-thirty. Gives you two some time to yourselves after everything is moved in."
"We’ll see you around six then?” Charles asked Roger, his old grey eyes wide and expecting.
“Six it is,” Roger agreed, matching smiles with the older gentleman.
“Six it is,” Anna repeated before linking arms with her husband, bidding farewell, and returning to their condominium.
As soon as they closed the door, you tightly grabbed Roger’s wrist, and stepped inside your new home. When the door shut, you let out a long groan, bending your knees and squatting, your face in your hands.
“I thought this is what you wanted to avoid!"
"I know, I know, and I panicked and I fucked up and now we have to have dinner with them,” you whined helplessly. “You’ve known me for years, you know I do this all the time!"
Roger, whose knees were bent, palms flat against his thighs as he thought, took a deep breath, and regained a neutral posture.
"You know what,” he raised his hands in a calming sort of gesture.
“It’s not as bad as you think."
"What do you mean "it’s not as bad as you think”?!“ You were horrified with Roger’s words.
"We do this once, and we never have to go back!” You raised your head from its once defeated position in your hands, but you could see Roger’s reasoning.
"Oh my God…"
"I know! Then we’re home-free!” He explained with a grin, his arms wide open.
You leaned backwards, falling on your ass and leaning your head up against the wall in relief.
“Oh God. We just gotta get through tonight.” You opened your heavy eyelids and smiled up at Roger. “We’ll be fine."
"Yes we will. Now, c'mon, Love. Let’s get those mattresses in here before someone takes notice we have different beds."
And that’s exactly what you did.
And after the car was all unpacked, you and Roger took a well-deserved nap together on the couch.
_____________________________
A/A/N: Thank you all for your patience. Happy reading!
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A/N: Surprise! I’m briefly back from a year-long Hiatus and I have one chapter for TCND, one for ATU AND a George Harrison one-shot I’m just gonna drop and then probably disappear again for another few months. I’m also finding it even more difficult to write for Roger seeing as I’ve kinda been listening to nothing but The Beatles for the last fifteen months and I really only hear Queen at work, so that’s gotta change. But I am very sorry about the LONG wait. I really do appreciate you guys, and I think you’ve all waited quite long enough to find out what happens next...
Summary: Roger and Y/N spend the morning taking care of Bobby; they talk a little more about the future and come to the conclusion they both want the same thing.
(Let your imagination run free, bc this can be either Canon or Borhap!Roger)
WARNINGS: Swearing is probably a given at this point, self-doubt, mentions/ suggestions of sex (advise you to avoid if you’re under 18), and I usually revise when I’m stoned so there’s probably some typos in here too, sorry.
Rated T for Teen-- (I feel like a video game rating smh)
Bobby was crying again.
Granted, it was about seven in the morning, and he did sleep for the rest of the night.
Roger was the last of the both of you to wake up; not because of the crying-- he didn't even hear the crying-- but he was wrapped up in the blankets with you, and you were trying to remove yourself from his grasp.
"Don't leave," Roger grumbled as he pulled you tightly against his chest, eyes remaining closed as you whispered back to him.
"But I have to go. Baby's cryin'."
Roger loosened his grip on you, much to his dismay, and you slipped from his embrace, leaving him cold, and alone.
"Come back, Baby..." He really hoped his gravelly plea would entice you to return from the nursery after tending to Bobby, and although you were probably against having sex in your friends' bed, he figured there was no harm in testing the waters.
"That's not how that works when you have a baby, Rog. The day starts now."
Roger groaned in protest, but as he rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands, he revealed to himself that you were no longer in the room, and the baby's cries settled when he heard your voice float down the hall from the nursery room.
Roger, as much as he didn't want to, tossed the comforter off of his body, and after rising to his feet and combing his fingers through his hair, he shuffled out of the bedroom and made a beeline to the stairs.
He was glad he was familiar with John's kitchen; because he was certain you had no idea where anything was, meaning he would be the one preparing breakfast that morning, and the one following it, most likely.
Fuck it, he would (try to) cook you up seven different meals a day if you asked him.
Anything for you.
He put the kettle on, and moved to the pantry in search for John's teabags, yawning lightly as he pulled the door open.
Nothing in the pantry really stuck out to him as being a good breakfast that morning, so Roger ended up migrating to the fridge after retrieving the tea, where his eyes fell on the carton of eggs on the bottom shelf.
He settled on making French Toast for breakfast seeing as he, according to you, made the best French Toast in England.
So he got to work whipping up some eggs and pulling four slices of bread from the bread box on the counter-- but not before he got one of Bobby's bottles out for you, warmed it, and placed it on the kitchen table.
Roger was frying the French Toast in no time, and he hummed gently as he busied himself with focusing on the now whistling kettle, and when the right time to flip the toast would be.
"... I thought you were still in bed," your words were sudden, and it made Roger jump a little. But when he realized it was only you, Bobby in your arms, his mouth contorted into a dopey smile.
"Nah," Roger turned the pan's burner down a little, and after he flipped the French Toast, he set his spatula on the counter, turning to face you.
"I was gonna let you sleep in, since you were so reluctant on waking up," you explained with a yawn. "But here you are awake, and making breakfast before me."
"Well it wouldn't be fair then, would it? Me sleeping in while you've all this work to do?"
"I don't know, would it?"
"I really don't think so, Dove."
He felt pride swell in his chest when pink dusted your cheeks at the sound of your new nickname, and he took this chance to swoon you further by pulling you in gently by the elbows, and he enveloped both you and Bobby in his embrace.
"Beautiful..." Roger's voice was barely a whisper as he touched his lips to your jawline, and you responded with a soft exhale.
"Even when you've just woken up," Roger mumbled against the skin of your neck, lips curling into a smile, "you are the prettiest goddamned thing I've ever laid eyes on."
"Mmm, down, boy," you purred back jokingly, taking a small step back. "Baby still needs to eat."
"Well yours is coming right up," he teased, "and Bobby's is already at the table." Roger pointed to the bottle on the other side of the room before tapping your rear. "Take a seat, and I'll bring your food over."
You didn't have to be told twice. You took a seat at the table, and although Bobby was growing a little agitated, it was short lived when you put the bottle of milk in his possession.
Roger, not five minutes after you sat down, joined you at the table with your French Toast and your mug of tea, made just the way you liked it, of course.
"'S the right tea, yeah?"
You took a quick look at the label hanging from the mug.
"Yep." Your eyes squinted after letting the label fall where the string tied to it would let it. "Y'know, you've been making my tea right for months, you don't have to check to make sure you're right."
"You know I'm always gonna make sure it's to your liking."
"And I love you for it."
"Hopefully for other things too. I'm not just good at being your barista."
"Oh, don't you worry. I'm not overlooking your other good traits," you smiled as you brought your mug to your lips and having the first sip of tea of the day.
As Roger sat down next to you with his own plate of food and mug of tea, he decided to wait on Bobby to finish so he could eat with you.
So, naturally, he took the time to evaluate again what kind of situation he was in.
There was nothing like watching you care for Bobby. Roger had known you for years, and not once in his life did he ever think he would be sitting next to you at breakfast while feeding a baby, whether or not the child was his own, or yours.
The whole scene looked too good to be true, though like the previous night, Roger just drank in the sight of you putting all your love and care into a child at breakfast with him.
How did you think you weren't cut out for being a mother?
This was in your nature.
The domesticity of the situation made Roger a little emotional. This was the closest he'd ever gotten to experiencing a breakfast with a family he'd built, and he spent every passing second filling his mind and heart with the beautiful sight before him.
"Y/n, you would make a wonderful mother." Roger's words left his mouth faster than his brain could register what he'd said.
You looked to Roger from Bobby, cheeks and tips of your ears darkening, and Roger was talking again before he could realize it and catch himself.
"Any man would be so damn lucky to have you. I honestly can't believe you stick around me still."
Your face was feeling real hot, now. Roger's head was still lagging behind his words, and clearly, he wasn't done talking.
"You could be out building a beautiful family right now, but instead you're babysitting with your best friend who you also occasionally sleep with. I just... I don't understand."
It took you a second to respond, but Roger didn't blame you. Honestly, he didn't even know what he would have said if he were asked the same question.
"... Well, I love you, Roger."
Your words were simple, and Roger knew your statement was nothing but platonic, but that didn't stop his heart from pounding against his ribcage.
You'd said those exact three words to him minutes earlier, but the context of the conversations contrasted their meanings.
"But we promised each other at the beginning of all of this that we'd be fine giving up pursuing family life if that means living with one another..."
"... You sound unsure, now."
The atmosphere felt heavy, and it was almost as if Bobby had known making noise wasn't in his best interest. He decided to finish eating at the right time.
"... It's not that I'm unsure. It's just..."
Roger waited patiently for you to answer, but you had noticed Bobby finished his milk, and you took the bottle from him.
You burped him, and placed a pacifier you pulled from your pocket in Bobby's mouth. You must have gotten it from upstairs before you came down.
"Let me," Roger offered his arms out for the baby, and you let him take Bobby. You'd stood up and moved to the sink to wash the bottle.
Meanwhile, Roger, who'd also gotten to his feet, was slowly walking around the kitchen. He was praising Bobby for finishing all his breakfast, insisting he was so proud of him, his smile wide and gaze adoring as he evaluated the child in his arms.
"It's just that. There. The way you're behaving with him," you turn to face Roger, finger pointed at him. "The way you're treating him as your own."
Roger's mouth opened and closed a few times, but after shutting his jaw for the third time, he decided the best thing to do in this situation would be to keep quiet.
"You'd make the most wonderful father, Roger. The way you behave with Bobby, god, the way you behaved with Raymond the other day," you sounded frustrated, and all Roger could do was watch you pace the kitchen, his sheepish face now a deep red.
"It's just that I would want the father of my kids to be just like you. I wouldn't settle for anything less."
Roger opened his mouth again to speak. He felt like his chest was on fire. Your thoughts were becoming painstakingly parallel to his, Roger had noticed. He couldn't get any words out before you started speaking again.
"Like you said last night, this job is giving us a chance to experience what it'd be like to have a family... and maybe I'm upset I did throw the chance to have all of that away."
You looked like you were on the verge of tears, and all Roger could do was watch you and listen to what you had to say.
"Roger, I hope you know you will always have a special place in my heart. You're my family, you have been for the last five years of my life, and there's no doubt about it. But being able to have a child..."
Your hands ghosted over the robe's fabric covering your definitely unpregnant belly. "... I think I want to have children."
"... Y/n I hope you know I feel exactly the same way."
And then everything was clear.
Roger understood where his band was coming from.
Getting married to you would solve all your problems.
He knew what the both of you were thinking in this new moment of silence, but there was absolutely no way Roger was going to fall to one knee and propose to you right now when he wasn't even romantically involved with you.
And he just felt it would be very inappropriate if he took this moment to spontaneously ask you on a romantic date with the intentions of courting you.
"Listen, Y/n," Roger finally built up enough courage to break the silence. Bobby cut him off with a short cry, and Roger immediately started swaying the baby in his arms. Sure enough, Bobby's agitation ceased, and Roger could continue, keeping the movement going.
"Just because we're living together without families now doesn't mean we won't be able to have families, say, five to ten years down the road."
At this point, although it was necessary, Roger didn't really want to mention the discomfort he felt when imagining you falling for someone who wasn't him.
Your eyes were big and sad, lip pouted as you considered Roger's words. "... are you sure?"
The idea of you and him having to move out of the condo Roger risked the both of your love lives for didn't sit well with him.
You'd be gone making sweet love to some lucky asshole who probably didn't deserve to be in your presence, while Roger goes on a bender, gets ahold of some weed and coke, and sleeps with enough girls to distract him from realizing he'd thrown the best thing in his life away-- you.
He didn't want you to think he thought you were selfish. The last thing he needed right now was to feel guilty for making you feel guilty.
So he just nodded. "No house isn't forever anyways." When you didn't respond to his little joke, he sighed.
"Y/n, we're still so young. You don't have to commit yourself to anything like that just yet. Enjoy being able to go out drinking with me every weekend, and sleeping in on our days off. Your chance to start a family will come when the time is right."
You let out a shaky breath. Roger was actually a little surprised with how well you were keeping yourself together.
But his actions put the both of you here, and to see that this conversation nearly reduced you to tears had Roger drowning in guilt, even without the help of mentioning any of his inner conflict to you.
"I just hope you're right." Your voice was broken and your fingers were tangled stressfully in your hair.
"Hey," Roger's voice had gone soft again, his rocking slowing to a halt, and you looked up to find him with an open arm, awaiting your touch.
You slowly unravelled your fingers from your hair, and you gave into the hug not moments later. Roger pulled you to his chest tightly, his free arm occupied by the baby.
"Y'know... I made you French Toast to start the day off good." When you didn't say anything in response, Roger pulled away from you just enough to look you in the face.
He was giving you that same look he did at the Garrison's again; that unreadable gaze he'd achieved with those big blue eyes that seemingly bored holes into your very soul.
His free hand slipped up from your back to your neck, and he leaned in to just touch his lips to the corner of your mouth.
So close, yet so far away.
It wasn't before long that he pulled away from you, but Roger just couldn't keep his eyes off you.
"You come sit down and enjoy your French Toast, Dove. I've got Bobby."
"But--"
"Please?"
Roger knew he'd convinced you as soon as he said that magic word. Though you took a moment to look from the bundle in his arms to the breakfast you really were dying to dig into, you eventually sighed out a gentle "thank you," before taking your seat again at the table.
He came around and kissed the top of your head. "Enjoy, Honey." Roger took a seat next to you, Bobby still in his one arm, and the both of you ate your French Toast in relative silence for the first few seconds.
"... God, you really do make good French Toast, Blondie." Roger was smiling now. At least you were talking again.
"I only improved my cooking skills for you, y'know," he admitted with a mouthful of his food, though he didn't sound ashamed of it.
"And thank God for that. Cooking every other night sure beats cooking every night."
"You can say that again," Roger mumbled before shoving the last of his breakfast into his mouth. You still slowly ate away at your meal, and Roger was making funny faces at Bobby in between taking sips of his tea.
The telephone in the living room started ringing, and you stood up to go get it, but Roger immediately dropped his fork and grabbed your wrist.
"Nuh-uh. I just finished eating. You still have a little bit to go. Take Bobby and I'll get it." You scooped the baby up without another word, smiling when he opened his eyes.
"Can you at least bring back his rattle from his play pen?"
"Can do, Princess," he called over his shoulder as he approached the phone.
"H'lo?"
"Roger?"
"Oh, hey, John!" Roger tucked the phone's handset under his chin, carrying the telephone in his left hand so he could get Bobby's rattle.
"Isn't it a little early to be up?" Roger glanced at the clock, which read that it was quarter after seven.
"Biological clocks. Just wanting to checking in. Is Bobby okay? Has he been any trouble?"
"No, of course not! He's doing fine, John." Roger tucked the rattle in his back pocket when he found it, and returned to the writing desk where the phone was meant to stay.
That was something he loved about you. You always bought him pyjamas with pockets. The concept was cool, and being able to use them was even cooler.
"Y/n's got him in the kitchen right now," he explained, taking the handset again with his now free hand. "We're all just finishing up breakfast, actually."
"Oh good. How is she?" John paused for a second, his voice dropping a little lower. "... How are you guys?"
Roger made sure his voice was a little quiet, as well. "John, this may have been your guys' best idea ever. I don't know why I was against this in the beginning."
"Really?! What's happened already?!" John, everyone would have guessed to be one to avoid certain kinds of gossip, though when it came to Roger's business with you, he liked checking up on that.
"I told her about all that family stuff."
"And?"
"And, well..." Roger set the phone back onto the desk and scratched the back of his neck. "... She may or may not be having the same problem," he mumbled.
"So... so you both want a family?" John tried clarifying.
"Yes."
"Then why are you two not together?!" Roger slipped away around the corner into the main hall with just the receiver so he was a little further away from the kitchen. He didn't want you hearing their conversation, or John through the receiver.
"Well I'm not asking her here!"
"Then where? And when?"
Roger knew John was just getting excited, and his questions honestly had Roger brainstorming every possibility when it came to asking you.
"... I don't know, yet," Roger said after a while of thinking. "But soon. God, it needs to be soon." He didn't quite know why he was pressuring himself to ask you sooner than later.
Maybe it was because he was scared someone much better and more deserving of you (or alternatively, a selfish prick) was going to waltz in and steal you from him just before he had you for sure.
"Do you need any help with that part? I can get Fred and Bri--"
"No no no, it's okay, John." Roger leaned up against the wall of the hallway, fingers tapping the handset absentmindedly with his eyes squeezed shut for a moment.
"You guys have already done enough, really. I... I think I'm good on my own from here."
"Well, I'm glad," John expressed to Roger. "It's not every day you need to help Roger Taylor get with a girl, y'know."
"This is different, and you know it."
"I just like to tease," John defended, and Roger could even hear a smile evident in his words.
"Anyways, Veronica and I will be home tomorrow around noon. Y/n's got our number. You two take care."
"Of course, you too," Roger was making his way back to the writing desk.
"Thanks. Oh, and Roger?" John added quickly.
"Hm?"
"If you two end up doing anything, for God's sake, please wash the sheets."
As John was speaking, you'd walked into the living room with Bobby in your arms. "We're gonna go and have some play time, now! Yes we are!"
Roger was too panicked by your presence to even realize you weren't paying any attention to the phone call, and he hoped to God you didn't hear a single thing John had said. "Yeah-yes! Laundry. Will do."
He nodded his head once, though John couldn't see him, and after saying their good byes, Roger hung up the phone.
He turned to where you were in the living room. You were looking in the play pen for something, and Roger suddenly remembered the rattle in his back pocket.
He pulled it out hurriedly and held it out to you. "Shit! I'm so sorry about that--"
"Don't swear, Roger," you took the rattle, a smile on your lips you both knew you were trying to frown away. "There's a baby here."
"What? He doesn't know what that word means."
"Well, the more you keep saying it, the more of a chance he has at that being his first word, and I do not need the Deacon Family hunting us down for teaching their kid swears." You looked from Roger down to Bobby, shaking the rattle gently and grinning when Bobby squealed happily and reached out for the toy.
You took a seat on the couch, and played around with Bobby while Roger went back to the kitchen to do the dishes.
From 7:30 AM to about 2:30, all that really happened was play-time and lunch, something Roger prepared. You offered to do the dishes, but Roger wouldn't allow it. He just suggested you put Bobby up for his nap. He'd fallen asleep in your arms during play-time, like he did with Roger the night before.
The both of you thought it was crazy Bobby would just fall asleep rather than cry, but honestly, neither of you were complaining. Quiet baby for the win!
Roger just finished putting the last plate on the drying rack on the counter as he listened above for your footsteps leaving Bobby's room. He dried his hands off with the dishtowel hanging over his shoulder after turning off the faucet.
From behind, Roger felt a pair of arms slowly circle his body, and he smiled warmly at the feeling of you pressed against his back.
"He asleep?"
"Mhm."
Roger's smile only widened as you inched your palms up his chest. He turned in your arms and pressed his hands against your hips, inching you closer as he leaned back against the kitchen sink.
"Well, what do we do, now?" Roger asked. He sounded like he was up to no good. With the sultry look in his eyes and the way the smile on his lips looked like he was repressing a naughty suggestion, he knew you knew he already had something on his mind.
"Well, I mean," your hands slipped up into Roger's long hair, fingers tangling themselves between the strands. "Anything, really."
You knew what game Roger was playing, and you loved how cute he was, thinking he was going to have you on your knees for him.
His eyes shamelessly raked over the top half of your body, and he squeezed his hands, still at your hips.
"What'll you be doing with your free time, Roger?" You took one more step closer to him, and he pulled you the rest of the way to him so your groin was flush with his.
"I'm looking right at her."
He was already strained against his jeans, and you just offered a smile, fingers tightening their grip in Roger's hair.
"Mmm... I kinda like the sound of that," you admitted lowly, half of a smile on your lips. You shifted your hips from side to side, and Roger tried to pull you even closer.
You rolled your hips against Roger again, and the cheekiness in his face fell with a look of long-awaited relief, and his head dropped to your shoulder.
One of his hands moved up to grab you by the back of your neck, and when he lifted his head to look at you again, his second hand dragged upwards from your hip to squeeze your waist.
Roger lifted the hand by your neck, and combed your hair back with his fingers. His eyes fell onto yours for a brief moment, and you could have sworn there was something he tried to tell you there.
You just couldn't read him.
But he didn't care. He pulled you in close again, and his lips were on yours.
You'd kissed Roger before. Not in public, but definitely in the bedroom. And they weren't very scarce. Honestly, if Roger's lips weren't somewhere else on your body, they'd be on yours.
But why was this feeling different from all the other times he'd kissed you?
He was being a lot less forceful and needy than he usually was.
His grip wasn't tight on you, and it wasn't like he was crushing you against him as if indicating he needed more of you, now.
He was holding you rather, and the hand at your waist circled around to press against your lower back. The hand on your neck shifted a little forward so Roger could gently slide the pad of his thumb down the column of your throat.
The both of you were holding your breath, and Roger was the first to pull away. The both of you sucked in some air, and before you could even draw in a full breath, Roger's lips were on yours again.
He pushed towards you, guiding you backwards until your back was flat against the refrigerator. His warm hands grabbed for yours and he pinned them above your head by your wrists.
Okay. This, was something you were used to. But there was nothing that could have prepared you for when Roger's hands loosened their grip on your wrists, and he was lacing his fingers between your own.
Your hands felt very small in Roger's. How had he never noticed that before? What else had he neglected to realize about you?
In that moment, he felt you pull away to breathe, and he looked down at you worriedly, fingers frozen, yet still laced with yours.
"I- uh... I-I'm sorry--"
"No no, don't be. It's okay," your response was very rushed, but you didn't skip a word.
There was about a minute of silence, your hot breaths mingling in the space between your lips, though your gazes were locked with one another, and you couldn't look away.
"Did-uh... did you want me to... to stop?" His question was gentle, almost sincere-sounding, but he still made no effort to move from his place.
"No. God, no." And as soon as you'd answered, Roger closed the space between the both of you again, his fingers unwound from yours to grab you by the jaw, and you just held his waist, pushing your body as close to him as he would let you.
He shifted around a little, and moved his leg between yours. You could feel his mouth bend into a smirk against yours, and he began to apply pressure to the apex of your legs with his knee.
Before long, as much as you wanted to resist it, you fell to Roger's submission, and as you waited for him to grab your waist and put you wherever, he hesitated for a second, and dropped his hands from yours.
You opened your eyes again to find Roger, face red, and staring at your chest. Not in an ogling way, but more of a method to avoid looking you in the eye.
He could tell you were looking at him, and he shifted his gaze to you. He itched at his hands awkwardly, mouth opening and closing as he tried to explain himself.
You just waited. You gave him time to think, and he had an answer for you sooner than either of you would have thought.
"I just... I wanna try something else. I don’t want to control you like I do every night."
It wasn't much of an explanation, but a good beginning to a demonstration.
"Will you come to bed with me, Y/n?" His offer was gentle, yet confident, despite offering a hand out hesitantly.
When you dropped your hand into his, all of the tension in Roger's being relaxed, and he quietly led you up the stairs, past the nursery, and into John and Veronica's room.
Before you could say anything he gently explained that he'd do laundry later, and then he pulled you in for another kiss he'd been waiting to give you since the last one.
Roger pulled you closer to him, hands cupping your face as his lips began to desperately chase after yours. You kissed Roger back with just as much vigor, but then he slowed the movements of his mouth, and guided you backwards until the back of your legs hit the edge of the bed.
Roger helped lower you down onto the bed, and he leaned over you, dipping down to kiss your lips again. He knelt between your legs, and pulled them up around his waist so he could lean in even closer.
You felt his hands squeeze your hips, and he pulled at your bottom lip with his teeth. You hummed lowly, your eyelashes kissing your cheeks as Roger pulled away ever so slightly-- just enough to pull his shirt off of him, and close the distance between your bodies again.
You tangled your hands into his hair, and he hummed in approval before pulling back just once more.
"I'm sure that's hardly fair..."
"What?"
"This," Roger tugged gently at the hem of your shirt.
"Why's yours still on?"
"... I never said it had to be."
Roger exhaled, and slowly pulled your shirt up over your head after you raised your arms to help him out a little.
He placed the palm of his hand over the smooth skin of your belly as he stared at your bare torso. And before long, he dipping down to kiss you again.
You reciprocated his actions, wrapping your arms around his neck and tightening your legs around his hips, to which he rocked himself against your core, and then---
Bam!
The headboard hit the wall, and Bobby woke up.
"Nooo..." you squeezed your eyes shut as the baby's cries began to reverberate down the hallway.
"Fuck!" Roger groaned, eyebrows knitted together helplessly as he climbed off of you. You both knew it was Roger who technically woke the baby up, and it was just silently agreed on that he went to put him back down.
"Dammit to hell, those separated headboards."
Roger opened the nursery door, and made his way to the crib in the corner of the room. Bobby's cheeks were wet with tears, and Roger's heart sank. "'M sorry, little guy. C'mere. Come see uncle Roger."
He picked the baby up and rocked him back and forth, though it wasn't exactly doing much, so Roger took a seat in the rocking chair on the opposite side of the room, swaying the both of them with a push of his feet.
Bobby's cries settled, and Roger felt proud of himself. Sure, he wanted to get back to what he was doing before, but instead he took his time in making sure Bobby was comfortable and not in need of anything before he drifted off to sleep again.
Bobby played around with Roger's fingers a few moments after his agitation ceased, and he couldn't believe how large his hands were in comparison to Bobby's. He was once that size.
A little while later Roger set Bobby down in his crib, and the infant was out. The drummer smiled at his accomplishment. He didn't even need your help.
With that, he left the room without a sound.
He stepped into John and Veronica's room, and closed the door quietly behind him. He was in the middle of turning on his heel when he stopped dead in his tracks.
You'd taken some of the pillows off the bed and wedged them between the wall and the headboard to keep the bed from making noise.
You were also splayed out on the bed in a lot less clothing than he remembered you in when he left.
With a teasing beckon from your finger, Roger knew three things were for certain.
1. You were the smartest woman he knew.
2. You were the most gorgeous woman he'd ever laid eyes on.
3. He, the Roger Taylor, had fallen madly, and helplessly in love with you.
-------------------------------------
A/A/N: Again, you’ve all been waiting long enough for the next chapter, so here you are. i hope you all enjoy, and if my response is great with this one, I’ll see if I can spit out another one soon <3
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Ok, so I was reading this news story:
So far so normal, right? But then:
Like what. And then:
Like, I think Alaska State Trooper Ken Marsh wants to be a romance novelist.
your fic, this boy, is so good!! could you do a part 2 with smut?
I may or may not have been talking to someone LITERALLY 5 seconds ago regarding the prospect of this. That's one hell of a coincidence! I have a few more works on the go that need to be published first, but it is very likely we will get an NSFW part 2 👀
This incredible piece of art has become an in joke in my family its so hysterical i cant get over the sheer talent funky moves and angelic singing that one man can display
Paul McCartney could never
How the fuck is that a drawing I thought it's a picture it's so fucking good!!! Keep up the good work!!!
I honestly can't thank you enough for your kind words! I'm so glad my work, specifically this one, is receiving the exposure I personally think it deserves!💕
https://gleeson-wars.tumblr.com/post/180501797558/i-just-remembered-i-have-a-tumblr-to-post-my-art
A/N: Okay, yes, I may or may not have written this in less than a day, and no, I’m not the happiest with it. Then again, I’m not exactly always happy with what I produce. As long as my works entertain others, that’s all that matters.
But anywho, I wrote this part of the series in 3rd person Omniscient for Roger because we need to know what’s going inside that tiny head of his.
Don’t forget to leave notes, show your support and interest in my pieces by sending in a reply. All support and feedback is greatly appreciated! :)
Summary: Roger and you spend dinner at the Garrisons, and Roger does some thinking.
(Again, Borhap! or Canon! Rog, whatever tickles your peaches)
WARNINGS: Swearing, slow burn, mentions of sex (nO sMuT), mentions of drugs, alcohol, overthinking(?) idk this part made me a tiny bit sad)
I’m rating this a T, but the subject matter is a little heavier than my previous parts of this fic. I would advise you to proceed with caution.
Roger stepped out of the shower, staring at his muted reflection in the foggy mirror before reaching for a towel. He took his time towel-drying his hair, and by the time he’d dried himself completely off, the steam in the bathroom dissipated just enough for him to be able to make out his facial features in that same mirror.
At this point he reached for the blow dryer on the right side of the counter. After fully removing the vapour off the mirror with it, he used it to completely dry his hair.
His fingers ran through his blond strands carefully as he tried to make sure he didn’t leave anything wet.
As much as Roger liked his hair, he’d rather have some girl pulling on it than him.
But that was besides the point.
Roger set down the blow dryer after a while, and just stared at himself in the mirror, his hands on either side of the vanity.
What the fuck was he doing?
He decided to fake a relationship with you, (on a limb, I may add) for the benefits of having a nice place to live.
It sucked that his days of sleeping around were coming to an end, though he didn’t exactly mind it.
In a way, Roger loved you. But it was like… a weird love. Almost like a “you-are-my-best-friend-and-I-would-die-for-you-but-if-you-totally-wanted-to-kiss-me-I-wouldn’t-think-twice-about-reciprocating” kind of love.
He’d felt like this towards you since high school, but you were with someone, and he forced his feelings down by sleeping with so many women he probably couldn’t remember any of their names if he tried.
Eventually, with all the drugs and alcohol he consumed, and all the skirts he’d been under for the last five years, that other, almost forbidden feeling towards you, was gone.
Well… Until now.
"Rog, you good in there?“ You called through the bathroom door. The sound of your voice almost had his heart jump up into his throat. He circled a towel around his waist, and opened the door.
You looked him up and down, and Roger could swear he saw your cheeks glow. "Damn, you’re looking good, Rogie."
He choked out a strained laugh, averting his eyes to the small droplets of water on his feet. "Wel-uh.. th-thanks, um… y/n."
You rolled your eyes, a dopey smile on your face. "And you thought I took those compliments seriously.” You squeezed past a nearly heartbroken Roger in the threshold of the door, and you reached into the medicine cabinet for your toothbrush.
“All I need to do after this is put on my lipstick, and you’re not even dressed! We’re supposed to be over there in five minutes!"
This had Roger disappearing immediately into the second guest room on the left, the one you decided would be his room after he forfeited the master bedroom over to you.
You just shook your head before shoving your tooth brush into your mouth.
_______________________________
"Just… be calm."
"I am calm. You’re the one that’s not calm."
"Why would I tell you to be calm if I’m not?"
Roger was about to respond just before Anna opened the door. Roger and you immediately slapped painfully wide grins on your faces, and greeted the older woman with a soft hello as you stepped inside.
"Something smells good,” Roger complimented as he removed his jacket. "Thank you, Roger. It’s almost ready. I’d give it another fifteen minutes, and then we’ll dine.“
Roger nodded to Anna with a smile and turned towards you. He helped you take your jacket off, and you watched as he placed the coats on an empty hook on the wall.
He faced you again, and winked. He reached down and grabbed your hand, giving it a warm squeeze before you were both led further into the Garrison’s home.
Anna encouraged you both to take a seat on the sofa while she continued watching the food.
"Charlie kept an eye on the casserole while I grabbed the door. He’ll be out in just a minute, loves."
"Take your time,” you called to her as she made a beeline to the kitchen, leaving Roger and you alone.
Roger pursed his lips, twirling his thumbs in the sudden, and awkward silence. He took this time to examine the tidy, well-furnished home.
He began silently counting all of the framed photographs on the wall.
He came across one of Anna and Charles. It seemed to have been an older one compared to some of the others. They were in wedding attire, Roger guessed, from the thirties or forties, the newlyweds brandishing bright, and ecstatic grins.
He couldn’t help but smile back at the photograph.
He didn’t feel as if it were a necessity to get married, but he wished he would find pure elation being with you.
It didn’t matter if he could never properly marry you; if he discovered you were never in love with him in the first place… or even if things did turn out that way; he just saw you. No one else.
It had to be you.
Roger’s eyes flitted to the right when Charles returned from the kitchen.
"Sorry to keep you kids waiting,“ he said sincerely, sitting down in his living room chair.
” ’S no rush, Mr. Garrison,“ Roger assured him.
No one really decided to say anything after that. It was silent for a few second too long, and Charles laughed a little.
"Geez, are you guys uncomfortable? You both look tense. You’re good here. You can relax. Been a long day for you two–"
"Charlie?"
"Oop– Excuse me,"
Charles pardoned himself from your presence to see what his wife needed.
You sighed heavily, and Roger’s head began to spin.
How could this look more natural…?
”… hey um…“ Roger mumbled gently, successfully grabbing your attention, and you raised an eyebrow in confusion.
Roger licked his lips, his hand slowly lifting and moving to hover just over your knee. His eyes refused to look back into your own.
You caught sight of his hand in your peripherals, and after looking downwards, you glanced back up at Roger.
"Is uh… is it okay If I…?”
You simply nodded, and Roger sighed in relief, his hand lowering onto your leg. You shifted the smallest bit closer to him, and you smiled a little at how embarrassed he was to be touching you like he would with any other girl.
You placed your hand affectionately over top of his when he started rubbing circles on your pant leg with his thumb.
Your cheeks were a pretty shade of pink, and Roger’s were, too.
Charles returned from the kitchen just then. “She "lost her glasses”. They were right on her face and neither of us even noticed until she saw herself in the window!“
You and Roger laughed along with Charles in regards to his wife’s antics.
"But enough about her, I see her every day. Tell me more about you. How long have you had this one for, Roger?"
The drummer smiled at you, taking a moment to himself to search your entire face for an imperfection; maybe a loose eyebrow hair, some smeared makeup, lipstick on your teeth, or even an ugly zit he could make fun of you for later. But there was nothing wrong with you.
He couldn’t find one thing on your entire face he didn’t like.
"I wish I could tell you I’ve had her forever, Charles…"
You looked into his eyes. There was something… not quite right.
It was the way he was looking at you.
He’d never looked at you like that before.
Not with that much adoration; and never, did you ever think, you’d describe Roger’s tone as "dripping with affection”. At least, not when he spoke of you.
“It’s been about five years.” Roger concluded. “Best years of my life."
"And the fact you’re still going strong makes me very happy,” Charles mused, his eyes shining with joy.
"Things’ll get even better. Wait until you’re married and have children!“
That statement had your blood run ice cold, and you could swear Roger’s eye twitched at the word.
Children.
"I remember when my wife told me she was pregnant. It was one of the greatest days in my life, though their actual births and my wedding day are easily the top two."
You opened your mouth, but no words would come out. You cleared your throat and tried again. "Uhm…” Charles turned your way. “We never really um…” you took a deep breath and tried again. “Well, we’ve never really sat down and really… discussed whether or not we even want kids.”
“No um… we just… can’t see ourselves as parents. To a baby. With our face. It just seems so… surreal.”
“Roger,” The blond swallowed, and nodded to Charles in acknowledgement.
“Becoming a father is so rewarding. Wait ‘till you have a baby girl or a little boy, and you hold 'em in your arms for the first time. All that doubt will just wash away. Anna and I were so confident in our parenting skills, we had four more little ones!”
You couldn’t imagine having more than just one child, let alone five, or any of Roger’s, for that matter. The concept was so foreign to you, especially when it’s suggested that the father of these kids is the man who purposely puts the toilet roll on backwards because, and only because, it pisses you off.
Anna called the three of you to the table, cutting the conversation short, though you were relieved to get your mind off how hilariously ridiculous it sounded that you were sort of expected to give birth to Roger Meddows Taylor’s offspring.
He, on the other hand, couldn’t shake the idea. He spent the whole dinner on auto-pilot, trying to imagine how a child could share both his and your features.
He watched you a lot during dessert, trying to decide his favourite part of your face, something that he would be happy for your hypothetical child with him to be graced with.
But much like earlier, he realized he loved your face so much, he couldn’t make an ultimate decision.
Much like you, Roger thought the concept was close to impossible, as well.
He didn’t want to come down with a “Baby Fever”, so he took the next chance he could to talk about something distracting. The subject was averted to music, and Roger’s drumming and things like that.
He was just glad his subconscious wasn’t focused anymore about which room in the condo would hypothetically be the baby’s.
_______________________________
“Thank you for inviting us over, Anna. That was the best casserole I’ve had in my life. Just don’t tell my mother.” Anna laughed at your joke, and teasingly assured you she wouldn’t.
Roger, after helping you put your jacket back on, held the door open for you, and after saying your final good byes to both Anna and Charles, the both of you were left alone in the cool summer night.
Your slow walk down the drive with Roger was very quiet. You two didn’t say anything.
You both took slow, careful steps towards your new home, two pairs of eyes searching the sky for constellations.
Roger’s hands were stuffed into his jean pockets, and you had your arms crossed over your chest.
He expected you to start rambling about how much of a disaster the entire visit was, and how there was certainly not enough casserole for left overs as Anna suspected, but you said nothing.
So he said nothing.
Roger climbed the stairs up to your front door, and unlocked it, wordlessly holding it open for you. You just nodded in thanks, and stepped inside, Roger close behind.
That’s where you both disbanded. You went right upstairs, leaving Roger alone in the dark front corridor. He just sighed, and locked the door as his eyes fixed to the blackness of the room.
He went straight to the kitchen, and opened the refrigerator. There were a few beer bottles in the fridge, and he reached for one, twisting the cap off with his shirt before taking a swig.
He shed his jacket and tossed it on the couch before sitting in the chair on the other side of the living room, and propping his feet up on the ottoman.
Upstairs, he could hear the tub’s faucet running. You were showering.
Taking another sip of his beer, Roger decided to wait until you were out of the shower and in bed before he went upstairs.
"… Rog?“
Roger’s eyes snapped open and he sat up with a start, gaze shooting to the hand on his arm.
Your hand.
Roger exhaled, and rubbed his tired eyes, his brain registering that you’d turned some of the lights on.
"Scared the bloody ‘ell outta me, y/n,” He slurred groggily, rubbing his forehead and combing his hair back with his fingers.
“I’m so sorry! I went to knock on your door and you weren’t in there!"
"I was waitin’ here for you t’ go t’ bed…” he must have fallen asleep, you thought as you rubbed the side of his arm.
“Well I was checking in on you to let you know the bathroom was free if you needed in."
” ’M fine, Love. Thanks, though.“ He removed his feet from the ottoman, and rubbed the back of his neck, a number of empty beer bottles falling from his lap and onto the carpet below.
”… I swear I only 'member grabbin’ one.“
”… You go upstairs, okay? I’ll put you to bed.“ You bent down and started picking up the bottles.
Roger, who was on his feet, and turning the corner, stopped to watch you. He counted every bottle you picked up off the floor.
The higher the number, the guiltier he felt.
By the time you picked up five, Roger was already gone, upstairs and changing into some nighttime clothes.
He blindly chose his clothes, the combination being a pair of checkered pants and a Rolling Stones t-shirt.
He didn’t even bother trying to make an effort to get up and brush his teeth. He just climbed into bed and shut his eyes.
But as promised, you walked into his room, and sat on his bed.
”… Roger, you know I didn’t hear the faucet running.“
That’s how easily convincing you were to him: Seconds later Roger was in the blinding luminescent light of the bathroom, you sitting behind him on the edge of the bathtub as he drunkenly brushed his teeth.
"Spit, rinse, and I’ll meet you in the room.” You rubbed his back gently before leaving him alone in the room.
Roger removed the brush from his mouth, and stared at himself in the mirror, toothpaste froth lining his lips and dripping down his chin in an almost comedic manner.
Roger thought the froth kind of looked like facial hair. He even giggled a little at the idea of him maybe one day having a beard.
But then his smile disappeared, and he wiped his mouth off. Although he remembered only drinking one, he knew why he drank so much more.
Those thoughts about you were returning. The more time he spent with you, the more giddy he’d feel, and the more close he’d want to get.
Roger wondered how he used to be able to teasingly slap your ass and make sexual jokes with you all the time without feeling at the very least flustered with his own actions.
He did it in front of the band all the time when you were around, but it was like he was in high school again.
He always had the urge to kiss you at least once before he died. The constant suppression over the last few years buried that urge six feet under, but it seemed the suppression wasn’t working anymore.
What if, Roger thought, this would be different? He technically had no reason to suppress any feelings he had towards you; well, maybe except for dignity purposes, but that was all.
What if luck and pre-destiny existed, and his chance to be with you just so happened to be now, under these awkward circumstances that would overall result in a blissful future with nothing but happiness…
But why would someone like her want to be with someone like you?
With the depressing thought hanging over him like an obedient rain cloud, he shut the bathroom light off, and moped to his room, where you sat in wait.
You helped Roger climb into bed, and you tucked him in, kissing his forehead like a child.
“If you need me in the night, you know where I am, Blondie.”
Roger nodded, and mumbled his good nights to you before rolling over.
When his bedroom door closed, Roger opened his eyes despite not being able to see anything in the room.
He blinked.
At the beginning of this commitment, pretending to be with you seemed like a piece of cake to him…
… But Roger didn’t know how much longer it would be until his behaviour towards you wasn’t pretend anymore.
_______________________________
A/A/N: Wow, This is a lot longer than I expected it to be, but I’m glad this part is done. I think I may write in Roger’s perspective more in this fic because he’s got lots of shit running through his mind, clearly. What are y’all’s opinions though?
Anywho, enjoy this, I’m gonna go find something to inspire me for the next chapter.
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