Good Company

~still October 1973~

'John, Freddie, this is Roger. Whenever I'm away, he'll take care of you. You need to listen to him, alright? Now, I'm going to visit your great-aunt Elizabeth and I won't get home until past midnight, so don't bother askind Roger if you can stay awake to greet me as I come home.'

Brian kneeled before his boys and hugged them both tightly. 

Be nice, Freddie. I know you'll be good, John, just checking. I love you both so much.' 

He got up and made his way down the hall, constantly looking back to Freddie and John, and, of course, Roger. 

'Roger, food's in the fridge, as you know, and they can't have sweets before dinner. Also-'

Roger cut him off, laughing. 

'I know, Mister May. No tv before bed. You left a list on the counter, remember? Now go, or you'll miss your train!'

Brian smiled. This was truly a nice chap, he felt that his kids were safe with him. But the thought of leaving his boys still hurt, which made him stretch the goodbye-ing. 

'Call me Brian, please. See you when I get back. Goodbye boys! I love you!' 

Finally, after waving for another ten minutes, Brian left. John's lip started trembling and Freddie looked a bit sad; this was the first time that their dad had left without them. Roger on the other hand didn't have any side effects from Brian's leaving, except maybe a bit of stress because the kids were on the verge of crying. 

'So, what do you usually do when you've got the afternoon off? What do you both like?' Roger ushered them both into the living room and seated them on the couch. Freddie had a hand on John's shoulder, which would not move during the next fifteen minutes, to calm him down. John was, in fact, the first to speak. 

'I like to go to the library and then daddy reads a book to us and then we go to get ice cream from that mice man on the corner of the big street.' This was the first time that John had spoken directly to Roger, so he was a bit taken aback, but he swiftly got back on his feet. 

'You like ice cream, huh? I do too. My favourite is chocolate chip with little bits of white chocolate in it. Do you have a favourite?'

'Yeh. Strawberry.' 

'That's a very good choice you've made, strawberry is delicious. What about you, Freddie?'

Freddie stared at Roger, unable or not willing to talk back. Roger was surprised, for according to Brian, Freddie was the one who speaks a lot, not John. 

'What's the matter, Freddie? Are you sad because your dad left?'

'No, I'm sad because he left us here with you. It's remarkabe, no, unbelievable, that someone your age still have such a bad fashion sense.'

'Excuse me, you dare question my choice of clothing? What's wrong with it then?'

'Oh darling, the question should be what's not wrong with it. Have you ever seen yourself in something other than a broken mirror?'

'You son of a-' Roger had to physically refrain himself from cursing in front of the kids by biting on the inside of his cheek, but damn, that was hard. That little bitch dared say that he knew more about clothing than he, Roger, who was loved with all the girls and envied by all the guys, mainly for dressing well? Bullsh-... bullcrap. 

'Are you joking? I am known as someone who dresses fairly well, thank you very much.'

'If you say so, darling.' Freddie hereby turned to talk to John, a hushed and quiet conversation. John looked at him with big, doll-like eyes and firmly nodded a few times to make suer he'd understood. Roger, on the other hand, didn't understand, for he hadn't heard what they'd said. Surprise. 

'Roger, we'd like to go to the library now, if that's okay. The library in the mall close by.'

'Of course that's alright, John. If you two go put on your coates, I'll get my things and meet you by the front door in five, yes?' 

Freddie and John ran towards the hallway, where they put the coats. Roger collected some necessities, like keys, wallet and hair comb. When you drive a car that doesn't have a roof, accidents tend to happen and it's best to be prepared, as he knew by experience. When he got to the front door, the boys weren't there.

'Freddie, John, are you ready yet?'

He heard some stumbling from upstairs and then an eardeafening noise as they ran down the stairs, stopping right in front of Roger. 

'We're ready Freddie, let's go!' They ran past him and jumped into the car, before Roger had even unlocked it. John was truly adorable, as Brian had told him earlier. So pure and innocent. 

'Waiting on you now, move it!'

Freddie on the other hand was a bit of a drama queen. A little spoiled maybe, or it was just his personality. Roger wasn't very keen on people who like to stand in the spotlight, for that meant there was less space in the spotlight for himself. But, given that Freddie was a child and Roger an adult, he'd have to be the responsible one... Even if that little bitch insulted his fashion sense. 

'Yeah, I'm coming.' Weird to say, but Roger knew at that very moment, when he saw the two boys on the back seat of his car, enthousiastically talking to each other, that he would grow to love them. Not as much as Brian of course, being their father and all, but still. He'd still be a competitive second. 

A/N: Wowww I've literally just put the story up and people are already reading it! You guys are the best, thanks for the sweet reactions! This chapter seemed like a nice filler, so here you have it folks.