Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

That was a nasty break up. John never liked to have people mad at him, so when he had the talk with Nathaly and put an end to their relationship, the things she said to him were very hurtful.

But seriously, what else should he do? Keep pretending he was in love with her even though they were clearly unhappy? It didn't feel right, not anymore… Not now that John had started listening to his soulmate’s songs. His soulmate was out there somewhere, living and having fun, singing beautifully, and not stuck inside a girl’s room having teddy bears thrown at him.

Annoyed, he left Nathaly’s house and ran back to his flat, seeking the comfort and the safety of his bedroom, where only his soulmate’s voice would be his company.

**

Inside the tiny flat, John passed by Brian noticing the man sitting on the floor, immersed in another assignment for one of his classes.

“Go sit on the couch, every time you sit on the floor your back gives you a hard time,” John advised the taller man.

Brian ignored him, which was not a surprise, and John went straight to his room, closing the door and imagined his soulmate singing for him on that lonely night.

John lost himself in thoughts of how his soulmate would be. He knew they were a man, because of the raspy voice, but what would he look like?? Someone with such a strong voice couldn't be ugly… He knows that when he finds his soulmate he will only have eyes for them.

Right now he would have to be content with listening to his soulmate sing a cover of James Brown and imagine them dancing to it someday…

John fell asleep to that, dreaming of the day that the voice would also have a face, and a body and he would love that person unconditionally no matter what.

**

On the other side of town, Roger was on the stage finishing his band’s last song for the night. Drumming as if his life depended on it, sweat dripping from his forehead and chest, ears buzzing with the crowd’s cheer.

He greets everyone and leaves the stage with his bandmates, excitedly grabbing a beer from the styrofoam box in their dressing room, as a reward for all the hard work.

“You staying with us? I think I can take a bird home…” Tim, the bass player, asked.

“My finals are coming…” Roger explained. “I think I'm gonna leave now, have some rest before hitting the library tomorrow.”

“Who the hell are you??” Tim exclaimed, finding the drummer’s choice a little bit weird.

“Someone who needs to give his mum a diploma by the end of the semester…” Roger replied dryly. “You would know if you went to your classes…”

“Oh, that's right… You can go after we load the van, Mitch is driving me, you can take it.”

“Thanks, mate…” Roger smiles, getting his tools so he could dismantle his drum kit.

**

Roger drives back to his flat, takes everything inside, and closes the door, tiredly ignoring his flatmate making out with a bloke in their kitchen.

He locked his bedroom door, taking off his coat and dropping it on the floor, and immediately laid down on his bed, falling asleep as soon as the adrenaline of the night left his body.

The next morning he wakes up early, suspiciously early for his routine, takes a long shower, and gets ready to leave the flat to go to the library. Freddie, his flatmate and best friend, who graduated a couple of years ago but still couldn’t afford a flat out of the campus, liked loud music in the mornings, and that would be a huge hindrance if Roger wanted to study hard.

The library was empty when he arrived, only the old lady that worked the morning shift was there at the time, which gave him all the freedom and the space to find a good place where he wouldn’t be distracted by anything.

Roger chose a table close to the shelves of the Biology department, to have easy access to all the books he would need. He got the ones he would try first; genetics would be his first test so he got those to start with.

But not everything was flowers and butterflies, and as soon as Roger got everything ready to start working on all the knowledge he didn’t acquire during the semester, that soothing voice started singing in his head. His soulmate’s voice. The most distracting thing in the world, a person without a face that sang with the sound of soft giggles. It wasn’t a beautiful voice, not something like Freddie, that could sing his heart out without missing a single note, but it was HIS SOULMATE, and that was lovely enough for Roger to throw the books aside and wait for the man to, apparently, stop singing in the shower to a romantic tune Roger would certainly try to find later, just to know his future love’s taste in music.

Oh, great… My soulmate is a morning person. Roger realized, just a tad bit annoyed. He was already daydreaming about how things would work between them.

**

John was trying to build his own amp. As an electronics student, that would be his personal project, among the things he did in his classes and the things around the flat that Brian couldn’t fix by himself.

And now, as a newly single man, he had extra time to work on it. He even took a day off work for that.

He was working on screws and cables, biting his tongue in concentration, trying to get things right on the first try, when that loud noise came to his mind. A drum solo. His soulmate likes those… This time there was no singing, just a beat, maybe Jimi Hendrix Experience? His soulmate was probably practicing that… Or whatever. But damn, that was loud.

John was happy his soulmate was also interested in music, like him, but it didn’t stop him from getting annoyed by the sudden noise. He wished he could ask his future love to take it easy, just a tiny little bit, for the sake of his sanity.

The loud song became another, and another, and John gave up working on his amp. It was on the final touches anyway.

Instead, he grabbed his bass guitar and started playing, keeping it up with the beats his soulmate played.

***

John should be studying, Wednesdays were not days to go out clubbing, but he feels fidgety, like there’s something happening that he should be paying attention to, but he can’t pinpoint what it is…

“Wanna go out tonight?” He asks Brian, who’s finishing up his dinner made of toast and cheese.

“Can’t… I have this assignment for tomorrow, got to finish up the last details on it…” the curly haired man scratched his head, a confused expression in his face that showed John that Brian had problems with whatever he was over-analyzing this time.

“I think I might go… There's this new place I wanted to go to for a while now…” John said, almost ready to go, with or without company. He deserved the time-off.

“A new disco… That's definitely not for me. Have fun though…” Brian showed a complete lack of interest in John’s preferences, which was totally expected, considering they were complete opposites.

“My reward for finishing up the semester.” John grins. “Gotta occupy my mind until I meet my soulmate… Been listening to him for over a month now…” he sighs, trying to hide his deep enthusiasm for the subject.

“Oh, you started listening to the songs! How does it feel for you? My soulmate has a crazy good voice, it blows me away…” Brian’s face lit up to the new subject, John could even see a warm shy smile on his friend’s face.

“He’s great!! Can sing very high and loud, his voice has a beautiful raspiness to it, it calms me down like no other thing in the world…” John allows his own face to show his happiness, the familiar wrinkly eyes shining brighter than usual.

“That’s an incredible thing, mate. Hope you can meet him soon…” Brian wishes, and he is sincere. He wants his friend to find love and be happy just as much as he wants himself to find love and be happy with his soulmate.

“You as well, hope they make their way to you soon… We can use more people in this flat..” John looks around at the almost empty place, cold and a little lifeless sometimes. It only really lights up when they’re playing, but they haven’t played together in a long while.

“Not that it fits anymore people, it can't barely keep the two of us with all the furniture…” Brian observes, getting his attention back to what he’s been studying.

“True… But enough of this. I'm going out… Don't stay awake waiting for me...” John put on his coat and laced his shoes, getting ready to leave.

“Never did, never will!” Brian grinned, never ready to admit that sometimes, only some times, he stayed up waiting for John when they didn’t go out together, but John did the same sometimes, it was their silent pact.

**

His soulmate was out in a club, he knew by the music, it was loud, cheerful and dancey.

His soulmate was out living the best of life while Roger was stuck in his bedroom trying to understand microbiology, or at least the important stuff about it. He felt jealous.

Obviously the other man would attract eyes to him, find mouths to kiss, bodies to touch, hands to touch him… He didn’t know how, but he felt left out of something. He didn’t have reason to be jealous, right? His rational side knew that very well. His soulmate was not his partner yet…

Still, that was happening. Suddenly he was angry. Angry with a person he had never seen.

“If I fail my tests, I’m totally blaming you!” Roger murmured to no one, throwing the book on the floor, together with his notes that took him hours to write.

He glanced at the clock, it was only nine, too early to go to sleep, but his sudden annoyance ruined the day, so he called it a night, turned the lights off and laid in bed, hoping that soon he would be with his soulmate.

Besides the loud disco music, worrying about his soulmate didn’t allow him to fall asleep.

What if he’s alone out there? What if he didn’t get back home safe?

Roger needed to slow down. His soulmate was safe and sound somewhere, just having a good time, right? He had no reasons to worry, probably.

**

John was in the zone on the dancefloor. His second favorite place to be. The first was playing bass, whenever he had the chance.

He was a few drinks in, only enough to make him a little tipsy, but that was just to kill the shyness.

He was smiling at the people around him, unintentionally flirting with some people that came to dance with him, mostly not to be rude. He liked to dance, but not to show off, it was HIS moment, only for himself, like a ritual he followed to wash his worries away.

For the entire night he wished he had a certain person with him, he wanted a certain touch, to dance with that person, bringing him to John’s world. The faceless person that dominated his dreams… What was he doing tonight?

You came here to distract yourself, don’t ruin it… John thought, downing a shot and going back to the center of the dancefloor, where the lights mixed, making everything look brighter than it was.

A couple more shots and a few more songs later, John’s feet started to hurt, which was not a surprise. He liked the feeling, it meant he had a good time. Then he made his way out, a little tipsy and with blurred vision. He decided to call a cab to get him back home, it was a short ride, but now he had a soulmate to find, and for that he had to be safe at all times.

**

Roger could finally relax and fall asleep once the club music stopped and the only sound left inside his brain was his soulmate’s voice softly (and maybe drunkenly) murmuring a love song.

Well rested, and only a little bit of jealousy left in him, he woke up early. This was unusual since he wouldn’t have any classes in the morning, and decided to repay his soulmate’s good night song with one of his own; this way both of them would have each other in mind all day long.

He got into the bathroom before Freddie woke up, got everything ready to fill the tub while he flossed and brushed his teeth, finding excuses to linger there a little. Singing calmly to a song that he thought the other person would like, Roger took his time getting into the tub, bathing slowly using some of Freddie’s fancy oils, washing his hair, testing the sound of his own voice to this romantic tune that was so new to him. He finished his bath and left the bathroom before Freddie would complain he’s taking too much time there.

“Who are you and what did you do to my Roggie?” Freddie asks, standing at the doorway of Roger’s room.

“What is so strange, I have classes soon.” Roger explained briefly, not paying much attention to the questioning.

“So, you now not only wake up 3 hours earlier and sing in the shower? Seriously, my love, who the hell are you?” Freddie kept questioning. Roger never had morning habits, always being the last to leave the bed since his teenage days.

“Is that a crime now?” Roger was irritated, not by the question, but because Freddie had a way of getting information from him, because that moment was HIS. It only interested him and his soulmate.

“Darling, in four years of friendship I NE-VER heard you sing a Frankie Valli song. Who’s that person you can’t take your eyes off of, huh??” The older man wouldn’t drop his questions, determined to get everything.

“I don’t know yet…” Roger responds shyly, a towel around his waist and damp hair dripping on his skin.

“What? You started listening to your soulmate and you didn’t say anything? I thought you loved me, Roger??” Freddie pretended to be offended. Roger never hid anything from his best friend, mostly because Freddie was always around no matter what.

“I didn’t know I had to, you seem to never give a damn about the subject… You’ve been listening to your soulmate for a year or so now, and I know nothing about him…” It was Roger’s time to get some answers.

It was not that Freddie didn’t care, but yeah, he knew better than to raise expectations on anything. Too many heartbreaks had taught him how to take it one feeling at a time. He didn’t talk about his soulmate, and he still had his flings here and there, but Freddie dreamed about the man every single night, and enjoyed every second he could listen to the soft tone of his future lover’s voice.

“Well, I’ll go first then… His voice is sweet, not very loud, it could be a beautiful match to mine, he listens to a lot of the dark stuff, but he seems to love Hendrix just as much as I do, so I think it could work… He plays the guitar, but it’s not like any other player, he’s definitely something else. Oh, and I have the impression that he’s tall, something about the way he sounds… I don’t know. Now you! And get dressed, Rog, it’s not like I haven’t changed your clothes myself more than once.” Freddie explained his soulmate, using all the body language necessary, and quite enthusiastically. It was clear he was already head over heels for whoever it was.

“His singing voice is not perfect, it shakes a little when he tries to keep the tone up, but oh boy, he’s a romantic. That’s why I was singing, wanted him to listen… And he likes disco. He’s a bass player apparently… Remember the last rehearsal, when I was drumming along to nothing in particular? I think he was playing along… We’re a good match, I can feel that…” Roger followed him, describing his soulmate the best way he could. He didn’t know much about the man’s real voice, but he was learning a lot about the person’s music taste, and that was more than enough for him to, just as much as Freddie was, be completely in love with that person with the shy voice.

“You should've seen yourself, love… Your eyes are sparkling! And they are already the bluest blue, can’t wait to see you and your man, your eyes are gonna make me blind!” Freddie couldn’t stop staring at his friend, happiness clear in his eyes.

“Shut up!” Roger pushes Freddie out of his bedroom, closes the door and finishes dressing up for his class. It was lab test day, and he had to be ready for that.

On his way out, he kept singing, murmuring love songs, imagining a wild smile, and wondering how long it would take for them to be together.

“...If I should call you up, invest a dime,
And you say you belong to me and ease my mind.
Imagine how the world could be, so very fine
So happy together...
I can't see me lovin' nobody but you
For all my life!
When you're with me, baby the skies'll be blue
For all my life!
Me and you and you and me,
No matter how they toss the dice, it had to be.
The only one for me is you, and you for me,
So happy together…”

**

John wakes up slowly, not sure what is a dream and what is reality. His soulmate is singing. Singing for him, he feels that in his heart.

He knows the song, it’s one of his favorites. He smiles and stretches slowly, feeling the warm touch of the sun coming from the half-open window. It’s going to be a good day, he knows that, because every day that starts with a love song can’t go wrong.

He gets up from the bed as delicately as he can, trying to keep that moment recorded in his memory, wishing his soulmate’s voice could leave his head and invade the bedroom, the flat, the building, the neighborhood…

He tries really hard not to sing along, simply enjoying the private show while he prepares his tea, and feels a little sad when the song stops. Still, John is immensely grateful for being woken up like that, instead of the pounding headache and hangover he thought would be his company that morning.

Since he had a good end of semester and had only a few things left to do in college, he allowed himself to lounge around the flat, lazily enjoying the morning and wishing his soulmate’s day would be as easy and calm as that.

Brian woke up not long after John had finished his tea, and had a smile on his face brighter than the sun.

“Someone had a good night…” John teased him.

“Oh, yeah, dreamed with my soulmate, he was singing somewhere last night and the last thing I heard before falling asleep was his silky tone, I think I’m in love…” Brian explained, pouring hot water in his mug for his own tea.

“I think that’s the whole thing of having a soulmate, knowing that someone out there is the perfect match…” John pondered, analyzing how things were changing for them. From two loners that only really paid attention to academic stuff, to people that dream with love and affection.

“Are YOU falling in love with your soulmate?” Brian asked.

“Harder than I ever did… It feels great so far!” John admitted.

“Let’s just keep things this way, right?” Brian said, admiring the new atmosphere of the place, much better than other times when they had unsuccessful relationships.

“Yes, please! No more harsh break-ups.” John affirmed, with the fresh memories of his recent breakup still haunting his mind.

**

Roger had a great feeling about his tests, both of them were easy and had all the content he studied for, which was basically a miracle. He left uni and went to find Freddie at the shop; he needed to celebrate his future good grades.

“Come on, I’m taking you out!” Roger demanded.

“Bitch, don’t scare me like that!” Freddie jumped, hitting a mannequin with a flowered dress and knocking off its head. “Can’t, see those adorable ladies over there? They are deciding what to buy, it’s a good day, can’t close right now…” Freddie said, trying to be polite while clearly annoyed with the two indecisive clients.

“I need.. no… I DESERVE a pint, or two, or three…” Roger smiled at him, seductively trying to convince his friend to close early at least once a week.

“What’s the reason for the party?” Freddie asked, cleaning the counter and tidying everything, trying to show the clients to get out.

“Remember that anatomy professor that hates me? He’s gonna HAVE to give me a 10, ‘cause I totally ruled inside that lab today!!” Roger announced, proud of his achievement.

“Whoa, congratulations blondie! And to say you almost gave up the class months ago…” The dark haired man reminded him.

“It was that or punching the man’s face. I had to control myself there…” Roger pondered, remembering the hard times he had at the beginning of the semester.

“Proud of you, youngster…” Freddie said, patting the blond’s head.

“Thanks mum. Now hurry up… I’ll meet you at that place close to home. Don’t leave me waiting, it’s rude…” Roger left the shop and made his way down to the pub they usually went, knowing that Freddie would be there in no time.

He sat at one of the tables for two by the windows and watched the people on the sidewalk, some leaving their jobs, some with grocery bags. It’s a nice late afternoon and soon the roads would be full of traffic. He catches himself wondering if one of these people could be his soulmate, if they would meet, if they would be one of these couples that only meet each other after a whole life without love… That would be sad, and unacceptable. Roger needs to find the owner of his heart. Only that would make his life complete.

Deciding he wouldn’t let his worries get him down, he called one of the waiters and ordered his first drink of the night.

**

“You’re not coming?” Brian asked, looking at John spread on the couch, immersed in a book.

“What?” The younger man asked, still not paying any attention to Brian.

“We promised to reward ourselves with a drink or two once rent was paid and groceries were made for the week… You forgot, didn’t you?” Brian questioned, already knowing the answer.

“Oops?” The younger man whispered, apologetically.

“Well, I had my last exam today, so I’m going. I was thinking about that place close to Kensington… To avoid meeting the same ol’ people…” Brian said, adjusting his curls in the mirror.

“And maybe, just maybe find that special person who has been singing for you?” John read behind the lines of Brian’s real intentions.

“Why not give it a try?” Brian admitted, face going a little bit red.

If Brian was being honest, something was dragging him out to the pubs. He was not the outgoing kind. It was one of the reasons he paired well with John as a roommate, but he had one less reason to run and hide behind the books now, and the simple chance of finding his soulmate was like a calling that couldn’t be ignored.

“I’m gonna take the car…” he announced, getting the keys on the coffee table, a coat from the hanger behind the door and putting on his shoes.

He left John to his book and got out of their flat; it was early in the evening and he didn’t have any plans on going back home late.

The drive was quiet, considering the hour, and he arrived at the place considerably fast. Still inside the car, he parked right in front of a full place. Brian thought about not going in, about going back home and simply forgetting he had this momentum. It looked pathetic now to be all dressed up for nothing…

But then, that beautiful voice invaded his mind again, taking out all the fear. It sounded loud, brave, so close…

Minutes later, Brian got the courage to walk through the door. The place was dark, but it was very cozy, and the music wasn't that loud. He went to the counter, where two young attendants tried to deliver all orders without making mistakes, used his height to get the attention of one of them and placed his order, quickly giving space for the other customers to have their turn. As soon as he got his beer, Brian walked away from the counter, trying to scan the place in the search of a quiet seat. He found this place in the back, close to the windows, a good chance to pay attention to all the other customers and also keep a close eye on the car. Safe, he thought, and sat there alone, secretly hoping it wouldn’t be like this for long.

Beside him, this couple of friends laughed out loud of everything and anything, both men looked so distracted, like they were in their own happy place, and Brian wished he had moments like that these days…

Not daring to look closely, Brian just enjoyed as one of the men, the one with long black hair and a silky white shirt, talked loudly about all the kinds of people he attended since opening his store, all the customers that made him laugh and both times he almost peed his pants seeing girls fighting for the same skirt. The man’s talking voice was so familiar, it was one of those voices that could calmly ease your mind at any moment.

But the moment only got better when that talking loudly turned into singing. Both men at the table sang along to the pub’s sound system, and instantly, Brian got the same voice that was right beside him, singing straight to his heart. And in a heartbeat, all rationality in him went away, he couldn’t believe that. Was that him? His soulmate? After what seemed like an eternity, was that their chance? Not wanting to waste a single minute, Brian walked to their table, not sure what he was going to say, but, for the first time in his life doing exactly what his emotions were telling him to do. Maybe they’d know what to do.

Brian stopped beside the man, wishing he knew something more about him than “Sings well, loves Aretha Franklin”, but it was impossible, so he was just happy he had the balls to be beside him.

The two men stopped singing when they realized they had company, looking at Brian with inquisitive eyes, which made him fear them for a moment.

“Are you alright, mate?” The blond man asked Brian, taking a few moments to realize that his friend had gone mute.

“You are…” the man said, frozen in his seat, looking attentively to the tall man beside him, knowing exactly who that was, by simply feeling his warmth. “It has to be you…”

Stunned by all that was happening, Brian couldn’t say a simple word, he just smiled at this soulmate, receiving the warmest smile back. The other man took the lead, knowing they couldn’t stay like that forever, he got up from his seat and stood up in front of Brian, close enough they could feel each other’s breaths. “I’m Freddie, your soulmate…” he announced, seeing the taller man’s eyes light up like a firework. Both men’s faces cleared up, like they got this instant new aura around them, making sure this was not a drill. They are soulmates.

“I’m Brian… your soulmate…”

It sounded more like a whisper, but Freddie understood, and that seemed to be enough to the shorter man to wrap his love in an intense hug, one of those that affirms possession, exactly like he dreamed of doing so many times. Resting his head on Brian’s shoulder, Freddie, the eternal romantic, allowed himself to melt, just enough so Brian could feel it was okay to hold him back with all his strength, and they stood like that for a moment or two, ignoring the curious eyes that grew around them.

The new couple seemed to be in a trance, too ecstatic to recognize that they were not alone. Freddie, always impatient and daring, was the first to break the invisible barrier that existed between them, holding Brian's face with both hands and kissing him. Brian responded immediately to the gesture, allowing Freddie to deepen the kiss, and so they stayed until there was no more breath in either.

Roger, that seemed like a distant presence all the time, took the break on their kiss to call the couple back to reality, fake coughing to get their attention.

“Hello, Freddie’s soulmate!” he introduced himself once the new couple broke the long kiss. “I’m Roger, his roommate.”

“Oh, yeah. You’re here…” Freddie whispered, embarrassed.

“Hi…” Brian murmured, turning purple with the look that the short blond man shared with them.

“Yes, I am… And I suppose you’re gonna need the flat tonight, right? Bet the new lovebirds will be using all of it, judging by what just happened…” Roger joked with them. “All I ask is to spare my bedroom, that is my sanctuary! The rest is all yours!”

“Aren’t you coming back home tonight?” Freddie asked, an arm sliding to Brian’s lower back, a sudden touch of intimacy that seemed all natural between them already.

“No, mate. I think I’m gonna pay Tim a visit… He loves when I show up there late at night…”

With that, Roger left them alone Giving in to curiosity, he observed them from out of the pub. Of course he was happy for his friend, what kind of friend would he be if he wasn't? Freddie is the most caring, loving, loyal person Roger had ever met, the person who struggled by his side so he could find his balance though college and the band, a person like that only deserves the best.
But for a second he wished HE had found his soulmate tonight, HE would be entwined to his love and would take them home, instead of going to somebody else's house to sleep on the couch.

**

John woke up super early. There was a strange silence in both his mind and in the flat. Brian was a heavy snorer, especially when he had a few, so it was always very clear when he wasn’t home.

After a few minutes just observing the silence, missing that voice that woke him up to music every morning of this long week, John decided to get up; working a little on his amplifier is always a good distraction for when he needs to get rid of this feeling of losing what he doesn't have yet.

Armed with a hot cup of tea and some chocolate chip cookies, still wearing pajamas, John took everything to the living room, took his toolbox from the shelf, and started working on finishing his project. Everything seemed to be working perfectly, but he still needed to do some testing. This is when he decided which would be the first song to be played. It had to be something special… After all, not only would he and his neighbors downstairs have the pleasure of hearing his first amplifier working, surely his soul mate would hear it, and maybe even sing for him after that. They could form a duo. A telepathic duet, or any cliche in that sense…

John rolled his eyes at that thought, how would they work together if he didn’t even know what his soulmate is doing at the moment? He is probably still sleeping, it wouldn’t be right to wake him up this early…

**

Roger was woken up by the smell of coffee. Not just regular coffee, but Tim’s, the strongest coffee in town. Instantly regretting not getting something to eat the previous night, because now his stomach was desperate for something.

“Hola, sleeping beauty…” Tim said, offering him a mug. “Toasts will be ready soon…”

“Thanks, mate… for this and for the night. Did I bother you?” Roger asked, slowly sitting up and carefully drinking the coffee, wincing at the strong taste of it.

“Not as much as the other guys upstairs, the ones that have that rude cat… You know?” Tim asks, reminding the times the cat made some visitors cry.

“Oh, the big black garfield, I remember his claws…” Roger said, looking at the tiny scar on his left hand.

“Yeah… Do you wanna spend the day? I was thinking of getting some songs done, since you’re here I can do that with drums and not only vocals…” Tim offered.

“Maybe I can… Freddie found his soulmate yesterday, I’m not very keen on the idea of having their sex noises in my mind all day…” Roger agreed, finishing half of his coffe in hopes that Tim would believe he likes it.

“Ew, feel welcome then. I just need to get some cleaning done, this place looks like a damn dismantled circus sometimes…” Tim gestured to all the pieces of clothes and half empty glasses abandoned around the house.

“I’m a visitor, I’m not gonna help you…” Roger said, spreading his legs on the couch, getting comfortable.

“You should… It’s not the first time I let you in late at night like this is a hostel or something…” the bass player adivised.

“You do it ‘cause you love me…” Roger grins.

“Do I? This is news to me…” Tim rolls his eyes and laughs at his friend. Of course Roger was always welcome, he just wished the blond would let him know when he was coming.

Roger enjoyed the practice, even if the band was not complete, he could drain the extra energy out of his body. Tim’s new songs sounded like they would be big hits and a good chance for him to get out of the drummer’s headspace and do some vocals; their voices blended well together.
But soon Tim was called to work an extra shift, and they could never waste a chance to get more money. Tim left Roger alone and the drummer could practice some of his own ideas, most of them just drum and percussion solos he wanted to test on stage and required more attention.

Feeling the beat growing inside of him, he started with some of the basics, then got into something more sped up, trying to figure out what was this beat that was in his mind.

Then, the lyrics started flowing through his lips, fast, with a faint familiar echo that could only come from his soulmate.

Had to make do with a worn out rock and roll scene
The old bop is gettin' tired need a rest
Well you know what I mean
Fifty-eight, that was great
But it's over now and that's all
Somethin' harder's coming up
Gonna really knock a hole in the wall
Gonna hit ya, grab you hard
Make you feel ten feet tall

**

John was adjusting his electric guitar, not the bass, and at first it sounded strange. It's been a long time since he turned to guitar riffs instead of bass lines, but it sounded necessary to test the amplifier. He could adjust everything later, giving everything his groovy trademark.

Then his soulmate started playing again. He had listened to him before, earlier in the morning, playing songs about beautiful women and living an okay life and that was good, like a personal pocket concert to entertain John, and whoever was listening on the other side.

But this time it was different. There was no one else, they were alone, jamming to something only they had. It was like his soulmate was calling him, he was playing somethings that clearly required a bass line, so John quickly traded instruments almost immediately, and all his focus turned onto whatever was happening inside his mind. Getting together with those beats was almost like getting closer to his love, even if it looked like he didn’t know what he was playing. Deep inside he knew he was being guided. There was a person at the other side of the mental line that was in sync with him, and they sounded very powerful together.

The lyrics basically wrote themselves inside their minds, like the subtitles in a movie, he could write them down later thanks to his incredible memory, so he just got deep into the moment and played along to whatever his soulmate wanted.

Well I hope this baby's gonna come along soon
You don't know it could happen any ol' rainy afternoon
With the temperature down
And the juke box blowin' no fuse
And my musical life's feelin
Like a long Sunday School cruise
And you know there's one thing
Every single body could use
Yeah listen to me baby
Let me tell you what it's all about
Modern times rock and roll
Modern times rock and roll

**

That sounded right, so right Roger spaced out, forgetting he was not home. He felt like he was already playing that to a crowd of thousands in a sweaty gig. He had to give the props to his soulmate, all their effort could be something big someday. It sounded promising.

He wished he was taking notes, pausing here and there to write down the lyrics, but there was no time for that. The song sounded urgent, it wanted to come out of them, it wanted to be written by Roger and his soulmate, and that made it so special. He doubted he would forget anything about it, even though his memory wasn’t great. Inside his mind, he knew all he wanted on the song, from the fast lyrics to the speed upbeat, very loud, very cheerful, very different. He wished the other part was there to discuss things, to give his directions, but he gave everything he got, and with sweat dripping from his forehead he gave the song an end, going loud on the main words. The thing that changed his life forever, and that now gave him a soulmate to wait for… Modern Times Rock and Roll.

Get you high heeled guitar boots and some groovy clothes
Get a hair piece on your chest
And a ring through your nose
Find a nice little man who says
He's gonna make you a real big star
Stars in your eyes and ants in your pants
Think you should go far
Everybody in this bum sucking world
Gonna know just who you are
Look out!

And suddenly, it was done. John and Roger had written a song together. It was theirs, nothing could take that away from them. Both men had smiles on their faces, they were happily exhausted, proud of what they achieved together. If only they could see each other…

After a few minutes of savoring the moment and all that just happened, the two proud men followed with their days, Roger having only John in mind and vice versa, hoping that one day they would be together to do more of this.

Chapter Text

Brian arrived home in the afternoon when John had taken some time to make himself a half-decent meal. 

“Look who decided to show up?? Got lost and forgot your address?” John said, noticing the big smile on his friend’s face, paired with a tired expression of someone who didn’t have much time to sleep. 

“No, mom. Better. Like, two thousand times better!” Brian said, not able to disguise how satisfied and happy he was. 

“Tell me everything while I make you something, I thought you were not coming back, so I made real meat,” John said, realizing he hadn't prepared anything vegetarian for his roommate.

“I need a shower. Give me ten!” Brian walked to his bedroom and got his things, rushing to the bathroom. 

**

When Freddie left the shower, he found Roger on the way to his bedroom.

“Hello, Roggie darling. How things went on Tim’s?” Freddie asked, adjusting a towel around his head. 

“You and your soulmate owe me one. But it was nice, Tim is a better host than the two of us…” Roger yawned. 

“Took you long enough to come back home… One hour earlier you’d have a not so pleasant surprise!”

“I’m gonna need the dirty details after my nap… For now, keep the memories alive, and that smile on your face?? Don’t let it fade, it suits you well!” Roger had his own soulmate in mind, the lyrics and the beats to the song they wrote together still very clear in his mind, like he could feel them. “Oh, yeah… I forgot to tell you, my soulmate and I wrote a song together!” He shouted to Freddie from inside his room. 

With that Freddie stormed inside the blond’s room, violently opening the door.

“TELL. ME. E V E R Y T H I N G !! Everything!! Now!” Freddie demanded. “Fuck your sleep schedule, if you didn’t care about that at Tim’s, it’s not my problem!” 

Roger laughed at his friend’s furious curiosity. “We wrote a song together, he plays bass, I drum and sing… You know how that works…”

“Writing a song with someone whose song is only in your head?? No, darling… I have no idea how that works…” Freddie replied sarcastically. “But oh my, that must be fantastic!” 

“It feels pretty damn good, I tell ya… And the flow?? I didn’t even feel the beats leaving me, they just happened…” Roger felt the chills, the same ones from the moment he was playing drums, and smiled at the most powerful memory he ever experienced. 

“Like an out of the body experience…” Freddie presumed. 

“But better, ‘cause I’m alive. I’m so damn alive when I’m playing with them…” Roger’s smile was different, brighter… And that couldn’t escape Freddie’s attention 

“You are shining! You might be the next finding your one and only, honey…”

“I hope so… Can’t wait to be with them for real.” Roger whispered, like he was making a wish. “Now leave. It’s nap time!”

“Ok, baby boy… I will call you when dinner is ready.” Freddie said, leaving the room and going to his room. 

**

Brian got into the kitchen just when the timer of the oven got off. 

“Right on time, mate! I’ve found a frozen veggie pie and cooked it for you!” John announced, seeing his friend take his place at the table. 

“Good, I’m starving!” Brian said, watching as John took the two dishes to the table. John made burgers and rice for himself and a small pie for Brian. 

“The smell is delicious…” Brian said, letting the scent of his veggie pie invade his senses and hit his empty stomach, making his mouth water.

“It’s from the burgers…” John teased, seeing Brian take a very generous piece of pie for himself.

“No, nothing that tastes like a crime smells this good!” 

The men ate their meals in silence for a while, each trying to absorb the meaning of what changed in their own lives on that day Brian relieved the memories of his time with Freddie and all they learned from each other in such a little time. While John had in mind all the pieces of the song he and his soulmate had built together, his soulmate’s rough voice and the upbeat lyrics that flew out of the brilliant mind John already loved. John was the first to break the silence. 

“Will you talk more about the lucky soulmate that won a night and a morning with you or I’ll have to guess?” He asked, trying not to start the conversation with his own enthusiasm over his soulmate.

“Freddie is life. He is the most handsome guy I’ve laid my eyes on, his eyes can take you on a mystery trip to heaven and his smile is made of the wildest golden. Freddie’s voice is like a dream, he gets all the control of your mind when he sings… I’m gonna miss not having his voice in my head now that we’ve met, but I’m so glad, so blessed that he’s the one… I couldn’t ask for a better partner,  better lover… He gets me, you know?” Brian said, with so much tenderness and wonder in his eyes. John didn’t think meeting his soulmate would do such a great impact on his friend. “I could talk about him all day if you do not stop me, mate, I’m enchanted, the time we spent together was like getting a very powerful drug for the first time… and the idea that all days will be like that excites me in a way I can’t really explain…” 

Brian had a sparkle in his eyes that was exactly what he had been missing for so many years. As if overnight, he discovered why he was there, why he felt incomplete throughout his life. Or rather, until the moment when Freddie became part of his life, with his tremendously beautiful voice and all his intoxicating charm.

John envied it all, the idea of spending time enjoying the presence of his soul mate, looking into his eyes, the kisses they could be sharing right now... The more he tried to push this feeling out of his mind, the more he wanted a sign of life coming from his soulmate, any second hearing his voice, everything he could have at this moment. This silence, this lack of intimacy, of future, caused his mood to drop very quickly.

"I'm happy for you, Bri ..." It wasn't a lie, John was just jealous, but he was still happy for Brian, he understood what it was like not to know if he would ever be loved.

"What about you? What happened after I left? ” Brian said after finishing his meal. “You have a silly little smile that I didn't know…”

"Have you ever seen two people compose a song without being in the same place?" John asked, bringing back the memory.

"Like on the phone or something??" Brian asked, amazed.

"Exactly, but no. Telepathically!! Didn't I tell you that my soulmate is a drummer ?? So… ”John started to explain, between laughs. "Apparently we are the rhythm session of dreams !!"

“Wow John, this is fantastic, mate!! I want to hear your part, if this guy inspired you to compose, I already like him!”

"The biggest part was his, of course, I just followed the rhythm and when I realized what was happening, everything was ready ..." John said, giving credit to his semi-imaginary musical partner. "I made all the notes, on my part and his, I can show you after you do the dishes!"

"But it's not my turn to do the dishes ..." Brian asked, thinking about how tired he was and how he would rather not make any other physical efforts that day.

"Yeah, but it wasn't my turn to cook either, and here we are ..." John snapped, putting all the dirty dishes in the sink.

"Okay, right ..." Brian accepted. “So get your bass, I want to hear the new song… Or at least the part of it that I can hear… And bring Red, please? I haven't touched her in so long… ”

As soon as Brian finished tidying up the kitchen, leaving everything clean and in place, he prepared himself in the living room with John, watching his friend tune his instrument and start playing.

While John strummed the notes of the melody, Brian observed how complex the melody was, John seemed to be in the moment, playing as if there was really a drum accompaniment, the lyrics, John did not dare to sing, but murmured parts of the song that Brian could perceive through lip reading. Curious, Brian started to play along with  John, when the bassist hit a part of the song that was repeating himself, and, taking his guitar from the couch, started the chorus that John repeated for the second time, thanking himself for paying attention to the hectic rhythm of the song.

As soon as they finished, however, Brian asked to start again, this time, he accompanied from beginning to end, a bassist and a guitarist, working on the construction of a song that only made sense to one of them. Of course, Brian made mistakes, he had no idea how fast the drums were going, it was only based on John's solid groove, which for a song like that was very little, but John took it as it was, took advantage of the moment, thinking mainly about how his soulmate would be reacting to him playing their music. Was he happy ?? Would he feel betrayed by having a guitarist playing with John ?? John could only hope that his future love would not care about this sudden change, dismissing this thought and doing his best so that, even with Brian's exaggerated chords, his love could only hear John.

**

Roger woke up from his nap with the fine chords of his own music being played by his soulmate. His music?? No... That was THEIR MUSIC, it belonged to both, it had the best of both there, and waking up knowing that it was as important to his future love as it was to him meant so much to Roger.

With a smile from ear to ear, Roger got up to see if Freddie had finished dinner, or whatever they had in the pantry.

Freddie smiled along with Roger when he saw his friend appear in the kitchen with his disheveled hair and shirtless.

“It must be -2 outside, go get at least a shirt…” he scolded like a big brother, watching the smile at Roger’s face. “Pasta is almost done. We’re out of cheese, again, but I tried my best to make it tasteful!”

“I’m so hungry I’d eat bricks if I had to, mate, don’t worry… and thank you!” Roger set the table for the two of them while Freddie finished working on the pan. 

"Are you going to tell me why this silly little smile?" Freddie asked, looking out of the corner of his eye at Roger, who was sitting at the table lighting a cigarette.

“My soul mate is playing our music. And he even told someone about it, because he has a guitarist with him… not that the guy knows very well what he's doing… ”Roger explained, sighing and daydreaming about what that scene would be like. What his soul mate would look like. How did he play? Was he one of those quiet bass players or did he go along with the music, dancing and moving along to the rhythm?

“You have to show me the song, darling… After dinner?? If you’re not very tired… You didn’t sleep much…” 

“Yes, I think I can show you something without having to bring the kit in, don’t think the neighbours are up for a last minute concert…”

Sure yeah, I like this place, let’s not give them reasons to kick us out…” Freddie stirred the pasta a couple more times before considering it done. Then he asked for the two plates on the table and served them careful not to burn his fingers, or to let Roger make a mess out of the sauce. “Here, be careful, it’s my turn to clean the house tomorrow.” Freddie complained, knowing that at the end Roger would not be very helpful. 

Like a little boy with his plate of cereals Roger attacked his dinner like it was going to run from him. “Darling, when was the last time you had food in your belly? There’s more in the pan, you don’t need to rush…” Freddie observed as Roger ate. 

“I’ve spent the day with Tim’s coffee, my stomach has had better days…” Roger replied, still working on his food. 

“Poor boy, last time we were there Tim’s coffee kept me awake for 2 days! One single cup. Injections of caffeine straight to the veins are not that strong…”

“Yeah, I remember that… Not the best day of my life with you chasing a stray cat ‘cause it looked like you!” 

“In my defense, it is not everyday that you find stray cats with such pretty fur, I felt seen…” Freddie proclaimed in a theatrical way.

“Finish your plate while I get some more… I think I know how to show you the song in it’s full force without being yelled at by the guy downstairs. 

After filling his plate again Roger walked with it out of the kitchen, thoughtful. 

“Don’t you dare drop sauce on the sofa!”

“Mum, do you want to hear the song or not??”

With some of the hard cushions and pans and the coffee table Roger improvised a drum kit, and with curious Freddie spread on the couch, Roger started his pocket concert of only one song, aware that he wouldn’t be able to show the entire thing, but Freddie would get a strong idea. 

Freddie always loved how passionate Roger is with his songs, how his posture and voice change when he gets on rockstar mode. The smile on his face on his face is different this time. He is not playing for Freddie, not to anyone at that building… the fucker is showing off to his soulmate! Freddie thought, proudly. It was good to see Roger so happy, Freddie could only imagine the drummer's reaction when Roger meet his soulmate face to face, like he and Brian. 

The song is strong, Freddie didn’t imagine himself laying vocals to it,but he quite liked the fast upbeat mood, very cheerful, very Roger and God knows who else… 

*******************************************

“Brian invited us for lunch at his place… I can’t wait to meet his flatmate, Brian says the boy is very talented…” Freddie mentioned while finishing serving them their toasts. “Wanna go? It could end up as a double date… It could be fun…”

“Let me see… An afternoon filled with you being lovie-dovie with your soulmate while his flatmate and I make awkward conversations?? Sounds fun…” Roger replied, looking unimpressed by the invitation. He had a good feeling about that, but it was just a hint, an odd impression that something good would happen not only to Freddie, but to him as well. 

“Come on, you’re gonna like it! Free food!!” Freddie tried again. “It’s my first time at Brian’s, you’re not gonna leave me there alone, will you?”

“I hate that I can’t say no to you, I really hate it…” Roger replied, still trying to find an alibi that would only exist in his head. He would do anything for Freddie, from blood donations to embarassing lunches. 

“Love you, blondie!” 

After a few hours lazying around the house, the men decided to start getting ready to leave for Freddie’s boyfriend’s place, and miraculously, not much time later, they left just in time. 

“You look really good for someone who doesn’t wanna go…” Freddie exclaimed. “Best friend of the year goes for you!” Freddie said, blowing a kiss in Roger's direction.

“That award is already mine since ‘68, mate. Year after year…” Roger bragged, fixing his hair one last time. “Besides, I gotta leave a good impression, the blokes are family now, we gotta make it work.”

They decided to take a cab, easier to find the right address, and not to disappoint Brian, Freddie would rather die before leaving his soulmate waiting, and Roger actually thank the gods when the small trip ended and he could finally stop listen to Freddie list all Brian’s qualities that he found out in less than a week together.

Brian’s flat was a little outside their regular neighborhoods, in a very simple building, a lot more modest than their own.

The small walk was fast, Freddie was too excited to contain his nervous energy. “You’re gonna love Brian, such a sweet man he is…” 

“Yeah, I still remember him attacking your mouth as his life depended on that. It’s not him that worries me…” 

“Everything will be alright, free food, remember?” Freddie said, seconds before knocking on the door of apartment 316

Brian showed up at the door quite fast, like he was there all morning waiting for them to arrive, nervously smiling at his lover and his undeniably handsome friend who definitely thought it was a party. 

“Love!” Freddie complimented him with a kiss. “I brought Roger with me ‘cause I want the two of you to get along well, my two favorite people!”

“Hi mate, make yourselves comfortable…” Brian welcomed them in through the tiny corridor to the room. “I’m sorry for the mess, I didn’t have much time to clean, and John went to visit his mom this weekend, so I’m all by myself…”

“Poor angel, it’s all alright though, love… Everything looks perfectly placed.” Freddie calmed him down, squeezing Brian’s hand softly. “It already looks ten times more organized than ours.” 

“It’s true…” Roger agreed. He gave a good look around, and it was indeed more organized, a lot more simple, but there were some interesting details, like the guitar on the corner of the room, he had never seen anything like that, and the pictures, not many pictures of Brian, mostly of gigs they played. Roger thought it was cool to have so many picture frames on their shelves, but he didn’t want to be rude, making too many questions about them, so he obediently followed them to the kitchen.

“I have everything almost ready, do you want beer or wine?” Brian offered. “Deacy convinced me to buy a bottle of wine, but I didn’t have enough for anything fancy…”

“I’m good with a beer, mate,” Roger replied, taking the furthest seat from the couple, giving them plenty of space.

“I’ll have a glass of wine…” Freddie replied, trying to see what Brian had in the oven. “This smells pretty good, love. What are we having?”

“I stole John’s mom’s recipe for a veggie lasagna,” he said, expecting disappointed eyes, not everyone was like John and endured all the veggie meals he knew. “Don’t worry, there’s enough cheese on it to make it good, and I actually made it 50/50, there’s one side with ham.”

“Since when are you a vegetarian?” Roger asked, he didn’t know many people who could live without meat. Freddie instantly looked at him like a mother trying to show her kid that some questions are impolite, but Brian didn’t seem to mind and gave Roger an answer right away. 

“When I was seven my mom took me to a friend’s birthday in the countryside, a real farm with all animals you can think about. After a whole day chasing the sheep and carrying the baby goats here and there, I couldn’t stand the idea of eating meat anymore.” Brian explained looking directly at Roger. 

“So sweet and considerate, you’re the best, my love” Freddie said, observing Brian attentively like all his words and moves were made of gold.

“Nice. I worked at a farm before coming to London. That was how I got my spot in med school…”

“Roger here is going to be a Biologist! He is the one that saves me when I get hurt, and that happens a lot!” Freddie bragged, bringing some attention out of the couple. “And he’s a drummer as well, we’ve played in a few places together, but right now his bandmates don’t like me very much…” 

“It’s not that they don’t like you, Freddie, you know. We already have our three singers, that’s more than enough…”

“That’s nice… I play guitar and sing, not as good as Freddie, but enough for the songs I’ve written…” Brian announced “John plays the bass… if he were here we’d definitely have to jam.” 

Brian served the two guests with their plates and drinks and sat beside Freddie on the table, leaving Roger on the other side beside an empty seat. 

“We can make that happen someday… We have plenty of time, now that I found you, I’m not gonna leave you for nothing in this world…” Freddie says, sweetly, making Roger’s eyes roll. Third-wheeling for Freddie was not uncommon, but he couldn’t help but feel set aside being the one single person there. The exchange of looks among the newly formed couple was too bright and soft, Roger felt like a big dark cloud on their honeymoon.

“The food is awesome!” Roger said in a low voice, shyly savoring the meal Brian thoughtfully prepared for them. 

The lunch went pretty well, and Roger managed to push the feeling of loneliness to the back of his head, the beers and the waves of laughter helped ease his mind. He still wished his soulmate would finally reveal himself so he’d always have that sweet company, but he also wished they were having fun, whenever he was.

Just to send them a good thought, after the lunch was done and Brian and Freddie were working together on an improvised dessert of banana and cinnamon, (something easy and simple, just to get their sweet teeth under control), Roger went to the room and started humming the melody of their song, something to keep his mind busy while he took a better look on the flat. 

There were some pictures of Brian in his young teens, big differences in the haircut, from something clearly influenced by the Beatles to his own heavy curls, a lot more natural.

The other guy in the pictures was a skinny young man with beautiful long hair over his shoulders, probably brown,judging from the back and white pics, a bright smile, and soft wrinkly eyes, a small tooth-gap that was definitely a charm. The kind eyes were too soft and loving, the eyes of someone who knew how to brighten up the day. How Roger wished he could’ve met that man, he definitely seemed like a good person. John… Deacy. Roger liked how the name sounded soft… Something more called his attention, but Roger couldn’t put a finger on it, the way the young man looked concentrated when he had his bass in hands looked familiar, but he was sure he had never met the man before, he just wished John was the one..

Freddie appeared suddenly holding a small dessert bowl to Roger.

“Spying on the pictures?? Let me see…” Freddie gave Roger his dessert and got one of the portraits on the wall. It showed Brian and John, but they looked different. Brian had a shorter hair, straightened, and John’s hair was short and he had the infamous teenage zits in his face. “They don’t look very attractive here, I’m glad they changed for the better.” The picture showed fireworks in the background, and a big Happy 1969 sign behind the men, and Roger could only admire how much things changed to that mysterious John in only one year. 

“It’s a pity that John had to travel this weekend, but his mom is a widow, and every time she has big problems over there, John doesn’t rest until he can help her…” Brian joined them in the living room. “Oh, that was John’s first party here, when he moved in. We don’t usually do parties, but last year I found my first roommate that could stay more than two months, so we tried a little celebration that evening.” 

“Was it hard to find someone when you moved out of campus? I just had to put out an announcement and two days later Roger was moving in… It’s been four years already.” Freddie said, playfully pinching Roger’s cheeks. 

“One of the guys had to go back home after one month, there was the guy who tried to steal money from me, poor sod,  and the other one that never paid his share of the rent, after three months I had to kick him out.…” Brian said, enjoying his creamy dessert. “You are lucky ones.”

“We really are, it’s like having a brother…” Roger says, remembering the ups and the downs of living with Freddie.

Not much later, the couple started to ignore Roger’s presence, they really wanted to be alone, and Roger wouldn’t be the one to kill their chance, so he excused himself saying he had a date later he needed to get ready for. Freddie and Brian didn’t think much about that, to be honest, they were running out of subjects with the blond.

“I’ll see you at home, blonde. Behave…”

“Don’t worry, mom…”

After leaving Brian’s flat Roger walked his way to the nearest bus stop. He felt guilty for lying to them about the day, Freddie probably wouldn’t mind if he had just said he was tired of then, but he couldn’t explain how alone he felt at that moment. Roger didn’t have anyone to go back to, at least physically, and he didn’t feel like going for one of his usual hook-ups, that was starting to feel a lot like cheating since he started listening to his soulmate’s voice, so Roger did what he could to show his lover that he was thinking about him, he chose a good love song and sang it the best way he could, considering he was on the streets of London, still far from home… 

“When the night has come

And the land is dark

And the moon

Is the only light we'll see

No, I won't be afraid

Oh, I won't be afraid

Just as long as you stand

Stand by me

So, darlin', darlin', stand by me

Oh, stand by me

Oh, stand, stand by me

Stand by me

If the sky that we look upon

Should tumble and fall

Or the mountain

Should crumble to the sea

I won't cry, I won't cry

No, I won't shed a tear

Just as long as you stand

Stand by me…”

**

John was lighting a cigarette in the backyard of his mom’s house, a big garden that she was very proud of, and while his mom finished preparing their dinner, John and Julie were watering the plants and fixing the fences around the tomatoes and courgettes. Usually, Julie would do it all herself, but the last storm really destroyed the fences around the plant’s area and even the main gate. 

“You haven’t talked much since you arrived. Is London that boring or are you?” Julie asked. She was a few years younger than John, still in school, but they were always good friends. 

“London is not all fun and games, kid. Especially college…” 

“Have you met your soulmate? I can’t wait to start listening to mine.” The curious teen girl asked with bright eyes. 

“I can listen to him, yeah. Good voice, probably a professional singer…” John replied, carefully omitting the part where they have written a song together.

“Do you think he’s handsome?” Julie asked. 

“I know they are. Really. If the voice matches the physical like I think it does?? I’m one lucky champ…” John replied to his sister, taking a long drag at his cigarette before turning his attention back to a critical part of the fence. John was waiting for his soulmate to sing for him again. He had heard a soft murmur of their song right after lunch, but the problems around the house didn’t allow him to give it the deserved attention. 

When he was almost done, he received another gift. His soulmate decided to go for a good old-fashioned live song. A classic that John loved so much… it seemed like his mind was being read like the other man knew things about him like he was John’s best friend. And, in a sense, he was going to be. John took a break from work to enjoy the music. He didn’t want to spoil the moment, his soulmate was doing an incredible job, but he couldn’t resist singing along, lower, just to be noticed, and hoped it would make his soulmate happy.

“By the silly smile I think your loverboy sent you another song, what was it??” The girl laughed at her brother after finishing her part of the chores. 

“Stop being noisy, no one likes that…” John scolded a little too harsh, annoyed with the interruption. Now his soulmate was silent again, and John was starting to dislike the silence. Since the first day all he cared about was when would he listen to that voice again, anything, from real concerts to favorite songs, John wanted to drown into his soulmates’s powerful waves of sound. 

The girl went back inside the house looking upset, John clearly sounded a little more rude than he intended, and it was never good. He’d have to apologize to her after dinner. If their overprotective mother let it escape her eyes. 

Dinner went as nice as it could be. Julie was mad at John, but she didn’t mention it to their mother, they just ate surrounded by the strange silence, complimenting their mom on the food just to break the ice. After dinner Julie went back to her room and John helped with the dishes while their mother went to the living room to watch the telly. 

After the dishes were clean and all the leftovers were in the fridge, John went upstairs to have a chat with his little sister, decided to fix things between them. 

“He’s the best person this world has ever seen. I don’t need to see him to know that. He’s caring and sweet and creative. And I bet my life that he is the most charming man I’ll ever see.” John made a pause to take a deep breath after getting into the room where his sister were sitting on the floor with a textbook on her lap. “Do you remember how mom used to describe dad to you? How her eyes get shiny in adoration and how she said she fell in love with him singing a joke for her years before they met? That’s how I feel when he sings to me…”

The girl looked at him with big teary eyes, it was always emotional to remember their father, and she was happy for her brother. 

“Tell me more… I think I like him.” Julie said, incongruous John to sit beside her. He hog in and closed the door behind him, then he went to sit with her on the floor. 

“We wrote a song together. Well, he started, so it’s his, but I played bass while he drummed, and it was the coolest experience ever!! The song seemed to want to be played, I didn’t know the notes, I just followed him. None of the concerts I played in my life gave me such joy. He sings so beautifully, and he seems to know when I need him, it’s magical…” 

“John Richard Deacon, you are in love. Look at that smile! I haven’t seen this since you bought the Fender…” Julie affirmed, giving her brother a playful shove. 

“That was a very special day…” John said. “The Fender, I mean… it is still my favorite thing.” John got up from the floor and stretched himself for a while, all the work around the house left him feeling cranky. “Are we good?”

“Duh…” she replied, making the young man laugh. 

“Good. I'm gonna spend some time with mum, adult stuff, you know?” 

“Argh, boring…”

“Call me if you need anything…”

When John was ready to leave the room, his sister called him in again.

“Johnny?”

“What, kiddo?” he said, turning back to face her…

“Do you think I'm gonna find my soulmate?”

“You will, in a few years or so... and I'm gonna hate him with all my strength!” John made a serious face, trying his best to look intimidating, but soon the two siblings were laughing loudly, and all the tension from earlier became a memory. 

**

Freddie arrived from Brian’s house only a couple of days later, bearing some flowers and a half-empty bottle of wine, it was Monday, and Roger was preparing for his last reunions at the school’s clinic before the end of the semester. He got into the shower just while the blond was dressing up in his room. Freddie smiled when he heard the drummer singing a love song.

They saw each other only in the kitchen, when Roger was cursing over a burned toast. The blond’s face didn’t look well, too pale, even for Roger. Despite all that, Roger had a brave face on, and Freddie made no questions on his roommates appearance. 

“Want some help there, Roggie?” The singer offered. 

“No, you disappeared for the entire weekend, I don’t need you anymore…” Roger said, faking resentment. 

“Oh, really?” Freddie questioned. “You knew where I was all the time, love… No reason to get jealous…”

“Yeah, whatever… Wanna go out tonight?”

“Monday?? Anything special?” 

“Tim’s roommate is graduating this week,” Roger tried to get a bite of the burned toast, but then gave up. “The bloke is going back to Liverpool after this week, Tim wants to kick him out the right way…”

“Sure, count me in…” Freddie nodded. “I’m gonna call Brian. His roommate came late last night, they might wanna tag along…” Freddie said. Now that he had met John he knew the young man and Roger would be good friends. John was the opposite of Roger, but in a good way, in a calmer, controlled way, and the drummer needed that. Freddie couldn’t quite explain why he had this weird impression that one needed the other, but it wouldn’t hurt to try to get the two youngsters in the same place. The least that would come out of it could be a nice friendship, and some nice songs if John was really that good as Brian kept saying. 

“Nice, I’ll be back around three, be ready at seven, I’m not gonna be late because of you…” Roger announced, gulping the rest of his tea and left the kitchen, getting ready to leave for his meeting. 

“Don’t forget your coat. It was on the couch when I arrived…” Freddie yelled when he heard the blond make his way to the living room. 

“Not gonna take this one… thanks anyway, mom.”

He calls me mum so many times I already feel like I have the right to punish him sometimes… Freddie thought, reminding himself that he could clean the kitchen after his morning nap.

**

Roger bought himself a coffee and a decent piece of pie before going into the biology department, reminding himself that he didn’t have something nice to eat since the nice meal at Brian’s, but it soon showed it was a mistake. First because the professor didn’t approve him getting into the conference room bearing a tray of snacks as if he was the cafeteria, but Roger had his privileges for being a good student. 

He didn’t feel very well after only a couple of minutes, a sharp pain in his stomach and a wave of nausea that could appear and disappear just as fast made him leave the meeting before his professors could congratulate him on his amazing service to the research team. They could do that next semester anyways, Roger needed some fresh air before puking all over his clothes.

The blond man walked fast down the corridor to the building’s courtyard that was already filled with students enjoying any spot under the sun and having their textbooks open all over the place. 

Roger dodged many of them until he found a corner near the central fountain in the courtyard.  Without paying much attention, fearing that the pain would increase, he leaned over the edge of the fountain, with one hand into the water, for some awkward reason hoping that it would bring some relief.

Tim found Roger only a few minutes later, when he stopped flirting with one of the biology students Roger had showed him weeks earlier. 

“Are you alright, mate?? Tim asked, sitting next to Roger at the edge of the fountain. "You look destroyed..."

"My stomach hurts, really hard..." Roger grunted weakly, with a hand on his stomach.

 "It's not a hangover, yesterday I drank a lot more than you did!"  Tim exclaimed, fishing the cigarette wallet out of his pocket and lighting a cigarette, being careful not to let the smoke get to Roger.

“I didn't even drink yesterday, not as much as I usually drink…” Roger says, clearly nauseated.  "I started to feel bad during the meeting for the next semester, I couldn't even talk to the coordinator ..."

"I doubt this is important right now ..." Tim said, standing up and extending a hand to help Roger.  "Come on, I'll help you ... Back to your apartment or do you want to go to mine?"  He asked.  "I am not trusting to leave you alone, you are a little green ..."

"I think Freddie is off today, the store is not going to open…."  Roger said, struggling to get up without feeling so much pain, but it was very difficult.

 "I'll leave you at home, then I'll go with the van to sort out some things, a’right?" Tim asked, supporting his friend as they both walked carefully out of the building.

Roger dozed off on the way home, the swing of the car seemed to ease the pain.

“Mate, you’re home…” Tim shook Roger’s shoulder briefly, waking him up. Roger had a sleepy face, red on the right side. 

“Uh.. Oh, yeah.. Thanks for the ride Tim. How much do you want to drive me around one more hour?” said Roger, sleepily fixing his hair before leaving the car.

“Pay me a beer next time and I’ll drive you back to your mum in Cornwall…” Tim said, making sure Roger was alright when they said their goodbyes and the drummer got into the building. 

*

Roger walked the stairs slowly, feeling his stomach hurt with all the muscular movement. Freddie was at the door when he finally reached the right floor and helped him inside, carefully sitting him on the couch. 

“Roggie, darling… What happened?” Freddie said, wild alarmed eyes paying close attention to his friend.

“Felt sick after eating… Need sleep.” 

“Oh my, poor thing…” Freddie made a quick run to his room and came back to the living room with a blanket and pillows.

“Take your shoes off, I’m gonna let you rest here for now…” He said, throwing the things to the side of the couch. “I’m hoovering our rooms. DON’T. I repeat, DO NOT get used to it.  It’s your room, therefore cleaning it is your job!” Freddie said. 

“Ok mum. I’ll try to help you after a nap, promise.”

“You look green-ish, darling. If you could keep your last meal inside of you I’m already grateful…”

“I can work on that…” Roger said, resting his head in the pillow and covering all his body to avoid part of the clarity of the morning. 

Freddie rolled his eyes and went back to the drummer’s room, tidying it up the best he could, just so he could move around without stumbling in some random piece of shirt. 

Roger was not like that most of the times. Most of the time his room was the most organized place of the entire flat, he just needed for it to be a war scene first, then he'd have the motivation to clean it properly, which usually happened at least twice a week. 

Roger was still sleeping when it was time for them to get ready for the party. Freddie came back from his quick visit to the shops to find the blond still on the couch. 

“Honey, your neck will hate you tomorrow…” Freddie said, sitting in the armchair close to Roger’s head. In response, the drummer grunted something incomprehensible. “I told Brian I would pick him up since he lives closer to Tim. John, his hot, smiley roommate is going with us…” Freddie kept saying. “I got you hot new trousers. I think you’re gonna like them, try them out later, okay? I’ll make you some food and then I’ll take a shower and get myself ready…” Freddie completed his wild train of thoughts, seeing the blond’s hair move over his face when the drummer took a deep breath. 

Roger got up a few minutes later and moved to his room, still wrapped up in the blanket, holding the pillows tight as he walked to his bed, and falling over it almost immediately. When he was getting comfortable in his own bed, he started hearing this soft humming sound, so soft and sweet it made him more sleepy. This time his sleep was softened by the sweet sound of a melody created by his soulmate. Much better, he could feel his body relaxing as he drifted away to dreamland with his faceless partner. 

Roger missed the party that night, he didn’t even see when Freddie left the flat using his beloved fur coat, but at least he could recover from whatever illness that tried to take over him. 

**

John was humming soft lullabies to his soulmate when Freddie arrived. Brian was still dressing up, the guitarist wanted to make sure his first party with his soulmate would be a good memory for both of them.

John opened the door to the singer and made him feel welcome to their place, he was still adjusting to having visitors, the two roommates usually wouldn’t bring dates home, unless they really meant something. 

“Your boyfriend is fixing that mop he calls hair, he won’t take long now, it’s been over an hour already…” John said, finishing brushing his own hair while Freddie sat at the armchair. “Want water or a beer?”

“No darling, no need for that. If I know Tim well, there’ll be plenty of drinks of all sorts waiting for us there… just gonna wait here…” 

“Ok, I’ll find myself a jacket or something… you’re home!” John announced, quickly going back to his room.

Freddie envied the way the younger man's hair moved as he walked, forming perfect waves that rested on the man’s back like a soft fabric. Roger would have loved to meet you! He thought, thinking about his sick flatmate. 

Moments later, Brian left his room, showing up at the room with perfectly placed curls and a soft white satin vest, that matched Freddie’s incredibly well.

“Oh love! Look at this, we're a royal pair!!” Freddie said, getting up from his chair so he could take a better look at his soulmate. “You look absolutely stunning, love!!” Freddie reached up to give his man a kiss, only letting go when both men were a bit out off breath. 

“You don't look bad yourself, my love… My Freddie…” Brian's adoring eyes made Freddie blush, his burning cheeks turning bright pink with the little bit of makeup he used. Freddie kissed Brian again and again until their lips were warm and swollen. 

“You ready?” Freddie asked, letting go of Brian and looking at John that had  just came out of his room. “Both of you?” 

“I thought Roger was going out with us today…” Brian mentioned. “Hope he didn’t back up because he didn’t like me…”

“Honey, you fed Roger, he loves you!” Freddie assured him. “Blondie felt sick today… he’s so week I didn’t dare to mess with him…” 

“It’s a shame, he was the one that came up with this… hope he feels better soon…” Brian said, secretly relieved that Roger seemed to have liked him.

“I think we should get going…” John said, not really interested in going. He’d rather stay, play some tunes for his soulmate, but Brian asked him to be there, at least as a backup plan in case Brian didn’t get along with Freddie’s friends. 

“Right, I’ll lead the way…” Freddie said, taking Brian’s hand. 

The party was quite empty when they arrived, mostly due to the fact it was Monday and most of the people had busy days and would be tired at night. But Tim looked happy with the few guests that showed up there. 

“Freddie!!” Tim came to the door when they got inside the flat. Freddie introduced Brian and John to the bassist, and Tim introduced them to Leonard, the reason for the party, and soon they all had drinks in their hands and were chatting about… music, of course.

Tim and John teamed up against Brian and Freddie when they started discussing the importance of long guitar solos in live concerts, while Leo just laughed at them and took photos of everyone. 

John, still feeling misplaced, managed to enjoy the conversation, the music wasn’t too loud, and the people around him seemed nice. Brian didn’t took long to find his way to the discs Tim had, he and Freddie judged all Tim’s music taste and laughed together, alone in their separated bubble. 

Tim saw the moment the other bassist went quiet, and as the good host he was, tried his best to make John feel welcomed. No one came to his home to feel left out. 

“Freddie mentioned you’re working on your own amp! That’s impressive, mate!” Tim said, offering John another beer. 

“Yeah, I started working on it a couple of years back, when I started electronics!” John said, finishing the previous can of beer before taking the new one. “Thank you! Brian mentioned you’re on a band too, must be a cool one.”

“Roger, Freddie’s flatmate, is our drummer. Things are slow, we barely manage to get one gig per week. But you know how things are…”

“I do know… I was in a band before coming to London, high-school thing, didn’t go far.” John said, embarrassingly, trying not to think about the past.

“Want to hear some of our stuff?” We made a demo some time ago… waiting for the right person to give it to…” 

“Sure!!” 

“It’s old… it’s from our first song, ages ago…”

John paid attention to the tune, mentally taking notes on how to play it… it was quite interesting and the rhythm was quite familiar, very intense on drums and bass. Tim’s voice was good, also very familiar, but in a way that John couldn’t point out why. Quickly, he decided that he liked their sound, it was something his soulmate would like to listen to as well, he knew that...

** 

Roger woke up with his stomach growling for some food, he walked slowly around the semi-dark flat for the kitchen, turned on the lights and quickly found the plate of mashed potatoes and chicken that Freddie left for him. Thankful, Roger put it all in a small pan and started reheating the food, letting it warm up in low heat while he made some juice, wisely avoiding the soft drinks inside the fridge.

Then he took it all to the table, and not caring about getting a new plate, he started eating straight from the small plate.

His soulmate was definitely at a party tonight. Or a rock club. The music wasn’t loud, but it was good, and Roger liked the various Hendrix songs that played. Roger was jealous of whoever could meet his soulmate tonight, while he was recovering from a stomach bug, but at least it wasn’t a disco club this time and Roger enjoyed the songs his soulmate was listening to. 

Roger decided to take a shower, thankful again for Freddie, because the drummer's room was perfectly organized. The blond set up a pair of soft pjs and a clean towel and headed to the bathroom.

There, he started showering lazily, enjoying the quiet flat and the songs inside his head. 

It wasn’t until the end of the shower, when the water was already starting to run cold, that he listened to something quite strange, that left him speechless.

It was one of his songs that his soulmate was listening to now...

Chapter Text

Roger was still awake when Freddie and Brian stumbled inside their flat. He thought about asking them details about the party, but the couple was too drunk for a coherent conversation, so Roger decided to leave that for the next morning. He went back to bed, but sleep was not under reach.

The next morning, after watching the sunrise from the window, Roger jumped out of bed to try to get some words with Freddie or Brian before they left for the day.

Passing by his roommate’s door, Roger saw Freddie and Brian still in his clothes tangled in each other’s arms. Then, for his own good, he decided to make a big breakfast for everyone, the soulmates could have something to eat in case they had monstrous hangovers, especially cause the drummer had a few questions planned. He desperately needed to know why his song was playing at the party, and who was there to listen, who was the person paying such close attention to the song that it seemed like Roger was there too. His soulmate was closer to him than he ever imagined, and he had started feeling that tingling closeness, that sensation Brian had felt right before meeting Freddie. 

Now it was his turn… And if his soulmate was as excited as him, soon they’d be together. That simple thought made Roger’s life a lot more colorful already…

With coffee, toasts, and jelly on the table, the drummer only had to wait for his victims to wake up.

**

John woke up early, confused about how he got home. That was the problem with parties, the liquor was always stronger than those from the clubs, a few cups and he couldn’t remember half of the night… 

He left for the bathroom and saw that Brian was not home, but his coat was on the armchair, so at least he knew that his roommate left him at home before going to Freddie’s place. 

John came back to his room after a quick wash, pondered a few minutes about his priorities, food or a good clean-up around the mess that he made? It was not much, to be honest, John was an organized man, and he was thankful for having Brian as a roommate, ‘cause the flat was always reasonably organized no matter the state they come back from parties and clubs… 

John started to collect the clothes from the floor, pilling them up on the chair before taking everything to the laundry area. Then he took some time examining the pockets, emptying them from any paper and stuff he didn’t throw away, either because he didn’t find a trash can or because they look important… Phone numbers slipped into his pockets were somewhat important, at least until he finds his soulmate, but even now, a single man, John never ringed one of those numbers…. He felt like loyalty to his soulmate was the first step to make it happen faster. Something, a gut feeling or whatever it was called, told him that his soulmate was waiting just around the corner. 

John had a song in his mind, that song that Tim showed him, and he sang that while he kept himself busy with the clothes, soon it’d be laundry day and he needed to go through his stuff to see if they were separated by color as his mother taught him to do. 

There was a lump inside the back pocket of the jeans he whore that previous night, a little square thing that John found out to be a K-7 tape. Not any tape, but a tape with songs by Tim’s band, that also had Roger, Freddie’s flatmate as a drummer/singer. He set him aside to listen to it later, maybe after his breakfast. 

Curious to listen to the tape, John quickly arranged his pile of dirty clothes next to Brian’s bigger pile and rushed to prepare his breakfast, consisting of toasts and an orange juice that was near its expiring date. As soon as Brian arrives they would have to make a groceries list, a real one this time, not just the essentials. 

After the toasts were heating up nicely, to melt the cheese evenly, he made a quick run to the living room, setting the k-7 tape inside the stereo, where he could listen to it calmly while getting his breakfast. The first song is the one he listened to during the party, a groovy dancy song with a nice rhythm, nice vocals from two good vocalists, voices that matched so beautifully. It made him want to be in a club, so he started dancing in his chair, bopping his head and shaking his hips to the boogie song. One of the voices sounded familiar, but with all the melody that loud, he couldn’t pinpoint why he thought he knew it. He wished his soulmate was there to enjoy the music, maybe even dance with him… note to self: take him on a dancing night, first date! John thought, still singing the cheesy lyrics. 

**

Roger was caught out of guard again.

When he was leaving the flat in search of cigarettes, he heard it again. His song, the bopping one from the previous day, and this time his soulmate was singing along to it… That filled his heart with so much joy he decided to not waste another second, he wanted to know who his soulmate is, and he wants it now!

Forgetting about the cigarettes, Roger turned around and went knocking at Freddie’s bedroom door.  “Wake up!! It’s an emergency!” Roger said loud and clear before entering the room, not waiting for a response or permission. “You know who my soulmate is, don’t ya? Get up, both of you. I need explicit details from the party at Tim’s.” Roger sat at the edge of the bed and shook Freddie’s feet. “How did that happen, who are they and what do they look like? I can’t believe I missed the only party I should’ve gone to since coming to London, really! Now, wake up, it’s serious!”

Brian was the first to wake up, slowly opening his eyes and distancing himself from his lover. “What? Did you meet your soulmate? What happened?” The guitarist asked, confused and blinded by the sunlight. “What time is it? I need to check up on Deacy…” Brian adjusted his fluffy hair to something less messy before he could fully sit up on the bed and understand what was going on. 

“Focus, Brian! First, help me find my forever love, please?” Roger asked. “My soulmate was at the party last night! How do I know that you might wonder? Well, yesterday I heard one of my band’s songs being played, and Tim is the only one that keeps those things stored. I have them too, but they’re lost inside some boxes.” Roger said in one breath, visibly energized by the possibility of meeting his soulmate. “Now I need to know who was there too, besides you, Tim and Freddie, and who was the person that paid attention to the song to the point I could feel like I was there too! It wasn’t a random song, it was mine! And they like it!!”

As Roger showered the awakening couple with his racing thoughts, his soulmate started listening to the next song. They really liked his songs?? It was a good start…

“Does he ever shut up?” Brian asks Freddie as the singer slowly moves out of his comfortable little spot in the bed. 

“Oh, worse, dear! I still shudder to think on the Summer of ‘68.” Freddie says just seconds before yawning loudly. 

“And still, you haven’t got rid of me to this day, guess I’m not that bad!” Roger says, kicking off his shoes and getting on the bed to sit between the two lovers. “Besides, I know you well enough to say that if you were in my shoes, you would be freaking out just as hard… even harder considering how much of a big Queen you are!” 

“If we promise to help you as soon as we get enough… uh… rest, would you leave NOW?” Brian asked, looking at the way his boyfriend straightened himself on the other side of the bed and feeling certain parts of his body heating up. “Please?”

“Not really… You’re dressed and ready to go, and I have an emergency…” Roger said, getting even more comfortable on the bed, like a child that insists they still can sleep with their parents. 

“You’re the worst!” Freddie mumbles between his teeth. The singer gets up from the bed and demands Roger to leave them alone one more time. “Get out!! I don’t get into your personal space like this unless there’s blood, or a spider, involved, so you must go! I need… 10 minutes?? He pushes the blond man out of his bedroom and looks back at his boyfriend before closing  the door and locking it “maybe a little bit more…”

“I hate you!! Both of you!!” Roger yells at the door. “Do you know how many people never get to meet their soulmates even tho they lived close to each other all the time?? Do you know how many people die before meeting their soulmates, leaving the other part in a depressive state they can’t even understand? Come on, this is important! I love him, and I want him to know that before anything happens… I… we deserve that!” Roger cries, not even dramatically anymore. 

Suddenly the door opens, and Brian looks at Roger, sitting on the floor holding his knees, 

“Let’s go, where do you want to start?” The tall man took pity on Roger, he understood the agony of not knowing when or how or even IF things were going to happen until they finally happened. 

“I LOVE YOU!” The drummer lifts his head with a smile on his face to look at the tall man wearing the same satin outfit from the previous night. “You can start by telling me who was at the party, especially with Tim, while I pour you some coffee…” Roger said, and then gestured to Brian to help him get up, leaving Freddie behind to change his clothes and get ready for the day.

“Thanks!” Brian helped Roger to stand up and both men marched to the kitchen. “Coffee is still hot, can’t say the same things about the toast…” 

Then the guitarist sat on the chair around their small dinner table and started to pour himself a little bit of coffee. That was too sweet for his own taste, but he didn’t say anything about it. “What do you know about your soulmate? Do you know his singing voice?” Brian asked, trying to make things clear to himself, and to kill his increasing curiosity. 

“He is not a singer, but I like his shaky voice, he must be a shy bloke because I can’t imagine him raising his voice to anyone, when he sings for me it’s always timidly, like he doesn’t want to get any attention for himself.” Roger starts saying, his eyes going brighter and bluer as he speaks. Then he continued… “We have a connection, a strong one I’ve never felt before… We made our own song! We wrote a song together, and ya’know? It just worked! It flew out of us so easily. He is a bassist, an amazing bassist, I must say, and I can’t wait to meet him. 

Shy, shaky voice, bassist, their song… The key words on Roger’s talking kept rolling into Brian’s brain. It has to be. JOHN. Brian choked up at the realization that he knew John’s soulmate. It had to be Roger, right? Drummer, beautiful strong voice, heavy but groovy playing… All that time, John was describing ROGER. 

“Are you alright there, mate?” Roger asked when Brian started coughing. Roger stood up from his spot to give a few strong taps on Brian’s back. “You choked with coffee, I knew it was too sweet…” 

As Brian’s state got a little better and he stopped coughing his lungs out, the realization came back stronger. He couldn’t help Roger, otherwise, he’d be weakening their soulmate bond. Soulmates couldn’t have any help to get to each other. They would have to do it naturally, by themselves. 

“I’m fine now, thanks…” Brian says, getting the cup of water that Roger had got him. 

Listening closely to the confusion, Freddie made a quick run to the kitchen, worried with Brian’s well-being.

“Rog, hope you’re not trying to kill my precious lover!” Freddie yells as he sees how red Brian is. 

“Nah, I saved him… You’re all good, mate.” Roger replies, seeing Brian go back to normal and giving him a gentle squeeze on the shoulder. 

“I’ll live, Freddie. Don’t worry…” Brian said, finishing the glass of water Roger had given him. Freddie kissed his cheek and sat beside him, letting their knees and shoulders touch. 

Roger needed to get their attention back again, so he just kept talking about the only thing in the world that mattered to him. 

“So… Again, focus! My soulmate, my true one true love… Brian, do you know if there were any bassists at the party last night?” 

John was there last night! Freddie thought about saying, but changed his mind after reminding that it could affect Roger’s bond with his soulmate. Yes, Roger’s soulmate is John, it has to be... so fitting. “How would we know, sweetheart? There’s no way we’ll know stuff like that, it was a party full of people.” Freddie said, sensing Brian’s muscles tensioning with the question. Both men couldn’t say a thing. Any tip could damage the new soulmate’s bond, and they wouldn’t live with the guilt. 

They looked at each other and observed as the drummer swallowed their answer and accepted the temporary defeat, turning his back to them to escape their eyes. “I hate to see him like this.” Freddie murmured in Brian’s ears. The guitarist nodded, took a deep breath and left, walking back to Freddie’s bedroom. 

Freddie got up and walked to Roger, standing behind him and putting his head on the blonde man’s shoulder and giving him a kiss on the cheek. 

“We’ll find a way, Roggie. By the end of the day, if not sooner, you’ll be cuddling with your soulmate on the couch…” The older man promised, thinking about a way to bring John over without showing them he knows everything. 

“How do you know?” Roger asked, a little tear escaping his eye, snuggling close to Freddie like a kitty. 

“I just know… I have a good feeling… Something good  is gonna happen!” Freddie reassured him optimistically.

Roger moved around, taking his distance from Freddie and leaving him alone in the kitchen. He was not convinced of how things would end well, all he knew is that he would do anything to just find his soulmate 

Roger could still hear his soulmate dittying his song, and that was the only thing keeping him sane. 

When Freddie came back to his room tho, Brian was gone. He left a note on the bedside table:

“Bring Roger to Imperial College Institute, tonight at 7. Lecture Room 8, tell him to bring drumsticks! My mom always told me we can’t TELL a person about their soulmate, we can’t spoil the surprise…and we won’t!! But no one mentioned anything about bringing them to the same place at the same time… We’ll make it, and it’ll be killer!  Love you. Bri”

**

Brian left Freddie’s flat and went to Imperial College, only paying attention to the party outfit he was wearing when he was already at the administration, renting the Lecture Room far in the back of the university for what he called a jam session. The funny eyes at his satin blouse were replied with a death stare. A mental fuck you to all the people he already despised so bad. 

“One Lecture Room rented for three hours, Here’s the key, don’t lose it!” The ginger woman at the administration told him after making her notes. “Bring the key back tomorrow, we open at 8.

Brian then made his way to his own flat, cursing the moment he and John decided not to use their car last night. The bus home took longer than it should have and when he finally got near his building, it was already half-past two in the afternoon. 

John was vacuuming the room when the guitarist arrived, all the place had been cleaned up while he listened to Tim’s band’s tape over and over, he was already learning the chords to his favorite song, the one with the fast drum solo.

“Guess what?” Brian said while kicking off his shoes.

“You’re gonna help me clean now that I am almost done? All that’s left are your laundry, by the way. There were too many delicate pieces, I don’t mess with those…” John pointed out to their laundry area, in the back of the kitchen: 

“And what do you do with your delicate pieces of clothes??” Brian wondered, knowing that the young man’s style was not very different from his own. 

“I wait for the end of the month and send them to my mom, as all young adults should do…” John turned his face to Brian and grinned. 

“Spoiled!”

“Yeah, whatever… Do you have news or not??”

“Oh yeah, that… We’re going to Imperial tonight! I booked a lecture room for us.” Brian said, showing off the key that he was still holding. “It’s been a while…” 

Can we afford that?? I don’t know, mate…” John said, thinking about the bills that would still come on that week.

“My treat, don’t worry. I need to get that muscle flexed, ya’ know? It’s been ages since I could play a gig, even longer since we played together…”

“If you insist… Who else is going to be there? It’d be nice to have a drummer, just for a change…”

“Rhythm sections are overrated anyways…” Brian joked, earning a threatening look from the bassist. “But I asked Freddie if he and Roger will be available tonight, he said he might show up…”

“Finally, I’m gonna meet the guy, he sounds good on the drums…” John complimented, not noticing the growing redness on Brian’s face. 

“Ye-yeah, I think we all will get along well if he gets to go, which I don’t know…” Brian nervously tries to get out of the conversation, or at least of the theme of Roger. “But if they don’t go, it won’t be a problem, right? Just you and me, like the old times…”

“And by the old times, you mean two months ago…” John pointed out sarcastically. 

“Whatever. I’m gonna take a shower, and then we can start preparing some sandwiches to go…” 

“We, means a lot of people, Brian May. I cleaned, you cook!” John then leaves the room to get his stuff undusted. The last time he played the bass was for his soulmate, to their song, so when getting everything together for the jam session that night he rapidly got the lyrics and notes he made to the song, maybe it would be good to practice on that a little bit before they finally met. 

** 

“You know what could be nice?” Freddie asked, running his fingers through Roger’s hair while they watched an old movie on the telly. 

“What?” Roger says, still resenting the fact that he was not encouraged to find his soulmate. 

“Brian called us to this jam session tonight, at Imperial… We should go, it would be good for you to distract yourself and play a few songs…”

“I’m not sure I’m in the mood, Freddie…” Roger said, burying his face deeper on the cushion on Freddie’s lap. 

“But Roggie, when was the last time we played together? It could be so fun…Besides, since you’ve been writing songs again, I thought you could play me that… You know?? The song you wrote with your love…” Freddie tried his best to be convincing, but he knew that it wouldn’t be easy. “And Brian set it all for us to be a band for a night, wasn’t that nice of him? That might as well become a regular thing… I’d not opposed to that!”

“Ok, I’ll go! But first I think I wanna pay Tim another visit, I don’t know… Just to see if he gives me some useful information about my soulmate.”

“First of all, calling me and Brian useless because we couldn’t help you?? Rude!! Second?? Tim was high as a kite yesterday, do you really believe he remembers anything?” Freddie lied, Tim had impeccable behaviour all night, as the good host that he is, but it would buy him some time to keep any interference away from the plans. “Focus on what we should take… Brian said you only need drumsticks, so I guess they have all the rest figured out…”

“We should buy some beers. Just to be polite, I don’t want to make the other guy think we’re bad people.” Roger said, really interested in meeting Brian’s roommate. Not only because all the good things he's heard about him, but because something that he couldn’t explain was connecting him to the other man. 

“I’m on it!” Freddie grabbed the wallet he saw on the coffee table and gently gestured for Roger to get up…

“You know this is my wallet, right?” Roger questioned.

“Yes! Lunch is on me tomorrow, so don’t worry about this, darlin’.”

“Deal! Now before I change my mind, GO!” Roger got up from the sofa, going to check his hair in the mirror of the bathroom. “I’ll even pack my acoustic guitar for you to have something else to put your hands on besides Brian…” He shouted, before the singer turned around and slammed the door. 

On the bathroomRoger started to examine the many types of braids his friend has done in his hair, deciding to keep one of them, the most beautiful one, as a lucky charm for the day, then he brushed his hair and locked it on a ponytail. Cute, but not enough to meet my soulmate. Roger sighs, disappointed with their situation. So close, so far…

When he turns on the shower, that shaky voice invades his mind again, this time trying to catch up with the fast lyrics of their own song, murmuring softly, making it sound way more romantic than it is… 

Well I hope this baby's gonna come along soon

You don't know it could happen any ol' rainy afternoon

With the temperature down

And the juke box blowin' no fuse

And my musical life's feelin’

Like a long Sunday School cruise

And you know there's one thing

Every single body could use

Yeah listen to me baby

Let me tell you what it's all about

Modern times rock and roll

Modern times rock and roll

Roger didn’t sing together, more focused on enjoying that sweet sound while the water ran through his body. It was an odd feeling, after all was done and he was back in the silence, he was even more motivated to go to the jam session that night… Maybe it was the possibility of singing and playing songs to his soulmate that would maybe, just maybe, make the other man as happy as he felt at that moment. 

When he left the bathroom Freddie was back from the store. “Bought us some pastries to eat, beers and a cheap bubbly. Hope you don’t mind….” Freddie announced, leaving Roger’s wallet where he found it. 

“What’s to be celebrated?? Are you going to propose to Brian already?” Roger said, locking the door to his room, knowing that they’d have to be a little loud as he was dressing up. “A little early for that if you ask me, mate…” 

“No, silly. But I still have a good feeling, something great will happen. And bubbly makes everything better…Even when it’s this cheap.” Freddie said, unpacking their sweets and pastries and putting the other stuff in the fridge to cool down properly. 

“Sweets for lunch, my childhood dream came true!” Roger said when he entered the kitchen and saw the thing on the table. “Mum would be so proud…” Roger had his denim outfit  on, his hair still on a ponytail, showing off the single braid to the left side of his head, his messy bangs and the thick sideburns giving him an unique style, hard to achieve. 

“You look pretty, Rog. Think I’m gonna braid your hair every day now.” Freddie cumplimented. 

“Shut up!” Roger scolded, hiding a grin. “This one survived because I couldn’t untangle it…” he lied. 

**

“Remind me again why are we setting up this old thing?” John asked, making his voice echoing along the enormous lecture room while the guitarist carried another part of a drum kit. 

“I told you, Freddie and Roger might come to see us, I didn’t want to ask Roger to bring all his stuff all the way up here… These are indeed old, older than me probably, but when well assembled, they work just like a brand new kit.” Brian explained, seeing as his friend worked with the tools to make all the kit stand as steady as it could. “You’re doing a great job, mate.”

“Yeah, whatever, this bloke better be grateful, ‘cause all this work is one of the main reasons I didn’t become a drummer!” John complained one last time before getting up and seeing if the whole thing would fall apart. “Ta-da!” He celebrated, once he saw it was a work well done. 

“Now we just need to get all our stuff settled, and it’s show time. They’ll find us by the sound…” Brian said, getting their cables and giving one to John. 

“Not a very welcoming way if they play better than us…” John said, sarcastically throwing Brian off of his enthusiasm. 

“Don’t even try to burst my happy-bubble. You might end up liking this more than I will…” Brian said, plugging his guitar to a small amp and trying some chords. 

As soon as John was also set up to start, they started playing, Nothing very specific, just aligning their sound to each other, getting used to their space and taking advantage of the lack of an audience. Then he moved to a more familiar territory and started playing some of their favorite Hendrix tunes, no vocals, because none of them felt brave enough to those, just the vibes and the enthusiasm of playing something from their favorite musician. 

**

Not very far from them, Roger and Freddie arrived at the building. It was a modern place, fit for all the science courses studied inside those walls. 

“I feel nakey without my kit… I always have it with me.” Roger complained. 

“You just like lifting all that heavy weight, mostly because it’s the only workout you ever do…” Freddie replied. “Come, take this… I can sense them around…” 

Roger had Hendrix playing in his mind, his soulmate was practicing to it for a while now. The big lobby of the university seemed less modern than the outside, and there were many corridors and hallways to walk through, but Roger knew where to go, he just took the lead as the sound in his head became the same as of the environment, guiding him through the half-empty university. Then close to the pointed Lecture Room 8, the sound of Hendrix changed to something he knew better than any other song, the bass sounds accompanied by guitar riffs that matched properly making up for the lack of vocals and drums, it couldn’t be real. Or was it?. The world became slower around him, all the rest of it was muted, all that mattered was that he knew the wait was finally over. His soulmate was right behind that door. 

** 

John was on fire that night, the energy flowing through his veins was that of a real concert, if he closed his eyes he could feel the crowd. But in this case, the only crowd he cared about, a faceless man, John couldn’t see him, but he could feel him closer and closer, like he never did before. Adrenaline filled, he played as if his soulmate could watch him, not only hear the notes. John wanted to get into the man’s mind like he never did before, invade him and flow through him with their song, that was missing just the best part of it… in John’s humble opinion. 

Brian could sense Freddie’s presence as well, and his smile became wilder as he felt that their plan was working. 

**

As if he had lost total control of his mind, completely driven by the urgency of the moment, Roger opened the door to the auditorium, stunned to see he was finally in the presence of his soulmate. Roger walked fast to reach the platform where the two men were playing. 

John looked up to the man walking in their direction. It had to be him, his soulmate. His eyes becoming the brighter and bluer light John had ever seen, there was this intense light around him blurring all the rest of the world. John WAS playing to his soulmate, but at this very moment, he had to stop, just stop playing and receive the other man with arms wide open to the embrace they were waiting for all their lives. 

**

Suddenly there was this flood of happiness, this love growing bigger than Roger as he held his soulmate in his arms and they kissed like they had all the intimacy of a lifetime together. Well, it wasn’t wrong, they knew each other well, maybe better than they knew themselves, and right there, all they cared about was to show how much they loved each other, no songs this time, this time it was visual, touchable, they would never have to walk this world alone again. 

The more it became real, the happier John felt. He finally had a face and a body to the voice he loved more than anything in this world, and he already knew there was nothing that could change how he feels towards Roger, and as the love of his life kisses John’s entire face with the biggest smile on his face, everything in his life, all this road to this moment, makes absolute sense. 

**

Brian coughs to call their attention, but he’s ignored. 

Freddie tries the same, but he too is ignored by the couple who can’t stop sharing kisses and promises of eternal love (that is exactly what’s expected from soulmates), so he just gives up and opens his bag with the beers, giving one to Brian. The guitarist moved around and got his bag from behind the amps, giving Freddie one of the tuna sandwiches that he’s made for the occasion. 

They sat on the floor, snuggling close to each other as they got comfortable. Waiting for the new couple to get tired, or at least more aware of their surroundings, sharing their own kisses as they patiently wait. 

“Were we ever this cheesy??” Brian asked, taking a moment to joke. “Insatiable teens…” he rolled his eyes. 

“Can’t remember, but probably not... all I can remember was that one second you were staring at me, and on the other you and I were in my bed…” Freddie replies, taking a bite of his sandwich as the other man laughed and kissed the side of his temples. 

Now they are two happy soulmate couples, and that was only the beginning of their adventure. 

Chapter Text

Finding your soulmate was a game-changing experience because with your soulmate, you also got a purpose in life. That’s what happened to Brian and Freddie, and John and Roger. 

Now, they were part of a band called Queen (the most outrageous thing Freddie could think of), and they all lived together in what was Freddie’s and Roger’s apartment, a happy compromise to save money and always be with their loved ones. 

Between their work and studies, they maintained a schedule, home every day at the same hour for tea and conversations about things, both big and small. It became their tradition, their bonding time. 

It all starts with tea. Freddie gets home earlier than the others, so he’s usually responsible for getting the house handled before they can start having their afternoon tea. He ensures everything is prepared for Brian to have his usual quiet time before dealing with furious teens all day, never forgetting to leave a cute note on their bedside table saying how much he loves his man. 

Then Brian arrives with something from that cute little bakery shop they all like. The owner is his dad’s best friend, so he always gives Brian something freshly baked to try with his friends, all for free with the promise that Brian and all the other men would come visit again soon. Brian usually chooses the ones with that apricot jam filling that Freddie loves. 

John gets home with the newspapers, one for each couple, where they can find funny things to do on their free weekends, ideas for double dates, and new places that could be interested on a band to be their regulars: that’s usually how they get to play out of the university circuit, they’ve been getting close to the point of having played on most unis in and out of London. Two times a week he gets a magazine for Roger, music magazines to fill the drummer’s collection. 

Then finally, Roger arrives from his part-time job at the laboratory, always complaining that he feels disgusting and avoiding all sorts of human touch before he gets scrubbed up from head-to-toe. But not everything is bad, because he always  comes bearing plastic flowers that he finds at the market to fill their newly acquired porcelain vase. He says he likes how John looks at the vibrant colors of the fake flowers. 

They drink their tea and eat their goodies while sharing little stories, ideas for the next gigs and work experiences. Everything has a good flow, and they love to be with one another. They’re all in agreement their moments together are never boring. What people outside call routine, they call comfort. 

When they have gigs in London, they get ready, all dressed in their stage clothes, before leaving for the club or venue, wearing big rain coats until it’s showtime. Freddie says it saves time, and allows people to know that they’re not messing around: they are all fully authentic, just like their songs. 

And when the concert is in another city, they always arrive there with extra time to enjoy the places, the weather, the people, to feel the energy of the place before they rocksouls and makebodies shake. The important part is doing all of that together, each with his soulmate by his side, taking pictures and making memories.

They see the love, in their experiences, in their actions, inside their burning hearts, love is everywhere. Brian sees love in the way Freddie lets him sleep a little bit more, but never leaves his side unless he briefly needs to, keeping him warm and cozy until Brian is ready to face the day. Freddie sees love in the small dates Brian improvises when they’re having busy moments, showing up at the stall to help Freddie during lunchtime, or taking him out for street concerts on Sundays, moments where only Freddie’s smile matters to the guitarist. 

For John, love is in his and Roger's road trips, watching the blond drive away with a smile on his face, and a song on his lips. They sing, and laugh and kiss and eventually stop in safe places to make love under the moonlight. It’s John’s definition of Heaven, and he would do anything to keep these good moments coming their way. Roger sees love in John’s ability to make everything better, be it hard days, sick days, days where the band can’t seem to work together, John makes it better, worthwhile. John is Roger’s bright light, his safe place, and that is the purest thing he’s ever felt… 

Musically, things were growing stronger between them. They, in contrast to all the other people who had already found their soulmates and had stopped having musical connections, could still sense each other’s presence and feelings through music. Roger knew when his lover was in class, when John was having a good day, because of the brand new song the younger man had in his mind: sometimes just a riff, sometimes more, but John always had something to show him. Freddie knew when Brian was trying to find the right words to his next song because the same lyrics and notes that were in the guitarist’ brain, usually popped up in his head, too, and vice-versa. This, and the fact that the four of them were now part of a powerful super-group, became a part of their song-writing process. They never experienced a song being born to all of them at the same time, like it had happened to John and Roger as a bonded pair;  for all of them working together, it was more like a puzzle, and each couple was responsible for half of it, until they could mend the pieces together. 

As the band solidified their structure, they became more and more recognized as musicians. Soon Freddie got the attention he deserved as the brilliant frontman/vocalist/pianist he was, Brian’s solid riffs slowly turned him into the guitarist he always dreamed to be, Roger’s loud style made him become the type of  rockstar he always admired, and John just loved to be with his soulmate and friends so much; any road they went through he just followed. Not because he didn’t have ambitions as a musician all his own, but because each new step they achieved was savoured best when they were together. 

It was at the end of their last tour around the U.K. that something happened. 

The four men were on their way home, inside a rented bus with one of their roadies behind the wheel. The weather was changing and soon it’d start to rain, it was how they knew they were close to London. Roger and John were snuggled up on the back seat of the vehicle, Brian and Freddie were at the improvised table sharing the fresh fruit salad they bought at the convenience store before leaving Birmingham. Suddenly, they all felt it coming, Roger and John knew that feeling very well, they were sensing a new song. 

The band gathered around the table, with pens and paper tissues in hands, cursing the moment they decided to keep their instruments stored inside the bus’s trunk. While Freddie and Roger scribbled down the lyrics that came to life inside their minds, John and Brian made other scribbles regarding the tones and rhythm, humming the song as they took notes. All the time, the four men had smiles on their faces, and when John and Roger exchanged their papers, each of them could see that what they had in mind was indeed the same song. The same lyrics that Freddie and Roger worked on, was written in the mess of musical notes and the structures of a song, on the piece John and Brian worked on. The couples laughed and enjoyed the adrenaline rush. Each man kissed their respective partner and, all humming the same song, they enjoyed the rest of their trip while the rain fell in a calming rhythm outside their bus. 

*

When the trip had finally ended and they were safe inside their flat, they could finally work their way into the new song. John and Roger knew the feeling of having the music flowing through their brains straight to their instrument, but nothing prepared them for the intensity of seeing the same thing happen to all four of them at once. 

Funny how love is everywhere, just look and see

Funny how love is anywhere you're bound to be

Funny how love is every song in every key

Funny how love is coming home in time for tea

Funny, funny, funny, oh...

Freddie and Roger sang the lyrics without eyeing the notes, not even for a second needing a reminder of the words they had to sing, the words just came out, a testament to their connection. The singer couldn’t escape the electric feeling of being in front of a crowd, but this crowd was formed by his best friends and the love of his life, so he sang to Brian, not leaving any doubt for the guitarist that he meant every single word he was singing. 

Funny how love is the end of the lies when the truth begins

Tomorrow comes, tomorrow brings

Tomorrow brings love in the shape of things

That's what love is, that's what love is

Brian followed with soft guitar riffs worthy of a power ballad, though he was strictly connected to John to help create the balance of their song. Both men felt shivers down their spines as Freddie led the way through the increasing rhythm and Roger created the perfect sequence of beats to make the love song be as uplifting as they meant it to be. 

Funny how love can break your heart so suddenly

Funny how love came tumbling down with Adam and Eve

Funny how love is running wild and feeling free

Funny how love is coming home in time for tea

Funny, funny, funny, oh

And as they sang the song together, it became clear that all they were singing was the truth of their lives at that very moment. 

From the earth below to the Heavens above

That's how far and funny is love

At any time, anywhere, if you gotta make love, do it everywhere

That's what love is, that's what love is

Funny how love is everywhere, just look and see

Funny how love is anywhere you're bound to be

Funny how love is every song in every key

Funny how love is when you gotta hurry, 'cause you're late for tea

It was impossible to stop the tears from falling as they worked through the song perfectly, as if it was an old tune they haven’t played in a while, but knew all the notes to. Roger and John got so close together, the drummer only had eyes for the green-eyed man standing in front of his drum kit, eyes shining like the Sun.. Brian played with Freddie holding him from behind, like a kitty that needed love, and for the guitarist it was the perfect way to play this song.

Funny, funny, funny, oh

Tomorrow comes, tomorrow brings

Tomorrow brings love in the shape of things

At any time, anywhere, if you gotta make love, do it everywhere

That's what love is, that's what love is...

In the end, love was really funny. It gave them much more than they bargained for, it saved them from more things than just loneliness. Love kept them safe until they were together, saved them from a series of misfortunes all along their young lives just so they could really understand how powerful it is, and that it is everywhere. Now they had not only the soulmate who would be with them for the rest of their lives, and the endless possibilities that came with that promise, but they had true friends that made the struggles of following their rockstar dream worthwhile. They formed a band with a world of potential, and the confidence that, as long as they stood together, nothing could break them apart.