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Beta: Chancellor Amethyst

In the Knight's Armour, a small pub in East London, four young men sat discussing the future of their band. Leading the debate were Freddie and Brian. Brian had formed the band and because of this, he felt he had more sway. However, no matter who was right, one thing was certain: this was going to take a while. Brian's airy and occasionally piercing voice could be heard throughout the pub. "I'm not calling my band Queen. It's ridiculous. We'd be opening ourselves up to all types of criticism and apart from that--"

"Your band?" Freddie interrupted. "Whoever said it was your band?"

"I formed it." Brian replied through gritted teeth. Ignoring him, Freddie turned to Roger.

"What do you think, dear? Any ideas?"

"Well... Queen is an interesting name," Roger commented.

"Interesting?" Brian snorted. "How is it interesting?"

"Just because you don't like it, doesn't mean anybody else can't like it." Roger growled.

"Interesting, dear," Freddie cut in, "in that it opens up lots of different layers. For example we... Wait a minute, if you don't like it so much why don't you suggest a better name?" He suggested sweetly.

It was obvious that Brian had been waiting for this moment all evening. He sat back and put a thoughtful look on his face. Freddie turned and glanced at Roger who was shaking his head in disbelief. Finally Brian spoke.

"Well, I suppose we... No, no of course not. But maybe we could... No, we'd just--"

"Oh, for fuck's sake, Brian," Freddie cut in, "It's obvious that you've got an idea so spit it out."

Brian pretended to look unsure.

"Well...how about Constellation?"

Freddie made a noise that sounded like a chicken being strangled.

"Con--constellation? Wh--who in their right minds... Why would anyone..." Running out of litany, he turned to John. "John, darling, what do you think?"

John looked as if he'd rather drop down dead than take part in this heated debate. He knew that no matter what he said, it would be the wrong answer. He looked at Freddie with pleading eyes. Freddie stared back at him expectantly. Seeing that there was no way of escaping, he timidly decided to add his opinion.

"Well, you see, I, uh, I--I like it."

Freddie made to jump up but was pulled back down by Roger. Brian shot Freddie a triumphant look.

"What's there to like about it?" Freddie demanded.

"I, er, just th--think it's a good idea. Th--that's all." John stammered.

"You think everything he says is a good idea." Freddie shot back. Roger touched his arm.

"Freddie, come on. You did ask him what he thought."

"Whose side are you on?" Freddie hissed.

"I'm not taking sides." Roger replied testily. "I'm trying to sort this fucking argument out."

"There wouldn't be an argument if a certain curly-haired guitarist prat could stop objecting to every single thing I say." Freddie retorted.

Brian sat up with such a jerk that his drink toppled over. "Well, if a certain black-haired buck-toothed pianist bitch could try and accept other people's opinions instead of constantly making himself out to be the victim bitch queen of the universe, then maybe the curly haired guitarist prat would stop arguing with him."

Freddie's lips curled into a smile. He knew just how to get his own way. He spoke in a loud enough voice for the people at the next table to over-hear.

"Darling, that's not what you thought last night when we were talking on the phone. Or two nights ago when we were alone in your apartment--making 'music'." Freddie then added, for extra emphasis, "darling, you liked my queen of the universe act then."

He sat back and folded his arms. Brian looked as if he wanted to kill him.

"Freddie," he began weakly, "Freddie, you're forcing your opinion on me. You know I hate that. The other night when we were in your apartment writing a song," he said by way of explanation, glaring at Freddie, "I liked your queen of the universe act because it was... well it, it was... funny," he fnished lamely.

"Funny?" Roger could be heard sniggering.

"Anyway," Brian continued, trying to ignore Roger, "I just think that by calling ourselves Queen we'd... What?" Brian was tense and on the verge of tears. Roger had whispered something to John and both were giggling. Freddie was sitting with his arms folded smirking.

"Darling, they seem to think that I'm shagging you. I wonder how they got that idea?"

"Perhaps," Brian answered, the tension growing in his voice, "Perhaps it's because you're such a slut that you'd shag anything with two legs and a dick."

Freddie opened his mouth to reply but found that he couldn't.

"Wh...What are you suggesting dear?" He finally managed.

"You're a slut." Brian didn't bother to lower his voice. "No sooner have you finished with one bloke then you're on to the next. Everyone that knows you learns that one pretty quickly."

Freddie was shocked. He'd known Brian for quite some time and they'd called each other plenty of things, but Brian had never called him a slut.

"Every time you leave your apartment you return with a new guy," said Brian, who'd gained too much momentium to stop, "You're such a slut! You'd flirt with the wall if there were no one else to flirt with. That's probably why you can never hold a bloke for longer that three months. In fact I'm surprised you found time in your busy dating schedule to meet us this evening."

Freddie had paled slightly. "Death on two legs dear. That's what you are. Death on two legs. I might have expected something like that from the girl that lives next door, or from that boy that works in the supermarket. But not from you dear. Never from you."

He gathered up his things and left.

"Fucking drama queen," Brian muttered.

The others were left in an uncomfortable silence. Roger sat glaring at Brian trying to resist the temptation to kick him in the stomach, or at least rearrange his face. Brian sat glaring at Roger, daring him to attempt just that. John sat glancing nervously from Brian to Roger, torn between the urge to run after Freddie and make sure he was all right and the urge to stay and find out what Roger would do to Brian. Suddenly Roger exploded, helping John to make up his mind.

"You stupid, sheep-shagging, mother-fucking bastard! What the fuck did you do that to him for? There was no need to go that far. Surely even you can tell when we're having a laugh. So he likes to shag. So what? We don't care... Well, John and I don't." Roger stopped to take a breath. Having paused to do so, Brian used the opportunity to get a word in.

"And you're so great yourself, are you?" He did a poor but effective imitation of Roger's raspy voice. "Oh yes Freddie, I agree, Freddie, Queen is an interesting name Freddie. You suck up to him so much it makes me sick."

"I'll fucking make you sick in a minute." Roger warned.

Ignoring him, Brian continued. "I'm surprised he hasn't tried to shag you yet. You'd do it willingly just to please him." He went back to imitating Roger's voice. "Yes Freddie, no Freddie, three bags full Freddie..."

He wasn't given a chance to continue, as Roger flew across the table landing punch on his mouth. Before he had a chance to recover Roger punched him again. Suddenly Roger found himself being pulled off Brian. He looked up into the angry face of the bar manager.

"You kids have been causing' trouble in here long enough. Either you lot leave now or I call the police." Brian got up and dusted himself down.

"Yeah well, I wouldn't stay here a minute longer. Not if you paid me." He stalked out, deeply humiliated but too stubborn to show it.

Outside the pub, Roger turned to leave but before he left he turned to Brian.

"Oh, yeah. If you had any decency, you'd go round there and apologise. We were joking, you weren't so go and fix it." He turned and left.

Brian turned in the direction of Roger and Freddie's apartment. John called after him.

"Hey, I...I'll hold him you punch, eh?"

Brian turned and glared at him. John tried again. "For what it's worth, I think Constellation is a great name." Brian walked back to John.

"No, John, don't help me. This is my mess. I've got to fix it myself." He sighed. "I really fucked things up. Didn't I? I don't know what came over me...Well, maybe I do, but...John, if I tell you something, will you promise not to tell anyone? Especially not Roger?" John looked surprised.

"Of... course. Sure, talk away." Brian pulled him so close he could smell Brian's aftershave. Brian whispered into his ear.

"Well, I--I've never told anyone this, but... uh, you see, Freddie and I, well, Freddie and I, well, we're seeing each other, you know. We're a... couple." John looked stunned. He stood, looking like a goldfish with his mouth opening and closing. Brian backed away slightly and decided to continue.

"I...I know that seemed over the top in there, but we haven't been having an easy time and well...it's just, he's, he'd flirt with his hands if there was no-one else around. I know he cares though. We've just been having a really rough time. He wants to tell everyone about us. I... well, I'm not ready. I mean he almost announced it to the whole pub. Christ, the whole pub. I mean, it hasn't even been legal that long, has it? He thinks I'm just using him. But I, I...think I love him." Brian looked at John's goldfish impression.

"Anyway, you...you won't tell anyone, will you?"

John found his voice. "But it doesn't make sense. If you love him, why did you say all that stuff to him in the pub? That's not what... lovers do."

Brian pushed his curls out of his eyes. "I know, but like I said we've been having a really rough time. When we go out to a pub together, he sits checking out every other guy in the room. He's openly flirted with other guys in front of me. We had an argument in there before you and Rog joined us. We said some stuff...anyway it's really complicated. I'm gonna go and try to sort it out." he turned and hurried off. John stared after him.

"Wow, he said to nobody in particular, "Complicated isn't the word for it."

Meanwhile, Freddie was pacing around his apartment chain smoking cigarettes. How dare Brian call him that? He knew that he was a bit of a flirt, but he was no slut. He had a reputation to keep up. He wasn't going to change his ways just because Brian didn't approve. He was just about to phone Mary to ask her advice when he heard a knock on the door, followed by Brian's voice.

"Um...Freddie? Are you there?" He rushed over to open the door but stopped himself. He'd forgiven Brian; he cared about him deep down. But Brian had hurt him. Why couldn't he hurt him back? He decided to play a little game. Brian spoke again.

"Freddie I know you're there. I can see the light under the door. You might not want to talk, but we need to."

Freddie opened the door slowly and put on a hurt voice. "Oh. It's you."

He walked away from the door.

"Can I come in?" Brian asked.

"If you feel you must, dear." Freddie turned one of the chairs around so that it faced away from Brian. He threw himself into it, lit a cigarette and picked up a magazine. Brian walked over and stood behind him.

"Freddie, look. Those things I said in the pub, I didn't mean them okay?"

Freddie took a drag on his cigarette.

"Freddie you're not a slut...well, not really." Brian ran a finger down the nape of Freddie's neck, and then, while running the finger down Freddie's back, he started kissing the area of his neck that he knew sent shivers down his spine.

"You're not a slut." He purred seductively. "You're a kind, sweet, sexy, absolutely irresistible individual."

Freddie felt a movement and traced it to his trousers. Trying hard to stifle a sigh, he took an extra long drag on his cigarette and turned a page in the magazine. Brian wrapped his arms around Freddie's neck and nibbled softly on his ear before mumbling into his hair.

"Come on, Mr. Queen of the Universe. Please, don't hate me. I don't like you being mad at me."

Freddie was trying hard to stifle a sigh in order to prevent Brian coming and sitting on his knee. Brian often did because it was a sure way of getting Freddie to bed. Freddie stood up and walked into his bedroom. Brian followed him.

"Oh, for fuck's sake, Freddie. You must be feeling something."

Freddie turned and looked at him. "Oh, I am feeling something dear. I'm feeling hurt, upset, disappointed, and confused, would you like me to continue?" He was waving his cigarette around and brushed some ashes off his shirt. "If you really really want to though, we can forget about this, have a quick shag and then continue this argument." He looked at Brian hopefully. "I'd still be hurt confused and disappointed, but at least then I'd be satisfied as well."

"Fuck you and your quick shag!" Brian stormed out and banged the door behind him. Freddie collapsed onto the bed in a fit of laughter, feeling much better.

To be continued...