"Fred? Fred, wake up." Someone was nudging him. Freddie groaned quietly in an attempt to dissuade the person from bothering him any longer. It didn't work. The hand on his shoulder only pushed harder, and Freddie quickly became fed up enough to open one of his eyes.

"What?" was his initial snappy response. Roger rolled his eyes and straightened up, moving his gaze between the two bodies in the bed in an obvious manner. Freddie nearly threw a pillow at the drummer's head when he saw Roger smirk.

"What?" Freddie repeated, his hackles rising. John shifted beside him at the noise, causing Freddie to pull him closer in hopes of keeping him asleep. The close call only made Freddie more irritated.

"How did you end up like this?" Roger inquired curiously, looking at John again. He could see clear evidence that John had been crying, and was immediately concerned. His brows pulled together. "What happened?"

"He had a nightmare," Freddie said with a sigh, his temper cooling. He rubbed at his eyes. John pushed closer when one of the hands that had been holding him so close disappeared. Freddie quickly replaced it.

"A nightmare? And he came to you?" Roger couldn't resist teasing the singer. They all knew Freddie was the first person John turned to when he was upset. Freddie didn't grant Roger's joke a response. Instead, he squinted at the clock on the wall. It was about the time they usually ate dinner. He assumed that was the reason Roger had woken him up, and Freddie's stomach growled quietly at the thought of food.

"We'll be down in a minute." As he spoke, Freddie gave Roger a pointed look to let the matter rest for the time being. The last thing John needed was to be overwhelmed again. Roger saw the look and nodded, turning on his heel to leave the room. Before he closed the door behind him, he told Freddie that there was no rush.

Freddie sighed to himself as he relaxed against the pillows again. They needed to eat, but Freddie didn't want to move, and he didn't want to disturb John. The poor man truly did need his rest, though he also needed food. The singer stared at John's peaceful features as he thought about the best option. They could always eat later, but they were more likely to forget. He lightly trailed his fingers over John's cheek as he thought, admiring the softness of his skin. Everything about John was incredibly soft.

John's eyelids fluttered for only a second before his grey-green eyes were revealed to the world. Freddie could see light shadows on his cheeks that indicated just how tired John was. He supposed it was for the best that John was awake. This way, the man could eat quickly and then get back to sleep.

Freddie watched for a full minute as sleep faded from John's eyes, bringing about their usual brightness. John blinked quickly when the tired fog lifted from his brain and was replaced with relief. Freddie was still there! They were still at the farmhouse! Maybe his death had all been a dream.

"How are you feeling, my dear?"

"Better," John replied quietly, ducking his head to cover a small cough. His throat was raw from crying so hard.

"Dinner is ready for us downstairs if you feel up to eating," Freddie offered, allowing John to make the decision. John thought about it. He hadn't eaten for nearly an entire day...Or had he? Everything was still so mixed up in his head. At least he knew that he was hungry. John nodded.

Freddie slowly pulled away from John so they could climb out of the bed, giving the bassist plenty of time to protest. The other man allowed him to pull away, but his soft hands caught Freddie's before the singer could move too far. When Freddie looked down at John for an explanation, the other man only bit his lip and gave him a pleading look that Freddie couldn't bring himself to deny.

Giving the hands a light tug, Freddie managed to coax John out of bed. Their eyes met again when they faced each other fully, and before Freddie understood what was happening, John was hugging him again. His own arms closed around John's lean frame instinctively.

"I was sure I would wake up and you'd be...gone," John whispered with a trembling voice. Feeling Freddie again, the singer's body too solid to belong to his imagination, brought back the relief John had felt when he first woke up.

"Never, darling." It was a simple promise with substantial meaning. Freddie's words gave John hope. He was determined to do all he could to keep the terrible future (or was it a dream) from happening.

Freddie kept up their hug until John started to pull back. He instantly missed the welcomed weight of the bassist leaning against him, but their hands stayed entwined, so he couldn't complain. It wasn't like Freddie was anywhere near strong enough to support John's body while they walked to the dining room anyway.

"Finally!" Roger whined loudly just because he could before plopping himself down in his chair at the table. "Brian wouldn't let me start without you two."

"Don't be so selfish, Rog. You've barely been waiting five minutes-" Brian's words were cut off by more of Roger's whines.

"Seven minutes! I've been counting," the blond told them all with a childish huff. He wasted no more time tucking into his food. Freddie didn't blame him; Brian's cooking was always delicious.

John cracked a smile at his friends' antics. Seeing them this way was much better than the waves of extreme sadness he'd felt coming from them when they found out about Freddie's passing. Before he could think about it any longer, John sat down in his usual spot between Freddie and Brian and served himself some food without letting go of Freddie's hand.

Freddie grinned when he saw the small smile. It was progress. "A pig as always, Rog."

"Shut it, Fred," Roger warned between large bites. Freddie chuckled and draped himself in his chair between John and the blond drummer. John secretly marveled at Freddie's grace. Being sick had made it hard for the other Freddie to move, so it was wonderful to see him move without limitations.

Freddie and Roger's playful banter continued without rest throughout the delicious meal. John and Brian were more than content to sit back and enjoy the show with smiles growing on both of their faces. John missed the worried look Brian sent him in the middle of it all as the guitarist checked him over. Roger had told Brian about John having a nightmare bad enough to make him cry and sleep in Freddie's bed. Even now, he could see that the two were holding hands. To show his silent support, Brian lightly grasped John's shoulder.

John stopped his eating to look up at Brian questioningly. Brian only gave him another squeeze and a smile before dropping his hand. It wasn't overwhelming. Brian was just letting John know he was there. It wasn't as suffocating as the hug older Brian had tried to give him back at Freddie's place. John smiled back at him before picking up his fork again.

"Anyone up for some fun in the studio? My sticks are begging to be touched." Roger winked after saying this. Freddie laughed while John blushed and Brian sputtered.

"A bit of playing does sound good. What about you, Fred? I heard you tapping your keys earlier," Brian said as he stood up to take care of the dishes.

Freddie didn't make a move to stand and help, choosing to relax in his chair instead. He hummed in agreement before saying, "I suppose we should get something done today."

"And you, John?" Brian asked quietly, speaking slowly. John's lips formed a thin line when he noticed the way they were all looking at him as if they were waiting for him to reveal a secret.

"C'mon, Deacy. Don't be the odd man out." Roger gave him another wink as he stood up to help Brian. Well, more like he stood up to pretend to help Brian so he could bother the taller brunet instead.

John thought about it. Strumming did sound rather therapeutic at the moment, but there was still a nagging fatigue at the back of his mind. He was tired and knew he wouldn't be much help if they ended up writing something while they were fooling around.

"How about you sit with me and listen?" Freddie's voice was soft near his ear. John looked over at him and nodded. That sounded much better than actually attempting to be productive. He could relax on the piano bench while the others played, and simply enjoy himself. It was a plus that he wouldn't have to be separated from Freddie. No matter how real everything seemed, John was still apprehensive about letting the singer out of his sight.

"I'll come," John announced to Brian and Roger who were still staring at him. They both smiled and continued on with their tasks.

Just as John was about to stand and help by taking care of his own dishes, Freddie gave his hand a tug to prompt him out of his chair. As soon as he stood, he was being dragged towards the studio.

"Don't be long, dears!" Freddie called over their shoulders with a cheeky smile.

While sitting on the bench with Freddie and listening to the others play had sounded like a good idea at first, John partially regretted the decision once he was there. Each of them were playing their own thing, testing out quiet rhythms to see if they had anything that could be of use. The sounds were lulling John to sleep, and he had a difficult time trying not to sway and fall off of the bench.

He didn't realize he was drifting again until a warm arm wrapped securely around him. His eyes snapped open, and he looked around. Freddie was supporting his weight with one arm, his expert hands still flying over the keys on either side of him. It was impressive to say the least, but he felt bad about making the singer hold him up.

"Sorry."

"Hush." Freddie said nothing more to him. John frowned a little at the tone Freddie had taken with him. He was about to apologize again when Freddie pulled him closer and started humming along with the piano in his ear. It took a moment for his tired brain to catch up, but he eventually realized that Freddie was trying to get the song in his head out before he forgot it. John didn't have a problem staying quiet then. The humming pushed him towards sleep again.

"Wow he really is tired," Roger said quietly to Freddie once John was down for the count. Freddie didn't look up at him as he balanced the bassist while attempting to write down the lyrics that popped into his head. It was uncomfortable and difficult to keep up, but Freddie wasn't about to let himself forget the words.

"We should get him back to the house." It was Brian who spoke this time. He took the strap of his guitar off of his shoulder so he could put it on its stand.

Freddie held up a hand to stop them both from coming closer, his free hand hurrying to jot down the rest of his thoughts. As soon as he was finished, he set the paper down on top of his piano and wrapped both arms around John. "I'm going to need help getting him to his room."

"I'm awake," John mumbled none too convincingly. Quiet laughter could be heard around the room. It was clear the others didn't quite believe him.

"Well, then we better move before you drift off again, my dear," Freddie commented as he stood from the bench with his arms still around the bassist. It took a great amount of effort on both ends to get John properly standing again, but when they managed, John felt alert enough to drag himself to bed. Roger and Brian followed behind them, shutting off the lights as they left. It was late enough for all of them to retire anyways.

Without even thinking about it, Freddie moved John towards the stairs to his upstairs bedroom instead of John's basement room. John was too tired to notice until they were already halfway up.

"Fred...?"

"Yes, darling?" the singer asked without looking.

"Why are you taking me to your room again?"

Freddie hesitated for less than a second, and John didn't notice a thing. "It's no wonder you've been having nightmares while sleeping in that wretched room. You'll be much more comfortable in here, and I'll be near in case you wake up frightened again."

What Freddie didn't say was that he wanted John to be with him in bed again. It had felt so great to hold someone who didn't judge him. John had truthfully slept so peacefully while they were resting together, and Freddie had to admit that his own slumber was better. Freddie mentally stomped down the part of him that wished their friendly touches could mean something more. John was his friend, and Freddie wasn't going to betray his trust. He was going to help John sleep and that was it.

"Can I borrow some pajamas, Fred? I don't think I'll make it downstairs to grab any." John sat on the bed as soon as they were close enough. It wasn't a big deal for them to share clothes. They had done it often enough backstage either on accident or on purpose. Of course, it was hard for Brian to share with any of them, but John, Freddie, and Roger were close enough in size that they could swap any piece of clothing without issue.

Freddie only nodded, checking on the bassist to make sure he was stable before going to pull two sets of sleep clothes out of the closet. He passed John one of his larger shirts, then grabbed a pair of silk pajama pants for himself. He heard John pad off towards the bathroom to quickly change and ready himself for bed, so Freddie took the opportunity to change as well and think some things over.

The melody of the song he had been working on came back to him as his mind flooded with thoughts of John again. '...you don't know what you mean to me.' Freddie sighed to himself and shook away the thoughts as John came out of the bathroom.

It wasn't a surprise that the younger man quickly climbed into bed again. He looked like he was asleep again already. Quietly, so as not to disturb the exhausted musician, Freddie tip-toed over to his side and climbed in as well. John was, in fact, not asleep. Freddie knew this because John reached over and took his hand as soon as they were settled. The singer opened his mouth to say something, but John's breathing was already evened out. Asleep again at last.

Freddie watched him for a few minutes, his mind wandering over his feelings. Should he bring them up to John so the other man could crush them and they could move on, or would that only make John upset? For the moment, Freddie was content enough to keep his feelings a secret. As long as it didn't hurt anybody, there was no harm in a simple crush.

As Freddie drifted off himself, he idly hummed his latest project again. He wondered if the others would know who he was singing about. He doubted it. 'Love of my life...You've hurt me...'