Chapter Text
Crystal’s phone rings, and he glances over at it, it’s an unfamiliar number, a UK number, and he considers not answering it. He picks it up anyway, and brings it to his ear.
“‘Ello?” Crystal says, expecting to tell some reporter to fuck off. He is met with silence.
“Hello?” Crystal repeats.
“Hey Chris.” the voice that comes out of the phone floors him. He hasn’t heard this voice in years, hasn’t spoken to him, has tried not to think about him. But he knows this voice, well, it haunts his dreams and nightmares.
“Roger,” Crystal croaks out, staring out at the bush and not really seeing anything.
“I got your phone number from Brian, I hope you don’t mind.” Roger says, and that gravelly voice, it’s the same as it always was.
“Nah, he’s still sending me all kinds of shit.” Crystal says, and he hears Roger laugh. The laugh is the same too, and it brings him right back. He knows that the Roger he is talking to looks different, that he himself looks different, but for a moment he is right back there when he was young and his hair was long and he was in love. In love with Roger, in love with Queen, in love with the show and the buzz of touring and music and everything else.
“Yeah, John told me he automatically sends all of Brian’s emails to spam.” Roger tells him and Crystal laughs.
There is a bit of an awkward pause, perhaps both of them thinking about John, about his absence and the events that lead up to it. Both reflecting that its been years since they’ve spoken. Crystal eventually breaks it.
“Roger, why are you calling me?” Crystal asks. Roger lets out a sigh and a long silence follows.
“I don’t know, I heard about wildfires, wanted to check if you were safe and okay.”
“I’m fine, keeping a close eye on things.” Crystal tells him, and yet another silence follows.
“That’s good. We’ll be in Australia next month, can I send you tickets for one of our shows?”
“What, your new drum tech not keeping up with you?”
“No, Neil is great. Just thought I’d check up with you.” Crystal considered. Theres’ been such gulf now. It feels like his life is split in two, the time he spent with Roger and the time after. There’s so much pain and hurt and years separating them. And he wonders if it’s too much to heal and span. But Roger is making tracks, starting a bridge, which is more than Crystal has done.
“Yeah, I’d like that.”