Home Sick
70s!Roger x Reader x Ben
Warning(s): Swearing, mentions of sex, Roger being a little shit
Notes: How does this universe work, you ask. Shhhh, I tell you, just let us live in fantasy land. Aka I watched BoRhap again and I'm a sucker for Rog and Ben. Also very inspired by @strangeandwonderfulconcepts ‘s versions of this couple. I feel like it’s kind of all over the place, though.
Summary: Ben's away for filming and you're left at home with Roger who's working on Queen's new album and annoying you.
“Roger Taylor, I swear to God!”
Ben bit his lip as a smile spread across his lips, trying not to laugh at your outburst. He was sat in his hotel room, phone pressed to his ear, enjoying the small amount of downtime he had before filming resumed the next day. “What’s he done now?”
“He keeps poking me in the ass with his drumsticks. Oh!” You (who was back at Roger’s mansion in Surrey) cried out again. “Roger I will throw this lamp at you!”
Ben heard Roger’s muffled reply in the background. He could picture the mischievous grin on his face.
“Oh, so the lamp’s important but that TV you threw out the window- it is not different!”
Ben couldn’t stop smiling. The bickering was a little childish and silly, but it warmed Ben’s heart to hear the two people he loved the most bicker about nothing.
“And put that damn cigarette out! You’ll burn the house down with that nasty habit.”
Ben could tell Roger was right next to you now as he said. “Ben thinks it’s sexy. Don’t you, Ben?”
“Yeah, well, Ben also thinks you look sexy in leopard print.”
“Hey!”
Ben couldn’t hold back his laughter now.
Both you and Roger were smiling at his laugh on the other end, playfully shoving each other to get closer to the phone so you could hear him.
You let out a squeal suddenly and Ben heard the crash of something that he assumed to be the lamp mentioned earlier. “Honestly!”
He could hear Roger laughing as he ran away. You’d obviously missed him with the lamp.
“God, Ben, I’ve got to go. Our boyfriend is being a pain in the ass and I’ve gotta kiss the brains outta him. Talk to you tomorrow?”
“’Course. Tell Rog, I love him.”
"Of course,”
“G’night, Y/N,” Ben said. “Love you.”
“We love you, too, Ben. Goodnight.”
You hung up and Ben sat there quietly for a moment, the phone still pressed to his ear as he remembered the sound of the laughter. God he missed them.
He’d worked on projects this long before but they’d always been right there in London where he could grab a taxi or have Roger come and pick him up at the end of the day. Now he was out of the country and he realized how much he took for granted the time he got to spend at home.
He assumed Y/N and Roger were accustomed to the situation. Roger was always gone on tour for months after they released a new album and Y/N sometimes had to travel for work, but Ben was always at home with one of them. Now he was the one branching off.
He set the phone on the nightstand and laid down in the white sheets of the hotel bed.
It felt odd, almost foreign to him; laying alone in a bed. Roger wasn’t there to snuggle his face into his neck or play with the hair at the nape of his neck. Y/N wasn’t there to spoon him or tangled their legs together. No playful fighting over the covers, no cold feet or wandering hands, no drumming of Roger’s fingers against his arm, no Y/N drawing shapes on his back. It was funny to think how much he’d grown accustomed to the feeling of not just one but two people (his two people) laying in bed with him.
He fell asleep with those thoughts and a longing ache in his chest.
Meanwhile, you were chasing Roger through the house, trying to take his drumsticks from him after he’d poked you in the ass one too many times. The two of you had just finished up doing...things and were enjoying a sweet moment until the drumsticks made a return.
Roger was laughing hysterically and you’d be lying if you said you weren’t grinning from ear to ear.
You were clad in only Roger’s white button up, your underwear, and socks while Roger had opted to only return to his boxers.
Suddenly he was cornered in the kitchen and you jumped onto his back, reaching an arm over his shoulder for the sticks still clutched in his hand, but he’d stuck his own arm out over the countertop so you couldn’t reach them.
“Roger, give them here!”
“Over my dead body!”
“That can be arranged!”
Roger burst into another fit of laughter and you giggled into his ear, still straining for the drumsticks.
You eventually gave up, dropping your hand and laying your head on Roger’s shoulder, breathing heavily as the laughter died down. He dropped the drumsticks on the counter and hooked his arms under your legs to help hold you up; a smile still on his lips and his cheeks sore from laughter.
You closed your eyes and it was silent for a few moments.
“Whatcha thinkin’ about, lovie?” He asked softly.
“Thinking that Ben would’ve been filming or taking pictures of us if he’d have been here...”
Roger hummed in agreement, walking from the kitchen towards the lounge. “I miss him, too,”
You still had your eyes closed, trusting Roger to set you down gently wherever he was taking you. “I wish you weren’t working on the album so we could go see him.”
“Me too. The boys’ve been exhausting lately. I love ‘em, but there’s only so much you can take sometimes.”
“Well, three explosive personalities plus Deacy-”
“Hey, you haven’t seen Deaks mad. It’s scary.”
“Yeah, well, I try to stay on his good side unlike somebody I know who likes to push buttons.”
Roger rolled his eyes as he deposited you onto the couch. You laughed as you bounced off the cushons before laying down, Roger crawling on top of you and laying on your chest.
“We would not fit nearly as well on this couch with Ben,” You commented with a grin.
“Yeah, we’ve tried, though. One of us always ends up on the floor.”
“Or squooshed,”
“Or both,”
You both smile, an ache running through your chests.
“He’s been gone far too long.”
“Yeah, when’s his film ‘sposed to wrap anyway?”
“Not sure. Should ask him when he calls tomorrow.”
Roger groaned. “Tomorrow is so far away.”
You ran your fingers through his hair. “Indeed it is,”
You fell into a comfortable silence after that. You putting Roger to sleep as you massaged his scalp and you lost in thought, staring at the ceiling.
“You think the boys might give you a few days off if I promise them you’ll be less grumpy when we get back?”
Roger looked up at you with a pout. “I am not grumpy.”
“You are too,” You said, a smile spreading across your face. “You miss Ben and when you miss one of us you get grumpy. Like that time on tour when you snapped a drumstick when you weren’t able to call us one night? Or when you busted a tambourine after we weren’t able to make it to the nearest show? Or when-”
“Okay, okay, I get it, I’m destructive.”
You laughed and Roger laid his head back down on your chest. “I suppose they might give that a go.”
“Then I’m calling Freddie,”
*** Ben woke up the next morning reaching out across the bed; searching for warmth that wouldn’t be there. He groaned, heart slightly heavy, as he shut off his alarm.
A shiver ran up his spine as he sat up and he cursed himself for not turning up the temperature before heading to bed. That had been the one advice Roger had given him before he departed. “When waking up alone in your hotel room, the temperature will always be colder than you want it. Check it before bed.”
He didn’t have time to dwell on his heartache before he had to gather his bearing and head to the set for his early shoots, but he missed Y/N’s good luck kisses and, oddly, Roger’s smack to his bottom before he would head out the door for a day of filming.
He shut the door to his hotel room and shook his head, trying to shake the homesick thoughts from his mind.
They wouldn’t do him any good anyway. It’s not like he’d be able to satisfy the ache.
Or so he thought.
***
You and Roger were currently sat on a plane, headed for Ben’s filming location.
Roger’s blonde hair was stuffed inside a cap and he had on a dark pair of sunglasses in an attempt to hide his identity. You’d asked him if he’d dye his hair black but he outright refused the offer.
“Love, I know you want this to be a surprise, but even if any paps or fans see us Ben hardly checks that stuff when he’s not filming. I doubt he’d bother while he is.”
You sat next to him, asleep, eyes closed with your sunglasses on, hair loose around your face, and the hood of your jumper pulled up on your head. Your earbuds playing your favorite music.
It was an early flight and you’d been up most of the night preparing for this spur of the moment trip. You wanted everything to be perfect.
“I can sleep on the plane,” You’d told Roger.
And you did.
Roger laid his head on top of yours as you dozed on his shoulder, a book held between his fingers to pass the time, but, truthfully, he couldn’t focus on it. For some reason he had a lot on his mind.
The three of you hadn’t gone public with your relationship, but the paps had taken notice of Roger’s “mysterious lovers” and Ben and Roger had been seen talking at a party a few times, heaven forbid, but Roger had never dwelled on it before. You didn’t go to events together, never went on vacations together, Ben and you still had your own apartments away from Roger’s house so when he was gone on tour you wouldn’t be questioned coming out of his house while he wasn’t there; you’d taken practically every precaution to make sure the press wouldn’t find out before the three of you were ready.
Roger dug into his jacket pocket for his phone, discarding the book onto the table in front of him.
He opened social media with good intentions.
#rogertaylorxy/n-l/n
OMG did you see the way Roger looked at Y/N during the interview? #hearteyes
Roger is so in love with Y/N. They should just get together already. #(your-ship-name)
(you-ship-name) is real ❤
Roger resisted the urge to like any of them before moving on.
#rogertaylorxbenhardy
Ben said he wasn’t looking for a relationship rn but he looks at Roger says otherwise 👀
Roger and Ben spend an awfully large amount of time together for two people who claim to be ‘just friends’.
Forget Maylor have you seen the way Hardylor look at each other?
Roger snickered quietly. Okay, maybe he and Ben weren’t doing the greatest job either.
He stroked his chin for a moment before taking to the keyboard again.
#benhardyxy/n-l/n
Y/N and Ben seemed awfully friendly during her interview with him #(your-ship-name)
Have you seen the pictures of Ben and Y/N at that coffee shop together??? I bet it was a date 💘
Y/N brought Ben a flower at the BAFTAs to put in his suit pocket and he never took it out! I bet he still has it.
Observant, Roger thought, Ben definitely still has the fake flower.
He hummed in thought. What if...
#benhardyxy/n-l/nxrogertaylor
Y/N spends a lot of time with Roger Taylor and Ben Hardy outside of a professional setting. Who’s she dating though??? What if it’s both???
OMG BEN AND Y/N WERE SEEN LEAVING ROGER’S HOUSE! IN THE MORNING!!!
I bet Y/N Ben and Roger are all dating and just keeping it on the down low. We’ve all seen the heart eyes they give each other.
Y/N and Roger just got on a plane heading to the place Ben’s filming in as seen by his Instagram story. Coincidence?
Roger’s eyes went wide. He checked the timestamp: 20m ago.
Well, Y/N was right. Maybe he should’ve died his hair.
“Looking for something in particular?” Y/N asked, eyes now opened sleepily and looking at phone screen from his shoulder.
“Not really,” Roger replied. “Just curious. Seems the fans are supportive...and onto us.”
He handed you the phone and you squinted at the screen.
“Queenskiller, huh? Clever person.”
“I can see why you were paranoid now,”
You laughed. “We’re almost there. As long as it’s not obvious where we’re going, we’ll be fine.”
***
“And CUT! Good work today everyone, let’s wrap up for lunch.”
Ben sat up from his position where his character had just been beaten to near death and went to get the fake blood cleaned off of him by the makeup designer.
The radio in the trailer was fading out a Beatles song and fading in Bohemian Rhapsody.
It made Ben’s heart ache.
“Hey, did you see Y/N L/N’s new interview with Harry Styles and Elton John?”
The makeup artist removing the makeup shook their head. “Not yet, is it good?”
“Of course. She asks them about their collaboration, similar tastes in style, and she doesn’t mention their sexualities like every other interviewer does.”
“Thank god for her, she’s a blessing. All those other nosy interviewers don’t ever ask anything interesting. The celebrities always do all the work to make the interview enjoyable. At least Y/N is interesting.”
Ben couldn’t help but smile softly to himself. He was proud.
“Have you heard she might be dating Roger Taylor?”
“The Queen drummer? Yeah. I heard they were getting on a plane together this morning.”
“Secret honeymoon?”
“Maybe,”
Ben’s eyebrows furrowed. They got on a plane? They didn’t mention they were going anywhere on the phone.
“Ben, you okay there, dear?”
“Hm? Oh, yes, sorry. Just lost in thought.”
Ben exited the trailer with a clean face and a wandering mind.
It wasn’t unlike Y/N and Roger to be spontaneous but Roger was working on the album and he thought Y/N had another interview today.
Ben shook his head and pulled out his phone. Whatever. He’d just call them and get things cleared up. He was done on set for the remainder of the evening anyway.
He hit the home phone number and waited as it rang.
And rang. And rang.
“Thank you for calling Roger Taylor’s home phone, but I am currently out at the moment. Leave a message and I might call you back.”
Ben hung up.
Okay, so they weren’t home. No big deal, he could still call your cells.
He hit your contact and waited as it rang.
***
You were rolling your luggage out of the airport with Roger when I Saw Her Standing There blasted from your phone.
Recognizing Ben’s personal ringtone, you picked up the phone. “Hey, Benny, what’s up?”
“Nothing much. Just got done filming. Hey, did you and Roger go somewhere? Makeup artists were gossiping about it.”
You gave Roger a panicked look before quickly answering. “Oh, no. Must’ve been wrong. We’re just out for a walk.”
Roger rolled his eyes at your terrible lying skills.
But Ben seemed relieved. “Oh. I thought you might’ve gone somewhere and forgotten to tell me.”
“Oh no, not at all we just-”
Roger pulled you cellphone from your fingers and pressed it against his ear.
“Ben, you don’t need to worry about us. We’re doing fine.”
The rental car you and Roger had gotten pulled up and you quickly tossed you suitcase in the back and jumped in the passenger. Roger took the keys and got in the driver’s seat.
“I know, but I just wanted to make sure. Kept eating at me.”
“Ben, baby, where are you at, right now?”
“Uh, outside the set just about to head back to my hotel, why?”
“Oh, no reason. What hotel’s that again?”
“Lotus Hotel, why?”
“Just curious. Are they treating you right or do I need to make a phone call.”
“Christ, Rog, it’s find. Don’t freak. Are you driving? I thought Y/N said you were on a walk.”
“Oh, we just got back to the house and need to head to the store. Nothing too interesting.”
“A trip to the store with you is always interesting.”
“He’s not wrong,” you chirped from your seat and Roger sent you a playful glare, making you laugh.
Ben smiled. “Gosh I wish I could speed up the production. I’ve been gone from you two way too long.”
“Believe us, Benny, we agree. Hold on, gonna give you back to Y/N,”
He handed you your phone back as you handed him his for directions to the hotel.
“How was filming?” You asked, trying to change the subject.
“All right. Filmed the fight scene today, that was interesting.”
You hummed in response.
“Hold on, Y/N, I just got in a taxi- yes, take me to the Lotus Hotel on thirteenth please.”
“Thirteenth?” Roger cursed. “Stupid phone says twelfth.”
“It’s on the corner of the two. He’s coming from the other direction, remember?” You replied, hand covering the receiver.
“What was that, love?” Ben asked.
“Oh, nothing, Roger just missed the turn, again.” You quickly replied. “You said you filmed a fight scene today?”
“Yeah, my character, Jack, got the piss beat out of him in a fight. Gets pretty bloodied up.”
“Well, you know nothing can make that pretty face of yours prettier than blood.”
“Is that a reference to my bloody nose? ‘Cause I keep tellin’ you it was a one time thing.”
You laughed. “Just teasing you, baby,”
Ben let out a laugh of his own, leaning back against the leather seat. “I really miss you guys.”
“We miss you, too. I hope that- Roger it was right there! Oh, jesus, Ben, I gotta go, Roger’s missing turns again. See you soon.”
The line cut off before Ben could question you. See you soon?
***
“’See you soon.’?! Bloody hell, Y/N, why don’t you just give away your own surprise.” Roger said.
“Well, if you hadn’t missed the turn I wouldn’t have had to hang up!” You retorted. “We need to get there before him, remember?”
Roger stuck his tongue out at you as he turned the car around.
You stuck yours out as well and it turned into a fit of giggles throughout the car.
Finally, Roger pulled into the hotel’s parking lot and parked the car in a spot.
“Your turn to call him, Mr. Taylor,” You said, getting out of the directions and handing him his phone.
Roger put the phone to his ear and waited for Ben to pick up.
“Roger?”
“Benny! Made it to the hotel, yet?”
“Uh, no, close though. You not driving anymore?”
“Nah, Y/N is in the store. She wouldn’t let me go in with her. Thought I might get a little more chat outta you before she comes back.”
Ben laughed. “I guess I’ll allow that.”
“Popular boy, ain’t ya?” The driver asked as he turned the corner into the hotel lot.
Ben grinned. “Yeah, I ‘spose I am.” He handed the driver the money for the trip. “Keep the change.”
The driver tipped his cap at Ben and Ben got out of the taxi.
“Sorry, Rog, what were you saying?”
“Oh, not much, just wondering who let you walk off set in those joggers. They look hideous.”
Ben looked down at the old green joggers he was wearing with a laugh. “Yeah, I need to get a new pair- wait, how’d you know I was wearing joggers?”
Ben heard a whistle and turned around.
Y/N was waving and smiling from where she was sat on the trunk of a car and Roger was stood next to her, phone still pressed to his ear, with a big ol’ grin on his face.
Ben dropped the phone from his ear, ending the call, and ran over to them.
Roger intercepted his boyfriend, who practically jumped into his arms, and Y/N hoped off the car to join them in the hug. Ben wrapped an arm around her, squeezing the two of them tightly, tears beginning to pool in his eyes.
“Oh, I can’t believe you’re here!” He said, pulling back finally.
You and Roger laughed.
“Y/N’s a bad liar,” Roger quipped, nudging your side.
“Hey! I’m not the one who got lost!”
“I missed one turn!”
Ben kissed them on the cheek. “Shut up, the both of you, please.”
You and Roger melted, forgetting your bickering and appreciating his presence.
***
Ben went to sleep that night with both of you in his bed.
Roger had immediately turned down the thermostat and Y/N rubbed Ben’s shoulders to relax him. They fought over the covers, had a pillow fight, and made sure that Ben was in the middle.
It felt right. It felt like home.
“You two are amazing to me,” Ben said as his partners snuggled into him.
“You deserve it,” Y/N mumbled, laying against Ben’s chest, his heartbeat lulling her to sleep.
“Don’t ever leave us this long again,” Roger said, pressing a kiss to Ben’s neck.
Ben smiled. “Guess you two will just have to come see me, again,”
