AN: This is probably the biggest time skip yet. After this chapter, things will become less chronological, since this is the last of the drabbles I had already written before publishing this. Anything after this point will be material written afterward, and I have no clue what I'll do next, so be sure to check the chapter title to see where we are in the timeline whenever this gets updated again.
Some context for this one: they're around their late 30's in this drabble, and they've both settled into their respective careers. Lucy is the host of a popular talk show, and Schroeder is a classical pianist who does regular concerts in New York City, where he and Lucy both still reside. They're both famous, but Lucy is household-name-famous. Think of The Tonight Show with Jimmy Carson. Schroeder plays piano for her show regularly, so most people in America know him as Lucy Van Pelt's husband.
Also, Lucy and Schroeder have a son named Ludwig. I'm not sure how old he is in this chapter. I'll figure that out later.
Schroeder entered the music lounge of his and Lucy's mansion, strode up to the minibar, and poured himself a whiskey neat. He proceeded to down the entire thing in one go.
Elton John was in his house.
The Elton John. Sir Elton John.
He'd been a guest on Lucy's show, and Schroeder wasn't sure how he'd made it through the night.
He'd been briefly introduced to the piano star before filming began, but it was nothing more than a hello and a handshake. He'd managed to keep his composure through that one.
The interview had started as normal, and Schroeder was able to stay withdrawn in his little corner near the main stage, sequestered at his piano while his wife bantered with her guest in her signature fashion for about fifteen minutes. It never failed to amaze him how she was able to get such good conversations out of people with such ease. Maybe it was her tendency to treat every stranger as if she had known them her whole life.
And then she decided to mention her husband.
She told Elton that Schroeder had all his records, and that he was second only to Beethoven in his eyes. It was all true, of course, but Schroeder still heckled her from his spot at the grand piano to stop embarrassing him, fighting the urge to duck behind the instrument for cover. They'd all shared a laugh about it.
Once the interview portion of the show was over, they played a song together. He performed a duet with Elton John.
The further they got into the song, the more his nerves had eased. It was almost over, and it hadn't been a disaster yet, so that was comforting.
It was strange. Schroeder never got intimidated by Lucy's guests, no matter who it was or how famous they were. They were just people, after all. He had no reason to put any of them on a pedestal, even if he admired their craft.
Except for this one. (And Beethoven, too, but he was from another time period and would never be a guest on any talk show, so that was a bit different.)
After they were done filming, Schroeder had thought he had conquered his starstruck nerves. He thought he was in the clear. And he thought he handled it pretty well, too. Cross that one off the bucket list: play piano with Elton John.
And then Lucy had invited Elton John over. And, worse, he agreed to.
Schroeder had excused himself almost as soon as they were home. Ludwig had run down the stairs to meet Sir Elton, and Lucy was in the process of introducing the two of them when Elton had remarked to Schroeder as he left, "You weren't kidding about Beethoven, were you?"
Schroeder was still pacing the floor when Lucy walked in. He stood up straight, and slouched a bit again when he saw she was alone.
She took off her shoulder-padded, bright blue blazer and laughed. "For as long as I've known you, I don't think I've ever seen you this nervous."
He winced. "Is it obvious?"
"Very." She kicked her high heels off towards some corner.
"Where'd he go?"
"He's at the john." She snickered at her own joke. "He'll be here in a minute."
"Oh, God." Schroeder went to pour himself another glass. "Elton John is in our bathroom."
Lucy pulled the bottle away from him. "You do realize if you get drunk, you might make an actual, honest-to-God fool out of yourself instead of just a cute, endearing fool? You've gotta wait until he's drunk, too. Then he won't remember anything."
He buried his face in his hands and groaned.
"I'm kidding, dear heart." She tucked the bottle under her arm and pulled his hands away from his face. "Trust me, you've got nothing to worry about."
"Says you."
"I can tell he likes you just fine. You've both got a lot in common. Besides, you're famous too, you know. You're the Elton John of classical music."
"He's the Elton John of Elton John."
"Show him Hammerklavier when he gets in here. Really knock his socks off if you have to impress him so badly."
One of the double doors opened, and the icon walked into the room, glancing at the framed records and the impressive array of instruments, including the ebony black grand piano that the family kept in peak condition. Schroeder looked at Lucy with frantic eyes, and she shrugged at him and smiled, taking a quick, casual sip straight from the bottle.
As Elton approached them, Schroeder fiddled with his cuff links and gestured to his milk crates full of record sleeves. His voice cracked when he spoke. "So… what are you into?"