Work Text:
Knock! Knock!
Schroeder’s head perked up through the tiny glass rectangle. His faint piano playing subsides as his face remains unchanged upon seeing Lucy standing on the other side of the door.
That was her cue for her to come in. It wasn’t the first time this had happened either. Now and then, she’d casually stop by to watch him play, exchanging little words. Going through the trouble of getting a pass out of class solely to listen to his playing. It was a comfortable silence they shared.
“That was beautiful...” Lucy says, shutting the door behind her. “What is it?”
“Chopin’s ‘Raindrop Prelude’.” Schroeder looked back down at the keys, faintly grazing over them. “ My piano instructor gave me some pieces to practice for no apparent reason, really. Just... to keep improving, I suppose.”
Walking across the small practice room, Lucy seats herself beside him on the tiny piano bench. “It’s a very nice piece, you know. Well—from what I hear.” Perching her hands in her lap, she gently requests, “Play it again.”
It was almost reminiscent of when they were children. The days when he would play his toy piano, Lucy leaning opposite of him. Those innocent, carefree days, she would fantasize about their future together as husband and wife. He would get upset, to which she would giggle and reply: “You know, you’re very cute when you get angry!” A cycle that went on for what felt like forever.
It was different now. Still similar in some way, but different.
In the sense that growing up got in the way. There just wasn’t time to lie around all day. There was school, newly found hobbies, and the overall teenage experience got in the way. Forcing everyone out of wide-eyed naivety.
Lucy and Schroeder weren’t the same people anymore. Granted, she still loves him. But it’s not the same Schroder she loves. It’s not the same Lucy that loves him, either. It was all so complicated.
Playing the last chord of the piece, he picks up his head, glancing at the girl next to him. Realizing how perfectly her curls fell, her face reminiscent of a song he heard once. One he can’t quite remember, but the beauty of it still lingers in his memory. Lucy truly was a pretty girl. He always knew that. He just never seemed to notice or care.
But seeing her now, under the glow of the fluorescent lights, lighting that rarely makes anybody look good— she looked beautiful.
Lost in thought, he completely didn’t realize she had been talking ever since that last chord.
“Hello? Schroeder?” Her sharp voice brought him back down to reality, swiftly turning her head to meet his gaze. “Did you even hear me?”
“Uhm, no. I guess not.”
“Well, you were so spaced out, I figured you didn’t. What I did say was you’re really gifted.” Resting her hand on top of his, she continues, “I mean it. I really do.” Ever since they were little, Lucy had always been quite openly affectionate with him. As much as possible. If there ever was a steady constant in their lives, that was it.
“Thank you.” He replies, interlocking his fingers with hers. It was a quiet response, but there was nothing more he could have said.
It was strange, Lucy had loved him ever since they had known each other, but this time:
He did, too. Full-heartedly
And for a moment, it felt as if they could sit beside one another forever.