Thank you very much to @breeoc97 for helping me write this! It means a lot to me.
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1976
Outside, the rain was really coming down. Which was kind of nice, but also kind of not great, especially if you had somewhere to be.
Bernie was sitting by a window, watching raindrops drip down like a painting that was wet.
Elton was bored, and at this point it had been raining for hours with no sign of letting up.
Technically, Bernie wasn't having much fun either, but he was more quiet about it.
"Bernie, I don't know what to do," Elton moans.
The singer could be very childlike at times, in particular with people he was comfortable around. He knew Bernie wouldn't get angry or tell him off for being his dramatic self.
"Me neither, I'm getting kind of tired of watching the raindrops." Bernie says in return.
The two of them sigh at the same time, then laugh about the fact that it's in sync.
"Well, what can we do? I'm useless at cooking. About all I'm good at is drinking and performing." Elton says in a self-deprecating manner. He could get pessimistic at times.
"I can cook for us, of course! And you can dance just for fun." Bernie says as he laughs.
Elton gives his friend a curious look, but then he smiles.
"It's a good thing you can, otherwise we'd just order takeaway all the time." Elton jokes.
Then the singer considers it, "I can certainly try to dance. I guess I boogie a bit." He adds, doing a little shimmy, which causes the other man to grin.
--
Elton then goes over to the piano and starts playing something upbeat, just making it up as he goes.
"Got any words to this, Bernie?" He asks, though usually the process went that Bernie wrote words and then gave Elton them to add music to.
Bernie begins to sing random words as Elton closes his eyes and plays the piano.
"Did you write this down?" Elton says as he chuckles.
"I didn't, but I'll remember the lyrics!" Bernie says with a grin.
"Sure you will." Elton answers with some sass.
"Words just stick in my head." Bernie says playfully.
Elton stops playing and thinks about what they just made together. "That was lovely. And your singing is nice, actually." He tells his friend.
"Ha, 'nice, actually.' I know, I'm no professional like you," Bernie jokes.
"Come on now." Elton replies. "You're good."
"Thanks." The lyricist blushes a bit and leans against the piano player, to which Elton lets him.
The duo continue to sing and play the piano before one of them gets hungry.
-
"All right, what shall we have?" Bernie asks.
"I don't know. I'm honestly happy with anything, as long as it's not burnt." Elton shrugs.
"Well, okay! I could make us some soup. Or tuna sandwiches. Or salad? Maybe scrambled eggs." He offers multiple foods.
"Bernie! That's too many choices." Elton says as he laughs.
"Sorry. What are you in the mood for?" The younger man asks.
"Maybe tuna sandwiches! They sound delicious right now." Elton says with a big grin.
"Tuna it is! Let me get the can opener and bread!" Bernie says as he walks into the kitchen.
Elton hums to himself, looking around at everything. Sometimes he could get quite distracted.
Bernie begins to make the sandwiches, making sure to add some seasoning to the tuna so it doesn't taste bland.
-
The older man decides to get up and do something, but he wasn't sure what. "I wish it wasn't raining so hard, then we could invite a friend over."
The younger man pretends to be offended, "am I not your friend? You must be tired of me." He jokes, holding back a smile.
"Oh, of course not! You are my best friend!" Elton says, hugging Bernie from behind and he kisses his cheek playfully.
"Aww, that's nice of you to say." Bernie tells him in reply as he gently laughs. He puts one hand on Elton's arms around him, smiling. "You're my best friend too."
"Those look lovely," Elton mentions as he glances at the food and moves slightly away from Bernie to give him some space. "You're a much better cook than I am."
"You aren't a bad cook yourself! You just burn the food sometimes." Bernie says as Elton laughs.
"I can't help it!" Elton answers playfully, putting his arms up in the air.
"I know. That's why you're great." Bernie beams at Elton.
"I am pretty great. Except for when I'm not." Elton jokes.
"You do the best you can," Bernie says as he plates the sandwiches. "These are all ready now!" He says and takes a plate to the table.
"Oh, they look so delicious! Do you want some tea?" Elton asks Bernie as he cheers.
"Yes please!" Bernie says with a grin.
"Sounds good! Let me make some." Elton responds happily.
Bernie takes the other plate and puts it at the table for Elton, staring at the window again. The singer puts the kettle on and gets down tea bags and mugs.
"It's so cozy in here, and cold out there." The lyricist comments.
"That's true." Elton agrees, "what is it with you and the window? Is it inspirational?" He asks playfully.
"I guess! I just don't have anything else to look at." Bernie answers, to which Elton makes a noise and pretends to be offended.
Bernie giggles at Elton and grins at him. "It's a beautiful day outside, isn't it?" He asks his songwriting partner.
"What! Bernie, it's still raining, how is it beautiful?" Elton laughs.
"It's beautiful in its own, serene way. Look at the shiny pavement and the misty grass. The drops making out their own melody." Bernie says in return.
"Always one for words. You know how bad I am at lyrics," Elton jokes self-deprecatingly.
"But I can't write melodies. I think we're meant to be friends." The other man says happily.
The two of them eat their lunch and Elton remembers he was meant to be making tea, so he did that quickly before returning to the table, now with the drinks near the plates.
"Ooo, some tea! Thank you!" Bernie says with a big grin.
"You are very welcome!" Elton says, sitting down next to Bernie.
-
Elton looks at his sandwich and hesitated before he started to eat, but he was pretty hungry. He felt a sense of comfort having Bernie next to him, though.
"You're all right," Bernie encourages gently when he saw his friend's hesitation.
"It really is quite good," Elton says softly. He had so many things going on in his mind.
"Is something wrong?" Bernie asks, realising that he isn't acting like himself.
"I'm fine," Elton says, even though the lyricist doesn't believe it.
"Are you sure? You know you can tell me anything." He says to Elton, rubbing his shoulder.
Elton puts his head in his hands, starting to feel less like wanting his sandwich. "Yeah.." He pauses. He goes back and forth between deciding to tell him or not.
"I just don't know if I feel like eating. It's not bad - honestly, it's great, and you're great, Bernie.. It's just me." Elton sighs.
"Elton," Bernie says softly, sympathy filling his eyes. "I want to know if there's anything I can do to help."
"Thank you. Can I have a hug?" Elton asks Bernie.
"Of course!" Bernie says, hugging Elton happily.
Elton feels soothed, not having had that much affection in the past. He always hesitated to ask for it.
-
But Bernie was always there for his friend, his songwriting partner. He wouldn't leave him, Elton knew that for sure.
"The most you can do, Bernie, is to be here. It's a great help." Elton tells him with a certain softness.
The younger man smiled, then he resumed eating his own food. He then listened to Elton talk, nodding patiently to show he was listening.
"And you wouldn't believe what I found at the shop yesterday, it was this beautiful jacket. I didn't buy it, though, because then I had to be somewhere else." Elton was saying.
"Aw! You should have gotten it for yourself! Spoil yourself some!" Bernie says with a smile at Elton.
Elton rolls his eyes at his friend. "I didn't have time, otherwise I would have." He chuckles lightly.
"Well, next time if you see it, you should buy it!" Bernie says as he playfully kisses Elton's cheek.
Elton feels his face flush a bit and he looks at his songwriting partner with an expression of content. "Thanks, Bernie. I don't know where I'd be without you."
Bernie looks around at the other things in the room, wondering if there was anything else to do on this rainy day. The rain began to pour harder and get loud.
Elton ate some of his own food, then went back to the piano, using the rain as a rhythm and inspiration for a tune. He stops after a few minutes, thinking silently.
Eventually, things got more quiet and Elton sat on the sofa, feeling tired all of the sudden. Bernie sits next to him and stays there for emotional support.
As Elton sat there,he began to drift into sleep, and even then, Bernie doesn't leave his side. He just contemplates the day and focuses on the peaceful noises outside.
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Word count: 1,475