A/N: Frankly, I've had about a million passing ideas for LBD fics, but this one just wouldn't leave me alone. I think it's because it was Gigi related and I like her even though we haven't met her yet. Oh, and before any of you think I'm totally clueless- I know Gigi is gluten free. It's just that in my head, she's the kind of person who would make the effort to bake cupcakes she can't even eat just because her brother likes them.
Please let me know what you think! I'm very much a dabbler in fanfiction, but I'd love to write some more, and feedback is a big part of that.
Disclaimer: Well, the Lizzie Bennet Diaries certainly don't belong to me, the title is a line from Regina Spektor's "Eet" and I'm sure you'll be able to recognize who the lyrics at the end belong to (hint: also not me.)
It's been two weeks since George left town, and Gigi would still be holed up in her room if it weren't Will's birthday. Instead, she's in the kitchen with Fitz, making cupcakes in what he will later describe as the most uncomfortable silence ever. But of course, silence and Fitz don't quite go together, and after about ten minutes he can't help but speak up.
"Oh, come on, Georgie," he pleads. "Just one sentence, that's all I'm asking for. It can even be 'Fitz, you're an idiot.' Just give me something to work with, kiddo."
Gigi tries to smile at him, though she's pretty sure it comes out as a grimace. "You're not an idiot, Fitz. I just don't feel like talking."
"Well, do you feel like eating ice cream?" comes a voice from down the hallway. It's clearly not Will, but Fitz jumps in front of the bowl of cupcake batter anyway, trying to hide it behind him while striking what he calls his 'ninja pose.'
Gigi turns to the doorway expectantly as Bing enters, carrying a carton of Häagen Dazs in one hand and a box of food coloring in the other. "It's Caroline's favorite," he explains, offering the ice cream to Gigi. "She swears that it'll turn your day around in one scoop or less."
She does manage a smile this time around. "Thanks, Bing."
Bing and Caroline aren't aware of the full story- all they know is that Gigi's been through a bad breakup- but their concern has been touching. Caroline invited her out for some retail therapy last week, and when Gigi refused, she came by with Belgian chocolate and a bunch of movies. (Granted, she didn't actually stick around to watch the movies, but it's the thought that counts, right?)
Once Bing has washed his hands for a full two minutes- it's the med school training, he explains, when Gigi and Fitz look quizzically at him- they start working again. The boys are discussing something called Netherfield, so Gigi doesn't have to join the conversation. She knows that she should talk, if for no other reason than the fact that it'll distract her from all the voices in her head, but she just can't think of anything to say that doesn't relate to George or how stupid she was or how betrayed she feels. And while the breakup is all that she's been able to think about, Gigi is acutely aware that this isn't the appropriate time to talk about it.
She's so caught up in her thoughts that she doesn't even realize that music has started to play. She only notices when she looks up to see Fitz singing "Shake it Out" into a spatula. Bing is doing the background vocals with his whisk as a mic, and they're both so into it (she's pretty sure Fitz just threw up a gospel hand) that she lets out a chuckle.
As the last bars of the song fade out, she arches an eyebrow at the two of them. "How do you guys even know the words to that song?"
"What, I can't be a fan of Florence and the Machine?" Fitz asks, mock-offended.
Bing is somewhat more helpful. "It was part of that playlist that you made for us, remember? I think you labeled it 'Have Fun Without Me in San Francisco, You Jerks, and Remember to Bring Me a Present,'" he says, laughing.
She's about to laugh, too, but then she remembers that that weekend, she made two mixes, and the second was meant for a certain swim coach. Suddenly, all she wants to do is cry, but instead she just forces a small smile and nods, effectively bringing the conversation to an end. After that, she doesn't speak anymore and focuses on the baking, telling herself that as soon as the cakes are in the oven, she can retreat to her room for the rest of the evening.
She's caught off guard, though, by the next song to play. It's "Some Nights", and it immediately brightens her mood in the way that only a person's favorite song can. By the end she's nodding her head to the beat as she folds egg whites into the batter, finding an escape in the mind-numbing activity and the music.
She doesn't feel so awful anymore, and actually- her train of thought screeches to a halt and her expression quickly becomes a scowl as the next song starts. "Ugh, not this again!" Gigi groans. "This song is so annoying." It's the second after the words come out of her mouth that she remembers that the boys are there and immediately regrets her words.
Fitz and Bing share a mischievous look and nod, and suddenly Bing is singing lead, sending up clouds of flour from his whisk as he does so. "You're insecure, don't know what for..."
Gigi doesn't know if she should be alarmed or impressed. For some reason Bing knows all the words to the first verse, and once Fitz has pulled up the lyrics on his phone, they're harmonizing on the chorus and dancing like idiots while they do it. She rolls her eyes at them and Fitz pauses to stick his tongue out at her before he starts singing again. After a moment or two, Gigi's face has progressed from irritation to surprise to quiet amusement, but she does make it through the whole first chorus with a straight face. It's when Fitz breaks out his falsetto on the second verse that she finally loses it and bursts out laughing. The boys are now doing some weird coordinated dance move, and Bing motions for her to join them.
She suddenly has a vision of one of those forked roads. She could ignore them and just go wallow over George and how taken in she was. Or- and yes, it's italicized in her mind, too- or she could make the decision to not let George Wickham get in the way of her life anymore. It's the sort of decision Gigi wouldn't have been able to make alone in her room, with nothing to drown out all the insecurities that have cropped up over the past couple of weeks. But right now? Right now, both of her surrogate brothers are making total fools of themselves just to brighten her day. How much longer can she ignore the fact that there are other, more important people in this world who love her for who she is?
That settles it. She grabs a wooden spoon, hops into the space between Fitz and Bing, and joins in. Both the boys grin at her and Fitz gives her a one armed hug before launching into more N*SYNC-worthy choreography. Batter and frosting forgotten, they dance around the kitchen in a bizarre boy band conga line, singing (or shouting, depending on who you ask) at the top of their lungs.
That's how Darcy finds them when he walks into the house: belting the last chorus like they're performing at a concert, Bing and Fitz dancing like idiots, and Gigi laughing out loud for the first time in weeks. (He also spots Mrs. Reynolds off to the side, holding up a video camera, but he won't say anything about that for now.)
They finish the song with an impassioned, "That's what makes you beautiful!" and strike poses before dissolving into laughter. Will and Mrs. Reynolds start clapping, and the erstwhile pop stars finally realize that they have an audience. Gigi jumps up from her place on the kitchen floor, hugging her big brother and wishing him a happy birthday with a sincere smile on her face.
As he returns her hug, Will looks over Gigi's head to where his best friends are standing and mouths a thank-you. Bing shrugs it off and Fitz nods understandingly, and the seriousness hangs in the air for a moment until Gigi jumps back and yells, "Shit! The first batch of cupcakes!"
In the end, the cupcakes aren't burnt, just a little dry, and Gigi more than makes up for it by piling them with impressively good frosting. But more importantly, she's telling jokes while she does it, offering to teach Will the choreography to their dance number and teasing Bing for his extensive knowledge of One Direction lyrics. And Will decides that first edition books and vintage gramophone be damned- knowing that in the end, Wickham hadn't broken his baby sister's spirit? That's the best birthday present he could have gotten.