NOTES: Darcy's POV, normal length. the much-awaited RETURN OF THE FLUFF ❤️❤️ Also, I'm sorry for the delay, but with finals approaching, the workload is ramping up, so I might Be reduced to posting once a day for a while :(

Hope y'all stay interested though, and please let me know if something jumps out at you! 🌸 ~Vinny

"Wait so— so you—"

"I'm just as surprised as you are," Darcy said, laughing.

Through their conversation, Lizzy had gotten back some of her old energy, and was now pacing around their little table, her hands pressed to her cheeks.

"YOU WERE THE BEST MAN!" Lizzy cried, pointing at him in astonishment.

He quirked his eyebrows, amused. "Flattery will get you nowhere, sweetheart."

Lizzy giggled, though Darcy noticed she turned a bit pink when she met his eye. He liked that he was the one to make her blush now.

"Jeez," she huffed, grinning.

Lizzy sat down, and Darcy absentmindedly pulled her into his lap. There were not many people left in the cafeteria, and, honestly? He didn't really care what anyone thought of him anymore? Anyone.. well, anyone except… one person.

Said person yawned luxuriously, and stretched herself out to lay comfortable against his torso. She reached her hand around backwards, and cupped his chin. Lizzy tugged at his face, pulling Darcy closer so that she could better feel his breath on her cheek.

"We're a pair of idiots, aren't we?" She said softly.

He could hear the smile in her voice, and he matched it, smirk for smirk. "Most definitely, my darling. We are… complete morons, the both of us."

"Speak for yourself," Lizzy chuckled.

"I am speaking for myself!" He poked her gently, feeling cheeky as he grinned at her. "I'm just speaking for you too."

Lizzy laughed and squirmed away from him. "I stand by what I said earlier," she accused, wrinkling her nose."You are a goofball."

"I thought I was the Best Man?" Darcy asked, smilingly.

"It's.. possible to be both," Lizzy replied.

There was such calculated weight to her words, such mock seriousness, that Darcy just had to kiss her, his shoulders shaking with barely suppressed laughter.

"I missed this," he whispered against her mouth.

"I missed you," Lizzy whispered back.

And.. well. What could Darcy do except kiss her?

They spent a few blissful minutes engaged in this kind of activity, lost in each other, before a quiet cough startled Darcy into pulling back his head. He looked up guiltily into the emotionless face of a janitor.

"Scuze me sir," the man said, in a tone that said clear as day'I'm done with this shit'. "I need to wipe off this table."

Darcy pulled back a little farther. His head was foggy with pleasure, but he had enough of his wits to see that he and Lizzy had been moving their kiss farther and farther away from PG. She was now almost laying back on the table, and Darcy was leaning out of his chair to stay on top of her.

Lizzy reacted first, blushing beet red and quickly pushing him off, muttering, "oh my god I'm so sorry we'll leave of course I'm sorry."

Darcy scrambled back. He hid a self-satisfied smile as he fixed his collar. God, he loved everything about her. It felt so good to see her face again.

As they gathered their trash and moved away from the table (the janitor gave them a shake of the head and an acknowledging grunt as they left), Lizzy slapped his arm.

"Quit smiling," she hissed, clearly fighting a smile herself. "That was embarrassing!"

"Yes it was," Darcy grinned, "but I'm honestly too happy to care."

"Aawwwwww," a voice from around the corner interrupted. When they rounded the bend, Lizzy and Darcy came face to face with another couple; one of them was holding a phone, which flashed with the sound of a picture being taken.

"Y'all are so cuteeee," Williams cooed in a squeaky, annoying tone. "I'm gonna post this to my instagram!"

"Leave them be, ya lunkhead," Samantha said affectionately, smacking her fiancé in the arm before addressing the slightly uncomfortable (but still smiling) couple. "I.. take it you guys made up?"

"Mhmm," Lizzy hummed, bumping her shoulder against his.

When she untwined her hand in his, Darcy couldn't help but beam at his cousin, who laughed. "God, you're so cute together. Makes me sick."

"Shut up, Blondie." She stuck out her tongue from a smile.

"Well, I'm glad you're in a better place now," Samantha chuckled, before sobering. She put a hand on Lizzy's arm. "Your dad's awake now. He wants to see you."

Lizzy's freckles stood out like pepper flakes against her rapidly paling cheeks. She pressed her lips together, and Darcy squeezed her hand gently to get her attention.

"Hey." She looked over at him. He tilted his head. "Want me to go in with you?"

After a moment's hesitation, her head waved slowly from side to side. "No… I'll be okay. I'd… rather go in alone."

He nodded, and watched her go with an anxious expression. When Lizzy was out of sight, Williams nudged him.

"Dude."

Darcy raised his eyebrows, turning to him with a stern, crossed-armed expression. "Yes?" He asked, fully expecting another onslaught of mockery.

Williams just smirked at him, and pointed to his mouth. "Love the lipstick."

He pushed his cousin away, too worried about Lizzy to laugh, but not in the mood to smack Williams for the shit-eating grin he flashed Darcy on his way out. Samantha laughingly apologized for his conversation. Darcy waved her off, saying he wasn't really mad.

He wasn't sure what he was.

Worry was eating away at his joy as he sat down on the now-familiar chair outside room D23. He folded his hands, and let the steady ticking of the clock seep through his thoughts.

After a while, Lizzy emerged from the room. Her eyes were wet and red. Darcy didn't ask questions. He didn't ask her to try and smile. He just walked up to her and wrapped her in his arms, wishing that simple act could keep her safe from all the horrors and heartache the world had to offer.

Lizzy told him later— Mr. Bennet wasn't hopeful about his chances. He had laughed that he was going to die anyway. He had said she shouldn't be so worried about him.

It hurt Lizzy, to see him being so sanguine about something so serious.

Darcy just sat there, and listened to her talk and cry and murmur about how she felt responsible for her parents, and how she wondered if it had ever been the other way around. He just kissed her softly, borrowed an extra blanket from an unused room, and warmed her up when she fell asleep on his arm, the sound of guitars scratching through the muted speaker on his phone.

He wasn't sure when he drifted off to sleep. When he woke up, the hospital room was dim and quiet. His phone had long since died, so silence rang supreme in the hollowed waiting room— interrupted only by the incessant ticking of the clock, and the faint heart monitor.

Then the silence was broken completely, when the person who had woken him up said in a rattling whisper, "Mr. Darcy. I'm sorry to wake you, but… there's something you need to know."