NOTES: Darcy's POV. Normal length, will post again very soon. Next will (hopefully!) be funny and fluffy and nice :)
Hiya y'all! I AM SO SORRY I HAVEN'T POSTED IN (what, a weekend? Three days? Time is irrelevant) FOREVER I HAD SO MUCH STUFF— but that's hardly an excuse. The only one I will give is that I just got the vaccine, and I wasted a day not being able to lift by head off the ground :P
But now I'm back, and, with lots of luck, I can restart a normal posting schedule. Well. Normal for me. Anyway, it's good to be back, and fingers crossed y'all! ❤️ ~Vinny
As Fitzwilliam Darcy walked behind Lizzy, single file holding her hand, he felt like he was walking through a dream. It was why he was insistent on holding her hand, despite how it made the already crowded sidewalk a bit harder to navigate.
He had to remind himself this was really, actually, REALLY REALLY happening.
He had missed Lizzy so much.
From his pocket, a buzzing sound jarred Darcy out of his longing stare. Lizzy looked behind her, and smiled. "Georgie callin' back?"
"Yeah," he said apologetically, letting go of her hand. "I should probably take this."
"It's cool! I'll wait."
Lizzy put her back to the neared building, and leaned against it with one foot propped on the bricks. Darcy admired the way her messy hair curled in a wave over one shoulder.
Then he remembered, oh, his phone was ringing.
Turning just a little red, he answered it. "Hey, Georgie."
"...hi."
Was that a blast of winter air, or was that just him?
He coughed into his fist. "So.. uh… get my message?"
"Which one?" His sister asked, her voice shot through with sarcasm. "I've gotten SO many in the last week."
Darcy winced. "I.. uh, I'm sorry about that, Georgie.."
"I wouldn't even mind the cold shoulder!" His mild-mannered sister cried out suddenly. "But I don't even know where you ARE! You just— just— disappeared on me!"
"I'm at Lizzy's," he said. Calmly. He said that.. c-calmly…
In a similarly calm fashion, Georgiana dropped her phone with a sharp gasp. Darcy listened anxiously as she scrabbled around below her desk, finally grabbing her phone again.
"I'm sorry," she said, "but WHAT?!"
"I got word she had been trying to reach me," Darcy explained, "So Williams took me over to see her, and.. well…"
"Well?! How did it go?"
Darcy glanced haltingly at her. Lizzy was looking away. He turned the opposite direction, and spoke low into the phone. "Her dad was sick. Surgery happened that day, but there were.. complications. Don't worry, it's all good now. But.. I'm staying with Lizzy until things calm down. She… She really needs me, Georgiana. I want to be there for her."
There was a pause. Georgie let out a breath. "Okay. Okay. And… you want me to.. bring over a bag?"
"If you wouldn't mind, yes."
Another, longer pause. This time, Darcy understood what it meant.
"And— I'm sorry. For.. being mad at you. And not calling. I won't do it again."
"Thanks," Georgie smiled through the phone. "And I'm sorry for trying to get you guys together too soon… Um, text me the address, and I'll bring your stuff then, yeh?"
"Okay," he said, "texting itttt… now."
He could hear Georgiana opening her messages and sucking in air through her teeth. "Ohhh. I.. I thought…"
"Hm?"
She hesitated. "I thought you were staying WITH Lizzy. Like... at her place. Not in some.. 2 and a half star hotel. I— I can find you a better place, really easily, I can—"
"What? I—" Darcy glanced nervously behind him. Lizzy didn't look like she was listening. "I haven't been to her place yet," he said, in a lower voice. "But I think it's a hotel. Dunno what rating it is."
"Oh. OH. I'm so sorry! That was so rude of me, I—"
"Hey, no, no, it's fine," Darcy soothed. "I'm sure it won't be a big deal. And.. even if it isn't… my usual style… I don't want to… Well, I have to be careful."
"Yes," Georgie said soberly. "You have to make sure you don't come across… wrong."
"I won't. I- I'll be polite. Don't worry."
"Alriiight," she hedged, sounding worried. "I'll.. be there in 2 hours, then."
"Ok. See you then." Darcy hung up the phone, and turned to Lizzy. "Sorry about that. Ready?"
"I was born ready," Lizzy grinned.
He laughed, and she took his hand again, pulling him fiercely down the sidewalk. Darcy stumbled along, tripping over sidewalk gum and chuckling at the way Lizzy hopped over every crack in the asphalt.
"Don't need MORE bad luck," she reasoned. Darcy agreed with that. Still, it was adorable to see her skirt to a halt, just to delicately step over a tiny fissure, and continue barrelling on ahead.
A few blocks later, and one very awkward encounter bumping into (and almost knocking over) an old lady, the pair reached Lizzy's hotel.
"Well," she said, gesturing grandly, "Here we are!"
Darcy stared up, up, up at a very tall building… and felt his stomach drop down, down, down to his feet.
Well then. This place.. was… to put it very nicely, a shithole.
It was made of some plastery substance, with bricks inlaid at the base. Pipes ran just under the drywall like varicose veins, all the way up to the top of the flat hotel roof (which appeared to be leaning precariously to one side). Something that was NOT water dripped from a rain gutter to their right. Darcy could already smell mold, and there were cigarette butts lining the pavement like weeds, and… Jesus Christ was Lizzy actually LIVING here?!
It was almost worse than the laser tag place.
Her voice interrupted his nervous spiralling with a cheerful cry. "C'mon! And stop your gawking, ya goof, you're gonna catch flies! C'mon, I'm on the top floor."
Darcy gulped, and resisted asking if there was at least a fire escape.
In the lobby, Darcy kept his head down and his breath shallow. It… wasn't a good smell. Cigarette smoke and too-strong vanilla candles mixing with the green stuff in the corners.
Lizzy led him up the stairs all the way to the top floor, and when she opened the door to her hotel room, Darcy almost sagged in relief. THIS room didn't smell like crushed dreams and rotting sandwich meat. Thank GOD.
"Sooo, this is my place," Lizzy said, turning on the lights. "I know it's small, but.. well, hey, I'm used to that."
She laughed, and Darcy laughed along with her. She never had to know that he was faking it. "Yeah, it's um.. it's really nice..!"
Oh jeez, he was truly terrible at this.
Quick, find something nice to say. Ohhhh she's looking at you, hurry up HURRY UP—
"This is a lovely bookshelf..." Yes, good. Keep going! "Good contents too! They have, um.. Harry Potter… and.. uh… travel brochures…"
"Hold that thought," Lizzy said, making a funny face. "I need to use the bathroom."
"Okay." He looked around the room in abject terror. He felt as though a mouse would just out and bite him at any second.
"Hey.." Lizzy put a hand on his arm. "You okay? If.. I mean… If you don't want to stay.. here… then we can find—"
"No, no! It's good, I'm— I'm, uh, good."
Forcing himself to calm down, Darcy chuckled, and pressed a quick kiss to the top of her head. "'M just sleepy still. Not.. uh, not yet fully awake. Um."
"Well, alright." Lizzy's shoulders relaxed a bit. "If you're good, then I'm good."
She kissed him quick, and Darcy marveled at how she still tasted like peach and mint leaves. "Make yourself at home then, love!" She chirped, flighting off to the bathroom.
Darcy bobbed his head a few times, trying not to look after her to where the bathroom (that was the size of HALF his coat closet) closed with a sound like wood moments away from splintering.
He looked around, and wondered to himself why he was staying in such a place. He could probably BUY the hotel— save a lot of trouble, actually. And it wouldn't be that bad of an investment.. actually… hm…
But, no. He wouldn't do that to Lizzy. She deserved a chance to show him her world, and he deserved a chance to NOT fuck up a first impression. Well. Not really first at this point, but it.. almost felt like it..
He would have to be polite. Gracious. Smooth and casual, but also gentlemanly and polite. He didn't want her to think he was a snob, or thought less of her just because she was living in this dump…
Wow. Okay. This was going to be… this would be harder than he had thought.