Work Text:
“Lizzie, where is Darce-face?” Lydia exclaimed while sock sliding into the lounge from the long hallway, taking full advantage of the wooden floors in Lizzie and Darcy’s apartment.
Gigi laughed as Lydia skidded to a stop just before colliding with the kitchen counters, then got up from her seat next to Lizzie, turned and bounced towards the sound system. The same sound system that had frightened Lizzie when she had first moved to San Francisco. Darcy was working late and she decided she was going to cook him a dinner for when he came home, a moment of domesticity of which her mother would be proud, and she simply wanted some calming music while she cooked. Lizzie had placed her iPod in the docking station and jumped out of her skin when music came from several hidden places around the apartment. She pulled her iPod away and set about cooking their dinner in silence. When she had told William of the attempt, he checked she was ok then held in his laughter while teaching her about his ‘ridiculous sound system that no self respecting hipster should have in their apartment.’
Gigi had more success and the heavy bass of Pink’s new album came through the speakers. Fitz deserted Brandon’s side and immediately pulled Gigi and Lydia to the open space behind the sofas. Lizzie smiled at the easy way her sister had been accepted into their ‘FiGi’ bubble and headed down the hallway Lydia had come from to Darcy’s study.
Lizzie paused outside the door and heard the low murmur of Darcy’s voice and then the distorted reply of someone on speaker phone. Lizzie knocked lightly and entered as quietly as possible. William looked up at her and gave her his version of an exasperated look. His laptop was open and the disembodied voice was still droning on, reminiscent of Ricky Collins. Lizzie went round to his side and he wrapped his large hands around her one and brought it to his cheek.
“Listen Mr Drake, I’m afraid I have done all I can with the limited resources at my current disposal. If you would be willing to meet with me at nine a.m. Monday morning, I will have both the time and the resources to help you.”
There was another long speech from the voice and Lizzie simply didn’t hear it as she was too busy observing William when he was in CEO-mode. It was still amazing to her, even after nearly two years and a company of her own, that her boyfriend was one of the most successful yet one of the youngest CEOs the business world had seen.
----------------------------------------
William hung up the phone, after agreeing to start his Monday of meetings an hour early, and shut off his laptop before standing up ready to join the other four in the lounge. He went to move however and realised that Lizzie was staring into the distance with a small smile on her face.
“Lizzie?” She came out of her reverie and smiled at him. “Are you ok?”
“Yes, I’m fine.” She faltered for a moment and then looked up at him with wide, honest eyes. “I’m just proud.”
William felt his body stiffen at the random statement and he looked down at Lizzie. “Wh-,”
“Oh, gosh, that was really condescending! No! I was just thinking about your achieve- I mean, I was- Don’t take it th- For God’s sake! I’m s-,”
William leant forward and captured her lips with his, pulling away when she leant into him. “I get it. Thank you.”
Lizzie wrapped her arms around him and leant her head on his chest, prompting William to sway slowly with her.
-------------------------------------------
Lizzie smiled as William’s warmth soaked into her body. Even if their communication was shaky (possibly an understatement) in the beginning, it was much better now.
In a whisper so as not to disturb the quiet, Lizzie told William that Gigi had music playing in the lounge. He shuffled them over, there really is no other word for it, to his desk and by pressing a few buttons he allowed the music to come into the room. A slow song began and William pulled Lizzie inexplicably closer to him and wrapped his arms completely around her making movement more difficult.
Lizzie could hear nothing around her apart from William’s heartbeat and the faint sound of the song in the background.
Run, run, run, run
Back to my arms, back to my arms
“Lizzie?” She hmmd in response and smiled against his chest. “Will you marry me?”
-------------------------------------------
As William wrapped his arms around Lizzie and drew her closer to him, he thought back to the same weekend three years ago. Gigi had been secretly building a relationship with that man and he had been too busy arguing with the board over something or other. He had been working twelve hour days as a minimum and had to be forced home by Mrs Reynolds at least three times a week. He had come home to a note from Gigi saying she was going with some friends to a party and that he was not to expect her back before the Sunday. He had ordered some Chinese takeout and fallen asleep in front of the TV that night.
Two years ago, he was in Lizzie’s hometown and making a bad impression on anyone. William cannot remember everything about the weekend, as Lizzie and Jane were staying with them and he has tried his best to block out the awful times where he behaved as he did. But he does remember Caroline watching him and Lizzie closely as if she was worried something was going on there. She was right on his part, of course, but most definitely not Lizzie’s.
The year before, he had also been in Lizzie’s hometown, but this time as her boyfriend who was visiting her family with her. That had been a fun weekend. As William had spent the week after Lizzie’s birthday as an almost permanent fixture in the house and had been for many subsequent visits after, Lizzie’s mother had not put on her best hosting skills but treated him as family. One of his fond memories was of Lizzie’s face when her mother had ‘officially welcomed’ him.
------------------------------------
“Lizzie dear, let go of that young man so he can come and help me in the kitchen.”
“Mom, he is a guest.”
Lizzie’s mother had turned away and was already walking down the hall. “Everyone takes turns helping to do the dishes Elizabeth, you know that.”
Lizzie had sat shocked for a good few minutes, as William was reliably informed by Lydia after she had pulled him out of his own comatose state and pushed him towards the kitchen.
-------------------------------------
He mentally shook himself out of his reverie and looked down at the wondrous woman in his arms. His life had improved so much since she had entered it. When Lizzie had told him that Lydia’s classes finished at the same time as Lizzie’s biggest project of the year had launched, he had insisted on flying Lydia out. He managed to get around the ‘extravagance limit’ Lizzie had set by pointing out that he and Lydia also had a good relationship and maybe she would like a long weekend to see her sister and Gigi. Therefore, technically, he was not doing it as a present to Lizzie, but a de-stressor for Lydia.
Lizzie’s face when he had presented her with the logic was one of his favourites on her. It was the perfect cross between exasperation and adoration. He smiled as he pictured it in his mind’s eye and had the same thought he had been having for almost a year now: I want to see that face for the rest of my life.
William listened to the music for a moment and thought the lyrics were apt at describing how he wanted to be with Lizzie. She was strong and independent, but he still wanted to be the rock she used when she needed it.
With this thought, his mouth opened without going through the checkpoint of his brain.
“Lizzie?”
“Hmm?”
He smiled as he felt her lips curve against his chest. “Will you marry me?”
--------------------------------------
Lizzie pulled away as far as she could in his arms and looked up into his eyes. He was too calm. Slowly, as though it was dawning on him what he had just said, panic seeped into his facial expression, concentrated in his eyes.
“William?”
He took a deep breath while looking over her shoulder and then trained his eyes back onto hers. “Will you marry me?”
The music playing changed and a cheer went up from the living room.
Lizzie took a deep breath and tried to ignore the completely inappropriate lyrics.
One step, two step, counting tiles on the floor
Three step, four step, guess this means that I’m a whore
“William, have you completely registered what you just asked me?”
His face dropped and he stepped back a half step, dropping his arms from her. “That’s okay. We should get-,”
Lizzie reached out and clasped his arm, stopping his backtracking. “Will-,”
“No, it’s fine Lizzie. We can just preten-,”
The door burst open and Fitz, Gigi and Lydia stormed in.
“I’ve got a little piece of yoo-hoo! And it’s just lik-,”
Fitz stopped first and clamped his hands over the two accomplices’ mouths.
Lizzie looked away from the intruders and up at Will and saw he was still completely frozen, mouth open as if he still had something to say and still looking at her. Lizzie nodded slowly and allowed a smile to grace her face. “Yes.”
William’s mouth closed and he searched her face. “Yes?”
Lizzie nodded and started to laugh. “Yes. A thousand times, yes.”
Will allowed the space between them to close and he pulled her to him, joining his mouth with hers. They allowed themselves to get more and more into the kiss until the screams and squeals from the doorway registered. Lizzie pulled away reluctantly and peeked at the three of them over Will’s arm. They were jumping up and down in a circle and Fitz was yelling to Brandon what they had just witnessed. She looked back up at Will and saw he was smiling down at her. She grinned back and pulled him towards her again, capturing his lips with her own.
End