AN: Hi everyone, we're back! (For now, at least.) Elizabeth and I teamed up again for a Halloween-themed series of one-shots. Since we've both been (and still are) busy, we couldn't start posting until today and will probably continue until well after Halloween... but we're hoping you can forgive us for that ;).

Elizabeth's prompt for me was this: "Elphaba challenges Fiyero to wear Lederhosen for an Oktoberfest-themed campus Halloween party. Fiyero initially balks, but just as he agrees to it, Boq comes up wearing a pair of his own." You can imagine how much fun I had writing this!

Maddy

Parties and Lederhosen

"So, Elphie," Galinda said casually as she hopped onto her bed, legs dangling, "it's Halloween tomorrow."

Elphaba nodded, not looking up from the book she was reading. "It is."

"Which means there are going to be a lot of parties."

"Uh-uh."

"Parties we will be going to."

"Parties you will be going to," Elphaba corrected her roommate.

Galinda frowned and bounded over to the other bed, perching on the edge of it. "Elphie, would you put that blasted book down and just talk to me?" she demanded. "What are you reading, anyway?" She snatched the book from her roommate's hands and flipped through the pages. Her eyes started shining when she realised what this was, exactly.

"Oh my Oz, Elphie," she squealed. "You and Fiyero's scrapbook! That is adorable!" She tried to read it, but Elphaba quickly took it back.

"Off-limits," she said sternly, dodging Galinda's swatting and groping hands. "This is private."

"I can't believe you two have been together almost a year already," Galinda sighed. "It is so romantic. Those necklaces he gave you for Lurlinemas, and the date he planned for Valentine's Day…" She trailed off when she realised what else had happened that Valentine's Day. "Um… well, that would have been totally romantic, if… um… you know."

Elphaba chuckled. "I know, Glin. I remember. I was there. It's okay, really." She looked at the scrapbook and smiled. "We worked it out."

"I'm so glad you did." Galinda beamed at her. "Imagine you having stayed mad at Fiyero forever! You would never have had your six-month anniversary and you'd never have gotten that jewellery set that matches the icicle necklace he gave you for Lurlinemas. And it is such a pretty set, Elphie."

"Yes," Elphaba deadpanned. "That would have been my biggest loss if I hadn't given Fiyero another chance. The jewellery he would have given me."

Galinda nodded earnestly. "I'm just saying."

"You're just saying what?" asked Fiyero, who just came into the room with Boq following on his heels. The latter flushed a little upon seeing Galinda, which everyone noticed except for Galinda herself.

"Nothing," Elphaba answered for her roommate, putting the scrapbook away and moving over to Fiyero to kiss him on the lips. He smiled and made to draw her into his arms; but just then, Galinda lunged for the scrapbook again and Elphaba had to dive on top of it to keep the blonde from grabbing it.

"Galinda!" she cried. "What part of 'private' don't you understand?!"

"I'm just curious!" Galinda defended herself. "And it's not like there's anything weird in there, is there?" Her eyes suddenly widened. "Wait," she breathed. "Did you and Fiyero…? Is that what you have in there that you don't want me to see? Some kind of detailed description of the two of you –"

"That is quite enough, Galinda," Elphaba snapped at her roommate. Boq was gaping at Elphaba and Fiyero with his mouth open and Fiyero himself looked decidedly uncomfortable.

Galinda giggled. "Ooh, now I understand why you won't let me –"

"We did nothing, okay?" Elphaba climbed onto her bed and put the scrapbook away on the highest shelf she could reach, knowing that Galinda was smaller and wouldn't be able to reach it at all. "And even if we did, I would not write down detailed descriptions of it anywhere, so there's no need for you to look so hopeful."

Fiyero looked bewildered. "What is this all about?"

"Elphie was looking at her scrapbook," Galinda explained, giggling, "and she refused to let me look at it, so I just assumed there was something in there she didn't want me to see."

"Let's just go," said Elphaba, linking her arm with Fiyero's and dragging him out of the room. "We'll be late for class."

He smiled softly at her as they walked down the stairs together. "You were looking at our scrapbook?"

She blushed a little and leant her head against his shoulder. "Every day," she confessed. "Usually before bed, but I had some time left before you'd be there and so I dug it out." She looked up at him. "Do you realise it's almost been a year?"

A goofy smile spread across his face. "Yeah." He glanced at her apprehensively. "So suppose I would ask Galinda for advice on planning something special for our one-year anniversary…" he began, only half-joking.

She whacked his arm, but she was laughing. "I promise you I will not jump to conclusions again when I see you being all mysterious with Galinda."

He laughed, too, and kissed her temple. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

"So," he said casually, "do you have any plans this weekend?"

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"What?" he asked when he saw the look she had on her face. Then he realised what was most likely going on and he grimaced. "Galinda beat me to it, didn't she?"

"I already told her no," Elphaba said, crossing her arms, "and I'm going to tell you the same thing. I'm not going to any parties this weekend, Yero."

He pouted. "But there is this Oktoberfest-themed party on Friday, and –"

"Wait." She held up two hands. "Oktoberfest?"

"It's this thing they celebrate in Gillikin," he said. "Traditional clothing and stuff like that. It's supposed to be really cool, and a lot of people are going."

"I know what Oktoberfest is, Fiyero," she said irritably. "I was just asking myself why in Oz you would want to drag me to an Oktoberfest-themed party."

"Elphie, please?" Galinda chirped from behind them, where she was skipping along next to Boq. "I already have my outfit picked out – I could get you a matching one! I've got a white blouse and a black corset, very amazifying, and a really short skirt – green, in your honour. Aren't I nice? And high heels, of course." She paused for a second and tilted her head a little to the side. "You know? The boys should totally wear Lederhosen."

Slowly, a devilish grin spread across Elphaba's face.

"Fiyero," she began innocently.

He scowled at her. "No."

"But Yero," she pouted and made big eyes at him in her best impression of Galinda's puppy look, "I would so love to see you in –"

"No. Never."

"Pretty please, FiFi?" Galinda chimed in. "They'll look great on you!"

"I'll look ridiculous!"

"You thought wearing white jodhpurs was a good idea," Elphaba pointed out. "And you looked ridiculous in those, too."

"Hey!" Fiyero protested, but the girls were giggling now.

"I'll make you a deal, Yero," said Elphaba, slipping her fingers into his. "I'll come with you to that Oktoberfest party and I will even let Galinda dress me up in a ridiculous outfit, but only if you promise to wear Lederhosen."

"I love Lederhosen," Galinda declared. "I think they look sexy on men."

Elphaba was stifling laughter. Fiyero gave her an unhappy look and Boq just looked uncomfortable at the entire conversation.

Elphaba patted her boyfriend's arm. "Just think about it."

He did – because he did anything for his girlfriend, even thinking about wearing a pair of extremely embarrassing trousers to a party. As they were sitting in class, he watched her, as he quite often did.

He was still so grateful that she had given him another chance last Valentine's Day. They had only been in the early stages of their relationship and she had still been so insecure about everything… and he had been so brainless. He didn't deserve her, he knew that, but he was happy to have her nonetheless. He loved her. He had known, even back then, that she was the love of his life; and he had only become more sure of that the longer they had been together.

They fought, of course. Between his brainlessness and her temper, they clashed sometimes. But those fights never lasted long and they didn't happen too often. He felt like they had both grown more secure in their relationship and he was happy about that. Elphaba still had trouble believing that he really loved her sometimes, but he felt like he was starting to convince her.

She caught him looking at her and raised an eyebrow inquiringly. He smiled and took her hand, pressing a kiss to the back of it. She rolled her eyes, but she was smiling, too.

Yes, he decided. He would do anything for her. Even dressing up in a pair of ridiculous Lederhosen.

"Fae?" he said after class, when they were getting ready for lunch with the others.

She looked at him. "Yes?"

He sighed, but said, "I'll do it."

She blinked at him for a moment, not understanding. "You'll do what?"

"I'll dress up in Lederhosen," he said, watching a smirk slowly spreading across her face. She chortled and kissed his cheek.

"You won't regret it."

"I already do."

"Well," she said, slipping her arms around his neck, "I might just decide to reward you."

He grinned at her. "I like the sound of that. Does this reward involve a detailed description of a certain act in our scrapbook, like Galinda said?"

"Fiyero!" she cried indignantly, pulling away. He quickly caught her and pulled her back into his arms, though. "I didn't mean that!"

He laughed. "Oh, come on, Fae, I know that. I was just joking." He planted a kiss on her hair, which melted her. A little.

"I was planning on staying over in your room tonight after the party," she said, crossing her arms and raising her chin, "but I guess that's off now."

His face fell. "Aw, Fae…" She refused to stay over at his place too often; but the nights she did were the happiest of his life. He loved nothing more than going to sleep with her in his arms and waking up that exact same way, with her breathing softly against him and her scent engulfing him. They had shared a bed in the Emerald City after their date and ever since then, he had been all but addicted to sleeping with her… in the literal sense, obviously.

She smirked at him now. "Just wear those Lederhosen tonight and I'll think about it."

They had reached the cafeteria by then and Fiyero held open the door for her, which earned him another eye roll and a smile. When they approached the table Nessarose, Ryyrrika, and Galinda were sitting at and saw the person standing there, however, they stopped dead in their tracks.

"Boq?" Elphaba eventually choked out. The person turned around and Elphaba promptly burst out laughing.

Fiyero could only gape at the Munchkin in shock.

"Yes," Ryyrrika said to the prince. "That was my reaction, too."

"And mine," said Nessarose, "though all Galinda has done so far is giggle."

"Boq," Fiyero said slowly, still staring at the other boy. "What in Oz' name are you wearing?!"

"Well," the Munchkin said, fidgeting a little, "I overheard Miss Galinda saying she, um, she thought that men in Lederhosen were, um… sexy… so I thought, um…"

Elphaba's laughter turned into hiccupping cackles. Galinda was trying to hide her giggling and her flushed face behind her napkin, but failing miserably. The other two boys and Nessarose were still staring, unsure of what to say, exactly.

"Don't you think I look s-sexy, Miss G-Galinda?" Boq stuttered, his face slowly growing redder and redder.

Galinda, however, was too busy giggling to even be able to answer that.