Here's a little one-shot in honor of the winter holidays. Just so you get a picture in your head, Oz is the town they live in. Elphaba, Fiyero, Boq, Crope, Tibbett, and Galinda all live on the same street. Think of those lined up houses in the movies with the trees in the front yard and the golden retrievers that pick up the news papers. Oh, and Elphaba's not traumatized of her skin tone, she not exactly popular either. She's still a bookworm and whatnot. Oh yeah! This was inspired by One Of The Boys by Katy Perry. You should listen to the song, it's good.
Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked. I don't own anything.
One of the Boys
A skinny little green girl ran over the equally green lawn. She was playing tag with her bestest friend in the whole world, Fiyero Tiggular. Boq, Crope and Tibbett were also playing, but that didn't matter. The green girl, Elphaba, had invited her best girl friend, Galinda, to play, but Galinda refused. Elphaba didn't see the harm in getting a little messy. In fact, she liked it. It was fun to not have to be dressed up, prim and proper.
There were bugs all over the lawn, but she didn't care. She welcomed the little pests. Just yesterday she had brought home a few spiders. Her mother screamed at her to take them outside, but Elphaba had made a small home for the creatures in her bedroom. Shh, don't tell her mother, though.
"Tag, you're it." Fiyero panted, punching Elphaba's arm lightly. The girl laughed, smiling at her friend.
"You better run fast, then."
The ten year olds played and chased each other all afternoon, till it was time for dinner. Their mothers' called for them from the front porches of their houses. Boq, Crope and Tibbett lived down the road, but Elphaba and Fiyero were neighbors.
"Bye, Fabala." Fiyero said, punching the girl's arm. Elphaba smiled weakly, punching his arm back. As good as being his friend was, she found herself regretting a few things. Being punched was one of them. It hurt. Elphaba would rather have hugged him.
It wasn't till two years later did the emerald skinned girl put up a protest. She had been at camp the whole summer, in a cabin with eight other girls. They introduced her to a whole new world. Make up, gossip magazines, and (dare I say it?) boys. Elphaba had even helped chose the hottest actors to post up around the cabin. And she enjoyed the female company, even if she did find herself missing Fiyero and her other male companions.
That summer was the summer of change. Elphaba grew a little taller and hit puberty. When she got back from camp, she examined herself in the mirror everyday. The newfound breasts and hips were confusing to her. She was no longer able to fit into the small cracks and hideaways she had played in before. Elphaba flipped through the gossip magazines daily, taking in what the celebrities were doing. She didn't care, but it was something to do. She read through other teen magazines, too. She tried out different hair styles and even a little lip gloss and mascara here and there. Her thirteenth birthday passed by quietly. She had a sleep over with Galinda, instead of a picnic with the guys. Elphaba wanted to guys to wait till school to see her transformation. Younger sister she was no longer.
Elphaba was standing by her locker, chatting with Galinda, when Fiyero entered the school. He had grown a little over the summer,, but not as much as Elphaba. Her childhood friend stopped in his tracks and openly stared.
"El-Elphaba?" His voice cracked on the last syllable, making him blush.
"Hi Fiyero. How was your summer?" She smiled and fell easily into conversation with her friend. Galinda smiled knowing and headed off to class.
Elphaba didn't play tag with the boys anymore. She preferred to sit outside on the veranda and read, watching the boys play baseball or football. Fiyero or Boq would call out to her, trying to get her to join, but she just shook her head.
"Sorry!" She would call out, smiling affectionately at her friends. Galinda would often join her on the porch.
Elphaba, caught up in her gossip magazines and hair products, was forming a bond with Galinda. They spent hours talking about boys on the phone, acting like normal adolescent girls. Elphaba rarely hung out with Galinda at school, though. Galinda had her own crowd of friends, while Elphaba preferred sticking to her guy friends and the comfort of books.
Fiyero noticed the change in Elphaba's attitude and was very puzzled. Of course he noticed her physical changes, who didn't, but there was something off. Elphaba was acting strangely around him, very shy and reserved. He still punched her shoulder goodbye, but Elphie would bite her lip and shake her head.
It was freshmen year of high school when Fiyero finally confronted her.
"Fabala, what's wrong, you've been acting strange for a while?" He asked, sitting next to her on a bench outside.
"What do you mean?" The beautiful girl in front of him asked.
"Well, you never play with us anymore. You don't even keep bugs like you used to. You don't punch my arm back when we say goodbye. You don't even like me punching your arm. Is something wrong? Did I do something? I'm sorry, Fabala, for whatever I did." Fiyero looked at her anxiously. Elphaba sighed.
"I've changed, Fiyero. I'm not your childhood playmate. I can't play with you anymore; I can't fit into those spaces. I'm a girl. I don't want to be sweaty and I don't want my goodbyes to be punches on the arm. I want boyfriends, Yero, not guy friends." And with that, Elphaba stood and strode away. Fiyero stared after her, dumbfound.
He began to finally look at Elphaba in a different light.
She distracted him during class, the way her hair would swish back and forth, the way the light fell across her face. He would stare after her in the halls, watching her hips sway back and forth as she walked.
Fiyero put up with Elphaba's boyfriends through the next few years. There were only a few, but each one was worse than the last. Fiyero would watch her from afar with these boys, studying her. She never seemed happy with them. Yes, she smiled and laughed, but it didn't reach her eyes.
Elphaba was still best friends with Fiyero. He watched out for her like an older brother, though he certainly didn't feel that way about her. She had no inkling and delved deeper into hidden depression. She vowed one day that Fiyero would want her, that he would love her. It was prominent in her dreams and wishes, but she never told anyone.
It was Homecoming when Fiyero decided to make his move. He made sure that Elphaba would be going to the dance alone (he suggested Crope take her, even though she know he was gay, surprisingly Elphaba agreed). Tonight, Fiyero would make her his. Why didn't he just ask her himself? Well, not even Fiyero can answer that. Probably because he couldn't think of it.
When she entered the gym, Elphaba looked amazing. Her dress looked beautiful on her, but she felt out of place.
"Elphie, come on." Galinda smiled. The blonde was in on Fiyero's plan. She had watched the boy go through high school not finding a girlfriend once. Sure, he went on dates, but they were never serious.
"Would you like to dance?" Fiyero asked, coming up behind Elphaba. He handed her a black rose. She took it and smiled.
"Sure, that would be great." Her smiled didn't reach her eyes. She thought this was like all those other times, a false alarm. He's just being nice, she reasoned with herself, he saw that you looked out of place.
"You look beautiful." The boy finally said, looking down into Elphaba's eyes. She blushed. Maybe this was different.
"Thank you." Her mouth suddenly felt dry and she swallowed. Her hands were sweating, could he tell?
"Fabala, I've been so blind." Fiyero said, resting his forehead against hers. Oh my lord, I was totally wrong. Elphaba thought, staring up into his eyes. All she could do was blink; her mind was in muddled disarray.
"I'm sorry, I've been such an ass to you these past years. I was selfish and blind, and I didn't even think about your feelings or what you wanted. That first summer you went to camp, something changed. I could feel it. We were never as close as we used to be and that bothers me, ya know? And I just wanted to make things right again, and-"
Elphaba cut Fiyero off, taking matters into her own hands.
"Yero, you're rambling." She laughed and stood on her tippy toes, kissing him sweetly on the lips. Fiyero's eyes went wide before he closed them, sinking into the warmth of her kiss.
"Elphaba… Fae, will you be my girlfriend?" Fiyero asked, almost shyly.
"Do you have to ask?" Elphaba grinned and kissed him again.
The end. Did you like it? It was fun to write. Well... that was pretty much it... (review please, I'd like to hear your thoughts on this fic)