A/N: I hope you all enjoy this one shot. The song is "Polaroid" by Imagine Dragons.
A/N2: This is for Ultimate Queen of Cliffies. I hope that you're feeling better soon. :)
Polaroid
By 18lzytwner
He'd screwed up and he knew it. Elphaba had rushed off across the courtyard back towards her dorm room and the safety it provided. They had had blowouts before but this one had been a doozy. Her parting words had cut deep.
"Admit it! You're dating me as some sort of social experiment! Date the green bean long enough to see if she can actually fall in love! Then when you have the Artichoke right where you want her, break her heart! Make her even more of a laughing stock!" She'd stormed off leaving him with his mouth hanging open. He could hear Avaric and his friends laughing and he whirled around on them.
"I always thought you had it in you but wow. You did it this time Fiyero!" Avaric was now rolling on the lawn. Fiyero narrowed his eyes and wanted to say something but before he could do anything there was a flash of blonde hair and pink dress. The next thing he knew he was laying on the ground holding his jaw.
"Don't even think of coming near Elphie or I'll make sure you regret it," she hissed. Despite being only around five foot tall Galinda could be pretty scary when she wanted to be.
"I…"
"I don't want to hear it! I thought you and Elphie had something special! That for once in her life she would be loved but I should have known better! I'm just sorry that it wasn't me whom you cheated on! Elphie may be able to hex you but I would go for the family jewels!" With that the blonde left, heading back to her room that she shared with her green roommate. Avaric's eyes went wide and almost as soon as Galinda was out of earshot, he and his buddies were laughing again. Fiyero stood up, brushed himself off, and headed for his dorm room.
I'm a reckless mistake; I'm a cold night's intake; I'm a one night too long; I'm a come on too strong…
Fiyero opened his dorm room door and slammed it shut before flopping on the bed, face first. He immediately regretted it as it smelled like Elphaba. They had made out not long before the incident in question and now his blankets were permeated with the scent that had always intoxicated him.
All my life I've been living in the fast lane, can't slow down, I'm a rollin' freight train, one more time, gotta start all over, can't slow down, I'm a lone red rover…
He picked himself off the bed and headed into the bathroom. Quickly stripping, he jumped into the shower, hoping that he could wash what he'd done off. He knew it wouldn't work but it would get the smell of Elphaba off of him and he had to start somewhere.
I'm a hold my cards close; I'm a wreck what I love most; I'm a first class let down; I'm a shut up sit down…
Once clean and dressed in a different outfit, he moved out into his room and sat down in his oversized chair. Grabbing the picture frame off of the end table next to it, he heaved a sigh.
I am a head case, I am the color of boom, that's never arriving, and you are the pay raise, always a touch out of view, and I am the color of boom…
It was a picture of Elphaba and himself. They had just spent a long night studying and when they returned to her dorm room, Galinda had snapped a shot of them with her camera. She'd just received it from her parents and was very excited to try it out. Elphaba had complained that she must have looked a mess considering it was close to midnight and she had been up since five am. He had chuckled and told her that she was beautiful no matter what time of day it was. His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on his dorm room door and he set the picture back down on the end table.
All my life I've been living in the fast lane, can't slow down, I'm a rollin' freight train, one more time, gotta start all over, can't slow down, I'm a lone red rover…
He didn't look through the peephole, he just opened the door. He didn't really care who was there because he knew it would not be Elphaba.
Oh, how did it come to this? Oh, love is a polaroid, better in picture, but never can fill the void…
"I spoke to Elphaba," the girl at the door said as she entered his room. Fiyero finally looked at the person and realized who it was. He never really realized that she was in fact beautiful. She wasn't as beautiful as the green girl but she had her own beauty in her small frame, tanned skin, and brown hair. She dressed smartly and was practically as smart as the girl who had stolen his affections away from Galinda.
I'm a midnight talker, oh I'm an alley walker, I'm a day late two face, I'm a burn out quick pace…
"You did what?" He looked at her stunned.
"I spoke to Elphaba. I explained what happened. I'm sorry Fiyero. I never meant for this to happen," she told him.
I am a head case, I am the color of boom, that's never arriving, at you are the opera, always on time and in tune, and I am the color of boom…
"Why did you do that Anna?" Fiyero was still confused as to why the woman who he had cheated with would speak to the woman who really held his heart.
"I did it for you. What we did was wrong. You and I both know it. We had a moment but we both should have stopped before it went too far," the brunette shook her head. They had been working on a project together, spending a lot of time getting something respectable for their midterm grade. Anna was used to perfection, much like Elphaba, but she liked a good time too. As they got to know each other better, they found that they had quite a few similarities. Then one night of drinking and trying to finish the project got a little out of control.
All my life I've been living in the fast lane, can't slow down, I'm a rollin' freight train, one more time, gotta start all over, can't slow down, I'm a lone red rover…
Fiyero must have had a weird look on his face because Anna rolled her eyes and went for the picture on the end table. She smiled slightly at it and then handed it to him.
Oh, how did it come to this? Oh, Love is a polaroid, Better in picture, But never can fill the void…
"This is the one you belong with. Go talk to her," Anna insisted.
"She won't talk to me," he said.
"She won't if you're still standing here. Get moving you big idiot. I wonder what such a smart lady sees in you. You may be cute but sometimes you sure are dumb," the brunette shook her head and laughed. Then she put the picture down and grabbed his arm. Suddenly they were out of the dorm room. Anna shut the door and gave him a shove before disappearing in the opposite direction down the hallway and off into the campus. Fiyero moved slowly through the halls until he suddenly found himself outside of Elphaba's dorm room.
(Series of oh's), I'm gonna get ready, for the rain to pour heavy, let it fall, fall, let it fall upon my head…
"I thought I told you…" Galinda started.
"Let him in," Elphaba's voice sounded small for some reason and the blonde surprisingly obliged her friend despite the fact that her earlier promise still made him cringe.
All my life I've been living in the fast lane, can't slow down, I'm a rollin' freight train, one more time, gotta start all over, can't slow down, I'm a lone red rover…
Fiyero moved into the room and saw Elphaba sitting on her bed. She didn't look up at him but he could see that she was staring at her copy of the same photo he had grabbed. He didn't know what to do next, they were meant for each other and he knew it. In that moment, the weight of what he had done hit him like a ton of bricks and he practically collapsed on the floor, especially when he saw the burns on Elphaba's face, her water allergy wreaking havoc on her beautiful skin.
Oh, how did it come to this? Oh, love is a polaroid, better in picture, but never can fill the void, love is a polaroid, love is a polaroid, love is a polaroid, love is a polaroid
"There is nothing I can say that is going to fix this. I can only show you how much I love you and how stupid I was," Fiyero heaved a sigh.
"Stupid doesn't begin to cover it," Galinda practically growled. Fiyero might have marveled at how the two girls' friendship had grown if he wasn't so terrified of both of them at the moment.
"Lin, please get me some tea. I could really use a cup," Elphaba spoke up. The blonde raised an eyebrow but the green girl just gave her a slight smile. Galinda nodded and scooted out of the dorm room, heading for the cafeteria.
"Yero, you have to understand how much it hurt to find out that you had been…" she couldn't even say "unfaithful". The word caught in her throat. She had been betrayed and the pain in some ways was worse than the pain she felt when people called her names or played practical jokes on her.
"I am not the hero you deserve Fae. I knew it was wrong but I did nothing about it. If you want to hex me, break up with me, and anything else you can think of, I totally understand. I wish I knew what to do or what to say but I don't. No one I've ever met enchanted me like you. You are smart, wonderful, and beautiful and it's all made even better by the fact that you don't believe it. You're not one of those girls who strut around campus getting by on their good looks, knowing they can do so, while nothing goes on in their heads. You're the entire package and I know that people would see that if they would give you a chance. Oz Fae. I love you and I threw it away because that's just who I am. I'm a screw-up; always have been," he said. Elphaba's eyes went wide. He'd said it without knowing he'd said it and that almost redeemed a portion of what he did, almost.
"You what?" She asked him; sure he'd made a mistake. It was then that he realized what he'd said.
"I love you Fae. It makes everything I did even worse," Fiyero told her. He hung his head. Now he'd really done it; he could almost feel the hex coming.
"Do you mean it? Really mean it?" Elphaba reached out and lifted his head. She narrowed her eyes at him, searching for something in the dark brown eyes that she knew would hold the truth.
"Of course I do. You're the best thing that has ever happened to me Fae. I love you," Elphaba found no hint of deception in his eyes, only the brokenness that had permeated everything the last few days. One of Galinda's friends, Shenshen, who had been obsessed with Fiyero since he'd arrived at Shiz, had been running around telling everyone whom she could find that Fiyero had been cheating on Elphaba. Soon almost the whole school knew except for the green girl. Galinda had found out but had only rolled her eyes at Shenshen, who had been known to cook up some pretty fantastic lies. Still the rumors had persisted and eventually Galinda said something to Elphaba before Fiyero could do anything. Elphaba had known that her boyfriend had been hiding something but she'd been unable to put her finger on it.
"You've broken my trust Fiyero. I know you aren't lying to me but how can I believe it after what has happened?" She asked.
"Honestly, you can't. Please give me a chance to prove that despite me being an idiot, I really do love you," he begged.
"I'll have to think about it," Elphaba heaved a sigh.
"Take all the time you need Fae," he reached over and gave her hand a squeeze. He then headed for the door. She needed space to think and he wasn't going to push her. If there was even the slightest chance that they could reconcile than he wanted to make sure that she was making the decision without his influence.
"Was she worth it?" She wanted to know as he reached the door.
"No. You're the only one who is worth it," there was no hesitation in his response. With that he left the dorm room, Galinda was walking back down the hall and she saw him go. She was half tempted to kick him in the nuts before he got too far away but she restrained herself.
A few weeks later, after graduation, Elphaba stood looking at the scene in front of her. Her beloved sister, Nessa, was dead. The Munchkins were celebrating her demise when the green girl landed nearby. They saw her and immediately the celebrations ceased. Munchkins ran for cover and Elphaba openly wept at the loss of her sister.
"You're surrounded!" A familiar voice shouted. Elphaba looked up to see Glinda, as she was now known, and Fiyero, in his Gale Force uniform, his rifle leveled at her chest.
"How could you?!" Elphaba yelled at the people who had once been her best friends. She could almost see Glinda's heart break but the blonde quickly masked any real feelings she was having when one of the soldiers shouted that they should capture the Wicked Witch. Then there was something she saw in Fiyero's eyes and she knew he was about to do something stupid.
"No one moves or Glinda the Good gets it!" Fiyero aimed his rifle at the blonde. Glinda froze and gave the Vinkun Prince a look of confusion.
"Get out of here!" He looked directly at Elphaba without saying her name for fear that he would break down right there. She was alive but he could tell that she was not in the best condition. He couldn't let the Gale Force get their hands on her.
"Fiyero…" Elphaba started.
"Go!" He practically barked, though he didn't mean to. She didn't wait any longer and quickly mounted her broom, flying away from her childhood home and the man she now knew loved her. That single act of putting her life before his told her all she needed to know though now it would be too late.
Landing somewhere where she knew the Gale Force had already checked, she quickly recited a spell in an effort to save him. After everything they'd been through, she couldn't let him die, not without getting a chance to tell him she forgave him. That she wished things were different. That she loved him with every fiber of her being, even if he'd broken her heart. Bursting into tears, she could only hope her spell worked.
After nightfall, she quickly made her way through the forest on her broom, using the trees for cover. She reached the fields nearby to where her sister had met her untimely end. There she found nothing but a scarecrow bound to his post. She dared not speak his name as she moved around the field. After an hour of looking she found nothing and made her way back to the scarecrow. Fiyero was nowhere to be found. Her spell had not worked and they had killed him. Collapsing to the ground beneath the straw man, tears ran down her face and she ignored the burning that she could feel, making new scars on her skin.
"Oh don't cry. Please. Your face is much too pretty for tears," a voice said out of nowhere. Elphaba quickly looked around, afraid she'd been found. Still she saw no one.
"Up here, I'm afraid. I couldn't get down," the voice said. She looked up and there was the scarecrow. He smiled slightly. Elphaba quickly got him down.
"Yero…?" She asked.
"I guess so. Not sure how I got like this but I bet you had something to do with it," he smiled again. It was the unmistakable lopsided grin.
"Oh Yero," Elphaba wrapped her arms around him. He was scratchy but she didn't care. He was still with her.
"Fae, I've been so worried about you," he admitted.
"You were Captain of the Gale Force," she pulled away from him, giving him a questioning look.
"It was the only way to help you. I directed troop movements and tried to keep them off you as best I could," Fiyero explained.
"And poking your rifle in Glinda's face? What was that?" Elphaba gave him a look.
"Saving you," he said.
"And getting yourself killed?" She wondered.
"I didn't get that far to be honest. I knew you couldn't get caught. Speaking of which, we should be on the move. Let's get to Kiamo Ko. We'll be safer there," Fiyero said. Elphaba nodded and grabbed his hand.
"Best way to get there is to fly and the half moon will give us enough cover," she smiled. He gave her a look but climbed onto the back of the broom. As they took to the skies, both knew that the issues that they had had in the past were in the past but now the picture for the future was much different than they had planned. It was time to take a new picture and though the occupants had changed, one thing had not, their love for each other.
The End