His smile did not fade as he kissed her and rolled over, laying back contently against the pillows of their bed. Several years later and his love for her had not faded; their sex life hadn't faded either, he thought with a smug grin he was glad she didn't see. He opened his arms to her, eager to fall asleep with her safely snuggled up against his chest, right where she belonged. "You're amazing, Angel," he said, feeling sleep already coming to him.
Except she didn't really take up her position curled up against his chest, and they were not yet soundly sleeping, his favorite post-sex activity. In fact, she had this thoughtful expression on her face, which he didn't think she should've been capable of at that point in time (she certainly hadn't been several minutes previous, anyway).
And the words that she should've been too exhausted to say popped out of her lovely mouth, "Why do you call me that?" And she did not snuggle back up next to him, instead sitting up, leaning against the headboard.
"Amazing? Well, you are," he said, desperately wishing to just fall asleep- or at least for her to let him fall asleep, whether she did or not. "Sleep? We already had food and sex."
She frowned, "I didn't mean the amazing, though I'd be willing to debate that too. I mean why did you call me Angel? I'm surely not."
He groaned. "Elphaba, you're really killing the afterglow, here." She just glared at him, wanting a real answer from him. "I mean, no, no feathery wings and halo and long white robes, but a beautiful, good, magical creature... you fit that part of it pretty well."
She didn't relax an inch. "I'll give you magical creature, but the other two...."
"Are true, too," he said with absolute certainty, sitting up because he knew he wasn't just going to get to sleep at that point and slightly afraid that their conversation would turn into a bickering match worthy of a pair of six year olds.
"Then I think you need your eyes examined, for one-"
"Pretty sure I don't," he said stubbornly, now determined to win the argument if nothing else. "You're gorgeous."
"You're insane." She pulled the blankets up around her, denying him his view of her body. "And really, good? You know my past."
"You're right, I do know your past."
She gave him the look- the one that woud've been lethal if looks really could kill- and asked, "So running off with my best friend's fiance, getting into a cat fight over a pair of shoes, letting you half get yourself killed, and threatening to kill a little girl.... that's all perfectly OK to do?"
"You were under stress."
She cackled- not the pretty light giggle, her witchy cackle, perhaps to make a point. "Stress?"
"Well, perhaps you don't handle stress well, but that's hardly a reason to call you evil."
"I believe everyone preferred the term wicked, dear."
He let his head fall back against the wall with a satisfying thud, and surely a bruise come morning. "I really don't care what term anyone preferred, because OK, maybe you aren't an angel, but you're not evil or wicked or even a witch- well, maybe that one in the literal sense, but not the way everyone makes it out to be!" He felt himself getting flustered, but if he was in for a pinch, he was in for a pound. "You're intelligent, you're passionate about every single thing you do, you're very caring, loving even, once you finally open up." They sat there for a second, both slightly surprised by the fervor of his argument. "And if you try to disagree with that, I'm chucking you out the window," he paused for a second before adding, "And now I'm going to sleep." He laid down, feeling frustrated and worked up, something he hadn't wanted.
"Umm, Yero?"
He winced, but nodded, tensely saying, "Yes, Fae?"
She smiled at him. "I love you, so much," she said, leaning down to kiss him, and he slid his arms around her and felt her shift her light, warm weight so she was snuggled up against his chest, his arms securely around her mostly out of instinct.
"I love you too," he said, kissing the top of her head. "Afterglow officially revived."
