A/N: Wicked plus snow equals Elphiyero fluff! It's been snowy all week, and it inspired me. The story takes place post-musical, and Fiyero is no longer the Scarecrow. That's all you really need to know, so enjoy! Oh, and a lovely gingerbread cookie (or another kind if you don't like gingerbread) to any and all who can tell me where the title comes from. It's not that hard, I promise. ;D
Disclaimer: All I own is the snow. And lots of it. Too bad universities don't give snow days…
Fiyero had always been a heavy sleeper. This could possibly explain why he remained oblivious to the cold, and also to the fact that he was alone in bed. In fact, he did not become aware of either of these things until he felt Elphaba lift the covers and crawl back into bed beside him. She snuggled up to him, and the unexpected sensation of her cold body against his own warm one had him wide awake in an instant.
"Sweet Oz! Elphaba, there's got to be a less… abrupt way to wake me up," he chided, though his tone assured her that he wasn't really angry.
She laughed. "But you don't pay any attention to 'less abrupt,' my sweet. Believe me, I've tried."
"Well, that's true," he conceded, unable to hold back a chuckle himself. He gathered her into his arms and pressed his lips briefly to hers. "Good morning, love."
"Good morning," she replied with a smile after returning the kiss in kind. Then she shivered and nestled closer to him. "Mmm, you're warm."
"And you're freezing," he observed, pulling her closer. "Where have you been?"
"Just watching the sunrise."
"Outside?"
"Yes."
"Elphaba, there's snow on the ground!"
"I know that. That's why I went outside to watch. The snow reflects all the colors. It's beautiful."
He considered this for a moment before asking, "You know what sounds beautiful to me right now?"
"What?"
"A nice roaring fire to warm this place up a little."
"That can be arranged," she smirked, and extracted one of her arms from under the blankets. With a careless gesture of her hand towards the fireplace, the wood that had been stacked there the night before burst into flames. In mere moments it had become a cheerfully crackling blaze that radiated comforting waves of heat. "Better?"
"Much, thank you," he affirmed gratefully.
Elphaba shook her head with a laugh and brushed a kiss against his cheek. "You are incredibly spoiled, Fiyero. You know that, don't you?"
"I know. But you love me anyway."
"Of course I do."
They decided that as soon as the fire had heated the room enough, they would get up and begin their day. But that point came and went, and neither of them felt particularly inclined to follow through on their resolution. So they stayed in bed. Soon the fire began to burn down to embers, and the warmth it had imparted didn't linger for long after the flames had died down. The two of them huddled close to each other underneath the blankets to preserve what heat they could.
Fiyero glanced around the room hopefully, but his face fell when he failed to see what he was looking for. "There's no more wood in here," he realized with a resigned sigh. "It's all outside."
"We'll have to bring some more in," she agreed. The mention of the outdoors drew her attention to the window and the white flakes that were falling thickly on the other side of the glass. "And it's snowing again," she observed ruefully.
"I really don't feel like getting up and going outside into the snow just to bring in more wood," he informed her matter-of-factly.
Elphaba could have made him get up if she'd really felt it necessary; she knew he would have listened to her if she'd told him to. But she suddenly discovered that she had no particular desire to get up and go out into the snow to bring in more wood, either. And she wasn't going to ask him to do it by himself. So instead of forcing them both out of bed, which would have resulted in two decidedly unhappy people, she elected instead to let them stay right where they were.
She snuggled closer and looked up at him, her expression innocent, but her eyes alight with mischief. "Well, then, I guess we'll just have to find another way to keep warm."
"Oh, I can think of a few ways," he grinned.
Her smile matched his. "Oh, really? Like what?"
"Well, I could tell you. But it'd be much easier and more fun just to show you."
"All right, then, show me."
He did. And neither of them worried about bringing in more wood for the rest of the day.
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