AN: I just found out I won 2nd place as Best Author and Best Romance Author, as well as 1st place as Best One-Shot Author, Most Humorous Author and Best Angst Author, in the Greg Awards; and I want to thank you all so, so much for voting. You have no idea how much this means to me. I bet my squeals can be heard on the other side of the world (can you hear them, Elizabeth? You live in Australia... ^_^).
So... consider this thing a thank you. It's a prequel to Summer Paradise; I was re-reading it the other day (also because it was nominated for Best Songfic in the Gregs) and I decided I wanted to do something more with it. This is a glimpse into Elphaba and Fiyero's perfect summer together.
I hope you like it!
Fiyero honestly had no idea how it had come to pass that he, the scandalacious Prince Fiyero Tiggular of the Vinkus, had fallen head-over-heels in love with Elphaba Thropp of Munchkinland.
It had started out innocently enough. His parents forced him to spend the summer at a beautiful beach house with them, which he hadn't exactly been enthusiastic about; he could think of better ways to spend summer vacation than this – not to mention with better company than just his parents, no matter how much he loved them. When Governor Thropp had arrived with his two daughters and Fiyero discovered that they were residing in a similar beach house a mile or so away, he had tried to make friends with the two girls, figuring that any company that wasn't at least twenty years older than he was would do.
Nessarose, the youngest, had quickly warmed up to him, though he didn't see her all that often; her chair made it difficult for her to navigate in the sand and she spent a lot of time with her father, the Governor, staying inside the house or going out into town together. So Fiyero had turned to get to know the older Thropp sister, Elphaba.
Elphaba, as he quickly found out, was nothing like any girl he had ever dated.
First of all, she was green. That in itself had startled him at first – even though he had to admit that once you got used to the peculiar colour of her skin, she was actually quite pretty.
There were other things, however. Many, many other things. To Fiyero, it seemed like she was the complete opposite of the swooning society girls he had always dated. Not only was she green; she was also sarcastic, smart – really smart – and she didn't swoon at his feet. In fact, she just scoffed at him whenever he tried to hit on her. She never seemed to stop talking, especially not when the subject was something she cared about – for example animals and Animals, as he had learnt during one of their earlier conversations. She loved to read and she was very passionate about her studies, almost giddy at the thought of her going to Shiz in autumn. Fiyero, for the first time, had actually felt slightly embarrassed when he had to admit to her that he was going to start his freshman year for the third time this autumn because he had been expelled from his previous schools.
As they had started spending more time together, he told her everything about his life as a prince, the universities he had attended, his childhood friends, his home and his family. In return, she told him about her sister and about Munchkinland, and she talked to him a lot about the books she liked to read and the courses she would like to follow once she would go to Shiz. As they became closer over the weeks, she reluctantly told him about her relationship with her father and what her life was like back home, and she told him that her mother had died in childbirth with Nessa.
And now here he was. Fiyero Tiggular. In his mind, it was even a miracle that two people so different could have become friends; but it had just gotten even worse. Because the night before, when he had woken up from a strange dream in the middle of the night, the realisation had suddenly hit him like a ton of bricks.
He was in love with Elphaba.
And so the next day when he found her sitting in the sand, reading a book; he plopped down in the sand next to her and said, "Hey, Fae?"
She wasn't sure where the nickname came from – it had just slipped out one day and it had stuck. She didn't really mind, either.
She looked up from her book expectantly. He settled himself down behind her and took a few strands of her long, ebony hair between his fingers, playing with them as he started arranging them in several small, thin braids.
"I was just thinking," he began.
"Shocking," she quipped immediately.
He chuckled and poked her sides as punishment, making her squirm.
"Tonight my parents are going out for dinner together," he continued.
She nodded.
"And I heard your father was going to take Nessa out to dinner as well."
She nodded again.
"So I was thinking…" His hands stilled and she half-turned around to look at him.
He met her gaze. "Would you like to… um…" He reddened slightly and cleared his throat awkwardly. "Like, come over to our beach house?" he suggested, his tone a little bit too hopeful in his own ears. "We have a great cook there, and we could have dinner… I mean, like… like a date?"
He felt like kicking himself. He didn't even recognise himself anymore. He was Fiyero Tiggular, the playboy prince. The boy who dated and disposed of girls faster than he could say 'scandalacious'. The boy who had been expelled from two universities already, the boy who hosted parties every single night and got so drunk he couldn't remember a thing anymore the next day. Never, ever before had he been nervous about asking a girl out on a date. Not since seventh grade, anyway.
But now, this… she… was different. He wasn't sure why or how. Maybe it was just the fact that it was summer, there was no-one else around and it seemed like everything was different somehow. Easier. Better.
When he looked at Elphaba, he didn't see the next girl he could show off to his friends, sleep with, and then dispose of when he grew tired of her. He truly, genuinely cared about her.
Right now she was blushing, and she only hesitated for a brief moment before she consented.
"I'd like that."
He beamed at her. "So… I'll pick you up at seven?"
She rolled her eyes. "I can come over to your place by myself, Fiyero," she said, even as she returned her attention to her book.
He didn't miss a beat. "So you'll be at my place at seven?"
She laughed. "Fine," she said. "I'll be there."
She arrived five minutes before seven, dressed in a white-, black- and red-patterned summer dress with spaghetti straps. It was form-fitting, compared to what she usually wore, and the skirt fanned out to her knees. He grinned when he saw that she was wearing her usual black boots on her feet and her hair was, as always, in a braid.
"The dress is something my sister forced me to buy," she said after a few moments, shifting a bit uncomfortably under his intense gaze. "You know, because I have zero fashion sense and Nessa insisted I have something in my closet that's not entirely black, shapeless and ugly, so –"
"You look beautiful," he cut her off and she eyed him up and down almost suspiciously.
"Thanks," she said finally. "You… you don't look so bad yourself."
He grinned at her and took her hand, leading her inside. "Come on."
"So…" she said as they were settled at the dining table, which was beautifully made with white linen, candles and crystal wine glasses. "Why?"
He cocked his head. "Why, what?"
"Why did you ask me out?" She swallowed a bite of food and fingered the tablecloth, avoiding his gaze. "Was it a bet, curiosity, or just sheer boredom?"
He nearly choked on his food. "What?!"
"Come on, Fiyero," she said almost wearily. "No-one has ever asked me out for any other purposes. It's not like people actually like me or something."
"I do," he said immediately. "I like you."
There was that suspicious look again.
"Fae, I just like you," he stressed. "That's all. You're funny, sweet and interesting and I like talking to you, and you're beautiful. Isn't that enough reason for me to ask you out?"
She shook her head. "I'm not beautiful," she insisted.
He rolled his eyes. "Are too," he said childishly, which made her laugh.
He reached over the table to take her hand and he squeezed it. "You told me that you've been harassed and bullied a lot because of your skin," he said quietly. "And I'm sorry about that. But I'm not like that, Fae. I would never do anything to hurt you."
She bit her lip and nodded, even though she didn't really believe him.
Well, then. He would just have to show her.
The rest of the meal they talked about lighter subjects – Fiyero told her stories about all the things he had done in the past few years that had gotten him expelled and/or had driven his parents insane, and he let Elphaba ramble on to him about some new book she'd read and Shiz and what it would be like to finally be able to go to a real university. After dinner, he took her outside to watch the setting sun.
They sat down on the rocks together and kicked off their shoes, wiggling their toes in the warm sand. He gingerly slipped his fingers in hers, not sure if she would be okay with that; but she put her head on his shoulder in reply, heaving a content sigh. He put his arm around her and together, they watched as the sun slowly set.
"Yero?" she asked him softly.
His fingers were struggling with her braid, pulling out the hair tie and raking his fingers through her hair, loosening it from the braid. "Mm?"
She looked up at him. "Do you mean it?"
"What?" His fingers brushed her cheek. "That I like you? That you're beautiful?"
She blushed a little. "Both."
He pulled away slightly to smile down at her, and she knew that his sparkling sapphire eyes would never leave her mind again. Right here, with him, nothing mattered anymore. It felt as if the real world didn't exist anymore, as if there was nothing in the world but just him and her, together, caught in the bliss of the moment, a moment that would last forever.
"I mean it," he said softly. "I would never lie to you. It's just a matter of looking at things another way, Fae."
She returned his smile and he started playing with her hair.
"You look so beautiful." His voice was barely a whisper. "Please believe that."
She didn't argue, though she didn't believe him. She didn't even say anything. She just looked at him, eyes unconsciously wandering towards his lips, wondering what it would be like to kiss them. She'd never kissed anyone in her life before, but she knew she wanted to kiss him.
And just as she thought that, he slowly leaned towards her, closer and closer. Her eyes fluttered shut as his lips brushed hers, and she slipped her arms around his neck as he pulled her closer and kissed her more properly, but still softly, as if he was afraid he'd scare her away. When they broke apart, he looked at her a bit questioningly, silently asking her how she felt about this; and she smiled and rested her head back on his shoulder. That was answer enough for him, for she felt his arm around her once more and he planted light kisses in her hair.
She sighed. "I wish this could last forever."
He looked at her solemnly. "Someday I will find my way back here… and so will you."
She played with his fingers, looking down at them as she entwined them with her own. "Promise?"
"Promise." He planted a kiss on her hair.
"But we won't be able to be together," she whispered. "I'm going to Shiz, and you're going to university in the Vinkus… we're going to study and meet other people and live on opposite ends of Oz…"
"We'll meet up every year," he said. "Right here, on this beach. Every year on this day."
She looked up at him, her large, chocolate brown eyes looking even bigger in the fading daylight.
"We'll come here, and we'll meet," he continued softly. "No matter what happens to us, we'll see each other again, Fae."
She smiled, blushing a little, and Fiyero leant in and kissed her again, just as softly as before.
She slipped her arms around his neck and kissed him back.
The rest of the summer passed in a haze of bliss for both of them.
Elphaba, who had never felt loved before in her life, was struggling with this new feeling; but she loved it at the same time. And Fiyero made sure to let her know he loved her. The first time he'd said the words, she had just gaped at him for what felt like an hour – while really, it had only been a few clock-ticks – before she had looked down and told him not to lie to her.
"I'm not lying," he said, tilting her head up so that she was forced to look into his eyes. "I said I'd never lie to you, and I never would. I love you, Elphaba."
A few days later, she'd said it back to him, making his heart soar.
They spent practically all their free time together. Fiyero took her out into a nearby town a few times to go for lunch or dinner, and they went on endless walks along the beach together, holding hands. They swam in the sea during the day, after which Elphaba would stretch out in the sand with a book and Fiyero would read along over her shoulder or just watch her read. One time, he came up to her carrying a beautiful nautilus shell, which he gave to her.
Elphaba examined it, holding her breath. "Oh, Yero, it's beautiful," she said softly.
He smiled and wrapped his arms around her from behind, putting his chin on her shoulder and studying the shell together with her.
"Not as beautiful as you."
She blushed and he kissed her gently.
"Elphaba, I want you to be careful with that boy," Frex warned her one day as he, Nessarose and Elphaba were having breakfast together. "I've heard about his reputation and I don't want my family associated with someone like that."
"I can 'associate' with anyone I please, Father," replied Elphaba icily, at which Frex reddened and Nessa had to interfere to keep him from exploding. Eventually, Nessa sweet-talked her father into allowing Elphaba to spend her time with Fiyero over the summer.
"But I'm warning you," Frex threatened her. "If you do something stupid, if I ever find out you've been sleeping with him or if you'd get pregnant…"
"I would never do that," said Elphaba firmly and her father just nodded and didn't waste any more words on the matter.
Fiyero's parents, on the other hand, invited Elphaba over to their beach house several times.
"They adore you," Fiyero told her one day as they were sitting in the sand together. He took her hand and squeezed it. "You've really changed me, Fae."
"I didn't do anything!" she protested, but he just kissed her.
"You did so much more than you'll ever know," he said sincerely, and for some reason she didn't doubt him.
"We could try to make this work," Fiyero said another time when they were lying on the beach together at night, watching the stars. "It could be a long-distance relationship. We would write, and we could visit during the summer and Lurlinemas break…"
She shook her head. "Father wouldn't allow me," she said. "I'm supposed to take care of Nessa. I'd love to visit you in the Vinkus, Yero, but I couldn't. And besides," she continued, looking to the side to face Fiyero. "It would be so different. This… it would never last. As soon as we go back home, pick up our responsibilities again, go to university… it just wouldn't work."
In reality, she was convinced of the fact that once Fiyero would be back home, he would soon meet other girls. Pretty girls. Dainty society girls that would bat their eyelashes at him and swoon over his every movement. He would be surrounded by everything that Elphaba was not, and he would forget about her. She wanted to spare herself that disappointment.
He sighed. "Fine," he relented. He pulled her closer and kissed her temple; then he brushed his lips down to her cheek, planting a soft kiss on her lips before moving down to her throat. She closed her eyes, allowing herself to relax and melt into the moment.
He rested his forehead against her temple and she opened her eyes again. He was watching her intently, his sapphire blue eyes more serious than she had ever seen them.
"But we'll come back," he whispered, gently tracing her features with his fingers. "We'll give it a year, and then we'll come back here. Okay? Here, right here. On the day it's been a year since our first kiss."
"Okay," she whispered.
He smiled. "And I promise you, Elphaba Thropp," he leant down to kiss her softly again, peppering her face with kisses, "that if by then, I'm still as in love with you as I am now, and you're still in love with me… we'll figure something out to be together. Okay?"
She closed her eyes again as he continued to kiss her, a warm feeling spreading through her. She wished she could stay here, like this, with him, forever; but she knew that was a dream that could and would never come true.
"Okay," she said nonetheless. She didn't want to disappoint him.
He moved his lips back to hers then and drew her closer, pressing one hand flat against her back as he tangled the other one in her long, black hair. He deepened the kiss and she sighed happily.
"I love you," she murmured between kisses, and he gently kissed her forehead, then put his head on her shoulder, planting soft kisses there.
"I love you, too."
And she wished he meant it. He probably did mean it, right here, right now, in this moment; but it wouldn't last. That was one thing she was absolutely certain of.
And so on the day he would leave back for the Vinkus, the day of their goodbye, she knew it was going to be goodbye for forever. She said goodbye to his parents, who were sweet and warm and told her that she would be welcome in the Vinkus anytime. She watched as Fiyero said goodbye to Nessa and nodded formally to her father. And then he came to her.
He folded her in his arms and looked down at her. "Next year," he said softly.
"Next year," she agreed, feeling guilty about lying to him. She wouldn't be there next year. He was just caught in the bliss of the summer, but she was more realistic. Once they would leave, everything would change and he wouldn't even remember her. So she wouldn't go. To spare herself the disappointment.
He kissed her, gently but passionately at the same times, and she slipped her arms around his neck and returned the kiss. They stayed like that for what seemed to be forever before he finally pulled away.
"I love you," he said.
"I love you, too, Yero," she replied softly.
He kissed her briefly and softly one more time before turning around and entering the carriage after his parents. It drove away and Fiyero stared out of the window in the back until the rounded a corner and Elphaba disappeared from view.
As the distance between them grew, Fiyero held on to the knowledge that in a year, he would see her again.
As Elphaba watched the carriage driving away, she thought of the promise she and Fiyero had made; and she apologised to him in her head, because she already knew she wouldn't be there next year.