Fiyero Tiggular was very well accustomed to over-sleeping. Back in the Vinkus, it was well known that the best game for hunting was nocturnal; they would slink through the Thousand Year Grasslands under the reassuring cover of darkness accompanying the endless stretch of chest-high, sun-bleached grass. As a boy, the young Winkie would don skin-tight hunting garbs (to keep the blood-sucking night crawlers away) that were shades of deep, brooding browns with the occasionally slender line of beige hemmed into the suede material. He would lurk within the confines of the grass- his ears perking up at the sound of a twig breaking or any unnatural rustling of the grass. Reaffirming his grip on his spear, he would mock the call of one of the many crows that would nest in the area- a noise that would alert his fellow tribe members, yet not scare away his prey. A distant caw would echo back. Go for it. Lunging forward, the young prince would immediately grab hold of the unsuspecting animal and drive his weapon into the vulnerable meat of its neck before the shock could set in and it could resist. It would die painlessly and quietly in a matter of seconds. Fatigued, Fiyero would be panting heavily by the time his father would prowl over, followed by a cohort of Arjiki hunters and their eldest sons, who were always muttering in envy of the boy-prince's success. They would return with their prizes to the great edifice of Kiamo Ko in the early hours of the morning, having disbanded from the rest of the tribe along the way. There, Fiyero would sleep until late afternoon, resting up for another night of hunting.

It was a sleep schedule that he carried with him to college; skip the morning classes, wake up at noontide and leisurely spend his day around campus- attending a choice lecture or two at the whim of his girlfriend or by the indirect influence that Elphaba offered- and then collapse onto his bed late into the night (or early into the morning, depending on the perspective you wish to take).

It was this very habit that he had formed that caused him to be completely delusional when his roommate flung a pillow into his face, requesting him to rise at quarter to six in the morning.

Fiyero's eyes reluctantly slid open to the image of Boq hovering over him.

"At long last! He's up!" the Munchkin-boy declared, a little too cheerily for Fiyero's taste.

"Wh-what's going on?" Fiyero stumbled through the question, groggily pulling himself up to a sitting position and yawning.

"It's time to get up. Get ready," Boq grinned. Fiyero's head lolled on his muscular shoulders as he turned to look out the window that was positioned between the two beds in the dormitory.

"It's dark outside," Fiyero commented absent-mindedly, as if his chipper roommate hadn't already considered this. Boq's grin widened, amused.

"Of course it is," he replied, genuinely enjoying the westerner's bewilderment. "Dawn's not for another half an hour, at least." Fiyero blinked.

"What kind of cruel, cruel joke is this, Boq?" the prince said, his voice absent of any form of emotion. Boq laughed, obviously mistaking Fiyero's uncharacteristic annoyance as a façade. The sound caused Fiyero to wince noticeably. Oz, does he really have to be this much of a morning person?

"Really, now," Boq composed himself, still retaining a beaming smile. "You have to get ready." Defiantly, Fiyero slumped back into his pillow and pulled the sheets over his head. "Hey!" Boq tone acquired the slightest touch of irritation and Fiyero felt a sense of satisfaction. He was allowed a few moments of silence in which to doze before Boq's voice pestered back into consciousness. "Fine. Go back to sleep. I shouldn't have expected you to keep your word."

It took a few moments to Fiyero's mind to register this. Oh, Oz, right! The bargain.He groaned inwardly.

"At ease, you little pest," Fiyero mumbled, pulling the down-comforter from over his head, greeting the chilly morning air once more. "I'm getting up." In the retreating grey moonlight, Fiyero made out a pleased smirk on the Munchkinlander's face. Slipping out of the warm comfort of the sheets, Fiyero took note of his roommate's attire. He was already fully dressed in his school uniform- a navy blue suit with vertical stripes over a lime green collared shirt of the same design accompanied by a neatly adjusted striped tie. His trademark red cap tied the whole outfit together. Fiyero figured that Boq's over-scholarly attire was as good of a place as any to start with the cross-improvement deal.

"In regards to holding up my end of the bargain, mind if I offer some constructive criticism?" Fiyero queried, yawning in the midst of it.

"Of course," Boq replied, fixing his eyes on him intently; ready to eat up any little thing Fiyero were to say to him. The prince looked him straight in the eye.

"Never wear that again." And with that, Fiyero got up and brushed passed him, making a beeline for his closet.

"I beg your pardon?" Boq replied, a little taken aback by the blunt remark. Fiyero fumbled through some drawers, withdrawing several shirts that may just pass for adequate when worn by his much stouter roommate.

"You said you'd do anything for Galinda, right?" Fiyero asked, not turning to face him. He didn't wait for Boq to retaliate with a sappy response. "That promise requires you to appeal to her fashion-savvy personality." He picked up a plain, white button-up shirt and carried out a perusal of it.

"That's a bit shallow," Boq remarked, bitterly. Fiyero decided that the top would do quite nicely. He fished a navy blue tie out of another cluttered draw, deciding to allow Boq some type of the formal dress he was accustomed to.

"I'm sorry, do you not want my help?" Fiyero asked casually, as he turned to face him.

"No, I do!" Boq reassured him, but his face obviated he was hurt. "I just thought that…"

He trailed off, not entirely sure how to voice his thoughts. Fiyero knew exactly what he intended to say, however. He sighed; a gesture stemming from both empathy and impatience (due to the early-morning bitterness he had yet to fully shake off).

"Boq," he began, also having some trouble wording his thoughts without causing further offense. "It's just to get her attention. A sharp change will be sure to catch her eye." Boq nodded wearily, reluctantly agreeing.

"After that," Fiyero continued, smirking. "You can go back to wearing whatever the hell you want. Now, here." He tossed the two articles of clothing in the Munchkin's direction. Boq's arms shot out stiffly and he clumsily caught them, but just barely. A complete lack of grace, Fiyero shook his head. That'll be our next fault to touch upon.

"Oh, and another thing," Fiyero called after him as he scampered into the bathroom to change. "Lose the hat and the suit jacket. The less the bulk the better." Boq gave him a swift, over-the-shoulder nod and disappeared behind the lavatory door. With that, Fiyero began to dress himself. An asymmetrical, vertical-striped vest over a white t-shirt, and straight blue pants. Plain and simple. He wouldn't want to outshine Boq, of course. Besides, maybe this ever-so-slight step away from his vanity will assist him in focusing on school. And perhaps, Elphaba would take note of it and see that he isn't as shallow as he's constantly being portrayed as.

His mind wandered over to the lustrous topic of Elphaba Thropp once more. Would she notice his sudden presence in the class, or would she be too enthralled in the confines of some book to care? She's bound to be with Galinda. And Galinda is bound to hound him out. So there is the indefinite chance that the emerald girl will catch of glimpse of Fiyero 2.0 in the making. Or will she?

Whenever Galinda totes her by the crook of her arm over to Fiyero, her eyes duck away; embarrassed by her outgoing bosom buddy making her existence more blatant than it needs to be. She doesn't say much other than a mumbled greeting, and then will get herself lost in some train of thought, focusing her attention on some far off, invisible object on the horizon. Or the floor. It's only in the absence of the blonde that Elphaba genuinely tries to make a conversation with him, and, even then, her tone is tense and she is taut. She's on edge; as if she were doing something heinous and was in alert for anyone that could potentially catch her in the act.

Perplexing, perplexing Elphaba Thropp.

Ever since that day with the lion cub, she's acted so distant and uncomfortable around him. She's acted so… so out-of-character.

But then again, hasn't he as well?

"Fiyero?" A hushed voice interrupted his thoughts. The prince glanced over at the bathroom door, which was now standing slightly ajar and he took that as the sign to enter and get criticized. He strolled over, bracing himself to be bombarded with complaints from his roommate. Hesitantly slipping into the room, he found, to his surprise, Boq staring at his reflection, awe-stricken. He was slowly tilting his head this way and that, comparing the different angles of this simple, yet powerful transformation. The naïve air that he carried in his other form of dress had thoroughly disappeared; confidence flooding in and taking its place.

A smile tugged at the edge of Fiyero's lips as he stepped behind Boq and made the bold move of placing both hands on his shoulders and staring into the mirror with him.

"Not a complete travesty," he grinned, squeezing the Munchkin's squared frame playfully.

Boq pulled his cheese grin- which also lost its childish aura- and raised his gaze to meet Fiyero's. He remained silent, but his blue eyes shone brightly with gratitude. They marveled at the change for another moment, before Fiyero finally let his hands slip away.

"Alright, Mr. Suave; it's payment in kind time," Fiyero said. "You do realize I haven't seen half of my textbooks since I've gotten here, right?"

Boq was still enthralled with his own reflection far too much to register what the prince was saying.

"Meaning," Fiyero continued, tousling his hair to grab his attention. "I'm going to need help finding them." Boq recoiled under his touch.

"Hey!" he jerked away, his hands instinctively going to his thick black hair to smooth it out. Doing so, his mind finally absorbed the favor that was being asked of him. "Oh, um, right. Sure."

Fiyero snickered and exited to begin the hunt for his school supplies. Boq caught one last glimpse of himself in the mirror, gaining a fleeting moment of self-admiration before trailing after the prince.

Admittedly, he had his doubts about how much this bargain would work in his favor, but now, who knows? Maybe Galinda really will notice the drastic change.

Exiting the bathroom, he caught sight of his roommate combat crawling across the floor and peering under the twin beds in search for the books. Boq did all he could to suppressed a laugh.

Maybe Fiyero isn't such a bad guy after all.


A/N: Sorry for the slow start. I promise it'll pick up the pace as it progresses. ^^