Fiyero waited until the carriage bounced again before "accidentally" bumping against Elphaba's shoulder with a wink. She looked so beautiful in the deepening reds bleeding from the setting sun, with her hair blown loose and free around her face. If only Galinda weren't sitting right in front of them in the cart, or if she were just the slightest bit more interested in the passing scenery, Fiyero would have thrown caution to the wind and kissed Elphaba right there.
"Do you mind?" she hissed.
"I'm sorry," he claimed, mostly for the benefit of those in the front. "This road is just so bumpy!"
"You know, if you held the back of the seat that might help you balance," Char tossed over his shoulder, and Fiyero had to fight another grin at the man's sneaky assistance. "Keep you out of that pretty lady's lap at least."
Elphaba scowled, unsure if she was being tricked. He kept his face blank as he said, "Yes, sir, I'll try that." He would have to remember to buy Char a drink.
He dropped his arm around her close enough that her thigh brushed his with each rattling stone below them. She shook her head at him, but soon enough her hand snuck to his knee as she leaned into him slightly. He scanned the side of her face until he caught the tiny twitch turning up the corner of her mouth. So that's how she wanted to play? Well, two can play at this game.
Training his eyes on the winding road, he traced small patterns on her arm. She bit her lip as he drifted toward her neck to tangle in her hair, and for a millisecond, she let her head rest on his shoulder.
Damn, he wanted her. Not just physically, either. He wanted to hold her in front of everyone, kiss her without wondering who might catch them, and all kinds of stupid mushy things that he'd never admit to wanting to do. But he couldn't. Everything was a secret, and he desperately wanted to scream that secret out loud to everyone he met. It was driving him insane.
Galinda faced backwards to ask them a question, and he fought a sigh as Elphaba rocketed away from him. When the blonde turned back to the front, Elphaba shot him an apologetic look, and he nodded, trying not to look as tired as he felt.
She knit her brows in an unspoken question, and he forced a reassuring smile. Her fingers stole across to his cautiously as her eyes watched his face, and his smile faltered. Didn't she know what she did to him, playing this way? But the insecurity that flitted through her eyes was all it took to remind him of his priorities. She was worth this, worth anything. He shook his head in what he hoped conveyed pleasant nonchalance until she echoed his smile.
Char caught their attention as the sky traded orange for purple. "Well, we'd better stop for the night. The horses'll be needing a rest, and if you folks ain't choosey, I know a nice place up ahead with a great café next door. Don't know bout you, but I'm a man who listens to his stomach."
Galinda giggled, and it was agreed to settle there for the night. Fiyero paid for the rooms as the others headed in the direction of said café, which was just as good as Char had claimed. Considerably more full, they'd tottered off to the two double rooms. He saw the girls safely down the hall before joining Char in the their room.
Char grinned in greeting. "I hope you don't mind me picking this bed. I'm somewhat accustomed to sleeping by the door, but we can switch if your lady friend prefers it."
Fiyero blushed and waved him off. "No, no. Sleep wherever you're more comfortable. I could sleep anywhere."
"Just make sure you answer the door quick so I can keep asleep." Char winked, and Fiyero felt compelled to clarify.
"You don't have to worry. She'll be sleeping in her own room." It was odd to discuss her so openly, though he couldn't bring himself to say her name. It was as if that was the vital proof which could be held against them later.
"If you say so." Char grinned again, "And, it's no worry. I was young once, myself."
"No, really. She's not going to…" Fiyero was interrupted by a tentative knock on the door.
Char raised eyebrows at Elphaba framed in the doorway, and he shot Fiyero a knowing look. "I was just about to step out for a bit; hope you don't mind. Though I'm fairly sure our young friend here can keep you better occupied than I." He winked at Fiyero and slipped out before Elphaba had a chance to close her mouth.
They stared at each other for a long moment until Elphaba looked away awkwardly. "So…"
He stepped closer, "I'm glad you're here." She blinked up through her eyelashes as a coy smile softened her face. He edged toward her and held out his hand until she caught his eyes again. She took his hand, and he led her to the bed. They sat on the edge, and the silent tension was almost too much to bear. "Where's Galinda?" he blurted.
He kicked himself at the guilt that crept into her face. "Bath."
Fiyero nodded stupidly as she bit her lip. It took a moment for him to realize that it was more than guilt etching her watchful eyes. "Oh." Oz, she made him act like an idiot. Why could he never think straight around her?
There was another silence as the two searched each other until he couldn't last another second without touching her. Fiyero caught his breath at the look she gave him when he took her cheek with his fingertips. He felt drawn to her, as if it was scientifically impossible to pull away. His lips caught hers, and the spell was broken.
Everything was a blur as they melted through kisses, deepening until the fierceness left him gasping for air. Time swirled around without touching them, and he felt the thin world that existed beyond her lips fading. He heard only her rapid heartbeat, felt only her breathtaking body against his.
He twisted her hair around his fingers as she nuzzled his neck. "Oh, Fae," his low voice swore his allegiance to his new deity, those two words declaring his faith and praise in endless supply.
"Yero," she gasped as he nipped at a sensitive spot on her neck, and he curled his fingers into her sides in an effort to maintain any thought process at all. "Please."
"What?" he panted. "Do you want to stop or…?" She clutched his shirt in answer, pulling him tight against her and kissing him soundly.
In little need of convincing, he wrapped his arms around her as she climbed in his lap. "Hardly," she breathed. And then he was lost in the feeling of her body and lips and hands. In the dim corner of his brain that still held onto thought, he recognized that for once she hadn't mentioned their deadline, and a warm hope spread through his heart.
With a tentative glance to her face, he let his hands caress the hem of her shirt. Her eyes closed and a low murmur escaped her throat. If she said his name like that one more time, he couldn't be held responsible for his actions. It was more temptation than one man could be expected to bear. He inched up the soft fabric, teasing himself with the feel of her bare waist. Incredible seemed to fall so short of an adequate description.
Elphaba pulled back, and he started to apologize until she stilled his lips. She touched her forehead to his and drew a deep breath. "We're playing with fire," she warned, though from the way her lips kept brushing her skin, she didn't want to stop anymore than he did. Fiyero fought the urge to yell in frustration. Why couldn't they just once not to have to worry about who might catch them? He was tired of carrying around the repercussions of something he'd hadn't even done yet.
"And if I don't care?" His eyes were dark when her wide ones met them, and for a long moment, she could only stare.
"But…" Before she could get any farther, he crashed her into a fiery kiss. He pulled her arms around his neck and raked his hands down her sides on his way to her hips. She arched into him, drawing a groan from him at the heat it drew to a certain part of his anatomy. He wanted her so badly.
Her legs wrapped around his waist, and he pressed her hips tighter against him. His slight edge of restraint was quickly vanishing, and he thought how very right her statement had been. As the fire consumed the last hint of self-control, Elphaba gasped, "Oh, Yero!"
Her eyes grew when he rolled her underneath him with predatory skill. He answered her unspoken question with a quick, hard kiss. "You drive me crazy when you do that."
"Do what?" she teased in a smoky voice that had him breathless. "Do this?" She arched against him to moan breathily in his ear, "Yero."
"Oz, woman," he growled, attacking her neck with fierce kisses until she was moaning again. "What are you trying to do to me?" She sighed as he progressed to her collarbone, dropping kisses between words, "Do you know what it's like to be so close to you all day, and I can't touch you? It's killing me."
She slid her hands underneath his shirt as if she agreed, and he reached for the buttons on her shirt. He had barely unfastened the first one when the door opened. Of course. He dropped his head heavily against her shoulder.
Char walked in, took one look at the two of them, and said, "Sorry, I was just... Who wants some ice? I'll, uh, be right back." He ducked out again, but the mood had vanished.
Fiyero looked down at Elphaba with an ironic smirk. "Are your buttons alarmed or something?" he teased, and she laughed. He rolled off to lie beside her and let his fingers trace her elegant features that he had long memorized as he struggled to calm down. "Elphaba," he said softly, and the emotion in his eyes must have frightened her.
She sat up, facing away, and said, "I should go."
He ran a frustrated hand through his hair. "Why? Because now we won't be alone? Is that all…," he swallowed in a vain attempt to compose himself. "Are we just…" He couldn't complete the sentence, hurt panging through him.
"Just until Shiz." Damn he hated those words from her! He hated how calmly she could say them as his heart ripped out.
He closed his eyes to force the frustration down before he scared her away. In controlled voice, he said, "You don't have to leave. Stay. We can talk." At least it didn't sound as desperate as it had in his head. He hadn't quite begged her.
"Fiyero," she looked down, and he sighed. It was a battle that he couldn't win, so he pulled back, saving what little face he could.
Bravely, he said, "Hey, don't worry about it. It's fine. Galinda will be worrying where you've gone."
"Yeah," she met his eyes now, and though he tried to hide it, he knew she saw right through to all the disappointment he felt. "Yero…"
"Go. It's fine. Really." He stood to walk her to the door. "I'll see you tomorrow," he reassured himself more than her, and he gave her one last, gentle kiss goodnight. "Sweet dreams Fae."
"You, too." She squeezed his hand, and with a final hesitant look, she walked out the door.
He flopped back on his bed and cursed karma. Was this how he had made all those other girls feel? So rejected and dismissed? He felt a sudden urge to call each one and apologize.
With a tentative knock, Char came back in, noticeably iceless, and took a long look at Fiyero staring up at the ceiling. "That bad, huh?" Fiyero turned his head to show an inquiring look. "You got it bad for her, don't you kid?"
"Yeah. Not that it does any good."
"She'll come around, son," the other man said as he climbed into his own bed. "She's a feisty one, alright, but the good ones always are."
"She's perfect. I just wish she wanted more than just ... this, I guess."
"Pretty girl like that in my bed, I wouldn't be complaining," Char pointed out, and Fiyero had to agree he had a point. It was quiet a moment until Char said, "She does want more, you know."
Fiyero rolled over to look at the man with interest. "Really? How can you tell?"
Char chuckled, "Boy, you don't get to be my age without learning a thing or two about women. Way she looks at you? You're lucky."
"Yeah?" A smile spread across Fiyero's face at the thought that it might be true.
"Like I say, she'll come around."
"When?"
"Oz, the young never did have an ounce of patience. Comes with age. You gotta learn how to wait for what needs waiting for. Not everything is about now. Sometimes you just play the game until its time to get the prize, you know?" Fiyero nodded, and Char grinned crookedly, "No you don't, but you will. Just give her the time she needs. It'll all work out."
Fiyero beamed as Char yawned and rolled over to sleep. Staring up at the ceiling in a much more optimistic mood, Fiyero let himself imagine it actually working out. "You really think she wants more?" He was answered with noisy snores from across the room. "Yeah, me too."