Thank you for the reviews! Your words never fail to warm my heart *puppy dog eyes emoticon*
James Birdsong, either way, I'm glad they're both positive!
Fae's Flower, we'll get to meet her soon! For now, we get to chill. About your fics, on the top of my head, I remember enjoying Threads of Truth, A Royal Romance, The Lady Knight, Come To Me, and After Winter Comes Spring. I feel like there's more, but I'm really sorry I can't remember specific titles and what my username was back when I read them (maybe I was a guest in some?). It's been so long haha!
From where I come from, it's an inside joke that September 1 is the first day of Christmas because everyone's just excited to celebrate already (even when we still have three months to go)! Since it's October, Happy Halloween and Advanced Merry Christmas/Happy Lurlinemas to you all!
Day 262
December 2018
As if it danced with the jolly music that played in the background, the white caps of the Great Kells glistened under the starlight from the distance. The outdoor string lights gave the snow-covered garden a soft glow and created a magical backdrop through the large floor-to-ceiling windows. A fire kept the spacious living room warm as the windows frosted over in the cold of the season. The decorations hung around the fireplace and the room lifted their spirits. Acrylic cut-outs of gingerbread men smiled at him as he took a sip of his warm drink. The colorful lights on the huge tree twinkled like the fluttering of fireflies—like the fluttering of his heart. It was Lurlinemas Eve, and Fiyero was glad to be home for the holidays. More so, he was glad to be home with the woman he loved along with him.
It took some time to convince Elphaba to come with him as he celebrated with his family in the Vinkus. She was shy, she said. And though she never told him, he knew she was afraid of how they would react to her emerald skin. But still, she came. He kissed her before they entered the manor together—to remind her how much he loved her, he said; she gave a nervous smile.
He couldn't be happier when his dad approached him before dinner to tell him she was amazing. He smiled and surprised the older man with a huge bear hug. His smile was even wider when he watched Elphaba and his mother laugh over something the latter said—stories of baby Yero, he was later told. He cringed.
And now here she was—Elphaba—sitting on a wicker loveseat at the patio with him. They had just finished the ceremony of exchanging and unwrapping gifts, and most of the household had already gone upstairs to prepare for bed. He asked her to wear her coat as he brought her outside. He wanted to give her her present in private.
They sat in silence for a while, and the soft sound of falling snow filled the atmosphere. They watched the snowflakes float down as they relished in each other's quiet company. After a few minutes, he took her hand and shifted closer.
He looked at their clasped hands and paused to study how starkly different they looked—but also how perfectly they fit together. He intertwined his fingers with hers and drew their joined hands to his lap.
"Fae," he began, his voice laced with gentleness and love. "I know how hard you've been working for your dreams—with the journalism thing and now, writing. You're the strongest person I know… And I know you wouldn't want me to think about your work, but I love you… I love you, Fae. And I want to help you reach those dreams."
In the dimness of the night, he handed her a black paper package. It was neatly wrapped with perfectly squared edges and a silver ribbon that crisscrossed and looped.
"Happy Lurlinemas, Fae," he said. And she smiled at him as she returned the greeting.
He watched as her slender fingers carefully unraveled the ribbons and took off the tape. She unfolded the black paper covering and pulled out the object inside. It was a hardbound book with illustrations bordering the title, all engraved in silver and gold—it was a book on Vinkun fairy tales. She stared at the item as she lightly traced its features. And he suddenly felt nervous.
"I just thought—Since you said you didn't know what to write about for the job you were applying for," he explained. "Maybe this would give you a fresh perspective? I don't know a lot about writing, but stories about the Vinkus are rare. I just thought that maybe this could help—"
She cut him off mid-ramble as she swiftly—but carefully—placed the book on the nearby table and wound her arms around his neck. In a flurry of green and black, she kissed him smack on the lips.
"Thank you," she said; her breath warm on his nose. "I love you, too."
They locked eyes as he wiped a stray tear that slid down her cheek. Her skin seemed more pear-ish than green beneath the moonlit sky. And her hazelnut irises glimmered with the freshly-powdered ground. For a moment, time seemed to stop; yet the clock continued to tick. And Fiyero's heart skyrocketed.
He kissed her again, and again, and again, smothering her chilly face with his warm lips. He held her in his arms, and she melted in his embrace. It took a while before they paused for air. Their hot breaths swirled and danced around them in wispy clouds of fog.
This was undoubtedly the best Lurlinemas he ever had.
Updates may start to get slower (so sorry!) Classes resumed just last week and I can already feel how deadly this semester is going to be… I'll try my best to still update every week :)