A Lazy Afternoon

Disclaimer:  I don't own these characters.

Author's Note:  Yay Idina!!  Alas, between the Tony Awards and my show right now, I haven't had much time to type.  I have a few chapters written(I can do that between my cues for my show, but my computer is being held hostage by the projector, so typing is tougher).  Hopefully, I'll be able to get them out soon.

Chapter 6

Elphaba awoke in the middle of the night, disoriented.  She was staring up at the ceiling trying to make out where she was.  This wasn't her room.   She pulled the soft blanket up to her face.  Her own blanket wasn't this nice.  A dull ache radiated from her hands.  She pulled them out of the blanket.  They were bandaged and in gloves.  The rain.  She'd been pretty hurt, and out of it.  She turned to the heat coming from her left.  Fiyero lay curled up in a ball.  He looked so peaceful asleep.  Elphaba followed the short flares of his blue diamond pattern with her eyes.  It was beautiful.  She shifted again, awkwardly, trying to take her weight off a particularly painful patch on her shoulder.  Fiyero stirred.

"Sorry."

"Hmmm?"

"I was trying not to wake you up."

"It's okay."  He yawned.  "I was sleeping lightly."

He nuzzled a bit closer.  Their foreheads were millimeters from touching.  His breath tickled her nose.

"How are you doing?"

"Okay, Dull aching.  Nothing bad."

"Good."

Fiyero gently placed a hand on her shoulder and pulled her toward him..  She tensed.

"Oh, did I hit a sore spot?"

"No."

They lay awkwardly in silence for a few moments.

"Is it still raining?"

"I don't know," Fiyero answered, but sat himself up, and climbed out of bed, dancing across the cold, stone floor to the window.   "Wow.  Hard to tell, the fog's so thick."  He turned back to the bed.  "You're not planning to leave now, are you?"

"I was considering it."

Fiyero climbed back into the covers.  "Please don't."

"Why?"

"The fog.  It'll irritate your skin."

"I can deal with fog," she sat up.  "I suppose my clothes are still wet?"

"Of course they are.  It's pretty dank in here."

She pushed the covers aside.

"Elphie…"

"What?  I should head back to my room."

"You need to sleep."

"Fiyero, how would it look if I'm coming out of your room in the morning?  It's against the rules."

"Since when do you care about the rules?"

"I…"

"You only seem to care selectively."

Elphaba looked at him, exasperated.  "Glinda's probably wondering where I am."

"Glinda's probably fast asleep."

She was frustrated now.  "Fiyero…"

"Elphie…why do you want to go out at 3am?  If you're caught you're not going to be in any less trouble than if you return in the morning."

She bowed her head away. 

"I wanted to be able to treat your hands again."  He grabbed one of her gloved extremities.  "How are they doing?"

"You've asked that already."

"Is it getting worse?"

"Maybe a little."

"If you're going to leave now, let me treat them first."

"Fiyero, go back to sleep.  You look like you need it."

He sighed, resting his head on his hands, his knees curled up to his chest.  She watched this, conflicted.  She just wanted to curl up in his arms again, and shut out the world.  But she didn't want to deal with Glinda in the morning when she came home wearing Fiyero's clothes.  She still hadn't moved though.

"If I stay,  Glinda will think…"

"Why do you care what Glinda thinks?" It came out harsher than he'd intended, and his head remained down.

"Fiyero…"  She scooted closer to him.  "I don't know what to do."

He turned he head toward her, resting it on his knee. "Stay, please."  He grasped her hand again.  "Please Elphie."

She pulled the blanket back over her lap.  "Why is it so important to you?"  This was softer than her previous questions.

"I want to make sure you're okay.  You had me terrified."

Elphaba gave a small smile, and settled down on the pillow again, determined not to see the emotion in her face.  He snuggled down.  She curled closer, laying her head on his chest.  He grinned and wrapped his arm around her.

"You didn't really want to leave this?" he joked.

"My, you're developing an ego."

Fiyero laughed. "Well, I know I'd rather lay like this."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"
He felt his cheeks getting warm.  "I…its just….nice…to feel another person's heartbeat."

"It makes you feel less alone."

"Mmmm."

"It's hard to explain.  But its comforting."

"Steady rise and fall."

He pulled her tightly to him, kissing her forehead gently.  Their legs wove together, as they drifted off to sleep.

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