Autumn breezes swept over Oz, the balmy months of summer were over. Leaves fell from the shivering trees and covered the streets of the Emerald City. On the streets, pedestrians wrapped tightly in cloaks walked with their heads down to avoid the harsh sting of the wind against skin. The days were short and cold; the nights were long and colder. Smoke emanated from every chimney, it's various streams seeming to join and form a cloud over the city. A scent that hinted of burning leaves and home-cooked pumpkin pies hung like a mist in the air. People laughed and chattered, their breath visible in the freezing weather.
Inside, fires blazed and people huddled around them. Love grew quietly within homes, contained warmly within walls made to keep out the cold. People took care of each other, a kindness that soothed even the most impatient souls.
Elphaba rarely ventured outside, preferring the heat and comfort she could only find inside. She wore her hair pinned up only halfway, uncomfortable with the chill of leaving her neck bare. Her time consisted of sitting – sometimes reading, sometimes just thinking – contentedly by the fire or chasing away the rats and mice that had gathered because of the cold.
In the firelight, Madikien noted, she seemed almost fragile. Her arms and legs were bony, but her torso held a slight, contrasting curve. She was beautiful; there was no denying that. She could have him wrapped around her fingers if she wished. He doubted she knew this and he certainly wasn't going to say anything. But every movement of her body teased him and every smile she gave him made his head spin.
It was early afternoon (though it was impossible to tell from the sky, which stayed the same shade throughout the day) and Elphaba was sitting with her knees pulled to her chest, her arms wrapped around herself. Despite being so near to the fire, she shivered, watching a mouse scramble through the cracks in the walls. "They'll never go away, will they?" She muttered.
"Probably not. Are you cold?" He sat down next to her and handed her a blanket.
"Just a little." She took the blanket and tossed it over her lap, stretching her legs out and wiggling her feet in front of the fire.
"By the way, don't even think about making me put those damned things outside again."
She laughed and rested her head on his shoulder. "Just wait until one bites you."
"Ha! You'll get bitten again before I even get bitten once."
"Why do I get the feeling that you're going to regret jinxing yourself that way?"
"Because you're just vindictive like that?"
"If that's so, you'd better watch what you say. It wouldn't be a good idea to get on my bad side, would it?"
"I don't plan on finding out." He ran his hand through her hair.
"I should hope you don't." The air was icy; she snuggled closer to him for the sake of keeping warm.
"You're still shaking."
"Well, I'm still cold."
He enveloped her in his arms. "Any better?"
"That helps." She smiled at him warmly.
"My sweet, beautiful Elphaba…"
"Your? I belong to no one."
He laughed. "That, I know. But that's not how I intended it to sound and I think you know that."
"I do. But I'm not going to pass up an opportunity to argue with you."
"You're spiteful to the people who care about you, aren't you?"
"Given how limited the population of people who care about me is (as in, zero), I'd have to disagree."
"I care about you." He looked in her eyes boldly.
She ignored his remark. "As I was saying, I'm just cruel to everyone overall."
"I think you're not as cruel as you pretend to be."
"Oh, really?"
"Yes. I don't think you're cruel at all."
"Well, go on thinking that, then. But, you, darling, will be terribly wrong."
"Prove it." He challenged her.
"Don't make me." She nudged him playfully.
"I think I've made my point."
"Just you wait."
"Oh, I'll wait. But there's nothing to be waiting for, in my opinion."
"You underestimate me." She pretended to be hurt.
"Be quiet, you." He teased.
"Just because you said that, I'm going to continue talking."
Jokingly, he made to cover her mouth with his hand. But he remembered what she'd said about biting people as a child and thought the better of it. So, instead, he covered her mouth with his own.
A part of her wanted to pull away and protest, but a much bigger part of her vetoed the idea. Yet, a moment later, she pulled away and mumbled, "I still refuse to surrender."
"So, who wins this battle?" He whispered, his lips still eagerly persistent on hers.
She would have none of it. "I do." There was no giving in for her this time; she settled back the way she'd been before.
"Don't expect to win the war." Sighing, he tugged at the blanket, too lazy to simply get up and get another.
"Then there will be no winner in this war," she said as she looked into his eyes audaciously, "not today, anyway."
"How about tomorrow, then?"
She bit back a laugh. "Not funny."
"You were going to laugh, admit it."
"Nope."
He tickled her relentlessly. "Admit it."
"Fine, fine!" She laughed, gasping for air and pushing him away. "But using torture tactics is off limits from now on. Got it?"
"I don't need them, anyway."
"That's what you think." Elphaba stood up and stretched out her arms. "I'm tired. I never knew you could waste energy by shivering. I'm going to sleep."
"Start a fire in there; it's probably freezing." He got up as well.
"I think I can figure that out for myself." She trudged towards the door. "If I don't wake up between now and morning, don't bother waking me."
"Good night, then."
In her room, she looked into the fireplace, coughed because of the dust that flew out, and started a fire. Teeth chattering from the cold, she pulled on her cloak for extra heat. She slid into her bed, wrapping the blanket around her as tightly as she could, closing her eyes and still shivering a little. Her mind wandered, and she found herself wishing for the comfort and warmth of Madikien next to her. Startled, she blinked and chased the thought away. She plunged into a dreamless sleep, not allowing another thought.
She woke again in the early morning, when the weather was at it's coldest. Seeing her breath in front of her, she realized the fire was out and go up to rekindle it. Shedding her dress, she pulled on a black skirt with a navy blouse. Navy was the closest she'd get to color. She listened for movement from Madikien's room, happy to hear the soft tread of his footsteps.
"Good mornin'." He said cheerfully when he saw her. "How'd you sleep? Were you cold?"
"Only a little." Her cheeks flushed as she remembered her last thought before sleep and was ashamed to find that she couldn't stop staring at him.
"Are you hungry?"
"Only if there's something hot to eat."
"The best I can do is toast."
"Sounds good," she said, tearing her gaze from him at least. "Anything even moderately warm would be wonderful right now."
"Toast it is, then."
"No need to use the table. I'd much rather sit on the floor nearer to the fire."
They ate without speaking, aware that their food would not stay warm for long. Elphaba savored every bite; it relieved the shiver that had sent chills down to her very bones. She watched him for a moment. The firelight danced on his skin – skin much more beautiful than hers, she thought – and he seemed like he couldn't possibly feel cold. His body looked as if it could give off heat.
"How long has it been since you disappeared?" He asked when he'd finished his last bite.
"Almost a year. But I still wake up some mornings and forget that I'm not in my dorm room and that the noises I hear aren't the jingling of my roomie's jewelry, but rats scattering across the floor."
"Haven't been bitten again, have you?"
"No. Stop hoping. I still say you'll be bitten long before I am bitten again/"
"I wouldn't bet on it."
"Those infuriating little creatures scramble around the rooms, through the walls, day and night. There's probably a whole community of them hidden somewhere. And I thought I'd rid the place of them. But when the cold comes in…"
"So do the furry animals."
"Stop it. You're making them sound cute. They're not cute. They're malicious, evil, tiny little things."
"You give them too much credit."
"You'll be singing a different tune sooner or later."
"You know, Elle, I'm starting to really believe that you actually want me to get bitten."
"Because I do. I am just as cruel as I say I am, dear."
"I'll wait and see about that." He yawned. "This is bad weather for this time of year, even in the city."
Elphaba looked at him. "Do we even know what day it is? Of what month?"
"Honestly, I'm not quite sure."
"Oh."
"Why?"
"It's just funny, that's all."
"I'd say it's sad."
"I laugh at misery."
"You wouldn't laugh if it were your own."
She stared at the floor. "You're right."
"I love the sound of those words."
"Probably because you don't hear them that often. And don't get used to them."
"That was below the belt."
"No. Believe me, I could say much worse and still not have gone bellow the belt."
"Well, aren't you sweet?" He remarked sarcastically.
"I have fulfilled my purpose, then."
"Sometimes, I believe you really are out to get people angry with you."
"I don't normally need to try much to do that. You're proving to be a more difficult case than most people."
"That's because I know you don't mean it. You're just afraid of people caring about you."
She had no witty comeback for that; she only turned away.
"Don't be afraid of me." He said softly, and stood up.
She stood up as well. "But, Madikien, I…"
"Shhh." He kissed her, one hand in her hair and the other around her waist.
When he broke the kiss gently, she met his eyes, only inches apart from her own. "I'm not afraid of you. I'm not afraid of anyone. I'm afraid for you. You shouldn't be doing this. You shouldn't be with me, it'll never…"
"Don't." He quieted her. "It's okay; it's all right."
Hesitantly and unsure of herself, she wrapped her arms around his neck and brought her mouth to his. Feeling reckless, she kissed him deeply, inviting him to follow her lead. There was a heat spreading through her limbs that she couldn't possibly obtain through the fire.
He pulled her to him even tighter, her body hard-pressed against his. As he continued to kiss her, his kisses became hungrier, more physical, and his hands traced the outline of her body.
They tumbled onto the bed, rolling around a bit before they settled comfortably in the middle. Letting go for a moment, their gazes locked on one another.
He was breathing heavily, excitedly. "You have no idea," he murmured, kissing her, "just how beautiful you are."
"Don't say that. If you keep saying it, I might just end up believing you a little."
"In that case," he kissed her forehead, "you're beautiful." He repeated it over and over, kissing her nose, her mouth, her neck.
"Sometimes I think you're insane."
He stopped for a moment. "Why?"
"Because you want me."
"Elphaba…" He moved to the side. "If you really don't want - "
"No, no. I do want, I do." She reached for him.
"That's what I thought." He pulled himself over her, holding his weight up with one arm.
She smiled up at him. "You're too good to me."
"Hush." He kissed her neck again. His lips found the hollow of her throat, returning to it time after time. "Let me decide when I'm being too good."
"I don't think you can decide; you don't have a limit as to what 'too good' is."
"Why are you complaining?" His mouth was at her collarbone, just above the neckline of her blouse. He let his fingers linger along the top button.
"I'm not complaining. I was just saying." She caught her breath as he began to open her blouse carefully, taking his time. His mouth followed the path of his hands keenly.
He came back to her mouth, his hands still wandering. Softly, he snuck his hand up her skirt and rested it just above her knee.
Her breathing quickened; she found herself feeling alarmed. She felt every miniscule twitch of that hand. She realized that she wasn't quite sure what she wanted anymore.
He moved his hand slowly, inching upwards. His hand cupped her thigh, stopping there for the moment.
She was painfully conscious of everything around her, every movement, every sound. Thoughts were whirling in her mind and she couldn't separate one thought from another.
He slid up just a little more and ran a finger softly along the layer of cloth between them. His fingers danced along, moving to her waist to remove the barrier that kept his hands from touching her.
Her weakness in that moment was frightening. There was no way she could do this.
He noticed that she'd become tense. "You'd tell me if I did something wrong, right?" His hand returned to her waist.
"Of course I would. Do you really think I'm going to do anything I don't want to?" She was relieved to have his hand off of her leg, but the flesh where he had touched her almost burned with a mix of anxiousness and desire. Every cell in her body that had ever felt sensation begged her to relinquish the power she had to stop this and let him do what he wanted. When she saw the concern in his eyes, she gave him a questioning look.
"You promise me you'll say something?" He asked, tentative about kissing her again, but yearning for it, too.
She sat up and cast him an angry look. "Why are you treating me like I'm a child?"
"I'm not. I was just making sure, that's all."
"Then stop asking me about this!"
"All right. I won't ask."
"Good." She relaxed again. Her eyes sparkled when she smiled at him, calm and alluring.
He gave up worrying and kissed her again. Carefully, he teased the waistband of her skirt. She shifted a little and he couldn't read whether her intention had been to move away from him or to get more comfortable. Her eyes wouldn't tell him anything and he wasn't going to risk bringing it up. Unsure of what to do, he let go of the waistband and slid his hand up her leg again.
She tried not to look at him; she couldn't let him see that, though her body was more than willing to give in, she was a little afraid. Wanting and craving and fearing, she couldn't quite find her voice – not that she knew what she wanted to say. When his hand reached the cloth, she tore away from him abruptly, betraying herself and revealing her uncertainty.
He sat up and looked at her, hanging his head. There wasn't a "right thing to say" in this sort of moment, and if there was, he certainly had no idea what it was. But he had to say something. "Elphaba…"
She put up a hand to silence him and pulled herself off of the bed. "I can't. Not now." She looked at him apologetically, unable to explain more, and left the room.
Madikien leaned back on the bed and put his hands behind his head. "That went well," he said to no one in particular.
AN: This is definitely one of my favorite chapters. Like the irony with the chapter title? It's not only said once, it's also… heh heh… yeah. So, chapter 8 will be mostly dialogue. Chapter nine, however, will not… wink, wink I hope you liked it!