1AN: This chapter was more for humor and relief than anything else.
The day classes ended, Fiyero moved into the apartment that his parents had rented for him. He spent the day arranging furniture and sneakily shopping for exotic bed sheets and blankets before Elphaba was to move in that afternoon. When she knocked at last, he'd quickly smoothed the silky sheets and opened the door. "Welcome to our place."
Elphaba didn't have much – a suitcase full, at the most – but she'd brought it all with her and her eyes sparkled with excitement when she saw the apartment. They had a kitchen/dining room, a bathroom, a small living room and, of course, a bedroom. She rolled her eyes at the bed. "Expecting someone special? Someone beautiful? Certainly not me." She said.
He took her suitcase and placed it near the dresser and then hugged her in a way that only a lover could. "You are beautiful, I swear."
She sat down on the bed, shaking her head. "No. I'm really not."
He kissed her and ran his fingers along her shoulder. "Oh, I swear to Oz that you are the most beautiful creature I have ever seen."
"Don't. Swearing to Oz gives your soul away if you lie."
"Good thing I'm not lying, then." But she refused to believe him, so he spent the rest of the afternoon and some of the evening making her believe him, forcing her to scream in passion between breaths that, oh yes, sweet Oz, she did believe him, she'd never doubt him again if he'd just keep going, she'd always…!
She pulled the red sheets – red for love, he'd told her – and similar colored blankets over their lightly perspiring bodies and fell back into their bed, hiding her face in the crook of his arm, too happy to think straight, content with her lover and his loving, not caring that no one but he knew where she was, as long as she could feel the heat and presence of his body, filling her with an elated feeling she so rarely felt.
He smiled at her expression, knowing she was happy. That was all he asked for – that she be happy. Little did he know, it was no longer that difficult of a task; all she needed was a little reminder that he loved her.
Their first few days were spent learning about one another's living habits and learning to deal with them. Fiyero had almost forgotten that Elphaba's allergy to water caused her to have to rub oil on her skin (a task which he came to thoroughly enjoy watching or helping her do).
They did run into several problems, though.
It was a month until school began when Elphaba approached Fiyero with some difficult news. "Um, Fiyero?"
"What, Elphie?" He was relaxed on the couch, reading the paper and it was early morning.
They'd just eaten breakfast and there was still some syrup taste lingering on his lips when he kissed her. "We've got a major problem."
"What do you mean?" Fiyero put down the paper.
"I know we act like we're married, but we're not. And that's going to cause a problem."
Suddenly very nervous, Fiyero asked, "Why?"
"Well, no one around here knows that we're students. And no one at school knows we're having sex. Well, at least they don't know for sure. It's going to be a bit difficult to hide when, I'm well..."
"What?"
She spat it out. "I'm pregnant."
Fiyero's first reaction was. "Oh, shit."
Elphaba collapsed on the bed. "I knew you'd be upset."
Fiyero saw that she was bothered by his reaction. "Well, it makes things difficult. Of course I'm going to be! What are we going to do?"
"We're keeping it." Elphaba said flatly.
"But..."
"We're keeping it. If you don't like it, go ahead and leave me."
"I wouldn't leave you. You do realize what this means, though."
"It means a lot of things. I have no idea which one you're talking about."
"Well, we have to get married. I'm not letting you have a baby if we're not married."
Elphaba sighed heavily and looked away.
"What?"
"Nothing. It's just..."
"Tell me."
"That was certainly not how I imagined it."
"What was?"
"That. It's just 'we're getting married'. Nothing romantic."
Fiyero paused. "Well, it's not exactly easy to come up with something romantic when you've just told me that you're pregnant."
"Well, I'm sorry for not giving you further notice. What was I supposed to say, 'Fiyero, we're going to have to get married because of something I can't say right now, so find a sweet way to ask me'?"
"No. It's just, you shouldn't expect me to say anything romantic, that's all."
"I don't. You never do," she snapped.
"I'm sorry. It's not as if you give me the opportunity."
"The opportunity? Last night, do you know what the last thing you said to me before we fell asleep was? You said, 'that was good, we should do it that way more often'. I didn't even get an 'I love you'!"
"Hadn't I just shown you?"
"Having sex with me shows me nothing but the fact that you need release."
"It means more than that; you know it."
"How am I supposed to? Plenty of people have sex for pleasure rather than love, Fiyero. The way you act about it, I feel like a sex toy."
"With the reactions I get from you during sex, you might as well be just a sex toy." He muttered.
Elphaba winced. "So that's all this is about, then? That's all this has ever been about, hasn't it?"
Fiyero realized he'd hurt her. "Elphaba, no, it's not..."
"Well, why don't you show me that more often?"
"You can't expect to say 'I love you' every damned moment of the day!"
"You don't understand! You know what? That's it. I'm leaving." Elphaba strode to the closet, dragged out her old, worn suitcase and began opening drawers.
"Elphaba!"
"No. Don't bother." She tossed her clothes into her suitcase.
"Where are you going to stay for the rest of the summer, huh?"
"I'll live on the streets. It's probably less lonely than living with you."
"And how are you going to get by, not even through college and already pregnant?"
"I'll do what I have to."
Fiyero was exasperated. "Elphaba, don't do this. You're acting stupid."
"How dare you call me stupid?"
As he shook his head, he realized that she was probably only half-meaning what she said. Didn't women get more emotional during pregnancy? "Stay, please?"
"I'll go home."
"Your father would kill you," he reminded her.
She hadn't thought of this. Suddenly, she burst into tears, "Damn it, I hate you."
He stood up, finally, and came up behind her. "Don't hate me."
When she felt his arms wrap around her, she pounded her fists against his chest weakly, "Leave me alone!"
"Shhh." He whispered, "It's okay. I love you."
"No you don't." She said, struggling still.
He caught her fists in his hand. "I do. I'm sorry I never tell you. I forget that I can't just tell you once and make you believe it forever."
"I don't believe you now."
"Come on, Elphie." He kissed her nose.
"No, no, no!" She cried as he picked her up and walked her to the bed.
"You need to lie down." He told her.
"Not with you." She protested.
Getting comfortable on the bed, he took Elphaba in his arms and rocked her like a baby. "I love you. I love you."
Wiping her hair away from her face, she looked at him. "I..."
"Let me guess: you love me, too?" He asked hopefully.
She shook her head, burying her face in his chest until she'd calmed fully. "I can't believe you just saw me do that."
"Do what?"
"Behave like that."
"Like what?" He asked, continuing to rock her gently.
She pushed him away. "Don't act like I'm a baby!"
"You were acting like one."
She laughed. "I might've been. But only a little."
Smiling, he held up both hands in surrender. "Just a little?"
She giggled and nuzzled her head against his chest. "I'm sorry."
"I love you, Elphaba. I mean that. I really am sorry for not saying it enough."
"I forgive you." She grinned.
"So, you'll marry me?"
She rolled her eyes. "I'll have to think about it. I don't want to rush into anything."
"It's a bit late for that, little Miss 'We don't need protection, I'm probably impossible to impregnate anyway'."
She flushed. "Well, I just thought..."
"No excuses."
"I was caught up in the moment." She whined. "And I thought if I took it back later, you'd be angry."
"So, what you're saying is: sex took over completely."
"I guess so."
"Well, who's the one who was yelling at me for enjoying sex too much?"
"I said I was sorry, what more can I do?" Elphaba threw her hands in the air.
"Marry me." He said, kissing her.
"I have to, don't I?" She pretended to be disappointed.
He kissed her neck fervently. "Yeah, you do. We'd have to work things out a bit, but you do."
"What do you mean? About the baby?"
"That and several other things."
"We're keeping it, right?"
"If you want to." He answered, too preoccupied with her dress to really think of an answer.
"What about school?" She asked.
"You'll miss a trimester. It's no big deal." He replied.
"Or two. I don't want to even be there if I'm showing. I couldn't bear the embarrassment. Think of what Avaric would say."
"I'm thinking of several other things right now." He kissed his way between her breasts.
"I noticed."
"Like how much I love you."
"I doubt that how much you love me is the prevalent thing on your mind at the moment."
"It is."
"Whatever." She fell back into the bed. "Mmmm. Right there. Like that."
"I thought you'd like this," he murmured.
"I like, I like," she whimpered.
"Really?" He increased his power, not honestly needing an answer.
"Oh!" She screamed. "Yes, really."
"Hmmm. Good." He went back to pleasing her.
She whimpered, moaned and sighed until she could take no more and her back arched and her voice rose. "Fiyero."
Sighing, he came back up to her level and whispered, "I love you, Elphaba. I love you. I love you."
"I love you, too."
"And we'll get married."
"Yes. Even if the baby makes things tough."
"That's not the only thing that's hard."
"Very funny, Yero."
"Well, I mean, there are other complications," he said, pulling his clothes off and climbing onto her.
"Mmmm hmmm, what?" She mumbled, losing focus.
"Well, you know, I'm already married."
She sat up, shoving him off of her, "WHAT!"