So... this is the longest chapter yet. Much going on in this one. I really hope you're going to like it (I was really excited to post this) so pls leave a comment. Thanks for your reviews so far -I really appreciate it.
Now, here we go with chapter 28.
Started writing: 05.02.2020
Finished writing: 08.02.2020
Chapter 28
Feel
"Oz, I loathe that woman," Elphaba groaned as she kicked the door shut, taking off coat and boots. "She's letting me feel her anger."
Galinda stuck her head out of the bathroom door. "Madame Morrible?"
"Exactly," the green girl said. "She lectured on and on about Sorcery and didn't let me try once. Such a waste of time… and then she gave me another assignment; two thousand words."
"Two thousand words?" exclaimed Galinda in disbelief. "That's just harsh."
"Especially since we're going to start writing our exams soon," Elphaba shook her head. "I don't know how I'm going to manage it all."
She sat down on the sofa; knees drawn close to her chest.
"Oh, come on, Elphie," Galinda put her hands on her hips. "You'd manage exams even if you were in the hospital with the highest temperature and worst headache."
She tugged on a strand of blonde hair and turned away, hurrying into the bathroom again.
"How can you be sure?" the green girl challenged. "I could be stupid as hell and just always be squaring that with studying."
Galinda laughed. "Sure, Elphie, stupid, that's what you are. And my favourite colour is black."
"Isn't sarcasm my speciality?" Elphaba couldn't contain a grin.
There was a quiet rumbling in the bathroom, something falling into the sink.
"What exactly are you doing, Galinda?" asked Elphaba and turned to try and catch a glimpse of the blonde.
"Well, you know," for a second, the green girl could see the hem of a blue skirt. "There's this cute red-head in our Politic classes, and he asked me to go out with him and a few friends."
Elphaba raised an eyebrow. "Are you talking about Liam?"
"If that's his name," said Galinda and Elphaba rolled her eyes.
That was like her; going out with a boy whose name she didn't even know. As long as he was cute…
"Don't hold out hope to him for too long," Elphaba stated, tilting her head. "He'd be heart-broken."
Galinda giggled. "I'm not holding out hope to anyone, Elphie, he's doing a great job on that himself, he doesn't need my help."
Turning, she appeared in the threshold of the bathroom.
"Well?" she asked. "How do I look?"
Elphaba knit her brows. "You do know that this blue will clash horribly with his red hair, don't you?"
The blonde's eyes widened, and she whirled around to hurry back into the bathroom. "Oh no! I have to go change."
"No," Elphaba laughed. "No, Galinda, I was kidding. Oz, don't start anew, it's going to take hours."
She could hear Galinda stomp her foot. "Oh, Elphie, you're right; this blue would clash horrendibly with his hair, indeed."
Elphaba rolled her eyes. "Galinda, you're insane."
"I'm not," protested the blonde. "It's called fashionable. And you are too, as you just demonstrated."
"Sure," Elphaba said drily. "Fashionable is so me. Look at me; I'm fashion-consciousness personified."
"Oh, shut up," Galinda rushed into the room and flung open the doors of her wardrobe. "Green matches with red, doesn't it?"
Elphaba shrugged. "I wouldn't know. But we could just plant me in front of a brick wall if you're so desperate to find out."
"Oz, you're really not helping right now," Galinda rolled her eyes and disappeared into the bathroom. "I'll be quick."
The green girl snorted. As the door closed, she leant forward to retrieve a book from her bag. It was the book her father had given her on Lurlinemas Eve. She still hadn't had the time to read it and found that now, on such a quiet evening, she could finally start reading. Before the time of studying for the upcoming exams began, at least.
"Look," Galinda's voice sounded a mere five minutes later, and Elphaba's head snapped up. "You're the best, Elphie, it looks awesome."
Elphaba raised her brows. "I don't see a difference."
"Of course, there is a difference, Elphie, I would never own the same dress twice," Galinda gathered her skirts. "The other dress was steel blue; this is cerulean."
The green girl waved a hand, "Whatever" and turned to her book again.
Galinda sighed. "I'd best be going now. I'm already late."
"As always," murmured Elphaba, but Galinda didn't hear her.
She was too busy lacing her new slippers and marvelling at their sparkling silver. Then she stood up, smoothed out her skirts and opened the door. "See you later, El- Oh, Fiyero."
Elphaba's head whipped up.
"What are you doing here?" she heard the blonde say.
"I'm here to talk to Elphaba."
No. No, you're not. Go away.
"She's there," said Galinda. "But she's sassy again."
Elphaba raised her hands to her face, shaking her head.
"See you."
The door closed. Immediately, Elphaba could feel the tension rise in the room. Was it only in her imagination, or had it just become much warmer in here? She could hear Fiyero shift from one foot to the other, hesitantly stepping closer. Elphaba did not dare to look up from her book. Instead, she stared at it as though it was the most interesting thing in the world.
"Hi."
She held her breath, closing her eyes for just a second.
"Hi," she said in nothing more than a whisper.
"May- May I sit down?" he asked, gesturing at the empty space next to her.
No.
"Of course."
She could sense the tension in his body right beside her. Their knees touched. Elphaba pressed her lips together.
"Fae, I wanted to talk to you."
"Spill it."
No, don't. Don't say-
"About yesterday," he added rather late.
Elphaba had to suppress the urge to knit her brows in desperation.
"Yesterday?" she said, her voice shaking. "It was a rather busy day, wasn't it? With Aurelion's departure and… everything."
Fiyero shifted awkwardly beside her. "Th- That's not what I meant."
"I introduced Galinda to Emry," Elphaba hurried before he could say anything else. Her heart was pounding far too fast.
"Do you know her? She's a waitress at Peter Pane; not that I expect you to know that restaurant."
"Fae…"
For the first time, she turned around and looked at him. Her cheeks were flushed in dark green; she knew. Their knees were still touching.
"I wanted to talk to you about yesterday evening… " Fiyero said, a hand stroking through his hair somewhat nervously. "You know; when we bumped into each other in the courtyard."
Was there no way out?
Elphaba bit her lower lip. "Right… "
She wrung her hands in her lap, afraid that they might tremble too hard if she let go.
Fiyero straightened up beside her. "Because… well, I feel it might be something we should talk about."
She stared at her hands. "I- I don't know…"
"But I do, Fae. We need to talk about this. I mean… I have no idea what's going through your head right now," he turned towards her, and Elphaba didn't dare to move.
"Me neither," said Elphaba and was suddenly on her feet, walking to the window to open it.
"Fiyero, I don't think we should do this right now," she managed to press between clenched teeth, her heart skipping a beat.
She could hear him standing up. "Yes, we should. Because if we don't do it right now, we'll never talk about this."
Elphaba shook her head, turning away.
He stopped right behind her, and she could feel the warmth of his body.
"Just… just tell me what you think," he said in an almost desperate way. "Tell me… what you feel."
She didn't dare to turn around, didn't dare to open her eyes.
"I don't know," she whispered, heart pounding hard in her chest. "I don't know."
Her eyes flew open when she suddenly felt his hands on her arms, spinning her around. The look in his eyes was so intense that Elphaba could feel chills running through her whole body.
"I meant every word that I said yesterday," he told her. "I think you're special, Fae. There's something about you that makes you different -and it's not the green."
Elphaba's eyes were wide with emotion.
"I-I… I…"
And then suddenly his lips were on hers, leaving her breathless. His hands found her hair, tangling his fingers in the black strands as his lips pressed against hers. Elphaba felt her knees shake, and slowly her body sank against the window sill behind her.
Fiyero stepped back, his hands cupping her cheeks.
"What do you feel?" he whispered, and Elphaba opened her eyes.
Her heart was beating hard, her breath ragged.
"I…" she smiled. "I'm not sure."
And she leant in to kiss him.
The way his lips felt on hers, the way he held her close, his hands travelling down her sides to take her hips...
When they broke the kiss -Elphaba would never have been able to tell who it was exactly- she couldn't help but stay in the warmth of his embrace, the security of his arms. With her chin resting on his shoulder, his fingers drawing strange patterns on her back, she let her eyes fall close, and her body sink against his.
"Fiyero?"
"Mmh?"
"What do we do next?"
He gently freed himself from her arms, stepped back and pulled her with him to the sofa where they sat down.
"Maybe…" a faint frown formed on his head. "If you want to, we could… sleep on it, think about everything."
He was drawing circles on the back of her hand. "We could meet for breakfast."
Elphaba tilted her head to one side.
"That might be good," she said quietly, smiling at him.
His fingers stopped, and for a moment, he stared at them on her hand.
"I should go," Fiyero declared, slowly rising to his feet. "I-"
He shuddered to a halt and shook his head at himself, squeezing her hand and hesitantly leaning in to give her a small kiss. "Good night, Fae."
Elphaba didn't answer. She watched him leave, a huge smile on her lips.
Wasn't it crazy how fast life could change paths?
It was rather late when Galinda returned from her date, but Elphaba still had this certain smile on her lips. She'd tried to distract herself with reading but instead had ended up sitting on the window sill, staring dreamily outside. When the door opened, she didn't turn around at first, didn't even notice her roomie was back.
"Oh, you're still awake."
Elphaba's head whipped up, and she turned. "I am."
She watched Galinda taking off her slippers and putting away her jacket with her lips pressed tightly together.
"Galinda…" she started, shifting on the window sill. "I-I have to talk to you."
"But you already do," Galinda giggled, closing the doors of her wardrobe. "Oh, Elphie, it was so great and Liam -you were right; that's his name- was so cute. He even-"
"Galinda, I mean it," the green girl interrupted her seriously and climbed from the window sill to sit on Galinda's bed, one-foot tucked underneath her.
"Oh," breathed Galinda and quickly joined her on the bed. "What is it? Are you leaving, too? Oh my Oz, Elphie, don't tell me you've caught that crazy infection-"
Elphaba shook her head. "No, it's nothing like that. It's about…"
She took a deep breath. "Do you remember when Aurelion left, and you said I might have fallen in love with him?"
Galinda's eyes widened. "I was right, wasn't I? Oh, Elphie, how cute."
"No, Galinda, wait a second," Elphaba stroked over her forehead in desperation. "I said I wasn't, didn't I? Because now, I might be able to explain how I know."
The blonde straightened up beside her.
Elphaba swallowed hard. "The-There's something going on between… Fiyero and me."
Galinda sucked in a sharp gasp, hands flying to her mouth. "Oh, Elphie."
The green girl closed her eyes for a second. "When he came here tonight… he kissed me and-"
"Oh, Elphie!" squealed Galinda.
She pulled Elphaba in a tight hug. "Oh, Elphie, how sweet."
Elphaba knit her brows. "Sweet? I thought you'd be angry."
"Angry?" Galinda asked with a furrowed brow. "Why in the world would I be angry, Elphie? Because we were a couple back then? No, no. I told you; it was insignificant. This is significant. Oh, Elphie, I'm so happy for you."
She hugged her again and slowly, a smile formed on Elphaba's lips.
"Isn't it strange?" she mused. "Everyone thought you were perfect together. And now you think it was insignificant and Fiyero kisses your best friend. Me of all people. Can you believe it?"
Galinda giggled in response.
The cafeteria was nearly deserted when Elphaba and Galinda entered. Elphaba linked arms with the blonde nervously.
"Do you see him?" she asked.
Galinda shook her head. "Nope, I don't. But remember; this is Fiyero we're talking about; he never was an early bird."
She sent her green friend an amused grin. "Are you losing your nerves now? Who would've guessed?"
Elphaba curled her lips, picking up a nectarine when they passed the morning buffet. "I'm not losing anything, Galinda. I'm just… uh, you got me."
She fell into an empty seat with a huff. "I might be a little nervous."
"A little?" Galinda challenged and sat down to her opposite.
Elphaba had to suppress the urge to hit the blonde with her nectarine.
"You would be nervous too if you were me," she said sternly. "You've had years and years of practice -I haven't."
The blonde blushed a vague shade of pink. "Years and years of practice… now you're exaggerating, Elphie."
Elphaba arched an eyebrow. "Am I? Didn't you tell me about this one boy that tried to kiss you in kindergarten?"
Galinda's blush increased.
"Stop it, Elphie," she whined, and Elphaba couldn't help but laugh.
"There he is," the blonde suddenly gasped, and her eyes followed something behind Elphaba's back.
"No," Galinda urged her as she turned her head. "Don't watch, Elphie. That's too obvious."
She leant back, spooning her yoghurt whilst her eyes continued wandering. "You don't want to seem desperate -that's the last thing you should want. …Now, now he's approaching. Don't turn around, Elphie!"
She kicked Elphaba in the shin, and the green girl almost jumped.
"I'm not," Elphaba hissed. "And the only one obvious around here is you."
Galinda waved a hand. "I know the rules. You said it yourself; Years and years of practice."
Elphaba couldn't contain a snort. "Oh, now you're admitting it?"
"Admitting what?" sounded Fiyero's voice from right behind her.
"He's here," whispered Galinda and Elphaba raised both eyebrows.
"I know that," she said with a roll of her eyes and turned around as calmly as she managed to.
Fiyero had his hands stuffed into the pockets of his trousers, and his sandy blond hair was slightly tousled as though he'd just woken up.
Elphaba felt her heart pick up the pace.
"Morning, Glin," he grinned, turning to Elphaba. "Morning, Fae."
Elphaba couldn't help but smile back. "Good morning."
He seemed so confident, so at ease with himself. Not like Elphaba, who felt she could die every second from excitement.
"Would you mind if I sat with you?" he asked, and before Elphaba could even open her mouth, Galinda had already offered him a chair.
"I was thinking…" Fiyero started slowly when he'd sat down next to Elphaba, who felt her throat tighten. "That we could, you know, go out or something."
Elphaba's eyes widened.
"Only if you want to, of course," he added hurriedly. "If you don't want to… you know… if you changed your mind…"
Galinda clapped in her hands with a squeal. "She hasn't. She wants to."
"Excuse me?" Elphaba blurted, her cheeks darkening in a blush.
She tried to kick Galinda in the shin, but the blonde pulled back and was out of reach. Then she turned around again.
"I…" her heart was pounding like mad, but she managed a smile anyway. "I'd love to. Go out with you, that is."
Galinda didn't even try to suppress the squeal fleeing her throat. Fiyero smiled.
"Great. That's—great," he said, stroking through his hair. "How about tonight? I'll pick you up around six o'clock, and we could have dinner."
"Around six o'clock?" Galinda exclaimed. "No, not around, Fiyero. Your 'around' means two hours before or after six o'clock and everything in between. At six. You'll pick her up at six o'clock straight."
This time Elphaba hit her shin with full force.
"Would you just shut up for a second?" she hissed, and Galinda curled her lips in a pout.
"Six o'clock is fine," Elphaba told Fiyero with a smile. "Where are we going to have dinner?"
The prince shrugged. "I don't know yet. But I'll figure something out."
He stood up and turned around, ready to leave.
"Wait," Galinda exclaimed. "What about dressing up? What to wear?"
Fiyero knit his brows faintly. "I wouldn't know, I'm no fashion expert. But since you are, you'll surely find something."
He winked at Elphaba and Elphaba blushed and off he went.
"Don't think for a second," the green girl said, turning to her blonde friend. "That I'm going to let you dress me up."
Almost six hours later, Elphaba entered the dorm room and sighed in such an exhausted manner that Galinda ordered her almost immediately to take her time in the bathtub. It all belonged to the ritual before a date, the blonde insisted, and Elphaba was too tired to argue with her.
She spent an hour dozing away in the hot water, indulging in her own thoughts and day-dreaming about what was to come before she heard Galinda knock at the door, telling her to "Hurry up, Elphie. There's not much time."
"Where do you keep your underwear, Elphie?" the blonde's voice sounded and Elphaba's head whipped up.
"Galinda!" she exclaimed horrified, and her fingers did quick work of disentangling her hair.
"What?" Galinda said. "It must match the dress."
Elphaba's brows knit. "No, it doesn't. He won't get to see my underwear, for Oz's sake."
"Who knows?"
"Galinda!"
Never in her life had Elphaba gotten dressed so fast. She shoved open the bathroom door in nothing but her underwear and marched up to the blonde crouching down before her open wardrobe.
"Stop it," she said in a voice that brooked no dissent. "Galinda, the colour of my underwear doesn't matter. Not in the least."
The blonde turned around, tilting her head. "Well, I guess black will do too."
She poked Elphaba's shoulder as she passed her. "You're so stubborn sometimes."
"Now," she stated, clapping her hands in excitement. "The dress. Elphie, pull it on."
The green girl rolled her eyes. "I already pulled it on when we bought it today, no need to hurry."
But Galinda shook her head vehemently. "Yes, there is. We've only got an hour and a half left to do your makeup and hair."
"Makeup?" repeated Elphaba. "I can't remember agreeing on makeup."
"Oh, but you did," Galinda waved a hand.
She passed Elphaba the dress so she could pull it on.
It was the one Galinda had fussed about when Elphaba, Fiyero and she had been in the city. A dress in dark purple -wine as Galinda insisted- chiffon with a lace bodice and a jewelled neckline –which was really in at the moment, according to Galinda. It reached far below her knees, ending a good seven inches above her ankles.
Galinda had even persuaded her to buy the matching shoes, and Elphaba was already horrified if she thought of walking around in those high-heeled slippers. Although Galinda said they had a rather low heel.
The blonde tilted her head to one side, hands folded before her face as she let her eyes wander up and down Elphaba's body. Elphaba wrung her hands in something close to embarrassment.
"Now; hair and makeup," Galinda grinned broadly, pulling the green girl into the bathroom.
When a loud knock sounded through the room a good hour later, Elphaba found her heart pounding so hard and so fast that it couldn't possibly be healthy.
"Wait a second," cried Galinda, fixing a strand of hair on Elphaba's head with a hairpin.
The blonde stepped back to look at her friend.
"Oh Elphie," she breathed, smiling. "You look beautiful."
She howled her up and pulled her into a hug.
Elphaba smiled. "Thank you, Galinda."
The knock on the door made both of them flinch.
"Uh, sorry, Fiyero," Galinda giggled and quickly crossed the room to open the door.
There was a moment of absolute silence when Elphaba's and Fiyero's eyes locked. Of course, she could've been mistaken, but Elphaba could swear she saw his mouth fall open for just a split second.
She wrung her hands, stepping closer, almost hesitantly.
"Now that's just… I mean…" stammered Fiyero wide-eyed. "Wow."
Elphaba smiled. "Hi."
"Hi."
For another second, they just stood there in silence, then Fiyero offered her his arm. "Let's go?"
She nodded. "Let's go."
Elphaba turned around to see Galinda give her a thumbs-up and she rolled her eyes.
"Have fun," Galinda squealed, and Fiyero grinned.
They walked in silence at first as though they both had to accustom themselves to the feeling of the other one so close beside them. Elphaba could say that it was what she did for sure. With the heels, she had the perfect height to rest her arm on Fiyero's; she could even let him support her a little bit on their way downstairs.
"You look beautiful, Fae," Fiyero broke the silence and Elphaba could feel herself blush.
"Thank you," she said and, taking a deep breath, she added, "You don't look that bad yourself."
He snorted, his breath stroking across the crown of her head.
"So…" Elphaba started. "Where are we going to have dinner?"
Fiyero cocked his head.
"I didn't know you were of the impatient kind," he wiggled his brows at her, and she laughed.
"I'm not," she said. "Or maybe I am, but I'm good at hiding that."
She shifted closer to his side as they walked and Fiyero squeezed her arm gently.
"I've booked a table at the Lively. They're really nice people," he explained, leading her down the street. "And they make the best pancakes. You should try them."
Elphaba arched an eyebrow at him. "For dinner?"
"Oh, yes," Fiyero nodded. "In my opinion, pancakes are something that can be served at any time of day. Just imagine; pancakes as a midnight-snack…"
The green girl laughed. "If you say so."
It turned out that he was right; pancakes could indeed be served at any time of day, and the pancakes at Lively really were the best Elphaba had ever eaten.
The dark-haired waiter didn't even blink when Fiyero ordered pancakes for both of them -with maple syrup of course- and he also didn't say anything about Elphaba's odd skin colour.
"Why did you pick the Lively for dinner?" asked Elphaba when they both had their plates before them.
Fiyero grinned. "Just look around."
And Elphaba did.
The walls were wooden, and there were thick posts in the middle of the room, separating one part of the restaurant from the other. But it certainly wasn't what Fiyero was talking about.
"The Animals," Elphaba whispered, turning to Fiyero. "You picked it because they allow Animals to eat here."
Her breath hitched in affection, and she put down her fork and knife.
"Yes," Fiyero nodded. "I knew how outraged you are about the Animals being stripped off their rights -I was there, after all, the day of Doctor Dillamond's removal- and I thought it would be nice if we came here, where the effect of all that is out of reach."
Elphaba smiled. "It's wonderful, Fiyero."
She picked up her cutlery again. "Have you heard anything new of the Lion Cub?"
Fiyero tilted his head. "I have. My cousin sent me a letter saying that the Lion is alright with them. They have found an old woman that takes in tracked Animals. She already had another Lion to look after."
The green girl closed her eyes for a second, sighing happily.
"That's so good to hear," she stated quietly. "I could never have forgiven myself had something gone wrong."
"They named him Brrr because he's always afraid."
Elphaba couldn't help but laugh.
"Brrr?" she said, almost gasping for air. "Who in Oz would get the idea to name someone Brrr?"
Fiyero shrugged, grinning. "My cousin, I guess. He's always been that way… joking and pranking. Whenever we met, the whole household was on alarm; we were up to no good."
Elphaba smiled and tilted her head to one side. "Tell me something about your family. About life in the Vinkus."
She sipped on her drink and waited for him to sort his thoughts.
"Well," began Fiyero. "I grew up at Kiamo Ko, one of my family's castles-"
"One of your family's castles?" Elphaba burst. "Why would you have more than one castle?"
Fiyero shrugged with a grin. "How could I know?"
He folded his hands and rested his chin on his knuckles. "Anyway, I grew up at Kiamo Ko with my mother and father and two younger brothers. I remember that when I was rather young, my mother wouldn't have that much time for me because there was some disruption in the outer parts of the Vinkus they had to fight. But then everything settled down, and my two brothers were born, and now they're driving everyone crazy because they want to prove my parents, they can be worse than me."
Elphaba chuckled.
"But they can't, really. I'm still feeling terrible for how much trouble I caused my parents; especially my mother. She's the most patient person there is, and I absolutely exploited that. When I was fourteen or fifteen, my cousin and I decided we would go to the theatre and become actors. We would rehearse a play and then present it in the parlour for our parents and our servants… They always found it hilarious, I think."
Elphaba couldn't help but notice how his eyes glowed when he spoke about his family, how the smile on his lips became more and more prominent. She could lose herself forever at the sight of his deep blue eyes, displaying everything he felt.
"But you couldn't continue acting, right?" she asked. "Because you're the heir to the throne."
Fiyero nodded. "Exactly. I think when I realised that, I first began with the 'Dancing Through Life' thing. I just wanted to escape that… planned-out future."
The green girl tilted her head to one side. "You could decline the throne, though, couldn't you?"
He shook his head. "No, I couldn't. Or maybe I could, but I wouldn't want to put my brother through the same crap I've been through. And my parents have had a hard enough time with me rebelling; they don't need another episode of that."
Elphaba smiled gently. She would never have thought him to be so very selfless. But he seemed to love his family very deeply and unconditionally, and Elphaba felt her heart warm with a feeling she couldn't quite describe.
"Should we go back?" Fiyero asked quietly, ripping her from her thoughts, gesturing at the clock on the wall.
Three and a half hours had passed in a blur, and Elphaba nodded.
Fiyero asked for the bill and insisted on paying both his and Elphaba's dinner. He helped her into her coat, his fingers brushing her shoulder, making shivers run down her spine. He didn't offer her his arm this time and instead, took her hand in his, intertwining his fingers with hers.
Elphaba felt her heart would burst at any moment.
"Did you enjoy it?" Fiyero asked as they made their way back to the university.
"I did," Elphaba felt him squeeze her hand. "Very much so."
She shifted closer to him, sighing when she felt the warmth of his body right beside her.
"And I think I've never in my life eaten such good pancakes."
Fiyero laughed.
"I'm glad you liked it," he said quietly.
"I loved it."
Their eyes met, and she could see his smile in them.
"And I… I think I'd love it even more if we did this again, sometimes," Elphaba returned his smile, hoping it was as warm as his.
"I'd be honoured," Fiyero declared, and she laughed.
They stopped in front of the entrance of the dormitory building.
"Do you want me to walk you upstairs?" he asked.
Elphaba shook her head, smiling. "I think I can manage a few stairs on my own. Even in those shoes."
Neither of them let go of the other one's hand; they just stood there in silence for a few seconds, both staring into the dark of the night.
"You really looked breath-taking tonight, Fae," Fiyero said quietly, squeezing her hand. "I mean… You always look beautiful but this…"
He gestured at her dress and hair, and she blushed.
"I was gobsmacked earlier when I saw you."
His thumb was drawing circles on the back of her hand.
"I would never have dreamt that you could want… this," Elphaba whispered. "Us."
Fiyero turned and now stood right in front of her.
"But I do," he said. "I want it very much, Fae."
His free hand cupped her cheek, and his breath stroked over her nose.
"How can it be," whispered Elphaba, her voice shaking ever so slightly. "That you're the same man that placed a bet on how long it would take until he'd be expelled?"
Fiyero smiled. "I told you; I've matured."
"You're mental," she laughed, but only slightly so.
"So be it."
He leant in, nose brushing nose, and closed her lips with his, swallowing the light chuckle that had fled her lips.
Elphaba sank against him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She could feel her heartbeat against her ribcage and couldn't help but wonder if he could feel it too.
The warmth of his body lined up with hers, the feeling of his lips on hers… something close to dizziness was on the brink of overtaking her mind.
They broke away, gasping for air, forehead leaning against forehead. Fiyero tucked a strand of black hair behind her ear.
"Good night, Fae," he smiled broadly and leant down to kiss her again.
He turned around and strode down the path into the night.
"Good night, Fiyero."