Rifiuto: Non Miriena

A/N: Written: 2009. Found: 2018- Licia

Don't you two love each other?

Manek's words rang loud in her head hours later, as she lay in the bed across from Fiyero's. He was sound asleep, but she couldn't seem to get her brain to turn off.

Of course they loved each other, how could someone even ask that question? They'd been together from the time they were eight- okay, technically seven- but still, they'd roomed together for years. They were more like brother and sister than-

She stopped, remembering every kiss, every caress, every heated look shared over the years, every unspoken desire that had bounced between them during practice in the last ten years. The stolen kisses, the whispered promises and gentle touches... all culminating in that night on the ice at the rink back at Shiz.

The night they'd finally consummated their relationship, after ten years of smoldering looks and heated touches.

Sighing in annoyance, she climbed out of bed, going to the desk and pulling out her notebook, flipping to a page. On the nights when she couldn't sleep, she spent the hours writing out song lyrics that she thought up. Fiyero's mother, Sarima, had made sure to cultivate a love of music in both her son and the young Munchkinland girl she and her husband had taken in.

Next to family and Roaring, music was just as important.

She glanced at Fiyero. Could they really run off and get married, like Manek suggested? Sure, that would solve her problem, but there was still the matter of her sister, his parents, their careers and the sponsorships, not the mention the Games themselves. Did the Games even allow married couples to participate?

What a stupid question, of course they do. Iskinaary and Nikidik were married and they competed for years. Not to mention the Figure Skaters, the long-distance runners...

She ran through a list in her head of married couples who had taken part in the Games- both Summer and Winter. So why should it be any different if she and Yero got married?

We'd be the youngest couple on the team- not just the Roaring team, but on the Vinkun team in general. Could we really-

"Fabala?" Fiyero pushed himself up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. "What are you doing up? You should be in bed, we have competition tomorrow."

She set her notebook aside, making her way to his side of the room and climbing beneath the covers. "I couldn't sleep. Nerves."

"I'm sorry." She snuggled into his chest, settling against him as his arms slide around her waist, tucking her head beneath his chin.

"Hey Yero?"

"Hmm?"

She reached up, curling her fingers around one of the buttons on his pajama top. "Could we... do you think... would you marry me?"

His blue eyes snapped open and he pushed himself up, rubbing his face. "I'm sorry, what?"

"I just... Manek suggested something at dinner tonight-"

"I know, I was there."

"So... what do you think? It would solve a small majority of our problems-" She stopped when he rested a finger to her lips.

"Get some sleep, Fabala, we'll talk about it in the morning."

Avaric looked up, searching for his friends, but he saw no flash of green skin or black hair. "Where are they? The tournament starts in ten minutes-"

Suddenly, the doors opened, and the pair in question entered, hands linked, dressed in the dark blue pants and blue and gold shirts of the Vinkun Roaring team, their sliders on. Elphaba's hair was pulled back in a high, smooth ponytail, and she wore a touch of makeup, making her already pretty features even more striking. She smiled at the others as she passed by. "Morning boys. Ready to play?"

"Dude, what's going on?" Avaric asked, stopping Fiyero as he moved to join Elphaba, but the young prince waved it away. "You got here in just the nick of time."

"Don't worry about it, Av. It's not like we were out eloping or anything." And without another word, he moved past to join Elphaba and the rest of his teammates, leaving Avaric stunned.

Glinda slipped into the common room on their floor of Crage, turning on the TV. Elphaba had told her that the Roaring matches started this morning. She settled on the sofa, several bags of cookies and a cup of coffee in her hands. "What are you doing?" Milla came out of her room, upon hearing the noise of the TV.

"Watching Roaring. Want to join?"

"This the game that Elphaba and Fiyero were working on at the ice rink?" The blonde nodded. "Ah, what the hell, I have nothing better to do today." And so the two girls sat back, watching as the various teams took their places. Two hours into the tournament, the Vinkuns were announced to be playing against Munchkinland.

"Look, look! There's Elphaba and Fiyero!"

The camera zoomed in on the Vinkun team, to Fiyero and Elphaba talking about something on the other side of the ice.

"... two youngest members on Vinkun Roaring team, Elphaba Thropp and Fiyero Tigelaar, both only seventeen years of age. You know, I heard Elphaba was born in Munchkinland, but moved to the Vinkus when she as about eight. She grew up playing Roaring and is the youngest Skip in Vinkun Roaring history."

"... she's certainly proven her worth on this team, that's for sure."

The two girls watched as Elphaba set up to throw, dusting the bottom of the rock off before setting it back down. One of her teammates stood on the other end of the rink, making an indication, and after a moment, she nodded, pushing off from the hack. The stone slid from her hand, and she watched as her teammates moved to quickly sweep the ice before it clean. "Off! Off! Yero, off! Never!"

The four others backed away, allowing the stone to curl as it made its way down the rink. Just as it began to curl too far, Fiyero slid over with another teammate to sweep it back towards the button. Several seconds passed, before the rock hit the one closest to the button, knocking it out of the play.

"That's the thing about Elphaba Thropp, she's got a very high distinction in this team- she always throws out the first stone and the last two stones for her team during any match."

"What is this again?"

"I think this is a Mixed Team? Cause Elphaba said there are men's teams, and women's teams, and Mixed Doubles, which is what she and Fiyero do, and then I think she said something about a mixed team, two men and two women, but I could be wrong."

They settled back into silence, watching as the match continued on. "Do you like her? Elphaba?" Gilnda met Milla's gaze, and thought a moment.

"She's nice. Different. Not just her skin color."

"She seems really... reserved."

"I think she had a lot of bad stuff happen to her in her childhood, which is why she's the way she is." Glinda replied, thinking back on that night when Elphaba and Fiyero had fought, and she'd asked her if her dad loved her.