First day of college yesterday went very well. I'm super exhausted, but also super ready for this year.
NellytheActress: They're might be more than 5 more chapters. Might… And yes. My roommate and I are getting along very nicely.
heatqueen: Thank you so much! I'm glad you're enjoying the story!
"Fiyero?"
The prince looked up and saw the younger Thropp wheeling over to him. He gulped down the lump of fear in his throat, for even though he had forgiven Nessa, he was still a bit afraid of her due to their previous encounters. "Hi, Nessa," he said, trying not to sound as afraid as he felt.
"Is anyone sitting there?" she asked, nodding to an empty seat across the table from him.
"No," he said as he got up and moved the chair so Nessa could wheel into the vacant spot.
"Are you busy?"
"No," Fiyero said as he closed his book. He had only been studying in the library for fifteen minutes, and he was just about to take his "well-deserved" break.
"Can I… talk to you?"
The prince quickly realized that Nessa wasn't about to chew his head off for something and nodded.
"First…" The brunette took a deep breath. "I owe you an apology. I know that it was really petty and selfish and… wrong for me to send that letter to you."
It was, the prince thought, but wisely decided not to bait the wheelchair-bound girl. "It's okay," was what he decided on saying instead.
"It wasn't okay. I really hurt Fabala, and I really hurt you, as well."
"I know. You were only worried about your sister."
"I know this isn't an explanation or even a good excuse, but… I felt that… ever since Elphaba began spending time with you, her condition seemed to get… worse."
Fiyero blinked at the brunette.
"And I'm not blaming you," Nessa added quickly. "It was probably just me being paranoid, as usual."
"You're not paranoid, Nessa," Fiyero quickly reassured the younger Thropp. "You have every right to be worried about your sister."
Nessa looked up at him and sighed deeply before continuing. "I didn't tell Fabala this, but when she was in the hospital over Lurlinemas break, the doctors told Father that they didn't think she was going to make it this time. I was so worried that I didn't leave her side for hours after that. Even after visiting hours were over, I still refused to leave. When she finally woke up, I was so overjoyed and relieved, but then when she asked if I had mailed her letter to you…"
"You got angry with me," Fiyero finished.
Nessa looked down. "I know that it was very foolish of me and –"
"I understand."
"I'm so sorry, Fiyero, about everything."
The prince sighed. "I know. I'm sorry I made you feel that way, Nessa."
"You don't have to apologize. None of this was your doing. Fabala has her own life that she wants to live, and doesn't need or want me holding her back."
"But that doesn't mean that she doesn't need you," Fiyero said softly.
"And I still need her."
"I know."
Nessa paused for a while. "Can I ask you something?"
"Anything."
"Why are you being so nice to me?"
"What do you mean?"
"After all I've done to you and Fabala, you're still being nice to me. Elphaba practically ignored me for almost two months, but you're being so… nice and… easily forgiving."
The prince smiled softly. "I don't want to come in between you and your sister, Nessa, but I do love Elphaba, and she loves me."
"I know you do, and I know she does, as well."
"I don't dislike you, and I don't want to, either."
"I… don't dislike you, either, I suppose. At least… not anymore."
"That's good to hear. And I know Elphaba appreciates your efforts to keep her safe, but…"
"She doesn't need me to anymore," Nessa finished for him. "She wants to be my big sister, and honestly, I want her to be my big sister, too. But I don't want her doing it at her own expense."
"I've learned that Elphaba can be a bit… irrational at times when it comes to her health," Fiyero said with a slight chuckle.
To his surprise, Nessa smiled back. "You haven't seen the half of it. She thinks she's invincible."
The prince smiled, then sobered. "When she had that horrible attack at the ballet, I wasn't just worried about her. I was also worried about you and how you would take it if the outcome had been different."
"You were thinking about… me?" Nessa asked, surprised.
Fiyero nodded. "Of course I was. You're Elphaba's family. You matter more to her than anything else in the world."
"She matters most to me, too. She's not only my sister… she's my best friend. She's taken care of me my whole life, and when I try to take care of her, it doesn't always go the way I planned. I just… I don't know what I would do without her. Over break, it was hard to get used to waking up and not having her there. It felt… weird. I don't know what I would do if I had to wake up alone… forever."
"I wanted to invite you to come with us, but –"
"I understand. Elphaba was still mad at me. I probably would have made the trip worse for her. She was telling me about it, and I'm glad that she had fun. She deserves a bit of fun after everything she's been through. And she… she deserves you, Fiyero."
The prince smiled. "Thank you, Nessa."
The brunette smiled and wheeled away, leaving Fiyero to fully process what just happened.
"I think you look great."
"I look ridiculous."
"Elphie, you look beautiful."
"I feel like I'm naked."
"You are most certainly not naked! That dress looks wonderful on you."
Elphaba sighed as she looked at herself in the mirror. It was her nineteenth birthday and Fiyero had insisted on taking her out to dinner. She had told them that she didn't want anything big for her birthday, and after the warning look Nessa gave them, they conceded to her wishes. But Fiyero still wanted to do something special for her.
"Let me take you to dinner," Fiyero had said as he walked her back to her dorm one evening.
Elphaba stopped and blinked. "What?"
"Let me take you out to dinner for your birthday."
"Why?"
"Because I think that it would be very nice and romantic."
"Yero, we have finals."
"The last final is May fourteenth, the day before your birthday. And we don't leave until the sixteenth. It works out perfectly."
Elphaba had sighed, but eventually agreed to let Fiyero take her out, if only to appease him. A week later, she had asked him where he was taking her, and her jaw nearly dropped to the ground when he told her.
"Fiyero, The Emerald Oasis is one of the most expensive restaurants in Shiz!" the green girl had protested. "And it's a five-star restaurant!"
"Maybe that's why it's so expensive," Fiyero chuckled, but Elphaba wasn't amused.
"We can't go there!"
"Why not?"
"Because… because we just can't!"
"I need a better answer than that."
Elphaba, of course, didn't have one, so Fiyero simply kissed her cheek and walked off, leaving the green girl to ponder what she had gotten into. When she had told her best friend, the blonde had squealed and insisted on taking her shopping. Needless to say, the shopping trip went less than smoothly, with Elphaba protesting and complaining about everything the blonde gave her, until she finally (finally!) settled on an off-the-shoulder black dress with short sleeves and a flowing skirt, which stopped at her ankles, but the lace over it brushed against the floor.
"It's simple, but not too simple, yet elegant. It's perfect for you, Elphie," the blonde had said as they had walked out of the boutique.
So now, here she was, the evening of her nineteenth birthday, looking at herself in the black dress Galinda had taken her shopping for. Galinda had curled her hair and let her borrow one of her diamond headbands. She talked Galinda out of giving her a full makeover and settle for just giving her eye shadow, a bit of blush, and lip gloss. The green girl had to admit, once she really looked at herself, she did look pretty. She would look even prettier if she wasn't green, but she pushed that thought aside. She was going with Fiyero to a nice restaurant for her birthday. She nervously fingered her bracelet and sighed.
"I wonder who that could be," Galinda said, pretending to think after someone knocked on the door.
Elphaba rolled her eyes and moved to answer it, but Galinda beat her to it.
"Oh, Fifi, what a surprise. We weren't expecting you," the blonde giggled.
The prince, dressed in a nice dress suit with a white shirt, royal blue jacket, with matching pants and shoes, smiled. "Hey, Glin. Is Fae ready yet?"
"I am," Elphaba said as she stepped into the prince's line of vision.
Fiyero's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. Elphaba looked stunning. He quickly regained himself and stepped inside. "You look beautiful, Fae."
Elphaba blushed. "Thank you. You look handsome."
The prince gently pulled Elphaba into a kiss, but frowned slightly. "Are you wearing lip gloss?"
"Blame Galinda," Elphaba said, throwing her roommate a look over her shoulder.
"Have fun!" the blonde giggled as she shooed the two out of the room.
Elphaba rolled her eyes, but took Fiyero's arm and allowed him to lead her out of Crage Hall and to their waiting carriage.
"Wow," Elphaba gasped when she saw the golden carriage waiting to take them to the restaurant.
"Only the best for the birthday girl," the prince chuckled as he helped her inside.
Once they were both in, the carriage took off, leaving Shiz University behind. The couple made small talk, which led to kissing, which led to a mini make-out session. Elphaba finally pulled away, saying that Galinda would kill her if her makeup got messed up before they even ate. The prince pouted, but smiled softly and said that she still looked beautiful, regardless if she was wearing makeup or not.
Finally, the carriage stopped and Fiyero opened the door. He assisted Elphaba down and thanked the driver before telling him to pick them up in around two hours. Arm in arm, the two walked into the restaurant.
"Welcome to the Emerald Oasis," the maître d' said as he smiled at Fiyero, but his smile faltered when he saw Elphaba.
"Hello. We have reservations for Tigulaar," Fiyero said, squeezing Elphaba's hand.
The maître d' checked the list and nodded, grabbed two menus and led Elphaba and Fiyero to their table. "Enjoy," he said, placing the menus down.
Fiyero pulled out Elphaba's chair for her and Elphaba rolled her eyes, but sat down and looked at her menu.
"Everything is so expensive," Elphaba said as Fiyero sat across from her and looked through his menu.
"And I want you to order whatever you want. I'll take care of the expensiveness," Fiyero said sternly, leaving no room for arguments.
Elphaba briefly looked up at him, but then returned to her menu. A waiter came to fill their water glasses and take their orders. Fiyero ordered the medium rare steak with peas and mashed potatoes, while Elphaba ordered the grilled fish with broccoli and a salad. The waiter nodded, took their menus and stole one last glance at Elphaba before hurrying away.
"Yero… people are staring," Elphaba whispered self-consciously.
"Ignore them. Tonight isn't about them. It's about you," Fiyero said as he took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
Elphaba gave him a small smile back and they made small talk until their food came. They ate in relative silence, the only sound being their silverware against the plates.
"Was everything to your liking?" the waiter asked when he returned to collect the plates.
"It was, thank you. And may I have a two slices of your double fudge chocolate cake and two glasses of Pertha Hills red wine?" Fiyero asked when the waiter returned to take their plates.
"Of course," the waiter said, taking the plates away and returning with the wine, then with the dessert.
Fiyero held up his glass and waited for Elphaba to do the same. "To us."
Elphaba rolled her eyes, but smiled as they clicked their glasses together. "To us."
They sipped the wine and ate the cake, although Elphaba only ate half of her slice, and Fiyero finished it for her. When the waiter came back with the bill, Fiyero refused to let his girlfriend see it as he took out his wallet.
"Fae, I told you that I would take care of this," he said as he took out a few bills.
"Fiyero –"
"No protesting. It's your birthday and I invited you out. I'm paying for this."
"At least let me see how much it is."
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because I told you not to worry about it. I'm paying, so that means only I get to see how much it is."
Elphaba realized that she wasn't going to win and sighed. Fiyero paid for their meals and tipped the waiter before helping her up.
"Thank you for tonight, Yero. I had a wonderful time," Elphaba said as they rode back to Shiz.
"You're welcome, Fae. I had a nice time, too," Fiyero blushed. "And…"
"Yes?"
"I have something for you," he said as he reached under his seat and pulled out an emerald gift bag.
"Yero… you didn't have to get me anything," the green girl blushed.
"What? You thought the dinner was going to be your only gift? And you've known me for how long, exactly?"
Elphaba took the bag. "Thank you, Yero." She opened it and pulled out a fountain pen with the official Vinkun royal seal on it. A small crown intertwined with a rose was on the tip of the cap. On the side, "Fae and Yero' was inscribed in a neat, green cursive handwriting. "Thank you, Yero," she smiled, leaning over and giving her boyfriend a kiss on the cheek. "I love it."
"I'm glad, Fae," the prince smiled, glad that the green girl liked his gift.
The couple cuddled for a moment and Fiyero felt the green girl shift against him. He felt her relax against him and looked over to see her fast asleep. Chuckling softly, he wrapped his arm around her and kissed her forehead, completely content with having her in his arms.
Elphaba's dress is on my blog. And there's more chilllessness in the next chapter. *Sly smirk*
