AN. To the Guest reviewer- yep, as I mentioned in my Author's Note for chapter 1, this is just like a Hallmark Christmas movie. Fun Fact: there was a time during in the writing process where that was the title: Just Like in Those Lurlinemas Movies. But I wanted to bring it back to the autocorrect idea.

Chapter 5

As she'd said to Fiyero, Elphaba had only told Galinda that she was going to the Vinkus with Fiyero for the holidays. Galinda had assumed that Fiyero, much like she herself, had invited Elphaba so that she wouldn't be alone for Lurlinemas, and Elphaba hadn't corrected her. She had a very good reason for not telling Galinda about the favour Fiyero had asked of her, and after meeting Julyan, she completely stood by that reason. But sometimes she just really needed to talk to her best friend. And after a mere six hours in the Vinkus with Fiyero's family, Elphaba had reached that point. Fiyero had shot her an understanding smile when she'd excused herself after dinner to "check in back home" even though he didn't really understand. He couldn't. But Galinda would.

"Hi!" Galinda greeted her brightly upon answering. "How's the Vinkus?"

"It's beautiful," Elphaba replied, settling onto the bed. "I haven't seen much, but I already love it. Fiyero's grandmother's house is amazing. You'd love it."

"Send me pictures," Galinda ordered.

"I'll try," Elphaba promised. "How are you? I'm not interrupting anything, am I? I couldn't remember when you're seeing Boq's family."

"Not until Lurlinemas Day when we go for lunch," Galinda replied. "It's just us until then, and then Momsie and Popsicle come down on the twenty-ninth and stay until the third, I think."

"Right. That's when I'll be back too."

Galinda paused. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"You don't sound fine," Galinda said bluntly and Elphaba laughed, then sighed.

"Fiyero's family is all really nice so far," she said quietly. "I've only met his parents and his grandmother, but they're all really… nice."

"Okay…" Galinda said slowly. "Elphie. Sweetie. You know that's a good thing, right?"

Tears pricked at the corner of Elphaba's eyes and she blinked them back resolutely.

"Yeah, I know."

"So when you say they're nice, do you mean they're decent people or that they haven't been rude about your skin?" Galinda asked rather directly, and Elphaba laughed faintly.

"Both," she replied, although it was more than that.

It was how happy they were to see Fiyero home, how welcoming they were to Elphaba and how unabashedly thrillified they seemed to be that, at least to their eyes, Fiyero was happy with someone. Elphaba had never had any of that, and it was now she truly understood why Fiyero had lied to his mother about being single.

"I just didn't really expect it," Elphaba said. "This, I mean. Feeling like this."

Galinda paused for a moment. "The holidays are hard," she said carefully. "And you've seen a lot of unhappy families… for work."

"For work," Elphaba agreed, although they both knew it was more than that.

She cleared her throat. "Anyway, Fiyero reassures me that his aunt can be somewhat difficult, so I won't get too disillusioned about healthy family relationships, I'm sure."

Galinda huffed slightly. "It wouldn't be the holidays without some family drama, I'm sure," she agreed. "Boq wants to have a drink every time his mother hints about how wonderful it would be if there was a baby with us for next year's Lurlinemas. Honestly, I'm tempted."

Elphaba snorted. "I've never seen you drink more than two glasses of anything alcoholic. I would pay good money to witness you taking part in a drinking game."

Galinda giggled. "If Emese keeps hinting about grandchildren, that may be what tips me over the edge. But hey- call me if you need me, alright? Or text."

"I will," Elphaba promised obediently.

"Just… try and enjoy it. I'd like you to have at least one happy Lurlinemas memory," Galinda said solemnly.

Elphaba's heart warmed. "I'll try," she promised again.

Promise secured, Galinda's voice brightened. "You never know, it could inspire some Lurlinemas spirit in you!"

Elphaba wrinkled her nose. "Seems doubtful."

After ending the call, Elphaba looked around the room, eyeing the bed warily. She hadn't shared a room with anyone since Galinda in their Shiz days. She hadn't shared a bed with anyone since she and Nessa were children, in the days when Nessa was afraid to sleep because of the monsters she feared were under the bed. Elphaba had envied her sister. She knew the real monsters weren't under the bed, they were in the house. Only they weren't after Nessarose.

Sighing, Elphaba got to her feet and headed for the door. She wasn't going to be think about this until she had to. Instead, she returned downstairs and rejoined everyone in the living room, resuming her seat next to Fiyero on the couch. His arm settled onto the back of the couch behind her, and Elphaba had to remind herself not to startle as his fingers nonchalantly rested against her shoulder.

They were supposedly dating, she reminded herself. Casual affection was not a big deal, and it was just a hand on her shoulder. He wasn't groping her or anything. It was no big deal. Normal.

Elphaba forced herself to sink back against the cushions and relax her shoulders beneath Fiyero's fingers as the conversation washed over her. Over dinner they'd covered the expected topics- where she was from, her family, her work, etc. It hadn't been an interrogation exactly, but Elphaba had been relieved when Julyan had jumped on her mention that her best friend was the Galinda Upland. Apparently Julyan was a big fan of Galinda's, and he'd been aghast that Fiyero had never mentioned the connection before.

"I love her VidPortvideos," he gushed to Elphaba. "She did this video a few months ago, about how to create a seating plan for a dinner party with the best flow, and it totally saved me when I had to host this thing for work."

"Is VidPort the app with all the videos?" Odede asked Fiyero. "I get so confusified with all these websites. VidPort, and Timer. What's that other one- Ouch?"

"I think that's Oomph, Odie," Ibrahim said with a chuckle.

"And it's Timely, not Timer," Fiyero corrected her. "It's like a digital scrapbook."

Odede waved a hand at him. "Yes, Kastle set Isibeal and I up with an account each," she said. "So we can see photos of the great-grandchildren. What in Oz's name is the point of Oomph?"

"It's to share your thoughts," Julyan volunteered. "Musings, you know. You mooze things. That was the original name, but with a double 'O' instead of a 'U'. Which I think was cute- Moosings is better than Oomph. But then everyone started calling it 'oomph' so they changed it in the early days."

"Why?"

"Omphaloskepsis," Elphaba offered. "Like 'navel-gazing'. But then someone decided 'oomph' was easier to say."

"It is funnier," Fiyero replied and she rolled her eyes.

"So, what in Oz's name do you talk about on Oomph?" Odede asked Julyan.

Julyan grinned. "Well, last weekend I live-Moozed this Quillark movie I was watching- My Lurlinemas Date. It's fantastic. This woman, Kareh, she's a single mom and her son makes a wish in a letter to Lurline that she gets a date for this Lurlinemas festival in town. The kid's teacher finds the letter and she decides to ask Kareh to the festival. And it's supposed to be fake, but then they get snowed in and end up falling in love. And it's so gorgeous."

Beside her, Fiyero mumbled something Elphaba couldn't make out, but she was fairly sure was some kind of insult to Julyan. She placed a hand on his knee and squeezed it gently, only to startle when his grandmother turned to her.

"So, Elphaba," Odede said, and Elphaba inwardly braced herself.

Her "relationship" with Fiyero hadn't been questioned too deeply yet, and Elphaba figured that was coming now.

"Do you have any Lurlinemas traditions?" Odede asked instead.

Elphaba blinked in surprise. "Lurlinemas traditions?" she repeated.

"Anything special you usually do with your family?" Odede clarified. "We don't want you to miss out just because you're here with us."

Elphaba faltered, her eyes flickering to Fiyero briefly.

"Thank you," she said awkwardly. "But I… there's nothing really."

Kasmira's brow creased slightly. "You're sure?" she pressed gently. "Nothing you usually eat or watch? We're more than happy to do it."

Elphaba shook her head. "Really, there's nothing. The holidays aren't really a big deal," she said simply.

Fiyero's grip tightened fractionally on her shoulder for just a moment. "What about your cookies?" he asked her, his tone light.

Elphaba took the lifeline for what it was, relaxing further beneath his grip even as she rolled her eyes.

"That's not a tradition. You just want me to bake cookies."

"Well, yeah. I don't think I've been very subtle about that," he grinned at her. "Elphaba makes really awesome chocolate chip cookies," he explained to his family.

Ibrahim snorted, his eyes twinkling as he looked at his son in the same way Fiyero's eyes did when affectionately teasing. For the dozenth time since being introduced to Ibrahim Tiggular, Elphaba inwardly marvelled at the resemblance between father and son.

"Subtlety has never been your strong suit, Yero," he said. "Although I must say Elphaba, if you do happen to feel like baking cookies in the next few days, you're most welcome to."

Elphaba chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind," she replied.

Julyan raised a hand. "I like blueberry muffins," he volunteered.

Fiyero rolled his eyes. "Your boyfriend is a chef," he reminded him. "Get Seeley to make you muffins."

"You know, he's a great cook but his baking is actually awful," Julyan mused. "Is that weird?"

"I think I'm a much better baker than I am a cook," Elphaba said. "Not that I'm about to open a bakery any time soon, but I don't think it's weird to be better at one than the other."

"I'm going to need samples of your baked goods to verify this," Julyan replied. "You know, like a batch of blueberry muffins."

Elphaba laughed lightly.

"How is Seeley?" Kasmira asked Julyan, ignoring the question of Seeley's baking skills. "Is he working tonight?"

Julyan waved a hand. "Oh no. He's at his mother's tonight for Lurlinemas festivations, because we're spending the holidays with my parents."

"Shouldn't you be there too?" Ibrahim asked.

"Seeley doesn't want to be there, so he certainly wasn't going to make me attend," Julyan laughed. "Things are still a little tense after last month."

"What happened last month?" Odede asked, clearly anticipating a juicy story here.

"Vann, his brother? He announced that he and his girlfriend are having a baby," Julyan explained.

"Oh, how thrillifying!" Kasmira exclaimed. "The first grandchild?"

"Yeah."

"And that's why things are tense?" Fiyero guessed. "His mom's hinting that she wants more?"

Julyan wrinkled his nose. "No…" he said slowly. "I mean, she does. But no. The first thing she said after the announcement was to tell Vann how proud she is of him. And I was like 'yeah, well done on sticking it to your wife at the right time of the month for five seconds'. Which- yeah, that was about his mother's reaction too," he added, as Odede gasped in horror.

Elphaba swallowed back a laugh in an effort to be polite, but Fiyero made no such effort as his mother choked on a sip of tea and Ibrahim stifled a smile behind his hand.

"No wonder things are tense," Fiyero choked out through his laughter.

Julyan shrugged. "Seeley thought I made an excellent point," he said defensively. "Like, maybe be proud of the one who's going to be growing and birthing a human being, you know?"

He turned to Fiyero. "Didn't Kastle do more work than Anton so that Noak could exist?" he demanded.

Fiyero stared at him blankly. "Uh, dude. I'm sure you'll find that as far as everyone in this room is concerned, Noak just appeared on the doorstep one day."

"A miraculous surprise," Ibrahim nodded in agreement.

Kasmira rolled her eyes at her husband and son. "Yero, how do you suppose you and Kastle are here?"

"Same thing," Fiyero replied promptly. "Doorstep. Magic. Anything that doesn't involve my parents touching one another."

Elphaba snorted, attracting Fiyero's attention.

"Your sister has kids," he prodded her. "Am I right?"

"You're utterly ridiculous," Elphaba replied.

"You knew that when you started dating me," Fiyero replied with such ease that Elphaba's breath caught.

"Yeah, Elphaba. You realise you can do better, right?" Julyan swooped in teasingly as any response Elphaba may have said stalled in her throat.

Fiyero shot Julyan a crude gesture, which earned him a swift chiding from his grandmother.

"Sorry, Grams," he replied meekly, as Julyan grinned widely.

Ibrahim turned to Elphaba. "I'm inclined to agree with Julyan, you know. At the very least someone with better manners."

Elphaba shot a glance towards Fiyero, and smiled faintly.

"He has his good points," she said, hoping that was a convincing response.

The way both Fiyero and Kasmira beamed at her suggested it was, and Elphaba's cheeks warmed slightly, feeling rather awkward under everyone's gaze.

"That's a beautiful photo," she commented a little desperately, gesturing to the photo hanging above the mantle. "Where is that?"

Odede beamed, thankfully picking up the change of subject. "It is lovely, isn't it? The photo was a gift from Yero when his grandfather and I festivated our golden wedding anniversary. It's of the Korr bridge- where my Erland proposed to me. It's a very special spot."

"See, this is how you know you're in Fiyero's good books," Julyan informed Elphaba. "When he gives you a photo. Do you have one yet?"

"Uh, no," Elphaba replied, eyeing Fiyero in surprise. A photograph seemed a curious gift to symbolise being in someone's 'good books.'

Julyan clicked his tongue. "Yero. Come on. You've been friends for a year and dating for three months, right? If anyone's in your good books, shouldn't it be your girlfriend?"

Fiyero narrowed his eyes. "Thanks, Jules," he said, through gritted teeth.

Julyan beamed at him in delight.

"Do you get them from a particular studio or something?" Elphaba asked Fiyero. "Or is it just the subject that makes the photos special to the person you're giving it to? Is it from the same place where you got the photos in your apartment?"

Fiyero cleared his throat and ignored Julyan's barely hidden glee.

"Yeah, kinda," he agreed. "Dad, you should tell Elphaba the story about the first Lurlinemas after you and Mom were married."

Ibrahim looked at him pointedly, but obediently launched into the story.

Ironically, as soon as Elphaba was at her most relaxed, it seemed that suddenly Julyan was taking his leave and the family was making moves to head to bed. And Elphaba could do nothing to linger or hesitate as everyone exchanged goodnights, and then suddenly it was just her and Fiyero in the bedroom. With the bed suddenly looking very small.

Fiyero shifted awkwardly as she busied herself getting things together ready for bed.

"El, are you sure about-?"

"Yep," she interrupted, forcing a smile. "It's fine. I'm just going to…" she gestured to the bathroom door, and barely registered Fiyero's acknowledging nod before she made a hasty exit into the ensuite and closed the door behind her, sagging against it with a low sigh.

Despite the fact that she had known Fiyero for a year, and he was probably her closest friend after Galinda, this was all sorts of new ground for them.

It's going to be fine, she told herself sternly. You're both adults, you're friends and it's stupid for either of you to sleep on the floor. Act like a damn adult and don't be weird about this.

By the time she'd changed into her pyjamas, brushed her teeth and returned to the bedroom, Fiyero had also changed into his pyjamas and he flashed her a smile as he passed her to go into the bathroom, whistling quietly.

Elphaba assumed that was his way of trying to make himself appear at ease and was willing to let it slide, until she recognised the tune he was whistling.

"Really?" she demanded, turning back towards the door.

Fiyero flashed her a grin. "'Tis the season, Fae," he teased her as he shut the door.

Elphaba rolled her eyes as he began whistling the carol again. She plugged her phone into the charger and settled herself into bed, the whistling thankfully replaced by the sound of running water, which she could only assume was because even Fiyero couldn't whistle while brushing his teeth.

By the time Fiyero returned, Elphaba was flicking through her librumE library absent-mindedly, searching for anything that might capture her interest.

"It's not going to bother you if I read for a bit, will it?" she asked him, the thought occurring to her rather abruptly. "I just- I need to settle my brain a bit before going to sleep."

Fiyero shook his head, gesturing towards his own phone on the other nightstand.

"Nah, I do the same thing."

Elphaba raised an eyebrow slightly in surprise, considering Fiyero usually described himself as 'not much of a reader'.

"You do?"

"Well, games," he admitted. "Usually."

That sounded more accurate.

"And I can fall asleep with the light on easily," he reassured her, pulling back the covers on the other side of the bed and clambering underneath.

Then he paused, narrowing his eyes at her. "You don't snore, do you?"

Elphaba snorted. "I wouldn't know," she admitted. "You?"

He grinned again. "Depends on who you ask."

Elphaba regarded him blankly. "Meaning?"

Fiyero shrugged. "Corin says so, but he lies."

She rolled her eyes, and returned to her e-reader as Fiyero got himself situated in the bed.

Elphaba barely took in a word of what she was reading, very aware of Fiyero next to her. He, however, seemed completely blasé about it. He occupied himself on his phone for about twenty minutes, yawned and then put it aside as he slid deeper beneath the covers and murmured goodnight to her sleepily.

Elphaba stared at the page of her book unseeingly, listening to Fiyero's breathing even out beside her. She gave up a few minutes later, putting her phone on the nightstand and turning off the lamp, gingerly moving into a more comfortable position to try and sleep. Fiyero didn't stir.

Elphaba let out a breath slowly, rolling onto her back and staring through the dark at the ceiling. She knew exactly the type of comment Galinda would make if she knew what was going on, but suddenly Elphaba could only wonder what Nessa would say of this whole situation. She doubted her sister would approve of Elphaba agreeing to lie- somehow the only lies Nessarose deemed acceptable were the ones that helped their father save face. And she was sure that Nessa would frown upon Elphaba sharing a bed with Fiyero. The image of Nessa's expression was the first time Elphaba had smiled while thinking of her sister in a while.

And somehow it was that mental picture which helped Elphaba finally relax and let sleep claim her.

AN. I've been making little images to go with each chapter that can be seen on my Twitter, Tumblr and Insta. Details on my profile.