AN. Happy December 25th everyone, for whatever the day means to you.

Chapter 9

When Elphaba opened her eyes the next morning, the sky was bright and she could see flakes drifting through the air through the open curtains that neither one of them had thought to close the night before. Rubbing her eyes sleepily, Elphaba blearily blinked at the clock on the nightstand and felt a flicker of surprise. Seven o'clock.

Elphaba didn't remember the last time that she'd slept through the night. It was before leaving Munchkinland at least. Most nights, if she managed to sleep at all, she woke every few hours. Galinda's theory was that it was because of Elphaba's guilty conscience. Elphaba's theory was that it was because she needed therapy she couldn't afford.

But both nights since arriving in the Vinkus, she'd slept through the night without waking once, which was honestly unnerving. Carefully shifting onto her back, Elphaba turned her head to look at Fiyero, who was sleeping soundly on his stomach, with his face turned in her direction. Elphaba found herself studying his peaceful features for a moment, before she sighed and shifted her gaze to the ceiling while she listened to his even breaths. The rest of the house was quiet, but Elphaba wasn't necessarily surprised by that in a house of this size. It didn't necessarily mean that everyone else was still asleep.

This was Elphaba's second Lurlinemas out of Munchkinland. Away from her family. Last year, if it wasn't for the fact most of the city was shut down, and the "festive" lunch that had been offered to the skeleton staff working in her office for the holiday, Elphaba could have sworn it was just any other day. It had the same vibe as a lazy Sunday afternoon… with added tinsels and baubles. But this year had a different feeling. Elphaba supposed that was only to be expected when you were intruding on another family's holiday traditions- even if you'd been invited. She just had to make it through the day.

Elphaba looked over at Fiyero again, chewing the inside of her cheek thoughtfully. They hadn't talked last night after leaving the Davenport's house. Not in the car, and not when they'd returned to Fiyero's parents' home. Not about the story Elphaba had promised him in the bathroom; or about whether Fiyero's family had believed they were a couple; and most definitely not about the kiss. Not that Elphaba had really wanted to talk about any of it anyway- she had decided Fiyero should know about her father, but that didn't mean she wasn't willing to take any opportunity to procrastinate actually having that conversation. And she didn't think Lurlinemas was the day for that anyway, so hopefully Fiyero would be sufficiently distracted with his family and forget to ask her about it.

With a mental sigh, Elphaba tossed back the covers and made to get out of bed, but she'd barely sat up before an arm snaked around her waist, startling her.

"It's Lurlinemas," Fiyero muttered, his voice thick with sleep. "Where are you going?"

Elphaba tensed instinctively as he pulled her back until her side pressed against his, and his arm remained firmly around her waist, holding her in place.

"I was going to shower-"

"It's Lurlinemas. It's early."

"And that means I can't shower?" Elphaba asked, turning her head towards him and twitching slightly as she realised how close they were now.

"After breakfast. And presents," Fiyero said firmly, his eyes still closed. "It's the rule."

Elphaba bit her bottom lip, her body still tense.

"I'm not good at lying around doing nothing," she admitted.

"I'm shocked."

"Shut up."

"So go back to sleep."

"I'm can't. I'm awake now."

Fiyero heaved a sigh, and with seemingly a great effort, opened his eyes. He didn't seem to react at all to how close they were lying, or his arm around her. As if they'd done this a hundred times before.

"Sleep is fun," he informed her.

"Noted. Can I get up now?"

"Elphaba."

Elphaba couldn't help but smile faintly.

Fiyero yawned widely and finally moved his arm from around Elphaba, running a hand over his face and shifting onto his side to face her properly.

"Happy Lurlinemas, Fae."

Elphaba chuckled. "Happy Lurlinemas. Do you realise you keep calling me that, even when no one is around now?"

Fiyero blinked. "Oh. Right. Do you mind?"

Elphaba shook her head. "Oddly, no. I'm getting used to it."

A phone vibrated and they both moved to reach for their respective phones. There was a text message icon on Elphaba's phone screen, and for a second, she dared to hope. She sat up in bed, her hands trembling slightly as she unlocked the phone and opened the notification.

"It's from Galinda," she said, her heart sinking as she read the message. "Just wishing me a happy Lurlinemas."

Fiyero said nothing as Elphaba typed back a response to Galinda, wishing her and Boq a happy holiday, with a promise to call her the next day. She then dropped her phone to her lap, pulling back her hair into a ponytail and securing it with a hair tie around her wrist, more for something to do than anything else. There was almost a sense of shame burning in her gut, chiding her for daring to hope that Nessa would reach out.

"Are you going to call them?" Fiyero asked quietly.

"I don't know," Elphaba replied, shrugging. She didn't look at him.

Elphaba was sure that her father wouldn't answer if she called. She was prepared to be that he had blocked her number. Nessa was just a question mark. Elphaba had given up trying to call her sister three months ago; after she'd tried for the millionth time when she'd seen the birth announcement for Gunna. The call had gone unanswered, the text message ignored, and the gift returned to sender.

Although Elphaba didn't really care for Lurlinemas, she wasn't sure she could bear another knockback from her sister today.

Fiyero's hand came into her line of sight, slowly moving over to grasp hers lightly.

"Do you want coffee?" he offered, squeezing her hand.

Elphaba smiled weakly. "If I'm not allowed to shower, I suppose coffee is just as good."

Fiyero grinned and released her hand to stumble from the bed, groaning as he headed for the ensuite.

"I'm getting old," he muttered distinctly and Elphaba snorted.

She resolutely ignored her phone while Fiyero was in the bathroom, and made no motion to pick it up after she'd taken her own turn.

Fiyero was fumbling around in his bag when Elphaba stepped into the room, straightening up with a triumphant "ha!" a moment later.

"What did you lose?"

He held up small box, his face awash with relief. "Thought for a second I'd left Kas's gift at home," he explained. "Thank Oz I hadn't. She'd never let me forget it."

Elphaba chucked as he tossed the box into the canvas bag that had appeared on the bed that was filled with gifts, pulling a few wrapped gifts from her own bag.

"El, you didn't need to get anyone anything," Fiyero protested. "I put your name on mine."

Elphaba shook her head. "I couldn't turn up empty handed," she insisted. "It's nothing much, because I didn't have much notice before we left, and I didn't have much to go on, but-"

Her voice died as Fiyero suddenly reached out and took the gifts from her to add them to his own, then slipped his hand into hers.

"You're not empty handed. You came with me," he reminded her gently. "That's the whole point of being a couple, isn't it? To be a team?"

Elphaba swallowed her retort that she wouldn't have the first clue what the point of being a couple was.

"We're not a real couple though," she reminded him instead.

"No, but I think we make a pretty good team," he grinned, then tugged her towards the bedroom door before she could say anything else, grabbing the bag of gifts from the bed. "Come on. I can smell coffee, so someone must be up."

Elphaba felt slightly awkward at the prospect of going downstairs in just her pyjamas, despite Fiyero's reassurance that everyone would be similarly dressed. Some teachings from her childhood were hard to let go of, she supposed. Fiyero turned to her as her steps slowed, and Elphaba opened her mouth hesitantly, not sure how to explain her aversion to such a simple thing.

"Hold this for a sec," Fiyero said before she said anything, handing her the bag of gifts.

He crossed over to the closet, emerging a moment later with a charcoal grey robe in his hands.

"Here," he said, holding it out to her and taking the gifts from her. "I keep this here because packing a robe when I come visit is too bulky. It'll be big on you, but it's super warm and comfy."

"You don't want to wear it?" she asked him.

Fiyero shook his head, bundling her into it before she could protest. Fiyero wasn't that much taller than Elphaba, but he was broader- and Elphaba had never been more aware of that than now as the robe swallowed her. But he was right, it was super warm and comfy. And oddly once she was wearing it, she felt better about it all.

"There," he grinned at her. "Shall we?"

Elphaba pulled her ponytail out from beneath the butter-soft robe and nodded.

They detoured via the living room to place the gifts under the tree, and then followed the scent of coffee and bacon to the kitchen.

"Happy Lurlinemas," Fiyero announced.

Kasmira turned from the cupboard, putting the plates in her hands onto the counter with a warm smile.

"Happy Lurlinemas, sweetheart," she said, moving across the room to hug Fiyero.

"Happy Lurlinemas," Ibrahim echoed from where he stood at the stove. "Elphaba, I hope you're ready for a breakfast extravaganza!"

Elphaba smiled weakly, but was spared having to lie as Kasmira turned from Fiyero and pulled her into a warm hug.

"Happy Lurlinemas, Elphaba," she said, grasping her hands as she pulled back and looking at her earnestly. "We didn't get to speak last night after dinner, but I hope Kastle and Fiyero's cousins didn't make you too uncomfortable."

Elphaba's gaze flickered towards Fiyero awkwardly, before she shook her head.

"No, of course not. Everyone was lovely," she reassured her.

"Are you sure? Because I know how they can be."

"She means 'nosy'," Fiyero said in a stage whisper, leaning forward so his ear was right by Elphaba's.

Kasmira waved him away. "Go help your father," she ordered, and Fiyero obediently slipped past them. She ushered Elphaba over to sit at the island, pouring her a mug of coffee.

"I know you got asked a lot of questions last night. They do it from love, but it can come across as an interrogation, especially while you're trying to eat your dinner," she said.

Elphaba chuckled. "If you knew my best friend, you wouldn't be concerned."

"Galinda has Julyan energy, Mom," Fiyero said over his shoulder.

Kasmira nodded knowingly. "Ah, well then I won't worry," she laughed lightly.

Odede joined them shortly after, and Elphaba was once again surprised when Odede hugged her just as warmly as she did Fiyero. For a heartbeat, Elphaba felt tears pricking at the corners of her eyes.

"I'm assuming if pancakes are cooking, Kastle and Anton must be close by?" Odede asked Kasmira.

Kasmira nodded. "Kas texted me when they left. Apparently Noak woke them up at five."

"Oh, I do not miss those days," Ibrahim grumbled, eyeing Fiyero pointedly, who just as pointedly ignored his father.

"Is Rilla coming for breakfast?" he asked them. "Or just lunch?"

"Just lunch," Odede replied. "She's got a friend who's in hospital with a broken hip and no family, so she's having breakfast with her."

Kastle arrived just as Ibrahim added the last pancakes to a towering platter, and the kitchen erupted into a flurry of noise and activity as greetings were exchanged, Noak excitedly listing the gifts that had appeared "from Lurline's fairies" under the tree during the night, and Kasmira tried to coax everyone into their seat in the dining table. It was a far cry from any Lurlinemas breakfast Elphaba had ever had before, and she couldn't imagine a scene even close to this happening in Munchkinland right now. She didn't think Emeril was old enough to truly appreciate Lurlinemas yet, and Gunna certainly wasn't; but it was the warmth that radiated around the room that Elphaba couldn't fathom.

Elphaba couldn't help but wonder, as she sat there trying to picture the Lurlinemas morning Nessa was having at this moment… was Nessa, even slightly, even just for a moment… was her sister thinking about Elphaba now?

"Dad's famous Lurlinemassy pancakes," Fiyero broke into her train of thought, presenting her with a plate of pancakes as he claimed the seat next to her at the dining table.

Elphaba's eyes flickered between the plate and Fiyero. "What exactly makes them 'Lurlinemassy'?" she asked, feeling a sense of déjà vu. "The sprinkles?"

"Obviously," Fiyero replied, as though that was a stupid question to have asked. "They represent Lurline's fairy dust."

Elphaba bit back a smile. "Of course," she agreed.

"I want to sit next to Uncle Yero," Noak whined to his father, attracting their attention.

"Come on, kid," Fiyero said, patting the chair on the other side of him. "How many pancakes do you want?"

"Hm, six," Noak said decisively, hurriedly scrambling into the offered seat and looking quite pleased with himself.

Fiyero snorted.

"Ah, let's start with two, buddy," Anton interjected.

Noak pouted but didn't argue.

Elphaba was never one for breakfast beyond perhaps some toast or yoghurt and fruit, so she was almost baffled by the platters of bacon, hashbrowns and pancakes offered, plus various toppings for the pancakes. Nevertheless, she ate one of the pancakes Fiyero handed her, and a few strips of bacon, and Fiyero easily polished off what she couldn't finish.

Noak managed to wheedle his way into eating four and a half pancakes, all drenched in syrup and cream; but the moment his mother had eaten her last mouthful, he abandoned his food.

"Is it present time now?" he asked eagerly.

"Not if you don't use your manners," Kastle chided him.

"I'm with Noak," Fiyero spoke up. "Let's do gifts."

Kastle pointed at him. "That goes for you too, little brother."

Fiyero made a face at her. "You're not the boss of me. And I'm taller than you," he muttered, pushing back his seat.

Kastle rolled her eyes at him with such disdain that Elphaba couldn't help but chuckle.

They all moved to the living room and gifts were doled out, opened and admired, with as much chaos as breakfast. Elphaba had rather expected that Fiyero's parents would gift her something small, much for the same reason she had bought them something- politeness. However, she hadn't expected for Noak to skip over to her and present her with a wrapped box.

"Happy Lurlinemas, Elphaba. This is from my mom and dad," he informed her.

Elphaba accepted it hesitantly. "For me?"

Noak nodded, bending forward to show her the label. "See? E-L-P… H-A-B-A!" he cried triumphantly. "And then that says 'from Kas-'"

"Okay, good job buddy," Fiyero interrupted hastily. "Great spelling. Did you open your gift that Elphaba and I got you?"

Noak dashed off to do so, and Fiyero leaned into Elphaba's side.

"The last time we video-chatted, he wanted to show me how he knows his two times tables now. Which I thought was adorable, until he kept going after he got to twenty-four. I finally cut him off at seventy-six, so I thought I'd get in early before he started spelling everything."

Elphaba laughed, and carefully began to peel back the tape on the gift. It wasn't a huge thing, but all Elphaba could tell was that it was some sort of small box; and was pleasantly delighted to find it was a scented candle that promised to smell like old books.

"I stalked your Timely profile," Kastle offered as she saw Elphaba inhale. "I saw you like books, so I figured this was a safe bet."

Elphaba smiled. "It's great, thank you," she replied, although she wasn't sure how exactly Kastle had stalked her Timely profile given how careful Elphaba was with her privacy settings online.

"Oh, I logged in under Yero's name," Kastle said unashamedly when Fiyero questioned as much. "He's had the same password for everything since he was fifteen."

"Hey," Fiyero protested indignantly. "Isn't that illegal? You are a lawyer."

"Choose better passwords," Kastle shot back at him. "And while you're there, post more pictures of you with Elphaba. I only saw like three, and all of them were before you were actually dating."

Fiyero gaped at her, and Elphaba's heart skipped a beat nervously. They hadn't even thought about social media and the photographic evidence most couples would have.

"I don't really like photos," Elphaba explained, which was completely true. "Any photos we have are the ones where Fiyero had to convince me, or I wasn't paying attention."

Again, none of that was a lie and Kastle accepted that without question.

What Elphaba had truly not been expecting, was to receive a gift from Fiyero. She'd gotten him something weeks ago, and her original intention before this had been to give it to him when they caught up after Lurlinemas. But somehow, she'd never thought about Fiyero getting something for her.

"Open it, Fae," Fiyero said quietly, nudging her with his elbow.

He'd already enthusiastically admired the beer glasses she'd gotten him, etched with references to Hell Low, his favourite TV show.

Last year, they hadn't exchanged gifts because they'd barely known one another. For her birthday back in April, he'd given her a box of chocolates and insisted on taking her to dinner. So if Elphaba had been asked prior to this what kind of gift Fiyero would get her, she would have immediately guessed a book- or a gift card for a bookstore. But this definishly wasn't a book.

When she opened the box inside, the first thing that lay on top was a photograph of a vintage card catalogue cabinet, which Elphaba thought was beautiful but an odd gift.

"I don't get it," she said almost apologetically and Fiyero laughed.

"Keep going," he urged.

Beneath the photo was a wooden box, that when Elphaba lifted the lid, seemed to contain old notecards that would easily fit into the card catalogue drawers, all yellowed with age and almost dusty. Beneath that was another box, filled with freshly blank notecards.

Grinning at Elphaba's politely bewildered face, Fiyero tapped the photo.

"It's a card catalogue from the Emerald City Library that's about a hundred years old- and some of the cards that weren't like, crumbling into dust," he explained to her. "You're always talking about it's more fun to find books using a card catalogue than the computer; and I'm always saying that you have enough books to make your own library, so…"

Watching the realisation dawn in Elphaba's eyes was akin to watching the string of lights illuminate the Lurlinemas tree.

"You- you bought me a vintage card catalogue?" she asked weakly. "To catalogue my own books?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Micah's minding it for me until we can get it into your apartment, because he has more storage space than I do. And I mean, there's a thousand apps where you could log all the books you own but you- ngk."

Fiyero's sentence was lost in surprise as Elphaba leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"This is amazing," she said quietly. "Thank you."

"What a wonderful gift, Yero," Odede commended Fiyero. "Wherever did you find such a thing?"

Fiyero shrugged. "Micah's girlfriend has a friend who works at the library," he explained, sounding mildly flustered. "They found this in the basement or something and were going to get rid of it, so I managed to work something out."

It hadn't actually been that simple, and the look on Elphaba's face told Fiyero that she had a fairly good idea about this, but she said nothing. For Fiyero, it was all worth it to see that look on her face.

He found her hand and squeezed it lightly. "It's okay?" he asked her quietly.

"It's more than okay," she reassured him. "It's- it's almost too much."

Fiyero shook his head immediately. "It's really not," he insisted. "I just- I really wanted to make sure you had a nice Lurlinemas."

She smiled at him. "I think this is the nicest Lurlinemas I've ever had," she told him softly and Fiyero beamed.