Chapter 10
"Oh my Oz. Elphie, that is the sweetest gift! It's so perfect for you!"
Elphaba chuckled, nodding although Galinda couldn't actually see her.
"It's amazing," she admitted. "I still can't believe it."
"He obviously knows you pretty well," Galinda pointed out. "He'd better not be coming for my 'best friend' title," she added warningly, and Elphaba laughed.
"I'll let him know," she promised, shifting in her seat and looking around her. "But I hope you're open to sharing."
"That I'll allow," Galinda agreed with a giggle.
The day after Lurlinemas was known as Durkling Day in the Vinkus, which as Fiyero said, was basically the day to eat leftovers, see family you'd missed the day before and take advantage of the giant sales at the stores. Elphaba wasn't entirely sure what the difference was between avoiding the stores on Lurlinemas Eve due to crowds, and being one of them the day after Lurlinemas, but she had agreed to head out to the mall anyway.
Julyan had found them there not long after they'd arrived and introduced Elphaba to his partner Seeley, and then insisted they all do lunch.
"For the goss," he'd said. "I need to know how it's all going so far."
"It's ten-thirty," Fiyero pointed out.
"Well, brunch." Julyan amended. "Seeley and I have connections at a place upstairs. Well, Seeley does. Let's go."
They'd been lingering over their empty plates when Galinda had called, and Fiyero had gently shooed Elphaba away so that she could talk to her. So Elphaba had perched herself on a bench outside the restaurant, watching people browse through the sale stock in the tea store across the corridor, and the kitchenware store on the other side. It almost could have been any other Saturday morning, although she doubted it was a common Saturday occurrence for two women to fight over the last of a brass teapot marked forty percent off. But then again, Elphaba had never felt particularly passionate about a teapot, so maybe she wasn't the best judge.
Galinda had gushed for the first few minutes of the call about her Lurlinemas with Boq's family, and the beautiful pendant Boq had gifted her with, before she'd asked about Elphaba's day.
"Did you hear from Nessa? Or your father?" Galinda asked hesitantly, a distinctly less joyous topic than Fiyero's gift.
Elphaba shifted on the bench again. "No," she said shortly.
Galinda paused, and then sighed sadly.
"I texted her," Elphaba offered. "Yesterday afternoon. But… no reply."
She'd still been undecisive about whether or not she should try, until she'd been watching Anton and Fiyero helping Noak construct a model train set that Ibrahim and Kasmira had bought for him after they'd finished eating lunch. Noak had been thrillified to be able to help his father and uncle assemble it, and while Fiyero had been patient with his nephew, he had been just as thrillified with the gift as Noak was. Watching them together had made Elphaba miss Emeril- he'd only been a year old the last time she'd seen him, and despite her own apathy towards Lurlinemas, she would have loved to have shared similar moments with him.
'I hope you're all well, and that the children have a wonderful Lurlinemas. They deserve it. Please know that I'm thinking of them, and you. I love you, Nessie.'
It wasn't half of what Elphaba wanted to say, but it was the only way she knew how to say what she could.
"There's still time," Galinda offered as a comfort. "I know you said you didn't want to know about the party and if we saw Nessa, but she asked if we'd seen you lately. If you were coming to spend the holiday with us."
"What did you tell her?"
"Well at the time you weren't going to the Vinkus, but I didn't want to tell her that you were spending it alone either," Galinda replied. "So, I told her that you had plans. I just didn't specify what they were or who they were with."
Elphaba hummed quietly. "Clever."
"But it sounds like you had a good day? Good memories?" Galinda pressed.
Elphaba hummed again, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "I did," she agreed softly. "Fiyero's family is all very welcoming."
"But?" Galinda said knowingly.
"It's just not the same being with someone else's family instead of your own. Even when your family is… well, my father."
"I get what you mean," Galinda agreed. "I love Boq's parents and sisters, but it's still odd for me not to see Momsie and Popsicle and all the extended family for Lurlinemas. Have you bought anything in the sales yet?"
Elphaba snorted. "Asking the important questions, I see. No, I haven't. We're just finishing lunch."
"You should get a new outfit for New Year's Eve on Friday," Galinda suggested. "You said you're going out, right?"
"I said we were invited to go out," Elphaba corrected. "We haven't decided anything yet."
"Go," Galinda urged her. "Go, and have fun. And wear something sparkly. Oh, and make sure you send me photos!"
"Photos of what?" Elphaba laughed.
"Of you, of you and Fiyero together."
"I hate-"
"Oh, I know you don't like photos. But I need them, so that if I run into Nessa I can show her photos of you living your best life."
"My best life?" Elphaba repeated.
"Yes! You're out with friends, looking swankified, with a very dashing boyfriend-"
Elphaba choked on her own saliva. "Galinda, Yero isn't my boyfriend!" she exclaimed.
"Well, Nessa doesn't have to know that, does she?" Galinda demanded.
"Oh, sweet Oz," Elphaba muttered, rolling her eyes.
That was all she needed, to have a second fake relationship with Fiyero.
"Galinda, I can 'live my best life' without having a boyfriend," Elphaba reminded her.
"Of course you can!" Galinda said airily, which came off a little condescending to Elphaba's ear, even if she was sure Galinda didn't mean it to be. "I'm just saying."
Elphaba sighed, rubbing a hand over her face, before she bid Galinda farewell and returned to the others.
"Everything okay?" Fiyero asked in concern when she returned to the table.
"It's fine," she reassured him. "Just Galinda."
Fiyero nodded knowingly.
"Do you think you could get me Galinda's autograph?" Julyan asked her.
Elphaba blinked in surprise, and then laughed. "Galinda would love that, I'm sure."
Julyan beamed at her.
"Okay, but I need to know how her husband went from being a farmer to working for Quillark," Seeley added. "Julyan has told me the story, but is it really true?"
"It's true," Elphaba confirmed. "I mean, he still is a farmer, he does both. But yeah, it's true."
"Wait, I don't know this story," Fiyero protested. "What happened?"
Elphaba shrugged. "There was a few years when the family farm wasn't doing so well. They didn't want to sell, so Boq was trying to find extra work. He used to write Galinda love notes and poems, and she sent some to Quillark- under his name and without him knowing. They liked them enough to give him a job."
Fiyero pursed his lips thoughtfully. "Huh. That's kinda cool."
"Galinda is way more resourceful than she gets credit for," Elphaba agreed. "It could have ended badly, but it all worked out."
She thought back to Galinda's comments during the phone call, and grimaced.
"Of course, not all her plans work out so well. She has asked me for photos of the two of us if we go out for New Year's Eve; so that she has them on hand to imply to people that you are my boyfriend and I am quote 'living my best life'."
Fiyero groaned. "Is this just our thing now?" he asked her. "To just be fake dating one another?"
"Apparently," Elphaba said dryly.
Fiyero, bless him, didn't need her to specify who "people" were.
"It couldn't hurt to have more photos on your social media though," Julyan pointed out. "To really sell it. Yero only has a few, and you have nothing."
Elphaba narrowed her eyes at him as she reached for her water. "I don't think we're friends on social media."
Julyan just waved airily towards Fiyero, who gaped at him.
"Why does everyone know my password?" he demanded.
"Why do you use the same password for everything?" Julyan retorted. "And FYI, 'Yero the Hero 69' is neither a good password nor accurate."
Elphaba choked on a mouthful of water with laughter, as Fiyero's face turned bright red.
"Oh my Oz," she gasped, as Seeley burst out laughing.
"I was fifteen."
"You're allowed to change it! They actually recommend it!" Elphaba said through giggles. "Again, don't you teach these things to children?"
"I have so many questions," Seeley said with a broad grin.
Fiyero scowled. "And I will ignore them all as I change my Timely password," he grumbled as he reached for his phone.
"To what? 'Fiyero Rules 420'?" Elphaba teased him.
Julyan hooted. "Don't forget to spell 'rules' with a Z," he added.
"I hate you all," Fiyero said.
Julyan sniggered, and then reached over to tug on Elphaba's arm. "Let's leave Fiyero to do that while we find you something for New Year's Eve," he said brightly.
He didn't really give Elphaba much of a choice to refuse before he was leading her out of the restaurant and leaving Fiyero and Seeley behind. Fortunately for Julyan, Elphaba was used to this from being friends with Galinda.
"I know we've kind of talked before now, but I'm still so glad I've finally met you," Julyan gushed. "I knew I was going to like you from the first time Fiyero mentioned you."
Elphaba's cheeks warmed and she scoffed. "I'm sure that was a thrillifying conversation. It's not every day you meet someone green."
"Not that," Julyan said with a shake of his head. "No, I remember. There'd been some situation and you were both at the hospital, and ending up having coffee? Something like that. And then the next time I spoke to him, he kept raving about how you were so pretty and smart and funny and easy to talk to. Honestly, I kept waiting for him to tell me that you were actually dating. But it never happened."
Elphaba's cheeks were aflame. "He said I was pretty?" she asked him, the default note of incredulity slipping in before she was even really aware of it.
"I don't remember the exact wording," Julyan admitted. "But it was basically a long list of compliments. Oh, Cipher is having a sale! They have great stuff- let's look here."
By the time she and Fiyero left the mall, Elphaba found herself in possession of a new outfit for New Year's Eve (as requested by Galinda, the top was sparkly), and a few books she hadn't been able to resist. Fiyero and Seeley had met her and Julyan with Fiyero carrying an unmarked bag. He hadn't offered what was inside, and Elphaba hadn't asked.
"I am so tired of people," Elphaba said wearily, sagging into her seat as soon as she got into the car.
Fiyero chuckled, as he started the engine. "I know," he agreed. "Feel free to hide away in the room for a while when we get back," he offered.
Elphaba wrinkled her nose. "That feels rude."
Fiyero snorted. "My family won't care, Fae," he reassured her. "If you need some space, take it. Go sit and read your book or whatever."
Elphaba wasn't going to pass that up.
When they returned to the house, Fiyero shooed her upstairs gently. "You go do your thing, and I'll make you some of my famous hot cocoa?"
Elphaba raised an eyebrow. "You have famous hot cocoa and I'm just finding this out now?"
Fiyero grinned. "Secret Tiggular family recipe, you've got to earn this."
"And I've earned it?"
Fiyero gestured around them wordlessly and Elphaba laughed.
"You're right, I have definishly earned it," she agreed.
As she headed upstairs, Fiyero dropped his shopping bags by the door while he went wandering in search of his parents or grandmother before making the hot cocoa. A quick survey of the kitchen, living room and the study revealed all to be empty, not that Fiyero was particularly bothered by this; although it always felt a little odd being in the house alone. This wasn't the house he'd grown up in, but he'd spent so much time here over the years when visiting his grandparents. Since his parents had moved in following his grandfather's death, the house had become a combination of the two and was both familiar yet unfamiliar.
"Hi, sweetheart."
Fiyero startled slightly as his mother entered the kitchen as he stood at the stove. "Where'd you come from?"
"The laundry room," Kasmira laughed, setting down the laundry hamper she carried. "Why?"
"Oh," Fiyero replied. "I didn't look in there. I didn't think anyone was home."
"It's just me. Dad's taken Grams to the cemetery, and then he's going to the store. Nana and Grandpa are coming for dinner."
"They were just here yesterday for lunch."
"They want to see you without all the chaos of Lurlinemas," Kasmira explained, moving to stand beside him. "Get to know Elphaba more."
Fiyero groaned, whisking in another handful of chocolate chips into the saucepan of milk on the stove.
"Oh, jeez. Mom, we've only been dating for a few months!" he protested. "You're talking like we need to start picking out china patterns or something."
Kasmira rolled her eyes, taking away the bag of chocolate chips as he reached for it. "You don't need the whole packet in there, Yero."
"I'll buy you a new bag," Fiyero promised, stealing them back and dumping in another two handfuls.
His mother took it back once more, moving away to put it back in the pantry. "No one is trying to marry you off, but you can't fault any of us for wanting to know Elphaba better, can you?"
Fiyero glanced over his shoulder at her with narrowed eyes. "I feel this is a trick question. Can you get me the vanilla extract, please?"
"There's no trick," Kasmira said, bringing over the bottle. "Nana and Grandpa only met her over dinner at Vala's and then lunch yesterday. Neither time was really an opportunity to have an in-depth conversation."
Fiyero sighed, pouring the hot cocoa he'd made into two mugs.
"Sweetheart, you seem happy," his mother said quietly. "I can only assume that Elphaba is at least part of the reason why that is, and we want to make sure she feels welcome."
Fiyero faltered. "I am happy," he said honestly, but somehow still feeling like he was lying.
He sighed again. "None of the grandparents are going to make any comments about dying before they get to see me married and with children, are they?"
Kasmira grinned. "Nana and Grandpa wouldn't, but I make no promises about Grams. You know how she is."
Fiyero snorted as he picked up one of the two mugs. "Yeah, I know," he agreed fondly and left the kitchen to head upstairs.
AN. So... "Durkling Day" I obviously made up as some kind of Boxing Day equivalent, as December 26th is here in Australia (among other countries). I've actually forgotten why I chose "durkling"... but I'm like 95% sure that I took it from a 200 year old Scottish term"hurkle-durkle" meaning "to lounge in bed long after it's time to get up" (thanks to Susie Dent's word of the day).