Chapter 15

"I swear that the room isn't usually this messy," Julyan apologised, leading Elphaba and Fiyero into the townhouse when they arrived for dinner on Saturday night. "But I couldn't resist starting to gather some wedding ideas, and well…"

"Holy Mother of Oz," Fiyero exclaimed as they entered the living room, taking in the piles of magazines and internet printouts scattered across the room; not even mentioning the literal vision board that was standing on an easel in a corner.

"Um, Jules? You know that the LookBook app exists right?"

"I know, I started there. But I couldn't deal with things on a screen," Julyan waved a hand. "I need to be able to spread out."

"Well, you've done that," Fiyero said, looking around.

Julyan ignored him, continuing onto the kitchen where Seeley was stirring something in a pot on the stove.

"Something smells amazing," Elphaba commented and Seeley smiled at her.

"Thanks. It's nothing fancy- barbecued chicken with roast potatoes and vegetables."

"Do you need any help?" Elphaba offered.

"Oh, good," Julyan said perkily. "Elphaba, you help Seeley while I get Fiyero's opinion on wedding things."

"Wait, what-?" Fiyero protested, but Julyan was already dragging him out of the room.

"Do you not get an opinion on wedding things?" Elphaba asked Seeley.

Seeley chuckled. "Jules knows my rule for these kind of things. I won't look at more than three options- he has to narrow it down to that."

Elphaba thought she might have to impose that rule with Galinda.

Seeley poured her a glass of wine and slid it across the kitchen counter. "I don't need help, but I won't say no to company," he offered.

"Deal," Elphaba smiled, taking a seat. "Were your families excited about the engagement?"

Seeley beamed at her. "They were," he confirmed. "But they immediately started asking questions about dates, venues, all that kind of stuff. Which prompted the tornado in our living room," he said dryly.

Having been witness to this twice so far, first with Nessarose and then with Galinda, Elphaba had a fairly good idea of what Seeley was in for during this process. She anticipated a lot of complaining from Fiyero between now and the wedding.

"How has it been?" Seeley asked her. "This whole thing? You must be relieved it's almost over."

Elphaba blinked in surprise and took a sip of her wine slowly, considering her response.

"I don't know if I'd say relieved," she said carefully, her brow furrowed.

Honestly, she wasn't sure what she was feeling, really. She was definishly ready to go home to her own bed and her own space; and she still felt horrendibly guilty at every reminder that Fiyero's family believed they were a couple. But there was something else, something she couldn't quite decipher but left her feeling rather forlorn.

"But is has been… easier than I expected."

Seeley smiled. "Well, you and Yero are pretty good friends. It says a lot about your friendship that you've been able to act like a convincing couple. I don't think I could do that with my best friend… although he's straight, so the odds of having to pretend to date him would be very low."

"I'm sure Julyan could name a few movies where that happens," Elphaba chuckled, and Seeley laughed.

"Yes, he could," he agreed.

Discussion over dinner revolved mostly around wedding ideas, all of them comparing notes of the best and worst things they'd seen at weddings. Elphaba was also able to contribute stories Galinda had told her, and naturally many of Julyan's stories came from movies and TV shows he'd seen.

"Okay, if you could have any fictional wedding, what would you choose?" Julyan asked them.

Fiyero scoffed. "The only movie I can think of with a wedding in it is Storm Front, and I don't think that's a wedding you want to draw inspiration from."

Julyan stared at him cluelessly, and Seeley nudged him. "A storm destroys the church, traps half the bridal party in the flooded basement and the groom loses a leg," he explained.

Julyan wrinkled his nose. "Yeah, let's not do that. But before the storm is it a nice wedding?"

Now it was Fiyero's turn to stare blankly. "The bride wore a white dress?" he offered.

"How revolutionary," Elphaba said dryly and he made a face at her.

"What's your answer then, Fae?" he demanded.

Elphaba considered that carefully, sighing thoughtfully. "There's this movie I saw once, I forget the name of it, but the main couple ended up getting married beneath the oak tree where they met. I think that's nice- have something personal."

"That is nice," Seeley agreed. "I don't think my mother would agree to come to a wedding at the gym though."

"You don't want a personalised protein shake to serve to guests at the reception?" Fiyero teased, bursting out laughing at the face Julyan made in response.

When they'd finished eating, Julyan enlisted Fiyero to help him clean up, shooing Seeley and Elphaba into the living room to choose a movie for them to watch.

"Fiyero doesn't get a say because I don't feel like watching things blow up for two hours," he said. "Between the two of you, I'm sure you can choose something sensible."

"Nothing black and white," Fiyero warned Elphaba.

"I make no promises," she replied, grinning. Fiyero couldn't help but grin back, fairly sure that he'd watch anything Elphaba picked.

When at last Fiyero and Elphaba took their leave, Julyan hugged Elphaba tightly at the door.

"I am so glad Fiyero is atrocious at texting so that we could finally meet," he told her and Elphaba laughed while Fiyero sighed.

"I'm glad I got to meet you too," Elphaba replied. "Both of you."

"The engagement party will be in March," Seeley informed her. "We totally understand if you can't make it, but you're definishly invited."

"Thanks," Elphaba said, smiling softly.

Fiyero's farewell from Julyan was less of a 'so long, talk soon' and more of a 'I'll be in touch with a list of wedding related things.'

"Were Nessa and Galinda this annoying when they were planning their weddings?" he grumbled to Elphaba as they returned to the car.

"Yes," she confirmed. "And Galinda was Nessa's wedding planner, so I couldn't really escape any of it. Galinda had been planning her wedding for years, and my father made it clear from the moment Burkhard proposed to Nessa that money was no object."

"I'm sure the wedding of the Governor's daughter was a pretty big deal."

"Yeah, that was a part of it," Elphaba allowed. "But also it was his precious little girl getting married. And as one charming radio host in Munchkinland said at the time, it's probably the only wedding my father can expect for one of his children."

Fiyero scowled at the road.

"People suck."

Elphaba hummed in agreement.

Fiyero almost suggested it. The classic, cliché "hey, I'll marry you" trope that even Fiyero knew had launched a hundred sappy romance films. He almost said it, could taste the words on the tip of his tongue, threatening to spill out. And he knew if he did, Elphaba would scoff or laugh. Or she might agree, and it would become a joke between them in years to come. And it would be a joke. Wouldn't it? But what if it wasn't?

There was a peculiar sensation in Fiyero's chest at the idea of it. If Julyan had cooked dinner, Fiyero would have said it was indigestion.

But maybe, just maybe… it wasn't so crazy. Maybe it didn't have to be a joke. Maybe it didn't even have to be a lie.

Fiyero reached over the centre console and grabbed Elphaba's hand as it rested on her lap before he could change his mind. Elphaba's head turned towards him sharply, but between Fiyero's gaze fixed firmly on the road and the only light being the echo of passing headlights and streetlights, he couldn't get a read on her reaction.

"Hey, Fae?"

"Yes?" she asked quietly.

"I… I think this went pretty well, don't you?"

Elphaba paused. "Well, no one realised we were lying, and you and I are still friends at the end of it. So, yeah. I'd say it went well."

Fiyero glanced over at her then. "You still feel bad for lying?"

"Yes," she admitted. "Don't you?"

"A little… do you regret it?"

"No."

No pause that time, and Fiyero felt his heart lift with hope. A smile threatened to bloom on his face and he squeezed her hand lightly.

"I'm going to head up," Elphaba said quietly, as they entered the house.

Fiyero nodded. "I'll be up in a minute."

He ducked into the living room as she headed upstairs, finding his parents watching TV.

"Hey," he greeted them. "We're home."

"How was dinner?" Ibrahim asked.

"Good. Jules is already knee deep in wedding planning. He said you'll be invited too."

Kasmira beamed. "That's so sweet of them."

"Are Tri and Novus getting married this year or next?" Ibrahim asked his wife.

"I don't think they're in any rush," Kasmira replied.

Considering Tri had told Fiyero that they'd only gotten engaged to satisfy her parents, Fiyero had to agree.

"Kas still coming for lunch tomorrow?"

"And Rilla too," Kasmira nodded.

"Cool. Alright. Well, see you in the morning," Fiyero waved and headed upstairs.

When he entered the bedroom, the bathroom door was shut and there was the sound of running water coming from within. Fiyero changed for bed and lounged on the bed while he waited for Elphaba to finish so he could use the bathroom.

His phone buzzed and he reached for it lazily, hoping it was Micah or Corin. He'd been texting with them both throughout the day on and off in their group chat to compare New Year's Eve stories, but the last was a few hours ago. Instead, he found a message from Fintan.

Fintan: Hey, Yero- going through some photos from last night and thought I'd send these to you instead of posting them on Timely. Jip says their favourite is the third one. I'm not quite the photography enthusiast you are, but at least everyone's eyes are open- which is more than I can say for the people in your photographs.

Fiyero chuckled, and scrolled down to see the images, and then his breath caught.

There was four of them. All candid, all from the night before, none of which Fiyero remembered being taken.

The first must have been taken at The Bank, after they'd finished eating apparently given the lack of dishes on the table. In the image, Elphaba appeared to be arguing with Fiyero. If Fiyero's memory served him right, they'd been arguing- no, debating- about how long the statute of limitations was on dropping spoilers. Not a real argument, because Fiyero always found it much more fun to watch Elphaba rant than it was to actually argue his point. Even in the photo, he was clearly teasing her and Elphaba had an expression that he knew very well- some combination between exasperation and indignation.

The second photo was taken outside, Fiyero's best guess was as they all headed to their cars to head back to Kastle and Anton's. It was taken from behind, and the only light was the streetlight that they'd been passing under. But there was something about their silhouettes, and the way Elphaba's arm was tucked into the crook of his elbow, and she was leaning into his side… it looked almost like a postcard. Fiyero hadn't even registered that moment at the time, and he stared at the image for a long moment before swiping to the next. That indigestion feeling was back.

The third image was of Elphaba and Fiyero in the sunroom. At first Fiyero frowned, resenting the intrusion into their privacy in that moment; despite the fact that the sunroom had no door and they would have been clearly visible to anyone passing by in the house. But the more he looked, the more he really saw and he knew why Jip had said that this was their favourite image. Fiyero had considered Elphaba one of his closest friends for many months now, but here he saw it. Fiyero couldn't be sure at what part of their conversation had been captured here, but they appeared to be deep in conversation.

He swiped to the last image almost absent-mindedly and his hands stilled. This one had to be taken just before midnight, given how close he was standing to Elphaba in the living room. She was looking off somewhere to the side, maybe to the TV and Fiyero… he was looking at Elphaba. And the expression on his face wouldn't be out of place in any of those movies Julyan kept referencing. It was the expression of someone looking at the person they loved.

Fiyero sat bolt upright on the bed, staring at the photo with his heart in his throat.

He couldn't be in lovewith Elphaba. That was impossible. Feelings were one thing, but in love? No. No way. Because how- how could he have fallen in love with Elphaba in just two weeks? It didn't work that way.

You fell in love with Sarima pretty quick, a little voice in the back of his mind reminded him.

But that had been different. With Sarima, there'd been a spark from the moment they'd met, a mutual attraction. But he'd known Elphaba for a year and had never thought of her as more than a friend before now. Sure, the idea of falling in love with your best friend was a great way to sell a romance movie or novel; a sappy comment to slip into weddings vows or a speech. It wasn't something that happened in real life, right?

The click of the bathroom door opening made him jump and he whipped his head around as Elphaba stepped out into the room, dressed in her pyjamas and her hair braided. She stopped, her brow creasing as she looked at him.

"Are you okay?" she asked him.

Fiyero rose swiftly from the bed, locking his phone and just short of throwing it onto the bed.

"Yeah, fine," he reassured her.

Elphaba didn't look convinced, but said nothing as he excused himself and took her place in the bathroom to brush his teeth.

You just need to get through another day, he told his reflection mentally, as he scrubbed at his teeth probably in a way that was going to make his dentist frown at him the next time he saw her. One more day, and then you'll be back in the city and have some space. That's all this is. It's all in your head.

"I knew I was too good of an actor," he muttered to himself as he spat into the sink. "Should be nominated for a damn OACTA for this."

Elphaba was in bed reading by the time he climbed in beside her, and Fiyero slid beneath the covers without a word. He only paused to plug his phone into the charger before he turned off the lamp on his side and rolled onto his side, away from Elphaba.

"Night."

There was a long pause, and Fiyero could feel Elphaba's gaze on him, making the back of his neck prickle.

"Goodnight," she finally said, almost cautiously.

Fiyero resolutely closed his eyes, ignoring the way his stomach twinged with guilt.

Everything's going to be fine, he told himself.

As if it were that simple.