AN. It wasn't on purpose until it was, but there's a little Friends reference in this chapter.

Chapter 16

Fiyero was avoiding her, and Elphaba had no idea why.

At first she'd thought it was just in her head. Fiyero had spent most of their last full day in the Vinkus with Anton and Kastle, helping their parents and grandmother take down all the Lurlinemas décor around the house; and rightfully, most of Fiyero's attention had been on Noak when they were there for lunch. Fiyero had already said he wasn't sure when he'd be home next, so of course he'd want to soak up every opportunity to spend time with his family.

But here they were on Monday morning, gathering the last of their things before Ibrahim would take them to the train station, and she was sure of it. He wasn't ignoring her, but something was different. And Elphaba had no idea what that was. One moment he'd been holding her hand in the car, and in the fifteen minutes it took her to shower, he'd barely look her in the eye.

"You never did explain the gnome thing," Elphaba said as he carefully packed the wrapped garden gnome Jip had gifted him into his suitcase.

Fiyero huffed out a laugh. "Right. The first Lurlinemas that Fintan brought Jip around, they had me for the Lucky Lot. Fin thought it was funny to tell Jip that I loved garden gnomes. Obviously the truth came out when I opened the thing, but it became a joke between us. Every time he gets me for the Lucky Lot, I get a gnome. This is my fourth in seven years."

Elphaba wasn't at all surprised at the mental image of Fiyero having a stash of garden gnomes somewhere in his apartment, with a complete lack of a garden. Two weeks ago, it might have, but not now.

Perhaps Fiyero was just the type to get a little melancholy when it came time to end a vacation or leave their family. It was a feeling Elphaba couldn't really understand personally, but she sympathised.

"Ready, El?"

Elphaba nodded, gathering her bags. "Yeah," she said quietly.

That was the other thing- he hadn't called her Fae since they'd returned from Julyan and Seeley's dinner. And weirdly, Elphaba missed it.

As Fiyero and Ibrahim loaded the bags into the trunk of the car, Odede held out her arms to Elphaba with a warm smile.

"You're welcome here any time, Elphaba. I hope you enjoyed your visit."

Elphaba accepted the offered hug silently, a lump in her throat. Fiyero's whole family- even Vala- had welcomed her with such an easy affection that Elphaba couldn't remember ever having before. Except Fiyero himself, of course. Even Galinda and Boq, when they'd each first met her, had taken time to warm up to her initially. But Fiyero had just fallen into her life easily from the beginning.

"It's the nicest Lurlinemas I've had in a long time," she said sincerely. Possibly ever, but she didn't want to end the visit on a downer.

"Thank you so much for having me."

"I'm just so thrillified we finally got to meet you," Kasmira added as she hugged Elphaba in turn. "We've loved having you."

"And we very much loved you sharing your cookie recipe," Ibrahim said teasingly as he joined them.

Elphaba chuckled, her cheeks warming slightly. "Happy to help."

Fiyero was right behind his father, his hands stuffed into his coat pockets awkwardly, until his mother beckoned him forward for a hug.

"Have a safe trip home. And send us a text message when you get home, alright?" Kasmira said to him.

Fiyero appeared rather resigned, like this was a play he'd performed many times before he and was just reciting his lines, but he nodded reassuringly.

"I will, Mom. And when I work out everything and see the next time I can come home, I'll let you know," he promised.

"And if you get the urge to send your beloved grandmother some of those Rushcutter's chocolates, I'm sure she'd be very grateful," Odede said.

Fiyero nodded. "Sure. I'll make a note- send Nana and Grandpa chocolates," he said with a grin, ducking away with a laugh as Odede swatted his arm playfully.

Fiyero bent down and kissed her cheek. "I'll send you the biggest box they have, Grams," he promised her.

The train ride to the Vinkus had been largely silent, but a comfortable one. The train ride back to the Emerald City was almost completely silent, and Fiyero seemed to be unusually still. Elphaba didn't think she'd ever seen Fiyero this still in the whole time she'd known him. Elphaba wasn't sure whether or not she should ask if something was wrong. She didn't think it was anything she had done, she didn't recall anything and she was fairly sure that if she had done something, Fiyero would tell her.

So she let him be while she read. Or pretended to read, at least. She just couldn't work out what had happened between the car ride home from Julyan's and when she'd gone to bed. Maybe he'd picked up on the way her body had tensed when he took her hand in the car, and was worried he'd crossed a line. Elphaba didn't think he had, but she hadn't expected him to take her hand like that. It felt different than any time they'd held hands before this, Heavier, somehow. Elphaba wasn't used to that feeling, and she wasn't quite sure what to do with it.

The most in-depth conversation they had was when he went to the dining car and, as he had on the prior journey, brought her back a tea without her even asking for it.

"You said you're back at work tomorrow, didn't you?" she asked, cradling it in her hands.

"Yeah. We've got people who worked Lurlinemas about to go on vacation, so it'll be weird hours for a few weeks," Fiyero replied. "Give me a few days to get sorted and I'll work with Micah to get your Lurlinemas present over."

Elphaba had almost forgotten about it. "No rush," she said simply. "But thanks. Although… my building has a lot of stairs and no elevator," she warned him.

Fiyero waved a hand. "It'll be fine," he said dismissively.

Elphaba was less confident about that.

As the train entered the outskirts of the Emerald City, the sudden burst of green- so vibrant compared to the barren or snow-covered roads and paddocks that they'd watched go past for the past hour- took Elphaba's breath away. It always did when she returned to the city after being away, always reminding her of her first ever glimpse of the city skyline.

"There's no place like home," she murmured quietly and Fiyero turned to her.

"Hm?"

"Never mind," she said, smiling faintly.

He smiled back just as faintly and then returned his gaze to his phone.

Fiyero had left his car in the parking garage nearby while they were gone, and had already offered to drive Elphaba home. He'd never been to her apartment before, and as they entered the entryway and he eyed the staircase, Fiyero's face turned wary.

"Maybe we'll get Corin to help with the card catalogue too," was all he said, and Elphaba laughed.

By the time they reached the third-floor landing, Fiyero cocked an eyebrow at her.

"How particular are you about the cabinet being all in one piece?"

Elphaba rolled her eyes. "I'm going to say 'pretty particular'," she replied. "Do you think it'll fit?"

Fiyero shrugged. "Sure. We'll just… pivot it."

"All those odd jobs you worked before joining the force… was a moving company one of them?" she asked dryly.

Fiyero stared at her blankly. "Uh, no."

Elphaba just managed to keep a straight face. "Oh good. Then I have nothing to worry about."

They reached her apartment door, and Elphaba dug out her keys, unlocking the door and leading the way inside.

"Here we are."

Fiyero gazed around, a soft smile slipping onto his face as he took it all in. "This is very you."

Elphaba chuckled, taking off her coat. "Thanks."

Fiyero studied her apartment in a way that reminded Elphaba of looking at a painting in a museum. And then suddenly he seemed to catch himself, and shook his head as he clasped his hands together.

"Right. Well, I know I said it a hundred times already, but-"

"You're welcome," Elphaba interrupted gently. "Seriously, Yero. It's not necessary."

He faltered and then nodded. "Alright. Well… I'll talk to you later then?"

"Sure."

Elphaba rather expected him to hug her, because it seemed like that was a thing they did now. But Fiyero merely nodded again, met her gaze for a long moment, before he turned to the door.

"See you, F- Elphaba."

Elphaba frowned slightly. "Bye. Don't forget to text your parents," she reminded him, and Fiyero only offered her a vague wave over his shoulder before he disappeared down the stairs.

Elphaba closed the door behind him with a quiet sigh, looking around her apartment herself. It looked just as she'd left it, but there was always an odd feeling after returning home after a long absence. She'd once read a short story in high school about a house that became almost sentient while its owners were away, keeping company with the ghosts of former occupants only to disappear with the key in the lock. It wasn't a story that she'd thought of much at the time, but once she had her own space and was living on her own, it had come back to her in vivid colour. And now any time she was away for more than a few days, she thought of it every time she returned home. It was almost unnerving, feeling like she'd walked into a room and interrupted a party that wasn't happening and with people who weren't there.

To shake it off, Elphaba forced herself to unpack her bags, put on a load of laundry and shower. Then she settled down in her favourite armchair and pulled out her phone to text Galinda.

Elphaba: Hey, just letting you know that I'm home.

She didn't really expect an answer, at least not a prompt one. So she ordered herself some food and turned on the TV while she settled her laptop on her thighs. She'd been checking her emails and social media on her phone occasionally while in the Vinkus, but taking her laptop with her had seemed unnecessary. She was browsing Timely when her phone rang, Galinda's name lighting up the screen.

"Hey, Glin," she greeted her.

"Hi!" Galinda said brightly. "Welcome home! How was the trip?"

Elphaba laughed. "Galinda, I spoke to you like four times and we texted most days. You know how the trip was."

"Yeah, most of it. The last time we talked was just to say 'Happy New Year'," Galinda reminded her. "The last thing you told me, you were going to have dinner with Julyan and Seeley."

Elphaba paused. "Right."

"Who, by the way, I spoke to today!" Galinda continued.

Elphaba's heart stopped for a second. "You spoke to Julyan?" she asked, desperately trying to remember if she and Fiyero had told Julyan that Galinda wasn't in on the ruse of the past two weeks.

"We're going to have a trial run to see if it's possible for me to plan their engagement party remotely from here, and if it's not too much of a hassle, I'll do their wedding," Galinda was saying while Elphaba mentally panicked. "I'll probably have to do a couple of trips out there for planning, and obviously for the party itself; but I couldn't say no after everything you've told me about him."

"Right," Elphaba said weakly.

"And it's just such a huge opportunity," Galinda gushed. "Can you imagine, Elphie? What if this means I can grow the company? Go national? Oz, it seems crazy."

"Of course you can do it," Elphaba said immediately. "It's not crazy at all."

She hesitated and then cringed, feeling like she was a teenager again and trading gossip… if that had been a thing she'd ever done as a teenager.

"Did Julyan say anything to you? And Fiyero? Or me?"

"Uh… no? Not really. We mostly talked about him, Seeley and wedding ideas. Oh, and me, naturally."

Elphaba rolled her eyes fondly. "Naturally," she agreed.

She wasn't sure if putting Julyan and Galinda together in the same room would be a good thing or a bad thing, but she'd been lying if she said she wasn't curious to watch it.

"Julyan did say that he thought you and Fiyero very well-suited," Galinda told her. "Why do you ask?"

Elphaba shook her head, despite Galinda not being able to see her. "No real reason."

"Uh, don't start with that, Elphaba. You always have a reason for everything. What's going on?"

Her voice perked up. "Did something happen with you and Fiyero?"

Elphaba hesitated, weighing up her options. She'd decided against telling Galinda why she was going to the Vinkus initially, knowing that Galinda would react… well, very much like Julyan had. Except less teasing, more movie references. But now that it was over, Elphaba was left feeling… confusified. And the only other person she had to talk to was Fiyero himself, and Elphaba was a little afraid that he was no longer an option. She sighed, knowing that she was probably going to cave sooner or later, so it may as well be now.

"When we were in the Vinkus… Fiyero's family was under the impression that we were a couple," she said cautiously.

Galinda's reaction didn't disappoint. "Wait, what?!" she demanded. "How did that happen?"

Elphaba snorted. "Autocorrect."

Galinda spluttered vaguely. "Wha-? Wait. Nope. Start from the beginning," she ordered.

Elphaba smiled. "Okay," she agreed. "But you can't make any comments comparing events to Quillark movies, alright? Julyan did that enough."

"Julyan knows and I don't?!" Galinda exclaimed furiously. "Wait, wait. Boq's just arrived home- I'm going to explain to him what's happening and put you on speakerphone."

Elphaba waited obediently, and when they were settled, launched into the full story as to how she had come to spend Lurlinemas with Fiyero's family. She didn't tell them everything that happened while they were there, but she did tell them that she'd told Fiyero the whole story about her life before coming to the Emerald City.

"Oh, Elphie. I'm so glad," Galinda said earnestly. "That couldn't have been easy."

"No," Elphaba admitted. "But I'm glad I did it."

"Have you heard anything else from Nessa?" Boq asked hesitantly.

"No. And I think… I think I'm going to stop trying," Elphaba said, fiddling with a strand of her hair absent-mindedly. "I just don't think I can do it anymore. Is that awful?"

"No," Boq said immediately. "I think- I think that's really brave of you, Elphaba."

"If we see her or speak to her… do you want to know?" Galinda asked hesitantly.

Elphaba bit her lip. "I'm not sure just yet. At the moment, I'm just… trying to accept that this is it. I've just always kept the door unlocked, you know? Just in case."

"You've got to do what's best for you," Boq said firmly.

"And you still have us," Galinda reminded her.

Elphaba smiled, tears pricking at her eyes. "I know, Glin."

"And Fiyero."

Elphaba swallowed. "Yeah," she agreed.

At least, she hoped she had Fiyero.