Middle Ground
Chapter 6
A/N Thank you to those who reviewed! It never fails to brighten grey and stupid winter days :)
Another short one, so the next one will be here Wednesday at the latest.
It couldn't compare to anything else.
Nothing would compare to this.
He made a conscious effort to loosen his hold but his body seemed detached from his brain, refusing to heed orders. Her hair smelled like earth and woods, like rain and smoke. It was too poetic a description of a tangled mass of black hair, unwashed and less shiny than it had been once, but it was the only description he could come up with, those words the only ones that filled his head.
He wasn't supposed to be here. He knew all the reasons for that; they tumbled through his mind, interweaving with the sensation of her smell all around him, her body leaning into his, but he couldn't let go.
It was cold and it was about to rain. It was dark and unsafe. She was a witch and he was a soldier.
They were not, under any circumstance, supposed to be hugging each other underneath a tree in the middle of the woods, holding on too lightly to call it desperate but with enough feeling for it to become that soon enough.
He didn't want to let go. He never wanted to let go.
She pulled back, oblivious to his thoughts, and straightened her dress. She didn't look at him and he wondered what that meant.
They didn't know each other very well, he realized. He'd known that, of course, but it became so clear now. They'd barely known each other to begin with, little more than tentative friends when she'd left.
He'd wanted more, even back then, but not enough yet to act on it. Not enough to tell her about it, to tell Glinda about it.
He had wanted it, though. And he wanted it now. But he didn't know what it was that he wanted, exactly, and he knew even less what she wanted.
They'd met under such strange and unexpected circumstances. There was drama all around, lies surrounding them and danger lurking just behind every corner. But there was a quiet and strange sort of peace between them.
She would never hurt him. He would never betray her.
They both knew that, even if both had been taught to think differently.
But what now?
The first time, those few weeks ago, had been a fluke. An accident.
This time it had been on purpose, both of them looking for what they'd found last time.
So what now?
He decided to take a risk. He couldn't lose, really.
"Will you come back?"
She looked up, an awed but sad look on her face. She shook her head but before she could open her mouth, he spoke.
"Please?"
Another shake.
"Fiyero..."
Her tone betrayed her answer and he acted quickly. His hands grabbed both of hers and held on tightly.
"Elphaba. We both came back here for the same reason. That has to mean something. Even if we don't what that is."
She cocked her head and he could tell she was thinking about his words, unable to deny them.
"We both need this. I need this and I think you do too."
She bit her lip and he tried not to be distracted by that. He wasn't completely ready yet, for what he truly felt for her. For what he truly wanted.
"Come back."
He whispered the words as he tugged her forward and his body touched hers again. His nose nuzzled her cheek a little and she froze. He stepped back at that, not willing to push her boundaries and looked at her beseechingly.
"Elphaba?"
She pressed her eyes shut for a second and then opened them again. Against all her better judgement, she couldn't refuse.
She nodded and tried not to feel the loss as he pulled his hands away from hers.
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