She felt like she had been asleep for years.
The rain had stopped, and the rarest bit of light from the setting sun had managed to shoot its way through the thick, decaying canopy above and hit her in the face. It warmed her, she wasn't used to feeling warm. It had been a long time since…
She felt the warmth of a human presence. Elphaba's face had been pressed against his chest. She didn't remember this happening, she must have fallen asleep, but how did she end up here? His chest heaved gently in a pattern that implied he was in as deep a sleep as she had been. He was sleeping upright, his back to the trunk of the tree and his head lolling off to the side. His shirt had gone astray in the rainstorm or opened up while the kalida had pursued them, her cheek rested upon his bare flesh and she felt her cheeks flush. Her arms had wrapped around his waist, his arms were around hers as well. He'd pinned her into the safety of the tree with him.
Even before the Witch arrived, Elphaba hadn't known much physical tenderness since her mother died. Before Melena passed, she held and doted on her. When Melena passed, well, Father could hardly look at her only to scold her for trying to touch baby Nessa's hand. He'd scream at her so sharply that she'd draw her hands back like she'd touched a hot stove, he'd scream that the baby was fragile and that young Elphaba had a big, freakish way of breaking things. She kept to herself after enough scoldings.
Life had been mostly dark. Her childhood without her mother had been grey. The grey of the funeral, the grey of her father's face as he mourned and blamed her. Her life with the Witch had been murky green and brown, potions and mold and rot. She was used to the worst of what the rainbow had to offer. But now, her ear pressed against his heartbeat and the rare bright light from the sun hitting her sleepy eyes… for a moment of time life was golden.
She remembered herself quickly. She heard him mutter and begin to stir, she snapped up and backed away as far as the tree branch holding them would allow. Her eyes wide, the temporary heaven shaken away. He opened his mouth like a bear to accommodate the great yawn rolling through him, his limbs shook as he stretched them out. His hair was in tangles around his face, curling into waves as it dried from the storm. He met her gaze and rubbed at his face with both palms, and offered up; "Is it gone?"
"The kalida?" She took a quick glance at the forest floor, the rotten depths waiting below her, "I think so. It was strange to see it out so early in the morning, they're usually nocturnal. It looks clear now though, you can see the trail it left" She pointed at the tracks she could spot.
He looked down and squinted, still adjusting to being awake, "I'm sorry I fell asleep. I was trying to keep watch, I swear."
She wrinkled her nose and found it odd that he was apologizing to her. It was like having that Glinda girl bawling at her, she wasn't used to it.
He stepped down onto the branch below and turned back to her, an expectant hand held out to guide her down. Her chest was alight with a strange sense of wrongness. Something about the picture, the sight of him offering his hand like a gentleman, made her feel like a maiden being guided out of a carriage. She wasn't that girl. She hadn't thought much of her looks, but she suddenly felt embarrassed for it all. The remnants of one of her nicer dresses hanging from her frail body, the tangle of black hair falling over her eyes after the loss of her headscarf, the cuts and bruises on her arms and neck. Oh to be another kind of girl.
She took his hand and he helped her down to the next branch and the next. He dropped down to the ground and held his arms up to catch her waist as she slid down. They paused like that, him holding her up in the air like they'd been in the middle of a dance, their eyes locked into one another; before he gently placed her feet on the ground and took a bashful step back.
"It's going to be dark soon." She said bluntly, unaware of what else could be said.
"Right." He said, collecting his arrows that had fallen at the base of the tree.
She took his jacket off her bony shoulders and held it out for him to take. He looked up from the forest floor and took her in, the rags that did nothing to keep her warm. "Keep it."
"What?" She was dumbfounded.
"Keep it." He insisted, "I'll be fine."
He wrapped his quiver back over his shoulder and reclaimed his bow and smiled at her. It wasn't wry or mischievous as he had been only yesterday, it was a bit reserved. Shy, sincere and new to Elphaba.
"It's summer," He added to insist upon his point, "I'll overheat in that thing."
He stepped to her, his boots crunching on the leaves and held out his hand, "It was a pleasure having my life saved by you. For the sake of a proper introduction, my name is Fiyero Tiggular."
She shook his hand back, gripping it firmly, "Elphaba… Just Elphaba." She thought of the witch, readying to leave her hiding spot as the sun went down. She thought of the Witch seeing her with this boy. She thought of all the ways the Witch had hurt her before. "I have to go. Try to stay low at night, dont camp under the open sky."
"Will I see you again?"
She scoffed as she was turning away, "You want to see more of me?"
He smiled and shrugged, then turned and began walking into the woods to continue whatever journey he was on.