Chapter Text
Standing in the middle of the dark, draughty sitting room of the abandoned cottage she and Fiyero had found, Elphaba wrapped her arms tight around herself with a gentle sigh. The place was far from cosy — there was only a broken sofa and an old, threadbare rug on the floor by the fire and the other rooms were no better, she’d found — but at the same time it was a sanctuary. It was in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by dense woodland miles from those who sought to harm them, and although the conditions were far from ideal, she doubted it would take them long to make it feel like home. If they swept away the cobwebs and dealt with the numerous little cracks in the walls, the place would look miles better.
She ran her hands down the front of her dress, still damp thanks to that wretched little brat, and turned to the fire she had built in the fireplace a little while earlier. The flames were higher now, hotter too, and the warmth from them pulled her in. Lowering herself onto the rug, she removed her hat and cloak and set them down at her side before warming her hands on the fire. It wouldn’t be long now until Fiyero returned, she thought. He only left to walk down to the brook they saw at the bottom of the embankment and get some water. What they would talk about when he came back, she had no idea. It mattered little to her though. If it came to it, she would happily sit there in silence with him, watching the fire.
He was back with her, that was all that mattered.
It felt like an eternity, sitting and waiting in the dark for him to return to her following her altercation with Dorothy, and she had to admit she began to doubt if he would even come back at one point, but he did. There were no words for the relief she felt at seeing him back in one piece. The happiness she felt at getting to hold him again after so long apart. Their next steps had been unknown to her at the time. The only thing she knew for certain was that they needed to get as far from Oz as possible and nobody could ever know they were still alive. Not even Glinda. That was the hardest part, knowing the pain she would be in, but Fiyero had been right in saying they would never be safe if she knew the truth.
The chance of their secret getting out would be too high and that was a risk neither of them could afford to take.
She was pulled from her thoughts when the door to the cottage opened and, turning in place on the rug, she smiled as she watched Fiyero enter the cottage with the bucket of water in hand. He shut the door behind him before making his way into the sitting room, his clumsy gait causing the water to slosh around within the bucket and spill over the side. She couldn’t help but chuckle. He was so adorable. She watched him take the final few steps towards her and the fireplace, but then she realised he was about to try and hang the bucket over the flames and she quickly reached out and grabbed his arm. “Whoa,” She said while reaching for the bucket with her other hand. “I think it would be safer for me to do that.”
He got her meaning and smiled, letting her take the bucket from him before she moved onto her knees and carefully hung the bucket above the fire so the water could start boiling. He held his hand out to her when she turned back to him and she accepted it, allowing him to help her to her feet before he walked her over to the broken sofa and they sat down together. It was far from comfortable and it dipped on one side, another thing they were going to have to see to, but they managed and she nestled into his side when he slipped an arm around her shoulders. They were silent for a while then, but eventually he turned his head in her direction and planted a kiss on her forehead. “You’re shivering.” He told her.
She hummed. “A wet dress doesn’t do me much good on a night like this.”
He sat there with her a moment longer before taking his arm from around her and sitting himself up a little so he could start unbuttoning his jacket. Once it was open, he began to shrug it from his shoulders before she took hold of it and helped him the rest of the way. When she handed the garment back to him, he waited for her to settle against him once more before covering her with the jacket and putting his arm around her again. “Better?” He asked her, rubbing her back tenderly through the jacket in an attempt to get her warm.
“Mmm…” She nodded her response as she reached up to brush her fingers against the straw peeking out from beneath his hat.
For a time, neither one of them said a word, but then she brought her hand to rest upon his cheek and let her thumb run across the burlap and moments later she was kissing him softly. It took him a second to catch up - he had little brains after all – but when he did the arm around her tightened and he brought his free hand to her hair as he kissed her back. He heard the sound she made in the back of her throat and it made him smile, the love he had for her deepening as he pulled her further into to him and her hand fell to his chest. They settled into the kiss with ease, neither of them eager to rush their way through it, for a while the rest of the world faded into nothingness as they allowed themselves to get lost in one another. Of course, life was never overly kind to either of them, however, and so it came as little surprise when the urge to come up for air arose far too soon for their liking.
Curling a hand into his shirt, she kissed him once more before pulling back and letting her head fall against his shoulder again.
“Not that I’m complaining because, believe me, I’m not,” He ran his fingers along her spine, unable to keep from stealing another kiss. “But where did that come from?”
She snorted with amusement. “Your guess is as good as mine.”
The corner of his mouth curled into a smirk as his hand ran down her back, settling at the base of her spine. “Are you alright?”
“I am,” She assured him. “I’m tired and I’m cold, but I’m alright. You?”
“I’m alright,” He replied before casting his gaze around the room. “We really need to get this place fixed up.”
She chuckled. “You think this is bad. You should see the bedroom.”
“Let me guess. The bed is a pile of hay in the middle of the room.” He teased, making himself a little more comfortable.
“A mattress, actually, but pretty close,” She grinned. “It’s not much, but it’ll do for tonight at least.”
He looked at her for a second before placing a kiss on her temple. “Maybe we should go up. Both of us need some sleep after today.”
She agreed silently, using the hand on his chest to push herself up before she stood from the sofa and made her way across the room to the little cabinet a candle was resting upon. She approached the fireplace then and carefully lit the candle with the flames, setting it down on the mantelpiece for a second so she could extinguish the fire in the hearth with some of the sand from the sand bucket. Once she was certain it was out, she turned back to Fiyero to see he had stood from the sofa himself and was waiting for her in the doorway of the room. He held a hand out to her and she smiled, making her way over to him before slipping her hand into his and letting him lead her out of the sitting room and up the stairs. It took them little time to reach the bedroom and she entered ahead of him, heading for the windowsill so she could set the candle down while he shut the door behind them. She began unbuttoning her dress then and once it was open she peeled the soaked garment from her body, grimacing at the sensation before she dropped it to the floor and it pooled at her feet. She could feel Fiyero’s eyes on her as she stood there in nothing but her slip and she failed to keep from smirking. “Seriously?” She asked, her hands on her hips.
“Can you blame me?” He shot back.
She rolled her eyes good-naturedly at him. “Well, you can keep those thoughts to yourself. We’re going to sleep.”
He let out an over-exaggerated groan at that and she shook her head at him as she approached the mattress on the floor and lowered herself onto it, reaching for the scrunched up blanket at the foot of it and pulling it up over herself as she laid down. She made herself comfortable and it was mere seconds later when she felt the mattress dip and the blanket move, her lips curling into a smile when she felt him against her back. He put an arm around her beneath the blanket, his hand coming to settle upon her stomach so he could draw her back against him, and she felt him kiss the back of her shoulder before he tucked his head into her neck. “You warm enough?” He mumbled, pressing a tender kiss to her skin.
“I am now.” She admitted while settling in his embrace.
He was quiet for a time then, but he soon found his voice again. “I love you, Fae.”
Her heart raced. The last time she’d heard him say those words was during their night of passion in the woods and that felt so long ago now. “I love you too.”
A comfortable silence fell over them then and she was unable to keep from closing her eyes as a sudden wave of tiredness came over her, her hand finding his upon her stomach before she laced her fingers with his and breathed a sigh of contentment. After so many years of running – so many years of living in fear – there was something about knowing she was truly safe that made her happier than she could put into words. Not only was she safe though, she was now free to live her life with Fiyero and live it the way she wanted. The days of feeling as though she had to pretend to be something she wasn’t in order to gain approval were behind her. She no longer felt as though she had to keep quiet because she knew he loved her and that he respected and wanted to hear her opinions on things that mattered to her. He had given her that freedom and she just loved him so much for that.
She had no idea what the future had in store for them now, not in the slightest, but there was one thing she knew for sure.
It was going to be far from dull.