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Despite running at full speed away from potential pursuers, Elphaba was having a difficult time breathing. Not from exertion, but from the feel of Fiyero’s hand in hers.
Their hands still intertwined, they ran through the tunnels below the Emerald Palace, Fiyero guiding them. Elphaba had her broom in spare hand and Fiyero had his gun in his.
“They might expect we’ve gone this way,” Fiyero muttered, turning a corner. “Especially if I’m with you.”
Elphaba’s breath faltered. “You didn’t have to–”
“Don’t,” Fiyero said suddenly, slowing to a stop to look her in the eyes. “Elphaba.”
Elphaba’s breath hitched as he said her name.
“I want to come with you,” he assured, letting go of her hand and putting it on her shoulder instead. “I’ve wanted to since the day you left.”
Elphaba stared at him, perplexed by the sincerity in his eyes.
Those eyes…a few minutes ago, at the throne room, she had gotten distracted by them, despite the intensity of the situation. She quickly looked away to avoid doing it again.
Fiyero cleared his throat, pulling his hand away. He pointed down the tunnel. “Come on. Emergency exit out of the city is this way.”
They hurried down the halls, pacing themselves, but still going as fast as they could.
“So…” Elphaba jogged alongside him. “What happens now?”
“Anywhere you want,” Fiyero assured. “I had a few ideas on where to go, but you’re better at hiding than I am.”
“I meant…” Elphaba started, slowing her pace. “After that.”
Fiyero slowed, turning to face her again.
“You don’t have to come with me,” Elphaba said, stopping beside him to catch her breath. “I mean that. What I do is dangerous. There’s other places you can hide; other things you can do.”
Fiyero’s expression was soft. “Elphaba…”
Hearing him say her name, just her name, provided her with more relief than she could have imagined. But his next words continued to warm her heart.
“I’d follow you anywhere. I just…” his gaze drifted to their hands. “I didn’t know if you wanted me. I wouldn’t want to get in the way. But I will follow you, I promise.”
“Why wouldn’t I?” She protested. Anyone on her side would be helpful, especially a friend. And…especially someone who had once known her. And had always treated her…just as her. Not green. Not a witch. Just Elphaba. He was the only one who ever had. “Fiyero…thank you.”
The two met eyes again. The way he was looking at her…she was brought back to the day in the forest, staring at each other, not knowing what to say. Feeling almost a physical buzz in the air between them.
Elphaba felt her hand move, seeking to grab his, gently clasping his fingers. Intentionally, this time. And this time…he didn’t pull away. Neither did she.
He gently raised her hand to his lips, pressing a kiss against her knuckles, without moving his eyes from her own.
Elphaba’s lips parted, breathing slowly as her eyes swept over every feature of his face, looking for some kind of indication. Some kind of truth and sincerity. And the way Fiyero was looking at her…she was doubtful she was understanding him correctly, because…he did seem sincere.
He was still holding her hand. Their entwined fingers were still close to his lips. His mouth was slightly open, his warm breath against her skin. Her hand tingled at the contact, still in disbelief that he had done what he just did.
Did he truly mean it? Did he really want this? Was she seeing this clearly, was she not making anything up in her head?
Did he really want her?
The same way she wanted him?
Her eyes ran over his face. His lips were also slightly open, looking at her as if she were the only thing to look at, but not that the way others had. This look…it was only for her, only from him. His eyes shone with the reflections of the torches and something else, too. Something…almost beautiful.
Elphaba felt herself leaning in, ready to stop herself if she was misreading the situation.
But Fiyero was leaning closer, too.
The two of them knew, nothing left unclear. They quickly closed the gap between them, lips meeting in an instant.
Elphaba’s heart rushed with warmth at the new sensation, sending a shiver down her spine. She had never kissed anyone before. It wasn’t necessarily the kissing itself that surprised her and made her feel this light, it was the fact that someone wanted her. Someone wanted to kiss her. She felt Fiyero’s hand move from her shoulder to her back, gently holding her closer. Elphaba wanted to drop the broom to pull him even closer, but Fiyero pulled away first.
“We…should probably…” he muttered breathlessly.
“Right…right.” Elphaba cleared her throat, trying to smother the smile growing on her lips. But she noticed Fiyero had a soft smile too, and she allowed herself to.
—--------------------
Fiyero’s breathing came back into control as he felt Elphaba slow down, their pace slowing to a stop in a small forest clearing.
Fiyero knew this break wouldn’t last long. It was too risky to fly away from the city, not when it was still so light out. They had both run out of the city, along the fields, and into a dark forest where they had agreed to wait until there was no light left in the sky before flying further.
“Think we’re far enough?” Elphaba asked, quickly setting her broom, bag, and hat on the forest floor.
“I don’t know,” Fiyero admitted a few feet away from her as he placed his lantern down. The forest itself was dark, blocking out most of the sky with canopy. A silver mist rose from the forest floor, which had made it difficult to navigate between the trees, but now, in this clearing with glimpses of the purplish sunset, the effect was ethereal.
As he turned around, Fiyero saw her standing there, staring at him.
And nothing that nature could ever make would be as beautiful as Elphaba.
They both sensed what the other wanted, what the other had been craving for the last few hours, the last few years.
Fiyero held out his hands. Elphaba instantly crossed the distance to take them. Weak in the legs, he pulled her down with him to sit on their knees across from each other. Her face was so close, and the way she was looking at him made his heart pound in anticipation.
“How long do we have?” Fiyero asked, his voice low.
“I don’t care,” Elphaba muttered back. He felt her hand run along his arm, higher and higher up. “However long this moment will last.”
Then Fiyero would savor and love this moment enough to make up for the years without her.
Fiyero leaned in to kiss her, feeling her return it with similar quiet passion. He felt her hands run up his arms and shoulders, and he matched it with stroking her arms with an equal tenderness. His fingers gently rounded around her muscles and curves, feeling her form. That she was really there.
He pulled away slowly, closing his eyes and breathing deeply. For now, he could pretend that he had all of the time in the world.
Fiyero opened his eyes, finally having no distractions and able to just…look at her, and see how she was the same as he remembered her. And how she was different.
He ran his fingers over her palms. He was relatively sure that they had not been this calloused before, but just as warm as ever. His hands moved up her arms, over the mixed textures and fabrics of her dress. He wondered at what stage in the dress’s life she had adorned it, and the stories behind every patch, fray, and worn edge.
Fiyero moved his hands higher, cupping her face in his hands. His pulse skittered as he saw Elphaba looking at him in the same way, felt her hands running through his hair, examining him the same way as he was her. His thumb rubbed over her cheek, gazing at her features, examining her in admiration as he waited for her to finish her search of his features.
She had changed in the years. Leaner; more muscle, but thinner all the same. There was a harder edge to her jaw, and developing wrinkles by her eyes. When he saw her in the throne room, there had been a rigidness in her posture and an added fire in her gaze, but that rigidness seemed to be slowly fading away. Now she was practically melting next to him, on her knees as she leaned closer, and her eyes looking at him with equal admiration that made his heart want to burst.
When her eyes finally met his again, looking at each other for a long moment, they met again in a kiss.
Throughout the years, Fiyero had imagined what it would be like to kiss her, but never he would never let himself dream for long. The more his fantasies lingered, the more reality hurt. But this…this moment was all his, all real.
His lips gently opened more to move slowly against her own, sweeping kisses against her as he moved to her cheek.
Oz, she was really here. After all of this time. She was finally here. They were finally together. Every gesture wouldn’t be enough, it couldn’t be enough to tell her all of his thoughts about her for the past few years.
Elphaba moved closer against him. “Fiyero…”
He instantly pulled away, searching her eyes. “Yes?”
Elphaba pulled him back a little, reassuring him that he wasn’t doing anything wrong. Her hands squeezed a little tighter around his shoulders as she thought of what to say. “Could you just…please,” she paused to press a firmer kiss to his mouth, causing him to inhale sharply. “Please just…kiss me too fiercely, hold me too tight.” Her eyelids were lowered, but there was wonder in her expression. “I need help believing you’re really here with me.”
Fiyero looked in her beautiful eyes only a moment longer before he let himself go in a surge of emotion, meeting her request. He pushed his lips against hers, moving their position a little as he cradled the back of her neck. His arm swept across her back and down to her hip to pull her closer to him with the kiss.
Elphaba leaned back and he kept his arms steady around her, dipping her back and trailing quick kisses against the side of her face. He heard her mutter a small ‘yes, yes,’ that caused his heart to soar and he pressed firmer kisses against her. His lips moved down to her neck, and he felt her fingernails dig into his hair as he did. He kissed her harder and she let out a moan as she dug in her fingernails tighter into his arm. Fiyero hissed in satisfaction.
Elphaba’s grip loosened quickly. “Is…was that okay?”
Fiyero moved his face to meet hers so that their noses were touching. “Be how you want to,” he told her. “Be exactly how you want to.”
Elphaba met his lips again, and he returned the gesture by gently sliding his tongue along her bottom lip. She let out a small gasp as she opened her mouth against his. Their lips moved a little clumsily against each other, opening and closing in their desire for more. His tongue ran along her lips and moved slowly against the tips of her teeth.
Fiyero felt her teeth move to his bottom lip and gave a gentle nibble. Fiyero let out a groan, leaning into her for more.
Elphaba suddenly broke off the kiss, pulling away.
Fiyero’s hand lowered quickly. “I…what is it?”
“I…” she noticed his expression and quickly leaned forward to take his hand. “No, it’s just…for the first time…I feel…”
Fiyero watched her expectantly. He shivered as her expression grew more confident and she turned to him with her eyebrows lowered.
“...wicked.”
Elphaba surged towards him with desire, Her mouth explored his cheek, and she added her teeth as she moved down past his lips and even lower to his chin.
Fiyero gave a higher-pitched moan that melted into satisfaction as he felt her teeth on his neck, roughly nibbling and sucking at his skin. Fiyero held her tighter as his mouth fell open and breathed deeply, soaking in the joy of the moment. She moved up, trailing wet kisses along his hairline. He quickly returned the favor and pressed his mouth against the side of her face, desperately holding onto her neck as he kissed her fiercely.
“I need to feel your harder,” Elphaba muttered against the side of his face.
“You’re alright if I…”
“I’m yours.”
Fiyero responded immediately, surging to her neck to give her a similar treatment. His fingers dug into her arms, trying to somehow pull her even closer despite the two of them all over each other. He felt Elphaba hiss against him.
He lessened his passion a little to murmur against her ear. “Let me know if it’s ever too much.”
“You’re too kind to me,” Elphaba responded between breaths as she peppered kisses along his face, digging her nails into his arms. “I can’t believe you’re real.”
“I’m here,” Fiyero assured, moving to the other side of her neck, leaving a burning kiss there. “I’ll always be here.”
Elphaba stirred underneath him. “No.”
Fiyero moved to nudge her nose with his own. “Are you alright?”
Instead of responding, Elphaba leaned against him, pushing his shoulders back.
Fiyero’s eyebrows knit together. “Are you–”
Elphaba pushed harder, causing them both to fall to the ground in a heap. Elphaba bunched the front of his shirt in his fists as he gasped before closing the gap to fiercely kiss him.
A fire roared in Fiyero’s stomach as he brought his hands to wrap around her waist to support her. Biting kisses seared against his lips, her tongue running deeply within him. Oz, he wanted to continue. But her reaction from earlier…he didn’t want to leave it unsaid.
“Wait,” Fiyero gasped as Elphaba came up for air. “Wait for just a moment.”
Elphaba instantly relented, breathing deeply as she placed her hands on either side of him to lift herself off of him. “What is it?”
Fiyero was breathing heavily at the sight above him. He wanted to pull her back down, continuing the process of kissing each other senseless. He was already close to that senselessness himself, nearly too dazed to think. “I…I just…”
Elphaba’s expression fell. She blushed and looked away from him, moving off of him to sit on the ground again. “Sorry. Too much.”
“No, no,” Fiyero said, sitting up to gently grab her hands. “Elphaba, I mean it. What’s wrong? Something’s bothering you.”
Elphaba looked away. “Don’t you know?”
Fiyero awkwardly raised his eyebrows. “No?”
“You’re not always going to be here,” Elphaba insisted, moving her hands away from his. “You’re not. Either you’ll realize you’re being insane–”
“I would never.”
“-or something terrible is going to happen to you,” Elphaba said firmly. “That’s what always happens with the people I love.”
Fiyero’s expression softened at her remark. “Elphaba. Look at me.”
Elphaba squeezed her eyes shut. “Don’t tell me that it will all be alright.”
“I’m not going to. Look at me. Please?”
Elphaba rubbed her eyes, moving to look at him cautiously.
Fiyero gently placed his hand on her shoulder. “I meant that I’d follow you anywhere. I’ll always go with you, no matter how dangerous. You’ll always have me.”
“But–”
“But you’re right,” Fiyero continued, tilting his head to make sure that their eyes still met. “It’s not going to be safe. Bad things are going to happen. Oz, the Gale Force is looking for us right now, as we speak.”
“Then we should–”
“Elphaba,” Fiyero insisted. “I’m not leaving you. I want to be with you, for the rest of our time that the world will allow.”
Elphaba’s eyes shone with unfallen tears as she continued to look at him.
Fiyero took her hands again, bringing one of them to his lips to press a gentle kiss against it.
“I tried not to be selfish,” Elphaba whispered. “For years, I…I tried to tell myself that you would never want me. That you would never be with me, that I would never see you again.”
Fiyero held her hands between his. “You can be selfish now.”
Elphaba blinked back her tears, leaning forward to crush Fiyero in a hug. “Despite all of those years…now I never want to be without you again.”
Fiyero returned her embrace, sighing into her shoulder. “I don’t know how I survived without you for so long.”
He breathed deeply onto her shoulder, her hair tickling the side of his face. There was still an edge of anxiety in the corner of his brain, threatening him, telling him that Elphaba was right, and that this moment wouldn’t last long.
He shoved the thought aside, squeezing her tighter. He would allow himself to briefly dream, imagining what their life could be like. That someday all of this would be over, that someday they could reunite with old friends and make up. That someday…Fiyero and Elphaba would be spending the rest of their lives together, in a cabin somewhere near the Vinkus, or perhaps an old farm home by Munchkinland.
But he didn’t allow those thoughts to linger. They had no idea what may or may not happen.
But right now, they were together.
Right now, it was perfect.
Elphaba pulled away, wiping the corners of her eyes. She looked to the sky with a shaky smile. “Well. It’s dark now. My usual hiding spot isn’t too far by broom.”
Fiyero rubbed her shoulders as he offered her a grin. “Usual hiding place? You mean I’ll finally be able to see where you’ve been hiding this whole time?”
“I think the secret will finally be revealed,” Elphaba said with a slight smirk. “If you keep it a secret, too, of course.”
“It’s safe with me,” Fiyero said, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. He closed his eyes, feeling her skin against his lips. “You’re safe with me.”
—--------------------
Elphaba was rubbing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose, wondering why she felt so…calm. She blinked her eyes open, recognizing the surroundings of her hideaway, golden light shining in through the branches. That was odd. Usually she never slept in this late.
A clatter came to her right. Elphaba sat up off the bed, blankets falling around her, and turned with a start. Fiyero was standing by her basin, his back turned to her, placing dried dishes on top of each other. She watched as he pulled out another soaking plate from the water and started to clean it over with a towel.
Elphaba let out a long exhale, a small smile growing on her face. She lay her head back on the pillow, still watching him, fondly remembering the night before. She had already had a moment earlier that night (or in the very early morning?) where she had the realization that it wasn’t a dream.
Fiyero really was here.
After they had fallen asleep together, Elphaba had woken up when it was still dark, realizing she was draped across Fiyero’s chest. She hadn’t dreamed away her heart’s desire. They were still together, and he wasn’t leaving. Her overwhelming emotion at this prospect had urged her to rouse him awake and revive their passionate kisses, embraces, words, and connections, the realization having revived a wave of emotion.
And now it was morning. Elphaba was still lying in bed, watching Fiyero clean her dishes. Such a mundane, ordinary thing to do. Her awakening and realization that Fiyero was, yet again, still there didn’t spark the same intense emotions as it had, but this time it was something new. Something softer, something warmer, something full of calm. The physical and emotional shield she kept around her at all times was slipping further, and she didn’t care.
Elphaba slowly pulled the sheets away from her, sitting up in bed as she stretched.
Fiyero turned at hearing her movements, then put down the mug he was holding and wiped his hands. He made his way over to her, putting a hand on her shoulder and pressing a kiss against her forehead. “Good morning.”
Elphaba’s lips turned, her smile growing. “Hey.”
Fiyero leaned to the hook on the branch near the bedframe. “Is this your robe?”
Elphaba nodded, smirking. “Whose else would it be?” Fiyero pulled it down for her, taking care to help her arms through it and around her shoulders.
As Elphaba stood up and tied the knot around her waist, Fiyero went back to the fireplace, using a towel to pick up the handle. “I made some tea.”
“Thank you.”
“I also made some toast,” Fiyero said, pouring the tea into cups. “I wasn’t sure if you wanted me using your bread or anything you had, so I didn’t use much, but you can always add however much you want for yourself.”
Elphaba came closer, her brows furrowing. “Thank you?”
“I wanted to sweep a little, too, because of the loose rocks, but I didn’t want to wake you up and I definitely didn’t want to use your broom–”
“Are you alright?” Elphaba asked.
Fiyero nodded. “Of course. More than alright.”
Elphaba sat down on her makeshift log stool, taking the teacup and letting it warm her hands. “You just seem a little…”
Fiyero tilted his head at her, waiting for her to continue.
While searching for the right word, Elphaba raised the tea to her lips, but gasped and withdrew at the taste.
Fiyero reached forward, worry etched on his face. “What is it? Does it taste that bad?”
“No, it’s–” Elphaba carefully dabbed a finger into the steaming liquid and brought it to her tongue. She couldn’t help but laugh. “You accidentally used somnian leaves, didn’t you? They do look similar to green tea leaves.”
Fiyero’s eyes widened. “And…and what are those?”
“Eating a single leaf is enough to put you asleep for a few hours, and I assume several of them were just stewed into this tea…”
“Oh, Oz,” Fiyero muttered, putting his head in his hands. “I am so, so sorry.” He stood up, reaching for her cup. “Let me clean that up. If you point me to the right ones, I promise I can do it right this time.”
“It’s alright,” Elphaba said, standing up to keep the cup with her. “You just made a very powerful sleeping potion. I can probably save this and use it for something else.”
Fiyero frowned as he watched her rummage through her baskets for spare bottles. “I almost made you drink that. And I probably used up a lot of your stock, didn’t I? Here, is there anything I can do to actually help?”
“Fiyero,” Elphaba said, stronger, placing down the cup and turning to meet his eyes. “I mean it. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong, except for the fact that I nearly put you to sleep for the rest of the day–”
“But you didn’t,” Elphaba clarified. “But Fiyero, I promise. It’s alright. You don’t need to prove yourself to be useful.”
Fiyero stood there quietly for a moment. “I just want to…you know, help.” He looked away. “You’ve been doing this on your own for years. I know I’m not used to this life, but…I still want to be useful.”
“And you are,” Elphaba assured, stepping closer, gently taking his hand. “You’re here. And that’s so much more than I could ever ask for. You’re not going to weigh me down, or whatever you’re thinking. You’ll never be a burden.”
Fiyero looked at their entwined hands. After a moment, he let out a quiet chuckle. “How do you do that? You always seem to know what I’m thinking.”
Elphaba smiled and gave his hand a squeeze. “It’s written all over your face.”
“Am I that obvious?”
“Maybe, maybe not. I just…like to think I know you. And that sometimes what I see on your face…is familiar to me.”
Fiyero met her eyes, pulling their entwined hands towards him so he could press a kiss against her wrist. “Are you a mind reader, now, along with everything else they say?”
Elphaba smirked. “Maybe.”
“Want to try and guess what I’m thinking, then?” He asked, that sly smirk she remembered from Shiz returning to his face. But this time, it wasn’t a ploy for show. For her, it was filled with a little humor, a little love, a little mischief, and yet a little sincerity.
Elphaba pretended to think. “Hm. Possibly something very ridiculous.”
Fiyero grinned and leaned closer, softly kissing her lips. “A little bit, actually.”
“Oh? What is it this time?”
Fiyero settled his arms around her waist. “A joke I’ve been thinking of making when you woke up.”
“Go on.”
“You seem to have a lot in common with my favorite tea.”
Elphaba blinked. “I…what?”
Fiyero leaned his face closer, their noses nearly touching. “Green. Bitter and sweet. And of course…enchantingly hot.”
Elphaba couldn’t contain her laugh, furious at her cheeks for burning. She leaned against his chest, relishing in his embrace. “Oz, that was terrible.”
“Hey, you laughed. Who’s terrible, now?”
“Still you! And bold of you to assume I haven’t heard a green tea joke before. Well, without the hot part, of course. That’s a first, and it’s just as ridiculous.”
Fiyero’s grin faltered. Elphaba looked away at his expression. “I mean…I just meant…that’s never a joke I would have heard.”
“Not that I want people joking about you in general,” Fiyero said, “but it should have been, compared to everything else.”
Elphaba pulled away a little. “No, it’s fine. I just wish…”
“What?”
“...I wish that I could be beautiful. For you.”
Fiyero’s brow furrowed. “Elphaba–”
“Don’t tell me that I am,” Elphaba insisted. “You don’t have to lie to me.”
“It’s not lying,” Fiyero said, guiding her chin to meet his eyes. “It’s…looking at things another way.”
Elphaba frowned and looked away, not entirely convinced.
“Like, you might think on the surface, a powerful witch wanted by all of the world is a scary concept,” Fiyero explained. “But in reality, she’s good at heart and passionate about her beliefs and braver than anyone else.”
“But, Fiyero–”
“And some may think that someone with a green complexion is unusual, and maybe that’s true, but it also makes you unique and gorgeous.”
“Fiyero,” Elphaba muttered, still not meeting his eyes. “That’s…that’s still not…”
Fiyero pulled her closer, gently wrapping his arms around her, loosely holding her. Elphaba sighed against him.
“I’m sorry for the way people treat you,” Fiyero said. “You’ve never done anything to deserve that, and you never will.”
Elphaba blinked her eyes ferociously, holding back the stinging that was beginning to gather in the corners of her eyes.
“It’s so unfair,” Fiyero said, a hint of anger beginning to spill into his voice. “All those people…it’s disgusting. And…and I had to pretend like I didn’t care, even though I knew it wasn’t true and I knew you were better than all of them by far–”
“Shh,” Elphaba hushed, rubbing the back of his head. His head dropped onto her shoulder. “Let’s not think about that.”
He gave a gentle squeeze before pulling back to look at her again.
Oz, the way he was looking at her…Elphaba felt like she couldn’t breathe. His eyes practically shone with tender emotion, lighting up the world she lived in. His mouth was slightly parted as he looked at her, brushing his hand across her cheek. “Oz, you're so beautiful,” he breathed out before crushing her in a hug.
Elphaba gasped lightly before returning it, and allowing herself to be held by him. Once again, she was overcome by the need to hold him too tightly, assuring herself that he was really there.
“You’re so beautiful,” Fiyero muttered against her ear, sweeping his arms across her back. “You’re stunning, you’re mesmerizing."
“Fiyero–”
“You’re so beautiful in the morning,” Fiyero continued, his soft words whispering into her hair, as if he could never say them anywhere else unless he was this close to her. “You’re always beautiful, but the way you sleep, so peacefully, and the way the sunlight makes your skin glow…”
Elphaba clutched him tighter, desperate to hear more, no matter how conflicted her feelings, starting to believe him with every word.
“...and how you somehow see me, truly do, and think I’m worth something…Elphaba, I can fall in love with you more with each passing day for the rest of my life.”
Elphaba pulled away enough to fiercely kiss him. “Fiyero, please, that,” she whispered against his mouth. “I’ll fall in love with you every day, somehow more than the last. If there’s any future…or…if there’s…some chance…if we aren't-”
“Don’t think about that,” Fiyero said urgently, repeating her words from earlier. “No past, no future. Just now. Just in the moment.”
Elphaba buried her face into his shoulder, calming her breathing against him. Just in the moment. That was what they discussed last night. The moment was lasting longer than she could have dreamed already. Maybe it could last longer.
Maybe there could be a future together.
Or maybe, their words of loving each other more every day for the rest of their lives would come true. For who knew the amount of life they had left to live?
Elphaba squeezed him tighter, ignoring the thought. No. No, she wasn’t going to think that way. Not when she held the man who understood, cared, and loved her more than anyone else in the world. Not when she had all she wanted in her arms.
They both held their embrace for a long time, breathing together. After a few long minutes had passed, they had relaxed against each other.
Elphaba finally pulled away, taking his hand. “Come on,” she said with a smile. “Let’s make that tea properly this time.”
—----------
In a terrible, horrible way…perhaps it was lucky that the pair had insisted not to think any further than the moment.
For that moment did not last long, after all.
Far away, in Munchkinland, the winds strengthened and blew back and forth. And even farther away, in another world, an identical storm gathered in a place called Kansas.