#fiyero looks so good in long hair

[raven-curls]

Stunning photos from Wicked in Sweden (and a Fiyero with long hair)

[reidmania]

wicked | spencer reid

summary; you and spencer go to see the wicked musical together

warnings; obviously not realistically time based, use ur imaginations!! fem reader, pure fluff i dont think theres any warnings tbh

an; yes this is the fic i started writing like a month ago after i saw wicked and there was a guy there that looked like spencer reid. it has just taken a really long time. i miss knock off spencer reid, he was so sexy, come back.

The bustling crowd was almost overwhelming, groups of people gathered around taking photos with the large signs at the entrance, others leant against walls conversing with one another, and a large group of people trying to get through the doors through the crowd.

Meanwhile, You were standing hand in hand with Spencer as you waited for the majority of people to find their way’s in before you even attempted manoeuvring your way around the flock of people. Your eyes danced over the girls who came dressed up in character, admiring their unwavering confidence as they laughed as posed with the sign.

“Should’ve wore green” Spencer mumbled in your ear as he leant down slightly, in order to ensure you heard him over the crowd of people. Really it wasn’t that loud — it was just a lot and you wouldn’t have been surprised if you had missed something he said prior because of your focus being drawn away.

A soft laugh left your lips as you turned your head to face him. The city lights danced over the side of his face as he looked down at you, a content grin on his face. His suit jacket laid on top of his vest, his tie tucked underneath.

Your free hand lifted towards his tie to gentle recenter it, “Your tie matches” You mumbled. He had wore a dark green tie and you had a dark green thin bow tied in the back of your hair. It was your subtle way of showing your support and contribution to the main colour of the musical.

He hummed, “Should’ve just committed completely” He expressed, tilting his head to the side as your hand fell away from his tie. Your eyes rolled playfully — He had mentioned a few times since the two of you got the tickets for the musical that you should go dressed up at the main characters, to which you entertained the idea for all of two minutes before laughing and shaking it off.

Neither of you really wanted the attention of the public like that.

“Should’ve” You said, sighing out dramatically even though you both knew you were just playing along with the idea. You had seen the musical before, while it was Spencer’s first time.

When he continued suggesting how you two should go as Glinda the good witch, and fiyero because they were together (Which he only knew because you had briefly summarised the plot when asking him to come see it with you) You had to just laugh and hold back spoiling the fact that it really didn’t work out for them.

Spencer just smiled as he leant down to place a soft kiss on the top of your head, the crowd was dwindling out now, the two of you taking it as your opportunity to get through the doors and into the theatre. His hand stayed tightly wrapped around yours as you got your tickets scanned and entered.

Your eyes danced over the beauty of the inside, the large staircases and the warm lighting along with the historical indenting in the walls and ceilings around the large chandelier. Spencer was already moving towards the staircases quickly.

You followed — without much of a choice since your hands were interlaced tightly and you were basically being dragged anyways. His hands danced over the tickets the minute you two walked through the correct doors for the dress circle.

He placed another gentle kiss on the top of your head as he scanned for where your seats were. You squeezed his hand softly as he began walking towards them the minute his eyes laid on where your seats were. If anything you’d think he was more excited than you were.

“It gets pretty loud” You said softly once the two of you found your seats, you shuffled comfortably in the seat next to him as your eyes danced over the stage set up, you turned your head to Spencer with a soft smile on your lips.

“Yeah?” He asked, appreciative of your warning, his head turned to look at you, his eyes dancing over your face. You remembered when you last saw it, despite it being an amazing experience you left with a slight headache because of how loud it got.

You nodded, squeezing his hand that was still holding yours once more, leaning back in your chair as you got comfortable. Your eyes turned to admire the set again before turning your head back to Spencer.

“Im excited” You said, a wide smile on your face that was instantly reciprocated by the man staring down at you, his eyes full of love and admiration as they studied your every feature.

“Yeah? Me too.” He said honestly, leaning his head down to place a gentle kiss on your lips. You smiled as you let your body relax, relishing in the softness of his touch.

The lights dimmed and the stage lit moments later, your hand stayed interlocked with Spencer throughout, your finger tapping against the back of his hand in beat of the songs that played, which would make him smile and squeeze your hand softly.

You couldn’t help the way every time you found something funny you would turn to look at Spencer to see if he was smiling or laughing like you were. He muttered his small opinions of different scenes in your ear every now and then, making a comment on how they were factually inaccurate to which you would just give him a knowing look — which would make him smile and shake his head, returning his gaze to the set.

When popular began playing, you leant in closer to Spencer, whispering the lyrics softly while moving your head. His gaze was torn from the set anytime you got closer, he watched you with an amused grin and a soft raise of his eyebrow.

When it got to the intermission, you were unworldly glad. After spending the last— nearly two hours sitting in the same position your body ached to just move around.

“Are you liking it?” You ask when the lights came back up. People around you began moving to go to the bathroom — get new drinks, or just go for a walk. Some stayed where they were in their seats but you were already moving to stand.

Spencer followed, standing up after you, his hands instinctively coming to rest on your hips as he lead you in front of him, towards the end of the seats. “Yeah, I am. Are you? Is it as good as you remember?” He asks softly, when the two of you finally get to the end, walking up the stairs before down the next ones, leaving the dress circle.

“Yes, Better even. It’s funnier” You mumble out softly as your body felt relieved from the movement in your legs.

He smiled, looking around at the long lines for people waiting to go to the bathroom. You were both glad that neither of you needed to go. Instead, you leant against the wall, Spencer’s arms wrapped around your waist, head leant down to nuzzle into your neck as your arms wrapped around his.

You stayed like that for a while, just relishing in the comfort of one another. It was like the chaos surrounding you didn’t exist as it all drowned out into faint background noise, the only thing taking your focus was Spencer’s scent consuming your senses.

When the intermission was over, you and Spencer found your way back to your seats, his hand stayed interlocked with yours throughout the entirety of the show. anytime the music got a little bit too loud you would give his hand a soft squeeze supportively, knowing his lack of love for the loud volume.

In response he would lean down and press a gentle reassuring kiss to the side of your head, both letting you know he was okay, and showing his appreciation for your care and knowledge of the little things about him.

Spencer was never the biggest fan of musicals before, but here with you?

Well that was something he could get used to.

[practically-an-x-man]

Your OCs and their lives just got isekai'd into the Wizard of Oz. Whose parts do they all take over?

Oooh, alright! Very interesting! And for the record, I'm going to sort of combine the Wizard of Oz lore with Wicked lore, since I felt like Wicked really added more history and dimension to the characters (that will make it easier to fit my OCs into the story)

Rae: So, she's actually a very innately courageous person, almost to the point of being foolhardy... which means it could be very interesting to see her with her courage magically taken away, and her seeking to recover it. The Cowardly Lion.

Robin: The Tin Man. Much like Rae, it's more about what traits in her are already strong (in this case, her love and protectiveness for the people around her), and how it would be interesting to see her seek to recover that if it were taken away.

Katherine: I can't see her as anything but the Good Witch/Glinda, honestly. I mean, Glinda is a bit more vain than Katherine is, but if we go from the side of those deep platonic connections with her friends, not to mention her magic... I just don't know what other role she could possibly be!

Madison: Actually, I'm going to give her Dorothy. She's struggled with finding homes, and even ran away from her childhood home, so it would be fun to see how she copes with being thrown into a fantasy land and trying to find her way back to what's familiar. (Plus, that implies that Bravo would take the place of Toto, which is a very funny substitution considering Bravo is a 150lb wolfdog)

Jasper: The Wizard himself. I mean, putting up a front, promising grandeur in an effort to escape the vulnerability underneath... That got a little existential, but it works. Plus, he'd certainly look like the product of another world, with the punk look and dyed hair and all. The Munchkins would take one look and think for sure that he was some kind of otherworldly god XD

Ophelia: I'm going to give her the Wicked Witch. She's among my most morally grey characters, and could even have fun in a role like that. Plus, if we dig into Wicked lore and Elphaba a bit more, Ophelia has also had poor luck in love/community, and her story lines up a fair amount.

Quinn: Hm... Scarecrow. Again, I'm going a bit more off of Wicked than the original Wizard of Oz, particularly the scene where Fiyero is taken away and tortured because he wouldn't give Elphaba up. Quinn has done the same sort of thing, accepting pain and torture for the sake of love, and she does in fact get her long-awaited reunion at the end (much like Elphaba and Fiyero). Plus, it would give her a break from the joint pain for a while, and she'd appreciate that.

Kestrel: Chistery/one of the flying monkeys. No particular reason, they'd just have fun flying around and causing a bit of minor havoc

[viladlind]

you kept me by your side despite the menace i am.

baldur's gate 3 prompts

zevran is sitting on the couch that he almost bled out on. they'd just replaced one of the cushions. the other was still salvageable, the blood not yet interwoven with its fabric, and the back of the couch was clean enough to look alright again after a good scrubbing. thankfully, it wasn't white in colour in the first place, more of a soft brown that was more merciful about the copper staining it.

   though some amount of discomfort still sits with fiyero, even as he looks at the lack of red. the couch is clean. he knows it's clean, he can see it with his own two eyes. he scrubbed it himself, albeit with zevran's help. it's bright out, but he flicks the light switch of the living room a couple of times anyways, squinting at the couch from where he's standing. he can't seem to get rid of it, this antsy energy that has him pace back and forth, wondering if he should just replace the entire thing. he really doesn't have the money for that. he'd been saving up for a new harp, and a new couch would set him back a considerable amount—  

   " come sit, tesoro. "

   it's the nickname more than anything, that makes him look at zevran as he speaks up. and after that, it's the way the sunlight from outside catches in his hair, his eyes. a picture of golden warmth as he sits there, scratch curled up against his leg. he doesn't look upset, but fiyero still feels somewhat caught as he flexes his fingers where they hold nothing, a bit of a pitiful look on his expression.

   he hesitates without meaning to. it feels a little wrong, to disturb this peaceful image, but it's moreso that he hasn't made peace with the stupid couch yet, and he's still debating throwing it out instead of sitting down on it ever again. but that's silly—

   zevrans levers him with a look. fiyero makes a chittering noise. then he goes to sit down on zevran's other side, not wanting to startle scratch where he might be taking a nap. he'd been sticking closer to zevran, as well, throughout his recovery. can't really blame him.

   fiyero sits awkwardly at first, stiff, not looking at zevran. he's staring at his own thighs and the hands curled up on top of them. not quite balled into fists, but close enough. he doesn't want to be this way, so wound up with anxiety and worry that he can't even enjoy zevran's presence. but can it be helped? even with zevran healing, even with the couch clean, fiyero looks at his hands and sees blood peek through. he huffs a frustrated noise.

   zevran leans into him, a warm weight against his side. fiyero breathes out and the elf's hand comes up to nudge at his jaw with his fingertips. it's a delicate touch, yet heavy enough for fiyero to relent and look at him properly.

   zevran, here. searching for him, looking at him, framed by the sun.

   the confliction is probably visible on his expression. the next breath he lets out is more of a shudder as one of his hands comes up to frame zevran's cheek, the other tightening in zevran's lap, the fabric of his pants. he wishes— he wishes for a lot of things. all the time. but it seems that he doesn't even have to voice it properly this time, zevran leaning in for a kiss at the same time that fiyero does.

   it soothes some of that unrest, the drag of their lips against each other. it's hard to think of anything else, the world restricting itself to the sound of zevran shuffling closer, the feeling of their breaths intermingling as they go for another, and another, and another, hesitant to part. they haven't been getting up to much, since zevran's injury. that's mostly because of fiyero and his worry about accidentally popping zevran's stitches, so this is enough to send fiyero's heartbeat into the bottom of his throat, his touch slow with longing.

   " are you well? " fiyero feels zevran's lips move with the words, that's how close they still are. eyelashes fluttering, he slowly opens his eyes again, glancing at zevran shyly. he draws his thumb across a strand of gold and tucks it behind a pointed ear. ' i'm fine, ' he mutters, almost a bit distractedly. zevran is so pretty and when they're like this, he's all that fiyero can see. part of him wants to push him back onto the couch and keep him there, under fiyero's weight, so that he'll stay still until he's fully recovered, never out of his sight.

   the other, more rational part, knows that's not going to work. so he has to confine himself to this: pressing another kiss to zevran's lips, asking: ' are you fine? ' with the hand on zevran's lap curling around to his waist. the healthy side, the one he can touch without a flinching apology. staying there, holding him.

   (that's not so bad, either.)

   zevran stays quiet for a moment. it gives fiyero time to admire him from where he's sitting, relaxing into the seat underneath him. he's almost forgotten why he didn't want to sit down in the first place. it's easier to forget, when zevran is so clearly alive underneath his fingertips, when fiyero can almost feel the thrum of life underneath his skin. he's staring, shamelessly so, when zevran finally looks at him with some difficulty.

   " i am grateful, " he says, sounding exhausted and affectionate at the same time. " you kept me by your side despite the menace i am. "

   fiyero perks up at that. he gives the words their space, lets them settle in the small space between them. then he sighs with a slow blink, tightens his grip around zevran, reaching for his leg with his other hand. ' come here, silly rogue. '

   zevran is slid into his lap with relative ease, though scratch makes a huffing noise in protest as he curls into a ball, left behind. he fits there perfectly, in fiyero's opinion, perched on the tiefling's legs. his hands go from fiyero's shoulders, where he was holding himself steady, down to his chest. with the flat of his palms pressed against fiyero like that, he almost makes a comment about it. in fact—

   ' eyes up here. ' he tilts zevran's chin up, a teasing lilt to his voice. his other hand is back on the healthy side of his waist, keeping him upright. he traces zevran's jawline. " perhaps i cannot help it, when the view is so nice, " is what he gets in response, and it draws half a laugh, half a chirp out of fiyero. he wants to kiss him again, but he also wants to speak first, so that's what he does.

   ' because, ' he starts, deliberate about his phrasing. where his own emotions are difficult, these days, like trying to keep a bird trapped between your palms, unruly and fluttering, it's much easier to listen to zevran and see the implications beneath. he doesn't agree with them— it's not often that he does, when it comes to zevran's idea of self-worth. ' because of the menace that you are. i do not simply tolerate the parts of you that may bruise me. ' gently, he draws zevran down towards him, so that he can tap his horns against his head in a show of deep affection. there's the kick-start of a purr that dissipates again when he picks more words to say.

   ' i care for them just as much as for the parts that make me laugh. or whimper, or cry, or sing. ' perhaps he should show zevran, finally. the lyrics, tucked away in fiyero's notebook, the notes, half a song, dedicated to him. perhaps it's still a little too embarrassing. he glances up through heavy-lidded eyes, smooths a thumb over zevran's waist. ' my tongue may be silver, but i'm being veracious. that which bothers me still makes you the person that you are. '

   a pause, heavy. his heart beats in his chest.

   ' i adore you not in parts, but in your entirety, dove. '

   and with his gaze almost spilling over with love, it's hard to believe otherwise.

[viladlind]

she's already gathering whatever clean towels she can find, the shirt thrown to the side without much thought. standing up, she tries not to press her stomach directly into zevran's face as she leans over towards the cabinet by the sink, turning on the water and briefly waiting for it to turn warmer before she soaks one of the towels in it. it's somewhat calming work. the sound of the rushing water is nice, and the anticipation of getting zevran clean is even nicer.

she gives him a pitiful look as she bends back down, catching him as he catches himself in the mirror. ' no, i'm sorry. ' it's not even that she thinks she has to tell zevran as much. his job title alone is proof that he has plenty experience around injuries, but she feels the need to say it anyways. if only to show her understanding. ' can't soak open wounds in water. i'll clean you up as much as i can. '

and so she does: her touch is so gentle, so delicate. crouched in front of him as he sits on the chair, one of her hands is a reassuring touch on his knee, the other starts wiping his face. the towel is warm and soft. it should soothe some of that piercing pain. occasionally fiyero gets up again, soaks and drenches the towel, lowers herself back down. when the blood on his face is mostly gone, she gives them another moment to simply try and bask in it. the towel is pressed between his eyebrows, trying to brush away the furrow.

fiyero handles him like precious goods, like a priceless treasure that was almost stolen from her. it feels that way, certainly.

' i could brush your hair after, ' she offers as compromise, though there's a note of longing in it as well. to return to something they're both more used to. something affectionate, a promise of lulling routine at the end of all this garbled hurt. next up is his waist. her work there is a lot more diligent, focused. she's confident in the strength of her stitches, but she knows the area must be sensitive, so it takes longer. silent throughout, fiyero only breaks the small bubble of quiet when she cleans the rest of it with magic. mostly for her own peace of mind rather than any practical reason.

and lastly, his hands, and whatever blood has soaked through and trickled down to the parts of him that are uninjured. his arms, his stomach. she frowns as she looks at his pants. it's not a lot, but there's blood on it as well, a messy line down from his waist. she's distracted when she asks, trying to see whether it soaked through the fabric or not. ' can i take off your pants? '

zevran does not need to cling so tightly to fiyero as he's lifted and moved, but he does. there is a certain comfort in being held, to feel the tiefling's arms around him. the warmth that constantly emanates from the bard, like a living furnace. like a ray of sun. sunshine. zevran thinks of all the many times he has taken naps in sunbeams as a lazy cat would, contented and at peace. if such a feeling were condensed into a single person, he thinks, it would be fiyero. how strange, to become so comfortable with a person in such a short amount of time.

there's a fluttering in his chest that has nothing to do with the blood he's spilled or the ache in his side. if he had not experienced it once, twice, three times already he would not know what to think. as it is, the thought of what it could mean... now is not the time. he buries it somewhere in the back of his mind, a precious object never meant to be found. or, more accurately, a seedling, right on the verge of sprouting in the warmth of this sun.

despite himself, zevran cannot help but wince when he is forced to raise his arms, feeling the uncomfortable tug. he idly wonders if it is even worth it to keep the shirt or if it would be less of a hassle to simply toss it. his skin is oddly pale, a more ashy pallor. he catches sight of himself in the bathroom mirror and makes a face. there are dark shadows under his eyes, his cheeks stained with blood and fiyero's tears, his eyes dull. he probably has snarls in his hair. he looks awful.

"i don't suppose you would be willing to dunk me in the bath?"

[majorxmaggiexboy]

Rating the Cold Boys based on how good i think they hug let’s go

you hug this man and it’s like hugging your great great great great great great grandpriest’s great great grandmother twice removed. Smells like moth balls, grape jelly, and disappointment, but there’s a 20% chance if you smile through your gritted teeth and say��“Yes, Grampa, I Love You Too” he’ll give you a $20 and bad relationship advice on your way out the door. 2/10

Frauncis has never had a hug before in his life he honestly does not know how exactly. Smells like whiskey, regret, and a longing to love somebody. Will pat ur back and say something like “yes, well” and chuckle awkwardly but with a hidden warm smile if youre lucky. Will offer you an alcoholic beverage but ONLY if he can have some too, 6/10

Commander Jehmes could out-hug a professional hugger. Perfect height for seizing by the lapels and weeping against while being Held. Plot twist though he’s crying too. smells of hair product and your wildest dreams. 10/10

don’t be fooled it’s like hugging a pasty skeleton with good hair and also it might stab you twenty-three times in the chest among other extracurriculars. smells like weed and betrayal, wouldn’t recommend it more than once. 3/10

Adorable but will side-hug no matter what gender he thinks u are bc if he registers u as Woman full hugs are sinful and if he registers u as Man full hugs are gay there’s no winning with him but if you can catch him by surprise he’ll make a squeaky-toy sound, smells of banana bread and communion wafers, 7/10

Local man out here trying his best, making terrible decisions but with feeling and admirable spirit, Boromirs that Shite. I bet he smells like peanut butter, doritos, and sand. Solid 6/10

His name is ‘Blanky’ for goodness sake he is the clear winner this man has the voice of a slightly inebriated angel and is NOT afraid to hug tight OR spin you around a few times and pretend to drop you for a laugh. Smells like the dad who actually came home from the milk store, god bless ameri

whups how’d that get in there

look into those eyes and tell me this wouldn’t be a sweet cinnamon hug of joyful companionship, 8/10 easily and score goes up with every hug because this man is all about continuous improvement. Will absolutely wrap you in his coat AND probably give you his hat

Don’t tell me you’ve never longed for the tender embrace of a middle-aged gay librarian 10/10

wouldn’t recommend it babe 3/10

WOULD WHOLEHEARTEDLY RECOMMEND IT BABE 10/10 he will hug you close and love you AND talk special interests in a soothing voice while gazing at you with warm beautiful eyes. Smells like waiting rooms and the very essence of love itself

This man hugs like his life depends on it and cries like Darcy in the rain. Will not let go once hugging begins. Inexplicably damp at all times but the faint stale towel smell isn’t so bad once you get used to it and the sheer desperation is actually kind of endearing 8/10

No matter how it turns out, you are guaranteed to feel more held than you have ever felt in your entire life and will most certainly get a kiss, try it once and see what happens! 10/10 life changing experience no matter what

He’s like a candycane someone dropped in a puddle and then ran over with a tricycle. Under appreciated offbrand of Bob Ross and Peter Dinklage. Has a Vibe going on. Kind of like hugging a scarecrow so you can basically say you’re hugging Fiyero. Have fun out there. 3/10

look me in the eyes and tell me you honestly believe any other hug could possibly be good enough after getting hugged by Henry Foster Collins. 10000/10 was literally built for hugging, custom made, God said Capybara But Make It Human and Henry Foster Collins was born. This man is cotton candy in human form.  A Squishmallow. A babe. Love him. this man studied hugging at 20,000 Leagues Under the Yes Please and got a frickin Ph.D

are you interested in a one-time hug? TOO BAD because this one will not only hug but will also honor and cherish and protect (as long as it doesn’t interfere with caring for the Captain) AND speak so soft and gentle to in an adorable accent WHILE wearing a sweatervest and smelling like coffee, soap, a tiny hint of something absolutely unhinged and All Your Dreams Come True. 10/10

[slut-and-falcon]

-I picture Fiyero looking like Adam Beach or a young Graham Greene, but with curly hair. And at some points his hair is short because he had/forced to assimilate when we started attending schools outside of the Vinkus, and when he was in the Wizard’s Guard.

-the diamonds described being on Fiyero are more similar to kapemni (Lakota hourglass-looking symbol). The symbol had todo with the stars and sky, and beliefs around them. Not to say that the Arjiki =Lakota; the symbols just were very similar in my head. In the book, we get an omniscient third character reader with some of Elphaba’s inner thoughts and interpretations- it makes since she would describe the tattoos as ‘diamonds’. This isn’t meant to be appropriative, I just think that is what maguire may have been picturing. If this is disrespectful please tell me!

-the old big ice age animals exist in the non-human populated areas of Oz. Idk why I think this, but I do lol. And they are just animals, not Animals. Various groups in the west will group hunt them for food and supplies. I have this vision of mammoths in the Vinkus and I haven’t been able to get it out of my head.

-Elphaba doesn’t eat meat (or any food with animal byproduct that would require their deaths or injury) unless 1) she’s starving and it’s her only choice, or 2) someone she trusts hunted and prepared the food (aka Fiyero most likely). She doesn’t want to accidentally eat the remains of an Animal.

-traditional Ozian hunters are trained to recognize the differences between animals and Animals as to avoid accidentally murdering Animals; this became more difficult as Animals were forced to hide in plain sight posing as life stock to avoid being killed or imprisoned by the Wizard-supported forces

-Elphaba has curly hair. Fight me lol. She really didn’t know how to care for it so she always tied it back in a braid or bun. But once she left Oz, she figured out techniques with Fiyero’s help and other refugees’ help

-Elphaba and Fiyero changed their names to Fae and Yero and followed refugee paths out of Oz and into one of the neighboring countries. They received help and thanks from various refugees (human and Animal) who recognized them (but only after Elphaba explained Fiyero was never on the Wizard’s side)

-Fiyero turned back to being a human after years of research. However the ordeal left him disabled, and he had a limp and chronic pain. He jokes that his end goal was to gain her attention while she nurses him back to health.

-Elphaba can sing- this is cannon. She learned to sing due to being forced todo so for her father’s ministry. Once they left the Quaddlings region, and were back in Munchkinland and in a church, she also learned to play the organ.

-Fiyero like to draw (cannon in book). He draws a lot of Elphaba.

-Elphaba has never gotten her hair cut, and her hair became a security blanket of sorts for her. She didn’t cut it until she left Oz.

-Elphaba could do a basic braid and hair bun. Fiyero taught her how to do more complex braiding, and how to braid things into her hair (like flowers)

-Elphaba’s preferred weapon is a good ol’knife and intimidation. Fiyero prefers long distance weapons. He says it’s a self preservation tactic. Elphaba jokes that he’s just scared of her knife skills

-while they were at school, Elphaba and Fiyero were best friends. She tutored him and he encouraged her to come out of her shell. It was very common for them to team up during the Charmed Circle’s hang outs, even when Fiyero and Glinda were dating. And they would tag team play Poker and/or Euchre and wipe the table with everyone

-Fiyero is taller than Elphaba by 2 inches. By she absolutely will push him down into a chair and stand over him to assert her dominance.

-Elphaba isn’t a women but she doesn’t have the language to identify herself as anything else. (Maybe this changes once their leave Oz and she gains the language to describe herself; maybe Fiyero’s mother tongue has words for it)

-most ppl thing Elphaba’s the cat person in the relationship, but actually Fiyero is. He found this stray kitten and brought it home (post leaving Oz). It’s the only animal to prefer Fiyero over Elphaba.

-their relationship communication is 80% sarcasm and sass; they have had to work on their communication skills due to this fact. Before identifying the problem, they got in way too many fights/disagreements due to miscommunication and/or accidentally offending each other.

[fatefulfaerie]

Music

Linktober 2022 prompt #30/31

Word Count: 881

Incarnation: Breath of the Wild AU (modern high school)

Trigger Warnings: None Applicable

“A level of emotional resonance unparalleled by any other high school production I’ve ever seen.”

The director beamed as he read the newspaper clipping with pride, in his students, in himself, but Link, Zelda, and Mipha sat in hidden shame. Their opening night would never be like that again.

You see, they weren’t acting in the slightest.

It all started during the first month of rehearsals. Superstar soprano Mipha was cast as Galinda and her tenor boyfriend, Link, was cast as Fiyero. A student that had only transferred to Hyrule High this semester was cast as Elphaba. Everyone doubted the decision and openly complained until she opened her mouth to sing “The Wizard and I”. What started as a private music rehearsal ended up with cast members and passing high school students alike crowding to get a glance at who the powerhouse voice belonged to. This was the first instance where Mipha saw Link starry-eyed. He never looked at her like that.

Mipha first voiced her concerns indirectly, stopping rehearsal without even thinking with a “Wait!”. They were in the middle of blocking “As Long As You’re Mine” and that meant Link and Zelda were about to practice the kiss. The director glared at Mipha in a “how dare you interrupt my rehearsal like this but also you’re a minor so I can’t really yell at you” way, and even she couldn’t give a good excuse, stammering.

“I,” she began. “I-I just thought it would be better if they waited…u-until the show. It would be more accurate to Elphaba and Fiyero finally getting their first kiss.”

It was bullshit reasoning for Mipha just wanting to hold off them kissing for as long as possible. Link furrowed his brow in confusion. Zelda panicked internally, knowing she had never kissed anyone before and very much needed the practice before doing it in front of people and making it believable. Mipha acted as if she completely meant to be smart about it when the director surprisingly agreed.

During the two months leading up to the show, Link was pulling farther and farther away from her. By the time her red hair was tucked securely into the iconic blonde wig and she adorned the sparkling gown, she suspected her boyfriend had feelings for another girl.

Zelda, Mipha had to admit, looked strikingly fantastic as Elphaba, her green eyes piercing even alongside the painted green skin and the black wig. Mipha saw her in the wing opposite her as she hugged her arms close, them both waiting to come out and show the director how they looked in their costumes, on stage, in the lights, and what needed to be changed about makeup or costuming or whatever. There was something wrong with the lights, so while the adult volunteers tried to figure out the problem, the two stood, Mipha hugging her arms close as Zelda had a conversation with the rigging guy about being flown in “Defying Gravity” and how that was going to work safely. Mipha was fine with that, it should be safe and surely she wanted no harm to come to Zelda. Mipha’s thoughts instead went to Link, how they had known each other since childhood, how the romance between them just kind of happened because their sets of parents expected it.

Was there ever really any real love involved?

“Don't wish, don't start,” she sang that night, meaning every word. The director in the first row of the crowded theater felt his eyebrows twitch upwards in surprise. “Wishing only wounds the heart”

“There's a girl I know,” she continued to sing. “He loves her so…I'm not that girl.”

The low G that she should have prided in the fact that it showed off her vocal range cascaded into “As Long As You're Mine” as she walked off stage, Link and Zelda coming on stage with held hands before sitting center stage and beginning the number.

It wasn’t the kiss at the end that made Mipha decide to finally let Link go. It was the way their hands found each other, hands that were not seen by the audience and never would be, hands that taught her everything she needed to know about love. She never had it and Link had found it. Who was she to stand in the way of it?

“I���m sorry,” Link said after the show when Mipha broached the subject. They were still both in their costumes except Link had shed the scarecrow appendages and had taken off half his makeup when she walked into the dressing room. She shook her head.

“Don’t be,” Mipha said. “I now have the chance to find love like yours.”

Link smiled at that and nodded. He gave his friend a hug, and once she left he rushed to Zelda’s dressing room. She had a whole team wiping off her green skin, carefully taking off her wig. She saw him in the reflection of the open doorway when one of the makeup artists said “you can open your eyes now”.

“Good job tonight, Link,” she said with a smile. “Are you ready to fall in love again tomorrow night?”

Link smiled with a laugh. His heart was free to be here in this moment without guilt weighing him down.

“Always,” he replied.

[viladlind]

fiyero thinks he's never been as handy with a weapon as he's become in the past few weeks of travelling. there is an expertise that his friends possess that has always seemed out of reach. astarion with his daggers, karlach with her axe, laez'el with her sword. he remembers the light joking he shared with astarion over the warm fire in the middle of their camp once, as fiyero was cleaning his weapons and instruments. you seem to have a particular affinity for kidneys, the vampire had teased, and fiyero had bumped his shoulder into the others in response.

   usually in the back, he thankfully didn't need to stab kidneys a lot of the time. sometimes, of course, their enemies would rush at him, recognizing the danger in a bard who heals and boosts his teammates from afar, but it was never long until said teammates followed their lead and killed them before they could hurt fiyero all too badly. to protect and to be protected in this manner, he wasn't familiar with before. it was a blessing, in a way.

a person with great power should use that power to keep the peace. was he doing that, keeping peace? he thinks back on the conversation he had with jaheira, the truth tincture he'd refused to drink, in an effort to keep his group safe. to get rid of the absolute was, in a manner of speaking, something good. something right.

   did he do that out of the kindness of his heart, or out of necessity?

   looking at the swords as they appear, he can feel the amount of power that seofon holds. to imagine him up in these skies, fighting to protect people, it was reassuring in a way. to know that there are others who have an easier time with morality, with helping where it's needed. he thinks he could find the protection he's grown so used to in seofon as well, if he lets him.

   and he's never struggled with letting people close, right?

   ' you've dedicated yourself to a noble cause. ' his free hand reaches up to tuck a strand of hair behind his ear. ' i found myself leading my friends back home without ever really having led. i was a travelling bard before, always out and about with different people. once we all found ourselves in the same sticky situation, though ... i suppose i was charming enough for them to rely on me. '

   blinking slowly, he leans into seofon, looking back at him. ' people are bound to think badly of you no matter what you do. i've known that since birth— tieflings aren't exactly looked upon fondly where i'm from. ' he waves his hand, as if to disregard the mention. ' to have such a strong sense of the power you hold is something you can be proud of. i'm sure your people would rather have you than somebody who underestimates what they're dealing with. '

Fiyero speaks of the place he lived and Seofon watches as their environment changes, as it grows. He takes note of what has appeared in their little world and it simply reinforces what he already believes about Fiyero.

❝ I've found that it isn't always the place you grow up in that you find feels most like home. ❞

❝ Home is where your cherished bonds stay. Home can be in the hearts of others. It's clear that the bonds you have with your friends are irreplaceable. ❞

So Fiyero is a traveler of sorts. An adventurer. Seofon is reminded of his early days- the ones after he remade himself. Where he also cast aside his name to start a new life, because what was left of that little town? What had become of the son of the local seamstress and baker? When other crews finally arrived to help, he was long gone, floating in the sea of stars. Better that it manifested as such than seeing that little town. Not that Seofon hadn't loved it, but because he wasn't that person anymore. He couldn't be.

Sometimes he wished he could be, but that was...

❝ It's not whining at all. I like hearing your story- and I know a thing or two about friends getting in sticky situations. Back home, I'm captain of one of those skyfaring crews. We're called the Eternals, and we've all dedicated our lives to keeping peace in the skies. It's not easy, though. ❞ He gives Fiyero a knowing look, because he's pretty sure he's also left the Eternals in a pinch. Not that they couldn't take care of themselves, because of course they could! They'd been doing fine before he came along... it just so happened that when they did band together, they accomplished much more than each could do individually.

❝ I wish I could call myself a pacifist, but not all conflicts can be solved by just talking it out. When I was young, I learned I had ... rather unique skills. Skills that were useful in battle, but also outside of it. It sounds strange to say out loud, but I'm an avid collector of sword souls. And swords in general- ❞

Among the items at the campsite, a few of Seofon's most cherished blades appear. The Setti de Spade, the Gateway-Star Sword, the training sword he gave to the Captain. The rusted Seven-Star Sword that started it all. ❝ Swords are works of art, but they're also weapons. In the wrong hands, they can cause devastation. So I use my abilities to make sure they aren't in the wrong hands. It's made a lot of people back home think that I'm just after power, but that's not it at all. ❞

Anosiete hasn't chimed in for a while, and Seofon wonders if that's a good thing. It probably is. So he focuses back on Fiyero and his bright eyes and winning smile.

❝ A person with great power should use that power to keep the peace. Life should be protected and cherished. I wish more people would see it that way, but that's why I formed the Eternals. While we don't agree on most things, that's sure one that we do. ❞

[merriconstance]

That Time I Wrote an Essay About Gelphie

I wrote this essay at like 1 A.M. so enjoy lmao

Wicked is perhaps one of the most well-known and best contemporary musicals. It's known for its powerful storytelling, outstanding music, and intriguing, morally grey characters. It opened on Broadway in 2003 and is still running today, as well as productions in other countries. However, the standard audience is unaware of the romance-coding (although if you, like me, are a flaming homosexual obsessed with musicals, it's pretty easy to tell) with the characters Glinda and Elphaba.

First and foremost, romance-coding is when two characters of the same gender are coded to be in a romantic relationship. It's often confused with queer-coding. However, romance-coding is a bit different. Characters can be coded as romantic regardless of sexuality, gender, or sex. Neither Glinda nor Elphaba are coded as queer, necessarily, but instead coded romantically. If you want to learn more about it, I recommend Rowan Ellis' videos.

Glinda and Elphaba initially clash, loathing each other. However, the song itself, What is This Feeling, has some rather queer undertones. It was written as a parody of standard love songs, with lyrics such as “My pulse is rushing, my head is reeling, my face is flushing. What is this feeling?” However, both girls come to the conclusion that it’s loathing. While that seems like a conclusive end, it could actually very easily be read as a misdiagnosis of the situation. If one of them were a man, most people would definitely read it this way.

Glinda does most of what she does for the attention and praise, which could be relevant to the line, "Was I seeking good or just seeking attention? Is that all good deeds are when looked at through an ice cold eye?" in No Good Deed. Glinda can be rather shallow, and while she does have a good heart, she is undoubtedly superficial at first.

One of the most important things about Glinda to note is that her first actual good deed she did, not for the approval of others, was dancing with Elphaba at Fiyero’s party while everybody else stands aside and laughs.

However, after Fiyero's party, the too get over their fit of "loathing" and become best friends. Thus, Popular.

Do I even have to explain Popular? I think the line, "Why, Miss Elphaba. Look at you. You're beautiful," speaks for itself. Glinda is the most earnest she's been in the musical during this scene. She hadn't even done much, just taken Elphaba's hair of her braid and stuck a flower in there. I don't think it's that far of a stretch to think she thought this even before Popular.

My next talking point is Defying Gravity. Defying Gravity is possibly the most iconic contemporary musical theatre song. Even those who have never listened to a single musical likely know of this song.

Glinda and Elphaba fight, neither of them being able to see the others perspective. Glinda thinks Elphaba should apologize, get in good with the wizard, and slowly make changes from the inside, even if it means compromising her morals. Elphaba can’t stand to do this.

Elphaba laments about how she’s changed and this is no longer what she wants, and that she needs to make a change herself.

Then, in the main part of the song, Elphaba tells Glinda to kiss her goodbye. How much more explicit can it get? They even kiss in the novel it’s based on, but don’t worry guys, they aren’t gay! It’s totally platonic.

Elphaba asks Glinda to come with her, but deep down, she knows Glinda won’t. Elphaba won’t be happy if she stays, and Glinda won’t be happy if she leaves. So, the two have to let each other go, because at the core of their relationship, they just want each other to be happy.

They are the definition of if you love someone, let them go.

Glinda and Fiyero are soon engaged. Glinda tries to act positive, as she is now a public figure actively advocating against Elphaba, but you can tell in Thank Goodness that she regrets her decision and misses Elphaba more than she will admit.

Some plot stuff happens that I'm going to assume you know if you're reading this essay, and now Fiyero is presumed to be dead and Elphaba fully embraces the label society has given her.

And then For Good happens. For Good is one of the most genuinely beautiful songs I've listened to and I tear up every time. The two women love each other so much, probably more than they want to admit. Whether you personally see their relationship as more platonic or romantic, you can't deny how genuine and pure their relationship is.

Plus, Kristin Chenoweth took the low harmony and every Gelphie shipper started screaming about the symbolism and how they've both changed so much (me. thats me.) and if you weren't already crying, you are now.

Compare this to As Long As You're Mine. It has a haunting sound and Elphaba feels truly wicked for the first time. For Good is simple and honest and truly feels like love.

This is a good segway into talking about Fiyero. Glinda liked Fiyero for shallow reasons; he was a prince and charming, while Elphaba hardly even knew the dude; they saved a lion cub together once and apparently it's true love? I do think that both Elphaba and Glinda loved him, but I don’t think they were in love with him. He often takes second-hand to their friendship and never really builds a foundation of love and caring with either of them.

Then there's a dumb deus ex machina where Elphaba doesn't die and ends up with Fiyero, which was cheap in my opinion. Elphaba's story is a tragedy and the happy ending felt unearned. That's off-topic, though.

Glinda and Elphaba had such a beautiful relationship and so much potential, but it was misused and now I have to write essay's at 1 A.M. instead of sleeping.

[mikrowrites]

•aaron tveit headcanons•

a/n: aight guys I’m not dead! i haven’t really had the time to write much, but aaron tveit lives in my heart rent free so here’s these dumb kinda specific really long headcanons:

so you both probably met pretty early into aaron’s career

it’s probably safe to say both of you would have the same if not similar careers, broadway and acting

and though aaron was lucky enough to get his big break, you had unfortunately not (yet) and had to wait tables for a couple years after college

(insert waitress/customer troupe here)

you worked at a restaurant close to the theatre district after undergrad and aaron was starring in Hairspray

the boy saw you and was w h i p p e d

would come to the restaurant like 4 days a week

kinda creeped you out ngl

finally got the balls to actually start a conversation and boom: instant friends

and you guys were friends for a while! dumbass and chaotic conversation was a YES

“did you know barcodes scan the white space and not the black lines”

“WAIT WHAT??”

“how many orders of fries would put me in the er?”

“uhhh... 30”

you first caught feelings when aaron invited you to see him as Fiyero in Wicked

was it his amazing talent and charm? or was it his tight pants? you’d never tell

but nevertheless, oh shit! the friends to lovers troupe!

aaron is a manly man™️ and will always say he asked you out first

which is somewhat true, but you always argue the dinner you took him to after that show was the first date

because that’s when you first kissed him

and just like that! he asks you out!

first date is literally a d r e a m

no romantic dinner, no dress and tux

there was wine tho

you and aaron watched a Yankees game and got drunk off your asses laughing and screaming at the tv and annoying aaron’s roommate

did it end with both of you passed out on his couch cuddling? maybe it did

best. first. date. ever.

the second date WAS a nicer one, going out to eat and wandering the streets of New York City

and yes, some dates were ABSOLUTELY a par 9 on a golf course

you didn’t really put a label on your relationship for a while

because aaron’s career began to take off with next to normal and you finally got your big break on a national tour!

it was pretty bittersweet, though

you and aaron had a healthy conversation about your relationship, and decided you weren’t quite dating yet, but still talking. you guys wanted to see if you could manage the whole “gone for months at a time” thing

and you could!

skype, texting, and random 1 am phone calls

one time you feel asleep during one of the calls, and aaron just smiled and watched you sleep (not in a creepy way guys)

when you came back from tour you’d think you had come home from war

he all but tackles you into a hug, and kisses you

“let’s make this work”

so lo and behold! you were dating!

takes you to meet his family on thanksgiving

they love you

attending the tonys together, which was basically the first time you two confirmed a relationship

he said “I love you” first

a couple years would go by, catch me if you can and such, and you make your broadway debut!!

you’re def a triple threat

aaron’s so gushy about it, constantly brags about you

rumor has it he cried watching the opening night, denies it every time

literally glued to you for the entire after party, he’s just seriously so proud and in love awwh

and then he books les miz and graceland

you’re unable to travel to London w him since you’re in your own show, and it hits both of you hard

so what does this mfer do?

it’s the morning he leaves for shooting and you’re dropping him off at the airport

“hey when i get back from filming wanna get married?”

“sure”

totally gave you a little prize machine plastic ring at the airport

you guys are literally SO NONCHALANT about it as everyone around you goes insane

“i’m engaged, i guess”

the internet blows up because they actually can’t figure out if you guys are serious or not

don’t worry, aaron actually proposed properly with a proper ring eventually

you still wear the plastic ring on a chain around your neck for a while tho

you both decide to get an apartment together

domestic couple things

Your neighbors probably hate you from the amount of times you both have “sing-offs”

slow dancing in the kitchen, laundry day, watching football games together gets aggressive

i firmly believe that you aren’t a Dallas Cowboys fan

the biggest fights you have honestly is about the NFL

in all seriousness there is still small conflict every once in a while, but you both are fantastic at communication

attending the oscars with aaron

“yeah but lOoK aT mY BeAuTiFuL FiAnCeE”

you’d be lying if watching the oscars performance didn’t turn you on a bit

but ANYWAYS

you guys get married!

it’s definitely not a huge fancy wedding, just friends and family

you know for a FACT he’d sing “marry me a little” at the reception he so would

you guys dance all night

it’s adorable, his hand literally never leaves yours

you end up with a sinus infection from all the cake frosting he smears on your face

aaron felt really bad for it, so like a good wife you hold it over him for eternity

“remember that time we missed our flight to Belize because we were in the ER-“

“OH MY GOD—“

went to Belize to honeymoon eventually anyways

aaron was very much like that one john mulaney sketch

“that’s my wife!”

“hey! have you met my wife yet?”

“i love my wife”

life goes on for you two, you remain hopping from broadway show to show

aaron ends up working on his acting career more

lots of time apart, but that just makes the time together more precious

adorable phone contact names

“wifey❤️” and “hubby❤️”

you were on set a lot for rehearsals of Grease Live

you actually helped assist in some of the choreography from time to time

impromptu golf cart rides

and you get to watch it live! like, you were AT the carnival on the set!

you’re just really proud of your mans :,)

family and friends keep pestering you both to have kids

so you adopt a dog (MILES BBY I LOVE YOU)

also as a side note, you love Braindead

you laughed HYSTERICALLY during the salami sex scene

aaron filmed it and posted it on twitter

fast forward, you get offered to help choreograph a new show! woah! and you’d get to swing for it!

it’s super top secret tho, and you literally cannot tell aaron

you do eventually relent the information that you’re working on a new show, and the man doesn’t pry. he’s respectful like that.

you meet the team, and boy you are IN LOVE

auditions are fun, creating the choreo is exhilarating

you don’t hear about casting much at all tho

so when aaron walks into the studio you both immediately freeze

“wait what the f—“

“I KNEW IT!”

yup. you both were working on Moulin Rouge! and had NO clue

you both share (1) braincell

the lab went great, and soon you were on your way to Boston!

you HATE aaron’s longer hair, mostly because he won’t let you mess with it >:(

he eventually relents, and you teach him the secrets of “the man bun™️”

you also braid it a lot

“ow!”

“stop being a pussy about it”

or

“your hair’s the money maker don’t make me shave it in your sleep”

performing with your husband is a dream

sneaking looks on stage

aaron calls your frustrated choreo-instruction voice “mom voice” and the rest of the cast picks up on it

“no, it’s 7, 8! Up on 3, down on 5, 6, spin 7,8!”

“ok, mom!”

“SHUT UP, AARON!”

then broadway!!

the ricky-aaron lives

you had to go on for nini one performance and ricky teased aaron ALL DAY

you were totally in on it too

but aaron isn’t really the jealous type. he knows you are so in love with him, the same way he is in love with you

so basically he knew it was all fun and games

shenanigans backstage

one time during intermission you convinced aaron to give you a piggyback ride the ENTIRE 15 MINUTES

“hey aaron nice backpack”

small talk between scenes

like aaron would be sprinting to his next cue and you’d just

“i’m ordering domino’s for dinner pepperoni or sausage?”

“PEPPERONI!”

you both drink too much iced coffee, like people are actually concerned for you both

neither of you are party-ers really, but you can GET DOWN

i am convinced aaron can cook

like if he’d have a day off, you’d come home from an evening performance with a cooked meal and two wine glasses

never candles tho

not after the valentine’s day incident

BUT TO SUM IT ALL UP

y’all are cute :,)

[bolinshipskorrasami]

Like a Comet Pulled From Orbit

Author’s Note: Alright ghouls, gals, and gents. Been working on this fic all week to beat away the angst that AoaW left me with! My first (and probably only?) Lumity fanfic, minimally edited. I honestly have no idea how it turned out, I’ve been staring at it too long. But I hope someone enjoys it!

Read here on ao3 if you prefer!

Summary:  Luz takes Amity to see the musical Wicked in the human world. Conversations about shipping and drawing of fanart ensues, which helps both witches come to some long overdue realizations.

Like a Comet Pulled From Orbit

The winter air was crisp and cold as Luz exited the theater. Her nostrils burned for a moment as she breathed it in and her body adjusted to the difference from the warmth of the building. She glanced over towards Amity who was adjusting her scarf tighter around her neck, just a few steps behind her.

“So, what did you think?” she blurted out excitedly, unable to contain the question. She had been watching Amity’s reactions almost more than the show itself throughout the performance – Luz couldn’t help it. She was excited to share this with the other witch. For one, it was Amity’s first trip to the human world with her, so she wanted it to be a perfect and amazing experience for her friend. For another, Luz herself had seen Wicked on at least two other occasions with her mami. And listened to the soundtrack almost as endlessly as she had read books one through five of Good Witch Azura. Experiencing it through Amity’s reactions was like experiencing it for the first time all over again.

Amity didn’t answer right away, her brow creasing in that cute way Luz noticed it did whenever she was thoughtfully contemplating an answer to one of Luz’s questions. Luz always admired the amount of thought Amity put into her answers, so she always tried to give Amity the patience she needed.

In the meantime, she watched the crowd dispersing in the street and caught a snowflake with her tongue. It had started to flurry while they had been in the theater and a thin coat of snow littered the sidewalk and street around them. The way the snowflakes danced in the glow of the evening streetlights reminded her of her first light spell in the Boiling Isles. Despite being in the human world, Luz felt like tonight held so much magic within it, if only she could read the glyphs around her.

“It was really interesting… The music was so beautiful… you know, we don’t have music like that in the Boiling Isles,” Amity’s voice brought Luz back and she turned to face the green haired girl once more. Snow was starting to stick to the dark blue beanie she had borrowed from Luz to hide her ears – a detail they both might have forgotten, if not for Luz’s mama mentioning it on their way out the door. Luz thought it was a shame Amity had to hide any part of herself – but she did have to admit that her friend looked very adorable in the beanie. She might just have to let her keep it…

“Luz, are you even listening?” Luz’s attention snapped back to find an amused expression on her friend’s face. She returned a sheepish smile. “Sorry! Yes! I was also just thinking, we should find someplace warm to talk!” Okay, not exactly what she had been thinking, but close enough. She did notice Amity’s face was turning pink from the cold. Amity nodded in agreement.

“I think I know the perfect place, c’mon!” and with that, Luz grabbed Amity’s gloved hand and began to pull her down the snowy street.

 ***

 “After you, Miss Blight,” Luz said as she opened the door to the coffee shop with dramatic flair and flourish, giving an overexaggerated bow as she gestured for Amity to enter. Amity, for her part, rolled her eyes but let out a small giggle, which warmed Luz’s stomach more than any coffee probably could.

They approached the counter together, and Luz began going over all the different drinks and giving her recommendations. Amity looked very overwhelmed. Luz gave her usual order of a caramel macchiato (made with almond milk, of course) with extra expresso. When the barista looked to Amity, she simply said “I’ll have one of those, too.”

Luz grinned and took out the cash her mom had given her before they left. Amity took out her own coin purse at the same time. Luz laughed and placed her hand on Amity’s, pushing the bag back down. “My treat! I don’t think they take snails here,” she whispered behind her other hand. She watched as Amity’s cheeks reddened and she mumbled a thanks.

They sat down with their drinks a few minutes later. The coffee shop was fairly empty, which made sense given how late in the evening it was. It felt nice to have Amity’s attention all to herself in such a warm, cozy place, away from the commotion of the Boiling Isles, away from school.

“So, did you have a favorite song?” Luz asked, slurping at her whipped cream.

Amity blinked rapidly, as if she was coming out of a dream. “What?”

“From the show,” Luz added, realizing her mind had probably jumped from point A to point Z as it sometimes did.

Amity’s cheeks glowed as she replied, “Oh, right… Well… all of them were so good, it’s hard to pick a favorite.”

“I know, right?!” Luz agreed, nearly spilling her drink in her excitement. She caught it just in time and Amity’s laughter rang out prettier than sleigh bells. The sound made Luz’s insides squirm and for a moment she wondered if they had put dairy in her drink by accident.

“But… if I had to pick… I really liked that one near the end that Elphaba and Glinda sang together. I thought it was sweet.” Amity looked down at her drink as she finished her thought. She had taken the cover off and was swirling it around, as if she were in the oracle track trying to read a crystal ball or tea leaves maybe. “What… is this exactly?”

“It’s deliciousness in a cup! Try it!” Luz responded, taking another gulp. Amity sipped slowly, with the kind of poise Luz only ever saw in commercials when people drank beverages. How did she do things so gracefully anyway? She watched Amity’s reaction with the anticipation of someone watching their favorite grudgeby team go for a goal.

Amity’s face lit up like the stage lights in the opening number as she let out a drawn out “mmmmmm” of satisfaction. “It’s good, right?” Luz said for confirmation, grinning ear to ear.

“It’s so different from anything on the Boiling Isles!” Amity agreed. They sat in a moment of silence, enjoying their drinks.

“Don’t you find it kind of… sad though?” Amity said suddenly.

Luz tilted her head in confusion. “Did you already finish your drink? I can get you another one –”

Amity shook her head, smiling at Luz’s reaction. “No, I meant the show. I mean, Glinda lost her best friend…”

Luz considered this. “Yeah, I suppose you’re right, that is sad. But I mean, she had still had Fiyero!”

“Yeah, I guess… I don’t know, their relationship seemed kinda of… contrived. I mean, one minute he’s with Glinda about to get married and then he suddenly runs off with Elphaba?”

“No way! He was inspired by her the whole time though. And when they saved that little lion cub together… I mean, talk about romance!”

Amity scoffed, “Yeah, but Elphaba and Glinda had so much more chemistry, even when they were singing about how much they hated each other-”

Luz gasped, genuinely surprised but understanding now. “You’re a Gelphie shipper?!”

Amity looked like she didn’t know whether she should deny this as some sort of insult or defend it to the death. Probably because she had no clue what Luz was talking about. “A what now?”

“You know, Glinda and Elphaba, Gelphie. It’s their ship name!” Luz pulled out her phone and typed furiously until she had several bits of fanart sprawled across her screen. She held it out in front of Amity’s face.

“Oh,” was all her friend replied, her mouth accentuating the syllable as it stayed in place and her golden eyes darted across the screen. She regained her composure after a few moments, blinking rapidly.

“Well… yes. I suppose I am a… Gelphie shipper then,” Amity sat up straighter as she said it but her face held something that was difficult for Luz to read. Funny how she could read magical glyphs from an enchanted island but her friend’s face was, at times, absolutely indecipherable. “Is that… bad?” Amity asked, and Luz realized she hadn’t responded in an appropriate amount of time.

She gave a laugh, hoping to dispel some of the tension. “No! Of course not. I mean, who doesn’t love a good old-fashioned Enemies to Friends to Lovers trope, amiright?” Luz waggled her eyebrows suggestively for emphasis. Amity tried to hide her smile in her coffee cup, but Luz could tell her plan had worked.

The commotion of chairs scraping the floor and being stacked on tables suddenly penetrated their little bubble, reminding Luz how late it was. “We should probably get going – I wanna make one last stop on our way back to my house!” She informed Amity excited, standing and putting her coat back on.

“Lead the way, oh fearless champion,” Amity replied, a more reserved imitation of Luz’s gestures from earlier. Luz smiled and took her hand, leading her out the door. They weren’t even outside completely before Amity’s face was already pink from the cold again.

 ***

 Amity’s heart was beating so fast and hard as she followed Luz through the strange hard and slippery roads of the human world. She wondered for a moment if maybe coffee was poisonous to witches… then again, Luz hadn’t let go of her hand even after they had exited the coffee shop, walking quickly and excitedly chattering as they went. She supposed that could have something to do with it.

Luz pointed out different things that Amity might not be familiar with and normally Amity would be fascinated to learn about this strange new world. But the hand holding was very distracting. And her heart was very loud. And it was all a little overwhelming, but she really didn’t want it to end. She watched Luz as she spoke about human things like cars, traffic lights, and a thing called “Santa” they passed by. He appeared to be some sort of… demon maybe? He rang a bell and smiled too widely and made a strange sort of howling noise. Luz paid him a tribute – perhaps for safe passage across the road? - of the strange papers she carried around that seemed to act as the equivalent to snails in the human world.

“Where are we going?” Amity finally asked as Luz paused her tour guide-like speech to look both ways before tugging her across the road toward a small park they had passed on the way here.

“It’s a surprise! Don’t worry, we’re almost there,” Luz squeezed her hand reassuringly, excitement dancing across her features, making the warm brown of her cheeks glow in the moonlight.

As they entered the park and Amity began to look around, she realized it wsn’t moonlight at all. It was what looked to Amity to be a million different stars – or maybe they were light spells? – glowing in the trees all around them. Some of them sparkled in a kaleidoscope of color – red, green, blue, yellow. It was absolutely dazzling, unlike anything Amity had ever seen.

“Oh wow…” was all Amity could manage to say, staring in awe at the scene around them.

“Pretty cool, huh?” Luz said proudly with a big grin, as if she had personally produced all these little lights for Amity.

“It’s… amazing. What is this place, Luz? I thought you said the human world didn’t have magic?” Amity took her glove off and reached out her hand to hesitantly hover over the enchantment of the trees.

Luz gave a chuckle. “It’s not magic – well, I mean, not like on the Boiling Isles. These are Christmas lights. They use electricity like the streetlights around town.” Luz reached out and placed one in Amity’s hand, as if sensing her uncertainty. Amity pinched the light between her fingers, feeling its fragile little warmth against her skin.

“How strange,” she commented. “Everything here is so wonderfully strange…” Amity’s voice trailed off as she continued to look around her. The collective brightness in the trees lit up the space around them in a hazy glow. It made the whole moment feel more like a dream than reality.

“C’mon, there’s more to see! This path will take us closer to my house, too,” Luz said, breaking Amity out of her trance. Luz grabbed her arm this time, tugging her along.

As they walked, the lights morphed into different shapes and figures. Luz explained this was all for some human holiday and pointed out some of the different symbols for Amity. A candy cane. A reindeer. A gingerbread man (that one she was pretty sure that one was actually a demon from the Boiling Isles, but she didn’t mention it). Amity wasn’t sure what was more beautiful – the glorious and picturesque glow of the lights with the snow falling around them onto the trees; or Luz as she spoke excitedly about each light picture, sometimes elaborating with a story about her mom or growing up in the human world. Amity never wanted it to end.

***

By the time they got back to Luz’s house, it was late and they were both exhausted from all the walking and being in the cold for so long. Luckily, Luz’s mom – Ms. Noceda (who Amity had learned earlier, was not in fact, named Ms. the Human) – had already made up their sleeping arrangements in Luz’s bedroom. She asked them how the show was and while Amity said a few things here and there when asked directly, she mostly let Luz do the talking. Ms. Noceda was very warm and kind to her – which was more than she could probably say for how her parents would ever treat Luz. It made her feel a bit guilty, that she couldn’t return the same favor to Luz. But she tried not to think about that.

Which, as it turned out, was very easy once Ms. Noceda turned in.

“Buenos noches, mija. Good night, Amity. See you both bright and early!” she said as she kissed Luz on the forehead and waved at Amity. They were both in their respective sleeping bags on the floor beside Luz’s bed. When Ms. Noceda flicked the lights off, hundreds of stars lit up the ceiling of Luz’s room. Amity was left alone with the sound of her own obnoxious heartbeat. Where she was expected to sleep. Next to the girl she liked. Why had she agreed to this again?

“I still can’t believe you got your parents to say yes to a sleepover in the human world!” Luz whispered conspiratorially.

“Heh, yeah, I mean, no big deal…” Amity said, glad the lack of light would hide her blush. She may have left out a few details. Like how she had, in fact, used a combination of blackmail and bribery on Edric and Emira in order to get them to produce an illusion copy of herself for bedtime and breakfast. She was going to be doing their chores for a very long time.

“You know, I think this is my first real sleepover,” Luz said. Amity looked at her, surprised. “Really?”

“Well, I mean, there was that one time Willow, Gus, and I used the Moonlight Conjuring to take the Owl House for a drive…” Amity laughed, remembering the look on Boscha’s face when she had seen that on Penstagram. Not that hers had probably looked any different.

“But, I’m not really sure that counts, since we didn’t get much sleep,” Luz continued thoughtfully.

“You didn’t have any sleepovers with any of your human friends?” Amity asked, still somewhat surprised by this revelation.

“Heh… No. I didn’t really… I don’t have any human friends, really,” the tone in Luz’s voice pinched at Amity’s heart a bit. In all the time they’d known each other, she had never really thought to ask about Luz’s life in the human world or her other friends. And now she knew why Luz herself had never mentioned any, either. Instinctively – whether to comfort herself or Luz, she wasn’t quite sure – Amity reached hand out to grasp one of Luz’s.

“Well, I’m glad we’re friends, Luz,” Amity said. She wasn’t sure she’d ever be brave enough to tell Luz everything she felt for her – it felt too big, too fragile. She was too afraid of it breaking. But she needed Luz to know this truth at least. That she mattered. That she was grateful to have her around.

Luz’s eyes widened in surprise at first, but a warm smile quickly followed as she squeezed Amity’s hand back. “Me too. Even if you are going soft on me, Blight,” Luz replied playfully. Amity rolled her eyes and yawned, which made Luz yawn too.

They laid there, eyes drooping heavily as sleep began to take them both. The small part of Amity’s mind that was still conscious enough to have a coherent thought realized that Luz hadn’t let go of her hand, even as her breathing slowed and she began to snore quietly. In that moment, as she let herself drift off to sleep, she decided that even if she had to do Ed and Em’s chores for the rest of eternity, it was totally worth it.

***

The next day, Luz kissed her mama good-bye – she still had a week left of winter vacation and that meant more time at Hexside. That was part of the deal – as long as Luz kept her grades up and didn’t cause too much commotion at human school, her mami had agreed that she could spend vacations learning magic in the Boiling Isles. She and Amity packed up their things from their sleepover and met Eda at the portal. She gave them a ride to school on her staff. Luz was sad to leave the human world behind if only because she had really enjoyed showing Amity around. Amity had seemed so relaxed... Maybe it had been stepping away from the pressures of her life in the Boiling Isles.

School that day was hard to sit through. This wasn’t unusual for Luz, but it didn’t usually happen during her classes at Hexide. Her mind kept drifting away from the lectures and into the magic of last night. Watching Amity take her first sip of coffee, listening to Amity talk about the show, watching her experience Christmas lights for the first time…

“Hello, earth to Luz!” suddenly a hand was waving in her face. She blinked before looking at Gus and Willow.

“Wha- Sorry! What’d I miss?” Luz asked. Gus and Willow exchanged looks.

“You mean besides all of class?” Gus said. He looked down at the paper in front of Luz, which she had been doodling on.

“You better not zone out like that in Magical Plants today. We’re dealing with man-eating mandrakes today!” Willow said with a nudge. “What were you drawing anyway?”

Luz looked down at her latest creation. “Oh, it’s just characters from that musical Amity and I saw last night…” Luz suddenly felt like she wanted to hide it, like it was a private secret she wasn’t quite ready to share with the rest of her friends. Which was… weird. That was probably a weird feeling to have, right? She nonchalantly slipped it into her bag and stood up to move to the next class with her friends. Willow gave her a funny look but didn’t say anything more.

“Well I’ve got High Level Illusions next – what about you guys?” Gus asked as they walked into the hallway.

“I’ve got abomination next,” Luz said excitedly. She swore she saw Gus and Willow exchange another look. Then again, maybe she was reading too much into it.

“We’ll see you and Amity at lunch then?” Willow asked. Luz nodded, high fived Gus, and practically ran down the hallway to her next class, just barely avoiding a hall monitor as she went.

***

Abomination class went by much more quickly than the rest of her day had and she had even managed to pay attention to most of the lesson. There was the occasional distraction, like whenever she looked over to Amity who sometimes chewed on her pencil when she was thinking through an answer. She also must have gotten distracted when mixing her abomination ingredients at some point, because while Amity’s looked absolutely perfect, Luz’s had come out with an extra head and oddly misshapen. It wasn’t a total loss though, since she had managed to get Amity to laugh by trying to get her abomination to reenact one of the scenes from the show from last night.

She walked Amity to her locker after class – Amity’s abomination carried both their books – and they were first to their lunch table. While waiting for Gus and Willow, they talked more about the finer points of the musical.

“So, how was your date in the human world?” Willow asked as she and Gus sat down across from Luz and Amity.

Luz almost choked on whatever mystery meat she was eating for lunch today – she pounded her fist on her chest to clear her throat. “Date?” she choked out. Is that- did Amity think- had she really missed…?

She heard a strangled gasp from beside her and turned to look at Amity, who returned her gaze. Her face was as red as a specific shade of eye shadow she’d seen Eda wear once. She was pretty sure it was called apple blood – or maybe it was vampire blood? In any case, their eyes darted between each other and Willow, both stunned into silence.

Willow’s eyes widened, as if she just realized her mistake. “Oh – I just mean, um-“ whatever excuse she was going to use to save them all from this mortifying moment, Gus put a stop to it just then as he arrived at their table and took his seat next to Willow.

“Hey Luz! Do you have time to stop by after school today and check out some new artifacts I found for the H.A.S.?”

Luz finally swallowed the mouthful she had dislodged from her throat. “Sure!” she said. She then proceeded to shove way more of her lunch into her mouth than she should have, cheeks full as a chipmunk’s before winter.

“I- I just remembered um, I have a meeting with Principal Bump about my class schedule – I gotta go!” Amity stood up abruptly, bumping the table as she went. She disappeared down the hallway with alarming speed. As she moved, something dropped out of her bag, fluttering to the floor.

“Amity wait! You forgot-” Luz tried to call after her, but she was already gone. She bent to pick up the paper – there was a good chance she’d run into her later in the day and she could give it back to her then…

But as Luz looked at the paper in question, it was as if a firecracker went off in her stomach and her mind blanked out, like static on a TV, before the entire picture snapped back on, clearer than it had ever been. “Oh cramity…” she muttered to herself, realization flooding through her.

Gus and Willow, having witnessed all of this, shared a glance with each other. “Are you and Amity okay?” Gus asked, a puzzled look on his face.

“Yeah… I might need to raincheck you on the HAS meeting though, Gus! There’s something I gotta do after school today! I’ll explain later, gotta go!” and with that Luz launched herself from the table, vibrating with excitement and purpose.

As she fled the cafeteria, she heard Gus’s confused reply. “Sure! Good luck! Wait… what’s a raincheck?”

 ***

The school day could not end fast enough for Amity Blight. She needed to get as far away from this ultimate place of humiliation as quickly as possible. She considered skipping out on her afternoon classes altogether – Ed and Em did it all the time, for crying out loud! – but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Fortunately, she didn’t have any classes with Luz, Willow, or Gus on her schedule for the day, which was a relief. But what about tomorrow? She thought to herself. Maybe she could convince her parents that she was sick with demon flu? Maybe she could just convince them she should transfer schools altogether… that seemed like a perfectly reasonable solution to this whole crush problem, right?

When the last bell finally screamed, signaling dismissal, she didn’t even go to her locker to put her books away. Too much of a risk, running into Luz again. She needed more time to think, figure out what to say. She had acted way too weird when Willow said the D word. Why hadn’t she just played it cool and waved it off?

She didn’t see Luz and co at all as she made her way out the front doors, for which she was thankful. But ofc ourse that luck only stretched so far as Ed and Em came sidling up beside her.

“Mittens! How was your date night with our favorite human? Did you ask for her hand in marriage yet?” Em cut right to the point, looping their arms together.

“Yeah sis, tell us everything!” Edric’s arm fell over her shoulders as they sandwiched her in, leaving no room for escape. “Leave no details out! Well, except for your smooching, we don’t need to hear about-”

Amity could not handle this right now. She felt her face heat up to what could only be described as an unhealthy degree, embarrassment and anger both boiling over.

“QUIT IT!” she shouted, her arms flying outward, knocking the twins away from her. Everything starts feeling like too much and Amity feels pinpricks behind her eyes. She can’t go home, not like this. Not with Em and Ed teasing her the whole way. “I gotta go study at the library, let mom and dad know I’ll be home later,” Amity says quickly, willing her voice to stay steady as she speeds up her pace.

“Oh c’mon Mittens, was it something we said?” Edric shouted after her. She didn’t stop to reply, just kept her eyes forward, determined to get to her destination as quickly as possible.

***

As soon as she walked into the town library, Amity felt a sense of relief wash over her. She took a deep breath, the scent of paper and dust covered books grounding her. The quiet atmosphere settled her nerves. In here, she felt safe. In here, she can breathe and clear her head of the day’s troubles.

She spent some time just wandering through the stacks, keeping an eye out for new additions in her favorite sections. The anxieties of her day begin to shed little by little, clearing her mind enough for her to rethink the events. Maybe things weren’t really as bad as she had initially thought. Afterall, Luz could be pretty oblivious. There was no reason to lose her head about it all – it’s not like Amity herself had called it a date, after all.

Amity finally found herself in front of the romance section and, after looking around her to be sure no one saw, she tugged at “The Lone Witch and the Secret Room.” Yes, everything was going to be just fin-

Amity froze as she entered her sanctuary and the shelf slid shut behind her. Her bag dropped out of her hands and her eyes widened.

“Luz-”

“Hey Amity!-” they both spoke at the same time, their greetings smashing together awkwardly.

“What are you-”

“I wanted to see-” they both started and stopped again. The absurdity of it all helped ease some of Amity tension and she let out a laugh. Luz followed suit, taking a step closer to where Amity stood still by the doorway.

“Amity, hey, I’m sorry I know this is like, your space and everything. I just… I didn’t know where else to look for you after you left during lunch today…” Luz finally broke through to explain. Amity shifted her weight from one leg to the other, feeling a big guilty. So she had noticed her abrupt exit.

“Leave lunch? Oh, yeah, well, you know, I had to uh, I forgot to turn in my abomination assignment, and I didn’t want it to be late, you know-” Amity grasped for any words that would make this scrutiny disappear. Luz simply raised an eyebrow.

“Did you say you had to meet with Principal Bump…” Luz started and Amity felt her heart lodge itself somewhere in the pit of her stomach.

Luz suddenly shook her head, “You know what, nevermind! It doesn’t matter. What matters is, you dropped this.” Luz pulled out a folded piece of paper, moving into Amity’s space even more now.

Amity took the offered paper and while she unfolded it, she couldn’t help but be reminded of the time Grometheus the Fearbringer had taken her most cherished note and ripped it to pieces right in front of her. The paper, when unfolded, revealed her most recent self-indulgent drawing – a picture of Luz in a black hat and matching black robe standing arm-in-arm with a poorer rendition of herself in a huge blue gown and sparkling tiara. Amity was sure her face would explode with the amount of blood that rushed to it in that moment.

“Luz- I – I can explain-” she began to stutter, her hands gripping the paper tightly. Her vision started to blur just a little and she had the horrifying realization that she might just start to cry. How could she have let this happen? Why in the world would she keep this in her bag? Why hadn’t she realized –

“I think it’s some of your best work,” Luz’s voice derailed her bleak train of thought.

“Wait… what?” Amity’s eyes snapped up to look at the human girl in from of her. Her brown eyes twinkled warmly in the dimly lit room.

“Yep! But, I have to say I don’t quite agree with your characterization,” Luz said matter-of-factly.

“Oh,” was all Amity could manage. Her stomach dropped again and she readied herself for the rejection that was surely coming her way. It would be okay, at least Luz seemed like she would still be her friend, and that’s really all she needed anyway. As long as their friendship was still intact, she could handle this, even if it hurt.

Luz pulled out another sheet of paper. “Yeah, as much as I hate to admit it, I really don’t think I’m Elphaba, the most powerful witch in all of Oz,” Luz placed the second paper over the one Amity had been holding to reveal a new, unfamiliar drawing. Two figures faced each other in a somewhat reverent post, hands clasped between them as they stared at each other. This time, Amity was clearly drawn as Elphaba, her green hair poking through the black witch’s hat, her black robe billowing dramatically in what was clearly supposed to be the wind. Across from her was-

“I’m clearly the Fiyero to your Elphaba,” Luz finished, gesturing to her likeness which was dressed in green suspenders and button up with a scarecrow hat upon her head.

“You… think that I’m Elphaba?” Amity asked incredulously. It was not even the most important question to be asking in that moment, but it was the only one her mouth and brain seemed capable of producing together. She was holding a drawing… that Luz had made… of her. Of them together. Oh.

“Well, yeah, it’s that obvious? I mean, you’re a powerful witch, she’s a powerful witch. You both have that cute, goth look going on for you. Plus, she cares about fairness and I know you like to pretend to be indifferent, but I know you secretly care a lot about those things, too.”

Amity continued to stare at the picture, afraid to look away. Her brain continued to short circuit. Did Luz just call her cute?! “And you’re…”

“Fiyero, yeah! I mean, he is kind of her fearless champion and all that. Plus ‘maybe I’m brainless, maybe I’m wise…’ you know, it took him a while to figure it all out, too.”

Amity’s eyes snapped up from the drawing at this. Was Luz saying… what she thought she was saying? Luz smiled and in a perfectly Luz way, continued on a different train of thought.

“Anyway, I took some artistic liberties with the outfit. I liked the suspender outfit better, but thought the hat really tied it all-”

“Luz,” Amity interrupted. “Luz, it’s perfect. Thank you.” Before Amity fully gave her body permission to, she threw her arms around Luz and squeezed her tightly. Luz hugged her back without hesitation, a rumble of a laugh coming from her chest.

“That’s what girlfriends do,” Luz said quietly. Amity pulled back suddenly, still maintaining contact with her hands grasping Luz’s forearms.

“I mean – only if that’s what you want, of course. I didn’t mean to assume, I just meant-” Luz’s face went through about several different emotions so quickly, Amity couldn’t help but double over in a hearty laugh. All the pressure and uncertainly she had been feeling melted away, leaving her feeling like she was light and airy.

“Sorry, it’s just-” Amity tried to reel in her mirth and catch her breath, forcing words out, “-I’ve been trying to tell you all this for the past year and today you just… show up and call me your girlfriend. It’s just so… you, Luz.” Luz grinned self-consciously, blushing for the first time since Amity had entered her secret hideaway.

They stared at each other, this newfound revelation hovering between them, it’s own little spell casting them in silence. Amity was suddenly aware of her heart pounding in her chest again as she watched Luz take a step forward towards her. “Can I…?” Luz asked, in the same soft tone she had used that night in the woods when she had offered to take the weight of Grom off Amity’s shoulders.

Amity nodded slowly as she followed, leaning in to close the gap very slowly, her eyes fluttering as they closed. This was magical, she couldn’t believe she was here, with Luz, and Luz liked her back and they were about to-

“OOOOOH, Mittens in busted!”

All at once, bright light and noise crashed into the room from behind Amity as Ed’s voice broke through he enchanting atmosphere she and Luz had created for themselves. The jarring burst of their bubble caused Amity to jump forward, feet tripping over Luz’s and causing them both to topple to the floor. She landed on top of Luz, her head bumping Luz’s as she did so. “Ow – Luz! I’m so sorry!” Amity exclaimed, rubbing her forehead with one hand while she tried to push herself up with the other.

Luz let out a gasp of breath, “It’s ok! I’m good,” she said as she sat up on her elbows. She raised an eyebrow as she added, “Though I do believe you’ve fallen for me, Blight.” A cheesy grin spread on Luz’s face.

Before Amity had time to respond to that, she heard the sniggers of Em and Ed, still standing in the doorway. She shot up and whirled around on them. She really did need to find a new hideaway, didn’t she?

“YOU TWO, why are you here?! Get out!” She wished she could summon a fire spell without the fear of burning down the whole ancient library.

Emira walked past her and offered a hand to Luz, who was still on the ground. “Now, Mittens, is that anyway to treat your new girlfriend?” Edric for his part threw an arm around Amity’s shoulders and ruffled her hair. “Would we really be good siblings if we didn’t come check on you? After all, you were looking so sour after school! We were worried!”

“Yeah, but it looks like Luz beat us to it! Who knew the human had game,” Emira said, throwing an arm around Luz and giving her a wink. Luz’s cheeks turned pinker than Amity had ever seen them. She glowered at her sister and shoved her brother’s arm off.

“Get. Out. Now. Or I swear, I am going to summon the world’s biggest abomination to kick your-”

“Alright, alright, we’ll give you two love birds a few minutes. But mom really does want us home soon, Mittens,” Emira said, surprising Amity. She and Edric headed towards the doorway again, laughing together as they went. At the door, Ed shouted over his should, “Just remember to save room for-”

Amity took the nearest book she could find and threw it after him. He dodged gleefully and disappeared around the corner. She turned back to see Luz trying to hide her laughter behind her hand. She wasn’t doing a very good job, but the sight made some of Amity’s annoyance fade away.

“You know, I really should be getting back to Eda’s… King gets grumpy when I don’t come home and give him tummy scritches and Eda will probably be worried since I wasn’t at school to get picked up. I’m surprised they haven’t sent a search party out yet…” Luz said apologetically.

Amity sighed, but nodded. “Yeah, I really should get back home, too.”

Luz shifted her bag back over her shoulder, bouncing from one foot to another. “So… I’ll see you tomorrow at school? Maybe afterwards, we can do some Azura Book Club stuff?”

Amity felt herself brighten at the invitation. “Yeah, that sounds grood. I mean, good, uh great! That sounds great!”

“Okay, it’s a date,” Luz said happily. Then she moved forward and wrapped Amity into a big, squeezing hug, practically lifting her feet off the ground in the process. As she set her down and moved back, Amity felt the unmistakable feeling of Luz’s lips brushing against her cheek. The warmth of the contact spread until her whole face was on fire. Luz looked at her and smiled bashfully. “See you tomorrow, Blight,” and with that, she made her way out the door.

Amity stood there, frozen to the spot, her hand coming up to touch her cheek, as if she could catch the sensation before it fluttered away. Wow.

The moment was broken when, 5 seconds later, Luz came rushing back in.

“I almost forgot!” she said as she snatched up the drawings that had been scattered to the floor. She shook the one that Amity had drawn. “Can I keep this? It’s really good!”

Maybe it was the casual compliment or lingering effects of Luz calling her her girlfriend – her girlfriend – or just the adorable way Luz’s face just looked so genuine, but Amity experienced an unexpected surge of confidence. Before she could overthink it, she stepped forward, took hold of front of Luz’s school uniform, and pulled her into a kiss. It was a quick kiss – short, soft, and sweet. But when she pulled back, she felt satisfied to see Luz sufficiently dumbstruck, eyes widened and cheek turning pink.

“Yes. But only if I get to keep yours,” Amity said, plucking the other sketch out of Luz’s hand. Luz blinked slowly.

“Yeah, you can kave it. Keep it. You can have it!” Luz stuttered out her reply.

Amity grabbed her things, slipping the picture carefully into a book before putting it into her bag. She walked over to the doorway before turning back to Luz. “Coming?”

Luz nodded, following her out. They walked hand in hand out of the library and for once, Amity found it easy to ignore the twin’s teasing.

[wickedlyqueer]

Holy Poly

Ever since @gliyerabaa became obsessed with the Glinda/Fiyero/Elphaba ship it suddenly reminded me I wrote a poly fic years ago where essentially the Charmed Circle lived together and most of them were dating each other.

I never finished or published it, because I’m first and foremost a gelphie ho. to a point it felt wrong to be calling it a poly fic, bc I just wanted to focus on the gelphie dynamic.

Anyway, because I promised Rae (and I’m sure they’d love to see some gliyeraba content they didn’t write themself) this was the intro chapter of the modern AU, fresh out of college, poly chapter I wrote like 3 years ago.

Save the trees!

Perhaps every accidental cluster of people had a short period of grace. Although gracious was probably not the best word to describe the weirdly formed, yet close-knit circle. Exuberant. Loud. Queer. Those were better words. A loving found family that could not been torn apart even if fate wanted it to.

Neither was their time together short-lived. At least, not if it was up to Glinda. After most of them had graduated last summer, the crushing college debt and the terrifying world that was job hunting in a broken economic system made the decision on cohabitation all the easier.

On the outskirts of Shiz they had found their home: a small house with just enough room for the six of them to not suffocate. It was nothing fancy, but none of them would want it any other way. 

“Elphie’s not here?”

Glinda had entered the living room where the boys were spread lazily across their two mismatched couches bought at a garage sale.

“Nope, left quite a while ago,” Boq replied.

“Aren’t they at their usual train station spot harassing people?” 

“Language, Crope,” from the kitchen came Fiyero’s rich voice. “Spreading awareness about global warming isn’t the same as harassing.”

“Fine. It’s annoying people then.”

“Not everyone finds that awareness crap annoying,” Tibbett said, throwing a casual glance at Glinda. “I believe someone went weak at the knees for that.”

She felt a blush creeping up; not for the comment he made, but for the comment that was about to come. It had turned into an inside joke in their circle, and she had learned from experience that the less she objected the more humiliation she was spared.

“Is it?” Crope wiggled his eyebrows. “The way I heard, she complimented Elphie on their dedication to the cause for painting their entire visage green.”

The trio threw a fist in the air and shouted in unison, “Save the trees!” without their attention leaving the screen. 

“I hate every single one of you.” 

“You can’t deny that’s how it went, Glin,” Fiyero commented. “Have you tried texting by the way?”

“I think their phone died,” she checked one more time for any messages, but still no response from Elphaba. “Remind me to ambush them again for getting a decent phone.”

“At least they lost that brick phone.”

Crope snorted. “Yeah, right. Lost.”

Tibbett gave him a wicked smile. “No fun in being a tattletale, babe.”

Whatever they were grinning about it was Crope and Tibbett, and Glinda prefered to stay ignorant on the subject. She headed towards the kitchen where Fiyero was cooking dinner. A towel hanging over his shoulder and his beautiful long black hair stuffed in a loose bun so no strains could spoil the food.

“Smells good, Yero.” She wrapped her arms around his belly, and stretched out completely on her tiptoes and almost managed to put her chin on his shoulder. “If only I could see if it looks as equally good.”

Fiyero laughed heartily and sank through his knees so Glinda could see better. “How about now?”

She smiled. “So far this meal is Glinda-approved.”

“That’s all I need.”

A cheer came from Boq from the living room having beaten the other two at the game. 

“I think I’m going to check the train station,” Glinda said as she let go off Fiyero; the pose was growing uncomfortable for the both of them. Their height difference was ridiculous. How she had ended up with two partners so much taller than her was beyond her.

“Oh, you know what you should do? Call Nessa. Maybe she can contact Elphie through their sibling telepathy.”

“I think that only works when they have something to bicker about,” Glinda said, but dialed the number anyway. “Goes straight to voicemail.”

“Why do those two even have phones?” Fiyero muttered. 

“Okay, so train station and then I’ll drop by Nessa’s dorm to check on her too. Any other places Elphie might be?”

Four voices spoke as one. “The library.”

“Should’ve figured that one out myself.”

“Glin, you do know Elphie’s like a cat, right? They always find their way back home eventually.”

“I know, but I feel like going outside for a bit. I’ll see you tonight.”

“Sure thing. Oh, and Glinda?”

She turned around. “Hm?”

He took her hand and planted a chaste kiss on her fingertips. “Can I just say you look absolutely wonderful today?”

She beamed. “You’re too charming for your own good Fiyero.” 

“It’s why he has so many partners,” Crope called from the couch, apparently eavesdropping on the conversation. There was zero privacy in this house. “Too handsome too. Who could say no to that gorgeous face?”

“Not us,” added Tibbett. “And don’t forget that he’s a flirt without realizing it. It just comes natural to him and it’s adorable.”

Fiyero had the advantage that his dark skin hid most of his blush, but knowing him since high school, Glinda knew what a flustered Fiyero looked like. 

“I just got a lot of love to share, I guess,” he smiled shyly. “Let me know when you find Elphaba, okay? Dinner will be ready around seven.” 

--

Elphaba wasn’t at the library and neither were they at the train station. All Glinda found there were old memories. She could see the young, nervous girl fresh from the Pertha Hills standing on the platform. Fiyero’s steady hand on her shoulder to ease her worries. Had four years really passed so quickly?

She traced her footsteps from the past. Her gaze wandering over the square in front of the train station like it did then. The only thing that was missing, was a green person storming towards her. From that moment on she was captivated by Elphaba, although the first few months she had let her socialite behavior overrule.

“You could’ve disclosed in our online correspondence that you’re green!” 

She had whined once she had found out the Green-Tree-From-Shiz-Station was her roommate. Elphaba had pointed at the five enormous trunks brought into their room by an upperclassman.

“Only if you had disclosed you would bring your entire house with you.”

Glinda had thought the roommate matching system had completely failed her. No way had she the highest match with a snarky, social-reclusive green person! It had taken her some time to realize they were ridiculously similar, just coming from different angles.

Her path down memory lane continued when she entered Shiz campus. It only had been two months ago since she graduated, but it already felt foreign being here. As if she no longer fitted. A group of giggling first year students passed her. Glinda recognized her own innocence in them back at that age. Feeling as if you’re on top of the world only because you have yet to learn what that world entailed.

Unconsciously she had walked to Crage Hall. She admired the building when a busted up blue van pulled over. It was Elphaba’s. They all jokingly referred to it as the Abduction Truck, because that’s how sketchy it looked. 

Elphaba got out and moved over to the back of the truck. The only reason Elphaba had bought that van was to drive Nessa around. Normally they were a very dedicated public transport advocate, and although Elphaba would deny it, Glinda knew they’d bend their own morals to please Nessa.

Glinda walked towards the car and Elphaba looked surprised. “Hey, what are you doing here?”

“Looking for you actually.”

“Oh?” 

Elphaba opened the backdoors to reveal a Nessa waiting impatiently to be led out. “You do take your time don’t you, Elphaba? The air conditioner was already turned off and in this heated garbage tin can of yours I could’ve already suffocated. Hello Glinda.”

“Hey Nessa.”

Elphaba lifted the ramp from the truck. “And yet you still live. The Unnamed God must have favorites after all.”

Nessa rolled her eyes. “Just open a window next time, please?”

“Yes, your majesty.” Elphaba vastened the ramp and Nessa rode her wheelchair to the pavement.

Elphaba shoved the ramp back inside and closed the door. Glinda walked towards them and was met with a strong smell. She sniffed Elphaba’s shirt and got worried. “Why do you smell like chlorine? Were you near water?”

Elphaba gestured to Nessa. “Had to drive this kid to Red Sand.”

“Your half year check-up! I completely forgot.” One of the reasons why Elphaba had bought the van was so Nessa could study at Shiz. Every six months they had to drive all the way to Red Sand where Nessa had to do exercises in a swimming pool. That’s what Glinda understood of it at least. “How was it?”

“Still pretty paralyzed,” Nessa supplied dryly.

“Doctor Kazhki said your legs were looking healthy.”

“As healthy as they can be paralyzed, yes.”

Glinda tugged at Elphaba’s hand before the argument could escalate. “Hey, you vanished without a single message.”

Elphaba frowned. “No I didn’t, I sent you a text and—ah,” they had gotten their phone out. “Must’ve died before it was sent.”

“No way!” Glinda feigned surprise. “Tomorrow we’re gonna get you a new phone and I won’t hear any of your usual excuses.”

“Can you do your flirting somewhere that isn’t in front of me?” Nessarose disrupted them. “I’m going inside.”

She wheeled away.

“Thanks for the ride, Fabala. Oh no problem, Nessie.” 

Nessa turned around and stuck out her tongue. “If you can converse with yourself, what do you need me for?” 

“Ungrateful brat.”

It was their way of saying goodbye. Being an only child Glinda still had no idea how sibling relationships worked. Especially those of the Thropps.

“Go kiss your girlfriend.” Nessarose waved without looking behind and went into the building. 

Elphaba turned around and smirked. They wrapped their arms around Glinda’s waist. “Well you heard her.”

Glinda raised her eyebrows teasingly. “Since when do you take orders from your sister, hm?”

“Wow. You ruined the moment.” But they smiled and kissed her forehead. “I’m sorry I didn’t notify you.”

“All is forgiven. You’re here now.”

It was a beautiful afternoon and without another word between them they had agreed to walk around campus. Glinda curled into Elphaba’s arm. She had done it so many times before it was like second nature. She had loved strolling around campus with Elphaba, back when they were still at Shiz. Near the Suicide Canal they settled down in the grass and soaked up the nice autumn sun while it was still warm.

Glinda leaned into Elphaba and smiled. “This brings back memories.” 

“Curled up in my arms after one of our many picnics at the Suicide Canal? Whatever gave you that idea?” Elphaba teased.

Glinda nudged them playfully. “Sentimentality, I suppose. My entire walk I’ve been seeing myself through a looking glass.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, like at the train station I remembered–” Glinda stopped dead in her tracks. How could she have let that one slip!

Elphaba let out a roaring laugh. “Are you referring to our ‘meet-cute’?”

Her entire face had turned bright red. “It wasn’t cute, I’m still embarrassed by it.” 

“Aw, don’t be. It was actually refreshing from all the usual green freak insults.”

“How? I thought you were going for a metaphor to reflect a greener planet! I didn’t even consider a green person existing. How is that less offensive?”

“True, but then you became so flustered when I looked at you funny. I’ll never forget how you threw a fist in the air and yelled ‘save the trees!’ to show your support.”

Glinda buried her face into her hands. “Oh god.”

Elphaba laughed. “It was cute” and put their face closer. “You’re cute.”

“You’re making it worse,” Glinda’s words sounded muffled through her hands.

They planted a comforting kiss in her hair. “We still ended up like this, so it couldn’t have been all that bad, right?”

“I suppose,” her embarrassment fading, Glinda let herself fall back on Elphaba’s shoulder. “I thought I’d never see you again after that. Big surprise waited ahead of me. God, I thought you were a senior or something. No other freshman I know functioned that entire first week, and there you were, already trying to make the world a better place.” 

She felt Elphaba smile. “I was such a determined little fuck back then. I didn’t even sign up. I got off the train and saw the group of volunteers and basically pestered them until they gave me a jacket and some flyers to hand out.”

“And they haven’t gotten rid of you since.”

“Nope. I’m the best thing that happened to them.”

Glinda paused, weighing her words before saying, “And to me.”

“Damn, you are sentimental today,” Elphaba noted. 

Glinda took Elphaba’s chin and slowly lowered it until their eyes were leveled. Just before their lips touched she whispered, “You’re ruining the moment.”

“Now we’re even,” Elphaba murmured, smiling into the kiss.

--

A/N: to be clear of all the dynamics (bc they are very entangled and a bit of a mess): - Glinda is asexual and through high school became very dependable on Fiyero (as he was the first person she ever came out too). Dependable to a point they couldn’t imagine their lives separately. So it falls more in a QPR relationship, where their platonic bond is unbreakable. - Elphaba is non-binary, bi and aromantic. Their relationship with Glinda is definitely the most couple-y, and can be classified as a “typical” romantic relationship. They also connected with Fiyero instantly and fell for his charms. - Fiyero is very poly because this boy’s got a lot of love to share! He’s also aro (which might seem contradictory, but it’s something I’ve seen a lot of overlap with, funnily enough!) and so his relationship are very platonic/sexual based. he has that sort of relationship with Elphaba, Crope&Tibbett and one or two other people outside the charmed circle. - Tibbet’s genderfluid and good with any pronouns and will raid Glinda’s closet on any occasion. In an open relationship with Crope and they obviously communicate incredibly well with this. - Crope’s just very gay.  - Boq is a trans guy and aro/ace. He’s the only not in a typical “relationship” and definitely isn’t looking for that either, but he can’t live without his chosen family. Together with Fiyero, they’re basically the “dads” of the group and keeps everyone in check. 

If anyone wants to run with these dynamics; you have my blessing! I won’t be continuing this story but if it inspired you feel free to build on it!

[vindicatedvirgil]

only fools rush in / part seven: performance anxiety

part one | part two | part three | part four | part five | part six

summary: Virgil feels anxiety towards multiple things, including the upcoming performances and his intimacy with Roman.

TW: anxiety attack, mention of suicide attempt, blood mention, lots of self-doubt, vague sex mentions, mentions of scars

also more Wicked: The Musical spoilers.

---

Wise men say

Only fools rush in

But I can't help falling in love with you

Shall I stay?

Would it be a sin

If I can't help falling in love with you?

-

Virgil stood off stage, hands wringing as he watched the final scenes of the dress rehearsal. Roman was in his scarecrow outfit then, and he reached down into the hatch under the stage to pull up the actress who was playing Elphaba.

“Fiyero! I thought you’d never get here,” the actress said, embracing Roman tightly, touching his face.

“Go ahead, touch. I don’t mind,” Roman breathed deeply. “Ah, you did the best you could. You saved my life.”

“You’re still beautiful,” she said, and Roman laughed lightly, looking down at the ground.

“You don’t have to lie to me,” he responded, and Virgil chewed on his lower lip, watching their foreheads press together.

“It’s not lying… it’s looking at things another way,” her voice wavered, and Virgil knew she’d be the one receiving a standing ovation on opening night. Still, he turned on his heel; he couldn’t bear to watch Roman kiss her again. Fiyero kisses both leads, and Virgil tried to avoid watching those moments every single time; though, he had accidentally seen the kiss between Roman and the actress who plays Glinda earlier, and it was now the only thing he saw when he closed his eyes. When he was called on stage to join the curtain call, he held Nessarose’s actress’ hand lightly, not looking to where Roman was situated between those playing Glinda and Elphaba.

Later, he sat in the green room, wiping off the silver makeup of the Tin Man, his mind and heart racing. Perhaps playing a character like Boq was starting to affect the way he thought, the way he was reacting to his relationship with Roman.

Things were so new between them, but the feelings were so strong. Roman had started saying he loved Virgil more frequently, and he wondered if the shorter man was expecting him to say it back soon. He wasn’t ready to say it, though. Maybe he felt it, but the words were like lumps in his throat that he couldn’t bear to get rid of yet.

Virgil’s parents never once told him that they loved him. The first person to tell him those words was Janus, and even after being best friends for so long, Virgil only said those words to the other on very rare occasions.

What did that one song say? Only fools rush in.

Virgil didn’t want to be a fool. He didn’t want to rush. He wanted to take his time, but it was so hard when Roman was so… perfect. Perfect Roman bringing over flowers from Patton’s mom’s floral shop, taking him to sit under the stars or in the sunshine, bringing a smile to his face and kissing his cheeks–

It made Virgil want to burst into tears. No one other than Janus had ever paid him this much attention. Every single time Roman leaned up on the tips of his toes to kiss Virgil’s lips with as much love and passion as the first time, it made Virgil weak at the knees. It made him want to latch onto Roman and never let go.

And he wondered if Roman kissed the actresses the same way. If he gave them the same amount of consideration and gentleness as he did when Virgil was feeling anxious, if the girls could taste Roman’s cherry chapstick or the lingering flavor of the iced coffee that the couple would share during rehearsal breaks. Virgil only had to kiss the actress playing Nessarose on the cheek, and even so, they hadn’t done it in every rehearsal.

The character of Boq– so in love with Glinda, only being with Nessa because he felt bad for her, because he thought that if he was kind to her then Glinda would pay him attention– was not the kindest character to play. Was Virgil like him?

Or, was Roman like Fiyero? Staying with Glinda to keep up appearances but secretly in love with Elphaba, until the two eventually run away together and let everyone believe they are dead?

-

Janus slid out of bed to get more water from the kitchen. He glanced at the clock on the wall, noting that it was nearing four in the morning. When he passed Virgil’s room, the light shone under the door and he could hear scribbling and crumpling, and concern shot through him. Janus knocked once at the door, peering in.

“Vee? You alright…?” Janus was always hesitant to walk into Virgil’s room; sometimes, he got flashbacks of the day that he found Virgil on his bed, the blood seeping through his clothes as he rushed to care for his best friend. Janus shook his head, trying to shake the thought from his head as he saw Virgil sitting cross-legged on the floor, notebook open but many crumpled pages scattered around. “Why aren’t you sleeping?”

“Can’t sleep. Need… I need to figure this out,” Virgil’s voice was hoarse, and when he glanced up at Janus, his eyes were red, the dark circles underneath deeper than they’d been in a while. Janus settled on the floor beside him, glancing at the words he was writing down.

-Virgil Similarities to Boq: weak weak weak weak weak weak no heart

-Roman Similarities to Fiyero: is he cheating on me does he love someone else does he even care is he kissing someone else

Janus frowned, then took the notebook out of Virgil’s hands. “Hey, look at me, right now. You two are not your characters, okay? And you are not weak, Vee.” He set the notebook down and took Virgil’s shaking hands in his own. “Talk to me.”

“I just... Roman kisses the leads, and I’m offstage watching, and I can’t, I can’t do it,” Virgil shut his eyes tightly, trying to hold the tears in. “I’m not good enough for him, Jan, I can’t be.” Janus’ frown deepened, and he rubbed his thumbs against the back of Virgil’s hands.

“Breathe with me, Vee. Hey. Look in my eyes, and breathe,” Janus ordered, and Virgil met his eyes, the tears spilling over the edge. The two sat and breathed deeply together, Virgil following Janus’ lead, for several minutes, until the shaking stopped and the tears were dribbling down his cheeks instead of streaming down them. Eventually, Virgil clambered into Janus’ lap, the way he had so many times on those difficult nights during high school.

Janus ran his fingers through Virgil’s hair with one hand and rubbed circles on his wrist with the other, like he always did. The tall man’s tears slowed to a stop and his breathing fully evened out, but Janus could still tell that Virgil was anxious about the situation. He’d known the other man for so long that he could feel the emotions pouring out, even if they were both sitting in silence.

“Virgil, I’m going to call Roman, okay?” Janus’ voice was smooth, and instantly, Virgil was sitting up, panic crossing his face.

“No, please, he can’t see me like this, Jan!” Virgil pleaded, but Janus shook his head. “I need you, no one else. Please don’t force me out or make me someone else’s problem!” Guilt tore through Janus’ body and he held back tears, taking Virgil into his arms again.

“That isn’t what I’m doing,” Janus started to explain, regret filling his bones. “I just… I see how much Roman helps you and how he makes you feel. If you’re going to remain with him, then he does need to see this, he needs to know how to help you.” Virgil kept shaking his head, and Janus sighed, his fingers lacing their way back through the long hair. “Do you love him?”

“I… you know how I feel about saying that,” Virgil’s voice was hoarse again, his heartbeat uneven. Janus nodded at this, but didn’t say anything. “He loves me, but how could he continue to feel that way for me if he sees me like this, sees me doubting him? What if it scares him off?”

“Well, then he’s not worth your time or your love,” Janus said very matter-of-factly, and Virgil whined aloud at this revelation. The sociology major sighed, his fingers twisting in the other’s hair a bit. “In all honesty, Vee, he won’t get scared off. He loves you, and he only wants to be there for you.”

-

“I’m here for you,” Janus said softly, sitting in the chair next to the main tattoo chair. It was Virgil’s 18th birthday, and he decided to celebrate by getting his first tattoo. Janus happily joined him, but Virgil was starting to get a bit nervous. “If you want to leave, we can, okay?”

“No. I need to do this,” Virgil had decided that once he turned 18, everything would change. And that started with doing something for himself that his parents would never want him to do. He laid on his stomach, holding Janus’ hand tightly as the tattoo artist did his job; a storm cloud on the back of his left hip. Virgil didn’t know what it was about that spot or that tattoo, only that after storm clouds, things get better. Rainbows come. He didn’t know when to expect his rainbow, but he hoped it would arrive soon.

A few months after the storm cloud tattoo, he got gauges in his ears to commemorate moving into the apartment with Janus. At the time, he thought that was his rainbow.

-

Roman was over at the apartment in record time. When he saw Janus’ name on the screen, at 4 in the morning, of course only the worst possible scenarios ran through his head. Roman had thought of every outcome before Janus could get out the words. Virgil was anxious about the play, about the characters the two of them had taken the roles of, and about the kiss scenes. And so Roman grabbed his coat and slipped into his sneakers, then ran the few blocks between apartments, all while in his pajamas.

When he arrived at the apartment, Janus was sitting at the dining table, his head in his hands, a mug of tea in front of him. “He was dozing off, but you should go in there,” he had said. Roman thought that Janus was going to fall asleep right there, but said nothing as he made his way into Virgil’s bedroom.

And he was dozing off, back against the foot of the bed and legs curled up underneath him. Roman sat down next to him, pulling the taller man into his arms, pressing soft kisses to the unshaven face. “Hey, babe, talk to me. What’s going on?” Virgil’s eyes focused on Roman’s face, and then he crumpled, pressing his face into the other man’s shoulder.

“I-I-I’m so weak, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” Virgil hiccuped after saying these words, and Roman just rubbed circles on his back, waiting for the psychology major to elaborate. “I just, I can’t bear to see you kissing them, because what if you kiss them the same way as you kiss me and I’m not special and I mean nothing to you and–”

“Whoah, whoah! Okay, babe, you need to listen to me,” Roman took a deep breath  before continuing. “You. Are. The. Most. Special. Person. In. The. World. Okay? I love you. So fucking much. And you know what? You mean everything to me,” his voice was firm and confident, and Virgil sniffled into his shoulder. “I give them pecks, that’s all, and before we had our first rehearsal I told them both that it would be nothing more than that because I’m with you and no one else.”

“B-But what if I’m not good enough, and you hate me because I’m such a mess–” Virgil cut himself off, not wanting to continue the sentence. Roman’s voice was there again, though, grounding the anxious man.

“Virgil, can I kiss you? If you’re feeling too uneasy for that I won’t, but I want to show you how much you mean to me.” He made no movements, but Virgil pulled away from his shoulder and nodded, wiping the snot and tears off of his face with his jacket sleeve. Roman smiled a bit at this and then leaned in, pressing their lips together in much the same way as that day that they first kissed; sloppy, a little rushed, but so full of adoration and love.

“Roman, you’re my rainbow.”

-

Virgil and Roman sat on the edge of the stage, their hands linked as they listened to the director make announcements for the next week of rehearsals. They’d have the rest of that day off to rest, but then there would be full rehearsals the following three days, leading up to their final dress rehearsal and then opening night.

Ever since the night (or late morning, depending on your view of time) that Roman came to comfort Virgil, they had been spending every night in Virgil’s bed, Roman comforting and holding his boyfriend close, talking him through anxiety attacks and running their lines until one (or both) of them dozed off.

The others had started to wonder if they should all move into one of the apartments and sell the others, but six guys and one bathroom was not an ideal situation. Logan had decided that he would try to locate a home with enough bedrooms and several restrooms for them to move into at the end of the term, but until then, everyone was spending most of their time with their partners.

That night, though, Roman and Virgil went back to the apartment that Roman lived in with Logan and Patton, because Roman needed to get some more clothes from his closet. He explained it to Virgil as “I’ve got to slay everyday”, and the taller man didn’t argue, even though he did wonder if Roman got tired of his constant black jeans, t-shirts, and hoodies.

As they entered the building, they ran into Remy and Emile, who they hadn’t seen for several weeks due to how busy they all had been. Emile tried pulling Virgil in for a hug, but the tall man just shook his head, looking down to avoid seeing the upset look on the cartoon lover’s face.

“Virgil, are you studying for your exams properly? Grades are important if you want to get into the doctoral program someday,” Emile’s voice was cheerful, but it only made Virgil want to sink into the floor. “I could help you study next week if you’d like.”

“Uh… not next week. We have performances and rehearsals every day for the next two weeks, but… after that I could use some help, maybe,” Virgil’s voice was low, and Roman said nothing, but the two excused themselves to go up to the apartment. He wanted to say something, but Virgil just pulled him to the bedroom, passing Logan who was at the kitchen counter, working on assignments.

When they got into the bedroom, Virgil flipped the lock and kissed Roman suddenly, roughly, albeit a bit awkwardly. Roman didn’t have time to protest, he eased into the embrace and kissed his boyfriend back with vigor, wrapping his arms around Virgil’s neck.

“Tonight?” Roman managed to get out between kisses, and Virgil nodded, his hands trailing to push Roman’s jacket off of his shoulders. The two had discussed taking their relationship to the next level… physically, that is… for a few days, and while Roman was eager for whenever it would be, Virgil was, of course, anxious about it. Roman decided to turn off the thinking part of his brain, though, and kissed down Virgil’s neck, unzipping the hoodie and pulling it off.

“Tonight. Now. We’re going to be so exhausted the next few weeks, and I don’t want to wait until we’re done with performances,” Virgil’s voice had taken on a husky tone, and Roman nodded, pushing the two over to the bed. They kissed on the bed, Roman straddling Virgil’s hips, for several minutes, Virgil trying to grind up into the touch.

Roman pulled his own shirt off and then his hands dove under Virgil’s t-shirt, making the other flinch. He pulled his hands back, eyes full of concern as they met Virgil’s wide-blown pupils. “Virge? Are you okay?”

“I-I don’t know…” Virgil bit on his lower lip. He didn’t know why he was suddenly feeling his throat constrict at the thought of Roman pulling his shirt off; they’d made out topless in the past, and had been sharing a bed for several weeks. Maybe it was the knowledge that this moment was different. Virgil had never done this before. “Roman, I’m… a virgin. I don’t know how to do this, I feel so nervous. I don’t know…”

“Hey, shhh,” Roman leaned down to kiss his cheek. “We can wait as long as you need, even if it’s weeks or months from now. I’m in no rush. I love where we are now, okay? Not doing this tonight won’t change how I feel about you.” At those words, Virgil felt a surge of emotion, and he wanted to say those words, he felt them bubbling up again, but they didn’t come out. He couldn’t say those words yet.

Roman slipped his shirt back on and moved up on the bed, arms open for Virgil. The two snuggled close for a while until they decided to change into their pajamas, and once they were under the covers, the lights out, Virgil let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

-

Virgil was standing in the cafe on campus, waiting for his order of an iced coffee for Roman and a caramel macchiato for himself, when he felt a hand clap onto his shoulder. He jumped, glancing over to see Emile’s bright and shining smile. “Please don’t startle me like that.”

“Sorry, kiddo. I was just excited to see you here! Remy works here, and he’s just about to get off of his shift, maybe you wanna go to dinner with–”

“I can’t. Rehearsals,” Virgil muttered watching as Emile’s smile fell. “I appreciate the offer, though.”

“I thought you were a psychology major, Virgil. Why are you spending so much time on something that you’re not going to pursue in the future?” Emile’s question surprised Virgil, who crossed his arms.

“I am a psychology major, but I’m also a theater minor. I love doing this stuff, please don’t judge me,” Virgil had had his fair share of doubts on the subject before. “I can focus on both.”

“I’m not saying that you can’t kiddo, it’s just… well, you seem distracted.” Virgil glared at Emile over these words.

“You don’t know me, please don’t start acting like you can see right through me with all of this. I’m not distracted. I’m focused.” Virgil said nothing more before grabbing the two drinks from the counter and heading out the door and towards the theater, where he knew Roman would be waiting with a kiss and a hug.

Was he distracted? Was Roman distracting him from his education? He had been performing well in his courses and rehearsals, he hadn’t missed any assignments. Virgil didn’t think that he could be distracted, but… theater had become something more important to him, and a big reason for that was Roman, his rainbow.

And he’d do anything to ensure that the rainbow stayed, because he didn’t know if he could bear the storm clouds returning.

---

teaser for part eight: of flowers and freeing words

It had all happened so quickly; from the moment they met, Patton was in it. Their first date was unlike any other he had ever had, because they both broke down their walls. And as they grew to know each other more, as they progressed physically and emotionally, Patton wanted more and more to believe that Remus was the one he was made for. That, perhaps, Patton Hart, in his mother’s womb all those years ago, was being crafted just so that he could be held tenderly by Remus Creative.

Part Eight will be posted on Sunday, August 30 at 12PM PDT

---

part eight | part nine | part ten

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[introvertbard]

Building on my post:

So Bailey is definitely TALENTED, not saying he isn't at all. He did some psychological/thriller stuff like American Psycho's musical(!!!) and he was in a Doctor Who episode (which is notably soft sci-fi and known for scaring the shit out of people, and you COULD say that the step from "science that's basically treated as magic" to "actual magic" is very small from there).

But there's a reason miscasting is a thing, and "acting posses/stables" are a thing, and why actors tend to settle down into a genre or two. The meme where "fantasy is when Karl Urban has long hair, and sci-fi is when he has short hair" is very much true in many cases, because when you're doing X Genre, you WILL want to get an actor who is a safe/proven bet.

You can only learn so much in one career/life, and in the performing arts, you gotta get fucking GOOD at what you do. Many actors CAN do any genre they're cast in, in that they will do the job right, but few actors are real "chameleons" who are PHENOMENAL AT IT, and those actors are in FUCKING HIGH DEMAND.

You can learn to do everything well eventually, too, but it takes DECADES. Bailey is in his thirties; being talented is not a substitute for the acting experience that someone like Orlando Jones has, to just do whatever the fuck he wants after starting as a comedian on MAD TV.

I don't know if Bailey's done ACTUAL fantasy before, and the world of Oz is a VERY specific work as a hallmark of American media.

Bailey strikes me as an actor who's good at period pieces and Shakespeare, and he obviously wouldn't be in the cast if he didn't have a good/acceptable singing voice. Getting a Shakespeare-trained actor CAN be good for Wicked, with its antiquated dialogue and setting... or it can be that all these great parts just don't end up working right for some reason, or he doesn't have the right chemistry with the cast. Then the reactions to his Fiyero become "well he's okay but not GREAT (which some actors find more painful than ACTUALLY being bad!)" or "he's really nice, but not as Fiyero, PLEASE SWITCH HIM WITH X ACTOR" or "Why is Anthony Fucking Bridgerton even HERE?!"

Anyway, I stayed up too late again. Dear readers, this would-be actor rambling is NOT out of bitterness or jealousy. It is the strange and bewildered feeling you get when "the stuff I loved ten years ago just decided to come back in my thirties, like an ex-boyfriend in a Hallmark movie desperately ringing my doorbell, and when I open the door, he looks like shit."

I'm still happy/sad about fucking GAMBIT showing up in Deadpool and Wolverine, and finding out his actor spent ten goddamn years being yanked around by various companies.

Like, for fuck's sake, why are you all here now? What took you so long? Do I need to call 911?

Sooooooooo as a former musical nerd who never actually got to be in musicals, I find it very poetic that Ariana Grande is infamous for having an affair with Ethan Slater... and Glinda's fiance ends up running off with her best friend. Also, Ethan Slater is Boq in the Wicked movie and I have to wonder what the director was thinking when he cast BOTH of them. I'm of the camp that dating your cast-mates is REALLY risky.

ALSO also, I know I made a crack at Jonathan Bailey being a foot taller than both of his co-stars, but I'm basically watching this for Cynthia Erivo because I don't care about Grande OR him. I was constantly irritated with Anthony Bridgerton, and Bailey just seems the most vanilla person you could EVER cast as Fiyero.

Like, Fiyero is HEAVILY a supporting role in the show/movie about the two most famous witches of Oz. I feel like they only cast Bailey because he's already played Anthony Bridgerton, a rich and conventionally attractive nobleman.

SPOILERS FOR ANY NON-THEATER FOLKS ABOUT WHY I DON'T KNOW IF BAILEY CAN PULL OFF FIYERO!!!

So while Fiyero starts out as a careless prince who pretends to be brainless to avoid the gnawing sadness/ennui in his soul, he eventually becomes a rebel with Elphaba to start freeing Oz's sentient Animals from slavery. He gets captured and tortured, and while Elphaba is trying to save/heal him, she accidentally turns him into a scarecrow.

The productions explicitly show the sentient Monkeys being forced to grow wings as painful, and Boq's actor can also play his own transformation into the Tin Man as horrific and painful as well.

I don't know if Bailey's done anything like that, and I especially don't know if his fans crossing over from Bridgerton are gonna be happy when they find out his pretty mug is going to turn into a sack with a face painted on it. A lot of Fiyero's other actors like to imitate Ray Bolger's walk from the 1939 film, where he's always tripping on himself and bending weird.

Since Fiyero is being tortured and gets turned into fucking straw, Bailey is gonna have to dig DEEP and find some Cillian Murphy Scarecrow vibes for that.

To Future Me, next month: If Bailey actually ends up being like Hugh Jackman playing Wolverine and just absorbing the character into himself for like ten years, I will eat my words without question.

[bluebird722]

Wicked Musical Extended Ending

For @cuckoo-outlawoflove-in-nirvana, @broadwill, @breakfast-at-bendels, @elphabaoftheopera, @squeegool, @thegoodplacey, @politedemon, @diablodancer, @superelphie, @colwengrounds, and all fans of “Wicked” who crave more and wouldn’t mind an "adaptation” of a musical that is based on a book (the first of a series) that is based on a movie that is based on the first of a series of books.

After reuniting, Fiyero and Elphaba leave the Land of Oz via train under unsuspecting disguises and arrive in a nearby land unfamiliar to them. With virtually nothing but each other, Fiyero and Elphaba travel by foot, seeking shelter in barns and surviving on fruit trees, until they find a bare grassland where they decide to construct their own home. In the time that it takes them to build a house, they grow their own garden of produce.

Fiyero has the permanent appearance of a scarecrow, but Elphaba manages to reshape him, allowing the couple to consummate their feelings. The first time they make love, Elphaba sobs the entire time because she worried for so long that she would never find love and nearly lost it when she found it. Fiyero just holds her so she knows that love found its way back to her. 

Fiyero wakes up most nights to Elphaba sniffling, and she keeps worrying about the future of their unborn child, if it will be just as much an outcast as she had been and perhaps be ashamed of its mother, or even possess any magical abilities that will frighten others. She only calms down when Fiyero rubs her baby bump and lets her, calmly, talk about what ails her, and this enables her to fall asleep better. 

Elphaba goes into labor while gardening, and Fiyero carries her inside and assists her through contractions. He knows nothing of childbirth but keeps her distracted by coaching her to maintain control of her powers with each push. It takes hours, but a healthy baby boy is born, and Fiyero laughs and cries the entire time that he clutches the newborn. To Elphaba’s relief, little Liir is born with pale skin and black hair, and his parents can’t stop kissing him. 

In order to bring in income, Fiyero and Elphaba expand their garden, and Fiyero sells produce at markets and to neighbors who don’t mind his unusual appearance. Elphaba, unwilling to present herself and risk causing fear among others, raises chickens at home to sell or eat the eggs, and has Liir assist her but creates games out of his chores and teaches him math this way. At night and during rainstorms in the daytime, Liir’s parents teach him to read and write. Even though it makes her miss Dr. Dillamond, Elphaba tutors her son biology and history, and Fiyero buys books of biology and the country’s history for him and his family to read and learn.

Liir begins school at age six and easily becomes a top student. His enthusiasm and intelligence delight teachers, and his kindness attracts many friends of different ages. Out of respect for his mother, Liir doesn’t bring classmates to his house but goes to theirs. As this continues, Liir becomes frustrated at his mother for wanting to live like a hermit, saying that any true friend wouldn’t mind what she looked like. Still, Elphaba refuses to change the rules and promises that he would understand when he was older. 

Liir leaves for university at sixteen, but before he leaves, his parents tell him their stories about Oz, how they met and fell in love, and why they left home. He isn’t angry about their revelations but reflects on the information he has on the aunt and grandfather he never met and his mother’s fall from grace, and considers traveling to Oz to meet Glinda. On the train ride to school, Liir promises himself to return his parents to their homeland. 

At university, Liir instantly bonds with his roommate, Trism, and befriends the beautiful Candle. Although Liir and Candle begin a romantic relationship in their second year, he finds himself attracted to Trism but delays telling them his conflict. This continues even after the three finish school and travel, trying to find employment, and his relationship with Candle becomes sexual. Candle finds out and isn’t offended but suggests that he might be bisexual. Just as Trism and Liir begin a relationship, Candle finds out that she’s pregnant. The three have lengthy conversations and consider co-parenting together. 

Liir writes to his parents of his sexuality and receives a loving letter regardless. At Trism and Candle’s urging, he brings them to deliver the news of the pregnancy to his parents. Of course, Trism and Candle are surprised with Elphaba’s skin and Fiyero’s physical appearance but spend more time defending Liir from his parents who are more furious about his “carelessness”. The five come to an uneasy truce, and Elphaba and Fiyero agree to let Liir, Trism, and Candle stay with them as the trio begin searching for their own house. At this time, Trism and Candle knew little of Oz but learn of Elphaba and Fiyero’s pasts and feel sorrow.

Like Elphaba, Candle begins labor in the garden and is in pain for the rest of the day and night. She ends up in the same room where Liir was born. Liir is extremely squeamish, but Fiyero instructs him on coaching a birthing woman. As he, Trism, and Elphaba assist Candle, Liir talks to her in a calm voice until he delivers his daughter and nearly passes out. The baby is healthy and cleans up a light green, much to her grandparents’ surprise. 

Rain grows up in a city apartment with her three loving parents and cherishes free time with her grandparents. As part of her schooling, Liir teaches her to read and write by having her read and copy letters from a journal that he wrote about her parents, her maternal family, and the political conflicts in Oz. However, he does not reveal if it is fact of fiction. When Rain learns that Oz is a real place, she decides to visit when she is older.

The first holiday after Rain’s first year of university, she persuades her parents and grandparents to let her travel to Oz with her best friend Ozma, who goes by the nickname “Tip” because of her preference for masculine clothing. Elphaba is nervous but gives her blessing and requests that Rain not inform anyone that her grandparents are still alive. Rain and Tip travel to Oz and then the Emerald City, where they call for the attention of a widowed Glinda, who has since lived up to the name “Glinda the Good” but whose physical appearance is fading. Initially, Glinda is reluctant to speak of her life prior to the Emerald City until Rain begins pressing her with questions about her “old roommate”. As Glinda continuously refuses, Rain and Tip excuse themselves and take a train to Munchkinland, under the governorship of a man named Shell. There the girls finds the land where Rain’s great-aunt and great-grandparents are buried together. They sit at the grave for two hours until Glinda arrives via bubble, confident that she would find them there. 

Back at the Emerald City palace, Glinda quietly interviews Rain, who recalls the story of Dorothy Gale, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion, and remarks that Glinda’s “old roommate” had known them all at some point. Glinda presents Rain with the Grimmerie and has her read through the book just as the guards announce the arrest of Tip for an action they do not reveal. A panicked Rain subconsciously recalls a spell that she had just read and instinctively chains the guards together. Rain and Tip are shocked, and Glinda begins to weep when she realizes that her old friend had survived and lived to have a child. She admits to have staged Tip’s arrest to test Rain of any power as proof that she truly was Elphaba’s granddaughter, and is furthermore pleased that Rain proved herself braver and more willing to save a friend than Glinda had been in her youth. 

Rain, in Glinda’s home, writes to her grandparents and informs them of her meeting with Glinda. An emotional Ephaba congratulates her but is also surprised that Rain possessed some form of magic that Liir did not demonstrate. Because all of Oz are convinced that Elphaba had died long ago and still speak ill of her, Rain suggests for Glinda and Elphaba to communicate via mirrors and meet on the night before Rain leaves to return home. Glinda agrees but wonders if she should tell Rain and Elphaba the truth of Elphaba’s parentage. Despite Rain’s eagerness to go back to her parents, she promises to return and talks of one day living in Oz. Rain and Tip watch from the shadows as Glinda’s mirror unfogs and she says, “You wicked thing...”