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wicked-secretsanta · 4 months

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Merry Christmas @wickedobsessed101!

Special message: Hope you like this! Merry Christmas ❤️

Read it on Ao3

Everything everyone had ever told Elphaba about childbirth and pregnancy had certainly not been her experience.

“It can take up a year to fall pregnant, so don’t worry if it doesn’t happen before then,” the royal midwife had told her when she and Fiyero had decided to start trying; only to turn around and confirm her pregnancy nine weeks later.

“First babies are always late,” said her mother-in-law, the midwife, random strangers on the street; but Elphaba had gone into labour at thirty-six weeks.

“It’s probably just false labour, and if it is real, it will still be hours. First babies take their time,” the midwife had said dismissively, rather irritated about being sent for in the middle of the night and clearly thinking Elphaba was an idiot.

A mere three and a half hours later, Azura Tiggular slid into the world.

When Elphaba had gotten pregnant the next time, she’d gotten a new royal midwife. That delivery had been even quicker, so Fiyero felt rather justified in being wary about the prospect of taking the family out on Lurlinemas Eve. Elphaba did not.

“Fiyero, I’m not due for another month,” Elphaba said calmly, needlessly straightening the covers on the bed of the spare room. “And if something happened, we’d have plenty of time to get help.”

“I don’t think that’s true,” Fiyero argued. “With Daxton, he practically fell out when you sneezed.”

Elphaba rolled her eyes. “Stop telling it like that. Dax is going to hear it one day and not know you’re exaggerating.”

“You’re nesting,” Fiyero pointed out, watching her fluff the pillows on the bed.

She turned to him, placing her hands on her hips. “I’m not nesting, I’m cleaning. Glinda’s going to be here any minute.”

“Okay, but-”

“Yero,” she cut him off gently. “I’m fine. I haven’t missed the Lurlinemas markets in all the years we’ve been married, and I’m not going to start now.”

Fiyero sighed, taking in the stubborn set of her jaw. “I want it on record that I have no desire to deliver this baby myself.”

Elphaba snorted. “You think you could?”

“Hey, I watched both the kids be born,” Fiyero defended himself. “I paid attention, I could do it.”

“Except for when you fainted right after Azura was born,” Elphaba smirked.

Fiyero’s shoulders sagged. “Fae, it’s been seven years. Can we maybe let that go?”

“No,” Elphaba laughed.

Glinda arrived within the hour, and Fiyero went out to meet her.

“Hi,” he greeted her.

“Hi,” she beamed, stepping forward to hug him. “How’s Elphie?”

“Stubborn.”

“Oh, then same as always,” Glinda laughed. “What is it now?”

“She wants to go to the markets on Lurlinemas Eve,” Fiyero explained, offering her an arm as her driver began to unload her luggage from the carriage.

Glinda’s brow furrowed as she took his elbow.“So? You go every year. Isn’t it like, royal decree?”

“It’s tradition, not decree,” Fiyero corrected her. “But she’s never been this close to her due date before.”

“She has a month.”

“Azzie and Dax both came early. And fast,” Fiyero reminded her. “Dax pretty much-”

“Oh, for the love of Oz, do not tell the sneeze story again,” Glinda cut him off, wrinkling her nose. “It’s been four years, and I still can’t get rid of that mental image. How do you expect me to have a baby of my own if you keep telling me these things?”

“Maybe you should focus on planning your wedding first?” Fiyero teased her. “It’s been over a year.”

Glinda scowled at him. “Excuse me, but it took me four months to plan the engagement party, and then as soon as we started to even think of dates, someone got Elphie pregnant.”

“Well, as far as I know, that someone was me,” Fiyero said lightly.

Glinda swatted at him. “My point is, I can’t get married without Elphie as my matron of honour, can I? And she certainly can’t stand beside me at the altar with Baby Glinda in her arms, can she?”

“No way,” Fiyero protested. “Azura’s middle name is already Glinda. You don’t get two namesakes.”

They met Elphaba and the kids in the parlour, and Azura and Daxton dashed to greet Glinda, while Fiyero moved forward to help Elphaba up off the couch.

“Oh, Elphie. You look so good!” Glinda exclaimed excitedly, hurrying forward to hug her and immediately pressing her hands to Elphaba’s stomach to feel the baby.

“How was the journey?” Elphaba asked calmly, ignoring the way Glinda prodded at her belly.

“Oh, it was fine,” Glinda said airily. “How are you? Fiyero was saying something about the markets?”

Elphaba shot Fiyero an exasperated stare and he shrugged innocently.

“I’m perfectly able to go to the markets,” she said. “Fiyero’s just being ridiculous.”

“He does that,” Glinda nodded knowingly.

“Hey,” Fiyero protested, but was ignored.

The small village of Elmspire, nestled in the Lower Kells, had been the hometown of Fiyero's great-grandmother; and so the tradition of the royals attending the markets on Lurlinemas Eve had been in place since the marriage of his great-grandparents. Since he was a child, Fiyero had loved experiencing the food, carols and the ritual of lighting the fairy lantern to guide Lurline and her fairies to the village to visit and bless the people throughout the night.

In the past seven years, getting to share the traditions with his children and seeing it all through their eyes had made it even more special. But he’d never attended the markets with his heavily pregnant wife; who was definishly not as fine as she insisted she was as they all boarded the carriage to head out to Elmspire on Lurlinemas Eve.

“Is this your first time, Aunty Glinda?” Azura asked her, bouncing with excitement.

“Actually, I’ve been before,” Glinda replied. “But you wouldn’t remember that- it was your very first Lurlinemas, you were just a tiny little baby!”

Azura’s dark eyes widened. “Really?”

Glinda nodded with a smile. “Really. I think you’d only just started crawling- isn’t that right, Momma?”

“Sounds about right,” Elphaba said, with a smile to her daughter that didn’t seem genuine to Fiyero.

“Az, you and Dax will have to give Aunty Glinda the full tour when we get there,” Fiyero said swiftly. “Right?”

Azura’s face lit up. “Oh, Aunty Glinda! They have giant gingerbread cookies!” she exclaimed, and Glinda gasped with the appropriate amount of enthusiasm.

“Really? How giant? Bigger than you?” she asked and Azura giggled.

“Maybe not this year. I’m pretty big now,” she informed her solemnly.

“You definitely are,” Glinda agreed. “What else do they have?”

With the kids suitably distracted, Fiyero took the opportunity to lean towards Elphaba. “You okay?”

“Fine,” Elphaba reassured him, unwrapping her cloak from around her. “My back is just sore- as always.”

Elmspire was about a forty-five minute carriage ride away from the castle, and Fiyero was grateful he had Glinda there to help entertain the kids as Elphaba kept shifting ever so slightly, rubbing her stomach absent-mindedly and Fiyero struggled not to watch her like a timer was about to go off.

“There’s Grams and Grandpa!” yelled Daxton as he spotted the king and queen.

“Hello, my darlings!” the queen greeted them warmly as Azura and Daxton spilled from the carriage the moment it came to a complete stop, sweeping them both into her arms. “Are we ready for tonight?”

“Grams, can we have hot chocolate?” Azura asked immediately. “And candy apples, and pastry and cake-”

“Whoa,” Fiyero said hastily, climbing out of the carriage after them. “How about we get one food thing and one drink?”

“I think that sounds reasonable,” his father agreed, as Fiyero held out an arm to help Glinda alight before leaning back inside to help Elphaba out.

“You good?” he murmured to her, as she leaned heavily on his arm after getting on the ground.

The look she shot him was exasperated but fond. “I just need a walk. Stretch my back,” she replied.

“How are you feeling, sweetheart?” the queen asked her as the children greeted their grandfather.

“My back isn’t great,” Elphaba admitted. “I could do with a walk. Do we have time before the lantern lighting?”

“Fifteen minutes or so,” she reassured her. “Enough time to do a loop- let the children settle a bit?”

“Sounds good,” Elphaba agreed.

The more they walked, the more she did seem to ease and her eyes grew brighter. Fiyero suspected watching Azura and Daxton take everything in with wide-eyes was part of that. While Fiyero loved sharing experiences with the kids that he too had done as a child, Elphaba just loved seeing their children find joy in the holidays. It was something that she’d never really had herself growing up.

Fiyero watched her soft gaze fixate on the way Azura held her little brother’s hand as they walked, pointing things out to him that she remembered from last year, sounding very mature. With a soft smile of his own, Fiyero couldn’t resist sneaking a hand over to cover Elphaba’s stomach for a moment, but he frowned as he registered how hard it felt beneath his hand.

“Elphaba…”

“It’s fine,” she said breezily, not looking at him and smiling at those that passed them. “They’re just practise ones. I can barely feel them.”

“Elphaba,” Fiyero hissed, his heart dropping like a stone.

“Momma!” Dax yelled out excitedly, spinning on the spot to face them. “Look, there’s sillymon rolls!”

Glinda looked over her shoulder from where she was walking next to Azura, shooting Elphaba and Fiyero a bewildered glance. Elphaba laughed quietly, moving forward.

“Cinnamon,” she murmured to Glinda, and Glinda’s face cleared in understanding. “Do you want a roll, Dax?”

“Sillymon,” Glinda said with a smile, falling into step next to Fiyero as Elphaba led Daxton and Azura over to the cinnamon roll stand. “That’s adorable. It reminds me of when Azura used to call me ‘Glinna’ , remember?”

She giggled, but when Fiyero said nothing, she frowned at him. “What’s with you?”

“Fae’s having contractions,” he hissed to her.

Glinda’s eyes widened, shooting towards Elphaba. “Wait- real ones or fake ones?”

“Fake ones she says,” Fiyero said, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on his wife. “But…”

“I’m sure she’d know if it was real,” she said practically. “It’s not like this is her first labour.”

Fiyero wasn’t comforted.

The highlight of the markets on Lurlinemas Eve was the lighting of the lantern; wherein the lantern atop the tall lamp post that stood in the middle of the village square was lit with light green flames. Typically this was done by the youngest member of the royal family, but this would be the first year Dax was deemed old enough to do it. Azura had spent the past three weeks teaching her little brother how to do it, using their toys as stand in props. It was the most adorable thing Fiyero had ever seen.

And as they all gathered near the lamp post, Fiyero watched Elphaba talk with Glinda and his mother and the way she kept shifting her weight, one hand bracing the small of her back.

“Are we ready to begin, Your Highness?” the village minister asked, interrupting his musings a few minutes later.

“I think so,” Fiyero nodded, searching out the kids. He spotted them on the other side of the lantern, talking to Elphaba quietly. She was kneeling down as she talked to Dax and Azura, a feat which Fiyero could only marvel at when she was in her third trimester.

“Dax,” he called out, “you ready, buddy?”

Dax looked over towards him and then back to Elphaba, who said something to them with a small smile and then looked to Azura. Whatever she said, Azura nodded solemnly and then took Dax’s hand to lead the way back over to Fiyero. As they approached, Fiyero squatted down to meet them.

“You ready?” he asked again, drawing Dax close as he leaned in towards him.

“Daddy, can Azzie help me with the lantern?” Dax asked in a whisper, his gaze flittering nervously towards the minister.

Fiyero’s heart melted. “If you want her to, absolutely,” he reassured him, running a hand over his rosy cheek. That earned him a tiny smile from Dax and Fiyero shot him and Azura a wink before rising to his feet.

“Azura and Dax are going to do the lantern together,” he told his father and the minister.

“Wonderful,” the minister replied without missing a beat. “Let’s do this then.”

As the minister called for everyone’s attention, Elphaba slid into position next to Fiyero.

“He okay?” he asked her in a murmur.

“A little shy about being the centre of attention,” Elphaba murmured back.

Fiyero nodded understandingly. “Ah. We have not had that problem with Az,” he replied and Elphaba snorted.

“No.”

‘Shy’ had never been a word that could be used to describe Azura Tiggular.

It was a short ceremony. The minister would welcome everyone, and then invite the king to read the story of Lurlinemas- of how the night came to be a holy night for Lurline and her fairy court, and how they now festivated the occasion by flying around Oz and blessing those Ozians with golden candles in their windows; and how long ago in the middle of a blizzard, the town had lit the lantern with green flames to guide the fairies to the village of Elmspire. Then the lantern was lit, and then the minister would do a short prayer, followed by a carol led by the village church choir. It had been the same thing every year for longer than Fiyero had been alive.

His father had always been an excellent storyteller- so many of Fiyero’s favourite childhood memories involved his father reading to him, and even now in his thirties, he could still find himself transfixed as he listened to his father’s tales. But this year, Fiyero was distracted as Elphaba kept fidgeting beside him.

“You okay?” he whispered.

Elphaba merely hummed, which made Fiyero turn his head towards her hastily. “El-”

“Ssh,” she cut him off, slipping her hand around his elbow. “It’s the kids.”

Fiyero turned to watch Azura and Dax step forward together to light the lantern under careful supervision. Azura carefully guided her little brother into place, letting him do the bulk of the job while being a steadfast presence at his side; and Fiyero saw so much of Elphaba in her as he watched that he could only marvel.

But his gaze was ripped away from his children as Elphaba inhaled sharply, her grip on his arm tightening like a vice.

“Are you still going to tell me that you’re fine?” Fiyero hissed to her.

Elphaba’s eyes flickered to him briefly before returning to the kids. “My water just broke,” she murmured calmly.

Fiyero’s heart leapt into his throat and he started to turn towards her, but she stopped him, her free hand rising from her stomach to press against his chest.

“Ssh, it’s fine.”

The crowd began to applaud as the lantern was lit and Elphaba moved her hand from Fiyero’s chest so that she could applaud too.

“Go Dax!” Glinda called out brightly from somewhere behind them, but Fiyero was frozen, only jerkily clapping his hands together when Elphaba nudged him. Honestly, Fiyero felt like he was on the verge of a heart attack.

“Your water has broken,” he said through clenched teeth over the applause. “Which means you’ve probably been in labour since we got here!”

“Probably earlier,” she murmured back as Azura and Dax began to make their way back to them. “My back pain started when we were helping the kids get ready.”

As she praised the kids upon their return and ushered them over to stand with Glinda and their grandmother; Fiyero snuck a glance at his watch, trying to think back to what time that was and how much time they likely had- based on the speed of Elphaba’s past labours. He did the mental math, and then did it again when he really didn’t like the answer he came up with. It didn’t change and that heart attack felt like a real possibility.

“Elphaba-”

“Ssh,” she said, patting his chest. “We’re about to pray.”

“You are an atheist,” he reminded her, but she hushed him again. Fiyero sighed frustratedly, wishing his wife wasn’t so stubborn. It was clear she had no intention of going anywhere until the end of the lantern ceremony.

“Don’t sneeze,” he told her just as the minister called for those gathered to bow their heads.

Elphaba rolled her eyes, just before she lowered her head and closed her eyes.

Fiyero did not. Instead he twisted his head until he found Glinda, who was standing hand-in-hand with Azura. After a moment she raised her eyes to Fiyero, like she’d sensed his eyes on her. Her brow furrowed.

Fiyero nodded minutely towards Elphaba, but Glinda’s frown just deepened.

‘Baby,’ he mouthed, repeating the gesture and then involuntarily winced as Elphaba squeezed his arm again. Coupled with the sharp inhale she let escape, Fiyero guessed it was a contraction.

Glinda’s eyes widened in alarm and her jaw dropped slightly. She took a step forward, but Fiyero shook his head ever-so-slightly.

‘Wait,’ he mouthed back and Glinda shot him an incredulous look.

Fiyero could only shrug and turn back around. He didn’t hear a word the minister said, could only focus on the carefully measured breaths Elphaba was taking and her iron grip on his arm. As the crowd started to sing, movement caught his eye and he watched Glinda carefully move forward to Elphaba’s other side, taking Elphaba’s other arm supportively.

By the second verse, Elphaba was gripping their arms to brace herself as she stood, rocking from side-to-side slightly. Fiyero had never been more thankful for a Lurlinemas carol to end.

“Okay, we need to get to the hospital,” Fiyero said the moment it was done, leaning towards them both to be heard over the applause.

“Oh, I don’t know if we have the time for that,” Elphaba said grimly, a little breathless.

Fiyero stared at her. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Okay, you were right,” she admitted. “But can we have this conversation later?”

Fiyero made some kind of noise as he turned to find his parents, hurrying over to where they stood nearby with the kids. “Elphaba’s in labour,” he informed them quietly.

They switched into alert mode immediately, but Fiyero didn’t have time for their reactions.

“Her waters have broken, and she doesn’t think there’s enough time to get to the hospital. Please tell me there’s a midwife or doctor here? Or both?”

“I’m sure there must be,” his mother said immediately. “I’ll find someone. Just a moment.”

“Well, Azzie, Dax,” the king said as she hurried away, wrapping one arm around each of the kids. “I think that you both did such a wonderful job tonight that you deserve a reward. How about, when Grams comes back, you come back with us for a sleepover?”

Azura looked up at him with wide eyes. “But how will Lurline’s fairies find us if we’re not at home?”

The king chuckled, tapping her nose with a finger. “Azura, I’m the king. We have an in with Lurline’s fairies, I assure you,” he said with a wink.

Azura and Dax looked appropriately awed at this information and Fiyero sent his father a grateful look.

“What about Momma and Daddy?” Dax asked, glancing over at Fiyero. “And Aunty Glinda?”

Fiyero squatted down to be at his eye level. “Aunty Glinda and I need to help Momma with something super quick,” he told him. “But then we’ll be right behind you. Save us some cookies, okay?”

Dax nodded, but Azura stared at him shrewdly. As his father led Dax away, she lingered and leaned into Fiyero’s side.

“Is Momma having the baby?” she whispered.

Fiyero startled, blinked and then smiled. “You, my girl, are getting way too smart,” he informed her, squeezing her tightly. “Yeah, kid. Momma’s having the baby. So I need you and Dax to go with Grams and Grandpa. Okay?”

“Okay,” Azura agreed easily. She lifted her head and kissed Fiyero’s cheek twice. “One of those is for Momma,” she told him. “And remember, I want a sister.”

Fiyero decided this was not the time to tell her that he had no control over that. “Thanks, sweets. Go catch up with Grandpa,” he urged her and Azura hurried off.

When Fiyero turned back to Elphaba, she was gripping Glinda’s arm tightly with her eyes squeezed shut. Glinda looked more pained than Elphaba.

“You okay?” Fiyero asked her.

Elphaba just made a noise, which after two prior kids, Fiyero could safely interpret as a ‘no’.

“We can’t just stand here in the middle of the square,” Glinda said anxiously, glancing around. “It’s freezing, and it can’t be good for the baby. Or Elphie.”

Fiyero looked around the square and the surrounding buildings. “Let’s try the inn,” he said decidedly. “Hopefully there’ll be a free bed.”

It took him approximately ten seconds to decide the inn’s manager was his favourite person in the world, after she took one look at Elphaba as they entered the foyer and immediately handed Glinda a key, giving them directions to the room and a promise to be along in a moment with a stack of towels.

“Thank you…”

“Evera, Your Highness,” she said.

“Evera,” he repeated. “Thank you.”

He barely had time to let her know that his mother would be along shortly before he hurried Elphaba away.

The moment they were in the room, Fiyero ditched his outerwear and helped Elphaba shed layers and get into the bed. Glinda hung back, wringing her hands helplessly. Evera swept in and presented them with a pile of towels, promising to send up help when it arrived.

“I need to push,” Elphaba gasped, rolling onto her side and Fiyero cringed.

“Just wait,” he begged her. “There’s a midwife coming.”

He hoped. Oz, he hoped.

When the door opened behind him, Fiyero’s shoulders sagged in relief as his mother entered the room. Which only lasted for a heartbeat until he registered she was alone.

“The doctor and midwife are at a delivery in the next town,” she told them. “There’s a retired doctor on a farm on the outskirts of the village and someone’s gone to wake him, but I’m not sure how long they’ll be. If there’s no time to get Elphaba to the hospital-”

Elphaba interrupted her with a long, quiet groan.

His mother looked to Fiyero apologetically. “I’m sorry. Shall I-?”

“Go home with Dad and the kids, Mom,” Fiyero reassured her. “Az knows what’s happening, she might need you. I’ve got Glinda here.”

“Me?!” Glinda squeaked with wide eyes.

“You,” Fiyero said firmly. He was only distantly aware of his mother leaving the room as he rolled up his sleeves.

Glinda grabbed his arm. “Fiyero, there is a reason that I am not in the room and only see the babies when they are clean and cute!” she hissed.

“Well, there’s a reason I don’t deliver my own children!” Fiyero hissed back. “Go. Hold Fae’s hand.”

Fiyero felt ill as he hastily washed his hands and moved to the end of the bed in between Elphaba’s legs. He’d watched both Azura and Dax be born, but he still felt completely out of his depth as he tentatively checked on her progress.

“Well… there’s no head yet,” he announced, although he wasn’t sure if there was supposed to be that much blood.

He was not typically down this end during the birth part.

He looked up at Elphaba. “Fae, remember when I said I could deliver this baby because I paid attention when the other two were born? I lied.”

Elphaba let out a half-gasp, half-laugh. “Just- just don’t… don’t faint again,” she panted, and then slammed her eyes shut as another contraction hit and from Glinda’s wince, squeezed her hand quite hard.

“Seven years,” Fiyero muttered under his breath, rubbing her shin encouragingly.

“What?”

Fiyero knew better than to repeat his comment. “If you need to sneeze now, that would actually be helpful,” he said instead and Elphaba just gave a small sob in response.

It only took another contraction before Fiyero tensed. “Ohhhhkay. There’s the head,” he said slowly.

Elphaba groaned something incoherently and Fiyero squeezed her ankle lightly, urging her to push as he eased the head and shoulders free, remembering enough to make sure the umbilical cord wasn’t caught. Once the shoulders were free, the baby slid into his hands in the literal blink of an eye- one second Fiyero was cradling the head in one palm and the next a whole baby was in his hands.

Fiyero swore unconsciously, and both Elphaba and Glinda’s gaze whipped to him in panic.

“Everything’s fine,” he hastily reassured them. “She’s fast is all. Wasn’t expecting it.”

Elphaba craned her neck weakly, her eyes turning glassy. “She?”

Fiyero grinned at her broadly. “She,” he confirmed and Elphaba collapsed back onto the pillows with another sob, this one tinged with joy.

“Oh, Elphie,” Glinda exclaimed.

“Glinda, grab me some of the towels. Quick,” Fiyero said swiftly, before she could say anything else.

Glinda hurried to grab a towel from the pile and came around to hand it to him. Without looking at her, Fiyero adjusted the baby to free a hand to take one, but nothing was placed into his expectant hand.

“Oh.”

That made Fiyero look up in time to see the blood drain from Glinda’s face. He took the towel from her.

“Don’t pass out,” he warned her, starting to clear the baby’s nose and mouth- he remembered that much from Azura’s birth before he’d passed out, at least. He’d watched her like a hawk, wondering why she wasn’t crying and trying not to panic before the midwife had explained what she was doing. Then Fiyero had taken in the mess on the bed, and things got very fuzzy after that.

“Glinda?” Elphaba said tiredly, struggling up onto her elbows. That spurred Glinda out of her stupor and she stumbled back to Elphaba’s side, stuffing pillows behind her back to help her sit.

“I’ve changed my mind, I’m not having children,” she muttered distinctly.

Fiyero snorted as he rubbed at the baby’s chest, which was thankfully drowned out by the baby’s first thin cries. There was nothing like the wave of relief that swept over him at that sound, and as he looked up at Elphaba, saw the same overwhelming relief in her eyes. A crying baby was always a good sign.

Without her needing to say anything, Fiyero wrapped their daughter in another towel and minding the still attached umbilical cord, carefully moved to place the baby on Elphaba’s chest.

“Here you go, Momma,” he said softly.

Elphaba chuckled as she ran a trembling finger over the baby’s face, murmuring to her so softly Fiyero couldn’t hear the words until the baby’s cries settled into whimpers. Only then did she look back up at Fiyero, beaming.

“She’s perfect, isn’t she?”

Fiyero leaned forward to kiss her. “Just like her mother,” he agreed. “I love you, Fae.”

“I love you too,” she said softly.

He leaned his forehead against her temple, watching the baby settle with Elphaba’s heartbeat under her ear.

“Oz, I’m never doing this again,” he said tiredly. “Next kid, we bring a midwife everywhere we go, got it?”

Elphaba laughed loudly enough to startle the baby, who whimpered. “Not the worst idea you’ve had,” she said amusedly.

The next knock on the door brought the retired doctor and his daughter; and Fiyero was relieved to be able to stand back and let someone else take charge. It was all a whirlwind of activity then, checking both Elphaba and the baby over and getting them cleaned up. But at last Elphaba was back in bed with clean sheets; a clean, sleeping baby against her chest while Fiyero sat on the bed beside her and Glinda sat in the armchair, looking rather shaken. Fiyero couldn’t blame her. They'd travel back home in the morning as long as Elphaba was feeling well enough, although Fiyero knew it was killing her to miss Lurlinemas morning with the kids.

“What are we naming her?” Fiyero asked, staring at the baby. “I think we need something… Lurlinemassy.”

Glinda perked up at the idea of names. “Ievie? Aine? Melia? Lirael? Loreline?” she rattled off a stream of options related to Lurlinist tales in one breath and Fiyero could only blink at her.

Fiyero looked to Elphaba for a response, watching as she mused over the options. They’d had plenty of boy name options this time around, but they’d had trouble coming up with girl names.

“I like Lirael,” she said slowly.

“Lira for short?” Glinda suggested.

Elphaba looked up at Fiyero and he nodded. “Lirael Alvy?” he suggested. “After my great-grandmother?”

Given that the baby had been born in her home village, it seemed appropriate to him. Elphaba nodded, a soft smile crossing her lips as Fiyero kissed her gently. Pressing another kiss to her temple, Fiyero stroked one of the baby’s- of Lirael’s- tiny hands.

“Best Lurlinemas present I’ve ever gotten,” he murmured.

“Can’t argue with that,” Elphaba agreed.

A quiet sniffle turned their attention to Glinda, who was delicately wiping away a tear as she watched them.

“Maybe one baby,” she said.

Elphaba and Fiyero exchanged a knowing glance, and Fiyero couldn’t help but laugh quietly.

#wickedobessed101 #gifts'23 #wickedsanta23

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artsspangledpumpkin · 2 years

Photo

Their eyes met and a heavy, but not unwelcome, silence fell between them. Fiyero’s hand twitched with an unidentified impulse and their fingers unintentionally brushed. They yanked them away with breathy, mumbled apologies.

An excerpt from Love Fae & Yero by @elphabaoftheopera If you haven’t read it, I recommend checking it out.

Name/Link: Love Fae & Yero

Fandom: Wicked

Inspired By: Love, Fae & Yero (link above)

Challenge(s): Shipping Bingo; IC&F; Harvest

Ship & Team: Poppies; Elphaba T./Fiyero T.

List (Prompt): IC&F (Picture This); Harvest Fandom (Wicked);

Space Address (Prompt): Ship E5 (20 Questions); AUB D4 (Pen Pal); FaB C5 (The Unknown); SetB A1 (Oppressive)

Warning(s): None

#wicked #elphaba thropp #Fiyeraba #fiyero #Wicked fanart

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vinkunwildflowerqueen · 1 year

Note

I NEED FIYERABA RECS COZ IVE READ ALL YOURS. Do you have any new ones?

Hey!

Unfortunately, I don't read much Wicked fics these days- I just write it.

I have started reading "Love, Yero and Fae" but I've had to put it aside to finish on my own WIP so I'm very behind (sorry @elphabaoftheopera I promise I'll catch up eventually. This fic is just kicking my butt, and I have a December deadline!). So I can tell you the chapters of that I have read I enjoyed.

Anyone else got any recs for Fiyeraba fics?

#fiyeraba fanfiction #Wicked fanfiction #fanfiction #recs

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buckyshairstylist · 3 years

Text

Elphaba let out a shaky breath as she covered Fiyero with a thick blanket, her eyes filled with tears. The spell had worked — Fiyero was human again.

The downside? Neither one of them had anticipated the pain that it caused him. Fiyero had screamed and writhed for an hour, Elphaba murmuring the same words over and over again, until finally he changed back to a human and immediately passed out. Maybe it was his exhaustion overtaking him, she didn’t know.

What she did know was that he hadn’t slept well since he became a scarecrow. And now that he was human again, she kept watch over him, just to ensure it wasn’t something temporary and they’d have to start all over again in their search for a spell to remedy what she’d caused in her desperation to save him.

“It’s fine, Fae,” he’d told her shortly after they had moved to the Vinkus. They had been promised solitude and Fiyero’s parents — who were two of the sweetest people Elphaba had ever met — had promised that no one would know their whereabouts.

“I don’t mind being a scarecrow. And I wouldn’t have minded if it had ended the other way.”

She always noticed how he avoided saying that he very well could have died. Fiyero was smart; he knew how to word things and get his point across without actually saying what he meant. And so, when an uncomfortable subject arose, Fiyero tried to take control of the situation and always managed to change the subject within five minutes.

Elphaba gazed down at him, a single tear falling onto her emerald skin as she pulled her fingers through his light brown hair. She had missed this. She had missed the sweet moments — playing with his hair, having him play with her hair, teasing him over his rosy cheeks when he’d been out in the cold too long, or having him grasp her hand and hold her close when she needed him to.

And while Elphaba was grateful the spell had worked and kept him alive, she had missed Fiyero being human. After all, they had reunited after being apart for two years, had ran off into the woods together, only to be separated again merely hours later. Elphaba had never been so grateful for her magic as she was in the moment she discovered that her spell had worked and Fiyero had been saved.

Fiyero had been a lot calmer than she’d expected about the entire ordeal, had even laughed when she told him that she would eventually find a way to turn him back. He’d waved it off, promising that it didn’t bother him much.

“Fae?” Fiyero croaked, turning his head toward her, his eyes barely opened, showing slivers of his blue irises.

“Yero,” she smiled softly, caressing his cheek. “How do you feel?”

“I think I’ve been hit by a cart. No, maybe it was a train. Train car. I was hit by a train car.”

Elphaba couldn’t help herself — she laughed. Fiyero, who was slightly more conscious than he had been a second ago, stared at her in bewilderment.

“I’m sorry, love, I’m sorry,” she chuckled. “You haven’t been hit by a cart, or a train, or a train car. It worked, Yero. It worked!”

Fiyero slowly lifted his left hand, his eyes widening when he realized that it was indeed a human hand. He sat up, throwing the blanket off and scrambling toward the mirror. He hesitantly brought a hand up, touching his face, letting out a breath as he gazed at his reflection — his human reflection — for the first time in months.

“Sweet Oz.”

Fiyero spun on his heel to face Elphaba, his eyes filled with disbelief and joy as he crossed the room, bending down and kissing her sweetly.

“I missed that,” he whispered as he pulled away, earning a breathless chuckle from her.

“So did I.”

“So… this is going to sound strange—“

“Everything you say sounds strange, Yero. What makes this any different?” she teased, earning an unamused look.

“I don’t remember what happened. Would you like to fill me in on that or are you going to keep it to yourself?”

“Well… we started it and it caused you a lot of pain. I’m pretty sure you screamed until you became human again — which took about an hour, by the way — and you’ve been sleeping ever since then.”

“Oh,” Fiyero blinked. “I… don’t remember any of that.”

“Maybe it’s best that you don’t.”

“Maybe…” he agreed softly, wiping the stray tear from her face. “How long was I out?”

“Just a couple of hours. I think you need to get back in bed. The adrenaline won’t last forever, and Oz knows what will happen when you have an adrenaline crash. You haven’t been human for months, Fiyero, please—“

“What are you so scared of?”

Elphaba stared at him for a moment, her dark eyes gazing into his blue ones. Eyes that sparkled with joy and concern, the two emotions somehow mixing and making Fiyero’s eyes shine brightly.

“I’m not entirely sure if it’s worked yet,” she admitted, hanging her head. “For all I know, it could be temporary and we have to start over again.”

“Is that all?” Fiyero sat down beside her, letting her lean her head against his shoulder. “Oz, Fae, you had me worried it was something serious. I don’t give a twig if we didn’t find the right one — I’m human now and that’s what matters. If it’s not right, well, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. But for now, let’s enjoy this, hm?”

A comfortable silence befell them, Fiyero combing his fingers through Elphaba’s raven curls and allowing his fingertips to brush against the back of her neck. The silence lasted for all of forty-five seconds before Fiyero began to giggle with glee, putting Elphaba in mind of a small child.

“I can feel again, Fae!” He smiled brightly at her, shifting slightly. Elphaba lifted her head, allowing him to caress her face, then grasp both of her hands. “I… it feels amazing to be able to feel things again.”

“I’m glad,” Elphaba mumbled, observing him. She was certain that she’d never seen him look so overjoyed. “And I’m sorry. For everything.”

“What? For the scarecrow thing? I’ve told you before, Elphaba, I don’t mind that I ended up being a living scarecrow. You saved my life.”

“Not just that,” she shook her head. “I never meant to bewitch you. Or whatever I did. And I never intended for you to come with me when you and the other guards came in. I didn’t intend for you to think about the day in the clearing with the lion cub before I left for the Emerald City. There were a lot of things that happened that I didn’t want to happen, things that I didn’t intend to happen.”

“You didn’t bewitch me,” Fiyero rolled his eyes. “And I am fully aware that you never meant for any of the other things to happen. Those are on me, not you. Of course, if you’d been mad at me when you got mad at the rest of the class, we probably wouldn’t have had the day in the clearing, and we — well, I wouldn’t have realized that I love you.”

“You didn’t realize that until after I didn’t come back,” Elphaba reminded him.

“That’s beside the point.”

“It’s literally the only point, Fiyero.”

“Whatever,” Fiyero waved it off. “Come lie down with me. I want to hold you.”

Elphaba sighed and nodded, unable to deny him his request. How could she when he was glowing with the elation he felt? Fiyero was happy that he could feel again, so of course, one of his first thoughts is to hold her like he did every night.

Lying beside him, Elphaba turned onto her side, tucking her face into the crook of his neck. Fiyero wrapped his arms around her tightly and buried his nose in her hair.

“I missed this.”

“You still held me,” Elphaba countered, waiting to see what his response would be.

“But I couldn’t feel it. I couldn’t feel anything when I was a scarecrow. I like being able to play with your hair or rub your back. And I like being able to kiss you whenever I want to.”

Elphaba tilted her head upward, gazing up at him. Oz, she loved him. She loved Fiyero more than anything. And Fiyero loved her.

“For what it’s worth, I never believed you were wicked,” Fiyero spoke up, startling her out of her thoughts.

“Is that so?” She quirked a brow in amusement.

“Yes. I knew better than to believe the lies that the Wizard and Morrible told about you. Everyone else, on the other hand…” Fiyero shook his head. “I — I wanted to go looking for you after you disappeared. Glinda had come back and told me what happened, and I wanted to go find you. But somehow, she convinced me not to, and I stayed at Shiz.”

“You didn’t need to come searching for me. That would have put you in danger, just like this has put you in danger. You almost died because of me, Fiyero.”

“I would have done it in a heartbeat.”

Elphaba exhaled shakily, wrapping her arms around him. She had known that Fiyero was willing to risk his own life for her, and the thought terrified her. What if they ended up in a situation like that again and she couldn’t save him with a spell?

“Sweet Oz, Fae, I can hear you thinking,” he groaned, pressing a chaste kiss to her temple. “Stop thinking and try to rest. We both need sleep.”

“Oh, alright.”

The next morning, after he bathed, Fiyero had stumbled outside, making a startled noise as he tripped over his own feet and crashed onto the ground. He blinked, staring up at the sky for a moment before he burst into laughter.

Hearing the hysterical laughter, Elphaba made her way to the door of their home, smiling fondly when she saw her boyfriend sprawled on the ground, clutching his sides as he laughed. She leaned against the doorway, folding her arms over her chest while she watched him laugh, knowing that he was perfectly fine.

“What are you doing, Yero?” Elphaba queried, the smile still present. He turned his head toward her and started to laugh again.

“I fell,” he informed her.

“I can see that.”

“Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve been able to feel when I hit the ground?”

“A while.”

“Yeah,” he breathed, turning his head back. “I love being able to feel again. And I like being human. It’s a little easier to walk this way.”

“Well, you’re not going to go anywhere by staying on the ground, Yero.”

Fiyero snorted, glancing at her before he sat up.

“Oh, leave me alone.”

“Never.”

She approached him, stretching out her hand. Fiyero took it, allowing her to pull him to his feet.

“Thanks, Fae.” Fiyero pressed their foreheads together, sighing happily. “Oz, I missed all of this.”

“Yero, we were together one day before—“

“That doesn’t matter,” he interrupted. “What matters is that we’re together. And that I love you. I love you, Elphaba Thropp. I love everything about you.”

“And I you.”

Fiyero captured her lips in a tender kiss, one hand cupping her cheek while the other wrapped around her waist. Elphaba placed her hands on his biceps, slowly bringing them up to his face.

When they broke apart, Fiyero wore a boyish grin. Elphaba couldn’t stop the giggle that escaped her upon seeing his face, pressing another kiss to his cheek.

Fiyero gazed at her, brushing a single strand of her raven hair out of her face.

“You know,” he murmured, his fingers twisting the strand of hair, “I think I could get used to living like this.”

“Like what? Being a fugitive?” Elphaba asked dryly.

“We’re not fugitives,” Fiyero rolled his eyes. “We’re just… wanted by the Wizard for doing what’s right.”

“We’re still fugitives, Yero.”

“Whatever. Anyway, that’s not what I meant.”

“Then what did you mean?” She tilted her head slightly.

“I mean, I could get used to this. Us being together and being able to… I don’t know, make a life together or something. Stop looking at me like that, you know I’m not good with words.”

“You are excellent with words,” she laughed. “You just didn’t think that through very well.”

Fiyero laughed quietly, pulling her into an embrace.

“And besides, Fiyero, we’re living in the forest near your parents’ castle for a reason. It’s called necessity.”

“Oh my Oz, you’re impossible,” he huffed petulantly, burying his face in her hair. And of course, Elphaba began to laugh. It had been a while since she’d managed to make him pout, but when she did manage it, she loved it.

“You’re cute when you pout.”

“I’m not pouting!”

Elphaba hummed. She pulled out of the embrace and started to walk back toward the cottage, glancing back at him.

“What? Someone has to do the cooking, and it’s not going to be you.”

#wicked #wicked musical #fiyero #fiyero tiggular #elphaba #elphaba thropp #fiyeraba #oneshot #just a cute little thing that popped in my head at like three a.m.#fluff #post musical btw #but that’s probably obvious

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raven-curls · 3 years

Note

If you're doing the send a ship thing, fiyeraba #9 :) bonus if it's Fiyero crying ;)

"#9 - things you said when i was crying".

Sorry for the delay, I’ve been busy packing! Hope you’ll like it.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

"She's dead," he said the moment she opened the door.

He stepped into the room without waiting for her permission and sank into the nearest seat.

"Yero?" Her primary question - who - remained unasked.

Fiyero did not say another word. Instead, he shoved a piece of paper to her.

It was a telegram, with two short sentences.

"SARIMA DEAD. COME HOME IMMEDIATELY."

He groaned, and buried his face in his hands.

Elphaba wanted to ask what happened, but she kept quiet. She did not know much about Sarima - if she had a weak constitution, if she had any preexisting illness. Fiyero hardly mentioned her or anything about her. She was like that shadow in their peripheral vision, always there but never acknowledged. Her existence influenced their thoughts, determined their actions, more than any rules and regulations.

A sob escaped from behind the pair of diamond-tattooed hands, followed by another. His shoulders began to shake, and the engagement ring hanging from the necklace around his neck swung and sparkled in the dim light.

"Yero." She put a hand on his shoulder, not knowing what to say, how to comfort him. He pushed it away.

She let him be.

He raised his head after a while. his eyes were bloodshot, and she wiped away the tears on his face.

But they kept coming.

He tried to smile, but it looked more like a grimace.

"I should be happy, shouldn't I? I got my wish. I wished she does not exist, and there’s no one between us, and now she's dead." His hand went to the ring, fingering it like a talisman. He had bought it three months ago. He had told the charmed circle that it was for the love of his life, and he would wear it until he could give it to her. The rest had all thought that it was for his betrothed back in Vinkus and teased him mercilessly about it. Nobody noticed the side glance that he gave Elphaba. Nobody noticed anything strange when she excused herself and fled.

“So why am I not smiling, Fae? Why am I not laughing and dancing in the streets? I should be celebrating. I’m free,” he gave a bitter laugh. He reached out for her, and she took a step forward, letting him pressed his forehead against her stomach as the tears started to fall.

“Why aren’t I happy? Whyyy?”

He pulled her closer, his hands gripping her hips, his fingers digging into her skin. She winced at the pain, and her hand went to his hair.

“She’s your betrothed, Yero.” She stroke his hair gently. “She’s the one you knew you have to marry since young. You knew her since young. You watched her as she grew up.” Her hand went to his neck, kneading the knot there. “She’s not just the one you were supposed to marry. She’s also your kinswoman. It’s no shame to grieve her death. You don’t have to keep it all inside." Her hands rested on his shoulders, drawing circles until the tension left him.

She wiped his tears away with her thumb when he looked up, and this time the tears did not come again.

“I have to go immediately. I’ll leave tonight,” he spoke after a while.

She nodded.

"And...” He reached behind his neck, fumbling with the clasp of his necklace until it came off. He took her hand and placed it on her palm, necklace, ring and all.

She nodded again.

Words were unnecessary.

#ask #ravencurls writes #maybe i will turn this into a short story?#but i should stop writing angst

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lillifaba · 3 years

Text

A Very Merry Lurlinemas Eve

A very late, self-indulgent domestic one shot with the Thropp/Tiggular family I wrote for Lurlinemas! Hope you enjoy and have a Happy New Year!

Art by the beautiful @noether3 ; Full image here! (Be sure to reblog if you like it!)

┍━━━━ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ━━━━┑

“Yero, did you wrap the presents for Nessa and Boq yet?”

Elphaba hovered over the cradle, gently swinging it back and forth whilst making silly faces and babbling nonsense at the child nestled inside. At just twelve months old, Liir was amused by everything. His big, green eyes glimmered in the light from the fireplace, his mouth in the shape of a small o. He wrapped his tiny fingers around Elphaba’s index and cooed.

“Yeah! I got them right here-”

He cursed slightly above a whisper when he stumbled into the living room and nearly tripped over his own feet.

“Fiyero!” Elphaba scolded. “Not in front of him! I don’t want his first words to be foul.”

“Sorry,” Fiyero sheepishly chuckled and set the presents under the tree. “It’s not like he can understand what I’m saying. Isn’t that right, little buddy?”

He squatted down and blew raspberries into his soft belly, making him squeal and giggle. Elphaba playfully rolled her eyes, brushing back the short, dark curls that fell over Liir’s forehead. She pinched his chubby cheek and got up to look at the haphazardly wrapped gifts Fiyero placed below the tree.

“... Please tell me there’s still left over wrapping paper.”

Fiyero looked over his shoulder, still in the midst of a tickle fight with Liir. “Hm? You don’t like the way I wrapped the presents?”

“Yero, I say this with all the love in my heart... it looks like you layered the paper around the box several times and slapped a ribbon atop it.”

He feigned offense. “Fae! How could you? I’m wounded by your horrendible words!”

“Oh Fiyero…” She sighed defeatedly.

“I’m kidding... Come on, what difference does it make? They’re going to be ripped apart tomorrow— why stress out over how the wrapping paper looks?”

“It shows that we put some thought into their gifts and didn’t wrap them up at the last second.” She stripped away a piece of excess tape stuck to the shiny emerald paper.

“Well, we technically did- but they’ll get over it once they see what they get. I can already hear Glinda screaming for joy when she opens hers.”

Elphaba rearranged the small, pink gift bag that contained the jewelry set for the petite blonde. It was true, they both put a lot of thought into what they planned to gift their loved ones.

“Well… I suppose you’re right,” She smiled up at him. “Thank you for wrapping the presents, Fiyero.”

“You’re welcome,” Fiyero walked over to her, Liir in his arms. “I must be the luckiest man in Oz to have the most patient wife, right Liir?”

Liir babbled nonsense in response.

“See? He agrees.” Fiyero planted a sweet kiss on her cheek.

“Of course he does, he has my brains.” She quipped.

“Oh ha-ha...”

They took a moment to gaze at the tree. Liir’s eyes twinkled at the dozens of multicolored lights glowing on the branches. His tiny hands reached out to grab an ornament doll made of tin. Elphaba gently pulled his wrist back before he inevitably put it in his mouth.

“Y’know… this’ll be the only time we’ll have for ourselves,” He placed his hand on her shoulder. “Tomorrow will be one big day of festivating with the others.”

Elphaba hummed in agreement, stroking his cheek affectionately.

“-Hey, what do you say we celebrate a little early— just the three of us?” He suggested.

Elphaba looked at him, perplexed. “You mean… open our presents right now?” She quirked an eyebrow in doubt. “Shouldn’t we wait for everyone until tomorrow morning as courtesy?”

“No, no- just one present each!” Fiyero assured. “It’s a huge pile, no one’s gonna notice if a box or two is missing. Besides, with all the guests in one room, how will I get to see the absolute look of joy on your face when you open my gift?” He lightly squeezed Liir’s cheek and spoke in an adoring voice, “-and our boy has been good all year round! Well, aside from throwing up all over my dress shirt last week.”

“Oh, he didn’t mean to do that,” Elphaba smooched her son’s temple. “Maybe papa shouldn’t have spun you in the air right after you ate.”

Fiyero winced at the statement. “Alright, that was on me- but the point is he deserves one early gift tonight!” Speaking in his baby voice, he smiled down at Liir. “You wanna see what Lurline brought you this year?”

Not comprehending any of his words, Liir incoherently blabbered. Fiyero took that as an agreement and plucked something out from the tiniest stocking hanging above the fireplace. He hid it behind his back as he returned, bending his knees to be at eye level with the child.

Fiyero presented a plush doll: a cutesyfied monkey with small wings stitched to his back and a friendly smile. “Look! This is for you!”

Elphaba played up her excitement at the toy, lightly bouncing Liir in her arms and coaxing him to look at it. The young boy looked unfamiliar with it at first, not sure what it was exactly. When his mother didn’t stop his tiny hands from touching it, he grasped it. A slow smile grew on his face, followed by giggles.

“Happy Lurlinemas, Liir.” Fiyero kissed his cheek.

“Say thank you to papa,” Elphaba encouraged. The infant was far too preoccupied with his new toy to even acknowledge her. “I guess we’ll have to work on expressing gratitutions later…”

“He’ll learn.” Fiyero promised. He beamed brightly and ruffled his messy, raven hair.

“Well, since we’re at it,” Elphaba carefully handed Liir over to him. “I’ve got something I hope you’ll like.”

“Fae, you could give me a pebble as a gift and I’ll love it.”

She leaned down and reached behind the tree. “That’s quite the reassurement, but I promise I got you something one step above a pebble,”

Wrapped in shiny emerald paper with a gold bow on top, Elphaba handed him a small box. “Happy Lurlinemas.”

Fiyero eagerly took it and lightly shook the box next to his ear. He handed Liir back to her and tore it open, revealing a gold wrist watch with a green dial. There were five, smaller sub-dials inside the watch, each one labeling the time of day for all the provinces in Oz.

“Elphaba…” Fiyero carefully held the watch in his hand, examining it in pure adoration. “This is... I can’t even begin to describe it-”

“Do you like it? I wasn’t sure if it was something you’d wear daily.”

“Elphaba, I love it! It’s beautiful! Thank you, my dearest.” He placed a peck on her lips. With her help, he secured the watch around his wrist and basked in its glory. “-Speaking of which, I’ve been waiting all year to see your reaction to what I’ve got for you.”

“Is that so?” Elphaba watched him scour through the presents until he said “Aha!” when he found a medium sized box.

“Here...” Fiyero sat cross legged on the floor. Elphaba followed suit and passed Liir over to sit on his lap, taking the somewhat heavy box in her hands

“What’s this?” Her brown eyes lit up with curiosity.

“Open it and see for yourself!” Fiyero grinned.

A smile grew on Elphaba’s face. She tore away the gold wrapping paper, revealing a wooden box. Confused, she unlocked the latch and opened the lid. When she removed the bright blue fabric on top of her gift, she gasped in disbelief.

They were ruby slippers. Nearly identical to the silver slippers her sister owned. Elphaba had once brought up to Fiyero the time her father gifted Nessa the priceless pair of shoes as a parting gift at Shiz. While she did not care for extravagant shoewear, she remembered how hurt she felt when Frex didn’t give her something as little as a postcard.

At the time, it felt like a stab to the heart, seeing Nessa look so beautiful and elegant in her new slippers while Elphaba lugged around in worn out boots like a beggar. It was a painful reminder of how low she thought of herself before she found the people she loved the most in life.

Elphaba couldn’t hold back her tears, her fingers hovering over the red jewels. “Yero… I- I don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t have to say anything… your face speaks a thousand words.”

Elphaba placed the shoes to the side and frantically wrapped her arms around him. Fiyero placed a hand on the small of her back, laughing wholeheartedly at the kisses she planted all over his face.

Below them, Liir cried out. Elphaba cupped his cheek and placed soft kisses on his tender face as well.

“Oh, I didn’t forget about you.” She spoke sweetly, smothering him in kisses.

“Happy Lurlinemas to my most beautiful wife and son.” Fiyero said.

“Your only wife and son.” Elphaba teased.

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

He helped her remove her booties and slipped her shoes on. They were the perfect fit, comfortably tailored to her size. She stared at them in admiration, once more thanking her husband with kisses.

The pair spent their evening playing with their child, enjoying the sacred time they had together.

┍━━━━ ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ━━━━┑

Thanks for reading! I’m sorry this is probably not my best work and that it was posted a little late in the season. This was mostly a self-indulgent fluff fic I’ve been meaning to write since I see so little of the Thropp/Tiggular + Liir family dynamic. I’m also technically still a little new to publishing fiyeraba fics that maintain their characters. Bear with me please haha ;;

Thank you again to Emma for the beautiful art! Show your love by reblogging and commissioning her if you can!

#sorry this isn't beta'd and that it's not my best work #I wrote this at last minute because I've been wanting to do this for so long now #fiyeraba #elphaba #elphaba thropp #fiyero #fiyero tiggular #fiyero tigelaar #liir #liir thropp #liir ko #wicked #wicked the musical #wicked musical #wicked the life and times of the wicked witch of the west #wicked fanfiction #wicked fanart #lurlinemas

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elphabaoftheopera · 1 year

Note

rereading lfay chapter one! was missing the fic so hard and couldn't help going back to it after getting more hyped about seeing wicked later this year :')

have any other little facts about lfay? maybe some specific unfound parallels to point out? did you intend to make elphaba left handed in the promo photo for the fic?

ps. congrats on the greg awards :))) 🎉🎉

Oh my gosh hi!!!! It's so good to hear from you! Thank you for letting me know that you're rereading, this message made my heart so happy. I'm so excited you get to see Wicked again this year! I just bought my tickets to see the tour again in a few months.

I'm actually so excited you asked about behind the scenes facts, I have a bunch of behind the scenes stuff that I haven't shared.And thank you about the awards, I was super flattered to be nominated/voted for in all of those categories!

Cover Art

As for the cover art, I've always had the head canon that Elphaba is left handed or ambidextrous. However, the real reason I made her left handed was because the cover art is actually a photo of my real hand painted green. I'm right handed, so it was easier to paint my left hand and take the picture with my right. I got black press on nails and everything. The "Love Fae and Yero" letter was paper I stained with tea and I hand wrote the title. I like to craft so I figured that was easier/more fun than photoshopping. It took many tries to find a good angle for the pic and I have a whole folder of the pics that didn't work as well.

Please let me know your thoughts if you continue to reread, and ask any questions you like. Thank you for giving me the permission to info dump about my story!!!!

Warning: Spoilers ahead for "Love, Fae & Yero"

References to source materials

The original characters were homages to famous pen pal stories (in name only, not in personality).

Amalia- Named for Amalia Balash from Parfumerie (1937 Play) and She Loves Me (1963 Musical) Vicar Mathias Popkin- Named for “Mathias Popkin”, the fictional name given to Klara’s anonymous suitor in The Shop Around the Corner (1940 Film) He is also intended to be the same “Owl in Munchkin Rock, a vicar with a thriving flock, forbidden to preach” from “Something Bad”. Lieutenant Jozsef Fox- Named for Joe Fox from You’ve Got Mail (1998 Film) Jerusha Pendleton- Named for Jerusha Abbott and Jervis Pendleton Daddy Long Legs (2009 Musical) Miss Garland- Named for Judy Garland who starred in In The Good Old Summertime (1949 Film) and of course The Wizard of Oz (1939 Film)

There were also some lines inspired by these stories. Elphaba says "I wanted it to be you so badly" in Chapter 17: See How Bright which is a line from "You've Got Mail", Glinda and Elphaba visit a Parfumerie, the last line of Chapter 14 is a nod to "She Loves Me", and Glinda says she got the dress for Elphaba at "The Shop Around the Corner". All of the references to them meeting at "eight o'clock" is a nod to the song "Tonight at Eight" from She Loves Me. Elphaba also says "Will he like me when we meet" in Chapter 11, a line and song from She Loves Me. There's likely more I can't think of right now.

In (almost) all of the versions of the pen pal story the girl waits for the guy at a cafe with a rose in a book so he knows it's her, so that scene in Chapter 11 is a nod to that as well. Except in those versions the guy *does* find out it's her but doesn't tell her he's the pen pal right away. I did consider keeping this story more true to that model (meaning Fiyero would realize Elphaba is the pen pal but wouldn't reveal it) but I'd already gotten the idea to have Glinda reveal it at the Ozdust and I didn't want to change that.

The sorcery is inspired by The Wizard of Oz.

The magic I decided to incorporate into the story, primarily teleportation and crystal balls, were inspired by The Wicked Witch of the West’s magic in the movie. When The Wicked Witch of the West first enters she has a red cloud of smoke but when she exits there is fire. Then of course, there is her crystal ball she uses to spy on people.

The Epilogue: The Badlands

My decision to have Elphaba and Fiyero go to the Badlands was largely inspired by earlier drafts of the musical.

In the San Francisco Tryout Elphaba has a conversation with Nessa during WWOTE about the Badlands. They call it “the bleakest most Ozforsaken place you can imagine” and how no one ever returns from there, and Elphaba says she could because she could fly. She said Animals fled to the Badlands and were so frightened they forgot how to speak.

I was also inspired by this passage in Defying Gravity: The Creative Career of Stephen Schwartz by Carol de Giere about an ending in which Elphaba and Fiyero run into Doctor Dillamond in The Badlands and Elphaba helps him speak.

“It was to take place on a scruffy farm in an isolated area of Oz called the Badlands.” (p. 309)

“He [Stephen Schwartz] liked the down-to-earth feel of having her use natural healing abilities rather than magic. Dr. Dillamond then bleated with difficulty: “El-pha-baaaa.”

“On some emotional and philosophical level, it was why I wanted to tell the story,” Schwartz later revealed about the last scene where Elphaba tries to heal the Animals who have fled to the Badlands. “It’s the fact that it’s completely anonymous and she’ll never get any credit or public affection for it, but she does it anyway.” (p. 310)

I felt the line about staying anonymous was particularly fitting, so I wanted to loosely incorporate his original vision into the epilogue.

Additionally, some other plot points/dialogue were taken from the San Francisco Try Out, particularly in Nessa and Elphaba's talk in Chapter 28: Sister Sunrise. Elphaba says "So it's you they're talking about, I thought it was another lie about me" and Nessa says "not everything's about you". Fiyero also originally had a line in the Lion Cub scene where he says "you cared about the cub so much it changed everything, what's it like to care about something that much?" which I used as well in Chapter 10: Fair Weather Friends.

It was really cool to see the different versions/drafts that didn't make the cut and use them for this mishmash of different canons.

The story was originally going to be *much* shorter.

I didn’t originally plan to set Elphaba off down The Wizard path. It was just going to be a Shiz-era story and I considered ending it after “An OzDust Do-Over”. I also considered ending it after “She’s Off To See The Wizard” on an ambiguous note, and then maybe continue in a sequel. Then ideas like the sonnet, cave, and trapdoor started coming to me and I realized I had to continue it through. As a writer, I usually tend to make a story darker/more dramatic than I originally set out to do lol.

Lost chapter

There is a “lost” chapter of LFAY that was originally between Chapter 19 “An Honest Go” and Chapter 20 “Out Loud” in which Elphaba helps Fiyero through his test anxiety. It was ultimately cut because it wasn’t serving the grander plot, but the current plan is to use a lot of the dialogue I wrote in a different story I have in mind. It still exists in my draft folder.

Parallels

As for parallels I'm sure there is many that I wrote and forgot about, I may have to reread myself. But one that I particularly like is a parallel between Chapter 17: See How Bright and Chapter 34: Dorothy and the Darkness. It repeats the line : "Fiyero had come…and he’d brought the light back with him."

Elphaba also says "Follow me, Yero?" to which Fiyero responds "Anywhere" three times. Once in the museum in Chapter 19: An Honest Go, once as they're heading into the seedy market in Chapter 27: Mockbeggar Market and once before they're about to leave Oz in Chapter 34: Dorothy and the Darkness.

I'm positive there are more I'm not thinking of, I really went off on the parallels. 😅 Let me know if you ever catch any more!

Bonus: I got bored once and created them on Sims...

Thank you again for reaching out, please do so again if you have other thoughts/questions!

#melop-sia #long post #love fae and yero #lfay #lfay spoilers #fanfiction #info dumping #wicked fanfiction #fiyeraba fanfiction

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melop-sia · 1 year

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for @elphabaoftheopera

WOOT WOOOOOT!!! TO CELEBRATE THE FINAL CHAPTER BEING RELEASED, ME AND MYSTIC THOUGHT OF A BUNCH OF QUESTIONS TO ANSWER IN REGARDS TO LFAY!!!!!!!!!!! TO SHOW OUR GRATITUDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What was your overall experience / journey reading the fic?

esper / melop-sia: when i started reading, i was instantly hooked. i genuinely don't think i have liked a fic this much as this one. i loved it so much that id actively check my gmail inbox every hour or so to see if a new chapter was posted 🥲 the most chapters i read in a row was 6, and that was when i first discovered the fic!!! after, i became a slow reader and soaked up every little description you wrote because i didn't wanna miss anything– thats probably why i noticed so many parallels 😁!! doing that also let me take it your writing and it's awesome! even awesome enough to get me back into reading stuff! hell, this fic was a reason why i bought gregory maguire's wicked novel 😅 it lit back a love for reading that i hadn't seen for a few years at least! and back to parallels, they were undoubtedly a key part of enjoyment in my journey with lfay! i always got so excited when i found one and wouldn't hesitate to kick around all energised 🥳🥳 im so glad that you went the extra mile by adding the parallels, it vastly improved my reading experience!

mystic / mystic-oni: Okay I've gotta admit I'm not usually the romantic type but they r so cute omgggggg 🥺

I think if i could change anything about the story or my experience reading it i would leave everything the same. It was just something fun, exciting and immersive i could go to after a rough day and although I am guilty of sometimes having one or two chapters stacked up after forgetting to read 😅, I was never finding myself not wanting to read it unless I was trying to savour it for a time when I would need it most. Plus gave me something extra to talk about with esper/melop-sia 😁😁😁

Especially if we were both reading a chapter at the same time. O ye and the characters are so well done and like the ones we all know so sometimes i just forget i'm reading something fan made because it's that good. I actually sometimes finding myself just melding the two together on accident (i mean thats probably expected considering i'm still somewhat new to the wicked fandom but still it wouldnt be possible if the characters weren't portrayed accurately)!

What about the AU stood out to you (in comparison to the adapted material)?

esper: i think what really stood out to me was how much more you fleshed out each character in comparison to the musical. i loved how you gave everyone another layer of personality along with the ones already set by the musical, yet keeping dialogue and interactions so on point 💓! one thing that is so important to me is a character's personality being accurate. i have so much less enjoyment with a fic when characters are written completely different to their "source", so it was a relief and delight to see the consistent characterisation ⭐️⭐️⭐️!!! a bit off topic but i also really liked how you included some references from the book!

mystic: Well, i've only seen one of the musicals on yt (so far, might read the book cuz esper has it and she said she could lend it to me after they had finished it 😁😁). I really felt though from my experience with wicked (not much but anyways 😅) it really fleshed out more of the characters, like how elphaba has nyctophobia cuz it just added another like, obstacle and really added to her character and existing challenges. Also like the letters were a crucial part of moving this fic away from the original material, im rlly proud of myself because while it was in the part of the story where letters were most important, i noticed a lot of familiarity with something but i couldn't figure out what. Then i remembered i had seen the movie "You've got mail" and it was one of the inspirations which i love and made me enjoy the story even more just because it felt familiar in a way.

What was your favourite chapter? Why?

esper: wooof that is a hard questionn 😯😯 i have a few favourites, but ill try to limit it to one or two...... after a bit of thinking, i think i have to say 11 and 19: each for pretty different reasons admittedly 😅. for one, i loved 19 particularly because of how sweet the fiyeraba date was!!! it was the [infodumping gf] and [polite listening bf] dynamic that i lovee so much 🥺🥺🥺 it was so cuteee!!!! the angst was saddening to say the least, but i really enjoyed how you wrote their dialogue and how they finally came to an agreement.

and. onto 11. that chapter was just insane /pos. it was so good i reread it multiple times and thought about it for a while and, at the same time was utterly speechless. i can say one thing though: the yearning. THE YEARNING!!!!!!!! the yearning was so good dudee!!!!!! i usually don't even like yearning but it was just wild how caught up they were both getting and the suspense was palpable. it was so impactful and therefore one of my favourites. close runner up for most favourites is 9 i loved how it finally broke down the established initial barrier and tension between elphaba and fiyero in an engaging way!! another runner up is 21 for an awesome sequence of scenes that made me feeeellll 🥺 soon to be elaborated on!

mystic: Oke im gonna be honest, in order to answer this question i found myself skimming over a lot of chapters that i had remembered i liked and i cant decide on one because they were all so great or had an important event that i couldn't compare to other chapters. I was planning on going into specifics but since i'm so torn im gonna save it for the moments question 😭

Tysm for the indecisiveness cuz all ur chapters are soo good u should be proud. Also it gave me a reason to look back to try and find my favourite and although i didnt get a clear result it was really refreshing reading the older chapters again.

What was your favourite scene or moment? Why?

esper: I HAVE A FEW FOR THIS ONE TOO!!! the first one that comes to mind is fiyero getting to kick jozsef's ass 😁 i absolutely loved how he got back at him after so long and im just a sucker for people getting what they deserve 🥳!!! it was an awesome inclusion and i was so satisfyed with how that turned out. alsooo i loved fiyeraba's bickering pre-museum break in, it definitely wasnt the first or last time i audibly laughed at something in this fic! and elphaba playing go fish with dorothy was hilarious and not near anything i expected for the last chapter of the main story 😅😅😅 that as well as her warming up to dorothy was simply amazing to me!

onto a more wholesome moment, i loved the dance between fiyero and elphie in the empty ozdust, it was such an intimate and romantic moment between them and i couldn't help but love them more after 🥺 following that, the scene of glinda and elphaba making up with each other and becoming friends again! it was just amazing and all around so pleasant to read!!! another few follow ups, glinda confronting fiyero and forgiving him, as well as starting the party! it was a nice flow of funny to touching and then hopeful!

mystic: oke for me its gotta be those bits where elphie does something cool or funny, like in chapter five when Jozsef was tryna splash her with water and she just dumped it all back on him, like that was pretty badass. Also the petition bit in chapter 7 had me dyinggggggg 💀💀💀 (especially the intimidation and fear, i found it pretty funny and also smart how they used that to get people to support their cause). Also the closet bit in chapter nine was really memorable, and exciting to read and I think most people really liked that part. Just the awkwardness and tensionnnnnn aaaaaaah!!! 😁🥲👏👏👏

Okay, and im sure the Ozdust in chapter 13 had everyone on the edge of their seats (Depending on whether u were sitting 😅) when all the secrets were revealed and the truth was spilled everywhere. Ending with quick escape and a great cliffhanger that kept everyone wondering about the chapters to come. There are so, so, so many more but I end up forgetting where after I try to reread (maybe i should have written notes or something idk 😆). Once again thank you so much for making these truly ✨magical✨ moments for people to enjoy.

Thoughts on the ending / last chapter?

esper: i know i already wrote my thoughts in a comment before, but now we have the epilogue so i can talk about that too!! for one, i don't think i would've had the ending any other way. 34 just had a great balance between presented aspects: it was heart-warming but bittersweet. not to mention such a satisfactory read after keeping up for the last month or two!

honestly im so happy about 35!!! honestly after the roller coaster of the "act 2 chapters" im glad we got a tonn of fluff. it was a wonderful peek into fiyeraba's new life and it was sooo cute 🥺🥺 genuinely loved it so much, another one of my favourite chapters❣️ im glad their story got to continue on into a fulfilling lifestyle for both of them 💗💗💗

mystic: Perfect. I didn't think too much about the last chapter before I read it because i didn't really want to go in with a predetermined idea of what I thought would happen because I just knew it might ruin the experience although I was very excited for it and did ponder for... maybe a minute or two 👀, and I came to the conclusion that I wasn't really sure where they would be next, but the fact they got to be together in the end without disturbance was good enough for me. I feel like the mood and especially the dialogue at the end of the chapter and just everything was more than I could have wanted, it was really good and never did I expect she would still be able to help the animals even after she moved and decided to try and just live a quiet, worry-free and normal life with Fiyero. Also just about the chapters before the epilogue, which i also really enjoyed, like how well Elphie got along with Dorothy, how she ultimately beat her final obstacle - her enemy since the beginning, the dark. Also Glinda in charge and Morrible in prison 😈✨🥳 yayyyyy 🎊

Final thoughts

esper: i thank you so much for this fic, it has really helped me through these few weeks and i commend you for making a fic worth all the praise given and more!!!!! im a little sad to see this journey over now, but im glad i was able to be part of it and get my friend into it too! ill likely be rereading as well as consuming some of your past content in waiting for your next project!! i really hope to experience that too 💖 sending much love and support

mystic: One of the only times that I can't help myself from writing "also" way too much because there are so many things I loved about this. Love, Fae & Yero was an adventure that I really felt apart of, and I hope I'm not too attached to let go of it now 😭😭😭

Me and esper spent a while writing this and they and I really want to thank you for your hard work, we tried to have this finished by a certain time and spent a while thinking of our questions as well as the most important things we should say. Hope we weren't too late 😅

AGAIN THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR WRITING!!!!!

FROM ESPER AND MYSTIC 💚❤💖

#lfay #love fae and yero #elphabaoftheopera

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