Disclaimer: Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West and all its characters © Gregory Maguire. All fics are not for profit.

"Hero"

by Schizoid Sprite

"The mark of a true crush is that you fall in love first and grope for reasons afterward."- Shana Alexander

Having yourself nearly turned into a living shish kabob—by magicked antlers, in front of perhaps more than two scores of students—wasn't exactly the best way to make a first impression. Just thinking about it would transfigure his arms into massive lumps of gooseflesh. It gave him nightmares for a couple of nights: the large brown things rushing to skewer him, the roar of screams and gasps that reverberated in a hundredfold across the hall…

Somehow, though, Fiyero thought it wasn't that bad at all.

The boy called Crope was the first to approach him after class, asking him if he was all right. Before he could even give his timid reply, he was swooped away to be introduced to the other boy who helped wrestle the antlers. The days came in a flash; the next thing he remembered, he was sitting inside a charmed circle of friends.

They blabbered about the fine points of Shiz architecture, mimicked some of their professors that have mannerisms. The whole thing was almost gobbledygook to Fiyero, though for a few times he would chime in with his disyllabic statements, mostly just to concur. He wouldn't talk if he could help it; it was his delight to just observe them. He would let out a gulp of laugh at some point, which was only when he thought he was being noticed staring too hard at someone (coincidentally the same moments the Three Queens boys would let out improvised japes). After that, he would resume his business.

This particular girl—was it Galinda? Glinda?—was unreservedly beautiful. She seemed to radiate a relaxing warmth from the edge of the picnic blanket where she was sitting; she looked like an angel, a porcelain one, the contours and features of her face so delicate that he thought they might break by just staring too long.

It was when he finally decided to slip next to her when a life-size mass of…a green something…fell on him, knocking him to the ground. He heard a high-pitched shriek and a roar of laughter.

"Stop it now, Avaric, or I'll make you regret enrolling here in Sh-sheeee—"

Convulsive guffaws followed. Fiyero was clumsily propped up as a human shield against the melting ice cubes Avaric was chucking at whoever was behind him. Avaric tipped the jug, half-filled with water, his devilish grin confirming his determination to empty it in a single assault.

"No no no no," came the panicking voice from behind. Fiyero twisted his head and held his breath, finding himself just a hairsbreadth away from a scrunched green face. He drew back but she tugged at his shirt; she was shrieking with…what, pain?

"Don't, she's allergic to water!" someone screamed.

His system responded automatically at the statement, too fast that he himself was somewhat surprised. He instinctively enveloped the squirming girl in his skinny arms, and he knew he looked like an idiot: she was way larger than him and it made him feel as if he was some sort of rawboned animal begging for maternal attention, not someone providing protection. He still hugged her anyway just so the wet attack wouldn't do much harm, if she really was vulnerable to water.

Then suddenly, there was silence. Fiyero stared innocently at the flabbergasted circle, at the wide-eyed faces and their hanging jaws. He cleared his throat to break their immobility, but they didn't stir. Only when the green girl twisted out of his grasp did he realize the ridiculous spectacle the two of them made. He let her go and ducked his head.

The girl—Elphie, Elphaba, he remembered—announced in an exaggerated tone: "Oh, Yero my Hero!", then roughly encircled her arms around his neck. That broke the group's paralysis spell. Everybody burst out laughing and she joined them, detaching herself from Fiyero and securing a more proper shield—Ama Vimp's umbrella—just in case Avaric decided to go on with his plan. Which was unlikely, in a laughing fit like that.

Fiyero wasn't so sure how to react, but he was glad they couldn't see the blush behind his blue diamonds and chocolate skin.

After that incident, he couldn't quite understand why he liked the color green.

Just adding a spice to where the 'Yero my Hero' phrase came from. XD

Comments and constructive criticism are more than welcome ! ;)