AN: Because, like I said, only writing Fiyeraba fluff helps me get my mind off Willemijn leaving... so here it is. It's based off the song 'Rude' by Magic.

Fiyero Tiggular took a deep breath, gathering courage for what he was about to do.

Boq, who was leaning against the wall next to the door, rolled his eyes. "Just get on with it," he advised.

"Yes, thank you, Biq," Fiyero snapped, his voice slightly higher than usual. "Because I'm not nervous enough as it is. I brought you along for moral support, remember?"

Boq grinned. "I'm not very good at moral support. Why did you bring me, anyway?"

"You know why." Fiyero glared at him. "I wanted someone to come with me. I couldn't ask Fae, for obvious reasons. Nessa has difficulty travelling in her chair and Galinda would blab my plans to Elphaba, and probably everyone else on campus, too, within five minutes of me telling her about them."

Boq chuckled. "True."

"So can you please just… say something encouraging, or something?" Fiyero begged the Munchkin.

"Um… okay." Boq thought about that for a moment. "Don't worry, Fiyero, you can do it?" he tried lamely.

Fiyero sighed. "Never mind."

"I told you I'm not good at this stuff," Boq said apologetically. "But it'll be fine, Fiyero. What's the worst that could happen? He's not going to eat you."

Fiyero took another deep breath. "Okay." He looked at his friend again. "You'll stay there, won't you?"

"Out of sight," Boq promised, "but there if you need me."

"Okay." Fiyero brushed off his clothes and ran his fingers through his hair, trying to make it look more decent.

Then he raised his hand and knocked on the door.

In the few clock-ticks it took for someone to get to the door, he chewed his lip nervously, hoping that this would go well. His worries were cut short when the door opened and he looked straight into the face of the man he had been wanting to talk to.

He bowed politely. "Governor Thropp."

Frexspar looked slightly disturbed. "Fiyero Tiggular," he said slowly, as if he couldn't believe it. "What in Oz are you doing here?"

Fiyero glanced at Boq for a moment, who was standing behind the door, hidden from Frex' view. The Munchkin gestured for him to keep going and Fiyero looked at Frex again.

"I want to ask you a very important question," he said.

Frexspar raised one eyebrow. "So ask."

Fiyero exhaled slowly. "Could I maybe come in?"

"No." Frex tapped his foot impatiently. "Ask your question, Prince Fiyero. I don't have all day."

"Alright then." This wasn't really how Fiyero had imagined it would go, but it would do. The way in which this happened didn't matter. Only Frex' answer did. "I know that you try to hold to many traditions, Governor Thropp, which is why I wanted to do this the right way." He met Frex' gaze. "Sir, I would very much like your permission to marry your daughter."

It took Frex a few moments to realise what the prince meant. "You want to marry Elphaba?"

Fiyero nodded. "Yes, sir."

Frex was silent for a few more moments. Then he shook his head.

"You want to marry Elphaba," he repeated. "Are you sure you know what you're getting yourself into?"

Fiyero bristled, but he tried not to let it show. "I know that very well, Governor," he said icily.

"And you came here to ask for my blessing."

"Well… yes," Fiyero admitted.

Frexspar looked him up and down with contempt. Then he shook his head and made to close the door. "No."

Fiyero quickly blocked the door with his foot.

Frex' eyebrow shot up. "What do you think you're doing?"

"You don't have to be so rude," Fiyero said, gritting his teeth. "I came all the way here from Shiz to ask for your blessing. The least you could do is explain why you won't give it to me."

"Because you," Frex snapped, "are in no way appropriate for either of my daughters to socialise with. It's bad enough that you're dating Elphaba, but I know your reputation, Prince Fiyero. Probably sooner rather than later, you are going to abandon her for someone better; and she'll come crawling back to me. And it would be best, too, because that way she can continue to care for her sister, and you can go and damage someone else's good name with your drinking and partying."

"I'm not like that anymore," Fiyero said firmly. "Not since I got to know Elphaba. I love her, and she loves me, too."

"That may be the case," Frex said grumpily, "but the answer is still no, and it will stay that way, no matter how many times you ask me. You're not going to get my blessing until the day you die. Tough luck, Your Highness. Goodbye."

Fiyero stood there gaping for a moment as Frex made to close the door again, and Boq gestured wildly for the prince to do something. Fiyero put his foot between the door once more.

"I'm going to marry her anyway," he said.

Frex glared at him.

"No matter what you say," he said. "I'm going to marry Elphaba and we're going to be happy."

"Then why did you even come here to ask my permission?" Frex asked sarcastically. "You have clearly already decided what you're going to do, so what do you need me for?"

"No matter what you think, my parents raised me right," Fiyero declared, "and since I knew you to be a rather old-fashioned man, I wanted to do this the traditional way and ask you for Elphaba's hand before I go to her. I know it would mean a lot to her if you'd give us your blessing."

Frex regarded him silently.

"And I want you to," Fiyero added. "I'd like for us to get along – for Elphaba's sake. But make no mistakes here, Governor Thropp. You can love me or hate me, give us your blessing or not; but I will marry her. Because I love her, and I can't live without her."

Frex snorted. "Your parents may have raised you right, as you claim; but I raised my daughters well, too, Prince Fiyero. Do you actually think Elphaba would marry you if I did not approve?"

Fiyero scowled. "Don't make her choose between you and me," he warned the governor. "You might not like the outcome."

Frex' eyes narrowed. "Are you saying you think she would choose you over me?"

"I think she would choose the one who loves and respects her for who she is over the one who ignored and mistreated her all her life," Fiyero said coldly.

Still hidden behind the open door, Boq buried his face in his hands in exasperation. Fiyero realised that had probably not been a very smart thing to say… but it was true, wasn't it?

Frex' nostrils widened with anger. "For someone who called me out on being rude, you're not being very polite yourself," he hissed. "Give me one good reason why I should give you my blessing, Prince Fiyero."

"Because you'll lose her if you don't," said Fiyero. "And because I swear to you on everything I hold dear that I will treat her right and do anything in my power to make her happy. I know you've heard bad things about me, Governor Thropp. I bet all of Oz has heard the rumours. But even though most of them were true at some point, I'm not like that anymore. Not since I fell in love with your daughter. All I'm asking of you is to give me a chance to prove that."

Frexspar eyed him up and down thoroughly and slowly. Fiyero gulped, but stood his ground, staring back at the governor, refusing to back down. He could see Boq standing behind Frex, looking slightly anxious; but when he saw that Fiyero was looking at him, he gave him a thumbs-up. Fiyero hoped he was right.

"You are really serious about this, aren't you?" Frex finally asked.

Fiyero raised his chin and nodded, trying to look more confident than he felt. "Yes, sir."

Frex looked at him again silently. He was pretty sure that the prince was right: if he forced Elphaba to choose between them, she might choose Fiyero over her family, even despite how much she loved Nessarose. If Elphaba really loved the prince…

He sighed.

Somehow, that gave Fiyero the courage to say, "I'm going to ask you one final time and then I'm going to leave, and I promise I won't bother you again, regardless of your answer. Governor Thropp, can I have your daughter for the rest of my life? And please say yes this time," he added sheepishly. Behind the door, Boq was stifling laughter, but Fiyero ignored him and focussed on Frex instead. Was he imagining things, or did he really see a ghost of a smile flashing across Frexspar's features for a moment?
"You won't marry before you've graduated Shiz, right?" Frex asked.

Fiyero shook his head. "We'd wait until after graduation," he said. "And even then, it won't happen straight away. I want to propose soon and this summer, after graduation, I'd like to take her to the Vinkus with me, to teach her some things about the country and its customs, and about the duties she'll have as a princess."

A princess. Frex could not really rhyme that with his green daughter, but he didn't say anything.

Fiyero looked at him, waiting for a reply, his heart pounding in his chest. Finally, Frex opened his mouth.

"Alright."

Fiyero thought he'd misheard at first. "What?"

"I said alright," Frex repeated. "If you're so insistent on marrying Elphaba…" He sighed and shook his head. "Then you have my blessing."

"Really?" Fiyero's entire face lit up. Honestly, he felt like hugging the older man, but he restrained himself, figuring Frex wouldn't really appreciate that. "Thank you, sir. Thank you very much."

"Yeah, yeah," Frex groaned, shaking his head. "Just go back to my daughter now. And I do expect an invitation for the wedding," he added as an afterthought.

"Of course!" Fiyero nodded vigorously. "Thank you!"

Frex grumbled something, then went inside. The door closed behind him and Fiyero looked at Boq, his eyes wide and his mouth slightly open.

"He gave me his blessing," he said incredulously.

Boq grinned. "Congratulations, Fiyero."

"I never thought…" The prince shook his head. "He approves, Boq!"

"Well, I wouldn't say 'approves'…" Boq said helpfully. "More like 'reluctantly gave in'."

Fiyero glared at him. "Don't spoil my good mood, Munchkin."

Boq held up both hands in surrender. Before he could even say anything else, Fiyero had grabbed his arm and was dragging him back to the carriage.

"Let's go back to Shiz!"

Fiyero arrived back at his dorm room late at night, slipping in quietly as to not wake the other boys in the building, only to find a beautiful green enchantress in his bed.

He smiled and quickly changed into his nightclothes, crawling into the bed beside her. He wrapped his arm around her and started planting kisses down her neck.

She smiled and yawned, eyes still closed and her voice husky with sleep. "Hey. What have you been up to? You've been gone all day."

"Oh, nothing," he whispered into her hair, grinning like an idiot. "I was just… out."

She turned her head and opened her eyes to give him a suspicious look. "Out where, exactly?"

"Nowhere," he said playfully, tickling her sides.

She squirmed. "Fiyero!"

He stopped and leant down to kiss her instead. When he pulled away, he looked down at her. "I love you," he told her solemnly.

"I love you, too." She narrowed her eyes at him, reminding him a little of Frex, who had done the same thing mere hours ago. "What have you been doing all day, Fiyero? Where have you been? And was Boq with you?"

"He was," Fiyero confirmed.

When he didn't say anything else, Elphaba gave him an accusing look. "You're hiding something from me."

He chuckled and wrapped his arms around her again, kissing her temple. "Go to sleep, sweetheart. We'll talk in the morning."

She grumbled somewhat, but lay back down eventually. Fiyero nuzzled her hair, inhaling her scent.

"Why are you sleeping here, anyway?" he whispered into her hair. "I told you I would be back late – I thought you'd have stayed in your own room tonight."

She shrugged, already half asleep again. "I missed you today," she mumbled. "Thought I'd wait here for you to get home."

Fiyero felt like his heart might burst with joy. Here was the most amazing, gorgeous, and wonderful girl in the entire world; and she was lying in his bed and in his arms. She was all his. And now he got to marry her.

"You know?" he whispered in her ear, tightening his grip on her. "I must be the luckiest man alive."

"Mm," she murmured drowsily, burying her face in his chest. "Why?"

"Because you love me," he said softly.

Her pretty features twisted into a scowl. "I'd slap you for being so cheesy, but I'm too tired."

He chuckled. "Tomorrow, then." He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Sweet dreams, Fae."

"Goodnight, Yero my hero," she whispered back.

Fiyero pressed his cheek against her soft hair, smiling as he thought of the ring he had picked up on his way back from Munchkinland.

The next morning, Fiyero awakened early and sneaked out of the room. He had woken up in the middle of the night with the perfect proposal idea and he wanted to get everything he needed as soon as possible.

He had been giving this much thought, even before he had gone to see Frex. He would have loved to plan a grand proposal involving all the students at Shiz – or all the people of Oz, if it were up to him – but he knew Elphaba would hate that. She wasn't one for huge romantic gestures; she preferred smaller and more intimate things, just the two of them.

And so he had to come up with something different.

Last night, he had shot up in his bed, suddenly remembering something Elphaba had confessed to him she would love to have, but never had. He had been planning on giving it to her as a present… but what if he didn't make it just a present?

He would buy it now and give it to her once she woke up, and it would be perfect. This was Elphaba. He could give her a proposal in a crowded restaurant or at a ball, with her in a beautiful dress and him in a suit, candles everywhere, and everyone applauding as he sank down on one knee; but that was not what would make her happy. Galinda would probably hate him for proposing in his own bedroom, with Elphaba still in her nightgown, half-asleep, and no witnesses present, but he didn't care. He knew that would come so much closer to Elphaba's perfect proposal than an elaborate and public affair ever could.

By the time he got back to his own room, carrying his present, Elphaba was still asleep. She had snuggled into the blankets, her hair fanning out over the pillow and a small smile playing around her lips. Fiyero smiled, too, and gently placed the present on top of her sleeping form. It immediately padded over to her face, making soft sounds.

Elphaba slowly blinked a few times as she awakened. "Fiyero?" she queried sleepily. "What…" Then she became aware of the small, furry thing on her chest and her eyes widened.

Fiyero was wearing a beaming grin. "Surprise."

She sat up, rubbed the sleep from her eyes, and then stared back down. The pitch-black kitten was staring back at her with unblinking, golden eyes. Then it mewed softly.

"Oh, Fiyero!" Elphaba exclaimed softly, holding her breath. She picked the small cat up gingerly and cradled it in her arms. It immediately started purring and nestled itself against her chest, closing its eyes.

Fiyero had to smile at the adorable picture they made together. "Do you like her?"
"Like her? I love her!" The green girl gently stroked the kitten's soft fur. "But why? It's not my birthday, it's not Lurlinemas…"

Fiyero shrugged. "I just saw her and I thought of you," he said. "The other day, when I asked you why you've never had a pet, since you love animals so much, you confessed to me that your father wouldn't allow it, but that you'd love to have a cat… so here you go."

"But why?" she pressed.

He grinned. "Because I love you. Isn't that reason enough?"

She tilted her head a little to the side, studying him. "There's more to it," she stated. "I can see it in your face."

His grin widened. "Well, I may or may not have had another reason." He leant forward, eyes shining. "Take a good look at your present."

Elphaba gingerly lifted the cat up again. It woke up with an indignant mew and swatted at her arm, but the young witch's eyes were focussed on the small piece of parchment that was tied around the kitten's neck with an emerald green ribbon.

She glanced at Fiyero. He nodded encouragingly and she untied the ribbon, placing the kitten back on the sheets as she studied the piece of parchment. It was rolled up and there was a beautiful silver ring around it.

Her eyes widened and she stared at Fiyero again for a moment before slowly unrolling the paper. When she read what was written on it, her eyes widened even further and she held her breath, staring down at the piece of parchment in disbelief. It said 'Marry me'.

When she looked back up at Fiyero, there were tears in her eyes. "Really?" she choked out.

"Yes, really." He took her left hand in his and picked up the ring, holding it up for her to see.

"Yesterday I went to see your father," he said. "I travelled all the way to Munchkinland and back to ask him for his blessing."

She stared at him, speechless.

"He wasn't very enthusiastic about the idea," Fiyero admitted, "but I managed to talk him into saying yes. I wasn't really planning on doing this today already, but I just couldn't wait any longer." He looked into her eyes. "Elphaba Melena Thropp," he said, smiling at the look on her face. "Will you marry me?"

She couldn't get any words out and so she just nodded wordlessly, one hand clasped over her mouth, eyes still wide and filled with tears. Fiyero slipped the ring onto her finger and then she let out a soft cry and all but threw herself at him, hugging him tightly.

He laughed. "I'm going to take that as a yes."

"I love you!" she choked out, burying her face in his neck. He felt something wet on his skin and startled, he pulled back a little to look at her.

"Are you crying?"

"No," she sniffled.

He brushed some hair away from her forehead and cupped her face with both hands, wiping the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs. "Don't cry," he said softly. "It's okay, sweetheart. We'll be okay."

"I know," she said, letting out a soft laugh despite her tears. "I'm just happy."

He smiled and kissed her deeply. She wound her arms around his neck. When the kitten interrupted them by suddenly mewing loudly, they both laughed and Elphaba picked the small cat up again, stroking the black fur. "I can't believe you got me a kitten. And a ring. I mean, I never imagined that anyone would ever give me either of those," she admitted with a soft chuckle.

"Well, believe it," Fiyero said, unable to wipe his idiotic grin off his face. He wrapped his arms around her and planted a kiss on her temple. "Because these won't be the last things I'm giving you. I'm going to spoil you rotten for the rest of your life, Fae. Get used to it." He rested his chin on her shoulder, both of them looking down at the kitten, which had curled up in Elphaba's lap and gone back to sleep.

Fiyero entwined his fingers with Elphaba's and played with the silver ring around her finger. "Do you understand now why I'm the luckiest man alive?"

"No," she said softly. "I don't. If anyone is lucky around here, it's me." She turned her head to kiss him again. "I love you so much, Yero. I really can't believe you did this for me."

"I'd do anything for you," he replied, nuzzling her hair. "For the rest of my life, I'm going to do everything in my power to make you happy."

"As long as you're with me, I'll always be happy," she whispered back.

He kissed her again, holding her close to him, and they both relished in the perfect moment.

Reviews make me feel better, too :P.