The forest is dark and quiet, a stark contrast to the tension and heartbreak in the emerald city moments before. Fiyero walks around your hideout, his fingers gently running along wood and dusted trinkets while his eyes soften as he notices hints of you in every corner.

How he managed to stay apart from you this long was beyond him. For a year he'd searched, desperately trying to find you while acting as the captain of the guard for the Wizard. Living under the shadow of lies the Wizard and Madame Morrible spread across Oz about you. He'd always known better - he was one of the very few who did. He saw beyond the accusations, the fear, beyond the hateful chants in the street. He saw you.

You turn to him, your face carved with panic, your voice strained. Telling him to leave, telling him he's making a mistake by being here, by choosing you over everything else.

But he doesn't move. He's calm, grounded, leaning into his effortless confidence and watching your panic with his warm eyes.

"I'm not going anywhere. I've made my choice." He says softly, his voice smooth and low, looking at you through lashes in the dim light.

The truth bubbles up in your stomach. This is real. He's chosen you. Despite danger, despite the world turning against you, despite every good and comfortable thing he had.

You sink on the edge of your bed, the weight of it all thick in the air, filling the tight silence of unspoken feelings. He hasn't moved, his eyes still trained on you like you're the only thing left worth holding onto.

"You're beautiful." He murmurs, the playful, teasing lilt you once knew was stripped away, leaving only truth.

"You don't have to lie to me." You reply, defeated.

"It's not lying." he says, stepping closer, kneeling in front of you. "It's... it's looking at things another way."