AN: So, this is a few days late. My computer crashed, I had homework, and a bunch of excuses that I can use. Anyways, I have decided to finally publish my first Wicked story, albeit it is an one-shot. Regardless, I hope you review.
Elphaba was used to not celebrating her birthday.
When you grow up in a household that sees your birth as a catalyst for the death of your mother and the crippling of your younger sister, you grow accustomed to this fact.
Yet, ever since she and Fiyero had started a new life together in Filaan 10 years ago, where she was able to turn Fiyero back into a human, Fiyero had made sure that they always celebrated her birthday in a grandiose fashion, even though in the beginning they didn't have much.
So it was much to Elphaba's surprise when she woke up and found Fiyero still sound asleep beside her.
Normally on her birthday, she would wake up to find Fiyero's side of the bed empty and when she would walk downstairs to find him, there Fiyero would be, making her breakfast, with a vase of freshly picked poppies from her garden on a tray, and find their three children all up and ready to go to school.
Fiyero would then send the kids off to school and they would spend the entire day together, nothing but the two of them. He would always give her some extravagant gift, whether it was a new set of earrings or a new necklace and would always begin to kiss her when she began to protest.
She snapped out of her reverie and dragged herself out of bed, if Fiyero wasn't making breakfast and getting the kids ready for school today, then it was going to have to be her job, birthday or not.
The day turned out to be to like every other morning was in the Tiggular household. Her son Liir was running around looking for both shoes, all the while yelling at his older sister Aylin for misplacing his book bag, despite the fact that he had both shoes on and his book bag was at the door where he had left it.
Her youngest, Linny, was sick and so Elphaba had to quickly, but gently, rub some menthol on her chest, all the while making her two older children lunch and sending them off to school.
When Fiyero woke up an hour later, showered and dressed in his work clothes, he didn't bother eating the breakfast that she had left him on the stove nor did he give her a kiss goodbye when he left for work.
Despite it being a turbulent morning, she knew one thing for sure, no one had said happy birthday.
When Fiyero left work it was 7 pm. He had planned to take a half-day and get off at two, but unfortunately a last minute order for some lumber had come in and it needed to be filled.
On any other day, this would be fine. But today was no normal day, today was Elphaba's birthday and he had messed up this morning, messed up big.
So, on his way home he stopped at the little market before it had closed and bought the nicest flowers they had left and a bottle of wine. It wasn't the night he had planned, but hopefully he would get a few points.
When he got to the house, he practiced what he was going to say before heading inside.
"I am so sorry, Elpha-no, no. I know I'm an idiot, but I'm your idiot. I love you, Elpha-Fae. I love you, Fae."
After 15 minutes of practicing and another five minutes trying to assure the Jaguar family who lived down the road that everything was all right, he headed inside.
"Fae, kids, I'm home."
No one answered and he wasn't surprised either. The lights had all been turned off and it was obvious that no one had been awake for a while now. Fiyero cursed silently as he walked to his and Elphaba's shared bedroom, knowing that reconciliation was going to be much harder to do now.
He sighed and took in a deep breath at the bedroom door and then slowly opened it.
There she was, the most beautiful girl in the world, with her silky raven hair out of it's normal plait and a book in her hand, making her not notice that he was in the room.
"Happy Birthday, Fae", he said quietly.
She looked up from her book, and what he saw, broke his heart. Her eyes were bloodshot, obviously from crying and she had a forced smile on her face. It was obvious that some flowers and a bottle of wine were not enough to fix this.
"Hello, Fiyero. Glad that you could finally remember what day it was." Fiyero tried hard not to flinch at the use of his first name instead of being called Yero.
"Fae, I am so, so, sorry that I forgot your birthday. I bought you these flowers and I know-."
"Fiyero? Do you really know how my day was? I woke up and it was basically just another day in this house. Getting Aylin and Liir to school, taking care of Linny, who was sick by the way, cleaning the house, and helping the kids with their homework when they got home from school."
Fiyero didn't even try to interrupt or dare to move as Elphaba got out of bed.
"This morning, there were no 'Happy Birthday, love. I love you so much.' There was no mention of my birthday, until Aylin came home with a boquet of flowers from the market, along with a homemade card signed by our children. That was when the day was basically over."
Then Elphaba began to cry and he quickly ran over to her, holding her closely to him, as if he was afraid she was going to disappear. To be completely honest, he was, in fact, afraid of this.
They stayed like that for a few minutes, until she spoke again, her voice quiet.
"But. Do you want to know the worst part, Fiyero? It wasn't the fact that my birthday wasn't celebrated or acknowledged by the children until late. It was the fact you didn't even remember. The one person who swore to always remember. I know people make mistakes and forget, but it seemed like you didn't even care that you forgot. It's like, It's like, my birthday doesn't matter."
Fiyero pulled away from their embrace and cupped her face with his hands.
"No. I am so sorry Elphaba, I didn't mean to forget, honest I didn't. Don't ever think that I don't think your birthday is important. Elphaba, had it not been for you being born, I would have kept dancing through life. I would have never met the most beautiful, courageous, smartest woman in the whole wide world and have a family with her. I love you Elphaba. I know I messed up and that these roses and this bottle of wine aren't the gist you desrve but-."
Fiyero was cut off by Elphaba pressing her lips to his and in that instant, as she complied when he tried to deepen it, he knew he had been forgiven.
When they broke the kiss a few minutes later, he pressed his forehead against hers, out of breath.
"Oz, I love you."
"I love you too, Yero. Now how about we go to the kitchen and open this bottle of wine?"
Fiyero smiled and nodded, but not before picking her and laughing as she squealed in indignation.
"Gladly."
Bright and early the next morning, Fiyero woke up, making sure not to wake up Elphaba who was sleeping peacefully beside him, and slipped out of the room.
He went into Aylin, Linny, and Liir's rooms and woke them up as well, all telling them to be quiet. This was no problem for Linny , who was still slightly recovering, and Aylin. For liir, not so much.
Like a master, he directed the children in making Elphaba a special breakfast and when he liked what he saw, went out to pick some poppies from their garden. It was half-past nine when they were done and wanting to give Elphaba a little more time to sleep in, waited until ten to deliver breakfast.
"Elphaba. Wake up, Fae. It's your birthday."
Elphaba roused and when she saw Fiyero with breakfast and poppies on a tray, she knew what it was, but decided to ask anyway.
When he responded, he made her heart flutter like he had when he ran away with her.
"This here, Fae, is me celebrating your birthday, albeit a day late. Ther's this old saying that I can't remember."
He ignored her when she tried to stifle her laughter.
"But anyway, it's about how people wait forever for someone special to come into their lives and when they do, it's this one, special moment. Well, Fae, every moment I spend with you is like the first time. Some people wait a lifetime, Fae, and I thank my lucky stars that I don't have to."
After finishing breakfast, they spent the day like it was actually her birthday and at the end of the day, no one would ever forget that moment.
For at the end of the day, Fiyero re-proposed to Elphaba and Elphaba said yes.
AN: Thanks for reading, guys and gals! Reviews are like Fiyeraba cuddles, very nice to see.