For my dear friend, Squint on her birthday. I hope you enjoy this :)
"More wine, Fae?"
She shook her head, dabbing at her mouth with the napkin in her hand. "I'm fine. I don't think I could fit anything else in me if I tried."
Fiyero smirked, dangling the bottle in front of her face. "It fills in the spaces."
"And what if there are no spaces left to fill? I swear you fed me nearly everything we own."
He shrugged, "There's always room for good wine."
Her left eyebrow rose on her forehead. "Now you're just trying to get me drunk."
"Do you really still think I'm like that?" His tone was exasperated.
She loved how she was always able to get a reaction from him. "Old habits die hard, love."
His look was pointed. "Some do. Anyway, I just want to make sure you had a fitting dinner."
It was Elphaba's turn to roll her eyes. "I wish you hadn't gone to so much trouble." She sighed as she glanced quickly at the remains of their midnight picnic comprised of whatever food Fiyero had pulled from their small kitchen upon learning of the occasion "Honestly, it's not as though it's worth celebrating."
Fiyero caught her hand. "I wish you had told me sooner. And how is it not worth celebrating? It's your birthday for Oz's sakes."
"Exactly. I've never celebrated before and I never planned on doing so in the future."
He stared at her, taking in her calm face and non-chalant attitude. She never celebrated a birthday before? "How is that even possible?"
Her tone was practical as she spoke, never one containing an ounce of distain. "Think about it, Fiyero."
He understood. "But your father….never even once?"
She shook her head. "No. He did not feel that I should be praised in any way."
The Prince was speechless. "Elphaba… I'm so sorry."
"Don't be," she commanded softly, reaching up to push a renegade strand of air from his eyes. "One thing I've leaned is to never look back. There's less regret that way."
Winding his arm around her shoulder, he pulled her into the circle of his arms, planting a light kiss on her forehead. "And what about the future?"
She smiled that half-smile that made his heart leap as she spoke, "For once in my wretched life, I fully look forward to it."
Fiyero still wish she wouldn't refer to her life as 'wretched', but they did seem to be making some progress when it came to self-distain. She smiled more, returned his impromptu shows affection more often, and simply seemed happier in general.
Baby steps, after all.
"I'm sorry I don't have a cake for you," he whispered into her hair. "After all, what's a birthday without a cake and candles? You need candles for a birthday wish."
He felt her chuckle against him. "I've never placed much value on wishes, Fiyero. It always seemed like such a foolish concept."
He looked offended. "Fae, you can't have a proper birthday without a wish. It's part of the birthday code."
"Is it now?" she asked, sarcasm dripping from her tone. "Well, I think I may exempt from that since this was my first celebration."
"Nice try," he said as he hauled her up to a sitting position. "I don't care if we don't have a cake with candles. Make a wish."
"So now it's a wish by default?"
"Funny. What about those?" He pointed to the sky above full of sparkling stars. "That could work, couldn't it?"
Elphaba blink. "I think you've finally lost it, love."
"Come on," he whined, pulling her to her feet. "It's the next best thing and it's tradition!" He pouted, "Do it for me?"
The green girl couldn't help but smirk at his expression. No matter how handsome he was, right now he looked more like a whipped puppy than the confidant prince she had fallen in love with. "Only for you," she said, kissing him. Then, "I've always seemed to have a soft spot for wounded animals."
His jaw dropped at this and she laughed outright then, unable to contain herself any longer. Before he couldn't formulate a response, she had turned away to gaze at the night sky. "I haven't the slightest clue what to wish for."
Having recovered from his stupor, she felt Fiyero slide his hands around her waist from behind, learning his head on her shoulder. "It's not that hard, Elphaba. Just wish for something you've always dreamed of."
She was silent for a long moment. Her hands came to rest over his at her waist and her head fell back against his, eyes closed. Her could feel her long, steady breaths and the rhythmic beat of her heart, oddly seeming to match in time to his. Closing his eyes, he made a wish of his own, hoping whatever deity existed would be kind enough to grant one to both of them.
Finally, Elphaba opened her eyes and sighed deeply. Fiyero opened his as well, murmuring in her ear, "So what did you wish for?"
"I can't tell you that," came the soft reply. "Otherwise is won't come true. Isn't that how it goes?"
He shrugged. "I suppose I had to try. It was good though, right?"
"Very," she answered, turning in his arms to kiss him properly.
He accepted her kiss, winding his arms around her shoulders to pull her closer. Vaguely, he still wondered what his lover had wished for; it was only natural after all. Fiyero would have been surprised to find, however, that Elphaba's wish had consisted of nothing at all.
For when one has everything their heart desires, what else could possibly exist?
