Woah, there! You guys can chill LOL. I guess it's my bad that things might not have translated that well. Apologies. Will explain in the AN below!

But as always, thanks for the reviews! Love you guys *heart*

On a side note, did you guys see the news?? We're getting TWO movies?? *SCREAMS*

Day 553

September 2019

Thank Oz, his major treatments were over, and his bandages were finally reduced. His arm and leg no longer hung on the swing, and he didn't have to wear eye coverings anymore. Though they had been incrementally reduced over the past few months (a few weeks ago, his eye bandage was replaced with an eye mask he had to wear for only a few hours a day). It was only then that he felt lighter.

He looked around his room with a fond smile. Maybe it was the bandages, he thought. Or maybe it was the company.

On that day, his friends came to visit again—Galinda, Avaric, Crope, and Elphaba. He smiled at the sight of the green girl sitting on the bench by the window. He noticed how she loosened up after a few visits; she rarely kept her head low now and was already actively engaging in conversation. At that moment, Crope just finished his retelling of Galinda's reaction over some shoes a few days ago (excessive hyperventilating, squealing, and smacking of Avaric's arm). They all laughed, and his heart swelled when he saw Elphaba's head fall back in laughter.

Boq and Milla were able to come, too, happily showing off the latter's simple but beautiful engagement ring. They said they had to postpone the wedding due to several booking issues caused by the drastic changes in the Munchkinland weather. But they weren't discouraged by the events. At least by then, they said, everyone would be able to attend—including Elphaba.

Although his memory of the past year was still patchy, he was glad to constantly be reminded that all of them had reunited. It was nice to be in a room full of happy faces, he thought. It made his accident a sort of blessing in disguise.

His recovery was getting along well and everyone was in high spirits. When news broke from the doctor that they only had a window of opportunity to restore all his memories, his family and all of his friends (from childhood, university, and work) were all-hands-on-deck. He constantly had visitors, even when he didn't remember most of them. It made him feel loved. And supported—as he'd always dreamed.

"Okay, Yero. How about this?" Boq asked. "Do you remember where this is?"

By then, they had already figured out that his memories ended about two years ago. This meant that he didn't remember anything about what he did after graduation, why he came to the Emerald City, and what happened while he was in the city. So on most of their visits, they would bring slideshows with pictures of his travels and the people he met.

"That's…That's Lake Chorge! That's Galinda's family's Summer house at Lake Chorge!" Fiyero exclaimed. "We went there for…"

"Come on, you can do it…" Boq encouraged as he rolled his hand in circles, simulating a rolling train of thought.

"We went there in the Summer?"

"Yes, because..?" Boq probed.

"We…?"

His brows creased.

"Come on, Yero, you got this," Boq encouraged.

Crope and Avaric made an exaggerated reenactment of receiving their diplomas behind the munchkin. Fiyero watched with squinted eyes, and Boq turned to see where the injured man was looking.

"Don't give him clues right away!" Boq cried in exasperation.

Galinda, Milla, and Elphaba sat smiling as they watched together by the window. It was always entertaining to see the munchkin so flustered.

"It's alright, Boq," Milla chided. "Relax!"

Boq huffed and turned back to the man on the bed.

"Yero?"

Everyone turned to Fiyero with anticipation. Then suddenly a flash of light burst into his mind.

"It was after graduation!" Fiyero cried in delight. For a moment, there was stunned silence. But a clock-tick later loud, excited cheering filled the room.

It was moments like this that lifted everyone as they celebrated his recall. It felt like there was a switch in his mind that was turned on, and the light flooded into the dark rooms of forgotten memories.

Tears were falling from his eyes and he happily wiped them away. It was such a happy memory, and he was so glad he finally got to remember the feeling of being there. He with his friends swam in the lake, grilled barbeque under a full moon, and drank tubs of alcohol until they could no longer stand.

"Glin was so drunk," he recalled. "She jumped into the water thinking it was a pile of dresses!"

Everyone laughed, and the bubbly blonde's face flushed.

"My card's ready for youuuu!" Crope reenacted with flapping hands and a shrill voice.

"Yes! Yes!" Fiyero agreed as everyone roared with laughter.

"Alright, Yero. Maybe you've recalled enough," Galinda quipped, her porcelain face now a deep red.

Everyone laughed louder. He smiled from ear to ear. It was nice to remember memories. Especially the ones that brought joy.

"Okay, okay," his mother started between chuckles. "I think that's enough for today." She faced her son. "It's time for medicine," she told him sternly but lovingly.

It was the same thing she would say to Fiyero when he fell ill as a child. He felt like he was too old for that tone, but was still thankful for his parents' care. He knew they were both tired—his father juggled visits with an enormous amount of meetings; his mother doing the same thing.

"Alright," Avaric said. "See ya later, Yero." He sent a salute to his friend. "Mrs. T!" He waved to the older woman.

"It was nice having you all here," Amelia replied.

"Bye guys," Fiyero said as everyone stood and started filing out the door. Everyone, except Elphaba. He smiled at the green girl sitting on the bench on the far side of the room.

Though she never really had a schedule for her visits (he actually tried to keep track, but either she never had one or he just couldn't remember), he knew that when she came with their other friends, she would stay afterward so they could go over their memories in the city. And the story of their relationship.

A nurse came in with a new set of equipment and medications (which he never really understood). And all of them sat in silence as his bandages and tubes were replaced and refilled.

"How are you, Yero?" Amelia asked, touching Fiyero's hand as she sat by his bedside.

"Surprisingly good. This is probably the only class I'm enjoying by far!" he replied with a chuckle, referring to his 'memory classes'—as he so fondly called them.

"I'm glad you are," his mother said, chuckling as well. "Dad said the same thing when—"

"Is he coming?" Fiyero blurted. The question burned on his tongue for the past two weeks or so. But he knew what the answer would be, as it frequently was.

"Not today," Amelia replied with a slow shake of her head. "You know how many meetings he has to go through this season." She sighs. "Don't worry, we'll make sure he does by next week. He's worried about you, you know."

He understood. He knew his parents loved him dearly, but he also knew how much work his father always liked to put in for the business. Ever since he was a kid, Hamold was always busy with meetings. The rare times they spent together were to train Fiyero, as he was the only heir. Sometimes the training even came with cutting him off and leaving him to find his way in the city (as he later learned was the reason why he wasn't employed in their own company when he moved into EC).

"Yeah," Fiyero said, shifting his gaze to the green girl sitting by the window.

Soon, the nurse declared she was done and they could continue with his 'memory classes'. Fiyero grinned at the change of subject.

Fiyero looked at his girlfriend, who was now quietly reading a book by the window. He couldn't see the cover, but it didn't look like one of the usual things she brought over.

"Mom, can you give us a moment?" he asked his mother.

Amelia looked at him and Elphaba with an odd expression on her face but nodded and smiled.

"I'll be back by three in the afternoon," she told them. "I'll go ahead and run some errands while I'm out."

She kissed her son on the cheek and patted the green girl's shoulder before leaving. He watched as Elphaba gave his mother a shy smile.

"Are you alright?" Elphaba asked as she made her way across the room to the cushioned seat beside his bed.

"What do you mean?" he asked with a heartless chuckle.

"Oh, it's just you look…distracted."

"Oh. It's nothing. It's just…" He shook his head. "Nevermind," he said. "Are you ready?"

Elphaba looked at him uncertainly but nodded nonetheless.

"What are we going to talk about today?" he asked, changing the topic.

"I was thinking about Lurlinemas last year," came her soft reply.

"What about the first day we met? he tried.

Though admittedly, his memories of Lurlinemas the past year were patchy, he just couldn't help but notice that they never talked about the day they met in the city. She only told him he found her at the park and the rest was history. But he couldn't help but feel like there was more to the story.

"Or the last place we went to on the first day we explored the city together?" he continued.

They never talked about that either. He would've thought that what she told him was it—the library, a restaurant, the museum, the deer (not Deer, she emphasized) park, and Ozma Tower. But he couldn't help but feel like something was missing. He didn't know why.

She shook her head. "I…" she started. "I only prepared for Lurlinemas today."

And he knew there was no more room for debate. He didn't want to push her. Besides, she was trying to help him.

"Alright," he said and he smiled at her. It took a moment until she looked at him and smiled back.

He wondered why she always seemed tentative around him. He always felt how much she cared for him when she gently touches his hand and helps him drink water. But there was always something that held her back. Why? He was her boyfriend, after all. Were they always like this?

"Okay, where do we start? she began with a smile. "What do you remember about Lurlinemas? You can say absolutely anything."

"Last year?" he said. He put his finger on his chin as he racked his brain for information. "I remember…" He paused. "I don't remember…"

"We weren't here," she hinted.

"Well, I do hope Lurlinemas wasn't spent in St. Satalin's Hospital," he teased.

"No," she confirmed, chuckling.

"Thank Oz," he said softly with mild relief. "Otherwise, I would probably not want to remember that." Most of his trips to the hospital—before this of course—were mostly due to drunken accidents, mild embarrassing clumsy incidents. Serious reasons for going to the hospital didn't even cross his mind.

He grinned as he heard her laugh fill the room. Maybe she knew that, too.

"Oh if it was a funny thing about you, I'd probably still tell you about it," she said, tittering. "But no, we didn't spend it here because we weren't in the city."

Somehow, suddenly as it always happened, Fiyero felt a door to a room filled with light burst open in his mind.

"Were we in the Vinkus?" he asked, his eyes wide with realization.

"Yes," she confirmed with a smile and he got excited.

"I remember…the living room with the tree like it is every year."

"Yes…"

"I remember…snow…? Was it snowing?"

"Yes," she confirmed again. She beamed at him, and his heart soared.

"I remember…a package? I can't tell if it was a gift from me or to me. Heavy and made of I think…paper? That's all I remember," he finished.

She nodded and suddenly her head was kept low. "It was from you," she said, solemnly. "This was it."

She handed him the book she was reading a while ago, and it was only then that he noticed the cover. Vinkun Fairytales, the cover read—all etched in gold and silver.

"You gave it to me as a present," she continued. It was only then that she looked up. Their eyes locked, as the memory of them sharing a moment at their Vinkun home's patio resurfaced in his mind. A tear slid down his cheek and he choked in delight. He held her hand, and for a moment time seemed to stop. Yet the clock continued to tick. It was a beautiful memory.

"I remember now," he whispered. And they smiled at each other.

They stayed like that for a few moments—possibly seconds or whole minutes, but no one was counting. He noticed her eyes. They were big and full but also somehow filled with…sadness? He couldn't tell why. But he relished in their moment—eyes locked and fingers interlocked. It'd been a long time since they got to share something like that.

However, no matter how beautiful they are, moments of bliss tend to escape as quickly as they come by. And theirs was abruptly cut short by a knock on the door.

"I'll go get it," she said and stood up from her seat.

He smiled at her as she walked and his heart missed a beat when she smiled back.

He heard the door open and a short muffled exchange of words. But he couldn't see who it was because of the bathroom wall covering the view of the door.

There were footsteps and suddenly the woman who returned was no longer his green girlfriend.

"Hi, Fiyero. It's me, Sarima, from work." the woman greeted. "I came here to refresh you on your work memories in the city."

She was familiar, but he couldn't quite place it.

"Hi, I'm sorry if I don't remember that much…" he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"That's alright. I brought photos for you to see," she continued as she made herself comfortable on the seat beside his bed.

"Where's Elphaba?" he asked.

"Oh, she said she just had to go get something outside. I guess I was right on time," the woman said, a huge smile on her face.

They quickly went to work on his memory lesson, and he actually found himself enjoying the woman's company. Maybe they were good friends before, he thought.

After a while, his mother returned and the three of them chatted about a variety of things. For example, how he was his boss's favorite employee, but his mother wouldn't believe it. And how he prevented the company from having a huge financial blow, but his mother still wouldn't believe it. They all laughed, and he found it nice to hear more about his work before. He wondered if he could do it again in the future.

Soon, it was time for Sarima to leave, and they bid each other goodbye. It was only when he looked out the window and saw the apricot sky that he noticed the fairytale book resting on the bedside table. He set it aside before he was made to hold a new set of photos, those from his recent endeavors at work.

Elphaba hadn't returned.

And he didn't know why.

So as I was saying, I'd like to emphasize that they're both at fault here. While Fiyero's flaws are a bit more obvious (he acts without thinking, he's forgetful, etc.), Elphaba's are more subtle—she's very insecure and she assumes the worst in everything. He faces trouble brashly; she overthinks trouble. And both of them have a different way of finding an escape (e.g. this chapter for Elphie, and the ones before Day 500 for Yero). But they both tried (are trying?).

Well, that sounded like a bit of a stinker but I hope you guys still stick around. Sorry if these didn't translate so well *sheepish emoji*

Any thoughts? :)