"Elphaba? Elphie-Fae?"

Elphaba felt, more than heard, the moan she emitted.

"She's waking up..."

"Thank goodness!"

When she managed to pry open one eye, Fiyero and Galinda were leaning over her, looking concerned. "Thought we'd lost ya there, kid," Fiyero murmured, his face etched with a worry not even his smile could conceal.

"I feel..." Elphaba tried to put it into words. "I feel..."

"You look awful."

"Galinda!"

"Well, I'm sorry Fiyero, but she's all... sick looking," Galinda whispered.

"Still..."

"Ugh!" Couldn't they argue elsewhere?

That silenced them, briefly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm not sure."

Elphaba tried to shift her position, but found that to be impossible.

"Run and fetch the nurse, Galinda?"

Galinda was thrillified to get out of that room, and who could blame her? Elphaba had been throwing up for hours. Even after all food was out of her system, she'd continued to dry-heave sick yellow bile, as Galinda wrinkled her nose and Fiyero paced in fear and frustration. There was nothing to be done but to ride it out, he knew. But it was so hard to watch Elphaba like that. Every fifteen minutes, it seemed, she was stumbling back to the bathroom.

Food poisoning.

Galinda fled the room and Fiyero sat next to Elphaba, pressing a hand to her forehead. "You got a couple hours that time," he said, looking at her tenderly. "Do you feel like you need to throw up again?"

"I hope not, because I can't move," she whispered. "You don't have to stay."

"Of course I do, Fae. You're my best friend."

She smiled faintly at this. "You're too good to me," she sighed. "Wait, isn't Galinda supposed to be catching her train?"

"She put it off till tomorrow morning. Don't worry about it, just relax," he said. "Would you like a cool washcloth? Or a warm one? Or...?"

"Yero..." Her eyes closed. "I'm fine."

"I got some ginger tea," he said. "It's a Vinkan remedy. Ginger soothes the stomach, apparently. There's uh... the men drink Ginger Root Ale. But..." he paused. "It burns. The tea is gentler."

"Are you calling me feeble, Master Fiyero?"

"Delicate," he amended. "In a good way."

"I think I'm going to sleep some more," she said. "Maybe I can just sleep through the rest of the sickness?"

"Alright... I'm right here if you need anything."

"Just a clear path to the toilet," she murmured.

He chuckled, and sat on a chair near her. When Galinda returned with a nurse, Elphaba had been asleep for a few minutes. The nurse took her temperature while she slept, and talked to Fiyero and Galinda about the progression of Elphaba's sickness. She said the best thing to do would be to wait it out, that she seemed to be through the worst of it, and that they didn't have to stay with her; she'd be alright by herself.

Galinda looked relieved at this, her trip home already having been postponed, but Fiyero didn't agree that that was an option. He kept his thoughts to himself, however, and took Galinda down to her carriage the next morning, kissing her sweetly and wishing her good luck before returning to the dorm she shared with Elphaba.

Lurlinemas had gone well for everyone but him. Because Nessa and Boq had been heading back to Munchkinland early (Elphaba had declined to return home and Boq had agreed that it was best for Miss Nessa to travel with a companion), they'd exchanged gifts early. As it turned out, Boq had pulled Nessa's name and Elphaba had pulled Galinda's, but, Elphaba confessed to him secretly, they'd switched. She'd said it was because she'd already bought Nessa's gift, but, really, he suspected that it was simply easier for each to buy for the other's choice.

Galinda had added to Boq's gift. Socks with snowmen, a blue scarf (to bring out his pretty blue eyes, she'd said, to which he'd blushed furiously), a book about his favorite sport, Quotch, and a gift certificate for the little café he liked to get coffee from. Fiyero had been proud of her as he'd watched Boq open gifts that revealed effort and thought, and he had to chuckle when Galinda kissed his cheek briefly. Nessarose had looked furious, Boq had turned beet red, and Galinda had returned to twirling her hair. Only Elphaba and he had let their eyes meet in that moment, she after rolling hers.

Boq had bought Galinda a gift certificate to get a manicure, and her favorite shade of nail polish (which, they all knew, wasn't available within an hour of Shiz). She'd been overjoyed, bubbling about how her hands had been brutalized by the freezeified weather, and how that nail polish was her very favourite in the whole wide world.

Nessarose had been left with the task of buying for Fiyero, which was nearly impossible. But she and Elphaba had gone together, and Nessa had come out of it with a very smart pair of cufflinks, with blue stones. Fiyero had felt pleased at such a mature and dignified gift being given to him by someone so mature and dignified.

Elphaba had purchased an elaborate art set for Nessa, full of pastels, charcoal, paints and various mediums with which to explore. "Oh, Elphaba, this is wonderful," she had breathed. Fiyero had noticed that Boq had smiled at Nessarose with a genuine happiness, and wondered if perhaps his crush on Galinda wasn't simply fleeting. Nessa was most assuredly a beautiful girl, and she was so demure and caring. Fiyero himself had to admit that Nessa was as pretty as Galinda, just in a different way.

Though nobody was as striking as Elphaba, whose gift was still in the works. Fiyero had discovered that her key wasn't to the library, but a master key to the entire school. He wanted to do something for Elphaba that was strictly for Elphaba, and thought the key might come in handy. Perhaps a picnic on the roof? Or he could take the key and peruse the library before others got there, finding fantastic books for her? He wanted to buy her her own entire library, but knew that would be impossible. And he wasn't sure what books she'd like to own.

Galinda's gift from him, a necklace, had gone over extremely well. She wore it everywhere, at all hours of the day. But a necklace wasn't special enough for Elphaba. It was such a typical gift.

As he watched her sleep, he pondered her gift. He'd decided to stay on campus to buy himself more time for Elphaba's present, but he hadn't been able to admit that. He had said to her that they could do Lurlinemas later, because he was staying, but hadn't felt it necessary to mention that he was staying so that he could spend Lurlinemas with her. Besides, a trip to the Vinkus seemed unnecessary, considering by the time he got there, he'd only be able to spend a day or so before having to begin the return trip.

He liked the idea of a picnic. Nobody had ever really gone to the trouble of something like that for her before. But it was so cold outside. And now that she was sick...

She moaned a little in her sleep, and he felt so sorry for her. She really was being strong through this. The sound of her violent retching had been awful to him, and he wasn't suffering through it. When she shivered, he was next to her before he even had time to think, he climbed onto the bed next to her and wrapped his arms around her, stroking her hair. "Shh..." he soothed, and, soon, they were both asleep.

He woke awhile later, having dozed into a fitful sleep, and immediately kissed her hot forehead. It was much too hot, he realized, and he pressed his hand to it. "Shiz," he cursed, climbing gingerly out of bed to fill a bowl with cool water. When he brought it back to her, he pulled her into a sitting position in his arms, holding her close while he pressed the cloth to her forehead.

"Fiyero?"

"You're burning up," he explained.

"I feel cold," she said.

"You're not, you're on fire." He paused. "Should I let you sweat it out?"

"That sounds gross," she groaned, softly.

He chuckled. "Fae, what can I do?"

"I'm not sure. I think I'll be alright." She pulled the blankets around her and gazed at him. "You really don't have to be here."

"I'd be in agony, worrying about, if I wasn't," he assured her. He pulled her close to him and rubbed her back through her blankets, until she stopped shivering and started sweating. "I love you, Fae," he murmured. "It's going to be okay, I promise."

They rode it out together, and then Elphaba got up and vomited again. After brushing her teeth, she staggered back to bed, feeling awful all over. "I'm gross," she said, sounding a little more alert than she had in awhile. "I'm so gross."

Fiyero smiled sympathetically, and disappeared into the bathroom. Returning with a bowl of warm water and a new washcloth, he propped her up against the pillows, dipped the cloth in the water, and wrung it out. "Trust me?"

She furrowed her eyebrows at him. "Of course. Why?"

He set the bowl and cloth down on the bedside table, and reached to her collarbone, trying not to notice how his hands shook. 'Fiyero, snap out of it,' he thought. He undid the first button and Elphaba stiffened.

"What are you doing?"

"Giving you a bath," he said, moving onto the next button. He undid all five and paused. "What's under this?"

"A camisole and my... um..." His fingers were at the hem of her nightdress. "They're sort of like shorts, I suppose..."

He pulled her nightdress off wordlessly, and tried not to stare at the body that was revealed to him. Pulling her close, he pressed her head to his shoulder and began to sponge off her shoulders and neck. He took his time, dipping the cloth into the water, wringing it out, and gently pressing it to her skin. He reached around her as if hugging her to do her back, then tenderly lay her down.

"How's that?" She made a small noise of contentment in the back of her throat as he pulled the cloth along the length of her arms, one then the other. He smiled, and continued down her body. Her stomach stretched like a plane of glowing grass, and he tried to remember that he was doing this because she was ill, because he was taking care of his best friend.

His best friend.

That's what she was, as beautiful as she was. He was with Galinda, who he really liked. He and Elphaba just... weren't like that. They were friends. Just two friends. He picked up her left leg and wiped it down, dipped the cloth again, and cleaned off her right leg.

"My legs are so sore," she said, not daring to open her eyes.

"Really?"

"I think from the dehydration," she shrugged.

Wordlessly, he massaged from just above the knee all the way down on each leg, then, standing slowly, recovered her with her blankets and leaned to kiss her forehead. "Feel a little better?"

"Much better," she smiled. "Thank you, Fiyero."

"Don't even mention it," he said. "Anything for my best friend." He tucked the blankets tightly around her neck and then stood, eyeing Galinda's bed and knowing that that was where he should sleep. "Goodnight, Fae."

"Night, Yero."

She drifted off fast; she'd been mostly asleep the entire time, anyway. Fiyero stayed up a little longer, wondering why it felt so good to take care of Elphaba.

AN: Alright... it wasn't going to go this way, but I got food poisoning yesterday and it was awful. Luckily, today (aka Christmas) has gone considerably better. Anywho, I thought I'd give Elphie some food poisoning for Lurlinemas. I wanted to write her Lurlinemas chapter on Christmas, but... ended up writing my own previous misery instead. Thanks so much for the people who reviewed yesterday, it really cheered me up! Happy Holidays, everyone. Also, I put in Fiyero's kind thoughts about Nessa in there just for you Fiyessa shippers.