First of all, so sorry for the extremely late update! It's been a tough month. The weight of the elections from where I'm from, along with the deadly schoolwork the past month really got to me. But now I'm officially on break! Thanks for bearing with me and waiting up.

Thanks also to my loyal reviewers! Oh, and welcome to the newcomers! It means a lot to have you here :)

Day 216

October 2018

Elphaba stared at herself in the mirror.

She wore a sleeveless midnight black dress, with a flowy skirt that ended slightly above her knees. The neckline was loose, and the garment hugged her thin figure perfectly. Her hair was curled and clipped back behind her ears with two long pearl-beaded clasps. She wore a light blush, paired with a soft-tinted eyeshadow and lipgloss. Completing her look was a pair of low silver strappy heels.

This was the first formal event she had gone to ever (aside from those hosted by her father, of course, but it wasn't like she was allowed to show up back then, anyway). Tonight was special, and it took quite some time to find all the clothes, accessories, and cosmetic materials she needed. It was a good thing Galinda (thank Oz for her, even though Elphaba used to find the blonde's excessive energies on fashion impractical) and she had reunited again some weeks ago. Since then, the two of them have been having regular video chats, upon Galinda's insistence. On one of their calls, Elphaba mentioned the company party Fiyero was inviting her to, and the bubbly blonde was more than excited to help her friend get ready—even though they were cities apart.

There would be days when Galinda would send Elphaba photos of dresses and hairdos she thought would suit the green girl, and Elphaba would send photos of the dresses she saw while she window-shopped—with difficulty. Finding the make-up and figuring out how to curl her (terribly straight) hair was the most difficult part, but she would rather forget about that experience.

Galinda begged her to send photos of the finished look, but the green girl repeatedly refused, saying she didn't know how to take a photo of herself. She promised she would tell the blonde about Fiyero's reaction and would send her official photos from the party if she ever gained access to them.

"I hope this is good enough," she whispered to her reflection. She dusted her skirt and attempted to fix her (already perfectly fastened) hair clasps one last time before she decided to finally get out of her bedroom. She grabbed her purse—which had the same shade of silver as her heels—from a side table in the living room and walked over to the couch. As if on cue, her doorbell rang and she knew it would be Fiyero.

Suddenly feeling shy, she looked down before opening the door. There was a long pause before she heard him clear his throat.

When she looked up, she saw Fiyero just a few inches away from her, grinning from ear to ear. He was wearing a black tux and his hair was waxed.

"You look amazing," he said.

She blushed. And his grin grew wider.

"Are you ready, my lady?" he asked as he offered her his arm.

She chuckled and shook her head at his silly grin, but took his arm. They slowly went down the narrow apartment corridor and out of the building.

While they waited for a cab to stop by, Fiyero suddenly shifted away from her and began coughing. His coughs grew louder after each one, and Elphaba became more concerned.

"Are you alright?" she asked, touching his shoulder.

Fiyero turned to her, and it was only then that she noticed that his eyes were a little puffy and his nose was uncharacteristically red.

He sniffed. "I'm fine," he said. "My body just can't handle how beautiful you look tonight." He tried to grin but he was suddenly overcome by another coughing fit.

"Fiyero, you're definitely not fine," she said. "Why don't you text your boss? Tell him you're sick?"

"I'm not sick," he said stubbornly, sniffing again. "I'm going," he declared. And she knew there was no room for debate—at least, for now. Besides, she knew Fiyero could be as stubborn as herself.

He hailed a cab, and they hopped in. After a short drive, they arrived at Fiyero's office building, where multiple other guests were disembarking their own cabs and private vehicles, all dressed for the glitz and glamor of the anniversary party.

They entered the ballroom and the party was in full swing. Glittery curtains hung on the walls and colorful lights danced around the large function room. There were statues and ice sculptures everywhere. A table filled with trophies and plaques sat beside the stage which was also decorated with glittery fabrics and ribbons. There was a buffet table near the entry with a bar at the end of it. Waiters in black and white hustled about with trays full of appetizers and beverages. It was nothing like what Elphaba had seen before. So this was what a fancy corporate party looked like. It put the OzDust to shame. Elphaba smiled fondly at the memory of their long-ago university party. But the smile quickly faded as she once again asked herself if leaving was all worth it.

"Fae?"

Suddenly the cloud of thought dissipated as she was brought back to reality by Fiyero's voice.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Sorry, just lost in—" she shook her head as she cut herself mid-sentence. "This is beautiful," she said with a genuine smile.

Fiyero returned the gesture with a huge grin. "Come on, I'll introduce you to some of my friends," he said before gently guiding her through the crowd.

'Some of his friends' was an understatement, Elphaba thought. She was probably introduced to almost fifty people before the entrees were even served. She wasn't surprised at Fiyero's apparent popularity; however, her social energy was quickly running out. She excused herself from the group they were currently talking to—Maelle, Demas, Phileon, Sarima, and Olvero (Fiyero's closest friends)—to drink a glass of juice at their table.

From her seat, she watched as Fiyero animatedly talked to his friends. She noticed how he suppressed a cough every now and then, and she reminded herself to ask him more about that again soon.

Fiyero's friends were all very kind. In fact, they were all very friendly and accommodating to her. She was glad that none of them cared much about her unique complexion (which was often a cause for awkward introductions, even in the city). None of them looked at her weirdly nor said anything remotely rude. Though for some reason, she felt a bit small around them. But she shook her head at the thought. They were nice people.

As the night wore on, several officers spoke onstage about the company's successes over the years, and everyone cheered with their glasses raised high.

'The fun drinks'—as Fiyero liked to put it—were being served, and suddenly the music grew louder along with the noise of the crowd. Elphaba was actually surprised the company party was allowed to go wild. But who was she to comment on that? Besides, "it's the party of the year!" according to Demas who was slowly glowing red with alcohol.

They had a few more rounds of drinks with his friends before the two of them started going around again. Elphaba tagged behind Fiyero while he chatted and introduced her to many other workmates. But as the crowd grew wilder, she noticed that he was growing weaker by the minute. Two and a half hours into the party, Elphaba pulled him to the side to look at him closely. Even under the technicolor lights, she noticed the beads of sweat on his temples and she was sure they weren't due to the alcohol. She put the back of her hand on his forehead, and her suspicions were confirmed.

"Yero," she exclaimed. "You're burning up!"

"Why thank you," he said, trying (but failing) to charm his way out, as he was engulfed in another coughing fit.

"Yero, you have to go home and rest," she said, folding her arms across her chest.

He tried to persuade her otherwise but she wouldn't budge. "But it's a partyyy," he whined. She stared at him pointedly until he was suddenly engulfed in another coughing fit. He clutched the wall beside them and she caught him by the shoulders.

"Yero, we have to go," she said, sincerely. "You stayed for most of the program, anyway. Please."

He nodded, coughing louder.

Elphaba let him stay by the door as she bid his colleagues goodbye. They quickly went outside, hailed a cab, and brought him home to his apartment.

He seemed like he was drifting off to sleep even as they walked inside his bedroom. She thought the alcohol must have made him even drowsier than he already was with his fever. She turned on the lights, helped him out of his coat, and let him lie down on his bed. Once he was settled, she hastily went to the kitchen to get him a glass of water and rummaged through his medicine kit.

"Here, drink this," she said.

"It's just the flu, Fae, I'll be fine," he said and he waved her off. But she insisted and he was too weak to put up a fight. She sat beside him on his bed and rubbed circles on his back while he coughed and sniffed. After a few minutes, the medicine (and the alcohol kicked in) and his eyes drooped. Still in his tux and with his waxed hair now ruffled, she put the blanket over him and kissed his cheek. She was getting ready to go but then he suddenly called out.

"Wait," he said. And he groggily reached out. "Stay, please. It's too late to go out now."

"Yero, I—"

"Please, Fae," he weakly pleaded, even as he was falling asleep. She realized it was no use arguing with a sick groggy man.

She sat back down on the bed beside him and he intertwined his fingers with hers.

"Thank you," he said. She stroked his ruffled hair and soon he was lulled to sleep.

"I love you," he said softly with closed eyes and a sleepy smile.

It wasn't the first time she'd heard him say that. But for a moment—as she looked at the sleepy man in front of her—time seemed to stop, even as the clock continued to tick. Stroking his hair again, she allowed herself, for the first time, to say the words she'd been keeping to herself.

"I love you, too."

He snored.

Oh, I just remembered! Do you guys have any guesses on why some chapters are shorter than others? I asked this in a previous AN. Fae'sFlower was close but not quite. Maybe the newer chapters help weigh in?