While She was Sleeping

Elphaba awoke to the unusual feeling of the bed shifting. "Yero?" She groaned sleepily, subjecting her tired eyes to the bright morning sunlight.

"I brought you coffee!" Came a cheery voice from the other side of the bed, promptly followed by a warm mug being pushed into her hand. Elphaba closed her eyes again. Yes, she could smell it now, the rich scent of the drink was already filling the air.

Her brow furrowed in confusion. "Coffee? How'd you manage that?" The drink was a delicacy the two never could afford.

"That's none of your business. I brought you something else too." That caught her attention. Elphaba opened her eyes to the scarecrow, but her view was blocked by a hue of red. "Um… Fiyero?" She pushed away his hand, allowing the patch of red to come into focus.

Flowers? A smile graced her lips. "You brought me poppies." Normally she would have shouted at him for going into public, but she appreciated the gesture since it was on the occasion. "Thank you." The green woman leaned up and kissed the scarecrow.

"Well, Happy Birthday."

Elphaba blinked. "Birthday? But how—" She had never told anyone her birthday. In fact, she had forgotten it herself. Never had she ever celebrated her birthday, no one knew about it.

"Oh, I have my ways," he laughed. "Happy birthday, Fae."

She looked down at the flowers and the coffee. "No one's ever given me a birthday gift before." The scarecrow gave a weak smile, if he had the chance, he would have gotten her a real gift, but when you fake your own death, you become limited.

"I'm sorry it's not more, I—"

Her voice interjected his sentence for the second time. "No. They're perfect." She didn't have much to compare it with, but they were quite lovely. "You've given me all you have, that's more than I could ever ask for. Thank you." She leaned over and gave him another loving kiss. "Thank you."

She sat back and sipped her coffee, Fiyero's poppies brushing against her cheek as he teased her with them. He weaved the flowers into her hair and laced his burlap fingers with her. He looked upon her noticing she had fallen fast asleep. The scarecrow gave a soft laugh and removed the cup from her hand with the intention to save it for later.

His lips brushed her forehead before he tucked her into the covers. "I love you, Elphaba," he whispered in a hushed tone as if it were a secret.

Even then in her sleep, he could see her happiness in the small smile the lasted on her face. Finally, Elphaba Thropp had found a time in her life where she could rest and be happy.