Archive of Our Own ^beta

I.

It was easy for Glinda to pretend she was not afraid of living alone in the Emerald City. When she got accepted into Emerald University for architecture, she was positively thrillified. She opened the letter in front of an audience of one, and before Glinda even had a chance to announce the decision, Elphaba pulled her into a rather tight hug.

“That’s so exciting! You’re going to be amazing!” Elphaba said. Glinda giggled.

“How did you know they accepted me?”

Elphaba released her. “You gasped like this.” Elphaba mimed holding the letter, and she sucked in a sharp breath. “You’re not subtle.”

Glinda figured she wasn’t subtle, it was exciting news! The only problem was, no matter how hard she tried to get Elphaba to also apply to Emerald University, the witch wouldn’t budge. She never entertained Glinda’s suggestions to apply, and after a month of asking why she wouldn’t, Elphaba finally admitted the truth. “I can’t be so close to the Wizard.”

Glinda knew Elphaba was not on good terms with the Wizard, her biological father.

Their first year at Shiz, Elphaba had received an invitation to see the Wizard and invited Glinda to join her. What started out as an exciting day ended with the two of them back on the train to Shiz, Glinda trying to console a shocked Elphaba.

When she’d gone to read the grimmerie, she’d reached for her mother’s little green bottle for courage. Well, the Wizard saw it and stopped her before she could utter a single word, and that’s how they (Elphaba, Glinda, Madame Morrible, and the Wizard) realized that the Wizard of Oz was actually Elphaba’s father.

It took a lot to processify, of course. Elphaba and the Wizard wrote letters, and nobody dared mention the truth to Frexspar (though Glinda so wished someone would).

The Wizard invited Elphaba to come to the Emerald City for Lurlinemas break, and although Frexspar said no, the Wizard didn’t listen. (Glinda would never say it out loud, but the Wizard and Elphaba were similar in the not-listening front.)

The two of them ended up back in the city, and the Wizard was determined to give Elphaba the best Lurlinemas to date. All he ended up doing was overwhelming her. And then, to top it all off, on Lurlinemas day, he asked her to read the grimmerie to grant a Monkey guard’s wish to fly.

Elphaba, as it turned out, could read the grimmerie, and the Wizard, as it turned out, had lied about everything.

The man had no power, Chistery hadn’t wanted to fly, and there were actually a whole host of Monkeys mutilated by the spell.

Oh, Glinda could never forget that awful Lurlinemas day.

Elphaba had taken the grimmerie and marched out of the palace, Glinda in tow.

After that, every two weeks or so, a beautiful green letter would be in Elphaba’s small pile of mail.

Always from the Wizard. Begging for forgiveness, offering to buy things for Elphaba, asking if she’d come to the city to visit. Each letter went unanswered. Glinda never pushed her to reply because she figured it was a miracle Elphaba didn’t disappear completely after having her life turned upside down like that.

Her other father, the eminent, still did not know about Elphaba’s true paternity. And he continued to break sweet Elphaba’s heart.

Frexspar’s final letter right before graduation said something along the lines of: thank Oz you’re graduating. I can take you off of my bankroll. I can’t make it to graduation, for I have to see Nessa off to her internship in Vinkan Country.

Glinda had seen red, but Elphaba had simply folded the letter and put it on top of the ever-growing pile of letters she’d never respond to (but always kept).

“It’s a miracle he paid for Shiz,” was all Elphaba said when Glinda threw a conniption.

“He’s your father, and he can afford to pay for your post graduate education, too!”

“Yes. Well, he isn’t.”

“Maybe the Wizard—”

“I appreciate your worry, Glinda, but I will figure it out.”

That was that, and Glinda held her tongue. She swallowed the vow threatening to spill past her lips (I’ll pay for your studies) and tried to let it go the way Elphaba had.

When Elphaba got her acceptance letter from Shiz to be in their doctorate program for some strange degree in genetics Glinda couldn’t care less about, she cried. There was no gasping or squealing like when Glinda had opened her letter, only tears. And Glinda crossed the room, crawled onto her bed, and kissed them away.

“I’m proud of you, Elphie,” she whispered. And she was proud—excited, even, for Elphaba’s acceptance, so she didn’t understand why her throat was tight as she said the words.

“Look,” Elphaba sniffled, pointing to a line in the letter. “I got a full scholarship.”

Glinda looked at the offer and held her breath. It would pay for school, but not lodging or food or transportation or clothes… She tried one more time.

“Do you think the Wizard would—”

“I don’t want to ruin my happy moment by thinking about the Wizard.”

“Okay, Elphie.”

And so, as the semester came to a close, Glinda wrote to Fiyero to yell (the best she could through letter) at him that he had better bring his pretty ass back to Shiz to cheer Elphaba across the stage. She rolled her eyes at the cheeky letter she got in reply—something about his two favorite exes and how he’d cheer for both, but louder for the one who was the best in bed—but he was coming, so she didn’t give him any grief about it.

Glinda also wrote her parents a very stern letter warning them to cheer equally for Elphaba (and buy her a gift, too. She will reject it but I will make her take it. You know how persuasive I can be).

To Glinda’s complete and utter shock, though she should have known Elphaba was going to be difficult, Elphaba didn’t even plan to go to the ceremony.

However, Glinda was used to wrenches being thrown into her plans, especially by Elphie whose wrench-throwing arm was always primed and ready, so she recovered quickly from her shock and made big eyes at Elphaba.

“Elphie! You simply must be at graduation,” she said, grabbing Elphaba’s hand. “At least to cheer for me. And I already bought you your dress!”

“My dress?”

“Yes. I knew you wouldn’t go shopping with me, and I knew you’d try to wear the same old things you always wear—not that they aren’t quality—but it’s the start of our new life!” Glinda faltered and tried again. “It’s the start of our new lives, Elphie. A new dress for a new season.”

“No one will be able to see what dress I’m wearing under the gown.”

“Don’t be contrary,” Glinda scolded.

Elphaba’s lips twitched, but she didn’t reject Glinda, and so, Elphaba came to graduation.

Elphaba’s sure walk across the stage wavered only when Fiyero (the bastard) set off a confetti popper, but Glinda’s parents did the appropriate amount of screaming, and her grandmother even took a rather fuzzy picture.

Glinda walked across the stage a few names later. She did not startle when Fiyero opened yet another confetti popper (“Turns out when I think back on it, I rank your performances equally”). Her parents and grandmother cheered, and once everyone’s name had been called, Glinda broke the proper alphabetical line the graduates stood in for the class picture.

They couldn’t be separated during their class picture!

She stepped around an Uke, and an Uffinm, and a Tunn to squeeze her way next to her dearest Thropp.

Glinda grabbed Elphaba’s hand and squeezed it when the flashes started up. Glinda knew she was probably smiling as bright as the flashes, themselves.

Glinda had come to Shiz to get a degree (and, not-so-secretly, to be married). She hadn’t gotten married, but after years of work, she had the degree. And she had a best friend, something she never expected to find at Shiz.

Elphaba spent the summer working in a lab at Shiz doing something. It wasn’t that Glinda didn’t listen, but to Glinda, Elphaba’s smile while she spoke about DNA was much more interesting than the sequencing itself. Shiz was an hour train ride from Frottica, so Glinda insisted Elphaba stay with her and her parents in the Upper Uplands.

Every morning, Glinda left the house with Elphaba and either dropped her off at the train station or rode with her to Shiz. And every afternoon, Glinda met Elphaba at the train station (either in Frottica or Shiz, depending on what Glinda decided to do that morning) with some sort of pastry or chocolate sampling in a little brown bag.

Elphaba’s favorite treat to receive were these little dark chocolates Glinda picked up from a fudge store in Frottica. She tried to save those treats for the days when Elphaba had an especially difficult morning or an especially long day.

The summer passed faster than should have been possible, and before Glinda knew it, it was time to move to the Emerald City.

It was easy for Glinda to pretend she wasn’t scared of living in the Emerald City, but she’d given up mustering up enthusiasm about the prospect.

If moving alone to the city wasn’t enough, she also hadn’t slept alone since Elphaba came into her life. Not to mention, she hadn’t even been to the Emerald City without Elphaba!

What in Oz was she going to do?

Elphaba did not go with her to the Emerald City, but she came to the train station to see her off, eyeing all of Glinda’s bags warily.

“You’ll do great,” Elphaba said, and Glinda lunged at her, wrapping her in the tightest hug possible.

“We’ll keep in contact? You’ll write?”

“And call, yes I will.”

“Oh, excellent!” She should have let go of the hug right then, but didn’t because who knew the next time she’d be able to hug Elphaba? “Elphie?”

“Glinda,” Elphaba breathed. “Don’t be afraid, you’ll do great.”

At that, Glinda pulled away. “I’ll try,” she said because she would try. Both not to be afraid and to do great.

“When you’re settled, write and tell me everything.”

“I will,” Glinda said. “I promise… and Elphie, you’ll do great, too. I know it! You are the smartest person I’ve ever met.”

“Glinda!” Larena called. “The train is leaving, come on!”

“Oh, wait,” Elphaba said. She dug into her satchel and produced a little brown bag. “Chocolate.”

“It isn’t dark, is it?” Glinda asked. Elphaba liked the dark chocolates, Glinda preferred sweeter ones.

“No. It’s as sweet as you are.”

Glinda broke into a smile and threw her arms around Elphaba once more. “Bye, Elphie.”

“Bye, Glinda.”

“Glinda!” her mother yelled.

“Bye, Elphie,” she said again, pulling away. “Miss me.”

“Always.”

II.

Dear Glinda,
Though some of our old friends are still around, it is difficult to be social without you. A few of them are going to the beach, but I declined. I wouldn’t dare subject anyone to the sight of so much green skin.
That said, the long weekend is fast approaching, and I find myself needing something to do.
Would you like to come to Shiz for the long weekend? We can get tea, and you can catch me up on life in the city.
I must warn you, there is not enough room for me to host you. Would it be terribly inconvenient to book a hotel?
Yours,
Elphaba

Dearest Elphie,
One million times, yes!
I would want nothing else than to spend my long weekend with you. It’s quite difficult adjusting to life without my favorite and dearest friend. The mornings have been much sweeter without your crankiness, but I find the isolation dreadful. No one to tell me if my nail color is nice, no one to tie up my dresses, no one to read to me. I must admit, reading to myself is no fun at all.
So, yes! I will be on the train as soon as my last class dismisses.
It is not terribly inconvenient at all to book a hotel, though I absolutely must insist you stay there with me! Oh, it will be exactly like old times!
Always,
Glinda

Glinda lunged for the phone when it rang. Elphaba called at the evening seventh hour on the dot, exactly on time for their biweekly phone call.

“Hi,” Glinda chirped, twirling her fingers around the cord.

“Hi. How are you?”

“Better now that I’m coming back to Shiz! I know the semester’s only just begun, but how’s research going? Have you made any new friends?”

“No, have you?”

“New friends? Of course I have, Elphie! But your research, how is it?”

Elphaba chuckled. “Do you really want to know?”

“I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t.”

“We’re trying to isolate this gene…”

Glinda kept listening, but only to the sound of Elphaba’s voice. She didn’t care what Elphaba was saying as long as she was saying something.

“…Glinda?”

“Hm?”

“Were you even listening?”

“Ah, I admit I got a smidge distractified, but you have my full attention now.”

“I asked if you’re settling in. I know you were nervous about living in the city by yourself.”

“Oh,” Glinda sighed, threw her head back, and felt her forehead with the back of her hand. “It’s so loud here all the time. It makes it quite stressifying to sleep.”

“I can imagine.”

“I finally have my own private suite—an entire apartment—but I must admit I got quite used to your consistent, moodified presence in my life. When this whole terrible thing is over, we really must be roommates again.”

Elphaba laughed. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re married by the end of the school year, and then you won’t need me as a roommate.”

“I can think of nothing better than having my best friend and this future spouse living with me simultaneously. Wouldn’t you at least consider it, Elphie?”

“It depends on how well I get along with this spouse.”

“Very well, I hope. How would I ever be able to reconcile the two people who take up the most space in my heart not getting along? What misery.” Glinda paused, and then she sighed, and she grinned when more of Elphaba’s laughter poured into her ear. “I’m excited to see you again.”

“Me too… Oh, I didn’t realize the time. I have to go, but I’ll see you this weekend.”

“Yes, see you then. Ta-ta, Elphie.”

“Bye, Glinda.”

Glinda squealed at the sight of Elphaba and sprung herself into surprised arms.

“Elphie!”

“Hi, Glinda.”

“It’s good to see me, isn’t it?” She released her friend. “It’s good to see you, too! Oh, Elphaba, did you get a little greener?” Glinda tilted her head, let her eyes wander over Elphaba’s face, and then let out a sharp laugh. “I jest! You’re the same amount of green.”

“You’re… excited.”

“Are you not? I’m back in my old stomping grounds.” Glinda tossed her hair over each shoulder.

“Where are your bags?”

“Never you mind. Where to first, Elphie?”

“The graduate library.”

“What? You ask me to spend the weekend with you so we can go to the book place?”

Elphaba grinned. “Yes. There’s a cafe in the basement, and they have excellent scones and lattes. I think you’ll approve.”

Glinda rolled her eyes, but didn’t otherwise put up a fight.

They walked to the campus of Shiz arm-in-arm, and after Elphaba’s fourth time asking about Glinda’s bags, she answered. “I had someone take them to the hotel for me. You didn’t think I’d do it myself?”

Elphaba snorted, and Glinda leaned into her, causing them to stumble to the side just a bit.

Glinda, it should be noted, had seen the graduate library plenty of times. It was massive, unmissable, really, and utterly boring. From an architectural standpoint, perhaps it had merit, but Glinda planned to pout until Elphaba realized a visit to the book place on their long weekend was decidedly not a good time.

Elphaba pulled her by the hand to the middle of the ground floor where a gorgeous, light wooden spiral staircase stood.

Glinda had to admit (internally) it was impressive to look at. She grabbed the railing and caught glimpses of the other three floors when she looked up the staircase.

“We’re going down,” Elphaba said.

“Oh, I know that!” Glinda huffed, and they started down the spiral staircase. “This better be the most amazifying cafe—” She cut herself off as the cafe came into view. The light seemed to be alive, blues and teals dancing across the floor. Glinda gasped. “Are we underwater?”

“Yes.”

“Like the Ozdust Ballroom.”

Elphaba hummed. “But quieter. Come on. Let me show you my favorite spot.”

Elphaba pulled her through a little maze of tables and short shelves. Glinda was hardly looking where they were headed. The large, arched windows that lined each wall were too beautiful to not look at. Little schools of fish swam by. She all but ran into Elphaba when the witch pulled her through a three-pointed archway into a small enclave and stopped.

On the other side of the archway was a simple table tucked neatly in a floor-to-ceiling bow window. Glinda dropped Elphaba’s hand and moved closer to the windows to inspect them and look out into the water.

A darling silver-and-yellow fish swam past, and Glinda pursed away the smile that threatened to break out on her lips. She was supposed to be pouting.

“I thought it’d give you inspiration for all your little architecture things,” Elphaba said. Glinda faced her at the sound of a chair scraping across the floor.

“They’re called drawings.”

Elphaba’s little smile was so smug that Glinda crossed her arms.

“It is nice, I suppose,” she muttered.

“Just nice?” Elphaba asked, adjusting her glasses.

“Scones and lattes would make it nicer, I think.”

“Right. Someone will be over soon to take our order.”

Glinda pulled out her chair and sat across from Elphaba. The window framed Elphaba so beautifully that Glinda didn’t even have room in her brain to think about an architectural drawing. No, she just wanted to capture Elphaba like this.

“Elphie, can you believe they don’t let the undergraduates in here?”

“Yes,” Elphaba deadpanned. “Though Shiz is a top school, undergraduate acceptances are much less rigid. Anybody can slip through. I mean, imagine if Fiyero wreaked havoc in here. He probably would’ve flooded the place.” She shook her head. “Have you heard from him?”

“Why, are you thinking about getting back together with him?”

Elphaba shot her a look, a look of playful annoyance, a look of… something else.

“I have no desire to be with Fiyero.”

“Not anymore,” Glinda teased, to draw more of that something else out of her, but Elphaba cringed. The semester when Elphaba dated Fiyero had been a rough one in the history of their friendship. But as soon as Elphaba and Fiyero had broken up, the three of them became the best of friends! It didn’t mean that the memory of that semester wasn’t still a bit sour, though.

Glinda planted her hands flat on the table. “Tell me your favorite order,” she said, and Elphaba’s shoulders relaxed.

“Their pistachio, cardamom, and rose latte is lovely. Recently, I’ve been getting the salted honey latte. If you want something not as caffeinated, their golden milk is great—especially now that it’s getting chillier.”

“And do they serve other delicious treats or only scones?”

“They serve more than scones, but I know how much you like them,” she said. “You should try the orange scone.”

Right then, a student Glinda vaguely remembered as a nosy reporter for the Shiz Gazette came to take their orders. Because Elphaba suggested it, Glinda ordered the orange scone. She also ordered the honey latte because if she and Elphaba were going to have a proper slumber party, she needed to remain awake all night.

And though she probably could have stayed awake all night from excitement alone, she didn’t want to take any chances.

Shortly after downing her latte, Glinda may or may not have started vibrating (and jumping each time a fish swam too close). Elphaba gathered up their dishes to the middle of the table.

“Let’s get you out of here,” she laughed.

“Oh, where to next?” Glinda asked. “Is the graduate forum just as fancy?”

Elphaba rolled her eyes. “I don’t want to stay on campus.”

“Let’s go have dinner, then, and then off to the hotel—you’re still going to stay with me?” Glinda asked. She attributed the slight tremor in her voice to her caffeine jitters.

“Yes.”

“Where’s your luggage?”

“In a locker upstairs. I’ll grab it on the way out.”

A medium-sized fish appeared behind Elphaba’s head, and Glinda startled, jumped out of her seat, and nodded. “Shall we make our way out?”

Elphaba contained her laughter and got up from the table. “If we come here again, I’m not letting you get caffeine.”

They gave Glinda the wrong hotel room. She had specifically requested a room with a balcony because Elphaba was always waking up early to read on their balcony back when they were roommates. When she got to the room, there was no balcony, and though Elphaba insisted it didn’t matter, Glinda made her way back to the receptionist so they could fix the problem.

The new room was exactly to her specifications.

Elphaba shrugged her sad, frumpy, and lumpy “luggage” (it was really just a bag) from her shoulder, and it landed on the floor with a dull thud.

Glinda clasped her hands together. “Well, what do you think?”

“I think we would have survived two mornings without a balcony… and where am I supposed to sleep?”

Glinda’s eyes swept over the room again. A sliding balcony door, some run-of-the-mill artwork of Shiz’s campus grounds, the bathroom door, a little couch, a minibar, a bed, a closet… wait. A bed.

Glinda hummed. Well, they’d shared a bed before. There could be worse problems—they could have only one bed and no balcony.

“On the bed,” Glinda answered. “I’d offer to build a little pillow wall, but you do love to snuggle.”

“I do not.”

“If you say so," Glinda sang. “But, if it would make you comfortable, I can go ask for another room with a balcony and an appropriate number of beds.” Her offer was met with an ungrateful eye roll. “In that case, it’s slumber party time! I brought plenty of things to do!”

She marched over to her luggage and flicked the clasps. The trunk burst open, and Glinda rummaged through it.

“I have makeup, nail polish, oh, I brought chips. I even got you those avocado oil kettle cooked gluten free vegan chips you like.” Glinda turned to Elphaba, bag of chips before her chest. “Sea salt.” She tossed the bag onto the bed. “I got jalapeño, of course. And I know you don’t like spicy, but you can’t eat it anyway, because it’s not vegan. I brought paint, and a card game, and a book about the Ghosts of Shiz. Oh, matching pajamas—we’ll need to change into those right away. And, last but not least,” Glinda paused for effect. She stood up from the pile of activities on the floor, spun around, and held out her arms. “I brought myself.”

Elphaba’s eyes narrowed, and she pursed her lips into a smile. “You saved the best for last.”

“I did!” Glinda quickly grabbed Elphaba’s pajamas and took them over to her.

“I’m sorry I didn’t bring anything.”

“Oh, pish posh! You are the best thing you could bring.” Glinda shoved the pajamas into her hands, and Elphaba lifted them up to get a better look.

The short nightgown (more of a chemise if Elphaba was being honest) was silk, shiny, slippery, and dark purple. She caught a glimpse of lavender out of the corner of her eye.

“How are they matching?” Elphaba asked.

“They’re both shades of purple and the same style,” Glinda said as if it were obvious. “So, what do you want to do first, Elphie?”

“Um…” Elphaba bunched the nightgown (chemise) up in her hands. She typically didn’t wear anything that revealing. But she’d wear it because she didn’t feel like fighting Glinda over it. “Ghost stories.”

“You would choose the book.”

“I’ll use magic to add effects. It’ll be fun.”

“I’ve trained you so well. You used to grow faint at the thought of fun, and now, you’re suggesting it!” Glinda gave a fake sniffle and clutched her chest.

“Are you going to be like this all night?” Elphaba asked, and when Glinda nodded, she giggled. “Okay. Let me change.”

III.

Dearest Elphie,
My parents and I are taking a trip to the beach for autumn break. You simply must come with us!
It will be a bit chilly, but I’m sure you will be adequately prepared for such weather considering you always have on layers.
Does being green mean you can’t regulate your temperature? Are you like a reptile, but with softer and prettier skin?
Hm, do let me know.
Anyway, please say yes! I'll give you some time to think about it…
:) :-) ♡ ;-)♡♡♡
So...??
I’m assuming you said yes! I cannot wait!
Always,
Glinda

“Glinda, you can’t just assume I’d say yes to joining you at the beach.”

Glinda rolled her eyes with so much force, she hoped Elphaba could feel it all the way at Shiz. She readjusted the receiver between her shoulder and her ear and uncapped the fingernail polish.

“Are you saying no?”

“Well… I’m not saying no, but it’s a bit presumptuous—”

“Don’t be upset with me that you’re predictable!”

“Do you not recall that just last month, I refused to go to the beach with some of my friends here?”

“Yes, well, I am not ‘some of your friends there.’ I’m Glinda! Anyway, I purchased our train tickets this morning for the trip from Shiz to Frottica, where we’ll meet my parents. Oh, this is going to be so exciting!”

“Is it?”

“Yes, Elphie, stop being a grouch…” Glinda paused at the sound of a male voice in the background.

“Elphaba,” the voice said, “I need the phone.”

Glinda scoffed. “Well, that’s rude!”

“I’m talking to my friend. We’ll only be a few more minutes, but—”

“Now, Elphaba.” The voice wasn’t letting up.

“Okay, um… Glinda, I have to go. Write me what time I should meet you at the train station in Shiz—”

“Elphaba, really!” The voice was growing impatient.

“I will, Elphie, but…” Glinda sighed when the dial tone hit her ears. “…really, you need your own phone,” she finished to the dial tone.

“You lied to me,” Elphaba grumbled.

“I did no such thing, Elphaba Thropp. Now come on. Let me see you! Are you dressed?” Glinda opened the closet door without waiting for an answer, and Elphaba grimaced at the heat prickling up her neck.

She wasn’t naked, but she might as well have been in the swimsuit.

After too many clock ticks passed of Glinda not saying anything, Elphaba chanced a glance at her friend. Wide brown eyes and parted pink lips made the prickling sensation on Elphaba’s neck march down her arms, too.

“I told you nobody wanted to see so much green skin,” Elphaba said in a voice she hoped was sturdy enough to hide her embarrassment.

“Not true. In fact, I think you could stand to show a little more.”

“Absolutely not.”

Glinda crossed her arms and set her face into a pout. “But you’ve got a great body, Elphie, and I just think—”

“No.”

“Fine,” Glinda huffed. “Well, fine! But you must wear that to the beach!”

“It’s too cold.”

“You’re being contrary, dearest. You look good; your legs and arms are lovely. But here.” Glinda tossed a purple, hole-filled fabric her way. “Wear this cover-up on top.”

Elphaba held it out. The cover-up was like a useless jacket. “This doesn’t cover much up,” she grumbled, but she slipped it on without further protest. “You just happened to have these extra suits in my size?”

“I bought them—”

“Glinda,” Elphaba chastised, and Glinda folded her arms across her chest.

“Elphaba, I can do whatever I want to do with my money, and if I want to buy my friend some swimsuits so we can look ravishing together on the beach, then I will!”

The prickling heat apparently found it prudent to settle on her cheeks, too.

“Ravishing?” She looked down at her very, very green legs. Oz, it really was a crime to expose anyone to so much green. “I look like a vegetable.”

“I’d eat you.”

Elphaba snapped her head up, and Glinda’s eyes went wide.

“Oz, I mean… well, you look nice, that’s all! I’m not saying that I would actually… um eat you. In any connotation.” She cleared her throat and held up the floppy sun hat in her hands. “This will tie it all together.”

“If you say so.”

“So I say!” Glinda cleared her throat once more, and stepped closer to Elphaba. She put the sunhat firmly onto Elphaba’s head. “You look nice, Elphie. You might end up married by the end of the semester.”

Elphaba tried not to react. Glinda was sweet, always trying to make her feel better about herself… but Elphaba was not going to end up married by the end of the semester. The first and last person she dated was Fiyero, and that was two years ago. And Fiyero had found her attractive, yes, but Elphaba also had the suspicion he found her something of a novelty.

Glinda went into the ensuite and returned with a beach bag.

“Shall we?” Glinda asked.

“Um… Glinda, do you have a cover-up that covers more up?”

Glinda’s brown eyes slid down Elphaba’s body, and she bit her lip. A clock tick passed before she nodded and put the beach bag on the floor. Glinda produced what looked like a towel with pink and yellow flowers.

“Take off the cover-up,” Glinda said as she came closer. When Elphaba obeyed, Glinda slipped the towel around Elphaba’s back. She wrapped it around her waist and then tied the ends together at Elphaba’s hip. “How’s that?”

Elphaba assessed herself. It was better. More of her legs were covered, but… she sighed. This was as good as it was going to get.

“Better.”

Glinda’s eyes lit up as bright as an Emerald City stage. “Good.” She smiled. “Are you ready?”

“Mhm.”

“And Elphie… if you’re not comfortable when we’re on the beach, we can come back. I promise.”

“Okay.”

They didn’t have far to go to get to the beach because it was basically the backyard of the house. They settled in the beach chairs under a massive umbrella.

Glinda leaned her chair back immediately and sighed as if she’d been working all day instead of resting.

“Oh, Elphie, there’s nothing like relaxing on the beach.”

Elphaba looked from the waves to Glinda. Glinda was already looking at her.

“You know, there’s this lovely little bookstore near my apartment in the city that I think you’d love.”

Elphaba looked back to the waves. “I’m not going to the city.”

“But Elphie! I’m there all alone, and it’d be nice to have you visit me! I want to show you how I’ve set up my apartment, I found a vegan place that specializes in Munchkin cuisine, and—”

“I don’t want to be anywhere near him.” Elphaba did want to visit Glinda in the city. Visiting her best friend sounded like the perfect getaway. But she couldn’t shake the feeling that Oscar was waiting for her. What that meant exactly, she didn’t know. Maybe he had Monkeys at the train station waiting to see a green woman step off the train. The Monkeys didn’t even need to be at the train station. He could just have them patrolling the skies. That’s why he’d tricked her into maiming them, after all, so he’d have spies in the sky.

Elphaba hadn’t seen him since that Lurlinemas day all those years ago, and she didn’t rightly want to see him again.

She didn’t trust him, and she already had a father she didn’t trust. Why add another one?

Not to mention, Elphaba didn’t know the extent of his Animal abuse. If he got her to harm hundreds of Monkeys, and if he’d lied to her to get her to do it, who knew who else he was hurting.

She would wonder who else he was lying to, but Oscar Diggs happened to be lying to all of Oz about being a wizard and about possessing the ability to read the grimmerie.

And even if he wasn’t lying to everyone, he lied to her, his daughter, after going on and on about how he’d always wanted to be a father.

She didn’t doubt he had always wanted to be a father, but that particular desire was eclipsed by something greater. Power.

He cared more about power, and Elphaba was just a means to secure more power, daughter or not.

She believed he couldn’t care less about her as a daughter, and even if Elphaba wanted another father (a wish she had made before, she must admit), Oscar would be the last man in Oz she’d want to fill the position.

“I’ve been there for a couple of months now, and you might be surprised to hear this, but I haven’t seen him once,” Glinda half-way teased.

“I’m sorry… I know it’s important to you for me to visit, but… I just can’t right now. I know it’s been years but, I don’t know, Glinda, it hurts.”

Glinda took her hand. “Okay, sweet Elphie. You don’t have to visit. I’ll just describe my apartment to you in excruciating detail the next time we’re on the phone—oh! Or maybe I should send you sketches of all of my rooms. I got new watercolors I’m dying to break in.” Before dropping Elphaba’s hand, she squeezed it. “I’m sorry you have two bad fathers. You’d think if you had two, at least one of them would be good!”

Elphaba smiled sardonically. “You’d think…” She shifted in her chair, and folded a leg under her so her body faced Glinda. “Glinda, I just feel so awful for what I did to those poor Monkeys.” 

“He tricked you, so the fault lies with him.”

They had this conversation often, and though Elphaba did manage to lift some of the weight of guilt off of herself over the years, some of it remained. Glinda never seemed to get annoyed with her, though, and she never changed her perspective, either: what happened wasn’t Elphaba’s fault, but Oscar’s and Morrible’s.

“But if it weren’t for my magic—”

“Elphaba Thropp, if it weren’t for him, you never would’ve used your magic that way.” Glinda shook her head, comically large sunhat flopping. “You were trusting and trying to figure out what kind of relationship you could have with him. Oz, I was trusting, and I wasn’t trying to figure out any kind of relationship with him. It wasn’t your fault. Okay?” Glinda offered a smile that was warmer than the sun, so hot it made Elphaba burn all over.

“Okay,” Elphaba agreed, not necessarily because she believed it, but because she had to get those intense eyes off of her.

“What do you say we go out tonight? There’s this scandalocious little beach club that has the best-ever fries and the most handsome men.”

“As long as there are handsome women there, too,” Elphaba teased, and Glinda hummed.

“There will be as soon as we walk in,” Glinda said, but Elphaba’s grin was short-lived. It dropped as soon as she heard the remainder of Glinda’s thought. “Oh, but we will have to cover you up a bit before we go.”

Elphaba tried to pull more of the sarong around to cover the part of her leg that the slit exposed.

“I don’t want anyone seeing those exceptional legs and getting the wrong idea,” Glinda continued. “The only one you’ll be going home with tonight is me.”

If Elphaba hadn’t been flushed before, she certainly was now. The season was changing, so she couldn’t even blame the sun (and Glinda wasn’t looking at her, so she couldn’t blame her eyes).

“It’s going to be so much fun!” Glinda squealed. “We’ll dance, and you must have a cocktail with me. Maybe they’ll even have a bonfire on the shore! Wouldn’t it be wonderocious!”

It did not sound wonderocious at all.

“I was actually going to read—”

Glinda gasped. “You mustn’t! Oh, this is why we’re friends, Elphaba. Without me, you’d waste your days away locked up in the house and reading.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

“You can read tomorrow. Tonight, we dance!”

IV.

Glinda’d had a weird day. She woke up late and almost left her projects at home, her mind kept wandering to much of nowhere during class, she nearly forgot about her one-on-one with her advisor, her favorite table at her favorite cafe had been taken during lunch, and by then, Glinda was so discombobulated that, instead of giving the day another chance to mess up, she went straight to her apartment.

Due to the someone-in-her-seat-at-the-cafe debacle, she hadn’t eaten. But she was so outdone that once she crossed into her apartment, she dropped all of her things by the door and lay down instead of eating.

Glinda didn’t want to sleep, but it seemed the only options her brain could come up with were to lie down or cry (she hoped her brain didn’t realize she could do both at the same time).

The city was… lonely, for lack of a better word, and it seemed to get lonelier every day.

Make no mistake, Glinda had friends. And they were objectively fun friends! But the city hadn’t been able to provide her with not-fun friends like Elphaba and Fiyero. Not that she didn’t have fun when Elphaba and Fiyero were around, but Glinda didn’t have to be fun when they were around.

If Glinda called one of her fun friends over right then, she’d have to pick up the stuff she dropped by the door and offer them a snack or something to drink.

If Fiyero or Elphaba came through the door, she wouldn’t even have to get out of bed unless they discerned she was in a particularly pitiful state.

In fact, Elphaba would—

Glinda sat straight up. She was going to miss her call with Elphaba!

She shot into the living room, stumbling over her stuff, called Elphaba’s number, and plopped onto the sofa.

The line rang a few times before a gruff voice answered.

“Hello?” 

“Hi.” Glinda cleared her throat. “Can I… is Elphaba there?”

The man snorted. “Elphaba doesn’t live here anymore.”

“What? When did she—”

“A few weeks ago. I gave her a grace period to make rent, but she couldn’t do it, and she refused my alternative methods.”

Glinda, torn between panic and lividity, chose the latter when the man started laughing.

“Alternative methods? You disgustifying idiot! Don’t you know Elphaba could…” Glinda caught herself before she accidentally threatened murder on Elphaba’s behalf. But the green witch was getting better and better at magic every day. Glinda was sure she could effectively kill this man without leaving any evidence. “Where is she now?” Glinda asked.

“How should I know? All I do know is that she no longer has a bed here.”

“But—”

Glinda winced at the receiver slamming down, and she sighed, placing her own receiver back onto the base.

Well, it looked like she wasn’t going to escape crying today.

Glinda fell over onto the decorative pillows and released a scream of frustration. If the day hadn’t been strange enough, now her Elphie was probably out there homeless, wandering the streets of Shiz with nothing but that shoddy knapsack, her glasses, and a spell book.

Oh, what if she were accosted or robbed or something?

Glinda had half a mind to leave right then, but Shiz was no small town. Glinda wouldn’t even know where to begin to look for her! The University would be a wise place to start, but if she left now, she would have to wait all night for Elphaba to come back to campus, anyway. Also, Glinda had a draft due in the morning that she really couldn’t afford to not turn in on time. She needed to impress her professor so he’d write her letter of recommendation for the summer program she had her eye on.

The rumbling of her stomach interrupted Glinda’s cry-thinking.

Oh!

If her stomach was growling, Elphaba’s stomach was probably growling, too! Glinda hadn’t eaten that day, but she wasn’t homeless and she could afford to march into any restaurant in the city and eat a proper meal. If Elphaba couldn’t even afford a room at whatever Oz forsaken place she was living, then how could she afford food?

“My poor, homeless, hungry Elphie,” Glinda sobbed.

If Glinda hadn’t been so weary from the lack of sustenance, she could have cried all night, but her body was tired down to her bones, and so, sometime between one sob and the next, she fell asleep.

The phone startled Glinda awake—Elphaba!

“Elphie!” Glinda sang into the receiver, voice still a little thick and croaky from crying.

“Hi, Glinda.”

“Hi! How are you?”

“Busy,” Elphaba said with a sigh. “On top of my own work, I’m going through Dr. Dillamond’s work.”

“I never thought I’d say it, but I do miss that Old Goat.”

Elphaba laughed, just a little. “Really?”

“Truly,” Glinda answered with a solemn nod. “Oz, well that sounds depressifying. Are you doing anything for fun, dearest?” Glinda asked. The line went silent for longer than usual. “Elphie? Are you doing anything fun for balance?”

“I don’t have time for fun,” Elphaba grumbled. “How are you?”

“I’m fine. Things are going well. I…” Glinda hesitated. She tried not to ever say anything too sappy to Elphaba, who never knew how to accept such things gracefully, but she couldn’t help it. “I miss you,” Glinda admitted softly. Again, the line went silent for a beat too long. Glinda opened her mouth to soften the admission, but before she could, Elphaba’s quiet voice filled her ear.

“I miss you, too,” she whispered. Glinda’s heart stuttered.

“Elphie…”

“Hm?”

Glinda glanced at the picture of them at graduation and smiled. “You’re my favorite person, did you know that?”

Elphaba chuckled, causing Glinda’s heart to stutter yet again. “I did know that.” She hummed. “Am I supposed to say you’re mine?”

“Well, yes!” Glinda giggled. She fully expected the conversation to turn back to their studies without verbal reciprocation from Elphaba, but once again, she was incorrect about Elphaba’s ability to be sentimental.

“You are.”

More silence stretched, and Glinda was content to let it stay for a clock tick. As long as she could hear Elphaba’s steady breathing on the other end, she could pretend she was sitting in the room with her non-fun friend. She planned to ask where Elphaba was living once she’d had her fill of silence, but she didn’t want to ruin the soft moment with the question.

“Glinda, I have to go,” Elphaba said, interrupting Glinda’s quiet.

“But—”

“The phone is going to cut off in a few clock ticks.”

“Why in Oz would it do that? Aren’t you using the phone in your apartment?”

“Bye, Glinda.”

Glinda frowned, eyebrows drawing together. “Bye, Elphie.”

Glinda Upland had never met a challenge that she couldn’t surmount.

The next morning, she marched to class to turned in her sketch and immediately feigned illness so she could leave and catch the train to Shiz.

Upon arrival, Glinda went straight to the University, determined to find her poor, homeless Elphaba and demand to know what was going on.

Glinda didn’t think it’d be very difficult to spot Elphaba because unlike in the city, Elphaba was one of the few green things on campus… that, and Glinda had the brilliant idea to park her glorious behind in the basement of the graduate book place. Of all the buildings to find Elphaba in, the graduate book place had the highest chance.

Glinda ordered a drink and two scones (one for her poor, homeless, and probably starved Elphie) and waited.

She had the foresight to bring her assignments with her so she wouldn’t spend the entire time lost, gazing at the fish… but she was very much entranced by the fish, and still a little exhaustified from all the worrying about her poor, homeless, starving, probably-accosted or likely-even-robbed Elphaba.

She had the brief urge to draw a particular funky-looking fish with a bump on its head but decided against it because maybe her bright idea of sitting in the book place until Elphaba’s all-but-guaranteed arrival wasn’t so bright. Perhaps Elphaba had come to the book place earlier in the day, before her classes, like someone as studious as she was inclined to do.

Mayhaps poor, homeless, starving, probably-accosted or likely-even-robbed, and ever-studious Elphaba was in the lab, somewhere Glinda definitely would need to consult a map to find.

Possibly, poor, homeless, starving, probably-accosted or likely-even-robbed, ever-studious, and oh-so-thoughtless Elphaba was recklessly napping on one of Shiz’s many benches and using her shoddy knapsack as a pillow and that Oz-awful coat as a—

“Glinda?”

Glinda shot up from the chair, spilling her half-finished drink onto her sketchbook.

“Elphie!” She wrapped her arms around Elphaba’s neck. “Oz, I thought you were…” Glinda squeezed tighter. “I thought you were dead.”

“We talked yesterday. What in Oz would lead you to believe I died between today and yesterday?”

Glinda let go and gestured to the chair across from her. Elphaba shot her a wary look but sat and waved her hand over the spilled drink and restored the pages to a dry and stain-free state.

“Well, you hung up before I could ask, but I called you, you know. Yesterday.”

“Hm.”

“And some awful man answered the phone and said you weren’t living there anymore because you couldn’t make rent.” Glinda paused, eyebrows raised, hopeful that Elphaba would voluntarily fill in the blanks. No such luck.

“Mhm.”

“And then naturally, I assumed you were homeless. Poor Elphie with nowhere to go.”

Elphaba’s lips quirked into that adorable half smile of hers, but Glinda, unfortunately, was dreadfully serious.

“With the way you hung up on me yesterday before I could even inquire about what was wrong, I figured a murderer was chasing you or something. And, I know you’re a witch, but I doubt you know any real self-defense spells, so at some point you’d tire and then… dead Elphaba.”

“Glinda.”

“Yes?” Glinda slid her scone offering over to Elphaba’s side of the table.

“You are ridiculous.” Elphaba said. “I’m not dead, and I’m not homeless.”

“You’re not? Oh, please tell me you have better roommates than that rude man.”

Elphaba broke off a corner of the scone offering. “I wasn’t being chased by a murderer. I was at a payphone. My new place doesn’t have a phone, and I didn’t have enough change.”

Glinda frowned. “How… inconvenient.” Though they had scheduled calls, Glinda always liked the thought of being able to call Elphaba whenever her heart pleased.

Elphaba merely hummed in agreement and broke off another piece of scone.

Oh, poor, starving Elphie.

“Let’s go to dinner,” Glinda suggested.

“Don’t you need to get back?”

“We’ll be done before the last train leaves, and if we aren’t because you’re so charmed by having such a riveting conversation partner, then I can just stay with you.”

Elphaba raised her eyebrows and dusted her fingers over the half-finished scone.

“I’m sure that won’t be necessary,” she said, and there went Glinda’s plan for laying eyes on wherever Elphaba was staying.

“You know I don’t mind sharing the same bed if it’s a rented room situation.”

Elphaba adjusted her glasses. “Where would you like to have dinner?” she asked, and Glinda knew that meant to stop pushing before Elphaba was forced to give a firm, and likely hurtful, “no.”

Glinda’s eyes flitted to the window where the strange fish with the knot on its head was passing by again, and she smiled the best she could.

“Oh, anywhere,” she answered.

Anywhere was nowhere special. A little diner that served some strange, savory fruit that Elphaba liked to eat.

Glinda ordered a soup, something to keep her insides warm in the quickly chilling Gillikin weather. Elphaba ordered nothing.

Nothing.

And Glinda had been maintaining her cool pretty well if she did say so herself, but Elphaba not ordering a single item sent her over the edge.

Without a second thought to the ramifications, she quickly told the server to get Elphaba a soup as well. In fact, bring an appetizer of that weird savory fruit she liked, and they would both be having dessert as well, so please bring a menu when they neared completion of the entrees.

Glinda handed the menu to the server with a too-sweet smile but dropped it as soon as he walked away.

“Glinda.” Elphaba had the audacity to frown at her—to frown at her for ensuring that she was no longer starving!

“Elphaba,” Glinda responded, slight mock in her tone.

“Why did you—”

“Tell me what you’ve discovered by going through Dr. Dillamond’s work,” Glinda interrupted. “Don’t spare a detail. We have appetizers, soup, and dessert to disscusify.” It took a beat before Elphaba gave in to her distractification, but she did, and her frown leveled.

“Do you really care about my discoveries?”

“No,” Glinda answered honestly. “But I care about you, so please, ramble away, dearest.”

Elphaba’s lips parted, and she brushed some braids over her shoulder. She seemed to think better of whatever she was going to say because she shook her head. After a beat, she sighed.

“Thank you, Glinda,” she said, and Glinda smiled, suddenly bashful.

“Nothing at all to thank me for.”

Elphaba put her elbow on the table and rested her cheek on her palm, soft smile in her eyes.

“Surely we can converse about something more exciting than my research. Oh, did you hear about the new exhibit featuring the work of Mice artists?”

“Yes!” Glinda answered. “Oh, I went to see the exhibit when it visited a museum in the city! It was fascinating…”

Glinda wanted to push more, but between them had formed a silent truce. One day, she’d break the truce, but for now, Elphaba was going to be fed, and apparently she had somewhere to sleep, so Glinda let it be.

V.

Dear Glinda,
Lurlinemas is fast approaching, and I am hardly ready.
I do hope it snows during break. Shiz is always so pretty in the snow. I wonder if Madame Morrible would grant a request for me to make it snow considering the Wizard is my… well, you know. No need for me to leave the unfortunate reality in something as permanent as writing.
I hope you are well and staying warm in the city, and I hope to see you sometime over break.
I plan to read, read, and read some more—only books that are fun. My brain can use a rest.
Please let me know the date you will be arriving in Pertha Hills. I know the timing of our phone calls hasn’t been working out recently, but I’ll do my best to make sure we can talk then.
Happy almost break.
Yours,
Elphaba

My Dearest, Dumbest Elphie,
I love you, but I swear you are dense as a rock sometimes. Of course you won’t be spending Lurlinemas alone at Shiz!
No.
You simply must spend it in Pertha Hills with my family. My parents quite love you so.
And since it’s the Upper Uplands, it’s almost guaranteed to snow!
Oh, I won’t hear a hesitation. You must come, you must!
I will let you know the date we are arriving in Pertha Hills. Bring your warm clothes! It’ll be freezing.
Maybe you’ll even find someone to cuddle with. Oz, we both need to.
See you soon, Elphie!
Always,
Your favorite person,
Glinda ♡

Elphaba felt nothing but relief when she saw Glinda was not in the carriage the Uplands sent to bring her from Shiz University to Pertha Hills.

She loved Glinda; how could she not? But Glinda would probably ask her a million questions, and Elphaba didn’t want to explain anything.

Glinda’s suspicions about her financial situation were halfway true: Elphaba was admittedly tight on money. But what Glinda didn’t seem to understand was that Elphaba was perfectly fine. She couldn’t afford luxuries such as eating out (or purchasing a phone), but she had a place to sleep at night, she never missed any meals, and she had plenty of clothes.

To Glinda, such a life was probably unthinkable, but it was fine for Elphaba.

Just fine.

She grew up in luxury at Colwen Grounds, and even though much of that luxury was not readily afforded to her, her father ensured she dressed well (“You already bring enough attention being green”), she was always fed hearty meals, and she had everything she needed.

Just as she did, now.

Shiz University was a wonderful place, after all, and as a student she was able to use all of its amenities for free. If she worried about the shower being taken at the apartment, she could shower at the university’s gym. If she truly needed food, there was plenty of it on campus.

And Elphaba was working on a way to have a place of her own and some more spending money. She’d applied for a work-study for the next semester. The job came with an apartment on the outskirts of campus, so if she was hired, she could live without roommates and have a little more money.

The job was practically guaranteed to be hers because it was offered through the biology department. But she didn’t want to get her hopes up, just in case they passed over her and went with someone else.

And she couldn’t tell Glinda about the job until she was sure that she got it because getting Glinda’s hopes up and then delivering disappointing news would be worse than having her own high hopes crumble.

But she didn’t have the job yet, and Glinda was bound to insert herself into the situation. Elphaba had tried to protest against coming to Frottica for the long Lurlinemas break. Not only would she have to spend the entire time resisting Glinda’s blatant meddling, but she simply couldn’t afford gifts for anyone, and she felt as if she owed all three Uplands so much.

They’d let her stay with them for free over the summer, and they’d gotten her so many gifts over the last few months. Graduation gifts, start of the semester gifts, and even gifts for random holidays Elphaba didn’t know existed.

She knew the kind of “thank you” gifts required of the upper class, and Elphaba was hard-pressed to even afford a piece of one.

She purchased Glinda a new set of colored pencils, and for Glinda’s parents, she had a pair of crystal flutes she’d managed to take from Colwen Grounds as a kind of “fuck you” to her father before she left (it was a lame and halfhearted “fuck you,” yes, but she tried).

It wasn’t good enough, but she hoped they wouldn’t hold it against her.

Elphaba fell asleep watching the barren winter trees turn into equally barren hills.

Despite her relief that she didn’t have to make the ride with Glinda and her initial pushback on spending the break in Frottica, she was looking forward to seeing Glinda.

Somehow, even when she was being irritating or… mean, Glinda made her insides light up with the kind of joy she didn’t know was possible to have.

It wasn’t a phenomenon unique to Elphaba.

Glinda had a presence about her that lightened everyone around her. She was so bright that everyone was attracted to her and danced in her periphery like moths seeking the flame, desperate for the light’s attention. Rarely did anyone leave Glinda’s peripheral, and if they did manage to attract her direct attention, it was fleeting.

But somehow, somewhere, sometime, Glinda had focused the entirety of her direct line of sight on Elphaba. And Elphaba hadn’t managed to escape, since (aside from their tense months when Elphaba dated Fiyero).

It was a little unnerving to have something so bright studying her all the time, but she got used to it after a while.

Under Glinda’s gaze, Elphaba was always so warm, so safe, and so on fire. Recently, though, the brightness changed from its usual warmth to uncomfortable heat, prickling up Elphaba’s neck and cheeks.

Elphaba didn’t know why, and she chalked it up to the physical distance between them.

She was losing her tolerance for such brightness. Not waking up to it and going to bed to it every day lowered her acclimation, Elphaba decided, and so encountering it again always sent her body into a shock.

Elphaba heard Glinda before she woke up, thanks to a squeal coming from outside the still-moving carriage.

“Elphie!”

For a moment, Elphaba thought she was still dreaming (it wasn’t strange to hear the voice in her dreams), but then the movement of the carriage stopped, and Elphaba sat up.

The door swung open before Elphaba had a chance to wipe any sleep from her eyes or replace her glasses and revealed Glinda in all her bright glory.

“Elphaba! You made it!”

Elphaba smiled and put her glasses back on.

“Hi, Glinda.” She closed her book, tucked it in her bag, and took Glinda’s outstretched hand to climb down from the carriage. Feet firmly on the ground, Elphaba braced herself for a hug.

She had not braced herself for a kiss on the cheek, however, and when Glinda let go of her, she smoothed her hands over her long black coat to hopefully hide her fluster.

There was no reason to hide it because Glinda was already talking, talking, talking about everything they were going to do, and it was all going to be great, Elphie!

Elphaba chuckled, grabbed her bag from inside the carriage, and went around back to get her small suitcase.

Surprisingly, Glinda already had it in her glove-covered hands.

“Come on, Elphie! Let’s get you settled in before dinner!”

The guest room had been set up for Elphaba’s arrival. On the bed was a box of the dark chocolates she’d fallen in love with over the summer.

Elphaba dropped her suitcase next to the bed and popped one of the chocolates into her mouth. When she closed the box back up, she spotted a little tag with Glinda’s unmistakable curly handwriting.

Bittersweet chocolate for a bittersweet witch. Enjoy!

Elphaba rolled her eyes and sat on the edge of the bed to pull off her boots.

Glinda was “informing Momsie and Popsicle that you’re here” (as if Glinda’s barrier-breaking squeals of delight when Elphaba arrived hadn’t been loud enough to wake the dead).

Elphaba was thankful to the Uplands for allowing her to be around so much. She was hardpressed to think of a guest who wasn’t related to them that her father would allow to stay at Colwen Grounds for so long…

“Elphie!” Glinda sang, all but skipping into the room. She flopped on the bed beside Elphaba, splaying her arms out. “It’s been years since we spent Lurlinemas break together.”

Elphaba halfway snorted. “Hopefully, this one doesn’t end in tragedy.”

The last Lurlinemas break they’d spent together was in the city, their first year at Shiz.

It had ended with Elphaba mutilating those innocent Monkeys, and she’d left the city in tears, what little trust she had in Oscar after finding out he was her father, broken.

“Oh, it won’t,” Glinda assured. She sat up and leaned her head on Elphaba’s shoulder. “We do have to make it the best break ever, though. And, because I know how important it is to you, I’ll even give you Glinda-free time to read your ‘fun’ books.”

“Thank you,” she laughed.

“As long as you understand that most of your waking hours will be Glinda-full, and doubtlessly far more engagifying than any of your little books.” Glinda lifted her head.

“I understand,” Elphaba said with an eye roll. Glinda squealed for the thousandth time that evening, and kicked her feet.

“Oh, Elphie, aren’t you excited?” Glinda left no room for Elphaba to answer. “I got us some of that lovely dry red wine you like. I’m going to go open it to let it breathe while you get settled. I’ll be in the sitting room when you’re ready to find me. Bring those chocolates!”

“I was going to save them.”

“No need, Elphie. There’s always more chocolates at the shop. Bring them down, okay?” Glinda kissed her cheek, inciting another round of fluster, and hopped off of the bed. “See you in a bit!”

She left the room as quickly as had entered, but the room was somehow more silent than it’d been before she came.

Elphaba really had planned to save the chocolates, but she decided not to push back. It was going to be a long few weeks, and she needed to save her “nos” for when they really mattered.

This, she figured, didn’t matter. Even before she’d been cut off by her father, Glinda would buy her chocolates.

But she couldn’t take Glinda pitying her. If Glinda crossed the line, Elphaba would tell her.

She wasn’t Glinda’s responsibility. Glinda didn’t have to take care of her.

Elphaba could take care of herself.

Snow fell at the beginning of the second week of break.

Elphaba had just fallen asleep when the first flakes fell, and likely, she would have stayed asleep if Glinda hadn’t shoved the guest room door open and hopped on top of her.

“Elphie! Are you asleep?”

“Not anymore,” Elphaba grumbled. She opened her eyes, and when they focused, she saw Glinda’s bright and wide brown ones were a breath away from hers.

“Guess what, Elphie? Oh, I’ll just tell you! It’s snowing!”

“It is?” Elphaba breathed, suddenly aware that Glinda’s lips were also a breath away from her own.

“It is! Get up, we must go taste it!”

“T-taste it?” Elphaba asked, but Glinda had rolled off of her and was already pulling her out of the bed.

“Yes! We have to go outside and stick our tongues out to taste the first snow as it falls.” Glinda pushed Elphaba’s glasses onto her face, soft fingers leaving a trail of warmth on the tips of Elphaba’s ears.

“Why?” Elphaba managed. “Is it some Gillikinese tradition, or is it good luck or something?”

Glinda threw open the closet door, tearing Elphaba’s coat from the hanger.

“It’s not tradition or good luck,” Glinda said. She tossed the coat to Elphaba, and then grabbed Elphaba’s hat from a hook on the closet door.

“Then why must we taste the first snow?”

Glinda scoffed. “Because it’s fun, Elphaba Thropp. Now, come on and put on your coat!”

Elphaba obeyed, tugging the winter coat over her thin nightgown. She put on her boots, and then the hat. The brim actually did work quite well in keeping her dry. It wouldn’t keep her ears warm, but they were still on fire from Glinda’s touch, so she’d be fine.

While Elphaba was tugging on her gloves, Glinda grabbed her by the elbow and pulled her out of the guest room, down the stairs, out a side door, and onto a porch.

Elphaba expected the first snow to be light and delicate, but it was coming down surprisingly fast. The ground was already covered in a layer of white.

“It’s really pretty,” Elphaba said, watching her breath mix with the falling snow.

“Yeah,” Glinda agreed after a beat. Elphaba faced her and met Glinda’s brilliant and warm eyes. “Elphieee!” Glinda squeed, and a puff of laughter escaped Elphaba’s nose. “Come on!”

Glinda tipped back her head and stuck out her tongue. Elphaba couldn’t tear her eyes away, especially not when Glinda giggled when a few snowflakes landed on her tongue.

The porch light and snow illuminated her white coat, making it even more brilliant than the snow (and just as brilliant as her eyes).

“See, isn’t it fun?” Glinda asked, straightening her head and fixing her soft pink hat back into place. Elphaba grinned.

“Yes.”

“Cold!” Glinda giggled. “Very cold! Maybe tomorrow we can have snow cream for breakfast.”

“Snow cream?”

“Oh, you Munchkinlander! Snow cream is—”

The side door opened, and out stepped Glinda’s parents.

“Glinda, you didn’t tell us it was snowing!” Larena scolded, tugging her coat tighter around herself.

“Did you taste it?” Highmuster asked, and Glinda giggled again, taking Elphaba’s hand into both of her own.

“We did,” Glinda answered. “I was just telling Elphie that she and I should have snow cream for breakfast, but she doesn’t know what that is.”

“Ah,” Highmuster chuckled. “You’re in for a treat. A particularly sweet one if you let Glinda make it for you.”

“Pay him no mind!” Glinda said. She tugged Elphaba’s hand and pulled her a little ways away from her parents. Glinda smiled. “I know you didn’t taste the snow, Elphie.”

“How?”

“Because I know you, you funless vegetable!”

Elphaba scoffed but her argument melted right alongside the snowflakes that landed on Glinda’s eyelashes.

Her entire body lit up, prickles marching and heat surging everywhere it shouldn’t have been, especially since she was standing in the snow.

“Glinda?”

“What is it?”

“What does it feel like to be in love?” Elphaba asked. She was unsure of why she had to ask right that very moment, except that maybe it was the first time she wouldn’t have been able to deny that she wanted to pull Glinda close and to hug her and never, ever let go. To be safe and warm under Glinda’s relentlessly bright, inescapable, and unnerving gaze forever.

“Are you in love, Elphie?” she teased. “I don’t know what it feels like,” Glinda answered, squeezing her hand. “But I think it’s a knowing. It’s magnetizing. Unavoidable and disgustifying to witness. Like that.” Glinda nodded behind Elphaba, and Elphaba turned to find Highmuster’s arms around Larena. In between little kisses, they were muttering to each other, so lowly that Elphaba only knew they were talking because she could see their breath in the air.

Elphaba turned back to Glinda, surprised to find she was already watching Elphaba closely.

Elphaba hugged herself. She could not process anything while being the single object of Glinda’s intense focus.

“It’s cold,” Elphaba breathed. Glinda’s eyes flickered to her lips, and Elphaba realized she had whispered. But they weren’t close enough for Glinda to have heard her, nowhere near as close as Highmuser and Larena. “It’s cold,” Elphaba repeated, a little louder, but Glinda’s eyes stayed focused on her lips like she had to read the words on them.

A clock tick passed before Glinda nodded, eyes flickering back up to Elphaba’s. “Let’s go inside so you can warm up.”

It snowed nonstop for two days, effectively snowing them in. They had everything they could ever need at the house. Sure, Glinda had planned to take Elphaba to all the little shops in town (something she hadn’t been able to do over the summer since Elphaba worked all the time), and though shopping would’ve been fun, Glinda wasn’t disappointed about being snowed in. After all, she had much to teach Elphaba about being snowed in.

Being snowed in would have been a mundane event to Glinda if Elphaba wasn’t there. But Elphaba was there with her in Pertha Hills instead of alone in Shiz, and so the experience wouldn’t be mundane in the slightest.

However, Elphaba didn’t know the first thing about having fun, so she certainly knew nothing about having fun in the snow!

The next morning, they had snow cream (“Much too sweet, Glinda”), they built a snowman (“Those button eyes make him look rather silly”), and Glinda, after Elphaba’s fourth complaint about ruining perfectly clean clothes by dressing “piles of snow” (what Elphaba called their snow family), introduced Elphaba to snowball fights.

The snowball landed right on Elphaba’s stomach, breaking apart on her long black coat.

“What was that for?” Elphaba asked, surprisingly whiney when she’d been so haughty seconds before. Glinda threw another one, and it hit Elphaba’s shoulder.

“How dare you keep insulting our perfectly beautiful snow family! They are not mere piles of snow, and they need clothes, Elphaba, or else they’ll freeze out here!” Glinda crossed her arms and fixed her unfun companion with a glare.

Elphaba’s mouth fell open, and she looked from the snow on her jacket, to the snow family, and then back to Glinda.

“They’ll hardly freeze, Glinda, because they are mere piles of sn—”

Glinda cut off the rest of her sentence by lobbing a third snowball at Elphaba. She’d aimed for the chest because as annoying as she was being, she wasn’t quite willing to hit Elphaba in the face.

Unfortunately, the snowball did not hit Elphaba. Instead, it hovered in front of her frowning green face.

Glinda cursed. How ever had she forgotten that Elphaba was a witch?

The offending snowball came flying back at her, and Glinda squealed, turning to run away from it.

“Oh, you terrible, mean thing!” Glinda cried as she ran. She wasn’t fast enough to outrun Elphaba’s magic, and the snowball hit her right between the shoulder blades.

In a bout of dramatics, she fell to her knees, and at the sound of Elphaba’s cackle, she fell into a fit of giggles.

Before she knew it, Elphaba was standing in front of her, glove-covered hand held out for her. Glinda grabbed it and stood, dusting snow from her knees.

“Oh, Elphie, you grouch.” When she managed to remove most of the snow, Glinda looked up, and she gasped at the sight of a dozen snowballs floating in the air behind Elphaba. “Put those down you wicked witch!”

“I will not,” Elphaba said, crossing her arms. “If you insist on assaulting me with snow, I must be prepared to counterattack.” There was no grin on her face, but the grin in her voice was unmistakable.

“I wouldn’t have to ‘assault’ you if you weren’t so mean to our family. Oh, how upsetting it must be to Snowman Fiyero to hear that you think he’s nothing more than a pile of snow! I can’t imagine he’s any less vain than our real Fiyero, and you probably hurt his feelings when you called him lumpy like that!”

“You named the snowman Fiyero?”

“Yes! There’s Fiyero and his darling children, Little Fiyero and Fiyerolina, also known as FiFi.”

“And who is the snow woman you dressed in an expensive hat? Sarima?”

Glinda giggled. “Of course the snow woman is Sarima! And the hat will be okay, I promise.”

“Fiyerolina is an awful name,” Elphaba said, and Glinda nodded solemnly.

“I know. It’s a good thing both of us got out of the grasp of his vain hands, isn’t it? Or else, that’d be us with little Fiyerolina.”

Elphaba looked at her, strange something in her eye. Glinda rubbed her nose because she had to do something to get the sudden wave of nervous energy out of her. It would have been prudent for her to look away, but she couldn’t.

No, not when Elphaba was looking at her like that. What that was, she couldn’t exactly say, but it was intriguifying and nerve-inducifying—or was that excitement fluttering in her stomach?

She didn’t know, and just as she was about to find out, Elphaba’s lip twitched and she broke into a laugh.

“You’re absurd,” Elphaba said, and Glinda smiled, shaking a little more of the snow from her pants because somehow, the excitement fluttering in her stomach took absurd to mean something else. Something steadier and seriouser, much like Elphaba herself.

“Thank you,” Glinda responded, finally. “You’re absurd, too.”

It continued to snow on and off until Lurlinemas Eve. Glinda was excited for Lurlinemas, but her excitement was mixed with an unexpected sadness. Once Lurlinemas passed, it’d be New Year’s, and two days after New Year’s, Elphaba would go back to Shiz, and Glinda back to her very lonely apartment in the city.

She quite enjoyed the snow activities, and the warmth of the fire, and the warmth of Elphaba.

Furthermore, she needed another week at least to weasel some information out of Elphaba Thropp. Glinda did not appreciate that Elphaba wasn’t telling her anything about her life at Shiz. She told Glinda about her research but nothing else.

Elphaba was a grown woman and didn’t necessarily have to tell Glinda anything, but Glinda… worried. When Glinda closed her eyes at night, all she could picture was Elphaba in some unheated, infested apartment and shivering in bed with her stomach growling. She tried to rein in her imagination, but Elphaba was giving her no material to work with! Maybe her apartment was heated, but how was Glinda to know that when she’d been mailing letters to a post box at the University because Elphaba kept conveniently forgetting to give her an address? So while she knew Elphaba was living somewhere, she couldn’t imagine it was anywhere decent because Glinda had visually seen the financial aid offer with her own two eyes! And she’d also visually seen with her own two eyes how Elphaba rejected the Wizard’s help!

Anybody who ever had the pleasure of meeting Elphaba knew she was hardheaded and too obstinate to listen to reason.

Everyone except for the Wizard, who seemed to think he could win Elphaba over. (Glinda quickly realized he must’ve been where Elphaba got her stubbornness from.) Every now and then, he reached out to Glinda via letter, begging her for advice. Glinda never gave any and always wrote back that she couldn’t help him because she’d lose Elphaba’s trust.

But the longer and longer Elphaba spent living Oz-knew-where in Shiz, the closer Glinda was to cracking and writing to the Wizard. She’d tell him to double Elphaba’s aid offer anonymously and give it through back channels. Yes, it’d be wrong, and no, it wasn’t fair to others, but… Elphie was struggling, and Glinda hated it.

She wished Elphaba would at least let her help just a little bit.

But Elphaba would never stop being stubborn, no. Stubbornness was woven into the fabric of her very being. Glinda had no doubt there was a little stubbornness gene that would show up in her bloodwork, just as bloodwork would reveal Glinda’s Gillikinese ancestry.

By Lurlinemas Eve, Elphaba was at least more pliable than she usually was. Stubborn, still, but not as edgy.

And Glinda hoped, oh Glinda hoped it meant Elphaba would be receptive of her gifts.

She could not ask for a better gift than being so near Elphaba for so much time. The two of them had never spent so much consistent time together. Not even at Shiz. They’d been together often at Shiz, but they spent large chunks of time apart thanks to their different classes. But during this Lurlinemas break, Glinda had spent almost every waking moment with Elphaba. It almost made up for the months they’d been in different cities.

After Lurlinemas Eve dinner with her parents, Glinda and Elphaba found themselves in the sitting room on opposite ends of the sofa. As it turned out, Glinda did not give Elphaba any Glinda-free time, but she did give her Glinda-quiet time so she could read her fun books. Glinda was proud to say that she gave Elphaba enough Glinda-quiet time for the witch to finish reading three “fun” books.

Glinda looked up from her sketch when Elphaba shifted in her spot. First, Glinda’s eyes landed on the crackling fire, and then they slid over to Elphaba.

Glinda sat with her back against the arm of the sofa, knees bent as a makeshift surface for her sketchbook. Elphaba leaned on the sofa’s opposite arm, crossed ankles stretched out towards the fire as she absentmindedly twirled the end of a piece of her hair and flipped pages.

The firelight caused shadows to dance on her beautiful skin, somehow making her more menacing than ever and the most unintimidating creature Glinda ever did see.

Breathtaking.

Perfect.

“Elphie?” Glinda interrupted softly, and Elphaba put her finger in the book to mark her place. She faced Glinda, eyes narrowing in gentle acknowledgement.

“The other week, you asked me what it feels like to be in love. I don’t know. I still don’t. But maybe falling in love is a little like jumping into the fire.”

Elphaba smiled, and the corners of her eyes wrinkled the slightest. “So, stupid?” she asked. Glinda nodded. Yes, so very stupid.

“Stupid and scary, because you could get burned. But maybe if you’re falling, you don’t care about getting burned. You only care about the warmth and the light,” Glinda said, and Elphaba hummed.

“Like moths,” Elphaba said. “But moths always die.”

“Maybe the falling is worth death. Maybe love is worth losing everything.”

Elphaba shook her head. “No, it shouldn’t be worth everything. But maybe it’s worth something that feels like everything.”

“What kind of something?”

“Anything,” she replied with an askew smile. Elphaba stretched, bones popping, and then nodded in Glinda’s direction. “What are you sketching?”

“Floor plans.”

“Floor plans for what?”

“A dream house. It’s for class, but it isn’t going very well.”

“Why not?”

Glinda shrugged and pressed the pencil’s eraser to her bottom lip, a rather nasty habit she’d been trying to break since she was twelve. She looked back into the fire. “I just can’t figure out how to turn a person into a house,” Glinda said finally. Elphaba laughed.

“I’m sure there’s a spell for that,” she said, and then, “You sound like a great romance novelist.”

Despite herself, a smile broke onto her lips. “I may not have ever been in love, but I cannot deny I’m a romantic.”

“You have no reason not to be.”

“And you have reason not to be a romantic?” Glinda countered easily, but Elphaba didn’t respond. Glinda turned from the dancing flames to find Elphaba looking down at her book, and though she might have been looking at the words on the page, she wasn’t reading.

“I’m green,” she breathed, “and so a long time ago I kind of… gave up on the idea of anyone wanting me.” Elphaba licked her lips and sighed. “Unfortunately, that doesn’t preclude me from falling on my end.”

“Elphie, you’re perfect and beautiful and so intelligent, and kind… well, you’re not so kind. Actually, you might be a little mean and a lot prickly, but really, who isn’t?” Glinda spotted the tiniest smile on Elphaba’s lips thanks to her tease. “Someone will fall in love with you, I promise you that. And they will have to fight me for your time because you are that wonderocious and splenderific!” Glinda straightened her legs so her feet landed in Elphaba’s lap, and she held out her sketchbook. With her pencil, she pointed to a group of rooms on the floor plans. “And they’ll have to be okay with living in my dream house, because these are your rooms.”

Elphaba scoffed. “Rooms? Plural? In your dream house.”

“Oh yes, Elphie. Only the best for my best friend! And where else do you plan on living?”

“Hm, what if I wanted to live in the Vinkus near Fiyero?”

Glinda snatched her plans back and humphed. “I suppose I could build a place for us out West. However, I think the North suits you much more. Elphaba, the Witch of the North. Yes.”

“No, and the West is nice.”

“You want to be the Witch of the West? Why, for alliteration? Oh, dearest, if you’re going to go for alliteration, you should simply be Elphaba of the East… hm, Excellent Elphaba of the East, or maybe Extraordinary. Envied?” Glinda tucked the pencil behind her ear and brushed the pads of her fingers over the rectangle that represented Elphaba’s library. “Well, I suppose we can’t use East because then you’d have to live in Munchkinland. You could be Elphaba the Emerald, but you won’t set foot in the city, not to mention, I don’t know… that title is missing something. You’re obviously emerald—oh! How about Exasperating Elphaba the Emerald?” When Glinda figured she’d done enough brainstorming, she looked up from her finger circling the group of rooms for Elphaba in her dream house (that was certainly not in the West, East, or South) to find Elphaba watching her curiously.

“You’re absurd,” Elphaba said.

“You’re absurd, too,” Glinda responded. She drew her legs back up so she could rest her sketchbook on them and tried to focus. It proved difficult because, just like in the snow, her stomach started fluttering at the sound of the word absurd, like there were moths inside of it flying desperately towards the fire.

Elphaba smirked and opened her book back up, and Glinda went back to fleshing out her dream house.

Once Lurlinemas Eve melted into Lurlinemas Day a few hours later, Glinda and Elphaba silently said goodnight to each other, splitting at the top of the stairs.

As if she were a young child, Glinda had trouble staying asleep that night. It wasn’t because of her excitement about exchanging gifts. Not only had she requested to exchange gifts with Elphaba in private this year, but it’d been many years since Glinda got giddy at the thought of a pile of presents waiting for her in the morning. Now that she was older, there wasn’t much she wanted that she didn’t have, and anything she wanted that she didn’t have, she could go get.

Unlike Elphie.

And maybe Elphie was why she couldn’t sleep.

Lurlinemas day was here, which meant New Year’s day was around the corner and, well… she’d been over it a million times in her head.

Glinda was going back to the Emerald City, and Elphaba was going back to Shiz.

Under normal circumstances, Glinda would still find the looming reality of being separated from her best friend saddening, but these were very abnormal and unfortunate circumstances because Elphaba was living in what Glinda could only assume was abject squalor! And the thought of it, the thought of Elphaba returning to it, well, it filled Glinda with something sadder than sadness.

If holding Elphaba’s trust weren’t so important to her, she’d bypass the Wizard altogether and donate anonymously herself or convince her parents to fund an apartment exclusively for graduate students in whatever program Elphaba was in.

Glinda tossed and turned and turned and tossed until sunrise, when she couldn’t take it anymore and got out of bed.

Her father was at the kitchen table reading the newspaper.

“Good morning, darling,” he greeted, scratching his blonde beard. “Happy Lurlinemas.”

“Happy Lurlinemas.”

“Is everything okay?”

Glinda grabbed the kettle from the stove to fill it. “Mhm. Why?”

“You’re up early, and you haven’t woken up this early all break.”

“Oh…” Glinda turned on the stovetop and opened the cabinet for tea leaves. She took her time in deciding what kind of tea she wanted. The snow outside caught her eye, and the desire for something strong and malty hit her, so she pulled out the black tea, uncapped the glass jar, and sniffed it.

She hummed at the smell, remembering the days when she was just a little Upland who was not allowed to have caffeine. If Elphaba were downstairs, she would say that Glinda still shouldn’t be allowed to have caffeine.

“Popsicle, would you like some tea?” Glinda asked to be polite (and because she honestly, really, and truly didn’t know how to answer his unasked question).

“That’d be lovely. Ah, good morning, Miss Elphaba. Happy Lurlinemas.”

“Happy Lurlinemas,” Elphaba said.

Glinda turned. She tried to smile, and because Elphaba was so adorable when she sleepily rubbed her nose, Glinda did smile. “Elphie, I was just making tea. Would you like me to make enough for you?”

“Yes,” Elphaba answered, adjusting her glasses. “What kind?”

“Black tea. Spicy black tea if I can find where Momsie hid her spice blend.”

“Larena is selfish,” Highmuster explained to Elphaba. “She likes spiced black tea, but she knows Glinda and I will drink it all.”

Elphaba chuckled noiselessly. “Then yes, I’ll have some tea, as long as I won’t get in trouble.”

“Never,” Highmuster assured.

Glinda put the leaves on the counter and opened a drawer to find the tea scoop. Then she pulled out a teapot, a special red teapot with gold trim for the holiday, and set to work finding her mother’s hidden spice blend.

Glinda could hear Larena on the phone in the other room, so she could’ve asked her mother where the spice blend was, but what fun would that be? Finding the spices was a game. She and Popsicle didn’t really need to sneak the spice blend, but he enjoyed stirring up trouble all while keeping a facade of innocence. And Larena always fussed just enough for him to feel he had succeeded in riling her up.

As Glinda searched for the spice blend, Elphaba and Highmuster’s quiet chattering floated around the kitchen. The sound of their voices tempted her to sit with them, put her head down on the table, and actually drift off to sleep. Even at the table, she was bound to sleep much better than she had that night if she were lulled to sleep by their voices.

Glinda found her mother’s hidden spices behind the knife block, and she prepared the tea to the best of her ability. She brought over the teapot and an assortment of additions for them to make their tea the way they liked. Glinda was pretty adept at preparing both Elphaba and Highmuster’s tea, but she let them do it themselves after she poured out the cups.

Glinda sat next to Elphaba and sipped on her own cup. She had little to add to the conversation other than chastising Elphie for not using enough sugar, and though she didn’t fall asleep to their voices, she let them fade into the background.

She started when Larena’s lips pressed against her cheek.

“Happy Lurlinemas, darling. Where’s your head?” Larena asked.

Glinda sighed, caught a glimpse of Elphaba’s distorted reflection in the red teapot, and hummed.

“My head is right here,” Glinda said.

“Larena, have tea with us, and then we’ll have breakfast,” Highmuster said, gesturing to the empty chair next to him. Larena kissed her cheek once more and went to sit next to Highmuster.

“Granny says happy Lurlinemas and to call her,” Larena said. “That goes for you, too, Highmuster,” she said as she poured herself a cup of tea. Larena brought the teacup to her lips, took a sip, and frowned, looking between Glinda and Highmuster. “Which one of you stole my special spices?” she demanded.

Highmuster put his hands up in a show of innocence. “I didn’t make the tea,” he said. “Your daughter—”

“Hey!” Glinda giggled. “It’s not my fault. Elphie only drinks spiced black tea. It would’ve been rude not to give the Thropp Third Descending what she wanted. I tried to offer alternatives—white, green, black with no spice—but she has Munchkinland sensibilities, you know, and wouldn’t hear of an unspiced cup,” Glinda said. “Right?”

All three Uplands looked at Elphaba, and the witch frowned. “Hm, my Munchkinland sensibilities would’ve enjoyed this more with sweetened milk, but in the spirit of Lurlinemas, I won’t complain,” Elphaba said rather flatly, and she brought the teacup up to her lips to take a sip.

Her parents laughed at Elphaba’s sorry joke, and Glinda grinned, kicking her calf under the table. Elphaba looked at her over the cup of tea, causing Glinda’s retort to die on her tongue. She settled for mouthing the word, “Silly.”

Elphaba winked and Glinda couldn’t help but giggle. She should’ve been mortified by her lack of control over her laughter (and her burning cheeks), but Elphaba grinned a rather pleased grin, set her cup down, and reached for the half eaten ginger snap cookie on Glinda’s saucer.

Glinda tried to gasp in indignation, but she was still giggling, so it wasn’t very effective. Nevertheless, Elphaba stilled her hand, stolen treat hovering just before her lips.

“Sorry. I should have asked,” she mumbled, free hand landing on Glinda’s thigh. “Can I have it, sweet?”

Glinda had barely nodded before Elphaba squeezed her thigh in thanks and tossed the ginger snap into her mouth. Her giggles quieted and her eyes lingered on Elphaba’s jaw as she chewed. Only when the soft crunching stopped did Glinda realize her parents had also stopped laughing. She could feel her mother’s eyes on her, but instead of looking up at them, she looked down into her nearly empty tea cup.

“How about I make more tea?” Glinda offered. She lifted Elphaba’s hand off of her leg and squeezed it before hopping up and flitting over to the stove to turn the kettle back on.

Glinda forwent the post-breakfast walk with her parents and, for the sake of her stomach, decided she couldn’t wait any longer to give Elphaba her present.

At breakfast, Larena and Highmuster gave both her and Elphie their gifts: one little silver music box each, with a pile of coins on the inside. It was enough to buy Glinda a new spring wardrobe at least and therefore enough for Elphaba to not have to be stingy at the payphone (or better yet, purchase her own phone).

Elphaba’s music box had a little singing bluebird on top, while Glinda’s was engraved with butterflies (or perhaps moths being drawn to a flame).

Glinda dared not look at Elphaba to gauge her reaction to such a financially generous gift because she knew it would come up later.

As usual, Glinda was correct. As soon as she mentioned something to Elphaba about exchanging gifts, Elphaba pulled the coins from the pocket of her robe.

“I can’t accept this,” Elphaba said, too earnest to be playing bashful.

“Why not?” Glinda asked, feigning ignorance.

“This is a lot of money, Glinda.”

Glinda smiled. “Is it? Well, Elphie, I cannot control what my parents do.”

“Maybe not control,” Elphaba began. She dropped the coins on the sofa cushion separating them. “But they’ll do anything you say. I know you’ve been worried. I know this was you.”

“How was it me? I’m sure we got the exact same amount!”

“Glinda.”

“Elphaba, a gift is something someone wants to give you out of the goodness of their heart! If Momsie and Popsicle didn’t want to give this to you—of their own accord—then they wouldn’t have.”

Elphaba folded her hands in her lap.

“I can’t accept this,” Elphaba said, shaking her head. “And I won’t. And I don’t appreciate you acting like you don’t know what’s going on.”

Glinda scoffed. “I don’t know what’s going on, Elphaba Thropp! How can I when you never tell me anything? You make me send your letters to a post box on campus. I don’t know where you’re living, I don’t know who you’re living with, I don’t know if you eat properly, and I care, Elphaba. I care about you! I love you, and I don’t appreciate you shutting me out and then getting mad at me for trying to help.”

Elphaba lifted her head, but she kept her gaze in front of her on the fire and did not turn to face Glinda on the other end of the sofa.

“So, you did tell them to give me money so you could try to help me?” Elphaba asked, voice sharper than it’d been all break. Glinda fidgeted with the belt of her robe, twirling and untwirling it around her finger.

“Elphie—”

“I don’t tell you anything because I don’t want you to feel sorry for me. I don’t need you to feel sorry for me, and I don’t need any Upland money regardless of who’s giving it. I’m not your charity case, Glinda.”

“No, you’re not,” Glinda said. She narrowed her eyes and met Elphaba’s frustrated gaze head-on. “But I’ll tell you what you are, Elphaba Thropp.”

“What?”

“Prideful. That’s what you are.”

“Looks like we’re the same, then,” Elphaba said. The witch got to her feet, haughty as ever. “Except I respect people’s boundaries.”

Glinda didn’t stop Elphaba when she left the sitting room to go upstairs. The fire flared, probably because of Elphaba’s magic, and Glinda sighed only when she heard the faint sound of a door closing.

In her lap, she gripped the small box that held her Lurlinemas gift to Elphaba, and she decided that yes, once again she was correct in her estimation of things: the fluttering in her stomach was nothing as beautiful as butterflies. No, they were moths. Moths that were now burning because they flew too close to the fire.

Glinda sat staring blankly into the fireplace, waiting for every traitorous moth to burn.

When she was sure there was nothing left but ash and smoke, she scooped up the little pile of coins on the cushion next to her and got up to change out of her pajamas.

Glinda silently placed her wrapped gift to Elphie on the ground outside the closed guest room door, and she dropped the money next to it.

By the time Glinda reemerged, fully dressed for the rest of the day, the gift and money had disappeared. She didn’t get her hopes up that the disappearance of the items meant the acceptance of them. Elphaba might have been done protesting verbally, but she was still stubborn, strong-willed, and… oh, so frustrating!

After Lurlinemas day came the New Year, and after the New Year, Elphaba went back to Shiz one day before Glinda was to leave for the Emerald City.

Before Elphaba got in the carriage that’d take her back to Shiz, they did hug and promised to write… but neither the embrace nor the promise was as warm as it should’ve been.

It was a good thing Glinda didn’t get her hopes up about Elphaba taking the gifts because, as usual, she was right… well, partially right.

On the perfectly made guest bed, Elphaba had left the little pile of money on top of a card, but Glinda’s gift to her had disappeared and been replaced with a slim box with a pink bow on it.

Glinda opened the card first.

I know you care about me, but I can’t accept this money.
I hope this semester goes well for you.
E

Glinda slipped her nail under the plain wrapping paper. Her fingers moved deliberately, careful not to tear any of the paper, and slowly, she revealed her gift.

The sight of the colored pencils brought a smile to her face (and unfortunately brought the fluttering that’d been gone since Lurlinemas back to her stomach).

“Oh, you terrible grouch,” Glinda grumbled.

She dropped the pencils off in her room, tossed the (stupid) note, and returned the money to her parents’ room.

Since her train ticket to return to the city was for the next day, Glinda packed, fussing and fretting over what to bring to her apartment and what to leave behind.

“Glinda! Phone!” Highmuster called. Glinda’s heart skipped a beat, and she glanced at the colored pencils on the top of her suitcase.

“Coming!”

Glinda moseyed down the stairs hoping she presented nothing but nonchalance and took the receiver from her father.

“Hello?” Glinda’s usual singsong greeting was barely louder than a whisper.

“Hi, Glinda. I promised to tell you when I got back… um, I’m back.”

“Splendid,” Glinda said without any of the splendifidous charm she normally possessed. “Did you have a smooth trip? No problems?”

“No problems.”

“Excellent.” Her finger twirled around the curly cord.

“Safe travels tomorrow back to the city,” Elphaba said.

“Thank you, Elphie… and thank you for calling.”

“You’re welcome.”

Glinda bit her lip so she wouldn’t sigh. “Bye, Elphie.”

“Bye, Glinda.”

VI.

Glinda tapped her nails on the table as she waited for the phone to ring.

The memory of their fight still made her sick to her stomach at night, and she wished she’d made Elphaba talk to her so they could work everything out instead of leaving each other on such an awkward note.

They’d specifically agreed to write each other upon Elphaba’s departure, but because no mention of phone calls was made, Glinda didn’t know if Elphaba still wanted to have them at all.

She didn’t know if Elphaba was going to call, but she sat by the phone anyway, just in case she did. Glinda couldn’t be the one to make it because she didn’t have a phone number to contact Elphaba…

And honestly, it’d be perfectly fine if Elphaba didn’t call! It was freezing in the city, so Glinda couldn’t imagine how much colder it was at Shiz. There was no need to expect Elphaba to walk to one of those dreadful payphones merely to give Glinda a call. Truly, Glinda wouldn’t want Elphaba to trek out in the cold just to—

The phone rang, pulling Glinda from her reasoning about why Elphaba might not call, and Glinda clutched her chest in shock. She eyed the phone as if it were playing a trick on her (and she didn’t want to seem too eager by answering on the first ring).

She let it ring three times and cleared her throat before she picked up.

“Hello?”

“Hey…”

“All settled back into the rhythms of a new semester?” Glinda asked, and Elphaba hummed.

“I am,” she said. “How about you?”

“Oh, yes… you know, waking up…” without you “…so early again is difficult, but we all must overcome hardships.”

“We must.”

Glinda winced at the sarcasm. “It was a joke,” Glinda defended weakly.

“Glinda, I… it’s been a long week with travel and classes.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Not really,” Elphaba said.

“Oh, okay… well, I have a sketch due tomorrow, so I should finish it.”

“Okay.”

“Goodnight.” Glinda bit her lip.

“Goodnight.”

VII.

Glinda had hoped everything would go back to normal between her and Elphaba after a few weeks of separation. However, that very much was not the case.

No.

Their phone calls lasted mere minutes, and not because of the payphone or a rude roommate rushing them.

The phone calls were so short because Elphaba had started offering even less information than she had before, and she never stuck around on the phone long enough for them to talk through their tiff.

The letters became shorter, too.

They became so short that Glinda wondered if their friendship was not only strained but dying a painfully slow death by broken trust and distance.

She tried not to think about it because when she did, the most uncomfortable lump formed in her throat that made it difficult to breathe.

She didn’t want their friendship to die. Elphaba was her very best friend in all of Oz. The most magnificent and brilliant person Glinda ever did meet!

But it was so difficult to talk and write to Elphaba.

Ever since Lurlinemas break, Glinda took forever to write letters to Elphaba because she never wanted to write the wrong thing and snuff out the last ember of warmth still between them (and it took her a long time to figure out how to say so little).

Miss Elphaba,
Congratulotions on your breakthrough! I must admit, I understood very little of what that means. Perhaps you can explain it to me one day.
I’ve just completed and turned in my application for a summer experience where I’ll get to travel all over Oz and meet great architects. Fingers crossed they accept me.
Take Care,
Glinda

Elphaba didn’t have a problem with a slow turnaround. Her short letters came almost immediately.

Always polite and kind, but always woefully empty.

Dear Glinda,
Thank you for your congratulations, but really it was Dr. Dillamond’s research that pushed me in the right direction.
I hope you get accepted into the summer experience.
Thank you for moving our calls to once a month. My schedule is quite hectic.
Best,
Elphaba

Glinda tried to distract herself from the brevity of their communications with her friends in the city, with spectacular shows, with delicious food, with deafening clubs, but no matter what, Glinda returned to her apartment somber.

What did fun matter if she couldn’t tell Elphaba?

What did life in the city matter if she couldn’t live it with Elphaba?

What did life matter if Elphaba didn’t even want to be in hers?

Miss Elphaba,
Moving our calls to once a month is not a problem at all.
If I get into the experience, I shall be sure to let you know.
I do hope you’re having some fun in that hectic schedule of yours.

Glinda crumpled the letter and tossed it in the trash. Why waste paper to say nothing substantial?

Glinda and Elphaba had fought plenty of times before, and it’d never taken so long for the ice between them to thaw. Glinda wanted it to thaw, but she couldn’t thaw it by herself. She needed Elphaba to want the closeness back, too.

But the last thing she wanted to be was a burden to Elphaba. She refused for Elphaba to think of her as an annoying obligation or a spoiled ex-roommate who couldn’t take a hint.

So, Glinda resolved never to bother her first again.

If the Lurlinemas spat ruined them forever, then Glinda needed to try to accept it, and she needed to give Elphaba her space.

And maybe if Glinda gave enough space and accepted that the friendship was dying, she wouldn’t hurt as much once it actually did.

VIII.

​​“Hi, Elphaba.”

“Hi Glinda.”

Glinda closed her eyes and slumped into the couch, nestling the receiver between her shoulder and ear. “Elphie, I—”

“Babe, who’s that?” A voice Glinda didn’t recognize asked. Elphaba’s voice came through the line muffled.

“I told you I have my call with Glinda.”

“Oh, your old roommate from Shiz.”

There was some rustling and then Elphaba came back. “Sorry about that.”

“No worries.” Glinda sucked in a shaky breath. “In fact, if you need to go, it’s fine.”

“Are you sure?” Elphaba asked and Glinda’s heart stopped. She expected Elphaba to decline—to assure her that this time was for their scheduled phone call. For them.

“I’m sure.”

“Thank you,” Elphaba breathed. “I’m about to head out.”

“Right! Well, don’t let me hold you! Bye!” Glinda slammed the handset back onto the base and stood up. “Oh!” She broke into a pace, raking her fingers through her hair as she walked back and forth across the hardwood.

Yes, she had expected that Elphaba would eventually spread her wings and fly into the world of post-Fiyero dating, but Glinda knew nothing about any post-Fiyero dates!

And Elphaba’s relationship with this post-Fiyero date was already at the point where the unrecognizable voice called Glinda’s best friend “babe!” (No, it didn’t matter that they were drifting. Elphaba was still her best friend!)

“Well, I never!” Glinda huffed. She whirled around and glared at the phone. What a wicked piece of technology. It was nothing more than a harbinger of bad news and confusification and wretched sadness and continual reminders of Glinda’s aloneness.

Glinda should not have shown up at the graduate book place.

No, she really, really shouldn’t have, but her feet took her to the train station instead of to campus and her hands paid for the ticket to Shiz. Once she spent the money, she couldn’t very well waste it, so she got on the train.

Glinda got off at Shiz and yes, sure, true, she could’ve gone to a shop or a bakery. Or even just stayed on the train and gotten off closer to Pertha Hills… but once she was off the train, it was too late.

Her feet were already moving, and her brain was mostly empty, and she could really go for a scone.

She just found herself there, honestly, she did, because as soon as she settled at the table with her scone and saw the fish with the knot on its head swim lazily past the window, her stomach turned over.

“I’m gonna be sick,” Glinda mumbled, hand on her stomach. She pushed away from the table and grabbed her coat so she could run to the bathroom and then back to the train station.

She’d made a resolution not to bother Elphaba first, and showing up at the graduate book place was undoubtedly a botherment of the highest order!

Glinda kept her eyes on the ground as she ran, purse flapping against her hip, so she didn’t see that she was about to bump into someone until her shoulder collided with them.

“Oh! Please excuse me, I think…” Glinda’s words died on her tongue when she lifted her head and saw she’d bumped into Elphaba Thropp, of all people. “Oh, Oz,” she grumbled. Glinda took a sharp breath and put on a smile. “Hi, Elphie. Pretend you didn’t see me, okay? Bye, Elphie!”

Glinda ran, she did, up the stairs and out the book place’s grand and heavy doors, forgoing the bathroom entirely. She ran down the book place’s stone steps and around the corner.

She didn’t stop running until she had nowhere else to run, trapped in one of Shiz’s many stupid enclaves.

“Glinda.”

Glinda jumped, squealed, and clutched her purse. “Oh,” she giggled, breathless from her mad dash. “Don’t sneak up on me like that!”

“You are the one in the graduate library at my table,” Elphaba said with a raised eyebrow.

Glinda giggled again, fanning herself with her hand. “I’m here for research. Mm, yes. I was talking about the brilliant architecture the graduate book place—”

“Library.”

“Yes, whatever. I was talking about how brilliant the architecture was, and my advisor told me to come visit and, well, here I am!”

Elphaba hummed. “And the running? Is that part of the research?”

“I got a little queasy down there. Seasick from looking at all the water outside of the windows.”

“Does running help get rid of queasiness?” Elphaba asked, and oh, why wasn’t she letting Glinda get away with the lie?

“It does,” Glinda answered. “I’m not about to vomit anymore, am I?” She straightened her shoulders and brightened her smile. “Well, dearest, lovely to run into you—oh, no pun intended!” Glinda laughed. “I must go, though. Train to catch, city to return to! Much to do!”

“Do you think you could stay for a couple of hours? I have something to show you. A surprise.”

Glinda shrugged on her coat. “I suppose I can delay my plans by a couple of hours since I’m already here.”

“Hm.” Elphaba tilted her head slightly, and her eyes slid over Glinda. Thankfully, Glinda was quite distractified by buttoning up her coat, so Elphaba probably didn’t see her blush because she was looking down. And even if she did see her blush, well, maybe she’d assume Glinda was still recovering from her sprint. “You weren’t going to tell me you were coming, or that you were here?”

“No,” Glinda said, rather curtly. She tossed her hair in place behind her shoulders. “I didn’t want to bother you with boring mundanities like window research.”

“Right.” Elphaba cleared her throat.

“Right,” she said. “Now, take me to this surprise!”

Elphaba had a few things to tell Glinda. Things she wanted to tell Glinda in person so she could mitigate any potential over-the-top response the news might prompt.

It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Glinda not to keep it together, but… well, she didn’t trust Glinda to keep it together. Also, she wanted to tell Glinda the news in person so she could see the excitement in her brown eyes.

Elphaba had been accepted into the work-study and moved into the provided off-campus apartment. She wanted to have everything set up before she invited Glinda to see it.

Elphaba doubted the apartment was as nicely furnished or well-decorated as Glinda’s place in the city, but nothing of Elphaba’s would ever be as nice as Glinda’s (an impressive feat because the Thropps had a higher social status than the Uplands).

It didn’t take Elphaba long to get the apartment set up, and she would’ve invited Glinda sooner… but a few weeks after Lurlinemas, she met someone.

Not only did the someone take up all the weekends she could’ve invited Glinda to visit, but she didn’t want Glinda to meet the someone before Elphaba knew whether it was something.

The last time Elphaba had dated, it had strained her friendship with Glinda. Granted, that probably had a lot to do with her dating Fiyero, who was Glinda’s ex, but even after she broke up with Fiyero, it took her and Glinda a while to get back to where they were.

Not to mention, she and Glinda were already in a kind-of-definitely strained place, and had been since Lurlinemas.

Elphaba could have been kinder, she had to admit, but she wanted Glinda to understand that it wasn’t her place to orchestrate charity for Elphaba.

She appreciated that Glinda cared about her, she did, but she didn’t appreciate the overstepping, and she absolutely did not appreciate the way Glinda tried to force her into accepting unwanted help.

Elphaba had hoped that when she invited Glinda to see her apartment to finally put her worries about Elphaba’s homelessness to rest (which was never a thing Glinda needed to be worried about) that it would be a weekend when the someone she met would not be around. She wasn’t going to hide her new relationship from Glinda, but her relationship with Glinda needed some uninterrupted tending to so the lingering iciness from Lurlinemas could melt.

Her relationship with Glinda deserved uninterrupted tending to, especially before Elphaba introduced her to her girlfriend.

But Glinda was at Shiz, probably because she’d heard her girlfriend’s voice on the phone.

For the entire walk to the apartment, Glinda remained silent and two steps behind Elphaba. She didn’t even ask where they were going or the nature of the surprise.

“Here we are,” Elphaba said. Glinda came to a stop beside her and lifted her downcast eyes. “I found a work-study job as a lab assistant. The job came with an apartment.” Elphaba chanced a glance at Glinda while she waited for a response, but none ever came. “Surprise… um, it’s small, but I don’t have any roommates.”

“Oh.” Glinda laughed halfheartedly. “Congratulotions on the job and no roommates, Miss Elphaba. Do I get to see inside or am I relegated to remaining out in this harsh winter air?”

She almost went for Glinda’s hand to hold as they walked up the stairs but hesitated at the last second.

“Come on,” Elphaba said. She led her up the stairs and into her second-floor apartment.

“Thank Oz it’s warm in here,” Glinda said as soon as she stepped into the apartment. Elphaba closed and locked the door before taking Glinda’s coat to hang in the tiny coat closet in the entryway.

“It’s small, but—”

“It’s nice, Elphie,” Glinda interrupted. “A little stuffy. A little old. Very you, but it’s nice.”

“Most of the furniture came with it,” Elphaba explained, gesturing to the entirety of the apartment.

To the left was a small kitchen and straight ahead were the loveseat and arm chair that constituted the living room. There was a desk pushed up against the far wall and Elphaba had managed to nestle a bookshelf next to it.

“The bedroom and bathroom are through these doors,” Elphaba said, gesturing to the door on the right.

“It’s cozy,” Glinda decided. She moseyed further into the place and hummed. “Well, I am surprised and very happy for you.”

“You are?” Elphaba asked. Glinda was tense. Every step she took was the slightest bit shaky, as if gravity was having a hard time keeping her tethered to the ground. “You don’t look happy.”

Glinda grimaced and kept walking until she stopped in front of the bookshelf. “I am happy… but I wish you told me.”

“I wanted to surprise you.”

“I know.” Glinda sighed and, to busy herself, Elphaba went to the kitchen to make coffee. “Elphaba, this isn’t the kind of thing I want to be surprised by. This is the kind of thing I want to be on the journey for. We’re… well, we were best friends. And I know you’re probably mad at me for Lurlinemas, and I’ve been trying to give you space, truly, but—”

“Glinda, I’m not mad at you. I was frustrated, because it seemed like when you looked at me all you saw was a charity case. I want to be your friend, not your project.”

“You don’t even talk to me on the phone anymore.” Glinda’s words were watery with emotion and just as shaky as the steps she was taking moments before. Elphaba glanced up and hoped Glinda would look at her so she could tell just how deeply upset Glinda was.

“I don’t have a lot of free time now that I’m working, and if this is about the last time we talked and I had to go, I’m sorry.”

Glinda didn’t turn from the bookshelf so Elphaba returned to her distraction and measured out the coffee grinds to dump into the top of the siphon.

“Right,” Glinda said. She pulled a book from the shelf and flipped through it. “I know it’s difficult because of the distance, but I want to be in your life. I want to know what’s going on.”

Elphaba sighed internally and grabbed the hot water to pour over the grinds. Glinda finally turned from the bookshelf and any question Elphaba had about why Glinda showed up at Shiz that morning was answered at the sight of her little pout.

Glinda was upset she didn’t know about the work study and the apartment, but really she was there to see about Elphaba’s girlfriend.

“Would you like a cup of coffee?” Elphaba asked when the last bits of the coffee siphoned out.

“Yes,” Glinda answered, pout not budging in the slightest.

“Let me get the sweet cream.”

Glinda’s heels clicked across the scuffed hardwood floor and Elphaba got the sweet cream and spoons.

They stood, shoulder to shoulder, stirring their coffees lighter brown, and Elphaba took a breath.

“Glinda.”

“Hm?”

“I don’t know how much you heard on the phone, but—”

“What ever are you talking about, Elphie? I heard nothing on the phone.”

Elphaba bit a half-annoyed smile from her lips. “So you heard everything.”

“Hmm…”

“I was waiting to tell you about this too. I wanted to tell you in person.”

“Tell me what?” Glinda dropped her spoon into the sink next to her and held out her hand for Elphaba’s spoon.

“I’m seeing someone,” Elphaba breathed. She felt Glinda stop breathing. Her delicate fingers wrapped around Elphaba’s spoon and she dropped it into the sink. The spoon hit the bottom of the sink with a clank, and Glinda resumed breathing.

“Are you going to tell me about this someone, or do I have to just happen to be doing research at Shiz one day when this someone you’re seeing shows up?” Glinda lifted her saucer and cup. “Perhaps I should have gone back for my scone so I could have something to eat with this.”

Elphaba chuckled. “Yes, how is your stomach?”

Instead of answering, Glinda sat at the kitchen table. There was only room for two chairs, but it wasn’t like Elphaba was hosting parties or anything.

“It is such a shame you can’t fit more than this little table in the kitchen. Oh, Elphie, can I get you a housewarming gift?”

“No.” Elphaba sat across from Glinda.

“Why not?”

“I doubt whatever you’ll get me will fit… or be easy on the eyes.”

Glinda worried with the table mat. The expected outrage at the implications about her style never came.

“I should go back for my scone,” Glinda muttered. She continued speaking, but at a barely decipherable volume. Elphaba couldn’t be sure, but it sounded like she said, “I shouldn’t have said yes to coffee.”

“Glinda, if you want a snack—”

“Elphaba, it appears someone has a key to your apartment,” Glinda informed, voice having returned to a proper volume.

“Yes, that’s—”

“Might this be the special someone? How thrillifying I’ll get to meet them.”

Elphaba wondered if whatever Glinda had going on with her stomach was contagious, because as soon as the door swung open, hers lurched.

Glinda really, really shouldn’t have let her feet have a mind of their own that morning. She really, really shouldn’t have shown up at the graduate book place, and she really, really, honestly and truly should not have stayed for coffee in Elphaba’s small apartment.

“Elle?”

Glinda’s eye might have twitched. Who in Oz was Elle?

“I knew you went to the library to pick up your reservation, but I thought you were going to stay. I went there looking for you—oh, hello!”

Glinda’s eye might have twitched again when Elphaba’s chair scraped across the floor. She looked up from the little ripples in her coffee that the movement caused, careful to smile real pretty at Elphaba’s someone.

Her real pretty smile didn’t even falter when her eyes landed on a gorgeous woman. Taller than Elphaba by a few inches with eyes bluer than the sky.

“This is Glinda,” Elphaba said, gesturing to Glinda.

“The famous Glinda,” the woman said with a bright smile. “Elphaba has told me so much about you… as have others who knew you at Shiz. Charmed to meet you. I’m Gianna.”

Gianna.

The first thought that came to Glinda’s mind was utterly unhinged: she was to be Elphaba’s only friend with a G name. Whenever Elphaba saw, wrote, or said the letter G, she was only supposed to think of Glinda.

Her second thought was much more hinged: a wonderment that she, Elphaba’s best friend, couldn’t say Elphaba had told her a lot about Gianna.

Glinda stood and held out her hand for Gianna to take. “Charmed.”

“I left the library to show Glinda the apartment,” Elphaba explained, spurring more wonderment in Glinda. Why in Oz was Elphaba’s voice so light? Did she always talk like that and Glinda didn’t notice? No, it was definitely different, not that Glinda could blame her.

Gianna was gorgeous. Drop dead gorgeous and actually, Glinda thought she might drop dead right in the kitchen at the mere sight of her.

“Gigi, have I told you…” Elphaba’s voice faded and Glinda plopped back into her seat because, yes.

Yes!

Glinda was absolutely going to drop dead right there or perhaps instead of catching a train to the city, she’d go straight to the Mind Place!

Surely Elphaba knew better than to designate Gianna with two Gs!

Oh, Elphaba would never associate the beautiful letter G with Glinda again.

“Glinda?” Elphaba’s voice snapped back to reality.

“I’m sorry, can you repeat that?” Glinda asked after she tried her hardest to put her real pretty smile back in place.

“You’re from Frottica?” Gigi asked. “I’m from Settica.”

Fucking Settica.

Somehow Glinda managed to neither die nor cut her eyes.

Settica.

What a dreadful place! Of all the counties in Gillikin, Settica produced the most obnoxious, the most entitled, and the most out-of-touch individuals ever. Frottica was far superior in every way.

And now that she mentioned it, Glinda should have known she was Gillikinese by the telltale curls in her light hair and her blue eyes.

“Well, Gigi. Elle. I promised my parents since I was coming to Shiz that I’d visit them in Frottica for the weekend. I’m afraid my mother and I have a shopping date, so I must head to the train station.” Glinda got back up and tossed some of her hair over her shoulder. “I’ll leave you young lovers to it!”

“So soon?” Gianna asked, and upon Glinda’s nod said, “It was lovely meeting you. I hope you come back to visit. Or maybe Elle and I can visit you in the city.”

Glinda couldn’t take much more excitement in the day, so she spoke before Elphaba even had the chance to give another surprise and say “yes” to visiting Glinda in the city with Gigi. (Glinda was pretty sure Elphaba would have said no, but honestly, it was as if she didn’t know the witch at all anymore!)

“That sounds lovely. Thank you for the coffee.”

“Let me walk you downstairs,” Elphaba offered.

“No need. I know where to go!”

“Glinda,” Elphaba said, sigh in her voice.

Glinda’s twitching eye twitched again.

How rude of Elphaba use that tone in front of company!

However, Glinda didn’t protest further. She’d allow Elphaba to walk her downstairs. She said thank you when Elphaba grabbed her coat from the closet and handed it to her, said thank you when Gianna complimented her coat, and said thank you when Elphaba opened the door for her.

Glinda pulled on her coat and her gloves as she walked down the steps, Elphaba’s hurried footsteps behind her. As soon as she hit the final stair, Glinda threw up her hand in a halfhearted wave.

“Thank you for walking me downstairs, dearest. I am hoping Momsie has something for my stomach, oh, and I am beginning to get a headache—” From behind, Elphaba grabbed her waving hand and spun her around.

“Glinda, I was going to tell you.”

“You were?” Glinda snatched her hand back from Elphaba and crossed her arms. “Because I must say my feelings are rather hurt that Gigi knows who I am and I know nothing about her. I didn’t even know she existed. I didn’t know you applied for a work study nor that you got it, which I would have been thrillified to hear. You didn’t tell me it came with an apartment! I could have, and would have, gotten you an appropriate housewarming gift despite your disdain for my personal style, and not because I think you’re a charity case, but because you are my friend. Well, you were.”

“You’re so upset that you don’t think we’re friends anymore?” Elphaba asked and Glinda took a sharp breath of cold air to build her nerve.

“Elphaba, you have been dating someone for long enough that you’ve moved her into your apartment. Your apartment that I, your supposed best friend, didn’t even know anything about!”

“She doesn’t live with me,” Elphaba countered, as if such a detail mattered to Glinda.

“But she has a key. Have you even known her long enough to trust her with a key?”

“I’ve lived with someone I didn’t trust before, so I’m not worried about her having a key.”

Glinda blinked away, smile as soft and cold as snow. “Right. Like I said, I must be going now.”

“You were overbearing,” Elphaba said, freezing Glinda in place before she could try to walk off again. “Glinda, I know you care, but I felt suffocated by how much you fussed, and I felt pitied. You’d never pitied me before, and I… I felt like you thought I was inadequate or that you were embarrassed by my lack of money.”

“That wasn’t pity,” Glinda snipped. “It was heartache for the unfairness thrust upon the person I love the most.” She cleared her throat, startled by the admission, but too far gone to find embarrassment in it. “I wanted to take care of you. I know that’s difficult for you to processify because you were raised by someone who couldn’t care less about you, but that’s all I wanted to do, Elphaba. You weren’t inadequate, I wasn’t embarrassed by your lack of funds, and I’m sorry that I suffocated you. But don’t worry, I’ve well learned my lesson since Lurlinemas, and today merely reinforces that.”

Elphaba had the good sense to look conflicted, eyes flickering over Glinda’s face. “What lesson is that?”

“That I shouldn’t try to take care of someone so stubborn and thankless, and I should accept when I’m not wanted in someone’s life.”

“Glinda, that’s not true. I do want you in my life.”

“I don’t think you do! I saw my Lurlinemas gift to you on the bookshelf. You didn’t even open it.” Glinda shook her head. She’d spent so much time on Elphaba’s present and tried to get her something special she’d actually like.

“Because I know it’s jewelry, probably worth a fortune, and I know you. You probably bought the most gaudy piece of jewelry in existence hoping I’d sell it and use the money for food or whatever it is you think I’m lacking,” Elphaba said. Glinda almost laughed because she would’ve done something like that if she’d thought of it.

“It is jewelry, but it’s worthless. I made a pendant for you and put it on a chain because, again, I care about you, Elphaba Thropp.”

Elphaba sighed. “I didn’t want you feeling sorry for me.”

“No need to worry. The only person I feel sorry for right now is myself.” And not only was she sorry, but she was growing more and more embarrassed with every clock tick she stood in the cold trying to keep her voice from cracking. “Now, would you please allow me to get to the train station so I can go home?”

Elphaba grabbed her hand again. “Please don’t leave. We need to talk.”

“We don’t. Furthermore, we can’t while your girlfriend is in that Mouse-sized apartment.”

“We do, and I can ask Gianna to go home. Or… we can talk at our next phone call?”

“Oh,” Glinda huffed, shaking her head. “Why ever would you want to have a phone call with someone so suffocating?”

“I don’t think—”

“You never do!” Glinda snatched her hand out of Elphaba’s. “Thank goodness I do think, and I think that there’s no need to waste one of your free evenings talking to me when you could be out having fun with Gigi. I also think that I need some time to mourn the shallowing depth of our friendship.”

“You’re absurd,” Elphaba scoffed. Glinda readjusted her purse and took a step back.

“Bye, Elphaba.”

Glinda’s feet took her to the train station, and her hands paid for the ticket. She got off the train at Pertha Hills and hailed a carriage to take her home.

It wasn’t until she found her father, lounging in the sitting room on the sofa in front of the crackling fireplace, that Glinda flooded with emptiness. Highmuster’s face broke into a smile when he saw her, but it quickly dropped.

“Glinda, what’s the matter?” he asked, closing up the file folder in his lap. She shrugged off her coat and let it fall to the floor. She pressed herself into his side and his arm wrapped around her shoulders, drawing her closer.

“Papa?” Her voice crackled like the flames. “Elphie and I aren’t best friends anymore.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked.

Glinda wasn’t sure of much, but she was sure she didn’t want to talk about her rift with Elphaba because then she’d have to admit why the first thing she thought on the train to Pertha Hills was how now she’d have to dream up an entirely new future. One in which she and Elphaba Thropp no longer belonged to each other.

IX.

School was a welcome distractification. Emerald University had lots to do on campus, and even if it didn’t, the entire city was hers to explore.

It wasn’t that Glinda hadn’t explored the city before, but ever since that evening when she found herself staring at the phone that never rang, she explored it with purpose. Glinda determined she didn’t need to be in her apartment at all ever again in life unless it was for hygiene upkeep and sleep.

Glinda was young and dazzling. She belonged out at the parties! She belonged out in the clubs! She deserved to be picked up off her feet and spun around by a beautiful man or a handsome woman! Yes, that’s what she deserved and there was plenty of opportunity for it in the city.

A surprising turn of events was that Glinda never had to wait in any lines or wait for tables at popular restaurants. Everyone was always more than happy to accommodate her and whisk her inside at the mere mention of her name! Everything was always complimentary as well, something she questioned but never complained about. She knew it wasn’t the Upland name that afforded her such prestige.

Glinda would attribute the treatment to her unparalleled charm, but she was given premium treatment at places where she didn’t know a single soul. The complimentary outings came in handy, though, because Glinda went out every night of the week without fail. Years of staying in with Elphaba meant her social battery was well charged. She’d eat and party and laugh, and she returned home too danced-out to even care that Elphaba, the woman most notorious for not listening, was actually listening to Glinda and not calling her.

She was too tired to think about how Gigi from Settica got two Gs, which meant even if she and Elphie hadn’t argued, the witch probably wouldn’t have had room for a third G.

Especially not a third G who lived in the Emerald City.

No, Glinda didn’t think about any of this at all.

Going out so frequently meant that she unintentionally created a small group of socialites. Someone as charming and magnetic as her was bound to attract people with too much money and too little responsibility—especially once they realized she was always welcome in the most exclusive places.

After a couple of weeks of venturing to new places with her new partying companions, one of them, whose name she tried to remember but often forgot (Relien? Reigh? Riley?), asked her if she was a member of the Emerald Elite.

Glinda had to admit that her mind was a little fuzzy from the alcohol, so she leaned in a bit closer to Ryland, who was speaking in the kind of hushed whisper that signaled faux scandalociousness, and asked, “Who?”

“The Emerald Elite!” Remy answered.

“And what is the Emerald Elite?” Glinda asked. The table gasped, and Russ smiled, amused by her naivety. Glinda rolled her eyes. She couldn’t help that she didn’t know the ins and outs of the Emerald City… and she wasn’t a member of any sort of weird secret society.

“The Emerald Elite is a special group of people who are welcome anywhere in the Emerald City. It’s very hush-hush,” Rosie said.

Mel (she remembered Mel’s name because Mel was a Munchkin. The alliteration helped) nodded. “Very secretive,” Mel the Munchkin said.

“Very elite,” Raven said. And Glinda rolled her eyes again.

“I’m not a part of the Emerald Elite. I would know, wouldn’t I?” Glinda assumed such a secret society would have an induction ceremony—or at least a reception where she could get to know other members!

“I suppose,” Rasmine said. “Rumor has it that it’s the Wizard’s favorite Ozians who make the list.”

Glinda closed her eyes, willed her fuzzy brain to catch up, and then she giggled, reaching for her drink. “Well, in that case,” Glinda said, “I am the Emerald Elite.” (And so was Elphie, but she wasn’t thinking about her right now.)

Of course the Wizard had put Glinda’s name on some super-weird, super-secret list. As far as he was concerned, she and Elphaba Thropp were still best friends destined to be together forever! Well, he was sorely mistaken.

That didn’t mean she wouldn’t continue to take advantage of the situation.

Unlike prideful Elphaba Thropp, Glinda had no troubles spending other people’s money. Especially not the Wizard’s.

Glinda finished her drink and then went home. Unlike her socialites who seemed to do nothing other than exist, she had class the next day. Class wasn’t until the afternoon, but Glinda needed at least nine hours of sleep on a non-drinking night. On a drinking night, she’d have to get two hours in addition to her typical nine if she was to be her usual wonderocious self in class.

The lounge wasn’t far from her apartment, so Glinda opted to walk home. She quickly realized walking home in her jeweled heels was not a good idea.

Her feet screamed with every step she took, and when she finally got to her apartment, her entry (and therefore freedom from her shoes) was delayed by an overwhelmingly large bouquet in front of her door.

Glinda always appreciated grand gestures—the grander the better—but that night the sight of the bouquet merely irritated her. She unlocked the door and dragged the bouquet in, but it made it no further than the entrance because she intended to promptly dispose of it when she woke up the next day.

The bouquet was from a woman who’d been pursuing her for the past few weeks and… as much as she admired the idea of suitors, she didn’t think she’d ever emotionally recover from her last date.

Not long after the new year, Glinda accepted a date with a pretty enough woman, Xena. She was new money, an absinthe heiress. Now that Glinda knew about the Emerald Elite, it was clear Xena was also part of it, because she met Glinda in a high-profile lounge and took her to an exclusive restaurant for their date.

Xena had identified Glinda’s gourmand perfume from their brief hug, she asked thoughtful questions about Glinda’s vintage coat, and she knew the designer collection her bracelet was from.

The date had been going well enough, but then Xena asked about her holiday. And Glinda started to explain: her holiday had been wonderful, she had brought her best friend home, and they’d had a grand time. But Xena didn’t leave it at that. She asked Glinda about Elphaba, and when Glinda answered that they weren’t really friends anymore, Xena asked what happened.

And yes, Xena was just being an attentive date. And normally, Glinda didn’t mind sharing friendship drama! But she looked up from her risotto with tearful eyes.

“I’m sorry, I can’t talk about it,” Glinda said. Her voice cracked (embarrassing!) and when she blinked, some tears fell (unseemly!). Xena smiled at her and changed the subject. She was much too kind because if Glinda was on a date with a woman who started crying over another woman, she’d end the evening right then!

Glinda had not been back out with Xena since then, but not for Xena’s lack of effort. She often sent Glinda flowers or cute pieces of jewelry that she kept in a little pile in the guest room.

Each time she received another gift, she had to fight her immediate urge to tell Elphaba. For the past few years, she’d always told Elphaba about every suitor she ever had and recounted every date she’d ever been on… which made the Gigi situation all the more egregious.

But Glinda could put such missteps behind her because Elphaba was behind her. She had to let that friendship go. Perhaps one day she and Elphaba could be friendly again, but if Glinda was so overbearing—

No.

Glinda’d had a nice night, and she was a member of the elusive Emerald Elite.

Though she tried to keep her communication with the Wizard to a minimum, maybe she’d write him about it and ask who else was on his list… and ask him how he knew she was living in the Emerald City in the first place. She certainly hadn’t shared the information with him.

Maybe Elphaba wasn’t paranoid for refusing to step foot in the city. Perhaps the Wizard was watching. He did have eyes in the sky thanks to Elphaba’s magic.

But Glinda could not concern herself with Flying Monkeys, the Wizard, Xena, nor the bouquet because her bed was calling her, and she intended to answer.

“Glinda! Glinda Upland!”

Glinda rolled over and groaned. It had not been nine-plus-two hours since she went to sleep.

“Glinda!” The sound of pounding on the door made her open her eyes. “Glinda!”

She dragged herself out of bed and shuffled to the door. She knew the voice, so she swung the door wide open with a glare.

“Good morning, beautiful,” Fiyero sang. His grin was as loud as his knocking had been, and Glinda winced at the sight of it.

She wasn’t hungover, but she wasn’t clear-headed enough to deal with his happiness either.

“What are you doing here?” Glinda asked. Fiyero moved past her into the apartment and went straight for the kitchen.

“You never responded to my wedding invitation. You are coming, aren’t you?”

Glinda plopped into a chair at the island and watched him terrorize her empty kitchen. “All I have is water, coffee, and tea,” she said. Fiyero spun around and fixed her with a disappointed look.

“Then where is a soon-to-be-married prince going to find a snack?”

“Anywhere. You walked by how many food stalls to get here?”

“Are you coming to my wedding?” Fiyero turned to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of milk.

Glinda sighed. “About the wedding…”

“You’re not coming?” He popped the glass open and sniffed it, made a face, and put it back in the refrigerator.

“I am coming, but I find it prudent to tell you that Elphaba Thropp and I are no longer friends, and I implore you to take that into consideration when creating seating charts.”

Fiyero seemed to accept that Glinda wasn’t lying about her empty kitchen and leaned on the island across from her. “You and Elphaba are no longer friends?” Fiyero asked. At her nod, he threw his head back in laughter.

“It’s not funny, Fiyero. It is actually quite definish-ly the worst thing that could have happened to me.”

“There’s no Oz in which you and Elphaba aren’t friends,” Fiyero said. “I’m hungry. Take me somewhere nice as a ‘congratulotions on your engagement’ gift.”

“As long as you don’t make me talk about Elphaba,” Glinda said, “because I don’t think I could take rehashing such a devastating time in my life.”

Fiyero hummed and held out his pinky. “I promise, darling. I won’t make you talk about Elphaba.”

It turned out, as devastating as it was, Fiyero did not need to make Glinda talk about Elphaba at all. Glinda simply couldn’t help it.

He was the one other person (besides Nessarose) who knew Elphaba the best.

Glinda recounted their break in detail, positive that Fiyero could picture the obstinacy that was Elphaba Thropp. And when she got to the apartment and girlfriend reveal that led to the disintegration of her relationship with Elphaba and everything else Glinda held dear, she was confident he understood that her “overbearing-ness” came from a place of genuine concern and care for that wicked woman.

When she was finished with her tale of woe and the little dessert they had left was whisked away to be boxed up, Fiyero leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms, and grinned.

“You are overbearing,” he said. Glinda scoffed. “And she’s stubborn, and the both of you are proud.”

“Hmph.” Glinda mirrored him and crossed her arms. “I’ll have you know—”

“I’ll have you know, Glinda Upland, that you will be at my wedding whether or not you make nice with Elphaba before then. And if I have to make a stop by her place to say the same thing, I will. She hasn’t responded to me either.” Fiyero unfolded his arms and reached across the table for her hand. Glinda glared at it for a clock tick, but took it anyway. “You’re both two of my closest friends, and I want you to be at my wedding to celebrate.”

“I said I’ll be there,” Glinda grumbled.

“Good.” He squeezed her hand. “Do you want her friendship back?”

“I haven’t asked myself that question,” Glinda said.

“Well ask yourself, Glinda, because if you do want her friendship back, you have to reach out first since you told her you didn’t want to hear from her.”

“That’s not quite what I said.”

“Glinda.”

She sighed. “What if…” Glinda hesitated. Just as Fiyero knew Elphaba and could likely picture her obstinacy, he knew Glinda, and she’d never be able to hide the vulnerability in her question from him. “What if I don’t want her… friendship?”

He squeezed her hand again and offered his first smug-free smile of the day. “Then you should tell her that, too.”

Fiyero stuck around for a couple of days. There was no one better to take around to test out her presumed Emerald Elite status. He was an asshole about it, yes, but he also enjoyed all the ridiculously high-brow places they frequented. The two of them acted stuffier than they truly were (and though she’d bet Elphaba would say they weren’t acting any differently at all, Glinda wasn’t thinking about Elphaba and how she would or wouldn’t react to her and Fiyero’s antics).

Fiyero was fun enough that Glinda decided to leave her socialites behind. They weren’t her friends and Glinda would rather be home alone than out with non-friends. She’d heard Milla moved to the city, so maybe she’d reconnect with her.

In the meantime, Glinda very much did not think about whether she wanted her friendship back with Elphaba, and she definish-ly didn’t think about whether she didn’t want her friendship back with Elphaba.

No, there was much to do. Papers to write, ideas to sketch, and weddings to shop for!

She started hanging out with Xena, who was actually nice to be around (for new money, anyway). Xena was fun and not at all serious. She was funny and not at all dry. She was not stubborn in the slightest and never pushed back on anything Glinda had to say. (In other words, she was absolutely nothing like the ex-friend Glinda wasn’t supposed to be thinking about.)

She was wary of hanging out with Xena at first, as scorned suitors could be so difficult to work with, but Xena didn’t take Glinda’s rejection poorly at all. Probably because, to Glinda’s utter surprise, she was already married and “looking for a third,” whatever that meant.

Glinda didn’t quite understand the intricacies of Xena’s relationship, but she was certain that she was born to be a first and could never be a third (in a relationship or a third G).

But Xena was a much needed friend. She was the kind of friend she’d been longing for the entire time she was in the city: one she didn’t have to be fun for. One she didn’t have to straighten up her apartment for.

Xena actually called every evening to ask if Glinda got a response from the summer program. Glinda had promised to let her know. “You’ll be the first person I tell, other than my parents,” she’d said.

But when Glinda got the letter and learned she was accepted into the program, Xena and her parents didn’t even cross her mind.

She only wanted to tell one person… The one person she wasn’t thinking about or talking to.

And yes, Glinda was the reason they weren’t talking anymore (the final reason. It should be noted that Elphaba was responsible for the previous reasons that led up to the final reason), but she couldn’t keep the information to herself. It was impossible to.

Plus, she desperately missed Elphaba. And if they were going to be apart forever, they deserved to at least separate on a not so sour note. Not to mention, Glinda had a feeling Fiyero wasn’t going to give into her request to seat her at a table without Elphaba and Gianna.

Glinda folded up the acceptance letter and went to her desk to pull out a piece of her stationery. She lifted her pen, took a slow breath, and pressed the nib to the paper.

Being the bigger person was not a foreign concept to Glinda. It was a role she’d taken on many times before in many different situations and so, it was a role she’d take on happily now.

She’d extend the olive branch, she’d break the stalemate.

That kind of willingness is what made her such a nice person (and Frottica produced such nice people, unlike Settica).

Glinda was nervous that Elphaba wouldn’t respond, of course, but she had to admit that writing Elphaba’s name once more made her smile.

Dearest Elphaba,
First, I must admit that I overreacted about your apartment and your girlfriend… and your girlfriend in your apartment. I felt betrayed, and I took that out on you. The truth is, you don’t owe me anything. Friendship shouldn’t come with strings… and because of everything that happened over Lurlinemas break, I wasn’t a person you could trust. I hope that you find it in your heart to forgive me, for I am really, truly, and honestly sorry.
I am sorry for being overbearing and suffocating, and I am sorry for leaving you standing outside in the cold air at my impromptu visit to Shiz. That was perhaps the slightest bit dramatical of me.
I do hope that you are well…
I also hope to see you at Fiyero’s wedding! Our Fiyero is getting married! Can you believe?
I promise not to bother you at the wedding, but I don’t want things to be awkward between us when we should be celebrating love. (Don’t worry, I already explained our… quarrel to Fiyero and have requested that he respect the space needed in our relationship at this time and not sit us near each other. Truly, Elphaba, I don’t want to step on your toes or make you uncomfortable at the wedding.)
Sarima will be a beautiful bride. And, I’ve always wanted to attend a Vinkus wedding! It will be utterly enchantifying! Three days of partying!
In other news, I got accepted into the summer program! I am simply thrillified and honored they found my application interesting enough!
Do you have any plans for the summer? If not, (and if our reunion at the wedding isn’t awkward) would you like to join me on this adventure? I know we haven’t been on the same page recently, but… I miss my friend. I swear, swear, swear that I won’t bother you about anything at all if you decide to join me. Gianna can come, too! Like I said, I just really miss you.
If you say no, I understand and ask you to forgive me for the ways I caused a rift between us. But I won’t be mad at you in the slightest… but you should know, if you decide not to come, I will miss you every day of the summer, and whenever you think of me, I will already be thinking of you.
Yours Always,
Glinda

Glinda was not surprised when no letter from Elphaba arrived. Each day, when the mail dropped through the mail slot, she checked for a letter from Elphaba, and each day, she tried not to be disappointed when her favorite scrawl was nowhere in sight.

She’d see Elphaba at the wedding.

Yes.

And maybe they could talk then.

X.

Glinda Upland had never met a challenge that she couldn’t surmount.

In all her years, she had never been afraid of a measly little challenge. Not when she knew she’d conquer it. Not when she knew she’d be triumphant…

She’d never been afraid of a challenge… until Fiyero’s wedding.

The wedding itself wasn’t a problem, no. It was Elphaba Thropp—the biggest, most annoying, saddest problem Glinda would ever encounter.

At the wedding, she’d have to face Elphaba again… and it wasn’t easy for her to pretend she wasn’t terrified of seeing her.

Everything inside of Glinda vibrated with fear, and it made the makeup application process quite a pain. Thankfully, Glinda had budgeted enough time in her getting-ready routine for nerves, so she still made it to the dinner on time.

Vinkan weddings were a multi-day affair. Thanks to a project, Glinda missed most of the first day’s activities. However, she ensured she’d be on time for the dinner.

After Fiyero’s brief visit, Glinda had expected him to seat her at the same table with, if not next to, Elphaba. He was annoying and meddling enough to do something like that even after she’d asked him not to.

When it was finally her turn to take a look at the seating chart, Glinda smoothed her soft blue skirt and straightened her blazer before stepping forward to search for her name.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Glinda found Elphaba’s name first… but surprisingly, Glinda’s name was nowhere near it! No, Fiyero had actually listened and seated them at different tables. Glinda was at table five while Elphaba was at table four. Glinda recognized the names at both tables. Her former classmates at Shiz made up Elphaba’s table, but the Ozians at Glinda’s table were all people of stature.

As she made her way to the table, she wondered if Fiyero had told whoever made the chart to seat her with dignitaries. He was a prince, and she, though not a princess, would’ve made an excellent one. She’d have no problem at all conversing with the Ozian upper class. It was far easier of a task than conversing with her frustrating, stubborn, and prideful no-longer-best-friend Elphaba Thropp, who looked rather dashing in her outfit.

Elphaba wore a lovely deep-red dress that hugged her in all the right places…

Glinda cleared her throat and searched for her table number instead of confirmation about how high the slit of Elphaba’s dress went.

“Glinda!”

Glinda put on her best smile for Shenshen and bore her sweeping hug with grace.

“I haven’t seen you in ages. The next time you’re in Frottica, you simply must stop by the shop.”

“I will,” Glinda promised.

“I wonder why you’re not over here with all of us. I thought for sure you’d be seated next to Elphaba.” Shenshen turned and threw her hand in the air. “Elphaba! Look who’s here!”

Glinda hummed. “Shenshen, I’ve had an awfully long day today.”

“Oh?” Shenshen faced her and tutted. “Yes, yes, darling. You go sit down at your seat. I’m sure there’ll be plenty of time for us to catch up after dinner!”

Glinda went to pull out her chair when familiar arms wrapped around her from the back.

“Fiyero,” she laughed, “you’re going to ruin my hair.”

“Impossible, darling,” he said. He let her go, and she turned, taking in his grin and his outfit.

“You look dapper,” she said. “Congratulotions.”

“Thank you.” His grin broadened, and he held out his hand for her to take. “There’s been a change of plans.”

“Oh?”

“A change of seating plans. An uncle of mine decided to come at the last minute,” he explained, pulling her away from her table with the dignitaries and unfortunately pulling her closer and closer to the table full of former Shiz students. “I can’t seat him at the family table. He doesn’t get along well with my stepmother—no one does, really. Anyhow, I did a little switcheroo, and fixed everything right up. There happens to be an extra seat at this table. I hope you don’t mind sitting next to Elphaba.”

Glinda, if they’d been in private, would have stomped, or she would have screeched a firm, “I will not!” But they weren’t in private, and she didn’t intend to make a fool of herself.

“Fiyero, this isn’t right,” she hissed as she stumbled to a stop at the round table.

“Now my two best girls are near each other,” he whispered, pecking her cheek. “Enjoy dinner!” With that, he was off, leaving Glinda standing behind the chair next to Elphaba.

Glinda smiled and greeted the table. She felt Elphaba’s ever-inquisitive eyes on her, but she did not look at her. She sat as gracefully as she could.

Pfannee, Shenshen, Avaric, and the others pulled her into easy conversation. Elphaba’s eyes had been replaced by Boq’s longing stare, and Glinda didn’t know if it was worse to have Elphaba or Boq staring at her.

Thankfully, the food and toasts saved her from any too-intense stares, and by the time dessert came out, she’d downed enough champagne to have (mostly) forgotten the awkwardness between her and Elphaba.

She hadn’t forgotten enough of the awkwardness to stick around, though. As soon as the dance floor opened up, Glinda leapt from her chair, said something about her long day, her head, and wished everyone a lovely evening.

“Good night, Glinda,” Nessarose said.

“Miss Glinda, I can walk you back!” Boq volunteered, and Glinda shook her head, but when she opened her mouth to firmly and respectfully decline, Elphaba’s voice drowned hers out.

“No need for that. I’m heading back as well,” Elphaba said. 

“Right.” Glinda cleared her throat. “Good night.”

She started towards the castle before Elphaba even stood up from her chair.

“Glinda?”

Glinda refused to break her determined pace. She kept on walking, following the winding path to the palace. The path was nicely lit by string lights woven through vine-covered arched trellises. She heard Elphaba’s footsteps crunching behind her.

“Glinda!”

She may or may not have increased her speed when Elphaba called her name a second time. Oz, she didn’t think she could handle a conversation… she didn’t think she could handle looking into Elphaba’s green eyes.

Glinda startled when a hand wrapped around her wrist.

“Galinda, wait. Please,” Elphaba said. Glinda froze in place, wrist prickling where Elphaba’s hand was.

“What?” Glinda asked after endless clock ticks of silence. Elphaba slowly let go of her wrist and came to stand in front of her, but Glinda did not lift her eyes. She stared at Elphaba’s black heels—the ones Glinda never liked because they made Elphaba a hair taller than her. “I told Fiyero not to have us sit together, Elphaba. I’m sorry, really. Tomorrow I will arrive early enough to ensure he doesn’t pull this kind of foolishness again. Honestly—”

“Galinda, I asked him to move you next to me.”

Glinda looked up in confusion but was careful to keep her eyes trained over Elphaba’s shoulder and not on her face. “Why ever would you do that?”

“I wanted to talk with you.”

“You didn’t even respond to my letter!” Glinda cried. She stepped back and shook her head to release the tension from her face. “So, forgive me for not believing that you wanted to talk with me.”

“I do want to talk to you. Anything I could say over the phone or in a letter… what happened between us needs to be talked about in person.”

“Right. You said that about Gianna, too, and your apartment. That you wanted to tell me in person. We’re never together, Elphaba, and you waiting to tell me important things until we’re in person is why our relationship… our friendship ended the way it did!”

“Are you still holding onto that silly belief that we’re not friends anymore?”

“We aren’t friends anymore! You said I suffocate you, and you kept big news from me, and you…” Glinda crossed her arms. “I apologized for overstepping. I only wanted to help you, Elphie. I’d think of you at Shiz all alone and hungry… and it made me so—” Her breath caught and she finally met Elphaba’s eyes. “It made me so sad. I’m not good for very much, but I knew I could at least help you with money. I promise I never ever saw you as charity or a project. You were my best friend. My bestest, most favorite friend ever!”

“You were my bestest, most favorite friend, too,” Elphaba said lowly. She licked her dark-stained lips. “And you’re good for plenty.”

“I just wanted to take care of you.”

“I know. I appreciate that, and I am sorry for hurting you by not telling you about my apartment or about Gianna. You were the most important person in my life, so I thought you deserved to be told in person. You still are the most important person in my life, Glinda… even though you’re insisting we aren’t friends anymore.”

Glinda snorted. It was rather unladylike, but lamentably, she felt tears gathering in her eyes, and she’d rather snort than do something to risk them falling. “Don’t let Gigi hear you say that.”

“She’s not here.”

“Obviously, yes. I know that.” Gianna, presumably Elphaba’s plus one to the wedding, wasn’t there. That’s why there was an empty seat next to Elphaba for Glinda to sit in. “Is she arriving tomorrow?”

“No.”

“Tonight, then? We should really get back to the palace so you’ll be there when she arrives—”

“We broke up.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.” Glinda fought the urge to reach for Elphaba when she saw green eyes were just as watery as her own. “She really was lovely.”

“Yeah?”

“Mhm. As far as Setticans go. She was polite and pretty and… perfect, really.”

“Maybe, but not perfect for me.” Elphaba sighed. “I’m sorry for not returning your letter. For a long time I… struggled with finding the words to say.”

“To say what?”

“That I miss you, too.”

“Oh, Elphie.” Glinda didn’t restrain herself. She threw her arms around Elphaba’s neck and held her close. Her heart thumped wildly inside her chest, and Elphaba held her back. “It seems like you could’ve written those words.”

“I suppose,” she said. Glinda chuckled, breathing in the sweet smell of her hair. “I’m sorry for hurting you, Glinda. Will you forgive me?”

“Mhm.”

“Can we be friends again?”

“Mhm. We can be anything you’d like, as long as it’s forever.” The sound of Elphaba’s gentle hum lulled her eyes closed. Glinda should have pulled away, and she could have pulled away, but she didn’t. Why would she pull away when she finally had the woman she’d missed so much safe in her arms?

“See how easy it was for us to make up in person?” Elphaba asked.

“No. I don’t see anything. My eyes are closed.”

Elphaba’s laughter tickled her ear. “You’re absurd.”

Glinda lost track of how long they’d been embracing and took that as a sign they’d been hugging for too long, so she reluctantly pulled away.

Now that they were friends again, Glinda took in Elphaba’s face. She was always so naturally pretty. Glinda didn’t think Elphaba needed makeup. That night the witch was wearing a minimal amount. Some beautiful, shimmering eyeshadow and eyeliner to make her already-striking eyes that much more so. A dash of gold across her cheekbones, and dark painted lips. Under the stars and string lights, it was difficult to tell whether her lipstick was black to match her heels or a deep and dark blood red to match her dress. As usual, she wore gold jewelry. Drop earrings with teardrop-shaped rubies at the end dangled from her ears. They were long enough to brush against her sharp jawline. And on her neck… a gold pendant. A poppy.

“Your Lurlinemas gift,” Glinda breathed. “Oh, I didn’t know if you’d like it. The pendant isn’t the best, of course, because I’m no jewelry maker—”

“I love it. Thank you.” Elphaba smiled. “I should have opened it sooner.”

“I told you it was worthless,” Glinda teased. Nobody in their right mind would pay high dollar for it. They’d maybe pay for what the gold was worth, but not anything more for such a pitiful piece. “…it’s worthless, but it spins.” Glinda reached out and flicked the pendant, fingers brushing against the smooth skin of Elphaba’s chest. The top layer of petals on the golden poppy spun, and Glinda smiled.

“It’s not worthless,” Elphaba said, and… she was right, Glinda thought. It wasn’t worthless. It was a gesture—something that felt like everything.

“Elphie, let’s never quarrel like that again.”

Elphaba took her hand and squeezed it. “Deal.”

Glinda reveled in Elphaba’s brilliant smile for a moment longer, and then she stepped around Elphaba to pull her towards the castle by their linked hands.

“Tell me about the wedding activities I missed,” Glinda said.

“How much detail do you want?”

“All the detail!” Glinda scoffed, feigning offense, and Elphaba chuckled. Glinda was actually too relieved to have her friend back to care about the details, but she’d missed hearing Elphaba’s warm and honeyed voice. It’d been months since she had heard it, and Elphaba’s voice was, perhaps, her favorite sound in the world. “You have to tell me how you and Gigi broke up, too,” Glinda said.

“With all the detail?”

Glinda unlinked their hands so she could loop their arms together. “All the detail.”

They spent the rest of the evening catching up.

They had separate rooms in the same wing they always used when they visited Fiyero, but after changing into pajamas, Glinda came to Elphaba’s room so they could continue their conversation.

Glinda listened patiently as Elphaba described disposing of toxic waste and bodily fluids for her job, and Glinda finally got to tell her about the disastrous Xena situation.

“Can you believe she wanted me to join her relationship?” Glinda demanded.

“I don’t think you’d survive,” Elphaba said from where she sat cross-legged on the bed.

“I wouldn’t. I’d die. I’m not meant to be third!”

Elphaba agreed with a chuckle. “You’re not. You’re meant to be first. The one and only.”

“As long as you know!” She nodded and leapt onto the bed. Her head landed by Elphaba’s hip, and Elphaba smirked down at her. “Let’s play a game,” Glinda suggested. Elphaba’s smirk dipped into a frown.

“…what game?”

“I’ll say a letter,” Glinda said, “and you say what first comes to mind! Like if you said ‘R’… hm, maybe I’d say ‘roses!’ It’ll be fun. Go on, give me a letter!”

“Um, okay… P.”

“Patria! Oh, she’s this brilliant sculptor. Have you seen any of her work? If you haven’t, you simply must. There’s this gallery in the city…” Glinda cleared her throat. “Oh, never mind. Okay, my turn! My letter for you is L.”

“L? I don’t know. Larks.”

“Larks,” Glinda repeated. She sat up and tossed her hair over her shoulder. “You have no imagination!”

“Leaping Lemurs?”

“What, are you writing a children’s book? Oh, you just give me a letter.”

Elphaba rolled her eyes but complied and said, “T.”

“Terror!” Glinda cried. “Torment, and trouble.”

“Those certainly are T words.”

“Of course they are. I know my letters very well, Elphaba Thropp. Okay, your next letter is G,” Glinda said, and without missing a beat, Elphaba answered.

“You.”

“What? That doesn’t start with G.”

“You, Glinda. Glinda.”

Glinda gasped, jaw dropping and eyes widening in half-fake, half-real shock. “Me? Really?”

“Yes, who else?”

“Well… Gigi has two Gs.”

Elphaba snorted and once again rolled her eyes. “You’re the first G in my life. Do you wish you had that nickname?”

“No! I like my name as is, thank you very much. But! I must say it’s quite a relief to learn that I’m not the third G. It would positively break my heart.”

“No. It goes: Glinda, Ga-linda, green.”

Glinda pursed the grin from her lips. She didn’t need Elphaba to know exactly how elatifying it was to know that she was first and second G!

“When I think of E, I think of Elphaba, Elphie, and… that’s about where my E thoughts end. Oh! Elphaba, Elphie, and end!” Glinda giggled. “But you didn’t give me that letter. Give me another one.”

“Why?”

“Because we’re playing a game, or have you forgotten?” Much to Glinda’s relief, Elphaba didn’t push back.

“H,” she said.

“Harp!” Glinda answered immediately. “I love harps. I think they’re lovely. There’s a harpist at this wedding, Fiyero told me, and I’m so excited! I’ve always wanted a harpist at my wedding.”

“Oh?”

“Yes! I’m not sure how much you know about Gillikinese weddings, but there’s nonstop music. Sometimes, the most wealthy Gillikin families assign a specific instrument to each half of the couple. I always wanted the harp to be my assigned instrument, and every time I entered a space, the harpist would take the lead to let everyone know to expect me.”

“That sounds…”

“Wonderful, doesn’t it? I never knew what instrument my partner would pick. Hm, I imagined Fiyero would choose something loud, brassy, and potentially annoying like a trumpet. Anyway, I had my wedding planned long before I met him.”

“Of course you have.”

“Of course!” Glinda agreed, ignoring the sarcasm. “I know where everyone is going to stand during the ceremony. I never wanted a huge bridal party because people get so jealous. So, my cousins would get to be my bridal party. There’s plenty of them, and I know they’d have no jealousy, unlike my friends, who’d all want to prove they’re the best friend. But they aren’t my best friend; you’re my best friend, and I’d let you into the bridal party but—” Glinda clamped her mouth shut.

“But?”

“But…” Glinda clasped her hands together to keep them from wringing. “Usually the position comes with a lot of work, and I don’t think you’d enjoy planning a wedding.”

Elphaba hummed in agreement. “You’re right,” she said. “But I’ll still get to be at your wedding, right? You won’t uninvite me?”

“Oh, no… I would never uninvite you. I’d have no wedding at all without you there.”

Elphaba’s eyes searched her face for a second, and then she hummed again. “I shouldn’t have rejected your offers to help and your gifts the way that I did,” Elphaba said. “But I couldn’t stand the thought of you pitying me, and I never ever wanted to risk living in an Oz where you stopped looking at me like this.”

“Like what, Elphie?”

Elphaba smiled. “Like you actually love me. I didn’t want you to see me as someone who wanted you around only for your money.”

“Well, put that fear to rest, Elphaba Thropp. We both know it’s not my money that keeps you around me. It’s my unparalleled good looks and impeccable sense of humor,” Glinda teased, but neither of them laughed.

“Galinda?”

“Yes, Elphie?”

“I’m sorry for making you feel like I didn’t want you to care about me. I know you just wanted to take care of me…”

“I did.”

“I was worried that if I… accepted your help, you’d start to view me as someone who’s making your life harder.”

“Oh, my Elphie,” Glinda began. She grabbed Elphaba’s hand. “Caring about you doesn’t make my life harder. You don’t make my life harder, but I want to make yours easier.”

Elphaba nodded, and her eyes flickered to their joined hands. “But that’s not your responsibility to do,” she said.

“I know,” Glinda answered with a smile she hoped was soft and genuine enough to put Elphaba’s fears to rest. “That’s what makes me so nice.”

They fell asleep on top of the covers and, at some point in the night, Elphaba maneuvered Glinda so she was under them. She woke up with her forehead pressed between Elphaba’s shoulder blades and her leg strewn across Elphaba’s thighs.

Fiyero was annoying for not listening to her and seating them together, and she’d be sure to fuss at him once he was back from his honeymoon… but she wouldn’t complain too much because she finally had her Elphie back!

Glinda slowly moved away from Elphaba so she could slip out of bed and get ready for the day.

Vinkan weddings usually had a morning of family activities before the ceremony, but since Fiyero’s wedding was a royal Vinkan wedding, there was no time for family activities. The bridal party’s processional to the altar would take all morning!

The prince’s processional involved taking open carriages throughout all of the Arijiki tribal territory. Family and close friends would follow Fiyero and Sarima in open carriages to see all the members of the tribe… rather, for all the members of the tribe to see them.

Glinda and Elphaba weren’t family, but they were some of the few guests who weren’t relatives who got to be part of the parade—processional.

Glinda, back when she thought she was going to marry Fiyero, had learned all about Vinkan wedding traditions. She decided early on that she and Fiyero would have two weddings. One that was all Gillikin, and the other all Vinkan. And then, they’d go honeymoon somewhere fabulous and sunny and… she’d broken up with him before any of that could happen.

The point was, Glinda knew all about Vinkan weddings, and she tried to explain to Elphaba how much of an honor it was to be in the processional when the witch had grumbled something about staying behind at the palace with Nessarose and the others who hadn’t been invited to join.

On good days, Glinda was humble enough to pretend to consider the merits of staying behind. But she wasn’t about to let Elphaba ruin such an honorable moment for them to support their second best friend.

“We’re going, and that’s that!” Glinda huffed. “Go put on your shoes so they don’t leave us behind! Oh! Wait.” Glinda turned around and tried to gesture to the hanging ribbons on the back of her pink dress. “Pull me tight, Elphie. Tight tight!”

“It’s already tight,” Elphaba grumbled.

“Elphaba!” Glinda scolded. “Will you please stop being so contrarian with me and pu—” The rest of her sentence disappeared in a huff as all the air escaped her lungs when Elphaba tugged the ribbons as tight as they went. Glinda stumbled forward and gave herself a once-over in the mirror. Her eyes slipped over to Elphaba. She was just as dashing as she had been the previous night. Today she wore a dress with a black base and glittering green, pink, and blue stripes. The dress was long-sleeved and kissed the floor, and though the sleeves were loose and had slits down the length of them, the amount of coverage was something Elphaba might regret by the time they’d been under the Vinkan sun for hours. Despite the overheating potential, it was perfect and hugged her waist beautifully and… oh, was that another thigh slit? When did Elphaba get into showing her legs?

She met Elphaba’s dark eyes.

“Like that?” Elphaba asked so softly Glinda felt the words before she deciphered them.

“What?”

“Is it tight enough for you?”

“Oh…” Glinda giggled and returned her gaze to her own glittering pink dress. “Perfect,” she breathed. “Dearest, tie it in a bow, won’t you? And then go put on your shoes!”

Elphaba tightened her jaw, but sat on the bed and bent over to step into her “formal” boots. Glinda leaned towards the mirror to fix an out-of-place eyelash, and when she turned around to check Elphaba’s progress in boot lacing, her thigh-slit suspicion was confirmed.

Diamond-patterned fishnet tights obfuscated the lovely green skin underneath them.

Elphaba sat up and gathered her hair to toss over her shoulders. She caught Glinda looking and, for what it was worth, merely smirked. Glinda couldn’t find it in herself to blush, but she also had absolutely nothing to say.

“Are you ready?” Elphaba asked.

“Don’t I look ready?”

“You look… breathless.”

Glinda rolled her eyes and rushed over to grab her purse from the bed. She was breathless, but not because of the dress. And she wasn’t ready to explain that yet because… well, Elphaba meant so much to her.

Elphaba meant too much to her to ruin their newly reconciled relationship with an ill-timed confession.

Elphaba hadn’t been to very many weddings in her life. She hadn’t been to any, actually.

She’d never been invited to any. Not that it mattered. If she had been invited to a wedding, she likely wouldn’t have attended.

To be completely honest, it was difficult for Elphaba to celebrate romantic love when she never truly thought she’d have any.

Attending Nessarose’s wedding was always the exception, and then Glinda and Fiyero were added to the list of people whose wedding she’d attend.

These days Elphaba wasn’t quite as hopeless about finding romantic love as she had been back when she started at Shiz. She now had two relationships under her belt, and though they’d both fallen apart thanks to Glinda, there was at least a part of Elphaba that had begun to hope that she could get married one day.

Marriage wasn’t particularly important to Elphaba—well, weddings weren’t particularly important to Elphaba—but she had a feeling that her wedding would be of particular importance to Glinda Upland.

She had a feeling that Glinda would plan the entire event and have thoughts about everything. She had a feeling that Glinda would absolutely adore finding ways to include Munchkin wedding traditions or, more likely, enjoy planning two weddings at once: a Munchkin wedding and a Gillikinese wedding.

Because Elphaba, before she came to Fiyero’s wedding, had come to peace with the knowledge that she’d only ever have a wedding if Glinda were the bride.

Even if Glinda went on to marry someone else, Elphaba doubted she’d ever have a successful romantic relationship while still being friends with Glinda.

And no matter what, Elphaba always wanted to be friends with Glinda.

She loved Glinda.

She was in love with Glinda, a distinction that hadn’t particularly mattered until it did.

It hadn’t mattered until Gianna had accused her of it after it had taken Elphaba days to recover from Glinda’s abrupt arrival, disappearance, and severance of the friendship. Gianna had said nothing about her moping at first. She tried to comfort Elphaba with sweet treats and by staying over, but nothing helped pull Elphaba out of her mood. Finally, Gianna asked what happened between her and Glinda and why it was affecting her so much… and when Elphaba tried to explain that the most important and constant person in her life didn’t want to speak to her anymore… unsurprisingly Gianna didn’t take that well.

To Elphaba, the answer was practical and not personal. She’d only been dating Gianna for a few months. She and Glinda had been together for years.

“Together” had been the incorrect word to use in her explanation to Gianna, but it was the most accurate word to use.

She had been together with Glinda since their first year at Shiz. When a regular room opened up the following year, Glinda had begged her to stay in their private suite. Their third year, Elphaba had expected Glinda to move off campus. Elphaba didn’t think she could convince her father to pay for it, especially not if Nessarose wasn’t coming with her. She spent a couple of weeks thinking of the best way to let Glinda down, but before she could, she got a bright yellow envelope in the mail encasing a letter in Glinda’s curly script explaining that she’d already secured their same suite for the coming school year.

So she and Glinda had literally been together. They lived together in the same room. On campus, they went almost everywhere together.

Gianna didn’t care about her practicality or literality. She’d huffed and asked Elphaba if she loved Glinda.

“Of course,” Elphaba had answered. She wouldn’t have been so upset about Glinda’s dissolution of their friendship if she didn’t.

“No. Are you in love with her?” Gianna had asked.

Elphaba answered the followup question just as easily because, “Of course.” Of course, she was in love with Glinda.

Who wasn’t?

She’d been in love with Glinda for ages, and that was merely the nature of things. She loved Glinda, and Glinda loved her.

“How can you admit so casually that you have feelings for your best friend?”

“Doesn’t everyone have feelings for their best friend?” Elphaba’d asked, a little snippy.

“Not ones where they want to kiss them!”

Elphaba had considered Gianna’s rebuttal. There’d been a few times she wanted to kiss Glinda—rather, she wanted Glinda to kiss her. Despite having a girlfriend and having dated Fiyero, Elphaba still wasn’t extremely practiced in the art of making out, and she doubted she could ever initiate it.

The weeks she and Glinda had spent apart since the start of the school year had been lonely, and Elphaba had to admit that her desire to kiss Glinda had grown each time they saw each other. But there was always too much to catch up on, too much to do, and too much to argue about.

And regardless of whether she and Glinda ever kissed, she and Glinda would always be whoever and whatever they were to each other.

When Gianna left, Elphaba went over to her bookshelf and carefully unwrapped the gift Glinda had given her for Lurlinemas.

Just as Glinda had told her, it wasn’t a gaudy piece. It was beautiful and simple and perfect for her… and every day since then, Elphaba’d worn the necklace.

She knew she owed Glinda an apology, but she’d wanted to apologize in person—she’d wanted to talk in person.

Five times she tried to catch the train to the Emerald City. The sixth time, she caught the train, but she couldn’t bring herself to get off at the Emerald City stop.

The city was too overwhelming to take on without Glinda. And yes, Glinda was in the city, but Elphaba didn’t have enough courage to leave the train to get to her.

When Glinda’s letter arrived, Elphaba had written a response.

Glinda was suffocating and overbearing, and Elphaba didn’t want her to pity her because almost everyone she’d ever met pitied her. They pitied her greenness and her strangeness.

But… it wasn’t like anything about Glinda had changed just because Elphaba had lost her father’s funding. Glinda had always bought her things and insisted on paying for food and tickets. Glinda had always gotten her too-expensive gifts.

Glinda had always worried about her.

Glinda had always cared about her.

Glinda had always loved her… been in love with her, maybe.

And Glinda had never pitied her.

The first page of Elphaba’s response had been an apology. An admission. And the pages after that were a reimagining of their second ruined Lurlinemas together.

Page after page, Elphaba wrote a tale of not putting up a fuss about the money, of not pushing back. She wrote a tale of receiving the gift with grace and smiling in thanks. She wrote a tale that ended with them sitting next to each other on the sofa drinking hot cider.

Legs tangled together.

Bodies pressed together.

Together.

Exactly as they’d always been and like she hoped they always would be.

She didn’t send the letter because she wanted to watch Glinda read it. And she wanted Glinda to see how genuine her apology was, and Elphaba wanted Glinda to see her yield to whatever relationship or whatever care she wanted to give.

Elphaba brought the letter with her to the wedding. Maybe she’d give it to Glinda before she went back to the city, and before Elphaba went back to Shiz.

Maybe she wouldn’t.

They were back on good terms again, and Elphaba didn’t want to risk messing it up with admissions of love, together, and forever.

During the processional through Arjiki territory, Glinda’s excitement was uncontainable. Elphaba found it endearing, and she found Glinda’s prattling about Arjiki architecture endearing.

And Glinda herself was endearing and cute—gorgeous in her knee-length pink dress.

Elphaba worried about her pale shoulders in the sun, but a staff member handed them both parasols before helping them into their carriage.

Glinda’s grin didn’t fade for a single clock tick the entire hours long journey. Elphaba kept checking. By noon, she started to worry about Glinda’s cheeks and her vocal cords because she talked the entire time.

Their biweekly phone calls had never been long enough for Glinda to share everything she got up to in the Emerald City. Elphaba was used to following Glinda’s distracted conversation. The two of them often got interrupted at Shiz by other students asking Glinda this or that.

Impressively, Glinda had a way of seamlessly picking up right where she left off, which showed in the way their conversation continued in between Glinda waving at and greeting her almost-subjects.

“Are you sad?” Elphaba asked, and for the first time all day Glinda’s smile faltered.

“No. Why would I be sad?”

“Our first year at Shiz, you thought you were going to marry Fiyero. This could’ve been your processional.”

And if it were her wedding processional, she would’ve won the people’s hearts. Each time Fiyero or Sarima stopped the parade to get out of their carriage and talk to tribal members, Glinda hopped out of their carriage to go greet the Arjiki people, leaving Elphaba in the carriage holding the parasol.

“It could’ve been my processional, but aren’t we so glad it isn’t? I love Fiyero, Oz knows I do, but to spend a lifetime with someone so… hm… so arrogant might do me in. And honestly, maybe by the time I get married, I’ll be more famous than a princess. Why, I’ll have a parade in my honor throughout the entire Emerald City!” Without missing a beat, Glinda launched right back into her explanation about the Emerald Elite. “I haven’t contacted the Wizard, of course, but isn’t it fascinating to think he could’ve put my name on a special list?” Glinda didn’t wait for Elphaba to answer because she had much to say about whoever it was with the R name Glinda didn’t remember and how they’d begun acting stranger than usual after the Emerald Elite conversation came up.

Elphaba thought for sure Glinda would be tired by the time they got back to the castle and met up with the others for a quick lunch, but she was still going, giggling with Pfannee and Shenshen about Oz-knew-what.

The only time she was quiet was during the ceremony inside the great hall.

Though Fiyero had given Glinda and Elphaba prominent seats in the ceremony (behind his family and next to his childhood friends), they were back with the former Shiz students at dinner.

The distance between them and Fiyero’s childhood friends didn’t stop his friends from coming over after dinner to ask Glinda to dance, and Glinda’s pointed overlooking of Boq’s advances didn’t stop him from hoping to get in on the rotation.

Eventually Boq settled for dancing with Nessarose (after multiple times of trying to advise Nessa to break up with Boq and Nessa immediately snapping at her over the years, Elphaba had let the situation go. It would resolve itself one way or another), and Pfannee and Shenshen were whisked off by two handsome Vinkan brothers, leaving Elphaba at the table alone.

Despite the creeping sense of loneliness, Elphaba smiled. This could’ve been Glinda’s wedding, but it also could’ve been hers. When Elphaba had dated Fiyero, they’d gotten pretty serious pretty quickly.

Elphaba, however, knew she wasn’t fit to be a princess. She was much too… herself. One trip to the Vinkus as Fiyero’s girlfriend had taught her that much.

It was on that trip that she’d first met Sarima, and the two had become easy friends. It was Sarima she confided in when she thought about breaking up with Fiyero since she and Glinda weren’t talking much back then.

“I think what’s making it confusing,” Sarima had concluded after the two of them had a girls’ night away from the palace, “is that the three of you all love each other. But love doesn’t have to be romantic.”

“I don’t want to lose Fiyero as a friend,” Elphaba had said, and Sarima shrugged.

“I doubt you will… but if you stop dating… maybe the two of you can get Glinda back?”

The following school year, when Elphaba learned Fiyero and Sarima were dating, she thought back to their conversation. She expected to feel stirrings of jealousy or perhaps suspicion that Sarima had told her to break up with Fiyero because she wanted to date him. But she hadn’t felt much of anything except for happiness for Fiyero, and she’d been all the more happy when she learned he was finally going to marry Sarima.

Fiyero interrupted her thoughts when he sat next to her, grin so wide it covered his entire face.

“Thank you for coming, Elphaba,” he said. “I know you had to take off work to come.”

“I wouldn’t miss it for anything.”

“You’re lying.”

She frowned. “I’m not lying. I wouldn’t miss seeing you get married, and even though you’re being an asshole right now, thank you for inviting me.”

“Outside of my family, you were the first on the list,” Fiyero said.

“Don’t let Glinda hear you say that,” Elphaba said, prompting laughter from Fiyero.

“Elphaba and Glinda. You’re two different people, but you always share the same thought in my head, so technically she was also first on the list.” He glanced at the dance floor to where Glinda was twirling in the arms of one of his friends. “Did you two make up?”

“I think so…” Elphaba nodded. “Yeah.”

“Good! I hated seeing you both so sad.” Fiyero’s grin faded, and he focused his gaze on her, concerned eyes roaming her face. “You still seem sad.”

“I’m fine,” she said automatically, without even processing his observation. Elphaba was fine. She was happy to have restored her friendship with Glinda, happy to be at the wedding, happy to have taken off work.

“Come dance with me.” Fiyero held out his hand, and Elphaba eyed it warily.

“I don’t really want to dance…”

“You can’t say no to me on my wedding day! Come on!” He stood up, hand still stretched out towards Elphaba. She sighed. She could tell from the set of his mouth that he wasn’t going to let her stay seated. “Come on. I’ve danced with Sarima, my mother, Glinda, and if I want to say I’ve danced with all of the most beautiful women in the place, then I must dance with you.” His ridiculous statement tipped her frown into a small smile.

“You can’t flirt like that anymore, Fiyero. You’re married.”

“Married doesn’t mean I should lie about realities. Come on, or are you going to make me beg?”

Elphaba relented and took his hand.

Usually, Elphaba didn’t dance. She never tried to draw attention to herself, and dancing seemed like nothing more than an attention-grabbing activity.

And honestly, every time she thought about dancing, she remembered that night at the Ozdust. She was a few years removed from it now, but it was still… formative, for lack of a better word.

The Ozdust had been the night she was humiliated beyond measure. She’d already made a fool of herself at Shiz with Nessarose’s chair and by being in Glinda’s crosshairs, but that night had cemented exactly how different she was, and it’d shown her exactly how callous people could be…

But it’d brought her Glinda.

It was a bittersweet memory, and the further she got away from it, the sweeter it got, but Elphaba had to admit that every time she thought about dancing, she got a knot in her stomach the size of Nest Hardings.

Fiyero pulled her onto the dance floor. When they stopped, he winked at her. “Just follow me, Fae.”

Elphaba took a deep breath and nodded.

The song wasn’t slow by any means, but it wasn’t up-tempo enough for her to have a good handle on how fast or slow her limbs should be moving. Fiyero held both of her hands and led her in a Vinkan dance move that involved a lot of stepping all too close to each other and pulling apart. He spun her around and steadied her when she threatened to wobble in her boots. (They were a tad higher than normal. She was used to wearing heels, but not ones this high.)

“You’re really getting the hang of this,” Fiyero encouraged, and Elphaba flushed. It wasn’t unfun, but the song seemed to drag on forever, and she was ready for the song to be over.

When the song slowed to a stop and Fiyero released her, she breathed a sigh of relief. He kissed her cheek.

“Thank you for dancing with me. Allow me to escort you back to your seat.”

Elphaba rolled her eyes, and they headed towards the table where, surprisingly, Glinda was. She had a glass of champagne in her hands (her sixth one of the night… not that Elphaba was keeping track) and was frowning at the back of her chair.

“Having fun?” Elphaba asked when they approached. Glinda spun around with a gasp. The abrupt movement caused some of the champagne to spill over the side of her glass.

“Oh, Elphie! I thought I lost you!”

“She was with me,” Fiyero said, and Glinda tsked.

“I suppose I’ll give you a pass for taking her away because it’s your special day, but don’t let it happen again,” Glinda said. She brought the glass of her champagne to her lips, but before she could take a sip, she gasped again. “Elphie! Did you use your magic to dry my hand?”

Elphaba didn’t answer because Glinda didn’t actually care to know the answer (which was yes, she did dry Glinda’s hand).

“You seem a little tipsy, darling,” Fiyero said, pulling away her glass. “We should find you some water.”

“Oh, I’m perfectly fine, Fiyero. Your friends have been lovely. True gentlemen, unlike you.”

“Fiyero!” Sarima’s voice rang over the crowd. The band had started to play a slower song, and Sarima probably wanted to dance.

“I’ve got her,” Elphaba said. Fiyero nodded, mouthed his thanks and left to be with his bride.

“Miss Glinda, will you dance with me?” One of Fiyero’s friends asked. Glinda’s brown eyes cut to the side. She didn’t even turn to face him to deliver her rejection.

“No, but thank you so much for asking,” Glinda said. She snatched Elphaba’s hand and, without a word or sparing a glance at the poor man, dragged Elphaba back to the dance floor.

“I don’t think I’m up for more dancing,” Elphaba said.

“Hm?” Glinda asked. She wrapped her arms around Elphaba’s waist and put her head on her shoulder. Elphaba’s hands dangled awkwardly at her sides while Glinda swayed them from back and forth. “You smell good,” Glinda said. “Like springtime… not because you’re green or anything. You just smell like… nectar.”

“Nectar?”

“I bet you taste like nectar.” Glinda hugged her tighter. “Would you let me taste you, Elphie?”

Elphaba went the slightest bit stiffer than she already was, and Glinda lifted her head. Before Elphaba could process the wicked gleam in her eye, Glinda’s teeth were on the flesh of her upper arm. Her eyes went wide and she opened her mouth to scold Glinda but a gasp came out instead because part of her skin caught between Glinda’s teeth grew warm and wet.

Elphaba recovered from the shock of being licked rather quickly. She'd spent years dealing with Glinda, after all, and a lick was not the most curious behavior she'd witnessed.

“Glinda!” she chided, and Glinda pulled away, cheekiest smirk ever playing on her lips.

“You didn’t say no.” Glinda giggled and rested her head back onto Elphaba’s shoulder. “And now I can firmly attest that you don’t taste like nectar… oh, Elphie. As much as I’d love to dance with you for the duration of this song, I’m afraid my feet hurt.” She lifted her head. “Can we sit?”

“I didn’t want to dance in the first place, remember?” Elphaba asked, and Glinda looked at her with furrowed brows.

“Does it bring you joy to be so antagonistic all the time?” Glinda demanded.

“I’m not being antagonistic.”

“Yes, you are!”

“I’m not.”

“See?” Glinda teased. “I don’t think you can help it. You’ve been like this since the clock tick I met you.”

“I have not.”

“I bet you were like this from the very clock tick you were born.” Glinda’s huff of indignation wasn’t effective because smiled immediately after and took Elphaba’s hand. “Come on.”

They wove through the people on the dance floor. At first, Elphaba thought Glinda was pulling her towards their table, but she passed it and led Elphaba out of the outdoor reception area completely.

Glinda pulled her down the path back to the palace under the string lights, but instead of following it straight to the palace doors, they turned at the split in the path that led to the gardens.

The gardens weren’t as well lit as the area they’d just left, but there was enough light scattered around the landscape and emitting from the fountain to see Glinda’s eyes sparkling.

They stopped at a wooden bench, and Glinda sat down, tugging Elphaba to sit next to her.

Out of nowhere, Glinda giggled. “Sorry for biting you, Elphie.”

“You’re not,” Elphaba said.

“I am, but I can’t be held responsible for what drunk me does.”

Elphaba turned her head to face her, took in the mischief dancing in her sparkling eyes, and hummed. “You’re not drunk,” she said. Glinda knew how to act drunk just as well as she knew how to fabricate every other human state of existence. Fiyero’s “gentlemen” friends kept bringing her champagne, and she kept taking it, but she never took more than a few sips before setting it down on a passing waiter’s tray… or so Elphaba assumed.

This was not her first event with Glinda Upland.

Tipsy was the perfect excuse for Glinda to leave whenever she wanted, to leave with whoever she wanted, or to leave with nobody at all.

Glinda grinned. “Well, what ever are we to blame the bite on?” she asked.

“Your silliness,” Elphaba said, and Glinda hummed, squeezing their joined hands.

“Perhaps,” she agreed with a shrug. “But then what could I blame the kiss on if not my inebriated state?”

Elphaba smiled gently through the disappointment that washed over her. “Who’d you kiss?”

“Nobody yet.”

“Who are you going to kiss?” Elphaba pulled her hand out of Glinda’s and tucked her leg under herself on the bench so she could more easily look into the fountain behind them. It was pretty in the daylight, but much more enchanting under the moonlight. Streams of water shot straight up, crossing each other in the air to create a diamond pattern midair.

“Elphie.”

“Hm?”

“I’m going to kiss you, Elphaba.”

Elphaba’s eyes went wide, and she looked from the water to Glinda to assess whether she was still teasing.

She wasn’t.

“Why?” Elphaba asked. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to kiss Glinda. Of course she did—of course she did. That’s why she and Gianna were no longer together. It’s why the thought of Glinda kissing someone else had deflated her so. It’s why she had cried when Glinda more or less said they wouldn’t speak on the phone anymore, and why she cried again when Glinda’s letter came.

“‘Cause I love you,” Glinda said. Her grin had softened into something more earnest, and she shrugged. “I have never been able to imagine my life without you, and I’ve always known I loved you, but it wasn’t until Lurlinemas…” Glinda shook her head. “A little bit after, actually. I went home after my impromptu visit when you showed me your apartment and your… girlfriend, and I realized how sad and angry I was that I didn’t have a place in your life anymore.”

“You always had a place in my life,” Elphaba said.

“But I didn’t have the primary place in your life, and we were fighting, and everything was just so very wrong.” Glinda’s hand landed on Elphaba’s thigh, fingers curling under the slit in her dress. “We’ll always fight, I’m sure, since you do love being contrary.”

“I do not,” Elphaba breathed.

“Right.” Glinda turned herself so her torso faced Elphaba, and she scooched closer, pulling Elphaba’s leg to drape across her own. Physical closeness with Glinda was not new to Elphaba, but this time it seemed… different. “I’ve been very sad without you. In the city, yes, but also I was sad knowing we weren’t us anymore.”

“I never wanted us to stop being us,” Elphaba said. “Glinda, I…” She’d already explained herself plenty and apologized for her stubbornness. “I tried to come to the city before I got your letter.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I even got on the train once, but I couldn’t bring myself to get off at the stop. After I got your letter, I wrote you one in response, but I didn’t mail it because I wanted to be there when you read it,” she said. Elphaba bit her lip so as not to show her shock when she saw Glinda’s suave evaporate.

“I thought you didn’t have the words to say! You wrote me a whole letter and didn’t send it? How horrendible. I’m not going to kiss you just for that!”

“You can read it,” Elphaba offered. “I brought it with me so I could give it to you in case you refused to talk to me.”

“It’s in the palace?”

“Yes. Would you like me to go get it?”

“Yes! I mean, no! Maybe in a minute or two.” Glinda’s lips pulled into a flirty smile, and fluttering erupted in Elphaba’s stomach at the sight of it.

She’d seen Glinda’s flirty smile plenty. Hardly a day went by when Glinda didn’t wear one, but it’d never been directed at Elphaba.

“Elphaba, do you remember Lurlinemas Eve?” When Elphaba nodded, she continued speaking. “I was struggling with the dream house project, and I realized it was because… since we became friends, I’ve never been able to imagine a future without you in it.” She moved her hand from Elphaba’s leg to dig into her sparkling silver clutch on the bench. Out of it she pulled a many-times folded piece of paper and unfolded it with care. “These are the floor plans I turned it.”

“Is this the same one you were working on? Where I had all those rooms?” Elphaba asked with a laugh, but Glinda shook her head.

“No. I started over in the new year. I stayed up all night before it was due, and I took out all your rooms. I came up with this. Um, you can’t really see it because it’s dark, but I ended up… even when I tried to sketch you out of the picture… oh.” Glinda sighed. “I wish you could see.”

Elphaba reached out her finger and touched the corner of the page, and the lines illuminated, Glinda’s curly handwriting glowing at the top.

“Oh!” Glinda turned the floor plans in Elphaba’s hand. In the bottom corner under the expected room outlines was a sketch of the structure itself. Elphaba couldn’t see all the details well since only the solid lines were illuminated, but she got a glimpse of whitewashed brick and some sort of vining plant climbing up the front. The house itself looked to be about the size of Colwen Grounds.

Her eyes slid over to the floor plans.

The second floor was fairly standard—five bedrooms, each with a connected bathroom. The master bedroom was easy to spot because the closet was the size of the other bedrooms. Elphaba chuckled. Of course, Glinda wanted a closet the size of a bedroom.

The first floor had more living rooms than Elphaba suspected Glinda would ever need, and though she saw each one had a different functionality (tea room, sitting room, living room, breakfast nook), Elphaba still didn’t see how Glinda would actually use them all.

At the left end of the house, there was a massive study.

“Glinda, you need this much space to draw pictures?”

“I’ll have you know, architecture is much more involved than simply drawing pictures. There’s math, there’s history, and I’ll need room to make models if I so choose, but no. This is not my study.” She pointed to a room at the other end of the house, near the kitchen. “This is. The big study… well, even when I tried to imagine a life without you, I couldn’t. That’s your study, Elphie. I… um… I planned this house to sit on one of Pertha’s finest hills, so from your study… hm, do you see these windows? You’ll be able to see the mountains out of them since they’re facing north. There’ll be less sun coming through the windows, but you like to be broody, anyway.”

“So, I do have a room in your house.”

“You’re not getting it, Elphie. You have all the rooms in my house—our house. Our kitchen.” She pointed. “Our dining room, our tea room, our sitting room but look, this can easily be turned into a playroom…” Glinda cleared her throat. “Our living room with a fitting oil portrait of us to hang above the fireplace, our veranda.” Her finger slipped up to the second floor. “My closet, of course, but everything else is ours.”

“Glinda—”

“Please don’t… um… well, it doesn’t have to be ours, but you’re just so stubbornly in every future of mine and I—that night, I told you I’d never been in love, but that wasn’t true. I just didn’t realize I was already in love… and I told you someone would fall in love with you, but that wasn’t true either because someone already had.”

“You,” Elphaba said, and Glinda nodded.

“Me.” She took the floor plans back before Elphaba could get a good look at the basement and folded it to slip back into her purse. “I’m in love with you.”

Hearing it stated so plainly lit Elphaba’s insides up like the sketch she’d been holding moments before. She smiled down at her hands. “Really?” Elphaba asked, thigh prickling where Glinda’s fingers ghosted it.

“Yes.”

“But Glinda… I really might make your life harder.”

“No, you won’t. I promise. But I’ll make yours so much easier.”

“Glinda, even if I still had access to my parents’ money, I might make your life harder. I’m not exactly… usual.”

“You certainly aren’t,” Glinda agreed. “You’re unusually contrary, unusually wonderocious, unusually… perfect.”

“But—”

“Elphaba? I want to take care of you so you don’t have to struggle and because I love you and… I want to love you forever if you’ll let me.” Glinda’s soft fingers curled around Elphaba’s hand. “Will you let me?”

Would she? Could she accept Glinda and her help? Something prideful made her wince at the question and immediately want to reject it. She wanted to say no. Don’t be contrary, Glinda’s voice rang in her head, and Elphaba let out a breathy laugh.

“Yes,” Elphaba whispered. “I’m in love with you, too.” She didn’t have to look up to know Glinda was beaming. She could feel the warmth of the smile shining on her.

“We will be living in the North, though,” Glinda said. Elphaba looked up. She’d be anywhere with Glinda.

“Settica?” Elphaba teased, and Glinda narrowed her eyes.

“Why ever would I live in Settica? Frottica is the—”

“Superior Gillikin county, I know.”

“Let’s live in Frottica, Elphie—oh!” Glinda gasped when her eyes landed on something behind Elphaba.

“What is it?” Elphaba turned.

“It’s almost the thirteenth hour,” Glinda said.

From where they sat, Glinda had a perfect view of the garden’s post clock. Sure enough, it was almost the thirteenth hour.

“What does the time have to do with anything?” Elphaba asked.

“I’m going to kiss you once the clock strikes, Elphie! That’s been my plan this whole time.”

Caught between a laugh and confusion, Elphaba turned back to face Glinda. “Why?”

“Our anniversary can’t be the same as Fiyero’s! Honestly, I can hardly think of a more horrendible day for it to fall on.”

“You’re absurd,” Elphaba said through her chuckles.

“You’re—” The clock interrupted her, and Glinda’s eyes widened. She pulled Elphaba’s leg higher up, so it draped across her own so she could scoot closer. Then she grinned, let her fingers curl around the side of Elphaba’s neck and her thumb stroked just under her ear.

Before the thirteenth ring of the bell, Glinda’s lips were firmly on hers.

Glinda pressed into the kiss, and her other hand landed over the poppy on Elphaba’s chest. To do something with her hands as Glinda worked to deepen the kiss, Elphaba let one rest on Glinda’s waist. The other wrapped around Glinda’s forearm.

Elphaba had been kissed before. Surprisingly, even to herself on most days, she’d made out before. But she’d never been able to taste a giggle in a kiss. She’d felt heat before, but mostly uncomfortable heat that came with second-guessing every move of her body. Kissing Glinda, she felt only the warmth of sitting in front of a fire.

Comfortable, crackling…

Glinda pulled away, hooded brown eyes assessing Elphaba’s face.

“So…” Glinda started, breathless. “You’ll be my girlfriend?”

Everything was the same and yet everything had changed. They were the same, but something was different. When they got back to the rooms, Glinda followed Elphaba into hers. That was normal and usual and yet…

When Glinda asked Elphaba to untie her dress, something Elphaba had done hundreds if not thousands of times before, suddenly the request felt charged…

There wasn’t dis-comfort or hesitation as there had been after their argument at Lurlinemas, but there was something new… Something sweet and warm.

Elphaba untied the bow she’d fastened hours earlier and loosened the ribbons. Glinda exhaled as soon as she had room to. She probably hadn’t been able to breathe properly all day. Elphaba, if their normal was the same, would have scolded her for it. But their normal was different now, and righter than it’d ever been. So she did not scold, but watched the dress fall to the floor and pool around Glinda’s feet.

Thanks to the hours in the sun, Glinda’s legs, arms, and shoulders were a shade or two darker than the rest of the revealed skin. Before, Elphaba’s eyes would’ve flickered over Glinda’s bareness and settled comfortably back onto her face. They lingered this time. Now that they were girlfriends, Elphaba was allowed to appreciate the blue lace underwear that sat low on her hips, the smooth, pale skin of her torso… and she wasn’t wearing a bra. Elphaba wasn't surprised. She'd seen Glinda get dressed and the strapless dress hadn’t required a bra. But the knowledge (and sight) of the lack of bra had been rather negligible before their time in the garden. Now…

“Elphaba?”

“Yeah…”

“Turn around.”

Elphaba didn’t need help getting out of her dress. There was only a simple clasp at her neck to deal with. But Glinda wanted to help—Glinda always helped when they were together—so it wasn’t worth arguing.

Elphaba turned around and swept her hair to the side. Glinda’s fingertips brushed against the base of her neck as she unfastened the clasp, and she pulled the fabric across Elphaba’s shoulders so the dress could fall.

Elphaba’s dress wasn’t as snug as Glinda’s so she didn’t have to shimmy to get it to fall. The sleeves slipped down her arms and with one firm tug from Glinda at the fabric hugging her waist, the dress fell from her body.

Her underwear was not as scanty as Glinda’s, and it wasn’t cute in the slightest. Panties and bras had one purpose as far as Elphaba was concerned, and they didn’t have to be in pretty colors or with special patterns to do it.

Elphaba went to move away and head to the bathroom, but she froze when Glinda’s soft lips brushed the back of her neck. Glinda was close enough that Elphaba could feel warmth from her body heat on her back, but suddenly she was even closer. Closer than she’d ever been before.

“You’re beautiful,” Glinda whispered. She put her chin on Elphaba’s shoulder and they made eye contact in the standing mirror. Glinda’s left hand snaked around her waist. Her touch was so light, it tickled, and Elphaba tensed. Glinda hummed, and she moved her chin to give Elphaba a kiss on her shoulder.

“Thank you,” Elphaba breathed. Glinda placed a final kiss on Elphaba’s shoulder before moving to stand in front of her.

“Miss Elphaba, look at me.”

Elphaba cleared her throat and lifted her eyes. Glinda was smiling softly at her, nose scrunched ever so slightly from her smile.

“I mean it. You’re beautiful,” Glinda said, gaze never wavering from her eyes for a second. Yes, everything was very much the same about them including the burn spreading on Elphaba’s face from having the sun shining on her for too long. Elphaba glanced away. “And I love you.” Glinda's brightness faded as her smile did. “I’m in love with you and…” Glinda’s hands grazed the tops of Elphaba’s thighs. “You look rather delicious in these tights, Elphie.”

“Are you going to taste me?” Elphaba asked in what was supposed to be a playful manner—a way to tease Glinda for her absurdity earlier when she bit Elphaba but…

Everything was different now, so instead of her cheeks going red, Glinda’s eyes darkened.

“I’d like to,” Glinda said, earnestly.

When Elphaba first met Glinda, she never would have guessed she was such an earnest person. But every breath Glinda took was honest and intentional—even her lies were earnest—a paradox Elphaba couldn’t explain if she tried.

“I’d like to,” Glinda repeated, fixing Elphaba with that Oz damned flirty smile. “If you’ll let me?”

It was the second time in an hour that Glinda had asked her such a question, and the third time in an hour where Glinda was actually waiting for her answer. Elphaba had said yes to accepting help from Glinda, she’d said yes to being Glinda’s girlfriend, and there was no reason for her not to say yes to this.

Furthermore, she didn’t want to say no. She’d said no the first time Gianna and Fiyero tried to initiate sex because, despite her desire, there was always a little bit of creeping shame she felt at the thought of being exposed.

But this was Glinda—Glinda who only ever called her beautiful when she was looking Elphaba in the eye—and Elphaba didn’t have the slightest urge to say no.

Elphaba exhaled the breath she'd been holding since Glinda's shameless initiation, and Glinda broke into a grin. She attached her lips to Elphaba’s and squealed into their kiss.

Elphaba laughed and Glinda’s tongue pushed past her parted lips. Elphaba didn’t feel sexy in the slightest, but she didn’t feel embarrassed, either, because they were both giggling like fools. Glinda tried to walk them over to the bed, but she refused to part their lips and Elphaba’s dress was still around her feet.

They stumbled over it, eliciting a fresh wave of laughter. Glinda pulled away so Elphaba could kick the dress away, and then Glinda backed them up until the back of Elphaba's legs hit the edge of the  bed. Glinda’s thumbs hooked into the hem of Elphaba's underwear.

“I believe these need to come off,” Glinda said once the last of her laughter had faded. Elphaba nodded.

“Then take them off.” Before the words finished leaving her lips, Glinda was kneeling in front of her, peeling off her tights and underwear. Elphaba perched on the bed so Glinda could slip everything off of and over her feet. Glinda kissed Elphaba’s knee and then lifted her head. She smiled almost shyly when Elphaba spread her legs. “Tell me how I taste,” Elphaba breathed. Glinda took a sharp breath and moaned, eyelids fluttering as she leaned in closer.

The first touch of Glinda’s lips to her folds made Elphaba stiffen. Glinda slipped one hand under Elphaba’s thigh and used the other to spread her open.

Glinda licked tentatively, tongue ghosting over Elphaba’s clit. It was enough to make her clit jump in anticipation, but not to do much else. But Glinda made proper contact without much more preamble. The tip of her tongue dipped at Elphaba’s entrance before settling on exploring the area around the bundle of nerves.

Elphaba’s entire body went taut at the tingles of pleasure shooting through her veins. Once she got used to the sensation, she relaxed into it, and eased herself onto her back. She suspected she should make some noise of pleasure, but Glinda had rendered her voiceless and Elphaba could only let out breathy sighs.

Glinda apparently no longer needed to spread Elphaba’s folds because she brought her fingers together and pushed the very tips of them inside of Elphaba.

“Yes,” Elphaba breathed, and Glinda eased the rest in, until Elphaba felt her knuckles. Elphaba bowed and drew one leg up to rest on the edge of the bed. Glinda’s fingers curled inside of her, shooting another surge of tingles through her body. She closed her eyes when Glinda’s tongue finally started to circle her clit and not just the sensitive skin around it.

Glinda increased the force of her thrusts and the speed of her tongue, swirling, swirling so fast Elphaba could feel herself stirring up.

“Ga—” Glinda’s old name died on her lips. Slipping up and adding in the Ga was a habit she’d mostly broken, but occasionally it slipped. Glinda’s tongue slowed to a stop.

“Elphaba.” Glinda’s warm breath hit her hot center.

The best Elphaba could manage in return was an, “Mhm?” because though her tongue stopped, Glinda’s thrusting never ceased.

“You can call me Galinda, dearest.”

Elphaba lifted her upper body because she could feel Glinda looking at her. When they made eye contact, Glinda smiled with a gentleness that loosened any remaining nerves in Elphaba’s stomach.

“Only you, though,” Glinda said, and then her tongue landed on Elphaba’s clit again, leaving Elphaba with a view of blonde curls between her legs. She wished she could weave her hand through them, but she couldn’t reach that far without awkwardly hunching over, so she fell back on her back and let the swirling of Glinda’s tongue stir her back up.

Her clit thrummed under Glinda’s tongue, and she screwed her eyes shut when stars appeared in her periphery. Caught between a gasp and a moan, Elphaba groaned.

“Galinda…” Her thighs flexed and her breath hitched. Before she could even acknowledge it was coming or prepare her body for the crash, her orgasm hit her. Elphaba whimpered as her walls spasmed around Glinda’s fingers. Her clit twitched in kind, and she lifted her hips to push herself further onto Glinda’s mouth. “Glinda,” she rasped. Glinda remained diligent, working her fingers and tongue until Elphaba’s orgasm subsided.

Glinda moved away from her and removed her fingers, leaving Elphaba emptier than she’d been before they began. She’d known before that she wanted Glinda close, but now she understood exactly how close she wanted Glinda, and it was unfortunate they'd have to leave each other again in the morning.

After catching her breath, Elphaba scooted further onto the bed so she could straighten her legs without them hanging off the edge. When she opened her eyes and sat up, Glinda was climbing onto the bed next to her.

“How was that?” Glinda asked, gently twisting Elphaba’s shoulders to unfasten her bra.

“Um… really good,” Elphaba said, and Glinda’s mouth tipped into a proud smirk. “How did I taste?” Elphaba asked after her breasts had been freed. Glinda licked her lips instead of answering, so Elphaba tried again. “How did I ta—”

Glinda pressed herself up against Elphaba and connected their lips. She licked into Elphaba’s mouth and pushed Elphaba down on the bed. When she stopped the kiss, she hovered over Elphaba.

“You tell me,” Glinda said, smirking. “How do you taste?”

It took Elphaba a clock tick to process the question since she was still recovering from the force of the kiss, but when she did, she assessed. There was a new taste in her mouth… a bit salty, a little musky…

“Well?” Glinda prompted.

“Kiss me again,” Elphaba said. Glinda grinned and complied immediately, lowering herself back on top of Elphaba so they could kiss. Elphaba was less concerned about how she tasted than she was about ensuring she got the chance to return the favor to Glinda. They’d spent so long in the garden, the thirteenth hour had come and gone. Elphaba had to leave just after breakfast since it’d take hours to get back to Shiz. It was only a matter of time before either or both of them had their adrenaline wane and their bodies ask for sleep, but Elphaba was determined to make her girlfriend unravel before that happened.

Elphaba rolled them so they were on their sides and broke the kiss. Glinda’s shiny lips settled into a pout.

“Take off your panties.” Elphaba punctuated her request with a peck to Glinda’s pouty lips. Glinda huffed, but rolled onto her back to shimmy out of her blue underwear. She lifted her hips to slide them over her butt and bent her legs to push them off. By the time they got around her thighs, Elphaba took over, pulling the wet panties over her knees and past her calves. Glinda kicked them away when they got to her ankles and, underwear no longer in the way, Elphaba returned her attention to Glinda’s face.

Her blonde hair splayed around her head like rays of sun, and her pout had morphed back into the flirty smile from before.

“Hi,” Glinda said tenderly, pulling a soft chuckle from Elphaba.

“Hi,” Elphaba said in a timbre that matched Glinda's. “You’re so pretty.”

Glinda grinned. “Do you really think so?”

“I do. I think you’re the prettiest woman in Oz.”

“Oh, how romantical you are,” Glinda teased, grin breaking into giggles. Elphaba rolled her eyes before she stroked her knuckles across Glinda’s cheek.

“I love you,” Elphaba said. She dropped a kiss onto Glinda’s nose and let her hand creep from Glinda’s cheeks down to her chest. Elphaba rolled a nipple between her fingers and Glinda’s breath hitched as chill bumps appeared on her smooth skin. Pleased with the reaction, Elphaba did the same to the other nipple.

She placed a kiss between Glinda’s breasts and her hand crept even lower. There’d be time for extended foreplay another day. Elphaba propped herself up with her elbow. She remained on her side so she could look down at and kiss Glinda easily, and used her foot to draw Glinda’s legs apart.

Elphaba could tell from the rise and fall of Glinda’s chest that she was breathing deeply in anticipation of contact, but Elphaba couldn't hear her panting at all over the buzzing in her own ears. How magnificent that she got to have Glinda like this…

As soon as she slipped her fingers between Glinda’s folds, Glinda shuddered.

“You’re wet,” Elphaba said, rather flatly. She’d intended to keep the observation internal, but she must’ve been so shocked it came out anyway. The giggle Glinda released was mostly air.

“‘Course I am,” she mumbled.

Elphaba rubbed the pads of her fingers up and down Glinda’s slit to spread the arousal around.

“Elphie?”

“Hm.”

“We’ll live in Frottica?” Glinda asked in a whisper. Elphaba stilled her fingers to pause her blind exploration and smiled. Glinda never failed to surprise her. “Don’t stop,” Glinda chastised.

“We’ll live in Frottica,” Elphaba answered. “At least part time.” She dipped one finger inside of Glinda.

“Mm, that’ll be nice,” she mumbled. She adjusted herself, back arching off the bed ever so slightly. After a few pumps, she slipped in another finger. Oz, the inside of Glinda was so warm and soft… “Part time in the hills. Yes,” Glinda moaned when Elphaba began providing intentional pressure onto Glinda’s clit with the heel of her hand. “A little faster.”

Elphaba sped up her movements and was rewarded with another moan. Glinda’s parted lips were too tempting to pass up, so Elphaba leaned over so they could kiss again.

Glinda was a good kisser, and though Elphaba didn’t think she was a bad kisser, she had a ways to go. She had no doubt Glinda would make it her mission to help her get better at the skill.

“I love you, Elphie,” Glinda mumbled as soon as the kiss broke. “Fuck—ooh. So we’ll…” Glinda’s eyes fluttered closed. “We’ll be married?”

Elphaba carefully flattened her arm to give her elbows and shoulder a break from holding her weight. Her hand ended up toying with Glinda’s hair, and with her face so close to Glinda’s neck, she could make out the peach undertones in her perfume. From that angle, however, her thrusts had to become much shorter. Glinda didn’t seem to complain, though. In fact, her body had started to tense up.

“It’s… it's just…” Glinda stuttered. “If we’re going to be living together… part time in Frottica—ah, Elphie, Elphie, I love you.” She took a shuddering breath and turned her head to face Elphaba. Elphaba lost her breath at the sight of the blown out pupils in Glinda’s wide brown eyes. “It’d make sense to be married, wouldn’t it?”

Elphaba breathed a laugh. “It would,” she conceded.

“We can stay girlfriends, though, if you’d like,” she offered and Elphaba pulled her fingers out of Glinda. “I said don’t stop! Why did you stop?”

“It seemed like we were having a serious conversation.”

“Elphaba!” Glinda sat up and dragged Elphaba with her. Her flushed face had soured in irritation. “You’ve become distractified from the matter at hand!”

“Which is… marriage?”

“Making me come!” Glinda snapped. She tossed her hair over her shoulder and leaned onto Elphaba, brushing her lips across Elphaba’s. “Baby, please focus.”

Elphaba rolled her eyes yet again. She repositioned herself so she was leaning against the pillows and pulled Glinda between her legs. Glinda settled back against Elphaba’s chest, and opened her legs. She bent her legs and hooked each foot on the outsides of Elphaba’s thighs.

Elphaba wasted no time reinserting her fingers, and this time she added a third. Somehow, Glinda both tensed and melted against her simultaneously. Elphaba used her free hand to fondle Glinda’s taut nipples, and with each pump of her fingers, she ensured the heel of her hand ground against Glinda’s clit.

“So?” Glinda asked once Elphaba had gotten into a rhythm.

“So, what?”

“Married?”

Elphaba laughed into Glinda’s hair. “I thought the task at hand was making you come.”

“Oh, I’m about to. Keep going.”

Sure enough, Glinda started to clench around her and she pushed her back further into Elphaba, fingers digging into the bedspread. She whimpered.

“I’m gonna come.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, I’m gonna come. I’m gonna—oh.” Her bent legs straightened and she rolled her head back onto Elphaba’s shoulder. Her thighs trembled and she fluttered around Elphaba’s still pumping fingers. Glinda gasped, and all the tension in her body seemed to snap at once. “Elphaba,” she moaned. “ElphieElphieElphie!” She seized once more and then leaned forward, effectively stopping Elphaba from pumping and rolling her nipple.

Glinda grasped Elphaba’s wrist with both of her hands and continued to grind herself on Elphaba’s fingers, pressing even harder against the heel of her hand.

"Oh, fuck," Glinda rasped.

With a final jerk of her hips, it was over. Glinda leaned back against Elphaba, and Elphaba withdrew her fingers. She turned a little bit in Elphaba's arms, and cupped Elphaba's cheek. Glinda brushed her thumb over Elphaba's lips before tipping up to kiss her, and Elphaba decided that Glinda's smile belonged just as much on Elphaba's lips as it did her own.

Glinda hummed. “I want you to tell me how I taste, Elphie.”

Elphaba brought the wet fingers to her mouth and slipped them through the small space between her lips and Glinda’s. She sucked them in her mouth to lick the cum off, but Glinda tugged the fingers out of her mouth and replaced them with her lips before Elphaba could even think about articulating the taste.

Glinda wrapped her arms around Elphaba's neck, kissing desperately and intensely—the same way she did everything.

“I’m going to miss you when you go back,” Glinda said between kisses.

Elphaba's response came only after the kissing subsided. “I’ll miss you, too, sweet.”

“I know. All the more reason to take our family planning seriously.”

Elphaba shook her head and laughed softly, taking Glinda in. She'd sweated out the pressed curls in her hair so much that evidence of her real ones twisted at her hairline. Her face was a bit red, her makeup smudged and lip color all but gone, but she was radiant nonetheless.

“Family planning?” Elphaba asked.

“It’ll give us something to look forward to.”

“You’re absurd, and I love you.”

Glinda beamed, mischief and adoration dancing in her lovely eyes. “I love you, too, my Elphie.”

XI.

Dear Glinda,
It was lovely seeing you at the wedding. Thank you for agreeing to give me time to think about my answer to your question. You know I like to make sure everything is in order before I commit to things.
I apologize for not sending this letter sooner. I did not expect the end of the semester to get so hectic.
I would love to go with you on your summer adventure—I’ll go anywhere with you. I doubt I’ll be a great companion because I know next to nothing about architecture, but I have no doubt you’ll explain everything.
We can figure out the details on our next call. Yes, I will call you since I’m still using pay phones.
Talk soon.
I love you.
Yours Always,
Elphaba

Glinda’s eyes kept darting from the letter to the phone. Only a few minutes had passed since the call’s scheduled time, but Glinda couldn’t help but worry. Shiz was safe enough… Nevertheless, there were a multitude of atrocities in Oz thanks to the Wizard. And Elphaba was never late, which meant something could have happened to her!

Glinda startled at the knock on her front door. She took one glance at the phone and stood up. She didn’t want to step away from the phone, but if it rang, she could run from the door in time to answer it.

“Just a clock tick!” she called after another knock. Glinda paused by the mirror in the entryway to quickly fluff out her hair, and she swung the door open. “I’m expecting a call, so if you could come back at another—Elphie?” Glinda stumbled backwards and covered her mouth.

“Hi,” Elphaba said. She had a piece of brown luggage in her hands and wore the cutest ever sheepish smile.

“Elphaba Thropp, is it really you? You’re really here?” Glinda asked once she recovered from her shock. She poked at Elphaba’s shoulder, just to confirm she was present in the flesh and it wasn’t one of the Wizard’s weird holograms or something. Elphaba caught Glinda’s hand before her finger made contact, and Glinda squealed. “Elphie!”

The luggage dropped from Elphaba’s hand and hit the floor with a thud as Glinda sprang herself forward and threw her arms around Elphaba. She kissed her cheeks, her lips, her nose, her lips again, and her chin.

Elphaba Thropp at her apartment!

Elphaba Thropp at her apartment in the Emerald City! A place she refused to set foot in for years.

“Elphie! Elphie! Elphie!”

Elphaba chuckled. “Are you going to invite me inside?”

“Yes, of course!” Glinda dropped her arms, picked up Elphaba’s bag, and led her inside the apartment. She dropped the bag by the door and bounced on the balls of her feet. She had so much to show Elphaba, but first, she wanted to know, “Why are you here? You hate this place.”

“But I love you,” Elphaba said plainly, sending the butterflies in Glinda’s stomach into a fluttering storm. “My semester already ended. I know yours ends later this week, so I came to be with you… and I wanted to tell you something in person.”

“Oh, you and your insistence on delivering information ‘in person.’ If we’re to make this girlfriends thing work, you’re going to have to be okay with using letters and phone calls to share information.”

Elphaba dug into her satchel and held up a letter, and her wandering eyes landed on Glinda. “I put in a transfer application to Emerald University, and I got accepted. So, next semester—”

Glinda squealed again, throwing her arms around Elphaba’s neck. “We’re going to the same school again?”

“Yes.”

“We’ll be roommates again?”

“Mhm, and—”

“I can’t believe you applied to Emerald University.” Glinda let go of Elphaba after another kiss. “I never thought you’d come here again.”

“I’ll go anywhere with you, and I’ll be anywhere with you… even here.”

“Oh, who knew you could be so romantical?” Glinda asked, eliciting an eye roll from Elphaba. “Now we won’t have to miss each other anymore.”

Elphaba hummed and straightened her glasses (Glinda had knocked them askew in her elation). “I guess not, if we’re always going to be together,” she said. Elphaba had already started looking around the apartment again, so she didn’t see the way Glinda swooned.

“Yes,” Glinda agreed. “Always.”