Archive of Our Own ^beta

Elphaba wasn't stupid.

She knew that friends were usually able to let go of each other for at least few seconds. Her friend, now named Glinda, however, was not. 

Sure, she had never really had friends before, so she wouldn't know that much about it. But the way Glinda acted around her other friends compared to Elphaba was very different. And it made her heart do weird jumps, which she didn't believe was something that typically happened in a friendship. On the other hand, Glinda had a boyfriend. She reminded herself of that a lot. Mostly because she didn't want to convince herself something just because she wanted to believe it. It was hard to tell Glinda's intentions, but no one had ever shown any romantic interestet in her, so she just assumed that Glinda wanted to stay friends, which she was already grateful for. So she just convinced herself Glinda was just like this when you got to know her well enough.

She tried to stay away from Glinda. Not completely, but a safe distance between them that didn't make her feel like she would pass out on the spot. But Glinda always managed to do something. She held her hand, looped their arms together and sometimes even leaned her head on her shoulder. Dragging her through the city just like that, like it didn't mean or do anything. But it did for Elphaba, a bit too much if you asked her.

It wasn't that she didn't enjoy the affection she was receiving. In fact, it made her feel like she mattered. So she really did appreciate Glinda for it, and she was grateful. It would just be a lot better if it didn't make her feel like a total creep being loved like that. Her mind was asking her question after question.

What if Glinda doesn't feel the same way? She totally doesn't. I should tell her I like her. But she'll probably stop being friends with me. Would she hate me? Would I be bullied all over again? And I'd lose my only good friend, and probably the rest too with that. But she doesn't deserve this. I don't want her to do these things if I like her like that and she doesn't know it and what if she finds out? She'd hate me and probably think I'm disgusting. I should tell her, even if it means losing her. I don't want it to get weirder than this-

''Elphie! look!'' Glinda put her thoughts to a stop, ''It's the palace! Aahhh, we're going to meet the Wizard! Aren't you at least a bit more excited?'' Elphaba gave her a smile. They stood at the doors of the palace, finishing their song.

''We're just two friends...'' Glinda nudged her, almost like she was joking.

''Two good friends,'' Elphaba replied, smiling at her. 

''Two best...'' There was a pause. ''Friends.'' They laughed with each other. Elphaba wondered if she was missing something. Like why Glinda paused. And why she laughed at the word friend. She couldn't get too lost in thought, though. She was about to meet the Wizard!

A man in a small tower nearby spoke up. ''The Wizard will see you now!''

People around them cheered and they finally made their way inside, still holding hands. A guard led them inside. The hallway was quiet and empty, aside from the guards standing at the sides. But they stood so still, it made them look like statues.

She promised herself she would tell Glinda after this whole thing. Though she wasn't sure how it would go. Would they stay here together, or just go back?

The guard had finished leading them and walked away. She was about to walk to the doors, when Glinda faced her. ''Elphaba Thropp,'' she started, looking her in the eyes. ''Listen to me. You can do this.'' Glinda smiled at her, and she couldn't help but smile back. ''You can do anything.'' Glinda grabbed her arm, and they finally stepped into a big room. There was a giant fake head, which looked like it was floating in the middle of the room. The doors closed behind them, and Elphaba could feel Glinda pulling her a bit closer.

Once they started walking toward it, the head started moving. It was an intimidating sight. There was smoke all around it, and it looked unreal, yet very different from magic. This is it, she thought. The Wizard of Oz. 

Glinda was clinging to her arm now, she almost seemed scared by the head. Elphaba wasn't sure what to do about it, but she figured Glinda found comfort in her at that moment, so she let her. Just once. They walked forward slowly, looking for a sign whether they could continue or not. Just then, the machine-head's eyes lit up, and Elphaba immediately ran. Or at least tried to. Glinda stopped her, and after arguing for a bit, she walked toward the head. It slowly started speaking in a deep, unnatural voice.

''I... Am Oz.''

Glinda seemed very scared of the thing, or was at least pretending to. She was fully hiding behind Elphaba now, hugging her arm with both of hers, like she could protect her. 

''I am Oz the great and terrible.'' Fire lit up the room for a second, before dying out just as quickly as it appeared.

''Who are you, and why do you seek me?'' 

Glinda, still half-hiding behind her, tapped her shoulder, ''Elphie? Say something.''

''What am I supposed to say?'' She replied, panicked. Glinda had finally managed to let go of her for a second. ''Just- anything,'' she told Elphaba.

''Say... Something,'' the head spoke. Elphaba finally stepped forward, before flames appeared again. "'Say. Something.'' It sounded more hostile now. She had to start talking. Glinda gave her a little push forward, before she finally spoke up.

''Uhm. My name is Elphaba Thropp.'' The machine seemed to be processing the information. ''Your Ozness,'' she added. ''A- And this is-'' She was cut off by the head talking again, but this time, it sounded less aggressive. ''Elphaba? Is that you?'' The machine died out. She wondered what had just happened, when she saw a man step out from somewhere behind the head.

''Elphaba Thropp?''

Was that the Wonderful Wizard of Oz? The man walked toward them, and of course, Glinda had to grab her arm again. ''A man!'' She said. Elphaba tried hard not to laugh. If this really was the Wizard, she had to make a good impression. The man started talking again. ''Elphaba Thropp? I didn't know it was you.'' He continued talking, something about not recognizing her. After introducing himself, and Elphaba finding out that he was, in fact, the Wizard, she felt a bit more relaxed. He seemed less mysterious and powerful then people had made her believe.

Eventually, he led them toward a miniature copy of Oz. Does he have nothing better to do? She put the thought away when he started talking about her calling the palace her home. And, more importantly, the topic of her heart's desire had been brought up, so she had to say it. This was the moment she had been waiting for. 

''My heart's desire is for you to help the Animals.'' Glinda smiled at her, perhaps surprised, but she seemed genuinely happy. What Elphaba hadn't expected, was the Wizard immediately agreeing with her. He told them that he was very happy to help her. He started telling them more, and somewhere in the middle of his story, she and Glinda had sat down together, in the sandbox-Oz-thingy. But Glinda had to go and ruin her 'comfortability', as Glinda liked to call it, by wrapping her arms around her and resting her head on Elphaba's shoulder. Half of the story the Wizard was telling them didn't make it to Elphaba's brain for this exact reason.

''So. About the Animals,'' he began after he was done. ''I've actually been working on that, and, yeah, I agree with you. And I've actually started to work on this thing right here...'' He pulled a string attached to the ceiling, and a giant paper sheet fell from the roof. It looked like it floated just above their feet, and when Elphaba looked up, she saw what the Wizard had been talking about. A giant map of Oz had been drawn over the paper, with multiple points marked as 'important'. There were other points marked too, all in different colors. All of them had one or more Animal species written next to them. ''What's that?'' She heard Glinda ask. ''Why, it's a map. Of all of Oz. And you know, Elphaba? I've been working on this little project for a while now, and I found some of the places with the most reports of Animals being mistreated. And I believe one of them is where you came from...'' He pointed at Shiz with a wooden stick. ''I was going to, uh, fix that. But I wanted your opinion.''

Elphaba was surprised. Did he really wait for her to tell him what to do? ''Well,'' she started. ''Maybe you could help our professors at Shiz first. They've already been captured. And also let the people know. They'll listen to you, so they'll probably start treating the Animals better if you tell them to.'' He smiled at her, and she felt Glinda grabbing her hand again and giving Elphaba a light squeeze. ''Yeah,'' the Wizard replied. ''I'll get on that. Thank you, for helping me with that. I'll, uh, keep you updated on the Animals, but rest assured, I'm working on it.''

Isn't this whole situation the Wizard's fault in the first place?  She guessed not, then. Maybe the people had only said that back in Shiz to reassure the class.

''And you know what? You girls have break for a while, right?'' Glinda nodded beside her, smiling at him. 

''Well, if you want to...'' He turned to Elphaba. ''You could stay here for a few weeks. Until your classes start again.'' Elphaba looked at him, shocked. ''Don't I need to proof myself first? At least, that's what Madame Morrible told me.'' 

''Oh, well, yeah. But you already did. You did good by choosing the Animals over yourself.'' 

Good. It felt weird to Elphaba to hear herself described like that. ''I- uh, don't know what to say.'' Glinda nudged her. ''Elphie! This is such a big opportunity for you. Think of what you could do!'' And Elphaba did want to stay here, but she also expected it might get lonely. Should she ask if Glinda could stay here too? Or did he not have enough rooms? Surely he did, living in this massive palace. She looked Glinda in the eyes for a second, thinking about what she should do, when the Wizard started talking again.

''Oh! Of course! If it'd make you happy...'' He grabbed Glinda's hand.

''Possibly, your, uh...'' He hesitated. ''Girlfriend.'' Elphaba's eyes widened, in surprise that he had assumed she and Glinda were together, but also in fear that Glinda might reject her harshly, on the spot, without knowing it. But that didn't happen. Instead, Glinda just asked, ''Really?'' Like he never said anything weird at all. Maybe, Elphaba thought, she should have corrected him. But the conversation had already gone on, so she decided she would ask Glinda about it later.

Elphaba still felt her heart racing, but Glinda seemed to have moved on already, so she managed to she calm down a bit. She saw the Wizard nod at Glinda. ''Elphie! We get to stay with the Wizard!'' Glinda ran over to her, grabbing both her hands. She swore she saw Glinda's eyes look down at her lips for a second, but Glinda hugged her before the moment could last any longer. Elphaba hugged her back. I'll tell her when we're alone.

''So? Do you want to-'' the Wizard started, before Glinda interrupted him. ''Yes!'' Elphaba wondered how Glinda could possibly dare interrupt the Wizard of Oz, but he didn't seem to mind, so she gave them both a nod, assuring them she wanted to stay too. ''Well, allow me to show you your room.'' He said, leading them upstairs.

Room? Surely he has more than one room? Or it's because he wasn't expecting more people. Or there's multiple beds in the room. We could do that, it wouldn't be that weird. We share a room in Shiz. Wait, what if he thinks we're together so that's the reason? I'll just tell him we're not dating if he gives us one bed. It will be fine. 

After assuring herself of that, they arrived at the room, which was behind two big, emerald-colored, doors. ''Well. Here it is. I'll be downstairs if there's anything wrong.'' He paused. ''Yeah, go on inside. Make yourselves at home!'' And with that, he walked away.

Well, I could go downstairs if it's necessary, Elphaba thought, before she was pulled inside by Glinda. They looked around the room. It was big, with a balcony and there were even stairs that leaded to another, smaller room. Elphaba guessed this was the bedroom. She went to sit down on the couch, when Glinda suddenly felt the need to name every single thing in the room. ''Elphie look! We have everything! We have a balcony...'' Elphaba had eyes, she could see that. But she smiled at Glinda, who was running around, trying to find every single hidden spot, anyway.

''Look! Our own bathroom! And we have so much space in here. Are you not just so happy?'' Elphaba smiled at her, assuring her that she was. ''Of course I am. But can we, like, talk? About just now? Please?'' Glinda gave her a questioning look. She tilted her head a bit. ''About what?'' Elphaba gestured for Glinda to sit next to her. When she did, she started speaking again. ''He thought we were...'' Glinda was looking her in the eyes, clearly not getting what Elphaba was referring to. ''The Wizard called you my girlfriend,'' she finally managed to say. Glinda laughed. Laughed. Like this wasn't awkard for Elphaba at all. Probably because she didn't know it was. But still. ''Oh, that. I kind of just assumed he got the words wrong. Some people call their friends that, you know? And it's not that big of a deal, anyway.'' Elphaba managed a smile. 

So she doesn't care? Just moves on right away, not correcting people when they assume we're together? But why? Surely she didn't want people to think Glinda, the girl who everyone wanted, was dating someone who was litteraly green?

''Really Elphie, did you hate the idea of dating me so much?'' Glinda asked, acting overly dramatic about it. This took Elphaba by surprise. ''What? I- No! Of course not! I just didn't think you'd want people to think we we're together.'' Glinda moved a bit closer, though it was barely noticable. ''Relax, I was just joking.'' After a bit of silence, she added, ''Why wouldn't I want people to think that?''

''Well, you have Fiyero. And I'm green. I didn't think you would want people to think you're dating a green person.'' 

''What? Elphie! I've already told you how beautiful you are.'' She stared into Elphaba's eyes and cupped her face. For a second, Elphaba thought Glinda might lean in. But Glinda just kept staring.

Of course she didn't. She was just being nice. She has Fiyero, so I shouldn't even be thinking about this. This is stupid. But the thought was too nice to Elphaba to be fully put away. She quickly pulled back after realizing how close their faces were, and how long she had probably been staring for. Was it just her, or did Glinda look dissapointed for a second? She decided to not read into it anymore. Glinda had a boyfriend, and she would never like her like that. Suddenly, Glinda shot up. ''Elphie! We simply must go shopping. I didn't bring any clothes, because someone pulled me onto a moving train last second.'' 

''Sorry.''

''Don't be! I love it here. And I have an excuse to go shopping with you. Ooh, we can get dinner at that place we saw earlier!'' Glinda jumped up from the couch, pulling Elphaba up too immediately after. She looped their arms together. Again. Elphaba had planned on telling her just now, but she was still busy processing the whole girlfriend thing. And Oz, how cruel Glinda had been, holding her hand like that the whole time. And just the physical touch in general. Elphaba wasn't used to any of it. Glinda had almost made her believe she actually liked Elphaba like that. Almost.

When they got outside, it was already turning dark, and they immediately felt the cold evening air hit them. Luckily, Elphaba had brought some warmer clothes too.

''Elphie! I'm freezing.''

Glinda had not.

''Let's go to that one shop I told you about, I heard they have the most gorgifying dresses.'' Glinda basically dragged her through the streets of the city, until they arrived at the shop she had been talking about earlier. 

After Elphaba refusing Glinda's offers of buying her a new dress multiple times, and Glinda fitting about twenty pieces of clothing, of which only a few were even the slightest bit appropriate for the cold, they were finally done. Glinda had gotten five new dresses, all either very thin or short-sleeved. But at least she had also gotten a new jacket, though Elphaba (who, for some unknown reason, was also carrying all of the bags) doubted if it would do much against the cold, or if it was just fashion.

''Glinda, are you sure you shouldn't buy something more... Warm? That's litteraly what we came here for.''

''Don't be silly! It's all about the looks! As long as I don't freeze to death, I'll be fine!''

Elphaba rolled her eyes. ''Okay. But don't go and complain when you're cold.''

''I won't.''

''Promise?''

"Hmm... No.'' They both laughed. Just then, they found the food place Glinda had been talking about in the palace right around the corner.

''There it is! Come on, Elphie!'' Glinda half-ran toward the building, as much as her heels would allow her to. The place wasn't that big and there weren't that many options, but it had some nice decoration and the staff seemed kind enough. Once they had ordered, (takeout, because Glinda had insisted they eat in a park they had walked by earlier.) they got outside and made their way to the park, where they sat down on a bench. It was completely dark by now, and though there were some lights around them, they couldn't see much. The food was good, even when Glinda seemed to enjoy stealing Elphaba's more than actually eating her own food. 

But, as Elphaba had predicted, after only a few minutes, when Glinda had already moved a little closer to her multiple times, she finally asked, ''Elphieee?''

''I know what you're going to ask. The answer is no.''

''But you didn't even let me finish.'' Glinda put a hand on Elphaba's.

''Fine. What is it?''

''It's freezing.''

''I know. That's why I actually decided to wear something that fitted the weather.''

''Yeah. Well since it's technically your fault I'm here...'' Glinda shifted a bit closer again, making their knees touch. ''Can I maybe borrow your jacket? Just for tonight? I'll buy something warm tomorrow.''

''Don't you think you could have considered this before we went shopping?''

''Well, yeah. But I didn't. Besides, that was barely shopping. We only went to one store.''

''We got you six new things! Including your own jacket.''

''That one doesn't help. It's just meant to look good.'' Elphaba shot her a look. ''So can I? Pleaseee? You're wearing, like, ten layers under this, anyway.''

''I am not. And the answer is still no.'' Elphaba wouldn't have minded giving it to Glinda, if it wasn't for the fact that she would tell her she liked her that very night. She didn't think Glinda would appreciate her sharing her clothes if she knew that.

''Well fine, then. You leave me no other choice.''

''Glinda, wha-'' She was cut off by Glinda wrapping both of her arms around her waist and burying her face in the curve of her neck. She tried to ignore the fact that Glinda could probably feel her heartbeat. (Which, let's just say, was faster than it normally was.)

''Glinda, please. Let go.'' She couldn't do this right now. It wasn't busy, but there were still people around, and although most of them pretty far away, she still felt a bit watched. Also, she definitely wasn't confessing in public. 

''Hmm, no. You have made your choice. Now you shall face the consequences.'' 

''Glinda!'' She pushed her away quickly. The words came out far more aggressive than she had intended, but she had to do something about this. It wasn't that she hated this. She just didn't want Glinda to think she was weird for ever allowing this. Glinda immediately moved away further, only leaving their hands on top of each other. She looked sad. Hurt, even. Well now Elphaba had to fix this, too.

''S- Sorry. I didn't mean to sound like that. I just... I don't know. Here, you can have my jacket, it's fine. I'm not that cold, anyway.'' She moved to take it off, but Glinda caught her free hand with hers (and, of course, didn't let go). ''No. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I should have asked if it was okay.'' Glinda looked down at the ground awkwardly and rubbed her thumb up and down Elphaba's hand. Slowly, they both got up and walked back, most of the walk quiet, aside from people talking in a few restaurants around them. Glinda never let go of her hand, even when she was probably embarrased from what just happened.

The palace was only a few minutes away when they saw a woman approach them. She looked around fifty years old, and Elphaba guessed she was trying to make some extra money with handmade stuff.

''Good evening, ladies. Could I interest you in some jewellery? It's all handmade, and I guarantee you, good quality.'' She held up a few things. ''If you're interested, I have more in my bag.''

Glinda took the lead in the conversation. ''Sure! We'll look for a bit.'' Elphaba smiled at the woman. ''Take all the time you need,'' the woman said. Glinda looked around for a minute or two, until she came across two almost identical necklaces. She picked them both up to get a better look at them.

Both of the necklaces were made out of silver. They were exactly the same, apart from a small crystal heart pendant in the middle. One of them had a pink heart, while the other was green. They seemed perfect, Elphaba noticed. Almost like they had been made especially for them. 

''Elphie! We must get these. I'll pay for us if you'll wear it!'' Glinda looked at her, eyes pleading.

''Sure.'' Elphaba smiled at Glinda, and then the woman. She convinced herself she should enjoy the last moments she got with Glinda as a friend. And make Glinda enjoy them, too. Would Glinda ask to swap rooms in Shiz? Before she could get too lost in thought, she felt Glinda put the necklace around her neck. The pink one, she realized. Once Glinda was done, she pulled her head back for a bit to get a better look. 

''Pink goes good with green.'' She said.

''Pink goes well with green.'' Elphaba corrected her.

Glinda giggled. ''It so does.''

''I think they suit you both. You look wonderful, girls.'' The woman told them.

''Thank you. We'll take them.'' Glinda answered her. She paid for the necklaces and looped her arm around Elphaba's.

''Have a nice rest of your day!'' Glinda told the woman. ''You too,'' she replied. They were about to walk away, when the woman added one more thing. ''You two really do make a lovely couple.'' Elphaba felt her heart stop working, or at least it felt like that. She was lucky it was dark, because Glinda surely would've seen her blushing otherwise. This time, she reminded herself to correct her.

''Oh. We're not-'' The woman was already gone. Great. Elphaba looked at Glinda, expecting the worst. But, again, she was acting completely normal. She just started walking, pulling Elphaba with her. ''Glinda? Did you just not hear that or something?'' 

Glinda frowned. ''Hear what?''

''She called us a couple.''

''Yes, I heard. But really, Elphie, I don't see why you care so much.'' Because I don't want you to think I'm weird, or trying to do anything without you wanting it. But she didn't day any of that, of course. Instead, she just shrugged. ''Well, you have Fiyero. And I don't want people getting the wrong idea.'' She felt Glinda's grip on her arm loosen slightly. Glinda was quiet for just a second too long. ''Right. Wouldn't want people thinking that.'' Elphaba noticed Glinda was more quiet from that point. 

''Uh... Are you-'' She looked at Glinda, looking for something in her face that might give away what she was thinking.

''Mhm,'' Glinda answered, not waiting for Elphaba to finish her question. ''Look, we're here already.'' From then, she acted normally again.

When they arrived back in the palace, it was already 'time to sleep'. At least, that was what Glinda called it. After they had both gotten ready, Elphaba discovered that this actually meant it was time to sit down and talk, just the slightest bit too close to each other for Elphaba to truly be able to relax. But it was fun, either way. Maybe a bit too much, because she had completely forgotten confessing to her.

Around an hour later, Glinda looked at the time and said, ''I think we should actually go to sleep now.'' Elphaba could hear in her voice she was tired. ''Alright, let's go upstairs.'' She moved to get up, but Glinda caught her hand before she could start walking.

''Carry me?'' She heard Glinda ask. She could not help the blush that appeared on her cheeks. ''What... Why?'' 

''I'm tired.''

''Well so am I. You can walk by yourself.'' She was not going to do this.

''Pleaseee? I like when you carry me.''

''Glinda. I'm sorry I- Wait. When did I ever do that?''

''Back in Shiz, when I fell asleep on your shoulder at the poppy fields. I kinda woke up mid-walk, but I didn't really mind, sooo...'' Elphaba stayed quiet, a bit shocked Glinda remembered that in detail, but also that she hadn't minded at all.

''Ooh! And that one time on the train, exept I wasn't even asleep in the first place,'' she then heard Glinda add.

''What!?''

''I was just tired. And I wanted you to.'' 

''Well now you're not asleep. And I'm tired too.'' With that, she walked away. She wouldn't have minded herself, she just figured Glinda would mind after finding out. After all, she was about to tell her. When they were in bed, so Glinda wouldn't hold her hand or hug her. And she wouldn't have to make eye contact.

But when she got upstairs, it just had to be her lucky day and the universe wasn't done with her. 

In the middle of the room, there stood a bed.

One bed.

No. This could not be happening right now. She stood there, staring at it. Just then, Glinda got upstairs. It took a while for her to see what was wrong.

''Oh.'' She looked at Elphaba, who was still looking at the room like it was about to kill her.

''Elphie? Are you okay?'' Elphaba quickly snapped out of her thoughts. ''Uh, yeah. Just...'' She wasn't sure how to finish the sentence, but Glinda seemed to understand. ''We can share. I think the Wizard is asleep by now. We'll just ask him tomorrow.'' Elphaba wondered if she really didn't notice how uncomfortable she had been the whole night.

Well, if Glinda was going to insist, she should tell her right now. ''I... Actually need to tell you something.'' She could already feel a tear sting in her eye.

''What is it?''

''I-'' She cut herself off, finding herself unable to talk. The tear slowly went down her face now. Well that was just great. And now she just couldn't find the words anymore. ''Hey, Elphie. Please don't cry.'' Glinda wiped the tear away, like she had done in the Ozdust. ''Don't do that, Glinda. You're making it worse for when I tell you.'' 

Glinda only held her tighter. ''Elphie, I love you so much. It would take so, so, so much to ever make me stop.'' She couldn't stop the tears now. ''Just tell me what's wrong, I really want to help you.''  

''Please don't- Don't hate me, but-'' She noticed her voice was acting weird, and she wasn't sure if she could even tell her like this.

''Shh. Elphie. It's fine. Everything's okay. I won't hate you, I know I won't.''

Elphaba tried to answer her, but it came out shocky and Glinda could barely make out what she was trying to say. ''I can't. I- Sorry. I'm so sorry.''

''My darling Elphie, whatever are you sorry for?'' Elphaba's heart jumped at the nickname.

''For not telling you,'' she answered, more understandable this time. ''And for acting like this. I wanted to tell you but now I messed it up by crying and I'm just being annoying again.''

''Hey. No you're not. You didn't mess anything up, and it's okay to cry, and I'll never think you're annoying. Exept for maybe when you're studying and I get bored. But anyway! If you need help, I need to know why you're crying. And I'm not forcing you to tell me, I'm only saying that it would be better for you.''

''Thank you,'' Elphaba told her, her voice still a bit broken. 

''I don't think you're really able to tell me anymore, huh? I think it would be better if we went to sleep so you can calm down a bit, and I'll just hold you. And you're going to be just fine. I'll make sure of it. And if you think you're ready by then, you can tell me tomorrow.''

Elphaba agreed, partly. ''I'll rest, but can I sleep on the sofa?''

Glinda looked disappointed. ''Are you sure? I really don't mind sharing. Or I can sleep there instead.''

She nodded, ''I'm sure.'' 

''Okay. Just know, you're always welcome here.'' Glinda gave her a reassuring smile.

Elphaba smiled back. ''I do. Good night, Glinda.'' And with that, she walked away.

''Good night!'' Glinda called after her.

She did not have a good night. She just wouldn't sleep, no matter what she did. Her breathing wouldn't go back to normal, and she just cried more. It went on for what felt like hours. She was sure either Glinda was asleep or choosing to ignore her, but suddenly, she heard Glinda from upstairs.

''Elphie..?'' She didn't get a reply right away, so she continued, ''You still seem upset. I'm not really sure what to do right now, but I think it would help if we were together.''

''Trust me. It won't help you.''

''Okay, first of all, I'm not doing this for me. Second of all, yes it will. I can't sleep. I want you to be here, it feels lonely like this.''

''You'll hate me for agreeing to this later.''

''No I won't. Please, Elphie? I can't sleep, neither can you, and if we don't fall asleep we won't wake up tomorrow, meaning it's technically not morning, meaning...'' She went on about the horricifying consequences of Elphaba not getting in bed with her, until Elphaba finally agreed.

''Fine. But you asked.'' She heard Glinda squeal.

She climbed up the stairs, still recovering from the crying. She was pretty sure Glinda could tell she still wasn't feeling that good, but when Elphaba looked at her, she realized Glinda looked a bit hurt. Had she been crying too? She put it away for now, and climbed into the bed. Only a second after getting in, Glinda pulled her closer. ''There you are. I missed you very much, you know?''

''That was only, like, half an hour.''

''I still missed you.'' They both laughed, before Elphaba realized the position they were in, and quickly untangled herself from Glinda. ''Let's just go to sleep.'' 

''Heyyy! I thought we were going to talk.''

''Fine,'' Elphaba told her, ''but promise you won't hate me?''

''I won't! Promise.''

Elphaba started, ''Glinda. Uhm.'' She was preparing to tell her, but it happened again. She just couldn't stop. It started with a small sob. Glinda looked at her, concerned.

''Elphie? Whatever it is, it won't change things between us. I need you to know that. And we can deal with others together. I know we can.''

''I know. I just-'' She was crying. Again. She knew she shouldn't cry anymore, and she really did try to stop herself, but failed. Tears streamed down her face. She couldn't stop. Her breathing was all uneven, and she could barely talk anymore. She just didn't want to lose Glinda. She wasn't sure if she could even tell Glinda anymore like this.

''Hey, Elphie. Everything will be okay. Uhm. Do you... Want me to hold you?'' Glinda asked, not sure what to do. ''I think it would help. My parents used to do it when I was younger. It comforted me.''

Elphaba slowly shook her head. ''No. Thank you, though.''

''Elphie, please don't lie to me when you answer this. Do you really not want me to? Or do you just think I would hate you if you told me whatever is wrong and you think I would find you weird for even agreeing to any of this in the first place?''

Elphaba stayed silent.

''It's that last one isn't it?'' She got a small nod.

''Elphie, I know you. You wouldn't intentionally do something that bad. All I want to know is if you want me to. Not if I want to, because you could never do anything that would make me hate you. But you're distancifying yourself from me. And I don't want you to, so you have to tell me. It will get better. So, do you want me to?''

''Yeah... But you don't have to, becau-'' Glinda cut her off by pulling her closer. 

''Thank you,'' Glinda said, holding her. Lightly at first, but when Elphaba hugged her back, she held her a bit tighter.

''You're thanking me?''

''Yeah. For being honest and letting me do this. I wanted to, you know.''

''Do you... Think you're ready to tell me?'' It took Elphaba a while to reply, but she finally said, ''Mhm. But I really think it would be better if you let go.''

''Well... is it helping you? I mean, is it making you feel at least a bit better?''

''Well, yeah, but-''

''Then that's all that matters.''

''Are you sure?'' Elphaba asked.

''Yes! I know you're nervous about this, so I won't leave you.'' She held Elphaba a bit closer, placing her chin on her shoulder. Elphaba appreciated it. She didn't want Glinda to look her in the eyes right after she told her.

''I... I really like you, Glinda,'' she paused, trying to see if Glinda had gotten the message yet. ''As in, not as friends,'' she continued, ''I mean-'' Glinda cut her off, understanding now. ''I know what you mean, Elphie.'' To her surprise, Glinda was smiling. Did she already know? Or worse, she planned this and now she's going to tell all her friends and-

Glinda pulled back slightly, so she could look her in the eyes. Elphaba realized she probably looked horrible. There were tears all over her face, and her eyes were probably red from the crying.

''I'm so sorry. You were my first friend, and now I messed it up. I swear I didn't mean to, I didn't like you like that when we became friends, but it just happened. And I wasn't even sure about it until we were already on the train.'' She looked at Glinda, searching for any kind of 'disgustification', as Glinda would call it. She didn't find it, though.

Glinda just kept smiling. ''Elphie.'' She moved closer again, burying her face in her neck. ''When I said I would never hate you, I meant it. But when I said that I expected you'd commited some sort of crime.'' She laughed. Elphaba couldn't help but join in, though she only just processed what Glinda had told her.

''So you... Don't want to stop being friends?''

''Well, yeah, I do, obviously. But in a good way! If you want that too, of course.''

''What does that mean?'' Elphaba asked her.

''Could I have made it more clear? It means I like you too!''

''Well, yeah. I know...'' She stopped for a second, and then continued, ''You know I meant like, a crush, right? Are you messing with me?''

''I know what you meant, Elphie! And I like you, too!''

''But you have Fiyero. Wouldn't he-''

''Shut up about Fiyero. He knows. That I don't like him, I mean. It's just, my parents want me to marry him. But I think I'll be fine staying here with the Wizard. He has control, and he needs you. So if my parents get mad at me, he'll help us.'' She pressed a light kiss on Elphaba's shoulder. 

This is not happening.

It was happening. Glinda actually liked her. Not Fiyero or anyone else. Just her.

''Wait. So you... Actually want to date me?'' Elphaba asked.

Glinda nodded, ''I've been so obvious. Why else did you think I didn't correct people when they assumed we were together?'' 

''I'm... not sure.'' She had stopped crying now, a smile replacing her tears.

''You know, Elphie, even if I didn't like you, I would never leave you for that. It would take a lot more to make me stop wanting to be friends with you.'' Elphaba just managed to smile at her. ''And Elphie? I have another secret. Since you told me one.'' Glinda held her closer. ''When I first saw you, I actually didn't think you were ugly. Like, at all. I was just surprised, but I still shouldn't have acted like that. I'm sorry.'' She let her hands run through her long, black braids. ''I actually thought you were so beautiful. But people don't expect that from me. So I didn't say anything. But after the Ozdust, you helped me see that I could be with whoever I want to be. Even if you were only pretending you didn't care about the others. Thank you for that.''

''That's... Probably the nicest thing someone has ever told me.''

Glinda gasped dramatically. ''Well it shouldn't be. So I'm going to remind you every single day starting now. You're beautiful, Elphie. Even if others don't see it. I also think I like that you're green. Maybe I had to get used to it. But it suits you.''

''Thank you.'' If Glinda could see her now, she would see her blushing.

She kissed Elphaba's cheek.

Then, the corner of her mouth. 

''Can I...'' She asked. Elphaba nodded quickly.

Then finally, her lips.

It was soft. Not like Elphaba expected it to be, how it was often described in books she read.

It just felt nice. Calming. Like she didn't have to go through things alone anymore.

And that was true for Elphaba. But it already had been since the Ozdust.

She just hadn't fully realized it until now. 

Glinda pulled back slowly, looking for a reaction. Elphaba just hugged her in return. ''You deserved that,'' Glinda started, ''In fact, you deserve so much more than that.'' 

As a reaction, Elphaba just pulled her in for another kiss. This one was slightly more urgent, but very gentle at the same time. She felt Glinda's mouth open to deepen the kiss, but Elphaba pulled back and placed a finger on her lips instead.

''Let's get some sleep first, Glinda. I think we're both tired. We still have tomorrow. And all the days after that.'' She managed to get Glinda to agree with her, though she seemed a bit reluctant. They both got comfortable and before she knew it, she fell asleep in Glinda's arms. It felt weird. Normally, it took at least an hour for her to fall asleep. And most of the time she would wake up in the middle of the night, and then take a while to go to sleep again.

This night wasn't like that. She slept peacefully, not waking up once. She woke up right after Glinda, who she was glad was still there. For some reason, she was a bit worried Glinda would be gone when she woke up.

But she wasn't, obviously.

''Morning, Elphie.''

''Good morning, my sweet.''

Glinda frowned, but laughed at the same time. ''My sweet?''

''Oh. Sorry. I just, thought it suited you. Since all you ever-''

''It's fine. In fact, I like it. Now, let's go eat breakfast and I'll write to Fiyero. About us, and also that he can visit, and that we're no longer fake-dating, or dating at all, obviously. And I'll write the rest of our friends, that we're together, but also that we're here, so they know they can visit us sometime.'' Glinda moved a bit closer, putting one arm around Elphaba's waist.

''You're going to break up with him with a letter?''

''Please, we were barely dating.''

''Whatever you say.''

Glinda gave her a look. ''I'm serious!''

''I know. I just didn't until last night. Now, let's go get breakfast and write after that.''

They did just that. When they got letters back a few days (and at least 20 more stores, according to Elphaba) later, they quickly got to reading. Most of them where about visiting them there or being happy for them, but Fiyero's stood out. (Not that they had expected anything else.)

Dear Glinda and Elphaba,

Finally! Seriously, Glinda, how long did it take you? Like a year? How did she not get the hint, it was driving me insane.

Also I will be visiting so be prepared. 

-Fiyero

P.S. When's the wedding?

Glinda in particular laughed at his letter. Fiyero eventually visited about a week later, along with the rest of their friends. They stayed in the city for the rest of their break.

And when they graduated from Shiz, they both got jobs there too. The city was crowded with Animals by then.

''Elphie?'' Glinda asked one day, about five years after they first got there.

''Yeah?''

''I'm so glad I got on that train.''

''Me too, my sweet. And that the meeting with the Wizard went well.''

''Yeah. But I don't think I expected anything else. He's the Wizard. Nothing could've gone that terribly wrong.''

''Yeah. I guess you're right.''