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piscespetals · 23 days ago

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summary: the first time that galinda and elphaba have a formal introduction

word count: 2k

content: college au, fluff, some thought spirals

really wanting this to blossom into a multi-chapter fic so this part is pretty slow. thanks for reading!

Summer vacation was beginning. Galinda had just finished Spring term and would not have any academic obligations for a solid three months. This was the exact gratification that she needed at the moment.

So, as a celebration, she would be spending the night with her friends. It was the following Friday after completing her last exam and this evening would be the first time that she would truly be able to socialize in days. The plan was for everyone to meet at Cara's home, a friend of hers.

There were some new and old faces when Galinda arrived. She knew most of the people there; either friends that she acquired through Cara or past acquaintances from highschool years.

However, none of them truly caught Galinda's attention like Elphaba did.

She had heard of Elphaba--it was impossible for her not to–who was known for being easy on the eyes and ridiculously intelligent. A bit mean. But nothing too overt.

Galinda would hear about Elphaba from the occasional rumors that passed throughout the student body. But she didn't know Elphaba.

Upon the moment they were introduced that Friday night, Galinda only had 15 seconds for intense introspection.

Then she was pulled out of her reverie. Elphaba held out a hand with glinting eyes as the ghost of a smile graced her features. "Hello," The woman greeted.

Galinda was appreciative of Elphaba's self-assured handshake. When her arm fell back to her side, her palm was tingling.

She tried to get a feel of who Elphaba was in the short exchange that they shared. Usually, Galinda knew whether she liked someone within ten seconds of meeting them. It was a superpower that her friends liked to tease her about. But Elphaba was different.

She stared at Elphaba head-on with an unwavering gaze but it was unsuccessful. She couldn't decide whether she liked her or not.

The night was planned to consist of food, drinks and card game marathons. There was a moment about a quarter of the way through the evening when Galinda and Elphaba managed to be seated together. Everyone was perched around a circular dining room table; Donny Hathaway playing on the stereo while Cara shuffled the cards. A slight hum of chatter filled the atmosphere as Galinda took a swig of her drink.

She eavesdropped on the conversation between Elphaba and another friend, Taylor.

Taylor was situated across from Galinda and Elphaba, diving into an in-depth conversation about nonsense that Galinda didn't really care about. But she was intrigued by Elphaba’s presence, so she decided to humor the conversation for the sake of it.

She liked the way Elphaba smelled, which was something that she picked up on during their first encounter–one measly hour beforehand.

Galinda was so busy analyzing Elphaba, that she hadn't noticed the dying conversation with Taylor. It wasn’t until something shifted out of the corner of her eye and she realized that Taylor was standing to his feet--he was leaving--when Galinda tried to regain her wits about her. She watched Taylor head towards the kitchen for dinner along with everyone else.

Elphaba cleared her throat, shifting towards Galinda.

They were alone.

"Has anyone ever told you that you have a very intense stare?" Elphaba muttered, truly addressing Galinda for the first time that night.

Galinda snapped her attention towards Elphaba. "Really?" She felt…flattered.

Elphaba's gaze trickled from Galinda's fixed eyes to the curve of her eyebrow, which had raised quizzically. She hummed underneath her breath, letting her attention linger on Galinda's face.

"Yes," Elphaba answered. "In fact, I could practically feel you burning holes into my face since the start of the evening. It's really quite bold of you…and a bit frightening. I mean, I realize that I’m beautiful and whatnot but-"

Galinda rolled her eyes as a snort escaped her.

Well. It wasn’t like Elphaba was wrong…

Galinda did find her quite beautiful.

But that wasn’t the point.

No. The point was…

Yes! That’s right–the staring. Apparently, that was becoming an issue.

Galinda had been told a handful of times that she could come across as intimidating, or sometimes even rude. Staring was a habit of hers that she picked up and was still struggling to put down. It was hard for her to mask her curiosity or interest in ways that society deemed acceptable. Sometimes when people--or things--intrigued her, she couldn’t help herself.

"Well then," Galinda cleared her throat. “Sorry about that.”

Elphaba found the apology ironically amusing, because Galinda still failed to refocus her gaze away from Elphaba's face. Galinda’s eyes appraised Elphaba unapologetically.

Elphaba was joking when she called Galinda's stare frightening, because in all honesty, she found it comforting. Not people stared at Elphaba these days–well, not with intentions similar to Galinda’s.

"It’s just that," Galinda continued. "...I can't quite figure you out. And usually I'm able to." She cleared her throat, "Figure people out, that is."

“What are you, some mastermind at reading people then?"

"You're a bit patronizing."

Elphaba laughed. "No, I just meant-"

"And Cara thinks that my ability to be intuitively accurate is a superpower of mine, especially when it applies to people. I'd like to think that it's just a natural trait and requires not much effort at all."

"...Except when it concerns me, of course."

Galinda hummed in agreement before she could truly register Elphaba's remark. "Yes, of cours-"

She stopped herself, pressing her lips into a thin line once the words registered. Elphaba regarded her with a playful expression, brown irises dancing with mirth.

Galinda tutted her tongue but couldn't fight the titter that escaped her. She was beginning to realize that Elphaba was quite infectious.

"You’re…annoying." Galinda mumbled, hating the way her lips twitched into a smile.

She shook her head at Elphaba, letting her attention narrow in on the woman’s lips. They were adorning a grin, spread wide while contrasting against pearly-white teeth. Galinda noticed that Elphaba’s two front teeth sunk into her bottom lip, nibbling on the skin through a cheeky grin.

Then..for a split second…Galinda allowed herself to peer at Elphaba’s dimples, which were very prevalent now.

Cute.

"Annoying?" Elphaba parroted, trying out the word for herself. She thought that it sounded better when Galinda said it.

Galinda watched as Elphaba momentarily looked away, focusing on an empty space of air between them while she took tentative sips of her drink.

"So then," Elphaba continued. "What is it about me that you can't figure out?"

Galinda shrugged. "Why do you want to know?" She didn't wait for Elphaba to respond, not really expecting an answer anyways. "It’s nothing major really. I just…don't usually meet people like you."

Elphaba tilted her head to the side, ever so slightly, with piqued interest. "Care to elaborate?"

Galinda felt ridiculous as she realized that the conversation was taking a turn that she hadn't quite expected. She had planned to spend the night with her friends, eating good food and playing her favorite games-- not embarking on a deep conversation with someone she barely even knew.

In an attempt to not over-complicate an exchange that was supposed to stay light-hearted, Galinda looked away, hoping that the topic would drop. "Why are you eager for something so trivial?"

Elphaba didn't pick up on the dismissal. Instead, she set an elbow on the table, resting her weight on it. "I’ll take a guess and you can tell me whether or not I’m right,” She exhaled heavily before clicking her tongue. “It seems like you've been trying to read me all night and you can't. And that frustrates you because usually..." Elphaba paused, flickering her eyes towards Galinda. "You can? Although I like the idea of me being this mysterious woman that's caught your attention," She grinned at the sound of Galinda's scoff. "...I personally think everyone that we encounter is complex, because we as humans have different layers to us that's hard to decipher just in one encounter. It sounds like you're the type of person that will deem someone worthy or unworthy of your attention based off of first encounters. And I'm not saying that's uncommon because a lot of people do that, but you've labeled yourself as someone who has accurate intuition, when I could very well argue that you simply have a terrible habit of judging people too soon."

Galinda pursed her lips, starting to grow a bit irritated. Elphaba’s banter was interesting before this. But now, it’s become annoying.

"What's wrong with judging people based on first encounters?" Galinda questioned, feeling a bit slighted. "All humans do it."

"Well, yes, you're right. I take that back, it isn't such a terrible habit. I guess I'm a bit more miffed by your blatant confidence that your judgments are always accurate."

At that moment, Galinda felt her ego take a bruise from Elphaba's comment. She raised her chin indignantly. "They are. I'm never wrong."

That's when Elphaba laughed.

Galinda didn't like the way that Elphaba was staring. A smugness lingered around Elphaba that made her teeth grind.

Elphaba studied her with so much confidence that it was irksome. Elphaba was so adamant that she had Galinda figured out; that she knew Galinda's traits and exactly how Galinda operated despite the small amount of time that they knew each other.

Then, the realization hit Galinda like a kick to the gut.

It was a full circle moment; the irony that loomed in the air as Elphaba perceived her the same way that she probably had done towards people in the past. Galinda hadn't thought of herself in the way that Elphaba explained to her. Admittedly, Galinda could be judgmental and relied heavily on first impressions when navigating her way through life. She hadn't seen anything wrong with it, considering everyone else tended to do the same.

But what if Elphaba was right?

It wasn't the actual action of judging others, but the idea that Galinda was always accurate in her judgement that seemed a bit faulty, in retrospect.

Granted, Elphaba intrigued her because upon meeting each other, Galinda couldn't fit Elphaba into the default set of boxes that one could usually put people in…

"You're a bit too philosophical for me tonight," Galinda acknowledged. She feigned exasperation, scrunching her nose playfully as she softly exhaled.

"...I guess I got a bit carried away."

"Define a bit."

Elphaba hummed.

If Galinda wanted to continue this sort of discussion, she would have signed up for an additional summer semester at her college. Elphaba was frying Galinda’s brain cells with each passing second. Even though Galinda found it extremely attractive that someone could hold such a thought-provoking (and wildly boring) conversation, she really wanted to enjoy a night of nothingness.

Elphaba blinked a few times, thick eyelashes brushing against her cheeks while she rubbed her lips together. Her dimples deepened from the mannerism. "I've definitely scared you away now. And with your track record of being so quick to judge others–" Galinda scoffed at Elphaba’s teasing. "--I'm afraid that you're not going to be very fond of me. It's a shame, I was hoping we could be…” Elphaba paused. For some reason, Galinda found herself holding her breath. “Friends."

Within a matter of seconds, Galinda was exhaling and reaching out to nudge Elphaba’s shoulder. She didn't quite know why she did that, because she wasn't really the type of person that became comfortable with people this quickly. But there was something about Elphaba that made Galinda feel like she had known this woman for decades��despite, ironically, still struggling to know her at all.

Galinda’s gaze lingered on Elphaba’s lips. Lips that were the perfect shape.

“I never said that I didn't like you," Galinda reluctantly admitted. She knew that it would feed Elphaba's ego. But for some reason, she also didn't want the woman to think otherwise. "You got a bit intense, is all…just a hint of a buzzkill."

"How rude of me."

Galinda wiped her sweaty palms against the material of her jean skirt, tapping her heels absentmindedly. While Elphaba took a hearty swig of root beer, she allowed herself to give Elphaba a once over, digesting the woman's outfit for the thousandth time that night.

Elphaba was sporting a green crew neck sweater with ruffles, a linen midi skirt and a pair of mary janes. A tote bag sat on her right shoulder. And bulky, gaudy rings decorated her fingers. Galinda felt an odd flip in her stomach, trying to understand how someone managed to pull off an outfit that could easily be found in her nana's closet.

"Very rude indeed," Galinda finally replied. "But you're somehow really beautiful despite being dressed like an octogenarian grandma, so I'll let it pass."

Elphaba choked on her root beer, eyes widening as she pulled away from the mug and spluttered violently. She made noises that sounded like a weird mixture of laughter and wheezing. The more time that passed, the more it transformed into chortles. Elphaba peered at Galinda with amusement, slightly teary from her coughing fit.

Almost as if it was an instinct, Galinda reached forward and placed her hand on Elphaba's back. She patted gently, sending the woman a sweet smile. "Careful there. If you spill any more soda, you'll ruin your uh...fashionable sweater."

#au writing #piscespetals writing #fanfic #fluff #gelphie #gelphaba #thisficwillbefem4femrealness #been a while that i've written a fic that isn't a reader insert #i'm so used to writing exclusively sevika fics pls be kind #wicked au #what is this feeling #galinda upland #elphaba thropp

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