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guileheroine · 5 years ago

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all kinds of different

a friend/shippy gelphie (wicked) ficlet written last nov for the 2019 Femslash Exchange on ao3/dreamwidth (i just realised i forgot to post this here!) 💜✨// 1.4k, ao3

“You should do a charity ball! Always gets people interested,” Galinda suggests, offhand, before the sight of Elphaba working draws her focus. Elphaba decides, displaying what she thinks is commendable restraint, to concentrate on her task instead of telling her that no one in all of Gillikin is going to turn up to a dance for Animal rights. In any case, they are both too consumed in the transformation of the withered houseplant on the desk for that particular trail of conversation to survive. Galinda’s eyes are huge and keen and not a little wondrous, a more potent distraction than her comments.

“Amazing!” She sighs, with a soft clap of her hands.

“Are you jealous?” Elphaba says with half a mind, relishing the fruits of her effort.

“I couldn’t be, it’s too beautiful!”

The word, the feeling in Galinda’s voice, has Elphaba’s full attention all of a sudden. It makes her stomach stir and allows only for an awkward, perfunctory response to slip out.

“Well I mean, uh, exactly.”

At last, Galinda’s gaze drops away from the musty old flowerpot. From the little sapling, dead and crisp a minute ago, that Elphaba has just magicked before their very eyes into a bulbous, gleaming succulent bright purple with life.

“I’m not jealous, Elphie, I swear,” she sighs, a little forlorn. There’s a short laugh (too high) on the heels of the statement, before Galinda turns and swishes off to her class, leaving Elphaba to recover from the strange moment.

Once upon a time, Elphaba wouldn’t have believed such a statement because she was determined to believe the worst of Galinda always; and jealousy was, of course, a terrible trait that someone as inspicable as her would no doubt possess in excess amounts (even if it was very deep in her festering core where no one could see.) At a later time, she would have taken Galinda at her word, simply because it made a kind of sense deeper than Elphaba should really bother to resist anymore - what did someone like Galinda have to be jealous of her for?

Now , however, she’s beginning to know her well enough to circle back to skepticism. It is borne of a growing understanding of her roommate this time, not the projection of Elphaba’s own hatrification and insecurity, as reluctant as she had been to admit to the latter to begin with. The point is: the recognition of Galinda’s not so saintly emotions feels different, more because Elphaba is different than because Galinda is.

Different every day when it comes to her new friend, such that even these unperfect qualities come with a certain kind of clarity that makes them digestible, understandable - endearing even. (Is it really normal to find her so endearing?)

After all, jealousy is, of course, a perfectly human trait; and it should not be a surprise that anyone suffers it, even if Galinda is someone who takes great pains to hide such things. Knowing her as she now does, Elphaba thinks that those things that Galinda takes pains to hide tend to be all the more stark for her efforts. In any case, the comment sticks in her brain, quite a distraction. Elphaba is surprised to find how unhappy the thought of the whole thing makes her; even more surprised to find why. To realise that her own discomfort at being the subject of jealousy is in fact far outweighed by her sheer longing that Galinda does not feel inadequate.

Elphaba cleans the pot up so it’s as shiny as the leaves, flicking her fingers to curl the rim up into a more beguiling shape. She pushes it into the line of knick knacks against the back of her desk. They look better than new, and should go down fairly well at the sale tomorrow, if last week’s accounts are anything to go by. The weekly fundraisers for pro-Animal activist groups are facing a lot of pushback, but there’s nothing anyone can technically do to stop them organising, even if Elphaba anticipates the worst ever more of late. But if they play their cards right (Shiz students never do miss a good sale), even with a mere handful of organisers they can raise enough to get at least the same number of disenfranchised Animals the legal advice they need.

Upglitzing all this old junk up is a clever way to turn a quick profit, and she’s been working very fast on her free evenings. Doing it in the room with Galinda though - she can’t help but notice the effect it has on her friend’s mood. Even though Galinda hasn’t made it all the way to actually saying ‘I wish I could help’ yet, much less ‘I wish I could do that .’ Elphaba tries again to put it from her mind, but Galinda-thoughts are continually proving to be the hardest to shake off. Such a bother.

At the Friends of the Animals committee meeting last week, Elphaba had once again come up with an idea for improving the fundraisers. With the season changing, everyone is on the hunt for suitable apparel; and not everyone can afford the kind of finery that she’s seen Galinda’s friends hauling back by the sackful from the boutiques in town. There’s a demand here, prime for their affordable, eclectic supply. She gets everyone on the committee to scour their old wardrobes and the charity shops around for anything workable. And then she works on making them market ready.

It’s bitter work. It’s not until the early hours of the morning before the next sale outside Crage Hall that she’s finished - not satisfied but altogether too exhausted to keep at it, with all the frills and trims and cuts and colours swimming before her mind’s eye, none exactly right. Too short, too long, too drab, too shiny.

For all her sweat, and her frustration, she can’t quite be surprised when just one scarf and a beglittered belt is all that sells. What’s worse - she hears one student (hardly the picture of style, mind you) muttering something about how ugly everything on the rack is. She has to tamp down the fire on her tongue because how can she even tell if they’re wrong? She doesn’t have the eye for this. It seems as though anyone can see it’s all unrefined and unfashionable. Too Elphaba . Even Fiyero asks if there are any catalogues she could look at for inspiration, tells her that maybe they should go back to stationery and home furnishings or something next week, because we all have our strengths - and that’s when Elphaba sees the silver lining.

“Hey, I really need your help.”

“Oh, I thought you’d never ask,” Galinda says from her bed, not looking up from her nails as they dry. Her tone has the kind of casual sarcasm that they have developed, a vague self-commentary on Galinda’s own typical eagerness, but once she actually realises what Elphaba has said, she cranes her head, piqued. “Oh, really? What is it?”

Her genuine curiosity puts Elphaba’s heart at ease somehow. It’s an effect too large for a simple reply to have, but Elphaba can think about it later. She dumps the pile of rejected clothing on the carpet and gestures helplessly towards it. “We have to upcycle these clothes. Can’t sell a thing.”

Galinda looks at her darkly. “You know I can’t, Elphie…” The silence strains and Elphaba winces, but then Galinda continues with a pronounced breath. “Your magic, I mean - you’ll be so much better than me,” she chokes out, diplomatically.

“Yeah, I know,” Elphaba replies evenly, despite the way that Galinda’s effort makes her fist curl with sympathy. “But, I mean, I’m hoping your fashion sense can cancel out... mine.” And she’s not kidding when she says, “I really - I can’t seem to do this. Please just work with me.”

After a second, Galinda fairly leaps from the bed. She rummages through the pile, and Elphaba experiences a most curious, stupefying moment of elation to see her expression caught between utter disrelish and pity. She can’t even muster a smile, but her heart beats hard at the sight of Galinda’s face now written with such intent concern and determination.

“Oh, Elphie…” Her head snaps up, stern, and she holds out her hand rather sweetly. “We have so much work to do.”

Suddenly, Elphaba can't imagine a more appealing evening.

#wicked #gelphie #elphaba thropp #galinda upland #**

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forkanna · 7 years ago

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NOTE: I'm going to try to cut the chapters differently than I originally had them so there are fewer but each one is longer. Some of them ended up really small on accident, and that's pretty unsatisfactory. What's the point in uploading like 5 words?! Anyway, hope you're still enjoying this!

Only once they were in the air again did Elphaba feel truly regretful about storming off. But not for the reason Glinda expected.

"Now I haven't any spare clothes," she growled through her grief, wringing her hands on the broom handle. "Why didn't I go upstairs and pack something? Most of my things are at Shiz, but there was a dress or two left in my wardrobe…"

"If they were anything like the dresses you had at Shiz, I can say with confidence that it's no great loss," Glinda attempted. But she felt Elphaba tense further, so she hugged her a little more, reaching one hand up to clear the tear tracks from her chartreuse cheeks. "Aw, I'm sorry… gosh, I didn't mean to rub salt in the wound. You don't need that from me right now. We'll get you some nice dresses soon — frilly pink ones, with bows and lace."

Glancing over her shoulder at her, she sniffled, "Do I look like pink or bows or lace would do me any favours?"

"Pink goes good with green!" The look was withering, so she finished, "Alright, maybe it doesn't, but… well, how about a deeper red? And there are more fanciful black outfits than the ones you wear we could try! Chin up, chum!"

"You would look at a raincloud and tell it that its silver lining will show up any day now," Elphaba laughed wetly, though she did sound the slightest bit mollified. It was the best Glinda could hope for after she had been dealt such a blow.

~ o ~

Several hours of flight put them wearily touching down in Upper Applerue, very near the Glikkus region that lay between Munchkin country and Gillikin, where Glinda's family resided. As bone-weary as they were, Glinda had little problem parting with a few coins of her spending money to secure them inexpensive room and board for the evening. Scouting around rather quickly and quietly, they saw not a single soldier on alert; still, Elphaba wore her cloak close around her neck, hoping fewer people would catch sight of her hue.

They spoke little over their meal, but once they had worn their way into second glasses of the weak tavern wine, Glinda decided to at least attempt to coax a little conversation from her friend.

"Things have always been this way," Elphaba sighed, slamming her tankard down in disgust. "It used to not bother me, funnily enough; I thought it was my penance, for… well, what I told you that night."

"That you caused Nessa's condition merely by being green," Glinda scoffed. "Silly little Elphie. A baby can't control her parents' actions. Not even a green one!"

That did threaten to turn the corners of her friend's mouth upwards. "I know. Now that I'm older, I… well, I know it, in my mind. But in my heart, I still worry about it. That Nessa…" She looked down at her fingers on the tabletop, eyes pained. "Silly Elphie, indeed."

"Not 'silly Elphie' now, only 'silly Elphie' then. Now, you're… well, you're a woman who should have been told she was worth as much as her sister at least a few times. Mr. Governor sure did a bad job of that, didn't he?" When Elphaba didn't respond, she reached over and patted her forearm. "Hey. You're not going back there, anyway, so who cares what he thinks?"

Her sigh held the hint of tears, but she didn't respond.

Stuffing themselves into the same bed was an ungainly affair, but they managed it with a spare pillow between them to keep from accidentally elbowing each other. They still kept brushing limbs against unknown bits, anyway, which Glinda knew was a ridiculous thing to bring a flush to her face, but it did regardless. What was this feeling? Why in Oz was she so giddy?

Before she could catch hold of the reason herself, Elphaba hit upon it first when she suddenly admitted, "I… haven't done this before, either."

"H-haven't what, stayed in an inn this drab? I agree. It's… rather rustical. Is this 'camping', are we camping?"

"Slept in the same bed as another person," she grunted in the near-darkness. "Even when I was an infant, I never slept in my parents' bed; always in the bassinette. Something about my baby teeth being too sharp, and me always biting someone. And then Nessa and I had separate rooms. So… other than my mother and father, you're the only person I've ever slept in the same room as, much less…"

"Well, don't worry so much," Glinda whispered as she settled under the covers. Even though she had slept across the room from her solemn classmate for months, she still couldn't help feeling the vaguest bit flustered and vulnerable sharing a bed with her, their bodies only separated by a single pillow. But it wouldn't do for Elphaba to know that; she didn't want to seem childish about the whole affair. "I assure you, sleep works the same way in the same bed as it does in two different ones. Close your eyes, and stop being awake."

"Well, naturally." After a few quiet minutes, she whispered, "Glinda?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks for… standing up for me. And for not… not making a big deal about that ugly scene of mine. Getting emotional. That's another thing I'm not used to doing with someone else around."

Grinning into her pillow, she muttered, "Anytime, Fabala." That earned her a good kick that she didn't even protest about; it was well-deserved.

~ o ~

Flying all day and all the next night, they managed to reach Gillikin just as the sun was rising. They spoke little, and truth be told, Glinda napped very briefly; she'd never gone all night without her beauty rest, and found the flight most trying. It was a miracle that she never slid from the broom and plummeted to her death.

"It's almost as sophisticated as the Emerald City," Elphaba breathed as they made their approach to the sprawling grounds of the Upland estate. There were more floors and wings to the manor than one might shake a stick at, if one were the type to shake sticks at things. Humdrum as she found the sight herself, Glinda couldn't deny that Elphaba seeing it for the first time would undoubtedly stir such a reaction.

"It is! Well, maybe it isn't so Ozmopolitan, but you can't deny the richness and 'old world' charm is rampantial throughout the region," she tittered as they made lazy circles downard, finally plopping onto the grass of the back garden, very near a pond. "And thank you for not splashing us in with the fish! That would have made a fine first impression on my family!"

A gleam of mischief sparked in Elphaba's eyes. "Really? It's not too late for me to throw you in."

But before Glinda could reply, a member of the staff jogged across the grounds to meet them. Already out of breath, the grey-haired woman stuttered, "M-Miss Galinda! Y-you're back from Shiz!"

"Yes, Ama Clutch," she laughed warmly, embracing her like a friend rather than a servant. "Oh, but I've missed you! How have Momsy and Popsicle been these past weeks? I haven't had word from home in a while, you know!"

"Well, they've been well." There was something being held back in her tone, and Elphaba frowned to hear it, but Glinda ignored it soundly. She was too overjoyed. "Come inside, please!"

Very shortly, they were shown into a much richer estate. Elphaba didn't ever seem to much care for pomp and frippery, as Glinda knew, so while she might have taken her time to really drink in the lush surroundings, she didn't make any large gasps or otherwise overreact. That had been taken care of during their descent. However, she did offer a quiet, "Very nice."

"Isn't it?" Glinda conceded as they strode through the sprawling entryway. "We Uplands are, after all, descended from the Arduennas. Would be a real pity if we were and had nothing to show for it!"

"Yes, a pity," Elphaba said in a flat tone. Which Glinda also ignored.

They were finally received on the second floor balcony, where tea had been laid out and a dimple-cheeked woman with a powdered wig sat primly, fanning herself with a fan that looked as if it should be on display in a museum rather than left for everyday use. Other than the elaborate costuming, and a few lines around her eyes and the corners of her slightly-wider mouth, she and her daughter may as well have been sisters.

"Mother dear, this is Elphaba Thropp," Glinda offered, after another curtsy for her own mother. "Of the Colwen Grounds Thropps. Elphie, this is Larena Upland, of the Upperuplands."

"Charmed," said Larena in such a refined voice that the air around her seemed to increase in quality. "I understand you are sharing rooms with my Galinda?"

"Glinda," she corrected her mother under her voice.

"Yes, ma'am," Elphaba answered, trying for a curtsy herself but ending up performing an odd, ungainly bow instead. "For this past year at Shiz, ma'am."

"Of course, at Shiz. And have you… worked out the contentiosity between you?"

She glanced at Glinda, who smiled awkwardly, then back to their host. "Ma'am, I believe our difficulties were merely a symptom of our not having been properly introduced. We're very different people, you see."

"I do see." Her daughter winced at the baldness of that statement, but if Elphaba found it offensive, she didn't say as much. "Well, any little friend of our Galinda's is welcome to visit along with her."

"Thank you."

"Now, to what do I owe this sudden pleasure, offspring of mine?" she asked in the same refined tone, only a slight upswing in pitch denoting that she was more concerned about the answer to that question than the others. "As far as I am aware, this is not the end of term quite yet. Won't you be missed at Shiz?"

Dipping her head, Elphaba took the initiative, even though Glinda had been opening her mouth to speak. "Ma'am, I'm afraid I've made a terrible mistake."

"Oh?"

That "oh" fetched the entire explanation of the events spilling forth. After having already been required to elaborate for her own father, it seemed Elphaba was getting better at retelling the tale; she paused less times, and summarised certain points better. Her nerves were about at the same heightened level as before, however, but that couldn't be helped. Once she had wrapped up, she sat back with a humble expression and awaited summary judgement.

"I see," Larena mused in a mutter, fanning herself more furiously. "That is… quite worrying. And you now believe you would not be allowed to apologise should you come forward of your own volition?"

"Exactly," she sighed with a sad nod. "And Glinda was only along for the adventure of it all, and… she did care for Dr. Dillamond as much as I, but this wasn't her fight to… well, fight. So if I could apologise for both our actions, and explain, the Wizard might take pity on her! But now… now…"

"Quite, quite. You're concerned that no amount of explanation will be satisfactory. Vexing, indeed." Turning back to Glinda, she said, "And you have nothing to say on the matter?"

Rousing herself, she squeaked, "OH! W-well, I do, and I would! If I should?"

"You should."

"Well…" Reaching over, she grasped Elphaba's hand for solidarity. "She is my good friend, you understand — and I don't blame her for wanting to protect the Animals from whatever's happening, whether it's an accident or an onpurpossident! Maybe… she shouldn't have read the spell, or should have simply put the book down when things went kerflooey. But that's easy to say now, isn't it? In the 'then', she was angry and frightened, and I was also frightened, and we ran."

The woman inclined her head. "That is an easy enough to understand reactionism, my sweet Galinda."

Again, quietly, "Glinda."

"However, I believe the fair and decent thing to do would be to turn Miss Elphaba here over to the authorities."

"What?" Elphaba croaked. "Turn me in?"

"Mother!"

"No, no, it is the wisest course of action," the woman went on, her other hand raising to forestall their outbursts. "Galinda will state that she was not fully aware of the nature of the crime when the two of you fled. Then, upon coming to her senses, you did the fair and decent thing. Elphaba will then throw herself on the mercy of the Ozian courts, and it will be up to them to weigh the truthfulment of her recounting."

Blinking rapidly, Elphaba looked between them. "Oh. I… well, that does sound… I mean, even though I know I did nothing wrong, it's… when you put it that way, the courts are supposed to be unbiased…"

"No!" Glinda burst out, voice more pleading than outraged, but a bit of both. "Mother, what you say sounds reasonable, but what if they don't want to hear her side? I'm… well, I'm a bit worried they won't, and then what? Will she go to prison? Or worse?!"

"My dear, my dear, don't be preposterous! Our Wizard is most fair and would never send her to such an dismal, abysmal fate without good and fair due process. Don't you believe in our civilised society anymore? Or are you a radical now, much like your friend?"

"Does it make me a radical to think everyone ought to be treated with fairness?" Elphaba demanded with firm resolve.

"It does when the establishment does not agree on who 'everyone' is."

"Then I'd rather not be a part of any establishment that would shout down a voice who wants to be heard. I think that's deplorable, don't you?"

Leaning in, the heavily-powdered woman said in a sterner tone, "Not outside of the proper channels we have set up to protect law and order. You cannot combat injustice with further injustice!"

"Please," Glinda interjected, voice meek but still a voice that she was using. "Elphaba feels very strongly about this, and she still wishes to apologise and clear my name, so… so can't you both forget about this nitpickery and let her stay here until she figures out how to do what she wants to do? Anyway, we're both very tired, and… and it would be nice to try this again when we've had a little nap."

Elphaba, taking her cue from Glinda, held her tongue. After a thoughtful moment, during which she continued to squint at the green stranger, Larena sighed and sat back again, fanning her face. "Perhaps you have a fair point. We'll continue this another time. For now, please avail yourselves of the guest quarters."

"Oh, we won't be needing them; Elphie can sleep in my room."

"Most unusual," the woman blustered. "We have a room for each person who resides on this entire region, and you wish to… double-up?!"

"She'll be lonely in one of those big old rooms by herself; she's not used to bedchambers being so voluminous." Elphaba's mouth wrinkled at that comment. "And anyway, my bed is big enough for ten people, so we might as well get some use out of it, right?"

The woman gave a light shrug. "It is highly unheard of, but I suppose it can do no real harm. Very well; give us a peck and you can be off, my sweetling." Glinda stood and leaned in to leave a tiny kiss on her mother's cheek, earning her a pat on her curling golden hair. "Good girl. Rest well."

~ o ~

"Ohhh, this is much better," Glinda sighed as she flopped down on the fluffy down comforter draped over her bed. "I've missed this! The beds at Shiz are nice enough, and I'm not afraid of 'roughing it' in an inn like last night, but this is home!"

"R-right," Elphaba sighed as she perched on the very corner of the bed. "Roughing it."

"What's the matter with you?" When there was no response, she slung her leg over so that the very tip of her boot bumped Elphaba's thigh. "Hey! What's the matter, you don't like comfort?"

"Not particularly. But… it isn't that." Her eyes swivelled to Glinda for a second and away again. "What if your mother's right? I really did make a mess of things. It wasn't my intention, but now we're hiding out from the Wizard's soldiers, trying to figure out what on Oz to do next. And you, innocent in the first place!"

"You're innocent, too, Elphie," she sighed as she peeled off her boots, each one kicking at the other incessantly until they thumped to the floor. "Just in a… complicated, not-innocent-looking fashion, that's all! But I think we can do something about this, I truly do!"

Rolling her eyes, she fell back beside Glinda, though a little closer to the end of the bed, with her lower legs dangling off. "Maybe I should let them clap me in irons. You can stay here and be safe, and I'll just be… what my father said. Irresponsible and bad."

"He didn't say you're 'bad', Elphie. Just… well, he…" Finally, she grunted, "Okay, he was a meanie-poo."

Against all odds, that made Elphaba laugh harshly. "That's the cutest way you could have insulted my parentage." After a pause to think, she went on, "Okay, okay, so… maybe I shouldn't turn myself in. But what if I penned a letter?"

"A letter? To whom?"

"To the Wizard. I'll write at once — tell him I'm sorry for the disturbance, and that I'll return the Grimmerie and, well, myself… if he promises that you won't be hunted down, as well. That should do it."

Glinda rolled over to face her, eyes wide. "Elphaba… I mean, I find it touching, but you don't have to take the fall for me. I'm an adult as much as you are, and I can handle my own consequences, same as you!"

"But you didn't do anything! So why should you have to handle consequences for… for just existing in the wrong place at the wrong time?!" Elphaba was breathing hard from sheer frustration. "I'm sorry I asked you to come with me, that I… got caught up in my own aptitude for sorcery, and you being my friend, who also wanted to be a sorcerer, and… and my overprotectiveness of Animals, and I didn't stop to think! It's all my fault, it's all m-"

"Shhh, shhh," Glinda whispered as she embraced her, rubbing a hand up and down her back. "Elphie, you didn't- this isn't something wrong you did, it's just something that happened to us! The Wizard…" Finally, she found herself unable to avoid admitting it. "He shouldn't have demanded you do such a spell. You'd never done one like that before, it was… goodness, how unreasonable!"

But Elphaba wasn't moving. Little by little, she began to relax, but she still barely breathed, didn't respond to her friend's words. It was a full two minutes before she raised her arms to embrace her back.

"There… that's better, isn't it?" After they both sighed, she drew back and patted down her tight black bun of hair, now revealed in the absence of her hat. "Good, good. I'm gladful."

"Thank you. I… well, I'm not used to anyone but Nessa hugging me, so… I'm sorry if I wasn't…"

"If you wasn't what?"

"Wasn't very good at it." Glinda laughed, and she looked away with shame. "Sorry."

"No, no! Just… come on, how can you not be 'good at' a hug? That's a lot of preposterosity!" Leaning in, she embraced her a second time, and Elphaba froze up. "Okay, don't do that, though. Just relax."

"Told you."

"That isn't what I meant; you being a little stiff doesn't mean you're hugging me badly, just that I don't think you're enjoying my hug if you're so busy being afraid of it! Consider this a free lesson on how to hug a friend."

With a put-upon sigh, Elphaba hugged her back more gently, more tenderly. After a moment, they both sighed and relaxed into the sensation. "Oh… alright, that does feel better. You were right, and I apologise."

"Good." The hug had begun to go on a bit overlong when Glinda pulled back and kissed her on either cheek, which earned a blustery sputtering from her friend. Her smile was sweet and encouraging, and Elphaba returned it after a few more seconds, unable to do anything else. "Now, let's catch a nap so we can listen to my mother tell us how life works."

"Alright." But as they crawled up toward the pillows, a good three feet away from each other this time due to the enormous expanse of her expensive bed, she whispered, "You sure do offer to teach me how to be a normal girl often enough. I hate to tell you that you're wasting your time."

"How do you mean?" she sighed as she settled in.

"I'm greener than avarice. 'Normal' isn't in the cards for me, and you can't make it happen with… hug lessons and hair-flips. It isn't that I don't appreciate everything, because… at least you'll still try! Just don't want you getting your hopes up that any of your trying is going to pay off."

"It's my pleasure," she told her earnestly, reaching across for her hand. Elphaba didn't take it at first, but when Glinda just left it there for nearly a full minute, she made a scoffing sound and squeezed it. "There. Now, tomorrow we'll do something about your wardrobe, and have another talk with mother, and maybe even see what varieties of makeup go good with green. I refuse to believe that there isn't at least one shade of lipstick for everyone!"

Chuckling quietly, Elphaba muttered, "I think we've found your crusade."

~ o ~

Alas for both of them, they were woken a few hours later by a pounding at the door.

"Miss Galinda! Miss Galinda, please!"

Rolling out of her bed, Glinda landed on the floor with a sound thump! "OW! What's… ow, my nose!"

"Miss Galinda, are you decent?"

"Yes! What's going on?" She had just barely wobbled back to a standing position, noting that Elphaba was still rousing, when she heard a key turning in the lock. A moment later, Ama Clutch was edging in around the door, easing it gently closed behind herself. "Ama? What are you doing?!"

"Being a help, I hope! Rather than an old busybody!" Glancing back at the door again, she scurried over to their bedside and hissed, "I'm not sure how you want to proceed, exactly!"

"Proceed?" Elphaba put in groggily, most likely hoping to move the conversation along.

"Yes! Only… Miss Larena has sent one of the footmen to fetch the constabulary!"

"WHAT?!" Glinda burst out. When the other two shushed her, she lowered her own voice to a whisper and repeated, "What?!"

Wringing her hands, the older woman went on, "I'm afraid so! All day, she's been agonising over what to do, jammering on and on about her 'conscience'. She's so convicted her way is the only way that she's gone ahead with her plan for Elphaba to 'turn herself in'!"

"I'm just volunteering for so many things lately," Elphaba grumbled.

"How awful, how terrible, how…" Glinda struggled to come up with another adjective, but in the end she simply shrugged and whispered, "What should we do?"

"You can stay here," Elphaba said as she donned her boots, lacing them up. "This is your home, and I've only been dragging you around until this point. But I think I'll be someplace else when they arrive."

"What? You're… leaving me?"

"Isn't that what I ought to be doing? Not getting my friends any deeper into trouble?" Finally having finished with her boots, she stood, crossing to where she left her cloak, hat, and the borrowed Grimmerie.

"Oh… ohhhhh…" Hemming and hawing on the spot, Glinda began to pace, wringing her hands as badly as her Ama now. "Shoot, this is a catastrophocalypse if ever there was one! Do I go with you and make sure you stay safe, or try to stall them here?"

"You don't even have to stall them," Elphaba sighed while tucking the book under her arm. "Just… tell them I swept you along and you're not to blame for any of this; it would be the truth."

Biting her lip as she watched her reach for her broom, Glinda realised that it was now or never. The "never" most likely being "never see Elphaba again." Even though the two of them weren't as instantly inseparable as she had hoped for her university roomie, it could be intellectually argued that the initial strife made them deeper friends for having overcome it; having to fight their way to a mutual understanding made them appreciate each other more. But did she appreciate her enough to become a fugitive with her? She already had, but until now, there had never been a moment to stop and think about it. Now that they had a moment — barely — she found herself completely torn. This was a choice she could never have predicted being demanded of her, and essentially she had been asked to make it several times in a pair of days!

"If you don't mind," Elphaba was asking her Ama, "how long do you think I might have before they arrive?"

"I shouldn't want to dawdle more than another ten minutes. The boy is a quick little thing, but he had only just left before I rushed up here to warn you." Sighing deeply, she glanced behind her. "You might have fifteen or more… if he can't find them straightaway…"

"I appreciate that; I don't think I'll roll those dice. Alright, well, Glinda… I suppose this might just be it." Approaching, she grasped her shoulder. "You take care. I hope your life brings you bliss, I really do."

Her heart seized. Before she could stop to overthink the knee-jerk reaction, she was smiling and snapping, "Excuse me? How dare you try to leave me behind! What a mean thing to do, after all we've been through! Makes a girl feel unappreciated!"

"I… what?"

"My only question is, how are we going to bring a trunk full of my clothes along if we're flying on a broom?" she blustered, striding to the far side of the room to drag one of her glittering, ornamental trunks closer to the center of the rug. "We didn't have a chance to pick up anything from your house, and that's a shame — but there has to be a dozen things in this room we can sell off to make a little travelling money!"

Elphaba was now standing near the window, completely dumbfounded. After a moment, Ama Clutch did grind back to life, but her movements were still jerky and uncertain like a Tik-Tok toy that had long been in disuse as she helped Glinda toss several of the simpler dresses from her wardrobe in. They were followed by a jewellery box, a candelabra, and several items from her vanity. It did leave the room looking a bit bare, but at that point, she was too focused on having the task finished.

"How can you want…" Clearing her throat, she seemed to change her question. "How in Oz are you going to get that thing on the broom? It doesn't seem to be stopping you from packing it to the brim."

"To the brim for the broom!" Glinda laughed. When neither Ama or Elphaba seemed to find her comment amusing, she shrugged. "Isn't there something in that magic book of yours that'll help us?"

Rolling her eyes toward the frilly canopy above Glinda's bed, she laid the book down upon the spread and rifled through the pages for the same spell she had used on the broom. Eventually, she did find it, and began to chant in an even more confident tone than she had used in the Wizard's attic. There didn't seem to be as much of a change… at first. Then, it began to lift very slightly off the ground. Only an inch or two, but more than either of them had expected. Glinda clapped her hands excitedly, and Ama clutched her heart in shock, never having seen such sorcery in person.

"You did it, Elphie! Oh, Madame Morrible knew what she was doing, taking you into her private sessions!"

Elphaba's wonderment at her own success evaporated in a cloud of sudden anger. "Don't you remind me! How dare she take my talents and… and use them on those monkeys like that! How ugly, how duplicitous!" Shaking her head, she snapped the book closed and paced over to slide it into the trunk, both she and Glinda latching it closed. "Well, I guess that's everything, but… this is your last chance."

"For what?" Glinda asked, the picture of innocence.

"For freedom instead of fugitivity."

Waving an elegant hand, she scoffed, "Who needs freedom when you have friends?" Still smiling, she crossed to the bed and tugged on an ornamental rope, tassels and all, until it came free of the canopy over her bed and fell to the floor. "Help me with this?"

Shortly, they had the chest fastened to the end of the broom. It would perhaps be ungainly in the air, but there were worse arrangements — such as having nothing to their names whatsoever. Elphaba shook Ama Clutch's hand, and Glinda embraced her tightly.

"Write if you can, when you can," the old woman bade her sincerely, kissing her on the cheek. "And do try and clear your names, if you can, when you can."

"That's the idea," she whispered, eyes wet. "I'll be back someday, I promise. Take care of yourself!"

A heavy sound came from downstairs, just as Ama was going to reply. Glinda and Elphaba exchanged glances before the latter hissed, "Up and on, let's go!"

"Right! Goodbye, Ama, I'll see you again!" Dashing back over, she helped Elphaba throw wide the windows before they both mounted the broom, in the same fashion as before: Elphaba steering in the front and Glinda nestled behind her. Rising into the air, they gently edged out into the open air and off into the sky, the trunk only thumping against the bottom of the windowsill once before it was also clear.

And the swarming guards in the streets below told them they had escaped in the nick of time. News was spreading. They wouldn't be free to roam wherever they pleased for much longer; the Wizard was on their heels.

To Be Continued…

#The Coven of Oz #wicked fanfiction #forkanna writes #the wicked years #the wizard of oz #forkanna the writer

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puckerup-buttercup · 7 years ago

Photo

wardrobe: Halloween 2017

charlotte la bouff as galinda uptown (wicked)

#wardrobe: c #about: c #aesthetic: c

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secondchanceda-blog · 8 years ago

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@coeurseveille liked glinda’s permanent starter call.

❛ you should let me take you shopping! ❜ not that there's anything wrong with belle’s wardrobe ----- she has far better style than elphie ----- but galinda thought it could use a bit more pizzazz. ❛ please? it’ll be a lot of fun, i swear. and we’ll get to know each other better! ❜

#coeurseveille #glinda | ᵐʸ ᵗᵉᶰᵈᵉʳ ʰᵉᵃʳᵗ ᵗᵉᶰᵈˢ ᵗᵒ ˢᵗᵃʳᵗ ᵗᵒ ᵇᶫᵉᵉᵈ⋅ | ic.#glinda | ʷʰᵃᵗ ᶦˢ ᵗʰᶦˢ ᶠᵉᵉᶫᶦᶰᵍ﹖| undetermined.#yfip galinda upland: wants to give all her friends makeovers bc it gives her a sense of control that puts her at ease.#save her!

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raven-curls · 4 years ago

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Just some fiyeraba fluff. This one-shot can also be found in fanfiction.net and AO3.

ff.net

AO3

“You ship us.” She raised her brows at the belief in his voice.

He inched closer to her, close enough for him to see the curl of her eyelashes, the flecks in her eyes, the freckles on her face, the curve of her lips.

“You actually ship us.”

She chewed her lip as she felt her face heating up at the intense look in his eyes. She nodded slightly.

Her hands went subconsciously to the magazine on her lap.

He looked down at the magazine, his eyes drawn to her long, slender fingers as she fiddled with one of the corners of the glossy centerspread. It was a photo of Fiyero, carrying the books of a female classmate as they walked across the lawn on their way to class. The two of them were talking, laughing over something. The loud, red headline screamed that the Arjiki prince had found a new love.

He leaned back and let out a huff as he ran his fingers through his hair.

“I don’t believe this. You actually ship – “ he looked at the picture again, at the beautiful girl in the picture, her radiant smile that seemed to shine out of the page. “- Galinda and me?”

Elphaba shrugged with a sheepish smile.

“You actually ship your boyfriend with your best friend?”

She cowed under his stare.

“Why? Elphaba, are you… “ he grappled with the impossible idea. “Are you not happy with me?”

“Of course not,” Elphaba blurted, and she quickly closed the magazine, hoping that it would put a stop to the conversation. It didn’t work.

Fiyero reached out, brushing the back of his knuckles against her soft skin before he cupped her cheek and watched as her eyes fluttered.

“Do you have doubts about us?” He asked softly.

She shook her head.

His thumb traced across her lips. She drew in a shaky breath.

“Elphaba, whose hand do I hold when we go out?”

“Mine.”

His hand went to her waist, his touch sending tingles up her body. “Who do I have in my arms at night?”

“Me.” Her answer was almost breathless as she anticipated his next move.

He brushed his lips against hers, and she tilted her head. She nipped his lips gently, playfully and he paid back with one of his own.

“Which girl have I been kissing for the past one hundred and eighty-seven days?” He asked between kisses, as he moved to her jaw and neck and back to her lips again.

“Me?”

“You don’t sound sure,” he teased her, and she tittered before she answered again, firmer this time.

“Me.”

“Then why are you shipping Galinda and me?” He asked when their lips parted. “Why can’t you ship her with someone else?”

“Not imaginative enough,” she admitted.

“Why can’t you ship us? You and me? Elphaba and Fiyero? Miss Green and Mr White?”

“Well.” She looked away, looking so guilty Fiyero almost laughed out loud. “I believe in us, but the other – “ she waved her hand in the air. “It just makes so much more sense.”

“What makes so much more sense?”

“You and Galinda.”

“Why?” It did not make any sense to him at all.

“You’re both beautiful, rich and popular. She’s sweet and you’re handsome. And both of you like the same things and have the same taste. We imagine the two of you attending balls and dancing together and always being the centre of attention.”

“We?” His eyes widened. “What do you mean by ‘we’?” He imagined the whole cohort shipping him with another girl. The horrors. But Elphaba’s reply allayed his fears.

“Both of us?”

“You and Galinda?”

The green girl nodded guiltily.

“Is this what you girls do when you can’t sleep at night?”

“Not all nights.” She tried to downplay the whole thing. “And it’s just imagination, storytelling. You’re perfect together. You’re like a fairy tale. And she always said that she’ll end up marrying someone handsome and with a title.”

“And you?”

“I’ve always known that I will end up a spinster.”

The prince groaned.

“Why can’t you ship us? And imagine us doing things together?” Though he knew how difficult it was for Elphaba to talk to anyone about the two of them, even if it was to her best friend.

“Yero, we’re like directors, scriptwriters, producing one of those fairy-tale movies that she always likes to watch. The girl is beautiful and kind and the boy will sweep her off her feet. No one wants a ship where the girl is geeky and stubborn.”

“I do. And you’re beautiful.”

Elphaba ignored his comment and continued. “She’ll come up with the plot, the scene, the wardrobe, and I’m in charge of the logistics, the venues, and lighting. We tried to replace you with another guy, with some celebrity that she likes, or even an original character, but it just didn’t work. It’s you, but it’s not you.”

“What do you mean?” He did not know that dating her could be so frustrating.

“It’s your face, your name, your titles, your idiosyncrasies.” Fiyero rolled his eyes. “But it is not you – not you you.”

He felt a headache coming on.

“Is that all?”

She nodded.

“Really?”

“We’ve planned the wedding.”

“What?” He spluttered. And he thought that there was no way this conversation could get weirder. “Galinda and my wedding?”

She nodded again. “It’ll be the biggest event of the year. It’ll take place in late spring, in the Emerald City Garden, next to that big fountain. Or maybe it’ll take place in Shiz. She’ll wear an off-shoulder, bareback, white gown with lace and a twenty-foot train….. “ Fiyero shot out a hand and pressed it against her lips.

“I think I’ve heard enough. I hope you didn’t imagine the wedding night.”

Elphaba’s face turned dark but she shook her head.

“Thank Lurline,” he muttered under his breath. He grabbed a pencil and paper from her desk and scribbled furiously on the paper.

“What are you writing? Are those instructions to your Arjiki assassins to kill me?” Elphaba asked innocently as she rested her chin on his shoulder, squinting her eyes as she tried to read his illegible handwriting.

“Listing out the names of my buddies. I’m sure a few of them are still single. Galinda needs a boyfriend. Immediately. Now. Maybe a few boyfriends.”

“Are they all nice guys?”

“Absolutely. And handsome, and most of them come with a title or two.”

“Yero?” Elphaba whispered his name as she pressed her lips behind his ear. He put down the pencil as he turned to meet her lips, distracted.

“Yes?”

“There’s something else that I didn’t tell you. Something I thought about sometimes.” She heard the sharp intake of his breath. Her hand went to his chest, her finger tracing the shape of his diamond tattoos through his shirt.

“What is it?” She could feel his heart beating so fast under her palm, like a bird in a cage.

“Our wedding night,” she confessed, a shy smile on her lips.

“Now that’s the kind of thing that you should think about,” he said and he kissed her again.

#wicked #fiyeraba #i will post this in fanfiction and AO3 later #fluff

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