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seanfalco · 4 years ago

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New York State of Mind: Part II | Misfits Timeline Anomaly’verse

an oc x oc collaboration between @seanfalco & @super-unpredictable98

Word Count: 2.7k Warnings: Language, Smut (rough sex, public sex, pool sex) Summary: The Quad comes back to the hotel after their night out, but they’re all still a little pent-up. a/n: Like Flor mentioned last week, the NYC arc is probably one of my favourites as well! It’s definitely a turning point for them.

[ masterlist ] [ New York State of Mind Part I ]

——

"Dancing through life, skimming the surface, gliding where turf is smooth. Life is painless for the brainless..." Lydia sang mindlessly as they walked down the 51st after she made everyone wait for her to get her Playbill signed at the stage door. It was probably the third or fourth time she had seen that show live, but she never ceased to be amazed by Elphaba's powerful solos, Glinda's giant bubble, and the enormous clock of the time dragon above the stage.

"So, what did you guys think?" she asked as they passed through Times Square on the way back to the hotel.

“It was exciting!” Win exclaimed, smiling fondly at how happy Lyddie looked. “I think that’s the first musical I’ve ever seen live,” she said.

“Same here,” her Nathan added. “It was somethin’ else.”

"It's one of my favorite shows ever, but I can't wait for Waitress to open in four years... By the way I saw you tearing up during For Good," Lydia poked her own Nathan.

"No, I did not! Somethin' got in my eye!"

"Yeah, funny how something always gets in your eye every time we watch that show... I'm so glad everyone had a good time!" Lydia exclaimed.

“Aww, Nathan, such a softie,” Win teased, bumping Lyddie’s Nathan with her shoulder as she grinned up at him.

“So... now what?” Win’s Nathan asked, unable to forget what Lyddie’d said to him in the cab on the way there.

"Now... I can't wait to get to our room and out of these clothes," she winked at him, taking his hand as they stepped into the elevator. She wanted to tease him a little, make him beg, but she didn't have it in her to do so, she wanted him too much, there was no way to hold back.

Win’s Nathan grinned wider. “Sounds like a solid plan,” he agreed and Win rolled her eyes.

“What about you, Natty?” she asked, addressing Lyddie‘s Nathan.

"Oh, y'know, I'm a little jet lagged, I'd love t'get some sleep," he teased, but broke down laughing at Win's expression. "Classic... I can't wait t'help you out o'these clothes too."

“Uh huh, just for that, maybe I’ll just take a little swim and then go t’bed myself,” she replied, turning the cold shoulder on him, ruined somewhat by the grin that tugged at her lips.

"Aw, so petty..." Lyddie's Nathan wrapped his arms around her, nipping at her neck. "I know what y'want, baby, it's alright," he whispered in her ear.

"Finally!" Lydia exclaimed as the elevator stopped, pulling Win's Nathan down the hall and fumbling with the key for a few seconds before opening the door. "I'm burning up!"

“What’s got you so hot and bothered, Lyddie?” Win asked knowingly, cocking an eyebrow at her as she threaded her own fingers with the other Nathan’s.

"Um..." Lydia froze for a second. "You know... I'm a sucker for his cocky charm, and look at those eyes, am I right?" She glossed over it, shedding her dress and kicking her shoes away as soon as she entered the room.

“Isn’t that what you like about both Nathans though?” Win pressed, gasping as Lyddie’s Nathan pinched her.

"Yeah, of course... But-but he's the only one who didn't have his way with me today." Lydia threw herself on the bed.

"The bastard knows how t'get her pent up without even tryin'," Lyddie's Nathan whispered in Win's ear. "But I'm here, baby, all yours."

“Yeahh it’s only fair!” Win’s Nathan exclaimed, quickly shedding his clothes, almost tripping in his haste while Win shivered at Lyddie’s Nathan’s voice in her ear and she turned in his arms, wrapping hers around his neck as she pressed herself against him.

“Lucky me,” she purred, gazing up at him.

"So, Winnie," Lyddie's Nathan brushed his lips along Win's jaw. "D'you wanna stay here or go have that swim? I bet it's empty right now..."

“A swim sounds amazing,” she answered, her breath hitching. “I don’t think I remembered to pack a swimsuit though,” she murmured in his ear.

"That's unfortunate..." Lyddie's Nathan opened the door, slapping Win ass on the way out. "Guess the cameras’ll stop workin' tonight."

"I wanna give everyone some special attention..." Lydia murmured, bringing Win's Nathan close, barely noticing the door shutting behind the others, kissing him hungrily, moving with urgency. "You have no idea how much I want you right now."

“Holy shit, Lyddie,” Win’s Nathan exclaimed as she pulled him atop her. “God, you’re so hot,” he groaned, burying his face in her tits.

Lydia moaned under his touch, all the built-up tension finally dissolving in his arms. "Fuck me until I can't remember my own name, Natty," she took his face in her hands, making him look up at her.

Win’s Nathan raised his head, his brows raising as well. “Whatever you want, Lollipop, my cock is yours to command,” he exclaimed, crawling atop her, reaching between them to tease her entrance with his tip.

"And the rest of you, huh?" Lyddie giggled, wrapping her legs firmly around his waist. "Will you do anything for me?"

“I’ll do anythin’ yeh want, princess,” he moaned, pressing into her. “Just say th’word. I’m all yours tonight.”

Lydia felt a tingle, a knot in her stomach and she reached for a bottle her own Nathan had gotten from the mini-fridge, a tiny bottle of Baileys. "Fancy a drink? I wanna taste it on your tongue."

Win’s Nathan took the bottle from her and tipped back the rest of the contents. “You don’t like t’drink, but you wanna taste it on me, huh?” he teased, leaning down to kiss her as he slid into her, his tongue finding hers as he filled her.

"Uhum..." she moaned into his mouth, rolling her hips to meet his thrusts. "Everything tastes better like this." She held on tightly to his shoulders, wanting him as close as possible.

Win’s Nathan moaned into her mouth as she pulled him closer and he braced himself against the bed as he began to rut into her, each hard thrust bringing a cry to Lydia’s lips. “Oh fuck, you’re so hot like this Lollipop,” he groaned.

"Yes, yes, Natty, please..." Lydia squirmed, arching her back, seeking his lips again. "Tell me I'm yours, I wanna hear you," she whimpered.

“You’re mine, fuck, you’re all mine, Lydia,” Win’s Nathan exclaimed, his lips crashing against hers as he fucked her even rougher, grunting with each thrust.

"All yours," she breathed, feeling like she could explode any minute, her pleasure racing through her body once again. "I'm getting close, Nate..."

“Don’t come until I say, darlin’,” he growled, sweat rolling down his temple, his muscles starting to cramp, but damn if she didn’t feel good. “Do you still remember your name?” he asked breathlessly, not slowing.

"I won't." it took all her might not to come, he didn't slow down, it was almost impossible to hold back, but she was way too obedient. "I remember slightly..."

“Good girl,” Win’s Nathan groaned, his thrusts slowing and becoming jerky. “Ohhh okay, baby, I want yeh to come. Come for me, Lollipop,” he cried, pressing his forehead to hers as he rammed into her, coming undone deep inside her.

Following his command, Lydia finally came, burying her face on his shoulder to muffle her moans as she felt him filling her up. "Oh my... That's just what I needed, now I feel better," she sighed.

Nathan rolled off her, panting as he caught his breath. “Shit that was hot, Lyddie. What got you so horny?” he asked with a breathless chuckle. “I mean, Winnie got you off right before we left...”

"You did..." she snuggled against him, resting her head on his chest. "You're just so sexy, couldn't help myself." She looked down, kissing his warm skin and hoping he didn't have her Nathan's ability to call out her bullshit.

“I don’t think I did anything particularly sexy,” he mused, trying to remember, but he was growing sleepy. Pulling Lyddie into his arms, he tucked her head under his chin.

"Yeah, you were just being you..." She placed a loving kiss on his chest, stroking his curls gently. "I love you, Nats."

“I love yeh too, Lyddie,” Nathan murmured, still sure he was missing something, but unable to put his finger on it.

Lydia was finally able to breathe again. He didn't know, thank God! It was enough to have one Nathan weaponizing her... peculiar tastes, two would be a complete car wreck. "Good night, baby."

Nathan was already out, his chest rising and falling peacefully as he held Lydia.

——

Win laughed as the door shut behind them, arousal flooding her at the prospect of skinny dipping in the hotel pool, and this time on the elevator ride back down she pulled Lyddie’s Nathan in, kissing him hungrily as she massaged his growing bulge through his jeans.

"I see Lyds isn't isn't only one all worked up," Lyddie's Nathan groaned, kissing Win back with the same enthusiasm, his hands sliding down her back teasingly.

“Yeah, well, maybe Lyddie’s not the only one who’s feeling a little neglected,” Win pouted as the doors dinged open.

"No problem, I can fix that." Lyddie's Nathan draped his arm around Win on the way to the pool, his hand brushing slightly over the slope of her breasts.

“I’m glad,” Win murmured, glancing around as they got to the pool. It looked pretty deserted. “Looks like you were right, we’re the only ones here.”

"Sounds like a good time." Lyddie's Nathan snapped his fingers, turning all the security cameras off and dimming the lights. "Now let's get this off, shall we?" he said, unzipping her dress and exposing her chest.

Win gasped as the cool air hit her, her skin pebbling and she helped Lyddie’s Nathan out of his clothes til they were both naked.

"Jesus, y'look so sexy right now," Lyddie's Nathan exclaimed, capturing Win's lips, his thigh moving slowly between her legs, teasing her. "Look at that... So wet for me."

“That’s right, Natty,” Win purred, kissing him back. “That’s not the only thing about to be wet,” she taunted, pushing him in the pool without warning, shrieking as he grabbed her on his way down, pulling her in with him.

"Y'think you're so clever, huh?" Lyddie's Nathan emerged from the pool, shaking his hair around like a dog. "Y'little tart!" he exclaimed, pulling Win closer, biting her neck hard enough to leave a mark as she cried out, amusement melting to a moan as she clutched at him, feeling his erection against her hip as they floated.

“I think I’m pretty clever,” she exclaimed, breathing heavily as she melted against him, pressing her face to his shoulder.

"Y'do, do ya?" he groaned, kneading her breasts roughly under the water. He was well aware water wasn't the best lubricant, so he concentrated for a second before sliding his cock inside of Win. "Jesus, I love this power..." he chuckled, pinning her against one of the pool walls.

Win wrapped her legs around his waist, moaning as he moved inside her. “I’ve never shagged in a public pool before,” she confessed, playing with the wet curls plastered to Lyddie’s Nathan’s neck. “You know—“ she paused to gasp as he filled her completely, hitting her deeply, “—you may know all of Lyddie’s turn ons and kinks, but I doubt you know mine,” she purred.

"Me neither, only the bathtub back home," Lyddie's Nathan grunted as he bucked his hips, thrusting firmly into her. "I'd love t'know, Winnie, what gets you all hot and bothered?" he murmured while kissing her neck, leaving a trail of hickeys behind.

“Oh,” Win moaned, holding onto Nathan tighter as they bobbed in the water, each thrust pushing her back into the pool wall, but she didn’t care. “S-so you can use them against me?” she teased. “How about I give you three guesses.”

"So it's all fun and games when we use Lyddie's kinks against her, but not yours? Doesn't seem fair..." he mumbled, picking up his pace, fighting the urge to finish before Win. "I think y'like t'shag in public places, don'tcha?"

“I guess you’re right...” Win murmured, turning her head away sheepishly, suddenly feeling guilty. “Yeah, I do,” she admitted.

"Yeah, you also like t'be a tease, right? Drive us all mad..." Lyddie's Nathan's chest was heaving as he stared down at their bodies connected in the water.

“Looks like you already got me all figured out, don’t you,” Win said softly, coming with a whimper, biting her lip to keep from crying out.

Lyddie's Nathan thrusted a couple more times as he came before pulling out. "That's the problem, I don't think I do... and I want to. I wanna know everythin'."

Win blinked as she turned her face back to Lyddie’s Nathan. “...You do?” Her words were so soft he barely heard them. “Then ask me, I’ll... I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”

"You already know how t'tease me, but what do you like, huh? How can I get under your skin like I do to Lyds?" he whispered before pressing his lips to Win's shoulder.

Win shuddered at the tender caress of his lips. “Uhm... I... I like PDA. I like it when you’re bold in public. I like being marked up where people can see. I... I mean, you know I like being on top, but I like a little power struggle,” she admitted, the words spilling out, confessing her secrets and her desires to Lyddie’s Nathan as they floated in the pool.

“I like playful banter, and when you stretch and I can see just that strip of skin between your shirt and your jeans. I like th’way you look when you smoke. And I... I like it like this... when you’re sweet t’me.” Win looked away, her gaze wavering. “I know you all think I’m this tough, cool girl all the time, but I’m softer than I look... I just want someone to see that too.”

Nathan grinned, listening to every detail and nodding to show he was paying attention. "All that can be arranged," he tucked a strand of Win's wet hair behind her ear and kissed her temple. "I should probably work on bein' sweeter, t'you and t'Lyddie too, I can be sweet... and you girls deserve it. I always knew there was a soft little heart under that bad girl exterior," Nathan teased, poking her playfully. "That's why I love you, baby."

“I love you too, Nathan,” Win murmured, giving a tremulous smile as she blinked back the tears that had gathered in her eyes, hoping he hadn’t noticed.

Nathan held Win against his chest, he’d definitely noticed how teary she’d gotten, but he didn't wanna embarrass her by pointing it out. He simply kissed the top of her head and sighed. How could a moment be so romantic when they were both naked in a hotel pool past midnight after shagging? It just was, it was special.

"Wanna get back? I am pretty jet lagged," he said, stifling a yawn.

"Yeah, I'm exhausted," Win agreed, Nathan's yawn infectious and she covered her mouth with the back of her hand.

Helping Lyddie's Nathan out of the pool she grabbed two towels from the rack near the wall and wrapped hers around herself, tucking it around her chest as he wrapped his around his waist and grabbed their discarded clothes. The elevator ride back to their floor was quiet, but Win didn't mind, Lyddie's Nathan's arm wrapped around her.

Nathan smiled when he saw Lydia and his clone already sleeping peacefully. She looked so cute like that...

"D'you think he figured it out yet?" he idly waved his hand making so both him and Win were dry and ready for bed. It was weird to think he was so clueless when the very first time it happened back in the Community Centre, he immediately knew by the look in Lyddie's eyes.

"I doubt it," Win snorted, watching her boyfriend snoring softly, her heart constricting with affection. "Say what you will about my Nathan, but he's not exactly the brightest sometimes," she murmured, crawling in the bed next to him, pulling Lyddie's Nathan with her.

"I feel like I should be offended..." he laughed, taking Win in his arms. "But I'm too tired for that," he laughed, pulling the heavy duvet to cover all of them. "Good night, baby."

"Good night, Natty," Win replied, scooting closer to press a kiss to his jaw before settling in his arms.

——

Tag list: @magic-multicolored-miracle @midnightseance @messengeronthemoon @the-freckled-luba @firstpersonnarrator @spanishmossmagnolia @salvador-daley @forenschik @a-ghoulish-tale @love-is-dirty-baby @captainsheeballs

#misfits #misfits fic #nathan young #nathan young x oc #nathan x win #nathan x lyddie #otp: green apple lollipop #timeline anomaly’verse #collaboration

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wickedlyqueer · 4 years ago

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Holy Poly

Ever since @gliyerabaa became obsessed with the Glinda/Fiyero/Elphaba ship it suddenly reminded me I wrote a poly fic years ago where essentially the Charmed Circle lived together and most of them were dating each other.

I never finished or published it, because I’m first and foremost a gelphie ho. to a point it felt wrong to be calling it a poly fic, bc I just wanted to focus on the gelphie dynamic.

Anyway, because I promised Rae (and I’m sure they’d love to see some gliyeraba content they didn’t write themself) this was the intro chapter of the modern AU, fresh out of college, poly chapter I wrote like 3 years ago.

Save the trees!

Perhaps every accidental cluster of people had a short period of grace. Although gracious was probably not the best word to describe the weirdly formed, yet close-knit circle. Exuberant. Loud. Queer. Those were better words. A loving found family that could not been torn apart even if fate wanted it to.

Neither was their time together short-lived. At least, not if it was up to Glinda. After most of them had graduated last summer, the crushing college debt and the terrifying world that was job hunting in a broken economic system made the decision on cohabitation all the easier.

On the outskirts of Shiz they had found their home: a small house with just enough room for the six of them to not suffocate. It was nothing fancy, but none of them would want it any other way.

“Elphie’s not here?”

Glinda had entered the living room where the boys were spread lazily across their two mismatched couches bought at a garage sale.

“Nope, left quite a while ago,” Boq replied.

“Aren’t they at their usual train station spot harassing people?”

“Language, Crope,” from the kitchen came Fiyero’s rich voice. “Spreading awareness about global warming isn’t the same as harassing.”

“Fine. It’s annoying people then.”

“Not everyone finds that awareness crap annoying,” Tibbett said, throwing a casual glance at Glinda. “I believe someone went weak at the knees for that.”

She felt a blush creeping up; not for the comment he made, but for the comment that was about to come. It had turned into an inside joke in their circle, and she had learned from experience that the less she objected the more humiliation she was spared.

“Is it?” Crope wiggled his eyebrows. “The way I heard, she complimented Elphie on their dedication to the cause for painting their entire visage green.”

The trio threw a fist in the air and shouted in unison, “Save the trees!” without their attention leaving the screen.

“I hate every single one of you.”

“You can’t deny that’s how it went, Glin,” Fiyero commented. “Have you tried texting by the way?”

“I think their phone died,” she checked one more time for any messages, but still no response from Elphaba. “Remind me to ambush them again for getting a decent phone.”

“At least they lost that brick phone.”

Crope snorted. “Yeah, right. Lost.”

Tibbett gave him a wicked smile. “No fun in being a tattletale, babe.”

Whatever they were grinning about it was Crope and Tibbett, and Glinda prefered to stay ignorant on the subject. She headed towards the kitchen where Fiyero was cooking dinner. A towel hanging over his shoulder and his beautiful long black hair stuffed in a loose bun so no strains could spoil the food.

“Smells good, Yero.” She wrapped her arms around his belly, and stretched out completely on her tiptoes and almost managed to put her chin on his shoulder. “If only I could see if it looks as equally good.”

Fiyero laughed heartily and sank through his knees so Glinda could see better. “How about now?”

She smiled. “So far this meal is Glinda-approved.”

“That’s all I need.”

A cheer came from Boq from the living room having beaten the other two at the game.

“I think I’m going to check the train station,” Glinda said as she let go off Fiyero; the pose was growing uncomfortable for the both of them. Their height difference was ridiculous. How she had ended up with two partners so much taller than her was beyond her.

“Oh, you know what you should do? Call Nessa. Maybe she can contact Elphie through their sibling telepathy.”

“I think that only works when they have something to bicker about,” Glinda said, but dialed the number anyway. “Goes straight to voicemail.”

“Why do those two even have phones?” Fiyero muttered.

“Okay, so train station and then I’ll drop by Nessa’s dorm to check on her too. Any other places Elphie might be?”

Four voices spoke as one. “The library.”

“Should’ve figured that one out myself.”

“Glin, you do know Elphie’s like a cat, right? They always find their way back home eventually.”

“I know, but I feel like going outside for a bit. I’ll see you tonight.”

“Sure thing. Oh, and Glinda?”

She turned around. “Hm?”

He took her hand and planted a chaste kiss on her fingertips. “Can I just say you look absolutely wonderful today?”

She beamed. “You’re too charming for your own good Fiyero.”

“It’s why he has so many partners,” Crope called from the couch, apparently eavesdropping on the conversation. There was zero privacy in this house. “Too handsome too. Who could say no to that gorgeous face?”

“Not us,” added Tibbett. “And don’t forget that he’s a flirt without realizing it. It just comes natural to him and it’s adorable.”

Fiyero had the advantage that his dark skin hid most of his blush, but knowing him since high school, Glinda knew what a flustered Fiyero looked like.

“I just got a lot of love to share, I guess,” he smiled shyly. “Let me know when you find Elphaba, okay? Dinner will be ready around seven.”

Elphaba wasn’t at the library and neither were they at the train station. All Glinda found there were old memories. She could see the young, nervous girl fresh from the Pertha Hills standing on the platform. Fiyero’s steady hand on her shoulder to ease her worries. Had four years really passed so quickly?

She traced her footsteps from the past. Her gaze wandering over the square in front of the train station like it did then. The only thing that was missing, was a green person storming towards her. From that moment on she was captivated by Elphaba, although the first few months she had let her socialite behavior overrule.

“You could’ve disclosed in our online correspondence that you’re green!”

She had whined once she had found out the Green-Tree-From-Shiz-Station was her roommate. Elphaba had pointed at the five enormous trunks brought into their room by an upperclassman.

“Only if you had disclosed you would bring your entire house with you.”

Glinda had thought the roommate matching system had completely failed her. No way had she the highest match with a snarky, social-reclusive green person! It had taken her some time to realize they were ridiculously similar, just coming from different angles.

Her path down memory lane continued when she entered Shiz campus. It only had been two months ago since she graduated, but it already felt foreign being here. As if she no longer fitted. A group of giggling first year students passed her. Glinda recognized her own innocence in them back at that age. Feeling as if you’re on top of the world only because you have yet to learn what that world entailed.

Unconsciously she had walked to Crage Hall. She admired the building when a busted up blue van pulled over. It was Elphaba’s. They all jokingly referred to it as the Abduction Truck, because that’s how sketchy it looked.

Elphaba got out and moved over to the back of the truck. The only reason Elphaba had bought that van was to drive Nessa around. Normally they were a very dedicated public transport advocate, and although Elphaba would deny it, Glinda knew they’d bend their own morals to please Nessa.

Glinda walked towards the car and Elphaba looked surprised. “Hey, what are you doing here?”

“Looking for you actually.”

“Oh?”

Elphaba opened the backdoors to reveal a Nessa waiting impatiently to be led out. “You do take your time don’t you, Elphaba? The air conditioner was already turned off and in this heated garbage tin can of yours I could’ve already suffocated. Hello Glinda.”

“Hey Nessa.”

Elphaba lifted the ramp from the truck. “And yet you still live. The Unnamed God must have favorites after all.”

Nessa rolled her eyes. “Just open a window next time, please?”

“Yes, your majesty.” Elphaba vastened the ramp and Nessa rode her wheelchair to the pavement.

Elphaba shoved the ramp back inside and closed the door. Glinda walked towards them and was met with a strong smell. She sniffed Elphaba’s shirt and got worried. “Why do you smell like chlorine? Were you near water?”

Elphaba gestured to Nessa. “Had to drive this kid to Red Sand.”

“Your half year check-up! I completely forgot.” One of the reasons why Elphaba had bought the van was so Nessa could study at Shiz. Every six months they had to drive all the way to Red Sand where Nessa had to do exercises in a swimming pool. That’s what Glinda understood of it at least. “How was it?”

“Still pretty paralyzed,” Nessa supplied dryly.

“Doctor Kazhki said your legs were looking healthy.”

“As healthy as they can be paralyzed, yes.”

Glinda tugged at Elphaba’s hand before the argument could escalate. “Hey, you vanished without a single message.”

Elphaba frowned. “No I didn’t, I sent you a text and—ah,” they had gotten their phone out. “Must’ve died before it was sent.”

“No way!” Glinda feigned surprise. “Tomorrow we’re gonna get you a new phone and I won’t hear any of your usual excuses.”

“Can you do your flirting somewhere that isn’t in front of me?” Nessarose disrupted them. “I’m going inside.”

She wheeled away.

“Thanks for the ride, Fabala. Oh no problem, Nessie.”

Nessa turned around and stuck out her tongue. “If you can converse with yourself, what do you need me for?”

“Ungrateful brat.”

It was their way of saying goodbye. Being an only child Glinda still had no idea how sibling relationships worked. Especially those of the Thropps.

“Go kiss your girlfriend.” Nessarose waved without looking behind and went into the building.

Elphaba turned around and smirked. They wrapped their arms around Glinda’s waist. “Well you heard her.”

Glinda raised her eyebrows teasingly. “Since when do you take orders from your sister, hm?”

“Wow. You ruined the moment.” But they smiled and kissed her forehead. “I’m sorry I didn’t notify you.”

“All is forgiven. You’re here now.”

It was a beautiful afternoon and without another word between them they had agreed to walk around campus. Glinda curled into Elphaba’s arm. She had done it so many times before it was like second nature. She had loved strolling around campus with Elphaba, back when they were still at Shiz. Near the Suicide Canal they settled down in the grass and soaked up the nice autumn sun while it was still warm.

Glinda leaned into Elphaba and smiled. “This brings back memories.”

“Curled up in my arms after one of our many picnics at the Suicide Canal? Whatever gave you that idea?” Elphaba teased.

Glinda nudged them playfully. “Sentimentality, I suppose. My entire walk I’ve been seeing myself through a looking glass.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, like at the train station I remembered–” Glinda stopped dead in her tracks. How could she have let that one slip!

Elphaba let out a roaring laugh. “Are you referring to our ‘meet-cute’?”

Her entire face had turned bright red. “It wasn’t cute, I’m still embarrassed by it.”

“Aw, don’t be. It was actually refreshing from all the usual green freak insults.”

“How? I thought you were going for a metaphor to reflect a greener planet! I didn’t even consider a green person existing. How is that less offensive?”

“True, but then you became so flustered when I looked at you funny. I’ll never forget how you threw a fist in the air and yelled ‘save the trees!’ to show your support.”

Glinda buried her face into her hands. “Oh god.”

Elphaba laughed. “It was cute” and put their face closer. “You’re cute.”

“You’re making it worse,” Glinda’s words sounded muffled through her hands.

They planted a comforting kiss in her hair. “We still ended up like this, so it couldn’t have been all that bad, right?”

“I suppose,” her embarrassment fading, Glinda let herself fall back on Elphaba’s shoulder. “I thought I’d never see you again after that. Big surprise waited ahead of me. God, I thought you were a senior or something. No other freshman I know functioned that entire first week, and there you were, already trying to make the world a better place.”

She felt Elphaba smile. “I was such a determined little fuck back then. I didn’t even sign up. I got off the train and saw the group of volunteers and basically pestered them until they gave me a jacket and some flyers to hand out.”

“And they haven’t gotten rid of you since.”

“Nope. I’m the best thing that happened to them.”

Glinda paused, weighing her words before saying, “And to me.”

“Damn, you are sentimental today,” Elphaba noted.

Glinda took Elphaba’s chin and slowly lowered it until their eyes were leveled. Just before their lips touched she whispered, “You’re ruining the moment.”

“Now we’re even,” Elphaba murmured, smiling into the kiss.

A/N: to be clear of all the dynamics (bc they are very entangled and a bit of a mess): - Glinda is asexual and through high school became very dependable on Fiyero (as he was the first person she ever came out too). Dependable to a point they couldn’t imagine their lives separately. So it falls more in a QPR relationship, where their platonic bond is unbreakable. - Elphaba is non-binary, bi and aromantic. Their relationship with Glinda is definitely the most couple-y, and can be classified as a “typical” romantic relationship. They also connected with Fiyero instantly and fell for his charms. - Fiyero is very poly because this boy’s got a lot of love to share! He’s also aro (which might seem contradictory, but it’s something I’ve seen a lot of overlap with, funnily enough!) and so his relationship are very platonic/sexual based. he has that sort of relationship with Elphaba, Crope&Tibbett and one or two other people outside the charmed circle. - Tibbet’s genderfluid and good with any pronouns and will raid Glinda’s closet on any occasion. In an open relationship with Crope and they obviously communicate incredibly well with this. - Crope’s just very gay. - Boq is a trans guy and aro/ace. He’s the only not in a typical “relationship” and definitely isn’t looking for that either, but he can’t live without his chosen family. Together with Fiyero, they’re basically the “dads” of the group and keeps everyone in check.

If anyone wants to run with these dynamics; you have my blessing! I won’t be continuing this story but if it inspired you feel free to build on it!

#wicked #wicked the musical #gliyeraba #gelphie #bc it's.. kinda mostly gelphie still bc it me and i love them ok #anyway rae #hope you like it dfjkdhf #this is basically just for you

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imjusthereforbatfam · 4 years ago

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Never-Ending Encore, ch.6

Chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Chapter Summary: Best way to make a new friend in the most dangerous city in the world? Simple! Offer them baked goods as a thanks after they patch you up from almost dying in a knife fight!! So easy!!! :D

Warning: minor blood, minor swearing

---

“There you go,” Red Hood said opening the window to Eden’s fire escape from inside the apartment. She’d cautiously – and, in this instance, annoyingly – locked it earlier. “Back at Casa de Eden, safe and—”

“Don’t do that again!” she whisper-shrilled in his face.

Red Hood jerked back, surprised. The nerve! He knew full well he’d given Eden a heart attack vaulting off the fire escape like that. And he barely held on to the building while he checked her other window!

“You scared the livin' crap out of me! We’re on the ninth floor, for Pete’s sake!"

He scoffed. “Guess it’s a good thing you left the other window unlocked then, huh? Can you imagine? One little slip then, splat! No more Red Hood." He sniffed obnoxiously and wiped an imaginary tear from the eye of his helmet. "So sad."

“Oh please.” Eden rolled her eyes as she passed her groceries to him. “Like you wouldn’t have pulled out your grappling hook or something and saved yourself.”

“Oh?” He offered her his free hand, dropping the act. “So you mean I had everything under control? And you had nothing to freak out about? Imagine that.”

“Listen you,” Eden said taking his hand, allowing him to help her through the window. “You know well and good by now that I am a panicky person. The very least you could do is give me a heads up before you do something crazy like that!”

“Alright, fine. Don’t freak out, but I’m about to walk over to your table. So scary!”

She rolled her eyes again. "Yeah, I’m absolutely petrified, Mr. Hood.”

He let out a small amused sound.

Cautiously holding her, he led her toward her kitchen table. Eden felt a little ridiculous, but he probably thought she’d keel over if he let her walk on her own. That's what would probably happen to a normal person who’d lost as much blood as her. So, despite being perfectly fine, she played along — totally not enjoying how close he was to her. Nope. Not even the littlest bit.

But as he led her across the room, Eden couldn’t help but see her place with a fresh set of eyes. The kind a person only ever saw through when an unexpected visitor walked through their door — or, in this case, window.

Her apartment was so tiny and barren there honestly wasn’t much to see to begin with. But that didn’t stop Eden from noticing every flaw that was there. Every crumb and speck of dust. Every scuff and scratch that marked the fake wooden floor. The huge pile of “clean” clothes sitting on a chair next to her – thankfully closed – closet door. The walls void of anything but cracks, holes, and an old pair of coat hooks by the front door.

Being in such a small space, and hoping to be able to afford something a little nicer in the not-too-distant future, Eden had decided early on not to fill it with any big or unnecessary furniture. It wasn’t like she needed much to begin with, and she didn’t want to deal with nine flights of stairs when she moved, so it had made sense.

Plus, it wasn’t like she planned on ever having guests. Even if she had people to invite over, inviting anybody to her neck of the woods would just be asking for trouble. Her neighborhood was far too… unneighborly. She’d feel tremendously guilty if anything bad happened to someone who shouldn’t be there to begin with.

But now that she had a guest, Eden severely regretted not trying to turn the rundown studio into something a little homier.

Her “living area” was a piss poor sight with only a lazily made-up mattress and a scratched-up coffee table to fill it. The mattress, which sat on the floor, acted as both Eden’s bed and couch; its sheets half sprawled, half bunched up in a way that Mama never would’ve allowed. The square coffee table – small enough for her to have carried onto the subway with only a little trouble – was absolutely covered in scattered piles of books, notebooks, and pens. Her laptop and headphones – the only things she’d splurged on with Frank’s money – sat on her bed, glaringly shiny and new compared to everything around them.

At least the tight galley kitchen was clean and tidy. She still swept and wiped everything down each night, just like she would back home. Even if the linoleum was unsalvageable in places and the counters worn down, it looked better to Eden than the living space. The colorful dishrags, oven mitts, and canisters of utensils gave it more character than any other space in the apartment. Made it more… presentable.

“By the way, please tell me that’s not your cellphone,” Red Hood groaned.

Eden glanced down at her phone, still on the kitchen table where she’d left it, right next to the tiny notebook of phone numbers. Then she looked up at him, confused.

“Of course it is… Whose else would it be?”

He made a gruff sound, stopping in front of the chair Eden had fled from... gosh, was it only an hour ago? She sat down as he set her bags in front of her with a loud thud.

“Seriously? You went out this late and you didn’t even bring your phone? Do you still think you’re in Kansas, Dorothy?”

Eden frowned. “I know exactly where I am, Glinda.”

“I am not Glinda,” he argued.

“Then are you Elphaba? Or the Great and Powerful Oz himself?” She twirled her hand and dipped her head, giving him a quick, theatrical bow. “Your Oziness.”

He snorted. “I’m just saying it was stupid.”

“I know it was stupid, I just…”

Her eyes flickered down to the little notebook with all her friends and family’s numbers inside. Guilt pulled at her heartstrings. Then she looked to her phone.

Like her laptop and headphones, it was new and bought with Frank’s money. The same money she used to get here. The money he'd given her for trusting him with her “donation”. For agreeing to that stupid meeting in the first place. For thinking he was still her father after all these years.

What a joke.

“It doesn’t matter,” she huffed, snatching them up as she stood. “I’m just an idiot.”

She moved to the smallest of her kitchen drawers, her designated “junk drawer”. So far it only contained a few pens, a pad of post-it notes, a screwdriver, some scissors, and a hair tie. She tossed the phone and notebook in too and shut it roughly.

“Anyway.” She turned back to Red Hood. “What would you like for your thank you?”

Red Hood, who’d been watching at her intently, lifted his head slightly. “Huh?”

“What would you like?” she asked again, thinking it obvious. “I know you liked the cookies I made last week. I think it was snickerdoodles, right? Did you want some more of those or something else?”

“Or… Wait, what?”

“Or something else,” she repeated. “I know you’re keen on calling me that dumb cookie name, but I bake more than cookies, you know. Brownies, fudge, pie, cake — you name it! It doesn’t even have to be sweet either. The only thing I can’t do is make something with filling. I mean, I could but I haven’t bought a piping bag so I’d have to make do with a makeshift one; which, again, I could do, but it’d be a lot messier and I'm actually not that great at filling pastries either way, so I’d really rather not, but—”

“Wait, wait,” he said raising a hand and moving forward. “What are you talking about? Piping bags? Filling?”

“Uh, a thank you?” she said, again, like it was obvious. “You helped me a lot tonight and I want to make it up to you."

“You’ve already thanked me a few times,” he said turning his head a moment. “You really don’t have to—”

“Ohhhh no you don’t, Mr. Hood!” she said stepping forward and wagging her finger at him. “Don't you pretend you didn't go out of your way for me tonight. I know you did, and I know y’all aren’t that big on manners here, but it’s only right I go a little out of my way too to repay you for it.”

"But I can’t stay with you all night, Cookie Girl,” he teased, crossing his arms and leaning against the counter opposite her. “There might be some other dumbass buying eggs and flour in the middle of the night who gets in a knife fight. Can't leave them to bleed out on the streets, now can I?"

"I suppose not," she agreed. "Though I have to admit I'm a little disappointed." She pouted and fluttered her eyelashes. "You really don't think I'm a one-of-a-kind kind of dumbass, Mr. Hood?"

Red Hood barked out a laugh, making Eden grin.

“Oh hey, how about this!" she said jumping black to their original conversation. "I can make a batch of fudge and keep it until you have time in your very busy rescuing-total-idiots schedule to stop by again. Would that work?”

He rubbed the jaw of his helmet as he considered it, then turned to her again. “How good’s your fudge?”

She choked on a laugh at how serious he sounded and cleared her throat. “Pretty good, I’d say. Never heard any complaints and I’ve been making it about as long as I’ve been making cookies.”

He hummed comically loud, the distortion making it unharmonious. “Tempting. Very tempting."

“Annnnnd,” she said leaning forward, “it’d be another one of my Mama’s recipes. It doesn't get much better than that, Mr. Hood, I promise you.”

He hummed again. “I guess one batch of fudge couldn’t hurt.”

“Perfect!” Eden beamed, clapping her hands together. “Any allergies I should know about? Nuts? Dairy? Special calorie diet? Please say no to that one; I hate dealing with low-fat nonsense. I'll do it, of course, for you, but I won't like it.”

“Nah,” he said, sounding amused. “I'm good with whatever. Go crazy, Cookie Girl.”

“Alrighty then. Oh!” She steepled her fingertips and drummed them together, grinning. “Oh, I know exactly what I'll make you... hehehe...”

“Uh, should I be scared?”

“Not at all, Mr. Hood!" she said far too sweetly. "You said go crazy, so crazy I'll go.”

He shook his head at her, then tilted it slightly. “You might wanna take a shower before you go too crazy."

"Hm?"

He nodded to her shirt and Eden glanced down.

“Oh. Right.” She still looked like a crime scene. She looked up at him again, sheepishly. "Sorry."

He shrugged, unbothered. "Don't be sorry. I’m just not huge a fan of blood in my fudge.”

"That's fair," Eden giggled, grateful for the ease that came from talking to him. She looked at her shirt again, grimaced, and pulled at the bloodied fabric. “I should probably go do that now actually...”

“I'll get out of your hair then," Red Hood said pushing himself away from the counter. "Try not to get your stitches wet if you can help it.” Then he stopped and turned as if remembering something. Eden waited until he finally decided to speak. “You seem to be able to hold yourself up now.”

Suddenly, remembering the role she was meant to be playing, her body self-corrected and started to droop to one side. Eden corrected that self-correction by dramatically shifting her weight to the other side then back again — like she was testing her balance in a very, very bizarre way.

“Yeah," she said standing upright again. "I’m not as dizzy as I was before.” Which was not untrue. She’d been extremely dizzy when he'd first found her and wasn’t at all now, so, technically, not a lie. “But I’ll sit down if it gets bad again. That’s what you’re supposed to do, right?”

Red Hood nodded slowly, not saying anything. He slung the black medical bag off his shoulder and put it on the table next to her groceries.

“I’ll leave this in case you need it," he muttered.

Eden nodded, knowing she wouldn’t, then walked him to the window. “Thanks, Mr. Hood. I’ll try to replace whatever I use." She smiled. "I don’t suppose you could give me a rough ballpark on when you might come back?”

“What,” he teased climbing back onto her fire escape, “miss me already?”

“No,” she said too quickly. “Of course not. Don’t be dumb. I’m asking for the, uh, timeline. For… fudge. Purposes. Obviously.”

“Obviously,” he repeated, kneeling in front of her window.

Eden’s cheeks grew warmer and she looked away. “Anyway," she mumbled. "I’m home by 7 most nights. But Sunday or Monday night would work best for me.”

“Alright, I’ll try to shoot for one of those.” Red Hood glanced over his shoulder and down the street. “I really should go now, Cookie Girl.” He stood from the window and pulled out his grappling hook. “Try not to do anything too stupid while I’m gone.”

“Yeah, I’ll do my best,” she scoffed. “Try not to do anything too crazy before you come back."

He snorted. “I’ll do my best.”

Eden smiled, becoming more sincere. "I'll see you later then, Mr. Hood."

"Yeah. See you later, Cookie Girl."

He jumped off the fire escape and Eden leaned out her window to watch him soar across the street. He passed several buildings before landing on a rooftop, where he paused for a moment.

He looked back at her and Eden jerked in surprise, nearly smacking her head against the glass. She sent him a small, shy wave, embarrassed at having been caught watching him go, and Red Hood returned it with a raise of his hand. It looked like he might be shaking his head, too.

Eden quickly ducked back inside and shut and locked her window. She spun around and leaned against it, trying to calm her beating heart and fiery face.

She was already being stupid, it seemed. She really had no reason to be so embarrassed! People watch other people leave their houses all the time! Eden had stood out on the front porch plenty of times back home to watch folks go — sometimes with a smile and a wave, sometimes with a scowl and a rifle in her arms. So how was watching Red Hood go any different? She shook her head and sighed.

That sigh acted as a signal and started a chain reaction.

With nobody else around, her body freely began to set off all kinds of alarms. It had saved her from another encore, yes; and now it demanded its due. She was tired, starved, and just flat out weak from her body's efforts to keep her alive.

The sudden wave of exhaustion nearly brought her to the floor. “Okay,” she mumbled, forcing herself to stand up straight. “Food, then shower, then sleep. Then everything ’ll be better,” she promised.

She stagged back to the table to take care of her groceries. Aside from a few cracked eggs, everything was still intact and, considering the adventurous night she’d had, Eden counted that as a victory.

She could have turned on the stove and heated up some leftovers. She wasn’t so hungry that she was just grabbing anything and shoving it into her mouth. But sleep's siren call was loud and clear, and Eden was eager for bed, so she ate her food cold standing over the sink. The casserole dish was empty before her stomach was full, but it would suffice until morning.

When she turned on the bathroom light and saw her reflection, she froze. Is this what she'd looked like all night? No wonder Red Hood had been so concerned! She looked like she’d caught the red death and was bleeding from every pore! Her shirt was completely soaked through, which she’d already known, but some of the blood had also seeped into her coat and even her pants.

She took a step closer to the mirror. “Holy heck…” Red Hood agreeing to see her again was nothing short of a miracle.

The blood had completely stained the skin around her neck and chest. Only the space around her stitches was clean. The top of her hair was wild and windswept while the bottom half was damp and matted with blood. Her cheeks grew warm as some silly part of her lamented over Red Hood seeing her so gross and uncouth. She tried to fix her hair – as if doing so now would somehow change how she’d looked before – but gave up shortly after beginning.

She turned on the shower and peeled the wet, sticky clothing from her body. Stepping into the hot water, the leftover strain in her muscles eased further, making it harder to keep herself upright. Using her nails, she picked at the adhesive part of the band-aid Red Hood had, half-jokingly, stuck to her palm before bringing her home. The cut, little more than a paper cut now, stung as soap suds and shampoo found their way into the tiny cracks of her skin.

At first, she tried to keep her stitches dry like Red Hood had told her, but gave up quickly. She was too tired for all that. And whatever consequences there were for a normal person wetting their stitches, it likely wouldn’t affect Eden much. Besides, the constant stream of warm water on her neck felt amazing. At least until washed-out conditioner seeped into her stitches. Then Eden regretted everything.

When she got out, she rubbed the mirror clean of fog to inspect her neck. It was just as she’d predicted.

Though red with irritation, the cut no longer reached down to her collarbone and the once deep gash in the crook of her neck was now but a shallow slice. By the time she woke up tomorrow, she doubted there would be anything left of the wound at all. The stitches had been, as she'd known, completely unnecessary. And now she was stuck with them. And would soon have no slice, no cut, nor wound to justify their existence. Great.

Turning out the light, she took a long breath. Hopefully, her body would make short work of the stitches and they would dissolve quickly. But until then, she would just have to keep her neck covered.

---

When she finally crawled into bed, Eden snuggled into her covers and replayed the night in her mind. For as much agony as his stitches had – and would – put her through, Red Hood had transformed her awful, lonely night into something warm and wonderful. And now, she even had something to look forward to. As she drifted off to sleep, Eden found herself smiling. Maybe, somewhere in this big, dangerous city, Red Hood was smiling, too.

She giggled softly at the thought, hoping that maybe – just maybe – he was eager to see her again, too.

Chapter 7

Kinda short this time but I hope it was still a nice read!

As always, even the tiniest feedback is loved and appreciated 🥰💕

#jason todd #red hood #jason todd x oc #jason todd x reader #red hood x oc #red hood x reader #Never-Ending Encore #jason todd fanfiction #oc: Eden Smith #red hood fanfiction #fluff #cross posted on ao3 #chapter 6

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bolinshipskorrasami · 4 years ago

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Like a Comet Pulled From Orbit

Author’s Note: Alright ghouls, gals, and gents. Been working on this fic all week to beat away the angst that AoaW left me with! My first (and probably only?) Lumity fanfic, minimally edited. I honestly have no idea how it turned out, I’ve been staring at it too long. But I hope someone enjoys it!

Read here on ao3 if you prefer!

Summary: Luz takes Amity to see the musical Wicked in the human world. Conversations about shipping and drawing of fanart ensues, which helps both witches come to some long overdue realizations.

Like a Comet Pulled From Orbit

The winter air was crisp and cold as Luz exited the theater. Her nostrils burned for a moment as she breathed it in and her body adjusted to the difference from the warmth of the building. She glanced over towards Amity who was adjusting her scarf tighter around her neck, just a few steps behind her.

“So, what did you think?” she blurted out excitedly, unable to contain the question. She had been watching Amity’s reactions almost more than the show itself throughout the performance – Luz couldn’t help it. She was excited to share this with the other witch. For one, it was Amity’s first trip to the human world with her, so she wanted it to be a perfect and amazing experience for her friend. For another, Luz herself had seen Wicked on at least two other occasions with her mami. And listened to the soundtrack almost as endlessly as she had read books one through five of Good Witch Azura. Experiencing it through Amity’s reactions was like experiencing it for the first time all over again.

Amity didn’t answer right away, her brow creasing in that cute way Luz noticed it did whenever she was thoughtfully contemplating an answer to one of Luz’s questions. Luz always admired the amount of thought Amity put into her answers, so she always tried to give Amity the patience she needed.

In the meantime, she watched the crowd dispersing in the street and caught a snowflake with her tongue. It had started to flurry while they had been in the theater and a thin coat of snow littered the sidewalk and street around them. The way the snowflakes danced in the glow of the evening streetlights reminded her of her first light spell in the Boiling Isles. Despite being in the human world, Luz felt like tonight held so much magic within it, if only she could read the glyphs around her.

“It was really interesting… The music was so beautiful… you know, we don’t have music like that in the Boiling Isles,” Amity’s voice brought Luz back and she turned to face the green haired girl once more. Snow was starting to stick to the dark blue beanie she had borrowed from Luz to hide her ears – a detail they both might have forgotten, if not for Luz’s mama mentioning it on their way out the door. Luz thought it was a shame Amity had to hide any part of herself – but she did have to admit that her friend looked very adorable in the beanie. She might just have to let her keep it…

“Luz, are you even listening?” Luz’s attention snapped back to find an amused expression on her friend’s face. She returned a sheepish smile. “Sorry! Yes! I was also just thinking, we should find someplace warm to talk!” Okay, not exactly what she had been thinking, but close enough. She did notice Amity’s face was turning pink from the cold. Amity nodded in agreement.

“I think I know the perfect place, c’mon!” and with that, Luz grabbed Amity’s gloved hand and began to pull her down the snowy street.

***

“After you, Miss Blight,” Luz said as she opened the door to the coffee shop with dramatic flair and flourish, giving an overexaggerated bow as she gestured for Amity to enter. Amity, for her part, rolled her eyes but let out a small giggle, which warmed Luz’s stomach more than any coffee probably could.

They approached the counter together, and Luz began going over all the different drinks and giving her recommendations. Amity looked very overwhelmed. Luz gave her usual order of a caramel macchiato (made with almond milk, of course) with extra expresso. When the barista looked to Amity, she simply said “I’ll have one of those, too.”

Luz grinned and took out the cash her mom had given her before they left. Amity took out her own coin purse at the same time. Luz laughed and placed her hand on Amity’s, pushing the bag back down. “My treat! I don’t think they take snails here,” she whispered behind her other hand. She watched as Amity’s cheeks reddened and she mumbled a thanks.

They sat down with their drinks a few minutes later. The coffee shop was fairly empty, which made sense given how late in the evening it was. It felt nice to have Amity’s attention all to herself in such a warm, cozy place, away from the commotion of the Boiling Isles, away from school.

“So, did you have a favorite song?” Luz asked, slurping at her whipped cream.

Amity blinked rapidly, as if she was coming out of a dream. “What?”

“From the show,” Luz added, realizing her mind had probably jumped from point A to point Z as it sometimes did.

Amity’s cheeks glowed as she replied, “Oh, right… Well… all of them were so good, it’s hard to pick a favorite.”

“I know, right?!” Luz agreed, nearly spilling her drink in her excitement. She caught it just in time and Amity’s laughter rang out prettier than sleigh bells. The sound made Luz’s insides squirm and for a moment she wondered if they had put dairy in her drink by accident.

“But… if I had to pick… I really liked that one near the end that Elphaba and Glinda sang together. I thought it was sweet.” Amity looked down at her drink as she finished her thought. She had taken the cover off and was swirling it around, as if she were in the oracle track trying to read a crystal ball or tea leaves maybe. “What… is this exactly?”

“It’s deliciousness in a cup! Try it!” Luz responded, taking another gulp. Amity sipped slowly, with the kind of poise Luz only ever saw in commercials when people drank beverages. How did she do things so gracefully anyway? She watched Amity’s reaction with the anticipation of someone watching their favorite grudgeby team go for a goal.

Amity’s face lit up like the stage lights in the opening number as she let out a drawn out “mmmmmm” of satisfaction. “It’s good, right?” Luz said for confirmation, grinning ear to ear.

“It’s so different from anything on the Boiling Isles!” Amity agreed. They sat in a moment of silence, enjoying their drinks.

“Don’t you find it kind of… sad though?” Amity said suddenly.

Luz tilted her head in confusion. “Did you already finish your drink? I can get you another one –”

Amity shook her head, smiling at Luz’s reaction. “No, I meant the show. I mean, Glinda lost her best friend…”

Luz considered this. “Yeah, I suppose you’re right, that is sad. But I mean, she had still had Fiyero!”

“Yeah, I guess… I don’t know, their relationship seemed kinda of… contrived. I mean, one minute he’s with Glinda about to get married and then he suddenly runs off with Elphaba?”

“No way! He was inspired by her the whole time though. And when they saved that little lion cub together… I mean, talk about romance!”

Amity scoffed, “Yeah, but Elphaba and Glinda had so much more chemistry, even when they were singing about how much they hated each other-”

Luz gasped, genuinely surprised but understanding now. “You’re a Gelphie shipper?!”

Amity looked like she didn’t know whether she should deny this as some sort of insult or defend it to the death. Probably because she had no clue what Luz was talking about. “A what now?”

“You know, Glinda and Elphaba, Gelphie. It’s their ship name!” Luz pulled out her phone and typed furiously until she had several bits of fanart sprawled across her screen. She held it out in front of Amity’s face.

“Oh,” was all her friend replied, her mouth accentuating the syllable as it stayed in place and her golden eyes darted across the screen. She regained her composure after a few moments, blinking rapidly.

“Well… yes. I suppose I am a… Gelphie shipper then,” Amity sat up straighter as she said it but her face held something that was difficult for Luz to read. Funny how she could read magical glyphs from an enchanted island but her friend’s face was, at times, absolutely indecipherable. “Is that… bad?” Amity asked, and Luz realized she hadn’t responded in an appropriate amount of time.

She gave a laugh, hoping to dispel some of the tension. “No! Of course not. I mean, who doesn’t love a good old-fashioned Enemies to Friends to Lovers trope, amiright?” Luz waggled her eyebrows suggestively for emphasis. Amity tried to hide her smile in her coffee cup, but Luz could tell her plan had worked.

The commotion of chairs scraping the floor and being stacked on tables suddenly penetrated their little bubble, reminding Luz how late it was. “We should probably get going – I wanna make one last stop on our way back to my house!” She informed Amity excited, standing and putting her coat back on.

“Lead the way, oh fearless champion,” Amity replied, a more reserved imitation of Luz’s gestures from earlier. Luz smiled and took her hand, leading her out the door. They weren’t even outside completely before Amity’s face was already pink from the cold again.

***

Amity’s heart was beating so fast and hard as she followed Luz through the strange hard and slippery roads of the human world. She wondered for a moment if maybe coffee was poisonous to witches… then again, Luz hadn’t let go of her hand even after they had exited the coffee shop, walking quickly and excitedly chattering as they went. She supposed that could have something to do with it.

Luz pointed out different things that Amity might not be familiar with and normally Amity would be fascinated to learn about this strange new world. But the hand holding was very distracting. And her heart was very loud. And it was all a little overwhelming, but she really didn’t want it to end. She watched Luz as she spoke about human things like cars, traffic lights, and a thing called “Santa” they passed by. He appeared to be some sort of… demon maybe? He rang a bell and smiled too widely and made a strange sort of howling noise. Luz paid him a tribute – perhaps for safe passage across the road? - of the strange papers she carried around that seemed to act as the equivalent to snails in the human world.

“Where are we going?” Amity finally asked as Luz paused her tour guide-like speech to look both ways before tugging her across the road toward a small park they had passed on the way here.

“It’s a surprise! Don’t worry, we’re almost there,” Luz squeezed her hand reassuringly, excitement dancing across her features, making the warm brown of her cheeks glow in the moonlight.

As they entered the park and Amity began to look around, she realized it wsn’t moonlight at all. It was what looked to Amity to be a million different stars – or maybe they were light spells? – glowing in the trees all around them. Some of them sparkled in a kaleidoscope of color – red, green, blue, yellow. It was absolutely dazzling, unlike anything Amity had ever seen.

“Oh wow…” was all Amity could manage to say, staring in awe at the scene around them.

“Pretty cool, huh?” Luz said proudly with a big grin, as if she had personally produced all these little lights for Amity.

“It’s… amazing. What is this place, Luz? I thought you said the human world didn’t have magic?” Amity took her glove off and reached out her hand to hesitantly hover over the enchantment of the trees.

Luz gave a chuckle. “It’s not magic – well, I mean, not like on the Boiling Isles. These are Christmas lights. They use electricity like the streetlights around town.” Luz reached out and placed one in Amity’s hand, as if sensing her uncertainty. Amity pinched the light between her fingers, feeling its fragile little warmth against her skin.

“How strange,” she commented. “Everything here is so wonderfully strange…” Amity’s voice trailed off as she continued to look around her. The collective brightness in the trees lit up the space around them in a hazy glow. It made the whole moment feel more like a dream than reality.

“C’mon, there’s more to see! This path will take us closer to my house, too,” Luz said, breaking Amity out of her trance. Luz grabbed her arm this time, tugging her along.

As they walked, the lights morphed into different shapes and figures. Luz explained this was all for some human holiday and pointed out some of the different symbols for Amity. A candy cane. A reindeer. A gingerbread man (that one she was pretty sure that one was actually a demon from the Boiling Isles, but she didn’t mention it). Amity wasn’t sure what was more beautiful – the glorious and picturesque glow of the lights with the snow falling around them onto the trees; or Luz as she spoke excitedly about each light picture, sometimes elaborating with a story about her mom or growing up in the human world. Amity never wanted it to end.

***

By the time they got back to Luz’s house, it was late and they were both exhausted from all the walking and being in the cold for so long. Luckily, Luz’s mom – Ms. Noceda (who Amity had learned earlier, was not in fact, named Ms. the Human) – had already made up their sleeping arrangements in Luz’s bedroom. She asked them how the show was and while Amity said a few things here and there when asked directly, she mostly let Luz do the talking. Ms. Noceda was very warm and kind to her – which was more than she could probably say for how her parents would ever treat Luz. It made her feel a bit guilty, that she couldn’t return the same favor to Luz. But she tried not to think about that.

Which, as it turned out, was very easy once Ms. Noceda turned in.

“Buenos noches, mija. Good night, Amity. See you both bright and early!” she said as she kissed Luz on the forehead and waved at Amity. They were both in their respective sleeping bags on the floor beside Luz’s bed. When Ms. Noceda flicked the lights off, hundreds of stars lit up the ceiling of Luz’s room. Amity was left alone with the sound of her own obnoxious heartbeat. Where she was expected to sleep. Next to the girl she liked. Why had she agreed to this again?

“I still can’t believe you got your parents to say yes to a sleepover in the human world!” Luz whispered conspiratorially.

“Heh, yeah, I mean, no big deal…” Amity said, glad the lack of light would hide her blush. She may have left out a few details. Like how she had, in fact, used a combination of blackmail and bribery on Edric and Emira in order to get them to produce an illusion copy of herself for bedtime and breakfast. She was going to be doing their chores for a very long time.

“You know, I think this is my first real sleepover,” Luz said. Amity looked at her, surprised. “Really?”

“Well, I mean, there was that one time Willow, Gus, and I used the Moonlight Conjuring to take the Owl House for a drive…” Amity laughed, remembering the look on Boscha’s face when she had seen that on Penstagram. Not that hers had probably looked any different.

“But, I’m not really sure that counts, since we didn’t get much sleep,” Luz continued thoughtfully.

“You didn’t have any sleepovers with any of your human friends?” Amity asked, still somewhat surprised by this revelation.

“Heh… No. I didn’t really… I don’t have any human friends, really,” the tone in Luz’s voice pinched at Amity’s heart a bit. In all the time they’d known each other, she had never really thought to ask about Luz’s life in the human world or her other friends. And now she knew why Luz herself had never mentioned any, either. Instinctively – whether to comfort herself or Luz, she wasn’t quite sure – Amity reached hand out to grasp one of Luz’s.

“Well, I’m glad we’re friends, Luz,” Amity said. She wasn’t sure she’d ever be brave enough to tell Luz everything she felt for her – it felt too big, too fragile. She was too afraid of it breaking. But she needed Luz to know this truth at least. That she mattered. That she was grateful to have her around.

Luz’s eyes widened in surprise at first, but a warm smile quickly followed as she squeezed Amity’s hand back. “Me too. Even if you are going soft on me, Blight,” Luz replied playfully. Amity rolled her eyes and yawned, which made Luz yawn too.

They laid there, eyes drooping heavily as sleep began to take them both. The small part of Amity’s mind that was still conscious enough to have a coherent thought realized that Luz hadn’t let go of her hand, even as her breathing slowed and she began to snore quietly. In that moment, as she let herself drift off to sleep, she decided that even if she had to do Ed and Em’s chores for the rest of eternity, it was totally worth it.

***

The next day, Luz kissed her mama good-bye – she still had a week left of winter vacation and that meant more time at Hexside. That was part of the deal – as long as Luz kept her grades up and didn’t cause too much commotion at human school, her mami had agreed that she could spend vacations learning magic in the Boiling Isles. She and Amity packed up their things from their sleepover and met Eda at the portal. She gave them a ride to school on her staff. Luz was sad to leave the human world behind if only because she had really enjoyed showing Amity around. Amity had seemed so relaxed... Maybe it had been stepping away from the pressures of her life in the Boiling Isles.

School that day was hard to sit through. This wasn’t unusual for Luz, but it didn’t usually happen during her classes at Hexide. Her mind kept drifting away from the lectures and into the magic of last night. Watching Amity take her first sip of coffee, listening to Amity talk about the show, watching her experience Christmas lights for the first time…

“Hello, earth to Luz!” suddenly a hand was waving in her face. She blinked before looking at Gus and Willow.

“Wha- Sorry! What’d I miss?” Luz asked. Gus and Willow exchanged looks.

“You mean besides all of class?” Gus said. He looked down at the paper in front of Luz, which she had been doodling on.

“You better not zone out like that in Magical Plants today. We’re dealing with man-eating mandrakes today!” Willow said with a nudge. “What were you drawing anyway?”

Luz looked down at her latest creation. “Oh, it’s just characters from that musical Amity and I saw last night…” Luz suddenly felt like she wanted to hide it, like it was a private secret she wasn’t quite ready to share with the rest of her friends. Which was… weird. That was probably a weird feeling to have, right? She nonchalantly slipped it into her bag and stood up to move to the next class with her friends. Willow gave her a funny look but didn’t say anything more.

“Well I’ve got High Level Illusions next – what about you guys?” Gus asked as they walked into the hallway.

“I’ve got abomination next,” Luz said excitedly. She swore she saw Gus and Willow exchange another look. Then again, maybe she was reading too much into it.

“We’ll see you and Amity at lunch then?” Willow asked. Luz nodded, high fived Gus, and practically ran down the hallway to her next class, just barely avoiding a hall monitor as she went.

***

Abomination class went by much more quickly than the rest of her day had and she had even managed to pay attention to most of the lesson. There was the occasional distraction, like whenever she looked over to Amity who sometimes chewed on her pencil when she was thinking through an answer. She also must have gotten distracted when mixing her abomination ingredients at some point, because while Amity’s looked absolutely perfect, Luz’s had come out with an extra head and oddly misshapen. It wasn’t a total loss though, since she had managed to get Amity to laugh by trying to get her abomination to reenact one of the scenes from the show from last night.

She walked Amity to her locker after class – Amity’s abomination carried both their books – and they were first to their lunch table. While waiting for Gus and Willow, they talked more about the finer points of the musical.

“So, how was your date in the human world?” Willow asked as she and Gus sat down across from Luz and Amity.

Luz almost choked on whatever mystery meat she was eating for lunch today – she pounded her fist on her chest to clear her throat. “Date?” she choked out. Is that- did Amity think- had she really missed…?

She heard a strangled gasp from beside her and turned to look at Amity, who returned her gaze. Her face was as red as a specific shade of eye shadow she’d seen Eda wear once. She was pretty sure it was called apple blood – or maybe it was vampire blood? In any case, their eyes darted between each other and Willow, both stunned into silence.

Willow’s eyes widened, as if she just realized her mistake. “Oh – I just mean, um-“ whatever excuse she was going to use to save them all from this mortifying moment, Gus put a stop to it just then as he arrived at their table and took his seat next to Willow.

“Hey Luz! Do you have time to stop by after school today and check out some new artifacts I found for the H.A.S.?”

Luz finally swallowed the mouthful she had dislodged from her throat. “Sure!” she said. She then proceeded to shove way more of her lunch into her mouth than she should have, cheeks full as a chipmunk’s before winter.

“I- I just remembered um, I have a meeting with Principal Bump about my class schedule – I gotta go!” Amity stood up abruptly, bumping the table as she went. She disappeared down the hallway with alarming speed. As she moved, something dropped out of her bag, fluttering to the floor.

“Amity wait! You forgot-” Luz tried to call after her, but she was already gone. She bent to pick up the paper – there was a good chance she’d run into her later in the day and she could give it back to her then…

But as Luz looked at the paper in question, it was as if a firecracker went off in her stomach and her mind blanked out, like static on a TV, before the entire picture snapped back on, clearer than it had ever been. “Oh cramity…” she muttered to herself, realization flooding through her.

Gus and Willow, having witnessed all of this, shared a glance with each other. “Are you and Amity okay?” Gus asked, a puzzled look on his face.

“Yeah… I might need to raincheck you on the HAS meeting though, Gus! There’s something I gotta do after school today! I’ll explain later, gotta go!” and with that Luz launched herself from the table, vibrating with excitement and purpose.

As she fled the cafeteria, she heard Gus’s confused reply. “Sure! Good luck! Wait… what’s a raincheck?”

***

The school day could not end fast enough for Amity Blight. She needed to get as far away from this ultimate place of humiliation as quickly as possible. She considered skipping out on her afternoon classes altogether – Ed and Em did it all the time, for crying out loud! – but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Fortunately, she didn’t have any classes with Luz, Willow, or Gus on her schedule for the day, which was a relief. But what about tomorrow? She thought to herself. Maybe she could convince her parents that she was sick with demon flu? Maybe she could just convince them she should transfer schools altogether… that seemed like a perfectly reasonable solution to this whole crush problem, right?

When the last bell finally screamed, signaling dismissal, she didn’t even go to her locker to put her books away. Too much of a risk, running into Luz again. She needed more time to think, figure out what to say. She had acted way too weird when Willow said the D word. Why hadn’t she just played it cool and waved it off?

She didn’t see Luz and co at all as she made her way out the front doors, for which she was thankful. But ofc ourse that luck only stretched so far as Ed and Em came sidling up beside her.

“Mittens! How was your date night with our favorite human? Did you ask for her hand in marriage yet?” Em cut right to the point, looping their arms together.

“Yeah sis, tell us everything!” Edric’s arm fell over her shoulders as they sandwiched her in, leaving no room for escape. “Leave no details out! Well, except for your smooching, we don’t need to hear about-”

Amity could not handle this right now. She felt her face heat up to what could only be described as an unhealthy degree, embarrassment and anger both boiling over.

“QUIT IT!” she shouted, her arms flying outward, knocking the twins away from her. Everything starts feeling like too much and Amity feels pinpricks behind her eyes. She can’t go home, not like this. Not with Em and Ed teasing her the whole way. “I gotta go study at the library, let mom and dad know I’ll be home later,” Amity says quickly, willing her voice to stay steady as she speeds up her pace.

“Oh c’mon Mittens, was it something we said?” Edric shouted after her. She didn’t stop to reply, just kept her eyes forward, determined to get to her destination as quickly as possible.

***

As soon as she walked into the town library, Amity felt a sense of relief wash over her. She took a deep breath, the scent of paper and dust covered books grounding her. The quiet atmosphere settled her nerves. In here, she felt safe. In here, she can breathe and clear her head of the day’s troubles.

She spent some time just wandering through the stacks, keeping an eye out for new additions in her favorite sections. The anxieties of her day begin to shed little by little, clearing her mind enough for her to rethink the events. Maybe things weren’t really as bad as she had initially thought. Afterall, Luz could be pretty oblivious. There was no reason to lose her head about it all – it’s not like Amity herself had called it a date, after all.

Amity finally found herself in front of the romance section and, after looking around her to be sure no one saw, she tugged at “The Lone Witch and the Secret Room.” Yes, everything was going to be just fin-

Amity froze as she entered her sanctuary and the shelf slid shut behind her. Her bag dropped out of her hands and her eyes widened.

“Luz-”

“Hey Amity!-” they both spoke at the same time, their greetings smashing together awkwardly.

“What are you-”

“I wanted to see-” they both started and stopped again. The absurdity of it all helped ease some of Amity tension and she let out a laugh. Luz followed suit, taking a step closer to where Amity stood still by the doorway.

“Amity, hey, I’m sorry I know this is like, your space and everything. I just… I didn’t know where else to look for you after you left during lunch today…” Luz finally broke through to explain. Amity shifted her weight from one leg to the other, feeling a big guilty. So she had noticed her abrupt exit.

“Leave lunch? Oh, yeah, well, you know, I had to uh, I forgot to turn in my abomination assignment, and I didn’t want it to be late, you know-” Amity grasped for any words that would make this scrutiny disappear. Luz simply raised an eyebrow.

“Did you say you had to meet with Principal Bump…” Luz started and Amity felt her heart lodge itself somewhere in the pit of her stomach.

Luz suddenly shook her head, “You know what, nevermind! It doesn’t matter. What matters is, you dropped this.” Luz pulled out a folded piece of paper, moving into Amity’s space even more now.

Amity took the offered paper and while she unfolded it, she couldn’t help but be reminded of the time Grometheus the Fearbringer had taken her most cherished note and ripped it to pieces right in front of her. The paper, when unfolded, revealed her most recent self-indulgent drawing – a picture of Luz in a black hat and matching black robe standing arm-in-arm with a poorer rendition of herself in a huge blue gown and sparkling tiara. Amity was sure her face would explode with the amount of blood that rushed to it in that moment.

“Luz- I – I can explain-” she began to stutter, her hands gripping the paper tightly. Her vision started to blur just a little and she had the horrifying realization that she might just start to cry. How could she have let this happen? Why in the world would she keep this in her bag? Why hadn’t she realized –

“I think it’s some of your best work,” Luz’s voice derailed her bleak train of thought.

“Wait… what?” Amity’s eyes snapped up to look at the human girl in from of her. Her brown eyes twinkled warmly in the dimly lit room.

“Yep! But, I have to say I don’t quite agree with your characterization,” Luz said matter-of-factly.

“Oh,” was all Amity could manage. Her stomach dropped again and she readied herself for the rejection that was surely coming her way. It would be okay, at least Luz seemed like she would still be her friend, and that’s really all she needed anyway. As long as their friendship was still intact, she could handle this, even if it hurt.

Luz pulled out another sheet of paper. “Yeah, as much as I hate to admit it, I really don’t think I’m Elphaba, the most powerful witch in all of Oz,” Luz placed the second paper over the one Amity had been holding to reveal a new, unfamiliar drawing. Two figures faced each other in a somewhat reverent post, hands clasped between them as they stared at each other. This time, Amity was clearly drawn as Elphaba, her green hair poking through the black witch’s hat, her black robe billowing dramatically in what was clearly supposed to be the wind. Across from her was-

“I’m clearly the Fiyero to your Elphaba,” Luz finished, gesturing to her likeness which was dressed in green suspenders and button up with a scarecrow hat upon her head.

“You… think that I’m Elphaba?” Amity asked incredulously. It was not even the most important question to be asking in that moment, but it was the only one her mouth and brain seemed capable of producing together. She was holding a drawing… that Luz had made… of her. Of them together. Oh.

“Well, yeah, it’s that obvious? I mean, you’re a powerful witch, she’s a powerful witch. You both have that cute, goth look going on for you. Plus, she cares about fairness and I know you like to pretend to be indifferent, but I know you secretly care a lot about those things, too.”

Amity continued to stare at the picture, afraid to look away. Her brain continued to short circuit. Did Luz just call her cute?! “And you’re…”

“Fiyero, yeah! I mean, he is kind of her fearless champion and all that. Plus ‘maybe I’m brainless, maybe I’m wise…’ you know, it took him a while to figure it all out, too.”

Amity’s eyes snapped up from the drawing at this. Was Luz saying… what she thought she was saying? Luz smiled and in a perfectly Luz way, continued on a different train of thought.

“Anyway, I took some artistic liberties with the outfit. I liked the suspender outfit better, but thought the hat really tied it all-”

“Luz,” Amity interrupted. “Luz, it’s perfect. Thank you.” Before Amity fully gave her body permission to, she threw her arms around Luz and squeezed her tightly. Luz hugged her back without hesitation, a rumble of a laugh coming from her chest.

“That’s what girlfriends do,” Luz said quietly. Amity pulled back suddenly, still maintaining contact with her hands grasping Luz’s forearms.

“I mean – only if that’s what you want, of course. I didn’t mean to assume, I just meant-” Luz’s face went through about several different emotions so quickly, Amity couldn’t help but double over in a hearty laugh. All the pressure and uncertainly she had been feeling melted away, leaving her feeling like she was light and airy.

“Sorry, it’s just-” Amity tried to reel in her mirth and catch her breath, forcing words out, “-I’ve been trying to tell you all this for the past year and today you just… show up and call me your girlfriend. It’s just so… you, Luz.” Luz grinned self-consciously, blushing for the first time since Amity had entered her secret hideaway.

They stared at each other, this newfound revelation hovering between them, it’s own little spell casting them in silence. Amity was suddenly aware of her heart pounding in her chest again as she watched Luz take a step forward towards her. “Can I…?” Luz asked, in the same soft tone she had used that night in the woods when she had offered to take the weight of Grom off Amity’s shoulders.

Amity nodded slowly as she followed, leaning in to close the gap very slowly, her eyes fluttering as they closed. This was magical, she couldn’t believe she was here, with Luz, and Luz liked her back and they were about to-

“OOOOOH, Mittens in busted!”

All at once, bright light and noise crashed into the room from behind Amity as Ed’s voice broke through he enchanting atmosphere she and Luz had created for themselves. The jarring burst of their bubble caused Amity to jump forward, feet tripping over Luz’s and causing them both to topple to the floor. She landed on top of Luz, her head bumping Luz’s as she did so. “Ow – Luz! I’m so sorry!” Amity exclaimed, rubbing her forehead with one hand while she tried to push herself up with the other.

Luz let out a gasp of breath, “It’s ok! I’m good,” she said as she sat up on her elbows. She raised an eyebrow as she added, “Though I do believe you’ve fallen for me, Blight.” A cheesy grin spread on Luz’s face.

Before Amity had time to respond to that, she heard the sniggers of Em and Ed, still standing in the doorway. She shot up and whirled around on them. She really did need to find a new hideaway, didn’t she?

“YOU TWO, why are you here?! Get out!” She wished she could summon a fire spell without the fear of burning down the whole ancient library.

Emira walked past her and offered a hand to Luz, who was still on the ground. “Now, Mittens, is that anyway to treat your new girlfriend?” Edric for his part threw an arm around Amity’s shoulders and ruffled her hair. “Would we really be good siblings if we didn’t come check on you? After all, you were looking so sour after school! We were worried!”

“Yeah, but it looks like Luz beat us to it! Who knew the human had game,” Emira said, throwing an arm around Luz and giving her a wink. Luz’s cheeks turned pinker than Amity had ever seen them. She glowered at her sister and shoved her brother’s arm off.

“Get. Out. Now. Or I swear, I am going to summon the world’s biggest abomination to kick your-”

“Alright, alright, we’ll give you two love birds a few minutes. But mom really does want us home soon, Mittens,” Emira said, surprising Amity. She and Edric headed towards the doorway again, laughing together as they went. At the door, Ed shouted over his should, “Just remember to save room for-”

Amity took the nearest book she could find and threw it after him. He dodged gleefully and disappeared around the corner. She turned back to see Luz trying to hide her laughter behind her hand. She wasn’t doing a very good job, but the sight made some of Amity’s annoyance fade away.

“You know, I really should be getting back to Eda’s… King gets grumpy when I don’t come home and give him tummy scritches and Eda will probably be worried since I wasn’t at school to get picked up. I’m surprised they haven’t sent a search party out yet…” Luz said apologetically.

Amity sighed, but nodded. “Yeah, I really should get back home, too.”

Luz shifted her bag back over her shoulder, bouncing from one foot to another. “So… I’ll see you tomorrow at school? Maybe afterwards, we can do some Azura Book Club stuff?”

Amity felt herself brighten at the invitation. “Yeah, that sounds grood. I mean, good, uh great! That sounds great!”

“Okay, it’s a date,” Luz said happily. Then she moved forward and wrapped Amity into a big, squeezing hug, practically lifting her feet off the ground in the process. As she set her down and moved back, Amity felt the unmistakable feeling of Luz’s lips brushing against her cheek. The warmth of the contact spread until her whole face was on fire. Luz looked at her and smiled bashfully. “See you tomorrow, Blight,” and with that, she made her way out the door.

Amity stood there, frozen to the spot, her hand coming up to touch her cheek, as if she could catch the sensation before it fluttered away. Wow.

The moment was broken when, 5 seconds later, Luz came rushing back in.

“I almost forgot!” she said as she snatched up the drawings that had been scattered to the floor. She shook the one that Amity had drawn. “Can I keep this? It’s really good!”

Maybe it was the casual compliment or lingering effects of Luz calling her her girlfriend – her girlfriend – or just the adorable way Luz’s face just looked so genuine, but Amity experienced an unexpected surge of confidence. Before she could overthink it, she stepped forward, took hold of front of Luz’s school uniform, and pulled her into a kiss. It was a quick kiss – short, soft, and sweet. But when she pulled back, she felt satisfied to see Luz sufficiently dumbstruck, eyes widened and cheek turning pink.

“Yes. But only if I get to keep yours,” Amity said, plucking the other sketch out of Luz’s hand. Luz blinked slowly.

“Yeah, you can kave it. Keep it. You can have it!” Luz stuttered out her reply.

Amity grabbed her things, slipping the picture carefully into a book before putting it into her bag. She walked over to the doorway before turning back to Luz. “Coming?”

Luz nodded, following her out. They walked hand in hand out of the library and for once, Amity found it easy to ignore the twin’s teasing.

#lumity #amity blight #luz noceda #owl house #toh #fanfic #my fic #original work #ahhhhhhhh idk please be kind and have mercy on me I haven't written in a long ass time

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just0nemorepage · 5 years ago

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Toil & Trouble: 15 Tales of Women & Witchcraft || Jessica Spotswood & Tess Sharpe || 405 pages ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Top 3 Genres: Short Stories / Fantasy / Young Adult

Synopsis: Are you a good witch or a bad witch?

Glinda the Good Witch. Elphaba the Wicked Witch. Willow. Sabrina. Gemma Doyle. The Mayfair Witches. Ursula the Sea Witch. Morgan le Fey. The three weird sisters from Macbeth.

History tells us women accused of witchcraft were often outsiders: educated, independent, unmarried, unwilling to fall in line with traditional societal expectations.

Bold. Powerful. Rebellious.

A bruja’s traditional love spell has unexpected results. A witch’s healing hands begin to take life instead of giving it when she ignores her attraction to a fellow witch. In a terrifying future, women are captured by a cabal of men crying witchcraft and the one true witch among them must fight to free them all. In a desolate past, three orphaned sisters prophesize for a murderous king. Somewhere in the present, a teen girl just wants to kiss a boy without causing a hurricane.

From good witches to bad witches, to witches who are a bit of both, this is an anthology of diverse witchy tales from a collection of diverse, feminist authors. The collective strength of women working together—magically or mundanely--has long frightened society, to the point that women’s rights are challenged, legislated against, and denied all over the world. Toil & Trouble delves deep into the truly diverse mythology of witchcraft from many cultures and feminist points of view, to create modern and unique tales of witchery that have yet to be explored.

Finished: August 20th, 2019.

Progress: 2 / 15. 13.33% complete.

My Rating: ★★★★★. [5/5]

My Review: [Under the read more - NOT SPOILER FREE]

I've been working on reading this book for 8 months. 8. MONTHS. It didn't take me so long because it was bad – HELL no. The complete opposite. This is one of the best books I've read in my entire LIFE, and I wanted to make it last.

The intersectionality and diversity among women. The unapologetic strength and friendship and love and spirit and power and RAGE they each had in their own ways. Ooooh, my god. This SPEAKS to me.

I wish I had enough skill to put how this made me feel into words. I wish I was left with more coherency than reeling with emotions and my own strength of will. I wish I could say flat out what very important discovery about myself this book led to. But alas.. words have never been my strongest suite when I'm feeling highly emotional, and it's not about to start now. And that's okay.

Just know that this book is an instant, high-ranking, top-five lifelong favorite and I will continue to praise it as such for as long as I hold righteous anger in my soul.

As I do with short stories, I reviewed each individual one and provided comments for each one. Out of 15 stories, my average rating for this one is –4.82.– I hope you realize exactly how rare that is for a book of short stories, to rate nearly ALL of them a good and solid five stars.

With no further ado: I present my ratings.

Starsong ; Tehlor Kay Mejia - ★★★★★. 5/5. #SHRIEKING

If this story is a promise of what all the others in this book are going to be like, then SIGN ME THE FUCK UP, I am SO GLAD I picked this to read next. Who cares that it’s not around Halloween. Not only is the representation spot on, but the AESTHETIC. OH MAN. Oh man oh man oh man.

I LOVED THIS ONE. To BITS AND PIECES. And found myself heartily disappointed that this is in fact only a short story, and not a full length novel. Because I’d read the SHIT out of a full length novel that stems from this. It is SO cute and pure and full of new love and promise and hope and optimism and the shit I’ve been shaping my life around lately and just, oh my god. I am on a cloud. This story is pure sunshine on my cloud, gold lined and full of wonder, and I REALLY TRULY HOPE the rest of the stories in this book are going to be anything even close to this.

I mean, look at me. IT ROMANTICIZED MY REVIEW WRITING.

Real thoughts: I wish to hell and back that this girl was real, and her social media accounts were real. I’d follow her EVERYWHERE. Her attitude and confidence is the kind of inspirational glow-up shit I need in my life on a daily basis.

Afterbirth ; Andrea Cremer - ★★★★★. 5/5. I didn't love it as much as the first one, but it's still well deserving of 5 stars. A much more traditional setting in terms of witchcraft – 1650s New England – with a single traditional plot point – the midwife convicted of witchcraft is hung. The differences are in her relationship with her apprentice, someone who discovers her true magic and seeks to learn more and take the lessons upon herself, rather than think of it the way the rest of her village would. The spell book and the magic lives on in Deliverance and the new baby girl birthed at the beginning of the story, and the positivity, loyalty, love and acceptance in Deliverance and Miriam's relationship spoke worlds to me in the short pages it got to live on.

I am only unsure about the presence of the "monster" birthed right after the girl was. It didn't really seem to serve any purpose, and it was never fully explained what it was or how it came to be, or why it was there. It seems more like a plot point that was just entirely dropped, or only used to further Miriam's accusations for witchcraft.

OTHERWISE though. The strength, resolve, determination and resiliency in this story did things to me.

The Heart in Her Hands ; Tess Sharpe - ★★★★★. 5/5. Oh man, another one that did things to me.

I've NEVER seen this kind of shit in a story before, let alone in a full-length novel. AND I REALLY WANT TO NOW. Sign me the eff UP for a full length novel of this cause SHIT, I never knew how relieving it is to read about someone who truly says "fuck you" to fate, deals with the consequences, and then learns to accept them. Someone who truly goes "my family and community are toxic and unhealthy for me, regardless of the fact that "they're my family" or whatever, so I am going to leave and never come back."

And just.. the depiction of a kitchen witch, and a whole community of witches living together, and the second gay couple in the book (we're on two out of two for relationships here!), and the pure fury and spitfire in Bette's soul and spirit, and the complete and utter "yeah no" spitting in the face of the supposed soul mate Lady Fate had picked out for her… I can't tell you how REFRESHING it is that she said "yeah no" and STUCK with it, and nothing caused her to face it or regret it, since there's nothing to face or regret. She made a decision and he never cropped up again and just oh my god. I am HERE for this shit.

I wonder if her soul mate being a guy indicates that she's bisexual, or that Lady Fate only pairs people up heterosexually.

I don't know, I just LOVE THIS WHOLE THING. Young people going "fuck you" to the system and breaking out on their own when they don't fit inside it, the old magic of the mountain, writing your own destiny, Auggie coming for Bette, and honestly right here is where my train of thought was interrupted for 15 minutes so I forget what else I was going to say. BUT YOU GET THE IDEA.

So far I need full-length books of every one of these stories, and I'm only three into this collection.

Death in the Sawtooths ; Lindsay Smith - ★★★★☆. 4/5. This one loses a star just for the accents of the people, and how much it grated on my nerves. But there is a poetic nature to this one that I'm not entirely sure I can articulate that well. Just, the idea of a priestess of death who still tries so hard to do what is right, even when the dark urges of revenge tug at her own heart, even when she herself is treated like shit, even when she has every reason to react with anger.. I don't know, there's something beautiful about it. Just as much as the idea of Mattie actually relating to the kid who was responsible for stealing people's souls, and the idea of a childhood bully apologizing for their actions as an adult and meaning it.

Now, granted, I'm not one for mercy or forgiveness. I'd be more likely to become the boy than to become Mattie – though perhaps, I'd become someone else in between. I'd give in to my anger, but not in ways that would prove all the stereotypes against me right. I'd find some other way. But I can appreciate the idea of someone sticking it out and doing the right thing, even if it makes people hate you. And for the most part, as long as it doesn't give shitty people a pass for being shitty, I'm all for doing that exact kind of thing.

I'm not really sure what else to say about this one. This one's more food for thought, than something that I can easily translate into a readable review. It was fascinating, thought provoking, and very well done, but I'm glad to be moving on to the next one.

The Truth About Queenie ; Brandy Colbert - ★★★★★. 5/5. Not as strong as a five as the other fives, but STILL A FIVE. I actually finished this one yesterday and I've been basically just sitting here nodding in appreciation since.

Notable points – a family of black witches? YISSS.

How supportive all the family is of each other, despite being mostly ashamed of being witches? Yissss.

I LOVE how Blythe and Queenie support each other, EVEN THOUGH Queenie's totally head over heels in love with Webb. I'm not here for any of that girl hate bullshit. This was REFRESHING.

AND. How Webb admitted he doesn't have feelings for Queenie, and let her down honestly and cleanly, and kicked a love triangle in the face. How the friendship still stands strong. How he stays loyal to Blythe. How Queenie STILL heals Blythe – and actually does it!! – and accepts herself fully and stands proud on her own now that she's clear-headed after not trying to do things for Webb anymore.

Just.

YASSSS.

YOU GO GIRL.

I am SO HERE for this independent lady gloriousness.

The Moonapple Menagerie ; Shveta Thakrar - ★★★☆☆. 3/5. This one seemed of significantly worse quality than the others. There are still bits that really did it for me – the Indian mythology and culture! humanizing the churel (if reluctantly – I would have liked to see everyone be much more accepting of her from the start)! the idea of weaving spellcraft into performing arts in such a way that mundane humans don't notice! the much more fantastical use of magic! the normalized disabled character!! – but quite honestly, it was the main character and the completely unrealistic dialogue and character interaction throughout that turned me off of this one. I couldn't follow Shalini's plight at *all*, and even though I can relate to that level of writer's block, coming up with ANYTHING AT ALL truly is not as hard as she made it sound. And the fact that her story didn't have any conflict in it at *all* AND that the churel critiqued all the parts that she did write tells me that honestly Shalini may just be a terrible writer. So, I had a hard time empathizing with this one. I kind of wanted her to leave the coven, by the end.

The other parts that I still really loved are what kept this at a three. And honestly my favorite character is probably the churel. No joke. My favorite part was right at the end when she says she's going to deal with her "husband."

FUCK HIM UP, GURL. MAKE HIM PAY.

The Legend of Stone Mary ; Robin Talley - ★★★★☆. 4/5. This one loses a star, since it didn't really give me a chance to get to know or like much of any of the characters, it all happened a little too quickly to have much emotional depth, and I don't really agree with the idea of forced forgiveness.

Also, Wendy's grandmother seems like the HBIC in terms of local curses and I wish she was a more prominent part of the story.

But I *did* enjoy the normalized lesbianism, as well as the message of doing what you feel is right no matter what anyone around you may think.

Plus like… how friggen powerful do you have to be to stop a generations-long curse. That was pretty awesome.

The One Who Stayed ; Nova Ren Suma - ★★★★★. 5/5. TW: Rape, for this one. Though never explicitly described, or even directly named.

I'm going to have to keep my thoughts about this one short. But I absolutely adore the embracing of female anger and rage, the implications that these things happen to everyone all around you, that you have no idea who it could have happened to – or who could really be a witch, for that matter – and I absolutely 100% feel sisterhood with these women who so badly want revenge.

The power of feminine anger, man. Righteous and furious anger. I am so here for this shit. I would seek out this circle in a heartbeat, if only I could.

I only wish I knew how exactly they would make Jayson and his friends pay for it. But I know the possibilities, and I know they're taking it into their own hands, and that they aren't above death. That is satisfactory enough for me.

Divine are the Stars ; Zoraida Cordova - ★★★★☆. 4/5. This one gets four stars mostly because I feel like a lot of it went over my head.

Excellent symbolism and representation though. 👌👌👌

It was very short, and yet it still felt like it got across the feeling of death and renewal and finding oneself, and I heavily enjoyed how easily and simply they got rid of Enrique. Casual murder? Sure, why not! He had it coming anyway.

Personally, I, too, would like to turn into a tree when I die.

Honestly though it felt like it moved a little too fast, as soon as Marimar successfully found her way inside the house. I know the story was only some 12 pages long, but, still. It felt pretty rushed, and that's likely why it felt like a lot of it went over my head.

I still enjoyed it well enough, though. I still appreciated the Hispanic (Latinx?) family, the connection between Marimar and her cousin, the message of female power passed on from daughter to daughter. It just didn't necessarily resonate with me, personally, is all.

Daughters of Baba Yaga ; Brenna Yovanoff - ★★★★★. 5/5. Okay, THIS one is more like it. This is the kind of shit I came to this book for, and the kind of shit I live and breathe for. If I could give this beyond five stars, I ABSOLUTELY would.

I absolutely adore the friendship between two very different types of girls who both extract revenge in their own very different ways – one is sweet and threateningly kind and devastates you with the truth. The other… well. I think a curse of 50lbs of pig guts stuffed inside 15 different lockers says enough.

This kind of vengeance on those who deserve it is the kind of thing that gives my life purpose, and let me tell you, this bad bitch is MY KIND OF BITCH and I'd be BFFs with her if I could and I want a whole novel of nothing but her fucking wrecking people who have had it coming.

I aspire to be more like Stony. We need more women like her in this world.

P.S. The sweet poetic irony of a girl named Harmony sweetly doling out the worst kinds of truths on this story's shittiest people has not escaped me.

The Well Witch ; Kate Hart - ★★★★★. 5/5. Awww yeah. Nothing like sweet, sweet revenge to asshole men.

It's damn well implied that those two men are left for dead, and good riddance for it.

Also, I am in love with the fact that Elsa decided to go look for Zeb on her own, rather than continue waiting in the conditions the other two men had her trapped in.

AND that she took all the water with her and left them to watch their shelter and supplies burn into nothingness.

There's not much else to say about this one, really. The historical accuracy of it seems pretty spot on, Elsa is described as a WoC, and there was just the right amount of pace and development to be interesting. Also – Zeb is a good man. He gives me hope. One out of three actually being decent sounds about accurate for the ratio of good to shitty men lol.

But this one's a good one. I heavily enjoyed it, and GOD I am loving this book overall.

Beware of Girls with Crooked Mouths ; Jessica Spotswood - ★★★★★. 5/5. Wow. That was not the ending I expected at all.

It was all so dark and creepy and powerful and scary and holy shit I loved the feminine power in this story.

And open bisexuality in a historical fantasy!! That wasn't frowned upon, and nobody blinked an eye!!

Also. Can I say how much I ADORE that the sweet, gentle thing that is Georgie is the one who has the affinity towards fire, and is filled with utter RAGE? Holy w h a t. And Elle's open, unembarrassed sexuality? I am HERE for the unapologetic attitude ALL these girls have.

I really feel like I should say more about this, but I'm still just reeling, and at this point (it's July seriously wtf), I'm feeling kind of anxious to finally finish this book rofl.

Love Spell ; Anna-Marie McLemore - ★★★★★. 5/5. It's August now and I am DETERMINED TO FINISH THIS BOOK, goddamn. So I finished this one all in one sitting lol.

ADRIAN IS TRANSGENDER. Oh man that was the first thing that popped out at me.

And that someone can be Catholic AND a witch?? That's something I've seen surrounding the witchy community in real life, always in heavy debate, so it's quite nice to see it addressed in story form!

Plus like – the underlying tone of women supporting other women, and the disobedience of the typical Catholic fear, and religions accepting other religions, and I just – this one was a good one. It was a great one to come back to after a month of no reading.

And it's multi-cultural!! I will admit, I'm uneducated enough to not know if it's Mexican or Spanish culture – I –think- it's Mexican – but, STILL. So wonderfully done!!

The Gherin Girls ; Emery Lord - ★★★★★. 5/5. Goddamn. If I could give this one more than 5 stars, I would.

Sisterly support through an abusive relationship, and the VERY REAL feelings that come with trying to recover from it. In both the abuser's and the witness's points of view. Oh, man. I've never seen abuse and the trauma that follows captured so well before. I wasn't going to read this story in one sitting, but I had to – it nailed it so well, it reminded me of my own abused past and I couldn't set it down without knowing how it ended.

And the note of magic is so subtle and unique and wonderfully well done – and the sexuality of all three of the sisters are different! and they all have their own happy endings! and everyone is SO SUPPORTIVE of each other – god, no one was shitty. (Except for Wyatt, but, yanno.) This one speaks to me. On a very, very deep level. I just.. wow.

I felt the very same fire burning in myself as Rosie did when the story ends. I recognized it, and feel connected to her in a way I don't feel with most people I'm actually close to in real life.

This story sobered me. It reminded me of all I've been through, and just how rough the road to recovery was. But it also reminded me of how far I've come, and where I'm at now. What I've made for myself. What I've become, who I've curated myself into. And that.. no much can make me feel more strong or powerful than remembering that.

Why they Watch us Burn ; Elizabeth May - ★★★★★. 5/5. Well. Fuck.

THAT was a powerful ending to this whole anthology.

And left me feeling ALL KINDS OF PISSED OFF, let me tell you. Holy shit. The retribution at the end was implied and powerful, but I wanted it to be more explicit. I wanted to see those men SUFFER.

I don't even have words for this story, other than that it spoke to me on a deep, crushing, soul-igniting level. EVERYTHING about it – the unfair misogyny, the suffering, the sisterhood, the strength. The embracing of the very thing they were accused of. The pure love between the MC and her lover. The spirit, and the STRENGTH, I've already said it but oh my god, the strength. I feel as they did at the end. I feel powerful and unbreakable and full of rage and the need to make somebody pay, because I, too, have suffered at the hands of men and I would tear apart anybody who ever touches or treats ANY woman like that with my own bare hands.

The message of power this story gives for anyone who calls themselves female… I can't describe it. I don't know if it can be described.

But I would treat this story, and this whole book, as my bible, if I could.

#book reviews #toil and trouble #jessica spotswood #tess sharpe #★★★★★#short stories #fantasy #young adult #witches #paranormal #glbtqa #feminism #favorites #stunning covers #owned #print book #stand alone #jomp original

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talesandfluff · 6 years ago

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Gelphie, 61?

Okay I have no excuse for this one. The prompt just reminded me of an extremely strong memory I have and no matter how hard I tried to find other ideas, I just couldn’t get them out. So I just wrote what I knew. First few paragraphs here, rest under the cut. It’s quite long (bout 2K words).

Some sort of modern AU, features Melena Thropp

61. Green wine bottles

It only takes one slip up from Boq, a brief accidental mention of Elphaba living with her mother for Glinda to become obsessed with the idea. How different than her own experience, whose parents supplied her an apartment in town with everything one might need to live on their own. It’s a novelty, a college student sharing a studio with her own mother in the very city she’s studying in, a quaint little picture in her mind. Every conversation is an excuse to try to pry an invitation home from Elphaba but the answer is a constant and firm no without a second thought. There is wheedling, all sorts of flattery, tricks and white lies, to no avail.

It takes a concourse of coincidences all in Glinda’s favor that make it happen. The college library closed for renovations, a group project with miscommunication on all parts that ended up having to be completed by the two of them for the next day, Glinda forgetting the books they needed in a friend’s room out for the weekend at the sorority house, the only spare copies are at Elphaba’s and the work has to be done.

“We’ll only be there for a few minutes,” Elphaba warns on the walk through the neighborhood she lives in − significantly distinct in class and status from Glinda’s, she notes with interest. “And you don’t need to come in.”

Glinda grabs her arm, leaning against her as they walk. Elphaba always tries to walk faster than she needs. Glinda always tries to slow her down.

“I know I don’t need to,” she says, squeezing Elphaba’s arm excitedly, “but I want to.”

Elphaba huffs and puffs. Glinda knows she might be pushing the limits, maybe even very close to the line of exasperation but then, there has never been anything she could do to put herself on the bad side of Elphaba’s good graces. A short visit to her home to satiate her curiosities can’t possibly change that.

The longer they walk, the more the skies seem to darken, though sunset is not for hours more. Maybe the buildings looming closer to one another, an older and less pristine part of town, street by street more downtrodden. In the distance, there’s shouts and a dog barking. Glinda is clutching Elphaba’s arm very tight indeed by the time Elphaba stops abruptly and dives in her pocket to get a heavy ring of keys out.

“This is me,” she announces.

She glances around worryingly, pulling Glinda to the side as she hurries to open the door. There’s a hole in the concrete wall that looks like it might have been from a gunshot. Glinda can’t help staring at it in awe and horror − she’s almost grateful for Elphaba dragging her inside if the entrance wasn’t just as appalling, half in ruins. The lights of the staircase are flickering, the stairs not cleaned in years, rotting wallpaper peeling off bit by bit. The air smells odd, something she can’t quite place and is not sure she wants to.

“Fourth floor,” Elphaba says. She holds herself differently in here, an even stricter restraint than the usual. “No elevator. This way.”

Glinda is made to walk up steep narrow stairs without even the reassurance of Elphaba leading the way − she insists on keeping an eye on Glinda as they make their way up. There seems to be danger lurking, suspicions about everything. At the third floor, Glinda spots an odd shadow in a corner and cries out, throwing herself into Elphaba’s arms before recognizing the shape as a large mutt napping on a puddle she would much rather not know the nature of.

“But Elphie, how can you…”

Elphaba’s face is immutable stone.

“It’ll just be a few minutes,” she repeats. Her purpose seems to have changed since they’ve walked inside, not so intent on just keeping her privacy anymore but rather guarding Glinda’s sensitivities. It might be too late for that, Glinda tells herself, noting a large hole in one of the apartment doors that might have been from some weapon. She nods at Elphaba, walking up the stairs again. A few minutes. She can handle that much.

At the fourth floor, Elphaba’s hand is suddenly at her shoulder, rubbing a soothing circle and looking her in the eyes as she speaks from very close, a whisper she’s afraid to let anybody hear.

“You’re staying in the hall,” she orders. “I’ll pick up the books and we’ll go back to your place to…” Her gaze wanders to a dirty brown door by the window. “Oh, what the shit!”

The hand is dropped as Elphaba takes giant leaps towards the door, fuming with anger for a reason unknown to Glinda. As soon as Elphaba’s back is to her, she tries to gather herself, hugging her sides. She wishes she could lean against a wall, make herself tiny and forgotten, but one glance at the state of the walls convinces her otherwise.

“I fucking told her,” Elphaba grumbles. “I’m sorry, just a sec.”

She starts to pick up a heap of what appears, despite the low light, to be trash bags. They clang against each other soundly as she paces past Glinda briskly to drop them down the chute at the end of the short corridor.

“I told her to not leave them there like a…” Banging on the door that appears to be hers, she starts shouting as she unlocks half a dozen locks in record time. “I told you not to leave the trash in the hall, for fuck’s sake!”

Some time and Elphaba disappears through the door, leaving it wide open. Glinda attempts a few steps towards it to catch a glimpse of the inside but a foreign voice speaks up and she freezes into place for fear of being caught.

“Oh, aren’t you the perfect homemaker. I was gonna get them.”

The sarcasm dripping in that voice, Glinda thinks she might have recognized Elphaba’s mother as such even without the context.

“Get them now,” Elphaba hisses. “I have to grab my books, Glinda’s waiting for me in the hall and she’s going to think we're…”

“Well don’t you let me mess with your date.” Glinda blushes and is thankful for no one to see it. “I have one of my own. Well, ‘date’, you know what I mean. Pass the setting spray, these wings are too good to rub off. Nanny visited, you know. Top drawer. She didn’t say anything about the trash, so I don’t know why you’re so butthurt about it… Anyway, I was just leaving.”

Quietly, Glinda tiptoes to the still gaping door, just in time to be face to face with the woman she so ardently craved to meet just minutes ago. She doesn’t know what she wants anymore. Melena Thropp is nothing she expected her to be, if she had any expectations at all. Long copper hair tied up in a bun, she’s wearing clothes that might have come from the closet of Glinda’s sorority sisters ten years ago, a loose neon pink crop top and tiny denim shorts, high heels Glinda wouldn’t know how to walk on. Though her eyes are tired and there’s something off in her gaze, her makeup is as good as promised. At least there is that. Much shorter than Elphaba, there would be no way to guess they were family if it weren’t for the sarcastic grin plastered on her face as she passes Glinda. She pinches her cheek on her way out.

“Oh, look at you, you pretty thing! You two have a great night, now.” To Elphaba still inside the apartment, she shouts back. “I’ll be late, frog, don’t worry about me!”

Glinda closes the mouth that had started gaping, straightens her spine. Melena hops down the stairs in a hurry, some thick cheap perfume trailing behind her. When Glinda turns back, Elphaba is leaning into the doorway severely.

“So, erm…” Glinda shuffles awkwardly. “Your mother seems…”

“She didn’t get the trash bags,” Elphaba cuts her rashly.

There’s an anger to her that wasn’t there before, or maybe Glinda didn’t notice it. She’s starting to wonder how many things she never realized about Elphaba. The tension surrounding her, the scowl she tries to hide… She seems much too hasty to get all the trash down the chute, so much so that, in her hurry to haul it, one of the bag bursts open and a cascade of glass bottles crash down onto the floor, rolling in every direction.

“Fucking sh… crap… Fuck.”

Elphaba drops to her knees, her head between her hand. Glinda rushes to help and though by the tensing of Elphaba’s shoulders, the stern glance she gives her, she knows the help is not entirely welcome, she gives it nonetheless. The first bottle she grabs is green and heavy, the cork pushed halfway down, some last red drops still swishing at the bottom. So is the second one, and the third, so many bottles. She wonders how long they’ve been there, how long it took for them to be consumed. It’s not for her to know, though. She puts them down next to Elphaba who in all this mess hasn’t moved an inch. Suddenly she leaps to her feet, paying Glinda no glance. She disappears in the apartment a minute, comes back with a new bag and one by one, they pile all the bottles down.

“I thought these had a deposit value…”

“Don’t wanna go back to the store with 'em,” Elphaba mutters. “I shouldn’t be the one doing it anyways.” She ties the bag handles close and shoves it down the chute with a particular harshness.

Glinda breathes and gathers the courage to grab Elphaba’s hand, but it is quickly dropped as if Elphaba had been burned.

“I’ll get the books,” she says. “You… You can come in a second. If you want.”

“That sounds nice,” Glinda smiles.

The inside of the apartment is almost a relief compared to the grimness of the rest of the building. There is dust, though less than the sickening layer shrouding the stairs, but there are attempts at some order. In a corner, there’s a twin bed with rumpled covers and the sofa near the only window of the room is slept in as well. Judging by the piles of books on the coffee table nearby, the small potted plant blooming there despite everything, there is no guessing which is Elphaba’s bedding. The sink is filled to the brim with dirty dishes and littering the floor of the kitchen corner are even more green glass bottles, some of them empty, some not. Glinda sits down in an old leather armchair that has a slash across the arm rest, revealing foam underneath.

“Let me just…”

Elphaba grabs yet another bag, quickly shoving the mess into it, glass clanging against glass, hiding it away as if Glinda hadn’t seen it all, as if stashing it into a bag would make the rest of it disappear. Glinda looks down, taps against her knees. Maybe if she pretends she’s not seeing anything, it will go away. Elphaba can fuss all she wants if it pleases her, if it soothes her. Soon it’s the textbooks she’s after.

“I put them somewhere under…” Elphaba picks up some books, searching through the piles before pulling them up victoriously. “Ah ha!”

Glinda smiles. It’s good to feel Elphaba quiet down even for such a small thing. There’s a fondness blossoming inside her that she’s not sure she knew before. Maybe it was always there.

“Are we ready to go?” She asks.

Elphaba meets her eyes for the first time, some unknown doubt in them. Glinda didn’t know that either, that Elphaba could be anything other than strong and stubborn.

“Yeah, just let me…”

She opens the top drawer of a small dresser and grabs an envelope from it. With a skinny thumb, she counts its content once, twice, pulls a face and shoves the whole thing into her bag.

“We’re ready to go.”

The way down has Glinda much more relaxed, knowing Elphaba is at her back, but she’s glad for the dark blue sky outside. The air of the evening smells fresh and clean even in the city. Stars are slowly starting to appear.

“My place?”

Elphaba nods. Glinda wishes she had something to say, a kindness to share, but the words come short. She settles for grabbing Elphaba’s hand, their fingers interlacing, palms meeting. Elphaba squints in confusion. Glinda smiles and squeezes the hand gently. And Elphaba squeezes it back.

#gelphie #wicked #fanfiction #writing #glinda upland #elphaba thropp #melena thropp #cw alcoholism #tacticalgrandma

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forkanna · 6 years ago

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[AO3 LINK] [EF LINK]

"What… how… why are… huh?!"

That was the most eloquence Glinda could manage in the face of her almost-lover. Fiyero, her Fiyero was standing there, with the painted-on eyes and smile, ragtag old hat and straw sticking out every which way from the sack-cloth skin, he looked absolutely nothing like her old lover… except for perhaps the expression. Something about it was familiar, even if stretched across unfamiliar features.

But his voice was what truly made her think of the guard captain. Of the one she had hoped would make an honest woman of her someday, back before her life had taken so many unexpected turns. It was the same velvety tones that had talked and sang to her when they went dancing, that had agreed they were perfect together. His voice. He.

"Sorry about this," he laughed, nodding down at his chest. "But I didn't know how else to bring it up. Actually… I kind of forgot who I was for a little while, you know."

"Forgot? What? H-how does that work?" She couldn't string together her thoughts, they were so busy flitting off in a thousand directions.

"Well… near as I can figure it, somebody put a spell on me after I got crushed by that falling house," he mused as they ascended, Fiyero leading the way since Glinda couldn't seem to make herself walk unless he made it necessary. "The damndest thing, right? But I wasn't able to figure that out right away. At first, my head full of straw couldn't put together a single thought anymore. I ran away, then forgot how to walk. I tried to cry out, and forgot how to talk! A farmer found me limp in the field, out of my head, and decided to stick me up on a pole to make use of me. Can't blame him in the slightest, really."

"Oh. S-so… so you really have been a scarecrow."

"For a day or so. Then Dorothy found me." His eyes filled with warmth, in a way Glinda could only describe as fatherly. "At first, all I could do was tag along after her, hoping someone could help me think better. Someone like the Wizard. But as I got closer and closer to the Emerald City… well, my memories started coming back to me."

That sharpened Glinda's tongue a little more. Swallowing, she whispered, "And what did you do? Coming back to your senses, with Biq and that big Lion along for the ride! You must have been scared of saying the wrong thing!"

For some reason, that only seemed to bemuse him more. "Well, about the Lion — oh, I think I'll save that for later. First, I'd love to meet with Elphaba again. Is that where we're headed?"

"Yes, yes it is. I…" But she couldn't take it any longer. Throwing both arms around him, she pinned him to the wall and huddled close, eyes leaking crystalline tears as she cried, "Fiyero! Oh, I thought you were gone forever, we both did, but you… oh, Fiyero!"

A few minutes passed as he weathered her cries, a limp, thin arm eventually encircling her back; it seemed he had not been lying about the manacles not being fit for a scarecrow. Every time she tried to dry her eyes and speak again, she fell to a fresh fit of sobs. They were tears of relief, but they would not be stemmed, not for anything in the world.

"I am sorry," he assured her as gently as he could, when she was more receptive to hearing again. "About not saying before, and for the crows. All I knew was that a couple dozen black birds were divebombing Dorothy — I didn't want to see what they'd do to her if they succeeded!"

Glinda nodded before sniffing loudly and pulling back to pet his cloth face. "It's alright! Well, Elphie will disagree, but that's… by Oz, I've missed you so much! And I wish you had said something last night!"

"Couldn't. I didn't know what was going on, but I had a feeling from the moment I met Dorothy that it was important I tag along, find out what her goal was. Even more once the Wizard told us what he wanted us to do! And of course, I knew all along that the water wouldn't do a twigging thing to Elphie, but… hey, the more I kept them thinking it would, the more of a chance you'd have when they tried to melt 'the enemy', right?"

"Clever," she laughed wetly, kissing his fabric cheeks. "Oh, so clever! And you thought you hadn't any brains!" They both cackled as they embraced again. "But now you're here… I can't even tell you what this means, to find out you're alive!"

"If you can call this 'living'," he scoffed.

"Nonsense! Compared to you being dead?! I'd take this in a heartbeat!" Again, she kissed his cheek and then grasped the hand. "Come on, Elphie has to see this! Right away!"

In mere minutes, they were in the throne room. Elphaba had stated that it would look more imposing if she received people there, and Nessa and Glinda were inclined to agree, though due to Dorothy's fright it made as much sense to be more welcoming and warm to her, Glinda had argued successfully.

Saint Aelphaba's namesake sat perched upon the old throne, prim and proper with her hands folded over her knees. Nessa sat in the "queen's throne", which Glinda had to fight down a giggle at the thought of sitting in that throne herself by Elphie's side. Her feelings were all muddled now that Fiyero had returned, when a part of her had been wondering if him turning out to be alive would quash any feelings other than for him. Apparently, that would not be the case.

"Hello, murder murderer."

"Elphie," Glinda tried to hiss, but Fiyero cleared his throat so she fell silent.

"Elphaba. I had to protect the girl; I hope you can understand that. But… if you need to punish anyone for that, punish me."

Recognition flickered in her eyes from him speaking, but she didn't catch on right away. Glinda understood; the concept was so fantastic that anyone would doubt themselves, if they even thought of it in the first place.

"Who are you?" Nessa asked, tone equally cold as her sister's. "Name yourself."

"Why should I? I already have a name, and it's one I like. Even if I haven't been using it much lately."

Elphaba leaned forward, face severe. "You're an unwelcome stranger here. You ought to show a little respect to us!"

"Really?" he scoffed, somehow managing to strike a devilish pose despite the manacles. "Because by the way I figure it, you're the ones trying to invoke squatter's rights in my house! How do you like that?!"

The severe face froze for an eternal moment. Glinda let out the smallest of giggles, unable to help herself — and the sound seemed to shake Elphaba loose from the ice entirely.

"F… Fiyero?"

All he did was nod. It was all he needed to do; the witch who had seemed so dour moments before leapt up from the throne faster than Glinda had ever seen her move, sweeping down off the dais and onto him, wrapping her arms around tight. Unable to resist, Glinda embraced both of them, laughing and even hopping up and down slightly as she watched Elphaba kiss his cheeks just the way she had before.

"Y-you- it's not possible! How could you be alive now- and how are you this… this… this?!"

"Search me," he chortled. His voice was as emotional as theirs, though he didn't cry; Glinda had to wonder if it was even possible for a man made out of straw to shed tears in the first place. "I woke up underneath a house, and barely knew what I was doing with myself until Dorothy found me!"

As he told Elphaba the same things he'd told Glinda about his journey, Nessa eventually came over to join them, content to stay at the fringes for a minute. When there was a lull, she took a step forward.

"Hello again, Fiyero."

"Nessa!" he gasped, painted mouth agape and hands pressing to the sides of his head. Glinda couldn't help leaning in to see what might be inside said mouth, but it was just straw; she might have known. "Look at you! Up and about! Guess I'm not the only one enjoying a spell or two!"

"It's thanks to my sweet, talented sister," Nessa said so earnestly that Elphaba couldn't entirely suppress the slight flush of forest green that came to her cheeks. "In fact… listening to what you told us, I'm pretty sure your condition is thanks to her, too."

"Hm? How do you mean? I didn't see her anywhere around when I woke."

"That's because we had already flown the coop. Before that… she and Glinda were both trying to revive you, and I assumed Dorothy's shiny shoes had taken both spells, since I never heard anything about you surviving. But what if they only caught one spell?"

Elphaba drew back, unwilling to let him go completely but wanting to get a proper look at her sister. "Yes, my spell went under the house; I saw Glinda's get waylaid." Then she turned up to look at his lumpy head and smiled fiercely. "If I did some good for once… even just one good deed that worked out for the best, then I'll sleep a lot easier tonight."

"We both will," Glinda promised, kissing his cheek again. He grinned.

"Sorry about… what you've become," Elphaba breathed, running her fingers over the seams. "This wasn't at all what I imagined the spell would do."

"Ah, you did the best you could. You saved my life." His words were earnest and warm, and he pulled both women in again, clutching at them as hard as his stuffed limbs could allow. "You both did. Thank you. But I'm afraid I have apologies to make."

"Whatever for?"

"The Crows." Elphaba stilled, but he pressed onward. "They weren't… I hadn't any idea what I was dealing with, they could have been from anywhere! But as I've told Glinda, I am sorry; I didn't hear one of them speak until the others were all…"

The witch took a step back from Fiyero, manner more reserved than it had been upon first reuniting. "That is… regrettable. I've been sick to death over losing Draven and his compatriots, I… but I do know you, Fiyero. I know how you helped me with that cub, and that you'd never harm a hair — or feather — on anyone's head if you saw another way."

For a moment, he allowed her to grieve afresh, frowning over at Glinda with his cloth mouth. Glinda patted his arm in reassurance. Then he perked up and said, "Actually, I did have something to mention to you, if you might be interested. That cub we rescued…"

"Hm?" she said distantly, still seeing what became of the Crows in her mind's eye.

"He's in the dungeons."

Both of her eyebrows shot up at once. "What? You… no. That Lion is the tiny cub we rescued? The odds are… I don't believe it!"

"Well, believe it," he said with a twinkle in his eye. "He doesn't remember much, but remembers being carried out of Shiz by a pair of Munchkinlanders — and I'll forgive him for mistaking me for one, just this once. Isn't that something?"

"Oh…" Pressing a hand to her mouth, she took a few vague steps toward the door. Then she whispered, "I was worried that he might have to be put down, if he continued to pounce at Glinda, but if… if he's an Animal, if we can reason with him… well, we might at least keep him down there instead of being forced to do the unspeakable…"

Clapping her hands together, Glinda wriggled with glee as she embraced her two friends again. Elphaba remained sober from the mention of the Crows, but did not resist when she gave them both a kiss on the cheek apiece. "Isn't this wonderful? We've been through so much, and… well, I'm sorry you got turned into an old sack of rags, but I'm ever so glad you're here! Isn't it grand, Elphie?"

"Swell," she deadpanned. But then she smiled up at him. "And… I suppose I can forgive you for the Crows. You felt you had no choice but to defend her, I understand. But… you'll help me hold a funeral for them, when this is all over? Won't you?"

"Of course," he told her solemnly. "I'd have done it then and there if the Tin Man wasn't making so much racket about needing to charge ahead, axe at the ready."

"He'll either need to be disposed of, or executed in some way," Nessa said coldly, surprising all there. "I'm only being practical; if he's never loved me a day in his life, and he can't resist trying to kill me… all I ask is that he be taken away, made so that he can't attack me anymore. One way or another."

"Now, Nessie," Glinda sighed. She patted her on the arm, but the arm was pulled away so fast that she had to blink. "It's as much our fault as his; I was the one who encouraged him to ask you to the Ozdust Ballroom. Maybe if I hadn't… oh, I don't know. A girl isn't obligated to return a man's affections, you know! I should have been able to simply tell him outright that I was not interested!"

"But you didn't," Elphaba grunted. "Because you're too nice. Always thought you were, and as far as I'm concerned, this is the proof." Then she took a deep breath. "He's contained for now. Let's focus on whether or not we can trust Dorothy and the Lion and work from there. Morrible and the Wizard should be our main concern from this point forward."

The others all nodded in agreement. Then Nessa said, "What are we going to do? Nobody has ever dared stand against the Wizard; they all love him so much for unifying Oz and building the capital."

"Enlarging the capital," Glinda corrected. "It's always been there, he just made it shinier and bigger. And maybe he's not a terrible man, but he is a terrible Wizard and not fit to be our Supreme Ruler! We just have to think of a way to get him out of there!"

They all murmured about this for a few seconds. Seemed no one was going to be able to come up with an effective plan to depose the man immediately; further contemplation would have to be given.

"Guess I'll go back to my cell for now," Fiyero said, heaving a sigh. Glinda idly wondered if he really needed to sigh at all, or if he even needed to breathe. "Dorothy and Lion are probably worried. What should I tell them?"

"Oh, do you have to?" Glinda began, but Elphaba shushed her.

"Yes, he does. To maintain their trust, we can't appear to be showing favouritism. But… I do suggest you refrain from lying to them about what we've discussed, or who you are."

Eyes narrowing, Nessa asked, "What are you plotting, sister?"

"Not 'plotting'. But now we are four, and I think — except for the walking stovepipe — the others could be persuaded to join our cause against the regime if they realise Fiyero is already on our side."

Fiyero shrugged as he said, "How am I going to explain my lying up until now? At first I forgot who I was, but once I remembered I never said as much. That won't look good."

"Do the same thing: don't tell them until we're ready. I think… Dorothy should be brought up here tomorrow, as she's already shown that she's open to hearing our side of things. And I think that's just what we should tell her; the whole story. Either it will sway her or it won't."

"It is an awfully long story," Glinda snorted. "But yes, that's a good idea. Then, if that goes alright, we can try that out on the big kitten."

"Maybe we should leave him caged up instead," Nessa whispered. "He is a beast; if he decides once we get there to turn on us, he could tear us to pieces!"

"He's a Lion, not a lion," Elphaba said warningly. "And I have a great respect for the king of the forest, even if he's so far from home. Besides, he seems protective of Dorothy, and if she sides with us it might be enough to gain him into the bargain."

"Hey," the scarecrow said, folding his arms. "Don't forget those two are my friends just as much as you are. It's hard to stand here and listen to you talking about them like they're just pawns in a big chess match."

The women blinked at him a few times, and Glinda looked down guiltily. But Elphaba folded her arms right back, straightening to her full height.

"They are pawns. So are we; everyone is a pawn in the Wizard and Morrible's game. We're just hoping to band together and overthrow the players themselves. United, we stand a chance, but divided…"

The rest didn't have to be said.

~ o ~

"I'm afraid, Elphie."

As Elphaba set her pointed black hat on the bureau, touching her index finger to the tip fondly, she asked, "Of?"

"Of what might happen if we can't trust Dorothy," Glinda sighed, shucking her dress and laying it gently over the back of a chair. She reached for the nightgown and began to walk toward the dressing screen as she announced, "I really think we can, but what happens if tomorrow we're talking to her, and she says something we don't like? Or that makes it obvious she could turn on us?"

"You aren't wrong. That would split our focus, having to sit on top of some girl and her companions while we figure out how we're going to bring down a Wizard with the entirety of Oz under his thumb. It's… oh, if only we could get Morrible away from him! Then the way would be clear!"

"This is so unfair! Here we are, the comeliest witches of the eon, and we have to do all the dirty work! What happened to the royal lineage? How'd the Wizard sweep in and take the throne in the first place? Whose hare-brained idea was this whole crazy crusade?!"

"Mine. Of course, it's really the Wizard's for persecuting Animals in the first place, but I am the one who decided it had to stop, and that in absence of any other volunteers, I was going to be the one to stop it. So… when it comes down to it, I have no one to blame but myself."

Emerging from behind the screen, swapped into her nightie, Glinda sighed and said, "Hey, this is Hiz Wizliness's fault, not yours. A good man would have seen that he was wrong and admitted it. His stubbornness is on his own head."

"That's true enough," Elphaba grunted as she wrestled with her bra strap. "Then it's… just a matter of… oh, I can't get this damn thing unhooked!"

"Here." Glinda's nimble little fingers made short work of the clasp, and it snapped open to reveal a smooth expanse of green skin. With a vague smile, she traced one of said fingers down the line in the middle of her back, earning a pronounced shiver.

"Y-you know I told you not to do that."

She drew back, lowering her eyes. "Sorry, Elphie. I didn't mean to- I'll wait for you in the bed."

Once Elphaba was changed into nightclothes, she put out the light and joined her under the covers, curling her body neatly around the back of her friend and pressing her face into her hair. A few seconds was spent adjusting their positions in subtle motions until they were both comfortable again.

"Elphie?" A quiet hum was her only answer. "Do… you really hate it when I touch your skin?"

"That's… not the right word. 'Hate.' But it does make me feel strange, and… and we don't have time to think about figuring such things out. Not with everything going on!"

Her stomach was wound tight as she rolled over to look into the sharp, alluring features that she had grown so fond of over the past few years. "When is the right time? When we're both dead?"

"What?"

"Don't think just because I'm a pretty face that I'm too dense to know what might happen if we try to take down the two most powerful people in the whole kingdom, Elphie. They might kill us, or worse. So…" She petted up and down Elphaba's back. "Do you really wanna put it off 'til later and risk never getting a chance?"

Green fingertips slid up to ghost over Glinda's lips, and she let them part slightly as Elphaba explored, teased. Did so with much more concentration and thought than the previous occasion they had briefly lost themselves in passion and desperation.

"If I do let myself feel this," she finally rasped, "I want it to be because it's my decision, and yours. Not because we feel we have no decision." Her hand vanished. "Besides, I thought with Fiyero back with us…"

"I dearly love Fiyero. And I dearly love you, Elphie Thropp. Do I have to give you up to welcome him back?"

"That's presuming you had me to begin with." When Glinda raised a hand and laid it across Elphaba's neck, cupping it gently, Elphaba leaned into the touch, eyes sliding closed. "Nnh…"

"We deserve each other. Once, I would have thought that was a mean little joke, but now… now I want you to know that…" Giving up on teasing her, she pushed her face into the area she had been petting, feeling the heat of skin, the scratchiness of the collar further down. "Fiyero can't give me what you can anymore. And even if he could, I… I know it's strange, and maybe some would call it 'deviant', but… I want this from you more than from him. From anyone."

"You're only saying any of this because we were stuck with each other's company for two full years."

"Yes, I am. Two full years to appreciate who you are. To me."

Elphaba drew back, turning Glinda's face up to hers with a firm touch that sent chills straight down into every cell of her body, making her toes curl in, her palms tingle, her mouth open. She didn't kiss her. That was what Glinda had craved and hoped for, but she got something else. Something better.

"I would never have made it through those years without you. And I don't want to lose you, now or ever. You came into my life for a reason; I fully and wholeheartedly believe that, Glinda! In and through you, I have been changed…"

"For the worse?" Glinda said with a twinkle of mirth.

"Maybe. But I don't think so. Either way, it's for good. Forever." Their mouths were close again, within an inch of each other, and it felt wrong and right in equal measure, but Glinda dug in with all her might to keep from abandoning herself again, to respect Elphaba's hesitance.

"Do you want this?" There was clear hesitance, so Glinda tried to help calm her with a compromise. "Maybe just a little taste-test?"

"Yes. But I can't take it. Not yet."

"You can't, it's true. I'm giving it to you. There's nothing to take when it's a gift, Elphie."

"What if you taste so good that I can't ever stop tasting you?"

Glinda's soft little shoulder rose and fell, and she let her eyelashes flutter as she felt a single tear leak from the corner of her eye. It couldn't be helped; her heart was bursting and there wasn't room for them all inside it now. "Sounds wonderful to me."

"I will. I promise you that I'll stop; I promise myself. One taste."

Elphaba kept that promise. Her lips dove in, and Glinda returned the gesture with heat and gratitude, the way her hands gripped Elphaba's shoulders making it crystal clear that she wanted the moment to stretch on for an eternity. But when Elphaba pulled back a minute later, panting and weak, Glinda let her go with the smallest pang of regret marring her joy.

"That's all for tonight," Elphaba announced numbly as she rolled to face the other way. "S-sleep well, Glinda."

But when Glinda's arms encircled her, it was so much warmer and more familiar than they had ever dared been before that Elphaba had to clutch at the back of Glinda's hand, shivering and trying to let her anxieties pass even as Glinda was rejoicing.

"I always do when you're with me."

To Be Continued…

#The Coven Of Oz #forkanna writes #gelphie #gelphie fanfic #wicked fanfiction #forkanna the writer

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lily-onher-grave · 8 years ago

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Could you do 1, 31, 35, and 39 for gelphie?

1. “I don’t want to have a baby.” and 31. “Promise me you’ll look after your mom.”

It’s late, so late. One of the few hours of the night when, even in the richest districts of the Emerald City, everything has gone dark.

Glinda feels like she’s the only person awake in the entire city. She creeps from her bed and pulls an old quilt from the rocking chair in the corner. Behind her, Chuffrey grunts and rolls, but stays fast asleep. She’s glad–she knows he worries. But they’ve tried everything. The cooks bring her warm milk with various spices to settle her body; the cloaked hags in the dark corners of markets gave her endless wards and enchantments to settle her mind. Chuffrey himself bought the finest mattress and bed frame, ordered the softest, warmest blankets to be made. It never worked, though most of the time she could pretend well enough to convince him it did. She doesn’t particularly mind. At least she gets a few hours of solitude each day.

She wraps the blanket tight around her shoulders and steps silently out onto the balcony. It’s too cold, really, to be out here, but she doesn’t pay attention to that. She leans against the carved stone rail and gazes down the street. Everything is so still. Almost peaceful.

Lurlinemas, she thinks, knowing that it must be well past midnight. The thought makes her weary. She shifts, looking out at the city for something better to focus on.

She has no idea how she sees it–a cloaked figure, shadow within shadow, moving up the street. Glinda leans forward and squints. The figure is slow and stumbling, breathing raggedly, but there is something familiar about it. A dream, maybe, or a memory of one.

Or…

Glinda whirls around the moment she thinks of it. She hurries silently through the bedroom, down the stairs and into the front hall, where she flings the door open, searching the street desperately. “It can’t be,” she breathes, finding the figure again.

She remembers herself for a moment, and shrinks a little back into the safety of her home. But the hesitancy lasts only for a moment, and then she is moving, walking steadily down the street.

The figure raises its head as she approaches. “…Glinda.”

Glinda takes her in–nervous, darting eyes, shaking hands stained with blood, pale, green skin. She doesn’t ask questions. She’s not even sure her voice is working at the moment. She just bends down, wraps and arm around Elphaba, and supports her enough to carry her back into the house.

“Talk to me,” Glinda says half an hour later. They’re sitting in a side room on the first floor. Elphaba refused food and drink, and she flinched away when Glinda tried to examine the blood on her hands. All Glinda has managed to do is wrap her in a blanket and sit her in a chair. She stands at the far wall, keeping a few feet of distance–at least until Elphaba isn’t so skittish.

Elphaba is still, staring blankly at the floor between them. She makes no sound. Glinda takes a breath, tries to stay patient. Years. It has been years, and Elphaba can’t even look at her. They’ve spent so long apart, and now, standing in the same tiny room, she feels more distant than ever.

But something terrible has happened. Glinda has vague suspicions–it hasn’t been that long since she saw Fiyero–but she can’t fathom what has gone so wrong that Elphaba is acting like this. And yet, she came here. She came here, to Glinda. Somehow, that made up for everything.

As gently as possible, she tries again. “Elphie?”

Maybe it’s the nickname that does it. Elphaba raises her eyes just enough to look at Glinda.

“I don’t know,” she says hoarsely. “I don’t know what happened.”

It’s a lie, Glinda knows, but she stays quiet. Waiting.

“I came back and…he was dead.”

“Fiyero,” Glinda says quietly. Elphaba winces.

“I shouldn’t be here,” she says. She jerks, trying to push herself to her feet, but her arms shake and give out and she collapses in on herself, slumping in the chair. Glinda moves to kneel in front of her.

“Stay,” she says. “You’re hurt. Let me–”

“No. If they know–if they find you, too–”

Glinda sets her hands on Elphaba’s knee and presses gently, stilling her. “You came here for a reason,” Glinda says, gazing steadily up at her. “Let me take care of you.”

“I won’t put you in danger. Not you. Especially not you.”

Elphaba is almost babbling now–she shakes harder and her eyes dart all over the room–but still the words twist in Glinda’s chest.

“Then why did you come here?”

Elphaba purses her lips, but a hand drifts automatically to her stomach. Her fingers curl into a fist and drop quickly away, but Glinda caught the movement. She looks up and sees–maybe for the first time in her life–absolute fear in Elphaba’s eyes.

“Elphie…”

“I can’t,” Elphaba says hollowly. “I can’t.”

“Elphaba–”

“I don’t want to have a baby.” Elphaba flinches at the words. “You know what I’m like. I–this can’t–” She slumps forward, collapsing into Glinda, who rises on her knees to hold her. She stays silent as Elphaba cries–tight, dry sobs, muffled just enough to not leave the safety of the room.

When she quiets again, she pulls away. Glinda sits back on her heels and, in an attempt not to feel hurt, tries to think logically.

“What are you going to do?” she asks. “Because there are ways…”

Elphaba shakes her head. “Not that. Not when Fiyero…I can’t kill him again.”

“Then…stay here.” The words terrify Glinda, but she says them anyway, more frightened of what will happen if Elphaba goes again. “Or–not here. But with me. I’ll–I’ll leave Chuffrey. We can–”

“No.”

Glinda slumps. But really, she shouldn’t be surprised.

“At least let me take care of you.”

“I told you. I can’t–if they–” Elphaba’s voice breaks, and their eyes meet. Glinda forces down a sob.

Then, she has an idea.

In the shadow of the cloister of Saint Glinda, Elphaba doesn’t look back. She stays huddled on the ground, assuming that Glinda has fled after ringing the bell. Assuming that she has hurt her yet again, this time beyond repair.

Yet Glinda does remain, watching over her, ready to run in and grab her again if the door goes unanswered. The seconds stretch, and Glinda begins to hope that maybe, maybe no one will come, and Elphaba will turn back to her.

But then a young maunt appears at the door. “What is it?” she asks, and Glinda seethes. But she takes Elphaba in, and she closes the door behind them, and Glinda is left alone in the shadows of the street, standing beneath her church, as the snow falls quietly onto the early Lurlinemas morning.

It’s late, so late. The warm light coming from the cloister is one of the only parts of the city that isn’t dark.

Glinda doesn’t visit the mauntery often. In fact, she never does, choosing to drop her donations into the box in the church instead. She’s too afraid of what she will run into in the halls of the cloister. Too afraid of what Elphaba has become.

But it’s been seven years, and when she overhears one of the ministers at the church discussing Sister Saint Aelphaba’s upcoming journey, she decides that it’s time.

“Lady Glinda,” says the maunt who answers the door. Glinda gives her a small smile. She likes that, here at least, she isn’t Lady Chuffrey.

“It’s so late,” the maunt says, somewhat nervously. “Is something wrong?”

“No, no. I just… I’m looking for sanctuary, I suppose,” says Glinda. It sounds good enough. “A place to think.”

“Of course, Lady Glinda. You know our halls are always open to you.” And the maunt ushers her in, then disappears.

Glinda wanders silently through the cloister’s dark, hushed halls. She doesn’t know where she’s going, but she doesn’t hesitate as she takes each turn. She ends up outside a small room, the door opened just a crack. Without really thinking, Glinda presses her fingers to the door and eases it open further, slipping inside.

Elphaba is asleep on the bed–curled impossibly tight, just as she always slept at Shiz. Glinda aches at the sight of her, so much that she has to turn away. Her eyes fall on a young boy, sleeping on a thin mat on the floor, curled just as painfully tight as Elphaba.

Glinda steps closer and kneels beside the boy. She reaches out, her hand hovering an inch above the top of his head.

“I don’t know where you’re going,” Glinda breathes. The boy stays still, sleeping peacefully. She glances up at the bed, but Elphaba–lying with her back to Glinda–hasn’t stirred either. Feeling courageous, and with an odd sense of being outside of, beyond herself, Glinda presses her fingers to the boy’s hair, stroking it gently back. It’s a familiar gesture. His hair is just as silky as Elphaba’s.

“I know it’s far,” she continues. “With her, it always is. I suppose it fits. She traveled when she was young, too, you know. I wonder if you understand where you really come from. Who, exactly, she is. Not that she’s all that understandable, of course.” Glinda sighs a little. “No, I suppose you wouldn’t understand now. But maybe one day. Maybe, even, I can help you understand. I don’t know everything, but I know a lot. More than she gives me credit for.”

She strokes his hair again, almost like a blessing. “Promise me one thing…if you can. Promise you’ll look after her. Promise me you’ll look after…your mom.”

Glinda lets her hand fall. She lingers another moment, watching him. His face is still, his brow a little furrowed. All she can see is Elphaba.

She rises and moves silently to the door. She hesitates before stepping out of the room, forcing herself to look at the bed once more.

“Goodbye, Elphie,” she whispers. And then she is gone. It’s all she can do not to run from the room.

#hoo boy this one took forever #anyway #gelphie #wicked fanfiction #asks #prompts #thank you!

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kimmyiewrites · 7 years ago

Text

Because I Knew You ~ Chpt 6

As they were running to the guest rooms, they ran into Ro. He looked at his best friend, confused as to why she was in such a hurry. That was when he noticed Fiyero behind her. The Vinkus prince was no longer made of straw and was holding Addelaide’s spell book in his arms. “Which room did you place Boq?” Addelaide asked as she was catching her breath.

“He’s the second to last door on the right.” Ro replied, motioning down the corridor.

“Thank you!” She beamed before taking off running again. She and Fiyero skidded to a halt in front of Boq’s door and began to knock rather loudly.

“I can’t move as fast as I once did, so calm down!” He called out before he opened the door a few moments later. When he noticed a bouncing Addelaid and a non-straw Fiyero he realized what was about to happen. “You can change me back.”

Addelaide nodded, confirming his realization. Fiyero opened up the spell book and Addelaide began flipping through to find the spell she needed. When she did she began reciting it and just as with Fiyero, a bright light encompassed Boq before fading to reveal his original munchkin self.

Boq ran back inside of the room to look in a mirror. Addelaide and Fiyero were not too far behind. Boq was beaming at his reflection and when Addelaide came into view, he spun around to give her a tight, grateful hug.

Addelaide easily returned the hug. “You’re quite welcome. Now get some rest. You’ve had quite the eventful day.” Addelaide said as she and Fiyero bid him goodnight.

“The same goes for you as well. I believe I saw an open door as we were running. I think that is your room.” Addelaide said to Fiyero as they walked back up the hallway, hand in hand.

“Or we could raid the kitchen and stay up all night like we used to,” Fiyero suggested.

Addelaide laughed at the memories his statement brought up. “If only I could. I’ve got quite the list to get through tomorrow morning.”

Fiyero just rolled his eyes. “When’s the last time you didn’t think about your royal duties?”

“It’s not like I can just go to The Kells each weekend. Those royal duties are each and everyday.”

This time Fiyero sighed. He knew she was right. When he was a part of the guard he barely went to the Oz Dust Ballroom compared to when he was a student at Shiz. “I miss when all we had to worry about was how you were going to get me out of bed for our early morning class.”

Addelaide smiled. “If only. I”m just grateful that my citizens behave so I don’t have to worry about crime on top of everything else.”

They came to a stop outside of what was to be Fiyero’s room. Addelaide took back her spell book and Fiyero started to go into his room. He leaned in the doorway, facing Addelaide with a soft smile. “Being queen suits you. You’ve done a lot of good for your people. I hope to be half the leader you are one day.”

Addelaide took a step forward and reached out to caress his cheek. “You don’t have to lead alone, you know.”

Fiyero leaned into her touch with a smile. “You would really rule with me?”

Addelaide nodded. “Yes, yes I would.” She then leaned up and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. “Now get some rest. We’ve got a little girl to get back to Kansas.”

Fiyero smiled into the kiss, wishing her a goodnight before closing his door.

The next morning they all sat around the table, a breakfast spread laid out in front of them. Small chat was filling the room as they ate. Dorothy and Br had been quite impressed when they saw that Addelaide had returned Fiyero and Boq to their natural states. It made them excited to see what she could do for them.

“Were you able to find out how to send me home?” Dorothy asked as their plates were being taken away.

Addelaide shook her head. “That’s not so easily done, I’m afraid. I do believe, however, that you should visit Elphaba. Those shoes hold quite a lot of power and I’m not sure what spell she placed upon them. I’m sure if you were to explain how you got them, she would tell you if you promised to give the shoes back.”

Dorothy looked disappointed in Addelaide’s answer. “She doesn’t like me too much. I didn’t even mean to kill her sister anyway. Besides Glinda told me I shouldn’t give them to her.”

Addelaide sighed. Of course Galinda would make matters worse.

“Well, what if we went with ya?” Fiyero suggested. “I could maybe calm things down between you. Elphaba and I are old friends after all.”

Dorothy’s eyes lit up. “Really? You’d do that for me?”

Fiyero nodded. Boq was a bit reluctant to agree after his last run in with Elphaba but put his uneasiness aside so he could help Dorothy like he had promised to do. When Boq nodded, Brr followed suit.

“Will you be coming with us Miss Addelaide?” Dorothy asked, hopeful that all of her new friends would be joining her.

Addelaide smiled apologetically. “I’m afraid not. I must remain here to watch over my people. I wish you all the best of luck and will be more than happy to give you all any supplies you may need.”

“I’m sorry I’m interrupting but your goodliness, you have a few matters to attend to.” Ro said as he came up to the table, bowing.

Addelaide rolled her eyes. “Ro, what have I said about bowing?” She asked with a slight laugh as she stood. “Well, duty calls. Feel free to tell Ro anything you may need for your journey. Happy trails.”

She smiled and waved as she began to exit the dining room. “Wait, your goodliness, what about my courage?” Brr asked. “I don’t think Ro can give me that.”

The blonde turned around and walked back to the lion. She smiled and placed a hand over his heart. “Oh, my dear friend, you have had that inside of you this whole time. If you didn’t you would have never agreed to help this young girl find her way back home.”

Brr smiled and Addelaide kissed his cheek. With that she finally made her way towards the throne room. She was meeting with some of the group leaders from Munchkinland to discuss what was to happen next since Nessarose’s death. “Hello, my dear friends. I wish we were meeting under better circumstances but I suppose everyone in Munchkinland is quite excited?” Addelaide greeted as she entered the room and sat upon her ruby throne.

The three Munchkins bowed before replying. “Yes, we are quite thrilled that Nessarose’s reign is over and that we all can return home.”

Addelaide smiled. “I’m quite thrilled for you all to return as well although I must admit that I am sad to no longer have a need to work with the Lollipop Guild.”

The Munchkin in red came closer to her and presented her with a bouquet of lollipops. The Munchkins dressed in blue and green came up behind their friend forming a triangle formation as they got down on their knee. “That is one of the reasons we wished to speak with you Miss Addelaide. We would still very much like to continue to run the underground tunnels for anyone who may need it.”

She stood and walked down to accept the bouquet of lollipops. She smiled wide at their proposal. “Oh, I would like that very much!” She exclaimed as she returned to her throne. “Now what was the other matter you wished to discuss?” She asked once she had sat down, placing the lollipops to the side.

“Who will be our new mayor?” They asked in unison.

Addelaide nodded at their question, mulling over her answer. “For right now I would do whatever the Wizard or Galinda has told you all. We don’t want to shake things up too much and I’m sure the man already has some sort of plan. I do wish to be updated on the matters, though.”

The Munchkins rose to their feet and nodded. “Yes, your goodliness. We will start putting together a plan on how to move those who chose to stay here back and will keep in touch about all other matters.”

Addelaide nodded. “Sounds good. You all are dismissed. I wish you safe travels as you journey back home.”

The Munchkins thanked her as they left. Once the door to the throne room was closed she slouched in her throne and reached for one of the lollipops. Yes, she had just finished breakfast but these were the best lollipops she had ever had. Besides she was queen, she could do whatever she wanted.

#kim writes things #because i knew you #wicked #wicked fic #broadway fic #fiyero x addelaide #6 #here's the queue we started out as friends

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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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forkanna · 7 years ago

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NOTE: Well... Camp NaNo really shot my plan to keep up with this fic in the arse. I'm still recovering, really. Hopefully you can all forgive me! But I really do want to start posting this regularly until it's completely available now. Time makes fools of us all!

The only thing more crowded than a broom with two occupants is a broom with three. It was already obvious before they took to the air, and only became galling and inconvenient the longer they flew. Glinda was used to having Elphaba several inches in front of her, hanging on by way of her hands around her friend's trim waist. By this new arrangement, the petite blonde was literally in her lap, with Nessa hanging onto the back of them as if her life depended on it.

Which, in all actuality, it did — not merely because they were so high in the air, flying over hill and dale, but because there was no longer a place for her in Munchkinland. Despite the rumours of her hardline policies, Glinda had never expected to watch a coup d'état play out in front of her! But that was exactly the situation. Now, even if they dropped her off in another country, the Wizard and Morrible would definitely want to either clap her in irons, or bring her in for questioning about her sister.

"Everything is gone," Nessa was blubbering behind them as they began to near the Kells, and thereby the Vinkus. "M-my home, all of my things… Father's legacy, Mother… m-my Boq…"

"Time to face facts, Nessa," Elphaba sighed gruffly. "Boq was never yours to begin with; always too interested in Glinda."

"Don't remind me, or I'll knock her off this broom."

At that, Glinda couldn't stay silent anymore. "Really? That little pipsqueak gets it into his head that I'm his special lady, and it's my fault?! What kind of senseless sense does that make?"

"You led him on! With your… your blonde hair and your sparkly eyes, and y-your… your two legs that worked! And I didn't stand a chance!"

"Listen to yourself, little sister. Glinda can't be to blame for being born with an emerald spoon in her mouth, and she never gave him the slightest time of day." With a sigh, Elphaba then admitted, "No more than I could blame her for charming Fiyero."

At that, Glinda tightened her grip on the broom handle. "Y-yes… we both cared for him a great deal, and will miss him. I think it's… it's best we left it at that."

Elphaba's hands were around Glinda's middle, holding onto the broom. The only way she could show affection was to lean in and kiss her cheek, so that's just what she did, surprising the blonde. "I'm sorry I lost my temper back there, it wasn't very… well, I'm sorry, and I'm glad you were there to talk some sense into me. I just wasn't expecting- I mean, anyone but Fiyero! It isn't right, it isn't fair!"

"Bet you'd rather that house fell on me," Nessa sobbed. "W-well, so do I! Nobody wants me around anymore, n-nobody in Munchkinland, not…" She had obviously been about to mention Boq again, but caught herself. "All I have left to my name is these shoes…"

"Well, at least you have those, so why don't you dry up? Glinda's the one who's really experiencing a loss here; your would-be boyfriend is still alive! Sort of. But Fiyero isn't so lucky. Right, Glinda?"

With a heavy sigh, Glinda tried to piece together her thoughts. "You know… I'm still sad, and I know I'll want to have a good cry later. He didn't deserve this, not at all. But I… well, it seems like it's been so long since I've seen him, even though it was just a day ago! Before that, it had been years, I… well, what I'm trying to say is that I guess my schoolgirl crush wore off, that's all. Stupidifying, isn't it?"

After a few seconds, Nessa said, "I don't know what that means."

"Nevermind," Elphaba sighed, perching her chin on Glinda's shoulder by way of comforting her. "Glinda should probably write her own special dictionary."

But once they reached the Kells and began to pass into "Winkie Country", as Nessa kept calling it even though that was an outdated and offensive term, it was Glinda who requested they stop into the castle at Kiamo Ko, after all. He had offered it, and they all now agreed that it was the least they could do to pay their respects, and see what use they might make of it — Nessa less enthusiastically, but she agreed all the same.

The castle itself was not nearly the shining splendour that the Royal Palace presented. In fact, quite the opposite: it was dark, ominous, and forbidding. There wasn't much use in questioning why it had been abandoned. Severe crenellations lined the top of every wall around parapet walkways like fangs, gouging into the sky. The sprawling mass was dotted with circular towers, small windows that were dark and empty, pinnacles, bartizans, and a buttress here and there. Steep cliffs on all sides meant there was only one way in: the winding, rocky path that led up to the front door. Being caught off guard would either require flight, or for all inhabitants to be sleeping.

"Well, this is depressing," Nessa said immediately as they touched down on one of the landings. "Big, but depressing."

"My thoughts exactly," Glinda said. "But let's take a look around inside, shall we? Appearances can be deceptivatious."

A quick tour was enough to tell them everything they needed to know: it was empty. Every bedchamber had a bed and mattress draped with a sheet, but not made up. The enormous kitchens had bare cupboards, but were fully stocked with pots and pans, and a stove ready for wood. The pump for the well creaked but it worked. All in all, a workable living space.

Hours later, they had become separated from each other, and it took a goodly amount of time for Glinda to find her way to the throne room. It was nowhere near as impressive as the Wizard's, as covered in dust and cobwebs as the suits of armour and tapestries were. Once there, she decided to brush off the large, ornate throne and sit upon it, waiting for one of the others to happen along her.

Some life she'd turned out to have! Stuck in a dreary old collection of rocks with two witches. To be fair, she was also a witch now, as far as the larger share of Ozian society was concerned, but that was as unprecedented as the rest of it: what had led her to this life? She dreamed of the days of her youth, when her only desire was to be the Wizard herself. Even though her parents had tried to explain to her that only the Wizard could be the Wizard, she didn't care; it was the only job she wanted. That, or a mayor of some sort. Being a useless debutante with a powdered face and powdered wigs was not at all appealing.

Yet that was the direction she had been headed in before Elphaba helped her begin magical tutelage under Morrible. All in all, she had to say this was at least better than a future as some accent piece for a lordling.

Or Fiyero. That was a future that was no longer open to her. Tears threatened, caught in the back of her throat, but they wouldn't quite come. Maybe she was too exhausted. Or maybe… she wasn't as attached to him as she had once assumed. But it felt unkind to speak of the dead that way.

She had probably dozed off, because she didn't hear the door creak open; only heard it thud shut. Elphaba was there, a small magical flame held in her palm. Apparently, she and Nessa hadn't found each other, either.

"Hmm?" she muttered, still too groggy to say anything more.

"I've been looking all over for the both of you," Elphaba grunted. Spotting a torch in one of the sconces, she lit it with the flame and then let the magical one wink out. "This place is massive!"

"Yeah," she yawned, stretching out her limbs. "Ohhh, it is. Do you… think that's why it's abandoned? They just didn't have any use for all these rooms?"

Chuckling, Elphaba came over and squeezed into the throne next to her. "Maybe. Or that it was too difficult to reach on foot; that would be reason enough."

Glinda slipped an arm around her waist, grateful for the companionship. Elphaba seemed to have also been exhausted by all the walking and the events beforehand, because she let out a long, weary sigh. A few minutes passed in comfortable silence this way. Then the tears began, but only for Elphaba; her own eyes remained moist but did not leak. Maybe she had truly underestimated how much her companion cared for the previously-aloof prince. Was it always that way, or had his donning the uniform of a royal guard changed her viewpoint?

Some five minutes later, when she had dampened Glinda's shoulder enough for one day, she pulled back to wipe at her cheeks. "S-sorry about that," she finally breathed. "You m-must… be wondering why I'm so em- so emotional over someone who I d-didn't have m-much in common with."

"I am," Glinda admitted gently. When Elphaba cringed, she hurried to add, "But it's okay! Honest! It's… can you tell me how long you've had feelings for him? Or is that a little too personal?"

"We've lived together for two years, so it would be silly for me to say anything's 'too personal' now." They both chuckled sadly. "Um… almost as long as you have. Do you remember when we rescued that Lion cub from the classroom? It… started then. He was so kind and compassionate, even though he liked to pretend he didn't care about a twigging thing. But I knew he would only have eyes for you."

Did he? Glinda had to wonder. All she whispered was, "How did you know that?"

"Because you're perfect. You have style and grace, money, a dazzling smile. The scintillating siren of Shiz. And what am I? Just an artichoke."

"You're an emerald shining in a coal-black world," Glinda corrected her, squeezing her in closer. "And I'm not as great as all that. But thank you."

"Stop. We both know that not a single man in their right mind would ever want anything to do with me."

"We know no such thing! You're beautiful, Elphie; I told you, it just… takes some getting used to the green thing! But once you do, all you can see is your sharp, handsome features, your clever eyes…" Glinda reached up and caressed her cheek. "Warm lips…"

A moment passed as they held still. Then Elphaba turned away from her, hands clutching at the cloak where it covered her knees.

"I thought… you weren't going to bring that up again."

"Bring what up?" Then she blinked in recognition and ducked her head. "OH! Sorry! That wasn't- I didn't mean to make this about that, it was just a- I was trying to be complimentatious toward you, that's all!"

"It was a one-time mistake! I told you! And… and I wanted to put it from my mind completely, and here you are, dredging up old-"

"I'm sorry, Elphie, I really am," Glinda told her urgently, taking up her hand and squeezing it. "But at least I'm not teasing like last time; you had every right to be angry. I just… wasn't thinking about how embarrassed you were."

"Then why tease me now?!" she demanded, eyes haunted when she turned back to Glinda. The shorter woman felt sick to see the tracks of moisture on her cheeks, so used to Elphaba never crying as she was. "Isn't it all the more cruel?!"

"Teasing? How was I teasing?"

"You said I have warm lips!"

"B-but you do!"

Rolling her eyes, Elphaba scoffed, "Right. As if anything about me is warm! All sharp angles, like ice!"

"Your lips are warm, Elphie! All of you is! You're… I wasn't teasing or fibbing, it's the truth!" Swallowing hard, she shrugged and pushed ahead, "Yeah, we agreed not to talk about it anymore, but we never said we wouldn't think about it! And… well, I can't help it, a woman's mind wanders when she gets bored sometimes!"

Another silence. This one lingered, crept into their bones as they squirmed in the throne, which was large enough to seat two but now seemed too small in spite of that.

"I was just trying to keep warm," Elphaba told her softly. "You do believe that, don't you?"

"I… believe it's what you think. But I have wondered…"

"Wondered what?"

"Whether or not a little something else was skipping around in the back of your mind, and you just didn't realise it? And not just your mind, either." Though her friend shivered, she pressed on, "Of course, I know it would be unusual, though. Anything elsewise. Nevermind, forget I brought it up; I'm just being the same silly ol' me."

Elphaba's hands grasped Glinda's shoulders, and she again felt the excited, vulnerable feeling that sometimes swept over her whenever her friend was filled with that type of intensity. It was overcoming her all too often lately, and she felt her resolve against its portents weakening. The memory of that cold winter night, huddled for warmth in the cave behind Wicca Falls, lips meeting in a way neither of them intended for them to meet… it was one she revisited often, and with waning regret. By now, she cherished the memory — even if the passionate woman staring down into her eyes might feel differently.

"Why do you always insist that we don't need separate beds?"

As her pulse sped up another notch, she whispered back, "Wh-why don't you ever insist we do? Elphie, you know it takes two to tango."

"I already know that… that I could never ask for a better friend than you," Elphaba whispered, eyes still leaking as if she simply didn't know how to shut the water off. "Isn't that enough? Why are… does everything have to change?"

"Who says anything has to change? Maybe the change happened already, right under our noses." Then her eyelashes fluttered as she stared downward. "Listen to me, flustered and spewing out strange words, I… neither of us are those types of women, right? It's preposterosity personified! All I w-wanted to do was explain my comment about your lips being warm, so you didn't think I was teasing, or trying… to…"

When Elphaba's hand came up to cup her cheek, she froze entirely, waiting to hear what she might say. Once it came, everything not only unfroze, but began to pulsate with urgency.

"That you would want to see if they're still as warm as in the winter?"

Immediately, Glinda pulled away. She didn't want to, but it felt of the utmost importance. "Wait. We can't, we… okay, I th-think we're both a little fragile from what happened — from Fiyero. I don't know about you, but some part of me's been holding onto him as a kind of… 'default intended', even though we haven't seen him much lately. S-so it's natural when having someone pulled away from you like that, you… you reach for the next closest person to… take their place."

Elphaba was definitely listening. Her throat worked to swallow, and she smoothed down the front of her cloak and dress. "You're right. Absolutely right, it's just… this is not the time to… to figure this out. Not when we are still grieving."

"No, it isn't. But…"

"But?"

Glinda felt her face grow hot, her stomach full of a cyclone. "Tonight… when we sleep…" She pushed up from the throne, putting her back to Elphaba. Forcing herself to say more. "If you need me for anything… any kind of comfortatious purpose…"

"I won't," she told her firmly. "I'm not going to use you, just because I'm distraught over someone else. You mean a lot more to me than that!"

"Even if I'd be willing?" If only the blood would stop rushing in her ears, maybe she wouldn't feel so on edge!

"Even… then," Elphaba said, though with more uncertainty. "I… Glinda, you never cease to surprise me. Two years of friendship, and I still…" Another sob, but when Glinda whirled around it was to see Elphaba also standing, swiping at her eyes and trying to compose herself as best she could. "Thank you. I don't think I'll be needing anything like that, but there aren't words to tell you how much I appreciate the offer."

Glinda wrapped her up in a tight hug that had Elphaba grunting, and she returned it a moment later. "Elphie! If… if a house falls on you, I'm really… I can't handle that, I can't! Promise me you won't let that happen!"

A wet laugh escaped her before she whispered, "I'll glance up now and then, just for you." Petting over her blonde hair, she began to steer Glinda toward the door of the throne room.

~ o ~

They finally found Nessa in one of the towers, lamenting her existence and clinging to some kind of golden cap she had turned up in one of the cupboards. It looked fancy and expensive, but also garish; Glinda couldn't imagine there being a time when it would be in fashion.

"Why, Elphaba?" she whispered earnestly. "Was I just cursed from the beginning? My legs don't work, I can't win over the one man I care for… betrayed by my subjects, blamed for Fiyero… wh-what's the matter with me?"

Though Elphaba seemed about ready to say something unkind, Glinda put an arm around her and said in a gentle tone, "Nothing, dear! This is nothing more than a string of bad luck, that's all! I know you'll turn it around — we all will!"

"B-but you brought this on yourselves! You stole the Grimmerie, defied the Wizard! At least it makes sense he would turn on you! Why would the Munchkins turn on me? Didn't they s-see that I was only trying to keep them safe?"

"Oh, stop that," Elphaba spat. "We've already told you a dozen times why the Wizard turned on us, and you know it's no more our fault than the storm dropping a house on…" She had to bite back a sob. "Anyway, the Munchkins might have been safe, but they had no freedom. Of course they protested!"

"Who wants freedom if it gets you killed?! With you and the Wizard feuding, everyone's been in danger! Letting them go to the Emerald City, or even worse, the Vinkus?! They'd all end up-"

"You don't care one bit about them! You closed the borders to keep Boq from leaving you, and I'm not going to tolerate your bald-faced lies!"

At that, Nessa backed up a step, hands wringing the cap. "Y-you… w-well, of course I wanted to protect Boq, too! He's one of us! I wanted to protect us all, and he's the most important one to me, it's- they aren't separate! I can't believe you would accuse me of doing that for purely selfish reasons!"

"Nessa… I'm not going to listen to this anymore. In my opinion, you need to face the truth about yourself, and until you can do that…" She threw up both hands and turned toward the door, leaving both of them behind.

"Wait! Elphaba, please? I- I don't know what you want me to say! Fabala!" But Elphaba had already gone.

"Well…" Clearing her throat, Glinda patted her shoulder. "That didn't go very well, did it?"

"She doesn't believe me. Maybe we haven't ever been the closest of sisters, but… she really doesn't think I care about the rest of Munchkinland." Her face was stricken, ashen, and she pressed one hand to her forehead. "My luck isn't changing. Maybe it will never change!"

With a sigh, Glinda steered her over to the lone wooden chair that resided in the desolate tower room and sat Nessa in it. "You need to take a deep breath and think. Come on, has the Munchkin Country ever closed their borders before? Even during the old wars? No, that simply isn't done! Oz has always been an open and accepting kingdom!"

"B-but I… you and the Wizard, he was hunting everywhere…"

"Just say it out loud. Tell me why you really made that decree, just admit it to yourself!"

Tears leaked down her alabaster cheeks as she gazed down at the fists perched on her knees. But after a moment, she whispered, "B-because… Boq wanted to go to you. And I knew if he did, he'd g-get himself killed, and then I'd lose him forever, I… th-that was not something I could let happen!"

"There," Glinda soothed her, petting over her shoulders even as her own stomach was spasming at yet another instance of Boq's unwelcome affections. "You see? You can be honest."

"But it was still for everyone's good, I r-really believe that, even if… even if you're right, it w-was only for Boq that I first thought of…" One hand came up to swipe at the tears. "You and Elphaba m-must really think I'm a disgusting, manipulative witch to do something like this, b-but I swear to you now, Glinda, I… n-no one has ever mattered to me more than him, and if I let him go that easily, th-then my love wasn't real! But it was! Nobody thinks it was, but he was my one true-"

"That isn't how you treat someone you love," she corrected her. "I know, I know you were trying to protect him, but you can't do that by taking away his rights! That's the opposite of true love, that's… ownership!"

"NO! No, you're wrong! I never 'owned' Boq and I wouldn't want to!" But her sobs gave her away; she knew Glinda's accusation held a grain of truth, but admitting it would destroy her. Which her following words seemed to confirm: "P-please, Glinda, j-just… I can't!"

Those words sounded familiar. It took Glinda a moment to realise it was what she had said about handling a life without Elphaba. Same level of emotion…

"Listen," she whispered to Nessa. "Just for a moment. Now, I really do think you need to stop all this fibulation and own up to how you treated him — even if you didn't mean to," she overrode her impending protest. "Elphaba's cross with you because she thinks you're acting like a little Muchkinling pitching a fit, and, well… if the slipper fits…"

Glancing down at her own silvery slippers, Nessa whispered, "I… I miss him… I know you're right, that I'm acting very ungrateful, but I'm not! It's just… how can I be happy about being able to walk if I'm walking alone?"

"You're not alone. You have me, and Elphie. Or you will once you two can talk things out, anyway."

"Yeah." Giving a glum little nod, she let Glinda wipe away her tears and pat her on the head, even though they were almost the same age. "I'm… I need a little time. I tried to find linens for the beds, or food, but there isn't any… and all I want to do is curl up in bed and hate everything!"

"We all do, from time to time. Here, now — follow me. We'll do what we can, find what we can."

So Glinda and her friend's little sister set out to explore the castle, glum as the latter was. Something to busy their hands, since all they could think about was their lost loves. It would have to suffice.

To Be Continued…

#wicked #the coven of oz #Coven of Oz #wicked fanfiction #femslash #forkanna writes #forkanna the writer

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