Galindafied

She was standing alone in the corner of the room, which wasn't, in itself, unusual. It was what she was doing that made his forehead crease in confusion and concern.

"Toss. Toss."

He knew Galinda was Elphaba's roommate. He had witnessed their mending of fences a few nights ago. It didn't matter to him. He was an easy-going, the path-of-the-least-resistance kind of guy. Life was generally smoother when everyone got along.

"Toss. Toss."

This bothered him though. His fingers drummed on his leg as he stared. Galindafied. She had been Galindafied. He wasn't sure why but it was really important that Elphaba stayed Elphaba. Convicted. Steadfast. True. Admirable…

He stopped the thought and gave himself a little mental shake. She was the opposite of everything he stood for. She chose the path of greatest difficulty, raised her head above the parapet, was a boulder in an otherwise free flowing stream. According to his life philosophy she was finally making the right choice…and he had to stop her.

He was beside her in two strides and she startled, her eyes momentarily vulnerable before they became defiant again. Her hair looked good down; cascades of ebony and the flower…He had to stop himself from reaching out to touch it. It suited her. He almost told her that, but it would have undermined his point.

"You know you don't have to do that," he told her instead, voice soft, eyes sincere and she looked stunned, bewildered.

There was something there, between them, hovering. A something that if he dared to explore it he knew his life would become a whole lot more complicated…

He was grateful that Doctor Dillamond came in, that they could retire to their seats, even as he found himself slipping into the one next to her so he could see her passion better and watch what it felt like to truly believe in something.

He got a lot more than he bargained for.