It was cold.

Cold, cold, cold.

To be fair it was wintertime, but it was particularly bad on that night with the whipping wind and the stinging ice as a heavy blizzard descended on Shiz.

Despite all that, Galinda was as comfortable as she could wish. She was bundled up under four plush blankets and at her feet a bed warmer filled with coals fresh from the fire, and she could still taste honey on her lips from the hot sweet tea before bed.

Yet she couldn't sleep. Huffing with frustration, she pulled her comforter to her chin and glared at the dark ceiling overhead, trying to figure out why she couldn't sleep. She was tired and warm and full- the perfect recipe for well-deserved rest. Then she heard the faint rustling of fabric and a small, quiet sigh from the other side of the room. Again.

Galinda glanced over at her roommate and could faintly see the dark outline on the bed, shivering under a thin blanket.

She looked so cold. So small and miserable.

"Elphie…. Psst, Elphie."

"What?" Elphaba said through clenched teeth.

"Can you sleep?"

She muttered something and said, "Of course not! It's too cold."

"Want to come sleep with me?"

There was a long pause then a harsh, resounding "No."

"Come on!" Galinda said, and in her excitement she sat up then immediately fell back down as her skin bristled at the rush of frozen air. With a full-body shudder she burrowed further down between her sheets. "You've gotta be freezing. And my bed is sooo soft and warm…. just come sleep with me. Just for the one night."

"Absolutely not."

"Why?" Galinda whined, peeved that she even had to argue about it. "What, do you kick in your sleep or something?" If it had been the other way around- which would never happen, just a purely hypothetical situation- she would come over in a heartbeat. Actually, she'd probably jump in her bed whether or not she invited her.

"No, that's not… I'm not doing it, and that's the end of it."

So she wanted a battle of the wills, huh? Galinda thought, glaring at the lump on the bed.

"Think of it logically." That would get her, Galinda thought smugly. She loved logic. "If you're freezing all night you won't be able to sleep well, and if you don't sleep you won't do well on your exams tomorrow. It's like I'm helping you study or something."

Elphaba merely grunted and jerked her shoulders forward in response.

"Oh come on!" Galinda whined.

"Enough!" Elphaba said, so cold and severe than Galinda almost felt ashamed. "Just, just leave me alone. Don't worry about me, all right? I'm fine. Just go to sleep." Her voice fell to a whisper, and then silence.

Galinda turned onto her back and again found herself staring up at the shadows etched on the ceiling and listening to the wind outside their window.

For perhaps a minute, or five, Galinda closed her eyes and tried to not think about her roomie. Her friend.

Galinda mentally prepared herself, took a deep breath and leapt out of her bed, taking in a gasp of air as her feet hit the cold floor. Despite the great desire to wrap her arms around herself for warmth, she kept her hands thrust down at her sides and loomed over Elphaba.

"Miss Elphaba Thropp!" Galinda cried out, making the girl jump with a flail of her arms. "If you don't come sleep in my bed I swear I will stand right here. All. Night. And it is freezing so you'd better-"

"Fine!" Elphaba shouted back, sitting up and throwing back her blankets. Galinda could feel her glare and was delighted nonetheless.

"Oh thank goodness!" Galinda said as she grabbed Elphaba's arm and pulled her the three feet to her own bed. Without preamble Galinda burrowed beneath her blankets and squirmed around to warm herself back up. Elphaba came in more slowly, her nightgown rising and bunching above her knees as she stuck her scrawny legs between the sheets, taking absurd care to not disturb them. Galinda watched as she finally seemed comfortable enough to lay her head down and pulled up the heavy layers of blankets over them, tucking in the edges.

"Not so hard, now was it?" Galinda said sweetly, beyond pleased with herself.

There was a soft sigh of pleasure from the other girl, and Galinda felt the shift of fabric as her feet found the muffled pan of coals.

"Fine, you were right. This is nice." She relented, relaxing and letting herself sink down.

Galinda beamed and realized that this- this- was what she was missing. Who would have guessed? Laying beside her, Elphaba was warm and soft and comfortable…

Actually. No. That was a lie.

Elphaba was far from warm. Truthfully she was freezing, from her icy feet to the cold braid draped over her ruffled pink pillow.

And no one would ever call the other girl soft- she was thin and knobby, all hard angles and spite. Elphaba needed more softness, Galinda thought absently as she found her cold hands and rubbed some warmth into them, keenly aware of the twig-like fingers, the hard bones of her wrist.

She wasn't very comfortable either. Between two girls her bed was far smaller than she would have liked. Just a couple inches over and she'd be on the floor. The very cold floor, she reminded herself. She squirmed an inch closer, her face very close to Elphaba's.

So maybe she wasn't warm, or soft, or particularly comfortable, it was… it was nice. Good.

"Galinda?" Came a soft whisper.

They were so close that, even in the darkness, Galinda could see the faint shine in her dark eyes, the sharp green of the tip of her nose.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you." Elphaba murmured.

Galinda felt a surge of warmth within her that had nothing to do with the mound of blankets laid over both of them. She closed her eyes and was glad that Elphaba couldn't see how much she was smiling.

"Sleep well."