Antebellum
More often than not, Galinda is the one whom everyone sees first. She is the sun, irrepressibly bright and undeniably eye-catching, born to be the centre of everyone else's lives. The glow of her ever-changing moods can be scorching and cruel, harsh rays drying rivers into deserts with her callously self-centred actions; but she can also be gentle and warm, bathing her surroundings with light and endearing herself to everyone around her with her sweetly naïve smiles.
Then there is Fiyero, tall and confident, right by the blonde's side. He is a storm cloud on a fine day, unexpected and full of surprises, perhaps not quite as perfect as he first appears to be. He shares some of the brightness of the sun, but with a darker, more jaded edge to him. With him comes the distant rumble of thunder and the flash of unbridled passion.
Only then does anyone notice Elphaba, patient and unassuming, just half a step behind her companions on Galinda's left. She is the clear blue sky, always present, but rarely noticed and even more rarely appreciated. She is their constant, their rock, steadfast and unchanging. Just as the sun shines brightest in a cloudless sky, it is the presence of clear weather that emphasizes the thrill of the impending storm that much more strongly.
When they are all together, they are a natural phenomenon, a magic to behold that is quite unlike any other.
.
.
.
Sometimes, it was Fiyero who needed the others, the sunny attitude that Galinda always donned and the stubborn obstinacy that only Elphaba possessed. Other times, it was the girls who decided on his behalf, much to his displeasure, that he needed them.
Truth be told, he never did quite figure out how he went from partying all night, every night, to sitting at his desk, staring despondently at the very blank worksheet before him.
It might have had something to do with the two girls standing on either side of him, hands on their hips as they unconsciously mirrored the other's stance, waiting for him to pick his quill up and get started.
"Galinda…" He turned to pout beseechingly at his tender-hearted girlfriend, only to wince when he saw the unforgiving expression on her face. He didn't even bother to cast a glance at Elphaba—there was no help to be found there, seeing as she was obviously the mastermind behind this ridiculousness in the first place.
"Don't you try that on me," Galinda retorted, exchanging a glance with her best friend when she faltered for a moment under Fiyero's well-practiced puppy eyes. "Elphie's already explained it twice now."
"Yes, you should know your own situation best out of all of us, seeing as you've probably been in the same one in all the schools you've passed through," the green-skinned girl snorted, folding her arms impatiently. "You're one failure away from getting kicked out of Shiz now, and we're being good friends by trying to prevent that. Imagine what that would do to your relationship."
"Yes, exactly!" Galinda's voice was shrill with renewed determination. "Whatever would you do if you were apart from me, dearest? You absolutely have to start studying and doing your work if you want to stay by my side!"
Fiyero swivelled around to stare at the blonde once more, unsure how to respond to her statement at all. "But—" he started plaintively, only to be silenced by the sharp sound of Elphaba clearing her throat. Slowly, he turned back to the sinisterly waiting piece of paper sitting on his table, his face scrunching up in despair.
"Come on, Galinda. We have to work to finish too, don't we?" The two girls retreated to his luxurious bed—how very inviting it seemed right now—where their own notes and textbooks were scattered about.
"See, we'll be right here if you need any help, Fiyero!" his girlfriend called bouncily. "If I can skip out on a shopping trip with Shen Shen and Pfanee to study with Elphie, you can do the same!"
"Yes, do let us know if you require any…encouragement." Something about the acidic tone to Elphaba's voice told Fiyero that her idea of encouragement probably wouldn't mesh well with his idea of encouragement at all.
With the loudest, most despondiary sigh he could manage, he reached out and flipped his History textbook open for the first time.
.
.
.
Some days, although she would never admit it, Elphaba felt like Fiyero and Galinda were the only two pillars of strength she had to carry her through life at Shiz. She had always been strong, but that didn't make her invulnerable.
It was second nature for the three of them to adopt this formation when they walked—Galinda in the centre, stealing the spotlight that she felt was so rightfully hers, while the other two flanked her, occasionally exchanging glances of similar amusement or impatience. It all depended on the blonde's conversations of the day and how long they lasted.
But ever so occasionally, a badly-concealed snicker might be heard, or a whisper of "artichoke" would spread its way through the halls, especially if Galinda and Fiyero looked particularly engrossed in their respective conversations.
Not that Elphaba's expression ever wavered—as if she would give them the satisfaction of knowing that it still stung, even now—but almost immediately, Galinda would fall back and loop her arm around her best friend's, her angelic features dimming with obvious anger. Fiyero would draw closer to the green girl's other side, brows raised scathingly as he cast a cool glance around at their schoolmates.
Together, the two of them would sweep Elphaba swiftly away, ensconced snugly between them with the tiniest smile of gratitude on her lips.
Once, Fiyero had gotten into a fistfight with the boy who had started the whole thing, with Galinda cheering very enthusiastically along at the side, leaping up and down in excitement with every smack that resounded through the hallway. He had thought the three weeks of detention a fair exchange for avenging Elphaba's honour, and Galinda had even offered to help him write half of his lines.
Elphaba, however, had not been so amused, and after facing her wrath, neither of them had dared to try any noble stunts like that ever again.
.
.
.
As perfect and carefree as she appeared to be, Galinda had her downs too—days when she sank into a dark silence rather than exploding into the temper tantrums they had all come to expect and knew how to deal with. In a way, that was scarier than even Fiyero's moodiness or Elphaba's prickly anger—the blonde lived to brighten up people's lives, and when her sunshine was diluted by the absence of a smile on her face, nothing seemed right in the world.
"I don't mean to be horrid, dearest, but even you did better than me on this test," she sniffled pathetically, drawing her knees up to her chin.
Moving one of her fluffy pink pillows out of the way, Fiyero shifted closer to his girlfriend and put an arm around her, pulling her close so that her head was leaning against his shoulder. "Well, it's just one test," he said, stroking her hair soothingly. "We all know that you're still going to beat me into the ground when results are released at the end of the year anyway."
"Yes, it's only one test," Elphaba agreed readily as she re-entered the room with a mug of hot chocolate in her hands, her face softening at her best friend's blotchy face and red-rimmed eyes. "Here, I added a few marshmallows too."
"It's just that…I really studied for that test," Galinda confessed miserably, even as she began to sip slowly at the warm drink between her hiccups. She might have been air-headed at times, not to mention undeniably blonde and an avid lover of pink, but she hadn't gotten into Shiz through looks alone.
Fiyero shot Elphaba a grateful look, a smirk beginning to play about his lips. "It's okay, not everyone can be as freakishly perfect as Elphie."
"Fiyero!" A choked sort of giggle escaped from Galinda as she shifted to send him a somewhat half-hearted frown. "You know that I'm the only one who's allowed to call her that!"
Elphaba raised a brow. "That's it? You're not going to refute his claim that I'm a freak?" she grumbled, looking insulted at the extent of her best friend's support.
"Well…" Galinda grinned slyly. "It's not false, you know, Elphie. It just isn't possible for anyone to consistently score above 95 on every assignment in every class—except you."
"I hope you both know that you're utterly ridiculous. I'm going to study. I have a quiz tomorrow," the green-skinned girl declared, stomping over to her table in a disgruntled huff.
"And…I think our point has just been proved." Exchanging a glance with Galinda, Fiyero promptly burst into laughter, the damp tissues littering the bed around them already all but forgotten.
With her back facing her two friends, Elphaba rolled her eyes and shook her head, a tiny smile on her face at the sound of their laughter.
.
.
.
To an outsider's eyes, they couldn't be more different—the belle of the school, the subdued outcast, and the carefree prince. And yet it is easy for anyone who takes just a step closer to see that they complement each other, playing off each other's strengths and weaknesses with a casual comfort born from the deepest friendship.
Every once in a while, the combination of three such different elements might culminate not in an act of magic but in a natural disaster instead, ruining everything and everyone in its path.
But no matter how mature they might feel, they remain young and idealistic teenagers at heart, and they are a team. A team that believes they are unbreakable and inseparable, a team that believes in happily ever afters.
("I've just had the best idea, dearest! How about we name our firstborn Elphaba?"
"Even if it's a boy?"
"Well, I guess we'll find out soon enough, won't we?"
A smirk, a delightedly scandalized squeal, and the thud of a forehead meeting the table.)
A/N: To be honest, I always thought that Elphaba's "we barely know each other" was pretty ridiculous, and the only reason it worked was because—well, Galinda being Galinda. I'd like to think that Fiyero wouldn't spend years of his life searching for a girl he barely even spoke to. Besides, this always makes me happy, just pure Gelphiero (?) friendship without any of the overhanging romantic tension :)