The two girls - one blonde, one green - slipped out the school gates. Glinda looked around, a little frightened by the unfamiliar darkness. Suddenly, she felt something grab her shoulders, and had to fight to suppress a scream of fright.

"Boo," Elphaba whispered, giggling.

Glinda pouted, pulling away from her best friend. They walked silently for a couple of minutes, Glinda pretending to be angry with the green girl, then Elphaba silently slid her hand into Glinda's. Glinda almost jumped at the sudden contact, then looked up to see Elphaba attempting to mimic Glinda's famous puppy-dog eyes. She snorted with laughter.

"I take it I'm forgiven then?" Elphaba smirked. Glinda rolled her eyes and Elphaba grinned.

"You've never been out this late in your life, have you?"

"Of course I have!" Glinda replied, indignant. "Just never outside, and without a chaperone." She tossed a half-flirtatious smile at Elphaba, then leaned close, whispering, "Who knows what we could be doing out here on our own."

Elphaba nervously pulled her hand away from Glinda's, her face turning an odd colour Glinda hadn't seen before.

"Elphie! Are you blushing?" she squealed, too delighted with the effect of her teasing to remember to whisper.

"Of course not," Elphaba muttered, but she kept her face turned away.

Eventually, the two girls made it to the top of a hill a few blocks away from Shiz. Elphaba pulled Glinda up the last, steepest part of the hill, and watched as the other girl stared, speechless.

In the darkness, the Emerald City was visible, glowing like something out of a fairy tale on the horizon. Glinda was so caught up in the sparkling city that she barely even noticed Elphaba moving a little closer and slipping her hand back into Glinda's. Eventually the green girl broke the silence.

"So, is it worth sneaking out of school for?"

Glinda turned, registering Elphaba's closeness, and smiled.

"Definitely," she murmured. Elphaba blushed again, but neither girl seemed to notice. Glinda broke the moment, stepping back and giggling with delight.

"What?"

Glinda smiled, gazing at the moonlight shining on her best friend, making her green skin almost glow.

"The moonlight makes you pretty, that's all," she said. Elphaba rolled her eyes.

"Come on," she said abruptly. "We'd better get back." She set off down the hill, with Glinda in her wake.

Suddenly Glinda slipped, and careened right into Elphaba, knocking both girls off their feet. They rolled the rest of the way down the hill laughing, until they came to a halt, Glinda half on top of Elphaba.

Before Elphaba could react, the blonde girl leaned down and quickly, chastely kissed her. Elphaba blushed more deeply than Glinda had thought possible, making the blonde giggle.

"Glinda?" she said softly, uncertain. Glinda smiled.

"What did you think the point of sneaking out at night was?" she whispered, and bent to kiss the green girl again.

Eventually, they walked back to Shiz, holding hands in the dark. They carefully snuck back into their dorm room, taking off their shoes to move silently across the floor, each determined to keep their new relationship a secret.

They couldn't help the occasional lapse, though. They surreptitiously held hands under the desk during a biology class. Boq glanced at them, then at their joined hands, and raised his eyebrows. Glinda giggled a little and glanced at Elphaba, certain the green girl would be dying of embarrassment, but Elphaba's hand just tightened around Glinda's.

And oddly enough, the green girl wasn't blushing at all.