A/N; Woke up with this idea in my head, couldn't get rid of it. Just a one-shot, but I hope you enjoy. It was a BLAST to write! GIANT sout out to Charlotte Ashmore for betaing!
Summary: Galinda and Elphaba kiss on a dare and it awakens some unexpected feelings. Can they work up the courage to say how they really feel? #Gelphie!
Disclaimer: I'm not Gregory MaGuire, Stephen Schwartz or any of the amazing people who made Wicked possible, I'm just playing around with my favorite musical!
I Won't Say I'm In Love
Nessa was the first one to notice it. Elphaba was coming toward her from down the hall, just like any other day before; they were heading to Politics class together. But she wasn't brooding and moody as usual. She wasn't shrinking into the walls like she always did. And the whispered nicknames that ordinarily would make her shoulders hunch as she clutched her books closer to her in an effort to shield herself from their hurtfulness, today seemed to roll off her like nothing more than a few drops of rain. Her shoulders were back, head held high, and she walked with a certain skip in her step. She wasn't smiling, but neither was she wearing her signature scowl or glaring daggers at everyone who decided to stop and point or laugh as they passed her. Her face had a certain glow to it that the younger brunette couldn't quite identify the source of, but she knew from intuition it had to be something good. she had to admit, this surprised her more than a little. Especially since Elphaba had told her about her plans of the night before and, understandably, hadn't been the least bit excited by them. Galinda had somehow conned her into attending a sleepover consisting of herself, Pfanne, and ShenShen, Galinda's two closest popular friends. Nessa had been astounded to hear that her sister had actually agreed to such an event. Elphaba detested social gatherings of any kind, and she found the idea of sleepovers extensively repulsive, mostly because, as Elphaba put it, they involved far too much "girl talk", a skill in which the emerald sorceress was severely lacking, and had absolutely no interest in improving upon.
And, even as persuasive as Galinda was, Elphaba could be as stubborn as an ox. How the bouncy blonde had ever convinced the green girl to join her on this little adventure completely befuddled Nessa. She suspected, however, that it had something to do with the Gilkin girl's notorious puppy dog eyes. They worked on everyone of course, but the younger Thropp had come to notice that her sister in particular tended to melt into a puddle of green goo whenever Galinda turned them on her.
As her elder sister came closer, Nessa's face broke into a cat-like grin and her eyes sparkled mischieviously. She squeezed her hands together in anticipation before waving enthusiastically at the sorceress. She had a sneaking suspicion that something pleasantly unexpected had happened at that sleepover, and her intuition told her it had to do with Galinda. Barely containing her excitement, she wheeled over to meet her sister halfway. Maybe those two stubborn asses were finally starting to acknowledge their blatantly obvious feelings for each other! Nessa crossed her fingers and tried to appear calm, but she was anxious to hear Elphaba's tale.
"Good morning, Fabala!" she chirped cheerfully, reaching up to give her sister a small hug.
Elphaba laughed and leaned down to return the gesture. "Morning, Nessie," she said, amused. "What has you in such a chipper mood this morning?"
"Oh… nothing." The younger girl shrugged and smiled slyly.
"Nessa," Elphaba quirked her brow in suspicious askance. "What are you up to?"
The brunette laughed good-naturedly, her eyes glinting in the morning sun. "Nothing, Fabala," she insisted as she began wheeling herself back down the hall beside her older sister. "I promise."
Elphaba just smirked and rolled her eyes. "Then why do you look so… mysterious, hmm?" she questioned knowingly.
Nessa waved her off. "How was your sleepover?" She asked instead, eager to jump past that small talk and find out exactly what it was that made her usually sullen sister so happy this morning.
Elphaba flushed, thinking back to the events of the past twelve hours. Galinda had inherently dragged her to "Girl's Night" at Pfanne and Shenshen's dorm. She had initially protested profusely, but the moment Galinda fixed her with those wide, innocent blue eyes of hers, well.. suffice it to say, she had been powerless to resist. And it actually hadn't been half as bad as she thought it would be. Until… Her cheeks burned hotter as she thought back to her roommate's idea of a spontaneous game of Truth or Dare. The first few tasks had been harmless; standard questions such as most embarrassing moment, silliest prank ever pulled as a kid, that type of thing. But then it had been Galinda's turn, and things had gotten… interesting.
Ever the one to try and be the best, even among friends, she looked Pfanne squarely in the eyes and challenged. "Dare."
Pfanne smirked, locking eyes with Shenshen and failing to hide a conspiratorial giggle behind her hand. Galinda, of course, hadn't thought anything off it, but Elphaba's stomach had twisted in nervousness and her palms dampened as they curled into fists. What were those two planning?
Pfanne's lips had curled into a cunning smile, and she narrowed her eyes in a calculating way. "Ok," she'd shrugged. "Then I dare you, to kiss the veg- Elphaba," she smirked.
The green girl's eyes bulged, and she couldn't even stutter a response. Her palms clammed up even worse than before and her face flamed. She glanced frantically between the two sniggering partners in crime and her roommate, wondering if she was actually going to go through with it- and whether or not she wanted her to.
Galinda barely blinked. She flipped her hair back nonchalantly and smiled shyly toward the sorceress. "Elphie?" she asked, batting her eyes pleadingly.
Elphaba's heart drummed in her ears. It was so loud, she wondered if anyone else could hear it. Her mouth was begging her to protest, but her heart and her mind wouldn't let her. Deep down, she realized with a jolt, she wanted the bubbly blonde to kiss her.
Unable to come up with anything witty, she could only smile nervously. "I'm game if you are." She cursed herself for not coming up with anything better to say.
Galinda grinned, and before she had a chance to mentally prepare herself, the blondes perfectly manicured hands cupped her face tenderly, her thumbs brushing lightly over the darker green of her blushing cheeks. Their eyes met, confident blue with her own uncertain warm sable. This was Glin, her best friend. She had nothing to fear except her own deep feelings for the girl and the small whimper at the back of her throat that threatened to betray those feelings to all present and waiting expectantly for the dare to commence. She gulped audibly as Galinda gently pulled her face forward and brushed her lips to hers. Electricity seemed to spiral from the joining of their lips to every nerve ending in her body, sending fire licking through her veins. Those pink lips molding so softly to her, pressing, sliding, tasting, were the best thing she'd ever felt in her short existence. For the first time since coming to Shiz, she felt truly alive.
At first, Elphaba was too shocked to do anything but sit there stiffly with wide, terrified eyes. But slowly, she began to melt into the kiss, her body responding automatically. All the 'Ooohs' and 'Ahhs' from her roommate's giddy friends faded away, and for a moment, it was just the two of them. A small moan escaped her as Galinda's tongue slid gently against her lower lip, once, twice, as she too seemed to lose herself in the feelings overwhelming her. She parted her lips and gasped as Galinda's tongue swept into her mouth to caress the roof of her mouth, and every crevice she knew would bring her friend pleasure. It was with great reluctance that Galinda pulled away with the simple need to breathe.
When they finally separated, Elphaba had to remember how to make her own lungs work. She felt like she was on cloud nine, She'd never felt so energized before. If this was a sugar high, she never wanted to come off it. It was only the fact that they weren't alone that Elphaba didn't pull Galinda back to her to kiss her again.
"Wow!" Shenshen exclaimed with a chuckle. "Galinda, you never told me you were such a good kisser! Did that feel as good as it looked, Elphaba?" she asked cunningly.
"Yeah," chimed in Pfanne. "Because it looked HOT!"
Elphaba's cheeks flushed and she peeked hesitantly at her roommate, who was grinning expectantly. Her cheeks were colored a deep pink. Had she felt it too? Suddenly, the sorceress was utterly terrified. The kiss had sure felt real, but what if it was all just an act to impress her friends? "I..um... " Elphaba tried to respond, but her mouth felt like it was full of cotton balls; she couldn't utter a word. She gathered her sleeping bag and rolled it up, not meeting anyone's eyes, least of all Galinda's, as she bolted to her feet. "I have… to go." She muttered hurriedly.
Galinda's brows creased in confusion and there was a glint of hurt in her bright eyes. "Wha-? But Elphie-" But Elphaba didn't stay to hear the rest, sprinting off into the night before her roommate could finish her sentence.
Even this morning, she was still on a high from the brief kiss. Her first kiss. The wonder of it. The adrenaline that had filled every cell of her body. It was the most magical thing she'd ever felt.
And she was still mentally kicking herself for rushing off like she did. Galinda must hate her. It wasn't that she didn't love Galinda, she did. A lot. But she was also scared out of her wits to admit it. What if her friend shut her out? What if she was repulsed by Elphaba's confession? What if it was all just a cruel joke? She didn't know what her friend's response would be, but she was too chicken to find out. Whenever she tried to get close to anyone, they would only pretend to befriend her long enough so they could play some heartless prank before freezing her out again.
The sorceress sighed. If there's a prize for rotten judgement. I guess I've already won that. No one is worth the aggravation. That's ancient history, been, there, done that.
She sealed her lips with new determination. She wasn't going to let emotions get the better of her again. Galinda couldn't love her. Galinda was perfect and she was… well, green. It just wasn't possible. Not gonna happen. Period. The end.
So, then, why couldn't she squelch the flame of hope in her chest? Elphaba gritted her teeth and rolled back her shoulders. She had to stop thinking about that Ozdamn kiss! But every time she tried, it just burned clearer in her mind… and her heart. The green girl groaned in frustration and ran a hand down her face. What's wrong with me?
"Fabala?" Nessa asked, tugging on her sleeve. "Are you alright?"
"What?" Elphaba shook her head. "Oh, sorry, Nessa. Yes, I'm fine."
Her sister smiled and squeezed her hand. "Good," she smiled. "So… tell me about the sleepover; what happened?"
Elphaba shrugged and tried to push back the moment that kept cycling around in her mind. "There's nothing to tell, Nessa! Nothing interesting happened, just a bunch of girl talk." She threw in a bored scoff for good measure.
Nessa crossed her arms defiantly. "Come on, Fabala! I know you better than that! You're practically, glowing! Something good must've happened!"
Elphaba paled and her hands flew to her cheeks. She was glowing?
Oh, Oz! she thought. Am I really that transparent? She tried to brush it off with a breathy laugh. "I'm serious Nessa! Nothing happened!"
The young brunette rolled her eyes and smirked. "Uh, huh, sure."
No chance, No way. I won't say it, no, no.
"It didn't!" she huffed again.
Her sister stifled a laugh. "Right. Okay, Fabala." She winked at the green girl, who sucked in a startled breath. "I'll see you in Politics." And she wheeled off down the hall, leaving a dumbfounded Elphaba to stare after her.
Could everyone see through her today? She banished the thought and followed her sister in a daze.
Who does she think she's kidding? Nessa laughed. Galinda's obviously the earth and heaven to her! She might be able to hide it from herself, but certainly not from Nessa! Oh well, she shrugged. If she won't admit it to herself, we'll just have to admit it for her.
Later that day, Nessa met up with Boq at their regular lunch table. "Hey, Boq! Guess what?" she asked, her eyes alight with glee.
The munchkin laughed at his girlfriend's infectious enthusiasm. "Ok," he grinned, pushing his textbooks out of the way and focused exclusively on her. "I give up," he laughed. "What?"
"I think Fabala's in love!" she squealed, unable to contain her excitement.
"Wh- What?" the munchkin's eyes went wide and he nearly spit out his juice from shock. "El? In love?" He just couldn't picture sarcastic, witty. Elphaba falling for anyone at Shiz; everyone was so… peppy. "With who?"
Nessa swatted his arm. "Come on, Boq! It's not that odd, is it?"
"For Elphaba?" he raised an eyebrow and nodded. "Oh, yes, it is."
His girlfriend laughed, "Alright, you got me there. It's not like her, but trust me, it's happening. She was practically on cloud nine walking to Politics this morning. And she was glowing the more she talked about that sleepover Galinda dragged her too!"
"Glowing?" he choked. "Nessa, are you serious?" he asked, baffled.
"Deadly." The brunette nodded her head. "She tried to conceal it, but I knew better. I know that feeling." She grinned at the munchkin, who blushed furiously. "And she was definitely thinking of someone."
Boq chuckled. "Well, alright then. Do you have any idea who?"
Nessa bit her lip. "She wouldn't say." Her mouth curled into a mischievous smile. "But I'm pretty sure it was Galinda."
This was a bad time for the munchkin to choose to take a drink. He began coughing violently and Nessa slapped him on the back until apple juice spewed across the table. "Are you ok?" she asked, concern lacing her voice.
"Y- Yes," Boq gasped, taking a few deep breaths. "It's just… Galinda? Are you sure?"
Nessa deliberately placed her hands on her hips and raised a challenging eyebrow. "And what," she asked, "is so wrong with that?"
Shifting nervously in his seat, Boq gulped. Even in a chair, his girlfriend could be quite intimidating when she was angry. "N- nothing," he assured her, "It just caught me off guard, that's all."
"Good," the younger Thropp smiled. "Because here she comes now."
Boq looked up and followed where her finger was pointing, ducking his head back to study his food the minute he caught sight of the green girl. "What do you want me to do?" he whispered uncertainly from the side of his mouth.
"Help me convince her to talk to Galinda," she hissed back.
Boq gasped. "What?"
Nessa rolled her eyes and fixed him with a steely glare. "Look, it's obvious Fabala loves her and-"
"It is?" Boq interrupted, his face scrunched in utter befuddlement.
Nessa huffed and whacked her forehead. "Yes," she reiterated. "It is. Just trust me. And I'm almost positive Galinda feels the same way. Now we just have to get them to admit it to each other."
"Ookay." The munchkin tried to follow along. "But how are we supposed to do that?"
Nessa rolled her eyes and slapped the table. "Oy! Okay, just sit back. I'm about to teach you the art of the pep talk."
Boq shrugged; that was fine with him. He obeyed and went back to studying his Ozonomics textbooks. His girlfriend sighed before plastering an encouraging smile on her face as Elphaba came and sat down.
"Hi, Fabala!"
Immediately, her sister's chocolate eyes narrowed in suspicion and Nessa winced. Okay, so maybe that was a bit too happy a greeting. Ooops. "Ok, Nessie," she admonished, taking a bite of her salad. "What were you two scheming about?"
"What makes you think we were scheming about something?" she asked, innocently batting her lashes.
Elphaba smirked knowingly. "Because, both of you got extremely quiet the minute you saw me, and now you're trying to butter me up by being super peppy, even though you know that never works. That only happens when you're scheming."
Her sister flushed guiltily and Elphaba grinned. She was caught; hook, line, and sinker. "Ok, so maybe we were scheming…" she admitted.
"I knew it!"
"But that's only because it's so obvious that you love Galinda and you're too afraid to tell her! We were beginning to think we'd have to do it for you!" She gestured to herself and Boq, who was, thankfully, still buried in his textbook.
Elphaba gagged and her face lost at least three shades of green before she was finally able to regain her breath. "Wh… What?" she screeched, flummoxed. "Nessarose! How did you… Don't you dare say a word!"
Her sister laughed and placed a gentle hand on the green girl's arm. "Relax, Fabala," she soothed. "I won't say anything. And I know because I'm your sister. I know you. And I know you love her."
Elphaba stared at her lunch tray, suddenly not hungry in the least. She said nothing, and wouldn't meet Nessa's eyes.
It's too cliché; I won't say I'm in love.
"Why won't you talk to her?" she asked gently. "Just tell her how you feel."
"Because…" the sorceress stuttered. "Because it was just a stupid kiss!" she fumed. "It was a dare! I don't... "
"It didn't look like just a kiss." Her sister countered. "I may not have seen it. But I saw the way you were acting this morning, Fabala. You looked so happy." She smiled sweetly. You were swooning and shying. And smiling in a way I haven't seen you smile since we were kids! Galinda made you smile like that, Fabala. Why do you keep denying it?"
You're way off base, I won't say it!
Elphaba sighed. "You just don't get it Nessa," she said with a sad shake of her head.
Get off my case, I won't say it!
"What?" her sister asked tenderly. "What don't I get?"
"I'm green," Elphaba stated bluntly.
"Fabala-"
"And every time I've tried to get close to someone," she continued as though her sister hadn't tried to interrupt. "Every time I think I might have a chance to make a new friend, let alone a-" she lowered her voice to a whisper, "a girlfriend; they just…" She trailed off and shook her head sadly.
"They just what, Fabala?"
"They take my heart and stomp on it," she retorted bitterly. "And I can't- I won't- go through that with her too." She locked gazes with her sister. "Please, Nessa, try to understand," she begged, her eyes wide and desperate.
"I do." Nessa patted her hand and smiled softlly. "You know I do, Fabala. But I'm almost positive Galinda would never do that to you," she added.
"How- how do you know that?" Elphaba's words trembled.
Nesa's grin widened and she squeezed her hand reassuringly. "Because I think she loves you too."
Elphaba's head shot up in surprise. "S- she does?" she asked cautiously, hope flaring in her chest.
Nessa nodded. "Yes, she does."
Elphaba smiled brightly before it disappeared as she let her gaze drift back to her lap.
Nessa frowned and bit her lip. "I know you're scared," she whispered sympathetically. "But, please, think about it?"
Elphaba was silent, but her thoughts were whirling.
I thought my heart had learned it's lesson. It feels so good when you start out. My head is screaming, "Get a grip, girl!" Unless you're dying to cry your heart out.
She'd had her heart shattered so many times already; did she really want to risk it again?
You'll never know what you can do if you don't try, Fabala. Her mothers voice echoed in her head. A slow, tentative smile crept on her face. She'd always been quick to heed her mother's advice before, so why not now?
"O- okay," she whispered tentatively. "I'll- I'll try."
Nessa beamed and wrapped her right arm about Elphaba's waist. "Good, I'm proud of you."
The green girl hugged her back, but butterflies- pfft! more like condors!- fluttered in her stomach. Could she keep her promise? She wasn't sure, but she was going to try her best.
Little did she know that halfway across campus in Pfanne's dorm room, a certain bubbly blonde was asking herself the same question.
"You can't keep denying your feelings, Galinda," huffed Shenshen. "We know you like her."
"Yeah, honey," giggled Pfanne. "We're not buying it. We saw the kiss last night."
"And it was hawt!" her friend insisted. "I know you hit the ceiling when you kissed her! Why can't you just admit it?"
Galinda rolled over on her stomach and groaned into the spot she'd taken up on Shen's bed. She grabbed a sparkly purple pillow and placed it resolutely over her head. "I can't be in love with her!" she wailed pitifully.
This scene won't play, I won't say I'm in love.
"Why not?" asked Pfanne.
The blonde sat up and clutched the pillow to her chest, flicking her gaze incredulously between her two friends. "Because… Because it's Elphie!" She threw up her hands in exasperation. "She's my best friend and my roommate! I can't- I can't just fall for her," she stressed again. "And why are you two even encouraging this, anyway? You hate her!"
"We used to hate her," Shenshen corrected as she came to sit beside the distressed blonde. "But she makes you happy, Glin. And as your friends, we want you to be happy."
"Shen's right," Pfanne agreed. "You should talk to her, Glin."
You're doin' flips, read our lips: You're in love.
The blonde caught her lip between her teeth and chewed at it anxiously. "But, what if… what if she doesn't like me back?" she asked.
Shenshen and Pfanne glanced incredulously at one another before bursting out laughing. Galinda harrumphed and tossed the pillow to the floor.
"Honey," Pfanne gasped as she wiped tears of mirth from eyes. "If she doesn't' like you after that kiss, I will personally call the nuthouse to have them drag her away!" she exclaimed.
"Yeah. It's so obvious she's head over heels for you," Shen put in.
Galinda's somber eyes brightened. "Really? Ya think?
"Girl, I know!" Pfanne waved her off. "Talk to her."
"And don't forget to tell us all the juicy details!"
Galinda laughed and hopped of the bed, giving each of her friends a quick hug before strutting out the door. "Alright!" she declared resolutely. "I will!"
That night, Elphaba crept carefully in her room to find Galinda lazily lounging on her plush pink duvet with her nose buried in a book. "Glin?"
Elphaba's eyes lit up at the sight of her roommate and she snapped the book closed. "Oh, Elphie!" she fumbled. "Hi."
The green girl laughed, "Hi, Glin, nice to see you too." She walked into the room and slipped out of her shoes before plopping down on her bed.
"How was your day?"
"It was… ok." Elphaba fiddled nervously with the corner of her sheets. "Listen, Glin," she finally managed. "About last night…?"
"Yes?" the blonde asked. Her voice was curious and hopeful, but Elphaba could swear she heard a twinge of anxiousness mingled along as well. She gulped audibly and pushed forward.
"It's just… the kiss…." she trailed off cautiously and peaked at the blonde, whose face had surprisingly brightened. Elphaba's heartbeat quickened and a small smile curled on her lips.
"What about it, Elphie?" she asked, nervous, but more so excited.
Elphaba bit her lip, but could no longer keep the smile off her face. "Was it… was it real?" She queried, but the warm feeling igniting itself in her stomach made her pretty sure she knew the answer, though she could barely begin to believe it.
Galinda beamed and winked saucily. "Would you like to find out?"
Elphaba's eyes widened in disbelief, but she couldn't keep the glee from them. Was this actually happening? "I…"
Before she could say another word, Galinda pulled her into a loose embrace, giving the emerald girl a chance to back away if this wasn't what she wanted. Slowly, she closed the distance between them, fitting her lips to Elphaba's.
There was no stiffness, no expected awkwardness as Elphaba smoothly relaxed into her. She twined her arms about the girls neck and pulled her closer, shutting her eyes and deepening the kiss. Pure elation spread through every cell in her body. She never wanted this moment to end. She opened for Galinda immediately, letting herself feel the delicious tingles coursing over her flesh in waves as their tongues slid sinuously against each other's. It was more than she could have hoped, more than either of them hoped, to have their feelings returned. Galinda cupped the back of her head, adding firm but gentle pressure as she gasped against her lips, trying to contain the overwhelming pleasure of simply kissing her friend, wanting to hold her in place to prolong it, share it, savor it. Her lungs burned with fire as she dragged her lips away from Elphaba's, placing a soft kiss to the corner of her mouth, trailing along the smooth curve of her jaw to her ear, slipping the lobe between her teeth and tugging gently.
Elphaba's breath came in sharp pants as her arms tightened about the blonde girl,
reveling in the pleasure of Galinda's touch. Wherever this was going, she knew she could no longer hold back, no longer hide. She wanted her, needed her and would deny herself no longer. The words hovered on her lips as Galinda trailed a path of fire from her ear to the curve of her neck, three simple words that begged to be spoken. She loved her and now was confident Galinda returned her affection. Happiness burst alive anew in her breast, but she didn't speak, for fear of shattering the moment.
At least out loud, we won't say we're in love.
The End