A/N: I thought the Wicked section looked awfully clogged up with Fiyeraba, and so decided I had to write a Gelphie oneshot to brighten things up.
Disclaimed.
Though she'd never admit it, Galinda knew that Elphaba, the way she looked at Elphaba, the things they talked about- these were her rebellion. Quiet, quiet thoughts, too small to be articulated but just big enough to grab hold of and smile deliciously at, small thoughts about this girl danced in Galinda's head. Silly things, things anyone would think.
But then, maybe not. And maybe that was what was so delectable about them. At first, they stuck their little heads in, quite innocently, when Elphaba was in a fit of passion, these thoughts that whispered to Galinda, look, look at her lips! The way they curve, roll out the words, those lips that never stop- never stop, unless something happened to stop them... Little monsters that made her blush, made her raise a hand to her mouth, distracted her, forced her to leave the room quickly.
But she soon grew used to them. In the beginning, she felt as though the whole world would hear these things she was thinking, surely, they were so scandalous that people across the room would turn and look at her, aghast. When this didn't happen, when she discovered that she could think AS LOUD AS SHE WISHED, and no one would realise a thing, she welcomed the thoughts, and though she still raised her hand to her lips when they came around (with scary regularity), the manicured fingers were held there to hide a smile.
In fact, soon they had taken residence in her brain. Sitting in lectures, staring with little subtlety, the crowd of them urged her to notice the curtain of Elphaba's hair, that endearing way she leant forward, always on the edge of her seat, the irritable way she tapped her foot when she disagreed with what was being said. They planned whole conversations for her, built fantastical scenarios in the air, so that soon the lecture hall would disappear quite completely, and the shock of a question directed at her scared her almost to death.
But though the monsters, all of them green and slim-figured in her mind's eye, managed to dominate so much of her inner dialogue, the outer one remained smooth and aloof. If Elphaba had noticed any change in Galinda's conduct toward her she did not let her surprise manifest in any perceivable form.
They had shouting matches that echoed down the halls and made the other girls twitter to each other about how one day those two will kill each other, mark my words!. The fights always seemed to start with something laughably irrelevant- Miss Elphaba, I'd thank you to refrain from spilling your oils in the bathtub, they leave quite a disgusting stain!-and end with a fierce intellectual battle in which Elphaba always mocked Galinda for being base and superficial, and Galinda always denied everything vehemently and accused Elphaba of being a hopeless bore.
In fact, Galinda found Elphaba to be anything but, and it was this deception that she loved most- that she could shout at the very top of her lungs words so opposite to what she thought, and still be completely convincing. She was no stranger to bending the truth, little white lies to prevent somebody's feelings being hurt; or necessary parental deceptions, but never this outright and uncalled for lying. The lies were secrets that she hugged to her heart, that warmed her.
And did she love angering Elphaba. That it was one of the easiest tasks she'd ever attempted made it all the more irresistible. She need only drop a nonchalant comment about the benefits of nationwide Unionism, and Elphaba would be at her throat with a piercing comment, as though she'd been poised to do so for days.
Elphaba, too, seemed to revel in their fights. Galinda never saw her as impassioned, as alive, as when she was defending something she believed in. In that way, they were the same. Elphaba was happiest when she was lecturing Galinda, and Galinda was happiest when Elphaba was lecturing her.
It was a perfect little cycle- until it wasn't.
Until the comments became more personal, until Elphaba was in danger- not of finding out the root of Galinda's supposed hatred- but of falling too completely into Galinda's act, of truly believing that Galinda despised her utterly.
An afternoon like a hundred before, and Galinda dropped a pile of thick volumes into Elphaba's startled lap, her brow furrowed and lips pursed.
"Elphaba. What are these ridiculous paperweights doing clogging up my desk space? I thought I'd made myself perfectly clear on distribution of the desk. See, I may be forced to share with you, egalitarian as this University claims to be, but that does not mean you're to go around throwing your possessions all over the room!"
She stopped and glared back down at her roommate, arms poised comically on hips. Elphaba was deathly silent. She sat up quietly, still not looking up at Galinda, and removed the books. Then she said in a carefully even voice, "My apologies, Miss Galinda. I had not realised my books were intruding on your study space. I'll be sure to be more thoughtful in the future."
Galinda stood frozen, her mouth slightly agape. This avoidance of conflict was incredibly foreign to everything Elphaba had done before. It would not have been more surprising had the green woman suddenly sprouted another head.
"W-well," she stuttered, "Good, then. Thank you. Yes."
She turned around and began to walk back to her desk, then swivelled and strode right up to Elphaba.
"No, actually, I've decided that's not good enough. Tell me why you're not fighting back." She demanded it, arms crossed.
Still Elphaba kept her gaze lowered. "I think by now it's clear, Miss Galinda, that you and I are destined to never get along, and recently I had the most wonderful idea. If we at least tried to be civil, everyone might benefit from a little more sleep on this floor."
Galinda tilted her head, incredulous. "Destined to never get along?" she repeated, eyebrow raised. "Why, Miss Elphaba, I'd never pegged you for a quitter!"
At this Elphaba looked up. "Well, Miss Galinda, ever since the day I stepped through that door I've been met with nothing but distaste and disdain! I realise you've been sorely insulted by your atrocity of an assigned roommate, but I would have thought you'd be over it by now! Tell me, would you, what I've done that has so offended, so injured you that you seek to make me repent for the remainder of our time together?!"
They were back on familiar grounds, at least, but this time Galinda felt not so much an elated superiority, but rather a sinking realisation. She quietened.
"You have been you," she answered, her voice very sad, "and that has been enough."
As the monsters that were screaming in her head blocked out everything else, Galinda ran out of the room, hand to her mouth to cover what, this time, was certainly not a smile.
Reviews, please? :)