Elphaba gulped. This had been a horrible idea. The blinding sun, the hot sand, the glittering water…it made her skin crawl. And dammit why must she show so much of it!? She'd tried to cover up but Glinda, that lovable fool, wouldn't have any of it. Not only had Glinda convinced her to go to the Oz-damned beach, she'd also convinced her to go shopping. For swimsuits. Glinda had taken her to this high end boutique…and begun grabbing skimpy scraps of cloth for her to try on. Tiny triangles meant to expose more than conceal…Elphaba had quickly snatched the nearest one piece – black of course – and run to the cashier.
That was how she found herself on the beach wearing this uncomfortably small piece of clothing. Her verdigris was on full display. Green legs, arms, back…chest. Elphaba sat down on the towel the boys had laid out, her knees wrapped tightly to her chest.
Glinda on the other hand had no such discomfort. She was frolicking in the water, engaged in a splash war with Avaric and Fiyero. She was wearing this absolutely tiny pink bikini, barely concealing her modesty. Her perfect hourglass figure was on full display. Her wet hair was flying in the surf, golden ringlets shining brilliantly in the sun.
Elphaba blushed violet when she realized what – who – she'd been staring at. It was already an exquisite torture living with her, being exposed to those sheer chemises and nightgowns. But this time Elphaba did not have the protection of her books and covers. She did not have anywhere to hide.
Elphaba gulped once more. For at this very moment, Glinda was walking up to her with a mischievous look in her eye. When Glinda neared, Elphaba tried not to stare at the expanse of pale, smooth, wet, skin available to her gaze. She tried. Glinda's cheeky smirk told her she failed.
"See something you like Miss Elphaba?" Glinda said, a twinkle in her eye.
"I-I was just checking to see if you had been sunburnt!" Elphaba stammered out. She refused to give Glinda the satisfaction of knowing she had caught her looking.
"Mm, yes, wouldn't want that." Glinda had seemingly let her off the hook, but the slight curve of her lips told otherwise.
Glinda sat down, but only to grab on to Elphaba's arm and rest her still wet head on Elphaba's shoulder. Elphaba tensed. The soft press of Glinda's body combined with the intimate caress of Glinda's hair sent shivers throughout her body.
"Isn't this nice Elphie? I told you this would be nice." Glinda broke the momentary silence.
"If you say so my sweet." Elphaba muttered out, all too distracted.
"Oh Elphie! You simply must come swimming with me!" Glinda suddenly exclaimed.
If it were possible, Elphaba tensed even further. Technically, the water could not harm her, despite what some of her idiot classmates may think. But the wide ocean, and the crashing waves, and the people, were all positively terrifying.
"I don't swim." Elphaba replied somewhat coldly.
"I'll teach you!" Glinda said, unfazed.
"You go on my sweet, I'll be fine here."
"Pleaseee? We'll ditch the boys and go somewhere they can't see us." Glinda pleaded.
Elphaba was about to respond in the negative when she turned to look at Glinda. She saw Glinda pouting, mere inches from her own lips. Glinda looked at her with wide, pleading eyes. Elphaba's true mistake however, was disentangling her arm from Glinda's grasp. For Glinda put her palms on the towel, her posture accentuating her breasts further and –
"Okay!" Elphaba exclaimed, jumping out of her seat on the towel, scrambling to stand up.
"Yay! This is going to be so much fun I promise!"
Elphaba and Glinda walked to a secluded portion of the beach. Several large rocks protected their privacy from prying eyes. The whole time, Glinda never let go of Elphaba's hand, casually swinging it between the two of them as they walked. The two slowly approached the water, until they were standing in the moist sand. The cool surf just barely touched their toes.
Glinda let go of Elphaba's hand to walk ankle deep into the water. She motioned for Elphaba to follow.
"C'mon Elphie!"
Elphaba's only response was a furious shake of her head. She wrapped her arms around herself, seeming to fold into herself. With every passing second her posture seemed to become more and more crooked, her normally imposing height becoming lesser with each movement.
Suddenly, Glinda's petite frame was wrapped around her. Glinda was only tall enough to rest her head on Elphaba's chest, but she took full advantage of the opportunity to snuggle into the rarely exposed verdigris. Elphaba remained tense for a moment, but Glinda's warm embrace coaxed Elphaba from the nausea and anxiety she had been experiencing earlier. Despite Elphaba's confusing feelings regarding her beloved roommate, she knew one part was certain. Glinda, in all her exuberant silliness, her feigned ignorance, her attempt at superficiality, was her friend. Her best friend. And even though there were…moments, which Elphaba dare not dwell on, Glinda would always be her friend. So Elphaba returned the embrace, wrapping her long green arms around Glinda and burying her nose in Glinda's hair.
"I'm sorry my sweet, you must think me a frightened fool." Elphaba whispered.
"It's okay. We don't have to do this." Elphaba could feel Glinda's voice reverberate through her chest, and it sent a comforting tingle throughout her body.
"No, I said I would, so I will." Elphaba steeled herself in determination.
Glinda slowly detached herself from Elphaba, but still maintained a gentle hold on Elphaba's hand.
"Together?" Glinda said.
Elphaba nodded quickly, the complicated mess of embarrassment, anxiety, and fear too difficult to communicate with words.
Together, they took a step. The water lapped gently at their feet, coming up to just under their ankles. Another step, then another. The water came to just below their calves now. Elphaba was holding tightly on to Glinda's hand, face in a focused scowl. Three more steps brought the water to mid-calf. Elphaba shivered, and not from the cool water. She ignored it, gritting her teeth. Another couple steps brought the water to her knees.
Elphaba was breathing heavily now. Glinda rubbed a soothing hand over her back.
"You're okay. See? Everything's fine." Glinda said.
Elphaba's breathing calmed, slowly returning to normal. Slowly, she turned to Glinda, giving her a smile.
"It appears I am alright." Elphaba said. She released her grip on Glinda's hand, standing by herself in the water. Glinda was simply beaming, incredibly happy with her friend's success.
The smile did not last long however, as Elphaba suddenly scooped water in her hands and splashed it on Glinda. Glinda squealed in shock, looking at Elphaba in disbelief.
"Isn't this fun, my sweet?" Elphaba said with a grin.
"It will be." Glinda replied. She started splashing water at Elphaba, the green girl turning away from the aquatic assault.
The two exchanged attacks, until both were soaked in water. Both of them stood, an unspoken truce having fallen between them. That is, until, Glinda decided to try a new tactic. She launched herself at Elphaba, taking care to guarantee that Elphaba landed in very shallow water. Elphaba yelped in surprise before the two of them fell tumbling into the shallow surf.
"I win." Glinda declared, as she had landed on top of Elphaba.
Elphaba simply smiled, regarding Glinda with tenderness. "As you always do, my sweet."
"The winner should have a prize." Glinda said. The mischievous twinkle from earlier had returned.
Elphaba, suddenly cognizant of their position, blushed. "And-and what shall that be?"
Glinda put her hands on either side of Elphaba's head. Slowly, impossibly so, she bent her head closer, and closer to Elphaba's. Their faces were separated by mere inches now. Elphaba could see the dark flecks of blue in Glinda's crystalline eyes. She could see the glowing sun touched skin, yearning to be touched. With the sun setting behind them, Glinda's hair took on a brilliant fiery sheen. Elphaba was paralyzed, both with want and restraint.
Glinda pressed her lips to Elphaba's blushing cheek. Elphaba was too shocked to react to the tender sensation. And then Glinda was standing up again, as if nothing had passed between them.
Elphaba absently accepted Glinda's hand and got to her feet. She quickly let go and brushed the sand off her body. She was certain that Glinda was speaking, but could not for the life of her focus on a single word. Oz she could still remember every moment. She could still feel Glinda's hot breath on her face and see the dark blue of her eyes connecting with her own. The barest sensation remained in every part of her body that Glinda had touched. Her hips, from where Glinda's thighs had straddled her. Her cheeks, from where Glinda's hair had touched. The soft press of Glinda's delicate lips on her cheek. And Oz she could even feel the press of Glinda's breasts against her own. How close her lips and been, just a mere motion and –
Elphaba furiously shook the thoughts from her head, angry at the betrayal of her mind. Damned fool, do not dare even entertaining such notions. She wrapped her long arms around her lean frame, walking quickly ahead leaving Glinda to match her pace.
"Elphie are you okay?" Glinda asked, quickening her steps to catch up to Elphaba.
"I am perfectly fine." Elphaba snapped. Immediately she was ashamed for her harsh response. She wasn't angry at Glinda. She was angry at herself, for feeling this way. Yet she didn't dare apologize, afraid as she was of her true emotions revealing themselves. So she simply grit her teeth and stalked onward.
The rest of the walk passed in uneasy silence. The sun had almost set now, setting the beach ablaze in a dark orange glow. Elphaba cursed the setting, mocking her with its perfection. She cursed the fact that she had agreed to this entire ordeal, cursed the fact that it had forced her to confront her burgeoning feelings for Glinda. But most of all she cursed herself for having these feelings in the first place. These ruinous, cruel, exquisitely painful feelings threatened to destroy the unquantifiable friendship that the two of them had built.
Step by uncomfortable step, the two of them made their way back to where the boys were. Fiyero and Avaric had built a poorly constructed bonfire. Behind it, they'd also set up the tents, with some mediocre degree of proficiency. Off to the side, Crope and Tibett alternated between horsing around in the cooling sand and poking fun at the prince and aristocrat. Boq watched the entire scene from the warmth of the fire, a look of quiet contentment on his face.
"So, it appears our dear damsels have returned to us!" Avaric called out slightly drunkenly. It appeared that the boys had opened the wine bottles without them.
"You were gone a long time ladies. Whatever were you doing?" Crope said with a waggle of his finely crafted eyebrows.
"Mmm alone with just the beach and the sun…scandalous!" Tibbett said, dramatically fainting into Crope's arms.
Ignoring the taunting, Elphaba stomped back to her bags, grabbing a shapeless navy blue frock and walking to the change rooms.
She saw Glinda grab a diaphanous silk robe and casually slip it on. It was translucent in the gentle firelight. Even in the change rooms, she could hear their voices.
"What has the vegetable in such a huff?" Avaric jested.
Glinda muttered something, but only the barest sound of her voice could be heard. The boys left it at that however, and Elphaba knew that Glinda must have defended her, the damned lovable girl. Elphaba knew that she would have to apologize to her. She knew she had been cruel earlier. It was no fault of Glinda's that Elphaba could not control her feelings. It was painful, heart-wrenchingly so, that Glinda would never reciprocate. The intense tenderness Elphaba felt towards her seemed unbearable at times. But Elphaba knew that it would never be more than close friendship. For her…that was enough. It had to be enough.
Elphaba finished changing, walking out of the change room to head back to the group. A brief silence had settled upon them, save for the early chirping of crickets and the crackle of the bonfire. The muted crash of waves on the beach could still be heard a ways away.
"You idiots, is that supposed to be a fire?" Elphaba brusquely stated upon re-entering their vicinity. She consciously avoided eye contact with Glinda.
"Fiyero my boy she is criticizing our magnificent bonfire!" Avaric protested somewhat drunkenly, nudging Fiyero.
"We worked hard on that!" Fiyero further defended.
"It's pathetic." Elphaba deadpanned.
"As if you could do better." Avaric stated with bravado. Crope and Tibbett oooh'd and ahh'd at the challenge.
Elphaba's only response was a snort. She grabbed the tongs they had used and in moments quickly re-arranged the pitiful mess of wood into a respectable bonfire.
With the fire going, she turned back to face the boys only to find them all regarding her with various degrees of shock. Crope and Tibbett dropped their jaws. Avaric glared at her with a mixture of incredulity and grudging respect. Boq even looked like he was in awe. Out of the boys, only Fiyero looked faintly impressed. Glinda was the only one who wasn't looking at her, focusing intently on her fingernails.
"How –"
"You –"
"I had to build one for Nessa every day." Elphaba interrupted.
"Did you not have servants for that?" Fiyero queried. It was to be expected. Being a Vinkun prince, he had lived a life of supreme privilege. It was thus natural to think that Elphaba, being the Thropp Third Descending, would have similar comfort.
"Ha!" Elphaba let out a dry cackle. "Father was a Unionist Minister, he did not believe in servants. Of course, he was too busy to take care of Nessa, so that duty fell to me."
The group did not know how to properly respond to that. Fiyero simply stared, both perplexed and intrigued. He had decided to stay shirtless, revealing the blue diamond tattoos decorating his back and arms. Elphaba turned away, growing slightly uncomfortable under his stare. The normally jovial couple of Crope and Tibbett were subdued. Boq was silent. It was Glinda's reaction though that intrigued Elphaba. Glinda was usually so honest around her, every expression so freely given. But Elphaba could not decipher what it meant when Glinda was looking at her with that gentle smile. Glinda was beatifically regarding her with those large, beautiful eyes, and Elphaba almost physically felt herself fall further.
"Oh Oz, or Lurline, or whoever, this is a bore." Avaric said, regaining his swagger. "We have half a dozen bottles of my father's Gillikin reds, and a couple more of Munchkinland mead." He quickly passed out bottles that had been buried in the sand, yanking the corks out and tossing them aside. When he had finished, he fished out his own bottle of whisky.
"Bottoms up ladies and gents."
Elphaba regarded the drunken revelry of the people around her with a somewhat critical eye. She herself was mostly sober, despite having drank a bottle of Munchkinland mead herself. She couldn't get drunk: just another facet of her cursed biology. Avaric, Fiyero, and Boq were tossing rocks into the sea, engaging in the machismo so typical of drunken males. Boq would occasionally glance at Glinda, trying to get her attention. He knew he had no chance, yet alcohol had a way of dulling reason. Glinda for her part would deflect with a giggle and a swig of her bottle. Crope and Tibbett were dancing absently by the dying fire, humming a tune only known to them. Normally they would be more subtle than this, but both were too drunk to care.
Elphaba herself sat by the fire as well, staring into the embers. They were quite pretty she thought, but in the way that a wilting flower is. Still beautiful, but in a fleeting sense. Though perhaps the desperate temporality made it all the more breathtaking.
Soft, featherlight footsteps on the sand nudged gently at her thoughts. Elphaba glanced up to see Glinda making her way towards her. Before she arrived however, she stumbled and fell on to the cool sand. Too drunk to care, Glinda flopped herself on to her back, lying down beside Elphaba. She groped randomly around the sand and proceeded to fish out another bottle of the Gillikin red.
"I think you've had enough, my sweet." Elphaba said softly. She glanced down. Glinda's face was flushed, and her silk robe was left open, haphazardly exposing her bikini clad body to the starry night sky.
"Oh so she does care. Here I thought you would hate me all evening." Glinda retorted petulantly.
"I – I'm sorry." Elphaba stammered out. "You did not deserve that."
Glinda faltered. Elphaba so rarely apologized, truly apologized, for anything, that Glinda didn't seem entirely certain how to continue.
"I'm still drinking this."
"Okay." Elphaba acquiesced with a sigh. She did not want to disturb Glinda further.
Glinda sat up, adorably brushing sand out of her thick blonde hair. She grabbed the cork on the bottle, trying – and failing – to pull it open. Elphaba found all of this tremendously endearing and felt her heart tremble in response. After struggling for a moment, Glinda turned to her and wordlessly asked for help.
"Don't you start with me. If you wish to further inebriate yourself you must do so on your own." Elphaba half-heartedly resisted.
This resistance was swiftly shattered when Glinda started pouting, her bottom lip jutting out and her eyes widening.
"Ozdammit give it here."
Glinda happily handed the bottle over, grinning in triumph. In one swift motion Elphaba yanked the cork out and tossed it into a nearby bag. She handed the bottle back to Glinda, who promptly took a long swig
"Do you want any?" Glinda asked, holding the bottle out.
Elphaba reasoned that Glinda was otherwise likely to finish the entire bottle herself, so she grabbed the bottle and drank long and deep.
Elphaba gave the bottle back to Glinda, who took a sip before saying, "It's so awful that you can't get drunk."
Elphaba secretly agreed, as she imagined the mindless escape may perhaps be pleasant at times, but instead said, "I would rather keep my wits about me than lose myself to this buffoonery." As if to prove her point, in the near distance Boq stumbled in the surf and supplanted himself into the ocean.
"Always so rational, you." Glinda was looking at her oddly now, as if pondering the mysteries of the universe on the sharp lines of Elphaba's face.
Elphaba grunted, uncomfortable with Glinda's sudden scrutiny. But it passed just as quickly as it came on, as Glinda snuggled up to her closely. Elphaba could smell the remnants of her perfume mixed with the salt on her skin and the alcohol on her breath. Glinda's soft hair tickled her shoulder. Glinda had wrapped her arms around Elphaba's body, and Elphaba could feel the warmth of her palm pressed against her stomach.
It was at once too much and not enough.
After a while, Elphaba could feel Glinda nodding off on her shoulder. Gently, she untangled herself from Glinda, only to scoop her up in her arms moments later.
"We are going to bed my sweet, alright?" Elphaba gently whispered.
Glinda nuzzled her head against Elphaba's chest. "My knight in ugly armour."
"Do not make me drop you my pretty fool."
"You would never."
Elphaba wasn't quite sure how to respond to that, so she carried Glinda the rest of the way to their tent in silence.
Gently laying Glinda down, Elphaba said, "Come my sweet, you must get changed."
Glinda nodded petulantly, before slipping off her robe and tossing it aside. Before Elphaba could realize it, Glinda was stripping off her bikini. Elphaba turned, but not before receiving an eyeful of perfect, silky smooth skin. Her face was flushing violet now, intently trying to ignore the fact that Glinda was likely naked right beside her.
"Elphie have you seen my nightgown?" Glinda softly called out.
"In – in – the purple bag!" Elphaba stammered in response.
A few moments of rustling clothing later, and Glinda announced she was ready. Turning, Elphaba was greeted with the stunning sight of Glinda in a thin, pink nightgown that exposed her beautiful legs. Glinda crawled towards Elphaba, dragging her bedspread with her. She placed it beside Elphaba's.
"I'm sleeping with you tonight." Glinda stated.
Elphaba opened her mouth to protest, but before she could utter a word, she found herself silenced by the soft press of Glinda's lips on her own. She was lost by the sensation of Glinda's lips on her own, fusing so gently with her own. Elphaba could taste the alcohol on Glinda's lips, mixed in with something that was undeniably Glinda. But just seconds before it started, Glinda pulled away, resting her head on Elphaba's chest and curling her body into Elphaba's side.
"Good night Elphie." Glinda said, before promptly falling to sleep.
Elphaba was left breathless. Don't hope, don't dream. But maybe…. For the rest of the evening, Elphaba's thoughts continued in this fashion. For what must have been hours, Elphaba pondered the day's events until she finally fell asleep out of exhaustion.
Elphaba awoke to the feeling of hair tickling her neck. She opened her eyes to find Glinda draped halfway atop of her, one leg throw haphazardly over her own, and an arm over her chest. Glinda's head rested snugly on her chest, nestled gently beneath Elphaba's chin. Elphaba found she could not move, pinned as she was under Glinda. She also found that she did not particularly want to.
It was still early, judging by the soft light shining through the tent. It was quite likely none of the boys were awake yet, given that they had been on quite the bender the night previous. So Elphaba savoured the moment. This moment, where Glinda was snuggled so perfectly against her, where Elphaba could pretend that this was normal, that it was somehow acceptable to want her roommate in such a fashion. Glinda stirred in her arms, but relaxed once Elphaba began rubbing soothing circles on her back.
"Be calm my sweet." Elphaba imperceptibly whispered.
This was enough. If all they could ever be was this, this was enough. The thought was sad, in a way. To know that one day, Glinda would be married to some pompous duke, or baron, or lordling of some kind. Such was the life of an aristocrat's daughter. Elphaba was glad that her verdigris and ambiguous nobility spared her such a fate. She could only hope that somehow the noble lucky enough to wed Glinda would deserve her and make her happy. She knew that this was an impossibility though, Glinda was too intelligent and ambitious to ever be satisfied as a glorified homemaker. And what would Elphaba be to her then?
But these thoughts were distant. In the present, in this moment, Glinda rested gently in her arms, and Elphaba would make her as happy as she could be.
For a while longer, perhaps an hour or so, Elphaba simply lay there. Save for the chirping of birds, all was quiet. Eventually, all things must end, and Glinda began to stir once more in Elphaba's arms. She curled herself even closer to Elphaba, turning her body so that they were almost chest to chest. The motion seemed to make her realize where she was, and ever so gently, Glinda opened her eyes.
Elphaba, feeling Glinda move about, opened her eyes and tilted her head to look at Glinda. She was greeted by Glinda's brilliant blue eyes staring back at her. Glinda gave her a small smile.
"Thank you Elphie." Glinda's voice was slightly rough from sleep still.
"You are welcome, my sweet. Did you sleep well?"
"Yes, your chest makes a wonderful pillow."
"I do not see how, I have naught but bone and skin there."
"Well then the bone and skin is quite comfortable." Glinda declared.
Elphaba paused. She wondered how much of last night Glinda remembered. Did she remember their almost-fight? And the kiss in the tent at the end of the night?
"How are you feeling?" Elphaba asked tentatively.
"Never felt better." Glinda answered with a smile.
"Does your head hurt? Do you remember everything?"
"Elphie, I am fine. I did not hit my head while drunk, do not worry."
Elphaba knew she would get the answer to her burning question. She hated to bring it up now, but she had to know.
"You kissed me. Last night, in the tent, before you fell asleep. Do you remember that?" Elphaba's tone had sped up. She would much rather be having this conversation sitting up, but Glinda had thrown her leg fully across Elphaba's waist, effectively straddling her.
Without hesitating, Glinda replied, "Yes. I kissed you Elphie."
"Why?" Elphaba asked, her voice becoming more desperate.
"Because I wanted to. And you wanted me to as well."
"You were drunk, you could not possibly have known that."
"Was I wrong?"
"No but –" Elphaba paused, realizing what she had just admitted. Glinda had a wide grin on her face, seemingly quite pleased with eliciting this confession from Elphaba.
"So…you wanted to kiss me. Or did you want me to kiss you? You were unclear." With every word, Glinda slowly moved closer, until their heads were almost touching. Glinda's luxurious blonde curls fell around them, surrounding Elphaba's vision such that all she could see was Glinda's soft visage.
"I – I –" Elphaba was at a loss for words. Never could she imagine that Glinda might want her too. That Glinda would be teasing her like so.
"I'm going to kiss you now, okay?" Glinda said, her expression full of tenderness.
Elphaba nodded. She closed her eyes. Mere moments later, her lips met with Glinda's. Glinda's lips were just as she remembered, immeasurably soft and pleasant. This time though, Glinda did not pull away so quickly. Their lips moved against each other, both savouring the simple sensation. Glinda was patient, only gently capturing Elphaba's upper lip. Pressing one last kiss to Elphaba's lips, or perhaps finishing the first, Glinda pulled away, breathing hotly on Elphaba's face.
Elphaba was completely, utterly breathless. Her eyes remained closed as she tried to contain her joy and passion. For months now, she had dreamed of this moment, but had never dared imagined it as reality. But this was happening, and it was real, and Elphaba was completely lost.
"Why did we wait so long to do that?" Glinda asked with a simper on her face.
"I – I never thought it was a possibility."
"Lurline Elphie I have been hopelessly attracted to you for months now. But I wasn't sure how you felt until I saw you looking yesterday."
"Why would you be attracted to an evil, ugly thing like me?" Elphaba asked, looking away.
Glinda gently cradled Elphaba's head, gently turning it back to face her. "You are not evil. You are impossibly kind to me, and I have seen the way you tutor the boys. You care so much, about me, about your sister, about the Animals, about everything. And believe me, if I found you unattractive, I would not want to kiss you over, and over, and over again."
Elphaba screwed her eyes shut. It was difficult to ignore the self-doubt gnawing at her mind, but in her heart she knew that Glinda's feelings for her were genuine.
"I would like to kiss you again." She softly said.
"Oh, I thought I was the one kissing you?" Glinda challenged.
But just as Glinda finished her sentence, she found herself easily pinned under Elphaba's taller frame.
"I'm going to kiss you now." Elphaba said, smiling.
In the haven of their tent, on a private Gillikin beach, Elphaba and Glinda closed their eyes.