Notes: My finals start in three weeks and I have nine assignments and two presentations before that and I am currently dying but, you know, it's fine.

EDIT November 29: So I've been going through a very serious family emergency lately and between trying to stay caught up on school work and dealing with that I've had no free time. I'm not abandoning this work, but I am taking an indefinite break from it (and possibly other writing) probably up until I'm done this semester. Writing is usually something that calms me down but lately it's just been adding more stress than I need.

Basically, my kid sister is facing a very possible diagnosis of bone cancer and, honestly, I just haven't been in the right frame of mind to write, let alone write anything happy, which was the intention of this fic. This is being put on hold definitely until mid-December, and possibly even later until we figure out what is going on. I don't know when I'll have the motivation to write again because my mind hasn't really been right since I found out she has a tumour eating at her tibia, and it might take days or weeks or months, but I will eventually finish this.

And it's a big old world we live in now

And how mighty it can be

And all this time I pictured you standing next to me

So we could go find things we've never seen

"Just One Day" — Mighty Oaks

Finals are starting in two weeks and Glinda's only freaking out a little bit.

"You're going to do fine," Elphaba soothes from the other side of the room, not looking up from her book.

"Easy for you to say Miss Smarty-Pants. You already know everything," Glinda snips, slouching on her bed. She's surrounded by her textbooks and papers and notebooks, her hair escaping its hair tie and her hands buried in her sweater.

"Well I wouldn't say I know everything. Many things, perhaps."

A muffled scream forces Elphaba to finally glance up at her roommate, who's face is buried in a pillow. "Glinda, you're being dramatic," she chides gently.

Glinda lowers her pillow to shoot Elphaba a withering glare. "Says the most dramatic person I know."

Elphaba chuckles and tosses her book onto her bed, standing and crossing the room. "Don't tell anyone, you'll ruin my reputation."

Glinda groans and throws herself back on her bed, narrowly missing slamming her head against the headboard. "I'm going to fail all my exams and they're going to kick me out and I'll have to go back to Frottica as the town disappointment."

Elphaba comes to a stop beside Glinda's bed, folding her arms and looking down at her sprawled roommate in amused exasperation. "We've been over this, you'll do fine." Glinda makes a noncommittal noise and stares blankly at the ceiling. "Come on, Glinda, you know your stuff. And besides, you still have two weeks to study."

Glinda sighs and sits up. "I know, it's just overwhelming," she says, pulling one of her notebooks to her and absently flipping through the pages of neat writing.

"Is that—" Elphaba blinks again, "Is that my sweater?"

"Hmm?" Glinda hums distractedly. Elphaba reaches over and plucks at the thick grey wool falling off Glinda's shoulder. Glinda glances down and blushes. "Um, yeah?"

"Ohh-kay?"

Glinda rubs the edge of the sleeve between two fingers. "It's, uh, it's really warm and I was really cold."

Elphaba blinks and fights the blush she feels rising. "Okay?" she repeats.

Glinda doesn't meet her eyes, instead staring fiercely at the notebook in front of her. "And I, uh, I was having a minor panic earlier while you were in class and the sweater kinda smells like you," she admits nervously. "And since you weren't here to calm me down I just, kinda, threw it on?"

Elphaba swallows and stares at Glinda, and then swallows again. There's something warm in her stomach, and Elphaba feels a little bit of pride that she's actually able to calm Glinda, and she feels more than a little bit of pride that Glinda seems to find her as calming as Elphaba finds Glinda.

"Okay," she finally says.

Glinda's eyes dart up to hers and then away again. "You're not— You're not mad?"

"Why would I be mad?"

Glinda chuckles, but her shoulders remain tense. "Because I took your sweater without asking?"

Elphaba looks away from Glinda, still fighting a blush. "It's fine, really," she says.

There's a long, slightly awkward, silent moment before Glinda giggles and the tension breaks. "I don't know why I was so worried. You've lent it to me before."

Elphaba leans forward and mock-scowls at her, fighting and mostly failing to stop the smile tugging at her lips. "Well I am the awful witch who's enchanted the beautiful and popular Galinda Upland, forcing her to pretend to be my friend and change her name. Who knows what else I could do to you."

Glinda giggles harder and pushes Elphaba's face away. "Oh, so that's what they're going with now?" she asks between her laughter. "Last I heard they were still stuck on you taking my heart and keeping it locked up, making me your slave."

Elphaba straightens and grins at Glinda. "Ooh, I haven't actually heard that one. Creative idea, but I'm pretty sure you'd be dead if I took your heart out."

Glinda's face twists in amused disgust. "Plus, think about how messy that would be."

"Mmm," Elphaba agrees, "we'd definitely need a deep cleaning after that."

"And the smell."

"Where would I even keep a heart?"

"In a shoebox under your bed?"

"Well, that would be gross."

"No less gross than the moldy books you keep there now."

Elphaba chokes on a loud cackle, the sound almost surprised out of her. Glinda beams up at her roommate, doubled over and laughing so hard she's almost out of breath. Glinda laughs with her, until the smile slips off her face, realizing exactly what she would miss the most at Shiz if she fails her coming exams.

"I want to come back," Glinda whispers suddenly, and somehow Elphaba, so closely attuned to her roommate's emotions, hears her and her laughter breaks off. She sits on the edge of the bed, facing Glinda, her sharp features painted in attentive earnestness. "I don't want to fail and never see you again."

Elphaba's breath catches but Glinda doesn't look at her. "You will," she rasps, and then clears her throat. "You will see me again because you're going to do amazing in your exams. And even after we graduate you'll still see me. I'll make sure of that."

Glinda finally looks up at Elphaba, hope glimmering in her bright eyes. "Really?" she murmurs hopefully.

Elphaba wants to look away, because this is getting a little too emotional and it's usually this moment that she runs away, but something about Glinda's eyes makes her brave. Elphaba takes a deep breath and gives Glinda a tiny, wavering smile. "Of course," she says quietly, "You're my—" she chokes on the word, but glances at Glinda's eyes again and gathers her courage even as she prepares for rejection. "You're my best friend. And even if it's only been a couple months I can't imagine my life without you."

Glinda's smile is soft and wide and beautiful. "You're my best friend too, Elphie," she admits just as quietly, her eyes sparkling. "And I don't ever want to go back to a life without you by my side."

Elphaba lets out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding and smiles at Glinda, their eyes caught together. Her entire body feels light, a bit like she's floating, and the smile resolutely refuses to fall off her face. After a long moment Elphaba clears her throat and stands, the smile across her face a little smaller but still bright and genuine. "Alright that's enough of that," Elphaba says, holding out a hand. "Come on, we're going out to get some food and fresh air and you're going to forget about all of your work for a couple hours."

Glinda looks up at Elphaba, who's still smiling softly at her. Glinda's heart pounds loudly for a moment and then her mind stills and she smiles brightly back at her roommate and best friend. "Okay," she says simply, and she takes Elphaba's hand and lets the green girl pull her off the bed.

Elphaba tosses Glinda the coat hanging by the door, pulling her own on and slipping her feet into her worn boots. Glinda wrinkles her nose at the partially crumbling leather as she reties her curls into a less messy ponytail. "Don't your feet get old in those old things?"

Elphaba shrugs and wraps her scarf tightly around her neck. "No more than usual."

Glinda frowns but lets Elphaba pull her out of the room. The halls are mostly empty, and the people lingering there only manage to mutter a few words of gossip behind their hands before Elphaba's glare sends them scuttling into rooms. Glinda swats at Elphaba's arm, still clinging to one of her hands, and tries to scowl at her roommate, but instead grins up at her. "Elphie, you're scaring them," she scolds lightly.

Elphaba cackles and just continues to pull Glinda down the hall and out the dorm's doors into the chilly air. The sunlight is weak as it struggles to penetrate the cold winter, but makes the snow glitter and warms the two roommates as they turn their faces towards it.

"Where do you want to eat?" Elphaba asks, patting her pockets to double check her wallet is still there.

Glinda shrugs and bounces along beside Elphaba, the fresh air doing wonders to clear her mind of her earlier anxiety. "Oh I don't know. The Peach and Kidneys?"

Elphaba's nose scrunches up and Glinda smiles at the adorable look. "If we run into the boys there we'll never get back to our room tonight."

Glinda tugs on Elphaba's hands teasingly. "What's so bad about that?" she asks innocently.

"Besides seeing how many different shades of red Boq can go between Crope and Tibbett and you?" Elphaba asks drolly. "We have class in the morning."

Glinda pouts. "Well you're no fun, Miss Elphaba."

"I do so try, Miss Glinda."

Glinda sticks her tongue out at Elphaba but still curls closer to the tall girl when a cold gust of wind whips around them. "What about that café? The one with those delicious torta? The cinnamon and apple and caramel ones?"

Elphaba's nose crinkles again. "Too sweet," she declares.

Glinda rolls her eyes. "Well then just get a piece of that bitter lemon one you so enjoy."

"It's not bitter, just tart."

"There's a difference?"

"Well bitter is more unsweetened while tart is more, oh I don't know, zesty I suppose."

"Zesty?"

"Yes, zesty."

"You could have just said 'sour' like a normal person, Miss Walking-Thesaurus."

"I resent the implication that—"

"Miss Elphaba! Miss Elphaba!"

Elphaba and Glinda look around, spotting Fiyero running at them, his blue diamonds glittering brightly against his dark skin in the weak winter sun. He reaches them, slightly out of breath and grinning. "Hey, Galinda," he says and Glinda winces.

Elphaba nudges her encouragingly and Glinda takes a deep breath. "Hi, Fiyero. It's, uh, it's Glinda now."

Fiyero blinks, but if he's surprised he doesn't show it. "Glinda?" he tries, and then grins blindingly, "I like it. It suits you."

Glinda lets out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, relief flooding her body. Elphaba smiles proudly at her and tugs gently on their still intertwined hands, and Glinda beams back up at her, wrapping her free hand around Elphaba's arm.

Elphaba had encouraged her to tell Boq and Crope and Tibbett a couple days after she had decided to change her name, and they had all easily accepted it and demanded a new celebration for a new person, even though she wasn't as close to the three boys as Elphaba was yet. The night had made her feel weightless, like she truly had made the right decision, and Elphaba's warm eyes on her had helped ease her fear. It was the night that her and the boys had truly started to bond, leading to Glinda genuinely being able to call them her friends. But there was something about Fiyero that always made her think of Galinda, that made her think of the part of her life she still desperately regrets. And she had not yet mustered the courage to tell him of her name change in the past two weeks, not alone that is.

Fiyero looks between the two roommates and smiles at them, both a little shocked and truly delighted at how far they had come since he first met the two. "Well, Glinda," he says and Glinda turns her bright smile on him, "do you mind if I borrow Miss Elphaba here for a tick tok?"

"Hmm." Glinda tips her head and seems to consider the question deeply. Elphaba rolls her eyes and hides a smile at her roommate by burying her chin in her scarf. "I suppose so. But bring her back in one piece, it's cold out here and she's rather warm."

Elphaba cackles a surprised laugh. "Oh," she says and grins at Glinda, "and the truth comes out."

Glinda nudges Elphaba's arm with her shoulder and grins up at Elphaba. "It's true, the only reason I keep you around is to block the wind."

Elphaba shakes her head and glances at Fiyero, who looks, perhaps, a little left out. "And the truth comes out," she says, addressing Fiyero and tugging on Glinda's hand.

Glinda's grin widens as she looks at Fiyero. "Don't be too long, or I'll come searching for warmth," she warns jokingly.

Fiyero smiles nervously at her and Glinda finally releases Elphaba's hand and arm and Fiyero leads the green girl slightly off the path, out of earshot of Glinda, his nerves rising with each step he takes.

"So?" Elphaba asks dryly when the silent moment between them stretches on.

"Oh!" Fiyero says, blushing deeply. "I just, uh, well."

Elphaba raises an eyebrow and waits while he stutters through an answer. "Master Fiyero," she interrupts, "Spit it out. I won't bite. Well, not much anyways."

Fiyero nods, and then nods again. "Right. Um." He swallows and takes a deep breath. "I was wondering if you would go out with me sometime."

Elphaba frowns at him. "We already hang out sometimes."

"No!" he exclaims. He clears his throat nervously when Elphaba's frown deepens. "I, uh, I mean, without Gali—Glinda. Just us. Like a date."

Elphaba freezes, her frown slipping as her mouth opens in shock. "I— What?"

Fiyero chuckles, the sound tense and strained. "I want to take you on a date, Miss Elphaba."

Elphaba stares at him, her heart pounding loudly in her ears. She should be happy, she thinks, she should be thrilled because this was what she's been wishing for right? Instead dread falls like a ball of lead in her stomach and she isn't quite sure how to feel.

This is what I wanted, isn't it? Elphaba closes her mouth as she studies Fiyero. So than why doesn't the thought of dating him make me happy?

It's at that exact moment that Elphaba realizes that she was never jealous of Glinda, she was jealous of Fiyero.

With this realization, Elphaba takes a half-step away from the prince, gawking at him in shock. "No," she murmurs, and her heart stops pounding so loud, the dread in her stomach lifting.

"I— Wait what?" he asks, taking his own half-step away from her.

"No," Elphaba says, finding her voice and straightening her spine. Maybe in another life, in different circumstances, in an altered universe, in some other time, maybe she would want him, but Elphaba is quickly realizing that as long as Glinda is around in this world Elphaba couldn't possibly want anyone else, she doesn't want anyone else. "I said no, I don't like you like that."

"You don't— But before you were— And then—" Fiyero cuts himself off.

Elphaba softens, just a little bit, at his confusion. She searches for the right words to say and catches sight of Glinda over Fiyero's shoulder, pretending that she's not staring intently at the green girl and the prince. She's also failing to hide the worry on her face, the pain pulling at her eyes, and Glinda is so easy to read that Elphaba wonders how in Oz it's possible no one's ever noticed before. But then again, Elphaba supposes, no one has ever been able to see through her own uncaring façade until Glinda had gently poked her way through the walls Elphaba had constructed around her heart what feels like eons ago. Elphaba frowns thoughtfully as Glinda drops her gaze and scuffs the tip one boot against the pavement. It wasn't really like Glinda had forced her way into Elphaba's life and heart, she had been insistent but respectful, and Elphaba wonders if she will ever be able to pinpoint the exact moment she opened the gate and let Glinda skip straight through those walls.

Glinda glances up and smiles shyly at Elphaba, no more than a twitching of her lips really. Elphaba smiles back at her, small and genuine, and Glinda brightens and her smile wides until it's splitting her face. Elphaba frowns in thought and glances at Fiyero, who's looking lost and just a little relieved.

She supposes it doesn't really matter if she can pinpoint that moment, not in the long scheme of things, all that matters is that it happened.

"I don't like you like that, Master Fiyero," Elphaba finally repeats, "But then again, I don't think you ever really did either."

"I did I just—" Fiyero starts and then sighs, he stares at Elphaba, studying her face intently. Then he drops his gaze for a brief moment, his face clearing. "You're right," he whispers. He clears his throat. "You're right," he repeats louder. "I guess I don't like you like that." He pauses to think, searching for the right word. He smiles a little self-deprecatingly and rubs a thumb over a faded scar on the back of his other hand. "I guess I'm so used to dating girls just because that I never really stopped to have actually be friends with them."

"What about Glinda?" Elphaba asks.

Fiyero's eyes go cloudy in thought, almost turning inwards as he thinks. "Well we started out on a date the first day I arrived," he reminds her, "And I never took the time to get to know her before the Ozdust. Once we spent more time together I realized I didn't want a girlfriend, I just wanted a friend."

Elphaba can't think of anything to say, so she just gives a small nod and a impassive "Oh."

Fiyero nods, his attention still focused inwards. "I guess that's what I felt for you too. Like a— Like a platonic crush?"

Elphaba nods again. "Oh?" she tries.

Fiyero nods, more certain this time, as he comes back out of himself. "Yeah. I've never liked anyone as just a friend before, didn't really have time between all the schools I've been to, and I guess I didn't really know what it was like."

"Oh."

"I was just fascinated that there was someone else here who didn't care what anyone thought—" Fiyero pauses and thinks back to that night at the Ozdust, thinks of the concern in Galinda's—for she was still Galinda back then—eyes and the shame flushing her face, thinks of the gentle smile she gave the green girl when she walked up and started dancing with her, and of the even gentler one that Elphaba gave back; and then he thinks of what Galinda had murmured to him under her breath, Of course she cares, so quietly that Fiyero is still not sure if he was ever supposed to hear. Fiyero meets Elphaba's eyes. "Or who pretends she doesn't."

Elphaba's eyes seem to sharpen, and her lips pull against her teeth in a half snarl. "What makes you say that?"

Fiyero thinks of everything he knows of the green girl, and how he wouldn't, or couldn't, have seen it without a certain blonde girl. "Glinda," he answers honestly.

Elphaba sucks a harsh breath in and deflates, eyes wandering back to Glinda, who is still valiantly trying to stare down the pathway and away from the duo. The sunlight catches in her hair seeming to make her almost sparkle even as Glinda's face twists in a scowl. Elphaba follows Glinda's line of sight and watches warily as Pfannee, Shenshen, and Milla approach, no doubt to taunt their former friend. The three girls stop a short distance from Glinda and laugh together, sneering at Glinda. Glinda squares her shoulders and lifts her chin and though what ever she retorts is lost to the wind Elphaba smirks a little as Shenshen recoils while Milla glances uncertainly at Pfannee, who, for her part, seems to be experimenting with how red she can make her face go, before they all hurry off in the direction they came.

Glinda turns back to Elphaba with a soft sort of satisfied smile, and Elphaba practically beams at her, barely noticing Fiyero beside her.

Fiyero follows Elphaba's bright smile, his eyes landing on the tiny blonde, and then glancing back at the soft look on the green girl's face. It's definitely not a look he had ever seen her direct at him, and it's not a look he ever saw Glinda give him either; in fact, Fiyero's not quite sure he's ever seen that look on another person. His shoulders relax as tension drains from him, and he smiles at Elphaba. "Thanks for letting me dump that all on you," he says. "And sorry for making it all awkward."

Elphaba smiles, tiny and genuine. "It's okay, thanks for letting me outright reject you."

Fiyero chuckles. "I must be cursed to forever try and date all my friends before I truly befriend them."

"Really?" Elphaba asks with a raised brow.

Fiyero rubs at the scar on his hand again. "Well, after everything with Glinda when I arrived and we tried forcing something that wasn't there," he pauses and smiles softly, "Well, I'm glad her and I realized it wasn't right for us and got a good friend out of it instead." He meets Elphaba's eyes. "For us too."

Elphaba shifts her weight and buries her hands in her pockets. "Me too," she says simply.

Fiyero's smile widens. "I suppose I should let you go before Glinda comes looking for your warmth."

Elphaba rolls her eyes fondly. "Of course, besides we were just heading to find something to eat. I would invite you with us, but Glinda's been—" Elphaba cuts herself off abruptly, eyeing Fiyero even though he's also Glinda's friend. She can't be certain how close the two are, and she still feels pride fill her when she remembers that Glinda confides in her rather than anyone else. "I mean to say," she amends, "we should give ourselves a couple days before we start the exhausting befriending process," she hesitates for a brief moment before her face relaxes, "Fiyero."

Fiyero smiles, the meaning of the lack of honorific not lost on him. "It's okay, Elphaba," Fiyero says, casting a significant look at Glinda, delighting in watching the skin on Elphaba's cheeks blossoms darker green and she glares at Fiyero, "I understand."

Elphaba's eyes clear and drift briefly to Glinda before darting back to Fiyero. "Thank you," she says sincerely, and then her face eases towards teasing, "You're actually not as self-absorbed and shallow as everyone thinks you are, or as stupid as I thought you were."

Fiyero lets out a loud laugh as Elphaba grins and walks up the small hill to her roommate, who clings to the green girl's arm as they start towards the town off campus. Glinda manages to wave brightly at him from around the tall girl's frame, before swatting at Elphaba's stomach as she no doubt murmurs something less than nice in the blonde's ear. It's intimate, the way Elphaba and Glinda are, Fiyero realizes and wonders, with no small amount of embarrassment, how he hasn't seen it before.

Fiyero turns away from them and heads towards the literature building, still chuckling quietly to himself. He has the feeling this was the start of a beautiful friendship.

Notes: As an aside, I really like the idea of Fiyero starting out vaguely like the musical as self-absorbed and as he becomes friends with Glinda and Elphaba he drops his act and eases towards his more humble book counterpart and starts focusing on his education so he can better lead his tribe after he graduates. I also really like the idea of Fiyero loving too fast both into love and into friendship, which is why in the musical he becomes so attached to Elphaba after only a couple interactions and why he still stays with Glinda after Elphaba disappears.