Notes: In case you missed the update on the last chapter, I've been dealing with a pretty serious family emergency lately in which my little sister has been facing a possible bone cancer diagnosis and I kinda took a mental break from everything except that; however that hasn't been really healthy for me either. I just finished my last day of classes and then I have exams and two assignments I got extensions on do finish, and in attempts to regain some normalcy amidst all this, I finished this up and really want to post it today to try and get back into my regular schedule.

Also, I made some minor edits to the last couple chapters. Nothing major, just some typos and adjusting some minor details now that I have a clearer idea of where this is going!

'Cause this heavy heart, oh how its yearned

'Cause I've been alone far too long

When are you coming home, my love?

"Winds of Change" — Vance Joy

"I'm done, done, done!"

Elphaba glances up from her friendly argument with Boq to watch Glinda bounce into the cafe in a swirl of snow and cold air, quickly hiding a fond smile with a sip of her hot chocolate. Boq looks up too and grins, waving Glinda over. "How'd it go?" he demands.

Glinda beams at him as she takes her jacket off to hang on the chair beside Elphaba. "Pretty good!" she chirps. "I only blanked on, like, two questions?" She sits down, burying deep into her scarf and sweater. "But I think I remembered the answers right at the end. And I even had a little time to go over it!"

Boq grins at her. "That's great, Glinda!"

Glinda smiles and reaches over to pull a piece of croissant off Elphaba's plate, ignoring Elphaba's complaints as she pops the warm, buttery pastry into her mouth, humming in contentment as it melts on her tongue. Elphaba rolls her eyes at Glinda, who just scoots her chair closer to the green girl so she can reach the croissant better. "I'm actually pretty happy with it," Glinda continues, "so I either did really well, or I did absolutely awful and didn't realize it."

"You did fine," Elphaba soothes easily.

Glinda rolls her eyes but smiles at her roommate. "You always say that."

"And I'm always right."

"Sure you are," Boq pipes in, "Which is why you dropped our argument as soon as Glinda walked in."

Elphaba flushes. "Shut up, Boq," she mutters.

Glinda grins and nudges Elphaba with her shoulder. "We still love you even when you're wrong." This just causes Elphaba's cheeks to darken even more and her to huff out a breath as she buries her face in her arms on the table. Glinda and Boq grin at each other over her bent head.

Elphaba mutters incoherently into her elbow, so Glinda eats the rest of Elphaba's croissant and takes a sip of her hot chocolate, rubbing a hand up and down Elphaba's back soothingly. Boq hides his smile in his tea as he watches the two roommates. Elphaba would never admit it but she stopped eating her croissant half an hour ago so she could save the rest for Glinda; and Glinda would never admit it but Boq knows that Elphaba's praise means more to her than any of her test results ever would.

Elphaba finally raises her head and, upon seeing that Glinda has already eaten the rest of her croissant, shoots Glinda a dirty look lacking any true heat. "You know it wouldn't hurt you to buy your own food and drink just once," Elphaba snips.

Glinda catches and holds Elphaba's eyes as she unblinkingly lifts Elphaba's mug to her lips and takes a loud slurp of hot chocolate, sighing happily as she places the mug back in front of Elphaba. "And where would be the fun in that?"

Elphaba closes protective hands around her mug. "In my pocket, that's where it will be fun," she mutters.

Glinda ignores her sulking and turns to Boq. "Are you done all your exams yet?"

Now it's Boq's turn to sulk. "No," he groans, slouching in his chair, "I got the bad end of scheduling this year and still have two tests. On the same day."

Glinda makes a sound of sympathy. "What one is first?"

"History in the morning and mathematics in the afternoon."

Glinda's face twists. "That sounds awful."

"Tough luck, Mister Second Year," Elphaba says, sipping her hot chocolate before setting it back on the table.

"Ha ha," Boq replies dryly. "Next year you'll be the one complaining."

"Ah," Elphaba agrees, "But you'll be a third year by then and will still be complaining more than I."

"Oh I don't know about that," Glinda says, her face a picture of innocence as she looks at Elphaba, her bright blue eyes sparkling and cheeks still pink from the winter wind, "I have yet to meet anyone who complains like you do, Miss Elphie."

Elphaba shoots Glinda a dry look. "Likewise, Miss Glinda." Glinda grins and Elphaba, momentarily distracted by her smile, doesn't notice Glinda's hand creeping across the table until it's too late. "Oh come on," Elphaba complains as Glinda lifts the mug to her lips, "At this rate I'll go dehydrated."

"So dramatic," Glinda tuts with a smirk as she sets the mug back down. "If it gets to that point I'll buy you a new one."

Elphaba rolls her eyes. "My hero," she replies drolly.

Glinda grins brightly before licking her lips to catch the chocolate still sticking to her upper lip. Elphaba crinkles her nose at Glinda, who sticks her tongue out at her green roommate. Boq chuckles watching the two girls before glancing at his watch, eliciting a sigh deep enough to attract a few curious looks from the next table. Flushing deeply, he starts packing away his notebooks. "You have to go already?" Glinda asks, leaning back in her chair and tucking her cold hands into the sleeves of her sweater.

"Yeah, my shift starts at the library soon."

"Are you staying over break?"

Boq frowns deeply. "Yeah."

Glinda doesn't meet Boq's eyes, the pink flush to her cheeks darkening. "We can spend the holidays together then," she mumbles.

"You're not going home?" Boq asks carefully.

Glinda shakes her head and slouches a little in her chair but doesn't say anything else. Elphaba's hand finds her thigh under the table and traces soothing patterns over the soft fabric. Glinda's flush darkens but she eventually manages a smile up at Boq. "We can spend Lurlinemas together and complain about all our professors and absentee roommates." Elphaba grins at Glinda and then glances up at Boq.

Boq blinks and quickly shakes his head, searching for something to take the attention off Glinda. "Yeah, the farm's not doing too well this year and we don't have enough money for me to go back."

Elphaba makes a noise of sympathy. "I wish that was true for me. The Eminency has too much money and I can't not go home."

"It can't be that bad," Boq says, pulling his coat on and pouting. "I'd give anything to go home for Lurlinemas."

"You can have my train ticket. Just make sure to paint yourself green, grow about a foot taller, and show up at Colwen Grounds to care for my sister and father day and night."

Boq frowns at Elphaba, trying to decide if she's joking or not. "Yeah," he finally decides on, "I'll leave that as Plan C. See you two later."

"The offer still stands."

"Bye, Boq."

Elphaba glances down at her empty mug, before sighing deeply. Glinda rolls her eyes, coming back into herself again, and stands with only minor grumbling. Elphaba grins up at her and opens her mouth, but Glinda presses her hand over it. "Make sure they make it with milk," she says, removing her hand with a smile, "I know, Elphie."

Elphaba's smirk melts into a soft smile. "Thanks."

Glinda shakes her head fondly as she heads for the counter. "As if I'd ever hear the end of it."

Elphaba elects not to remind her that she wouldn't hear of it at all, because Elphaba would be dead, partly because she knows Glinda knows that and partly because she's already half way across the cafe and it's too much work. Instead she turns back to the notebooks she has spread across the table, pulling one closer to her to reread her messy writing, absently flipping through the pages and dog-earing some for her to review later.

"I don't know how you read that," a voice says above her.

Elphaba closes her eyes and groans inwardly. "With my eyes, Miss Pfannee."

"Ooh, someone thinks they're smart," another voice adds.

"Considering I have solid As and you have solid Cs I would conclude, that yes, I am quite smart. Certainly smarter than you, Miss Shenshen."

There's a gasping sound above her as Shenshen presumably struggles to find a retort, which is a shame because Elphaba doesn't even think her statement was particularly scathing, just honest. Instead, she turns back to her notes, trying to drown out the senseless chatter above her. When Pfannee's hand settles on her shoulder, Elphaba's entire being tenses, coiling tight as Pfannee's nails dig into her shoulder, somehow still sharp through Elphaba's thick sweater.

"Hey, we're talking to—"

"Is there a problem?"

Elphaba glances up to see Glinda standing behind the chair Boq had been sitting in, a steaming mug of hot chocolate in one hand and a plate of fresh chocolate chip cookies in the other, but it's her eyes that catch Elphaba's attention. They're hard like she's never seen them before, sharp and bright and practically crackling with magic. Elphaba grins at her roommate. "No problem, Glinda, we were just having a nice conversation. Weren't we, Miss Pfannee?"

"Of course," Pfannee agrees coolly.

Glinda tips her head slightly to the side and smiles sweetly at her former friends, but there's not an ounce of warmth in her eyes. It sends a shiver racing up Elphaba's spine, seeing such a cold look etched upon Glinda's usually soft features. "Then you won't mind if my roommate and I study for a bit," Glinda says, sweet and dangerous.

"You're already done your exams. You don't need to study," Pfannee retorts, and Elphaba can hear the sneer in her voice.

"Is that what you think?" Glinda challenges, her smile still friendly.

Pfannee scoffs. "Of course."

Glinda's smile takes on a hard edge and her eyes almost seem to glow. "Then perhaps that is why you failed our languages exam and I passed at the top of the class."

Elphaba so wishes she could see the look on Pfannee's face right now, because judging from the amusement sparkling in Glinda's eyes it must be priceless.

"W-Well at least I don't hang out with this— This green freak."

Elphaba tips her head up lazily, catching Pfannee out of the corner of her eye; Shenshen has already slunk out of eyesight. "Don't strain that pretty little brain of yours, Miss Pfannee. It might not recover from such an original insult."

Pfannee seems to be once again experimenting with how many different shades of red she can make her face go. After a long, stretched out moment as she searches for a retort, she storms away, stomping out the door with Shenshen close on her heels. Elphaba waves her fingers at their retreating backs before turning to Glinda with a wide grin. Glinda's face has already relaxed back into her usual warmth, devoid of the hard lines and sharp smiles that form when she's around her former friends. Glinda grins back at Elphaba, rounding the table to set the mug and plate down and flop into the chair still pushed close to Elphaba's.

"That was cold," Elphaba comments dryly.

"They've had it coming for a long time now," Glinda responds with a giggle, picking up a cookie and biting into it, humming with satisfaction.

"My hero."

"Your knight in shining armour," she agrees.

Elphaba plucks at the too-large sweater hanging off Glinda's small frame. "You mean my knight in my clothing."

Glinda shrugs unapologetically. "It's comfortable."

"It's mine."

"Boq was right. Your argumentation is poor today."

"I'm tired."

"Sleep more, study less late."

"Easy for you to say, you're all done."

Glinda shrugs again and takes a sip of their new mug of hot chocolate. "You'll be done tomorrow morning," she says easily, and then her smile slips. She looks away and across the cafe, watching the snow swirl outside the window. "And then you'll be home for Lurlinemas."

Elphaba reaches out and stills Glinda's fidgeting hands around the mug. "And then I'll be back in three weeks."

Glinda shrugs and meets her eyes. Elphaba's shocked by the unhidden sadness there, and the affection. "It won't be the same."

Elphaba tightens her fingers around Glinda's, leaning closer to the blonde girl. "You'll have the room all to yourself. No awkward green girl spreading dust everywhere with those old books."

Glinda gives her a wavering smile before extracting her hands from Elphaba's and throwing her arms around the green girl. "I'm really going to miss you," she mumbles tearfully.

"Oh come now," Elphaba soothes, easily wrapping Glinda in her embrace, "You'll barely notice I'm gone." Glinda just tightens her hold on Elphaba, burying her face further into Elphaba's shoulder. Elphaba sighs and breathes in the sweet scent of Glinda's shampoo. "I'll miss you too," she finally murmurs into Glinda's curls. Glinda lets out a watery laugh and doesn't let go.

Eventually Glinda calms, her breathing evening out again, and she pulls back with an flush high on her cheeks. "Sorry," she laughs, dabbing at her eyes, "I'm a mess right now."

Elphaba keeps one hand on Glinda's shoulder and grins. "You kind of are," Glinda swats gently at her shoulder but Elphaba continues unhindered, "But that's okay, at least you're my— our mess."

Glinda doesn't notice Elphaba's slip-up and just shakes her head. "That's the problem, I don't want to be a mess."

Elphaba shrugs and ignores the burning, prickling feeling of blood rushing to her face. "Does anybody?"

"I suppose not."

"Exactly." Elphaba glances around before leaning closer to Glinda, lowering her voice so only her roommate can hear. "You don't have to be perfect all the time," she murmurs. Glinda shifts uncomfortably. "At least not around your friends."

"Pfannee and Shenshen and Milla always—"

"They weren't your friends, not really."

Glinda's eyes shoot to Elphaba's, a defensive retort on the tip of her tongue, until she sees the earnestness in Elphaba's dark eyes and her defensiveness fades. She sags against Elphaba, tucking herself into the other girl's warm side. "I hate it when you're right," she mutters, but her smile takes the sting out of her statement.

Elphaba tightens her arm around Glinda's shoulders and grins. "Don't we all?"

Glinda groans and throws her head back against Elphaba's shoulder. "You're ludicrous."

"Ooh, nice word."

"Thanks."

"Do I get to call you Miss Walking-Thesaurus now?"

"Well, I did pass at the top of my languages class."

"Mmm, true."

"Do you always have to have the last word?"

"Not always."

"Tch, sure you don't."

"I really don't."

"Right."

"Honestly."