In which Glinda cannot be resisted
Elphaba was sat on the floor leaning against the foot of the bed with papers spread all about her. A bit earlier Glinda had tiptoed across the floor avoiding all of these obstacles so as to light the lamp and lie on Elphaba's bed. She took a book with her, largely for show. In fact she spent most of the time peering over Elphaba's shoulder and offering helpful suggestions.
But Elphie was finding them less than helpful. She was building precarious piles of papers in an indiscernible pattern and it was taking a great deal of concentration, regrettably so much attention that she was barely paying any heed to a beautiful blonde hovering over her shoulder.
"Glinda, please... I just want to get this finished."
"Of course, I'm sorry, I won't distract you any more." Glinda opened her book to a random spot and began flicking through the pages loudly, clearly a lot faster than anyone would be capable of reading them.
Elphaba suppressed a little smile and finished doling out her papers. She picked up a batch and began sorting them in to order.
Watching this new development Glinda was not impressed. "Can I help you with that part?"
"No, thank you, my love. You just go back to your... page turning."
Glinda stuck out an unobserved tongue. She watched with growing dismay as, having organised one pile Elphaba turned to another, then another. This could go on all night.
"Can't you come and do that up here?"
"I don't want to be getting up and down." Even if you are up there, Elphaba considered.
Sulking for a moment Glinda went back to her book, properly this time, looking back up again only when Elphie had collected and sorted the last pile. To her even further dismay Elphaba then dragged a huge bound manuscript of some sort in to her own lap and started using it to annotate the huge raft of papers she had been working on.
"What now?" Glinda exclaimed.
"I'm just copying up some notes." Elphaba was greatly amused by how upset this was making her room mate. "Are you withering away from lack of attention?"
"Yes," Glinda replied grumpily.
"Well I am setting an example and resisting your wicked charms."
"Resisting, is it? You think you could resist me if I were to really try to distract you?"
A terrible and tantalising vision of some sort of strip tease flashed through Elphaba's mind. As that was incredibly unlikely she confidently said "Yes."
"Fine," Glinda said with a flounce that Elphaba knew was there even though she couldn't see it.
Elphaba smiled and drew up her knees, tilting the monstrously heavy book up in her lap, settling in for some undisturbed work-time.
Attempting to throw Elphaba off the scent Glinda herself remained studious for a good ten minutes, as long as she could bear. Feigning a sigh and a shuffle as she turned a page she dropped her right hand to dangle off the end of the bed, just touching Elphie's hair.
Squinting out of the corner of her eye Elphaba remained unmoving. As did the hand, just very gently resting against the side of her head.
Another five minutes and Glinda's hand moved up to the top of Elphaba's head and began very light and very short strokes through her hair.
Elphaba did an admirable job of ignoring them, even though she was intently aware of every touch. The fingers began to move separately, running along her scalp. She suppressed a shiver. She had been expecting the big guns to be wheeled out but Glinda was being very clever.
Glinda's tantalising fingers crept lower down the side of Elphaba's head and swirled just under her hairline along the side of her neck. A thumb sometimes seemingly accidentally caught a little stroke of ear or cheek. Elphaba's chest was heaving but other than that she felt she was maintaining her composure rather well.
There hadn't been the rustle of a page turning – from either book – for quite some time.
Inevitably the fingers moved further forward and began to run up and down Elphaba's throat. She was sure Glinda would notice her pulse racing and her frequent hard gulps of air. But then the game would be called off and Elphaba was desperate for it to continue so she steeled herself further.
In a monstrous new move Elphaba became aware of breath on her hair and in a few moments there was a kiss on the top of her head. Another few moments the kiss reappeared much closer to her ear.
Elphaba's eyes fluttered closed but thankfully her face was well out of view: it would have betrayed her immediately.
Glinda could see the tendons of Elphaba's hands tensing and swore that green knuckles were turning pale with gripping the book so hard. She allowed herself a small smile in to Elphaba's glorious hair and trailed her fingers even further down...
"Very well!" Elphaba shouted abruptly, leaping forward out of Glinda's grasp. "Yes, indeed, you have won. Congratulations."
"Did you ever doubt it?" Glinda chuckled, inordinately pleased with herself or so Elphaba thought.
Returning to kneel at the foot of the bed Elphaba closed the book Glinda was patently not reading. "And what will you claim as your prize?" She only realised, as the words came out, how close together they were and how charged she was still feeling.
With Elphaba looming dangerously in front of her Glinda felt overpowered. She could claim a... but she wouldn't, she wasn't going to. Instead she just smiled a hopefully innocent smile. "Just for you to come up here with me."
Elphaba complied and crawled up on to the bed as Glinda settled herself back at the correct end. She pulled Elphie close and burrowed in to her as she wrapped an arm round Elphie's shoulder. They lay together, Elphie on her back stretching out her spine, Glinda's bare feet tugging at Elphie's stockings. Glinda smiled and pressed a kiss in to the grey shirt beneath her.
There was silence for a while, warm and comforting. Glinda amused herself by gently tracing the shell of her captive's ear with a worshipful fingertip.
"Do you wish you were different?" She wasn't sure what had prompted it and expected evasion or a sarcastic response on the defensive.
"No," Elphaba answered plainly. "But you do. You wish I were different." Elphie wasn't sure either where that had response come from. A scared little part of her. Maybe one last ditch attempt at reassurance or avoidance.
"No!" Glinda was horrified by Elphaba's certainty of that. "No, I wouldn't change a thing about you. Elphie, I think you're perfect."
Though she could not see Elphie's face fully Glinda could tell by the slight upward movement of the ear and the feel of the muscles beneath her fingers that she was smiling.
Elphie's head started to turn towards her and Glinda moved her hand to guide and encourage, fingers ghosting across Elphie's cheek.
Elphaba wanted to say something – anything. There were so many things, but nothing seemed to fit, nothing seemed to sound right. It was all too wonderful and she didn't know what to do with herself. She didn't quite trust herself with that moment.
So she leant in and with a playful nudge against Glinda's nose she kissed her, gently, their lips barely touching until they turned in to shy smiles.
