Elphaba flung her bag into the corner of the room and walked through to the bedroom, flopping on to her bed. It had been a painfully long day, and her muscles ached and tensed. Her neck was sore, her head was pounding and she just wanted to sleep and forget about all of these pains. She sniffled, unable to breathe. Her throat was raw, her eyes were watering and her ears were ringing. She always got a cold at the beginning of winter, unfortunately.
She curled up in her bed, longing for warmth, although she was sure she was too warm already. This is where Galinda found her half an hour later, when she came in from class. The green girl was fast asleep. She knew then that Elphaba wasn't well; usually she'd be reading or studying. There was no trace of her having done either since she got back.
She sat herself on the edge of the bed and stroked her raven hair back. Her dark eyes instantly fluttered open and looked into Galinda's own pooling blue ones. It immediately made her feel a little better, although she felt pretty damn terrible so that wasn't all too difficult.
"I have a cold, my sweet. Don't come too close." She snuffled, her nose blocked. She didn't want Galinda to fall ill as well.
"Tell me what's wrong." Galinda requested. Elphaba smiled slightly.
"My nose is blocked, my throat, head, ears, and body generally ache, and I feel really tired." She explained. Galinda bit her bottom lip, absent mindedly.
"Do you want some medicine? I know we have at least some lozenges to help with your blocked nose." She asked. Elphaba nodded.
"And have you eaten, so we can get you some painkillers?" She checked. Elphaba replied in the negative. Her head was hurting, so she knew it was best to take some painkillers.
"I can't eat, because I can't breathe while I'm chewing so I just end up nearly suffocating." She sniffed. And she had a sore throat anyway, so even if she could breathe it would still hurt.
"Well if I get you a lozenge and some food, we'll hope it clears your nose up," Galinda decided, traipsing through the apartment to the medicine cabinet, and then making her girlfriend a sandwich. She also got her a drink of cool water, before placing it all on a tray and returning to Elphaba.
"Thank you, my sweet." Elphaba smiled, sucking on the lozenge. It was disgusting, but it was already numbing her throat and clearing her nose. After about five minutes, she managed to eat her first meal of the day. Half a sandwich.
"I can't eat any more." She complained. Galinda nodded.
"Just take the painkiller, and I need you to drink all of that water because you getting dehydrated is not going to help the situation." She instructed. Elphaba wondered when Galinda had become so practical. The Galinda she'd first made friends with would probably have been walking around in a mask, spraying everything with disinfectant. And then she wondered when she had started letting someone take care of her.
She'd practically had to fend for herself her whole life. And not it just caring for herself, but Nessarose too. She remembered being punished for spreading her cold to Nessa one year, and she was sent to her room and ordered to stay there until she was better. In all truth, it wasn't too different from being well, she was often sent to her room and to remain there until for whatever reason her presence was required.
It felt different to be cared about by someone. Someone who doesn't just require your presence for their own want, but rather enjoy your presence because they love you.
It was strange to Galinda too, her whole life she had been pampered. She'd never had to care about anyone else, and so now, to be caring for someone else felt relieving. She knew she'd not been a good or kind person before, so now she was determined to make up for it. It felt strange for your presence to not be yearned for in order to boost their popularity, but rather to be wanted by someone who simply adores everything about you.
Elphaba took the tablet and finished the water, before settling back down. Galinda took the tray away, and then found the small bottle of peppermint oil in the medicine cupboard that helps to keep breathing easy. She took it back into the bedroom, and once Elphaba was into her nightie, she put a few drops of it around the collar of it.
"Sleep tight, Elphie." She whispered, tucking the verdant girl in. She already missed not being able to kiss her. Even worse, she had to sleep in her bed alone. It felt so large and empty without Elphaba pressed against her, she quickly concluded that she would go to extreme lengths to ensure that neither of them got another cold anytime soon.
It was difficult to sleep alone for both of them and they were extremely glad when Elphaba was finally better and they could curl up together again.