Disclaimer: All rights to characters from Wicked belong with Gregory Maguire. Alas and alack for me.
Gelphie relationship depicted. If this offends, git along little dogies, it's your misfortune and none of my own.
Once inside they made their way into the stairwell and headed for the second floor. Galinda started to pull Elphaba forward out into the hall, but Elphaba jerked her back "You're going to get us caught if you're not careful, I've done this before, best check first." She poked her head and looked down the hall, then pulled the other girl to the stairwell quickly with a yank. Galinda was a bit off balance so when Elphaba jerked her, she fell into her with a soft thud, ending up with her face pressed against Elphaba's chest, mashing her nose on the something less than ample cushioning. She giggled and in a loud whisper "Why Miss Elphaba, in a stairwell? I was hoping you could wait til we got back to our room at least!" She knew it would rattle the other girl a bit, but she couldn't resist. And of course Elphaba face bloomed in a blush. "I'm teasing you Elphie…."
"Hsst!" Elphaba whispered, and she made a gesture across her throat. Galinda's eyes widened, but she took in the urgency, and she abruptly fell completely silent and still. Elphaba mouthed 'Grommetik.' Soon, Galinda too could hear the subtle whirring and clicking sounds that followed the creature. They held their breaths and quickly moved themselves the hollow behind the bottom of the stairs. After a minute, the sounds were just outside the door itself. They waited, each trying to figure out what they would say or do if Grommetik found them. Would it report them to Morrible? What would they say?
Just as their imaginations were completely running away with their reason, the clicking and whirring noise retreated down the hall and disappeared. Slowly, they peeped out the door. They only had to make it three doors down. Tiptoeing all the way, the finally slipped inside their own door, safe at last, and able to breathe freely.
For about ten seconds.
They gazed at each other, and were just about to laugh together at arriving home safely from their caper, when they heard bells. Loud, clanging, annoying bells, and an odd "aWooGah!" sound reverberated down the halls.
"Oh for the love of…" and "Surely not, you've got to be kidding me!" came out of their mouths. It was a Fire Drill. Or a real Fire, one or the other. Galinda was so dismayed at this point that she actually returned to her inclination earlier that evening. She started knocking her head on the wall in frustration.
Grommetik or another tik-tok contraption just like it came whirring down the hall now, and was making a series of honking noises as well. Inside of three minutes all the girls in Crage hall that were not out for dinner were standing in the courtyard shivering, some had on coats others not. At least Galinda and Elphaba were still dressed for the chilly night air.
As they huddled together, Elphaba watched Galinda, unable to reel in her doubts, and began to wonder if perhaps the earlier part of the evening, that beautiful night out, had never happened at all. Or at least not the way she remembered it. Wanted to remember it. At long last when they got back to their room, would they have some civilizing tea and scones, and let the evening all float away like a dream? She didn't know.
A scant fifteen minutes found them trudging back up the stairs single file.. Madame Morrible had appeared and taken roll call…did they imagine she eyed them suspiciously? When she leaned down and conferred with Grommetik, did her eyes cut first Elphaba and then Galinda, or was it a trick of the light? In any case, they were cleared to return to the rooms, and it seemed they had indeed gone undetected or at least so far uncorrected.
Dizzy with relief to be back at last, Galinda shut the door behind them. The room was warm, and they were both still flushed from outdoors. Galinda felt her stomach tighten and flutter with nerves. They carefully removed coats and gloves, and hung them up in silence. Elphaba was nervous as she herself was, Galinda could tell, as she watched her brush her hands up and down her arms, pretending there was lint or something on them that needed removing. So she wasted no time, and gave no room for any longer awkward silence to grow. She deliberately reached for the other girl's fidgeting hands, and stilled them. She looked up at her, holding her eyes. For all the strength and bravado she'd displayed all evening, she could see a fair amount of anxiety there now. "Elphaba, we made it," and smiled at her before moving closer to her.
Then Galinda leaned the slightest bit forward, having to stretch to her utmost a little to get eye level with the taller girl. She extended her right hand up, traced the arch of the other girl's eyebrow, then across her cheekbone to the top of her ear and down to her earlobe to cradle her jaw line, running her fingers along that strong line to her chin. She watched her own hand journey across the face of the young woman in front of her, noting each angle and curve it called attention to along the way.
Finally, her fingertips came to rest so that they settled lightly again on her cheekbone, while her thumb brushed across her lips. Only then did she look her in the eyes again, dark and deep. As they gazed at each other, each saw a bit of wonder, and fear reflected back. And an ache for something. A question the other might know the answer to. Galinda looked at her thumb, still gently touching the narrow but supple looking dark lips.
Elphaba didn't plan to do it… she had goose bumps running all over her neck now, and action followed thought now more quickly than she could have thought possible. Not that she was thinking at all. In the end, she fell back on trusting her instincts, and followed the apparent theme of the day; Act now. Ponder later.
"Galinda…", she husked, and she swiftly captured the other girls' thumb deftly, biting softly, so that she held just the tip gently, and Galinda could feel the smallest, softest bit of tongue move against it, shy and brash at the same time. That sent tingles and a flush down Galinda's forearm all the way to the back of her neck and beyond. Then Elphaba, a bit shocked at her own impulse, softened it with kiss to the pad of her thumb and released it.
She looked the blonde in the eye the whole time, and said, "I think…" she started, and then "Do you want…", she stumbled and exhaled, and tried again. "I mean to say, I want to kiss you now, unless you don't want me to…" Galinda didn't speak, look away, or move her hand from her lips. She had the look of someone waiting for something. "Here I come," Elphaba warned once more in a murmur, bending lower and closing half the distance between them, pausing to whisper "last chance to run screaming bloody green murder down the hall…" Still Galinda's hand was frozen, and her light eyes hadn't left the dark ones in front of her.
But now, she looked at her thumb that had moved to the corner of Elphaba's lips once more, fascinated. Then in one swift motion, Galinda cupped Elphaba's jaw, and then ran her hand behind the green girls head and pulled her the last bit of distance towards her. And kissed her. And kissed her. Kissed her, relishing in the warm feel and taste of her lips, which still had hints of hot chocolate and cream.
Galinda's aggressive swoop surprised…and frankly… thrilled Elphaba. She reached her hand forward, and cupped the delicate creamy face, keeping the curls at bay. Between the feel of Galinda's full soft lips moving against hers, surprisingly demanding, the tip of her soft tongue licking at her lips, and the feel of Galinda's other hand moving to the back of her head; blood was rushing to all her extremities, leaving her exceedingly drunken feeling and lightheaded all over again. Just then, Galinda elicited a small groan into her mouth. That did it, Elphaba lost her breath and had to pull away for air, and to get her bearings.
Both of them were still a moment, having trouble finding their breath,
Elphaba, in a sudden pang of panic, was more than half-afraid that actually getting her bearings might mean losing the girl in front of her; maybe it had all been an extremely odd feverish daydream… But, as she could barely breathe due to a strange tightness in her chest, ever practical, she figured she'd better risk it. She raised her head.
And Galinda was still there; looking brilliantly flushed, just as out of breath, and intensely bright-eyed. Unless that was a dream too?
Better to makes sure, she thought. Wanting something tangible to hold again, she reached out and ran her hand through the blonde's mussed curls by the side of her head, and pulled her in again, tangling her hand in her hair, and kissed her fiercely.
And then she slowed her kisses; made them softer, wanting to be tender and slow, trying to check the sudden almost searing want, or need, or both that was firing up inside.
However, Galinda was not helping much at all in this regard. In fact, she was taking full advantage of finally having Elphaba pinned, figuratively, and almost literally, at least to the wall. So despite intentions to the contrary, some moments later their softer kisses had slowly made way for more heated ones, til keeping hands from straying to shoulders and waists, or up to caress then grasp hair to pull the other closer was more than they could manage. Each separately sensed control was slipping its lead with each passing second, and so both at the same moment finally reluctantly pulled away, disentangling til they were cheek-to-cheek, heads down, hearts drumming furiously.
They leaned still into one another catching their breaths together from the same space, making it even more heady and dizzying. Finally only their foreheads touched, an emerald hand still tangled in golden curls, and a creamy hand stroking a cascade of black.
They stayed that way, still, breathing, both trying to find equilibrium. Fortunately it turned out they had quieted enough that they heard the giggling down the hall as it approached. Galinda, registering the sound, felt her stomach drop.
Whew! A bit nerve wracking to write for me. But, here you go folks, finally a kiss scene, huzzah! Again, thanks for all the comments and reviews, they make my day!