AN:

Hello, my dearies!

How are you?
I have come to bring you a generous portion of fluff and not much else other than fluff... For those of you who prefer actual, serious content, please forgive me! I felt after the past few chapters a simple "Let's take a breath and have a look at where we are at now" was kinda in order. No worries, the plot will pick up again soon enough.

I hope this still makes for a satisfying read, so happy reading and all that!
Please take care everyone, and see you next week!

xoxo MLE
(=^_^=)

Chapter Twenty-one

Monday morning, twenty minutes past seven. Elphaba took a deep breath before slipping into her boots. Their first day of uni was awaiting. It had been such a long holiday. She knew she should be excited to finally go back. Instead, she was filled with dread.

This wasn't going to be an ordinary semester. She didn't even know how long exactly she'd be able to attend classes or how exactly she'd juggle assignments, tests and exams later on. Galinda kept assuring her that it would be fine, that everything would work out somehow. While she'd never criticise her girlfriend for her positive, blissfully naive attitude, she couldn't help but think that things were different for her. She wasn't as lucky or winsome as those who simply danced through life and still managed to succeed. She was not that kind of girl who got things handed to her, whether through privilege or pure luck.

She loved her anyway, even though she couldn't seem to grasp her distress over it all, even though her encouragements had recently taken on a level that was almost hard to bear. The fact that she was physically there to support her helped a lot. It was more than she'd ever received from anyone else. If things went pear-shaped further down the line, she was sure that Galinda would still be there, and with a roof over her head and a shoulder to lean on, even wasting her hard-earned tuition fees didn't seem as daunting anymore as it used to. Some things had changed for the better after all.

"Galinda?" she hollered, checking her phone. It wasn't like she was eager for the day to start, but time waited for no one, and being late on her first day as Doctor Dillamond's unofficial assistant wouldn't help her situation in any way.

"Coming!"

Despite her promising reply, two minutes later, the girl remained no-where to be seen.

"Typical," murmured Elphaba to herself before calling out again. "It's almost half past! Are you going to class or a beauty pageant?"

"What's the difference anyway?" shouted Galinda from the bathroom upstairs, making Elphaba grin in spite of it all. Oz, this was getting ridiculous—she couldn't even be annoyed with her anymore!

Shaking her head, she decided to use the extra minutes to sort through her stuff. She opened her satchel and tucked the flap in between her chin and her chest. She had her books, her notepads, and her pencil case. She'd get lunch on campus today if she didn't feel too queasy to eat, so she hadn't packed any. But something was missing. Somehow, her bag didn't look complete.

She let the flap fall back in place and removed the strap from her shoulder, putting the bag down on the bench on top of the shoe rack. What was she forgetting and how come she couldn't even figure out what it was?

"Hey, are you alright? What are you looking for so frantically?"

Galinda had at long last arrived downstairs, dressed in a new tunic top that she'd bought the day before. Oh, the pains Elphaba had endured during that shopping trip! Yet she couldn't deny that it had been a rather effective diversion.

Tearing her gaze away from the blonde and directing it back to her open satchel, she scratched the back of her neck, trying and failing to remember what she'd left behind.

"If you're searching for your biology binder," said Galinda, "it's still on your beside table."

Elphaba looked up sharply, brows all the way up to her hairline. Yes. That was exactly what she was missing.

"No worries, I forgot something as well," smiled Galinda. "I'll go back upstairs and grab your binder."

Nodding mutely, Elphaba let her run off again. When she reappeared, she had the missing folder in her hand, and a big, pink rose in her hair. The pin might have been a bit much for class, but it looked pretty with the sunflower yellow outfit.

"All good and ready to go?" she asked.

Elphaba bit her lip and shoved her hands into her pockets.

"I was ready to leave ages ago," she muttered.

"Yeah," laughed Galinda as she walked past her and towards the door to open it, "without your biology binder."

Grudgingly, Elphaba followed her out of the house. When she caught up to her at the gate, Galinda looped her arm through hers and lifted herself up to her tippy toes to press a soft kiss to the corner of her mouth.

"Don't be so anxious, Elphie. You'll be fine."

"So you keep saying, my sweet," the taller girl ground out between clenched teeth.

Galinda gave her a sympathetic smile and gently urged her to get going.

Taking so long to leave the house, they'd lost some time, but not enough to necessitate them to rush now. Well, at least Elphaba walked at a comfortable pace with her usual, long strides. By her side, and still attached to her arm, Galinda might have struggled a tad to keep up. In her unstrung state, Elphaba was not quite as attentive as she normally strove to be.

They reached campus territory and Elphaba slowed. Her back was rigid, her steps heavy. Her heart throbbed uncomfortably in her constricted chest. She peered down at Galinda who seemed oblivious and surprisingly unconcerned. Perhaps she too, was uneasy, but her slight nerves were nothing compared to Elphaba's. The only indication that Elphaba could discern was the way she held her head a notch higher than was natural, as if she made a real effort to project her self-esteem.

Elphaba steeled herself. Sure. This was the furthest Galinda had ever come without distancing herself from her, but soon enough, she'd remove her arm and wordlessly prance ahead, ignoring her as per usual. They were nearing the architecture building, too. Maybe that would prove their new threshold.

A girl with shoulder length, lavender hair, fashionably worn canvas shoes, and a jacket full of decorative patches came walking through the door and waved in Galinda's direction. Elphaba's breath hitched in her throat. Caught in the act. What if Galinda freaked out, being seen by a classmate like… like this?

Just as expected, her girlfriend freed her arm. Her heart sank, and she bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself from scoffing. She shouldn't be ungrateful. Galinda had done well so far. She'd gone far beyond the boundaries of her comfort zone and that was something to be proud of. She shouldn't expect the entire world to change from one day to the other. She shouldn't be that selfish.

Galinda waved at the girl and shouted an enthusiastic "Good morning!" Next to her, Elphaba didn't know what to do. Should she slink away, pretending that they didn't have anything to do with each other? Maybe that girl could be fooled into thinking that their linked arms had been an illusion.

Before she could make up her mind however, Galinda had already taken a hold of her hand, squeezing it gently as she glanced up at her with a shy grin. Elphaba felt her face flush, a strange tingling spreading throughout her body. She couldn't even begin to describe how elated she felt inside, though her exterior betrayed little of that. If anything, she imagined herself looking rather dumbstruck.

"I'm a bit early for my class," said Galinda, as if nothing out of the ordinary had transpired. Elphaba could tell she was playing it cool on purpose. "How about I walk you to the science building?"

"Uh, okay," replied Elphaba, still blushing. Maybe they would't meet any further acquaintances of Galinda's on the way, but even the fact that she was willing to take the risk meant a lot.

They parted in front of the big automatic double doors. Elphaba wondered whether Galinda would come upstairs to say hi to Doctor Dillamond, but she shook her curly head.

"I'm already going to sit in on his lectures. Mustn't stalk him at his office on top of that."

"Alright. I'll pass on your regards then," grinned Elphaba and turned around with a flutter of her fingers.

But Galinda grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back towards her. She gave her a questioning look, but the shorter girl unceremoniously wrapped her arms around her and hugged her tightly.

"This is how you say goodbye properly," she told her, her face pressed against her chest.

"See you in three hours."

The words came out funny. This was all so different that she was torn between excessive caution and overshooting the mark by a mile. Given how close they were standing, her initial instinct was to kiss the top of Galinda's head. Her small size made it so easy and tempting, but that was certainly too much at this point.

They broke the embrace, and Galinda pushed her in the direction of the door, giggling.

"Go already, don't let him wait for too long!"

"Hey, it was you who held me back! I was ready to go ages ago."

"Yeah. Without a proper goodbye," said Galinda and winked.

Snorting, Elphaba shook her head. She blew her a kiss to tease her. Surely, no casual observer would take such a gesture too seriously. Still, Galinda stopped dead in her tracks, her cheeks turning bright pink. Elphaba cast her a bashful grin and lingered just a moment to make sure she wasn't mad at her.

"Go in already," the blonde mouthed, though she was smiling and made no attempt to run away to save her face. Satisfied that she wasn't in trouble, Elphaba finally left.

"Good morning, Professor," she said as she reached Doctor Dillamond's office.

The old Goat looked up from his notes and offered her a placid smile.

"Good morning, Miss Elphaba. Welcome back. I hope your break was restful."

"Yes, thank you." It was the only acceptable answer, even though she wasn't sure how accurate it was. "How about you?"

"Busy, busy. In fact, that's the main reason why I asked you to help me out this semester." He gave her a long, searching look over his spectacles before adjusting them and returning his attention back to his materials. "I'm quite caught up in my research, and that leaves hardly any time for correcting essays and tests. As I don't have a regular assistant yet, I hoped you could help me with those. "

She bobbed her head eagerly.

"Of course. And if there's anything else—"

"Then I'll find someone else to help me with that," he told her, his expression stern, but not unkind. "I won't take advantage of your generosity. Besides, you'll have other things to worry about before long, won't you? It would be silly of me to rely on you too heavily."

Stubborn as she was, Elphaba pursed her lips at first. Yet seeing as the professor wasn't entirely wrong in his assertion and had also left no room for argument, she swallowed her pride and walked up to his desk without voicing her dissent.

"So, what would you have me do today?" she asked.

"Fetch two of the facial masks from the cupboard over there, will you?"

The Goat pointed his cloven hoof in the direction of the leftmost furniture, then got up from his seat and relocated to the desk by the window which was equipped with a large microscope. He shoved away a stack of books to make more space for his laptop. Picking up a pencil with his mouth and pointing it with the rubber end at the keyboard, he pressed a button to activate the dictation feature. Elphaba watched him curiously as she placed the requested masks next to the microscope.

"Dillamond comma July fourth," he said, and the computer wrote the words for him. "Next line."

He looked up at her. "Pause dictation. One of the masks is for you, Miss Elphaba. Put it on and go to the adjacent room. Don't worry, none of the things we'll be handling are dangerous for you. The face coverings are to protect the samples from us, not vice versa."

She nodded.

"Anyway, in the corner by the door you'll find an incubator with three petri dishes inside. Bring me the first, but make sure to close the door well and proper. It's important we maintain the correct humidity and temperature."

Elphaba straightened with attention. This sounded a lot more exciting than she'd expected, and she was immediately glad that Doctor Dillamond had summoned her early, even before there were any papers and tests to grade. She considered herself incredibly lucky to be part of his research, if perhaps only for the duration of a few weeks.

She covered her mouth and hurried along, so as not to make him wait. She hoped to prove useful, indispensable even. Maybe there was a chance he'd keep her on after all. How many of his students, she wondered, would realistically volunteer to help him anyway—without payment or academic benefits, no less. She herself hadn't been promised anything beyond what she may or may not learn in the process. Whether other students would be so undemanding was questionable.

Other than that, the notion of there being an actual budget to hire a proper teaching or research assistant sounded outright ridiculous. Animal professors often were disadvantaged and struggled to make ends meet, as did the natural sciences in general for some reason, along with arts and fine arts. The schools of medicine, finance and business, or law received so much more funding. It was infuriating, really, and it had always been her steadfast opinion that education should not be governed by business. But it was what it was. If she could be of any service at all in remedying this situation, she'd be glad to.

She found the incubator sitting on a low shelf. It was mostly made of metal, but with a door of glass, so that one could see inside without opening it. Just as described, she spotted the three little containers, and for a moment she was stumped to figure out which of them was the 'first' or whether it mattered. They had numbers on them, but nothing so distinctive as one, two, three or A, B, C. In the end, she reached for the one on the left since, conventionally, one ought to write from the left to the right, and the one furthest to the left would therefore be the the one to start with.

Doctor Dillamond didn't complain about her choice. He didn't comment on it either, and merely instructed her to remove the lid before placing the dish underneath the lens of the microscope.

"Resume dictation. Sample one point two two seven. Day fourteen. Next line."

She spent two hours in Doctor Dillamond's office, literally lending a helping hand whenever the Goat couldn't easily manage with his own hooves or mouth. He didn't explain much to her, and sometimes she guessed he almost forgot that she was there altogether, as if her hands were bodiless and simply floating around to aid him wherever possible. She didn't take it personally. It seemed rather obvious to her that there was no malice in his disregard for her general self. He was simply too absorbed in his work, and she thought that admirable.

Sooner or later, she'd get the hang of it anyway, she reasoned. If he had no time or patience to explain his research to her, she'd just read up on it in her own time. It would be mostly to quell her own thirst for knowledge, of course, but who knew; she might even impress her teacher with her enthusiasm.

After their quiet, focused work had concluded for the day, Doctor Dillamond went off to teach a post grad class, and Elphaba decided to spend her break in the library. She'd already read many of the professor's articles and books before applying to Shiz University, but wasn't entirely up to date with his latest publications. Hoping that they would offer some clues in regards to his current experiments, she scoured the databases, but came up mostly empty. He didn't appear to have been quite as productive as of late, which she found disappointing at first, but then again, if this was to be his academic renaissance, wasn't that all the more delightful to play at least a minor part in that?

"I thought you'd never come," pouted Galinda when Elphaba arrived at the lecture hall on the basement level of the arts building.

Elphaba nearly leaned in to kiss her lips, or maybe her cheeks. She was much more used to either complete or no familiarity at all between them. Whatever this was, proved a lot harder to navigate, and so she stopped abruptly about two steps apart from her, hands tightly curled around the strap of her satchel, arms pressed to her sides, and legs straight and locked up like those of a wooden nutcracker figure.

Galinda grinned, sensing her discomfort and shuffled close enough to bump her upper arm with her right shoulder.

"Lets go inside, shall we?"

They located two empty spots in the second row, just off centre. Elphaba found herself staring longingly towards the vague direction of her usual seat, despite this being a different classroom entirely, and in spite of Galinda sitting next to her, which basically changed everything. Old habits and patterns. Similar to Galinda, she had to learn how to compromise, and on more fronts than just one.

Doctor Dillamond entered the lecture theatre through a staff-only door at the very front of the room, carrying his files and bag. Conditioned from her earlier work at his office this morning, Elphaba felt the compulsory urge to rush to his side. Galinda diverted her attention with a little something she whispered into her ear. Distracted, Elphaba neither went to aid her lecturer, nor understood what her girlfriend was saying. At any rate, Doctor Dillamond did not call for her help and eventually did just fine on his own. It was good she'd stayed put after all. Mustn't look too eager.

Galinda had yet another class to attend after biology. Elphaba, who had nothing else to do for the rest of the day, sheepishly offered to walk with her and was still surprised when the blonde promptly accepted. When she asked whether she should wait for her at the library, however, Galinda paused and tapped her finger to her lips.

"No, don't worry, Elphie," she replied sweetly. "I might just have lunch with Pfannee and Shenshen. I'd like to at least try and smooth things over with them. Preserving at least a semblance of peace would make the next few years here so much easier, you see?"

The logic made sense to her, as much as she loathed to admit it. So, she nodded and bumped her upper arm against Galinda's, as her shoulder was too high up to reach any part of her, other than perhaps her poor, pretty nose.

"See you at home then. Any preferences for dinner?"

"Let's celebrate our first day back with some takeout," suggested Galinda, and with that, they went their separate ways.

"Galinda?"

"Hm?"

Elphaba looked at her roomie, her girlfriend, squirming a little. She didn't feel herself, and even though her exceedingly rational brain told her that it was silly, something from deep within her protested.

"I don't know about this," she said, tucking a strand behind her ear.

Galinda had tried and failed to curl the impossibly straight tresses, but had insisted that she wear her hair down regardless. If that was the worst of it, Elphaba wouldn't mind as much.

The blonde finished up her makeup and turned her head. Her painted mouth formed a small grin.

"Well, you know I normally would have put you in skinny cut trousers and a silky shirt of some sort, but with your belly as it is, that look seemed neither right, nor comfy. It doesn't matter though. Don't worry about the frock, it's pretty!"

Peering down at herself, Elphaba chewed her lip in an uncertain fashion.

"I haven't worn this in ages," she said, playing with the pleated skirt of the navy blue sleeveless dress.

She grabbed the opposite sides of it and spread the fabric to see how wide it would flare, then flapped them up and down like the wings of a bat. She let go and watched the material fall back in place, swooshing and swaying until it mostly stilled. Her baby bump obscured the view somewhat, and she was tempted to touch it, because somehow that was the instinctive reaction of a soon to be birth-giver. Resisting the urge as though it would prove anything, she glanced back at Galinda.

"I can't even remember bringing this dress or hanging it up."

"You didn't hang up any of your dresses," replied Galinda perkily. "I did."

"You went through my stuff?" demanded Elphaba, incredulous. This must have been long before their becoming an item.

"I thought your wardrobe looked too empty, so I hunted for any neglected clothes in your dingy, old bag. I didn't find much, but this one, I reckoned, might come in handy one day. And I was right."

Elphaba shook her head.

"And look, it goes pretty well with my dress, too! Look, Elphie, look!"

Galinda danced over to where Elphaba stood and took her hand. She pulled her back towards the mirror that she'd been avoiding so far. She linked a pale arm with a green one and leaned her curly head against her tall shoulder.

"Doesn't it just?" she sighed, satisfied with herself.

Elphaba strained to stare at the reflection of them both and detect any benefit in the combination she saw. Pale and green, blonde and black, brilliant blue and warm brown went together well enough as far as contrasts were concerned. She might as well add short and tall to that, or pretty and homely. Who knew whether anyone else other than Galinda would appreciate this aesthetic.

Similarly, she supposed the colour of her dress was plain enough to not clash all too violently with Galinda's hot pink number. The overall straight cut of it left plenty of room so as not to interfere with Galinda's voluminous, layered skirt with all its ruffles. And she was sure not to dazzle anyone in her unadorned frock, so all eyes would be drawn to the sparkling details of Galinda's. No, she couldn't say that they matched well, but at least she could honestly say that she was grateful not to wear Galinda's outfit instead, or maybe even a similar one in a different, but complementing colour. At least there was that.

"Don't make such a face, you old sourpuss," giggled Galinda, holding her arm tighter and pressing her head into her shoulder. "If you're not happy as you are, I'll find a ballgown for you yet!"

Elphaba's back straightened in alarm.

"No thanks!"

More giggling followed. Galinda surely knew that this was a very rare opportunity and was determined to make the most of it.

"Oh, I almost forgot! I have prepared a few finishing touches."

She detached herself from Elphaba's arm and reached up to her hair. She removed the pink silk rose she'd worn the other day at school. Elphaba had assumed it to be an accessory to complete her ensemble, seeing as it matched in colour, and all. But the crystal encrusted hairpin that appeared underneath did the job just fine, and so the rose was placed next to the small braided bun that Galinda had crafted out of the upper part of Elphaba's silky locks. She didn't seem at all bothered at the fact that it concealed most of her painstaking work beneath its soft petals.

"Why, Miss Elphaba, look at you," Galinda said, her face and voice all awe and rapture. "You look beautiful."

Despite knowing the playful words to be not much more than a joke, Elphaba could feel herself blush. How undignified.

But Galinda must have found that particularly endearing, for she framed Elphaba's green face with her dainty, pale hands and caressed her purple-tinged cheeps with her thumbs. After a moment of wistful gazing, she lifted herself up to her tiptoes and kissed her soundly.

"Ah well, I guess it's time to go," she said, her voice dripping with regret at the buzzing sound of her vibrating phone in her heart-shaped clutch. The taxi had arrived.

"Where are we headed anyway?" Elphaba dared to ask once they were seated, but it did her little good.

Galinda said nothing, only smiled mysteriously. Playing along, Elphaba gave a brief pout, but she figured that their destination couldn't possibly be as exciting or terrifying as all that.

"We're here Elphie," Galinda said a while later, lightly tapping her shoulder when the taxi had yet to park up at the side of the road.

The green girl recognised Pennikin Lane with its historic boutiques and thanked the deities above that they had all closed shop over two hours ago. She wasn't sure though where exactly Galinda was planning on taking her from here.

The taxi pulled up in front of an old, but recently restored bluestone building, fitted with a wide glass front that undoubtedly had been added long after its initial construction. It was a hotel, the Ampleton Quarters. She'd heard the name before, she thought, but couldn't place it. Galinda was the first to hop out of the car, and Elphaba scooted over to her side, so she didn't have to exit on the surprisingly busy roadside.

"Uh, thanks," she mumbled to the driver before slamming the door closed with a thud.

"Come, Elphie," said Galinda, beaming brightly as she took her wrist and pulled her in the direction of the hotel entrance.

It was a fancy place—too fancy for her liking, and that was evident long before she set foot into the establishment. They were greeted by one of two porters in shiny-buttoned, black overcoats and hats, and very serious faces. He helped them find the way inside, as if there was any difficulty in that, then handed them off to a female colleague who enquired about the purpose of their visit.

"The name's Arduenna," supplied Galinda. "We've got reservations for dinner at eight."

The woman nodded and made an inviting gesture, asking them to follow her. Elphaba kept her head low, barely daring to look one way or the other. Despite Galinda's efforts, she felt underdressed—not that she'd have preferred to wear anything more elegant. It was the place that was wrong, not her. But she'd promised Galinda, and after making her wait so long for this date, she probably deserved the punishment.

They were led past the reception to an area where the hall stretched further inward than had been obvious at first. When they did reach the other end, they found an ancient-looking archway and old cobblestone stairs, smoothed and rounded with use. The lights on the wall were flickering, affecting the charm of real fire without the inconvenient smoke and danger associated with it.

"Watch your steps on the way down," the woman advised with a smile. "Your host will greet you at the entrance."

Elphaba marvelled at the grace with which Galinda descended the uneven steps, even in her four inch, super thin heels. She herself was wearing ankle boots rather than her usual full-sized ones, and they had small, broad heels which were already enough to nearly throw her off balance.

They were shown to their table, located in a quiet corner. The walls, ceiling and floor of the dining area were made of the same stone as the old staircase. The remainder of what used to be a storage cellar.

"You've been here before?" asked Elphaba.

"Once. When my parents first delivered me to Shiz."

"Any recommendations then?"

Galinda gingerly opened the menu.

"I'm sorry to say I didn't sample their vegetarian options last time. But the dessert was to die for."

"There's a vegetarian degustation menu," Elphaba noted, plucking a smaller card from between the artsy flower arrangement. "Is that what I think it is? It's a lot more expensive than the other items on the menu, bar the omnivorous version."

"It's a tasting menu. You receive tiny portions of all the different dishes on offer. Maybe that would be a good idea for both of us."

"Don't feel obliged to forsake the meat," murmured Elphaba quietly. "You've been so good all those weeks, not eating out at all and still putting up with my plant-based cooking."

"Well, I'm getting used to it, so what's the point in tempting myself and risking a relapse? Besides, if anyone should choose the meat option tonight, it should be you, according to your lovely midwife. Nutrients for baby."

"No worries, I've got that covered. I could cite a few journal articles for you, if you'd like."

"No thank you," replied Galinda, waving her hand. "As long as you're sure that you know what you're doing, I'm satisfied. I'm certainly not one to blindly defend Vittolea's arguments. After all, by her logic, I shouldn't even attend your appointments."

"You must stop listening to her," said Elphaba, shaking her head.

The wine came, and Galinda took a big sip. Elphaba stuck with some odd artisan water that somehow managed to cost almost just as much.

"Indeed," the blonde said finally. "If we're not listening to her anyway, then why are we still seeing her at all? I've offered plenty of times to pay for a private clinic, independent from my role in this whole venture of childbirth and rearing. You just won't consider it!"

"I trust she is able to accurately assess baby and me, and the progress we make. Same for the birth itself. I can ignore her other advise and look it all up on my own. I don't really see the problem in that."

Galinda sighed.

"Well, I admire your confidence, I really do. But I feel uncomfortable with her as it is. I can't imagine how it would be if this were my pregnancy. I would't want her anywhere near me or my child. I don't know whether it was the stress of being back at school, but I was an inch from throttling her last Tuesday, I'll tell you that much."

"I don't think it matters much to me." Elphaba shrugged. "I'm uncomfortable with everyone, amiability notwithstanding."

"I know. I wish I knew how to help."

"You are helping. I'm glad you're so brave."

Galinda blushed prettily at that and trained her eyes on her own hands. Playing with her sparkly silver and pink topaz bracelet, she didn't notice the waiter's approach. She jumped when he enquired about their order. Elphaba hid her gleeful grin behind her hand while rubbing the side of her nose.

"You're terrible, Miss Elphaba," chided Galinda once he was gone again. "You take far too much delight in my humiliation."

"Not as much as you take in mine," Elphaba observed. "May I remind you, this idea originated as a birthday treat for me, yet here I am, enduring a situation that is far from enjoyable for me."

"The food will make up for it all, I promise."

Elphaba snorted a soft grunt at that.

"Unlikely."

The food arrived, and as it turned out, Galinda wasn't entirely wrong. Or at least, the food exceeded Elphaba's expectations. Each course came presented on tiny plates or in delicate bowls of various shapes and patterns. Elphaba and Galinda both took a bite or two from each, then decided which ones they liked the most and exchanged portions if their tastes differed.

When Galinda couldn't stop raving about the ricotta gnocchi, Elphaba exchanged her portion for the mushroom ratatouille. Watching her girlfriend savour every single bite, her initial smile grew into a wide grin.

"Are you counting the calories I'm ingesting?" demanded Galinda. Her impish smirk told Elphaba that she wasn't sorry for the damage the rich, creamy dish could potentially do to her waistline.

"I merely admire your enthusiasm," she countered. "There's something fascinating about dainty, fine-mannered girls who eat with such appetite."

"Now you sound like a man," Galinda pouted. "Stop that, it's entirely unbecoming. But have you really tried this pasta? It's amazing."

"Actually, it's technically not pasta; it's considered a kind of dumpling," corrected Elphaba with a schoolmarmish expression on her face.

"Now you're becoming downright insufferable. Seriously, if I wanted to be lectured on food instead of enjoying it, I would have asked someone from the culinary school to join me in your place!"

"Yes, the dumplings are rather nice," said Elphaba in a more agreeable tone, but not without a hint of cheek. "They are excellent, and you have every right to enjoy and devour them in any way you see fit."

Galinda speared another piece with her fork and popped it into her mouth.

"How is your ratatouille, dearest?"

"Nice."

The blonde paused. She looked like she was thinking. Had the answer revealed more than intended?

Without saying another word, she picked up yet another gnocco, swished it through the sauce, then held it out towards Elphaba.

"Here. Try again. Maybe you didn't have a chance to fully make up your mind earlier."

Elphaba sat stiff and uncertain. She side-glanced the people around them. This was a bit unorthodox, wasn't it?

"Come now, the fork is growing heavy."

Self-conscious and awkward, Elphaba leaned forward and took the morsel from Galinda's fork. Galinda lit up, looking pleased.

"So? What do you think?"

"How am I supposed to improve my judgement from 'excellent'?" asked Elphaba.

"If it's so 'excellent', then why did you give it away? You seem to like it."

"Not as much as you do."

"Oh, you're a pain," said Galinda and sighed in mock exhaustion.

After taking a moment to summon her patience and meditate on the matter, she scooped up some more of the tiny dumplings and held them out for Elphaba to eat.

"Here. Have some more, you stubborn thing."

Feeling her cheeks flush, Elphaba did as she was told. Just before she could open her mouth and take the food on offer, Galinda pulled back the fork and leaned forward herself to place a quick kiss on Elphaba's lips.

Stupefied, Elphaba stared back at her, even after she'd long resumed her proper position. The blonde grinned to herself while avoiding her gaze.

"I've never seen you so daring," murmured Elphaba, slowly sinking back into her own chair.

"Surprise," whispered Galinda, glancing up at her and away again. The gleeful expression didn't leave her face, however.

Clearing her throat, Elphaba wiggled in her seat, trying to get comfortable again. As much as she enjoyed her love's boldness, calming down after this stunt wasn't easy.

Galinda ate some more of the gnocchi, then slid the half-empty plate her way.

"There. Have some more. No tricks this time."

Elphaba accepted them gratefully.

Back home, Elphaba kicked her ankle boots into the corner, hoping not to wear them again any time soon. She stretched her poor feet that had suffered immensely in their inflexible, tapered prison. If the experience had achieved anything, it was the affirmation of her distaste for impractical fashion. Why would anyone wear those terrible things if they could walk in supple, wide boots instead? Where exactly was the beauty in pain? She couldn't figure it out at all.

"You're overreacting," Galinda laughed, kissing the corner of her mouth while simultaneously removing her hazardous sandals. She'd obviously learnt to transcend such earthly discomforts and struggles. "All it needs is a little getting used to," she insisted, but Elphaba rejected the notion wholesale.

"And this one comes next!" the green girl grunted, as she stretched and contorted her arms in order to reach the zip at the back of her dress and slide it down.

Galinda was nearly in stitches.

"I could help you, you know?"

But even as she spoke, Elphaba succeeded in her mission and pulled the garment over her head to discard it. The giggling died abruptly.

"What?"

When Elphaba turned around, her girlfriend's face was flushed, her eyes wide.

"What?" repeated Elphaba, thoroughly confused.

"I—I think I just discovered the secret to getting you naked," said Galinda, her awe apparent in her voice, the rosy colour of her cheeks darkening.

Elphaba peered down at her own body, sparse breasts covered by a black sports bra, and her lower half partially concealed by her growing belly. Her bare belly. She didn't know if she liked the sight of it at all and certainly felt too insecure to flaunt it.

"Oh," she said eventually, shifting her weight uneasily.

"I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable!" exclaimed Galinda. "No, not at all! I was just stunned at how unceremoniously you undressed. That was kinda new. A perfectly good new, if I can somehow make you feel more relaxed about it."

She stepped closer and took Elphaba's hand, looking up at her questioningly. Despite the fluttering sensation in her gut, Elphaba closed the gap between them and allowed herself to be embraced. Her heart skipped a beat and the flutter rose up to her chest where it intensified. She swallowed hard and couldn't quite bring herself to rest her cheek on top of Galinda's head as she usually did.

For a moment, Galinda tightened the hug slightly, just before removing her arms from her lower back so she could snake them around her neck instead. Barefoot and back to tiny now, she pulled herself up with Elphaba's help so she could reach her lips and kiss her properly and thoroughly.

It felt good and not too foreign, a perfect distraction. Still, her insides lurched in that annoying way they often did when all Elphaba hoped for was to simply get lost in the intimacy between herself and the girl she adored so much. How long would it take her to get used to all this? She loved Galinda's patience with her and hoped it would never run out.

"Oh, wow!"

It was Galinda who drew back out of the sudden, and Elphaba's eyes shot open in mild alarm.

With her stomach still on rollercoaster mode, or perhaps even more so, she looked down at her to find out what had gone wrong. Galinda's eyes were on Elphaba's bump, her hand soon followed, albeit hesitant to make contact at first. Deep in concentration, the shorter girl didn't say a word.

It was only then that Elphaba realised that the churning down below was more than just pure nerves. The baby was on the move, squirming and kicking. Maybe the pressure of the embrace had disturbed them. Drawing a breath through her parted lips, she watched her belly wobble and deform like a jelly pudding. It was at once fascinating and disturbing to behold. She'd never bothered pulling back her clothes before and generally only rested her hands on her stomach when she could feel such movements. A few weeks ago, there definitely hadn't been much to observe anyway. The unmistakable proof that she was nearing the end of her pregnancy was daunting.

"Junior is now the size of a head of cauliflower," Galinda said at some point.

Elphaba blinked.

"Excuse me?"

"That's what they compared it to in the baby app this week."

"Baby… app," Elphaba repeated, flummoxed.

"On my phone, silly," laughed Galinda, finally looking up at her.

"You've got an app on your phone to track my pregnancy?"

She earned a playful swat for that.

"Don't act so shocked! I'm interested and a wee bit excited." Galinda caught her lip in between her teeth. "Okay, that was a lie. I'm immensely excited, but I try to not let that on. Don't be mad."

"I'm not," said Elphaba and proved it with a kiss. "I know I'm going back and forth on this, but you are really trying your best to reconcile this new life with your old one, aren't you?"

"I do what I can," replied Galinda shyly and let her gaze drift sideways.

Gently, Elphaba cupped her cheek and directed her back to where their eyes could meet. She focused on her intently, hoping to make her understand how sincerely she felt the words when she said, "I appreciate that."

For a clock-tick, Galinda's lower lip quivered, but she caught herself before any tears could be spilt.

"There's no need to be upset, my sweet," Elphaba told her sternly and pressed her lips against her forehead. Her girlfriend nestled her head against her chest.

"You're getting cold," Galinda observed and began to rub her hands up and down along her back for some minimal friction-induced warmth. "Let's get you to bed and the heating turned on."

"I'll grab a shirt from my wardrobe."

Elphaba's suggestion was met with a sulk.

"Must you?"

After treading from one leg to the other several times and exchanging a number of fleeting glances with Galinda, she took a deep breath and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Fine. I'll grab my book and go upstairs."

With a grin that lit up her entire face, Galinda kissed her one more time.

"I won't be long," she promised before she skipped away, bathroom bound.