A Lazy Afternoon
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters.
Chapter 10
Elphaba sat on her bed filling her backpack with things she thought she'd need for the night. Glinda was painting her nails at the vanity.
"Do you like this color?...where are you going?"
"Out."
"Gee, I couldn't figure that out."
"Just out."
"Where Elphie? Obviously all night somewhere…"
"Glinda…"
"Oh! Are you going to Fiyero's again? How are your hands?"
"They hurt but…"
"Are they really nasty looking?"
Elphie stared down at her gloved hands.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean…I, uh, don't do well with wounds, that's why I left earlier."
Glinda came and sat down beside Elphie.
"It's okay."
"I felt bad leaving you alone, but you don't care about things like chaperones."
"No, certainly not. I was kind of glad to deal with just Fiyero. It hurt like hell."
"Aww, Elphie. And you want to be alone in pain?"
"Not alone, just not around a lot of people."
Glinda nodded.
"So, yes, I'm going to Fiyero's. He's going to try paraffin on my hands to rehydrate them."
"So you'll be there all night?"
"Yes. It's not what you think…"
"I didn't say anything…"
"I'm sure you're thinking it, it's the obvious conclusion…"
"Really, I didn't get it…"
"It was Boq's first conclusion."
"Really?"
"That's what Fiyero said."
"He didn't say anything about it to me. I had lunch with him today."
"Well, that's good."
"Is there actually anything happening," Glinda giggled, "between you and Fiyero?"
"No…"
"No?"
"No." Elphie sounded a bit dejected.
"I just thought it would be nice for you to have someone. He's very nice."
"You're not interested?"
Glinda quickly shook her head. "We're not of the same, uh, class."
"He's a prince…"
"But in the Vinkus…"
"So its his skin color?"
"I don't know, Elphie, I guess so."
"I love his skin color."
"You grew up around more diversity than I did. And you're more…understanding to…I'm trying really hard to not sound like a bigot…its just how I was raised. Hard habits to break."
Elphaba nodded.
"The color is one thing. But I find the blue diamonds just weird…"
"His blue diamonds are beautiful!"
Glinda looked up at Elphie's face, surprised to hear so much passion in her voice.
"Nothing's going on in there?" Glinda pointed to Elphaba's heart.
Elphie hesitated.
"It would be great for you to have someone like that."
"I don't know…"
"How does he feel?"
Elphie shrugged.
"It certainly seemed like he cared earlier when he was forcing me to let him see you."
"Yesterday, when I first got hit by a rain drop, he was so worried. He sat in that chair, and watched until I fell asleep."
"Awww…that's so sweet. Elphie, he so likes you likes you."
"I don't know."
"I'll ask Boq."
"No!"
"Okay…"
A knock on the door interrupted their exchange. Elphie bounded up, and pulled the door open, revealing Fiyero and Boq.
"Come along as a greeting party?"
"Haha." Boq growled, and crossed over to Glinda.
Fiyero shrugged, and muttered to Elphie, "He insisted on coming. No doubt to see her."
Elphie laughed.
"You guys have got to stop sneaking in her like this," Glinda chided.
"It's not exactly sneaking. It's actually rather easy. We just walk right in."
Glinda shook her head.
"Ready?" Fiyero asked.
"Just about. We got talking and I stopped getting things together."
Fiyero laughed. "Of course."
Elphie glared at him.
"I'm just kidding."
He pinched her arm playfully.
"Ow!"
She went to smack him, but thought the better of it, and elbowed him instead.
"Aw, that hurt."
He sat back against the pillows on her bed. She began to put a few more books in her satchel. He pulled a pillow out from behind him, and whacked her with it. Glinda giggled, and she and Boq saw on her bed to watch the ensuing battle. Fiyero hit her with the pillow again. Elphie turned to him, enraged. Lifting her leg, she kicked at him. He caught it, and pulled her down onto the bed. She fell back against him. He began to tickle her, and she writhed in his grasp. Glinda was beside herself with laughter.
"And she doubts that he's interested?"
"She doubts it? He's so smitten."
"Smitten?"
"Well, that's an accurate word."
"I suppose. No one uses it."
"That's what Fiyero said."
Elphaba had managed to pull herself up to her knees, and dropped forward into a curled up fetal position. Fiyero knelt beside her, but sensing her discomfort, backed off.
"Sorry." He laid his hand on her back, and she shuddered away.
"It's okay. I'm done. I am sorry."
He lay down on his side next to her, their heads nearly touching.
"Elphie, I'm sorry. I did not mean to scare you."
"I'm not scared!" her voice was shaking.
"Okay. Then I did not mean to put you in an uncomfortable position."
Glinda stood up quietly, and pulled Boq by the shirt. "Let's leave them alone for a minute," she whispered, and they left as noiselessly as they could.
Fiyero lay silently beside Elphie.
"I should have known better."
She turned her head slightly to face him.
"I completely forgot, for the moment, that you have touch issues."
"I…"
"We'd been doing so well, earlier."
Elphie rolled onto her side, and Fiyero grabbed her hands.
"I don't want to upset you. Ever. I fully understand if you would like to just be alone tonight. We can do the paraffin another time."
"No…" Elphie sat up. "I want to do it tonight. I'm not made at you per se."
He scooted his head onto her lap and looked up at her, waiting for her to continue.
"I was scared. I'll admit it now that we're alone. I felt trapped."
"Elphie, I…"
"I knew you didn't mean to, Yero. But you're right, I have touch issues."
"It's okay now. I'm really sorry."
"I'm making progress, but as Glinda and I were talking about earlier, some habits are hard to break," Elphaba pursed her lips together, trembling.
He lifted a hand to her cheek, caressing it gently.
"I hate being weak."
"You are not weak."
"I hate showing weakness then, if you're playing in semantics."
"Elphie…you don't always have to be strong."
He sat up, and pulled her to him. She returned the embrace. Finally, they broke apart.
"Ready to go?"
Elphaba nodded. "Time to find Boq and pry him away from Glinda."
He grinned, and handed her the satchel.
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