AN: Characters aren't mine--thanks to Gregory Maguire! Feedback welcome!
Elphaba sat at her desk, nearly asleep on one of her texts. Her raven hair spilled across the pages, a tendril dangerously close to a dripping candle that was nearing the end of its life. She hadn't meant to doze off. There was far too much to learn before the next week's exam.
Suddenly a crash and a shriek woke her from her unintended slumber. Sitting up with a start, Elphaba went to rub the sleep from her eyes but realized that she had fallen asleep wearing her glasses. Taking them off, she turned to Galinda's bed--the location of all the noise.
Her roommate was sitting bolt upright, the covers thrown back and her lamp lying broken on the floor. Her cheeks were flushed as deep of a pink as her nightgown and her golden curls were tangled wildly around her frightened face. Elphaba pushed her chair away from the desk and moved over to her side.
"Galinda, what's wrong? Are you alright?" she asked. The trembling girl reached out for Elphaba's hand, intertwining her fingers with the long green ones, clutching it to her chest. Elphaba could feel Galinda's heart racing, pounding as if it were trying to escape her small body. Galinda made no attempt to answer her roommate's question, only small gasping cries occasionally escaping her lips.
Elphaba stood frozen, unsure of what to do. "Well, I suppose I'd better clean this up. Don't want anyone to step on any broken pieces of glass..." She took a small step away from the bed before realizing that Galinda was still holding onto her. Gripping her so tightly, in fact, that her small fingers were imprinting pale circles into Elphaba's verdant flesh. Seeing that going anywhere else was not an option, Elphaba sat down on the bed next to Galinda, smoothing out the coarse material of her dark nightgown with her free hand. Soon Galinda's whimpering began to slow, her breathing almost returning to normal.
After a few moments, Galinda loosened her grip on Elphaba's hand, still holding it but allowing some of the blood to flow back into the fingertips. She opened her mouth to speak, the first few words coming out as choked squeaks.
"Will you... would you... would you lie with me, Elphie?" the blonde implored, her azure eyes looking deep into the other woman's dark ones. As uncomfortable as she was, Elphaba couldn't say no to Galinda and so she slipped under the covers next to her roommate, who immediately shifted closer.
As Galinda snuggled up next to the green girl, Elphaba wrapped a slender arm around her waist, struggling to get comfortable in the small bed. "Might I ask what frightened you so tonight?" she queried, afraid to upset the delicate girl again but curious as to what her nighttime terrors could be.
Elphaba could feel Galinda stiffen in her arms but after a moment, she responded.
"It was a nightmare, an awful nightmare... We were on a trip, you and I, and... and I lost you. In a crowd. I got swept away and the crowd kept taking me farther and farther away from you until I couldn't even see you anymore..." A strangled sob escaped her throat. "Promise me you'll always be with me!"
Elphaba could feel Galinda's eyes burning into her, fingers trailing through her dark tresses. "I'm here right now, aren't I?" Elphaba whispered, her eyes closed so that the woman beside her couldn't see the uncertainty in them, a leaden weight in her heart telling her that to say anything else would be a lie.
Seemingly content with her response, Galinda pulled tighter to Elphaba, her feminine curves fitting perfectly against the taller woman's lithe body, resting her head on Elphaba's chest, tucked just beneath her chin. Galinda let out a sigh of contentment as she idly drew circles on the black fabric covering her roommate's stomach. She listened to Elphaba's heartbeat, constant and strong, and soon her heart fell into a matching rhythm, lulling her to sleep.
Watching the steady, even rise and fall of Galinda's form, Elphaba realized her roommate had fallen back asleep. She smiled, inhaling the sweet smell of Galinda's hair--honeysuckle, was it?--and brushed the blonde curls from her face. She gently placed a kiss on the top of her head and closed her eyes. "Be strong, my sweet..." she murmured and let the weight of Galinda's body press her into slumber.