A/N: So, uh, I looked at the creation date on my documents, and I started this story one year ago today. Which is pretty insane, I think. :P
Elphaba was gone by the time Glinda woke the next morning, but her side of the bed was still warm.
The blonde sat up, heat flooding her face as she remembered last night—or was it early this morning—Elphaba laying down, scooting closer to her, tangling their fingers under the blanket…
She climbed out of bed and dragged the blanket back to her side of the room. Elphaba came out of the bathroom, still rubbing oil into her arms. Her eyes were dull, Glinda noticed, and she was practically dragging herself across the room.
"How late were you up last night?" Glinda asked, watching her.
"Not sure," the green girl mumbled. "It was just barely starting to get light. A little before six?"
Glinda glanced at the clock. "You only got two hours of sleep?"
"We have class soon."
"You need sleep!"
Elphaba yawned. "I'll sleep this afternoon."
"But—"
"If I don't show up, it'll be suspicious. Especially since Nikidik's class is first. So, I'm going."
Glinda scowled. "Why were you even up so late?"
"Can't tell you."
"But—"
"Glinda, please. Just trust me."
The blonde tried to hold her glare, but then Elphaba yawned wide and stumbled back onto her bed, and the sight was too precious for Glinda to stay annoyed. She shook her head and smiled. "I'm going to have to carry you to class, aren't I?"
The green girl smirked. "I wouldn't be opposed. Although we'd never hear the end of it from Crope and Tibbett."
"That," Glinda said, turning to her wardrobe to pick out a dress, "Is too true."
Three classes and several hours later, Elphaba was free and stumbling back to Crage Hall. Part of her desperately wanted to dig into the notes they had written last night, but the rest of her was too achingly tired to think of anything but her bed. Besides, Glinda had ordered her to go sleep, and she didn't really want to find out what the blonde would do if she came back to the room and found her still awake.
She was busy planning the quickest way to get her boots off and collapse into bed when a voice stopped her.
"Miss Elphaba."
The green girl turned around. She tried to keep her grip on her bag relaxed, tried not to let the tension in her shoulders show. She was suddenly more awake than she had been all day. Instinct started to kick in, and she had to swallow past the dryness in her throat before she could speak. "Good afternoon, Madame Morrible."
"You look tired, dear. Are you alright?"
"It's nothing," Elphaba said. "I just didn't sleep well with the storm last night."
"Oh, how unfortunate."
"It's no big deal."
The campus was mostly empty, but they weren't far from Crage Hall. If something happened, Elphaba might be able to make it inside, and once they were around other people…
The headmistress made a doubtful noise. "Some of your teachers have been a little worried about you, Miss Elphaba. They say you seem to have had quite a few late nights recently."
The green girl shrugged. "I tend to get caught up in my work and forget about the time. But it's nothing I can't handle."
"I hope so," Morrible said. "It would be…unfortunate, if your grades started to slip because of this."
Was that a threat? Elphaba honestly wasn't sure, but if Morrible tampered with her grades, and she lost her scholarships… "I'm keeping up rather well," she said, looking the headmistress in the eyes. If you do something, I'll know.
"That's good to hear. Well, I must go. My sorcery class begins in a few minutes. Which reminds me—you should be proud of your roommate." Morrible smiled coldly. "She's come a long way, and I know it's partly due to your influence. Have a good day, my dear."
That time, she definitely sounded threatening. Elphaba's heart pounded as the headmistress walked off, but she forced herself to turn back to Crage Hall. There was nothing that Morrible could do during class anyway, and acting protective of Glinda would only make her more suspicious.
Elphaba went back to the room, feeling even more drained than before. Somehow, Morrible knew she was close. If she didn't figure this research out quickly…
She shivered and pulled her thin, worn blanket around her shoulders, fighting the urge to scream. She was desperate and exhausted and worried and if she didn't hurry, then Morrible would do…something. Even now, the headmistress was just waiting, biding her time until she could catch Elphaba. She didn't know what Morrible would do, and she never wanted to find out.
She felt hopeless. She wanted to talk to Dr. Dillamond, or maybe Peric. She wanted Boq—and now Fiyero—to stop helping her, before they got hurt. She wanted Glinda here, because maybe then the room wouldn't seem so overwhelmingly empty.
Go to sleep, Elphaba, she snarled at herself. She curled up tightly and screwed her eyes shut. Any energy she had left vanished, quieting her mind and leaving her with a vague floating feeling. She had just enough time to think that things would seem less daunting when she woke up again, and then she was gone.
Glinda crept quietly into the room and set a wrapped sandwich on Elphaba's desk. It had been early evening before the green girl had a chance to sleep, and she had missed dinner. Glinda secretly hoped that Elphaba slept until tomorrow morning, but she had brought up food just in case.
She set her bag down and slipped out of her heels. It was long past sunset, and she wanted nothing more than to get her homework done and curl up in bed. She glanced jealously at Elphaba, but something made her frown. The green girl wasn't resting peacefully. She was curled painfully tight, shivering under her useless blanket. Her forehead was scrunched and her eyes were screwed shut.
Glinda grabbed a blanket from her bed and placed it ever so gently over her roommate, tucking it around her skinny frame. After a moment or two, Elphaba started to untangle herself. She fumbled for the blanket and pulled it around tighter. Glinda smiled and brushed a lock of dark, silky hair back, brushing her thumb over Elphaba's forehead to smooth out the worry lines.
"I worry about you, you know," Glinda whispered. "You're the strongest, toughest, bravest person I know, but even you have your limits." She wrapped a strand of hair around her fingers, marveling at how soft it was. "Morrible was creepier than ever today. Whatever it is you're trying to do, she's catching on. It makes me so nervous. I'm afraid that one day, you'll go too far. She's going to do something. You'll get hurt. That terrifies me, Elphie. I don't want to lose you…" She swallowed hard and stroked Elphaba's cheek with the back of her hand. "I don't want to lose you."
The green girl stirred and Glinda pulled her hand away, wiping quickly at her eyes.
"Glinda?"
"Hey." She smiled gently. "Sorry. I was just bringing the blanket over. You looked cold."
Elphaba burrowed further under the blanket, breathing deeply. She smiled a little and her eyes fluttered open. She looked up at the blonde and blinked heavily. "You were saying something…Morrible?"
"You must be imagining things," Glinda said calmly. "You've only been asleep a couple hours, but I brought food if you're hungry."
"Not hungry," Elphaba slurred. "Just exhausted."
"Then sleep," she said softly. Elphaba's eyes drifted shut again and she sighed. Glinda leaned over and pressed a light kiss to her forehead. "Sleep."