"Hell and Oz, Elphaba. I swear, one of these days—"
"Yes, I'm an idiot. We've established that. Now would you please just drop it?"
She and Boq sat on a short stone wall outside the literature building, nibbling at their food and watching the other students wander through campus. Glinda was stuck in sorcery class—a thought that always made Elphaba nervous—but Boq had joined her for lunch instead.
The Munchkin shook his head. "She must be furious right now, knowing you slipped away again."
She smirked at the thought of Morrible pacing around the library hours after she had made it back to Crage Hall. But then she sighed, scowling down at her apple core. "My luck can't last."
"Elphaba, you're green and have a water allergy. Your luck doesn't even exist."
She snorted and glanced up at the cloudy sky. "Point taken. You know what I meant."
"Yeah." He began ripping pieces off his bread and throwing them out into the grass. "It'd be nice if we knew what she was doing for once. Just to get a heads up."
"She's smarter than that," Elphaba muttered. "Her and the Wizard. We'll never know what they're planning until it's done."
"That's the spirit."
She tossed the remains of her apple away and slid off the wall. "I'm going to the library," she announced, bending over to grab her bag. "There's this historian I found last night that I want to look into more."
Boq jumped down beside her. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"
"It's the middle of the day. No one's going to cause any trouble."
"If you say so. I'm done with classes for the day, anyway."
When Elphaba had said no one was going to cause trouble, she hadn't quite expected to be confronted just outside the building. But Crope and Tibbett were waiting, jumping up to block the front doors as they approached.
"Sneaking off to the library again?" Crope asked, raising his eyebrows at each of them. "If I didn't know how smitten you were, Miss Elphaba, I'd say you were cheating on Glinda."
"Spouting your usual nonsense, I see," Elphaba responded, attempting to brush past them. But Tibbett put a hand on her shoulder and held her in place. She looked at each of them, noticing the uncharacteristic seriousness that had settled on their faces.
"Come on, boys," Boq said, forcing a chuckle. "We all know what a bad idea it is, trying to keep Elphie from her books."
"Must we always be the straightforward ones of the group?" Tibbett sighed. Crope crossed his arms over his chest.
"We know you're up to something, you two and Fiyero."
"Don't be—"
Crope held up his hand and scowled, cutting Elphaba off. "We know you're up to something, and we want in."
A drop of water landed near their feet, followed by another, then another. There was a gentle sigh as rain started falling, rustling through the trees nearby.
"Elphie…" Boq mumbled. The green girl pushed aside the boys and started once more for the library doors, but Tibbett grabbed her elbow.
"We're not letting you go until you tell us what you've been doing!"
"Shut up!" she hissed, grabbing his wrist and yanking him through the doors. Boq grabbed Crope by the arm and followed. Elphaba led the way, dragging Tibbett behind her, to one of her usual corners. She shoved Tibbett into a chair and crossed her arms over her chest. Boq nudged Crope into a second seat and hopped up to sit on the table. Behind them, water drummed on the window pane as the clouds released their full downpour.
"Are you trying to let the whole school hear you?" Elphaba demanded in a whisper. The boys watched as she started to pace, taking a step or two before turning sharply.
"Are you burnt, Elphie?" Boq radiated calm, something he hoped he could pass on to the agitated green girl.
"I'm fine," she said shortly. "You're as bad as Glinda."
"Yeah, well, Glinda would have my head if she knew I let the rain hurt you."
"The rain isn't my concern right now." She stopped short and glared at Crope and Tibbett. "I don't care what you two think you know. You're wrong. And if you go around talking about it, you're going to regret it."
"Are you threatening us, Miss Elphaba?" Tibbett placed a hand to his chest, feigning offense. Crope just rolled his eyes.
"You're a good liar, Elphie, but we know you're hiding something."
"Even if I was, you would have no part in it."
"You let Boq know."
"There's nothing to know!" she snapped. Her eyes squeezed shut and she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Look. If you know what's good for you, you'll drop this whole thing. Don't talk about it, don't think about it, and never bring it up to anyone again."
"But—"
Elphaba didn't stay to hear their arguments. She spun on her heel and marched away, disappearing further into the library. Crope and Tibbett turned to Boq, who just shrugged, his ears turning red.
"Don't ask me. I'm not telling you anything."
"But Boq," Crope pouted.
"Nope," the Munchkin said, sliding off the table. "I do not want to get on her bad side."
"Stupid, nosy, foolish little…"
Elphaba walked back and forth across the room, grumbling to herself. She had managed to avoid Crope and Tibbett the rest of the day, but she couldn't get their conversation out of her mind. She longed to get out of the room and walk around campus, but rain clouds darkened the sky, just daring her to try her luck and step outside.
"…don't know what they're getting into, any of them…If they would just listen—"
"Elphie?"
The green girl jumped and spun around. Glinda hesitated in the doorway before stepping into the room. "Is everything alright?"
"Just fine," she muttered, turning her back on the blonde.
"Apparently not," Glinda said. She set her bag down on her bed and walked up to Elphaba. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"You're lying."
Elphaba grit her teeth and moved away from Glinda. The blonde rubbed her forehead and walked around to face her again.
"You know, if you'd actually tell me these things once in a while, I could help you."
"No, you couldn't," Elphaba said darkly.
"I could, if you'd just—"
"It's none of your business!" the green girl hissed, turning her back once more. Glinda let out a noise of frustration and grabbed Elphaba's arm, spinning her around and stepping in closer so they were face to face.
Elphaba jerked from her grasp and stumbled backwards. She curled in on herself, wrapping her arms around her torso and tilting her head away. Glinda froze, watching as her roommate gasped for breath, her anger forgotten instantly.
"I'm sorry," she breathed, reaching for Elphaba's hand again. "I'm so sorry, Elphie, I didn't—"
The green girl pulled her fingers away and straightened up. Her eyes darted across the room, looking everywhere but at Glinda. "It's fine," she muttered.
"It's not," the blonde said softly. "You do that sometimes, and…"
"Do what?" Elphaba still wouldn't meet her gaze.
"You flinch, whenever I get too close to you too fast. You did it back when we hated each other, and you do it now. Why?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Glinda grabbed her hand once more and held it in place. "Is it because…" She swallowed and reached up to cup Elphaba's cheek. "Is it because someone hit you?"
Silently, Elphaba met her eyes. Glinda blinked back tears. "Elphaba…did your father hit you?"
Again, the green girl stayed silent. But the furrow in her brow and the set of her jaw said it all. Glinda closed her eyes as her anger returned, shifting into a trickle of magic that flowed heatedly through her veins. The hand against Elphaba's cheek dropped and curled into a fist as she started to tremble.
Elphaba looked around nervously as the furniture began to rattle. Her fingers tightened around Glinda's. "H-hey," she whispered. "Glinda, relax. Breathe."
The blonde clenched her teeth. "When did he—"
"Not for a long time," the green girl said quickly.
"Elphaba, I swear, if you're lying just to make me feel better…"
"I'm not." She brought Glinda's hand to her lips and kissed the palm. "Please, calm down."
Glinda sucked in a breath, shuddering, then let it out. The magic drained out of her as she did so, and she sagged a little against Elphaba. "I'm sorry," she whispered. The green girl wrapped her arms around her.
"For what?"
"For freaking out."
"You don't have to apologize for that."
"And for snapping at you earlier. I never want to make you flinch again."
Elphaba stepped back and frowned at the ground. "I'm not weak," she mumbled suddenly.
Glinda gave her a sad smile. "No." She stood on her toes and pressed her lips to Elphaba's jaw. "You are incredibly, impossibly strong."
Glinda pressed her knuckles into her eyes and rubbed, sighing heavily. She lowered her hands and folded her arms across the table, then rested her chin on them, gazing at the thick sorcery book in front of her. The pages were yellow and covered in dust. Her nose wrinkled at the sight, but she sat up again and pulled her stack of papers closer.
She was in the middle of an essay for Madame Morrible, analyzing the different schools of magic. She flipped to a different section of the textbook and started reading.
Similar to its opposite, Restoration, Destruction magic requires immense focus and can easily drain a caster's energy to critically low levels.
Glinda started jotting down notes, stifling a yawn as she did so. How does Elphie do this every night? she wondered, glancing up at the clock. She would have to head back to the room soon. Elphaba might have been an expert at sneaking out of the library long after it closed, but Glinda was not.
The blonde scribbled out a few more notes, checked the time again, then sighed and started gathering her stuff. She had tucked her paper into the book, marked her spot in her journal, and was on her feet sliding all of it into her bag when a voice spoke behind her.
"Running a bit late tonight, aren't we, Miss Glinda?"
Glinda jumped and nearly dropped her bag. "I-I was just about to leave, Madame."
Madame Morrible smiled and reached down toward the desk. She picked up the last of the papers and handed them to Glinda. The blonde noted how her eyes scanned the pages, and she tried not to let her hands shake as she took them and slipped them into her bag.
"T-thank you," she mumbled. "I…I'll just go, now."
"Of course, dearie. But a word of caution, Miss Glinda." Morrible's smile shifted into a leer. "You'll want to be careful of the time. There have been a few instances of students sneaking in and out of the library after hours, and I will not tolerate it any longer."
Elphaba, Glinda thought. She nodded. "Of course, Madame. I will…remember that."
"Good night, Miss Glinda."
Glinda lay in bed that night, staring at her roommate. Elphaba was curled up on her bed, hunched over a book that Glinda knew better than to ask about.
She wanted to tell her about what Morrible had said. She wanted to know when Elphaba almost got caught sneaking out of the library. She wanted to yell at the green girl for being so careless, so dangerously determined to continue this research.
But more than that, she wanted to hold Elphaba, just to be sure that—for the moment—they were alive and safe and together.
She crawled out of her bed and slid into Elphaba's, gently pushing the book away and taking its place in the green girl's lap. Elphaba attempted a scowl, but it vanished as soon as she met the blonde's eyes.
"W-want something, my sweet?" She licked her lips and swallowed. Her hands shook ever so slightly, and she steadied them against Glinda's waist.
The blonde chose not to answer. Instead, she wrapped her arms around Elphaba's neck and pulled their lips together, instantly deepening the kiss so that Elphaba tightened her grip and let out a quiet moan.
Glinda fumbled blindly with Elphaba's braid, pulling out the tie and running her fingers through so it flowed down her back. One hand stayed tangled in her hair while the other moved down to her hips, drawing the green girl closer.
She pulled back just enough for her eyes to search Elphaba's. Her grip tightened, reassuring herself that this was all real.
"I love you," Glinda whispered. Elphaba's eyes widened, but one hand moved up to cup the blonde's face. "I never want to lose you."
"I'm right here," Elphaba breathed. Her fingers twitched against Glinda's cheek, and she pulled them together once more.
Glinda closed her eyes as Elphaba's hands started to roam. She shifted to sit more comfortably across the green girl's thighs and swiped her tongue along Elphaba's bottom lip.
Elphaba whispered something—maybe her name—but it was lost in the kiss. Glinda pressed her back, lowering them to the mattress.
Elphaba shifted her grip to Glinda's sides and pressed lightly, stopping her. She tilted her chin away and looked down. "I…"
Glinda stroked her cheek. "Elphie?"
"I-I…I can't. Not…"
The blonde pressed their foreheads together, brushing her nose against Elphaba's. "It's okay. We don't have to."
Elphaba swallowed. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be ridiculous," Glinda whispered. She crawled off Elphaba and into the space next to her, snuggling in close. Elphaba reached over and put out the lamp, then wrapped her arms around Glinda, resting her cheek against soft, golden hair.
"I love you," Elphaba breathed into the darkness. There was a tiny rustle, then Glinda scooted up so that her lips met the green girl's. It was soft, chaste, and lasted for only a moment before she settled back, perfectly content, into the crook of Elphaba's neck.