A/N: The only thing I can say about this chapter is, there are some who will read it and think, "Finally."
The boys didn't know what had happened, but it was clear that Elphaba was shaken up.
Of course, the green girl tried hard not to show it. But she couldn't quite keep her eyes from darting around every time she entered a room, or her shoulders from tensing every time she heard someone approaching from behind. She clung to Glinda almost constantly—holding her hand, wrapping an arm around her—but the blonde wasn't complaining.
Neither girl would talk about it, and the boys knew better than to press the issue. So instead, they all tried to move on.
It was a perfect day—bright, golden, warm. Students flooded to the lake for a carefree afternoon, and their group was no exception. They found their usual spot and spread out with blankets and sandwiches and, by some miracle, fairly high spirits. The distant laughter of their classmates made Elphaba feel safe. Morrible couldn't reach them. Not today.
In fact, in the midst of the gorgeous weather, the boys' jokes, and Glinda's side pressed against hers, the green girl forgot all about the research. She forgot about Morrible, about the Wizard, about the beginnings of a war brewing just beneath Oz's surface. Just for that day, she forgot about everything but the sun warming her back, the laughter ringing in her ears, and the smile that lit up Glinda's face and never quite seemed to fade.
The afternoon seemed to last forever, yet it was all too soon that the sun was setting and they started packing away the basket. Still, they lingered out by the lake, even as everyone else began to wander back to their dorms. The group hardly realized how late it was getting until it was almost too dark to see. More than once, someone pointed out that they should probably go soon, yet no one ever bothered to actually do it.
It wasn't until the stars were shining bright and the air was thick with the sounds of crickets and frogs that the group actually forced themselves to stand up and start folding the blankets. It was still so warm, still so peaceful, and calling it a night seemed like the worst idea in the world. It was with a great deal of reluctance that they walked back to the main part of campus and parted ways to head to their separate dorms.
Glinda played with Elphaba's fingers the entire walk home, tangling and untangling them, rubbing her thumb across the green girl's knuckles, and occasionally bringing her hand up to press against her lips. Her other hand held the basket, gently swinging it as they walked along. She was humming—a quiet, made up tune that made Elphaba melt. They were the picture of innocence, of sweetness, and Elphaba had never been more content in her life.
They reached the dorm and crept up to their room. Glinda took the blanket from Elphaba and slipped inside. Elphaba shut the door quietly behind them, sure that most of Crage Hall was asleep by now. She turned, intent on grabbing her nightgown and preparing for bed, but one look at her roommate made the idea disappear completely.
Glinda had skipped over to her side of the room, still humming quietly to herself. She set the basket down and carefully draped the blanket over it. Although the room was dim, her skin glowed, as if reflecting the golden sun that had embraced them all day. Moonlight shone through the window and glimmered around the edges of her hair. Her dress swayed around her thighs as she straightened, examining the blanket. She pouted ever so slightly, but then her eyes brightened and she leaned over once more, delicate hands reaching for a corner of the blanket and folding it up, revealing the pattern underneath. She stood up again and grinned, admiring her handiwork.
Elphaba stared, mesmerized. It was picture perfect. It was subtle, gorgeous. It was so incredibly and impossibly Glinda. And in that moment, Elphaba felt her heart simultaneously shatter and soar.
The blonde felt eyes on her and turned, grinning bashfully. She expected a smirk, an eye roll, maybe even a gentle head shake. What she did not expect was to find the green girl staring at her, mouth hanging slightly open, her eyes wide with some strange mix of pain and desire.
"I love you."
Glinda opened her mouth to respond, but she never got the chance. Elphaba was there, cupping her face and capturing her lips with such ferocity that she was immediately breathless. The blonde didn't realize she was being guided back until her knees hit the edge of her bed. Elphaba's hands drifted over her shoulders and down her sides. She gripped Glinda's thighs and lifted, carrying her and moving them both back onto the mattress. As they settled, their legs tangled together and her mouth explored the blonde's jaw and neck, caressing every angle, every pulse point, masterfully drawing out tiny gasps and whimpers.
The blonde was lost. Her fingers fluttered, combing through Elphie's hair, caressing a cheek, tracing the lines of her collarbone. The emerald skin was soft and warm beneath her touch, and the only half-coherent thought she had was more. As soon as she had thought it, Elphaba's hands moved to her back, lifting gently. Glinda felt the clasp of her dress come undone, followed quickly by the zipper. Slender green fingers ran up her spine and rested on her shoulders, gripping the straps of the dress.
For the first time, Elphaba hesitated. Her eyes met Glinda's, questioning. The blonde was so distracted by the affection she saw there, it took her a moment to respond. Her hand reached up to grab the green face and, with a tiny nod, she pulled their lips together.
Elphaba deepened the kiss as she pulled down the dress. Her hands reached blindly, pushing the garment away, and settled on the blonde's hips.
Glinda squirmed and broke the kiss, suddenly and wholly aware of how exposed she was beneath her roommate's gaze. But Elphaba's eyes were smoldering, embracing her.
"I love you," she said again. One hand drifted up her spine and fingered the clasp of her bra. Her trembling fingers fumbled for a moment before undoing the undergarment and sliding it off. Glinda shivered, but then Elphaba's hands returned, one steadying itself at her hip and the other resting flat on her stomach.
The green girl paused and their eyes met again.
"Are you sure?" Glinda breathed.
Elphaba stared down at her. Her hair was strewn about the pillow. Her skin still glowed, soft and perfect. Her lips were slightly swollen and her chest rose and fell in a steady, enticing rhythm. Her eyes were wide and fiery, a brighter blue than she had ever seen them. The sight was absolutely breathtaking, and Elphaba was slowly and blissfully losing her mind. She couldn't have said no if she wanted to.
But Oz, she didn't want to.
Her fingers twitched over Glinda's stomach. Elphaba ran her hand up her torso and paused over her sternum, pressing gently. She let her fingers drift to the side, resting over Glinda's heart. Slowly, with all the certainty in the world, she nodded.
Whatever resistance Glinda had left vanished. She surged upward to capture Elphaba's lips with her own. Her hands explored blindly, undoing Elphaba's dress and bra and pushing the clothes away.
Elphaba felt cool air against her skin and took a shuddering breath. She ducked her head, cheeks darkening, but Glinda didn't let her hide for long. She tangled a hand in Elphaba's hair and pulled their faces close again, leaving just enough room to meet each other's eyes. She licked her lips and brushed her nose over Elphaba's.
"Kiss me," Glinda breathed. To Elphaba, there was no other option.
Glinda grabbed Elphaba's hips and pulled her closer, craving contact with every inch of emerald skin. Elphaba complied, shifting around and positioning herself over the blonde, straddling her. She grabbed Glinda's hand and pinned it to the mattress, tangling their fingers together. She braced herself with her other arm and moved lower until every part of her was pressed against Glinda. The blonde arched into the touch, pressing their chests together, and Elphaba let out a breathy moan.
Fingers and mouths explored, reaching and tasting and touching. It wasn't long before one of them dared to move lower—or maybe it was hours later. Time had ceased to exist. In fact, everything had seemed to stop existing. Everything but silky hair and smooth planes of skin under trembling fingers and hot, wet mouths and the smell of wildflowers and rich oils and just a hint of lake air.
It didn't seem possible, but each new discovery made Elphaba fall even more hopelessly for the blonde. She marveled at the sweat that coated her body, the angles and curves that she traced with her fingers and then her lips. She felt her insides disappear, replaced with white heat, when she first reached between the blonde's legs. She craved Glinda's heat, her taste, her movements—her body arching and twisting and tightening, her feet sliding against the bed, her fingers curling into the sheets, her hands reaching for any and every part of Elphaba. Most of all, she craved Glinda's voice. Every gasp, every moan, every whisper of "please," or "Elphie," or "I love you" sent the green girl into a dizzying bliss. But nothing could compare to the cry that escaped her lips when Elphaba curled her fingers tight and closed her lips around the bundle of nerves.
And when Glinda caught her breath and flipped her over with glowing eyes and a wicked smile, Elphaba lost herself all over again.
She wasn't quite sure when it shifted—when heated moans turned into whispered affections, when possessing grips turned into slow, tender caresses, when Glinda was no longer inside her but nestled against her, and smoldering eyes were fluttering shut.
Elphaba had just enough energy to reach for the sheet and pull it up around them. Her lips lingered against Glinda's forehead and her fingers drifted, tracing slow, mindless patterns across her arms, her back, her hips. They fell asleep just like that: the moonlight enveloping them, their scents mingling in the cool air, and Elphaba still moving softly against Glinda, never wanting to stop.