A/N: Hello Gelphie enthusiasts! Here is chapter 4, featuring some hurt/comfort and also this beautiful couple experiencing some joy together! This one is a little sexy. Woohoo! I am at the point of needed to decide if I'm going to extend this post act 1, and I need help with this decision. Should this be a long form story or should I end it before Defying Gravity? If you'd like me to continue, what would you like to see happen?
Elphie sighed as she rocked herself subtly in her chair while she worked on her essay for Dr. Dillamond's class. "Hey, Galinda, can I tell you something?"
The blonde's heart swelled at the thought of the other woman coming to her with something, as apposed to Galinda having to beg her to share the tiniest of problems she was experiencing. "You can tell me anything."
Elphaba bit her lower lip nervously. "I'm bleeding." She continued hastily at the worried expression on Galinda's face. "My monthly bleed, I mean."
"Oh." The blonde's face relaxed as if they were talking about something as routine as an exam in one of their classes. She pulled off her shoes and reclined in her bed, as she had just returned from her last class of the day. "Do you need something?"
"Oh, no, I have...I have supplies." The older woman put her pencil down. "I was just wondering if you were busy this evening."
Galinda offered her a genuine smile, patting the bed next to her. "No, I'm all yours. Everything okay?" Though she'd be happy with any excuse to snuggle her girlfriend close, the blonde was slightly concerned by how unenthusiastic the older woman seemed to be about her essay. It wasn't like her to abandon a task mid-thought.
"Yes, I just...this might sound weird," she offered as a disclaimer, turning in her chair to face Galinda, "but are you okay with cuddling and stuff? I could use the closeness if...if it doesn't sound too repulsive."
Galinda's eyes narrowed as she pressed her lips together. She had a feeling she was about to receive information she didn't like very much, and it turned out her instincts had been correct. "Repulsive? Why would it sound repulsive?"
"I don't know." Elphaba worried her lower lip again, eyeing the floor of their dorm and nervously tapping her foot rhythmically. "I just, my father didn't like it when I sat on the furniture or got too close to Nessa during that part of my cycle, and I don't know how other people feel about it."
The popular girl didn't conceal the appalled gasp that escaped her as she sat up fully and patted the bed next to her slightly more aggressively than before. "Miss Thropp, you can come sit down next to me right now." She waited for her girlfriend to approach her before interlocking their fingers and pulling her down so that they sat hip to hip. "There is nothing wrong with your body or anything your body does. Your body is amazing; there is nothing to be repulsed about. How anger-induciating it is for me to hear that your father treated you that way. That will never happen with me, my beautiful girl. Elphie, my period can be uncomfortable sometimes too, and I always want to be close to someone I love."
Her cheeks flushed considerably. What a taboo subject that Galinda seemed to know how to handle with such care. Elphaba's chest warmed, and she didn't fight the urge to massage her thumb against her girlfriend's warm hand. "I do, you know. Love you, I mean."
Galinda pressed a chaste kiss against Elphie's lips. "I know. And I know physical comfort is still new to you. We can be intimate and sensual without necessarily being sexual. I can massage your thighs and rub your belly or back for comfort. I can even offer you some counter pressure against your vulva if you're sore, over your clothes of course, and only a little."
Her eyebrows raised in question. "Counter pressure?"
The younger of the two girls nodded reassuringly, squeezing the fingers of Elphaba's hand. "Sometimes when I have cramps, I feel them from inside, you know, like how the blood and tissue want to come out of you?"
Elphaba was absolutely shocked that Galinda, seemingly sweet and innocent Galinda, was able to speak with such explicit language. But it wasn't that such talk didn't make the blonde uncomfortable, she just figured that if her darling Elphie was willing to sit in such discomfort in order to even engage in such a conversation, then Galinda owed her at least as much bravery. And she was passionate about these topics. She believed women deserved honest communication and safety and pleasure, and that included Elphaba. And Elphaba especially needed more education; she deserved it and was entitled to it. "Well, I've learned that if you push back against that pressure, it's really very soothing. But I'd only try it if you want me to."
Despite the clear choice the blonde was giving her, the decision didn't feel so difficult. How could she not trust that voice and those hands? Those warm, gentle hands. "I'm wearing a large sanitary napkin. Is that okay?"
Galinda smiled at her willingness. "Absolutively. Some cushion can help too. And it'll make the sensation less intense so hopefully it isn't overwhelming for you." The emerald-skinned woman nodded, swallowing hard when Galinda brought her forehead in to lightly meet hers. "I've got you."
Elphaba hummed. "What do I do?"
"Well, that's the best part," Galinda encouraged. "You don't have to do anything. Just lie down and get comfortable. Tell me what hurts, and I will do my very best to help."
"Alright, um—"
"Take your time, my love. This is good practice for us. Tell me what you need." Galinda helped the anxious girl rest her head and neck against one of Galinda's favorite pillows, and the sorceress turned her head slightly to inhale the scent of her perfume, sighing deeply.
"My, um, my belly…I have bad cramps," Elphaba admitted sheepishly, almost as if she were confessing to a crime.
The blonde nodded, her hand coming to rest on the other girl's waist, giving her a light squeeze. "Where? Low, close to your pubic bone, or higher?"
Elphaba didn't know how to deal with the feelings that crashed through her at how specific Galinda was being about where she would put her hands. It was calming because the blonde never ceased to make it clear that the green girl would only ever be touched where she wanted to be, but it also caused her eyes to widen and her pulse to quicken, her body shifting slightly uncomfortably against the bed, almost pushing Galinda's hand lower, but still, she hesitated to use words to make the request. In truth, Elphaba felt discomfort from the top of her chest down to almost her knees, but to admit that she wanted touch close to her pubic bone just sounded too intimidating to accomplish. "Um, it starts kind of around my belly button."
Galinda meticulously laid her fingers over Elphaba's last connection to her mother, raising an eyebrow. "Here?"
"Yes, my sweet," Elphaba indicated. Galinda eyed her one more time, an unspoken question on her lips. "Go ahead, darling," she allowed.
Galinda smiled up at her, lying down on her own belly and pressing a kiss to Elphaba's vest, right above her hand. Elphaba pushed some of Galinda's hair out of her face, wanting to savor the loving look in her eyes, and Galinda winked playfully at her, letting her thumb stray slightly lower on Elphaba's belly, still keeping her distance from the older girl's pubic region, but having a feeling that Elphaba was struggling to be honest about what she was craving, she decided to experiment just a bit, keeping a careful eye on the reactions of the body below her.
The first thing Elphie felt was some light pressure with what she assumed was the blonde's thumb, and she couldn't help the way her eyes closed at the touch. The soreness was immediately eclipsed by something slightly pleasant, if also disconcerting. "I love you and you're beautiful," Galinda promised her girlfriend, as if she'd read her mind. "I want to do this for you," she continued, beginning to move her fingers back and forth over the skin below her, testing out different pressures and gauging her love's reactions. She felt Elphaba press up into her. Galinda knew how much period pressure affected her lower abdomen, and she almost moaned in empathy. "How's that feel?" she whispered, not wanting to break the cocoon they had created around them.
Elphaba swallowed, meeting Galinda's careful gaze. "Good."
"Good," the blonde echoed quietly, not stopping her movements. "What else needs some love?"
"My thighs, they um…they hurt."
"Your thighs?" Galinda confirmed, waiting for a nod. "Can you be a bit more specific?" The girl sat up, stretching her own limbs, coming to sit parallel to Elphaba's knees with one hand resting precariously against the tights that covered the skin there.
"Galinda—"
The blonde was beginning to recognize this tone. It meant "have mercy on me" or "help" in some way. Often it came up when Elphaba had a need she felt unsure how to express.
"You've got this, Elphie," Galinda cheered her on. "Where do you want me to touch you?" She looked deeply into searching green eyes, hoping Elphaba would find an anchor within the chocolate orbs that stared back into them.
"My inner thighs," she ended up mumbling, reaching to cover her entire face with both hands. She heard Galinda intentionally lower her voice as dainty fingers came to pull her hands away.
"Look at me," she implored. "Elphaba, look at my eyes." Once the older woman surrendered her hands, Galinda squeezed the skin below her right hand, causing the green girl to blush again. "Does it look like I'm judging you?" Elphaba shook her head in the negative. "I'm not judging you. Your muscles are so tight here. It must be absolutively excruciating. I want to help you. You need this. You asked for closeness, and I can give it to you."
Elphaba surrendered. "Yes. Please. I trust you."
"You're still in charge," Galinda reminded. "I'm always waiting for your stop." Receiving nothing but a nervous smile and a shaky exhale, Galinda reached under Elphie's knee and lifted it to prop her foot up on the bed.
"Can I take off my tights?" Elphaba asked bravely. "I want to feel your warm hands on my skin."
Pride swirled in Galinda's heart. "Yes." She tried to tame her enthusiasm slightly, but she was giddy at the prospect of touching the woman below her in places she hadn't yet. "Just so you can stay comfortable, if you simply lift your hips, I'll pull them off of you." She hoped it sounded like an innocent offer, but in truth she was more than eager.
Wordlessly, the sorceress lifted her hips and was an active participant in taking off her pantyhose. She decided that she needed to trust that Galinda wouldn't be doing this if she didn't want to, and if that weren't true for any reason, Elphaba was prepared to face that disaster at another time, when her body wasn't begging for contact.
Galinda had no idea how far Elphaba was trying to take this offer to provide comfort, but her desperation needed to be tempered with Galinda staying in control of herself. Not that she couldn't enjoy these moments, of course, she just needed to stay vigilant, which was more than fine with her. There was nothing she wanted more than to care for her girlfriend, a person who had been shamed her entire life for simply existing, for having a body, for having skin. "Alright, we're going to keep your panties on," Galinda announced, "so no worries there. If you do want me to touch over your underwear, then I can, let's just move slowly into it, get you comfortable with my hands on other parts of your body. We haven't explored much in that department, so I want to go slow." Once again, the blonde rested the older woman's foot on her bed, leaning in to kiss her knee.
She took a moment to really, really look at her bare skin for the first time. Elphaba's dress was lifted up around her waist, exposing her belly button, and all that covered her luscious, breathtaking skin was a small pair of satin underwear that only concealed small patches of skin around her hips. "Elphaba, you truly are so beautiful. I can't wait to simply worship you. But that's for another day," she added with a small wink at the sorceress's attempts to stop squirming beneath her. "Am I making you uncomfortable?"
"No, you're—you're not," Elphie stammered. "But please—hands—"
Without waiting one more second, Galinda cradled the outside of one of Elphaba's thighs to hold it steady at the same time as she pressed five fingers into the tight flesh. "Please—" Elphaba managed to get out through a moan.
Galinda cuddled in close next to her, nuzzling her nose into Elphaba's ears "Shhh. Relax, Elphie. I've got you, remember? Just helping your muscles relax." She continued her massage, pressing light kisses against everywhere her lips could reach—Elphie's face, neck, ears, chin, shoulders. She kept the contact fairly chaste, stopping herself from licking from Elphaba's collar bone to her ear. They would need to talk more about kissing and about tongue, specifically, before Galinda felt comfortable going further.
After a few more minutes of sweet kisses and massage, Galinda moved one hand to rest on the side of Elphaba's cheek. One lone tear was at the precipice of her water line, and she wiped it away. "We can stop here," she offered. "I have a hot water bottle you can use too," she whispered, nuzzling her nose against Elphaba's.
"No, I want—the pressure inside—I just want to feel your hand against me one time."
"Such braverism," Galinda sing-songed in awe. "I'm so proud of you for telling me what you want."
"I put the napkin in my underwear right before you got back, so it shouldn't be so dirty," Elphaba tried to justify.
Galinda shook her head, moving her other hand from Elphie's thigh and bracketing either one of her cheeks. "I would not care if your blood were all over me right now, Elphaba Thropp. We're not there today, but in the future, I would love to make love to you during your monthly bleed. I offered you this touch today because it can feel very soothing and intimate, and it doesn't just feel that way for you. Oz, I'm so in love with you, Elphaba. Please believe me."
"I'm getting there."
"I know." Galinda leaned forward for a slow kiss, eyes closing as she projected every emotion she had for the other woman outwards, sending it through her mouth and hoping Elphaba could feel it. "Can I put my hand between your legs?"
To Galinda's surprise, she received a response in the from of an eager nod. She shifted slightly to ensure Elphaba did not feel as if Galinda were holding her down, burying her face in her neck and making sure her whispers would be in earshot of the woman she loved. "Okay," she murmured, the fingers of one hand dancing over Elphaba's collar bone and then skipping entirely over her breasts. "No surprises here. You'll feel my fingers on your belly. Can I touch your bare skin for a minute?"
She felt, rather than saw, the enthusiastic nod below her, and she hummed quietly in affirmation. "So brave for me. I love you."
Elphaba's eyes watered as fingertips gingerly traced the circle of her belly button, pressing down intentionally against sore muscles. She leaned her head against Galinda's, brushing their temples together. "Thank you." Sometimes she wondered if the praise was the only thing keeping her going. Though she was still self-conscious, she no longer questioned if it were inappropriate to be enjoying the compliments and affection in the way she was. Giving into the warmth spreading through her body, Elphaba wrapped her arms around Galinda, less hesitantly than she usually did, holding their bodies tight against each other.
Galinda gasped, her fingertips drumming over the lace of her underwear, feeling the warmth below her. "Oz, Elphie."
The vulnerability caught up with the sorceress, her voice breaking as she begged. "Don't leave."
"I'm not going anywhere. Breathe. Feel my fingertips move over your panties. I'm going to cradle you, nice and soft."
As Galinda did as she had promised, Elphaba's arms tightened around the woman she wanted to hold forever. "It does feel very intimate," she realized. "It almost feels like you're trying to protect me."
"I want it to feel that way." Galinda nodded against Elphaba's pulse point, kissing it firmly and smiling at the steady, rapid beat below her lips. "You haven't had anyone to care for you in these moments before. I'm not okay with that. In fact, it makes me furiocious. I am feeling very, very protective of this area of your body. You deserve nothing but tenderness and love. And you're in luck because I have so, so much of it to give."
Slowly, to give the older girl time to adjust, Galinda added incremental pressure behind her touch, smiling at Elphaba's small gasps and heavy breaths. "Is this good?" She was rewarded with a low groan and a slight rock of Elphaba's hips, something she tried to hide.
"Am I supposed to be feeling this way?"
Galinda grinned, adding just a touch more pressure behind her hand, which Elphaba pushed back against. "What way?" She asked innocently.
"Like I want you to kiss me and never stop."
"Never—hmm, that's quite a long time," Galinda mused, lifting her face out of Elphaba's sweaty neck in order to make eye contact.
The woman with the emerald skin knew this was a giant leap towards sexual intimacy, but she was also painfully aware that the barrier of her underwear and sanitary napkin was what was making this possible. The idea of Galinda touching her bare, wet, hot-but-normally-icy skin was thrilling, but at least as terrifying as well. "If I let you, what would you be doing right now?"
"Elphie, I—"
The sorceress knew her girlfriend hesitated to dive totally into her fantasies, but if Elphaba wasn't going to be comfortable experiencing it for quite some time, the least she could offer her was a chance to discuss them. "Tell me. Please. I want to hear it."
Galinda knew she could draw it out if she wanted, arouse them both to the point of unbearable frustration, but only a singular phrase crested on her lips. "Elphie, I could just eat you up."
Breathing through the blush, Elphaba's eyes went wide at the idea. She knew exactly what the blonde was referring to. "Would you?"
"Oh, I will," she promised with an evil smirk. "Probably not during our first time though. I want to be able to talk you through everything, so I need to make sure my mouth is available. I do have some self-control, you know."
"If you're feeling anything like I'm feeling, I'm sure you have to. Galinda, kiss me? Just for a little while, with your hand there. Please."
Because she felt that the intensity of the previous several minutes would lead to more passionate kissing than they'd explored together before, Galinda wanted to straighten out something that had come up the other day while they were trying to make out. "Okay, here's some information you need to know. If you feel my tongue at your lips, that is me asking for permission. You can open your mouth and let me in, or you can choose no and keep your lips closed. We can communificate nonverbally as well."
"Okay. That makes sense."
Galinda also had not planned on them progressing this quickly—all credit to the bravery that was carved into the green girl's soul—so she decided to add a little bit more. "Any touch is a request for consent because you can always push me away or let me know it doesn't feel right. But I'm not going to do anything new without having a conversation about it first. I know you want to give me all your power. I can sense it in your body language. You need control but you hate it, and it makes sense because you've had no one to care for you before. I want to provide you with what I can, but I am uncomfortable with any official power play at this point. So, this is a happy medium. I won't verbally ask about every little thing, but you and I will communificate with each other the entire time. Deal?"
Elphaba nodded. "It still feels a bit like you're taking charge. It makes me feel safe."
Galinda's thumb began to brush ever so softly over Elphie's underwear. The sorceress could barely feel it, but because she knew it was happening, her whole body shivered and she pushed into the touch." Your safety is the most important thing to me in all of Oz."
"I can tell."
"Good. I want you to feel comfortable all the time, Elphie, but I know trying new things in this department can be nerve-wracking. Your body and brain give you all these messages about what you want and what you need, and it can be uncomfortable. And it's necessary to the process. But there is a difference between being uncomfortable and being in distress."
When their lips met, it took only seconds for Galinda to carefully request permission to deepen the kiss. Elphaba was prepared for it this time, so she eagerly parted her lips, and though she was unsure of what kind of technique would work here, she happily allowed the blonde to demonstrate. As their tongues eventually danced together, Elphie's attention was still drawn to the fact that Galinda's hand never moved from their resting place, a gentle reminder of the space she held, of love that was lighting their way in the dark.
Pulling back for much needed breath—how did Galinda learn to kiss this long without a break?—a joyful laugh played on Elphaba's lips. "I don't think either of us can deny that this is a little bit sexual."
Galinda giggled, her golden hair framing Elphaba's face and creating a secure container for them to exist in together. "As long as it feels good, I don't really care what we call it." The blonde rolled them over and squeezed Elphaba tight, her fingers finally moving away from her clothed center in order to use them to trace circles into the older woman's bare lower back. "Are your breasts sore?"
The question surprised Elphaba once she stopped being distracted by the new sensation. "Next, you're going to tell me you can nonsexually massage my breasts."
Another bell-chime giggle. "Honestly, I just wanted to know if I should be careful while I hold you to me. But hey, if you want a massage..." She left the idea floating in the air.
"That hot water bottle you mentioned earlier is sounding better and better."
Galinda smiled. Her Elphie had managed to give the message of "stop" in a graceful and clear manner, and the blonde was so grateful to know that she wasn't going to push herself further than she was ready for. Giddily hopping off the bed, she made the necessary preparations before returning to her love's side. "We can pull each other close and hold it between us."
Elphaba boldly intertwined their legs as Galinda set up a pillow for the sorceress to rest her hips on. Once she had placed the water bottle where it needed to be, Galinda adjusted her body so that Elphaba could derive comfort from her presence. Arms wrapped around each other tightly and legs squeezed, toes clenching against skin.
It was quiet for some time as Elphaba took in the warmth surrounding her. Suddenly, a small but sudden declaration broke the silence.
"I love you, G."
Galinda gasped in joy and pride. A nickname.
"I love you too, Elphie."
A/N: Comments keep me going! Thank you for your support!