Glinda took a deep breath and slowly opened her eyes. She turned and saw Elphaba already awake, gazing at her in pure adoration. "Good morning, Elphie," she whispered, her voice hoarse with sleep, but not without sincerity.
"Good morning, my sweet," Elphaba smiled, brushing her fingers against Glinda's knuckles.
The blonde pushed herself up and stretched. "How did you sleep?"
"Fine. Your bed is very comfortable."
"Thank you." A pause, then, "Aren't you going to ask how I slept?"
"I know how you slept; with your hair in my face, and your hand digging into my stomach."
Glinda giggled and shimmied back down to Elphaba. "I'm glad you didn't leave," she whispered, playfully booping her nose.
"I wouldn't have gotten very far. I can't see well enough to find my glasses."
"You are absolutely impossible in the mornings," she faux-huffed, but reached over to the nightstand to retrieve Elphaba's glasses and slipped them onto her face.
Elphaba's smile instantly brightened when Glinda came into clear view. She pulled her into her arms and inhaled the last whiffs of her fading, sweet perfume. She gave her a proper 'good morning' kiss, soaking in the way the first rays of morning sunshine that peaked through the curtains illuminated her face. "We should get up. We shouldn't get caught like this." Though she made no move to get up. Instead, she gently tightened her grip and kissed her hair.
Glinda hummed, nuzzling her cheek against Elphaba's chest, causing her hair to tickle her chin. "I don't want to get up, but you're right. Will you stay for breakfast?"
Elphaba's stomach growled, answering for her. "I can, but I will have to leave directly after. Thank you."
Glinda giggled and gave Elphaba a quick kiss before bouncing up, twirling her dressing gown around her shoulders, and tying the ribbon around her waist. She opened the curtains and turned to see Elphaba picking up her discarded dress from the previous night. "That's much too fancy for breakfast."
"Do you suggest I go downstairs in my underclothes?"
"We will better plan for your future overnights here," Glinda said, going into her wardrobe and pulling out another dressing gown from the back. "Wear this."
Elphaba took the robe and tried it on. It was a light blue, panne velveteen, embellished with ivory and white lace. It was a bit snug, and barely swept the floor instead of having a long train, but it was suitable enough for an impromptu breakfast. "Thank you."
Glinda took her hand and led her to her vanity, making her take a seat. She finger-detangled Elphaba's hair, letting her fingers play with her soft, raven tresses.
"Come in," Glinda called to the knock, knowing it was Ama Clutch.
The door opened and the older woman stepped in, stopping as she took in the scene before her.
"Good morning, Ama," Glinda grinned, looking at her reflection in the mirror, still running her fingers through Elphaba's hair.
"Good morning, Miss Clutch," Elphaba whispered, fighting a blush.
"Good morning, Glinda. Miss Thropp," Ama Clutch said as if nothing was out of the ordinary. "Breakfast is ready."
"We'll be down in a moment," Glinda nodded.
The older woman nodded and stepped back, closing the door behind her. The blonde let out her stifled giggle and continued playing with Elphaba's hair. "Your hair is beautiful. You always wear it all plaited up. You should wear it down more often."
"It's more convenient and practical to keep it from my face."
She reluctantly braided Elphaba's hair in a single braid down her back. She looked around for a ribbon, then grabbed one of her spare, light pink, pointe shoe ribbons. She used it to tie off Elphaba's hair, then smoothed out a few flyaway strands. She nudged Elphaba up so they could switch. She grabbed her hairbrush and handed it to Elphaba. Elphaba obliged and gently ran the soft bristles through Glinda's golden curls. She left Glinda's hair down and the blonde jumped up, taking Elphaba's hand to lead her downstairs.
Breakfast was a quiet affair. The girls didn't speak about the previous night, and Ama Clutch didn't ask. Instead, Glinda chose to control the conversation by asking why Elphaba drank her coffee black and tried to convince her to add milk and sugar.
"I prefer it black," Elphaba said. "Munchkin coffee is naturally rich with a natural sweetness, so it's not as bitter. I grew up drinking it without any extra fixings, so I don't see the point of adding them now."
"You add milk and sugar to tea," Glinda pointed out.
"Not as much as you do." She finished her black coffee with a smirk.
Once the meal was finished, Elphaba quickly excused herself to freshen up and get dressed.
"Ama Clutch will not judge you, Duckie," Ama Clutch said softly once Elphaba was gone. "But she will tell you to be careful." She took her hands. "I always have your best interest at heart. Everyone deserves to experiment. Just… I don't want you to get hurt."
Glinda scoffed, waving her away. "Ama, whatever you're thinking, it's not –"
"Don't think to tell me I'm incorrect, Glinda. I know what I'm seeing."
"I care for Elphaba. And she cares for me."
"You're a bit too old to be chumming like a teenager. You can have a proper courtship with a man."
"I know, Ama. But this is different."
"Glinda."
She met her guardian's gaze.
"Be careful."
"I will. We both will."
Elphaba returned downstairs, wearing her dinner gown, her hair still in the braid with the light pink ribbon. Henv appeared and helped her with her satin cloak.
"Thank you for your extended invitation and hospitality, Glinda," Elphaba said formally and properly, taking Glinda's hands.
"Of course, Elphaba. Will I see you tonight at the opera house?" Glinda smiled.
"Not tonight."
Glinda had to fight to keep from frowning. "Oh. Alright."
Elphaba nodded and swiftly left. Glinda went to the window and watched her walk down the street, only turning away when Elphaba disappeared around the corner. Sighing, she pushed herself away, going upstairs to wash up and get dressed for her class.
…
Glinda watched as the first group did the combination across the floor. She marked the movements, forcing herself to focus. She was distracted during the speedy grand battements and the adagio, and had to pull it together before Greyling came after her.
"Next!" Greyling called, and Glinda stepped up with Milla, ShenShen, and another girl and began the combination.
She pushed her thoughts of Elphaba aside. She had to focus. She couldn't let her secret relationship with the opera house owner affect her standing there. She made sure her arms were strong, she was sickling her feet, and lifted herself to perfectly balance in her pointe shoes. Her turns weren't as clean as she wanted, and she almost slipped out of her glissade, but her arabesque was stunning. Greyling didn't call her out, so she considered her performance a success.
"Good job, ladies," Greyling said after the reverence. "Please stay for a moment, Madame Morrible will be here soon with an announcement."
The girls relaxed and talked amongst themselves as they waited.
"ShenShen, I need you to crack my back," Glinda said, going up to her friend with her arms crossed.
"Sure." ShenShen stepped behind her and wrapped her arms around Glinda and jolted her up. A soft crack, and Glinda sighed in relief.
"Thanks."
"Attention, young ladies!" Morrible called as she swept into the room. "As I'm sure you're all aware, the Ozma Regent Opera House will celebrate its 300th anniversary in January."
Glinda recalled Elphaba telling her while they were exploring the underground passages.
"As such, we will be hosting a series of special performances and events. This will be your chance to be featured. There will be opportunities during the performances for special solos and duets, and special interdisciplinary performances with the other departments."
"So keep up with your training," Greyling interjected, her gaze gliding across her students. "This is a big moment of potential progression for you all."
Glinda smiled. She did want to progress in her career at the opera house. The girls thanked Madame Morrible and watched her leave, taking her departing as their official dismissal. Glinda stayed and talked with her friends before hurrying to the pas de deux class.
"Hi, Glinda."
The blonde turned and smiled. "Hi, Crope."
Crope was the first principal dancer to stop treating her like an interloper once she joined the class. She always loved watching him perform, and enjoyed being in the class with him. "Merante paired us together today. We're learning the 'pas' from 'First Twilight'."
"I think I saw that one when I was little."
"It's tricky. There are lots of complicated lifts and around twenty fouettés at the end."
"Sounds like a fun challenge."
The principal dancer laughed and offered his arm. Glinda accepted, and the two walked into the class. All the other dancers greeted them with smiles, making Glinda feel like she was a part of the group. But deep down, she knew she wasn't. She had her place during the performances, and they had theirs.
After warming up, Master Merante started teaching the pairs the combination. Glinda caught on quickly, and she and Crope made a great team.
"Miss Upland, don't be so stiff in the lift. Hold your pose, but relax a bit," Merante said as he demonstrated the pose on the ground with his arms and legs out.
"Yes, Master Merante." In truth, she was always nervous with lifts. She knew Crope wouldn't drop her, but it did little to quell her fears. She tried again, and while her muscles relaxed, all the tension traveled to her face.
"That will be all for today. Thank you, everyone," Merante said, dismissing them after the reverence.
Glinda quickly gathered her belongings and hurried out before Merante could call her back. She practically sprinted up the back staircase to Elphaba's office, but stopped halfway. Elphaba had said that they wouldn't see each other today. Well, technically, she had said 'not tonight', and it was currently still afternoon. But then she remembered what happened the last time she intruded on Elphaba when she wanted to be alone, and didn't want to repeat that scenario. She turned on her heels and headed back down.
"Glinda?"
The blonde turned and saw Elphaba standing at the top of the stairs, her hands locked behind her back. "Hi, Elphie."
"Were you on your way up here?"
"… I was. Then I remembered you said we wouldn't see each other today. I assumed you'd be busy, and didn't want to bother you."
Elphaba slowly descended the stairs to meet her. She looked around leerily, as if she didn't trust they were fully alone. Then, without much warning, she took Glinda's hand and led her back up the stairs.
Glinda caught on quickly and kept up to avoid tripping. She couldn't help but smile at secretly getting her way. She allowed Elphaba to lead the way to her office, hiding her smile as Elphaba closed her door behind them, and let go of Glinda's hand as she went to the window.
Glinda stayed at the door, taking Elphaba in. She had changed into a simple, light brown dress with golden buttons, yet she kept the pink ribbon in her hair.
As much as she enjoyed her little win, she felt that something was off. Elphaba seemed distracted, her fingers twitching behind her back as she gazed out over the city's east side. Glinda slowly approached her, her reflection appearing behind Elphaba's, but kept a bit of distance.
"I'm glad you're here," Elphaba finally said, looking at Glinda's window reflection.
"You say that as if you didn't pull me up here."
Green-tinted lips twitched. "You were already on your way up."
"Were you coming down to look for me?"
"No, actually. I was… it doesn't matter. I'd much rather spend time with you."
Glinda shifted her weight, then realized she was still wearing her pointe shoes. She flitted over to the couch and changed into her slip-ons. She looked up to see Elphaba still staring out the window. "What's wrong?" She stood and approached her secret lover, placing a hand on her arm.
Elphaba finally turned to look at her. "Morrible had a meeting with the board of investors. She told me it was their idea to have me participate in the January tricentennial activities."
"That's wonderful, Elphie! Morrible said there would be multiple opportunities for the corps girls to earn solos. I was so excited to tell you, but I figured you already knew." She paused, registering her companion's unexcited monotone. "But you don't want to participate, do you?"
"It would mean going public as the owner."
"They wouldn't have suggested it if they felt it would be a danger to you… right?"
"It would mean significantly less privacy."
Glinda knew she wasn't just talking about their relationship. "Oh."
"Not just in here, but also out there." She returned her gaze to the window. "But it's what the board requested. I could say 'no', but that could have worse repercussions."
Glinda gently tightened her grip on Elphaba's arm, then wrapped her in a tight hug from behind.
"Secrets mean privacy, and privacy means safety," Elphaba continued, not returning the hug, yet not pulling away.
Again, Glinda knew she wasn't just talking about their relationship. "I understand."
"Losing this secret feels like a security breach. Years of freedom now over. I'll no longer be able to slip in and out as I did before. People will want to take up more of my time than I'm willing to give. People could…"
Glinda gently tightened her grip, hoping to encourage the reciprocation. She could feel Elphaba shake in anger, fear, or both. "Elphie? Elphaba, look at me."
The green girl's breathing became shallow and quick, and soft, uncomfortable moans emanated from her throat as she hugged herself. She stumbled away from her friend, squeezing her eyes shut.
Thinking quickly, Glinda gently detached herself and went over to Elphaba's records. She found the familiar cover and slipped the disc into the victrola. A familiar, Munchkin melody floated up from the machine, and Glinda hurried back to Elphaba, who had come out of her distracted trance to give the blonde a questioning look.
The blonde said nothing as she started doing the steps Elphaba had taught her. She hadn't practiced this dance since learning it weeks ago, but her muscle memory was strong enough. Her smile grew when Elphaba tentatively joined her, her movements becoming less jerky as they danced together. By the time the upbeat part began, the girls were dancing in perfect harmony.
"You've improved," Elphaba said when they ended in each other's arms, catching her breath. "You didn't step on my toes once."
"Thank you," Glinda giggled, then took a deep breath. "Do you feel better?"
She had no idea why she had reacted like that. That wasn't even her biggest secret. But she didn't need to let her friend know. She pressed her forehead to Glinda's. "Yes, my sweet. Thanks to you."
"Shall we go again?"
Elphaba nodded, smiling as she watched Glinda go over and restart the recording.