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The first time it happens, it’s a little late and they’re both a little more than drunk and a lot peeved at things they probably won’t remember much in the morning. Elphaba doesn’t recall exactly how it starts, but it ends with Galinda’s mouth on her neck and nimble hands working their way down her arms, her waist, her thighs. She’s still blissfully warm as the sun rises the next morning, and it takes several hours for her to summon up the energy to scrub the stench of sweat and alcohol from her discarded clothing.
They don’t really talk about it.
It still hangs over them, she thinks, noticing Galinda tug at the scarf around her throat even if it was far too hot outside for her to wear one. She wonders if Fiyero knows about the marks underneath that scarf that he didn’t give her, watching the pair link arms on their way to class.
Things are…fine. Normal. For her, at least.
Elphaba doesn’t have friends. The students don’t taunt and tease like they used to, well aware that she was under Galinda’s protection, but nobody ever really went out of their way to talk to her. Sometimes her sister would spare a moment when needed, but usually under duress, which was…whatever.
Things are fine.
The second time it happens, it’s the middle of the day and they’re very much sober.
Fiyero said something and Galinda said something back and now they’re broken up or on a break maybe, and Elphaba expected more tears from her wayward roommate. What she got instead was something that looked like resignation tinged with a bit of annoyance, and that was fine for her because she was terrible at the whole ‘comforting people’ thing. But they do talk for a bit, then for a bit longer than that, and somehow Elphaba finds herself flat on her back with Galinda’s tongue in her mouth and her heart feels like it’s beating out of her chest.
“We’re friends, aren’t we Elphie?” Galinda asks, brushing through her knotted hair with fingers that had been inside her twenty minutes ago.
Elphaba doesn’t think friends normally fuck each other on a futon in the middle of their dorm room, but then again, she’s never had friends before.
“Good friends,” she replies, and Galinda smiles.
“Best friends,” she adds on.
Elphaba doesn’t really know what that means, but maybe she doesn’t need to.
It happens more frequently after that. The bed, the floor, the couch, behind the stairwell and underneath the bleachers as the night sky twinkles above them. It’s the seventh or eight time, Elphaba’s lost count – but Galinda’s parents had sent her some ginger snaps in the mail and they ate them on the balcony of their dorm room, half dressed in bathrobes as the sun dipped low in the sky and the cool evening breeze brushed against her sweat-stained skin.
There wasn’t always sex.
Sometimes they would just lay there in bed. Sometimes they would talk about school or parents or previous lovers or just the trivialities of life. Other times she’d just hold her – Galinda was small enough to fit comfortably in her arms, but Elphaba didn’t mind it when she was being held either. It was a foreign sensation to her – physical touch. The first time she kissed a boy, she was thirteen and it was a dare. Some munchkin kid – the child of one of her father’s guards. It was short and chaste, and the boy wiped a hand over his mouth immediately after while his friends laughed from behind the fence.
People were supposed to be repulsed by her. She’s green and unnatural – frightening. Not something to be sought over, to be loved or cherished. Not something that deserves to experience this type of pleasure by someone who is normal.
Someone who is wanted.
It’s a completely regular day when Galinda grabs her hand in the middle of the hallway, threading her fingers with her own. Shenshen looks like she might puke at the visual, and Elphaba flashes her a smile as they pass.
It wasn’t a secret anymore. Their friendship….thing.
It’s the Saturday after midterms and there’s a party in Pfannee’s dorm that Elphaba didn’t get invited to. Galinda comes back drunker than she’d ever seen her, hair all mussed and dress straps hanging loose.
“Come sleep with me,” she says, or slurs mostly, patting the mattress.
“You’re drunk,” Elphaba responds.
A pause.
“Only a little.”
“More than a little.”
“A lot- tle?” She giggles at her own joke, kicking her shoes off. “Come sit with me then?”
That she could do. Galinda was clingy on a normal night, more so when there was alcohol involved. It didn’t take long before a blonde head wormed its way into the crook of her neck while its limbs splayed across her body like a starfish. Elphaba rubs traces circles onto her back, listening to her breathing deepen. Just when she thinks Galinda might have finally fallen asleep, she decides to talk.
“I never loved Fiyero.”
“Galinda - ”
“I mean…I thought I did. But I didn’t.”
“We should talk about this in the morn – ”
Galinda lifts her head up, just slightly. Enough to make eye contact. “I love you,” she asserts.
“You’re drunk.”
She thinks about that for a second. “Yeah.”
“You’ll change your mind when you aren’t.”
“No I won’t,” she pouts, jutting her lower lip out like a child.
“Yes you will.”
“Nope.” She lowers her head back down, wrapping her arm around her waist. “Ask me again. When I’m not. You’ll see.”
Elphaba sighs, but doesn’t respond immediately. By the time she thinks of something to say, Galinda was already passed out, snoring softly into her chest. She wriggles out from underneath her, making her way to her own bed. When morning does come to greet them, Galinda blinks blearily at her.
“How did I get here?” she asks.
And that was the end of that.
Galinda reconciles with Fiyero eventually, Dillamond is fired, and things at Shiz are turning from bad to worse. Her training continues nonetheless, and by the time that spring melts into summer, the Wizard has summoned her. Galinda watches her pack, face impassive. “Are you really leaving?” she asks.
“Yes.”
“Do you have to leave?”
Elphaba sighs, zipping up her pack. “We discussed this - the Wizard is the only one who can help the animals. They need him. I need him.”
“But I need you too,” she responds, sniffling.
“You have Fiyero. You don’t need me.”
Galinda bites her lip, staring at the floor.
The station is crowded when she arrives. It’s a weird feeling – being celebrated. She’s not sure she’ll ever get used to the attention, particularly of the positive kind. She keeps an eye out for Galinda, but her friend did not seem to want to make an appearance.
It’s fine.
It’s totally fine.
She’s never been more fucking fine in her life.
The Emerald City will be enough of a distraction from her relationship woes. She’s going to ask the Wizard to save professor Dillamond and the rest of the animals. Then everything will be sunshine and rainbows and maybe she’ll actually have friends and her sister will stop being embarrassed by her and her father will finally be proud of her and –
“Elphie?”
She blinks, and suddenly there’s a blonde standing in front of her. She’d never seen Galinda looking more discombobulated in her life. Strands of hair that had escaped the loose ponytail hanging down her neck were flying about in the wind, shoes that didn’t match her blouse adorned her feet, and there was little to no powder on her face.
And yet she was still beau -
“Ma’am? The train is about to leave.”
Right. That.
“I have to go,” she says, and turns away before Galinda grabs for her arm.
“I need to tell you something,” she says.
“We don’t have time for this – ”
“It’s important.”
“So is me making this train.”
Galinda’s grip tightens and Elphaba huffs, turning around. “What?” she says, drawing out the word.
“That night. After Pfannee’s party –”
“What about it?”
The shrill sound of a horn fills the air, and Elphaba wrenches her arm out of Galinda’s grasp. “I’m leaving.”
“But – ”
She doesn’t wait for her to finish, mostly because the wheels are moving and there’s quite literally no time left to do so. Stepping on board, she turns back towards the platform to see Galinda’s eyes burning a hole through her head.
And then –
Movement.
Running.
More of a sprint, actually. Galinda reaches an arm out and Elphaba grabs it on reflex, hauling her into the train car before the momentum of the movement ends with them both on the floor. For a few seconds, the only sound in the room was that of heavy breathing – Galinda had made her way to a sitting position, arms wrapped around her waist and eyes squeezed shut.
“That….was awful,” she finally spits out, and somehow they both end up laughing.
“I didn’t think you would make it.”
“Neither did I.” Another breath, then a pause. The station soon disappears from sight, cementing the finality of her action.
“That night,” Galinda repeats, locking eyes with her. “After Pfannee’s party. I wanted – ”
“I really don’t – ”
“Elphie please,” she cuts in. “I wanted you to ask me again. That morning.”
Wait -
Oh.
“You…” Elphaba trails off, digging her nails into her palms. “I thought you didn’t remember.”
“Not at first - everything was so fuzzy. But it did come back eventually, what I said and what you said and…well, I waited for you to ask me again like I told you to but you didn’t so I just assumed…that you didn’t…” she stops, gulping down a breath. The words were coming in too fast, running into each other. Elphaba scoots forward, placing a hand on Galinda’s arm.
“Breathe,” she whispers to her, softly. And she does. Once, then twice. Then twice more. Finally, the words come. “I thought you didn’t feel for me the same way I felt for you,” she says, and there are tears in her eyes, threatening to spill.
“But you were with Fiyero – ”
“I never loved him like that, Elphie. I told you that night. But you never said anything. Gave me any indication that you felt the same – ”
She kisses her deeply, cupping her hand around her neck and pulling her close. She could feel Galinda melt under her ministrations, tasting the salt of her tears as they leaked from her eyes. They do finally break apart, just slightly, enough to swallow a couple of breaths.
“I love you,” Elphaba says, and Galinda wipes at her eyes with the back of her hand. “And I’m sorry that I never told you.”
“I love you too,” she whispers back, voice shaking. But there was a trace of a smile there now, tugging at the corner of her mouth. “And I did tell you that already.”
“You did.”
Galinda rests her head on her shoulder, squeezing her hand. “So what happens now?” she asks.
“We’re off to see the Wizard.”
“I meant with us, Elphie.”
“Well – does this mean we’re still ‘good’ friends?”
“Best friends, you mean.”
“More than friends?”
She snorts. “So much more than friends. The Wizard won't know what hit him."
“Bring it on," Elphaba responds.