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Elphaba had never been so scared in her entire life. The silence that lingered in Doctor Dillamond’s class — because it was still his class — was almost deadly. The only things Elphaba heard were Glinda’s gasps of shock and her own rapid breathing. The green girl looked at her own hands. Everyone in that classroom had fallen into a mysterious slumber; her classmates, the new History teacher, the headmistress, the Wizard’s guards, everyone. Except Glinda. And Elphaba just couldn’t stop staring at her own hands. Why?!
— Elphie, what did you do?! — the blonde didn’t sound judgemental at all; quite on the contrary: she was almost smiling. She sounded… excited (?!) as she laid Fiyero’s sleeping head onto the desk beside her own.
— I don’t know! — Elphaba panted — You know I never know!
Glinda actually smiled, ignoring Elphaba’s despair. She tapped Fiyero’s left cheek a few times with her right hand.
— Everyone is knocked out! — she giggled.
Elphaba glared at her.
— You think this is funny?!
Glinda gave the green girl a one shoulder shrug, in an almost nonchalant way. She smirked at the end.
— I’m not knocked out, so yeah.
— Yeah, and why is that?! — Elphaba looked around, leaning her head onto her hands. Then, she hit her forehead with the bottoms of her palms a few times — Oz, why, why, why?!
Glinda stroked her back. She looked worried now.
— Hey, don’t beat yourself over it — she kissed Elphaba’s right temple. — We’ll figure it out. It’ll be okay, I promise.
Elphaba allowed herself to relax a little at Glinda’s soothing tone. And then Glinda gave the place a scan. She gasped again and rose to her feet. There was someone else not knocked out.
— What? — Elphaba questioned, and Glinda was already running to the center of the classroom.
She stood before the lion cub’s cage.
— He’s wide awake too — she said, more so to herself, in a breathy voice, fascinated. Elphaba got up and walked towards her. — Elphie, maybe… maybe he is why you did it.
Glinda opened the little cage door carefully and reached her right hand forward, tentatively. The little cub stepped back and shrinked into a corner, trying to get a roar out. Glinda stopped moving and held her palm out to him, showing him she wasn’t a threat.
— It’s okay — she said, her voice soft and slightly high-pitched, as if she were talking to a baby. — It’s okay. I won’t bite, so you won’t have to either. There, little one, there.
The cub allowed Glinda to stroke his back and then the blonde put her hand under his stomach and got him out of the cage. The sight melted Elphaba’s heart. She had never seen Glinda like that, taking care of someone — well, except the night before, when she had taken very good care of Elphaba. She looked… older… and… maternal. And so beautiful! That picture before Elphaba, of Glinda nestling the cub into her embrace, deserved to be turned into a painting. The green girl contemplated it for a while. It was Glinda’s voice what made her snap out of it.
— Come on! We have to take him somewhere safe before anyone wakes up.
She began to run towards the classroom door. Elphaba followed her. Outside the building, they found a couple of bicycles leaning against a lamp post.
— Here — Glinda gave Elphaba the cub. — Put him in that basket, go!
Elphaba didn’t move for a moment. She took one good look at Glinda, who didn’t motion to take one of the bicycles.
— You’re not coming? There are two bikes!
Glinda looked at her sheepishly, putting her hands together at belly button height. She seemed way less mature than she had seemed just a minute ago in their classroom. Those two versions of her were equally adorable.
— I… I haven’t ridden a bike ever since I was a really young kid. I’m not even sure I still know how to do it. You know, I’ve never actually needed to come and go by bike.
Elphaba laughed, affection flowing through her body.
— Of course you haven’t, you poor little rich girl.
She put the cub carefully into the basket that was attached to the back rack of one of the bicycles and grabbed it by the handlebars, gliding it towards where Glinda was standing. She got on it.
— Come with me anyway — she smiled. — I won’t leave you behind, my sweet. I want you on this adventure with me.
The nickname and the declaration seemed to melt Glinda as well. She grinned. Her cheeks were pinkish.
— Quick! — Elphaba looked down at the top tube of the bicycle frame. — Get on!
Glinda did so, sitting before Elphaba with her legs dangling to the green girl’s right side. Once Elphaba started pedaling, the blonde let out a joyful squeal. Her right hand grabbed Elphaba’s on the handlebars tightly. Her left one held the center of the handlebars.
— Shhh… — Elphaba whispered, trying unsuccessfully to restrain a laugh. — If you want to scream, wait until we’re further away or you might wake someone up.
Although Elphaba didn’t really mind. Oz knew no one could stop them. Glinda waited a few seconds anyway, unable to stop smiling.
— Can I do it now?
Elphaba grinned.
— Yeah.
So, Glinda let go of the handlebars and opened her arms little by little until they were wide open. And she squealed again, like a child. The wind in her golden locks. So pure! So happy! Making Elphaba’s heart feel so full!
— You really should start riding a bike, you know? — Elphaba suggested — Since you enjoy the air so much.
Glinda’s hands went back to grabbing the handlebars. She leaned back just a little against Elphaba, making a large group of butterflies gather in the green girl’s stomach.
— I will if you promise me you’ll ride alongside me.
— I promise, of course. I’d be my pleasure.
— Also, promise me you’ll catch me if I fall.
Elphaba thought for a tick-tock about the depth of those words. They weren’t just about bicycle riding. She gave her a slow and hard kiss on the cheek. It felt just as intimate as a kiss on the lips.
— I double promise, my sweet — Elphaba’s voice was a bit deep. — I’ll always catch you when you fall.
Then, Glinda tilted her head just barely and pressed a kiss to Elphaba’s lips, stroking her right cheek with her own left hand. The contact made Elphaba lose her balance, but luckily she found it again after a couple of seconds. They both laughed after briefly fearing for their lives.
— Don’t do that! — Elphaba panted, blushing and letting out the smallest chuckle — Or else we’ll both fall.
Glinda only giggled at that. She wasn’t sorry.
And Elphaba kept riding. And riding and riding and riding. Not sure where she was going. At one point, she kind of forgot about the poor lion cub. She just wanted to witness Glinda’s joy. The way the blonde kept opening her arms time and time again, as if wishing she could fly. It brought tears to Elphaba’s eyes. That was who Glinda truly was. That blissful, adorably silly little creature who just wanted happiness to be a constant in her life. Elphaba loved her so much! She kissed the right side of her face many, many times before the ride was over.
— Why don’t you pick him up? — Elphaba suggested once they got to the woods, a sweet smirk on her face — He seems to love you.
Although her suggestion came from a place of selfishness; she wanted to see Glinda with the cub in her arms again. The blonde picked him up, settling him nicely onto her right hand and forearm. Then, she kissed him on the top of his head, as if to reassure him that everything would be okay. Elphaba’s heart raced. She grabbed Glinda’s left hand, intertwining their fingers.
Glinda had trouble taking her first steps on the dirt ground around the woods given her heels.
— Don’t you wanna take them off? I’ll hold them for you — another suggestion that had a little bit of selfishness to it. Holding a girl’s shoes as she walked barefoot was so… girlfriend-and-girlfriend-like.
Glinda did as she was told, letting go of Elphaba’s hand only to take her own shoes off. Their hands found each other again as soon as Elphaba took the blonde’s shoes in her left one.
— Oh! — Glinda smiled as she moved her feet around a little in the dirt. — This feels… nice.
That remark also had a “poor little rich girl” tint to it. Elphaba laughed.
— You’re so cute! — she pressed a kiss to Glinda’s lips and slightly pulled her into the woods.
They walked calmly for a short while until they found a small pond. Elphaba suggested that they put the cub down because he was probably thirsty. Glinda put him down very carefully by the water and he started drinking it immediately. Elphaba kneeled down beside him and stroked his back. He was still shaking a bit.
— We’re sorry — she said to him ever so softly. — We didn’t mean to scare you. But you’ll be okay. You’re a very good boy, you know that? So full of courage! Yes, lots and lots of courage. You’re the most courageous boy I’ve ever known! In fact, that should be your name. Courage, the courageous lion. What do you think?
The cub didn’t respond, of course. Glinda kneeled carefully down at Elphaba’s right side.
— I think it’s beautiful. But you’re full of courage too — the blonde leaned against her side. — Doing all of that to save him! Oh, Elphie, you’re so, so courageous!
Elphaba closed her eyes for a moment, grabbing Glinda’s hand and allowing that soft whisper to flow through her veins.
— You’re really courageous yourself — she told her, leaning her own head against Glinda’s. — You figured out what I meant to do back there before I did. You took action first. I’m so proud of you!
Glinda smiled at the compliment and closed her eyes as well. For a moment, they were in complete silence, completely at peace.
— Elphie? — the blonde’s voice was the gentlest — Why was I the only one you didn’t do it to?
Elphaba raised her head from Glinda’s. Their eyes met.
— You really don’t know the answer to that question? I thought I made myself pretty clear last night.
— You did. It just… would make me feel really good if you told me again.
With her left hand, Elphaba put a thin lock of golden hair fondly behind Glinda’s right ear.
— I love you, my sweet. That’s why I picked you. I mean, my soul picked you, even before I could consciously do anything… because it knew how important it would be for me to have you here with me.
Glinda’s eyes were filled with tears.
— I love you too, Elphie — the blonde said amid kisses. — I love you so much! Thank you for trusting me.
— How could I not trust you? After last night. After… we changed each other for good. Besides, you’re great with him.
— So are you — Glinda gave her a peck. — You’re gonna make a great mom someday.
Elphaba was silent. She lowered her head and her shoulders. A shiver went through her body — and not the good kind. Tears began streaking down her face without her consent.
Glinda delicately cupped her face.
— Elphie, what’s wrong? Did I upset you? I’m so sorry, I… what did I say? You don’t want to be a mom? Is that it?
The green girl shook her head, allowing herself to smile through her tears.
— No! I’d love to be a mom! But… there are two things stopping me from letting myself dream about that.
— What are those things? — Glinda’s voice was deep and serious — Tell me and I’ll prove to you how wrong they are.
Elphaba managed to laugh, still looking down, and the new tears that began to fill her eyes were good tears. Hope tears. Love tears.
— Well, first, I… I wasn’t raised by good parents. My mother, like I told you last night, she… well, during the little time I got to spend with her, she wasn’t… great. And my father, well… he doesn’t know any better either. So, I don’t know how a good parent is supposed to be.
Glinda’s hands were still on Elphaba’s face, though not firmly. The green girl’s head was still down. The blonde stroked the other one’s cheeks with her thumbs and finally made those green eyes meet her own.
— Elphie, look at me. Listen. I couldn’t be more certain that a good parent would put a room full of people to sleep so they could save their child. You did that today, my beautiful girl. And, if you did it for a lion cub you’ve never seen before in your life, can you imagine how you’ll treat your own child? Oh, Elphie, you will be a wonderful mother!
Elphaba’s tears hadn’t stopped. She pursed her lips.
— What’s the other thing stopping you from dreaming about motherhood? — Glinda asked her fiercely — Let me prove it wrong too!
Once again, Elphaba laughed through her tears.
— Well… — getting those specific words out made it feel like her insides were burning —, if I really want to be a mother, I’ll need a man. And I don’t want a man. I want you. For the rest of my life. Like you promised me last night.
Glinda’s thumbs wouldn't stop drawing the gentlest circles on Elphaba’s cheeks for the world.
— And that’s a promise Oz knows I’ll keep. Now, who on Earth said we’ll need a man to have a baby?
Elphaba sniffled.
— Biology did.
Glinda let out a delicate laugh.
— And who believes biology when magic is real?! Elphie, in a few years, we’ll be graduating. I’m pretty sure I’ll know my way around magic by then. And if, by then, you still want to have a baby with me, I’ll put a little human seed inside of you — she touched Elphaba’s covered belly button with her right index finger — with just a touch of my wand.
Elphaba couldn’t restrain a few soft sobs. Glinda wrapped her own arms around her. The green girl knew it wasn’t that simple. She knew that magic and biology worked hand in hand more often than most people would think. But… she was far from knowing every spell. There was a spell for virtually anything, wasn’t there? So, maybe there was one Glinda could use to actually put a human seed inside of her a few years from now. Therefore, Elphaba let herself be in that hope, and in Glinda’s arms, for a while, crying softly.
— Until then — Glinda spoke again —, I do wish we could take Courage home with us.
— “Home…” — Elphaba repeated in a whisper, smiling and feeling warm wholly, thanks to the way the blonde had just referred to their dorm room.
— Yeah. But, soon enough, he won’t fit under any of our beds anymore. So… — Glinda slowly unwrapped herself from Elphaba and rose to her feet, dusting her knees off with her hands. She settled Courage onto her right hand and forearm once more. Elphaba got up as well, taking Glinda’s shoes in her left hand again. They held each other’s free hands, intertwining their fingers, and looked each other in the eye. — Let’s get this courageous little boy to safety.