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Elphaba had known it was a bad idea the second she saw the wayward twinkle in Galinda’s eye. That impish grin across pink full lips was the least effective warning sign Elphaba had ever seen, the quick dart of her tongue so inviting.
“What do you mean you’ve never had an Oz-mopolitan?” she had asked, hand over her chest, wide eyed and playfully shocked.
Elphaba had only shrugged, suddenly embarrassed by her inexperience.
“Wait,” Galinda had said, turning the dramatics up a notch higher. “Don’t tell me you’ve never had a drink at all?”
She looked accusatorily at Elphaba, her chin turned down and her eyes unblinking.
“I’ve had a bit of wine here and there,” Elphaba had said, trying to be casual. “You know, on Lurlinmas.”
The hand pressed to Galinda’s chest had flown to Elphaba’s upper arm, gripping her just hard enough to show how seriously Galinda was taking this.
“Elphie. You’ve only had kiddie sips of wine on Lurlinmas? Do you even know what kind of wine you’ve had?”
“Red,” Elphaba had said, hoping she wasn’t embarrassing herself too badly.
Galinda had fallen back into the sofa at that, gripping Elphaba’s arm even harder and shaking her head in disbelief.
“Every day I discover I’ve underestimated how much I have to teach you.”
And so she had prepared an Oz-mopolitan for Elphaba, and then another, and then another, with little regard for whoever’s alcohol she was using to do so. The drinks were pink and fruity, refreshing and just a bit bubbly, sort of like Galinda in a cup. Each one seemed to get stronger as Galinda was matching her pace and becoming steadily tipsier with each drink she made. Soon, they were slumping into each other and laughing over nothing, Galinda’s hot breath hitting Elphaba’s face like steam from a tea kettle.
It was marvelous, really, how the more they drank, the littler attention Galinda paid to Fiyero, or to anyone else really, devoting all of her soft smiles and big attentive eyes to Elphaba alone. She stole glances at him a few times and battled her eyelashes or curled her lip flirtatiously only to collapse against Elphaba in a fit of laughter, as if her flirting with Fiyero was the funniest thing in the world. Still, these coy glances were few and far between, and she spent much more time dragging Elphaba away from the other students who tried to talk to them, ducking into private corners and telling her stories of every magical, whimsical party she had ever attended.
And now here they were, stumbling back from some secret tower Fiyero had discovered in the boys’ dormitory, Galinda giggling and tipsy and clutching Elphaba’s arm and Elphaba… well, Elphaba was, as Galinda would put it, totally gone. The usually sharp lines of the hallway were unsteady around her, the edges where the floor met the walls fuzzy and uncertain. Sober Elphaba would’ve found this perceptive predicament deeply troubling. Drunk Elphaba was learning that sober Elphaba was overreactive. She felt pleasant enough with Galinda’s hands wrapped around her arm, guiding her as smoothly as she could back to their room, and lighter than she had felt possibly ever.
They practically tumbled into their dorm room, falling against each other, making contact in a hundred different places. Elphaba appreciated the scandalocious nature of Galinda’s short and sleeveless ballgown, the opportunity it presented for bare skin to brush against her, wishing in that moment she had chosen a shorter skirt, or that she at least owned one. She undid a few buttons of her blouse, tugging the collar of her shirt back and forth, as if she were too warm and trying to fan herself.
She supposed it wasn’t all pretense; she was, after all, quite warm indeed. Flushed, really. She was flushed.
She had come to a sudden stop to worry about her buttons, but Galinda, still holding tight to her arm, had barrelled forward. As consequence, the two of them fell into the bed, Elphaba nearly crushing Galinda in the suddenness of her descent. She pushed herself up on her elbows, hyperaware of the way their chests pressed together and the mess of their legs that still hung off Galinda’s four poster bed.
“Sorry,” she mumbled. “I didn’t mean to… Well, you know.”
“I don’t mind,” Galinda said.
Their faces were so close. Elphaba thought she might’ve seen Galinda bite her lip, but she easily could’ve imagined it. Their chests were still pressed. Elphaba rolled quickly onto her back, flustered.
“Woah,” she said, the world rolling with her.
Galinda giggled, turning onto her side and tucking herself against Elphaba’s arm, her chin resting on Elphaba’s shoulder.
“Elphie,” she said, so fondly her cheeks dimpled, “you’re drunk.”
The word drunk fell from her lips like a pebble into a pond, the k rippling in the air. She was hard to look at. Physically. It was hard for Elphaba to turn her head down enough to properly look at Galinda resting on her shoulder without going a little crosseyed.
Galinda must’ve seen her straining to look at her, flatting her chin against her chest, folding her neck in like a turtle, because she giggled and sat up. There, with her hair falling–no, cascading–down her neck, a gentle wave of gold, spilling out from the ribbon she had tied it half-up with to keep it out of her face during the party, she was much easier to see. She bent down, tugging at Elphaba’s boots, popping them off her feet and tossing them to the floor, then kicked off her own heels.
“There,” she said, tucking her legs up under her. “Now we can get comfortable.”
Elphaba didn’t move. She just lay on her back with her legs dangling off the bed, staring somewhere between Galinda and the ceiling.
“I feel weird,” she said before she even realized she was saying it.
“Oh, dear,” Galinda said, her eyebrows furrowing in concern.
Elphaba couldn’t tell if she had said oh dear like oh no or oh, dear like Elphaba was dear. She chose to believe it was the latter.
“Can I get you some water?” Galinda continued. “Water will help.”
She moved to get up from the bed, but Elphaba grabbed her wrist, willing her to stay in place.
“You stay right here,” she demanded, feeling satisfied when Galinda sat back, looking delighted by Elphaba’s request.
“As you wish,” she said softly, curling back into Elphaba’s side.
They lay together for a little while, Elphaba on her back and Galinda pressed against her, her leg swung over one of Elphaba’s, her hand resting on the bare part of Elphaba’s chest where she had pulled her blouse away, gentle fingers tracing light patterns into the side of Elphaba’s neck. Elphaba closed her eyes, totally relaxed by the sensation. Galinda’s touch helped to ground her.
“Feel better?” Galinda asked after some time, breaking the silence.
“A bit,” Elphaba said. “Still weird, though.”
“Spinny?” Galinda asked.
“A bit like I’m on a ship,” Elphaba answered. “It’s rocking back and forth relentlessly in a current of my own doing.”
“Ultra spinny,” Galinda said.
Elphaba snickered at that, a pffftting puff of air bursting from between her lips without her permission that dissolved into a light laugh. She felt like a balloon.
“You know what we should do?” Galinda said, sitting back up and tossing her other leg over Elphaba’s, nearly in her lap. “Tell each other drunk secrets!” She clapped her hands together. “I’ll go first–Fiyero and I…” She took a deep, resolving breath. “...might not be getting married anymore.”
Elphaba gasped despite herself, finally sitting up and clutching one of Galinda’s many throw pillows to her chest.
“Why? Did he do something?”
“No,” Galinda said quickly. “Nothing like that. And we still might. It’s just…” She looked down at her lap. “Sometimes I feel like I’m… not that girl anymore, you know? Or that, I don’t know, maybe there’s more? Or, not more, but… different. Fiyero’s great and all–of course he is, he’s literally perfect–but I just don’t always feel so sure the way I used to.” She worried her lip between her teeth. She looked back at Elphaba. “Does that make any sense at all?”
“I think so,” Elphaba said, leaning against Galinda’s headboard. “There are so many things that I feel so sure of, but almost none of them have anything to do with me. So I understand.”
She smiled kindly at Galinda and ducked her head just a bit, self-effacing. Galinda smiled back and ducked her head, too, more to match Elphaba than anything else. She perked back up, patting Elphaba’s hand in excitement.
“Okay, now you go! Give me a secret!”
Elphaba thought hard.
“I think you might know everything there is to know about me,” she admitted.
Galinda frowned.
“That can’t be right. You’ve had, what, eighteen years of life without me?”
“Twenty,” Elphaba said.
“What?” Glinda asked.
“Twenty,” Elphaba repeated. “I’m older than Nessa, remember? And I only started at Shiz when she did, and only because Madame Morrible insisted. So I’m a little old to be a first year.”
“You’re not old,” Glinda said, smacking her lightly, and for once, Elphaba didn’t even have the urge to chime in Not what I said to defend herself. “But still. I can’t believe I didn’t know you were twenty. How strange. You know I’m nineteen, right?”
“Yes, Galinda, we celebrated your birthday last month. I was there for that.” Elphaba rolled her eyes, just to be dramatic, but instantly regretted it when the world began to spin around her again. She slumped further down on the bed.
“Well excuse me for wanting to make sure,” Galinda said, even as she cuddled up to Elphaba. “You still owe me a secret.”
“The twenty thing was my secret,” Elphaba said back, proud of herself for coming up with that.
“Aw, boo,” Galinda said, but she didn’t press any further, which Elphaba appreciated. She didn’t know what she’d say. She didn’t know if she trusted herself to say more.
“I still feel weird,” she said, even though she was barely drunk by now, just warm and loose lipped. “Can I stay here tonight?”
Even if she was sobering up, Galinda’s bed was soft and warm, and could she really trust her heavy limbs to carry her all the way to her bed in the corner of the room? No, it was for the best to stay here, even in her clothes.
“Of course,” Galinda said, pushing the covers down for the both of them as if her quick and enthusiastic answer wasn’t enough.
She tucked herself and Elphaba in, leaning across Elphaba’s lap to turn the lamp off, straining, just barely able to tug on the chord. Her free hand steadied herself on Elphaba’s leg. It pushed down into Elphaba’s thigh, so firm and supportive it hurt, but Elphaba didn’t dare say anything. When Galinda shifted back into her own space in the dark, Elphaba missed the pressure.
Elphaba slid down the mattress until her head hit her pillow. She heard Galinda turn onto her side once more, felt Galinda’s eyes boring into her, even in the dark. She turned towards Galinda and stared back as best she could, her own eyes still adjusting.
“Do you want something?” she asked, fighting off a yawn.
“Yes,” Galinda said, but she didn’t say what, just felt for Elphaba’s hand under the covers and took it, playing with her fingers.
“What is it?” Elphaba asked.
“I shouldn’t ask,” Galinda said.
Elphaba could see now, enough to know that Galinda’s head was bowed once more, pointedly focused on the lump of covers where she was playing with Elphaba’s hand.
“Why not?” Elphaba asked. “It’s only asking. I can always say no.”
Galinda considered this.
Finally, she said, “Usually when I’ve been drinking, I get a kiss. I suppose not always, but usually. Enough that I’ve grown accustomed to it. Enough that I really want one now.”
“Oh,” Elphaba said. She felt a pang of something uncomfortable, a discomfort that pooled from the pang and into her whole heavy body. “Do you want to go find Fiyero? I suppose I’d be okay here.”
“No, I don’t want that at all,” Galinda said. “I… I’m very comfortable here, with you. I don’t want to leave.”
Elphaba was relieved, but confused. She felt, in a weird way, like she’d also won something, a point in a game she didn’t know she was playing, which only confused her more.
“What are you asking then?”
“Are you really going to make me say it?” Galinda said quietly.
“I don’t mean to make you,” Elphaba said. “I just don’t understand.”
The room fell silent for a moment. Then, just when Elphaba thought Galinda had given up on her request, that she was starting to fall asleep, Galinda spoke.
“I’d like to kiss you, if you don’t mind.”
“Oh,” Elphaba said again, more than a little frustrated by her two stupid ohs in the span of one conversation.
She considered it. She’d never been kissed, not really. There had been a peck with a Munchkin boy in her youth, one of the only kids who would play with her, but he had been teased relentlessly for it and ended up abandoning her because of it. She had always felt that that sort of thing wasn’t for her, romance, or kissing.
This, she figured, was far more the latter. Galinda just had a want, and Elphaba was there; but then, did Elphaba not have the same want, at least a little bit? Especially now that it had been suggested to her, with Galinda’s breath so warm against her jaw, Galinda’s hand so warm wrapped around her own.
“Okay,” she agreed. “If you really want to.”
“Are you sure?” Galinda asked. “I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable.”
“I’m sleeping in your bed, it’s the least I can do,” Elphaba said dismissively. It was the wrong thing to say.
“Nevermind,” Galinda said, starting to turn away.
“I want you to,” Elphaba said quickly, holding Galinda’s hand back.
Galinda stilled. Slowly, she rolled back to face Elphaba head on. Slowly, she scooted in until their faces were inches apart, until Elphaba could see only her closing eyes and the bridge of her nose. Elphaba closed her eyes, too, just in time for the gentle press of Galinda’s lips against her own. Her own lips parted easily, wanting a proper kiss, a real one. Galinda pressed forward, spurred on by Elphaba’s willingness. She dropped Elphaba’s hand in favor of cradling her cheek, loosening her up further.
When she carefully slipped her tongue into Elphaba’s mouth, Elphaba threw her arm over Galinda’s waist, pressing Galinda into her by the small of her back. Galinda moaned softly into Elphaba’s mouth, breathy, whiny even. They were both a little startled by the vulnerability of it. Galinda pulled back shyly.
“Thank you,” she said, only it felt like something else.
Elphaba couldn’t say anything back. She couldn't trust herself. She felt Galinda roll under her arm and back up against her. She let her forearm fall lower, her fingers curling around Galinda’s hip. Her heart was pounding in her ears, drowning out the quiet of their room. She took conscious steps to calm down until the thrum was replaced by Galinda’s steady breathing. They both pretended to be asleep.