Chapter Text
“And that’s it for today.” Madame Morrible closed the heavy tome she held and went to wipe the dry-erase board.
Elphaba sighed, dropping her shoulders in relief. Trying to use her magic was always a challenge, but today it was more taxing than usual. They still had 30 minutes left, and thankfully, she was getting let out early. She gathered her things, taking time to put pins and highlighters where they belonged.
“Good job today, Elphaba. You’re making good progress. You’ll be visiting the Wizard in no time.”
Elphaba smiled, looking back from the doorway. Galinda wasn’t here because Madame Morrible set up some one-on-one lessons for more precise study.
“I’ll drill what you told me and hopefully will have it down next week.”
As much as she loved practicing magic with the sorceress, Elphaba felt her mood lighten as she stepped outside. It was one of those transitional days that she loved. The sun shone brightly, briefly interrupted by clouds sailing across the sky. A gentle gust of wind blew through the campus, providing a sense of freedom that made her want to spend the rest of the day outside.
Elphaba quickly stepped out from under the underpass to fully appreciate the fresh air, catching sight of her friends all hanging out under a tree in the Quad.
“Elphie!” Galinda waved her over.
“I can’t believe she let you out early today!” From what Galinda had told her, it seemed Madame Morrible was a lot stricter in her lessons. It got to the point where Galinda was starting to dread her solo lessons. Elphaba did her best to help her when she could.
Elphaba sat down next to Fiyero, who was stretched out, leaning back against the tree. Nessarose flipped through a magazine, doing some light reading, while Boq crocheted. Galinda had Fiyero’s hand in hers, rubbing something oily on his fingers.
“What are you doing?” Elphaba asked, smirking as Galinda took a bamboo stick to his nails.
“Have you seen his cuticles. I couldn’t just ignore them.” Elphaba hadn’t noticed them, surprisingly.
Fiyero opened his eyes as Elphaba settled in next to him.
“Guilty, I swear I don’t know how they ended up that way. I must be getting lazy.”
“Must be all the studying you're doing.” Elphaba gave him a knowing smirk, and Fiyero blew a playful kiss. She blushed, quickly looking away.
“Ugh, please don’t bring up studying.” Galinda sighed, rolling her eyes. “It’s such a beautiful day today. I’d much rather spend it out here than in a stuffy room.”
“We still have our finale project for Fashion,” Boq said, pausing his hands. “Have you started the sketches at least?” Galinda had jumped at the chance to register for the class and was intrigued to find Boq had joined as well. It hadn’t been a coincidence.
“Biq, you can’t rush genius,” she stopped to gesture with the stick like a wand. “Creativity takes time.”
Boq heaved a sigh. “Should I start it myself, again?”
To Galinda’s credit, she did do the work; it was her favorite class after all. But her way of doing things made him nervous.
“Don’t you dare!” Galinda said, pointing the tool at him. “I’m going through my wardrobe for inspiration. Once I get through my fall season, I’ll draft up something, and we can work on it together.”
“Sure,” Boq said, finishing a row before starting the next.
“Don’t worry, Boq. I’m sure Galinda knows what she’s doing.” Nessa gave him a playful brush of his curly hair.
“Done!” Galinda said, cutting the last of Fiyero’s cuticles.
“Not half bad,” he curled his fingers, liking the new smoothness. Since their breakup after the Ozdust, it was nice to see they were still good friends, though Elphaba still worried about Galinda’s feelings.
“Speaking of, I have three papers due for finals. Do you think you can help me, Elphaba?” Fiyero asked, throwing his head back and putting on his best pleading face.
“She’s even helping with your papers, no fair!” Galinda pouted before Elphaba could reply. Elphaba made a point to not look at Fiyero, knowing that his playful look would give them away.
“She helps me find sources,” he smiled lovingly. “Our Elphaba is especially good at navigating the Moosey Scholarly System. I wouldn’t be able to survive without her.”
In his smooth, nonchalant way of doing things, Fiyero draped an arm over her shoulders. She enjoyed the familiar weight but kept a straight face, not leaning into him like she usually did. It was a peculiar feeling to be touched by someone else. Feeling Fiyero’s hand on her back for the first time had made her jump. The touch was grounding and intimate, reminding her what she’d been denied.
Elphaba looked around to make sure no one was looking in their direction. Galinda was now dramatically leaning back, letting the wind blow through her hair. Nessa and Boq were unaware.
The arm around her shoulders was innocent enough—Fiyero always liked hugging his friends—but leaning so close couldn’t be so easily explained away.
“I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it.” Fiyero squeezed her shoulder in his usual friendly way, and Elphaba savored the touch before removing his arm.
Luckily, Nessa drew everyone else’s attention.
“I heard with the nice weather, everyone’s going to Lover’s Quarry this weekend.”
“Ooo, the scandalicious place?”
“Not surprised,” Boq said thoughtfully. “People are always there.”
“Have you been Galinda?” Nessa asked.
“Well, no,” Galinda replied, twirling a hair around her finger. “Only because it doesn’t seem like my thing. Making out in the smelly woods, who wants to do that?”
Elphaba had heard about the secret dating spot, the next town over from Shiz. She didn’t know much about it, only that it was dense forest where pairs went to do what she could only imagine would make her father furious. Last year, she heard the school put out a reminder on the virtues of safe sex after a student had gotten pregnant. That was enough for Elphaba to not take interest in any of the rumors that swirled around the place.
“People even have sex in the woods, could you imagine?” Fiyero dug in his bag to find his sketchbook. He was probably thinking of his old secondary school where people snuck away during lunch.
“Well, that’s not my idea of a date.” Her ideal was going to restaurants and stores that far exceeded the budget of the average student.
“I don’t know, it sounds like fun.” Nessa, with a blush, “They’re saying this is the last weekend for good weather. Maybe we can go Boq?”
“U-us, in the woods?”
“We can just hang out. See what it’s like,” she urged.
“I don't think it’s all woods.” Elphaba offered.
As children, Nessa was sheltered, but now, away from their father, Elphaba found her sister eager to try new things. She went to the Ozdust when their father would have forbidden it. And last week she’d decided to skip class at Galinda’s persuasion. ‘You’ve had perfect attendance all semester. What do you think those skip days in your syllabus are for?’ This adventure was no different.
“Sounds like it could be great.” Fiyero paused from his sketchbook, and Elphaba felt his expectant eyes on her. When she looked at him, his eyes quickly flickered away before anyone could notice.
“See? Even Fiyero thinks it would be a good idea.”
“Think about it,” Fiyero continued. He slowly dropped his hand from his lap to Elphaba’s, resting in the grass. He gently stroked the back of her hand with his thumb, his crossed legs blocking the tender action from view. “We won’t have another night quite like this.”
Elphaba's heart raced. She hated to admit that she loved his little hidden displays of affection. But Fiyero was increasingly cutting it close.
She tried to imagine going out there with him on a date. It would be too risky to get caught. But she couldn’t help but picture them stretched out in the grass, staring up at the sky. They’d been together in other secret places around Shiz. Fiyero was especially good at finding little nooks and crannies to spend their time in. Her dorm room, of course, was off limits. Galinda had a habit of skipping classes or coming back after forgetting an accessory. And despite living alone, she hadn’t been to Fiyero’s room. It felt intimate, like crossing a line she wasn’t ready for. Thankfully, he hadn’t brought it up.
“Of course he would!” Boq cut his eyes at his friend. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he hasn’t been there already.”
“Boq, I am offended. What gave you that idea?”
“You kissed a teacher on your first day.”
“Ya got me,” Fiyero shrugged, returning to his work.
“As scandalous as that was,” Nessa jumped in, “I don’t think we’ve seen him with anyone else since…” An awkward silence descended on the friends.
Fiyero had ended things with Galinda after the dance, saying he got swept up in the fun and hadn’t meant to lead her on. That night, she spent the night comforting Galinda as they shared a tub of ice cream. Their relationship had been shortlived but it still meant a lot to her. Now she and Fiyero were good friends, but Elphaba still felt a bit of guilt remembering her friend's tears.
After they’d started dating, Fiyero admitted their meeting in the woods had left an impression he couldn’t shake. Elphaba hadn’t believed him, but as it sank in, she was horrified to think she was the reason he’d ended things.
“Exactly, I am a reformed man. Just trying to make it through my first semester.” Fiyero chuckled, breaking the tension. “I think it would be nice for the two of you.”`
Nessa smiled at Boq, who frowned.
“Oh, whatever.” Galinda stood, preparing to head to her next class. “Whatever you two decide. I’m sure we’ll all hear about it next week.”
The group continued. Nessa brought up her cricket club. Boq started talking about the book for bookclub Elphaba had since finished. She nodded along as best as she could, but her mind still wandered to Fiyero, still silently drawing beside her.
Did he really want to go to Lover’s Quarry tomorrow? Didn’t he know this was supposed to be a secret? Why did it seem he was so invested in trying to get them caught?
“Kjell meets Annauta at the ridge to give her back the scarf…and you already finished it, haven’t you?”
She gave an apologetic smile.
“We can still talk about it?”
Boq simply sighed. “No, it’s fine. I’ll just finish the book for the meeting Monday.”
Eventually, Boq and Nessa left, leaving her and Fiyero alone.
“So?” Fiyero intoned with a wide grin. “What do you think?”
“Fiyero, you know we can’t go.”
“Why not?”
“You know why,” she said, combing a hand through her braids. “We’re supposed to keep this a secret, remember?”
Fiyero folded his legs, turning his body towards her.
“But Elphaba, don’t you think we should treat ourselves for making it through the semester?”
“Fiyero, please.” She didn’t mention his late arrival.
Fiyero frowned, tenderly taking her hands in his.
“Fae, I think it would be nice. I haven’t been able to give you a proper date with the whole secret thing.”
Elphaba felt a bit of guilt at his sad tone. It’s not like she didn’t want him to treat her. They couldn’t even go out into town for fear of being spotted.
A group of students startled her as they rushed by. Elphaba quickly pulled her hands back. The look of panic made Fiyero’s frown deepen. The pained look on his face made her heart ache.
“I know you don’t want anyone to find out. And they won’t. I wouldn’t want to go against your wishes like that, Fae.”
Elphaba knew he meant it. Hiding a relationship must be a little strange for him, who was the more outgoing of their group of friends.
“I just really want you to enjoy us, and I hate that you can’t.” He looked away. Across the Quad, a group of students skated, racing through groups of students. Some barely got out of the way.
Elphaba recognized the purple-haired girl who ruthlessly bullied her before Fiyero arrived. She was among the sea of students who sneered at her at the Ozdust. Thanks to Galinda’s intervention, people were nice to her now. Some, like the girl, choose to avoid her. Elphaba thought of the disgusted look on her face when she’d accidentally bumped into her leaving class. Did she really want someone like that dictating her happiness?
“How about this?” she started. Fiyero perked up.
“We can go—”
“Yes!”
“—but we can’t be seen,” she couldn’t help but smile as he practically seemed to vibrate with excitement. She reached up to touch his face, but remembered where they were.
“Elphaba, I’ve snuck out past curfew, it’ll be fine. Our date will go on without a hitch.”
Elphaba stood as the clock tower chimed.
“I eagerly wait to see what you have in mind.”