Fic Challenge #3 (word), marine_dreams, PG-13
Title: She’ll Never Know
Author: marine_dreams
Rating: PG-13 (sexual situations)
Summary: Based on the book. A closer look at what happens between Elphaba and Galinda when they go to the Emerald City.
All characters belong to Gregory Maguire.
Betas: willowsvampyre and njamonkey
I hope there wasn't a deadline for this, I left a note on the original challenge page to see if there was, but no one got back to me... *POKES Miss_Artist*
She’ll Never Know
The milk remained motionless in the cup. It did not stir or ripple, and it certainly wasn’t steaming. Elphaba rested her elbows on the desk and leaned over the unchanged liquid, preparing to chant the spell again. She jumped in her seat as painful cries echoed from the other side of the classroom. One of the girls made her steaming milk squirt from its cup and splatter nearby students. Elphaba felt a twinge of jealousy. Exploding milk was something, and she had created nothing. She quickly gathered her things and slipped out the classroom door while everyone else turned their attention to the scalded students.
Most people assumed that Elphaba was a talented sorceress because of her unique skin color, but it wasn’t true. Yes, she had some power, but it only manifested during the most inopportune moments, in ways that got her into trouble. Elphaba was already accustomed to receiving undesired reactions from people, and now, from sorcery as well.
However, there was one exception.
Galinda changed more than just her name when Dr. Dillamond died and Ama Clutch grew ill. She no longer worried herself with meaningless social affairs or the silly expectations of high society. Instead, she clung desperately to the only significant friend she had left, Elphaba. After the inhibitions of society were pushed aside, it didn’t take long for Glinda to realize she was infatuated with her green roommate.
Elphaba was perplexed when the casual touches became intimate, and pink lips strayed further from her cheek and closer to her mouth. The nature of the relationship didn’t surprise Elphaba; for she had grown possessive of Glinda, and often caught herself shooting discouraging glares at the blonde’s male suitors. But she was afraid of falling into a romantic relationship and giving someone else the ability to manipulate her feelings. After all, the only reactions she had left to control were her own.
At Shiz, it was easy for Elphaba to hide her emotions behind the façade of, “dedicated student”. Even so, it would only be a matter of time before Glinda’s slow, amorous advances would break through the wall around her heart. But the Clock of the Time Dragon was ticking against them. In the final throes of death, Ama Clutch confirmed that Doctor Dillamond was murdered, and Elphaba whisked Glinda off to the Emerald City for a consultation with the Wizard.
It was during their first night in the city that Glinda unwittingly gave Elphaba control of their relationship. For once, Elphaba had fallen asleep first and Glinda lay awake, fighting off the urges building within her body. She lost, and rolled from their single bed to pace around the shabby hotel room. Embarking on a mission with Elphaba made Glinda feel excited, bold and reckless. Green lights penetrated a dusty window, giving the room an exotic glow. A sweltering heat washed over her small frame, and she peeled the sticky layers of clothing from her body. Outside, the city throbbed with the hustle and bustle of nightlife. Glinda pressed her bare skin against the scratchy fabric of her roommate’s cloak, shifting her hips to the beat of dull sounds that pulsated through the thin walls of their room. Her senses were on fire and she gave in to the vibrations, inhaling the musky scent from the fabric while she pretended that Elphaba’s fingers were her own.
Elphaba stirred and rolled over. She stretched one arm across the mattress and her brows furrowed with confusion. It was still night, and Glinda was no longer huddled against her in the small bed. She blinked and sat up. Glinda was ensconced in a ragged armchair, her head rested against one arm, her slender calves dangled over the other. Elphaba slid from under the covers and crept towards the blonde, freezing when the chair rocked and a rusty spring squeaked. Glinda’s head rolled to the side and her pale toes curled. She was using Elphaba’s cloak as a blanket, clutching it to her breast with one hand. She rolled towards the back of the chair, the edge of the cloak lifted, revealing a strip of her naked form. Her chest rose and fell with quiet, rapid breaths. Elphaba could see the outline of her other arm as it trailed down between her legs. Gentle hand motions were perceptible beneath the thick material.
Glinda startled and cried out as Elphaba pulled the cloak away. She squeezed her knees shut and tried to hide the placement of her guilty hand, cursing as her sparkling nail polish winked at Elphaba in the dark.
Elphaba knew vulnerability and desperation when she saw it. She felt ashamed as she greedily took control, pulling Glinda’s shy hand away and letting her green fingers cast their very first spell.
After that, every night was the same. Elphaba tenderly dominated Glinda in bed. When the light hands and rosy lips tried to reciprocate, she pushed them away and distracted the blonde with more pleasure. She pretended that Glinda was frightened and needed the physical comfort. That way, she could still deny her own emotional needs.
Glinda would lean her head back against Elphaba’s chest, her glittering hairpins leaving dark scratches along emerald breasts. She tried to role towards her hiding lover, but a strong arm held her in place. As she struggled, her pale, twisting hips would grow weak and switch to an undulating motion as Elphaba won the right to avoid eye contact.
To Elphaba, it was magic. Every tremble, shiver, spasm and whimper flowed from Glinda and through her own body. She wasn’t thinking about their future or what was going to happen after they met the Wizard. She was consumed by the control she had, the ability to momentarily create the reactions she desired.
Every time Glinda was pushed away, her heart broke. She wanted to express her love to Elphaba, but forcing those actions might lead to the end of their one-sided romance. Unable to escape into the dangerous city, she was trapped with Elphaba day and night. So, she kept quite and savored every moment of affection she could gather. In the end, Glinda would be convinced that Elphaba didn’t want her love.
One morning, Glinda took a bite of her scrambled eggs and wrinkled her nose at the foul taste. She swallowed thickly and pushed the plate away. What did Ama Clutch say about a bad egg ruining the whole day? That afternoon, they finally met the Wonderful Wizard, who shattered whatever control Elphaba thought she may have had. Soon after, Glinda found herself sitting alone in a crowded carriage, clutching her chest and sobbing as she made her way back to Shiz with a torn heart.
Glinda would never know how easily she could’ve shattered Elphaba’s defenses. One fight, one command, could have changed everything, but Elphaba never allowed her to see the truth.
“For when she chose to remember her youth at all, she could scarcely dredge up an ounce of recollection about that daring meeting with the Wizard. She could recall far more clearly how she and Elphie had shared a bed…how brave that had made her feel, and how vulnerable too.” (Gregory Maguire, Wicked p.344)