Unsettling - One Shot II
Clearly one fic wasn't enough; the muse demanded a companion ficlet.
Title: Unsettling
Author: warrior_cat
Pairing: Elphaba/Glinda
Text: Most definately bookverse
Rating: PG
Word count: 690
Genre: Character Study/Dark!Fluff (or something)
Summary: Both Glinda and Elphaba find aspects of the other distinctly unsettling, but they're still together at the end of the day...
Notes: Really quite pleased with this one. As usual, I do my best writing at one AM. XP
What bothers Glinda the most about Elphaba is not her skin, which is quite lovely once you become accustomed to both its appearance and the person inside it, but her imagination. Elphaba sees the worst in people and objects, places and purposes, the world and the universe and everything inside it. Nothing has a purpose, and everything is going to die sooner or later. She reads about the wars in Ozian history, the bleak, gory details and the torture devices and grins to herself in a way that unsettles Glinda in the very pit of her stomach.
Elphaba holds neither a high opinion of others or of herself, something Glinda has never before encountered in anyone, and finds distinctly unnerving. If someone trips on the stairs, Elphaba will snicker. Not because she is mean - that requires active participation - but simply because she is not kind. There are many things Elphaba would rather be than kind - capable, smart, independent - so she doesn’t try and work at it. There are some people she is obligated to be kind to; Nessa, Nanny, but somehow they are excluded from the rest of the unwashed masses and Elphaba doesn’t have to make an effort to be nice to them.
Neither does she usually have to make the effort for her roommate, but during her darker moods Elphaba is acutely aware of all of Glinda’s faults. Glinda spends far too much time getting ready, is too concerned with aesthetics and too reluctant to get down into the nitty-gritty of it all. Ozian politics and history do not interest her in the slightest, and if Elphaba begins to talk about either of them she has an infuriating habit of attempting to listen but not really hearing anything. She is emotionally clumsy and far too naïve to be wise, meddlesome and invasive when Elphaba desperately wants to be left alone, drinks too much if given the chance and can be silly to the point of hysteria. She’s literal and indecisive and sometimes just doesn’t understand, which bothers Elphaba more than anything; Glinda is clearly just as intelligent as she is.
Still, what unnerves Elphaba the most is Glinda’s goodness. That she doesn’t have to make the effort to be kind, that she does and says nice things simply because she wants to. She constantly questions Glinda’s sincerity, because surely there’s something hiding under there, something dark and sinister which is just luring her into a false sense of security…
Elphaba wants to find that part of Glinda and drag it into the open, partly to reassure herself that it’s barely existent and partly because any sort of corruption - of Glinda, young and prim and proper - is a delicious sort of triumph.
And then there are other sorts of triumphs, like when Elphaba discovers she can discuss philosophy with her roommate, when Glinda’s help lightens the load a little, or when she feels Glinda’s easy friendship start to chip at her emotional walls.
Glinda hasn’t forgotten how unpleasant Elphaba can be, how lacking in social graces or generosity of spirit, or how most people take an instant dislike to the green girl upon meeting her, but most of the time it all fades into the background. On a good day Elphaba can make her laugh with skilful sarcasm, can amaze her with limitless mental agility, and usually has the answer to any number of problems. And sometimes Elphaba’s scariness is a good thing; strange, exotic, and a little bit dangerous in the way that makes Glinda’s heart race.
They certainly make an interesting couple. People tell Glinda she’s crazy, that she deserves better, that it’s social and political suicide to be spending so much time with that. The rest of their circle watch Elphaba, dutiful but jittery, and wonder when she’s going to crack and leave Glinda high and dry, for feeling trapped and obligated is the last thing the green girl wants in life.
Glinda looks at Elphie and reminds herself there’s no-one else that can make her feel this way.
Elphaba looks at Glinda and decides she wants to stay until the last of her walls break.
Title: Unsettling
Author: warrior_cat
Pairing: Elphaba/Glinda
Text: Most definately bookverse
Rating: PG
Word count: 690
Genre: Character Study/Dark!Fluff (or something)
Summary: Both Glinda and Elphaba find aspects of the other distinctly unsettling, but they're still together at the end of the day...
Notes: Really quite pleased with this one. As usual, I do my best writing at one AM. XP
What bothers Glinda the most about Elphaba is not her skin, which is quite lovely once you become accustomed to both its appearance and the person inside it, but her imagination. Elphaba sees the worst in people and objects, places and purposes, the world and the universe and everything inside it. Nothing has a purpose, and everything is going to die sooner or later. She reads about the wars in Ozian history, the bleak, gory details and the torture devices and grins to herself in a way that unsettles Glinda in the very pit of her stomach.
Elphaba holds neither a high opinion of others or of herself, something Glinda has never before encountered in anyone, and finds distinctly unnerving. If someone trips on the stairs, Elphaba will snicker. Not because she is mean - that requires active participation - but simply because she is not kind. There are many things Elphaba would rather be than kind - capable, smart, independent - so she doesn’t try and work at it. There are some people she is obligated to be kind to; Nessa, Nanny, but somehow they are excluded from the rest of the unwashed masses and Elphaba doesn’t have to make an effort to be nice to them.
Neither does she usually have to make the effort for her roommate, but during her darker moods Elphaba is acutely aware of all of Glinda’s faults. Glinda spends far too much time getting ready, is too concerned with aesthetics and too reluctant to get down into the nitty-gritty of it all. Ozian politics and history do not interest her in the slightest, and if Elphaba begins to talk about either of them she has an infuriating habit of attempting to listen but not really hearing anything. She is emotionally clumsy and far too naïve to be wise, meddlesome and invasive when Elphaba desperately wants to be left alone, drinks too much if given the chance and can be silly to the point of hysteria. She’s literal and indecisive and sometimes just doesn’t understand, which bothers Elphaba more than anything; Glinda is clearly just as intelligent as she is.
Still, what unnerves Elphaba the most is Glinda’s goodness. That she doesn’t have to make the effort to be kind, that she does and says nice things simply because she wants to. She constantly questions Glinda’s sincerity, because surely there’s something hiding under there, something dark and sinister which is just luring her into a false sense of security…
Elphaba wants to find that part of Glinda and drag it into the open, partly to reassure herself that it’s barely existent and partly because any sort of corruption - of Glinda, young and prim and proper - is a delicious sort of triumph.
And then there are other sorts of triumphs, like when Elphaba discovers she can discuss philosophy with her roommate, when Glinda’s help lightens the load a little, or when she feels Glinda’s easy friendship start to chip at her emotional walls.
Glinda hasn’t forgotten how unpleasant Elphaba can be, how lacking in social graces or generosity of spirit, or how most people take an instant dislike to the green girl upon meeting her, but most of the time it all fades into the background. On a good day Elphaba can make her laugh with skilful sarcasm, can amaze her with limitless mental agility, and usually has the answer to any number of problems. And sometimes Elphaba’s scariness is a good thing; strange, exotic, and a little bit dangerous in the way that makes Glinda’s heart race.
They certainly make an interesting couple. People tell Glinda she’s crazy, that she deserves better, that it’s social and political suicide to be spending so much time with that. The rest of their circle watch Elphaba, dutiful but jittery, and wonder when she’s going to crack and leave Glinda high and dry, for feeling trapped and obligated is the last thing the green girl wants in life.
Glinda looks at Elphie and reminds herself there’s no-one else that can make her feel this way.
Elphaba looks at Glinda and decides she wants to stay until the last of her walls break.