Defying Gravity 8/?, by ainsleyaisling
Title: Defying Gravity, 8/?
Author: ainsleyaisling
Rating: R
'Verse: Musical AU; some details from bookverse
Summary: Glinda and Elphaba - and Fiyero - working hand-in-hand, the way it was supposed to be . . . maybe . . .
This chapter: Everyone seems to have news for Elphaba. Where the last chapter left off.
Disclaimer: Wicked belongs mostly to Gregory Maguire, and musicalverse belongs to Stephen Schwartz, Winnie Holzman, and possibly Universal.
Notes: Sequel to "The Effects of Gravity," a link to all chapters of which can be found here. The previous chapter of this story can be found here.
Even More Notes: Now that I'm back from New York and I have my internet fixed, look for me to actually exist again.
~~Elphaba~~
After making his pronouncement, Fiyero stood waiting for a reaction. Glinda looked to Elphaba for guidance, but Elphaba could only shake her head. She didn't know whether she felt exactly confused or shocked by his news, but she couldn't think of anything to say.
"What exactly did he say?" Glinda finally asked.
Fiyero took a half step further into the room, still looking at Elphaba. "He said he'd heard my unit was a particularly good place for Munchkinlanders who wanted to help the homeland."
"Why would he . . ." Elphaba leaned against the edge of the sofa, her thoughts still whirling oddly. "Why would anyone think that? As opposed to assuming it would be your own home country -"
"And there are lots of Munchkinlanders in charge of other units," Glinda interrupted, sounding as confused as Elphaba felt. "An actual Munchkin too, I'd swear. I saw him once."
"Well . . ." Fiyero glanced down at the floor. If Elphaba hadn't known better, she'd have sworn he was blushing at least a little bit. "They seem to - I mean, around the Guards, they seem to think . . ."
"Oh," Glinda said. "Of course. It's us."
Fiyero looked up at her with a strange expression of gratitude. "Exactly. You knew?"
Glinda cast a puzzled look in Elphaba's direction and said, "That we all went to school together? Yes, I was aware."
The gratitude faded slightly from his face. "Oh. Not that exactly."
Elphaba stood straighter, relieved to have something finally make sense. "It's Glinda," she said. "Isn't it? You and Glinda."
"Not - entirely, no."
For no reason Elphaba could think of, Glinda suddenly looked highly pleased with herself. "It's Elphaba," she said. "Oh, that's - that's wonderful."
Elphaba's understanding had been short-lived. "What's wonderful?" she asked.
Glinda beamed. "They think you and Fiyero are - well . . ."
"They don't." She looked at Fiyero, feeling pale. "That's ridiculous."
"It's not ridiculous," Fiyero replied. "But it's not exactly right, either."
"Then I'm confused," Glinda said. Elphaba felt her agreement could go without saying.
Fiyero crossed his arms awkwardly in front of his chest. "It's both of you."
Glinda's eyes darted to Elphaba and back. "But - I don't think we're talking about the same thing."
"No, we are," Fiyero said. That faint trace of a possible blush was back. "Or - maybe not exactly the same. Probably not, actually."
"Fiyero," Glinda said, with a trace of irritation.
He spread his hands. "They think I have a relationship with both of you. A relationship of a - scandalous nature."
"What?" Elphaba asked before she could stop herself.
"Yes," Fiyero said. He looked a bit more comfortable now that it was all out. "Apparently there's a rumor among some of the Guards that I've been -"
"Carrying on?" Glinda suggested.
"Yes, carrying on, with both of you."
"With both of us?" Elphaba repeated. "Why in Oz would anyone think that?"
Glinda turned, her expression of glee replaced by concern. "Elphie," she said. "You shouldn't mind it, it's just a lot of people who don't know us and love to gossip."
"I'm used to rumors and gossip," Elphaba pointed out. "I just don't understand why anyone would think something like that - I mean, why would -" She cut herself off before she could say something potentially humiliating, and looked at Fiyero. "They might as well decide you've been courting Morrible; what can they be thinking?"
"Elphaba," Fiyero said, suddenly firm. "One of us is being ridiculous, and frankly, it's you."
"Bravo," Glinda muttered under her breath. Elphaba's mouth opened and she turned to glare at Glinda, but Fiyero interrupted her reaction.
"And all of that aside," he said, "I don't think rumors are our biggest problem. If someone thinks that being involved with Elphaba would involve me with the Resistance -"
"Then they think I'm involved with the Resistance, obviously," Elphaba said, trying to push aside any other thoughts. "Do a lot of them think that?"
"The part about the Resistance?" Fiyero asked. "I don't think so. It seemed to be a secret among the Munchkinlanders, from the way this man was talking. Or the loyal Munchkinlanders."
"Loyal to Munchkinland, that is," Elphaba mused.
"That's right."
"Then what does Glinda have to do with all this?"
"Nothing," Fiyero said. "I guess."
"No," Glinda corrected, "they probably think I have the same thing to do with it that you do."
Fiyero frowned. "What?"
"Oh, half the Emerald City also thinks Elphaba and I have a relationship of a scandalous nature."
This time Fiyero and Elphaba spoke at the same time. "What?" Elphaba's fingers tightened on the arm of the sofa, her face growing hot.
Glinda shrugged in Elphaba's direction. "I was going to tell you the other day, but other things happened."
"Tell me what?" Elphaba stammered.
"That when I was in the market the other day, after the storm, I overheard some people talking about us. They think - well, apparently it's not just Morrible."
"Morrible thinks you two are . . ." Fiyero seemed to have run out of words.
"Carrying on?" Glinda offered. "Oh yes, she's thought so all along."
"Wh-" Fiyero looked from Glinda to Elphaba and back to Glinda again. "Any particular reason?"
Elphaba raised her hand, feeling her face continue to burn. "When we first met the Wizard," she said. "He got it wrong, and I - let him. I thought it would keep Glinda safe."
"And it has," Glinda pointed out.
"Do you think Morrible's been spreading rumors?" Elphaba asked. "Would that serve her purpose at all?"
Fiyero coughed.
Glinda turned to look at him. "I think," she said, "Fiyero's about to tell us that people have always thought similar things about us, even at school. Right?"
"Right," he admitted. "How did you -"
"I knew they thought that," Glinda said. Elphaba felt the heat in her face spread to her chest as Glinda added, "My mother thought the same."
"You never told me that!" Elphaba finally exclaimed.
"I thought it would embarrass you."
"It does!" Elphaba pressed her hand nervously over her chest, seeing the briefest flash of hurt pass across Glinda's face. "No, not because of you. You know that."
"I - yes," Glinda said, smiling and giving a little nod. "Of course."
"No, Glinda." After exchanging a quick look with Fiyero, Elphaba crossed to Glinda's side and took her hand. "Never because of you. It's just, having all those people speculating about my - you understand. I can't believe so many of them think I'd do that to you."
"To her?" Fiyero asked.
"Well, that's it, isn't it?" Elphaba asked, directing her question to Glinda. "They think you're under my sway, or that I've bewitched you . . ."
"Maybe you have," Glinda said with a fond, wobbly smile. "But I told them it wasn't like that."
"Told who?" Elphaba asked, frowning. She was conscious of Fiyero watching them closely.
"The people in the market. I told them -" Glinda blushed suddenly, prettily, and she stopped to lick her lips. "Well, they won't think I'm under your sway, anymore."
"What will they think?"
Glinda looked sheepish. "That you're under mine, possibly."
Fiyero burst out laughing. When Elphaba turned to stare, he said, "Well, you have to admit that much is probably true."
Elphaba rolled her eyes. "So what do we do about the man who talked to you today?"
"I tried not to tell him anything," Fiyero said.
"Did it work?" Elphaba asked.
"I'm not sure. I think he was under the impression that I was subtly confirming everything he was saying."
"Well." Elphaba finally shook her head, having nearly lost the power of speech. "If anyone else says anything to you, or if he approaches you again -"
"I'll let you know." He jerked his head in a cross between a nod and a bow. "I might have been here too long . . ."
"What?" Elphaba asked.
"The guards, Elphie." Glinda tilted her head toward the door. "I assume they notice how often he's here, and when, and for how long."
"You should decide if that matters to you," Fiyero said, looking between them. "In the meantime, I should be in barracks, I think. I'll talk to you both later. Elphaba?"
"Yes?" she asked.
He nodded toward Glinda. "Listen to her."
"What?"
Fiyero was already opening the door. "I'll see you later."
Elphaba watched it close behind him and turned to Glinda. "What did he mean?"
"I assume," Glinda said, reaching for Elphaba's hand, "that he meant I was going to tell you, for the hundredth time, I might add, that it is not even a little bit unlikely that someone would - well, all right, it is unlikely that you would get into a scandalous relationship with someone, but it's not unlikely that someone might want to."
"That's your bias talking, not your brain," Elphaba said.
"I wish you'd take Fiyero's advice," Glinda replied. Her fingers increased their warm pressure on Elphaba's hand, and then she dropped it and headed for her bedroom. "I'm going to wash, we'll talk later."
Elphaba was troubled as she watched her go, but she couldn't put her finger on the exact reason. She chose to add another log to the fire roaring in their fireplace, rather than thinking about it.
~~Glinda~~
When Glinda emerged from her bath, white nightgown on and damp tendrils of her hair clinging to the back of her neck, Elphaba was sitting on the floor close to the fire with her knees drawn up to her chest. Glinda smiled to herself and silently took a seat at Elphaba's side, leaning her head on Elphaba's shoulder.
"Hello," Elphaba said quietly. She braced her weight on one arm and wrapped the other around Glinda. "Feeling all right?"
"Yes." Glinda looked down at Elphaba's hand resting on the floor and laid one of her own over it. "Elphaba."
"Yes?"
"You never told me what happened with Fiyero, the night of the graduation party."
It seemed to Glinda that Elphaba's breathing had stopped for a moment, though it soon resumed its rhythm. "What do you mean?" she asked, her tone sounding forced.
"He told me," Glinda said. She pressed on Elphaba's hand to show there were no hard feelings about her silence. "I understand why you didn't."
"You do?" Before Glinda could reply, Elphaba coughed and added, "What did he tell you?"
"That he kissed you. And you - resisted." Glinda paused, nervous for the first time in the conversation. "Is there more?"
"No," Elphaba said softly. "Not really."
"Elphie."
"He said -" Elphaba's shoulder shifted under Glinda's weight as she took a deep breath. "He said a lot of things he didn't mean."
"Like?"
Elphaba shook her head. "I wouldn't - I shouldn't repeat them. He'd be embarrassed - he obviously left it out of the version he told you. He was drunk, he had no idea of what he was doing."
"I think he did," Glinda said, studying their intertwined fingers against the carpet.
"He can't have meant those things."
"I think he meant something," Glinda almost whispered. She let one of her fingers curl, its tip tracing a path across the back of Elphaba's hand. "I don't know exactly what, but I think he did mean to do what he did."
"Why are you asking me about this now?" Elphaba asked. "When did he tell you?"
"At the Governor's Ball," Glinda replied. "I didn't ask because I thought, if you wanted me to know you would have said something."
"I didn't mean to keep a secret from you."
"I know."
Elphaba very carefully turned over her hand on the floor and clasped Glinda's fingers in return. "So why now?"
"I felt -" Glinda stopped, no longer certain of what she planned to say.
Elphaba's arm around her shoulders tightened, rocking Glinda against her. Glinda suddenly felt that they hadn't been like this in far too long, hadn't simply sat like this together, and she was loathe to interrupt it. But she nodded and said, "I think - I felt like I wanted to know what you thought."
"About?"
"About what happened. With him. How you felt."
"Oh." Elphaba sighed. "I was caught off guard. I'm sorry I hit him."
"That's not really what I meant."
"Then . . ." It was a long moment before Elphaba finished her thought. "Then I'm not certain I have an answer."
"Do you know how you would have felt, if you believed he was sincere?" Glinda was practically holding her breath; she had no idea why she was forcing the issue but it suddenly seemed so important.
"No," Elphaba whispered after another long silence. "I don't know."
"Why not?"
"I don't know." She sighed again and said, "Anyway he wasn't sincere, so it doesn't matter."
Glinda pulled away a bit and looked at her. "How are you so sure?"
"Because I was there," Elphaba said, looking her straight in the eye. "And because he couldn't have been. It's him, and it's me."
"I really wish you'd listen to him," Glinda said, looking firmly back.
"About anything in particular?"
"About saying things like that."
"They're true," Elphaba whispered.
"They're ridiculous." Still holding Elphaba's gaze, Glinda leaned closer. "Who's the most popular person you know?"
Elphaba's eyes flickered down to Glinda's smile. "Is this a trick question?"
"No."
"Well, you."
"Exactly." Glinda smiled wider. "Even more than Fiyero, right?"
"Yes. I think."
"So." Glinda closed the distance between them and touched her lips to Elphaba's, pulling back a few inches after just a moment. She smiled again, and raised her hand to brush loose strands of hair back from Elphaba's face. "Why do you think I do that?" she asked.
Elphaba took in a breath and turned her face ever so slightly into Glinda's touch. "Because you feel sorry for me?"
Glinda neatly twined a few strands of hair around her fingers and pulled.
"Ouch!" Elphaba covered Glinda's hand with her own and rubbed the sore spot. "Because you want to?" she guessed.
"Right answer." She stretched forward and kissed Elphaba again, lingering this time. When she pulled away she whispered, "And because you're my best friend, and I love you." This time when she leaned in for a kiss, Elphaba's hand came to rest on her shoulder and Elphaba returned the kiss, tentatively but unmistakably.
Their eyes met when they separated, and for a long, slow while they sat looking at each other, faces close enough for their breath to mingle, fingers stroking where they rested. The unaccustomed fire that seemed to be spreading through Glinda took her by surprise; it took her a while to recognize the feeling and to blush from it. When she had, she laid a hand against Elphaba's thigh and braced herself to put some space between them. While Elphaba looked away in apparent confusion, Glinda settled her head against Elphaba's shoulder again and tried to arrange them into some semblance of comfort. "So see," she said quietly, staring into the fire. "You really should listen to Fiyero."
Author: ainsleyaisling
Rating: R
'Verse: Musical AU; some details from bookverse
Summary: Glinda and Elphaba - and Fiyero - working hand-in-hand, the way it was supposed to be . . . maybe . . .
This chapter: Everyone seems to have news for Elphaba. Where the last chapter left off.
Disclaimer: Wicked belongs mostly to Gregory Maguire, and musicalverse belongs to Stephen Schwartz, Winnie Holzman, and possibly Universal.
Notes: Sequel to "The Effects of Gravity," a link to all chapters of which can be found here. The previous chapter of this story can be found here.
Even More Notes: Now that I'm back from New York and I have my internet fixed, look for me to actually exist again.
~~Elphaba~~
After making his pronouncement, Fiyero stood waiting for a reaction. Glinda looked to Elphaba for guidance, but Elphaba could only shake her head. She didn't know whether she felt exactly confused or shocked by his news, but she couldn't think of anything to say.
"What exactly did he say?" Glinda finally asked.
Fiyero took a half step further into the room, still looking at Elphaba. "He said he'd heard my unit was a particularly good place for Munchkinlanders who wanted to help the homeland."
"Why would he . . ." Elphaba leaned against the edge of the sofa, her thoughts still whirling oddly. "Why would anyone think that? As opposed to assuming it would be your own home country -"
"And there are lots of Munchkinlanders in charge of other units," Glinda interrupted, sounding as confused as Elphaba felt. "An actual Munchkin too, I'd swear. I saw him once."
"Well . . ." Fiyero glanced down at the floor. If Elphaba hadn't known better, she'd have sworn he was blushing at least a little bit. "They seem to - I mean, around the Guards, they seem to think . . ."
"Oh," Glinda said. "Of course. It's us."
Fiyero looked up at her with a strange expression of gratitude. "Exactly. You knew?"
Glinda cast a puzzled look in Elphaba's direction and said, "That we all went to school together? Yes, I was aware."
The gratitude faded slightly from his face. "Oh. Not that exactly."
Elphaba stood straighter, relieved to have something finally make sense. "It's Glinda," she said. "Isn't it? You and Glinda."
"Not - entirely, no."
For no reason Elphaba could think of, Glinda suddenly looked highly pleased with herself. "It's Elphaba," she said. "Oh, that's - that's wonderful."
Elphaba's understanding had been short-lived. "What's wonderful?" she asked.
Glinda beamed. "They think you and Fiyero are - well . . ."
"They don't." She looked at Fiyero, feeling pale. "That's ridiculous."
"It's not ridiculous," Fiyero replied. "But it's not exactly right, either."
"Then I'm confused," Glinda said. Elphaba felt her agreement could go without saying.
Fiyero crossed his arms awkwardly in front of his chest. "It's both of you."
Glinda's eyes darted to Elphaba and back. "But - I don't think we're talking about the same thing."
"No, we are," Fiyero said. That faint trace of a possible blush was back. "Or - maybe not exactly the same. Probably not, actually."
"Fiyero," Glinda said, with a trace of irritation.
He spread his hands. "They think I have a relationship with both of you. A relationship of a - scandalous nature."
"What?" Elphaba asked before she could stop herself.
"Yes," Fiyero said. He looked a bit more comfortable now that it was all out. "Apparently there's a rumor among some of the Guards that I've been -"
"Carrying on?" Glinda suggested.
"Yes, carrying on, with both of you."
"With both of us?" Elphaba repeated. "Why in Oz would anyone think that?"
Glinda turned, her expression of glee replaced by concern. "Elphie," she said. "You shouldn't mind it, it's just a lot of people who don't know us and love to gossip."
"I'm used to rumors and gossip," Elphaba pointed out. "I just don't understand why anyone would think something like that - I mean, why would -" She cut herself off before she could say something potentially humiliating, and looked at Fiyero. "They might as well decide you've been courting Morrible; what can they be thinking?"
"Elphaba," Fiyero said, suddenly firm. "One of us is being ridiculous, and frankly, it's you."
"Bravo," Glinda muttered under her breath. Elphaba's mouth opened and she turned to glare at Glinda, but Fiyero interrupted her reaction.
"And all of that aside," he said, "I don't think rumors are our biggest problem. If someone thinks that being involved with Elphaba would involve me with the Resistance -"
"Then they think I'm involved with the Resistance, obviously," Elphaba said, trying to push aside any other thoughts. "Do a lot of them think that?"
"The part about the Resistance?" Fiyero asked. "I don't think so. It seemed to be a secret among the Munchkinlanders, from the way this man was talking. Or the loyal Munchkinlanders."
"Loyal to Munchkinland, that is," Elphaba mused.
"That's right."
"Then what does Glinda have to do with all this?"
"Nothing," Fiyero said. "I guess."
"No," Glinda corrected, "they probably think I have the same thing to do with it that you do."
Fiyero frowned. "What?"
"Oh, half the Emerald City also thinks Elphaba and I have a relationship of a scandalous nature."
This time Fiyero and Elphaba spoke at the same time. "What?" Elphaba's fingers tightened on the arm of the sofa, her face growing hot.
Glinda shrugged in Elphaba's direction. "I was going to tell you the other day, but other things happened."
"Tell me what?" Elphaba stammered.
"That when I was in the market the other day, after the storm, I overheard some people talking about us. They think - well, apparently it's not just Morrible."
"Morrible thinks you two are . . ." Fiyero seemed to have run out of words.
"Carrying on?" Glinda offered. "Oh yes, she's thought so all along."
"Wh-" Fiyero looked from Glinda to Elphaba and back to Glinda again. "Any particular reason?"
Elphaba raised her hand, feeling her face continue to burn. "When we first met the Wizard," she said. "He got it wrong, and I - let him. I thought it would keep Glinda safe."
"And it has," Glinda pointed out.
"Do you think Morrible's been spreading rumors?" Elphaba asked. "Would that serve her purpose at all?"
Fiyero coughed.
Glinda turned to look at him. "I think," she said, "Fiyero's about to tell us that people have always thought similar things about us, even at school. Right?"
"Right," he admitted. "How did you -"
"I knew they thought that," Glinda said. Elphaba felt the heat in her face spread to her chest as Glinda added, "My mother thought the same."
"You never told me that!" Elphaba finally exclaimed.
"I thought it would embarrass you."
"It does!" Elphaba pressed her hand nervously over her chest, seeing the briefest flash of hurt pass across Glinda's face. "No, not because of you. You know that."
"I - yes," Glinda said, smiling and giving a little nod. "Of course."
"No, Glinda." After exchanging a quick look with Fiyero, Elphaba crossed to Glinda's side and took her hand. "Never because of you. It's just, having all those people speculating about my - you understand. I can't believe so many of them think I'd do that to you."
"To her?" Fiyero asked.
"Well, that's it, isn't it?" Elphaba asked, directing her question to Glinda. "They think you're under my sway, or that I've bewitched you . . ."
"Maybe you have," Glinda said with a fond, wobbly smile. "But I told them it wasn't like that."
"Told who?" Elphaba asked, frowning. She was conscious of Fiyero watching them closely.
"The people in the market. I told them -" Glinda blushed suddenly, prettily, and she stopped to lick her lips. "Well, they won't think I'm under your sway, anymore."
"What will they think?"
Glinda looked sheepish. "That you're under mine, possibly."
Fiyero burst out laughing. When Elphaba turned to stare, he said, "Well, you have to admit that much is probably true."
Elphaba rolled her eyes. "So what do we do about the man who talked to you today?"
"I tried not to tell him anything," Fiyero said.
"Did it work?" Elphaba asked.
"I'm not sure. I think he was under the impression that I was subtly confirming everything he was saying."
"Well." Elphaba finally shook her head, having nearly lost the power of speech. "If anyone else says anything to you, or if he approaches you again -"
"I'll let you know." He jerked his head in a cross between a nod and a bow. "I might have been here too long . . ."
"What?" Elphaba asked.
"The guards, Elphie." Glinda tilted her head toward the door. "I assume they notice how often he's here, and when, and for how long."
"You should decide if that matters to you," Fiyero said, looking between them. "In the meantime, I should be in barracks, I think. I'll talk to you both later. Elphaba?"
"Yes?" she asked.
He nodded toward Glinda. "Listen to her."
"What?"
Fiyero was already opening the door. "I'll see you later."
Elphaba watched it close behind him and turned to Glinda. "What did he mean?"
"I assume," Glinda said, reaching for Elphaba's hand, "that he meant I was going to tell you, for the hundredth time, I might add, that it is not even a little bit unlikely that someone would - well, all right, it is unlikely that you would get into a scandalous relationship with someone, but it's not unlikely that someone might want to."
"That's your bias talking, not your brain," Elphaba said.
"I wish you'd take Fiyero's advice," Glinda replied. Her fingers increased their warm pressure on Elphaba's hand, and then she dropped it and headed for her bedroom. "I'm going to wash, we'll talk later."
Elphaba was troubled as she watched her go, but she couldn't put her finger on the exact reason. She chose to add another log to the fire roaring in their fireplace, rather than thinking about it.
~~Glinda~~
When Glinda emerged from her bath, white nightgown on and damp tendrils of her hair clinging to the back of her neck, Elphaba was sitting on the floor close to the fire with her knees drawn up to her chest. Glinda smiled to herself and silently took a seat at Elphaba's side, leaning her head on Elphaba's shoulder.
"Hello," Elphaba said quietly. She braced her weight on one arm and wrapped the other around Glinda. "Feeling all right?"
"Yes." Glinda looked down at Elphaba's hand resting on the floor and laid one of her own over it. "Elphaba."
"Yes?"
"You never told me what happened with Fiyero, the night of the graduation party."
It seemed to Glinda that Elphaba's breathing had stopped for a moment, though it soon resumed its rhythm. "What do you mean?" she asked, her tone sounding forced.
"He told me," Glinda said. She pressed on Elphaba's hand to show there were no hard feelings about her silence. "I understand why you didn't."
"You do?" Before Glinda could reply, Elphaba coughed and added, "What did he tell you?"
"That he kissed you. And you - resisted." Glinda paused, nervous for the first time in the conversation. "Is there more?"
"No," Elphaba said softly. "Not really."
"Elphie."
"He said -" Elphaba's shoulder shifted under Glinda's weight as she took a deep breath. "He said a lot of things he didn't mean."
"Like?"
Elphaba shook her head. "I wouldn't - I shouldn't repeat them. He'd be embarrassed - he obviously left it out of the version he told you. He was drunk, he had no idea of what he was doing."
"I think he did," Glinda said, studying their intertwined fingers against the carpet.
"He can't have meant those things."
"I think he meant something," Glinda almost whispered. She let one of her fingers curl, its tip tracing a path across the back of Elphaba's hand. "I don't know exactly what, but I think he did mean to do what he did."
"Why are you asking me about this now?" Elphaba asked. "When did he tell you?"
"At the Governor's Ball," Glinda replied. "I didn't ask because I thought, if you wanted me to know you would have said something."
"I didn't mean to keep a secret from you."
"I know."
Elphaba very carefully turned over her hand on the floor and clasped Glinda's fingers in return. "So why now?"
"I felt -" Glinda stopped, no longer certain of what she planned to say.
Elphaba's arm around her shoulders tightened, rocking Glinda against her. Glinda suddenly felt that they hadn't been like this in far too long, hadn't simply sat like this together, and she was loathe to interrupt it. But she nodded and said, "I think - I felt like I wanted to know what you thought."
"About?"
"About what happened. With him. How you felt."
"Oh." Elphaba sighed. "I was caught off guard. I'm sorry I hit him."
"That's not really what I meant."
"Then . . ." It was a long moment before Elphaba finished her thought. "Then I'm not certain I have an answer."
"Do you know how you would have felt, if you believed he was sincere?" Glinda was practically holding her breath; she had no idea why she was forcing the issue but it suddenly seemed so important.
"No," Elphaba whispered after another long silence. "I don't know."
"Why not?"
"I don't know." She sighed again and said, "Anyway he wasn't sincere, so it doesn't matter."
Glinda pulled away a bit and looked at her. "How are you so sure?"
"Because I was there," Elphaba said, looking her straight in the eye. "And because he couldn't have been. It's him, and it's me."
"I really wish you'd listen to him," Glinda said, looking firmly back.
"About anything in particular?"
"About saying things like that."
"They're true," Elphaba whispered.
"They're ridiculous." Still holding Elphaba's gaze, Glinda leaned closer. "Who's the most popular person you know?"
Elphaba's eyes flickered down to Glinda's smile. "Is this a trick question?"
"No."
"Well, you."
"Exactly." Glinda smiled wider. "Even more than Fiyero, right?"
"Yes. I think."
"So." Glinda closed the distance between them and touched her lips to Elphaba's, pulling back a few inches after just a moment. She smiled again, and raised her hand to brush loose strands of hair back from Elphaba's face. "Why do you think I do that?" she asked.
Elphaba took in a breath and turned her face ever so slightly into Glinda's touch. "Because you feel sorry for me?"
Glinda neatly twined a few strands of hair around her fingers and pulled.
"Ouch!" Elphaba covered Glinda's hand with her own and rubbed the sore spot. "Because you want to?" she guessed.
"Right answer." She stretched forward and kissed Elphaba again, lingering this time. When she pulled away she whispered, "And because you're my best friend, and I love you." This time when she leaned in for a kiss, Elphaba's hand came to rest on her shoulder and Elphaba returned the kiss, tentatively but unmistakably.
Their eyes met when they separated, and for a long, slow while they sat looking at each other, faces close enough for their breath to mingle, fingers stroking where they rested. The unaccustomed fire that seemed to be spreading through Glinda took her by surprise; it took her a while to recognize the feeling and to blush from it. When she had, she laid a hand against Elphaba's thigh and braced herself to put some space between them. While Elphaba looked away in apparent confusion, Glinda settled her head against Elphaba's shoulder again and tried to arrange them into some semblance of comfort. "So see," she said quietly, staring into the fire. "You really should listen to Fiyero."