Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Are you coming?”

For better or worse, a single irreversible choice can carve the destiny of a life. Even the faintest whisper of a decision can hurl someone down an entirely different path, unfurling ripples that quicken and distort every future choice. At the height of the great green palace, two young women stood on the precipice of a defining moment, the breath before the leap. Both fiercely held that breath to suspend time for the other, waiting, praying. But with the exhale, one chose the ground, and the other chose the sky.

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

Glinda only tore her eyes away from the little black dot flying far into the western sky after being whisked away from the balcony by Madame Morrible. The hazy fog within her mind enveloped every part of her, cushioning scrambled thoughts as they buzzed around like enraged bees. Thoughts saying, Wait, take me with you, or Come back, I’ve changed my mind. Or the hardest, Why did you leave me?

Madame Morrible muttered something to Glinda as she guided her back down into the main halls, with only a few of her comments breaking through to awareness.

“–Deceived you.”

 “–Vile and wicked.”

Floating from numbness, Glinda allowed Madame Morrible to lead her to an elegant suite. It was beautiful. The kind of pretentious opulence you’d expect at the Emerald Palace. Rich, cloying greens and battered gold with touches of cream draped the room, the light from crystal chandeliers blanketing the space with a grand brilliance.

The pressure on her arm started to sting, bringing Glinda out of her daze. “W-what?” Her throat was so dry.

“My dear, you’ve had such a horrendible day. I insist that you spend the night here, and we can talk with the Wizard in the morning.” Madame Morrible caressed her cheek, offering a soft smile. “You need to rest.”

With promises to see her in the morning, Madame Morrible left her alone in this unknown. The silence was deafening. It was ages until her feet could walk, her head could turn, and her arms could move again. She was too exhausted to pull the comforter back as she softly collapsed on the bed.

She gasped as she felt a twisted, bottomless pain growing within her, the kind that embeds itself into heart, flesh, and bone, never releasing its vicious chokehold. Glinda curled into a ball, pointlessly attempting to keep her pieces from shattering and spilling. Inhaling deeply, she resumed her state of paralysis, unable to move again for the rest of the night. As her reality crashed around her, her only sign of life was the release of silent tears streaming down her face, staining the silk pillow.

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

Glinda woke to a throbbing headache. Where am I? As she rubbed her forehead, the surge of yesterday’s memories struck her, fear rising that yesterday was not, in fact, a terrible nightmare. No, no, no, this can’t be happening. Elphie….

“I’m so sorry, but, ah, it is.”

Glinda’s eyes snapped to the Wizard, shocked that she actually voiced her thoughts.

He was leisurely leaning against the open door with his hands in his pockets, offering her a sympathetic smile before continuing. “Yeah, this is unfortunate. Definitely not an ideal situation.”

As he casually walked deeper into the room, Glinda carefully stood, craving distance between them.

“You know, your friend there has really shaken things up.”

When Glinda stayed silent, he pressed on. “So given the…situation. There’s a lot of unrest among the people currently. Well, there’s going to be, with Elphaba.”

Sitting carefully on the edge of the bed, he patted the spot next to him, inviting Glinda to join him.

Feeling uneasy, she tensely sat, just not too close.

He smiled tenderly when she obeyed him.  “So, I’ve been talking with Morrible, and we’ve decided that what the people will need is, ah, a beacon of hope,” he said with a general flourish of his hand. “A light in the upcoming darkness.”

Darkness? Glinda’s heart clenched at hearing her Elphie being referred to as such.

“And Morrible says you’re the perfect person to do that. Connecting with people, radiating positivity. Which is truly great. Really. So, I’d love it if you’d come work for me. Just part time until you finish school, on the weekends.” The Wizard’s offer dripped with temptation, a sugary, poisonous trap.

“But after that, you’d get to live here at this”—he gestured around the room—“luxurious place full time. You’d travel all over Oz, of course. Socializing, speaking, inspiring. Complete adoration by the people. And you’ll never want for anything. You won’t have to lift a pretty little finger.”

He angled towards her, donning a comforting, dangerous smile. “I want to give you your heart’s desire. Because that’s what I do best.” Smiling, he winked at her. “So, what do ya say, kiddo?”

This was all too much. Unbelievably too much for Glinda to handle along with everything else she was processing.

“I–” She took a steadying breath. “Can we do something to bring Elphaba back? She didn’t mean–”

The Wizard cut her off with a heavy sigh. “I’m sorry, Glinda, but that ship has sailed. Gone. Not happening. But–” The Wizard stood, facing her, over her. “Guess what? Your, ah, boyfriend actually arrived this morning. Rode all night, can you believe that?” The Wizard chuckled. “Oof, he’s really worried about you. So sweet. You know what? If you work for me, I can find a place for him here, too. He’ll do…something. But he could live here with you. All the time. Round the clock. Wouldn’t you like that?”

His mildly carefree mannerisms vanished, fixing her with an ice-cold stare. “So, I need to know if you’re in or you’re out.”

Glinda spoke carefully, vouching for her love once again. “I just think that Elph–”

Glinda barely caught herself from falling to the side, the painful sting of her cheek triggering hot, immediate tears in her eyes. She didn’t dare move. She focused her gaze on the rug, concentrating on a stray thread curling upwards.

The Wizard’s voice was hard and nonnegotiable. “So, here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to go along with this. Done deal. And you’ll get to keep Prince Lovebug with you. You’ll get to keep him for a job well done.”

Glinda felt his gentle fingertips under her chin, guiding her to look at him. She shivered as he tenderly swiped a fallen tear off her bottom lip with his thumb.

“And you better do a good job. For both your sakes.”

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

Even with Fiyero by her side, returning to Shiz filled Glinda with the worst kind of dread and pain. Dread of seeing Elphaba in every memory in every corner of Shiz, and the eventual pain that came with it, a smoldering inferno that forced agony and heartbreak deep into her bones.

Stepping into their room—her room—Glinda’s eyes locked onto Elphie’s side. Her ugly bed. Her dismal wardrobe. Her stupid schoolbooks. She needed Elphie. Oz, did she need Elphie. It wasn’t even a want. It was a torturous, screaming need; a part of her was gone. She was gone. Glinda’s panicked breaths rose sharply, clawing at her. The room was getting smaller, crushing her.

“Hey, hey, it’s alright. I’ve got you.” Fiyero gently put his arms around her waist from behind. “I just wanted to check on you.” His voice cracked at the end, noticing her eyes were trained on Elphaba’s dark, understated corner of the room.

Her breathing slowed as he held her tightly to his chest, his chin on her shoulder. Glinda sniffled as she turned to face him, giving him a watery smile that quickly turned to anguish. Her fists dug deep into his sides through his jacket, clinging to him like a raft, as if she would sink otherwise. Wrapping her securely in his arms, Fiyero’s words of comfort fell on deaf ears as her broken pieces drowned in a sea of grief.

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

For her remaining years at Shiz, Glinda fell into a sort of rhythm. Not always a comfortable one, but a rhythm nonetheless. In their shared sorrow, Glinda and Fiyero’s relationship deepened, and love, safety, and happiness grew in that dynamic, even if it was underlined with a ceaseless, lingering melancholy.

Fiyero’s constant presence helped her initially get used to the Wizard’s four guards who accompanied her at school. At every class, every school event, every outing. The Wizard required them for her supposed protection. But Glinda understood the real reason. They were never demanding, forceful, or blatantly intrusive. But they were always there. Always present.

Fiyero’s contagious charm and lighthearted manner neutralized the gravity of what the guards signified for Glinda. Thanks to Fiyero, occasionally, they were able to slip past them for a night on the town, usually to the Ozdust. There, Glinda was able to dance freely, her abstract movements mimicking the blue swirls of the water above, chasing a freedom that could never truly be hers. As she pulled Fiyero’s damp shirt closer to her and kissed him between songs, she felt a few of her cracks mend. Not whole as they once were, but mended just enough.

On the weekends, Glinda was at the Wizard’s disposal. After she was properly decorated with a sparkling crown, ostentatious dress, and a dazzling wand, she became Glinda the Good, and her involuntary servitude truly began. Glinda was required to attend and speak at any and every public occasion across Oz. She delivered keynote addresses, supported targeted campaigns, graced local social events, organized notable ceremonies, and mingled at lavish galas.

For all her speaking engagements, she was given Wizard-approved talking points, required to stick to the script under threat of dire repercussions. Most of the time, the topics weren’t incredibly terrible; they primarily but loosely followed pro-Wizard initiatives and general support, especially against the Animal presence and subsequent rights. While Glinda didn’t agree, she was just happy that it didn’t focus too much on Elphie.

Until one day, it did. The words weren’t friendly at all towards Elphaba, but they at least were ones she could stomach enough to bear through it, for herself, for Fiyero. Always worried about Fiyero. She had already lost Elphie, and she couldn’t stand to lose him too. A burdensome, constant challenge was navigating the difficult questions she was compelled to sidestep skillfully. He just didn’t understand why she went along with this, why she couldn’t talk to the Wizard.

“It won’t work, Fiyero.” Glinda marched through the green halls, determined to make it to her room as quickly as possible.

Frustrated, Fiyero hurried to keep up with her relentless pace. “Have you actually tried talking with him? About this specifically?”

Glinda abruptly stopped, inhaled a deep, centering breath, and sternly rounded on him. “Do you really think I haven’t tried? He is quite clear in his decision. I’m not going to keep asking him when I’ve asked him plenty of times.”

Glinda knew she had only asked him once, and that was enough. She remembered his hands wrapping tightly around her neck, and her vision blurring and spotting. The threat that if she didn’t speak well for him, then she wouldn’t speak at all. She already had the Wizard’s answer, and she wouldn’t be asking him again.

Glinda connected Fiyero’s hand with hers, seeing the anger and confusion in his eyes. “Dearest, I need you to trust me. Just know that I don’t agree with those words. I love Elphaba, just like you do. And I miss her so much.” Glinda’s voice hitched, her resolve briefly stumbling before she regained control once more.

“Please, I’m asking you to trust me. I don’t want to keep arguing about this. I understand your concern. But please, can we just not talk about this anymore? Going forward?”

It took a moment for Fiyero’s jaw to unclench, a dejected acceptance in his eyes. His arms slowly circled Glinda’s waist, and she wrapped her arms around his bowed neck, soothing him.

Fiyero sighed, protesting. “I just don’t like this. At all. This isn’t right.”

“I know, darling. But please, let this go.”

And for her, he did.

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

Glinda wasn’t always at public appearances every second of her time in the Emerald City on the weekends. While she still had a guard presence around her, she was able to explore the palace a little more, desiring to know the wretched place that would eventually become her permanent residence, so she wouldn’t clumsily get lost. She walked every hall, turret, and corner of the emerald palace that she could, orienting herself as best she could. Fiyero was more than happy to explore with her, content to be with her.

While Glinda would have loved to quietly discover more about the Emerald City, visit luxury shops, unique restaurants, local markets, popular attractions, she just couldn’t. Even if she dressed down during the day, removed her shimmering, sparkling persona, the guards who accompanied her always gave her away. Fame came with restrictions in life.

So, she and Fiyero decided against roaming the city during the day. But at night, sometimes it was easy to slip past the guards, depending on who was on watch. And on those nights, she impulsively embraced her freedom with wild abandon.

One night, they stumbled upon a quaint, unassuming bar on the edge of the city, tucked away from the main drag. Glinda was hesitant upon spotting its seedy appearance, but Fiyero’s carefree strength made her brave. As they entered The Drunken Mug, their giddiness lessened as they saw there was only one other patron and the bartender in this little hole-in-the-wall. It was surprisingly quiet for a bar on a weekend.

“Come on, let’s grab a table.” Fiyero ushered her along, knowing Glinda probably shouldn’t sit at the bar, in case the bartender recognized her.

Settling Glinda in a secluded booth, he gently squeezed her shoulder.

“The usual?”

Glinda smiled. “Yes, something fruity, whatever they have.”

As Fiyero left for the bar, Glinda took this opportunity to really study this shabby establishment. The peeling walls were a drab brown, and all the furniture had an unpolished, dark walnut hue. The old-fashioned décor seemed more unintentionally outdated, rather than reflecting a deliberate antique aesthetic. Several long cracks in the floor tiles revealed the obvious neglect.

Her sweeping eyes almost missed the well-hidden door on the opposite side of the public entrance, the door blending seamlessly into the wall. Positioned close to the bar near the doorway to the backroom, Glinda noted that its convenient location must cleverly accommodate deliveries.

“Alright, one fruity for my beauty.” Fiyero sat with his flirtatious half smile, placing Glinda’s drink in front of her. “Not only fruity as requested, but I asked them to make it pink.” He winked, taking a swig of his beer.

Glinda giggled, sipping her cocktail. “You know me so well. This is exactly what I needed.” Glinda took another sip, forcing herself to slow down; the last thing she needed was Fiyero guessing how easily she drowned herself in straight liquor in the quiet of her room most nights. This cocktail could be flavored water for all her taste buds knew. “What’s in it?”

Fiyero relaxed and spread out in the booth, taking a swig. “Something with cherries or raspberries. And a dash of sunshine and rainbows.”

Grinning, she playfully rolled her eyes. Glinda truly loved how Fiyero could always put her at ease and make her smile, just lifting the weight of life, however temporary. She treasured this connection with him, everything he stood for, everything he was. They had walked through fire together and somehow came out on the other side. Not unscathed, but as close as they could get to survive still. He was the most important person in her entire world. …Well, except for–

“So, the bartender mentioned there’s an amazing little club right around the corner from here. Off the beaten path, sort of a secret in this part of town.” Fiyero said, drawing Glinda out of her thoughts. “They’re apparently having a neon night with paint, light wands, black lights, the works. How about we head over there after this and dance the night away?” Smiling, he raised his eyebrows suggestively.

“You just want my hot bod up against you,” Glinda teased. “Really, what’s a girl to do when she knows you’ll never keep your hands to yourself?”

“Don’t tell me you’d rather party at the cloister of your namesake. And besides,” he winked, “you know you love it.”

Glinda openly laughed, a comfortable authenticity only reserved for the Winkie prince. “I don’t know what you mean,” she flirtatiously lied, throwing back the rest of her drink.

Finished, they headed for the exit, Glinda attempting to keep up with Fiyero’s long strides. Hearing a noise behind her, Glinda instinctively turned. Someone was coming through the far, hidden door.

Two apprehensive Sheep wrapped in cloaks came in cautiously, and the bartender quickly but quietly ushered them to the back room. Glinda was surprised to see Animals in the city, even if it was on the outskirts. The Wizard’s anti-Animal agenda was increasing more and more, and really, it wasn’t safe for them here. Glinda hoped that they would be alright, but as she followed Fiyero, the memory floated to the deep recesses of her mind, forgotten.

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

Time flew by, and Glinda graduated from Shiz with her prized degree in Sorcery. It really wasn’t earned, rather covertly fast-tracked—what would it look like if Glinda the Good Witch was kicked out of her Sorcery major for possessing no magic—but she didn’t want to dwell on that more than she had to. As she moved her belongings into the palace, she decided she really needed her own new suite to truly make hers. A true fresh start, as much as she could control, anyway.

For the past few years, she had been staying in that same room as before, the one right after Elphie left. If this place was going to be her permanent home, she wanted to pick out a different space. Probably upgrade to an apartment. And decorate it herself. Anything to cover the wrong shade of green that screamed from every wall, floor, and ceiling.

Even though she knew this prison inside and out, she preferred a proper guided tour to see what was truly available. While the palace had many apartments, the Wizard could be finicky, reserving certain ones for fussy visiting delegates. As her guide blathered on about the wondrous luxuries of each, none was just quite right. She was searching for something, without knowing for what exactly.

As the day dragged on, the guide became increasingly irritated with the picky Glinda, his tone sharpening, his demeanor rigid.

“Miss Glinda, we truly have seen all of the appropriate options. Now, I have no objection to showing you this next apartment, but I must tell you that it is rather antiquated, truly disused. This entire wing hasn’t been updated at all for quite some time.” He huffed, raking his agitated fingers for the umpteenth time through his now-unruly hair.

“It’s not fit for someone of your station. And it’s nearly evening; you really should be taking time to relax and—”

“Please, just show me the apartment,” Glinda curtly interrupted. Sweet Lurline, quit babbling and get on with it. I’m going to update everything to pink anyway, she complained silently.

Begrudgingly, he opened the door for her, immediately following her in to describe the inadequacies of the ill-suited space. Yes, the apartment was very outdated. The dark, busy wallpaper was stifling, and the worn carpet was well past its prime. The old-fashioned furniture had a dense layer of dust, and the unbalanced chandelier was missing at least half of its crystals. But as much as Glinda valued and deserved modern and impeccable surroundings, she ignored every single feature of the room.

Glinda immediately gravitated to the open balcony, captivated by the view of the glowing sunset in the western sky.

“It’s perfect.”

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

Walking as quickly as she could to her apartment without breaking into a full sprint, Glinda attempted to calm her rolling stomach before she was truly sick all over the jade floor. The Wizard’s anti-Animal objectives were becoming more and more anti-Elphaba. Glinda was no stranger to being forced to say terrible things about Elphie now, but never this frequently, and certainly never this awful.

The Wizard had to know what this was doing to her, because she didn’t receive her talking points until half an hour before her speech, quite a longer delay than what she was used to. And while the scripts were still usually bulleted points, she still was allowed to tailor her words around them, as long as she kept the core meaning of those topics and didn’t say anything to alter them—nothing to compromise the Wizard and his oppressive leadership. But this time, it wasn’t actual talking points or a general script. It was a very specific, narrative script on a very specific, distressing topic.

The only positive was that the speech was exceptionally short, as she was mainly required to mingle afterwards with the right people who had very limited schedules. But these words were so offensive, so appalling. Especially against one she loved so deeply.

Thanking Lurline that her bathroom was right next to her apartment door upon entrance, Glinda barely made it to her toilet before her knees slammed to the hard tile and she vomited, dry heaving afterward. As she sat on the floor against the bathroom wall, tears streamed down her face, and she prayed that they might wash away how filthy she felt. Once she cried until she ran dry, she de-Glindafied and slipped into a short nightdress, airy and comfortable.

Disregarding her sensitive stomach, Glinda rushed to her bar cart near her curved sofa and poured a strong drink. Sipping her straight liquor, she surveyed her updated, strikingly pink room, approving her finished product that was her own stamp on something in this dreadful place, her self-made bubble of faux security and pitiful pride. The large, custom-made sofa was in the back corner of the room, on one side of her balcony. On the other side, her large vanity (also custom-made) housed her infinite beauty accouterments and necessities. Her elegant king-sized bed fit for royalty was the pièce de résistance, centered on the back wall, dressed in the best quality silk and satin the land of Oz had to offer. Of course, in soft pink.

A serious necessity, her giant closet was next to her bathroom, specifically for its convenient location. Since the small room next to hers was also an outdated, unused room, she had requested that the room be renovated to attach to hers as a closet. It was just the perfect size for her clothes and accessories, even though Fiyero thought it was incredibly excessive. But he was entitled to his wrong opinion.

And lastly, there was a corner door leading downstairs to a level she had only visited a handful of times, which was just fine with her—a kitchen and dining area. Even though she renovated it, she never learned how to cook (nor did she want to), so it maintained its pristine condition. An overlooked museum of cutlery, chinaware, and gadgets that Glinda didn’t have the foggiest idea what they were, but they looked painful and ridiculous. She usually just ordered directly from the palace kitchens.

But one thing she always kept in stock was a wide selection of alcohol from all regions of Oz. And she’d been drinking it more and more lately.

Glinda threw her head back to finish her drink in one gulp, the burning amber liquid searing a perilous trail down her throat. She was tempted to sneak out to go down to The Drunken Mug, not just for a drink, but for the space to be an easy, safe distraction. Fiyero was usually the better one at dodging the guards for them than she was, but Glinda had done it solo before.

Once.

She groaned in frustration, wishing that Fiyero were here to make things easier. In every way. Fiyero still had another three months before he’d graduate, his delay due to his late transfer in their first year. The Wizard told her that he planned to make Fiyero the Captain of the Guard once he graduated, and Fiyero was resolutely satisfied to be with Glinda, following her to their shared, condemned fate.

All she had was Fiyero. And Oz, how she missed Elphie. From her long-past cowardly decision to stay behind to her current luxurious, miserable life, Glinda could never truly ignore the gaping wound inside her that could only ever be filled by Elphaba. The initial crack soon spiderwebbed and shattered, revealing a permanent emptiness that served as a stark reminder of her undesirability, her defectiveness, her loneliness.

And while Elphaba didn’t want Glinda, Glinda would always need Elphaba, no matter how far apart they grew. If Glinda could just see her again, just once, once more, she would protectively clutch that moment and suspend it within her mind until the end of her days. But it still would never be enough. And Elphaba would never stay.

Ultimately, no one could find Elphaba, which technically, was preferable in a protective sense, she supposed. Glinda would hear a whisper here, a rumor there as to where she was hiding. But they were all false leads. No one truly knew. The witch was an elusive ghost who melted into the background, swiftly moving from one place to the next, causing havoc for the Wizard, shielding defenseless Animals, scaring the idiotic public just by breathing.

The only living beings who probably knew where she slept and shit were vulnerable Animals seeking refuge or clandestine rebels working for the resistance.

A foggy memory imperceptibly nudged her into a small pocket of cognizance; a pair of cloaked Sheep being discreetly herded to a back room in a little-known bar at the edge of the city.

The only living beings who probably knew were Animals seeking refuge.

And of equal significance, those who secretly housed them.

An idea so absurd that it might almost work fizzed in Glinda’s boozy brain. It was reckless. It was exhilarating. It was stupid. It was brilliant.

This probably was the smartest dumb idea Glinda ever had, and she had never really been short of smart, dumb ideas over the years.

Promptly swallowing the last drops from her third full glass of liquid courage, she strode to her writing desk, smoothly navigating around the stiff end of her sofa, only for her hip to catch on the sharp corner of the end table. Ignoring the heated throb in her side, Glinda brusquely retrieved her blank, rose-scented stationery, the one she used to tactfully leave a lasting impression without the burden of self-identification. She brandished a fresh pen like a weapon, the inky point delivering the first cut with a few sharp flicks of her wrist.

Stuffing and sealing the letter inside a matching envelope before she came to her senses, Glinda quickly scribbled a damning name on the front and changed into her plainclothes.

And as if good fortune was for once on Glinda’s side, the two lazy guards in the hall were well past nodding off, allowing her to slip by easily and slink through the lesser-known passages of the slumbering palace to the restless city streets outside, keeping a low profile on her journey to The Drunken Mug.

Fate still sanctifying her deranged mission, Glinda tentatively entered the bar, wary of any interested eyes, yet none were to be found. The entire place was empty. Not even the bartender was at his post.

Glinda heard a few whispered voices from the back room, too faint for her to decipher the actual conversation. But truly, that was all the better. Glinda was blessedly alone to do the deed and to do it quickly, lest the rational part of her mind ruin her with caution and cowardice.

Glinda inhaled a breath of reassurance and exhaled resolution, depositing the letter behind the bar, easily enough for the bartender to spot and sufficiently hidden from any potential snooping patrons.

Glinda left as swiftly as should could without outright running. And in less than half the time it had taken her to get there, she was back at the palace, stealthily skirting the still-sleeping guards and minimal staff, gladly freeing a breath of pure, unadulterated relief once her apartment door shut behind her and the lock clicked with finality.

Glinda instinctively floated to her bar cart, and with shaky hands, she poured and poured, and drank and drank. She poured and drank because she felt. And oh, how she despised feeling. And with her latest act, everything battled within her all at once, each clawing until she was ripped to shreds.

She hoped for unattainable success, but feared justifiable rejection.

Swallow and burn.

She demanded to be understood, but cowered if she would be truly seen.

Swallow and burn.

She longed to embrace her Elphie, but suffered to know it would be one-sided.

Swallow and burn.

She loved her entirely and unconditionally, but hated any unwarranted mercy for herself.

Swallow and burn.

The scorching liquid conquered Glinda, punishing her from within not nearly as much as she deserved. While the night stretched, time stood still. Minutes were replaced by amber splashes, hours became repetitive swigs.

The warmth spread and drowned and cursed and cleansed her, and Glinda was finally beginning to lose a little feeling, both physically and mentally.

With a woozy wobble in her legs and an ill-timed giggle on her lips, Glinda’s sorrow finally succumbed to the static, her suffering numbed for just a brief time that never lasted as long as she wanted.

As she collapsed on the bed, she tried to coerce her synapses to fully surrender to the welcoming abyss of complete nothingness, but even through her muddled defenses, all her mind could see was green.

Chapter Text

After an awfully long week, Glinda was once again tired of smiling, twirling, and speaking at all of these stupid, taxing engagements. Today was especially difficult. Her assigned script had once again grown in its targeted cruelty, and it was such a strain to disassociate from the malicious words of the Wizard.

Also, the venue was indoors and overbooked. With so many people, the air conditioning was a tiny, struggling fan against a summer inferno, so Glinda was in a slightly sticky state the entire day.

Glinda’s body needed a reprieve from the heat, while her mind needed mercy from her guilt. Glinda could have joyfully cried as she entered her very much air-conditioned apartment that late evening. Plus, she was looking forward to randomly selecting which bottle would deaden her heart and mind for the foreseeable night.

Once inside her pitch-black residence, she could faintly see the small bench by her bathroom, on which she carefully placed her brilliant crown and impressive wand after messily kicking her heels off.

Immediately entering her obnoxiously large bathroom, Glinda finally, finally began her de-Glindafying ritual. She grumpily examined her sweaty face in the mirror after turning on the piercing light. Frowning at her smudged, runny makeup, she confirmed that her premium, supposedly sweatproof makeup was most definitely an expensive, worthless waste.

Removing her jewelry and what little makeup was left, Glinda washed her face and did a quick brush of her hair. She unzipped her voluminous pink dress and stepped out of it, clad in just a thin baby pink slip and silk panties. She sighed in well-earned relaxation, feeling like a fresh butterfly recently released from its restricting cocoon. She bunched up the unreasonably poofy dress and walked out of the bathroom, huffing as she threw it on the nearby bench. Tolerably content, she shifted to walk the well-worn path to her bar cart.

Only, there was a dark figure on her open balcony across the way. A black silhouette against the starry sky. A figure with a pointed hat and broom.

Glinda’s body stiffened, and every ounce of well-deserved relaxation was snuffed out like a candle flame. She feared that even moving a single muscle would break the spell of Elphaba’s presence. The apartment was still steeped in shadow, the bathroom’s dim glow faltering long before it could reach Elphaba. Glinda saw the silhouette lean her broom against the wall inside and remove her hat and cloak. Elphaba took a few steps forward, rustling something out of her pocket. Elphaba’s gravelly voice was hard, distant, and dangerous as she read Glinda’s letter to her.

“You’re absolutely terrible at giving directions. ‘The western sky’ is fucking ridiculous.”

Oh, Oz, she actually received it, Glinda thought, fear and anticipation swirling within her. Glinda had the overwhelming urge to laugh, cry, scream, collapse, and run all at once.

After Elphaba put the letter back in her pocket, she spread her arms wide, a mock invitation. “Well, here I am.” She waited for Glinda’s response, but Glinda’s tongue was leaden and silent.

Elphaba slowly lowered her arms, her whisper of graced patience running thin.

“Well?” Elphaba said, taking a couple of measured steps forward. “You have nothing to say?”

A beat of silence. Elphaba spoke, rage boiling underneath every word.

“‘Always hold hope in your hearts that the loathsome, green-cursed Witch is defeated along with all her twisted, repulsive ideals. She means to tear apart the very fabric of our beloved society and take everything that you hold dear, with every deplorable act. By standing together, the Wizard and I promise that goodness will prevail to purge this vile, poisonous abomination from our great country.’”

Glinda shook as Elphaba repeated her speech from today’s function, and her stomach twisted in knots. Glinda hated that she was forced to say those Wizard-scripted words, hated that her name stood beside the Wizard’s, hated herself for being so weak to say those nauseating lines that she certainly didn’t believe, and now hated and feared that Elphaba knew what she was spreading about her, no matter how unwilling or opposed. Her stomach rolled as she fought the queasiness within, and the beginning of tears soon pricked at her eyes.

Elphaba let out a low, humorless chuckle. Excruciatingly slow, she began to walk towards Glinda, raising her hand marginally, a quiet, brandished weapon.

“Glinda the Good—”

On the nearby bench, Glinda’s glittering crown slowly rose into the air, then smashed into the opposite wall and shattered, making Glinda jump.

“—the incessant mouthpiece for the Wizard—”

Glinda’s poofy dress began to rise, aggressively ripping itself to shreds.

“—is speechless.”

The sight of her wand lifting into the air broke Glinda from her paralysis. She quickly grabbed her wand, fighting against the invisible force.

“Stop,” Glinda demanded, piercing the silhouette with a sharp stare.

After a few seconds, the phantom grip loosened from the wand, and Glinda gently set it back on the bench, keeping watch on it out of the corner of her eye.

Elphaba kept her same slow, unrelenting pace toward Glinda, halting just a few feet from her. The light of the bathroom bathed Elphaba, and Glinda’s throat clenched when she saw how much Elphaba had changed. Her frame was thinner, with cheeks hollowed by too many missed meals. Shadows clung beneath her eyes, marked by the cold distance of someone who had stared too long at cruelty, oppression, and injustice. A fine grit dulled her green skin, the grit of her chosen, abrasive life. The black of her dress had faded to a tired charcoal, fabric fraying where it had been worn too thin.

“Well?” Elphaba asked.

Glinda met her demanding green eyes, still silent. Glinda still didn’t know what to say. Elphaba’s eyes were wild and dangerous, and Glinda was terrified whether staying silent or speaking was the safest option.

Overwhelmed by the need to do something, anything unrelated to this moment, Glinda started for the opposite wall, regretfully faster than she should have.

Glinda lost her breath as she was suddenly pushed up hard against the nearby wall, Elphaba’s body upon her own, shoulders pinned to the cool surface, gasping at the sharp sting of Elphaba’s nails digging into her skin. After the initial shock, Glinda realized that maybe Elphaba thought she was running away, running for help, running toward betrayal.

“I was just going over there to turn on the light. It’s too dark in here. That’s all,” she whispered.

Elphaba’s eyes flicked between Glinda’s, her grip loosening as she found some form of truth there. Elphaba cautiously released her shoulders, stepping back a few paces. Elphaba looked like a wary rabbit ready to bolt at the first sign of danger, so Glinda concentrated on not making any sudden moves. Carefully, slowly making her way to the light switch, the room was shockingly illuminated with a purified brilliance, a staggering contrast to the entrenched heaviness still within the room.

Glinda stood still, resuming her stance of silence, staring at Elphaba, unsure of what to do or say. Elphaba waited and waited for Glinda to say anything remotely like a real conversation besides lighting clarification. But she realized this was going nowhere, and it had been a terrible mistake to come.

Glinda panicked when she saw Elphaba turn and stride toward the balcony, soon to leave her, leave her forever. She needed to just say anything to keep her here, anything at all.

“You left me.”

Elphaba froze in her tracks, a viper ready to strike.

“What did you say?”

Glinda knew this wasn’t the right thing to say. She could already hear in her head what Elphaba’s obvious counterargument would be. But at this point, she just needed to keep the conversation going. Keep Elphaba there.

“You left me,” Glinda said with a little more strength behind her words.

Elphaba fully turned to Glinda, eyes feral. “You didn’t want to come with me. I asked you. Clearly.”

Glinda recklessly pushed ahead into the snake’s waiting jaws. “Well, you could have stayed.”

Elphaba’s breath deepened, her voice taut as a fragile thread ready to break. “I could have– You have got to be kidding me. You–”

And then, Glinda found her foolish confidence.

“Yes, you could have stayed! But I know you’d have hated it. You couldn’t have tolerated it. But I thought I could be some form of love and comfort and safety for you. For each other. To still work on your cause from the inside.”

Fuming, Elphaba’s menacing form overshadowed Glinda, like a lion just before the kill.

“The fabricated, harmful role you play in the Wizard’s persecution agenda is a revolting disease for the Animals, for any marginalized Ozian! Your words, the ones that come out of your fucking mouth, are so hateful, damaging–”

Glinda’s body vibrated while silent tears began to fall. All the hurt, sadness, regret, anger, loneliness, longing, and love melted and erupted into soul-forged words she could no longer hold back.

“If I’m so terrible, why don’t you do something about it! You obviously can destroy my things with your magic, so why don’t you just get rid of me! I’m right here, Elphaba, go ahead! I know you can! Show me!”

Less than a foot away, Glinda could feel the tendrils of unadulterated loathing rolling off of every fiber of Elphaba, wrathful waves crashing over rocks, wanting to do exactly what Glinda was telling her to do. But still, Glinda just wouldn’t shut up.

“Come on, you know how to be brave. SHOW ME!”

Bitterness colliding with desire, Elphaba’s kiss was demanding and all-consuming, hungrily taking all that it wanted from Glinda. Glinda kissed and bit back, a match of fighting and drawing her in, lips, teeth, and tongue wrestling for dominance. Anger and lust coursing through Glinda, she gasped as Elphaba harshly pulled her hair back, assaulting her neck with her deadly mouth. Glinda desperately clung to Elphaba, shaking from the vibrations of Elphaba’s moans, her nails digging deep into Elphaba’s back as a reply.

Glinda knew that she shouldn’t be enjoying this since she was absolutely furious with Elphaba, but the feel of her warm skin against her own reignited the passionate pulsing of her body, remembering a familiar rhythm from years ago.

Elphaba’s mouth trailed upwards along Glinda’s neck, darkly chuckling at the small gasps the pink witch couldn’t hide. Elphaba harshly grabbed Glinda’s ass, rolling her hips to hers. Glinda roughly kissed and sucked on Elphaba’s neck, dark green hickeys blossoming on her skin, marking her as her own, a definitive claim. Elphaba yanked Glinda’s hair back once again and pulled away from her neck, cementing control of their detrimental dance. Elphaba brought her mouth close to Glinda’s ear, nipping before she softly, inevitably sealed Glinda’s fate.

“I can destroy you in other ways.”

Glinda gasped as Elphaba slid her hand under her slip, lightly caressing her through the delicate lace between her thighs. Glinda shivered, slowly melting in green hands—a dynamic her stubborn self did not want.

A mess of tangled limbs and heated mouths battled for control. The conqueror and the conquered, each undoing the other in turn, the struggle of passion pulling them across the room with reckless momentum.

Elphaba startled when she forcefully landed on Glinda’s bed. Glinda’s naughty smile followed Elphaba’s figure draped over the soft pink comforter, Elphaba’s braids gracefully pooling around her. Glinda loved the way Elphaba’s mouth softened and how her lustful eyes raked over her approaching form. Elphaba’s hunger for Glinda was palpable, and Glinda relished it. The blonde swiftly divested herself of what little she wore. She reveled in this power she had over her. But knowing Elphaba, her hold will more than likely be short-lived.

Glinda slid into Elphaba’s lap, straddling her to find some relief for her hot core. Elphaba sat up, trying to take control again. She dragged her nails down Glinda’s soft back, eliciting a deep moan from the blonde. Elphaba brutally sucked on Glinda’s puckered nipple, causing Glinda to arch in pleasure. The rough suction was followed by the soothing swirls of her tongue, unyielding in its perfected pattern. A green hand found its way to the other peak, pinching and rolling.

Soon, Glinda’s hips began to gently rock, seeking relief from this lustful need building inside her. As Glinda found her rhythm, shallow breaths and soft whimpers punctuated every pulse of her hips. Elphaba’s sudden, but low chuckle around her nipple drew Glinda out of her bubble of desire. Glinda quickly shifted off of Elphaba and stood, her nipple popping from Elphaba’s sweet suction.

“Stay,” Glinda commanded, her tone leaving no room for negotiation. She knew Elphaba didn’t like being bossed around, so she was surprised when Elphaba complied. Elphaba smirked as she leaned back on her elbows, eyes following Glinda’s every move, a tiger humoring a kitten. Glinda opened her nightstand and fished out a rosy pink neck scarf, just long enough to properly satisfy her plans. She crawled back into Elphaba’s lap, laying the scarf next to them. Glinda’s heated mouth quickly found Elphaba’s, and her hands fumbled with the buttons on the back of Elphaba’s dress, wishing she had Elphaba’s ability to just shred a dress with a simple wave of a hand.

 Elphaba swiftly stopped Glinda’s hands, pulling them back down, her lips never leaving Glinda’s. Frustrated, Glinda ripped her hands out of Elphaba’s grasp and attacked the dress buttons once again. She finally tore her mouth away from Elphaba when she felt the green hands removing hers for a second time. Searching Elphaba’s face for an explanation, Glinda couldn’t exactly decipher what was swirling through Elphaba’s mind. She looked distant, her eyes pierced Glinda’s with an unspoken “no.”

Abandoning her pursuit to disrobe Elphaba, she moved forward with her plan. Glinda pushed Elphaba fully flush with the mattress, smiling in satisfaction. After pinning Elphaba’s hands above her head, Glinda grabbed the scarf and tied the green witch’s hands together. Elphaba could easily break through the thin, loose material if she wanted to, but the tiger was curious to see what the kitten had in mind. Massaging clothed green breasts, Glinda resumed her rocking on Elphaba’s core, coaxing the fire where their heat joined. Elphaba closed her eyes, clearly enjoying the overwhelming sensation. Glinda’s lips found their way to Elphaba’s, heart beating fast with each wet swipe of her intoxicating tongue.

As Glinda shifted a bit to the side, her hand slowly slid under Elphaba’s dress, drawing lazy circles up her thigh. Elphaba softly moaned into the kiss, lost in her growing euphoria. Glinda’s feather-light touch prompted Elphaba’s hips to jerk upward, seeking more. Small beads of salty sweat surfaced on Elphaba’s forehead, and an agonizing groan escaped her lips as Glinda’s gentle fingers now trailed up and down her fiery center over the thin fabric covering her cunt.

“Is this what you want? Tell me what you want me to do to you,” Glinda teased. Elphaba’s panting was music to Glinda’s ears, spurring her on with every scorching caress. She dipped her fingers lower, enjoying the sound of Elphaba teetering on the edge. She just needed one little push.

“Well, look at that. Who’s the speechless one now?”

Elphaba ripped her hands out of the loose restraint, a domineering fire in her eyes once again. With a deep growl, she flipped Glinda onto her back, now settling herself over Glinda’s body. Her firm grip smoothed along Glinda’s leg, pulling it up and wrapping it around her own hip, preparing Glinda for her eager hand, opening her.

Glinda was consumed by Elphaba, feeling her roughly kiss, bite, and suck every inch of skin that her wet mouth could claim. The force and urgency of Elphaba’s kisses contrasted with the slow, gentle exploration of Glinda’s wet folds. Glinda’s breath hitched as Elphaba’s finger passed over her sensitive clit, circling endlessly.

After a sharp inhale from Glinda, Elphaba lifted her head to lock eyes with her, truly connecting. But Glinda had hers closed, mouth parted, softly panting, light ripples of ecstasy washing over her. Elphaba wanted to remember this moment, this position, this beautiful expression of Glinda, her adversarial love. It took everything in her power to hold back the sweet, loving phrases she used to whisper to Glinda from before. Before everything changed. Before their doomed damnation.

Elphaba’s fingers flew faster, tighter around her clit, pushing Glinda to the clouds. A light sheet of sweat glistened on Glinda’s chest, and Elphaba couldn’t help but take a long swipe with her tongue. Delicious. Elphaba slipped a finger inside Glinda, her eyes fluttering shut, overwhelmed by Glinda’s warmth gripping her, drawing her further in. She knew how much Glinda craved this, and the proof came in the moan that tore loose, in the cries that rose louder and more insistent. She was raw, euphoric, and vulnerable, undone and unable to hold back any longer.

“Oh, Elphie!” Glinda exclaimed, savoring the feel of Elphaba finally, finally around her, near her, inside her. Glinda would forever hunger for this battered, unbreakable connection. Elphaba had truly ruined her long ago for anyone else, and this was a blissful, aching reminder that each heart owned the other.

Hearing Glinda’s nickname for her sent Elphaba into a spiral. It had been years since she heard that name, and with Glinda exhaling it like a prayer, she craved every piece that Glinda was willing to bless her with. She slipped a second digit into Glinda and increased her pace, thrusting in and out, taking her higher and higher. Encouraging a fire in Glinda that she hoped would ignite every inch of this beautiful blonde.

And Glinda felt that flame everywhere. But as Elphaba’s pace quickened, a sharp pain from her long nails soon overrode the pleasure within.

“Fuck, a-ah…El-Elphie, stop…it h-hurts.” Glinda said as she squirmed uncomfortably.

Elphaba’s concerned eyes met Glinda’s, and she immediately pulled her fingers out, a long string of arousal clinging to her.

Glinda winced at the withdrawal. “Your nails are just too long now. I’m sorry.” Glinda bit her lip, looking away.

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” Elphaba said softly, affection dripping in her tone for the first time tonight. She didn’t realize how long her nails had grown. Back when, she usually kept them trimmed for obvious reasons, but her current fugitive lifestyle didn’t often prioritize nail length.

Refusing to let the moment slip away, Elphaba slid down the bed, opening Glinda’s legs wider and lifting her hips higher. Glinda gasped as she felt the cool air hit her center. Elphaba admired Glinda’s wetness, enjoying that it was she who did that. That she could still elicit these physical, instinctive responses from Glinda, even after everything. Glinda was still hers, and Elphaba wasted no time in lapping up Glinda’s juices, humming in satisfaction.

Glinda felt like a wound coil that was about to finally snap. Every lick, every touch, every vibration curled the coil tighter and tighter, and Glinda was achingly consumed and suspended in pure, unending perfection. She had missed this, missed Elphaba. And even while gasping, she could finally breathe again. This unbreakable bond between them, however beaten and wounded, would never fracture, destined to bind their souls for eternity.

Elphaba delved her tongue deeper inside Glinda, probing anywhere she could reach, every place she knew. She felt Glinda’s walls slightly tremor as she licked over a sensitive spot, so Elphaba lingered there just a little longer, fucking her with her tongue—slow and measured. As she savored every sweet drop of Glinda’s essence, her nails tenderly raked across Glinda’s thighs, teasing Glinda with the contrast of pain and pleasure, a balance of sensations. 

Unrestrained, each wave of Glinda’s unceasing moans fueled Elphaba’s own arousal. Elphaba’s mouth glided back up her folds to her clit, circling it tightly while pressing just enough to hasten that blessed ascent. She glanced up at the goddess before her, Glinda’s chest rising and falling with each wanton breath, head thrown back, hand grasping the comforter like a trusted anchor. Whispers of “Elphie” filled the room. She was breathtaking. She was divine.

Elphaba wrapped her arms around Glinda’s thighs, firmly holding her in place, briefly removing her drenched mouth from Glinda’s cunt.

“Look at me,” she commanded.

Glinda’s glassy eyes snapped to hers, dilated and wild. Elphaba returned her attention to Glinda’s clit, her tongue swirling and pressing once again, still staring into the depths of Glinda’s wide eyes—unblinking and unbroken.

Soon, Glinda’s eyes began to flutter closed with each flick, eventually shutting them completely in her pleasure.

“Look at me,” Elphaba repeated, sharp and intense. “Don’t look away.”

Glinda whimpered as she battled to keep her eyes open for Elphaba, deep green eyes tethering her in place. Elphaba’s languid movements were torture, and Glinda’s resolve snapped. She needed more, and she needed it now.

“Elphie, please.” Glinda tried to shuffle closer, but Elphaba’s grip held her still. Elphaba smiled devilishly against her.

“Please what?” Elphaba continued to slowly tease her clit, relishing in Glinda’s need to squirm, delighting in Glinda’s tortured expressions.

Glinda huffed with a faint whine in her throat, her lashes momentarily fluttering shut. Elphaba bit down on Glinda’s clit, and a sharp cry tore from the blonde as her eyes flew open.

“I won’t tell you again. Eyes on me,” Elphaba admonished her. “Now, tell me what do you want?”

“Fuck, please, Elphie, I need more. Fuck— More of you,” Glinda begged.

“How much more?” Elphaba’s tongue switched up its dance around Glinda’s clit. To Glinda’s eternal frustration, she maintained that unbearably slow pace, cruelly toying with her now.

Tears pricked at Glinda’s eyes, and her brow pinched in indulgent discomfort. Her quick, shallow breaths were sprinkled with soft whimpers, punctuating the room with need. As Glinda’s figure began to instinctively squirm, she couldn’t repress the thunderous rumble of her denied release.

“All of you, please! I need you, Elphie! Make me yours!”

That’s all that Elphaba needed to hear. Her tongue quickened and pressed firmly, perfectly, devastatingly. She licked, sucked, and devoured in all the right places at all the right rhythms, automatically applying everything she knew Glinda loved, what she needed, what only Elphaba could give her.

Glinda’s hips bucked fiercely, but Elphaba kept a strong grip, never permitting the chance to break. Glinda’s cries of ecstasy caused a flood of arousal for Elphaba, who needed her own release soon. But she could be patient, for Glinda never could be. Glinda climbed higher and closer as Elphaba went faster and harder. Elphaba groaned, the sound shuddering through Glinda’s body. To finally tip the scales of balance, Elphaba shallowly dipped a single finger inside Glinda’s wet and waiting heat, mindful to be gentle.

“ELPHIE!”

Glinda’s thighs clenched around Elphaba as she came, screaming her name like it was the only truth she had ever known. Bursts of white light seared her skin as shockwaves ripped within her, prolonging her ecstasy. Elphaba’s mouth stayed latched until Glinda’s trembling thighs eventually loosened, guiding her through to the end with gentle laps of her tongue. Elphaba’s face was absolutely soaked in Glinda’s mouthwatering cum. Never one to waste, she savored every drop that she could, dutifully licking her lips clean. She tasted so fucking good.

Elphaba crawled up Glinda’s spent body, reveling in the faint, irregular twitches of Glinda’s limbs. She was raw and beautiful, and Elphaba couldn’t get enough of her. Elphaba placed a hand on Glinda’s rolling chest, feeling her racing heart, each beat pushing it closer into Elphaba’s palm, a need to be held by it.

Glinda’s deep brown eyes connected with green, eliciting soft sighs of satisfaction. She lazily swiped a few stray golden hairs out of her face, and Elphaba’s eyes closely followed her movements. Glinda studied her love, willing herself to reach Elphaba’s most complicated, deepest thoughts that she no longer trusted her with. She desperately yearned for answers, but she was unreadable once again.

Throat clenching, Glinda recalled a previous time when Elphaba wasn’t so guarded with her, but was soft, open, and honest. That seemed a lifetime ago, and the clock ticks of time had been kind to neither of them.

Elphaba scooted to the side of Glinda, still leaning over the blonde. A single nail drew gentle circles on Glinda’s abdomen, slowly winding its way back up to her chest. Glinda’s muscles reactively clenched, then slowly relaxed as Elphaba’s nail traveled along its leisurely, explorative path.

Her palm soon settled on Glinda’s warm chest, and Elphaba took this moment to memorize every bit of this goddess in front of her. Her disheveled hair. Her red, swollen lips. The lingering rosy flush that blossomed from her neck to her chest. Elphaba looked at her green hand placed on that pink chest, and a distant memory of a long-forgotten phrase flashed before her.

Pink goes good with green.

Elphaba removed her hand like she had been burned, pierced by the memory and the ache that married it. Elphaba’s gaze met Glinda’s surprised eyes, realizing her desperate need to escape this hazy bubble she found herself trapped inside.

Glinda quickly rolled Elphaba over, lying her full weight on top of her. There were some emotions of Elphaba’s that Glinda could still perceive, no matter how wide their divide was, and the alarmed, frightened expression worried Glinda. Worried that Elphaba would withdraw. Worried that Elphaba would fly away. And selfishly, worried to be left alone again.

Distraction was a game Glinda had always been good at, and it usually worked well on Elphaba. But Glinda knew the best form of distraction for Elphaba would have required both of them to be stripped bare. However, Glinda wasn’t sure why Elphaba wouldn’t let her remove her dress. She wouldn’t push the issue. Still, she wanted a piece of Elphaba regardless. It would be her turn to please, her turn to take.

Glinda kissed her deeply, swallowing Elphaba’s shameless moan. As their tongues danced, Glinda massaged Elphaba’s breasts, deliciously pinching her nipples through the dark fabric. Even fully clothed, Elphaba felt so good, so right, so hers.

Glinda arched and gasped, breaking their kiss as Elphaba’s nails unexpectedly raked down her back, red lines blooming. Lustful, emerald eyes devoured every single shudder, every uneven breath. As Elphaba began to lick and suck on her neck, Glinda’s hand snuck under Elphaba’s dress, caressing her inner thighs to coax them open. Elphaba’s legs instinctively parted, inviting Glinda’s fingers to savor her heat emanating through the thin fabric.

“Fuck, Glinda….”

Glinda smiled as she indulged in every sound Elphaba released, her strokes conducting this reverent melody. As she pressed and strummed, Elphaba's cries sang louder, more desperate.

“How does this feel?” Glinda whispered, nibbling on Elphaba’s ear.

Elphaba’s eyes squeezed shut, a tortured, blissful expression on her face. Glinda’s touch intensified all of her senses, stoking a fire deep within her core. Glinda’s hand rubbed faster, pushing Elphaba closer to that heavenly peak, then slowed, bringing Elphaba down to the frustrating, earthly ground.

“Does this feel good?”

Elphaba roughly whimpered, irritated by Glinda’s teasing but enjoying it nonetheless. Her nails dug deeper into Glinda’s skin, creating scarlet crescents that, however sore, still aroused Glinda to no end. Glinda pulled gently at the elastic band, sliding a finger back and forth across the pliant fabric.

“Elphie, I said, does this feel good?”

Messily clinging to Glinda to tether herself, Elphaba’s moans filled the air, her hips impatiently jolting upwards, seeking any droplet of relief, already halfway to the edge from her earlier moments with Glinda. Drunk on lust and love, Glinda basked in the power she held, intoxicated by the illusion of control. And now, she wanted to play with fire.

Glinda languidly peppered soft kisses along Elphaba’s neck, the sweat on her skin an aphrodisiac. Elphaba’s moans steadily swelled, and Glinda slipped a long finger between her silken folds, delving and claiming her warmth and wetness. Testing that claim, Glinda’s mouth found Elphaba’s ear.

“Or does this feel wicked?”

Glinda grunted as she was harshly pushed facedown into the mattress. Elphaba easily climbed out from under her, while Glinda’s fingers slipped out from under her dress.

Glinda tried to turn over, but a heavy hand put her back in her place, an unspoken warning to stay put. Her arms were grabbed tightly behind her, her limbs in a vice grip. She turned her face to the side just as Elphaba’s came down to meet hers. Glinda’s eyes widened as she realized she’d awakened something formidable and volatile.

Elphaba’s eyes were dark and deadly, barely a hint of green in a sea of blackness. Her entire face sharpened, her jaw clenched. Silent rage permeated the air around them, the threat of Elphaba’s suppressed magic humming. Her mouth found Glinda’s ear, and Glinda trembled at her venomous promise.

“Let me show you what wicked really feels like.”

Glinda cried out as Elphaba bit her shoulder hard, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. Arms still in Elphaba’s death grip, she was swiftly pulled up to her knees. She shuddered, accepting her fate as Elphaba’s rough mouth bit and sucked at the back of her neck and shoulders, marking her. Little whimpers bubbled and bled, a mix of pain and pleasure.

Glinda felt Elphaba’s mouth leave her. The bed jostled as Elphaba switched positions, Glinda’s arms still held hostage tightly. She felt Elphaba switch to one hand to hold her wrists, the other pushing her up fully on her knees and spreading them. A brief, mysterious rustle, then Elphaba guided her back down.

“Oh, fuck!” Glinda exclaimed, her hips jolting before forcefully settling again.

Elphaba moaned as she licked Glinda’s cunt from below, grinding her face deeper into her slick heat. Glinda shifted on Elphaba’s face, gasping and trembling, finding a rhythm. Elphaba began to alternate her licks with little sharp nips, annoyingly causing Glinda’s pace to falter. With each nip, Glinda instinctively tried to lift, but Elphaba’s unyielding grip on her wrists wouldn’t let her. Elphaba’s strong hand securely pulled her back down, her other dragging emerald nails hard over Glinda’s ass, sullying the smooth, pale perfection because she owned it. A lustful sob escaped Glinda, tossing in the waves of Elphaba’s ministrations, a prisoner to desire and Elphaba’s whims.

Elphaba’s tongue thrusted and swirled at Glinda’s entrance, searching every crevice, feeling every tremor. She greedily sucked Glinda’s juices, all that she would give her, every last drop.

“Oh, Oz, Elphie! S-so good! AAH!!”

Glinda was startled as Elphie smacked her ass hard, then raked her nails across once more, deeper this time. Elphie then switched her grip on Glinda’s wrists to her opposite hand, leaving the other to spank the other cheek to a rosy complexion to match its twin.

Glinda was swept away in a twister of Elphaba’s nips, licks, spanks, and rakes, clouding the world around her except between her legs. It brought her higher and higher into the heavens, the edge before the fall, the frenzied flame before the explosion, the anticipated bow before the break, just there….

“Aah, FUCK!”

Elphaba had shifted to bite her clit a little too hard, bringing Glinda back down from her high, a whimpering sob on her lips. She was so close.

Elphaba suddenly let her wrists go, freeing Glinda to roam her own body. Glinda pinched and rolled her taut nipples, breathing faster and faster with each pull, driving her back to that high Elphaba so cruelly ripped from her.

But Elphaba was in charge, and once Elphaba wrapped her arms around Glinda’s legs as tight as iron bands, she held Glinda right where she wanted her.

Elphaba rolled her tongue over Glinda’s clit and through her folds, giving Glinda a reprieve from her nipping teeth. Glinda felt herself climbing once again, her abs tightening, her legs beginning to shake. Everything pulsating, burning, drowning…

“OW!!”

Elphaba sharply struck both her raw cheeks three times in quick succession, followed by a gentle, soothing touch. Elphaba’s muffled chuckle from below made Glinda want to scream and cry. It also made her consider murder.

“Fucking stop it, Elphaba!” She growled, trying to find her rhythm once again.

Elphaba loved edging Glinda into an absolute mess. She ran her nails lightly over Glinda’s cheeks, but they were just too sensitive to be pleasurable. Glinda winced as she sucked in a sharp breath. Elphaba alternated between sharp nails and soothing touches until Glinda was quivering and desperate, Elphaba’s tongue lapping deeply below as Glinda’s arousal dripped and dripped, and Elphaba drank and drank.

“El-elph…p-please! I just, ah…c-can’t….”

Humming, Elphaba was satisfied that she had Glinda right where she wanted her. She brought her arms around to anchor Glinda’s legs once more, pressing her flush against her mouth. Elphaba flicked, swirled, and sucked Glinda’s clit just how she liked, drawing her closer to ecstasy once again.

Glinda’s sounds were uncontrollable moans, groans, and gasps as she climbed that well-acquainted peak, being pulled along stronger and faster than ever before.

Elphaba trailed a hand down to pleasure herself, dipping low under the half-risen hem of her dress, heated desire coursing through her. With every flick of her tongue on Glinda, her fingers mirrored it on herself, building their orgasms in tandem.

Glinda was so close, just right there, her whole body trembling, preparing for the impending, intense spasms. She could feel it buzzing in her, mounting, clawing, and screaming with each lick of her drenched cunt. As Glinda pushed Elphaba’s head deeper into her, Elphaba let out a great moan, loud and primal. The added vibrations sent Glinda tumbling over the edge, a high-pitched “Elphie!” on her lips. She convulsed on Elphaba, her prolonged orgasm due to Elphaba’s longer, strangled moan as Elphaba came right under her, riding the shockwaves together. The world around them dimmed, and their souls tangled, melded, and emerged as one, an unlimited, remarkable force greater than all of Oz.

Elphaba’s grip loosened as Glinda began to fall forward, utterly spent. Thoroughly soaked, Elphaba licked Glinda’s cum from her lips, her tongue reaching what it could. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, cleaning the rest of her face.

Glinda was on her stomach, splayed out in pure bliss, happily melting. Elphaba tenderly kissed the small of her back, dotting more as she traveled upwards. Elphaba settled next to her, studying her closely, reverently. Glinda still had her eyes closed, mouth slack, breathing softly. Elphaba wasn’t sure if she was actually still awake or if she fucked her well enough to pass out. As Elphaba tucked a stray golden hair behind her ear, Glinda softly hummed and opened her heavy eyes.

Emerald green eyes met warm brown, wrapped up in the heartbeat of the moment together. A comforting silence between the two. Elphaba lightly caressed Glinda’s back, looking away, lost in thought.

“Elphie?”

Her eyes met Glinda’s, attentive.

“What are you thinking about?”

Elphaba wore a soft smile, leaving her question unanswered.

With great care, Glinda turned her body to fully face her love. Raw vulnerability fused into her every whispered word. “Will you stay with me? Just for a little while?”

Elphaba’s heart clenched. She knew she couldn’t do that. Start something that, in the long run, would lead to nowhere. After this, going back to two such polarizing lives between them. Lives that would only bring the other pain and sorrow. Well, especially on her part, with everything Glinda spread about her. Elphaba heard the specifics more often than what Glinda probably assumed. And it just gripped and ripped her heart out every single time. If she pursued this, it just wouldn’t end well. It would be her doom, her death sentence.

Staying a little while wasn’t a good idea, but Elphaba just couldn’t help herself. After all, “a little while” was subjective. But then that would be it. It would have to be the end. Just another small taste before the long fast.

“I’ll stay just for a little while,” Elphaba conceded, giving Glinda a sad smile. Elphaba would stay until she fell asleep, memorizing every inch of her to always remember her sweet in this way, perfect and open and hers.

“Mmmm, good.” Glinda closed her eyes and stretched like a satisfied cat, then snuggled closer into Elphaba’s side. Elphaba grabbed the comforter and wrapped it around Glinda, keeping her warm and content.

Eyes watering, Elphaba gazed at this beautiful woman and imagined what might have been.

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

It didn’t take long for Glinda to fall asleep. Elphaba chanced one last look at her love, kissed her on the forehead, and carefully slipped out of the bed. She donned her cloak and hat, both given to her by the gentle, satiated woman around the corner. Grabbing her broom, she stepped onto the balcony.

And froze.

It only took her a moment to decide, only a moment to foolishly embrace her downfall. She set down her broom and quietly walked over to Glinda’s desk, scribbling on a sheet of light pink paper. She smirked as she realized Glinda’s stationery smelled like Gillikin roses, just like the letter she’d received, its fragrance long since dissipated. She went over to the sleeping Glinda and gently placed the note next to her. As she flew off into the night sky, a soft smile graced her lips, truly and deeply content.

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

When Glinda awoke, it was well into the day. It took Glinda a moment to recall everything from the previous night. By the delicious aches and marks on her body, she confirmed that it definitely wasn’t a dream. Elphaba was gone though, the bed cold next to her. She figured Elphaba wouldn’t stick around, but the twinge of hurt still stung all the same. A tightness squeezed around her heart at the thought that this might have been her last time with Elphaba, her last kisses, last touches, last love. Trying to quiet her mind, Glinda attempted to keep her breathing slow and measured. She could not go down that path. Not right now.

She tenderly began to roll out of bed, yet she heard a strange crinkle. Her hand randomly patting around the comforter, she found a note with a single sentence.

If you care to find me, look to your balcony come nightfall.

Glinda’s smile came unbidden, fragile as glass yet dazzling as dawn, a reminder that even in uncertainty, Elphaba had left her something worth holding onto.

Chapter Text

Nightfall came, and Glinda could barely stand still. She could barely sit still. She could barely do anything still. Stillness meant waiting, and waiting meant eagerness, and eagerness meant expectation, and expectation meant need, and need meant pain. And while Glinda was used to shouldering pain by now, she’d rather cling to the smidgeon of hope that blossomed from a hesitant promise. The tenuous flicker of the possibility of something more, something that Glinda had gone without for years, yet could not bear to go without for another moment now that a small crumb had been dangled in front of her—a seductive, suffocating, permanent addiction.

And as heavy boots touched the jade marble of the balcony, a steeled determination in their path, it seemed Glinda wasn’t the only one who craved to indulge their addiction.

Elphaba’s broom clattered to the ground, swiftly followed by her ragged hat and cloak. Wasting not another second, she wrapped her arms around Glinda’s waist and pulled her in, clutching the blonde as if she would float away as naturally as a blown bubble.

Desperate mouths explored and tasted.

Unbridled moans exhaled and swallowed.

Willful hands wandered and pillaged.

It always started fast and fevered, a rising compulsion to claim and be claimed. Night after night, they took all that they could and gave all that they had. And in the softer moments near the end, quiet thoughts became gentle caresses, and undeclared feelings became imprinted kisses. And once the green witch left, unspoken goodbyes became silent tears.

But after so many nights of the same expected dance, a slow, unleashed vulnerability changed the melody, shifting the careful choreography of their trysts.

Like always, steadfast boots firmly touched the ground and entered, a shabby hat and cloak were tossed aside, and a blonde awaited the frenzied, inevitable crash.

Yet no crash came.

It was replaced by a hesitant touch—the desperation slowed, yet still present.

Before Glinda could make heads or tails of this shift, protective arms embraced her, cradling her like a precious gift. The gesture was a tad jarring, the tender action that screamed their past.

At Shiz, there were plenty of times when the two weren’t frenzied, possessed rabbits trying to have a go every second they could. There were times when it was soft and patient and steady. Lips and hands that took their time, unwrapping one another. The thrall of anticipation of every gentle gasp, each exploratory stroke, every tamed thrust that defined the moment.

Just before Glinda could ask Elphaba if anything was wrong, she melted into dry, cracked lips that sought the warm wetness of her own.

Elphaba cupped her face as their tongues danced, and soon, a pair of feet led while the other followed, heading for the bed. Glinda’s clothes were peeled from her body, puddles of fabric charting their path. And when her hands reached for black buttons like before, Elphaba stopped her, interweaving their hands together.

Oh, it frustrated Glinda to no end, needing to touch Elphaba, all of Elphaba, dreaming of her bare skin sliding along exposed green. She wouldn’t push. Shouldn’t push. But her shallow well of patience barely had any drops left.

As if she were aware of the question that teetered on Glinda’s lips, Elphaba licked and sucked harder at her pulse point, distracting that beautiful mind from thinking too many things.

With a devotion saved for the sacred, Elphaba lay Glinda down on the soft satin pillows, a plush halo for the divine, her most devout follower at her feet. Elphaba was never one for religion, but she knew when she was both blessed and bound. And Glinda was the only altar she would ever worship.

A shimmering haze clouded Glinda's mind, blissfully submerged in the slow river of Elphaba's lips trailing around her body, exploring hills and valleys—a ripe landscape begging to be known. With a graceful sigh, she gladly surrendered herself to her lover’s desires.

"You're so beautiful," Elphaba murmured, reverently kissing her delicate ankle.

"So soft." Green lips found the side of her knee, a slight tremble of anticipation. 

"So delicious." A long lick along a pale thigh, coaxing sensitive skin to pebble.

"So responsive." A claiming nip on a hip, a reactive jolt.

"So perfect." A wandering tongue swirling a breast until it found its central target, eliciting a shallow arch of a back, pushing it further into a warm, waiting mouth.

Elphaba's lips branded her, every spot a reminder of who she succumbed to willingly. Who owned her.

A line of kisses climbed the column of Glinda's neck, feeling the shaky gasp within before hearing it exhale.

"So good," Elphaba whispered, a declaration of a muddled truth.

Glinda craned her neck, seeking Elphaba's lips that hovered just above hers, just out of reach—a deliberate avoidance.

This sensual fog and the burning between her legs made her utterly, embarrassingly ache. She needed this unbearable fire quenched, and a faint, pained whine exposed her need.

"Elphie, please," Glinda begged, craving any sort of release Elphaba would give her, anything at all.

She felt Elphaba's lips brush her own, a content grin, satisfied with Glinda's predicament.

"And you're all mine."

But the phrase wasn’t solely wielded with typical, assertive possessiveness; an unveiled awe wrapped around it, close enough to be felt, but not enough to risk shattering.

“Elphie, please,” Glinda repeated her mantra, finally luring Elphaba’s lips to her own. An unhurried kiss that hardly slaked her thirst. As Glinda went to deepen the kiss, Elphaba retreated.

“Patience.”

Glinda released a weak sob. She was absolutely delirious. She wanted to laugh, she wanted to cry, she wanted to scream, she wanted to break something. And if Elphaba expected her to have patience, after her mouth and hands had already explored every inch of her for a thousand years, well, then Elphaba would be sorely disappointed.

With Elphaba annoyingly and perfectly distracted by her collarbone, Glinda snuck a hand between her legs, biting her lip to smother her moan as a river of pleasure doused the burn. Finally.

Glinda would have congratulated herself on her stealth if it weren’t for a strong hand that grabbed her own and pulled it away.

“Patience,” Elphaba repeated, dipping her head lower, nuzzling the valley between Glinda’s breasts. Her breath mapped its course by the salty scent of her sweat.

“Elphie, please.” Glinda was starting to sound like a broken record in a record player that she was a clock tick away from throwing against a damn wall. “Lower.”

Elphaba smiled against her skin. “Like this?” The infuriating woman kissed just one stupid inch below where her lips had last kissed.

Glinda’s hands pushed down on Elphaba’s shoulders to kindly, forcefully say no, you idiot, but Elphaba soon slipped Glinda’s hands in hers, intertwining their fingers once again.

Glinda wanted to break every last one of Elphaba’s wicked fingers and kiss them better again. Oh, she couldn’t stand this! She didn’t deserve this! What she deserved was to be fucked, and fucked good.

Because she had already been the perfect picture of patience. And look where that got her?

While Elphaba relished the build, Glinda was starting to unravel, and not in the way she desired. She knew her mouth usually could get her into trouble, and pushing Elphaba’s buttons might finally get her what she wanted.

“Elphie,” Glinda whined, pouting.

“Hush. Let me taste you.” Elphaba’s tongue lapped at her nipple, urgency the last thing on her mind.

“Start tasting where you’re supposed to.”

Elphaba raised her head, eyes sparkling at the challenge. “I’ve been tasting everywhere I’m supposed to. Everywhere that’s mine.” She resumed her lapping, happy to stay as long as she wanted at the perfect little peak. “Don’t rush me.”

Glinda stifled a moan as Elphaba’s lapping changed to sucking. “I thought you were smarter than that, Elphie.”

The wet nipple pebbled in the cool air as Elphaba’s mouth quickly unlatched. “And what, Miss Glinda, do you mean by that?”

Glinda was unfazed by the hard eyes staring back at her, daring her to test the limits. It should have unnerved her, received as the warning that it was. But actually, Glinda delighted in it.

Because she was just another step closer to finally being fucked. In the good way.

“I thought you knew what the word everywhere meant. Especially since you were well acquainted with everywhere just a few days ago. Or have you forgotten already?”

Elphaba chuckled, amused at Glinda’s vain attempts to speed things along. “I know what you’re doing.” Her grip tightened just enough on Glinda’s hip for the blonde to know it was working.

“Well, then you should know I’m very dissatisfied with the service I’m receiving tonight.” Glinda swallowed the gasp that wanted to escape when Elphaba’s thumb began to draw small circles into her hip. “It’s so disappointing to—"

Unexpected and swift, Elphaba’s hand found her quivering folds, exploring one of her favorite everywheres, shutting Glinda up once and for all. “That’s an awfully bold thing to say when you’re positively dripping.”

Glinda’s moan ripped through her, hardly registering Elphaba’s words, only feeling her hands, hands that were where they should have been ages ago.

“Look at that,” Elphaba tutted. “You’ve even ruined your pretty sheets.”

Glinda’s hands fisted those ruined sheets as a single finger slowly circled her throbbing clit. And Oz, did it feel good.

Soon, the slow circling wasn’t enough, and just before Glinda could beg, Elphaba offered, “Would you like more?”

Lost once again in those blessed waves, Glinda was too far gone to recognize the mischief in that bargain. “Please, more.”

Elphaba chuckled. “So polite.”

The circles became tighter, quicker. Then just as suddenly, slowed again—an aching, agonizing pace.

“Elphie, please, more.”

Elphaba ignored her. “How about this,” she stated, setting the terms. “You tell me all the ways you’ve been dissatisfied with your service tonight, and I’ll give you the service you’ve been wanting.” Glinda cried out at the hard, direct press on her clit. “And only if you keep telling me.”

Well, this was completely unfair. Now Glinda was newly dissatisfied at being coerced into saying how she was previously dissatisfied, solely to now keep being satisfied.

“Go on, tell me,” Elphaba encouraged, wrapping her mouth around a lonely nipple.

“Oz, Elphie…”

Elphaba stopped all movement. “Glinda. Tell me. Now.”

Glinda was entirely over these shenanigans. If Elphaba wanted to know, then fine, she’d indulge the wicked woman.

She pursed her lips as her glare met Elphaba’s lust-filled, infuriating gaze. “You wretched thing, you’ve been teasing me all night.” With a simple flick of a green finger, Glinda’s eyes fluttered, and her quick resolve waned. “M-more than what’s acceptable.”

Elphaba held back a snort. “Tell me what’s acceptable then.”

The circles quickened with little resistance. A warmth as lovely as the summer sun on a cool morning caressed her from head to toe, spinning her in a heated haze of dewdrops.

“I— Oh, Oz, Elphie, I-I…” Her moan wove through the quiet room, complementing the tempo of Elphaba’s fingers with her sensual song. Yet the melody waxed and waned as the pulse did.

“You just— You just t-take too long…w-with- without any care f-for…”

“And how do you feel about my care now, Miss Glinda?”

The best liquor in all of Oz didn’t hold a candle to the intoxication of the green temptress. Glinda drank deeply with every touch, taste, and breath, lusting for every last drop.

But her mumbled, nonsensical answers were never adequate for the puppeteer commanding the strings to her passion.

“Oh, you can do better than that. Tell me what you deem acceptable,” Elphaba repeated, unfazed by Glinda’s rapid descent into madness.

Glinda was ready to stab Elphaba and bury her in a shallow grave, but then she remembered she couldn’t because she loved the stupid woman. Tabling that very viable option for later, she mustered enough energy to push Elphaba away, awkwardly scooching out from under the wretched witch. “Oh, you are horrendible, Elphaba Thropp!”

Elphaba laughed as she grabbed the irritated blonde’s waist, easily flipping her onto her stomach and corralling any flailing limbs. Distracted by the heady, floral scent of Glinda’s perfume, her nose burrowed into soft, messy curls. “If you want some satis—"

“I swear to Oz, Elphaba, if I hear any variation of the words satisfied, dissatisfied, or acceptable come out of your mouth, I’ll burn your broom and fling you off the balcony!” Glinda squirmed, but it was no use. Elphaba’s grip wasn’t tight enough to hurt, but she was considerably incapacitated.

A trimmed nail trailed down Glinda’s spine, enticing her back to arch and her skin to prickle. The exploring tip lightly scratched a plump cheek before delving between pale thighs.

“Oh…” Every readied complaint and threat died on Glinda’s tongue. Two fingers languidly pumped inside her, and it took all of Glinda’s power to simply bite a pillow instead of moaning whorishly.

“Let it out, my sweet. I want to hear you.” Elphaba was well aware that this was the first time in years she had uttered that term of endearment, let alone to the one it was meant for. But tonight, Elphaba’s defenses were down, and any sense of self-preservation had vanished. “Let it out, my sweet,” she repeated.

What little control Glinda had over her vocal cords dissolved, and she had not a single care whether all of Oz heard her get deliciously, finally fucked by the seductive Wicked Witch. Glinda could be rightfully selfish, and after all of Elphaba’s terrible teasing, a simple, brain-rattling orgasm was the least she deserved.

“Elphie, faster, please.”

Whether it was the breathy temptation of Glinda’s supplication or the implied request for mercy, Elphaba obliged, plunging faster and harder until Glinda was teetering on the edge.

Thrusts branded and kisses worshipped. With her world burning, Glinda cried out as her body choked on the pinnacle of bliss, eagerly suffocating if this is what death felt like.

Hands slowed and lips whispered. Glinda was a puddled mess, barely able to catch her breath. Before she could remember how to even form words to protest, Elphaba scooped and flipped her once again.

Elphaba slid down her body. Unable to handle another ounce of stimulation, Glinda went to push her away. Unrelenting, a strong grip parted her thighs, promptly swatting her flitting hands away like pesky flies.

“Be still. I want to taste my handiwork.”

And with a single lick, Glinda would happily let Elphaba do whatever she wanted. A wet pass between her folds. A swirl around her swollen clit. A shallow dip into her slick entrance.

“F-fuck, Elphie…”

Elphaba hummed, sending tremors to the ends of every limb, toes curling and hands furling. Once a firm arm held down her restless, bucking hips to endlessly flick her clit, Glinda unraveled.

“Elphie!”

Every star in the universe burst before Glinda’s eyes, a brilliant explosion that burned and purified, emanating from that singular point where they connected. It was radiant. It was divine. It was fatal.

“You’re perfect,” Elphaba whispered, marveling at how effortlessly Glinda responded to her every touch, every word, every breath.

Glinda’s lungs gasped as if she had been underwater, tasting fresh air for the first time in ages. Chest heaving, she weakly gripped Elphaba as green lips peppered kisses along her glistening skin, marking her neck, pecking fragile lips. She had floated higher than her iridescent bubble had ever carried her, and she openly acquiesced to her descent back to earth.

But as restless fingers explored once more, Glinda’s eyes widened.

“El- Elphie, I can’t,” she begged, whimpering as the gentle ministrations persisted.

“Yes, you can. Just give me one more. Just one.” Elphaba couldn’t help herself. It wasn’t her fault that Glinda was the most delectable woman in all of Oz, reserved just for her. And if it were a crime to indulge in this vixen every moment she could, well, then Elphaba would gladly burn before the Wizard himself.

Glinda whined, agreeing with a short nod. Well, she hoped she nodded; the full use of her faculties had yet to be tested properly.

The corner of Elphaba’s mouth twitched while her eyes sparkled. “Good girl.”

Overwhelmed didn’t even begin to describe how Glinda felt. Her body was ravaged, and her mind was scrambled. She was so tender, so sensitive, so utterly fucked.

“Gods, Glinda, you feel like silk,” Elphaba confessed, relishing the squeeze of velvet walls, pulling her deeper.

Glinda was unequivocally saturated in Elphaba. Her blood hummed for Elphaba, her body bowed for Elphaba, her mind professed for Elphaba. But most notably, her heart sang for Elphaba—the eternal refrain of her soul reserved for the only one who could nurture the melody just as much as stifle it at her very whim.

Elphaba pressed over and over again, her fingers memorizing the inside of Glinda as much as her lips did the surface.

“El…EL…”

It was all too much, all too perfect. And a few tears slipped over her cheeks—tears from an ecstasy that thrashed just a little too ardently.

Elphaba chased the runaway droplets with her tongue, each swipe replacing the wet trails with her own. Once she had her fill, her lips met Glinda’s, taking the blonde’s breath away with the taste of salt and sin.

A silent scream swirled in Glinda’s throat, just waiting to be released. Her limbs locked and trembled with the undercurrent of thunder building within, rising like a rabid, uncontrollable beast. And with a simple curl of skillful fingers and a thumb press on her clit, the storm and beautiful ache within Glinda crashed, raging until she felt strong arms ground her.

“It’s alright, I’ve got you. You did so well, my sweet.”

Glinda was in complete bliss, so much so that she couldn’t recall her own name, and she was perfectly fine with that. For all she knew, her name could have been Brainless Blob. In her right mind, Glinda would have absolutely cringed at the thought, but lucky for her, Elphaba’s tenacious efforts were more than enough to fuck all those bothersome thoughts right out of her.

Boneless as a fish, Glinda had to rely fully on Elphaba to shift her around, properly settling her so that the two lay nose-to-nose, even though Glinda couldn’t even bear to struggle opening her heavy eyelids.

“Elphie, that was…” Three words were good enough to get her point across. A fourth word would have required too much energy.

“…satisfying?” Elphaba couldn’t help herself.

An eyelid summoned the strength to squint. In a normal—but much less happily fucked—state, Glinda would have volleyed a proper rebuttal. Instead, she couldn’t bring herself to do so. Her eye fluttered closed as Elphaba traced her nail along her arm, lingering at the wrist, then spiraling up the smooth skin to the tender hollow of her elbow, inching closer to the shoulder. But her nail faltered midway up her slim bicep, sensing something. Sensing magic. It was faint, but it was definitely present. A thin band humming just underneath the skin.

“What is this?” Elphaba wondered, half asking Glinda as well as herself.

Oh.

Glinda was well awake now. She had planned to mention it to Elphie, but they never really talked too much after every time Elphaba swept her away and ravaged her for hours. And what little words they exchanged typically hovered around safe, surface topics. Topics that didn’t acknowledge the true state of their uneasy, complicated situation, even in a roundabout way. And ever since she briefly saw Elphaba’s spooked demeanor the first time they became reacquainted, she was loath to say anything that might incite that urge to leave, never to see her love ever again.

“Oh, that silly thing?” Glinda tried to chuckle to lighten the impending serious mood, but an awkward, pitiful sound puffed out instead.

Her fingers played with the wavy pattern of Elphaba’s dull dress. She wondered if it would look strange if she were to request some new garments for Elphie, but under the guise that the clothes were for herself. Of course, she’d have to make peace with the fact that her favorite boutiques would rightfully balk at her request and forever associate her with a terrible, ugly wardrobe, under the assumption that she wore it in secret like some miserable troll. But it would maybe be worth it just to see Elphie in something fresh rather than this thin, pathetic sheath.

“Glinda,” Elphaba said, drawing the blonde out of her own attempts at avoidance. “What is this?”

Well, now was as good a time as any.

Her fingers still fiddled with Elphaba’s dress, seeking stability. Expelling a breath of braverism, she pulled Elphaba back to the past.

“After you left, Morrible— Well, she obviously knew we were close. And even though I stayed behind, they didn’t want to take a chance.” Glinda’s gaze flitted to Elphaba’s unreadable expression. “A chance that I may decide to run, or that you’d decide to come back for me,” Glinda clarified, so weary of it all. “Oh, Elphie.” Glinda flopped onto her back. “She put it on me, and it won’t come off. It’s a tracking spell. That hideoteous woman knows where I am at all times, whether I like it or not. Which I don’t.”

“What?” Elphaba’s brow furrowed.

“It means I can’t go anywhere without her knowing my location.”

“Yes, I understand the basic function of a tracking spell.” Elphaba rolled her eyes, even if she was still shocked and disturbed that this kind of spell was bound to Glinda. She should have expected something like this from Morrible. The devious sorceress truly trusted no one but herself, and her excessive need for control only rivaled that of the Wizard’s.

Wearing a mask of determination, Elphaba rose and crossed the room to retrieve her satchel. However ragged, it still held up all these years, just like her. She fished out the Grimmerie and plopped herself back on the bed.

Wide-eyed, Glinda sat up. “Is that the Grimmerie?”

“No, it’s a cookbook.”

Glinda smacked her shoulder. “You’re not nearly as funny as you think you are.”

“Give me your arm,” Elphaba ordered, ignoring her while she flipped through the ancient spellbook.

“I honestly can’t believe you brought that back here. Do you know how dangerous that is?” she scolded, snubbing the request.

Elphaba flipped back a few pages that had stuck together. “You can thank me after I’ve gotten that shackle off of you.” Elphaba finally found the right page and grabbed Glinda’s arm.

She yanked it right back. “Do you even know what you’re doing?” It was a fair question. The last time Glinda had seen Elphaba use that dreadful spellbook, a platoon of Monkeys painfully sprouted extra appendages when Elphaba had initially intended them to very-much-painlessly fly in the air without any freshly grown body parts that were anatomically incorrect. What if she grew an eleventh toe or a crooked nose right out of her arm? She’d never be able to wear anything shorter than three-quarter sleeve blouses ever again!

“I know more than I did before,” Elphaba assured her. She gently wrestled with Glinda’s arm, currently being clutched by the other, soon maneuvering every which way but into Elphaba’s grasp.

“I don’t believe you!” It was just too great a risk. Glinda also knew Elphaba’s magic could be quite explosive, and the only thing worse than an additional, unwanted body part was having her arm blown to bits. She’d have to get a prosthetic. Then she’d only be able to wear long-sleeved tops forever! That would cut out over half her wardrobe!

“Give. Me. Your. Arm.” Elphaba gritted her teeth, finally wrenching the stubborn blonde’s arm from behind her back. “Just trust me!”

Glinda pulled and pulled, but it was no use. “I do not consent to this!”

“You consented when you told me about it. Trust me,” Elphaba repeated. Despite her words, all Elphaba did was firmly hold her arm in place, waiting for Glinda’s permission. Still, she didn’t plan to ever let go until she got it. She was not leaving this on her sweet if she could do something about it.

Glinda closed her eyes, hoping for any sign of assurance from Lurline, the Unnamed God, or whatever other spiritual being with ears to hear her silent plea.

“Fine,” she conceded. “But if I grow an extra pair of lips out of my arm, Elphaba Thropp, I swear I’ll never let you touch me again!”

“Oz help us all if you had a second mouth,” Elphaba mumbled. If Glinda’s protests were encouraging a headache now, she’d have no hope if there was another yapping hole. If she messed up—which she knew she wouldn’t—she prayed those lips wouldn’t come with vocal cords. “Be still.”

“Oh!” Glinda dramatically flopped back onto the pillows, her other arm thrown over her face, bemoaning her fate to be a freak forever. Elphaba was quite familiar with Glinda’s theatrics, and she knew the best course of action was to ignore her and press on. Leaving Glinda to mope in the crook of her one arm, she grasped the other as she silently mouthed the ancient words, making sure she knew the spell exactly. Taking a deep breath, her hand hovered over the tracking circlet, connecting to its magical pulse.

“Eleva Nahri Atum

Eleva Nahri Tu Ma Li

Tu Ma Lah Eleva Nahri

Eri Sah Tu Lah Atum”

The edges of the Grimmerie’s pages furled and unfurled as she repeated the chant, its golden script flashing brightly as the air around the tome shimmered. An image of an iron chain shook, straining to break. With each recitation, the links struggled, pulling until there was barely any give. There was an unwillingness to separate, yet Elphaba confidently stated the words over and over again, careful never to falter her perfect rhythm.

With each pass of Elphie’s spell, Glinda could feel the tracking spell slide under her skin, digging deeper. A snake refusing to unlatch from its prey. And it burned. Oh, did it burn. Glinda clenched her teeth and put on a face of braverism, deciding to think of anything other than what was happening. She figured concentrating on something pleasant would work. Elphaba gave her three lovely orgasms earlier, but her incessant teasing wasn’t appreciated in the least, especially since it had initially frustrated her to no end while she yearned, dripped, and burned. Oh, how she had burned, but not how she burned now. This burning was—

“Burning! It’s burning!” Glinda couldn’t take it anymore.

Elphaba immediately quieted, figuring it was about time to stop anyway, seeing as her spell was clearly unsuccessful. But she could feel that her spell was doing its job. She wasn’t pronouncing it wrong and her intention was clear; her spell wasn’t fighting her. It was this tracking spell. This damn tracking spell was rejecting the magic of the Grimmerie. The Grimmerie was supposed to be the most powerful spellbook in all of Oz, belonging to the Ancient Ones themselves. What was she missing?

The burning in Glinda’s arm quickly faded, and to be fair, it wasn’t that excruciating. But it was just a bit more than what Glinda could muddle through. “Elphie?” The obvious question hung in the air.

“I don’t know why it didn’t work. It should have worked.” Elphaba examined the words, studied the images, searching for any clue as to why a simple tracking spell was as strong as a bullheaded Ox.

She lightly examined Glinda’s arm. There was no sign that a single thing had occurred, let alone the remnants of a powerful spell from the most powerful spellbook in all of Oz, administered by the most powerful witch in all of Oz.

Glinda shivered as Elphaba’s nails unintentionally tickled her skin, gently scratching at the invisible restraint. A sad, half-smile was offered to Elphie, an acceptance that her fate remained the same. While she didn’t ever want an extra appendage or an exploded arm, she really had hoped that Elphaba would have been able to remove it. It was this kind of wishful thinking that she tried to avoid. It always ended in disappointment.

But Elphaba clearly didn’t accept the results. “I will get this off you,” she vowed. “Just give me some time to figure this out.” She caressed Glinda’s cheek, thumbing the shallow dimple. “I promise I’ll set you free,” she whispered, so low that Glinda almost missed it.

Glinda didn’t know what to say. She understood the unspoken offer. If Elphaba were able to set her free, would Glinda go with her? Choose her this time? Choose braverism over cowardice? And in Elphie’s mind, choose what was right over what was easy?

But even without the tracking spell, Elphaba still didn’t understand all the nuances of change. What could invoke real, lasting change with the least amount of damage. While Glinda didn’t fully disagree with Elphaba’s methods, Elphaba was never one to meet another halfway. Not on matters such as this.

Elphaba also didn’t know about Fiyero. She didn’t know how he searched high and low for her every day, how his heart and soul belonged to her. How he would go to the very ends of Oz to be with her, how he would fall on his own sword if Elphaba thoughtlessly wished it.

Glinda was confident in Elphaba’s love for her. But there were times in their past where she thought she saw a mutual something between the prince and the witch—an unexplored possibility that went unacknowledged despite its obvious, lingering presence.

She feared what that meant. If that meant anything at all. If that possibility could withstand the years that had passed. Still, Glinda couldn’t bear to leave Fiyero behind to be tortured and used by the Wizard because she chose to escape.

Years ago, Elphaba had once asked her, Are you coming? If Fiyero wasn’t a factor, Glinda already knew the answer. And the answer was that she would go with her this time. She would be absolutely terrified and probably no help to an untamed resistance—unless they miraculously decided to put her in charge, but she figured that was another bit of pesky wishful thinking.

At least she would be with Elphie.

But Fiyero was a factor. And despite Glinda’s shortcomings, she couldn’t leave him alone to be punished on her behalf. But she wouldn’t bring herself to tell Elphaba about him, about his status of leverage. Glinda knew Elphaba like the back of her hand, and she knew Elphaba would take him along. The thought repulsed Glinda as much as she was disgustified with her own selfishness. For she wouldn’t risk any possibility of Elphaba and Fiyero kindling something that should be hers alone. That was hers. That she couldn’t live without.

She couldn’t live without Elphaba. Not when she just got her back in her life. And if that meant staying behind to have her exclusive love—despite being in the shittiest situation of all shitty situations—she would do it.

“I promise, my sweet,” Elphie said, drawing Glinda’s focus back to her.

Elphaba’s eyes searched Glinda’s, and Glinda’s searched hers. Each sought their own answer, and once sufficiently satisfied, they met in the middle, sealing their vow with a kiss.

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

“Elphie, will you stay with me? Just for a little while?”

Elphaba still told herself that “a little while” was subjective, so there really was no harm. But tonight, she didn’t even have to convince herself. Tonight was…different. A good different. A more intimate different. The intricacy of their relationship had changed. Flickers of a bygone friendship, tentatively rekindled. It wasn’t exactly the same as before—before their worlds so brutally diverged. But it was something. In Elphaba’s experience, this screamed danger and irresponsibility. Yet she just couldn’t bring herself to care, at least, not enough to leave Glinda in the way she usually did.

Elphaba wasn’t sure how to voice it; she didn’t want to show her weakness. So, she stayed silent. Waiting. Hoping.

Thankfully, like so many times previously, Glinda filled the void. “Do you— Could you stay longer than a little while?” Stars glistened in her eyes, wishful thinking getting the better of her. And either by the grace of a higher mystery deity or stupid, dumb luck, Glinda heard—

“Yes.”

She blinked for just a moment before launching herself at Elphaba, tackling her with a soft “oof.”

“Oh, Elphie, do you want to spend the night? The whole night?” Glinda radiated warmth, and Elphaba was too caught up in her eager tenderness to care about the consequences.

It was uncanny how easily they slipped back into what used to be, what they had lost. What felt as natural as the rising and setting of the blazing sun. What the opposing trajectories and afflictions of life couldn’t break. Fear and survival were ever-present undercurrents to this volatile situation, yet the comforting blanket of long-lost familiarity lulled them both into a sense of security.

“I’ll stay just until dawn.” Elphaba flinched at the squeal that burst from Glinda, positive she was at least partially deaf in her right ear.

“Oh, Elphie, this is marveloneous!” Glinda jumped off the bed, breathless from unbridled excitement. Without another look towards her love—who wondered if she’d come to regret this decision—Glinda scurried off to her closet. “Pink or purple?” she asked, providing absolutely no context.

Elphaba was silent.

Glinda poked her head around the corner, now wearing a lavender robe. “Elphie, pink or purple?”

In any context, the answer was “neither.” Oz, Elphaba was already regretting this.

“Good choice, Elphie. Pink it is!” Pink always went good with green; some things just never change. Deciding which shade of pink was the real issue.

Elphaba hesitantly approached the monstrosity called a closet, but before she could enter the jaws of the frilly beast, Glinda skipped back into the main room, holding a long-sleeved, airy nightgown with a hem that brushed the floor. Glinda still knew that Elphie wouldn’t let her see all of that beautiful green skin for some very wildly inconvenient reason, but she still wanted to make Elphaba comfortable. So, she chose one of her longer, more modest nightdresses.

Elphaba cringed.

Glinda, ever the mind reader, didn’t give two shits about Elphaba’s protests. “Elphie, you can’t wear that filthy dress in my bed all night. It’s disgustifying.”

“Glinda, I’ve worn this dress for hours in your bed. On multiple nights.”

Glinda looked horror-struck, as if her too-often orgasm-fried brain was processing this revelation for the very first time. “Do—” She feebly cleared her throat. “Do you wash it in…in between visits?” She already knew the answer, but she was a glutton for punishment.

Pursing her lips, Elphaba marched forward to snatch the pastel nightdress out of her hand. “I’m getting a shower,” Elphaba stated, showing no sign that she wanted Glinda to follow her.

Not that Glinda expected it, but a girl can dream.

With a heavy sigh, Glinda flopped on the bed as Elphaba shut the bathroom door with a solid click. She timed her breathing with each thump of her heart, soon realizing she was almost hyperventilating. She was thrilled and on edge and petrified. Elphie was spending the night. The whole night. With her. And if this went well, then maybe Elphaba would stay more often; Glinda could never, ever get enough of Elphie.

Hearing the surge of the water, Glinda sat back up and glanced around. Her eyes landed on an intriguing eyesore in her otherwise bright room—Elphaba’s dark, dreary satchel.

She really shouldn’t. It was a complete invasion of privacy. Given how far they’d come tonight, risking this delicate new dynamic would be nothing short of reckless. Yet despite her proper upbringing, one area of social etiquette Glinda had never mastered was respecting boundaries. Years had passed, and if learning more about this more mature Elphaba meant a little snooping, she wasn’t above doing so.

Wary of any movement besides the faint sounds of water flowing, Glinda slipped off the bed, knelt next to the bag, and opened it.

There were the expected items that Glinda barely gave a second glance: a thin sweater, a pair of cracked leather gloves, her letter, a small nail kit. But other items silently warned her to leave well enough alone, even though her hands itched to explore. There was a map of Oz with little marks at select places, dotting both urban and rural areas. Were these hideouts for the resistance? Potential targets? She hoped it wasn’t the latter, given there was a huge spot on the Emerald City.

Finding no other clue to this puzzle, she fished around in the bag for her next discovery. A handful of letters, each with different handwriting, detailed the most boring information. What the weather was like and what it was predicted to be on such-and-such day. How someone’s aunt was feeling better somewhere in the Vinkus. Elphie would never keep such dull letters on her person unless they were important. Glinda turned the papers over, studying both front and back. They were just so boring and insignificant. But did these mean something? Were they code? Secret messages? Recognition finally dawning, Glinda felt like she had a live grenade in her meddlesome hands. Shakily, she abandoned her nosy pursuit and packed everything away, even more fearful of Elphie’s wrath if she were discovered.

It was divine timing that she did so, for she had missed the shower’s final rush fading into silence. As she crossed the room to resume an innocent, supine pose, Elphaba opened the bathroom door, wisps of steam reaching and vanishing.

And Elphaba was livid.

It took quite a long clock tick for Glinda to realize she wasn’t upset about the snooping.

Glinda ran to her side and beamed. “Oh, Elphie, you look…”

“Revolting.”

“Adorable!”

Elphaba huffed, her cheeks darkening just a touch. “I look like a cupcake.” She pulled at the loose lace collar, suffocating from embarrassment.

“Well, you’re a very cute cupcake.” Glinda poked her side, enjoying the way her muscle squished. “Good enough to eat.”

Elphaba swatted her hand away, then grabbed it again, bringing it to her lips for a quick kiss. “Go get cleaned up. I’ll be in bed, covering up this repulsive thing you call nightwear with an equally repulsive comforter.”

With a little peck to a green cheek, Glinda made her way to the bathroom, shutting the door only after Elphaba had fully settled, reluctantly swallowed whole by plush bedding. She knew Elphaba didn’t plan on leaving her tonight. Elphaba had never lied to her, and she didn’t expect her to start doing so now. Hot streams soothed her expended body, and a silent prayer still crept its way into the universe. A quiet hope that the room would not greet her with emptiness, finding that Elphaba had melted away like mist into the cold night.

With every cascading rivulet, Glinda’s panic grew. It was the fastest shower she had ever taken. Clumsily pulling a robe around her half-dried body, her heart pounded as she opened the door and scanned the room.

Elphaba was engrossed in a book she found in some unloved corner of the room where Glinda shoved her junk. By the stiff spine, she assumed it had never been flipped through, let alone read. And she was right. Slipping further into the cliché romance, Elphaba was unaware of the rapid crisis that had almost, almost culminated in a moodified lunatic.

Feeling eyes on her, Elphaba’s gaze flicked to the damp blonde, raising an inquisitive eyebrow.

Glinda straightened her spine, shakily finding her composure. Elphie was still here. It was fine. Everything was fine.

Stray water droplets either dripped to the floor or were lost in the silk of her robe, staining it with muted blotches. Green eyes roved the disheveled state of the thin garment, eventually landing on Glinda’s bare shoulder where it had slipped off. Tracking every wet footprint, Elphaba’s gaze darkened.

With a mesmerizing sway in her hips, Glinda loved every second of it. Every glint in Elphie’s eye, every lick of her hungry lips, every flinch of her impatient hands.

Glinda untied the satin belt, letting the robe join the collection of fallen water droplets.

“Come here,” Elphaba murmured, book long forgotten.

Despite Elphaba looking like she just escaped from a life-sized doll factory, the command in her voice stirred a glowing heat under Glinda’s skin that had nothing to do with the hot shower from which she had just emerged.

Strong green hands guided her to straddle Elphaba’s lap. Their mouths were magnetic; irresistible tastes that sent one another to nearly crest delirium. Eager palms explored smooth plains. Featherlight fingers mapped hidden creases. Love and lust went hand in hand, and control and need were never far behind.

Elphaba gripped Glinda’s hips as she slowly flipped them, her ridiculous nightgown riding up as she straddled a pale thigh.

A charged current rushed from Glinda’s abdomen to between her legs; an expectant hand chased that current—seeking heat, staying a touch out of reach.

Elphaba chuckled. “I could just look at you, and you’d be soaked.”

Glinda held back a moan. She was determined not to fold too soon. “You sound quite sure of yourself.”

“And why shouldn’t I be?”

A small gasp betrayed her as sure fingers caressed her thigh, playing in her fresh arousal. For how strong Glinda believed herself to be, she was always just a little too proud to recognize that Elphaba would always be able to bend her to her will; she was merely a brittle branch trying to survive a tumultuous hurricane.

A single finger slipped into her folds, a light stroke that teased temptation. “I can touch you, and within minutes, have you begging for more.”

Glinda whimpered, biting her lip to contain the sound as that treacherous finger slid deep inside, staking a claim and proving a point.

Elphaba smirked, delighted with Glinda’s futile struggle. With each languid stroke, her mouth trailed over heated skin, branding innocent flesh with ruinous lips. “I can kiss you, and you’ll break for me. Every single time.” Barely caging her own lustful beast, Elphaba’s hips rocked on Glinda’s thigh, building her own well-earned release as she slipped a second finger inside delicious warmth.

Glinda’s eyes fluttered with each roll of those wicked hips, lost in a haze as her thigh became more and more slick as Elphaba rocked.

Their bodies spoke their own language—harmonized and demanding. A sacred conversation with every touch, every look, every breath. They pleaded for mercy and promised paradise.

Unable to contain her stubbornness any longer, Glinda shamelessly moaned as fingers pressed deeper and deeper and hips rolled faster and faster.

Elphaba's thighs shook just as much as her ragged breath, but her words were sure. “With a few whispered words, I can have you coming around my fingers.”

“Elphie…” Glinda was close. So, so close.

And everything Elphaba said? She was absolutely, annoyingly right.

“Come for me, Glinda.” Elphaba could feel the tightening within her, ready to snap free. She could barely hold back as she felt Glinda’s walls flutter, ready to let go. “Come for me, my sweet.”

Glinda’s euphoric cries complemented Elphaba’s choked gasps as they both tumbled over the edge, surrendering to the fall. They shuddered as they drowned, exchanging breaths as they rode the crashing waves to a simmering tide.

Elphaba fell to the side, pulling Glinda with her, keeping her close. As if waking from a blissful dream, their weak bodies steadily calmed.

Still in a pleasant daze, Glinda burrowed deeper into Elphaba’s embrace. “Elphie, I’m so tired.”

Elphaba kissed the disheveled nest of blonde hair, her own eyes growing heavy. “Don’t fight it. Sleep.”

And before she murmured the final word, Glinda had already succumbed to her lovely suggestion.

<>-<>-<>-<>-<>-<>

If it weren’t for Elphaba moving around and gathering her things, Glinda would have slept well into the afternoon. But Elphaba was accustomed to waking before sunrise, and the next morning was no different than any other.

Except for the satisfied beauty behind her. And her aching muscles—a different, wanted kind of ache than they’d experienced outside of these walls.

Glinda stirred just as Elphaba laced her second boot, watching as she dexterously looped, tugged, and tied. She was done far too quickly, and now neither knew what to do to delay the inevitable. Time was always their enemy—an adversary that bowed to no one.

Bringing the sheet with her, Glinda scooted next to Elphaba, resting her head on her shoulder as they both stared out the balcony, the sky waking with every passing minute.

The pressing departure was different this time, just as much as the arrival. There was a balance in all things. Something gained meant something lost. What they regained that night was a gift, just as much as the separation was a sacrifice—the fabric of their union torn with a forceful rip.

“When will I see you again?” Glinda’s voice was thick with unshed tears. She could be strong. She could keep it together.

As she raised her head to meet Elphaba’s gaze, she was reminded how foolish she was. She could never be strong around Elphaba. She was her crux, her weakness. And the mirror of unshed tears in Elphaba’s eyes broke her own; a few betraying drops fell, laden with the weight of their inescapable fate.

“I don’t know.” Elphaba said that every time Glinda asked at the end of each visit, but it lingered differently this time. The words felt like condemnation for both of them. And maybe they were.

Elphaba cupped Glinda’s cheek, bringing that beautiful, wet face to hers. Their unspoken goodbye screamed through touches and tears and pain. They only surfaced when the choke became unbearable.

They both wanted to say it. They both knew it.

I love you.

I love you.

I love you.

Renewed confessions died on their tongues, reluctant to tip the scales lest the other thought it was too much or too soon. They swallowed their declarations, letting them fester for another day whose arrival was never promised.

“But I’ll come back,” Elphaba stated, an uncertain vow.

Glinda gave her a watery smile, forcing herself not to crumble. Not yet.

With a final passionate, sorrowful kiss, Elphaba grabbed her broom and flew off as the world blinked in the new day.

It never got easier, watching that black dot become smaller and smaller. And with it, Glinda became lonelier and lonelier.

She looked around her room; what was once so full of life sat vacant, mocking her misfortune. The smell of sex still permeated the air—the scent of love and devotion. Rumpled sheets and longing ghosts in their nest of lovemaking ridiculed her loss. A harsh reminder that it was laughable to believe this would last forever. Stolen nights didn’t last forever.

A twisted barb caressed the hurt, and Glinda clutched her chest as she felt the sting.

Once she could strain no longer to search for that black dot, she grabbed a pillow and wept.