Fire

It was yet another new sensation the green girl didn't particularly like experiencing. Coupled with the already erratic beating of her heart, and the all but shallowest of breaths her lungs were managing to create, she also believed it was a sensation that actually might kill her if she didn't get it under control.

Panic. It was definitely panic.

She was feeling all the classic signs of that most human of emotions when events spiral out of our control, which she arrogantly assumed (as only she would) that she'd never felt before because of the usual tight control she always maintained on situations. But there it was. The unavoidable heart hammering. The short sharp breaths accompanying it. The tingly sensation of all the blood in her body rushing to the surface of green skin, prickling it like a thousand tiny needles.

Yes, that was panic alright. All because Galinda had misinterpreted what she'd unknowingly said aloud.

Of all the times for Galinda to start paying attention to me she had to pick that one!

And now the blonde was walking away from her. The indescribable warmth that she'd felt from having the blonde girl so close was being ripped away from her before Elphaba was entirely ready to let it go.

"Don't!"

The anguished word filled the room in Elphaba's unmistakable deep voice, stilling the blonde who was mid-turn in one fell swoop. Or was it the hot hand of the green girl grasping her wrist just above her own hand that had caused the Gillikin girl to lose all motor function? Along with a few other functions too she vaguely realised as the sensation of Elphaba's hand on her skin caused that shivering phenomenon up and down Galinda’s spine, the way it had the first time they had touched.

Oh my goodness was the only fathomable thought circulating under blonde curls right at that moment.

"Don't." Elphaba repeated in a slightly less desperate tone but no less impassioned one.

"Please, don't walk away from me."

Blue eyes blinked repeatedly, with no firm thoughts or remarks able to make it past pale pink lips other than another internal oh my goodness. Which really didn’t feel an adequate response to the new sensations and sudden feelings coursing through the blonde girl but right then it was all Galinda could think of.

Hazel eyes scrutinised the suddenly still girl before her, trying to judge which way her heartfelt plea would be taken. Her scrutiny hit a slight snag though and her concentration wavered when she noticed how the juxtaposition of the gentle yellow glow of the lamp, resting towards their left on Galinda's table, was meeting with golden hair that fell loosely on a rounded shoulder, sloped down a perfectly proportioned neck where a redness was suffusing the pale skin (was the blonde blushing?) to finally finish at the scoop of the low cut pink dress Galinda had chosen to wear that day. The whole effect, even hindered as it was by the blonde not facing her fully, was one of mesmerising beauty the green girl concluded. Elphaba simply could not remember Galinda look so beautiful in any other light before.

She swallowed hard as sensations and feelings that had hitherto only been hinted at within her body came rushing to the surface. A palpable tension existed now inside her. No longer wondering what it was she felt for Galinda for she could definitely identify desire there now, and it was joined with a healthy dose of want and need to reinforce the feeling beyond all reasonable doubt. The tension merely intimated how hard it would be if the blonde prevented her from expressing those feelings.

The way she'd expressed them with the clasping of a pale wrist by a green hand.

Elphaba had no idea she was going to do it. Reach out and touch the blonde girl. Perhaps subconsciously she had known it would finally break down whatever walls she'd placed, or tried to, between her rational mind and the fire within her that she could only feel for the Gillikin girl. Perhaps therefore her subconscious mind had wanted those walls broken down and knew a conscious, controlled, highly strung Elphaba would never think of doing the same and reach out to touch Galinda. Not that touch was entirely an accurate description when looked at more closely. Grasp would be a more likely portrait. A desperate act of preventing further distance, further misunderstanding between the two girls.

However you put it, whatever way the motion of green connecting with pale skin is to be described, Elphaba only knew she'd not planned on doing it at all. She hadn't known. She had simply acted on instinct.

Huh, so this is how it feels she dimly thought as she watched Galinda slowly reverse the turn she had been making to come face to face (finally!) with the taller girl.

The light barely there though it was, glistened in the powder blue eyes before her and Elphaba found her breath was caught somewhere in her throat. Or she suspected further south in her body, when the blonde completed her turn and shyly looked up to hazel eyes.

Beautiful the green girl affirmed, waiting for the desperate need for oxygen to kick in as she was sure she hadn't taken a breath since Galinda began to move.

Simply beautiful she thought again, absently wondering why that particular thought couldn't be said out loud.

Blue searched hazel for the longest of moments. Prying, searching, testing it seemed for a sign of something, but what Elphaba didn't know. Before she could fathom the look that had overtaken the eyes before her making them slightly darker maybe, more thoughtful definitely, those same eyes were cast away from her. Galinda tilted her head a little so the green girl had no choice but to follow where the blonde's gaze led.

She found puzzled blue eyes locked on their joined flesh.

Elphaba had almost forgotten about that.

She felt her lungs finally cave in and crave air. A big deep breath swallowed desperately as she tried to make out on Galinda's lightly illuminated features, so much of her still in shadow, whether the touch was welcome or not.

As the moments dragged on, in reality not lasting longer than a few seconds, but to the green girl they were eternal, Elphaba's thoughts went from being sure that the blonde girl wanted her hand upon her skin to perhaps not minding it being there, to finally reaching and settling on the most negative of outcomes because after all, that was what the green girl was used to. That of Galinda being abhorred by the touch of green skin, like so many others were.

"I'm sorry."

That damned word again, did she know no others?

Her grip of Galinda's arm began to ease, which finally brought blue eyes back up to hazel, this time with a question in them for the tall girl.

Elphaba swallowed hard under the questioning gaze. She could feel her muscles tighten, her heart only just recovering from the panic of earlier ricocheted up a notch as she struggled to find the words that would fix things between them. The futility of that struggle lost on the green girl for she hadn't realised yet that nothing needed to be fixed.

"I didn't…" Her breath hitched in her throat, like an echo of the same sensation that had occurred earlier that evening in Galinda as she tried to explain things. Her vision had suddenly become foggy, there was a light prickling film of…of something covering her eyes. Something that made her throat feel constricted. The sudden lump in it as alien to her as the sensation of wetness in her eyes.

"I didn't mean to…" she tried again, and as she did all the strength left the hand that was barely holding on to Galinda now, her arm falling listlessly to her side.

"You didn't mean to do what?"

Galinda had been silent for too long. Silent and confused. Her own heart hadn't exactly been behaving normally ever since green became linked with her paler skin. When Elphaba decided to cause it to jackhammer a second time by apologising then removed the very contact that had caused such discombobulating heart rhythms in the first place, well Galinda realised hero or not, she needed answers from the green girl.

"You didn't mean to do what Elphaba?"

Her voice was not exactly the sweet honey cadence that Elphaba savoured hearing each day, in fact she thought she detected a level of ire in the blonde's tone. It sobered tearful thoughts inside the angular girl at least.

"You didn't mean to hurt my feelings but you did."

The blonde pointed out, with none too soft a poke of slim pale finger against a black clothed, amazingly bony to the touch, chest of the girl in front of her.

Elphaba looked down with surprise at the motion, barely registering the automatic step backwards the move had caused her to make.

"You didn't mean to make me cry but you did."

There was another poke and perhaps a slight rising of the ire she thought she detected earlier in the blonde's voice. The green girl couldn't quite decide what tone she was hearing from her roommate as she was forced one more step backwards. A vague assumption that soon her not very cushioned behind would meet with the very hard edge of the brass door handle to their room if this kept up

"You didn't mean to make me stay just now. Is that what you want to say?"

Breathing became difficult as blonde anger, no wait, as blonde fire was unleashed fully on the green girl. A girl whose hazel eyes she searched now for signs of refuting her accusations, for anything to tell her no, she was mistaken. It wasn't like that at all. But all Elphaba could do to contest the blonde's question was shake her head in a rather muted gesture of denial. The surprise of Galinda actually touching her, the shock at the fury that rose from the smaller woman as she inched her way closer to the green girl knocked all other means of communication from Elphaba's head. And if she had thought to do so, she would have scowled ruefully at the acknowledgement that that was a phenomenon which seemed to occur often in her roommate's presence.

Unfortunately losing one's communication skills did not seem to be a problem for Galinda at that moment. That torrent of exposition the Arduennas were all famous for once more getting an airing that night.

"Is there anything you actually do mean anymore Elphaba?"

There really was no-where else to go now as the last poke of a pale finger forced the tall girl up against the dark wooden door. A bony hip narrowly missed the hard edge of the brass handle by a mere millimetre, or so the green girl surmised as she felt it dig in slightly against the ill-fitting pleats of her dress.

"Because I have to tell you, I simply cannot begin to comprehend what it is that you do mean. I'm at an absolute loss as to what is happening between the two of us this evening."

Well not an absolute loss the blonde conceded. Her wayward thought process went off on a tangent as she took in a deep fortifying breath. Releasing it with enough vehemence the blonde curls of her fringe fretted for a moment before resuming their usual perfect alignment.

Somewhat contritely Galinda had to acknowledge that she at least knew some of what was happening between them this evening. She knew she wanted Elphaba to touch her again. She knew she wanted Elphaba to explain the desperate plea for her to not walk away. She knew that she wanted to do her own share of touching and explaining as she'd set out to do but had gotten waylaid by the feel of green skin. She knew that if she didn't give the tall girl a chance to even answer one of her plaintive pleas she'd probably be right back at square one, because green patience would have worn thin, for green patience wasn't very fat to begin with.

"If all this is some elaborate hoax," the blonde continued promising to herself she'd let Elphaba speak soon. She just needed to get this off her chest first.

"If you are actually trying to tell me that you are not sorry. That in fact you enjoy seeing my distress, because believe me it wouldn't be the first time someone has taken pleasure in goading me to tears."

Her breath hitched with that last line.

Where had that come from?

A memory of home flashed through her mind. Memories flooded her of taunting words and broken promises from those that should never break such a thing to a child, before the blonde clamped the lid of that particular box firmly down and refocused on the present. But the slight slip in her resolve had happened no matter how much she wanted to pretend otherwise. The gap in her emotional armour was too wide not to step through and the blonde found herself once again with the sting of tears in her eyes.

The change in demeanour of the girl before her didn't go unnoticed by the tall green girl backed up against the door. Thinking she should feel trapped and should be making a plan of escape by now, but wanting to do the exact opposite when she saw the blonde's face crumble just a little when she spoke again.

"If this is just some joke to you. If you are just toying with me."

Galinda's sweet voice cracked. There were sentences she wanted to say but they were lost behind the painful lump that had formed in her throat. The tears that would follow imminent once more.

By the Unnamed God I will not cry again.

Yet blonde curls fell forward as Galinda hung her head with shame when she felt the first spill of tears brim over the lower lids of her eyes.

Oh what's the use?

She opined expecting any moment to be pushed forcefully away from the green girl who seemed to have an allergy to all things that held water, only noticing now through blurred vision that she'd gotten so close to her tall roommate for that allergy to kick in at any second.

So it surprised her if that wasn't too much of an understatement which in actual fact it was, outright shock and incredulity were a better phrase to use, when soft green fingers gently reached up beneath the blanket of curls to tilt a down set chin upwards.

Hazel met watery blue and in the eyes of her friend even through the blurriness Galinda could see the compassion they held for her.

"I am not toying with you Galinda."

Green fingers lightly caressed from jaw to wet cheek, if the tears stung (they did) Elphaba didn't notice them. So important it had become to assuage the unsettled emotions of the girl before her.

"I would never knowingly hurt you in order to see your distress," the deep voice soothed as she peered closely into crystal blue orbs, the look in them slightly glassy now.

"Who would do such a dreadful thing?"

Galinda took in a deep breath, a sad sigh if ever there was one as she thought of exactly who would do such a thing.

"Well whomever has done such a heinous thing in the past," Elphaba continued, never leaving Galinda's gaze or letting her hand still in its gentle caress of her soft face. "Will have me to answer to if they do it again in the future my sweet."

Galinda although swept up in a multitude of emotional tides right then – bliss at the feel of a warm hand cup her face the way Elphaba's did, trepidation at the proximity of their bodies being too much of a temptation for her to resist embracing the taller girl the way she desperately wanted to – was fully intending on explaining to her roommate that she'd just unknowingly threatened her mother when the last few words Elphaba had uttered finally penetrated her somewhat overtaxed, at least on an emotional level, brain.

Huh? Did she just say?

"Did you just call me…?"

The blonde found she couldn't finish the question. Her heart was pounding too rapidly in her chest, her breath was shallow and too fast, the closeness of the green girl, there really were only inches separating them now, was all too much for the Gillikin girl.

"My sweet," Elphaba finished for her. Smiling as she did at the puzzled yet she hoped approving expression in the clear blue eyes before her.

"I though that's what you said," offered the blonde in a voice that seemed to come from far away, dreamlike even to own ears.

Instinctually she curved into the touch as the taller girl once again trailed soft fingers from jaw to cheek. Noting to herself how her face didn't feel wet from tears anymore in a rather absent manner as there were more pressing things on her mind right then.

The green girl's face was so close to her own, one could say within perfect kissing distance should one want to do such a thing. Admittedly there was a good few inches of height difference between them still but if Galinda was adept at anything, it was stepping up on delicate toes to reach something she desperately wanted to reach. Like the dark green lips hovering close above her own. What a beautiful shade they were up close.

"Did you mind?"

The girl with the dark lips interrupted Galinda's thoughts. Watching her companion glass over for a moment in a wistful sort of way, the blonde's eyes focusing not exactly on her own hazel ones but a part of her features a little lower, caused the green girl to swallow quite audibly and quickly interject. She wasn't sure she was ready for what she thought followed such a longing gaze as the one on Galinda’s face right then.

"Hmm?"

Galinda hadn't processed the question. She'd been moments away from reaching up to soft looking lips and…

"Did you mind me calling you my sweet?"

Elphaba clarified, the answer to that question suddenly the most important answer in all of Oz. She stilled her hand on Galinda's cheek trying to get the blonde to concentrate on her again. Or in the very least, to drag her eyes back up to her own.

Galinda realising there was going to be further conversation between them whether she approved of it or not took in a deep breath. Steadying herself somewhat and standing up a little straighter, unaware she'd practically been leaning into the taller girl all this time.

"Did I mind you calling me my sweet?" She repeated the question back to Elphaba.

All the green girl managed was a slight nod of her head as agreement, words caught somewhere inside her along with the breath she was holding.

"No Elphie, I didn't mind."

Even though the name was banned, despite a slight twinge of nerves when saying it, Galinda knew of no other way to answer her roommate's heartfelt question. Nor knew of any other way of addressing the girl that had out of no-where insinuated herself without even trying into Galinda's affections.

And to think at first I thought I loathed you, marvelled the blonde girl, once again gazing at dark lips that were fast becoming her only focus.

"Well that's somewhat of a relief," Elphaba breathed out, able to think again after Galinda's soft answer assuaged some of the tumult of trepidation she was feeling inside right then.

A smile quite unused to appearing on green features began to emerge as she gazed down at the blonde, who was doing her fair share of smiling a hitherto never seen before smile back at the green girl.

"Is it a relief?"

Galinda asked, her voice that faraway intonation of earlier. She was still reeling, in the best possible terms of course, from the warm open palm that was resting gently against her cheek still. When she coupled that with the growing sense that her roommate might actually share in the feelings only so recently discovered by the blonde girl, Galinda thought it a miracle that she'd actually managed to speak at all.

"Yes, it's most definitely a relief my sweet," Elphaba reiterated feeling confidence seep back into her bones.

She fluttered her green fingers up the blonde's jaw line once more, an errant curl her goal. She brushed it ever so gently behind a delicate pink ear, the small gasp of surprise from the blonde a pleasant reaction. Dark lips curled into a seductive smile neither girl would have thought she was capable of. The blonde one melting just a little at the sight of it on green features.

There was that need again. Need to touch the tall girl in a way she knew she didn't want to touch her other (so-called) friends. She suspected she wanted to touch Elphaba in a way she'd never wanted to touch anyone before. The feelings coursing through her veins along with the rush of blood from a racing heart certainly felt brand new to her. If she could only close the last few inches of distance between them she vaguely thought, not realising that she was doing just that as she reached up on tip toes.

Pink lips loomed closer to her own much darker ones, Elphaba didn't think she'd ever seen another's lips so close to hers before. It was slightly dizzying and not in the least surprising to find that she didn't really know what to do at that moment. Even though it was startlingly obvious what the blonde girl wanted. What she wanted let's be truthful now.

Despite protesting to herself that she didn't know entirely what to do, her hand seemed to be more aware as on its own volition (so Elphaba would later swear) she saw it guide the blonde closer to her.

How was it doing that?

Some rational part of the taller girl's mind asked. No answer was forthcoming though as not only had her hand developed its own set of actions devoid of her brain, but now her head had somehow cut ties with the complicated muscle held within it and begun to lean down in the general direction of pink lips.

The inches shrank to centimetres then to bare millimetres of space between dark and pink lips. Breath shallow and warm brushed the other's jaw and two hearts raced in time the way hearts will do in moments like this.

A green hand began to tremble upon a pale cheek. The shivering sensation spreading out from long bony fingers down her arm to the rest of her angular body. Elphaba had never experienced such feelings before. Didn't know why her body would react so viscerally to the close proximity of her roommate. Or more accurately to her roommate's very pink, very close lips.

Was it supposed to feel like this?

Having had absolutely no experience with another person's lips before, and no reason to believe such an experience would ever happen in her lifetime thus never researched the appropriate books for the relevant information, Elphaba felt at a loss as to how to go about stopping the shaking of her entire body. The shallow breathing and racing heart she was sure was going to cause a rupture somewhere also needed to be addressed. She supposed that under any other circumstances, conceding immediately she didn't quite know what those circumstances would have to be to warrant such a ploy, she would have asked her more experienced, at least where other people's lips were concerned, roommate how to go about doing this. Alas, considering Galinda was the very person Elphaba wanted to experience this with, it didn't seem appropriate to stop proceedings and ask her what was correct etiquette in circumstances such as these.

Guess it's back to instinct then she thought, swallowing down a nervous trembling sigh, hoping all this was going to end okay.

Following the blonde's example, at least getting that much of a clue, the tall girl closed her hazel eyes, knowing she'd find the lips so tantalisingly close to her own now even if she were suddenly rendered blind. A wet tongue unconsciously ran along very dry lips, her hand pressed firmly along the blonde's very hot cheek.

Instinct had indeed taken over, Elphaba thought somewhat distracted, pausing for just a second.

Finally ready to place all her faith in the girl before her.