Raincheck

The doors to the suite blew open, sending loose papers from Elphaba’s desk to the ground. Galinda swept in like an elegant pink tornado and beelined straight ahead to open the balcony door, followed closely by her emerald green rain cloud of a roommate. 

“This day could not have ended sooner,” Elphaba sighed, taking off her hat and placing it carefully atop the dresser near the door.

Between exams, a luncheon to bid farewell to a classmate transferring to the Royal Winkie Academy, and following Galinda as she bubbled around campus in her usual fashion, Elphaba felt particularly drained and found herself counting down the minutes until she could kick off her boots and sit.

Galinda, on the other hand, was elated. And somehow more energized at the end of the day than she was upon waking.

“What are you talking about, Elphie?! This was the best day!” The blonde threw her books onto her bed and moved to sit at the vanity. “Those exams were horrendible, yes. BUT, you had fun taking them. I know you did.” Well, Elphaba couldn’t find fault there. The exams were the only part of the day she legitimately enjoyed.

Elphaba chose to ignore the comment and began neatly putting her things away. It was Friday, and for once, any weekend plans Galinda may have made did not seem to include Elphaba—yet—so she allowed herself to exhale and started looking forward to the possibility of sleeping in tomorrow. 

As she began taking her braids down from the neat bun they were in that day, Elphaba felt a sharp twinge behind her eyes and knew what was to come. Her eyes fluttered shut as she raised her hand and pressed her fingers to her nose, hoping to nudge the tickle away before the sneeze could build.

She had been stifling sneezes here and there throughout the day, exchanging eye rolls with Boq, who was also clearly succumbing to the latest campus illness. They spent most of the week berating Fiyero for his poor manners and dodging his poorly covered coughs and sneezes. For all his pomp and royal flair, the prince behaved like he was raised in a barn when ill. Elphaba wasn’t sure she saw him adequately cover a cough even once that week and, with their new seating arrangements since Fiyero and Boq began whatever it was they were doing together, she and Boq found Fiyero sat between them in each class while Galinda remained safely out of range on Elphaba’s right.

Galinda was focused on removing her makeup and undoing her hair at the vanity when the sound of a quick inhale behind her caught the blonde’s attention. “Hii…hih… hi-tschh!” Galinda whirled around just in time to catch Elphaba dipping to the side with another sneeze, the back of her hand pressed against her nose. “Tschh!…tschhiew!”

“Bless you!” Galinda said, seemingly delighted. Elphaba waved away the blessing and sat on her bed to remove her boots. “You have the most adorable sneeze, you know.” 

Elphaba wrinkled her nose against the lingering tickle and raised a brow. “Adorable?”

Galinda nodded enthusiastically while turning back to the mirror and removing the pins from her hair. “Yes. Adorable.” She caught Elphaba’s eye in the mirror and smiled at the incredulous look on the older girl’s face.

“Oh, come now, you heard half the student body in exams all day! The way ShenShen screams when she sneezes, goodness.” Galinda shuddered at the memory of the jump scare ShenShen had given the class during Linguification that day. “Or that boy at the luncheon with the beautiful curly hair. Joren? I know he can’t help it, and I shouldn’t make fun, but when he sneezed today, I thought one of the pipes burst.” She caught Elphaba’s eye again in the mirror and wrinkled her nose. “At least he had a handkerchief ready.” 

Elphaba snorted a laugh and rolled her eyes. “Sure.” She cleared her throat quietly and moved deeper into her side of the suite to change into her nightgown and froat. “Do you want tea?” 

Galinda hummed her approval and began brushing her hair. Elphaba finished changing her clothes and walked across the room to their tea station to get the kettle started. She looked through their various tea options and settled on a white tea blend she knew the blonde enjoyed. While waiting for the water to boil, she began taking inventory of their tea and making a mental list of what to replenish the next time they were in town.

Another sharp tickle spread through her sinuses quickly and her head bobbed forward toward her shoulder as she silently stifled another set of sneezes. She sniffled quietly and continued preparing their tea, listening to Galinda hum while finishing her nightly routine. 

“Almost done! I’ll meet you on the balcony?” Galinda called over her shoulder as she moved to their en suite bathroom to finish her skincare and change into her nightgown. Elphaba nodded and took their tea set to the small garden table on the balcony. She sat heavily and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath of the cool evening air, feeling it soothe her irritated throat. She cracked a smile as she let her mind wander.

~~~

Tea time on the balcony had become their nightly routine over the last few months following the Ozdust. Sometimes, they sat quietly together, reading if the sun hadn’t set yet, sipping their tea. This was how Elphaba learned just how much Galinda loved to read despite her unfamiliarity with the book place. “I read, Elphaba. I just don’t like to share my books, so why would I go there!” 

Other times, they would talk - for hours, some evenings, depending on where their stories took them. It was one of these marathon storytelling evenings when Galinda made Elphaba laugh a little too hard for a little too long, and things between them shifted. Elphaba was wiping tears from her eyes as their laughter died down before looking up and catching Galinda watching her. “What?” Elphaba asked, smiling, her voice still tinged with the laughter they shared moments before. Galinda shook her head, almost in disbelief, and her smile grew. “I love making you laugh,” she said softly. And Elphaba’s heart nearly burst. 

Every moment following that evening had been charged with delightful flirtation that left both girls feeling giddy. They’d return to their room after classes or whatever social activity Galinda had planned, settle in for the evening, and move to the balcony after studying. Their mornings were filled with Galinda’s sweet humming while she did her hair and makeup or Elphaba quietly reading aloud from whatever text they were to be tested on that day. Regardless of how long they’d been awake that morning or how much they’d already said to each other, Galinda would grab her hand before Elphaba could open the door, slowly lean in to kiss her cheek, and whisper, “Good morning, Elphie.” Her smile would grow as she watched Elphaba blush deeply, and then they would leave for class, hand in hand. 

~~~

Elphaba opened her eyes as she felt something warm suddenly wrap around her shoulders. She leaned her head back a bit to see Galinda, face freshly washed and moisturized, a small smile on her face as she tucked a soft cable-knit blanket around Elphaba’s small frame before moving around her to pour their tea.

Elphaba sat forward to adjust the blanket so she could take her teacup from Galinda. “Not sure it’s cold enough out here to warrant a blanket, but thank you.” Elphaba took a sip of her tea and settled back into her chair, sighing contentedly. Despite never taking any herself, Galinda always put just the right amount of sugar into Elphaba’s tea.

That was somehow the most baffling thing for her to learn about Galinda - she did not take anything in her tea. 

The blonde moved her chair closer to the railing so she could lean against it once she sat and cross her legs more comfortably. She raised her cup to her nose to smell the tea before taking a long sip. “It’s not cold enough for a blanket, you’re right.” Galinda tilted her head slightly, pouting her lips a bit. “But you’re getting sick.” She took a long sip of tea before continuing. “You’ve been so sneezy today.”

Elphaba groaned and closed her eyes once more. “It’s Fiyero’s fault,” she grumbled, taking another sip of tea. Galinda hummed in agreement before Elphaba continued. “I realize everyone is getting sick so this was probably inevitable, but he seriously does not know how to cover his mouth. Boq has it, too.” She took another sip before placing her cup on the table and wrapping herself tighter. Suddenly, it was feeling cold enough for a blanket. Or a fire. She shivered and sniffled quietly, looking up to meet Galinda’s eyes. “I’m sorry, but you’re probably next.” 

Galinda shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not! We Upper Uplands have surprisingly strong constitutions.” She straightened up and passionately began telling Elphaba about all the times she avoided illness growing up while her friends and classmates fell victim to every other bug that made the rounds in Frottica. “I can count the number of times I’ve been ill on one hand,” she exclaimed, holding up her right hand and wiggling her fingers. She smirked as Elphaba huffed out a disbelieving laugh.

They finished their tea and stood to move back inside, Galinda shooing Elphaba’s hands away as she reached out to grab the tea set. Elphaba moved off to the side to let Galinda enter first and closed the balcony door behind her once they were both inside. 

Another shiver coursed through her as her body adjusted to the slight temperature shift moving from the balcony to their room, and she felt a tingle in her nose spark. Her breath hitched once, twice, and then - “…tschh! Hiihh..hi-tschiew!” She ducked down into the blanket wrapped around her shoulders. A warm hand ran up and down her back as she shuddered once more. “Hehh…TSHhhiew!” 

“Blessyou, Elphie,” Galinda offered softly. Elphaba nodded her thanks and moved toward her side of the suite while Galinda made one last trip to the bathroom. She laid the blanket Galinda gave her on top of her quilt and pulled the sheets back, crawling into bed and sighing as her body settled, more relieved than she expected to be lying down finally. 

When Galinda exited the en suite and looked around, she was surprised to see Elphaba had settled into her own bed. “Elphie?” She sat on the edge of the older girl’s bed, watching her eyes flutter open slowly. “You sure you don’t want to sleep in my bed tonight?” Galinda laid a delicate hand on Elphaba’s chest just below her throat, rubbing lightly back and forth before sliding her hand up to cup an emerald cheek. “It is Friday after all,” she teased, smiling slightly. Snuggling up in Galinda’s bed together on Friday nights for a ‘sleepover’ had become another part of their unofficial routine, and Elphaba being under the weather only made Galinda want to snuggle her more and keep her warm.

Elphaba leaned into Galinda’s hand. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea. I don’t really…sleep well…when I’m sick. I don’t want to keep you up all night.” She turned slightly and pressed a kiss to Galinda’s palm. “Raincheck?” 

Galinda frowned, reigned in a pout, and nodded. “Sure, raincheck. You’ll let me know if you need anything?” She asked the older girl, knowing she likely wouldn’t. At Elphie’s nod and with her eyes fluttering shut again, Galinda leaned forward and kissed her forehead. “Sleep well, sweetness.” Elphaba smiled at the term of endearment and quickly drifted off. The blonde sighed and smoothed out the blankets before moving back to her side of the room. She turned off their lights and crawled into her bed, listening to Elphaba’s slightly labored breathing, brainstorming how to get everything she’d need first thing in the morning to care for Elphaba through the weekend.