Chapter 36
By the time they arrived at the restaurant, Glinda was practically glowing.
Elphaba, on the other hand, looked like she was dragged there against her will.
Because, well—she was.
Glinda had literally pulled her out of bed, all but shoving her into clean clothes, and had given her a look so devastatingly persuasive that Elphaba had no choice but to go along with it.
Now, there they were, stepping inside the restaurant, Glinda holding Elphaba’s hand like she belonged there, and Elphaba still half-asleep, squinting against the morning light, muttering something about how brunch should be illegal.
Glinda squeezed her fingers.
Elphaba sighed.
The moment they stepped inside, a voice rang out across the restaurant.
“THERE THEY ARE.”
The entire table erupted.
Glinda laughed as Fiyero shot to his feet, arms wide like he was about to deliver a monologue. “You made it,” he said, eyes dramatically bright.
Boq sighed in relief, placing a hand over his heart. “Thank Oz.”
Crope clutched his chest as if they had just returned from war. “I almost didn’t survive the uncertainty.”
Tibbett nodded solemnly. “I was on the verge of tears, actually.”
Elphaba blinked at them, unimpressed, then turned toward Glinda, as if to confirm that this was her fault.
Glinda simply beamed, unbothered, and squeezed her hand again.
Elphaba exhaled slowly, turning back to the group.
“…I hate all of you.”
Before she could think about escape, she was being tackled.
Fiyero lunged first, arms wrapping around her, and before she could shove him off, Boq grabbed her from the other side. Crope and Tibbett piled on immediately, squeezing her and Glinda into a mess of tangled limbs, warmth, and emotional damage.
“Let go of me before I set this entire restaurant on fire,” Elphaba groaned, voice muffled into Fiyero’s shoulder.
Crope sniffled dramatically. “I’m just so happy we’re all together again.”
“I’m happy,” Tibbett corrected, “but also very upset that you two made me worry.”
“I was also worried,” Boq added.
Fiyero, still holding onto her, pulled back just enough to clutch her shoulders with deep sincerity.“I was also worried,” he said, “but mostly about my waffles.”
Elphaba glared at him.
Glinda giggled into her shoulder.
Tibbett sniffed, wiping away an entirely fake tear. “Can we just sit down before I start crying?”
Elphaba did not resist when Glinda pulled her toward the booth.
She had won this battle.
The war, however, was ongoing.
The moment they settled in, the absolute disaster of food orders began.
Boq, the only normal one, ordered a standard breakfast.
Fiyero, however, flipped the menu shut with far too much enthusiasm.
“I’ll have the chocolate chip pancakes,” he declared, “but also the French toast. And a side of bacon. And I want to steal half of Crope’s omelet.”
Crope gasped, scandalized. “You absolutely will not.”
Fiyero ignored him.
Tibbett sighed. “Fine. But I’m stealing Glinda’s hashbrowns.”
Glinda gasped, pressing a hand to her chest. “You will do no such thing.”
Elphaba watched them argue over stolen food with a deep, exhausted sigh. When the waiter turned to her, she didn’t even look at the menu.
“Coffee.”
Glinda smacked her arm. “Elphie.”
Elphaba huffed. “Fine. And a bagel.”
Fiyero groaned. “That’s it? That’s all you’re getting? You’re impossible.”
“You just ordered enough food to feed a small army,” Elphaba pointed out.
“I’m bulking,” Fiyero said.
Boq snorted.. “You are not bulking, you’re just insatiable.”
Glinda smiled, shaking her head as she squeezed Elphaba’s hand under the table.
Elphaba blinked down at their fingers.
And just like that, the conversation in the group chat the night before made sense.
They weren’t just making sure they were okay.
They were making sure Elphaba was okay.
Because they knew.
Because even if they hadn’t said it outright, even if she and Glinda hadn’t said it outright—
They saw what was happening between them.
Elphaba swallowed and looked away.
As they ate, conversation shifted into their usual ridiculousness.
At some point, Fiyero stole a bite from Glinda’s plate.
Glinda gasped, offended.
Crope snickered. “See, insatiable.”
Glinda, without thinking, smirked.
“You know who else is insatiable?” she mused.
The entire table went dead silent.
Elphaba’s fork stalled midair.
Fiyero’s eyes lit up.
“Oh my,” Tibbett breathed.
Boq whispered, “She’s too powerful.”
Crope clutched his chest. “Say more.”
Glinda paused.
Her face flushed.
She had not meant to say that out loud.
Panic flickered across her face for a split second—then, before she could stop herself, she blurted out, “Never mind, I love you, Elphie.”
Silence.
Absolute, stunned silence.
Elphaba froze.
The table erupted.
Fiyero slapped the table. “I KNEW IT.”
Crope let out a dramatic gasp. “Oh, Oz, we should’ve made bets—”
Boq groaned, dropping his head onto the table. “We let this happen.”
Tibbett was absolutely tearing up.
Glinda, flustered, glowing, looked like she just got caught in something terrible and wonderful, laughed, and tucked herself closer to Elphaba, hiding her face in her shoulder.
Elphaba, who had been internally screaming for the past five seconds, swallowed hard, exhaled, and blinked down at Glinda.
Then, quietly, softly, just for her—
“I love you too.”
Crope actually did cry.
Fiyero put a hand over his heart. “This is the best day of my life.”
Boq groaned. "Can we just eat?”
Glinda, still grinning, still blushing, pressed her face into Elphaba’s neck, and whispered,
“Oz help me, I might actually love them too.”
Elphaba, sighed deeply, pressed a kiss to the top of her head.
“Unfortunately,” she murmured, “same.”
And for the first time in a long time—
Everything was exactly as it should be.