Stick to the plan
Glinda had a plan.
A good one, really.
It went something like this:
- Get up.
- Act completely normal.
- Eat breakfast.
- Ignore that she had woken up wrapped around Elphaba Thropp like some kind of needy koala.
- Absolutely, under no circumstances, acknowledge that Elphaba had kissed her forehead.
Simple. Easy. Foolproof.
And yet, she was already failing spectacularly.
Because Elphaba was sitting directly across from her, in the dining hall, staring at her coffee like it had personally wronged her, and Glinda could not stop glancing at her like an absolute fool.
"Sooo..." Tibbett leaned forward, stirring his yogurt dramatically. "How was everyone’s night?"
Elphaba grunted.
Glinda froze mid-sip of her smoothie.
Boq narrowed his eyes. "That was suspicious."
Elphaba sighed. "It was fine."
"Mmmhmm." Crope propped his chin on his palm, watching them way too closely. "And Glinda? Did you have a fine night, too?"
Glinda nearly choked on her drink. "Of course! Why wouldn’t I?"
Boq and Fiyero exchanged a look.
Elphaba wasn’t helping at all. She was just sitting there, sipping her coffee like a guilty criminal, avoiding all eye contact.
"No reason," Tibbett said slowly, dragging his spoon through his yogurt. "It’s just that when we came by to get you both for breakfast, someone—" he side-eyed Crope "—was noticeably emerging from someone else’s room."
Glinda’s entire body locked up.
Elphaba finally looked up, her eyes narrowing. "What exactly are you implying?"
"Oh, nothing," Crope said innocently. "It’s just interesting, that’s all."
"Fascinating, really," Tibbett added.
"The kind of thing that might require further investigation," Crope continued, grinning.
Fiyero snorted into his coffee. "Oh Oz, they’re going to eat you both alive."
Glinda slammed her smoothie down on the table. "I fell asleep in Elphaba’s room because of the storm! That’s all!"
Silence.
Then, Crope turned to Elphaba, mock serious. "Is that true, Miss Thropp?"
Elphaba, who was clearly fighting for her life, gritted her teeth. "Yes. That’s true."
"Hmmm." Tibbett tapped his spoon against the table. "And nothing interesting happened? No sudden revelations? No new discoveries?"
Glinda forced out a laugh. "Absolutely not."
Elphaba was staring daggers at her coffee, looking like she was contemplating just throwing it at someone.
Fiyero, entirely too amused, smirked at them both. "Right. Totally normal. Definitely not weird at all."
Glinda kicked him under the table.
He just laughed.
Elphaba, muttering something definitely unkind, stood abruptly. "I need more coffee."
"Of course you do," Crope said knowingly.
Tibbett nodded. "Lots to reflect on, I’m sure."
Elphaba walked away without responding.
Glinda, still bright pink, buried her face in her hands.
This was going to be a long day.
-
Glinda should have known this was coming.
At this point, it was practically a tradition. A cliché, even. Anytime they all ended up in a group hangout, someone(usually Crope, but sometimes Tibbett) suggested a game that was just an excuse to make things as uncomfortable as possible for everyone involved.
And yet, no one ever said no.
Which is exactly how they ended up crammed into the Elphaba and Glinda’s living room, snacks strewn across the coffee table, a bottle of something Crope had smuggled in casually spinning in the center of the circle.
“Are we seriously doing this again?” Boq sighed, adjusting his glasses. “Why is it always some kind of game with you people?”
“Oh, come on, Boq,” Crope grinned. “It’s tradition.”
“More like a tired cliché,” Boq muttered.
Fiyero shrugged, looking entirely too comfortable with the chaos. “Hey, if it works, it works.”
Elphaba, sitting on the floor with her arms crossed, huffed. “Or, and hear me out, we could just exist in peace without needing to traumatize each other with personal confessions.”
“Boring,” Tibbett sang. “Anyway, I propose Truth or Dare because never have I ever is basically just the same five questions about how scandalous our sex lives are.”
“Or aren’t,” Boq mumbled.
Glinda smirked. “Oh, please, Boq, let’s not pretend you wouldn’t be the first to overshare.”
Boq turned red but said nothing.
Crope clapped his hands together. “Alright! Truth or Dare, then. Let’s make it interesting.”
“Interesting is not a word I like,” Elphaba muttered, but no one listened.
The game started off harmless enough—a few ridiculous dares (Boq had to wear Tibbett’s scarf like a sash for the remainder of the game, Crope had to text something unhinged to a professor and then immediately delete it, etc.). A few standard truths about worst dates, most embarrassing moments, childhood mischief.
But then—
“Glinda, dear, Crope grinned, eyes flickering between her and Elphaba. “Truth or Dare?”
Glinda tilted her head, already sensing where this was going. “Truth.”
Crope leaned in. “What’s the most unexpectedly attractive thing about someone in this room?”
A slow, mischievous smile spread across Glinda’s lips.
She could feel Elphaba stiffen beside her.
“Well,” she hummed, drawing out the pause just to be obnoxious. “I’d say confidence is a big one.”
Elphaba visibly relaxed, like she thought she was safe.
“And,” Glinda continued, turning her head just slightly toward her roommate, “intelligence, of course.”
Elphaba’s jaw clenched.
Crope beamed. “Oh? Anyone in particular?”
Glinda took a slow sip of her drink, basking in the tension she was creating. “I think I’ve said enough.”
Tibbett fanned himself dramatically. “That was evil. I love it.”
Elphaba exhaled sharply, shooting Glinda a look that screamed we are going to have words about this later.
But Glinda?
Glinda just smirked.
And the game continued.
-
Elphaba was not about to let that stand.
Glinda thought she was clever, thought she could fluster her and walk away unscathed.
Absolutely not.
So, when Crope turned to Elphaba next with a delighted grin, she didn’t hesitate.
“Elphaba,” Crope practically purred, “Truth or Dare?”
Elphaba didn’t even blink. “Dare.”
A ripple of excitement shot through the group.
Tibbett clasped his hands together. “Oh, I like this. We so rarely get you on a dare.”
Crope tilted his head, feigning deep thought. Then his eyes flickered to Glinda, sparkling with mischief.
“I dare you to tell us your most unexpected attraction.”
Glinda, who had been sipping her drink smugly, froze.
Elphaba did not hesitate.
“Accents,” she said, completely deadpan.
Glinda let out a relieved exhale, laughing softly. “Well, that’s not so bad.”
Elphaba hummed, then turned her gaze directly onto Glinda, eyes glinting with something dangerous.
“Oh, but not just any accent,” she mused, tapping her fingers on the floor. “It’s the prissy, polished kind, you know? That overly enunciated, perfectly practiced sort of speech that makes it sound like someone’s been trained to make even an insult sound like a compliment.”
Glinda stared at her.
The room went silent.
Then, Boq snorted, covering his mouth. “Oh, wow.”
Tibbett let out a choked wheeze.
Fiyero, entirely too entertained, whistled. “That was pointed.”
Crope gasped dramatically. “Oh, you mean like Glinda’s accent?”
Glinda was turning pink, but she lifted her chin defiantly. “Well,” she said, flipping her curls over her shoulder. “I do have impeccable diction.”
Elphaba leaned back, a smug smirk playing at her lips. “Oh, I know.”
Glinda’s stomach fluttered in a way that was entirely unfair.
Tibbett fanned himself. “I feel like I shouldn’t be here for this.”
Crope nodded sagely. “There are other people in this room, you know.”
Elphaba rolled her eyes. “Alright, whose turn is it now?”
Glinda wasn’t sure, because she was too busy trying to remember how to breathe.
-
Glinda was still recovering from Elphaba’s pointed little accent comment when Crope, ever the agent of chaos, clapped his hands together with way too much enthusiasm.
“Alright, alright, enough of that,” he said, grinning like a man with evil intent. “It’s my turn again, and I feel like things have been far too tame.”
Elphaba groaned, already sensing the incoming disaster. “Crope—”
“Nope, no backing out now,” he cut her off gleefully, already looking around the circle. His gaze landed on Glinda. “Glinda, sweetie, truth or dare?”
Glinda, still a little pink from earlier, lifted her chin defiantly. “Dare.”
“Ohhh,” Tibbett gasped. “She’s feeling bold.”
Crope’s grin widened. “I dare you…” he tapped his chin dramatically, as if he hadn’t already thought of this hours ago. Then, with the slowest, most dramatic smirk, he finished, “…to kiss Elphaba. Right here. Right now.”
Glinda blinked.
Then stared.
Elphaba choked on air. “You what?”
Crope shrugged innocently. “I just think it would be interesting to see. That’s all.”
Glinda narrowed her eyes. “You are so full of shit.”
“Maybe,” Crope said, unbothered.
Tibbett gasped again, delighted. “Oh, that’s good.”
Boq, shaking his head, muttered, “At this point, I think you guys just want to see them combust.”
“Obviously,” Fiyero said, smirking over his drink.
Elphaba, who had very much been hoping no one would look at her, stiffened visibly. “This is ridiculous.”
“Oh, come on, Elphie,” Glinda tilted her head, voice syrupy sweet. “Afraid of a little kiss?”
Elphaba scowled, cheeks starting to burn. “That’s not—”
“Rules are rules,” Crope cut in smoothly, already reaching for the bottle to spin again. “Better get to it.”
Glinda, smug as ever, leaned in just enough to make Elphaba go rigid, her smirk teasing, eyes glinting with pure mischief.
Elphaba was fighting for her life.
“Relax, darling,” Glinda purred, letting the word linger. “Not like it’s the first time we’ve had to do this.”
Elphaba jerked back slightly, blinking. “Excuse me?”
Glinda gave a mock-pensive look, tapping a finger against her chin. “What was it… Spin the Bottle? Seven Minutes in Heaven? Oh! Or that stupid kissing roulette game at that party in our last year of middle school.”
Tibbett nearly fell over laughing. “Wait, what?! You two have history?”
Boq looked personally betrayed. “How am I just now hearing about this?”
Fiyero, fully entertained, just nodded. “Suddenly, so much makes sense.”
Elphaba, burning with secondhand embarrassment, gritted her teeth. “Are we doing this or not?”
Glinda smirked, and before Elphaba could overthink it—
She tilted forward just enough, letting their lips just barely brush.
-
The room erupted.
Crope screeched. Tibbett threw a pillow. Boq looked like he was about to pass out.
Glinda pulled back, looking entirely too pleased with herself.
Elphaba, meanwhile, looked absolutely wrecked.
“Alright,” she said, voice slightly hoarse, standing up so fast she nearly knocked over her drink. “I’m done. Game over. I’m leaving.”
Glinda laughed, watching her roommate nearly stumble away in a daze. Then, just loud enough for Elphaba to hear—
“Don’t worry, Elphie,” she called after her, voice silky smooth. “That doesn’t count as our first kiss, either.”
Elphaba stopped in her tracks.
The entire room lost it.
Elphaba didn’t turn back. She didn’t even breathe. She just stormed out, while Crope cackled and Boq buried his face in his hands.
Glinda?
She just smirked, sipping her drink like she hadn’t just set the whole room on fire.