I want you
A few weeks later, it was well past midnight, and Glinda still hadn't returned to bed. Normally, Elphaba would take no notice, embrace the quietness of the atmosphere, freely reading whatever they want without any disturbance or commentary. But tonight, all they could feel was the eerie chill of Glinda's absence. They wondered where the girl was so late at night.
Suddenly, the soft creak of the hinges echoed through the quiet space. Glinda stumbled slightly as she closed the door behind her, her cheeks flushed, hair undone, and dress wrinkled.
“Late night?” They asked, earning a nervous giggle from the blonde. Elphaba could now smell the overwhelming scent of alcohol within the air. 'Ah. She's drunk,' they thought. It all made sense now. The unusual lateness, the stumbling, the lack of presentability...
“Oh, Elphie, you should have seen it… Fiyero—he was so charming.” Her voice broke on the last word, and she swayed slightly as she took a step inside. Elphaba frowned, closing their book with a quiet snap. “Glinda, are you drunk?” Glinda waved a hand dismissively, “Just a little," she paused. "Maybe more than a little. It doesn’t matter, though."
Elphaba felt bad, not wanting to see their friend in this state. “Glinda,” they muttered, hands firm on the blonde’s shoulders, “you’re a mess. What happened?”
Glinda blinked up at them, her eyes swimming with tears that hadn’t yet fallen. “I thought it would feel different,” she whispered. “I thought if we… it would make sense. But it didn’t. I felt nothing." Elphaba’s heart tightened painfully. “Who, Fiyero?” they asked, voice barely audible.
Glinda nodded, her breath hitching. “It was supposed to make everything perfect. Isn’t that how it works? You’re with a boy—handsome, charming, perfect—and everything… falls into place. That’s what everyone says. That’s what it's supposed to feel like. But it didn’t. It felt empty. Nothing makes sense anymore and I don't understand. All my life things have just been handed to me, but this... it feels so wrong. I'm being handed the most perfect man but I'm not even sure if I want him! So that's when I went out drinking. After I left his place, I felt... strange. I went to the nearest bar and drank until I could feel something... or at least until the thoughts stopped spinning in my head."
Glinda then stared into Elphaba's eyes, "Had they always been that green?" She wondered, as if she was truly seeing them for the first time. She also noticed and counted each individual freckle Elphaba had– 27 to be exact. As Glinda was getting lost in their eyes, Elphaba's gaze softened, displaying a hint of vulnerability and concern. "Glinda..." they started. But before they could finish, emotions took over her, and Glinda leaned in forward, hands grasping Elphaba’s face, lips crashing against theirs in a kiss that was desperate, needy, and filled with confusion.
Elphaba gasped, their body stiffening in surprise. The taste of alcohol lingering on Glinda’s lips was warm and intoxicating, pulling them in. Elphaba hesitated, their mind screaming to pull away even as their heart betrayed them. Slowly, their lips moved against Glinda’s in a soft kiss. They felt themself slipping, heart racing as a surge of longing and sorrow flooded them. The kiss deepened for a breathless moment, so much so that Elphaba had almost forgotten they weren't even actually together. They were just "friends."
Then, all of a sudden, Glinda’s hand began to slide up Elphaba’s thigh. Her fingers riding up their nightgown, brushing just above the hem of her underwear. The touch sent a jolt through Elphaba’s body—desire, confusion, and panic all crashing together. Her breath caught in her throat, and reality snapped back into place.
"Glinda, stop." They paused, pushing her away. "We can't do this."
Glinda tried to pull them back, eager for any type of physical contact. "It's fine, don't worry about what Fiyero will think. I want you, Elphie."
Glinda's words shocked them, although they really wanted this, they knew it was wrong and had to stop things before it escalated. “No,” Elphaba whispered, pulling back sharply, “No. Not like this I mean. Not while you're in this state."
Glinda’s eyes, wide and pleading, filled with fresh tears. “But I want to! I want you, Elphie. You make me feel something… anything. Please.”
Elphaba cupped Glinda’s face, their thumbs brushing away the tears that streaked down her flushed cheeks. Their voice softened, though it still trembled. “Glinda, you’re drunk. You’re hurting. And I… I won’t take advantage of that. I can’t.”
Glinda let out a muffled sob, her body folding against Elphaba’s on the bed. “I hate myself. I'm such a mess and I don’t know who I am anymore,” she whispered. “I don’t know what to do.”
Elphaba wrapped their arms around her, holding her tightly, whilst feeling their own heart ache with sympathy and desire. They stroked Glinda’s hair with trembling fingers, “We’ll figure it out,” they murmured. “But not like this. Not tonight.”