Part 1: The Storm Begins
The first day of classes at Shiz University was as chaotic as Glinda Upland's life was orderly. She swept through the crowd in her pastel-pink gown, a beacon of charm and perfection, leaving a trail of admirers in her wake. Her laugh was a melody, her presence magnetic.
But all of it- the attention, the compliments, the validation- dimmed when she stepped into her dorm room and found her.
Her roommate.
Elphaba Thropp stood by the window, hunched over a worn, leather-bound journal. Her green skin was impossible to ignore, but it was her expression that struck Glinda the hardest. She wasn't shy or self-conscious like Glinda expected. Instead, she wore an air of defiance, her dark eyes daring anyone to underestimate her.
"Oh," Glinda said, stopping short. "You must be," her voice struck silent, "the mistake."
Elphaba raised an eyebrow, her lips curling into the faintest smirk. "Funny, I was just thinking the same about you."
The tension between them was immediate and electric. Glinda turned her attention to the room, determined to sedate her infectiously angry mood. But the sight of Elphaba's books already spilling across the shared desk made her jaw tighten.
"Do you have to take up all the space?"
Elphaba didn't even glance up. "Do you have to take up all the oxygen?"
Glinda gasped. "How dare you!"
"I dare rather well," Elphaba spoke dryly, finally looking at her. Her gaze lingered for a moment too long, as if she were sizing Glinda up. "What are you gonna do? Bat your eyelashes at me until I apologize?"
Glinda fumed, and Elphaba's smirk deepened. Their first argument ended with Glinda storming out, but the battle lines had been drawn.
Part 2: Tensions Rise
Days turned into weeks, and the shared dorm became a battlefield. Elphaba's sharp wit clashed with Glinda's quick temper at every turn.
"You know," Glinda said one evening, after Elphaba had pointed out a spelling error in her essay, "you'd be so much more tolerable if you smiled once in a while."
"And you'd be more tolerable if you thought once in a while," Elphaba shot back.
"Excuse me?"
Elphaba shrugged, her tone casual but her eyes gleaming with challenge. "Your words, not mine."
Glinda huffed aelse.nd turned back to her vanity, but her cheeks burned and she hated the way that Elphaba challenged her like that.
Despite their constant bickering, Glinda couldn't deny her fascination with her green-skinned roommate. Elphaba's mind was sharp, her arguments unrelenting, and her passion for the causes she believed in was almost...admirable.
Not that Glinda would ever admit that though.
Part 3: Cracks In The Armour
It wasn't until a late-night thunderstorm that their dynamic began to shift. Glinda had been tossing and turning, unable to sleep with the strom raging outside. She finally gave up and reached for the lantern on her nightstand, only to spot Elphaba sitting by the window, her sillouhette illuminated by the occasional streaks of lightning.
"You're still awake?" Glinda asked softly.
Elphaba turned, startled, and Glinda was suprised to see a flicker of vulnerability in her eyes. "Couldn't sleep."
Glinda hesitated, a playful smirk threatening to tug her lips, "Are you...scared of storms?"
Elphaba huffed a laugh, though it lacked her usual edge. "Hardly. But they remind me of home."
"Home?"
Elphaba gestured vaguely. "Munchkinland. It stormed often when I was growing up. I used to sit by the window and watch exactly like this, wondering if," Elphaba sighed deeply, "...if it would ever wash the green away."
The confession hung in the air between them, heavy and unexpected.
Glinda didn't know what to say. She had always thought of Elphaba as untouchable, her confidence impenetrable. But in that moment, she saw something else, someone else.
"You know," Glinda said finally, "I don't think I'd change it. The green, I mean."
Elphaba's gaze snapped to hers, searching for something in Glinda's brown eyes.
Glinda shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "It's...unique. makes you stand out."
For a long moment, Elphaba sais nothing. Then she smiled- not a smirk or sarcastic grin, but a real, genuine smile. It was soft and fleeting, but it left Glinda breathless.
Part 4: What Is This Feeling?
As the semester progressed, their fights became less frequent, replaced by quieter moments of understanding. Glinda started to notice the little things about Elphaba- the way her eyes lit up when she talked about something she was passionate about, the rare infectious sound of her laugh, the way she always stood up for the underdogs of Shiz.
And Elphaba, despite herself, found her gaze lingering on Glinda more often than she cared to admit. Beneath the blonde's polished exterior was a fierce determination, a strength Elphaba couldn't help but admire.
One night, as they sat together in the library- Glinda pretending to study while Elphaba actually worked- Glinda broke the silence.
"Do you ever get tired of fighting me?"
Elphaba looked up, startled at such a random question. "I could ask you the same."
Glinda smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Maybe I just don't know how to stop."
Elphaba's expression softened. "Maybe you don't have to."
Their gazes locked, and for a moment, the world outside the library faded away.
Part 5: Sparks Beneath The Surface
Glinda found herself thinking about Elphaba at the most inconvenient times. Like during Madame Morrible's lectures, when Elphaba would challenge every vague notion or overused idiom. While Glinda found it frustrating at first, she couldn't help but suppress the fire in her roommate's voice when she argued.
"She's so exhausting," Glinda whispered to Fiyero one day after class, though her words lacked their usual venom.
He raised an eyebrow. "You talk about her a lot for someone who supposedly hates her."
"I do not!" Glinda protested, but her cheeks burned.
The truth was, hating Elphaba had become much harder lately. Their battles were as fierce as ever, but somewhere between the insults and eye rolls, Glinda had started looking forward to their exchanges. She even caught herself laughing at Elphaba's sharp wit, though she always tried to disguise it.
For Elphaba, the shift was even harder to ignore. She had spent her life keeping people at arm's length, knowing that her green skin and fierce intelligence were barriers too high for most to cross. But Glinda...Glinda was different. Despite her vanity and privilege, she surprised Elphaba with moments of kindness- like when she helped a struggling first-year student without hesitation or when she srood up for NessaRose during an awkward dinner.
One late evening in their dorm, Elphaba broke the silence between them with a question that had been nagging at her.
"Why are you always trying so hard?"
Glinda looked up from her nail polish, startled. "Trying so hard at what?"
"To be perfect," Elphaba said, leaning back in her chair. "The hair, the clothes, the act...What are you afraid of?"
Glinda stiffened. "I'm not afraid of anything. What an odd suggestion. I just like things to be nice, that's all."
Elphaba studied her for a long moment, her dark eyes softening. "It must be exhausting, keeping up appearances all the time."
Glinda opened her mouth to argue but closed it again. Elphaba wasn't mocking her, and that made the comment hit harder.
"Maybe," Glinda said quietly, her voice barely audible.
For the first time, Elphaba saw cracks in the facade Glinda had so carefully built, and something about it made her chest ache.
Part 6: A Night Of Revelations
The annual Shiz Ball was the event of the season, and Glinda had spent weeks preparing. She wore a glittering gown of soft pink silk, her golden curls styled to perfection. She was the centre of attention, surrounded by admirers and compliments, but her gaze kept drifting to the edges of the room- to the figure standing awkwardly near the punch table.
Elphaba hadn't wanted to come. She only showed up because Madame Morrible insisted every student attended. Dressed in a simple black gown with no jewellery or adornments, she looked out of place among the glittering crowd.
But to Glinda...she was the blazing flame which ignited her heart.
Without thinking, Glinda made her way across the room. When Elphaba noticed her approaching, her expression shifted into somethinf wary.
"You look..." Glinda hesitated, her cheeks heating, "Nice."
Elphaba blinked. "Did you just compliment me?"
"I woudn't call it a compliment," Glinda said quickly, though the pink flush in her cheeks betrayed her. "I just meant...the dress is fine. For you."
Elphaba raised an eyebrow. "High praise indeed."
Despite herself, Glinda laughed. It was a sound that caught Elphaba off guard- light and genuine, without it's usual sharpness.
For the rest of the night, Glinda found herself drawn back to Elphaba, their paths crossing again and again. By the time the ball had ended, they were standing outside, the cold night air biting at their skin.
"You didn't have to come tonight," Glinda said softly, breaking the silence.
"No," Elphaba agreed. "But I'm glad I did."
Part 7: The Slow Fall
After the ball, something had changed between them. They still argued but their fights became less heated, more like playful banter than genuine conflict. Glinda found herself seeking out Elphaba’s company, even if it was just for sit in comfortable silence while they worked.
One rainy afternoon, Glinda discovered Elphaba sitting in the University gardens, completely drenched but scribbling furiously in her notebook.
“Are you insane?” Glinda approached her, holding an umbrella above them both. “You’ll catch a cold out here!”
”I’m fine,” Elphaba muttered, though her hands were trembling from the cold.
Glinda rolled her eyes and shoved the umbrella into Elphaba’s hands before dragging her back towards the dorm. “Honestly, you’re impossible.”
But as they sat together later, wrapped in blankets and sipping tea, Glinda couldn’t help the small smile which tugged at her lips.
”You didn’t have to do that,” Elphaba said quietly as she nuzzled closer into Glinda’s shoulder.
”Of course I did,” Glinda replied without thinking. “I care about you, you idiot.”
Elphaba froze, her eyes wide. Glinda’s cheeks burned as she clocked what she’d just spilled out.
”I- I mean, not like I care care, just, you know, as a roommate.” Glinda stammered, her words tumbling over each other.
Elphaba’s lips quirked into a faint smile, “Sure.”
Part 8: Lines Blur
Elphaba often stayed late in the library, long after the halls of Shiz grew quiet. It was one of the few places she felt at ease, surrounded by books and not people. But tonight, to her surprise, she wasn’t alone.
Glinda sat at the corner table, her head resting on a pile of notes. Her blonde curls were slightly askew, and her lips were pursed in a faint pout as she scribbled furiously in a notebook.
“What are you doing here?” Elphaba asked, raising an eyebrow as she approached.
Glinda looked up, startled. “Oh, it’s you.”
“Nice to see you too.”
“I’m studying for Morrible’s ethics exam,” Glinda said, gesturing to the mountain of papers around her. “Not that you’d understand. You probably already know all the answers.”
Elphaba smirked. “Probably.”
Glinda rolled her eyes, but there was no real bite in her expression. “Well, if you’re so smart, why don’t you help me?”
Elphaba hesitated. “You’re asking for my help?”
“Don’t make it weird,” Glinda muttered, her cheeks tinged pink. “Just… sit down and explain this stupid concept to me.”
Elphaba sat, her usual sarcasm softened by the vulnerability in Glinda’s request. They spent the next hour poring over the material, Elphaba patiently walking Glinda through each point. And though Glinda still huffed and complained, Elphaba couldn’t help but notice the way her lips curved into a small, genuine smile when she finally understood something.
“Thanks,” Glinda said quietly when they finished. “You’re not so bad, you know. For a green-skinned know-it-all.”
“And you’re tolerable. For a blonde fashion disaster,” Elphaba shot back, though her voice held no malice.
Glinda laughed, the sound echoing softly through the empty library.
Part 9: Small, Quiet Moments
As the weeks passed, their connection deepened in ways neither of them expected. It was in the little things- Glinda bringing Elphaba tea when she stayed up late studying, or Elphaba slipping a book onto Glinda’s desk with a note: Thought this might help.
Their arguments still flared occasionally, but the edge had dulled. Now, they teased each other, their banter laced with a warmth that had replaced their old animosity.
One evening, as they sat by the dorm window watching the sunset, Glinda broke the silence.
”Do you ever think about the future?” she asked, her voice unusually soft.
Elphaba glanced at her. “The future?”
”Yeah. Where we’ll go, what we’ll do. Who we’ll…be with?”
Elphaba hesitated, her gaze shifting to the horizon. “I guess I’ve always just assumed I’d be alone.”
Glinda frowned, “That’s ridiculous. You’re brilliant and… and kind. In your own grumpy way.”
Elphaba chuckled, but there was a sadness in her eyes. “Not everyone sees past the green.”
”I do.”
Part 10: The Breaking Point
The turning point came during a class debate. Madame Morrible had assigned them opposing sides on a heated topic, and by the time the debate had ended, the tension between them had reached a breaking point.
“You can’t just stand being wrong, can you?” Glinda snapped as they walked back to their dorm room.
”Wrong?” Elphaba shot back, “I wasn’t wrong, Glinda. I was right, and you know it.”
”You’re so insufferable sometimes!”
”And you’re so shallow!”
They stopped in the middle of the hallway, glaring daggers at each other.
“I don’t even know why I bother with you,” Glinda said, her voice wavering.
”Then don’t!” Elphaba shouted, flaying her arms above her head.
The silence that followed was deafening. Glinda’s chest heaved, her cheeks flushed with anger- or maybe something else. Elphaba’s eyes burned with a mix of frustration and something she couldn’t quite lay a finger on.
Before she could stop herself, Glinda stepped forward, closing the distance between them.
She immediately pulled away, tomatoes for cheeks after realising her desires had controlled her.
”Elphaba, I-“
Her words were cut off as Elphaba returned the kiss.
It wasn’t soft or tentative- it was fierce and overwhelming, fuelled by weeks of unspoken tension. Glinda froze for a moment feeling the latter’s soft lips press against hers. Her hands made their way to Elphaba’s shoulders, pulling her close.
Glinda felt Elphaba’s hands snake down to her waist- a hum escaped Glinda. “Oh, Elphie,” she muttered against Elphaba’s mouth.
Both girls panted with adrenaline at what weeks of unresolved tension did to them. Although no girl would admit it, it drove them crazy at how much they’d wanted each other until now.
When they finally broke apart, they were both miraculously breathless, their foreheads pressed together.
“We didn’t even make it to our room,” Glinda joked, her voice was shaky but teasing,” That was unexpected.”
Elphaba laughed, a sound which sent shivers down Glinda’s spine. “You’re impossible.”
”You kissed me.”
”And you kissed me back.”
Glinda grinned. “I guess we’re both impossible, then.”
For the first time, they weren’t fighting or pretending. They were just…them.