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If the Moon Went Dark Tonight - Chapter 5 - Was I Just A Nightmare? (Mini Chapter)

“I don’t see anything…”

“Well, that makes two of us!”

Whilst practicing a new spell, Elphaba becomes distracted and accidentally makes Galinda blind. They navigate their 'situation' and begin to understand each other in a new light. (they both like each other but can't see it - pun intended?)

If the Moon Went Dark Tonight - Chapter 5 - dxisyxo - Wicked (Movie 2024) [Archive of Our Own]

Summary: Elphaba and Galinda wake up in the middle of the night.

Chapter 5:

Elphaba woke up to movement coming from the other side of the bed. At some point during the night, Galinda had moved onto her back and was currently shuffling around. At first, Elphaba assumed she was just fidgeting, she often heard the girl tossing and turning endlessly most nights. Upon closer inspection however, she noticed the blonde hair sticking to her forehead, and the way she was breathing a little too fast for somebody who should be asleep, and how her hands were fisted in the sheets.

She was having a nightmare.

Oh Oz. What should she do? Elphaba knew better than to wake somebody having a nightmare. The last thing she wanted to do was add to the younger girl’s distress. She wondered what the nightmare was about, and if she was the cause. Almost instinctively she found her left hand reaching out towards her roommate. The moment she made contact with Galinda’s shoulder, the girl shot into an upright position with a gasp.

Elphaba pulled her hand back as quickly as she could and remained as still as physically possible. If Galinda did have super hearing, she didn’t want her to suspect she was awake. The blonde rested a hand across her chest, taking deep shuddering breaths, trying to calm herself. After a beat, her head started moving around, as if she were trying to look for something, but realising she couldn’t see.

She had to resist the nagging urge to reach out again, recalling their earlier conversation about intruders. If she reached out now and made contact with her, there’s a chance she could end up startling the girl beyond consolation. Instead, she watched as Galinda’s breaths started to come in a little shorter again, and she ran a hand through her hair, trying to process something. The girl suddenly snapped her head to the left, in Elphaba’s direction.

The older girl held her breath, praying Galinda would try to wake her so she could wrap her arms around her and hold on until she felt better. If she had been asked yesterday how she felt about her roommate, she certainly wouldn’t have thought she’d be begging the universe to allow her a hug in the middle of the night to calm her nighttime fears.

Elphaba watched as Galinda raised her shaky left hand and reached over to her side of the bed. Pale fingers felt around the bed sheets until they made contact with her arm. The girl flinched and yanked her hand back as though she’d been burned by the touch. Galinda cradled her hand and closed her eyes, taking a few more shuddering breaths. She really was scared about there being a stranger in her bed. There must be a reason, one Elphaba would question later when the time was right. This was not that time.

The blonde slowly moved her hand back towards Elphaba and started to feel around again. This time, when her fingers made contact with her skin, they flinched but didn’t pull away. The girl traced her fingertips down her arm, giving Elphaba goosebumps. Her hand continued until she found what she was feeling for. The ribbon. She let out a sigh of relief.

Elphaba waited to hear her name whispered, or for her body to be shaken awake. She was perplexed by what actually took place. Galinda’s fingers moved further down to her palm and curled around as though she were trying to hold her hand. She squeezed Elphaba’s hand like it was the only thing grounding her in that moment. They stayed like that for a while. Elphaba hadn’t so much as blinked for fear of giving her consciousness away.

Eventually she felt the grip on her hand loosen and Galinda began to lay back down on her left side, facing towards Elphaba. She withdrew her hand to get comfortable and Elphaba immediately felt the loss like an invisible wound on her heart. Once the girl was settled, she reached back out with her right hand this time and managed to locate the ribbon with seamless ease. She wrapped her hand around Elphaba’s wrist and finally closed her eyes to try and go back to sleep.

Elphaba had been upset at first that Galinda hadn’t woken her, but this confirmed her suspicions about help being offered on a case-by-case basis. On this occasion, not interfering was the right thing to do. Still, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of rejection at not being wanted in the moment to help comfort and calm. It seemed Galinda had chosen to self-soothe rather than be a burden in her self-perceived time of vulnerability.

Perhaps she needed to build up more trust before she would be given the privilege of being Galinda’s carer again. Wait. Why was she suddenly so desperate for her roommate to need her support? Her life would be easier over the next few days if she were required less, so why did she care so much? Elphaba tried to clear her mind and listened until Galinda’s breathing evened out again. She took the chance once more to admire the face laid in front of her before wondering why it held so much power. She closed her own eyes and attempted to get some more rest, ready to face the day ahead. Whilst her mind worked to power down, she couldn’t help but wonder, what is this feeling?

#ao3 fanfic #elphaba thropp #galinda upland #gelphie #wicked #wicked fanfiction

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dxisyxo-tmblr · 1 month ago

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If the Moon Went Dark Tonight - Chapter 4 - Light In The Darkness

“I don’t see anything…”

“Well, that makes two of us!”

If the Moon Went Dark Tonight - Chapter 4 - dxisyxo - Wicked (Movie 2024) [Archive of Our Own]

Summary: Elphaba and Galinda get ready for bed.

Chapter 4:

When they entered the room, Elphaba turned to lock the door behind them, sealing their privacy for the night. She double checked the handle to make sure the door was locked and turned over to her companion. “We’re back”.

After looking the girl up and down she realised Galinda hadn’t put on any shoes in their haste to leave, meaning she had walked all the way to Madame Morrible’s office and back in only her socks. At least she hadn’t been bare foot. Aside from the now unclean socks, she looked ready for bed, but Elphaba still had to ask, “Do you need to finish anything from before, or did you get through enough of your routine to just go straight to bed?”

While Galinda had come back to herself after the incident in the bathroom, she still seemed a little dazed, or maybe she was just exhausted by the evening’s events. When Elphaba received no response to her question, she gave the girl a nudge and asked again, “Are you ready to go to bed?”

The blonde didn’t even lift her head as she stood frozen on the spot. “I guess”

Elphaba knew Galinda couldn’t see anything, but her distant and far off gaze made her worried. This was the second time in one night she had to prompt Galinda more than once to answer a question. She had never seen her roommate so shut down before. Galinda was the definition of eternal sunshine, an endless ball of energy shining over everyone she came into contact with. Elphaba had quite literally taken away her light, and now the girl was left a husk of her former self, in the dark shadows of her mind. She needed to break through that husk. Giving her hand a gentle hand squeeze she said, “We’ll get through this, I promise”

The girl only sighed and dropped her head lower. The lack of comeback was disconcerting. Maybe she was overthinking this. Perhaps they would wake up tomorrow and her roommate would be back to her old self, sight or no sight. She just needed to sleep away the shock and process what happened. Tomorrow was a new day and full of endless possibilities for them to explore. She would make sure the weekend went as smoothly and seamlessly as possible for both of them.

Elphaba used their still joined arms to walk them towards Galinda’s bed. The blonde followed as her arm was pulled forward but made no other acknowledgment. The older witch turned her attention to the vanity on their way and replayed earlier events in her mind. It was hard to believe how much had taken place in the last hour, how much had changed.

Elphaba knew her magic was unpredictable, which is why she avoided it where possible. She hated how destructive it could be and often felt like it mirrored herself as a person. Being at Shiz had encouraged her to embrace her gift and see it in a new light, or rather Madame Morrible had encouraged her to do so. However, it was hard to see her magic as a ‘gift’ when bad things kept happening because of it.

So lost in her thoughts Elphaba hadn’t realised how close they’d gotten to the bed until they both walked into it. She quickly unhooked their arms with a mumbled apology and watched as Galinda turned to sit down on the edge. Elphaba looked at her roommate and stood in awkward silence, bouncing on her heels. She had expected Galinda to say goodnight, or wave her away, but once she sat down, she didn’t move. The room felt almost abnormal with a constant void filling the space. The only sound was that of their breathing and shifting fabric as Elphaba fidgeted on the spot.

Galinda’s expression was unreadable. If only she could get inside her mind and know what she was thinking. The girl could be plotting out her revenge for all she knew. Setting that thought aside, Elphaba took the silence as a chance to walk back over to her own bed and remove her shoes, before walking back to sit next to Galinda. She moved slowly and took care to be a little louder in her steps than usual, to ensure the blonde would know she was approaching. Elphaba left a small gap between them on the bed. She looked over to Galinda and tried to think of a way to encourage her to at least get under the covers, goodness knows they could both use some sleep right about now. “At least you’re already wearing pajamas”.

Galinda simply hummed in agreement. Barely an acknowledgement. Elphaba wasn’t sure if she would be free to go and get ready for bed herself or if she should stay a little longer and try to offer some comfort. There wasn’t really anything else she could do to help right now, but the idea of walking away made her feel guilty. “Do you need me to do anything, or can I go and get ready for bed?”

For a moment the blonde looked like she wanted to say something. She opened her mouth as though she were about to answer but sealed her lips and shook her head a little. Clearly, she was still fretting over fear of humiliation, preventing her from saying what she wanted to say. Elphaba herself felt like she was close to passing out from enervation and her patience was starting to wear thin. As much as she wanted to remain calm and collected for Galinda, she just wanted to curl up in her own bed and sleep away the remnants of her headache. She snapped, “Spit it out!”

She watched as the girl’s cheeks turned scarlet red and immediately regretted her outburst. Galinda let out a shuddering breath, gripping the edge of the bed a little tighter and anxiously whispered her query, “What do I do if I have to use the restroom in the night?”

Now the nervousness made sense. She certainly wouldn’t be able to make it to the restroom by herself, and after the incident they just had, Elphaba didn’t think she would be able to face it alone for a second time. Why couldn’t their room have contained its own personal bathroom? For now any outings outside their dorm would need to be done together, meaning they would be joined at the hip, or arms, for a little while. This should be an interesting weekend. It can’t be too different from taking care of Nessa right? She just needed to stay out of the way and answer when called, only providing assistance when requested. Unless there’s a possible health and safety issue, in which case she would jump into action. Fairly simple and nothing to worry about. “If you need something just wake me up”.

The girl looked over to her, confusion written on her face. “How do I do that?”

For a moment Elphaba thought it was a stupid question, but she realised Galinda might not be able to make it to her bed and rouse her if she needed to. The room was a maze filled with boxes on boxes of the girl’s belongings. She’d likely end up tripping over something or walking into things. The room was full of hazards, which is partly the reason she never invites Nessa over. Looking around, there were far too many things that could potentially cause an accident in Galinda’s current state. She would need to deal with them first thing tomorrow. Right now there was only one solution to the girl's query she could think of. “Yell?”

The blonde raised a brow. “Really?”

It was the safest option to get her attention. Galinda usually had no issues making noise around the room at time of day. Although truthfully, Elphaba would rather not be woken up in the middle of the night by screaming. If her younger counterpart had any better ideas, she’d be open to hearing them. “What do you suggest?”.

Her roommate appeared deep in thought for a second. The girl had her signature concentration look, which would usually be reserved for schoolwork, drawing, outfit selecting etc. She would tilt her head slightly to the side and narrow her eyes with knitted brows, lips slightly parted, sometimes joined by a little tongue sticking out if what she was doing was serious. It’s an unspoken rule in their room not to disturb Galinda in any way when the tongue is sticking out. Elphaba learned that the hard way. After a moment her face shifted back to normal, and she looked in Elphaba’s direction with a now rigid composure. This should be good.

The blonde sat up straight and took a deep breath as if preparing to deliver bad news before finally suggesting, “Sleep in my bed, with me”.

Well, that was the last thing she’d expected to hear. Had Elphaba accidentally made the part of her brain disappear that contained her common sense? The exhaustion must have made them both delirious. “What?”

Galinda’s expression remained rather nonchalant given what she had just suggested. “Don’t read too much into it, there’s plenty of room for both of us”

The green witch was lost for words, she couldn’t believe it. Honestly, Elphaba didn’t think she’d ever shared a bed with anyone other than Nessa, and that happened very scarcely. This felt like crossing a line, and they needed boundaries if they were going to make it through the next few days. She didn’t want to deny the girl in her time of need, but this may just be a step too far. “Galinda I’m not really comfortable with that idea…”

“Well, I’m not really comfortable being blind but here we are”

An awkward silence followed the impetuous statement. Elphaba dropped her head in shame as the weight of what she had done settled on her shoulders. Galinda released another shaky breath and beseeched, “Please, I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep alone”

Elphaba placed her hand over Galinda’s where it sat on the bed between them. “You’re not alone, I’ll just be across the room”

The blonde shook her head, “No I mean… I’m scared of the dark, I need light to sleep”

Oh Oz. Elphaba snickered “Then I’m afraid you’re out of luck with that one”

She had hoped to make the girl laugh but received a glare instead. Clearly, she wasn’t amused by her attempt at humour. For the first few weeks of sharing a room, Galinda had her lamp on when she went to sleep every single night, but recently, this stopped happening. Elphaba wasn’t sure why but was grateful nonetheless. Unlike her roommate, she needed darkness to sleep. “You don’t normally have the light on at night anymore”

Galinda sighed. “I try to, but you always tell me to turn it off, so I wait until you’re asleep and either turn it back on or light a candle or something”

Ok, now she felt terrible. Had Galinda actually done something considerate of her sleeping requirements and not bragged about it? She had wondered if the blonde left the light on overnight on purpose to begin with, once she realised it annoyed Elphaba. When she began leaving the light off, she had assumed the humour wore off and no longer brought her any joy.

Galinda continued, “Sometimes if the moon is bright enough, I open the curtains and let the moonlight filter through the room which is nice”.

As poetic as that sounds, there was physically nothing Elphaba could do in this moment to create any sort of night light for the girl, and sharing a bed wouldn’t change that. “Me being in your bed won’t bring the light back”

“I understand that, but knowing somebody is here with me will make it easier to sleep, like comfort after a nightmare, although I suppose I’m already living the nightmare”

Wow. Elphaba felt a full body shiver pass through her. This is officially the worst she’s ever felt for another being, and she never feels sorry for others, especially her bullies. But in this moment, the girl sat next to her was not her bully. This girl was traumatised, and terrified and it’s entirely Elphaba’s fault. The least she could do is lay next to her for a night and offer what little solace she can. “Ok, just let me get ready, I’ll be back in a moment”.

As Elphaba stood up to walk over to her side of the room, Galinda reached out and grabbed her frock. It wasn’t clear if that’s what she was aiming for, but she now held the green girl’s attention all the same. With an unfeigned look of relief she said, “Thank you”.

Elphaba didn’t know whether to be amazed that those words had been spoken to her by Galinda of all people, or sad that they were the most genuine and kind words the girl had ever said to her. She didn’t say anything in response as she slowly pulled away and left to get ready for the night ahead.

Elphaba ran through her usual steps, brushing her teeth, washing her face, braiding her hair, and changing into her nightgown. She looked over to Galinda a few times just to check on her. The girl hadn’t really moved other than taking off her socks. Although she looked to be deep in thought again, like she was concentrating on something. Elphaba stopped moving around for a moment to ask, “What are you doing?”

“Listening”

What could she possibly be listening to? “What do you mean?”

The blonde sighed and rolled her eyes. “I’m trying to figure out what the noises are”

Oh. Galinda must have been listening to her getting ready for bed and trying to work out what she was doing. They’ve been roommates long enough for her to know what Elphaba’s routine is each night, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to work out. “Isn’t it obvious?”

“I thought it would be, but no”

Elphaba folded her day clothes and placed them on her own bed to be dealt with tomorrow. She started walking back towards her new bed for the night, leaving her safe space to create another one for her roommate. Intrigued by Galinda’s statement, she asked, “What do you hear?

The girl just shrugged. “Everything”

How curious. Elphaba had read somewhere, when a person loses one of their senses, others can be increased in sensitivity. It would make sense for Galinda to have heightened hearing given her lack of sight. This may be a good opportunity to test the theory. Would the girl be able to feel things in a different way? Would she be able to identify food purely based on its smell? That would be a conversation for another day. “Alright well, we can talk about it tomorrow, get comfy”.

Elphaba wasn’t sure if she would need to help Galinda get into bed or if she should leave her be. She didn’t have to ponder for long as her roommate stood up and turned around to face the bed. With her right hand she felt around for the top of the sheets and pulled them down before proceeding to get into bed as normal. She supposed it was a simple enough task, then again, so is using the bathroom. There’s no way for her to know what will be easy for Galinda or what she will need help with until the time comes to do something. Eating, for example, would likely be a challenge. They would be addressing that hurdle together in the morning.

Shaking the thoughts away to be addressed tomorrow, Elphaba also pulled back the sheets on her side. Before she could sit on the bed however, she was stopped by one of Galinda’s hands shooting out to cover the space as she yelled, “Wait!”

Oz help her she will get to sleep at some point. Elphaba sighed, “What now?”

“If I wake up, how will I know it’s you?”

Elphaba pinched the bridge of her nose and huffed, “You asked me to sleep in the bed”

The girl nodded, “I know”

“Well then who else would it be?”

Galinda responded, “An intruder”, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Why would they even have an intruder? Galinda is popular, sure, but nobody has ever tried to sneak into their room before just to get a glimpse of her. They all see her around school every day. Elphaba groaned with her hands on her hips and questioned, “Seriously?”.

Galinda looked genuinely worried as she answered, “Yes seriously, what if somebody breaks in and takes your place”.

She was truly speechless. What could she even say to that? Does Galinda have a stalker Elphaba doesn’t know about? Somebody so obsessed they would make the girl believe they would break in and sleep in her bed. Perhaps this was just a new temporary fear, instilled over her short-term sight break. “That won’t happen, the doors and windows are locked I promise”

Galinda looked close to tears again as she practically pleaded, “Elphaba please”. The blonde had fisted her hands in the sheets and seemed really concerned about the possibility of waking up next to a stranger.

Elphaba wanted to be mad, but she wasn’t. She wanted to yell that she was being ridiculous and should go to sleep, but she couldn’t. It felt like her heart was telling her she needed to protect this girl at all costs and take care of her, even if her head was screaming at her to do the opposite. The Gilikinese girl seemed to have that effect on people regardless of how she treated them.

Galinda has been tormenting her for weeks, and while Elphaba herself played an equal part in their game, it didn’t excuse the things she had endured throughout her time in Shiz. Elphaba had become accustomed to bullying and often didn’t let it bring her down, but there was something about Galinda that really got under her skin whenever they fought. Everything was different with Galinda.

Their petty arguments were more childish than serious, like two siblings quarreling with each other non stop, only they didn’t have the baseline love that would normally accompany such behaviour. In a way, it felt like Galinda was the only tormentor who actually saw her, really truly saw her. She had used it to her advantage against Elphaba many times, but she always paid attention. Most bullies she’s had over the years just attacked because they felt superior to her and simply because they could. Elphaba had never quite pinned what Galinda’s issue was with her, but she didn’t fight for no reason.

Regardless, Dulcibear had always told Elphaba to stay true to her heart as it will always lead her in the right direction. Right now her heart was leading her eyes around the room in search for a solution to their newest problem. Her gaze fell on a dress draped over the sofa by the fireplace. The item of clothing had a very specific material texture, perfectly easy to identify by touch. “Ok, do you want me to wear something you would recognise if you felt it?”

Galinda looked puzzled while she processed the question. She then released her grip on the sheets and sat up a little straighter as an idea sprouted in her head. “How about my robe, it should be on the clothing rack”.

Elphaba turned her head to look at the offending item, and offending it was. The robe was completely pink from head to toe and was covered in giant frilly circles certain to drive her insane over the course of the night. “Absolutely not, I am not wearing that pink monstrosity of a nightgown”

The blonde folded her arms over her chest. “Now who’s being dramatic?”

There was absolutely no way she would be talked or shamed into wearing that thing, so she stood her ground. “Pick something else”

Galinda thought for a moment before another idea emerged. She looked to be more confident in this one. The girl asked, “Are you facing me?”

Elphaba was currently standing, body facing toward Galinda who sat on the right side of the bed. “Yes”

“On your left there should be a stack of 3 chests, can you see them?”

She turned to see the chests, all stacked on top of each other in varying shades of pink. “Yes”.

Elphaba began to move towards them as Galinda continued to verbally guide her. “In the top chest there should be a pull-out drawer, open it and you’ll find a selection of ribbons inside”.

The older girl did as she was told and located the ribbon drawer. She had expected a few ribbons to be scattered inside but was surprised to see many neatly organised rows of streamers in all different colours of the rainbow. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t impressed. “Alright I can see them, now what?

“Take one and bring it to me”

What in Oz did she have planned? Elphaba picked up a cerulean blue ribbon from the selection and closed the drawer, making her way back to the bed. She kneeled down on the edge opposite Galinda and placed the ribbon in her waiting palm. “Here”.

Galinda closed her fingers around the ribbon and held out her other hand. “Give me your right arm”.

Only slightly hesitant, Elphaba obliged and provided her arm, curious to what the blonde had planned. When her arm made contact with Galinda’s hand, the girl slowly but surely began to wrap the ribbon around Elphaba’s wrist. She secured it with a bow big enough to feel for if she woke up. The chances of somebody breaking in and wearing a bow on their wrist were highly unlikely, meaning Galinda could easily identify if it was Elphaba lying with her. “That’s actually quite clever”.

The girl looked smug and gave a cheeky smile. “I’m not just a pretty face you know”

Elphaba returned a small smile even though the girl couldn’t see it. “Alright can we finally go to sleep now?”

Galinda nodded as she began to lay down. She laid on her left side, facing into the bed. The green witch assumed this was to make it easier to reach out if she needed to. Elphaba waked over to the light switch and bathed the room in darkness, leaving only the moon outside to cover the space. Galinda might not be able to see the moon, but Elphaba still felt the need to leave the curtains open, just in case. Making her way back to the bed, she contemplated which position she should sleep in. Normally she would lay on her back to sleep, but given the situation, she decided to follow suit and laid on her right side also facing inwards, ensuring her right arm was laid out in the middle.

She closed her eyes and tried to shut off her brain. After the evening's events she was rather irritated she hadn’t fallen asleep the second her head hit the pillow. Galinda didn’t seem to have experienced any issues, looking to have passed out before Elphaba had even laid down. Although she knew the girl wasn’t fully sleeping. Her breathing wasn’t right.

Elphaba opened her eyes and observed her bed sharer. Galinda’s eyes were closed, but Elphaba couldn’t get the image of those grey orbs out of her brain. She spent a lot of time looking into the girl’s eyes when they were arguing, knowing the prolonged eye contact made her uncomfortable. Seeing them almost empty after the spell made her feel uneasy.

Having spent so much time looking into her eyes, Elphaba realised she hadn’t paid much attention to anything else. Laying here now, in the dark, with only moonlight to illuminate her roommates face, she really took a moment to observe her. There was no mask, and no makeup to cover her natural features. The exquisite shape of her jawline, the perfect pink lips and adorable button nose. Without makeup Galinda looked much younger than usual, reminding Elphaba she was a few years younger than herself.

“I can feel you staring”

Elphaba almost jumped out of her skin at hearing those words, given how silent it had been just a moment ago. The girl hadn't even opened her eyes and somehow knew she was being watched. “Sorry”.

“Do you like what you see?”

Yes. She knew the girl was trying to get a reaction given the pleased look on her face, but she had no comeback. “Shut up”.

Galinda smiled. “Do allow me a little fun”.

She needed to end this conversation before she dug herself into a hole she couldn’t get out of. “Just go to sleep”

Galinda laughed, actually laughed before she responded, “Close your eyes and I will”.

Elphaba felt mortified, she had been watching her for a while. Had the blonde been aware the whole time? “How did you even know?”.

“I heard your eyes opening”

If that were the case, her theory about heightened senses was already being proven correct. Unless Galinda was lying. She questioned, “Did you really?”.

The girl nodded slightly against the pillow, still smiling. “I assumed that’s what it was and your reaction just confirmed it”.

“Fine, go to sleep”

She watched as Galinda laughed once more, clearly pleased with herself, before shifting around to get comfortable again. Elphaba did the same, adjusting her position slightly and closing her eyes. Surprisingly, their little conversation had actually put her more at ease than she had been before, but she didn’t attempt to sleep right away. Instead, she listened as Galinda’s breathing evened out, confirming she had truly drifted off, hopefully feeling safe with the older witch by her side.

Elphaba had surmised in order to get through this, they would both need to put their differences aside for a little while. It appeared Galinda had already been doing so subconsciously by joking around just now. It gave her hope that they had a chance of making it through this with a fresh start and a new perspective. Knowing at this moment, there was no malice between them, they would both sleep a little easier.

#ao3 fanfic #elphaba thropp #galinda upland #gelphie #wicked #wicked fanfiction

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dxisyxo-tmblr · 2 months ago

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glinda upland + text posts

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If the Moon Went Dark Tonight - Chapter 3 - Behind Closed Doors

“I don’t see anything…”

“Well, that makes two of us!”

If the Moon Went Dark Tonight - Chapter 3 - dxisyxo - Wicked (Movie 2024) [Archive of Our Own]

Summary: Elphaba and Galinda face the restroom together.

TW for Panic Attack

Chapter 3:

As they approached the restroom, Galinda heard the door being pushed open with a creak before they came to a standstill. She assumed Elphaba was surveying the room, and her suspicions were confirmed when she heard, “Ok I think we’re alone”.

She nodded in understanding but didn’t move. Truthfully, she’d been so lost in her thoughts she hadn’t been paying attention to the walk to know which bathroom this was. Luckily all the bathrooms contained the same layout, they were just slightly different sizes. As you walked in there would be a row of sinks and mirrors on your left, and the toilet stalls lined up on the right. There were special cubicles on the corner which were bigger in size and contained a sink of their own. She had never seen into or been inside one of these cubicles but had a feeling that’s where Elphaba would place her.

Shiz was a very inclusive place, and Galinda had many friends who were unique and different in their own ways. She always admired how they adapted to their limitations and went about their days as though nothing held them back. They were strong, independent and confident. They were everything she wasn’t right now. She felt like she was seconds away from crumbling. Yes, Elphaba had been by her side throughout the whole endeavour so far, but from the moment she fell into darkness, Galinda had never felt so alone.

She was pulled from her thoughts as she felt Elphaba guiding her further into the room, likely to a stall. The older girl pushed open another door and unhooked their arms. For a moment, neither of them knew what to do, until Elphaba asked “How do you want to do this?”

She felt extremely conflicted by the question. Admittedly she would rather not have Elphaba in the room or the stall, listening, watching, and judging. The mere thought of the humiliation to follow had her cheeks burning. On the other hand, she couldn’t bear the thought of being alone even for a moment. What if something went wrong? Then again, what could possibly happen in a small toilet stall. Finally deciding her pride outweighed her possible needs in this moment, she responded, “I’ll be fine on my own”.

Elphaba’s hand found its way around her forearm and gave her a gentle squeeze as she asked, “Are you sure? I don’t mind…”

Galinda pulled her arm from the green girl’s grip and said with confidence, “I can do this” despite her lack of belief in the statement.

The blonde took a deep breath and tried to prepare herself. She wanted to step forward into the stall but couldn’t be certain if she was directly in front of the open door, and didn’t want to embarrass herself by reaching out to check with her hands. This problem was quickly alleviated when she felt Elphaba’s hand on the small of her back, slowly pushing her forward as she said “Well, this is one of the special stalls, I thought it might be a little easier for you”.

And with that statement she had never felt so small, so incapable. She was Galinda Upland, of the Upper Uplands, able to handle anything life threw her way. So why did she now feel more helpless than ever? She wanted nothing more than to drop to the floor and curl up into a ball until this was all over. But that wasn’t an option, not with Elphaba beside her. She had a reputation to uphold.

Galinda knew the girl was only trying to help, but her roommate is the reason she’s in this mess. Elphaba’s magic had always been uncontrollable and unpredictable, that much became clear the first day they met in the courtyard, or what’s left of the courtyard. While the older girl claims this was an accident, Galinda couldn’t help wondering if it truly was. She would need to be careful to stay on the witch’s good side until this passed, lest she make her angry and cause any other reactions. So, she thanked her for the act.

Elphaba asked, “Is there anything I can do?”

Galinda nodded her head as she replied “Yes, vacate the room please”

“What?”

She had expected some resistance to the request but persisted regardless, “I’d rather not have you standing around in here while I deal with my business”. She wanted to keep as much of her dignity intact as possible.

Elphaba still sounded hesitant as she questioned, “What if you need something?”

Galinda maintained her confident persona as best she could in her answer. “I’ll be fine”

For a moment she wasn’t sure if Elphaba would leave, seemingly thinking about the request. Eventually she heard, “Alright, well knock on the door when you’re done” before footsteps made their way across the room and a door closed behind them.

Galinda stood for a few moments, alone for the first time since this happened. She listened to see if she could hear the other girl breathing. There was no way for her to be certain Elphaba had indeed left the room, or if she had simply opened and closed the door to give that impression. She could think of only one way to check if she girl had stayed, ready to jump in if something did go wrong. Galinda whispered, “Elphaba, are you still here?”

She waited a clock tick but received no response. Happy she was alone, she turned around in the stall and tried to find the door. Once her left hand located the side of the door, she slowly pushed it forward until it stopped, indicating it had been closed. She felt around for the lock and flicked it into place.

The next part wouldn’t be so easy. She did not know the layout of this stall. Galinda turned around slowly and held her arms out in front of her, low enough that she would be able to feel the toilet or sink when she reached them. She took a slow step forward, and then another, and then another before her hands rested on cold porcelain. The sink. Logically the toilet should be right next to it. She first moved to the left, keeping one hand on the sink to avoid losing it. Her left hand made contact with the stall wall meaning the toilet must be to her right.

She began to slide the other way with her left hand now planted on the sink and right hand searching for the toilet, praying it didn’t find the toilet seat. Most students at Shiz were respectable and clean, but Galinda always found herself placing toilet paper over the toilet seats before using them, just in case. She wished their dorm room had its own private bathroom to avoid the fear of being seen like this.

The girl was relieved when she found the toilet and reached over a little further to find the to find the toilet paper attached to the wall. With the objects located, the next step should be a breeze. She kept one hand on the sink where possible, knowing now where the other items where in relation to it, and manoeuvred around from there to do what she needed to do. The blonde washed her hands when she was finished and dried them on her pyjama shorts, grateful the experience was over.

Galinda then turned around to find the door, only to realise she didn’t know where the door was, or which way she was facing. This may be a problem. There was no way for her to know which way the door was or differentiate it from the stall walls as they all felt the same. Now she began to panic.

The main issue became clear when she remembered the stalls did not contain door handles, only locks, which were in the doors. She tried to feel around the walls for any sign of the door or lock, but everything felt identical, and she couldn’t find the sink anymore, having let go to search for the door. The special cubicles were larger than standard ones making it more difficult to navigate now she’d stepped somewhere into the middle.

She felt her heart start to beat a little faster and found her breaths became shorter as she frantically felt around for anything that would assist in her release. Earlier that day, Galinda had been capable of doing anything she set her mind to, but now, she was swallowed by darkness and being defeated by something as simple as a door.

Her mind became plagued with questions. What if this didn’t wear off? What if she never saw light again? What if she never got to see the look on her parents faces when she graduated? Would she even be capable of graduating anymore?

Suddenly the room became void of air as Galinda struggled to catch a breath. Her heart was pounding against her chest, and her mind began to swim. She couldn’t do this, not by herself. She started to bang her fists against whichever wall she found herself in front of, and with a shaky breath she tried to call for Elphaba. The sound came out more like a whisper as she wondered if she had suddenly lost the ability to speak as well. She couldn’t hear anything from Elphaba outside the stall. Had the girl left her here? Had she done this on purpose to put her down and gain the upper hand in their childish competition? Was she listening right now and laughing at her struggles?

Galinda felt her knees go weak and her entire body quivered as it was taken over by a cold sweat. She was alone, she wasn’t strong enough to scream and her knocks on the wall were feeble at best. Tears rushed down her face and her stomach turned. She took unsteady steps backwards until her back hit a wall and she slid down to the floor, wrapping her arms around her legs. She cried into her knees and willed the overwhelming emotions to disappear before she lost the ability to breath altogether. That’s when she heard it.

“Galinda?”

Oh Oz, now she was hearing things. Her mind playing tricks on her, thinking a saviour will come through the door at any moment and free her from this torment. But then she heard it again.

“Galinda?”

No, she knew that voice.

“Galinda are you ok?”

Elphaba? The girl was still here. She wasn’t alone. With a newfound strength, she managed to ask through a chocked sob “Elphaba?”. On shaky legs, she used the wall to slide back up to her feet and called again, louder “Elphaba”.

“Galinda what’s wrong, talk to me”

Her mind was still reeling, and she couldn’t form a clear sentence, but she followed Elphaba’s voice to what she assumed was the door. “I-I’m, I can’t, I can’t…”

“You can’t what?”

She bunched her hands into fists in exasperation at being incapable of getting the words out over her desperate gasps for oxygen. I’m stuck in here and can’t find the lock. Why couldn’t she just say it? Galinda tried again “The door, I can’t, it’s, I’m…”

“Ok breath for me, can you do that?”

The blonde didn’t think she’d be able to breath until she was freed from her confines and able to see again. A rattling noise sounded as though something was being shaken. She tried to bang her fist on the door and cried, “Help me”

“I’m trying I’m trying, just hang on”

The rattling continued and the lack of oxygen started making her feel dizzy. Her legs began to wobble as everything became too much. She couldn’t find it in herself to even try anymore. Galinda tried to run the words through her mind first but, no matter what she tried, nothing came out right. Where she attempted to say Help Me again, all she could think about was Elphaba. Therefore, the words came out as a combination, “Elphie”

Her head was a muddled fog as the world now sounded like it was underwater. She registered more words being spoken but couldn’t make out what they were. Suddenly there was a harsh breeze, and she was pulled into a tight embrace. A safety net lifting the girl from her prison. More wordless mumbles travelled over her ears as she felt herself being guided to the floor. She found the strength to wrap her arms around her saviour and held on like her life depended on it. If she let go, she wasn’t sure she’d ever feel safe again. So she held on.

Truthfully Elphaba did not want to wait outside, believing Galinda had underestimated how difficult this might be the first time; However, she understood the need for independence. The girl felt she had lost all control over her life and had started grappling onto anything she deemed herself capable of. Or perhaps she was simply determined to prove she won’t let this hold her back. Either way, Elphaba hoped the girl would understand and accept that there will be instances where she will need help, and that it’s ok to ask for it.

The chances of Galinda asking for help were very slim, especially from Elphaba herself. This would need to be played very carefully if they were to survive the next few days together. She could offer to help with things if she felt it appropriate to do so and let Galinda decide in that moment if she felt help would be required. Or she could just let the girl go about her business, so long as it wasn’t dangerous, and wait until it became absolutely necessary to step in, risking things going wrong before she could.

There were too many variables to consider. Help would need to be handled on a case-by-case basis, pending a risk assessment of each activity involved. The main issue would remain Galinda being concerned with doing something embarrassing. Again, this could also go either way. She could refuse help and then end up in a situation where she’s proven wrong and needs it. Alternatively, she could simply accept help, both situations making her feel humiliated for not being able to do things on her own.

Elphaba leaned back against the wall outside the toilets and waited for her roommate, feeling relived her headache had finally died down. She had considered pretending to leave and staying inside just in case, but neglected the idea when she realised Galinda would likely be able to hear her breathe. For there to even be the slightest chance of the blonde feeling safe enough to ask for help, they needed to build a foundation of trust. Step one would be respecting her wishes to be left alone, even if she felt she shouldn’t.

What had she gotten herself into? The green girl grimaced at the thought of what she started. Was she really the only one to blame for this happening? If Galinda hadn’t gone out of her way to irritate Elphaba with her humming, she would have been able to concentrate and perform the spell correctly. But what if the girl hadn’t intended to be annoying in her actions. Her roommate could be many things, but still was never one of them. There’s always something going on, whether that be humming, singing, finger tapping, leg shaking, little dances as she fluttered around their shared space. She had endless heaps of energy for such a small and fragile thing.

Music seemed to be the one thing that provided her any peace. Elphaba had observed in their time together that whenever the girl would become overwhelmed or irritated, she would play her records. The music was always gentle, classical instrumentals. No words, just simple harmonious tunes. The fidgeting wouldn’t cease, but it reduced dramatically. Finger tapping would be done intime to the music, as though she were playing along with the song. Leg shaking would become a gentle sway of the knees. Something takes over Galinda when music plays, and Elphaba had always found it fascinating. A fact that may be useful for later.

She ran a hand over her face and shook her head to bring herself back to the present situation. No clocks were visible from her position in the hallway, but she was certain enough time had passed for Galinda to have finished what she needed to do. There hadn’t been a knock at the door had there? Was she still working it out or had something gone wrong? She should go in and check, but what if nothing was wrong and she caused upset by disturbing her? No, this wasn’t right, she had been in there too long.

Elphaba stood up from leaning against the wall and moved to the door. She slowly opened it and poked her head around the corner. Nothing seemed out of place, but she couldn’t see her roommate anywhere. Everything looked fine, but it didn’t feel fine. She pushed the door open more, happy that she wouldn’t be walking into anything indecent and took in the room. When the door closed behind her, she could hear something. It was muffled but audible. It sounded like gasping, like somebody working hard to breathe. The only other person in the room was Galinda, so it had to be her. She quickly walked over to the stall she left the girl in and knocked on the door, calling her name. “Galinda?”

There was no verbal response, but an audible sob came from the other side of the door. Oh Oz what happened? She called again, “Galinda?” Elphaba had no idea what was wrong, but the girl sounded distraught. Maybe she hurt herself, maybe she couldn’t do it and got upset. When she tried to open the door, it wouldn’t budge. She looked down to the lock and found it had been sealed. Why? She still hadn’t received a response so called a little louder this time, “Galinda are you ok?”

This time she pressed her ear against the door and listened. That’s when she heard her name, covered by a sob. “Elphaba?” At least she thinks it was her name. It was hard to tell over the whimpering. Perhaps she was hearing things or wasn’t speaking loud enough. But then she heard it again, louder and clearer than before, “Elphaba?” followed by movement inside the stall. That was promising as it indicated she may not be hurt. She asked as clearly as possible, “Galinda what’s wrong? Talk to me”

It took a moment before she got a reply. “I-I’m, I can’t, I can’t…”

It sounded like she was too confused to form a proper sentence, therefore she would need to think about how she phrased her questions and listen for key words. She asked, “You can’t what?”

“The door, I can’t, it’s, I’m…”

The poor girl was struggling to even get individual words out in between gasps and weeps. Galinda needed to calm down before she chocked herself to unconsciousness. One step at a time, calm her down, then open the door. “Ok breath for me, can you do that?”

She looked over the lock and began to try and twist it open from the outside. Elphaba heard light banging against the door and an almost whispered, “Help me”. Woah. Those 2 words hit her hard. She wanted Galinda to feel ok asking her for help, but right now Galinda was not ok, and the request came through as though the girl expected Elphaba to leave her. Had she given her that impression? She tried to offer reassurance, “I’m trying I’m trying, just hang on”

The lock finally began to turn, and she put as much pressure as she could into making it move as quickly as she could. Her fingers slipped off when she heard the strangest thing, “Elphie”.

Elphie? She didn’t have time to ponder the word as she set back to work and tried to soothe the younger girl, “I’m almost there I promise, just hold out a little longer”

The only response she received was another bawl. As soon as the lock turned all the way she yanked the door open, praying she wouldn’t hit Galinda with it. Thankfully she was a little to the side allowing Elphaba to pull her out. She wasn’t sure if it was the overwhelming atmosphere or the way her heart has been breaking all evening for her sworn enemy, but she pulled the blonde into a tight hug. She hoped the pressure would offer some calm over the storm in Galinda’s head. Elphaba could practically feel the girls heart beating out of her chest.

Galinda didn’t hug back but continued to cry into her roommate’s shoulder. Honestly, she was surprised the blonde had allowed herself to be pulled into the embrace. After a moment everything must have become too much because suddenly, she felt all of Galinda’s weight leaning on her as though her legs had given up. Elphaba squeezed her a little tighter as she slowly guided them to the floor and tried to break through the haze.

When they hit the floor, she was taken by surprise as Galinda wrapped her arms around her and gripped as tightly as she could. The hold wasn’t that strong, but she imagined it was all the strength the girl had to give in the moment. Elphaba wasn’t sure what to do to stop the crying, but remembered how she responded to music. Granted there was no record player in the room with them, but she could improvise.

She shuffled them into a more comfortable position and felt the grip around her tighten at the movement. Elphaba began to slowly rock them side to side and started to sing one of the few songs she knew by heart. A song Dulicbear would sing to her when she was scared, usually after a nightmare. She hoped the motion and the sound would be enough to allow Galinda the chance to come back to reality. The older girl carried on singing and rocking until she felt the shaking and sobbing begin to settle into smaller whimpers. They must have been sat down there for over 10 minutes.

She knew the moment Galinda was finally back with her when she slowly unwrapped herself and pulled away, wiping at her eyes. She broke the new quiet by saying something unexpected “I’m sorry”

Sorry? Why was she sorry? Elphaba wanted to reach over, pull her back into a hug and tell her everything would be ok, but she didn’t want to startle her so soon after she calmed down. She decided to make conversation and find out what happened. It would be helpful to know if there's anything she can do to make sure this doesn’t happen again. “You have nothing to be sorry for, but can you tell me what happened in there?”

Galinda sat for a moment, a hiccup escaping as an after effect of her breakdown. The girl swallowed before responding, “I couldn’t find the lock”

She was very surprised to have found the door locked when she tried to open it earlier. It seemed logical to Elphaba to not lock the door in this kind of situation as a matter of convenience. However, the act of locking a toilet stall door would be a force of habit for most people. “Why did you lock it in the first place?”

The blonde slumped a little in her spot with a sniffle, looking down at the floor. “I don’t know” She looked utterly defeated and absolutely exhausted. It hadn’t even been an hour, and the poor girl had already been traumatised by this accident. Elphaba understood the panic wasn’t just due to being locked in the toilet stall, and had more to do with her fears over her new predicament.

She knew the answer already, but couldn’t help asking, “Are you ok?”. The girl only nodded in response, far from alright, but much better than she was earlier. Elphaba moved to stand up and reached down for Galinda’s hands. “Alright, lets get you back”

Galinda accepted the help without hesitation and stood up with Elphaba’s assistance. Elphaba asked, “Did you wash your hands?”

Galinda huffed and held up her hands, still in Elphaba’s grip, “Yes mother, do you want to check?”

The witch couldn’t help but to laugh a little at the comeback. “No, I believe you”. She then let go of Galinda’s hands and hooked their arms together to start walking back to the dorm. They made it to the door before Elphaba felt some resistance. She turned her head to face Galinda as the girl asked her, “Do you need to go?”

She was surprised by her roommate’s consideration for her wellbeing, but replied “No let’s just get back before somebody shows up”. Galinda nodded and they made their way through the door.

On the way back Elphaba remembered something. “Galinda?”

“Yes?”

The green girl had almost forgotten but was very intrigued by the strange word she heard earlier, so she asked, “What does Elphie mean?”

Elphaba thought she saw a slight blush on her companion’s cheeks as she tried to explain, “I was trying to say help me, but it got mixed up with your name, I’m sorry”

“Don’t be, I like it”. And with that they reached the door to their room, and new safe haven for the next few days.

#wicked fanfiction #wicked #gelphie #galinda upland #elphaba thropp #ao3 fanfic

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dxisyxo-tmblr · 2 months ago

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If The Moon Went Dark Tonight - We're Off to See... Madame Morrible

“I don’t see anything…”

“Well, that makes two of us!”

If the Moon Went Dark Tonight - Chapter 2 - dxisyxo - Wicked (Movie 2024) [Archive of Our Own]

Summary: Elphaba and Galinda speak with Madame Morrible about their situation. As expected, it doesn't go to plan.

Chapter 2:

The pair walked slowly through the dimmed hallways. Galinda gripped Elphaba’s arm like a lifeline. Elphaba tried to keep a steady and straight pace to aid the blonde in her steps, but every now and then the girl would sway or fumble, clearly disoriented by her current state. Given the time of night, most students were either already settled in their dorms for the night, or out in town to let loose. The hallways were therefore clear for them to take their time and not be spotted.

She didn’t much mind being seen herself, but for somebody like Galinda, being seen in her condition would be most undesirable. The sooner they got to Madame Morrible, the sooner they could get back to their dorm and pretend none of this ever happened. Although Elphaba assumed Galinda won’t let her hear the end of it for quite a while. As they approached the study, Elphaba leaned in and said, “Let me do the talking”.

Galinda huffed “Obviously, I’m not going to risk saying anything to aggravate her hatred towards me”

Elphaba shook her head at the response as she used her free arm to knock on the door and ring the bell. She waited a few moments before knocking again. If the professor was already asleep, she may not have heard the first knocks or bell ring. After a moment she saw Madame Morrible making her way to the door, looking rather unimpressed. Elphaba didn’t realise she was fidgeting until Galinda whispered, “Be still, you’re making me nervous”. She tried her best to remain calm as the door was opened and the professor stepped out into the hall.

“Madame Morrible I’m sorry to bother you so late”

The woman glanced over the two girls with a curious gaze as she questioned “Miss Elphaba, Miss Galinda, what brings you both here at this time?”

Elphaba began to panic as she struggled to find the right words to explain their predicament. She feared her tutor’s reaction to what she had done and was concerned how it may affect her spot in not only the seminar, but the school too. “I was, well, I, uh…”

“Is everything alright dearie?”

Elphaba looked over to her companion and she managed to reply, “No not really”. She looked back to Madame Morrible and explained “I was working on the spell from our last lesson and…”

The professor interrupted “So soon? I hope you didn’t attempt it yet, you must spend time understanding and memorising such a spell before even considering to attempt it”

Elphaba groaned and scratched the back of her head. “That would have been useful information to know before tonight”.

Madame Morrible stated “I had thought it would be obvious to someone with your knowledge”

Galinda let out a small laugh at the remark, apparently enjoying the conversation.

Elphaba wished the girl could see the glare she had thrown her way as she responded to the professor “I guess I was a little distracted tonight, and I got a little carried away”.

The older woman sighed and crossed her arms, appearing disappointed with her answer. “What do I always tell you, patience is key, you cannot rush or force such a delicate gift”

The hand previously on her head was now fidgeting anxiously at her side “Well, I can assure you I will be taking your advice very seriously moving forward, but for now I messed up and I really need your help”

The professor sensed her distress and asked, “What happened, did you lose something?”

Elphaba sighed “I haven’t but…”. She looked back to Galinda, who had been unknowingly staring off into the distance throughout the conversation, “Galinda has”

Morrible looked the blonde up and down with distaste before shifting her gaze back to Elphaba when the girl didn’t respond. “And what exactly has she lost, her voice?”

“Her sight”

The older woman stood up even straighter as she took in the 2 simple words with a look of bewilderment. “What?”

Elphaba gulped as she continued, “She can’t see anything”

Her facial expressions shifted through stages of confusion, disappointment, maybe anger, it was difficult to decipher. The professor’s negative emotions still seemed to be aimed at Galinda rather than Elphaba. “That is a very serious accusation, are you certain she’s telling the truth?”

If looks could kill, Galinda’s scowl would have been enough to remove Madame Morrible’s life force from her body. The blonde went to respond but Elphaba unhooked their arms and reached down to pinch her wrist, never breaking eye contact with the professor as she said “I’m certain, look at her eyes”

For the first time since arriving the older woman seemed to really look at the blonde and her eyes became wide as they caught sight of Galinda’s. “Oh my”. She grabbed the girls chin and tilted her head upwards before pulling her towards the wall and underneath a light attached overhead.

Galinda gasped at the sudden movement, taken aback by the action and reached for Elphaba’s hand when they got dragged apart. Elphaba took a step forward to take a hold of her hand and let the girl know she wasn’t alone. Morrible hadn’t noticed the interaction at all, consumed by her analysis as she continued to move and tilt the head she held onto.

After a few uncomfortable moments the woman finally released her grip and whispered in astonishment “Absolutely remarkable”.

In tandem both girls questioned “Is it?”

The professor turned to Elphaba with a smile as she explained “Well, the circumstances are not ideal, and your persecution of the spell may have been a little off centre, however, the simple fact you have been able to accomplish such a thing is astounding”

Elphaba had always sought praise from her professor. She looked up to her, respected her and wanted nothing more than to make her proud. Nevertheless, this situation did not feel worthy of a ‘congratulations’, especially when somebody is currently suffering because of her mistake. “I don’t really think achieve is the right word for this”

Morrible waved her hand in the air, dismissing the statement “Nonsense, I have to admit I am rather impressed, this is an extremely high-level spell Miss Elphaba, many have been able to accomplish far less with more practice, this is very advanced sorcery my dear”

The conversation seemed to be rather unhelpful thus far. They came here for assistance and up to this point have received anything other than help. Time to get back on track. “Madame Morrible, as flattering as this is, we need to know how to fix it”.

The professor gave her a quizzical look. “Fix it?”

Elphaba was unsure which part of her statement caused the confusion. “Yes, fix it”

The older woman gave her a sympathetic smile as she explained “My dear, this cannot simply be fixed ”

Elphaba felt her stomach drop and saw as Galinda’s face fell before she questioned “What?”

Surely that couldn’t be true. Why would she be trusted with a spell that had no reversal. No this can’t be right. How would she explain this to the school? She had blinded another student. They would kick her out and send her home to her father who would likely be waiting with his own punishment. One thing at a time . “Is it permanent?”

“Oh goodness no”

A wave of relief washed over both girls who released a breath at the revelation. At least some good news had come from this visit. Galinda closed her eyes and brought her free hand to her chest as she whispered, “Thank Oz”.

Morrible shook her head at the girl as she continued to explain the situation to Elphaba directly. “You advised you were distracted whilst performing the spell which means you will not have given it full power. I can only surmise you were distracted by Miss Upland whilst attempting to cast it which is why it reflected on her rather than the object of your selection”

That was a polite way of telling somebody they messed up without making a direct accusation, although the professor did not seem to see this as a mistake at all. Elphaba often found herself complaining about her roommate during her seminars, meaning Morrible was well aware of her negative feelings about the blonde. She likely thought Elphaba had done this on purpose but wouldn’t say it for fear of Galinda’s reaction.

Right now, they needed to focus on the task at hand. “If this isn’t permanent, how long do you think it will last?”

Morrible shook her head. “It’s hard to say, but given you are still learning, and it was your first time casting the spell, I would imagine this will only last a few days”

Galinda gasped as she squeezed Elphaba’s hand in her tense state. “Days?”

The professor turned to face the girl in revulsion, seemingly irritated by her presence. “Hush, if the spell had been cast correctly and with precision it could have been weeks, and when cast at a higher level of understanding, it could even be permanent, you’re lucky days are all you ended up with”

Obviously panicking, yet trying to force her mask of semblance, Galinda tried to negotiate her way out. “I’m certain a, wise , and powerful sorceress like yourself would be capable of amending such a mistake, or are you not a strong as you used to be?” Did she just call Madame Morrible old ?

If questioned, Elphaba would say for certain she saw smoke exit her professor’s ears as she fought the same battle of composure, whilst also inserting her superiority into her next words. “There is no questioning my magical ability Miss Upland, however, if you continue to do so, I can certainly look to showcase my power and make this a permanent alteration for you if you wish”

Galinda said nothing and lowered her head. This time, Elphaba squeezed her hand as a silent show of support, hidden from Morrible’s smug gaze.

“That’s what I thought”

Elphaba held the highest respect for her professor, but she did not like how the older woman had handled this situation at all. She expected more professionalism to be used in such a delicate case, and yet here she stood, sending threats rather than words of reassurance leaving Elphaba comforting her nemesis in a vulnerable time of weakness.

Keen to take Morrible’s attention away from Galinda, Elphaba questioned “So what now?”

The professor turned her attention back to her star student and crossed her arms again. “Now, you go back to your dorm and keep yourselves occupied until it passes”

The instruction had been given in a very nonchalant tone given how dire the situation seemed to the girls. Galinda may be the only one physically incapacitated at the moment, but this would affect both of them. The blonde went to argue back again but decided against it when Elphaba put pressure on her hand. A silent warning not to make this worse for herself than it already was.

Elphaba could take a guess at what she would have said and asked the question for her, knowing she would receive a better reception. “That’s it? Is there anything we need to do until then?”

Morrible shook her head. “If her vision has not returned by the time classes begin again, I shall ensure you are both excused until the situation is remedied, until then, report anything unusual to me and we will take it day by day.”

“Alright then, I’ll let you know if anything changes”. Elphaba shuffled over to Galinda’s side to hook their arms again and turned to walk away.

Morrible’s voice stopped them. “Oh and Miss Elphaba, I must advise you to not attempt a reversal spell yourself, you could risk making things worse, let this be a lesson in precaution moving forward”

Elphaba nodded her head in understanding and took another step forward. She was once again halted by the professor’s hand on her other arm. The woman leaned in and whispered with a grin on her face, “Well done Miss Elphaba”. She returned a sad smile and finally departed with Galinda.

Further down the hallway, they could hear the door to the Madame Morrible’s study closing, leaving them with their own thoughts. Aside from confirmation the vision loss would be temporary, the visit was rather unhelpful. They were no further ahead than they were before they left.

On their way back they took on a slower pace than before, having no urgency anymore. This also helped to keep them steady as they navigated the hallway. Elphaba cautioned a look towards Galinda who appeared to be lost in her head about the news they were provided. Much like herself, the girl must have raised her hopes of having her vision restored this very night. Now all they were left with was disappointment... and each other.

If they were going to be stuck like this for the foreseeable, Elphaba would do the best she could to make this as easy for both of them as possible, hoping Galinda would do the same. The last thing she needed was a weekend full of the girl’s dramatics. She needed to break the ice and see if they were on the same page. “At least it’s Friday, so we won’t miss much”

Galinda startled a little at the sudden voice before snapping back, “Speak for yourself, some of us have social lives”

OK maybe they weren’t on the same page. Regardless, one weekend inside wouldn’t be the worst thing, and maybe this would be a chance for them to really connect in a way they haven’t been able to before. Hopefully the connection would be a positive emotional bond rather than the connection of Galinda’s fist to Elphaba’s face when she’s had enough. She tried again. “There are plenty of ways to pass time in the dorms”

Galinda scoffed at the statement. “Perhaps, for people who can actually see”

That was rather a good point. The more she thought about it, most of their rainy-day activities involved the ability to see what you were doing. Drawing for example. Galinda loved to draw and doodle. She could sit for hours sketching anything and everything from buildings to people to flowers. It was certainly her favourite pass time, and unfortunately not something she would be able to do in her current predicament.

Regardless, they would find something else to do. “We’ll adapt”

Galinda only huffed. That seemed to be her new favourite pass time.

They walked a few more paces in silence. It was strange for the blonde to be so quiet. If only she had been this quiet during their conversation with the professor. “I thought I told you not to say anything to Madame Morrible”

The girl rolled her eyes grey tinted eyes. “I couldn’t help it, she made me so angry, and I told you she’d leave me like this on purpose”

Elphaba would like to believe Madame Morrible had been telling the truth about not being able to fix it and not intentionally keeping Galinda in the dark. Although the professor had told her not to attempt a reversal spell. Did that mean a reversal spell does exist? No, she had to believe her. If she said it couldn’t be fixed, then it couldn’t be fixed. “Galinda there’s nothing she can do”

The blonde stopped walking abruptly, their looped arms bringing Elphaba to a halt as well as she protested, “Of course there’s something she can do she just won’t admit it, I swear I could feel her evil smirk as she manhandled my face”

It was Elphaba’s turn to roll her eyes. “Stop being so dramatic”

This earned another huff from Galinda along with a little foot stomp.

Elphaba shook her head at the tantrum and looked around to make sure nobody was around. Her gaze landed on the floor’s communal washrooms and toilets. She asked the girl “Do you need the bathroom whilst we’re up this way?”

Galinda’s defensive position seemed to deflate as she contemplated the answer. Neither of them had thought so far ahead about what they would do if this couldn’t be reversed. Normal everyday things would no longer be as easy to accomplish for the time being and this threw them both for a moment.

Elphaba allowed her time to ponder the question. She knew the girl wasn’t just thinking about whether she had to use the bathroom, but rather if she would be capable of doing so on her own. The thought of not being able to do something so personal, privately, for somebody as independent as Galinda would be quite daunting. Elphaba also knew she was finally facing her current reality for the first time as it began to sink in.

However, the longer they stood in silence, the more the older girl began to worry about a student showing up for a late-night bathroom break. She knew at this moment Galinda wouldn’t be ready to face anyone seeing her like this, so she prompted again, “Galinda, do you need to use the bathroom?”

The girl finally responded “No, but I think it best to go now whilst the halls are empty”

“Alright”

With that, Elphaba hooked their arms together again and walked them towards the bathroom, ready to face this next challenge together.

#wicked fanfiction #wicked #gelphie #ao3 fanfic #galinda upland #glinda upland #elphaba thropp

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dxisyxo-tmblr · 2 months ago

Text

If The Moon Went Dark Tonight

“I don’t see anything…”

“Well, that makes two of us!”

If the Moon Went Dark Tonight - Chapter 1 - dxisyxo - Wicked (Movie 2024) [Archive of Our Own]

Chapter 1:

In the shared dorm room, both girls sat on their opposite sides of the space. Galinda at her vanity in her pink coloured pyjamas, going through her nightly routine, removing makeup, extracting pins from her hair, and applying some kind of moisturiser. Elphaba sat cross legged on the floor by her bed, with an empty cup in front of her and her sorcery book in her lap, attempting a spell she had been tasked with practicing before her next seminar.

Galinda’s side of the room was illuminated by her obnoxiously bright and pink lamp, situated on her bedside table. That stupid, irritating, wrongly coloured lamp. Elphaba’s side of the room was a more reasonable level of bright for the time of night. The evening sunset coming through her windows with a few lit candles surrounding her place on the floor.

The room was fairly quiet, with only turning pages and the brush running through Galinda’s long golden hair. And unfortunately, the non-stop backing track of the Blonde’s humming. She had gentle music playing on her record player earlier, however, Elphaba had requested she turn it off so she could concentrate. After an unpleasant conversation and a lecture from Galinda about doing homework on a Friday night when she could be doing literally anything else, the music was turned off and the humming began.

Whilst the humming was far less distracting, Elphaba still found herself listening to the tune whilst trying to read the lines in front of her. She looked over to the noisemaker, who was still grooming herself like a monkey, and then back down to her book with a sigh. She hadn’t been given much context regarding the spell or about exactly what it does, but she couldn’t focus on the words anymore, so decided to just follow the instructions and give it a try. What could go wrong?

She set the book down in front of her and rested her hands on her knees, in a meditation pose. With a few deep breaths, she attempted to block out the world and remember the words for the incantation. It was simple enough, just a few lines, but concentration is key. Elphaba began to quietly recite the spell, trying not to draw attention from Galinda across the room. Doing so, however, shifted her focus to the awareness of her roommate’s presence. She closed her eyes and attempted to focus before continuing the spell.

She tried to clear her mind and ignore any outside stimuli to ensure the best outcome. In her seminars she never had an issue with concentration, it was just her and Madame Morrible. The latter would always give her space to work meaning she could simply do what she needed to do. In this moment however, her mind seemed attached to the racket on her right, and she was unable to maintain 100% focus.

Elphaba found herself becoming more agitated the longer she recited the spell and felt nothing happening. Her magic was building up but not in the right way. This felt more like she was about to lose control than gain it, and she knew it was due to the little blonde drama queen sat across the room. Every time she tried to focus, she remembered why she was trying to do so in the first place, which brought her mind back to Galinda and her vexatious humming.

Her head was spinning and the pressure of magic building as she persevered with the spell, determined to not let the younger girl ruin this for her as she does everything else. Eventually it all became too much, and the force became unbearable. She stopped the incantation and took a deep breath, suddenly feeling like she hadn’t been breathing at all, and let her mind rest. It felt like something had happened, and she hoped that would mean the spell was a success. Her current headache had to be worth something.

When a wave of dizziness passed, she slowly opened her eyes to take a look at the cup. Elphaba was disappointed to see the cup completely unchanged, exactly as it had been before she began. The entire experience had been for nothing, a mild headache the only thing left to show for her actions. Or so she thought. The witch slammed her book shut with a sigh, deciding she would try again tomorrow after some much needed rest. She did note all the candles she had lit, were now burnt out. At least she had managed to do something.

Elphaba began to stand up when she heard a gasp come from Galinda’s side of the room. She glanced over her shoulder to see what startled the girl, but it seemed she was simply staring at herself in the vanity mirror, a look of shock on her face. She wondered if the girl had found a blemish that she deemed imperfect and would need to cover up before being seen in public again. Oz forbid anyone think she had anything but the clearest of skin on that beautiful face.

She laughed a little to herself at the thought that she ended up rooming with somebody so infatuated by looks when she herself was the complete opposite. She leaned down to pick up the cup and book to clear away for the night when she heard Galinda yell “What did you do?!”.

She stopped in her tracks and looked over at the blonde again, but she appeared to still be looking at herself in the mirror. Was she talking to her reflection? One thing became clear as Galinda leaned forward and her face appeared in the mirror, she looked very angry about something.

Normally Elphaba would take delight in her roommate’s agitation and perhaps even add to it, but tonight would not be one of those nights. After what just happened, she desperately needed to go to bed and sleep off her building headache. She carried on picking up her things and placed them on her bedside table to be dealt with in the morning.

She turned around to find her night gown and heard another yell “Hey, I’m talking to you!”. But… there was nobody else in the room.

When she turned to face Galinda, she found the girl looking towards her side of the room, but not directly at her. Maybe she was talking to Elphaba. She questioned “Me?”.

Galinda responded with an angry growl “Yes you! what did you do?”.

What did she do? Nothing had taken place over the last few minutes to justify this level of anger towards her. “What do you mean?”

The younger girl crossed her arms and replied, “You know what I mean”.

This was not helping her headache; she hates when people do that. Why can’t people just answer the question rather than assume everything in the world is a shared knowledge. “I have no idea what you’re talking about Galinda”.

The girl huffed before barking back “Fix it”.

Huffing herself, Elphaba stormed over to see what had happened. Maybe she had accidentally destroyed something on the vanity whilst attempting the spell. She hadn’t heard anything break though, even in her magical trance.

She asked angrily with her arms in a wide gesture “Fix what?”

Galinda motioned to her face and responded “This!” as though the action would help clear everything up.

Elphaba looked over her face but couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary, the only difference compared to normal would be the lack of makeup. Her head was bowed slightly as though she refused to meet her gaze. “I don’t see anything…”

“Well, that makes two of us!”

What did that mean? If she also can’t see anything wrong, then what’s the problem? Her frustration was building to a breaking point, and it seemed Galinda’s had already boiled over given the volume of her responses. She needed to get to the bottom of this quickly so she could go to sleep “Please stop yelling, what are you trying to say?”

The girl growled as she aimed a finger in Elphaba’s direction, not quite hitting the mark, “I’m saying I can’t see anything, and I know you’re responsible”

Well, that was the last thing she had expected to hear. Can’t see anything? She wanted to laugh in irritation, knowing now she would not be getting to rest anytime soon. “I didn’t do this, are you sure you’re not having a reaction to one of your products or something?” She waved her hand around in front of Galinda’s face, but she’d turned her head back forward towards the vanity.

She maundered, “Of course I’m sure, I’ve been using them for years and have never encountered any issues, they are perfectly safe, and you are perfectly not when I get my vision back”

Elphaba audibly laughed as Galinda attempted to make a grab for her, jumping to the girl’s other side and out of the way. The blonde growled in frustration at missing her target. It was ever so slightly funny to see little miss perfect in such a flustered state. Her amusement soon died down however upon seeing her roommates face shift from anger to apparent fear over her lack of ability to do something she was capable of only minutes earlier. If Galinda was indeed telling the truth, the severity of the situation took a sharp turn.

If she herself had suddenly lost the ability to see, she too would be extremely concerned. On this occasion, the blondes’ actions were completely understandable in her uneasy state. Elphaba took a deep breath to calm herself as she kneeled down by Galinda’s side. She reached out a hand to settle on Galinda’s arm, seeking her attention. It didn’t slip her notice how the girl flinched at the unexpected contact. She tried to keep her words as gentle as possible. “Alright, let me see”

Galinda scoffed “Is that supposed to be funny?”

“No”. She hadn’t intended it to be, but the irony was not lost on her. Regardless, she would need to be careful about her choice of phrasing for the time being. “Turn around, I want to check out your eyes”

The girl quipped with mockery “I’ll bet you do” but turned around all the same so she was facing Elphaba.

She didn’t respond due to trepidation of saying the wrong thing again. Galinda however, had not finished with her remarks, clearly trying to mask her panic with humour as Elphaba’s hands cupped her face. “Try not to get lost in them”

“Very funny” She tried to avoid agitating the blonde further as she finally came face to face with her. She was shocked to find a sheen of grey where deep chocolate brown would normally reside, which confirmed, unfortunately, Galinda was indeed telling the truth.

“The only good thing about this is I don’t have to look at your face anymore”

She was perfectly fine with Galinda making jokes for now. If it helped ease her mind into her current reality, then Elphaba would suck it up for the time being. However, she needed to maintain some form of control or normalcy until this passed to ensure things wouldn’t be too complicated afterwards. “I’m letting you make jokes because I understand this is stressful for you, but don’t think I’ll maintain the same courtesy if your sight returns”

“If?!”

Shoot. She knew the moment the word left her mouth it was the wrong thing to say, but had hoped the girl wouldn’t pick up on it. She tried to deflect as she dropped her hands back to her legs, “Can you see anything at all?”

Galinda now had worry written all over her face as her eyebrows curled upwards and her bottom lip was holding back a quiver “No, just darkness, can we go back to the if please?”.

At this point, honesty seemed like the easiest option. Trying to lie and comfort the girl would only have her tripping up on her words later and possibly offering false hopes which would only cause further issues. Best to keep things as simple as possible “I know as much as you do right now”

Galinda turned back to the desk, elbows resting on the wood as she covered her face with her hands “Oh my Oz this cannot be happening, my life is over”

Whilst the situation was indeed not ideal, she was perfectly alive and healthy. Her life would very much go on and she would live another day to make Elphaba suffer as much as humanly possible. She rose to her feet and scoffed “That’s a little dramatic”.

The blonde slammed her hands on the desk and turned her head to face in Elphaba’s direction as she yelled “Is It?!”

Ok, perhaps that had been in poor taste. This needed fixing and soon, otherwise she’d never hear the end of it. “Maybe we should head to the infirmary?”

Galinda crossed her arms in defiance “No, absolutely not”

She tried to reason with her “They might be able to…”

“No!”

“ Galinda …”

The younger girl pointed in Elphaba’s direction as she argued “ You did this, you fix it”.

She bawled her hands into fists, resisting the urge to reach forward and do something she’d regret in a moment of anger. “I didn’t do this, I was just working on a spell for…”. The spell . She had completely forgotten about the spell.

At the sudden silence Galinda questioned “What?”

Elphaba started pacing, wringing her hands together as the last 10 minutes caught up to her, to what she had done. “Oh no”.

Clearly sensing the shift, Galinda questioned again “Elphaba what’s wrong?”

If this had indeed been a result of her failed (or not failed) attempt at the spell, then she knew of only one person who could help fix this. “I need to speak with Madame Morrible”

Galinda gasped. “So it was you, I knew it!”

This was bad, this was very bad. This became very serious, very quickly. She would need to be very careful how she approached this, lest she make the situation worse with her own fear. Galinda was dramatic at the best of times, and this would be the perfect opportunity for her theatrics to thrive if not handled immediately. “Ok, don’t panic, I think the spell I was working on may have gone awry”

She responded with sarcasm “Oh really?”. Surprisingly, the girl seemed to try and calm herself with a slow breath before asking, “what spell?”

Honest, just be honest, lying will only make it worse “I was trying to make something disappear”

Her temporary composure seemed to slip a little at the words, the effort to remain calm evident in her next question, “Disappear as in make something invisible, or disappear as in erase something from existence?”

She had no idea. Her comprehension of the spell was fairly limited given her minimal time reviewing the text. Spell books frequently start with a history of the magic. Whilst she understood this was important for grasping why the spell would be useful or required, the content often became tedious and hard to focus on. Therefore, she had no idea which of the two options presented, were the intended outcome of the spell in question.

So lost in her thoughts the older girl hadn’t realised she became silent until Galinda yelled for her attention, “Elphaba Thropp!”

She responded in consternation “I have no idea”

Elphaba hadn’t thought about why she’d asked the question until Galinda panicked and reached for her face in hysteria crying “Where are my eyes?!”. She appeared to be trying to feel for her eyes as if worried they were no longer there.

Elphaba grabbed the girl's hands before she could accidentally scratch herself and give her another reason to be mad. “Your eyes are still firmly situated in your sockets I assure you”

With tears in her grey tinted eyes, the blonde whispered, “You have to reverse this”.

She gripped the girls hands a little tighter trying to reassure her, only, she had no reassurement to offer, “I don’t know how”

Galinda tried express her anger, however, the voice crack that followed only succeeded in showing her defeat “Well, figure it out”.

Elphaba let go of her hands softly setting them down on the girl’s lap before standing up straight. Truthfully the witch was too overwhelmed with the situation to figure this out right now. She needed help. “I’ll go bring Madame Morrible, she’ll know what to do”.

Galinda shook her head “Oh Oz not her, she’ll leave me like this on purpose just to spite me”.

Admittedly, she knew Morrible held little regard for the younger girl, but as a teacher she had a duty of care to any and all students. Plus, she was the only person who would have any answer for them given she gave the spell to Elphaba in the first place. She did understand the hesitance however and tried to reassure her “She wouldn’t do that”

Galinda snarled “She absolutely would, she hates me, she’ll only make this worse”

“We don’t really have a choice” Elphaba began to make her way to the door before Galinda could convince her otherwise. “Just wait here…”

“And do what?! I can’t see!”

She turned around to face her roommate, who had now stood up from her chair “I’ll be five minutes, just try not to do anything stupid until I get back”

“Wait!”

Elphaba sighed as her head fell back in frustration. When she turned to face Galinda again, she faltered a moment as she saw the anxiety written all over her face, and the tears forming under her eyes. She asked as calmly as possible “What?”

“Please don’t leave me”

In her entire time knowing Galinda, Elphaba had never seen her so vulnerable. Loathing aside, her heart broke a little at the request. She must be truly frightened to ask Elphaba of all people such a thing. Regardless, they needed help, and help was currently elsewhere. “Galinda, I have to…”

“I don’t want to be alone like this”

And then her heart shattered. As much as Elphaba hated the idea of taking the girl with her, she tried to see things from Galinda’s point of view, or therefore lack of. Being abandoned in your most helpless state, with no way of navigating anything, would be truly terrifying. She wouldn’t want to be left alone either, no matter how short a time.

“Alright, you can come with me. But no talking, I cannot deal with anymore of your rambling right now”. Her headache had taken over in the silence and she needed to focus on reducing it before she reached Madame Morrible.

Galinda nodded her head in understanding “Ok”

Elphaba made her way over to the girl and hooked their arms together before walking them to the door.

#wicked #gelphie #ao3 fanfic #galinda upland #elphaba thropp

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