Work Text
Not even the esteemed Elphaba Thropp had a reason to love brewing potions. While she loved the field of science, especially biology, there was just something she didn’t like about titrating and calculating just how much she had to put in a vial. Boq and Fiyero had been prohibited from taking the course anyway, especially after they had blown up part of it due to horsing around. Nessa just didn’t have any interest in the subject.
The exception to that is Glinda, which came as a surprise to almost everyone. It wasn’t necessarily required to study potions after she had declared for architecture and yet, here she was, right in front of the class and eagerly listening to whatever their professor was going on and about. Even Elphaba showing up in this class couldn’t distract her from any of it.
Much has changed since they had become friends. The pink remained, although not to the point where everything she owned was pink, her time is now spent in the library or the drawing room instead of parties and, well, now she has these glasses sitting prettily on the bridge of her nose. They weren’t as quirky as Elphaba’s, although Fiyero had almost convinced her to get a pair so they could match. They were simple, black, glasses.
One that Elphaba was so enamored by.
“As for your midterm, I’m allowing you to create a potion that’s on the second and third section of your textbook. You have a month to prepare your potions, and along that, the results of whatever they might be. That’s all, you are dismissed.” Their words hung in the air, leaving the blonde excited for whatever she might find in those sections. She gathers her books in her arms, pushes the chair underneath the table and offers a smile to her professor. And then she leaves, heading straight for the library.
Her nose was stuck in her textbook for what felt like hours, groaning and frowning as she read every potion that her eyes set on. They were all boring, all done for healing or for quick transformations. Some were dangerous enough to poison, but not enough to kill. Some were there for destruction. Glinda didn’t like any of them. Until…
Staring back at her was a pink substance drawn in a similar shade of her clothes, the words
love potion
in heavy font. The words speak to her, like it’s a magnet drawing her in. Surely, it was unethical to do this, right? But it was part of the section, it was fairly easy and it was the first thing to pique her attention. Plus, it could help with—
“I’ve been searching all over Oz for you.” Elphaba’s huff echoed throughout the library—or book place as Glinda used to call it—walls, her book bag set haphazardly on the edge of the table. The blonde doesn’t even bother looking up, already used to her best friend’s shenanigans. “You overreact.”
Elphaba smiles, tilting her head as she stares at the beauty that was Glinda Upland. She would always deny it before she had gotten used to it, would interject and purposely leave it on her nightstand instead of wearing it, but Glinda looked beautiful with her glasses. It wasn’t until Elphaba told her exactly that that she started wearing them religiously. “It doesn’t change the fact that I was looking for you. You weren’t at the potions laboratory.”
“We were dismissed early.” Ah. That explains her disappearance. Elphaba peers over the book that Glinda was so occupied in, putting a slender finger just above the spine and lowering it a bit, finally meeting the other girl’s eyes as she gave her a smile, “What are you reading?”
Rolling her eyes, the blonde puts the book back up, fighting the smile that was threatening to paint her pink lips, “You’re being annoying.”
In a shocking turn of events, just months after their unadulterated loathing for each other, they’ve become the opposite of what they were. Glinda, now studious as ever, Elphaba, annoying her until she gives her attention. It was really a sight to see, a sight that rarely happens.
The green girl leaves her to her reading, of course, respecting the space that she wanted as she started scribbling on her own notebook, sometimes stopping as she asked a few questions about her day. First it was Elphaba who had joined her, and then it was Boq, already complaining about Morrible, Nessa joins them with Fiyero trailing behind, both already ready for the day to be over.
Their table is bustling with chatter, complaints and gossip, something the blonde usually partook in. The absence of her scandalous gasp worries Fiyero, his eyebrows furrowed together as he stole the book from her grasp, reading its contents while he held her back with one hand, “Fiyero!”
“Hey, knock it off.” Elphaba warns, not exactly interested in the whole thing until the prince chuckles, flipping the book over to show the rest of the group, “Why are you reading about love potions?”
Glinda flushes at the sudden attention on her, stealing the book back and shutting it close, tucking it firmly in her little pink tote, glaring at the prince who could only laugh at her reaction. “It’s for my midterm!”
“A love potion?” Elphaba’s voice seemed to quiet everyone else’s. The blonde is stuttering in front of her, clearing her throat and barely able to nod until Nessa interjects with a question that made her even redder, “Oh, is there someone you’re going to use it on?”
It didn’t exactly dawn on her until that moment that she had to use it on someone for results. Yes, there’s an antidote to it, but is that even ethical? She takes a seat again, her heart beating rapidly as the weight of this project suddenly weighed on her, “I… Is that even legal?”
“You said it yourself, it’s for a midterm.” Boq’s statement was the last to be said about the topic before they moved on to speak about their own midterms. Glinda sat there, face flushed and heart beating loudly as she thought of Nessa’s words. And then, she looks at Elphaba.
The light that came through the circular windows of the library reflects on her skin, highlighting the beauty of it. It wasn’t
just
green, most of her was emerald, the exact same shade of the city they had gone to during their break. The darker parts of her were like the pine that surrounded the forest, the bags under her eyes and her freckles. She was beautiful, Glinda knew that. She told her that.
She had this appeal to her that seemed to work on everyone after they realized that she was more than her skin, after most of them realized that there was a person beneath the magic that unfortunately sent Nessa up in the air during their freshman year. Most importantly, it had worked on Glinda. Having known the girl better than anyone else, she knew how Elphaba was behind closed doors. How caring she actually is, how selfless she is. How gentle she is despite the front that she had made in order to get others to back off.
Glinda loved Elphaba before everyone else had. Sometimes she wonders if Elphaba did as well, even though deep down she knew she did. Just not in the way she wanted her to. Unless… No. She wouldn’t stoop that low.
But the thought of that drives her mad. She twists and turns in her bed that night, her eyes set on the sleeping figure of Elphaba, watching her chest rise and fall as the moonlight creeped through the window she refused to put curtains on. If Glinda does this and she succeeds, she has proof of her work and aces her midterm by doing something she actually wanted. Elphaba didn’t even need to know. If she could give her the potion and see the effects, she could easily give the antidote too. Besides, there were no side-effects. Trust her, she researched.
On the other hand, it was very unethical and would potentially lead to heartbreak. It would be unfair for Elphaba to be her guinea pig. But then again, the raven haired girl
did
ask her to help with her own sorcery classes. This is just a favor in return. Maybe she should tell her. But she doesn’t have to be completely honest about it.
Glinda barely slept that night, reading the book over and over until she was sure she knew what she was doing, until she’s memorized every ingredient and thought of where to get what she needed: a strand of hair from both her and Elphaba to bind the effects, the nectar of the recipient’s favorite fruit, mint leaves and a dash of stardust. She had the incantation ingrained in her mind and she could have recited it to you in her sleep.
By the next morning, she subtly takes a strand of Elphaba’s hair from her pillows, tutting and sighing and telling her she needed to change her pillowcases in order to mask her true intentions. And then she takes the other half of the orange Elphaba had eaten that morning. Mint leaves were easy to come by, and so were the stardust. All she needed was to reserve the laboratory for the afternoon.
“Miss Upland, I’ve given you a month for this project.” Professor Thistlewick eyes her warily, like she’s bound to create mischief. But her eyes tell something different—desperation, almost. Like she wouldn’t survive another day if she didn’t do this. Honestly, that might be the truth. “I would like to test the results as soon as possible, Madame. I don’t want to rush and fail at this.”
They look at each other for what felt like eternity before the woman sighs and gives her the key, a pointed look accompanying it, “I shall allow you an hour and a half. If you are not done by then, continue tomorrow. I’ll check on you once your time is finished.”
Glinda practically runs to her favorite table. She spends her time there wisely, reading over the book and making sure she’s done every step correctly. She first crushes the mint leaves until it’s all she could smell, until her nostrils feel like they’re burning with how intense they were, just as the book says. And then the orange comes, much easier to manage than the leaves. The hair was the disgusting part, but then again it wasn’t her who was going to drink this anyway. Last to go was the dash of stardust, and suddenly she was lighting up several candles to begin the incantation.
Her fingers crackle with magic in every word, like there was lightning at her fingertips. She had the option to join Elphaba in her sorcery class with Morrible like she had always dreamed of, but by the second year and the introduction of potions to her, she knew where her talents actually lie. She says every word confidently and with her entire chest while the images of Elphaba gazing at her a little longer than everybody usually did, images of her smiling at her with a smile that’s only reserved for her fill her mind.
The concoction slowly became pink, glittering and beaming, electrifying the air with its scent. To Glinda, it had smelt like parchment, poppies and the wood of Elphaba’s broom. To others, this might smell differently. All the girl knew was that she had done it successfully, and that the bottle that encased the pink liquid was suddenly the most important thing she owned.
She packs her things up in a hurry, thanking her professor on the way out and reassuring her that everything was in place. Phase one of her plan was done, all that’s left for her to do was convince Elphaba to take it. That shouldn’t be too hard, right?
“I’m not drinking that.” Elphaba’s eyes were set on the drink in front of her, the pink glitter swimming with the rest of the cranberry juice that Glinda had stolen from the dining hall. She had informed her that it was laced with a luck potion. It’s not that doesn’t trust the blonde, it’s just kind of weird that she’s insistent for Elphaba to drink it.
Glinda pouts, her eyes softening enough that she looks like a deer (or a Deer) from the forest, pleading with Elphaba through her glasses. “Please, Elphie?” She adds for good measure. The green girl knew she was manipulating her, honestly. She might be magic and she might be a stronger sorcerer than the Wizard when it’s all said and done but she’s also just a girl. A girl that’s easily swayed by Glinda Upland and her doe eyes.
Slender fingers wrap around the glass, maintaining eye contact as she drinks it all in one go, wiping her mouth with the back of her leather jacket once it’s all over. Glinda read that it should take place once the receiver had woken up, so she waited patiently, not leaving the girl’s side until both were yawning and drowsy. Elphaba was the first to go, excusing herself to brush her teeth before collapsing on her bed, snoring softly half an hour in.
Glinda could only wish the morning would come faster. And when it did, she was quick on her feet, yawning and stretching as she cast a look towards Elphaba’s still sleeping figure. She goes inside their shared bathroom, getting ready for the day ahead of them. Her Saturdays usually consisted of hanging out with her friends and catching up on her studies. She could make an exception for the latter.
She’s read up on the effects of the potion online and how research shows that once the recipient wakes up, they would fawn over and dote on the one who had given it. They would be all over her. So when Elphaba wakes up to greet her groggily with a side of pillow throwing when she doesn’t let her extend her sleep, Glinda wonders if she even made the potion right.
Breakfast wasn’t any different either. Elphaba apologizes for throwing the pillow at her and then goes on to talk to Boq about the game they were planning on buying once they go to town later that day. Fiyero eyes them curiously, as if knowing that something was up. “Glinda, how’s the love potion going?”
That seemed to make everyone stop, especially Elphaba. But the blonde was quick to lie, casually flicking her hand and laughing, “I gave up on that,” she says, “I made the luck potion instead. Ingredients were more accessible.”
Fiyero hums, nodding his head slowly as he sips his coffee. He knew something was up, he could spot Glinda’s lies better than anyone else, even better than Elphaba to some degree. However, he doesn’t press her into giving more answers, and it’s not like the green girl was exhibiting the effects of being overly in love with her. Not that she needed the potion anyway, but Glinda didn’t know that.
Their trip to town made everyone forget about the brief tension during breakfast, all parties talking about something they were excited to buy or see. Glinda was ecstatic as well, yes, but something nags in the back of her mind. Tells her that something was wrong and the potion did not work.
“You do know you could start having fun and stop thinking, right?” It was Elphaba’s voice and the slip of her hand in hers that grounds Glinda back to reality, her feet suddenly feeling the cobble road that lined the stores Nessa and Boq had dragged all of them to. Her green skin was such a stark contrast to Glinda’s fair skin, but it looked great together. Perfectly, even.
Her smile is brighter now, her hair blowing against the gentle breeze. Elphaba could barely survive looking at her from afar, but to see her this close, to see her like no one else does, it makes every wall she’s built up from years of trauma and judgement crumble to pieces.
“Now, Elphie, you’re beginning to sound like me.” She jests, squeezing her hand as they follow Boq into another store. Elphaba snorted, adjusting the strap of her satchel as she swung their hands, “You act as if it’s a bad thing.”
“Is it not?” Glinda asks while she rifles through the racks of clothing, gasping here and there while taking some of the garments on it, the taller girl shakes her head, she wants to tell her how mirroring one’s actions is a sign of deep love and connection, but she catches a glimpse of something in the corner of her eyes. “Shit. Maybe your luck potion
is
working.”
Glinda could only roll her eyes and grip the jacket she was holding tighter.
After spending two days with Elphaba, she’s convinced that the potion hadn’t worked. The only viable thing she could do at this point is to give it to her again, maybe the dosage was off. She held onto the coffee cup tightly. Each slosh of the liquid in the cup makes her nervous.
“Looks like you need my company.” She whispers, putting the latte down in front of her, offering her a smile as she takes the seat across the girl and her numerous books, stacked up above one another that it almost creates a wall between them. She shoots her a smirk, taking a swig of her drink without question, Glinda gulps. “I always need your company, my sweet.”
Oz.
That nickname always makes her weak in the knees, stumbling over her words as she brings out her sketchbook and pencils, covering her blush by drinking her hot chocolate, swallowing it despite its scalding heat. “You used to walk out whenever I bothered you.” She murmurs, looking up from her current drawing.
Elphaba laughs, ignoring the glares from her fellow students in the library, focusing on the blonde and leaning close as if whispering a secret to her, “Well, you’re hardly a bother. I quite enjoy your company.”
Maybe the potion had worked after all. It just needed a little push.
Except Glinda was wrong. Hours later they’re in their dorm, Elphaba’s laptop perched on top of her suitcase as she watches hour-long lectures from Dillamond. Honestly, it’s quite entertaining to see a Goat on your screen talk about biology, but Glinda couldn’t be paid to sit through an entire lesson.
The research on the potion talks about obsession and complete focus on the one who had given it, and yet there was Elphaba, focused on watching her professor as she put the video on fast forward. She doesn’t even cast a glance to the blonde’s side of the room, doesn’t say goodnight or offer to share her bed. Glinda just groans in frustration.
While there are no known instances of overdosing on it, she’s still cautious about the bottle that sits in her bag, a well kept secret from the rest of the world. She doesn’t put it on her roommate’s drink even though she was asked by said roommate to get her some juice when she stood up. She waits for her to exhibit signs of love, she becomes patient, even though they never come.
Fiyero corners her in the hallway one day, one hand inside his pocket and the other placed firmly on the small of her back. There used to be a time where she felt butterflies at this, and now all she could feel was confusion and slight annoyance as he diverted her from her next class, “We are going to talk.”
“I have a class, Fi.” She grumbles, staring up at him with a scowl. It does not deter him, guiding her in a secluded area by the canal. One that only their little circle knew about, a place where they’ve exchanged secrets or let out some steam. It was the only place Morrible and the other members of the faculty barely checked.
He stops by one of the rocks, motioning towards it for her to sit on, and when she does, the questions begin to flow out of him. Like he’s a guard interrogating her for a crime she had committed. “You gave Elphaba the love potion.”
His accusations—which were true, by the way—came easily, crossing his arms above his chest as he waited for an answer from the girl. Glinda squirmed under his gaze, taking her glasses off and wiping the non-existent dust off of it as she looked everywhere but him. Fiyero stays there, he doesn’t move, and the blonde knew she had no escape.
“I told her I was giving her a potion.” She answers truthfully, but he was set on getting the truth out of her for some reason. He urges her to answer, to say what she actually did by a simple look and Glinda folds, groaning into her hands, “I gave her the potion. It doesn’t work anyway, I think it’s just a placebo.”
He sighs, knowing more about the two than he let on, taking the seat beside the girl and offering her his arms, opening them up so she could crawl into them. Glinda accepts the invitation with grace, resting her head on his chest, “You could’ve tested on anyone else. Why Elphaba?”
“Why not Elphaba?” She asks like it was the easiest question in the world, like it had the most obvious answers. Her chest rises and falls with his, grasping at his hands and taking comfort in the fact that she had found someone to confide in with him about her very gay thoughts about the other girl.
Fiyero offers no real answer, just a stroke of her hair and a light kiss on her forehead, giving her a smile that’s only for his dearest friends to see. Devoid of the flirty charm it held when it came to others. “Sometimes you don’t need a potion for everything.” He says, and leaves it at that.
Glinda reflects on his words for the rest of the day, already out of focus with her thoughts of Elphaba and her intricate braids and her perfect smile. Of her charming wits and extensive knowledge and how she almost knew everything. Everything
but
Glinda’s adoration for her.
The bottle sits firmly in her bag, it stays there until she’s had enough. Until her mind drives her mad and she is filled with the overwhelming urge to just pour it directly into Elphaba’s mouth so it could work. She just wanted it to work, so badly. She didn’t even care for the grade anymore, she just wanted her.
She stares intently at the cup of tea right on Elphaba’s desk that evening, the steam that rises from it almost mocking her, as if taunting her to come forward and pour the remaining content of the bottle. It tempts her, it calls to her, and her urge to reach into her bag grows stronger until she’s on her feet and grasping the bottle in her dainty hands. Elphaba had gone out to borrow a book from Nessa which meant she had time to spare before she came back. Just enough that Glinda’s disposed of the bottle already and mixed the liquid into her tea.
Just enough time that—“What are you doing?”
Glinda yelps in surprise, dropping the bottle onto the floor of their shared dormitory, the breaking of the glass almost as loud as the window Elphaba had shattered their first day in. The pink seeps through the nearby carpet, it stains the marble floors. It’s the same shade as the blonde’s face as she turns around ever so slowly, wishing for the Unnamed God to strike her right then and there to save herself from the embarrassment.
“Glinda, I asked you what you were doing.” Elphaba’s voice was calm, terrifyingly calm. Like a simmering pot that was about to boil over. Glinda didn’t want her to be mad, she didn’t want her to be upset. Most importantly, she didn’t want the girl to begin distrusting her. “I… I was…
Shit.
Elphie, it’s really not what it looks like.”
An eyebrow is raised at her words, head tilted to the side while hazel eyes narrowed to slits. It sends a chill up Glinda’s spine, sputtering over her words while her hands shake in fear, “What it looks like is you lied to me about the potion and you’re trying to sneak some in my drink.” Elphaba points out to her, a heavy sigh leaving her lips as she walks towards the shorter girl.
Glinda waits for her to yell, to say something in response, to push her and tell her how disappointed and disgusted she was with her. She was ready for the worst possible outcome and then…
And then Elphaba kneels down in front of her, wiping the remnants of the potion with a rag, the glittery pink transferring to the cloth while the shards of glass are magicked away to the nearby trash can. Then she stands, she towers over Glinda. Her figure was meant to be imposing, meant to terrify those who stood before her, and while she felt small, she felt
safe.
Glinda had been sneaking a potion in her drink and Elphaba had every right to get revenge on her but she felt safe.
“You know, I knew you were lying since the first time you put it in my drink.” She says slowly, as if she knew that Glinda had a hard time grasping any information at the moment. Her eyes were wide as she attempted at a response, “Y-you knew? Why didn’t you say anything?”
It was when Elphaba answered that everything began to make sense. Why didn't it work? The book had already said it. The information and the research was right there in front of her and… And somehow, Glinda didn’t see it.
“I thought you wore glasses so you could see better?” Elphaba teases, setting the rag aside and reaching for her hand. Glinda scrunches her nose, lowering her head as she tries to hide from Elphaba’s gaze. But she couldn’t escape her, she
shouldn’t.
Her finger curls under her chin, lifting her head just enough so their eyes could meet.
When they do, it feels like the world has stopped. The silence suddenly calmed instead of deafening. Elphaba smiles at her, one of dashing smiles that she couldn’t stop thinking about, and she leans in, close enough that she was able to hear Glinda’s breath hitch. “Do you know why it didn’t work?”
She knew. Oh, Oz, she knew. But she couldn’t bring herself to admit it. How could she be so blind? How could she be so oblivious?
“It doesn’t work if the person is already in love with you.” She says breathlessly, now unable to tear her eyes away from her, “But… That’s not possible, is it?”
“Do you know how hard I’ve been trying for you to notice that I’ve been flirting with you?” She asks, but Glinda couldn’t remember a single instance where she did, or is she really that blind?
And then she remembers seeing her wait for her after every class, the poppies on her desk every morning in different shades of pink, the sudden interest in hand holding and pet names, the compliments on her art… The way she looks at her when everyone–including Glinda–is focused on something, the smile she shoots from across the room that’s only meant for her to see. The nights where she’s in Glinda’s bed in a very awkward position but doesn’t move because she knew the girl would wake easily. The little things were all right in front of her. Everything was clearly in front of her.
Glinda opens her mouth, finger raised as if attempting to make a point only to bring it down again, blinking up at Elphaba, “Why did you take the potion if you knew it wasn’t going to work?”
In response, Elphaba pulls her closer, holds onto her a little tighter while her lips quirk upwards into a smile, “I had a point to prove. I might be in love with you Miss Glinda, but I still have my pride.”
Her usual snark dies in her throat, rolling her eyes instead as she pulls Elphaba in for a kiss. A slow, toe-curling, skin-tingling, smile inducing kiss that leaves both of them out of breath for the rest of the night.
When Glinda receives a perfect score on her midterm a few weeks later, Elphaba kisses her again, and again, until her lip gloss was all she could taste.