Are You Thrillified?

Without realizing it, her hands had wandered to cup Elphaba’s face as she focused on her roommate's freckles. Galinda's body felt out of her control, a fact that should have scared her, but instead, it made her curious. Curious to see how else Elphaba could make her lose control.
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Galinda shares some childhood games with her roommate and gives Elphaba some first hand experiences that she missed out on. It just goes slightly further than Galinda intended.

Work Text:

2 months after the Ozdust

Life after the Ozdust felt different. Sweeter. Now that her rivalry with Elphaba had turned into friendship, her world had gained some color. She learned to enjoy the quiet and comfort of having a roommate that one could actually get along with. She even found herself looking forward to seeing Elphaba at the end of the day. Oh, they still had their moments of disagreement, they were only Ozian of course. But the jealousy that bit at her whenever she looked at or thought about Elphaba had turned into something else entirely. Mornings waking up to some new prank or biting arguments that drew the attention of all their classmates had turned to mornings waking up to hear Elphaba chanting some spell and sitting on the balcony together watching the boats bob gently on the water and enjoying the breeze.

She still saw Pfannee and Shenshen, and of course, spent time with Fiyero, but something had shifted between her and Elphaba that night. She saw her in a different way, something more.

One evening, after spending the day with Pfannee and Shenshen, Galinda returned to her room to find Elphaba reading on her bed. She was already in her night robe, her eyeglasses slightly falling down the bridge of her nose. Elphaba had been pouring into her studies. She always had, but as of late, she was focused. Determined to win over the Wizard.

Galinda waved and jumped onto her own bed. “Elphie, put that book down! It’s time to relax!”

“How was spending time with Pfannee and Shenshen?” Elphaba asked, without looking up and decidedly not putting her book down.

“You should have come with me! They don’t mind.”

Elphaba looked up and gave her a small smile. “It’s all right. There’s this spell that I’ve been trying to get right, and I think I almost have it.” Elphaba pushed her glasses up her nose and began reading again.

Galinda pouted at Elphaba’s lack of attention and moved to her dresser to undress for the night. She grabbed a satin pink nightgown that fell right at her mid-thigh and pulled another sheer pink robe that ended with pink puffs at the bottom and flowed around her feet. The long sleeves that puffed at the wrists matched the puffs near her feet. As she slipped on her robe, she could feel Elphaba’s eyes on her. Sure enough, as she spun around, and her robe flared around her, Elphaba was staring at her. Galinda’s cheeks burned, and she was glad that the dim light hid some of the pink in her cheeks.

Even though she had been caught, Elphaba didn’t avert her gaze. Instead she asked, “Can I ask a question?”

Galinda’s eyes lit up as she approached Elphaba’s bed, glad for the invitation to engage. She settled on top of the bed next to Elphaba, their knees gently touched. “Of course, Elphie!”

“What do you talk about when you’re with them?”

“With Pfannee and Shenshen?” Galinda clarified.

Elphaba nodded, shutting her book and placing it next to her on the bed.

“Well, we mostly talk about some of our acquaintances from childhood. What they’re up to, and what we used to do during school retreats.”

Elphaba furrowed her brows. “Like what?”

Galinda gaped. “You’ve never been to a school retreat?”

The thought left Galinda’s mouth before she could help it. Of course. Ozdust was her first party. Why would Elphaba have been allowed to go to a retreat?

Elphaba wrung her hands into her black nightgown.

“I’m sorry, Elphie. I didn’t mean to—“

“It’s all right.” Elphaba shook her head. They sat in silence for a few moments. “So tell me about it.”

Galinda felt herself smile widely. “Oh Oz, where do I start? Witches and Wizards, seek-and-hide, and then when we got older we played games that were more…scandalocious.” She whispered the last word like a secret.

“Scandalocious?”

“Games where you’d guess the other’s crush, or you’d have to be physically close. I was wonderful at ‘Are You Thrillified?’” Elphaba continued to look at her strangely, so she kept explaining.

Galinda’s smile widened mischievously. “You take your hand, like so,” she took her hand and placed it on Elphaba’s knee. She locked eyes with Elphaba. “And then you look into the other person's eyes and ask if they’re thrillified.” Galinda took a dramatic breath in, her eyes locking onto Elphaba's. "Are you thrillified, Elphie?"

Elphaba looked at Galinda’s hand on her knee and said nothing. Galinda’s head nodded, encouraging Elphaba to respond. “Oh!” Elphaba said. “No, I’m not thrillified.”

Elphaba’s eyes lingered on hers for a moment. It must have been a trick of the light, but was there a tinge of pink on Elphaba’s face? When Elphaba blushed was it pink, or would her face turn a darker green? Galinda quickly removed her hand from Elphaba’s knee and cleared her throat.

"How do you win?"

“You keep moving your hand closer up their leg until someone says they’re thrillified.”

Elphaba nodded. “Ok, I think I understand. When was the last time you played?”

“Oh it’s been so many clock ticks since my last game.” Galinda confessed. She smirked thinking about her friends in the past. The way their breaths would catch in their throats. The nervous laughs that would betray their feelings as she claimed victory. “But I never lost.”

Elphaba’s eyes twinkled. “Well, maybe it’s a good thing we hadn’t met, because I would’ve taken your crown.”

Galinda’s mouth dropped. “Elphaba Thropp, are you challenging me?”

“No, I wouldn’t dream of it! Wouldn’t want you to lose your streak.”

Galinda slapped Elphaba’s shoulder playfully. “That is it, Elphie! We are playing." Galinda turned her body to face Elphaba more fully. Both adjusted so that they sat across from each other. Their legs criss-crossed on the bed. "And as a first time guest, you can go first.”

Elphaba placed her hand on Galinda’s knee, barely touching it. Her touch was warm, a little unsure. “Are you thrillified?”

Galinda giggled. “No, Elphie.” As Elphaba removed her hand, Galinda's face suddenly became very hot. It's a good thing blushing was not an eliminator in this game. Only the words, "I'm thrillified" would eliminate you.

Galinda took her hand, placed it on Elphaba's knee, and gently squeezed it. "Are you thrillified?"

Elphaba shook her head and smiled. "No."

They went back and forth a few times, always inching their hand closer and closer to where the leg met the hip. Neither had said the words that would end the game.

On Elphaba's fourth turn, she surprised Galinda with a question Galinda had never considered. "Can you only touch the other person's leg?"

Galinda sputtered but it came out as a half laugh.

"Sorry, that was a stupid question." Elphaba whispered.

Galinda grabbed both of Elphaba's hands in her own. "No, no! I'm sorry, it's not a stupid question, Elphie. I just..." The blonde shook her head, her curls bouncing as she laughed. "It's just, no one's ever lasted this long in a game with me."

She was aware of how arrogant it sounded, but it was true. Two to three hand placements was usually all it took for her friends to lose; their voices nearly went shrill as they confessed that they were, in fact, thrillified. Elphaba was constantly defying her expectations. Galinda had thought that within the first hand placement, her shy, introverted roommate would back out. She should've known that Elphaba would have a competitive side, as she saw in the weeks of their initial rivalry.

Still holding Elphaba's hands, she gave her answer. "Elphaba Thropp, you have my permission to touch other parts of my body." Galinda cleared her throat, recognizing that her words may have come out more suggestive than she had intended. She let go of Elphaba's hands so they could continue. "For the game." She clarified.

"You too." Elphaba said quietly. "You have permission."

“Your turn, Elphie.”

Elphaba hesitated a bit, hovering in the air before she seemed to steel herself. She leaned in, her hand cupping the back of Galinda’s neck, pulling the blonde a little closer. Her gaze drifted to Galinda’s lips, or was that another trick of the light? Either way, Galinda couldn’t help but feel delighted.