Chapter Text
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters from Wicked. They all belong to the creators of the books, musicals and movies. I’m just borrowing them.
Love at First Flight
Chapter 1
Delayed.
Elphaba Thropp at once felt relieved and anxious about her flight behind delayed two hours due to some nasty storms in the Midwest. While she was anxious about the potential time crisis this might cause, she was secretly glad she was able to avoid stepping foot on that plane for a while.
At twenty-five years old, she’d never stepped foot on an airplane in her entire life. She’d never felt she’d had a fear of flying until the necessity of actually having to get on a plane became a reality. The truth was, the second she’d gotten the call about the job interview, she’d done a quick mental calculation of how long it would take her to drive across the country to get there on time. And the cold, hard truth was that flying was truly her only option.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket the second she stepped up to the bar. She placed her carry on bag on a stool with a thud and reached for her phone.
Hello, Elphaba! Just reaching out to confirm you will be at Grimmerie Publishing at noon on Thursday. Regards, M. Morrible.
Noon on Thursday. She had almost forty hours. Even if the flight was delayed until morning, she would still get there a day in advance and have time to sightsee. Still, she’d prided herself on being early. It had been instilled in her at a young age that arriving early to any event showed a desire to be there. And Elphaba did desire it, even if it did mean getting on that damnable airplane.
“Anything for you while you wait?” Elphaba snapped her head up to see a young man with wild, curly red hair staring at her expectantly. Her gaze flickered down to his nametag which simply read Boq. His brows raised, gaze drifting over her features briefly. It was something she was used to, growing up green and all.
Elphaba slipped onto the bar stood next to her carry on bag and tiredly nodded her head.
“What’ll it be?”
“Uh, gin and tonic, I guess.”
“Classic,” he said with a little nod, starting to pour her drink as she slid her credit card across the counter. “Let me guess. Flight 517 to New York?”
“Mmmhmm,” Elphaba muttered, watching Boq hold up a lemon and a lime.
“You have a preference?” She shook her head, and Boq chose the lime. He cut a wedge and garnished the drink before sliding it over to her. He quickly slid her credit card and passed it back to her. She took a sip and found it a little heavy on the gin but didn’t let on. Another customer approached on the other side of the bar, and Elphaba returned her attention back to her phone.
Yes, I will be there at noon on Thursday. Grimmerie Publishing, 48th floor, Suite E.
Elphaba tucked her phone into her carryon bag and turned her attention back to her drink.
“Don’t you just hate delays?” A heavy sigh was promptly followed by an intriguing aroma of citrus and vanilla that made Elphaba turn her head. The petite blonde woman that stepped up next to her with one hand clutching her cell phone and the other pressed against her forehead in distress. She was dressed in what Elphaba could only assume was a flight attendant’s uniform, all grey and pink and neatly pressed. Elphaba couldn’t help but notice how pretty her dark brown eyes were when she flashed a glance in her direction. She offered a little smile with a single dimple sinking in on one cheek. The feeling that filled Elphaba’s chest was akin to that giddy feeling two clock ticks into a perfectly executed cartwheel.
The pretty blonde put her phone up to her ear and tapped her perfectly manicured nails on the polished bar counter. The red-headed man glanced over at her and nearly dropped the daiquiri he was making for the customer at the other end of the bar.
“Fiyero? Yes, hi. The most horrendible thing just happened. The flight’s been delayed. I don’t know. Something about storms in Missouri or something. Why do you sound annoyed?” She paused a moment before pinching the bridge of her nose. “Oh, I’m so sorry I interrupted your date. Has she started playing footsie with you under the table yet? No? Then your date wasn’t going where you were planning on it going anyway.” A sigh. “Listen! I need you to please stop by my place and grab my mail. I’m expecting a package tomorrow that I don’t want stolen. Yes! I know you’ve been checking my mail, but I need you to please stop by on your lunch hour. What do you mean what’s in the package? It’s none of your business!” She let out a loud sigh. “Yes, fine! They’re shoes. Happy?” Another pause. “Thank you.” Elphaba had turned her attention back to her drink, but she couldn’t help but glance over at the blonde from time to time as she spoke to whoever this Fiyero person was on the phone. When the blonde seemed satisfied that her request would be fulfilled, she slid onto the bar stool at Elphaba’s other side and waved Boq over.
“Hi, Galinda.” He addressed her familiarly with a slightly goofy smile on his face, like a lovesick school boy seeing his crush after a terribly long summer’s vacation. “Your usual?”
“Just some kale chips please, Biq,” she offered sternly. “You know I can’t drink before I fly.”
Elphaba felt a deep warmth fill her cheeks when the blonde flipped her hair over her hair over her shoulder and turned to look at her. Elphaba’s hand tightened around the glass, and the ice clinked against the sides.
“First time?” Galinda asked, brown eyes sparkling, dimple dimpling. Elphaba glanced over her shoulder as if expecting the beautiful woman to be speaking to someone else. But, those pretty brown eyes are focused only on her. She swallowed. Hard.
“Uh, how’d you guess?”
“First of all, you’re dressed for a meeting that I’m guessing you’re on your way to. But most seasoned fliers dress for comfort, especially on a trip this late in the evening with no layovers.” Her gaze dragged down Elphaba’s waistcoat and slacks and to the high heels on her feet. “Those are not sensible shoes for a five and a half hour flight.” Elphaba glanced down at her shoes which were admittedly squeezing the life out of her feet that very moment. “And trust me. I know shoes.” She giggled softly, and Elphaba felt her heart do a little dance. She nervously tossed her loose braids over her shoulders and took another sip of her drink. The gin burned all the way down, but again, she didn’t let on. “Hey, I do this five times a week. Sometimes more. I’ve never experienced anything worse than a little turbulence.” She nodded toward Elphaba’s drink. “Gin and tonic. Nice choice. I’m more of a mimosa girl. Negroni if I’m feeling adventurous.”
“You make a living just flying around and handing out peanuts?” Elphaba asked with a little smirk, feeling the heat lick at her cheeks as the blonde’s brown eyes sparkled with delight.
“I should be offended,” she laughed. “But since you’re a first timer, I’ll give you a pass. Yes, I do pass out peanuts, but I also serve drinks and meals, help with pre-flight safety checks and keep people from crashing out every time the plane jostles the tiniest bit.” Elphaba cocked an eyebrow.
“And how do you do that?”
“Oh, I have the floor?” she asked, one brow raising inquisitively. Elphaba shrugged a shoulder and gestured widely with her hand. The blonde—Galinda, as the bartender had called her—cleared her throat, stood up and straightened her back. She held one hand up, raised both of her brows in a captivating may I have your attention way. She took a deep breath, looked straight ahead and began. “Attention Emerald Skies passengers. We are experiencing a little light turbulence. There is no need to be alarmed. What you’re feeling is no different than going a little too fast over a speed bump or skirting around a pothole. Any Midwesterners on board? I know you know what I’m talking about.” She paused for a reaction, and Elphaba found herself chuckling which brightened the blonde’s smile. She shrugged her shoulders and moved to sit back down. “See? You just have to know how to talk to people.”
“Well, I’d feel at ease if I was on your flight.”
“Considering you’re sitting here with your carryon, anxiously nursing a drink and tapping your foot on the rest bar of your stool, I’m willing to wager you are in fact on my flight. 517?” Elphaba felt her mouth go suddenly dry, but she tried to steel her reaction. “New York. Big city. Ever been?”
“No. No, I’ve never been out of California.”
“Never?!” the blonde gasped.
“Never,” Elphaba offered with a shake of her head.
“A California girl, huh?” The blonde’s dimple sank into her cheek as she set her mouth in a coy smile. “I’m a New York girl myself. But I love the west coast.” She held her hand out. “Galinda.” Elphaba eyed her, gaze dragging from those pretty brown eyes down to the soft, slender hand. She took one last drink to empty her glass and placed it down with a satisfying clink on the counter before shifting in her seat and taking the blonde’s hand in hers.
“Elphaba.”
Smooth.
Galinda’s eyes darkened the moment their hands touched, and Elphaba felt a spark shoot straight to her core. She shifted just a little on the bar stool to cross her legs, hoping the pressure would relieve some of the new found tension.
“Elphaba. That’s an unusual name.”
Elphaba smirked and shrugged a shoulder.
“Yes, because every girl grew up with a Galinda.”
“Fair enough,” Galinda sighed, shoulders shaking softly when she laughed. She propped her chin in her hand and chewed her bottom lip for a moment. Elphaba felt her face flush under her gaze. “You have beautiful eyes, Elphie.”
“Elphie? You don’t even know my last name.”
“Hmm.” The little hum was practically a song of it’s own, one Elphaba would gladly prioritize on her playlist and have on repeat.
“Your kale chips.” The curly haired bartender placed a small basket in front of Galinda, and she passed him her credit card. She grabbed a chip and took a small bite before nodding in satisfaction and popping the whole thing in her mouth. She slid the basket in Elphaba’s direction, raising her brows and nodding toward the basket.
“No, thank you. I’m not hungry.” Galinda shrugged and swallowed her mouthful.
“Vegan snacks aren’t for everybody.”
“They are for me,” Elphaba chuckled. Galinda’s mouth fell open in a gasp.
“You’re vegan?”
“Hmm.”
“I should have known. California girl,” Galinda winked. Elphaba laughed then, nails tapping along the shiny bar counter.
“That is a gross misrepresentation of Californians. Not everybody is vegan. I just happen to be.”
“Oh, ok,” Galinda teased, nose crinkling. Elphaba had an absurdly deep desire to bite said nose. Galinda’s phone buzzed, and with a little frown, she grabbed for it. Her shoulders slumped. “No!”
“What’s wrong?” Elphaba asked, leaning over a little.
“Your phone should be getting a notification in 3…2…” Elphaba’s phone buzzed in her carryon. “The flight’s been delayed until morning. Seven sharp.”
“What?!” Elphaba grabbed for her phone and checked her notification. “I have to get to that interview.”
“Well, when is it? I can pull some strings and try to make something work for you.” Galinda started typing.
“Uh,” Elphaba chuckled, reaching out to place her hand on Galinda’s arm. “You don’t have to do that. It’s not until the day after tomorrow. I’m just anxious to get there.”
“Oh.” Galinda’s brows creased in concern. “You really wanted to get this flight over with, didn’t you?” Elphaba laughed then and found Galinda grinning at her.
“What would you say to somebody flying for the first time? Somebody really anxious about it?”
“Hmm,” Galinda thought, mouthing a thank you to Boq as he brought her credit card back over, “I’d say you’re more likely to be hit by a car walking across Sunset and Vine.” She shrugged and popped another kale chip in her mouth. Elphaba stared at her for a moment before huffing out a little laugh.
“Well, when you put it that way, maybe I’ll just lock myself in my apartment and do my interview by zoom.”
“Yeah, but what happens when you still get the job and have to go to New York anyway?” Elphaba’s brows pinched together before she shrugged.
“I’ve always liked walking.” Galinda swallowed her chip and pointed at Elphaba.
“You need to relax. You’re very…pinched.”
“Pinched?” Elphaba snorted. “Excuse me?
“Your brows. Pinched. Scrunched. Whatever. You need to relax and breathe.”
“I’m breathing.”
“I can’t imagine how. You know, you can unbutton a little.” She motioned toward Elphaba’s sleek waistcoat, black with dark grey pin stripes. “You look like you’re ready to bust some balls at a merger meeting. Oh, is that what the interview’s for? Are you gunning for some hot shot CEO spot or something?”
“No,” Elphaba laughed, unbuttoning the top button and relaxing just a little. “Nothing like that.” She lifted her hand and caught Boq’s attention, motioning him over. “Another for me. And a Negroni for the lady.” She caught the soft gasp from the blonde when she slid him her credit card again.
“You think I’m feeling adventurous?” Galinda teased with a little smirk.
“Are you?” Elphaba watched the blonde’s eyes narrow just a little before she licked her lips and turned to thank Boq when he passed her the drink. Elphaba tucked her credit card away, thanking Boq as he placed her fresh gin and tonic in front of her.
“I might be,” Galinda teased, taking a sip of her drink before licking her lips and fixing her gaze on Elphaba’s. “So what is it that you do?”
“Uh,” Elphaba chuckled, tracing her fingertip around the rim of her glass, “I work in a library.”
“A librarian?” Galinda flinched. “I wouldn’t have pegged you as the type.”
“Who says you pegged me?” Elphaba asked, brow raising suggestively. Galinda’s lips fell open in a soft gasp. Elphaba felt her cheeks grow hot. “I’m uh, mostly an event organizer. I arrange events with local authors, book club meetings and even children’s events. I’m also in charge of the social media page.”
“So you’re looking to, what, branch out?”
“Well, I went to school for writing. Writing and editing, actually.”
“So you want to be a writer?” Galinda said with a soft little hum.
“Well, if inspiration ever strikes,” Elphaba offered with a shrug. “I heard about a job opening for junior editor. It’s a foot in the door, and it’s really good pay. I wasn’t going to apply for it, but the idea of it kept me up at night. I decided to go for it. I submitted my resume and never expected to hear anything.”
“And here you are.”
“Here I am,” Elphaba laughed. “Yeah.” She took a deep breath and another sip of her drink. She felt warm and light, and each time Galinda laughed her heart fluttered in her chest. “So does this happen a lot?”
“Sure,” Galinda shrugged. “It’s not really a big deal for me, usually. I was just looking forward to getting home. I’ve been to Paris, Honolulu and Tokyo this week, and I have a few days off ahead of me.” Elphaba’s brows raised. “Oh, don’t be too impressed. I rarely get to see much outside of the airport. Still, there are some days I get to spend a few days exploring. I’ve seen a lot of the world, but, yeah, mostly just the airports.”
“Sounds fascinating,” Elphaba offered, gaze traveling the length of Galinda’s neck as she swept her hair over her shoulder.
“It’s good pay. I get to meet a lot of interesting people. Like you.”
“Me?” Elphaba asked. “What makes me so interesting?” She looked down at her hands. “Well, besides the obvious.”
“Lots of things,” Galinda insisted. Elphaba stared at her. “You’re twenty-five and have never left your home state. You’ve never been on an airplane, but you’re willing to take one all the way across the country to go after a job you may or may not get. You’re sitting here talking to me, when you have what I can only assume is an extremely dirty romance novel waiting for you to read. It’s not a very long book but long enough to pass a nearly six hour flight.” Elphaba’s mouth opened and then promptly shut.
“What makes you think that?” she asked, shoulders straightening.
“I saw it when you grabbed your phone out of your bag,” Galinda pointed out with a laugh. Elphaba’s cheeks darkened. “Don’t be embarrassed. I have a whole stack of romance novels I read to pass the time between flights. Which one is it? Maybe we can swap.”
“I…uh, you probably wouldn’t like it,” Elphaba muttered, putting one arm over the top of her carry on bag. “It’s…”
“Come on. Indulge me. I promise I’ve probably read them all. I can tell you if it’s worth your time or not.” Galinda took another sip of her drink and motioned her hand toward Elphaba’s bag. “Come on, Elphie. We’ve got a lot of time to kill here.”
“I’m not spending my night at an airport bar,” Elphaba snorted.
“No? Well, I can’t say I blame you. It’s not the most stimulating of accommodations, I can tell you that. Now, the book. Please?” Elphaba’s hand twitched, but for some unknown reason, she found herself grabbing for it and pulling it out. She watched Galinda’s face as she slid it over to her. The two women on the cover were clutching one another intimately, foreheads pressed together on a beach at sunset. “Hmm. Tides of Summer. Can’t say I’ve read that one. Oh! But wait. Wait!” She gasped softly and reached into her bag, pulling out another book by the same author with very similar looking characters on the front. “Is this the new Carly and Allie book?” Elphaba’s eyes went wide. “Oh, this one’s on my list! Have you read any of it yet?”
“I, uh…no.” Elphaba shook her head sharply.
“I’ve heard it’s good. Did you read this one?” Galinda tapped her fingers over the worn cover.
“No. No, I hadn’t gotten around to it yet.”
“Well, you should read this one first,” she pointed out. Elphaba quickly grabbed her drink and took another swig. “Trust me. There’s a scene with a strap that changed my sex life forever.” Elphaba choked on her swallow and coughed roughly as Galinda propped her chin in her hand and stared off reflectively toward the large picture windows looking out over the departing planes. Elphaba coughed again, and Galinda’s gaze turned back to her. “You ok, Elphie?”
“You r-read these?” she asked, clearing her throat and wincing at the burn.
“Guilty pleasure,” Galinda winked. “Besides, do you know how hard it is to find lesbian romance novels?” She eyed her. “Well, yes, of course you do.” Elphaba blinked at her. She watched the blonde take one last watered-down sip from her glass and set it aside. She handed Elphaba both books. “Trust me, you want to read mine first. You can give it back to me when we land.”
“I…okay. Th-thank you.”
“You’re really cute when you’re flustered, you know.” She winked at her, and the jolt Elphaba felt in her chest shot directly down between her tights. Her hand tightened around her glass, and she watched the blonde slide off the bar stood and gather her things. “I don’t plan on spending the night at an airport bar either, Elphie. Thankfully, one perk of my job is that I get a free night in a nice room when there’s an unexpected delay.” She stepped back, gaze dragging up and down Elphaba, making her shiver. “It would be a terrible thing to make such an interesting flight guest spend her hard-earned money on an overpriced room. Why don’t you come with me?”
“I—I wouldn’t…I wouldn’t want you to get in trouble,” Elphaba stammered. Galinda smiled then, but the fire behind her eyes made Elphaba’s skin hot.
“Don’t worry.” She ran a finger over the back of Elphaba’s hand and practically set her blood on fire. Elphaba’s breath caught in her throat. “I know the night manager.” She winked then, and Elphaba looked down at where Galinda was tracing circles over the back of her hand. Galinda leaned in close, her lips a breath from Elphaba’s. Elphaba shivered, watching those mesmerizing eyes focus in on her own. She licked her lips and watched Galinda’s gaze flick down there, her lips glossy, breath warm. Galinda’s mouth twitched into a little grin when Elpahba’s gaze fell there. “So? Are you coming?”