Glinda Uplands had found herself in a rather odd situation.

She wasn't used to things going in a way she didn't expect. In other words, things always went her way. She got what she wanted, when she wanted it, with relative ease. Never had she had a curveball thrown at her quite like this.

She didn't normally venture out into storms in the middle of December. Normally, she'd have a myriad of other things to do on a Friday night. The cold wind turned her cheeks a flushed pink, and snow made her curly blonde hair wet, clinging to her face and neck more than she'd like. Her hands were numb under pastel pink, cable-knit gloves, which were apparently more of a fashion item, rather than being designed to actually keep her hands warm. She just wish she'd realised it earlier.

Furthermore, she didn't normally come back to Rose Gold, the coffee shop where she worked, at 9:30pm. After all, they shut at 4:30. She didn't even work on a Friday. It was just that she'd lost her cardigan - her favourite one - and she might have left it here after work on Wednesday.

And she didn't normally find herself standing on the corner of Convent Avenue and W 127th Street and noticing, right outside the back door, in an alley, a dark-skinned girl her age wrapped in a large coat and larger green scarf which Glinda was pretty sure was supposed to serve as a blanket. She was staring blankly at the roadside, her eyes shadowed over by fear, shaking like a leaf in the buffeting wind.

The other young woman suddenly glanced up at her as she approached. Glinda met her gaze, startled to find she had piercing green eyes, which scanned her in an unnerving cat-like manner. "What do you want?" (She was surprisingly articulate.)

Glinda hesitated. "I, uh-"

The girl sighed. A shaky, freezing sigh, that still expressed a relatively high level of exasperation. "I said, what do you want?"

The blonde pushed down her fear, (why was it even there?) drawing herself up to her full height. Just under five foot two. "I work here," she said haughtily, gesturing towards the sign above them. She would not allow herself to be intimidated, or even vaguely confusified by this stranger. (Yes, she decided, 'confusified' was definitely a word.) "And I'm fetching my jacket."

The girl gave her shoulder a half-hearted sort of shrug, leaning back into the wall, wincing as her back made contact with the rough, freezing brick. "Don't let me stop you."

Glinda nodded, pulling the keys to the coffee shop out of her pocket and letting herself in. She turned on the lights, and darted behind the counter, giving all the surfaces a quick scan for her cardigan. No such luck.

She stepped outside again, her gaze drawn instantly to the other girl, on the side of the street. She felt a faint twinge in her chest. She looked so cold. And scared. Defiant, and strong, but scared. "Hey, um..."

The girl looked up.

"Do you want to come inside? I can make cocoa."

Her gaze hardened. "No."

It was as if something had stabbed Glinda through the heart. She wasn't used to people saying no to her. "I- what?"

"No. Leave me alone."

Glinda pouted. "Come on, no one wants you to freeze to death."

She laughed drily. "You'd be surprised."

"I don't want you to freeze to death."

"Go away. I don't want pity."

"Come oooonnnnn."

The girl was stubbornly silent.

Frustration was rising in Glinda's chest now. "It's not pity! Look, I'm just trying to be a good person, here."

The girl cocked an eyebrow at her. "You want to be a good person?"

Glinda nodded.

"Pursuing goodness for its own sake is useless. You just want to be good so that you feel good about yourself." She laughed drily. "It's almost selfish."

Glinda knew that she should probably feel insulted by that, but honestly, she didn't really follow, so she just folded her arms, pouting. "Well, I'm just going to keep standing here then. And then I'll get cold, and catch a chill, and be cooped up in bed for a week. Which hardly makes you a good person."

The girl looked unimpressed. They stared at each other, almost glaring, but neither of them were putting much energy into it. Thirty seconds passed. Glinda shifted her weight from her left foot to her right. Thunder clapped, and the girl flinched. They stood there for a solid thirty seconds more. The girl's eyes slowly narrowed, then, "Fine!" she threw the scarf-blanket off, getting stiffly to her feet. "I'll have your cocoa. But it'd better be free."

The blonde unfolded her arms, shaking snow out of her hair, holding the door open as the girl stepped inside. "Obviously."

Rose Gold was undeniably, overwhelmingly hipster. As you would expect, the colour coated the place's interior. The chairs were a metallic gold-pink, as was a feature wall behind the counter, which was also host to a neon sign reading "wait for it". The tables were a sleek black, the floor was fake wood, succulents sat at each table, and the walls were covered with designs of pineapples, watermelons, and whales. Oversized gold metallic balloons displaying the word "coffee" hung at the window.

The girl blinked. "This place is like...every 2016 trend, in microcosm."

Glinda couldn't help but grin. "Nah, you should've seen it last weekend, that was even more accurate. The first 'e' in coffee caught on fire." She flicked on the store's Spotify playlist, and Juju On That Beat started playing, which just served to drive the 2016 point home. She winced slightly.

Elphaba frowned. "Just that one letter?"

"Yeah, go figure. Hey, all the actual mugs are dirty, do you mind having the cocoa in a jar?"

"A jar?" she echoed.

Glinda nodded, turning around, stretching up to reach one from the cupboard. "Yeah, for like, overpriced juice and stuff."

"Alright. What's your name, by the way?"

"Glinda."

"Elphaba."

Glinda plugged the milk frother into the wall, as Elphaba pulled out a chair. The latter was still slightly on edge. Glinda prided herself on her ability to read other people, and so far, Elphaba's unease had waxed and waned with the buffeting rain and snow. "Not a fan of storms, huh?"

"No." Elphaba's voice was cold and hard. So that may have been the wrong thing to say.

She turned around and got some milk out of the fridge. "Okay."

They sat in silence for a few moments more. Elphaba didn't seem too keen to break it, and Glinda wasn't sure whether it was a good idea to ask someone on the street why they were there. The blonde glanced up over the coffee machine to see Elphaba taking her hair out of its tight plait. It only took running her fingers through it two or three times to straighten it out completely. It kind of hung. Not in a limp way. It was...strangely pretty. It shouldn't have been, but it was.

"I take it you do something other than make coffee?" Elphaba said, in kind of a snap, but not quite as harsh.

Glinda was jolted from her thoughts. Elphaba's hair really shouldn't consume that many of them. "Yeah. I'm a fashion major, at City College. I kinda have a thing for ballgowns."

"You didn't go with FIT?"

Glinda shifted awkwardly. "See, I would've, but I have friends who live in Hamilton Heights who left school two years ahead of me, and I roomed with them for a bit, but now I'm sharing a room with Fiyero, my boyfriend, though I'm not sure he knows that last bit yet, I just kind of decided that's what's going to happen, he's so cute, and anyway," she was aware she was rambling now, but for some reason her mouth just wasn't stopping, "City College has a nice campus, and I suppose the lecturers aren't that bad, although half of them never put anything online and it's such a pain because half the time I'm working here, you know, so that I can actually pay for things, not that my parents can't help because they've offered, and they want to spoil me, but I want some independence from them, y'know? And besides, not being in class doesn't matter because Pfannee records everything that happens, which might be illegal but no one seems to care-"

She broke off suddenly, realising Elphaba trying to conceal a soft chuckle. A warm smile had slowly been spreading across her face, and now she was grinning at the table. Glinda's face flushed. "Sorry, sometimes I start talking and don't really stop-"

She shook her head, giving her right hand a dismissive wave, before sliding it through her hair. "It's fine."

The blonde swallowed. "What about you?"

Elphaba smiled. "I go to Columbia."

Wow. That was unexpected. Glinda couldn't help but blurt it out now: "Wait, then...why are you on the street?" The milk frother beeped, and she hastily scooped some chocolate powder into the jar, poured in the milk, then stirred it.

Elphaba sighed. "You want the long version?"

"I can do the long version, yeah. Not that you have to tell me," she added hastily.

"No, it's fine..." her gaze darkened. "I- My mother is white. So is her husband."

There was a long pause as Elphaba left Glinda to connect the dots. Glinda wasn't good at connecting dots. "You...were adopted?"

Elphaba raised an eyebrow. "My mother is my biological mother."

Oh.

Oh shiz.

Glinda felt a little like a deer caught in the headlights then. Conversation usually came easily to her. Tonight seemed to be her night, in terms of things being unusual. And uncomfortable. And awkward.

"I-"

Elphaba glanced up at her. "You don't have to say anything."

Glinda nodded. "Okay," she said quietly. She passed Elphaba the hot chocolate.

She took it, holding it in her hands, taking in the heat. "Naturally, he didn't like me very much. My...father figure, that is. Always favoured my younger sister, Nessa. We...we don't look very similar."

Glinda could only nod again, her throat a little dry.

"The day I left home, all funding was cut off. It would have been pretty substantial," she added, a hint of bitterness creeping into her voice. "And last week, I couldn't pay the rent. That simple. I was evicted, I've been sleeping in the library most days, but they found where I'd been hiding. I'll look for a new place in a different library tomorrow."

The blonde had no clue how to respond. "My family..." she searched for something to say. Literally anything. "...is in Boston?"

Elphaba stared at her. Then she laughed. Hysterically. If she'd been drinking hot chocolate at that point, it definitely would have sprayed out of her mouth and maybe even her nose in the most undignified manner possible. She had a hard, gritty sort of laugh, which she tried to reign in as quickly as possible, but to no avail – she doubled over, struggling to breathe, tears in the corners of her eyes.

Glinda sat there, sweating nervously.

This continued for a full minute. Elpbaha finally got herself together. "That-" she began, taking a deep breath, trying to collect herself. "That was the most brilliant response to that that I've ever heard."

The blonde's shoulders slumped with relief. "In a good way, right?" she said weakly.

"In a good way," Elphaba confirmed, a huge grin still on her face. Glinda didn't quite understand her humour, but she was willing to roll with it. Elphaba took a long swig of hot chocolate, then elaborated. "Normally I get looks of pity, or sympathy, or get called a bastard, or people try to demonise my mother, but you didn't do any of that."

"I was pretty sure I'd put my foot in it," Glinda confessed quickly. "I wasn't sure what else to say."

"Your parents are in Boston?" Elpbaha repeated.

"Yeah. I called them a few hours ago."

She smiled. "Cool." She took another sip of the hot chocolate.

Glinda searched for a couple of seconds for something else to talk about. "What do you do? At Columbia, I mean."

"Law and Physics."

The blonde's mouth actually dropped open. "Whaaaaat. Seriously?"

Elphaba raised an eyebrow - a look that conveyed the phrase 'are you kidding me have I been anything but serious this whole time', but the only word she let slip from her mouth was just, "Yes."

"Woahhhh."

Glinda wasn't sure whether her next question should be 'how are you still alive' or 'why would you subject yourself to that torture - real, actual work', so Elphaba took the silence that was a product of her indecision as an invitation to continue - "I'm hoping to end up in the NGO or government sector. I don't really know. I'm just hoping I can use law to make the world better."

"But...physics as well?"

Elphaba shrugged. "I just think it's neat. And I want to understand why the world works the way it does. I don't understand how anyone can be content knowing that they don't know things."

Glinda nodded. She was pretty sure she understood - she would never get how anyone could go through life not knowing how blasphemous it was to wear white shoes after labour day. "Yeah. I think I get that a bit."

She smiled. "You do?"

"Mm."

What followed might have been a comfortable silence, if they'd known each other better, and longer. But since this wasn't the case, the pair found themselves searching for literally anything to talk about. The awkwardness was thankfully cut short by Glinda's phone ringing. "Oh! That's Fiyero, do you mind if I just-"

Elphaba nodded, taking a final swig of hot chocolate. Glinda answered the call, turning to face the back wall. The raven-haired girl stared absently at the succulent on the counter as Glinda talked.

"Hey 'Yero! Yeah, no, I'm still at Rose Gold. Nah, it wasn't here. Oh my gosh, already? Ha, time flies...I'll be back there in a bit, okay? What! No, you don't have to do that. You won't even notice me come in. Well, if you really want to. Okay, see you soon. Bye."

She pushed the phone back into her pocket, hesitated, the pulled it out again. She turned to Elphaba. "Want my phone number?"

The other girl stiffened in surprise. "You...want mine?"

"Yeah, sure! Look, I'll just text myself from your phone, and then I'll reply..."

Elphaba, a bit bewildered, pulled her own phone from her pocket. Glinda froze. "Is that..."

"It's a brick."

"...I take back whatever it was I said about not pitying you earlier."

Elphaba grinned, handing it to the blonde. "It's my problem, not yours. Just send the text."

Glinda took the phone, turning the black Nokia flip-phone over in her hands. It took a couple of excruciating minutes for it to turn on, in which neither of them really made any attempt at conversation, and another minute or so for Glinda to navigate the ancient machine. She finally passed it back to Elphaba. "I should really lock up now. Will you...be okay? Tonight?"

"I'm fine."

"You could totally come back with me if you want."

She shook her head. "No, I couldn't possibly impose on you and your...boyfriend, like that."

"Nah, you could. He's actually so chill-"

"Glinda? It's fine." The rain outside was easing, anyway.

She blinked. It was clear by now that there was really no point arguing. "...If you're sure."

They stepped outside, and Glinda locked the door behind them. The blonde pushed her hands into her pockets, nestling her chin into her scarf a little. "Hey, Elphaba. You'll come back, right?"

She hesitated. "Uh-"

"To the coffee shop."

Elphaba fidgeted for a moment, her eyebrows creased together. "You...want me to?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Why?"

Glinda shrugged. "I don't know, you're...interesting."

Elphaba blinked. "Likewise."

Glinda grinned, turning around, not quite sure what to say. "Well, see you!"

"...bye."

The blonde may or may not have been planning the text she'd send Elphaba tomorrow for most of the walk back. She pulled out her phone, adding Elphaba to her contacts: "Elphie", with far too many green hearts everywhere:

💚Elphieeee 💚

Just because.

***

Heyo! So, that was a thing.

This oneshot was for the Inaugural Fanfiction December Holiday Season Challenge! I really enjoyed it, actually!

The prompts were:
25: Rose Gold (name of the coffee shop, and also linked to 2016 trends just generally)
20: Empire (NEW YOOOORK CONCRETE JUNGLE WHERE DREAMS ARE MADE OF...wait, what are they made of???)
17: Unexpected (Just, the entire situation.)

I might continue this?? It definitely has potential to go somewhere?? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (If it did continue it would definitely turn into slow burn gelphie. 100%.)

Hope you guys enjoyyyed~
Brightbriar ♪(๑ᴖ◡ᴖ๑)♪