Indian/Hindu James Potter Headcanons

“Hinduphobia is not real”

elphaba took these pics btw

I'm listening to the False Prince audio book right now (major spoilers in this post btw!!!!!!!!) and I'm still in the first chapter but the reader (Charlie McWade) has read most of the narration in a pretty flat tone while giving all the characters wildly performance accents, EXCEPT SAGE, who has a basic American accent just like the narration and so far only has slightly more life injected into him. Conner and Mrs. Turbeldy are both being read in these performative British accents.

If you've read the books then you know that not only are Conner and Turbeldy both Carthyan but SAGE, who is actually Jaron, is ALSO carthyan and spends most of the first book pretending to be Avenian and faking an Avenian accent.

WHICH IMPLIES THAT THE ACCENT OF THE AVENIANS IS JUST AN AMERICAN ACCENT. And the Carthyans are British.

Help??? Is Sage's accent going to change from American to British as the book goes on and he "learns" to fake a Carthyan accent? Is the narration going to change to a British accent at the end when we realize that he's been Carthyan all along?!! Or has he been in the Avenian accent for so long that now he just thinks in an Avenian accent?

Help I know I'm probably reading too much into it but this is insane i can't stop thinking about it, Sage/Jaron's accents and sarcasm play SUCH an important role in the series so it feels SO wrong that all the characters would get essentially Pro Voice Actor Treatment while he gets to be read in a flat American tone regardless of what façade he's putting on at any given time.

Okay attempt number 2 at posting why I personally think Galinda Upland is a high masking AuDHD person after I saw a post pegging Elphaba as Autisitic and Galinda as ADHD:

See under the cut

1. She’s very clearly high energy/hyperactive, always busy, never stops talking, the way she talks it seems like that’s how her brain works, just running and running constantly.

2. She speaks what’s on her mind without thinking about how what she says may affect those around her. “You’re green!” It very much gives me “If you’re from Africa why are you white?” From Mean Girls vibes. (And yes, I do think Karen Smith is autistic too lol)

3. She has 2 special interests: being Popular and sorcery. I mean, aside from just being a huge gay flamingo mating dance, Popular also feels like a giant infodumping session of Galinda onto Elphie. She’s sharing all the knowledge she has on one of her favorite topics. The works she puts in to following her hearts desire to be a sorceress, saying how it’s her hearts desire. She would do anything to be able to do magic and I personally think she has the knowledge behind it, even if she doesn’t have the magic ability in her in the way Madame Morrible is looking for. She recognizes that Elphaba was the one who did the magic in the courtyard at Shiz and she begs Elphaba to share how she did it, even though she claims to loathe her. She thinks Elphaba knows something about her special interest that she doesn’t so she MUST find out!

4. I know the suitcases and trunks all her stuff is in is partially because of the lack of closet space in the dorm room but while it seems like everything has its place, drawers are labeled, etc… it’s still very cluttered. She just has SO. MUCH. STUFF. A little bit of hoarding. She cannot bear to get rid of anything because what if she needs it one day?! (I.E. the hat her grandmother made her!)

5. Speaking of the hat. I don’t think she actually hates it. It may not be her style, but her grandma made it for her! When Pfannee pulled the hat out and he and ShenShen started hating on it and Galinda turned around, it took her a moment to read her friend’s tones. You can see for a second her expression looks neutral but contemplative when she’s looking at Pfannee before it changes and she starts to hate on the hat. She had to take a second to read and process her friend’s tone before she responded so she could have the correct reaction her friends were expecting from her.

6. The ‘toss toss’ and ‘leg’ things are both stims. You cannot change my mind.

7. Why is she so high masking? Because her momsie and popsicle conditioned her to hide any trait of hers that could seen as “undesirable” or “unladylike”. She’s Galinda Upland of the Upper Uplands after all! She has a reputation to live up to!

8. After the Ozdust Ballroom night when she and Elphie become friends, she quickly becomes attached to her. Elphie becomes her “safe person” and she develops an attachment to her that I see frequently in neurodiverse people. She always wants to be around her and she is always holding her hand and touching her because she’s so comfortable with Elphaba. She finally has someone she can unmask around.

9. Speaking of Elphie…. Galinda shows some HEAVY Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria in the deleted scene “Elphaba’s Promise”. She is sad and hurt, not that Elphie and Fiyero were doing something without her, but that Elphie “chose” Fiyero to help her rescue the cub, not Galinda. “If you needed someone, you could’ve picked me!” Breaks my heart every time!

10. She seems to have a little bit of rigid thinking when it comes to Dr. Dillamond not being able to pronounce her name. She seems to think if she just keeps repeating the correct way to say it, he’ll eventually get it and not understanding that he’s physically not capable of pronouncing her name correctly because of his lack of upper front teeth, even when it’s explained to her.

11. This last one is very much a stretch (pun not originally intended this time lol) but I’m putting it in too, hypermobility issues are a very high comorbidity with autism and when she’s dancing around during Popular she does a high kick. Could it just be athleticism? Maybe. Could it be a hypermobility thing? Also maybe.

Anyone have any fic recs for Steve Rogers being the youngest member of the avengers? Please I can’t find any!!!!

mfs love it when countries and communities decolonize themselves and embrace their culture which was lost to british (or any european country's) colonization. but as soon as it's india decolonizing from both british AND mughal colonization they're pissed.

have you got any james headcannons?

okay a lot of these are also hindu/desi James because 🥺 yeah

James was absolutely a dancer

specifically a bharatanatyam dancer

his parents were like super big on teaching him about all the cultural stuff and James was super active all the time so James being a dancer just,, made sense

also he had adhd

James lowkey idolised his parents and their relationship but for good reason

they were happy and they cared for each other and they were Peak Romance and James knew that's what he wanted one day

James was absolutely warned about the Black family and he was probably given loads of unsolicited advice on staying away from the infamous Sirius Black because he'd be a bad influence

(not by his parents though, Effie and Monty would never judge someone based on who their parents are)

and then he gets on the train and sees this scared little boy in way too formal clothes looking simultaneously terrified and relieved

and James just goes

FRIEND THIS IS FRIEND HI FRIEND HELLO

he's basically just a human shaped golden retriever

and Sirius is really just relieved that he doesn't have to spend the journey with death eaters in training

and they just kinda ramble at each other for ages

until they notice the two boys sitting across the aisle, one of them's half asleep and the other's very intensely playing with a muggle toy

(Peter was obsessed with rubiks cubes, you can fight me on this)

and James is so fucking confused by the lil cube and Peter shows him how to solve it and it's like James' entire fucking world suddenly makes sense because holy fucking shit

and Sirius thinks it's sweet that James is so easily amused and he's also in awe of how clever Peter is

and Remus just looks fondly at these boys who barely know each others names becoming friends so easily

and James definitely has an om pendant on black thread and it keeps catching Remus' eye

so eventually Remus asks about it

and James goes on this wholeee rant about his religion and culture and the food and presents

and he promises to take them all home one day to show them what desi festivals are like

and then they get to hogwarts and it's sorting time

and James knows how stressed Sirius is

so he makes shitty jokes and gets the other two to try and help cheer Sirius up

it doesn't really work but knowing that James is there means more to Sirius than he could ever say

the boys share a dorm obviously and James is,,, surprisingly neat

like you'd expect this whirlwind of an 11 year old to get his shit everywhere but he sorts his clothes into neat piles and he's super careful with his folds and he's got little desk organisers and he spends like half a day just focused on organising his stuff and putting everything away properly

James sees Lily on their first night when she's reading by the fireplace

and his brain is like

FRIEND NEW FRIEND HELLO FRIEND

because sweet little baby just wants to be friends with everyone

he remembers her name from the sorting and he's kinda worried because it's late

so he's like

hey Evans, right? it's getting late, you should probably head to bed soon

and she ends up saying she's homesick, mumbling it, hoping he won't hear because she's a bit embarrassed

he hears, of course

and he sits with her, talking to her about nothing and everything until she finally decides she's ready to go to bed

James gets back to the dorm and Sirius IMMEDIATELY gets on his ass because they're all immature 11 year olds when girls are the worst but also anytime a boy's nice to a girl they just assume he likes her

sooooo we heard you were with a girllllll

it's not like that, she just needed a friend

mmmhmmmm whatever you say potter

the next morning James sees Lily on the way to breakfast

he asks if she slept okay and she says yes and thanks him

and he tells her about what Sirius said because he thinks it's funny and she laughs too

and they start a little inside joke where he asks her out and she says no and they think it's cute and funny

and eventually James has his oh shit moment

because he wasn't meant to catch feelings, it was all just a joke

but then he'd ask her out and she'd roll her eyes and laugh a little

and James melts because holy shit the things he'd give to hear her laugh again

but of course he doesn't tell her because she can't possibly feel the same way right?

enter snivellus

Snape gets all jealous and starts acting up and being a prick

and James is like ??? you did this for what

like he doesn't get it because he doesn't know that Snape's jealous right and he just doesn't get why????

and Remus is like bro,, he fancies Evans but he thinks you fancy Evans so he's being a prick about it

and James and Sirius are like

TWO CAN PLAY AT THAT GAME

and they think it's just harmless pranks at first (which is mostly true)

but Snape gets all whiny and plays the victim card as if he doesn't start shit half the time

and one day James does his usual "oi Evans - you, me, candlelit dinner Saturday night?"

and Lilys like

it's not fucking funny anymore, potter

and James, once again, is very confused

and Remus, once again, has to explain that Lily and Snape are friends and of course she's gonna be pissed off if he complains to her

but James is like

but friend that's my friend don't wanna lose friend

and internally he still kinda really wants her to say yes the next time he asks her out

but of course he doesn't exactly know how to go about keeping his friend

so he tries to carry on with the joke but Lily just gets more pissed off, especially as the pranks continue

James carries on being a great friend though

he's always there for Remus, almost obsessively researching everything he can find about werewolves so he can help

he's extremely protective over Sirius and even tries to help Regulus when he first joins hogwarts

he helps Peter with his homework whenever he needs for as long as he needs (hc borrowed from @join-me-in-the-bog)

he's absolutely the mum friend and he just wants the people he loves to be okay

also we know James is super into quidditch right

so everyone expects him to be the Jock™ right

but one night Peter walks in on him in an empty classroom

the floor's cleared and his ghungroos and footwork are loud but sharp

and James is dancing

and it's amazing and confusing at the same time because it's beautiful but no one really expected that from him

and James catches his eye and he's a little startled but he smiles when he sees it's just wormtail

they sit by the lake that night, just talking

so I suppose you don't want me to tell anyone

tell anyone what?

.... that you dance ??

James is super confused

Peter goes on about how it doesn't really fit people's idea of him, how he's seen as the Dude, the Man that plays Sports and shit

Wormy... I cried over a cat with a pink bow in his hair in the middle of the great hall... I highly doubt anyone thinks I'm a Manly Man

and they just laugh and nothing else matters in that moment

there's definitely more but this post is already long as fuck and brain's decided I'm not allowed anymore words so I might carry on some other time but I hope this was helpful ?? what you were looking for ?? idk, also sorry it took so long 💛

lily "tea is tea is tea is tea" telugu but adopted and raised by a predominantly white family evans VS james "BRITISH TEA IS THE SHAME OF THE TEA FAMILY IT SHOULDNT EVEN BE CALLED TEA" born and raised tamil potter

choose ur fighter

Hc that when Jason got adopted and was introduced to the giant ass manor library, he was determined to read every book there(like any reasonable 12 year old would do upon finding out there was a whole ass library in their house) but he needed a way to remember what he thought of the books, and Alfred or Bruce or someone suggested some sort of social media or blog, so Jason made his new super secret social media book review blog

At first it was just another one of those random accounts, until it got more and more followers over time, and Jason expanded from book reviews to just random stuff, and eventually his acc was pretty well known. Only nearly a year into this endeavor(before the acc really got rolling), Jason got his first hater. This hater was Tim, who had discovered the acc while testing his online stalking skills and, still annoyed at the change in Robin, decided to be a little hater about it.

Time went on and the accounts following only grew with everyone knowing about Jason's very dedicated hater that was constantly arguing with him over random shit, either just on website or in dms. Then the acc stopped posting cause Jason, yknow, died.

Some years went by and Jason's acc turned into a little story of "hey you guys remember that one book review acc that made new reviews scarily fast then just dissapeared one day?" "Oh yeah, you remember their super dedicated hater? Such a funny time lolol."

Then the acc came back. And with the accs return came the little hater's return(with Tim now extra hate fueled) and the arguments continued but over time Tim became less and less cruel as his relationship with Jason got better and better(this is an au where they actually yknow, bond and stuff) and eventually, Tim admits to being the hater behind the acc and stops his shenanigans

When someone asks about where Jason's favorite hater went, he just replies "turns out it was my brother the whole fucking time." And Tim, having seen the reply some way or another, would never admit that he teared up a little at being called Jason's brother after so many years of hatred.

Fully optional, but I could use a bit of fluff in my life if you’d be so kind, my very best angst-fluff bestie:

Galinda getting so overly flustered over something simple (an assignment, her makeup, her friends, ect.) that she accidentally hurts herself. Elphaba takes that just as seriously as whatever Galinda was upset about and talks her down from the edge while caring for her.

Please 🥺 if you have time

sorry this is late! and questionably fluffy lol. but it's angstless and sweet at least?? also its way longer than i expected, whoops

///

Elphaba opens the door to a room in chaos, the cause of it a blur of pink and gold as the tiny tornado that is Galinda spins through the room. There are clothes tossed everywhere, half of Galinda’s trunks dumped out onto the floor and creating a minefield of obstacles for Elphaba to try and pick her way around just to get to her bed. 

“Uh, Galinda?” Elphaba calls, racking her brain for what might be the reason for such disaster. 

Galinda whirls around, blonde curls in disarray and eyes wide and wild. She’s holding two different dresses in her hands, one a sparkling pink and the other a tasteful cream. 

“Elphie!” Galinda cries. She surges forward, nearly tripping over an overturned trunk as she reaches to grab Elphaba’s hands. “You have to help me, this is a disaster!” 

Elphaba lifts a pointed eyebrow and looks around at the mess. “I can see that.”

“Not the room.” Galinda shakes her head violently, hair lashing her cheeks as she tries to yank Elphaba forward. “My wardrobe! I can’t find anything to wear!”

There are stacks of clothes nearly as tall as Elphaba’s knees on the floor, clearly having been tossed out of closets, trunks, and drawers. “Have you tried asking the floor if you can borrow something of hers?” Elphaba teases, voice a fond drawl. 

Galinda whines, though, high and long. She rocks from foot to foot, shaking her head again. And again, and again. “None of these are right!” she cries, pulling her hands out of Elphaba’s and falling to her butt on the edge of her bed, a pile of blouses sliding to the floor at the disturbance. 

There’s a faint level of true distress leaking through Galinda’s expression that makes Elphaba step forward, reaching for the blonde’s hands again so she stops pulling at her fingers. “Hey,” she says, as calm and gentle as she can. “Whatever the problem is, we can fix it. What are you getting dressed for, anyway? It’s almost dinner time.”

But the reminder just seems to make Galinda panic more, and she suddenly leaps from the bed, stumbling in her heels as she brushes past Elphaba. “Shit, I’m late!” she yells, aiming for the vanity in the center of the room. 

There’s a pile of her own shoes on the floor, however, that Galinda apparently doesn’t see, the awkward shapes sliding under her feet as she trips, falling to the ground with a yelp. A muted, fleshy thump sounds out as Galinda hits the floor, just barely catching herself on her hands and knees. 

“Galinda!” Elphaba cries, carefully navigating the perilous space as she crouches by the blonde. “Are you okay?”

But Galinda is already scrambling to her feet, blinking rapidly and shoving her fallen hair out of her face. “F-fine,” she stammers, wincing when she straightens her knees. That’s going to hurt later for sure, and they both know Galinda bruises easily. 

It’s in looking down at the matching spots on the girl’s legs that Elphaba notices it: the bright slash of red across Galinda’s hip, the fabric of her grey-striped skirt ripped open. Her eyes widen, breath catching, and she glances behind Galinda and spots the culprit immediately- the sharp metal corner of one of Galinda’s pink trunks.

“Galinda, your hip!” Elphaba reaches for it, stopping just inches away as her hands flutter uselessly, not wanting to touch the exposed skin and cause Galinda any pain. The cut is relatively shallow, but it’s bleeding steadily, about a hands-length of torn skin across Galinda’s right side.

Galinda looks down, gasping when she sees the wound, her face draining of color. Elphaba is sure it means the pain must’ve just hit, and she puts her hands under the girl’s elbows to steady her, worry rising and making her stomach twist. She starts to try and lead Galinda toward the bathroom, but--

“My skirt!” Galinda’s voice is high and horrified, her hands going to her side not to inspect the wound, but to grab at the torn scraps of cloth dangling from the side of it. She sounds so utterly heartbroken and scandalized by the sight, and Elphaba would be amused, usually, if it weren’t for the fact that Galinda is bleeding. 

The sight of the brilliant ruby droplets pooling outside of Galinda’s body makes Elphaba’s heart do gymnastics in her chest, and not in a good way. Icy fear creeps down her spine even if, logically, she knows it’s a superficial wound. 

It’s just-

Galinda doesn’t even seem to care. She doesn’t even seem to notice, the pain not registering for either her torn side or her bruised knees. She’s more worried about her stupid clothes than her own body, and it’s an unfortunate pattern that Elphaba has come to see in the girl. One that frustrates her to no end. 

Galinda tries to pull out of Elphaba’s hold to turn back toward the closet by her bed--to get a new skirt, to grab her sewing kit, to continue searching for the perfect outfit, Elphaba isn’t sure--and Elphaba feels her patience snap. 

“Galinda,” she growls, tightening her hands and giving the blonde a light shake. “You’re bleeding.” 

“I know! It’s going to ruin the fabric, this skirt is custom and I only have a set amount because Shiz gives all new students the same set of--”

“I don’t care about your skirt!” Elphaba cuts off. “You’re hurt, Galinda!”

Galinda finally stills, blinking at Elphaba dumbly and then looking down at her side like she can’t process why Elphaba is so worked up. “Yes?” 

Biting back a groan, Elphaba once again tries to steer the blonde to the bathroom. “So we need to clean it and make sure it isn’t deep enough to need stitches. At the very least, you’ll likely need a bandage.”

“It doesn’t even hurt, Elphaba, I’m fine, and I don’t have time for--”

“Not negotiable.” 

Galinda pouts but lets herself be taken to the bathroom and shoved down to sit on the cold edge of the tub. Her hands find the porcelain edge, gripping tight enough to make her knuckles white as her knee bounces anxiously. Elphaba grabs the first aid kit from under the sink, using the moment with her back turned to take a deep breath and still the shakiness in her own hands. 

Galinda is fine. It’s just a tiny bit of blood, it’s no big deal. 

“You’ll have to take your skirt off,” Elphaba says as she turns back around. She digs through the kit while Galinda shifts her hips enough to do as she’s told, both girls too distracted to make a big deal about her state of undress. 

Elphaba’s mind is whirling slightly, thoughts and feelings tumbling over each other, so she keeps her lips pressed tightly together as she crouches to gently clean the scrape, washing it with clean water and dabbing at it with alcohol that makes Galinda wince and hiss. 

“Sorry,” Elphaba mutters. Galinda seems to have picked up on her mood and is staying quiet herself, staring at the sink instead of watching Elphaba. She sucks in a few more pained hisses but otherwise remains still and silent. 

It isn’t until Elphaba is carefully laying a soft bandage across the girl’s hip, securing it with a potentially-excessive amount of adhesive strips, that Galinda speaks up. “Are you mad at me?” she whispers. Her body tenses slightly as she awaits an answer. 

“I-- No,” Elphaba stutters. She takes a breath. “No, I’m not mad. I just…I wish you would care about yourself more. You were more worried about your clothes than your hip.”

“Sorry.” There’s something fragile and vulnerable to Galinda’s shaky voice that makes Elphaba realize that while she has been gathering herself and calming down, Galinda has been spiraling internally and only getting more worked up. 

“You don’t have to apologize,” Elphaba says. She finishes securing the bandage and shifts so she can catch Galinda’s eyes. The other girl tries to duck away, so Elphaba reaches out to lift her chin. “I really am not upset, Galinda. I just care about you.”

She can see the moment Galinda gets a little overwhelmed, a spark of panic in her eyes matching the way her pulse jumps and her breath catches. “It’s okay,” Elphaba says immediately. “Just breathe.”

Galinda tries, her chest heaving slightly. “Tell me what you’re thinking,” Elphaba calmly instructs. She places both of her hands on the blonde’s knees, rubbing her thumbs in steady circles as she makes her own breathing deep and loud. “What has you so worked up?”

Galinda shakes her head. “Y-you-- I’m-- You’re gonna think I’m s-stupid.”

“Never. I could never.” Elphaba takes another deep breath, coaxing Galinda into following along. “Whatever it is, I’m here for you.”

“I-I have-- I’ve got--” Galinda breaks off, eyes squeezing shut as she takes several more quick, shallow breaths. 

“In your nose and out your mouth,” Elphaba reminds her. Galinda nods sharply, because they’ve done this before; she knows this trick. 

When she’s managed to get enough air to speak properly, she tries again. “Pfannee…and ShenShen…invited me to a-a dinner, tonight…in the city.”

“Okay. And you need something to wear?” Elphaba deduces.

Galinda nods rapidly. “Sh-ShenShen said not to, to look like a college kid.”

Elphaba keeps her face carefully neutral because she knows why Galinda was worried about her reaction. To Elphaba, this whole thing seems like an entirely inconsequential issue in the grand scheme of life. Galinda has lots of pretty clothes that make her look plenty mature, but the fact of the matter is that she is a college kid, and she shouldn’t take ShenShen’s words to heart. 

However, Elphaba knows that to Galinda, such issues and comments are a big deal, and she wouldn’t be a good friend or roommate if she laughed in the face of Galinda’s anxieties. The younger girl can’t help how she feels, and pointing out that it’s nothing to worry about has never gone over very well. 

“Well, first,” Elphaba starts. “Just take a second and breathe, okay? I am happy to help you find something to wear to dinner, and I have no doubt you’ll look amazing in it.”

“Bu-but what if--”

“Galinda, your wardrobe is the envy of the whole school, and you’re gorgeous, okay? There’s no way you’ll be anything less than stunning tonight.”

A delicate blush rises to Galinda’s cheeks, painting them a rosy pink. She ducks her head, and this time Elphaba lets her, sitting back on her heels with a soft grin. 

“Second,” she continues, her voice dropping into something more serious. “If and when you feel this overwhelmed, you know you can always come to me, right? I will never, ever think you’re stupid for your feelings.”

Galinda’s blush deepens, but she does raise her eyes again so soft chocolate meets rich emerald. She takes a deep, if a bit shaky, inhale. “Thank you,” she whispers. She removes her vice-like grip from the edge of the tub and lets them slide into Elphaba’s waiting hands. 

Elphaba gives both their hands a squeeze. “Third,” she says, tipping her chin to Galinda’s bandaged side. “Please, please, Galinda. Promise me you’ll be more careful?”

“It’s just a scratch--”

“A scratch that was bleeding, and all you cared about was your skirt.” Elphaba sighs, shaking her head. She had told Galinda she wasn’t mad. “It worries me that you don’t see the issue here.”

Galinda pouts, her bottom lip quivering as tears gather in her big brown eyes. “Elphieee” she starts to whine, but Elphaba steels her heart and manages to resist the potent sight. 

“Galinda--” Elphaba takes a deep breath, closing her eyes and laying her cheek against the girls’ conjoined hands. When she opens them again, she hopes Galinda can’t see the depth of the emotions she’s trying to hide. “I care about you, Galinda. Not your clothes. I-I don’t want to see you hurt. Ever.”

Galinda’s performative pout shifts into something much more genuine. She slides off the tub, falling practically into Elphaba’s lap as the older girl lets herself sink to her butt on the cold tiled floor. Galinda is a warm weight across her thighs as the younger girl unclasps her hands so she can loop her arms around Elphaba’s neck. 

“I’m sorry,” Galinda mumbles, hiding her face in Elphaba’s neck as she speaks. She sighs, slumping further into Elphaba as the older girl carefully holds her in place, trying to ignore the feeling of Galinda’s bare legs draped over her lap. For a moment, they just breathe together, finding their balance after the previous whirlwind. 

They fit together like puzzle pieces, curling around each other as their heartbeats sync up and Elphaba’s legs grow numb. “Will you promise to be more careful?” Elphaba whispers once more. She runs her fingers up and down Galinda’s spine, feeling it stiffen slightly as Galinda works on her response. 

“I promise,” she eventually says. “I- I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“I know.” Elphaba pulls back just enough to press their foreheads together. The weight of her feelings spreads out from the point of contact, a warm rush of honeyed love flowing through her veins. 

“You matter to me,” Elphaba says, eyes closed against the sight of Galinda’s earnest gaze so close to her. “A lot more than any clothes. I don’t want you to be so careless that you really hurt yourself one day.”

Galinda stifles a sound that could almost be a tiny whimper. Two soft palms come up to cradle Elphaba’s cheeks, thumbs brushing against freckled skin. “You don’t have to worry so much, Elphie. I’m a big girl.”

Galinda’s voice is barely a whisper, ghosting over Elphaba’s lips as the older girl swallows around the lump in her throat, and squeezes her eyes shut even tighter. How does she explain that she’s always going to worry about Galinda? That that’s just what you do for the people you love?

Not too many more words are said as the girls pry themselves off the floor and creep back into their messy bedroom. Elphaba takes Galinda by the hand to lead her through the maze, pushing piles of clothes and shoes and belts and bags aside to make space for them to walk. 

This time, when Elphaba’s foot catches the edge of a rug and she stumbles slightly, not quite a trip, it’s met with Galinda’s sweet giggles, the blonde tugging on their hands to steady Elphaba as a furious blush rises to green cheeks. Her clumsiness at least seems to have lifted the mood.

“Watch your step,” Galinda sing-songs, hopping forward to put herself right under Elphaba’s chin as she grins at her. “Wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself.”

Elphaba rolls her eyes with a huff, but her glowing cheeks give her away as Galinda squeezes their hands once more and leans up to press the most fleeting of kisses to Elphaba’s cheek. “You matter to me, too, Elphie,” she whispers, almost like a secret.

They’re not quite the words either of them wants to say, deep in their heart of hearts, but Elphaba can feel it all the same. She lets it fill her, swelling under her ribs and making her cheeks glow for reasons beyond a touch of embarrassment. 

At some point, they’re going to have to pick everything up. At some point, Galinda will remember she still has a dinner to get to and all her clothes are wrinkled and spread across the floor. Elphaba knows that the anxiety is rooted too deep in the blonde’s brain to be swept away so easily.

But for right now, Elphaba will cherish this moment with Galinda so close she can count the golden flecks in her eyes and promise herself that, the next time Galinda trips, Elphaba will at least be there to catch her before she falls.