In a single, lumpy bed, they huddled together...Elphaba seemed at night never to sleep.

"Don't you ever sleep?" Glinda rolled over to face Elphaba, who smiled at her somewhat blearily.

"Of course I do. What makes you ask that?"

"You're awake now," Glinda pointed out, and Elphaba pretended to consider this.

"So are you."

"But you're always awake when I wake up during the night," Glinda protested, and Elphaba gave her side a teasing poke.

"How do you know we're not just waking up at the same time? Perhaps I'm a light sleeper, and when you stir, it rouses me from my slumber."

Glinda frowned for a moment, too tired to dispute this logic. "But you're always awake," she whined, and Elphaba gave an apologetic shrug. "And besides, you do nap an awful lot during the day." Yawning, Glinda huddled closer to Elphaba, pulling one of her arms around her. "Tell me a story. Since we're both awake and all."

"I don't know any."

"So make one up," Glinda retorted, sighing when Elphaba looked perplexed. "Tell me a secret, then."

Elphaba wracked her brains for a few seconds. "Avaric has a collection of girly magazines hidden under the covers of scientific journals," she eventually said, and Glinda groaned loudly.

"You idiot, I meant a secret about you," she protested. "As fascinating as that story was, I want you to tell me something you've never told anyone. Ever. Something deep and dark and mysterious."

"If it's something I've never told anyone, then surely there's a reason for my silence, so why would I tell you?" Elphaba said, and Glinda grunted.

"Because. It's what girls do. Besides, there must be some secret that you're just dying to tell somebody. Something utterly wicked."

"Not particularly."

"Then how about something you're bottling up, that might make you feel better if you got it out?" Glinda pressed. "Don't you trust me? Or are you really that unexciting?" She sighed loudly as Elphaba remained silent. "I don't suppose I could change tack and get you to streak through the kitchens," she scoffed under her breath, burrowing her head further into the lumpy pillow. "Oh well, guess I'll be trying to get back to sleep now."

"Sometimes," Elphaba spoke up in a low voice, after several minutes of tense silence, "I want to cry."

"Huh?"

"I thought of a secret," Elphaba murmured, then repeated, "sometimes, I want to cry, but I can't."

"So why don't you? A good sob never hurt anyone."

"But it does hurt. Physically," Elphaba clarified. "I found out very early on that tears burn my skin almost as badly as water does. So I don't cry."

"But you want to," Glinda filled in softly. In the dark, her hand found Elphaba's, squeezing tightly. "What makes you want to cry?"

"That's two secrets, Glinda," Elphaba chastised, closing again as quickly as she'd opened up. Still, she didn't pull away when Glinda moved closer into her, blinking hastily when Glinda's head bowed to bump against her chest.

That night, for once, both of them slept.