A Beautiful Relationship, PG

[twistedglinda]

Title: A Beautiful Relationship
Rating: PG
Prompt:  “A two important says (sic) in rehearsal, there must be coffee, shoes and a piano involved some way or another.” (Anon) 
Genre: Humor, romance
Fandom: Wicked RPF
Pairing: pre-Chenzel (Idina Menzel/Kristin Chenoweth)
Summary: Before San Francisco previews. After a stressful day at rehearsals, Idina and Kristin relax in their hotel room.
Disclaimer: I do not own Wicked, nor do I know any of the people mentioned in this text. The situations that follow are purely fictional in nature.

A/N: As he did for me, I would like to thank my lovely beta. :)

Word Count: 2,704

“Again. And one--”

Idina launched into the last phrase of ‘No Good Dead’ once more, keeping time in her head as the pianist went on with the accompaniment. Think high. Less breathiness. Sing from the belly, not the chest.

“Again.”

Without complaint, she followed suit. She knew better than to fuss about how many times they had been over the same section (almost fifty, if she was still on track).The stress was all on her. If she snapped, they all would. That’s what it felt like, anyway.

The days were ticking down until the start of previews in San Francisco. The cast and crew were all in a frenzy, making sure that lines were memorized and all of the equipment was in top condition (it would really suck if the “melting” platform went out from under Idina’s feet, for example). Everyone knew just how much of a gamble the production was. Several careers in the business were at stake, not to mention how slippery the grip on producers could be if this failed. Everything must be perfect.

Especially the star performers.

She wondered how Kristin was handling things. The blonde’s voice was almost gone most evenings, it seemed, though it did very little to dampen her spirits. Idina knew all about keeping up appearances, though. If the pressure was starting to push her limits, she could only imagine the toll it was taking on her co-star.

“Idina, are you even trying?”

Whoops. “Sorry,” she said to the pianist. “I’m getting a little tired.”

The pianist frowned. He ran a hand through his hair. “Okay. Let’s go through it one more time. Then you can rest.” He played the opening chord. From the top, then.

Fun.

As she had with the rest, Idina gave the run her all. Emotion, appropriate motions, breath support. She tried to stick as close to the sheet music as possible—all of the theatrics could be saved until opening night. She paid close attention to the music played in front of her, noting the occasional slip and pause as he tried to get back on track. Apparently she wasn’t the only one who was getting tired. That made her smile, but only for a second.

The final note carried in the rehearsal room, and the pianist took his hands off of the keyboard. Idina began to breathe again, her posture relaxing into something more of herself than of Elphaba. She shook the pianist’s hand with a smile, thanking him for his time, before she turned to welcome the next pathetic soul into the room.

Never had she felt more relieved to be done with vocal rehearsals. She thought it would never end. Now she hoped the next few hours going over dance steps would go just as well, or at least uneventfully.

XX

Four hours later, her legs felt like they were about to fall off.

Idina grumbled to herself as she gingerly made her way down the hall to her hotel room. Thankfully most of her cast-mates weren’t wanting to talk much. Otherwise they would have been subjected to rants about the director and choreographers and fucking Broadway. Not that anyone believed that she had any real resentment toward her employers. It was in her nature to not play nice with anyone after a long day at work. Best to avoid her and let her say what she wanted as long as it didn’t interfere with anything.

But seriously. She hadn’t felt like this since the first day of dance rehearsals! What were they planning? Take out the weak ones before they had the chance to ruin the entire production?

Now that’s just crazy, Idina, she thought to herself. But still, she decided to stay on her toes (granted that they didn’t feel like they were going to fall off in the morning).

Idina slid the card into the slot above the door handle before pushing the door open. She tossed her purse and the hotel room key onto the dresser unceremoniously and walked towards the beds as cautiously as possible so as to not hurt her feet even more. The brunette sat down on one of the beds, sighing with relief as she did so. The stabbing pain in the soles of her feet subsided the moment she took the weight off of them. Never in her life had she felt so happy to just sit on her ass. A day like today definitely called for a moment of doing absolutely nothing. That, and possibly alcohol would make her feel happy now. Unfortunately, alcohol wasn’t allowed. It’s damaging to the vocal chords, and she didn’t need her voice to crack at the end of “Defying Gravity” like it was always on the verge of doing. Joe would probably kill her...

Idina looked down at her feet. She frowned at the flat-soled dancing shoes that adorned them. There were holes at the top, and it looked like the bottoms were going to fray and tear away from the soles anytime soon. Unacceptable. With a single fluid movement, Idina brought her left leg up and slipped the offending shoe off of her foot. She then threw it toward the bathroom door and prepared to do the same with the other when she heard a voice in front of her.

“Whoa, Dee. Are your feet on fire or something?"

Idina looked up. Standing in the doorway was her co-star, Kristin Chenoweth. She clearly looked amused, holding the shoe that Idina had just tossed.

On a normal day, Idina would be happy to see the blonde. In fact, she felt something inside her liven up again. However, this wasn’t a normal day, so Idina stuck out her tongue as she switched positions to remove her other shoe. “Very funny, Cheno,” she shot back.

“I thought so,” the blonde replied with a giggle. She practically skipped over to her co-star and sat cross-legged beside her, grinning all the while. “You may need a fresh pair of shoes by the time the musical opens if they keep pushing us like this. Maybe two.”

“Oh my god. How the hell are you able to be so happy?” Idina whined. “Unless they’re going easy on you, you should be like me: all but writhing in agony.”

“You seem to forget that I have to dance in heels.”

“So you’re just better than me?”

“If you want to put it that way, then yeah.”

Idina resisted the urge to swat Kristin in the arm with her other shoe, and she laughed. Being with Kristin was never dull. It made her feel happier than ever, and she was glad for that. If not for Kristin, she would probably regret ever accepting the role. Then where would ‘Wicked’ be? Certainly not trying to get off the ground, for one.

Not only that, but Idina would most likely be alone. She loved her fellow cast members and all, but they didn’t really catch that spark of excitement that her blonde co-star had. And Kristin’s fire and passion made Idina want to become so much closer to her. It was incredible how such a tiny person could make a world of difference in just one person’s life.

The brunette stretched her legs out again, flexing her toes. She groaned at the sore tightness that spread from the soles of her feet to her calves. She was going to be in so much pain in the morning. She could feel it. Literally.

“I could go for a cup of coffee right now,” Kristin sighed as she stretched her arms. “It’s too bad that they’ve practically banned us from ever having it...”

Idina nodded. She wasn’t too big on coffee--she prefered chai tea, and the blonde knew it--but she knew what Kristin’s point was. Joe Mantello had given out a strict no-sugar rule for those who had singing roles, which was most of the cast. That meant that the only thing that the actors had to drink on- and off-stage was water or bland tea. While that rule was really for the best, it was also one of the most annoying rules in the book.

Kristin sighed again, but then she hopped off of the bed and moved towards the mini-fridge that rested on the opposite side of the TV. “However, tonight warrants either alcohol or coffee.” She opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of Arbor Mist, along with a small bag of coffee grounds. She turned to her co-star, grinning. “Why don’t we have both?” she asked, her eyes wide with the sense of rebellion.

“Are you serious?” Idina asked, but she was grinning as well. She reached over to grab the alcohol out of Kristin’s hand. “How long have we had this?”

“I bought it after I was released from the dungeons,” the blonde replied. She sat beside the younger woman, taking the bottle back from her. “Tonight’s a night to celebrate, after all.”

“Celebrate?” Idina wiggled her toes again. She winced at the pain she still felt. “Some celebration, Cheno.”

“Smart ass.” Kristin nudged Idina’s arm. “Today’s the day we officially became friends, remember? Two years ago?”

Idina smiled. “You have the weirdest memory,” she commented. She brushed her fingers across Kristin’s arm absently. “Yeah, I remember. You invited me to dinner after a really bad day at rehearsals.”

“Plus I helped keep Federer from running over you with that damn wheelchair of hers.”

“Like I said. A really bad day at rehearsals.”

Kristin opened the bottle for the both of them. She tossed the cap onto the dresser and handed the bottle to Idina. “Here’s to a fantastic friendship,” she said.

“May Joe not murder us if we’re wasted in the morning,” Idina answered as she brought the bottle to her lips.

They sat like that for a while, passing the bottle between each other. The coffee grounds were abandoned, through Idina was pretty sure that Kristin would set up the small coffee pot eventually. They talked about their day, as they always did. While Idina suffered through vocal and dance most of the day, Kristin was mostly stationary. She did go over a few of her songs, like Idina had, but she also had to stand for God-knows-how-long as last-minute touches were made to her costumes.

“I swear, if I have to go through that one more time,” Kristin began, but she only shook her head and took a sip from the bottle. “On top of that, a camera crew came in again to film more for their documentary.”

“I thought you liked stuff like that,” Idina commented.

“I do. Really.” The blonde ran a hand through her hair. “Just...not today. I already feel like I’m stuck under a microscope. That just made it worse.”

Idina nodded. “I’ll drink to that,” she joked. She tried to take the bottle from Kristin, who whined and batted her hands away. The brunette grinned, raising an eyebrow at her friend. “Really? You really want to play that game?” She reached again. This time the blonde jumped off of the bed and ran to the other side of the room, giggling. Idina’s smile widened even more. “You’re such a child, Cheno.”

Kristin nodded and took a long drink. The bottle was almost empty.

The brunette rolled her eyes, but she stood up anyway. Her brain was fuzzy; not too much, but just enough to let her know that she was buzzed. She walked slowly toward the blonde, poised to launch herself at her friend should she need to.

Kristin raised an eyebrow at the younger woman. “Really?” she asked. Then, in one quick movement, she drank the remnants of the bottle. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “You know,” she commented, “you could have just--”

She wasn’t able to finish her statement. Idina had taken a flying leap at the blonde, tackling her to the other bed. Before Kristin could retaliate, Idina caught her wrists in one of her hands. Her free hand went to the blonde’s side.

Kristin’s eyes widened. “You wouldn’t dare,” she said, already trying to squirm away. But she wasn’t able to go far. She squealed as Idina started tickling her. Her body thrashed beneath the brunette’s. “Idina!” she screamed. “Idina, please!”

“HEY!” someone shouted from the room next door. Michelle. “Stop having sex in there!!”

“What?” Idina balked. Suddenly she felt herself being thrown to the side. Idina’s wrists were pinned down to the bed, and two strong legs straddled her hips to keep her from moving. When she realized what exactly had happened, she looked up at her captor. Kristin Chenoweth grinned down at her, her blonde hair framing her face. Idina stared at her for a moment, her eyes flickering over her friend’s face, before she smirked. “You win,” she conceded.

“I always do,” the blonde replied with a giggle. Kristin watched her friend for a moment, as if waiting for Idina to strike. Her smile slowly faded into something more serene. She hesitated for just one more moment, and then she pressed her lips against Idina’s.

Idina, for the second time that night, was completely caught off-guard. But when her brain finally caught up with what was happening, she couldn’t help but return the kiss. She felt Kristin sigh against her mouth, probably in relief, as Idina took Kristin’s bottom lip between her own and sucked on it. She let it go only to catch it again, this time at a better angle.

The more that she kissed Kristin, the more she began to worry about whether or not this was right. Idina was engaged. She was with Taye. She wasn’t bisexual, or even a lesbian. She didn’t know what she was doing.

But then she heard Kristin sigh her name, and all of her worries fled.

Her wrists were released, allowing Idina to wrap her arms around Kristin’s waist. Kristin’s body lowered to hers; Idina ran her hands down her back, pressing gently, holding her close. The blonde kissed Idina one more time before pressing her lips to her friend’s forehead. She waited for a moment, letting everything sink in, before speaking. “Sorry,” Kristin apologized. “I don’t know what I was--”

“It’s okay,” Idina interrupted. She kissed Kristin’s cheek, rubbing her back. She smiled. “Don’t worry about it.”

Kristin’s brow furrowed, but she nodded. “I guess...” She rolled off of her co-star and ran a hand through her hair. She then hid her face behind her hands. “What does this mean?” she asked aloud. “What does this make me? What does that make us?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Idina repeated, though she wasn’t sure herself. She licked her lips, taking in the taste of Kristin’s lipgloss mixed with the alcohol she had just finished off. She repositioned herself on the bed before tugging Kristin’s arm. “Come here,” she said.

“But--”

“Kristin.”

The blonde stared at Idina for a minute. She looked like she wanted to bolt from the room and never come back. Idina didn’t blame her. But then Kristin crawled up the length of the bed and snuggled close. As an after-thought, she rested her head on Idina’s chest.

Idina stroked Kristin’s hair; she smiled when Kristin sighed and pressed even closer to her. “We’ll figure this out later,” she assured the blonde. “Try to get some rest.”

She felt Kristin nod against her chest.

They lay in silence for what seemed like forever. Idina didn’t mind it. They both needed time to think. If they talked about it now, there was the possibility that they would make things even more complicated. Kristin definitely didn’t need that sort of pressure.

But the more that Idina thought about it, the more she found herself not caring about the complications. Taye was always away doing gigs, and she was in the middle of working on a show. There was no way for him to find out. And even if he did find out, most likely he would be understanding. It was Kristin she was more concerned about.

Idina held Kristin closer to her. She pressed her lips against the crown of the blonde’s head. This was going to be the start of a complicated yet beautiful relationship.