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Scott had always known.
He wasn’t the most observant person in the world, but he knew his best friend better than anyone and he was starting to get to know Lydia a lot better too, which he was glad about. But it wasn’t until recently that he really started paying more attention to his best friend and Lydia Martin. Stiles had a propensity for always being right and he prided himself on having the last word and obnoxiously winning arguments. But Scott had noticed lately when it came to Lydia that wasn’t always the case. He watched Stiles throw his hands up in frustration at he chased after the redhead walking away from him.
“Lydia, I’m in the middle of a sentence, could you please not walk away from me?” He asked the annoyance clear in his tone. She drove him absolutely crazy.
Lydia shook her head wincing slightly as her fast pace pulled at the stitches in her side. “No, I refuse to let you bully me into staying behind while the rest of the pack deals with some big nasty creature trying to decimate our town.” She snapped.
Stiles flailed his arms, jerking his body slightly and letting out a disgruntled noise, “You’ve got a hole in your side. An actual hole from a knife wound might I remind you and now you want to go back out there when you’re still not healed to what? Get yourself stabbed again?”
Scott watched as Lydia whirled around, her heartbeat pounding in her chest, the smell of blood permeating his senses. She must have torn one of the stitches when she twisted around, but Scott said nothing and neither did the rest of the wolves in the room, when Stiles and Lydia fought everyone new to stay out of it.
“What did you just say?”
The sound of Lydia’s voice drew Scott from his thoughts and he watched as his best friend winced.
“Lydia--”
“No,” she jabbed a finger in Stiles' direction, “You don’t get to tell me what to do Stiles Stilinski. This is my pack too and I need to be there. I’m the one who had the feeling; I’m the one whose gut is twisted with the knowledge that someone is going to die tonight! And I need to make sure it’s no one in this room. You should understand that,” she said the hurt clear in her voice.
The second Scott heard the pain in Lydia’s voice he knew Stiles would give in. It's what his friend always did when it came to Lydia because he couldn’t stand to see her in any kind of pain, whether it be physical or emotional.
Stiles sighed, his shoulders deflating as he stared at the strawberry blonde in front of him. He held her gaze for several minutes before nodding, taking a step forward and opening his arms. It took Lydia a minute, but finally she moved forward and he wrapped his arms around her, his hand going to the back of her head. “I do understand Lydia…I do,” he whispered his grip on her tightening. “I just,” he let out a breath, “I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
Lydia slid her hands around his waist and pressed her face into his chest briefly before speaking, “It won’t,” she replied softly.
“Listen, I won’t give you shit about coming,” he said while shifting back and cupping her cheeks, “But you’re still not fully healed, so if you come then you stay behind Mr. Argent and Derek at all times. And before you say anything it’s not because I don’t trust you to take care of yourself.” He pointed out. “It’s because seeing you get stabbed was probably the worst moment of my life and I’m not sure I could do that again. So, in order for me to be safe…I need you to be safe.” He explained.
Scott watched Lydia’s face soften at Stiles words and if it was possible she seemed to press herself even closer to him. “That seems fair,” she told him before swallowing hard. “I need you to be safe too.” She told him as if that wasn’t obvious.
Stiles nodded, “I know,” he told her with half a smile.
Scott tilted his head as his best friend leaned in and pressed a kiss to the side of Lydia’s head before pulling back and frowning at the sight of the small amount of blood against her blouse. Scott opened his mouth but before he could say anything Derek spoke.
“I’ll grab the first aid kit,” he said as he moved away from the table and walked towards the bathroom.
Stiles nodded, “Thanks, come on you need to sit.”
Scott could see the worry on Stiles’ face as he guided Lydia towards the couch; crouching down in front of her once she sat down. He could hear their whispered talking, but he chose to drown it out not wanting to intrude. He felt a hand on his shoulder and glanced to the side smiling slightly at his girlfriend. “Hey.”
Kira smiled, “Hey,” she said softly before glancing at Lydia and Stiles. “He really cares about her.” She commented quietly.
Scott’s gaze shifted back to Lydia and Stiles. He nodded, “He always has.” He replied while watching the exchange between his friends, a genuine smile pulling at his lips as he shook his head finally looking away from them. Stiles fought with and cared for Lydia like she was the most important thing in the world and she did the same with him. Lately you couldn’t find one without the other. Despite most of the pack being in actual relationships with each other, Stiles and Lydia, the only two people not in a relationship were definitely the married couple of the pack.
______
It took three separate occasions for Allison Argent to notice it.
It wasn’t that she wasn’t observant, she was. But she supposed when they were in the middle of fighting for their lives watching Stiles and Lydia wasn’t really what she did. Not until recently anyway. Allison wiped the dagger she’d been using on the side of her pants, not caring when the blood slid off across the black material. It wasn’t like she’d never had bloodstained clothes before. She kept her eyes on Stiles who was a good fifteen feet away from her.
Stile’s brows were drawn together and she could see the frown on his face and the gash in the sleeve of his flannel shirt. There was blood covering the material and every once in a while as he traced his hands down Lydia’s arms, side, head making sure she wasn’t hurt, he’d wince at the movement.
She took a few steps towards them, but neither noticed. Allison watched as Stiles cupped Lydia’s cheeks, struggling to keep his voice calm.
“Are you okay? Did he get you anywhere?” He asked and when she didn’t respond right away Allison watched Stiles shift closer to the redhead closing any and all distance between them and tilting her head up. “Lydia please, say something. Are you hurt?”
Allison’s gaze shifted to Lydia and she saw her best friend pull in a deep, shaky breath. “No…no god, but you are. Stiles what were you thinking? He could have killed you,” her words were soft and Allison caught the hint of fear in them not missing the way Lydia’s hand gripped Stiles’ shirt shakily.
“I’m fine and he’s dead, he’s not going to hurt you, no one is going to hurt you. Ever.” Allison’s gaze flickered back to Stiles the tone of his voice mildly troubling. His jaw was tight and there was a hint of fierce determination coloring his features. Allison believed him. She’s never seen Stiles more serious about anything. The feel of a warm hand touching her arm pulled her from her thoughts and she glanced over her shoulder and spotted Isaac.
“You okay?” He asked mildly out of breath. He was so done with all the random supernatural creatures that the Nemeton was bringing to town. One more outing like this and he was optioning the pack for relocation rights.
Allison smiled and nodded at her boyfriend, “Yeah, I’m good over here. You guys? Were you and Derek able to get the last Ghoul?” She asked before pausing, “I can’t believe I just asked that.” She shook her head. Allison still couldn’t believe there were such a thing, she’d have to ask her dad about it when she got home.
Isaac nodded, “Derek cut its head off,” he said with half a grin. He wasn’t going to lie, that had been sort of awesome. “Are we ready to get the hell out of here?” He asked glancing around and nodding at Scott who had just helped Liam and Kira up off the ground.
Allison’s gaze drifted back towards Lydia and Stiles, “Yeah, why don’t you go grab everyone’s weapons and load them up in the truck,” she suggested. Isaac nodded and pressed a quick kiss to the side of her head before moving towards the rest of the pack. Allison stayed where she was her thoughts returning to her best friend as she sheathed her daggers.
This was the third time Stiles had thrown himself in front of Lydia so she didn’t get hurt. He’d been more proactive about protecting her since she was stabbed six months ago by a rouge hunter who’d mistaken her for a werewolf. She remembered that day because it was the first time she noticed how protective Stiles had become of Lydia, even more so than normal. He’d attacked the hunter, slamming his fists repeatedly into the man so much so that Scott and Derek had, had to pull him off.
A lot had changed since the Nogitsune. Stiles had a darkness in him, but the only time he ever let it out was when someone or something tried to hurt someone he cared about. Allison watched as Stiles shrugged carefully out of his flannel shirt taking extra care to move it over his wounded arm before draping it around Lydia’s shoulders. He wrapped it around her tightly rubbing the hand of his good arm up and down her arm as Lydia reached out to grip his wounded arm gently. Her voice traveled over to where Allison was standing.
“We need to get back to Deaton’s so I can flush this out and see how deep it goes. I don’t want to put you through stitches if I don’t have to.” She told him her tone serious.
Stiles glanced down at her, the concentration on her face making him smile despite the pain in his arm. “You know how much I like when you sew me up,” he joked.
Lydia rolled her eyes, “You’ve gotta stop doing this Stiles.”
He just shrugged, “When you stop trying to save me, I’ll stop trying to save you…deal?” He asked holding Lydia’s gaze.
Lydia kept her eyes on his, her heartwarming as she squeezed his arm lightly. “Deal.” She told him knowing that neither of them would ever stop.
Allison watched the exchange, half a smile tugging at her lips as she shook her head finally turning away from them. Stiles protected Lydia like she was the most important thing in the world and she did the same for him. Lately you couldn’t find one without the other. Despite most of the pack being in actual relationships with each other, Stiles and Lydia, the only two people not in a relationship were definitely the married couple of the pack.
______
It only took Derek Hale two times.
He observed people; it was something he’d always done. It was just who he was. But some of the most interesting people to observe were those in his current pack. Derek grabbed a water from the refrigerator and made his way back to the main room in the loft, pausing just behind where the couch, chairs and coffee table were laid out. He glanced briefly around the room, spotting Scott and Kira on the couch, bent over a book, soft smiles on their faces.
Allison and Isaac were near the large plate glass windows, the younger wolf whispering something in her ear that Derek chose to ignore. Derek could see Liam watching Scott and Kira with an odd look on his face before his gaze finally fell on Stiles and Lydia who sat a little away from the group beside each other at the long table Derek had set up for when the pack came over.
He tilted his head to the side angling it in their direction as he focused on their conversation while studying Stiles’ movements.
Stiles ran a hand down Lydia’s back gently letting his fingertips flow over the fabric of the peach colored dress she wore, his eyes on the book in front of him. He popped another vegetable chip into his mouth before glancing to his left at Lydia. She was reading through a lineage on the Hale family and from the lack of breaks she’d taken, she was clearly engaged. He smiled his hand pausing on her back as he leaned towards her slightly, “When’s the last time you took a break and had something to eat?” Stiles asked softly.
Lydia felt his hand pause, the heat from his palm pressing against her lower back. She turned her head and glanced at Stiles. “I’m not sure; did you know that Derek’s dad was also an alpha?” She asked, “Their family history is fascinating. It even mentions my grandmother and my sister in here. Apparently they knew about Banshee’s,” she replied quietly her chest tightening.
Stiles swallowed hard and reached over with his other hand squeezing her arm gently. “That does sound interesting,” he told her lightly before reaching for his bag of chips and sliding them over to her. “You need to eat. You’re constantly on the move, you spent two hours patching people up earlier today, you were at the station before that helping my dad and Parrish with a missing persons case and we’ve been here for close to two hours already and I haven't see you eat any of the pizza Derek ordered.” He pointed out.
Lydia watched him as he spoke and her expression softened. “You’re always trying to feed me,” she said as she let her hand fall from her cheek and reached out to him resting her hand over his, brushing her thumb against his skin.
Stiles grinned, “It’s because you never feed yourself,” he explain once again nudging the chips in her direction. “I’m going to grab you a slice of pizza, eat the rest of the chips and before you say it, they’re veggie chips.” He pointed to the bag before leaning over and pressing a kiss to the side of her head seamlessly. Stiles pushed his chair back, removed his hand from her back and stood. “I’ll be right back,” he told her squeezing her shoulder gently.
Lydia smiled and reached into the bag, her stomach growling as she brought one of the chips to her mouth and went back to reading the text in front of her.
Stiles spotted Derek standing, a bottle of water in hand and he arched an eyebrow, “Whatcha doin’ there Sour wolf?”
Derek’s gaze shifted to Stiles and he lifted his brows. “How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?” He asked as he opened his water.
Stiles shrugged and walked around him, “I don’t know, how long are you going to be sour? Maybe when you aren’t anymore I’ll stop.” He replied as he walked over to the counter and frowned. “All the pizza is gone. Lydia hasn’t eaten. She needs some food.” He said as he ran a hand through his hair.
“Check the refrigerator,” he told the teenager, “I think there’s leftover Mexican from last night. She liked the Taco Suave; I think there’s still another one in there.” He brought his water bottle to his lips and took a sip.
Stiles glanced over his shoulder at Derek, “I know what she likes,” he responded before grabbing the taco out of the refrigerator, unwrapping it and popping it on a paper plate before sticking it in the microwave.
Derek just held up a hand and said nothing. The microwave beeped a few seconds later and then the teenager was moving back towards Lydia. Derek watched as he sat beside her, sliding the plate in front of her and once again resting his hand on her back urging her to look away from the book long enough to eat.
The gesture was sweet, nurturing. It reminded Derek of the way his father used to be with his mother. Despite the fact that his parents had both been alphas, his mother had always been leader of the pack. She was constantly on the move being who everyone needed her to be and taking care of everyone she could, but never really putting herself first. If he was being honest he saw a lot of that in Lydia. He’d gotten to know her pretty well over the past seven months and despite the mask she wore around people who didn’t really know her, she had a good heart, bigger than most. And while Lydia was taking care of the pack, helping plan things making sure people didn’t get caught doing things they shouldn’t and patching people up Stiles was taking care of her. Always.
Derek didn’t even think he did it consciously; it was second nature to him. Lydia was the most important person to him and so he looked out for her and nurtured her and okay maybe it was a little sappy, but that kind of loyalty it meant something to Derek. Lydia’s soft laughter drew him from his thoughts and he glanced back over at them watching as Stiles held up a piece of the taco to her. She rolled her eyes but leaned in and took the bite from his hand.
Derek hid the smirk pulling at his lips and shook his head as he shifted away from them walking towards the table full of books. Stiles took care of Lydia like she was the most important thing in the world and she did the same for him. Lately you couldn’t find one without the other. Despite most of the pack being in actual relationships with each other, Stiles and Lydia, the only two people not in a relationship were definitely the married couple of the pack.
______
For Isaac Lahey it took a little longer. One month to be exact.
He wasn’t the best observer of people, but there were just some things you couldn’t not notice and one of those things was currently sitting across from him on Scott’s couch. He shifted on the chair and watched Lydia and Stiles interact as he waited for the Scott and Kira to finish making popcorn and Allison to get there.
Lydia ran her fingers through Stiles’ hair as she glanced down at his head on her lap. “You realize this movie is like a billion hours long…right?”
Stiles glanced up at her and grinned, “Don’t complain, you guys have been dodging the trilogy forever. It’s time. You and Scott are the only ones who haven’t seen it yet and tonight is the night,” he said wiggling his body gently enjoying the feel of Lydia’s finger’s in his hair.
Lydia couldn’t help the chuckle that left her throat as she rolled her eyes, “You’re ridiculous,” she replied tugging gently at his hair affectionately. It wasn’t often that they all got a chance to hang out together when something wasn’t trying to kill them and Lydia was definitely prepared to enjoy it.
Stiles reached a hand behind his head and tugged on her hair gently for a minute. “You like me anyway,” he said matter-of-factly, “Don’t try to deny it, the sooner you admit it the sooner we can get back to our regularly scheduled program,” he joked.
Lydia snorted and reached for one of the pillows on the couch. She lifted it in her free hand and then pulled it up and went to hit Stiles in the head with it, but he saw it coming and blocked it with his hand knocking it back at her. She let out a startled yelp.
Stiles chuckled gripping the pillow before it could smack her, “That was rude.” He commented befor tossing it aside and glancing at her, his head still on her lap.
Lydia huffed, “You’re a jerk.” She stated.
Stiles reached back taking the hand that had been in his hair, but was now hovering by the side of his face. He threaded their fingers together and tugged her hand to his lips pressing a playful kiss there. “I’m sorry,” he responded lightly meeting her gaze.
Isaac watched as Lydia’s expression softened, “You’re just lucky I like you,” she joked. Isaac’s gaze darted to Stiles and he saw the slight twinkle in the other boy’s eyes. Isaac was pretty sure all the touching they did on a regular basis couldn’t possibly be considered friendly. Lydia and Stiles were closer than Scott and Kira; sometimes he was convinced they were even closer than him and Allison and they weren’t shy about being affectionate, which Isaac liked.
The sound of the front door opening drew his attention away from Stiles and Lydia momentarily. He glanced up in time to see Allison walk into the room with a bag of snacks. He smiled, “It’s about time,” he joked.
“Keep it up and you won’t get snacks.” Allison told him as Kira and Scott popped into the room carrying three bowls of popcorn.
Scott grinned, “We ready to start this movie marathon?” He asked as he walked over to Stiles and Lydia who had shifted positions. Stiles was now sitting up with an arm around Lydia, with her curled into his side. Scott handed his best friend the bowl and he took it.
“Hell yeah we are,” Stiles said with a nod as he offered Lydia some popcorn.
Isaac watched as Scott set up the movie and dimmed the lights before settling onto the floor with Kira. Allison moved over to the chair and squeezed in beside him before tossing a bag of M&M’s at Lydia, who caught them effortlessly. Isaac settled his arm around Allison, everyone’s gaze being drawn to the movie starting on the screen except his. He tilted his head his eyes falling on his friends again as he studied the way Lydia’s hand rested on Stiles’ arm, fingers unconsciously brushing against the skin there. Stiles’ hand on her shoulder was doing the same thing.
Isaac couldn’t remember the last time he saw two people who weren’t in a romantic relationship act the way Lydia and Stiles did. They were constantly touching each other whether it be to reassure, console, offer comfort, steady, or just to be in the other’s vicinity. It was something that he’d noticed happening more lately. He watched Lydia dip her head near Stiles neck and press her face there for a second before shifting closer to him.
Isaac heard the steady beating of Stiles’ heart increase with the movement and he smirked in the dark, the reason for his elevated heartbeat obvious. Stiles surrounded himself with Lydia like she was the most important thing in the world and she did the same with him. Lately you couldn’t find one without the other. Despite most of the pack being in actual relationships with each other, Stiles and Lydia, the only two people not in a relationship were definitely the married couple of the pack.
______
Kira Yukimura noticed almost immediately.
She was definitely more observant than the average person. She always had been. It was just in her nature. So the more time she spent with the pack, the more she got to know about them as individuals. But it wasn’t an individual that currently stood out to Kira…no. It was a certain pair of individuals, the two people who were sitting across from her at their lunch table outside. She tilted her head to the side and watched as Lydia reached out to Stiles and ran her fingers through his hair.
“I can’t believe you actually go out like this, what is with this hair Stilinski?” Lydia arched an eyebrow in his direction, the comment teasing as she ruffled it up slightly giving it that sexy ‘I was just sleeping’ look.
Stiles tugged his head away, but the movement was slow and he pretty much waited until she was finished. “My hair is fine, stop poking around,” he told her as he reached for a french fry.
Kira watched curiously as Lydia shifted focus and started smoothing down the collar of Stiles’ shirt. She stared as Lydia gave Stiles a once over running a hand down his shirt and brushing off what she could only assume was dust of some kind.
“This was a good color choice,” Lydia commented as she met Stiles’ gaze. “You always look nice in shades of blue,” the words left her mouth casually as if she said stuff like that all the time and the truth was, she did.
Stiles sent her a warm smile reaching out and brushing his thumb across her hand gently.
Kira could point out a dozen examples of the same kinds of interactions between them. But currently she was focused on this one. Her eyes followed Stiles as he reached out with his other hand and tucked the tag that had popped out of Lydia’s blouse, back inside her shirt.
“You’ve got that interview today right?” He asked his tone light, “The one for Stanford?” Stiles lifted another fry as Lydia nodded.
“Yeah, after school,” she answered as she reached for her apple and took a bite. “I brought a change of clothes. I was thinking I’d wear my blue dress.” She told him before taking another bite of her apple.
Stiles nodded, “The collared one?” He asked and when Lydia inclined her head he smiled, “I like that one. I think it’ll look nice.” Kira watched as Stiles paused and then straightened up slightly, squeezing Lydia’s hand gently. “You’re going to do great Lyds, they’re going to like offer you the moon to go there.” He teased gently.
Kira saw the flicker of uncertainty on Lydia’s face, but it was gone as quickly as it came and the confident smirk was once again pulling at her lips. “Of course they are,” she said matter-of-factly, “But they aren’t the only school I’m looking at, you know that. I like to keep my options open.” She replied.
Kira studied Stiles’ face at Lydia’s words and it was almost like she felt the wince he didn't show. Stiles cocked his head to the side, “I know,” he stated simply before going back to eating his fries.
The mood around the pair shifted and Kira’s brows drew together as Lydia ran her fingers down Stiles back over the flannel shirt he wore. “I don’t want to settle on one school too soon,” she offered her tone reassuring, “Plus…I wouldn’t want to be too far from the pack,” she offered, “Or you.” The words were softly spoken, but Kira heard them and she knew Stiles did too.
He glanced over at Lydia and their eyes held each other’s for several minutes before he nodded, “We don’t want you that far either, but the pack would understand Lydia and so would I. You’re so smart…you deserve whatever school you want no matter where it is.” He told her before once again lifting his hand and fixing the cardigan on her shoulder tugging it a little closer to her, “It’s chilly,” he explained.
Lydia nodded, “Want to take the ride with me to Stanford?” She asked suddenly, “I mean if the jeep can go that far,” she joked.
Stiles grinned, “We’ll get you where you’ve gotta go Princess,” he teased back and the cycle continued.
Sometimes Kira was baffled by how quickly they worked through emotions in the span of one conversation. And the way they were always looking after each other, fixing the others clothes, hair, dressing one another like it was second nature. That was something that couples built over the years, a comfortableness that came with knowing your partner for an extended amount of time, which was odd when you thought about it because Lydia and Stiles weren’t a couple, not really anyway.
The feel of a hand on her back drew her from her observations. She glanced over at her boyfriend and smiled.
Scott lifted a brow in her direction, “You okay?” He asked softly.
Kira inclined her head, “Better than,” she replied leaning over to press a light kiss against his cheek.
Scott beamed at her giving her body a light squeeze before going back to his conversation with Isaac. Kira’s gaze fell on Stiles and Lydia again when she spotted Lydia once again messing with Stiles’ hair.
Kira dipped her head to hide her grin. Things were obviously not as simple as they seemed between those two for obvious reasons. Stiles understood and treated Lydia like she was the most important thing in the world and she did the same with him. Lately you couldn’t find one without the other. Despite most of the pack being in actual relationships with each other, Stiles and Lydia, the only two people not in a relationship were definitely the married couple of the pack.
______
As for Melissa McCall and Michael Stilinski it took them exactly one encounter with Lydia Martin.
Michael was the sheriff of Beacon Hills and good observation skills and the ability to deduce certain truths was obviously a requirement for the job. So as he sat at his kitchen table, just after midnight on a Saturday night talking with Melissa because he didn’t want their date to end just yet he was only mildly surprised by the sound of footsteps in the hallway.
The redhead that entered the kitchen wearing his son’s lacrosse jersey did surprise him though. Melissa blinked at Michael and arched an eyebrow in his direction in question. He just shrugged as he watched Lydia pause briefly and smile at them.
“Hi sheriff, Ms. McCall,” she continued walking until she reached the cabinet with the mugs. She pulled out two; her hair slightly disheveled from sleep, and placed them on the counter. Michael watched as she walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out the milk.
She moved seamlessly through his kitchen, meaning this wasn’t the first time she’d done this and suddenly Michael wondered just how many times Lydia Martin had spent the night in his home without him knowing.
Melissa leaned forward watching as the young girl filled each mug halfway and then put the carton back in the refrigerator before taking a stick of butter and slicing off two very thin slices and plopping one in each mug. She felt Michael inhale deeply beside her and she arched an eyebrow at his reaction to what the teenager was doing. “Lydia sweetie, what are you doing?” Melissa asked.
Lydia glanced over her shoulder as she shifted towards the microwave, tugged open the door and put the mugs inside closing it and setting it for forty-five seconds. “Making some warm milk with butter,” she explained, “Stiles is having trouble sleeping. It’s what my grandma always used to do for me when I couldn’t sleep.” She replied simply as she waited to hear the beep.
Michael swallowed hard, “His mother used to do the same thing for him…did he tell you that?” He asked quietly.
Lydia paused before turning to face them her expression pained, “No,” she whispered as the microwaved beeped. She hesitated, “Should I not bring it up? Will he get upset?” She asked glancing between the two adults looking very much the teenager that she was as she shifted on her feet.
Michael honestly didn’t know the answer to her question, though he had a feeling that his son wouldn’t react the way either of them expected. He smiled at Lydia, “It’s fine, go on I’m sure he’ll appreciate it.” He replied taking note of the distress on her face, but not because of her, but because she was worried about his son.
Lydia bit her bottom lip and nodded before retrieving the mugs and glancing back at the adults. “Goodnight,” she said lightly. Michael watched her walk out of the room before glancing at Melissa.
“You had no idea that she’s been staying here did you?” She asked a hint of amusement in her voice.
Michael grunted, “No, but I have a feeling if they were together I’d know about it. Plus that interaction would have been a lot different.” He replied.
Melissa nodded, “I agree,” she told him casually.
Michael let out a short sigh not sure how he hadn’t realized it. Lydia was at their house more often than not. She studied with Stiles and ate dinner with them. He couldn’t count the number of times he’d come home to find the two of them together. It was only now he realized how entwined their lives had gotten. He glanced at Melissa and rested a hand over hers. “They don’t even realize it do they?” He asked quietly.
Melissa shook her head a smile pulling at her lips, “No, I don’t think they do.”
Michael shook his head and smiled. Stiles’ life, his everyday actions and decisions revolved around Lydia as if she was the most important thing in the world to him and Michael was starting to see that Lydia did the same thing with Stiles. Lately you couldn’t find one without the other. Despite most of the pack being in actual relationships with each other, Stiles and Lydia, the only two people not in a relationship were definitely the married couple of the pack.
______
Liam Dunbar however, had absolutely no clue they weren’t dating.
He stood by the edge of the pool in his bathing suit grinning as he watched Scott and Kira trying to coax Derek into the pool while Allison sat on Isaac’s shoulders in the water hitting a ball over the small net in the water to the couple on the other side.
His eyes were drawn to the redhead in the green bikini sitting atop Stiles’ shoulders. She leaned forward and slammed the ball over the net towards her best friend squealing in delight when Allison missed it. Liam couldn’t help the way his smile widened as Stiles reached up giving Lydia a light squeeze. “I knew I picked the right teammate,” he said with a grin.
Lydia snorted, “Obviously.”
There was a large splash that sent a wave through the pool causing Isaac and Stiles to falter dropping their respective females in the water. Liam glanced over at Scott who was grinning and Kira who was wide eyed. Liam’s brows lifted high, “Did you just shove Derek into the pool?” He asked drawing everyone’s attention to Scott.
The alpha nodded, “I did.” He said simply.
Stiles arched an eyebrow at him, “Sour wolf’s gonna kill you.” He replied.
Derek surfaced a minute later glowering at Scott who beamed in his direction. “I’m going to kill you.” He stated.
Scott’s smile widened, “Now Derek, that’s no way to talk to your loyal friend and alpha. You were being a baby I was just giving you a helpful push.” He said not able to stop the chuckle at his pun.
Kira bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing even as grins broke out on everyone else’s faces. Derek growled and shifted forward quickly, the movement unexpected as he grabbed Scott’s leg and tugged him none too gently towards the pool making the alpha flop into the water. His gaze drifted to Kira and she stepped back five paces holding up her hands. “I didn’t push you!”
Derek eyed her momentarily but turned to face Scott as he popped up from beneath the water. “Having fun?” He asked.
Scott sputtered, “That was uncalled for. But unlike you I’m a good sport,” he said with a splash in the older wolfs direction before he turned towards his best friend. “So prom,” he commented.
Liam watched as Lydia’s head turned towards Allison, “We need to go prom dress shopping, Kira you too.” She called. The other girl slid slowly into the pool to join her friends and nodded.
Liam got in the water also and swam towards them watching as they discussed limos and what not. But something Lydia was saying caught his attention.
“Well at least you know who you’re going with. I have to find a date,” she said with a roll of her eyes and before Liam could stop himself he was talking.
“Why?” He asked a hint of confusion on his face, “Aren’t you going with Stiles? I mean aren’t dances things couples do together?” The talking all around him stopped and seven heads turned slowly in his direction. Liam swallowed hard as they stared at him, five gazes holding amusement, two filled with confusion even though there was an underlining hint of nervousness in one of the two.
“What?” The voice came from Stiles and Liam shifted on his feet in the pool.
“Well, I mean, you and Lydia are dating right? So why would you go with other people to the prom? That doesn’t make a lot of sense.” He stated wondering why it looked like more than half the pack was about to burst into laughter.
Stiles opened his mouth and then closed it tightly. He glanced over at his best friend finally noticing the look on his face. “We’re not,” he paused, “We’re not dating.”
Lydia’s gaze flickered to Stiles and she pressed her lips together at his response. It was true, they weren’t, but the way he said it with such certainty made her chest tighten a bit.
“You’re not?” Liam asked confused, “But that doesn’t make sense. I mean you act like your dating. I guess I’ve never seen you guys kiss but I always thought that was just because you’re private.” He said with a shrug.
“We’re not,” Lydia confirmed finally her gaze drifting to Stiles before she glanced at their friends taking note of the looks on their faces. And then realization hit her. She straightened up slightly and glanced over at Liam, aware of the fact that Stiles was watching her closely. “We’re not dating because Stiles has never actually asked me out.” She stated.
Stiles gaped at her. “Excuse me?” He turned so he was facing her.
Lydia did the same crossing her arms over her chest. “That’s right. For all your talk and fifteen year plans you have never once asked me on a date. And no you asking if I want to come over and watch a movie doesn’t count,” she said before he could speak. “You have to establish precedence before the fact that the invitation is a date to make it a date.” She told him her heartbeat picking up speed.
Stiles watched her for a minute before throwing his arms up, “Uh let’s not forget you’ve made it pretty clear over the years you’re not interested. I thought asking would be a waste of time,” he stated.
Lydia’s brows drew together, “Stiles, I spend all my time with you.”
“Because we’re the brains of the operation,” he stated arms still moving as their friends did their best to hold in their laughter.
“Stiles, I watched the Star Wars Trilogy,” she deadpanned.
“It’s a great trilogy!” He all but shouted.
Lydia sighed, “I sleep in your bed!” She shouted back splashing him as she spoke.
Liam’s head jerked back and forth watching them go, excitement on his face. Stiles sputtered reaching up and wiping the water from his face. “My bed is comfortable."
Lydia let out a frustrated growl, “You’re infuriating.” She stated before turning and starting to walk through the water towards the edge of the pool so she could pull herself out, everyone moving out of her way without being asked.
Stiles stared at her back and shifted forward, “Lydia, be my date for prom?” He called from the middle of the pool. She paused as he stood their nervously his stomach in knots, their friends silent as they watched them.
A slow smile spread across Lydia’s face and she turned around, “Okay,” she said simply, “See, was that so hard?” She asked before closing the distance between them, his hands automatically going to her hips when she was near. She glanced briefly at Liam before looking back at Stiles, “Oh, and by the way,” she paused cupping Stiles’ cheek and leaning in to capture his lips in a soft lingering kiss. She pulled back a few seconds later, “I’m not that private.” She said with a smirk.
Isaac and Scott cat called, while Allison chuckled and Derek shook his head a slight grin on his face. Liam just watched them warmth filling his chest at the realization that these people were his friends, his family…his pack. His gaze once again found Lydia and Stiles and his smile widened as he watched her wrap her arms around Stiles and whisper something that made his face light up. Oh yeah, they were definitely the married couple of the pack.