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‘You don’t have very good taste in guys, do you?’ Cora says, looking utterly unimpressed. She pushes Lydia back into Coach’s office and closes the door.
Lydia huffs, reaching for the doorknob, but Cora blocks the way.
‘Is there a problem?’
‘Yeah, Derek would like to kindly ask you to stop seeing Aiden. Which means that if I catch you with him again. I’m not gonna pull the fire alarm. I’m going to pull your tongue out of your head.’ The corner of Cora’s mouth ticks up, like she’s looking forward to it.
‘Sweetheart,’ an unamused smile plays on Lydia’s lips, ‘my last boyfriend was a homicidal lizard, so I think I can handle a werewolf.’
And even if she couldn’t, it was none of this girl’s business. She moves forward again, but Cora grabs her by the wrist. It doesn’t hurt, but there is only one type of situation in which Lydia Martin is okay with being manhandled.
‘Let go,’ she orders.
The smile on Cora’s face has dropped and there is something in her eyes that wasn’t there before. Lydia wants to ask, but Stiles is already there.
~
Boyd’s wounds are bandaged and he’s resting on Derek’s bed. They’ve gotten rid of most of the water, but the floor is still wet. Scott and Deaton are okay.
‘Well, that was fun,’ Lydia says, dropping onto the couch next to Cora.
‘Yes, please thank your boyfriend for tonight’s entertainment.’
‘Not my boyfriend. Hookup. There’s a difference.’
‘Not this again,’ Stiles mutters on his way to the kitchen.
‘You’re not worried that one of your packmembers is sleeping with the enemy?’ Cora spits out.
‘Of course, I am,’ Stiles says. ‘But my track record doesn’t exactly suggest that I can change her mind about that.’
‘What if I can?’ Cora asks.
‘Have fun trying. I’m going to get something for Derek and Boyd to eat.’
Lydia turns to face Cora and waits for the speech. But she’s not getting a speech. Instead, Cora gently cradles her head and kisses her softly. Lydia doesn’t remember ever being kissed like that. Even with Jackson the kisses had never been that sweet. Her heart speeds up, and it’s only with great effort that she manages to keep her eyes open and a sigh from escaping.
When Cora pulls back, she’s smiling. Smug and happy.
‘That’s it?’ Lydia asks. She stands up and flips her hair over her shoulder. ‘I can’t say that was a very compelling argument.’
‘I’m just going to let it sink in.’ Cora lies down on the couch and closes her eyes, that smug and happy smile still on her face.
~
On her way home the kiss and the scene from that afternoon, when Cora had cornered her in Coach’s office, keep going through Lydia’s head. What if Cora was actually concerned about her? What if it wasn’t really about Derek and the pack? No, this is ridiculous. That arrogant little werewolf is not getting into her head.
She parks her car and slams the door with a little more force than is necessary. She tries to shake off the events of the day, before going inside. She can’t let her mother see that anything’s wrong. With the dreams and the sleepwalking, she worries enough as it is.
When she gets inside she quickly walks up the stairs to her room.
‘Everything okay, honey?’ her mom calls from the living room.
‘Of course, mom. I just need to finish some homework.’
‘Alright. Have you eaten yet?’
‘Yep.’
‘Okay. I love you.’
‘Love you too, mom.’
She closes her bedroom door behind her and slides to the ground. The only homework she has, is getting that stupid kiss out of her head. That stupid, sweet, perfect kiss. And the best way to do that is to focus on something completely different. Like Math. She’s already a chapter ahead, but there’s nothing wrong with being prepared.
When she pulls back her hair, she feels the phantom of Cora’s fingers on her cheeks. When she sips her water, Lydia feels the pressure of those full lips against hers. And when she closes her eyes she can see the way Cora had smiled, afterwards.
Lydia slams her books closed, deciding that with everything that’s happened, a little extra sleep can’t hurt.
~
She’s waiting by Cora’s locker, tapping her foot impatiently. She’d needed two cups of coffee that morning just to get herself alert enough to drive. The caffeine is buzzing through her veins and making her restless.
With only five minutes to the first bell, Cora finally appears. Lydia grabs her by the arm and pulls her to Coach’s office. She closes the door and pushes Cora against the wall.
‘I didn’t sleep last night because of you,’ she says.
Her hands are on the girl’s shoulder, but without her permission they start sliding towards her cheeks. Cora leans into the touch and raises her eyebrows in mock surprise.
‘Really?’
‘Don’t get smart with me, sweetie,’ Lydia mumbles against her lips. When had she moved closer?
She waits for Cora to close the fraction of an inch still between them. But Cora stays exactly where she is, unmoving and her eyes trained on Lydia’s.
‘Here are the rules,’ Lydia says, her voice breathy from anticipation. ‘No visible marks, no permanent marks. You ruin my clothes, I will end you. Understood?’
‘Turns out my argument was a lot more compelling than you gave it credit for,’ Cora smirks.
‘Shut up.’
Cora’s smirk grows wider and Lydia can feel the clichéd reply hanging in the air.
‘Don’t you dare say it.’ Her hands have moved into Cora’s hair of their own accord and she tightens the grip a little.
‘I don’t have to.’
And she doesn’t. Lydia crosses the remaining space between them. The moment their lips touch, she lets herself melt against the other girl, lets herself do what she hadn’t the night before. She closes her eyes and sighs.