Chapter Text
"Enjoy it while it lasts!" Liam laughed along with the rest of his pack mates, clinking their drinks around a table at Cosmo's Lanes.
"How long as it even been since we all hung out without being chased down by someone trying to kill us?" Scott asked as he observed the people around him. "Feels like ages" Kira smiled as she curled up next to him allowing him to wrap his arm around her. "Well we should really enjoy this then because it could possibly be the last time we do something together before high school ends" Lydia frowned as she stared down into her drink, not being the social beam she usually is. "Don't say that we have a few more months to hang out" Kira proclaimed. "Yeah I guess" she nearly mumbled in return. "Is everything okay?" Scott asked gently eyeing her. She bobed her head up and recited as if it was rehearsed "I'm fine" with a smile. He then gave her a look of disbelief but ignored it anyway, Kira on the other hand, wasn't satisfied. "Lydia c'mon what's bothering you." She asked causing the wheels inside of her head turn what isn't wrong with me she thought. She had no feeling to be questioned so she just brushed it off and got up. "I'm fine" Lydia repeated as she got up and started walking towards the lane they reserved for that night. Mason was taking his turn as Stiles and Malia were sitting down with his arm draped around her as they observed the other games going on.
"Mind if I join" Lydia ask as she sits down on the tacky carpet and plastic bench across from the couple. Stiles continued to look around ignoring her as usual while Malia at least had the proper manners to nod her head. Lydia let out a small smile as she took a seat.
"Your turn" Mason said as he looked at stiles queuing him to raise from his seat and grab his ball. As he walked further away towards the lane Malia pointed her gaze to Lydia "So are you two still not talking?" she said in a soft tone so Stiles wouldn't hear. "It looks that way" Lydia sighed. "What even happened?" Mason asked sitting down next to her. She fiddled with the hem line of her skirt hoping to avoid the question "Umm... I just.. sometimes friendships fall apart" she said looking down still. "Yeah but not without a reason" Malia said "I even asked Scott and he said Stiles didnt tell him" Mason added "So just tell us, you two were best friends" he sighed "Yeah were" Lydia spat back as if the word was poison in her mouth.
Stiles came back over "Malia it's your turn" he said walking over to her side. "It's okay- Lydia can bowl for me this round" She smiled "Oh no you don't hav-" "C'mon Malia it's your turn so just go." Stiles cut Lydia off. Causing Lydia to flinch. "I'm going no where until I find out what happened to you two" She said back causing him to narrow his eyes. He stood quiet for a second as if he was losing himself in thought, but quickly came back "Fine then just stay here then" He said with anger tempting his voice as he started to walk off. Lydia just sat there for a moment in silence because of her loss for words "I-..I'm sorry" she pleaded at the two. She sighed as she slowly stood up. "I'll go talk to him" She said as she walked quickly to catch up with Stiles at the front door.
"Don't leave." She said blocking him from exiting the bowling alley completely. "Get out of my way" he grunted" "Oh look who finally decided to speak to me." She said slightly pushing him back inside. "Lydia this is more than just some dumb argument we normally have and you know it." He said shooting daggers straight into her eyes. She weaken her guard a little as she sighed "It doesn't have to be" she answered sincerely.
He stared at her as if he couldn't believe the words coming out of her mouth as they both stood there in silence. "For the sake of the pack Lydia, I can be near you but once we graduate and you go off to Stanford and I work on my internship here, we are never speaking again." he said with the emphasis on the never. These words hurt her, but she knew she earned them. "I just wanna talk about it." She said "There's nothing to talk about, you already made that pretty clear." He said as he shoved passed her and out the door. She stood as she was processing the words praying it was her imagination, praying he didn't actually say it. On an instinct she turned around and shot out the door to chase after him. "At least don't leave. Stay inside and and be with the pack, you don't know how often we can have times like this." She said turning him around. "I honestly have no interest in staying anymore" he said starting to walk away again "Tell Malia I said I'm sorry" "Stiles im being serious stay." she said raising her tone. "Oh yeah and why should I listen to you?" he said aggravated "Because.... I'm... I'm getting a bad feeling." she said locking her eyes on the ground. "What do you mean a bad feeling?" he said with care in his eyes. She looked up and felt a little warm finally seeing that expression on him again. "It's not a banshee feeling, but I dont know it feels like the same power force is trying to tell me something." "Like what?" "Like there's danger coming our way. Like we need to be more carful because someone is coming after us." She finally admitted. He gulped and took a step back "Why didn't you think to tell Scott this?" "I dont know it coul be nothing-" "It doesnt matter, what if it's true? What if we were actually in danger but had no time to prepare because for once in your life you kept your mouth shut." He said. Each word stung as they hit her but she knew she had it coming. "I don't know, I guess it's because I usually tell you these things first but since we stopped talking I didnt know where else to turn to." "Lydia, fighting or not you need to me these things" he said as his anger started to rise "I'm sorry-" "You're sorry? What if one of us is gonna end up dead because this IS a banshee thing?" "It's not!" "How should we know?" "I dont know!" She shouted "Well tell scott!" he said shouting. "Well I just needed your help but since you were ignoring me I didnt know what to do, so forgive me." She apologized with a sarcastic tone. "Typical of you Lydia for not sharing what's on your mind" he snarled brushing her shoulder with his as he passed her and headed towards inside. "That's enough stiles!" She said now yelling. "You know what you did! You just cant always expect everything to be okay Lydia you're actions have consequences!" "I know that!" "Do you? Because only a few weeks ago, you hurt people who cared about you more than anything, and then you expected nothing to change!" He yelled "It was you, Stiles, ONLY you! So stop pretending that I'm some monster chrushing everyone while I only hurt you." She snapped causing the air around them to fall silent.
-One Month Ago-
"Merry Christmas" Stiles beamed when Lydia opened her front door. "You're three days late" she laughed "Oh well it's the thought that counts." he said stepping into her house. "So did you come all the way here to tell me something you could have said over the phone?" She asked following him into the living room where he comfortably took a seat. "Oh no, I wanted to give you this." he said pulling a candy cane out of the front pocket of his flannel. "Thank you?" She said raising her eye brow. "Don't mention it" He smiled as she took a seat next to him one the couch. "So what really brings you over here?" She asked. Causing him to instantly look around the room, avoiding eye contact as he began to tap his foot. "Stiles" She said after a moment of silence. "I.. I just.. You see I..-" "Just spit it out already Lydia said growing annoyed. He finally looked her in the eyes and sighed. "Why have you been acting so strange lately?" he asked. "I'm acting strange?" she said in shock. "Yes! It's just- I don't know. Ever since you left Eichen you have been like looking at me a lot more and then you just look away, or we'll be in the middle of the conversation and you just space out." He admitted. "Well if you missed it, I did just leave a mental institution where I was being held against my will." she said questioning his odd outburst. "I know but then thinking about this also led me to start thinking, you were the only person who didnt say anything about Malia and I's break up." "Okay and what the hell does that have to do with anything." "It's just odd considering EVERYONE said something like 'oh don't worry about' or 'I'm sorry', but you, you just never said a thing." He said making her quite nervous. She began to franticly rub her two thumbs around each other as a distraction. "Stiles that was like forever ago why bring it up now?" she said. The silence grew between them as stiles stared hard at her trying to find what he was looking for. "Maybe because you're not sorry that we broke up, or that you dont feel bad about it." he said. "Don't be ridiculous" She said offend standing up. "I'm not" he protest as he stood too. "In fact I think you're hiding something." "I am not!" Lydia said watching out of the living room and into the kitchen trying to avoid the conflict arising. "Yes you are!" he said speeding up his pace try to keep up with the fast girl in front of him. "Stiles what are you trying to get at here?" she said now moving quickly past the dinning room and up the stairs while stiles was not far behind. "I'm trying to get you to confess!" he said said raising his voice a little as she entered her room with him right behind. "Confess what?" she said finally stopping and turning around. "That you like me!" He said causing everything to go calm. Numb, even. She was processing what just happened while she slowly tried to speak. "I-" she began to spout. "You what?" he said, almost cocky. "I don't like you" she said causing shock and pain to form in his facial expression. "Yeah you do-" "Stiles" She cut him off. "I know you may want that but it's not true. We're friends, only friends and that what were always gonna be." She said as she watched the once confident boy in front of her drop his gaze to the ground. "But.... I see the way you've looked at me, and I know that look, I've used that look, on YOU." he said as she looked away now. "Stiles don't do this. Maybe I didn't say anything about you and Malia because I liked you two together." "So if I got back together with her you wouldn't mind?" be said unamused "Not at all." "Lydia-" "Stiles. I'm not meant for you"
"Lydia I've had a crush on you since the third grade." he said making her let out a little chuckle "Stiles I kno-" "Let me finish" he said making her go quiet. "I've had a crush on you since the third grade but that has grown to be much more than an attraction. I fell in love with you as you ignored me for years, I payed attention when you thought no one else was, I listened when you thought no one could hear. I was there for you as you lost so many people. I watched you mature into the amazing woman that I have completely fallen in love with and the best part of it is that I actually grew to be your friend and I grew to be more than the dork who had a crush on you. Can't you see Lydia? We bring the best out in each other! You can't just deny that!" He said as Lydia felt the tears starting to burn to be released in the back of her eyes. "Stiles.." she trailed off. "Lydia, it's okay." he said stepping closer to her wrapping his arms around her pulling her close but she didnt budge. She slightly push him away as she looked up into his deep golden eyes "Stiles, thats amazing that you feel that way about me, and I'm sorry that I gave you the wrong impression, but we aren't meant to be together, we don't bring out the best in each other, we're just two people who happen to be friends."
"Is that all you really think of me? Just some random person you see everyday who you could care less about?" he said with disgust and disbelief. She swallowed the lump in her throat "Yes" she spat out. "..And I think you should go." She said without emotion in her face.
He gave her one last look as if he was trying to hold back seeing if she would change her mind, but yet she just left him silent. Without saying a word he turned around and left.
And then he was gone.
-Present-
"Stiles I'm sorry for what I said that day." she said following him back inside. "Really? Because it sounded like you meant it." He said as he continued to walk through the smelly old building towards Scott and the others. She grabbed his arm and pulled him around to stop him. "You just took me by surprise that night" She admitted "What?" "I mean what you said, about me liking you, about how you're in love with me." she whispered. "About how I was scared and I didn't know how to express my feelings because, no one has ever treated me the way that you do and I never wanted to to admit how much it scared me and how much the thought of letting you in terrifies the shit out of me." she said. "Why are you telling me this now." he asked. "I-" "There you two are!" Scott said patting Stiles on the back making Lydia stop. "Did you two finally make up?" Liam asked. Stiles gave a lydia a glance "Yes" she blurted making the pack smile "Finally" Malia said as she stepped up next to Stiles.
"I think it's time we all go home." Stiles said still watching lydias every move. "Sounds good to me" Kira said as she tugged Scott's arm and dragged him away as everyone else began to follow. "Hey I'm gonna catch a ride home with Liam so don't worry about me." Malia said to stiles who was still focusing hard on Lydia. "Alright I'll see you later." he said finally pointing his focus at someone else. "See you tomorrow" he said giving her a quick peck on the cheek.
After she walked away with everyone else Stiles looked back at Lydia. "Let's talk about this later" She said "No tell me what you were about to say." "Stiles I don't want to do this now." "Meet me in the park by the fountain after you leave, we'll talk there, alone." she added "Fine." he said. He gave her one last look then decided to walk off.
Was she ready for this?