A/N: Hello, my loves! First of all, I would like to apologize for the time that I haven't been on here. Lately I've had a bit of writers block and I'm trying to break it. Hopefully soon I'll be able to write more of Nightmares and Emotional Tethers. Until that's possible, I have decided that I would make up a collection of one-shots for Stiles and Lydia based on random songs.
PLEASE bear with me here. I haven't written in months and I have to ease back into it. I know that this is probably not what you've come to expect from my writing, but hopefully it's something to tide you over until I can start my come back.
If you would like, you are more than welcome to leave song recommendations in the comments. I have probably eight right now that I want to do, but I definitely need more!
Thank you all so much for sticking with me. I really, really hope you all enjoy this collection!
"I looked at you like the stars that shined in the sky, the pretty lights."
There was no telling an eight year-old Stiles Stilinski that he wasn't in love with the strawberry blonde that sat across from him in homeroom. With her pale skin and pretty green eyes, she lit up the room as soon as she walked in. He had noticed her before a few times during recess, but the first day of the third grade was something completely different. He was awestruck, absolutely knocked off his feet in the way that he didn't think someone his age could be. Noah and Claudia laughed about his simple infatuation with Lydia Martin. Scott, his best friend in the entire world, often rolled his eyes. Sure, Lydia was pretty, but the way his freckled friend talked about her it was light the she made the entire world go around. Every morning when Lydia Martin awoke was one more day that the world would spin on and Stiles could sit across from her and take in her beauty.
"I was sixteen when suddenly I wasn't that little girl you used to see."
Sophomore year of high school was taking a turn that Lydia had never expected. Throughout her years in Beacon Hills' public schooling system, she had taken notice to the majority of her surroundings. She had observed all of those that observed her up on her throne. Her reign almost seemed to come to a crashing halt the moment that her new best friend invited the two dorky best friends to her table. There wasn't a single word that she could say to either of them; instead she and her boyfriend were left glaring, wondering how this was happening.
It had taken her all night to get ready for the winter formal. The fact that some scrawny kid named Stiles was taking her instead of Jackson turned her gears, sending her into a panic all night long. By the time Stiles had come around and finally talked to her, she gave him her prissy girl attitude; the same attitude that he'd quickly rip to shreds inside. Those words... those words. "I've had a crush on you since the third grade and I know that somewhere inside that cold, lifeless exterior there's an actual human soul. And I'm also pretty sure that I'm the only one who knows how smart you are and that once you're done pretending being a nitwit, you'll eventually go off and write some insane mathematical theorem that will wind you the Nobel Prize." Those words stopped her heart from beating. Fields Medal, she corrected him with a smile of certainty as her eyes lit up.
There was something about the fact that someone truly, full heartedly paid attention to her that made her feel nice and fuzzy on the inside. What this dorky, lanky, gangly kid told her was something that Jackson didn't even notice. As odd as it was, she felt a magnetic pull to him that night.
They danced and Stiles leaned his head on her shoulder, not wanting to ever let the moment end. If he died right then and there, it would've been the most wonderful way to go out. Lydia Martin - thee Lydia Martin was wrapped tightly in his arms as they both swayed to the music. In that moment, Stiles could swear that something happened. He could tell that the crush that he had been holding onto all of these years was beginning to blossom into something much bigger. Even if he was let down or hurt or shunned by the red-haired beauty whom he had always been fond of, it would've been a pleasure. No matter the consequences, no matter the feelings or what came afterwards, it would've been heavenly even if his heart shattered into a million pieces.
"Take me back to the time we had our very first fight; slamming of doors instead of kissing goodnight."
The Wild Hunt. That's when Lydia was finally able to admit that she loved him. A teasing grin often came from their alpha who couldn't have been happier for the two. Lydia Martin loves Stiles Stilinski. It took the whole pack awhile to settle in with a very simple statement. They'd all known that deep inside something had developed between the two over the years, but they never thought the day would come where they'd finally admit it to themselves and each other.
Lydia Martin loves Stiles Stilinski.
Stiles Stilinski loves Lydia Martin.
For Stiles, butterflies fluttered around in the pit of his stomach every single time he thought about those honest truths. How he had landed his dream girl in the middle of his 5 year plan was beyond him. Every single day was more exciting; every single day he grew a little bit more in love with her which he didn't even know was possible. For years he thought that his passion and admiration for the banshee had reached its peak, that the bottle was overflowing and there was no more room for his heart to swell the way it did every single day. He had loved others, but not like this. Not the way he loved Lydia Martin.
And because Stiles Stilinski loves Lydia Martin, it was hard to grasp that they were actually in the middle of a full-blown argument. They had bickered back and forth for a couple years now, always keeping each other on their toes, but this? This was different. This was the one screaming match that could've brought them down just because Jackson had strolled back into town right before graduation. If it wasn't obvious enough, Stiles and Jackson weren't exactly each other's biggest fans. Lydia saw the tension and the jealousy instantly and thought that if she didn't mention it, the awkwardness in the air would dissipate. Instead, it expanded to the point where she was telling Stiles that he was too insecure, that she loved him, and how the way he was acting was proving that he didn't trust her.
But that's the thing: Stiles always trusted her.
After what felt like hours of going over this for the fiftieth time, Noah came home from a long day at work and demanded that the two go their separate ways for the night. His reasoning was that he wasn't going to have any of this in his house. His real, unspoken reason was the fact that he didn't want to see his son lose the girl he had been pining for for so many years. It was clear to the sheriff that Lydia was head over heels for the boy that he raised and couldn't risk it. The moment she stomped out the door, slamming it behind her, Stiles flinched and looked at his father, knowing that he was going to be scolded by him the way Lydia did. Sparing him the embarrassment, Noah walked out of his sons room and called Natalie, giving her a heads-up.
This third grade crush that Noah used to tease Stiles about wasn't exactly something Noah ever thought he'd see come to fruition. But there they were. And here he was, trying to help them along the way.
"You stayed outside till the morning light."
That stupid little (yet huge) fight had kept Lydia up all night. She walked back and forth around her room, placing one foot in front of the other as if she were standing on a tight line. One of her favorite plaid shirts that still smelt like Stiles hung over her petite frame. It didn't matter how angry she was, she was still going to wear his flannel shirt to bed like she usually did.
Around one in the morning, she had taken a peak out the window, spotting the boy standing there and looking up with guilt in his eyes. The redhead wanted to run downstairs and bolt through the door to get to him, but she was determined to keep her anger; there was no way she was going to falter just because he looked at her like that.
Stiles, on the other hand, didn't even know what he was still doing there. Lydia was known to be stubborn, not wanting to give up without a fight. At this particular moment in time, he wishes he pulled a John Cusack, wearing some cheesy trench coat and 'romantically' held a boombox over his head, trying to serenade Lydia with some sappy Peter Gabriel song. He almost wants to kick himself because that would've been an amazing idea, but he raced out of the house so fast that he hadn't thought about it first. Oh well, it would've been too cheesy anyway; probably pissing her off more.
When the morning light peeked through the girls blinds, she rose from bed with a yawn, checking her phone for one of Stiles' late night texts before remembering everything that had happened.
As she put her phone down, she got on her knees and peeked over the window above her bed. He was still there, asleep on a lawn chair. Natalie caught Lydia glancing out of the window and rolled her eyes, not wanting to be any part of it. Whatever dramatic thing happened between the two teenagers was not her problem.
Lydia paced once more before sucking it up and headed down the stairs, still in her black silk shorts and night top. It didn't even matter to her that the neighbors would see her like this; she just needed to get her boyfriend off of the ground. "Stiles," she says as she shakes him gently. His eyes immediately burned from the bright sunshine that was hitting him directly in the face, making this situation worse. "You stayed here all night." Her voice was soft as her eyes almost filled with tears. Why would he do such a thing? Jackson and Aiden would have shrugged it off and saw her the next morning as if nothing ever happened. But Stiles... sweet, persistent Stiles stayed and waited for Lydia to make the next move.
"I stayed all night," he confirms with a yawn.
"Why would you do that?" she asks in utter disbelief.
A smile graces his face as he takes her hand into his and gently thumbs over her knuckles. "Because I love you - because I never wanted to do something that hurt you or upset you. I'm sorry, okay? I never want to do that to you again."
Her heart almost leaps out of her chest at those words. No one had loved her the way that he had and it was obvious from that apology alone. "Wanna come inside? My bed's a lot comfier than a lawn chair." She almost smiles at her words as she stands up and tugs on his hand, waiting for him to follow after her like he always does... like he always will.
"A few years had gone and come around."
Going off to college was one of the worst things for both of their hearts. George Washington and M.I.T. were only seven hours away from each other, but it still took a toll on both of them. They were determined to make it work one way or another. Although the four years had been difficult on both of them with Lydia staying in Cambridge after her early graduation and with Stiles tied up in heavy studying, wanting to be the best damn agent in the field, they still found several moments throughout their day to talk. It was a long drive, but meeting in the middle helped.
What helped more than anything in the world was when graduation was finally over for Stiles. They had gone back to Beacon Hills summer after summer, basking in the days they could spend together when they were there, completely supernatural free for the most part.
Now that they were free to make decisions together, as a couple, Stiles was finally settling back in. The four years had been burdensome to say the least. There was no easy way for them to survive, but their love persisted.
"We were sitting at our favorite spot in town and you looked at me, got down on one knee."
Lydia Martin loves Stiles Stilinski.
Stiles Stilinski loves Lydia Martin.
Their story had been written in the stars long before they ever graced this green earth. In Stiles' eyes, the birth of Lydia was still the best thing to happen in their odd hometown. Every single day he believed that. Every single day he found comfort in her and vice versa. Every day Lydia wondered why it had taken her so long to realize that he was actually her anchor, that he kept her grounded at every cost. A part of her feels like a few years had been stolen from the two all because she was too stubborn to openly admit that she loved him, that she had always loved him.
Somehow, someway Scott had kept the Jeep in good condition since Stiles was away. Everyone hated that piece of metal, but Stiles still loved it. Every part of his being loved Roscoe even though his friends thought he was crazy. As much as Lydia insisted that they walk or take her newer care that doesn't break down every five minutes, Stiles talked her into sitting in the passenger seat. Once she begrudgingly stepped into the Jeep he smiled over at her in a way that knocked the breath out of her. That gleaming look in his eyes and a charmed smile that screamed 'I love you' was absolutely breathtaking to the redhead. After all of these years, everything about him still made her weak in the knees.
The boy wanted so badly to reach over and hold her hand like the old times, like they always did whenever they were back in the hunk of crap vehicle, however it was impossible. His clammy hands would make Lydia question what was wrong, asking him if he was anxious. She'd instantly make him spit it out, so he refrained from doing so and instead kept a tight grip on the steering wheel as he headed to the other side of town, spotting the dimly lit public park that they often escaped to. For some reason, every time they were there, Stiles felt the way he did the first time he saw her in the third grade. Out here, they could be children again and let go. That's why Stiles chose this place. That's why he was smiling in the dorky way that always made Lydia giggle.
"C'mon," Lydia says with full enthusiasm as she runs in to the park, her heels clicking on the pavement every step of the way. He stays back, watching her as she slides into a relaxed mode, wondering how he got so lucky to see this side of her whenever she let her guard down.
Strolling up to her slowly, he placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her around before his index finger lifted her chin up so he could place a gentle kiss on her plump, pink lips. They both lingered near each other, even when they had pulled away. He touched his forehead against hers as the anxiety filled his entire being. "I have to ask you something." Stiles says, almost in a whisper.
"Shoot."
He hesitantly backs away for a moment before reaching in his back pocket as he slowly lowered himself to the ground on one bended knee. "Lydia- I love you so much. I knew that since the third grade. I knew that since the day you kissed me in the locker room. You were the first girl I danced with, the first girl I had ever truly had feelings for. You, quite frankly, make my world go round." Stiles pauses as he watches the tears form in her shimmering eyes. For a moment, he wonders if it's a bad thing, but still he goes on, knowing that he couldn't back down now. "You were a lot of firsts for me. But I want you to be the first to be the last." He opens the black, velvet box, showing off a princess cut diamond ring that probably costed him a fortune. "Lydia Martin, will you ma-"
"Yes!" she cuts him off. The question doesn't even need to be asked. Lydia had known for years that Stiles was it. He was the one. They drove each other up the wall sometimes, but he was it - he was all she ever needed. "Yes, yes, yes. I will marry you." Her voice is shaky, but still filled with utter happiness, making the anxiety in the pit of the boys stomach to fade away. Standing up, he slides the ring on her finger before meeting his lips with hers once again, starting out gently before she deepens it and wraps her arms tightly around his shoulders.
Stiles never knew that the first real kiss between the two could never be topped. But now, in this moment of closeness and delight, he changed his mind. This kiss beat out the first one. The hug that came after the kiss was highly unreal. Everything about it was perfect and he could tell that she felt the same as he felt her heart thump against his chest.
"After all this time, you and I."