It was such a common phrase. People used it all the time. Lydia used it all the time. She found it would usually soften the blow of a light insult. A few moments ago, she used it to tell Stiles how wrong he was about something. There was another supernatural in town that had been killing animals. No humans yet, which was a relief, but they still had to do something about it. They all gathered at Scott's house to try and figure it out. Lydia guessed it was probably another werewolf passing through that couldn't control the change yet. Stiles said that he put his money on a vampire. "That's ridiculous," Lydia had told him, but to no avail. He wouldn't shut up about the whole thing. If werewolves are real, why not vampires? They basically go hand in hand.
It was that simple phrase that came next. Lydia used it all the time. She had told it to Scott hundreds of times; Allison, thousands. But for some reason, this phrase was not one to be used on someone like Stiles. Lydia knew the reason, and she wondered why she was stupid enough not to watch her choice of wording seconds after she said it.
Lydia's feelings for Stiles were . . . interesting, to say the least. After the whole deal with the Nogitsune was over, she thought she might tell him how she really felt. That he was the closest thing to something real she had ever had. That she finally felt the same way towards him as he felt towards her. But when Malia showed up, Lydia realized she had missed her chance. Stiles started paying more attention to the werecoyote than he usually paid to the banshee. For a while she told herself he was just helping her adjust; she'd get to have her talk with Stiles sooner or later. But as 'sooner' became 'later', 'later' became 'never'. It was in Mexico when the 'never' came. She had heard Stiles telling Scott that Malia had kissed him when they were locked up together. That's when Lydia started pushing her feelings down. She convinced herself that if she really wanted Stiles, he would've been hers already. Her feelings for him must have just been her falling in love with the idea of him. She just missed the attention, that's all.
But that was not all. Because if Lydia really didn't feel anything for Stiles and, more importantly, if Stiles really was into Malia and over Lydia, than her next little sentence shouldn't have meant anything.
Who knew such a small phrase could make things so complicated?
"Stiles, I love you, but you'd have to be an idiot to believe that a blood-sucking vampire is just wandering around Beacon Hills killing animals. Vampires drink human blood, if you weren't aware." It took Lydia two seconds to notice her slip-up. It took Stiles five.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it, but–" He began to defend himself before he started to go over her words. No, that couldn't be right. His expression dropped and he moved his eyes to meet hers. "Wait, what?"
The only two who didn't catch what Lydia said were Scott and Kira. Scott had heard the phrase from Lydia all the time, so didn't notice; Kira just assumed it was something Lydia said to everyone. The alpha looked up when his friends' normally fast-paced banter faltered. He looked from Lydia to Stiles, whose eyes were locked in a kind of shocked state.
"What?" he asked, trying to figure out what had stopped Stiles from talking. Unfortunately, the only one actually paying attention to what was said was Malia, who felt confused and a bit angered.
"Did you just tell Stiles that you loved him?" She may not have been a human again for long, but Malia knew that you only said 'I love you' to someone that you, well, loved. And Lydia couldn't love Stiles, because Stiles loved her. At least, that was what Malia thought she understood.
Lydia and Stiles simultaneously turned a shade of red. Kira stepped in to help.
"Oh, no, Malia, that's just an expression," the kitsune tried to explain. "Like, uh–" she turned to her boyfriend, "Scott, I love you, but reading your Science textbook isn't going to help us get any closer to catching the vampire."
"–It's not a vampire–" Lydia and Stiles interjected.
Scott shook his head. "Hey, I'm just trying to pass our Biology test tomorrow! Y'know, one step closer to graduating high school." They smiled at each other as Kira pretended to chew him out for not being 'enough of a responsible alpha to help them catch this vampire-thing', and their friends' repeated comment of "–it's not a vampire–".
Malia wasn't satisfied with Kira's answer. "But Scott's your boyfriend," she argued. "So you already love him. Stiles isn't Lydia's boyfriend. He's my boyfriend."
Stiles began to shift uncomfortably in his seat. "Actually, Malia–"
Malia stood up and stepped toward Lydia. "Do you want Stiles to be your boyfriend? Is that why you said you loved him?"
The question caught her off guard. "I didn't mean– I was just–"
Stiles found himself suddenly standing in front of Lydia, trying to defend her. "It's just a phrase people say, alright, Malia? Lydia says it all the time, to everyone."
"Then how come you were so surprised when Lydia said it to you?"
Lydia couldn't take the judgy atmosphere anymore. She began collecting her things. "I should go, it's getting pretty late and I promised my mom I'd have dinner with her tonight." She left the room and Stiles turned to go after her.
"Lydia, wait!"
She was already outside and standing in front of her car by the time he caught up to her. She was starting to get her keys out of her bag as Stiles tried to reconcile with her.
"Malia shouldn't have said those things," he started. "I'm sorry."
Lydia stopped trying to find her keys and turned around to face him. She crossed her arms. "I didn't know you two were officially a couple." Her gaze dropped to the ground. Stiles put his hand on the back of his neck, shaking his head.
"We're not a couple. Not really. We're. . . Well, I don't actually know what we are."
It was silent for a few moments before Lydia spoke again. "You know I didn't mean what I said, it was just–"
"It's just a phrase," Stiles said, nodding. "I get it. It's fine."
Lydia sighed and went back to searching for her keys. Meanwhile, Stiles was starting to look like he was thinking about something. When the look of realization passed over his face, his eyes narrowed and he made a groaning sound in the back of his throat.
"Dammit."
Lydia looked up. "What?"
Stiles shrugged, like admitting defeat. He looked like he was angry at himself. "I want it to be more than just a phrase."
The red-headed banshee's mouth dropped open a little. He started to explain before she could say anything.
"I thought I wanted Malia. I thought I wanted to be with her. She actually wants me back; she's nice– for the most part; she's definitely affectionate. . ." He sighed angrily. "But then you come in with your red hair and your green eyes and your incredible brains and we can just talk; we basically finish each other sentences, but with Malia . . ." He shook his head. "It's different. She doesn't know the world, and I know that's not her fault, but she's just not you, Lydia."
She was speechless. She wanted to find the words to tell him exactly what she felt. She was trying to dig up the feelings she buried as he kept rambling on.
"Look, I know you've probably heard this all before, and I know what comes next. 'I just want to be friends', 'I don't feel that way', or 'get back inside before a punch you'. But it doesn't matter because I've said what I've had to say and I don't–"
"Stiles!" Lydia finally interrupted. He stopped abruptly and swallowed. She smiled at him. "I love you, but the rambling has got to stop."
"I know, I know, I just–" Stiles met her eyes. "You just said it again."
Lydia nodded, taking a step toward him. "I know." Then she wrapped her arms around his neck and crushed her lips to his.
Who knew such a simple phrase could have such a great outcome?