Author's Note: Rewatching the last episodes of season three in prep for season for. God really annoyed at Lydia's behavior in the tunnel, even though I'm 80% sure it was a trick to make the nogitsune think he had won. But whatevs. Here's something short and kinda crappy because there were words in my head. Let's hope tonight's episode and therefore season four doesn't suck dicks.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything but an intense disappointment and annoyance for the current Teen Wolf timeline.
Lydia Martin is not a damsel in distress. She purses her lips and stares at the nogitsune, head held high. Waking up in a strange place, unaware of where she is or how long she has been there is not new to her, as horrible as that is. She will not be cowed into submission by this twisted undead bastard wearing her friend's face. He's looming at her out of the darkness and they're in some kind of tunnel, but she doesn't care. She stands, wobbling a little bit because it's a little cold in the tunnel, but she stands and she's tall and proud.
"Move," she says, marching toward the thing wearing Stiles' face. He blinks and when he does not move she makes a tsk sound in the back of her throat and pushes him, sharp and hard. He stumbles back a step, fury crossing his face, but she rolls her eyes and storms past him.
"You won't be able to escape," he hollers at her. He's stalking after her, his footsteps loud and heavy compared to the clicking of her heels. She studies the ground for a second, considers taking off her heels because they're kind of a liability, even though they're cute as hell, but the ground is just shy of absolutely terrible so she keeps them on. Also, if she keeps them on she might be able to kick the nogistune in the balls with them.
The thought brings a smile to her face. The nogitsune snarls behind her, grabs her shoulder and pulls, forcing her to face him.
"What is so funny," he hisses at her, inhuman and furious. She smiles wider, all the more to piss him off, and makes sure to meet his eyes.
"If you think your Big Bad routine scares me, you're out of your goddamn mind," she tells him. Because she is Lydia Martin, she was in Stiles' Jeep when it crashed through a wall, she stepped up to the kanima and turned him human again. That's not even mentioning the trauma she survive when their teacher turned out to be evil and attempted to strangle her.
There's a hint of uncertainty in his eyes, just a flicker, and she smiles the same smile she used to give Jackson when she knew he could do better. She smiled like she had all the goddamn time in the world before rolling her eyes at him and turning away.
There was a snarl behind her, but Lydia wasn't worried. She might not be able to wield a crossbow or throw a man through a wall, but she wasn't a goddamn damsel in distress.
The look on his face when she ruins his plans and buys Allison enough time to evade the oni's blade with her warning scream makes her chest constrict with pride. She smiles when Allison buries an arrow into the nogitsune's chest. She smiles even more when she collides with Allison, arms wrapping around her shoulders as she shakes, adrenaline running it's way through her veins. She only retracts from her friend long enough witness the nogitsune's last moment.
"Teenagers, 4," she says, strutting up to his corpse. She flicks her hair over her shoulder and looks him in his eyes as he heaves his last terrible breath. "Big Bads? Zilch." The body, the one that still looks like Stiles, goes still, a hateful look on its face. She clenches her jaw, nods her head to herself, and reaches back for Allison's hand.