Red shoes and tie
The senior prom was going to start in a few hours and Lydia had an awful feeling which sat stubbornly in her throat. It wasn't that she did not want to go alone (she could take on a multitude of opposition and still come out on top), it was that Stiles had been avoiding everybody since he and Malia broke up just over a month ago. Lydia didn't want Stiles to spend the night brooding alone, she wanted to celebrate the coming end to her high school career and she wanted him with her to enjoy the night; and with that her decision was made, she wouldn't take no for an answer, so she swiped up her car keys with one hand and a rectangular box with the other and headed out the door.
As she marched up the Stilinski's house footpath she was startled by the sheriff rushing out the door.
"Oh hey Lydia, you can go on up" he said half out of breath and half not really paying much attention as he rummaged through his pockets to answer his buzzing phone.
"Thanks" Lydia said, although she doubted the sheriff really noticed her answer.
After regaining her composure from watching the exhausted sheriff fumble his way into his car and down the street, Lydia turned to face the front door and continued her determined march up the stairs. She took a deep breath before she barged into Stiles' room, she refused to knock or apologize, she was on a mission and manners weren't a priority at this point.
Stiles seemed taken aback by her entrance as he sat behind a pile of text books at his desk, and barely had the time to respond before Lydia swooped down to his level, her face close to his as she pushed the box firmly into his palm.
"You will be coming tonight, you will pick me up at seven, and you will enjoy yourself" Lydia demanded rather than asked.
Stiles was still slightly stunned, up until two minutes ago all he could think of was the essay paper he was only half way through, and wondering what he could muster up for lunch.
"Uhm" he mustered, "Doesn't it start at eight?"
"Punctuality is an attractive quality Stiles, I will be ready at seven" Lydia said so matter-of-factly before she turned to glide out the room. She was halfway through the door when Stiles interrupted "What's this?" he asked opening the box, a red silk tie looming back at him.
"I will be wearing red, and I'll be dammed if you wear something hideous Stiles" she said before turning back around and leaving the house.
Stiles sat in silence and blinked several times to mentally put in perspective how bizarre Lydia was acting, but he appreciated it, he knew that tonight should be a night of celebration, not of self-inflicted torment. So he stood up, opened his closet door, pulled out his suit, took it downstairs, and started to iron out the creases just like his mom had taught him years ago.
[6:45PM]
Stiles had been sitting outside Lydia's house for ten minutes already, listening to the radio and tapping his fingers against the steering wheel, he looked up toward her front door and decided now was as good a time as any, she should be ready by now. He opened his car door and made his way up the footpath, corsage box in hand. He was just about to knock on the front door when it swung open and he was faced with Lydia in all her breathtaking glory. It was like looking at her in slow motion, the gust of wind from outside seemed to linger in her strawberry blonde hair forever, and her red silk dress stretched down her body and hugged her just tight enough. She looked at him with satisfaction.
"You're early"
"Punctuality" he breathed, barely able to hold a sentence together.
He finally broke eye contact, realizing he hadn't yet given her the corsage, and with fumbling hands slid the red and white roses onto her wrist.
"Thank you, shall we go or do you want to stand in my doorway in the cold all night?" she asked.
"Right, uh, let's go" Stiles said, silently feeling victorious that he was able to throw more than one word together.
They drove in silence until they came to the school parking lot, Stiles turned the car engine off. He didn't originally want to be here but he was glad to see Lydia smile, there was nothing he wouldn't do to see that curve manifest on her lips. He smiled back at her, and she breathed out slowly before she cleared her throat expectantly and nudged her head in the direction of her door.
"Oh right" Stiles said, half leaping out of his skin as he rushed out of the car and then slowly opened the passenger side door to let Lydia out. She landed gracefully onto the heels of her red shoes and allowed her eyes to meet Stiles'.
"It doesn't look like anyone's here yet" Stiles said.
"I know" Lydia said, taking Stiles by the arm and leading him across the car park.
Stiles was more than slightly confused, Lydia didn't just plan for them to get here over an hour early, she was also leading him in the opposite direction to the school dance hall. They came to the edge of the lacrosse field and Lydia marched on with Stiles on her arm, not visibly bothered that her raspberry heels were turning murky green in the damp grass.
She stopped in the center and turned slowly to stare into the eyes of the boy she had watched grow so much.
"Where are we Stiles?" Lydia asked, her tone slightly less demanding than before.
"The lacrosse field, why are we on the lacrosse field Lydia?" Stiles asked, still kind of confused.
"Exactly" Lydia began, ignoring Stiles' question for the meantime. "Right where we're standing, we've been here before Stiles. This is where you bargained with Peter for my life and you won." Lydia breathed deeply, calming herself and escaping the bad memory before continuing. "We have all come so far since then, and had so much to overcome, you probably more than anyone. Tonight is about celebrating our victories and accepting the losses Stiles, don't you see that?"
"Well yeah Lydia but" Stiles managed to get out before Lydia interrupted.
"No butts Stiles. Don't you see that we're both still here, we're both still breathing, we're together?" She breathed and paused "Can't we please enjoy this?"
"Absolutely" Stiles sighed through a smile.
Lydia, so thrilled by the sight of his smile, got up on her toes to press a slow adoring kiss on Stiles cheek. Stiles closed his eyes and felt the warmth that radiated off of Lydia, she always felt warm, and she always felt like home to him. Lydia pulled away just enough to look into Stiles' eyes before the gravity of one another pulled their lips together in a classic embrace which lasted several minutes.
Lydia broke the kiss but only pulled so far away that their foreheads were resting upon each other's, and in through heavy breaths she whispered "Take me home Stiles".
Stiles frowned in confusion, Lydia had been rallying for months for prom queen, and worked so tirelessly in the past few hours to get him to come to the dance.
"But what about prom queen Lydia?"
Lydia breathed heavily and smiled, pulling away to see Stiles' face.
"Stiles" she paused "Girls only want to be prom queen so they can have a room full of people look at them" she breathed deeply again. "The way that you already look at me."
Stiles' eyes lit up like it was the first time he had seen the world, and Lydia grinned and pulled him back across the murky oval and over to the little blue jeep. They passed Scott and Kira pulling up and waved goodbye before they had a chance to get within talking range to explain their actions.
They pulled up out the front of Lydia's house, Lydia was out of the car before Stiles could get the door for her. She glided to the front of the jeep took his hands and pulled them close to her mouth so she could kiss them sweetly. She then lead Stiles up the path, through the house and in through her bedroom door.
There was tension, Stiles looked down at his feet too nervous to meet her gaze. Lydia took a deep breath in, moved closer to Stiles and exhaled a jagged breath before meeting his eyes. Stiles looked up at her; confidence and desire overwhelmed him and he took her face in his hands and pressed his lips against hers. The kiss was both firm and gentle and Lydia felt herself being swooped off of the carpet with her legs wrapped around Stiles' waist while he supported her body weight in his arms. They held each other tightly and could feel one another's heart pound through their clothes, their embrace remained unbroken as Lydia let her stained red silk heels slip from her feet as Stiles lead them both to the bed where he lay her down gently. Stiles gazed lovingly at her while his fingertips brushed through the strawberry blonde hair that had guest starred in so many dreams. Lydia reached around Stiles' neck and tugged at the red silk tie, loosening its grip, she held it in her hands for no longer than a moment before letting it fall down beside her clumsily placed red shoes. They held each other close and felt their lips meet, and the night commenced with gasps of breath, hungry desire, and the tenderness of a love that had waited too long to be free.
