Merry Christmas, Kayla (stydiaunderthemistletoe) I hope you enjoy it and have a great Christmas!
'It's snowing!' Malia yells from the kitchen, nose pressed up against the window like a child.
Lydia can almost see Scott's transformation into excited puppy as he bounds into the kitchen; Kira is no better as she runs after Scott, squealing.
Lydia watches on and rolls her eyes but a secret thrill of excitement spreads through her body. It's been such a long time since she's let something as childish as excitement slip through her carefully perfected facade.
Stiles insists they wait for the snow to settle before they go to play in it and as it's his house it's his rules. Instead he distracts them with presents they weren't expecting till later and there's a flurry of excitement as everyone scrambles to exchange their presents.
Lydia frowns when she realises that Stiles hasn't given her her present but she's buried under her own coat as someone throws it at her. She pulls it off her head to see Malia grinning at her.
'Come outside Lydia, you know you want to!'
'But…'
'No buts,' Malia says.
Lydia looks down at her footwear uncertainly and looks up to catch Stiles chuckling at her and with a slight shake of his head he turns to go upstairs. Minutes later he dumps a pair of wellies which are at least five sizes too big next to her. They're a hideous brown colour and covered in scratches. She wouldn't have been seen dead in them a little over a year ago but now she accepts them with a warm smile at their owner and pulls on an extra pair of socks she'd brought with her.
'Come on,' Stiles says as he tugs her hand. The others disappeared out of the door a long time ago.
She follows him, stopping in the doorway to watch the others. Malia and Kira have teamed up and are pelting Scott with snowballs; Scott's laughing so hard that he's having a coughing fit.
'I'm only coming out if everyone with supernatural powers promises they won't though a single snowball at me,' Lydia shouts.
Kira runs over to Lydia and pulls her out, 'we promise,' she says breathlessly. 'We were gonna make a start on building a snowman anyway but then we got distracted.'
The five of them play together in the snow for an hour before Lydia decides she's had enough. The snow is heavier than ever and her eyelashes are freezing together. She lets the others know she's going in and then puts the kettle on to make five mugs of steaming hot chocolate.
Glancing out of the window she smiles as Scott and Kira finish a snowman together. Kira laughs as she sprinkles snow down the back of his neck and runs away; he catches her quickly and wrestles her to the ground.
Lydia's eyes dart to where Malia and Stiles are rolling the head of their snowman and her smile dissipates; Malia has been flirting with Stiles all day and it's starting to grate on Lydia's last nerve. They broke up just over four months ago; she knows this because it happened at her start of term party – her biggest one ever because it will be her last in Beacon Hills – so why is Malia flirting with him like there's no tomorrow, Lydia thinks.
She makes huffs as the were-coyote throws back her head and laughs as he holds onto Stiles' arm. Lydia looks away wondering when she became the jealous type. Because of Stiles, says a voice in the back of her mind that she refuses to listen to.
By the time the rest of them make it back inside it's not even lunchtime. As they come through the door Lydia hands them each a mug of hot chocolate, along with a careful warning aout the temperature.
'Lydia I'm a were-OUCH!' Scott yelps, burning his tongue as he takes a big gulp.
'You're a werewolf whose tongue is going to burn for the rest of the day,' Lydia says, raising an eyebrow in an I told you so gesture.
They settle down to watch a couple of films and while away the afternoon and once they've eaten one by one they start to leave. Lydia stays behind, intending to ask Stiles why he hadn't given her a present earlier on; instead he coaxes her into watching another film which has just started.
When it finishes they lie together in a companionable silence on the floor, Lydia's head resting on is stomach while he softly pulls his hands through her hair.
'You and Malia seemed to be close earlier,' Lydia bursts out before she can stop herself.
'What?' Stiles replies.
'I just mean, well – never mind,' Lydia says, hoping for a change in conversation all together.
'I don't know how you got that impression, it's way over between me and Malia. She didn't want me to tell anyone this but – well – since you asked: she has a new boyfriend – and she's really happy.'
'Oh,' Lydia says, and then after an embarrassed pause, 'are you okay?'
'I'm fine, like I said it's totally over,' Stiles says, he doesn't want to be too pushy but he wonders why Lydia would be thinking about him and Malia flirting.
'So,' Lydia says, hoping to turn the talk to something which wasn't going to showcase any feelings she might have anytime soon. 'Is my present still in the store or were you hoping I wouldn't notice?' she smiles knowing he would never have forgotten to buy her a present; it's a wonder he hadn't bought her twenty.
'I was just waiting for the right time, I didn't want to ruin the mood earlier,' he taps her head, asking her to move it so he can sit up and crawl towards the tree.
Lydia frowns, 'ruin the mood?' she asks, 'Stiles, what the hell have you got me?'
Laughing at her worried expression he hands her a small rectangular parcel wrapped in gold paper the edges are sharp to the touch. Lydia carefully unwraps it and pulls out a photo frame; her eyes misting over as she takes in the picture.
'Thank you, Stiles. It's perfect.' The picture is one that was taken a few years ago and one she hadn't known existed until now. Stiles had obviously taken it the day they went to the ice rink. Lydia and Allison were sat on a bench together, both in the middle of a laughing fit. It was such a beautiful picture.
'You like it? I found it in an old file on my computer.'
She hugs him without words, laying her head on his shoulder.
The next time she glances over at the clock it's 11pm and her brain swears silently at her for getting so caught up in Stiles.
As they open the door two feet of snow falls through the doorway; this time Lydia swears out loud. She's not going to be able to drive home in this and once again she curses her single-mindedness when it comes to Stiles.
'Maybe I could walk,' she mutters to herself, trying to shake the foolish feeling that's creeping
'Don't be stupid Lydia, it's too far and too late. I'd walk with you but I'm pretty sure you wouldn't get down the drive in those shoes.' He says the word shoes as if he's not sure that her blood red shoes actually fall into that category.
'What am I going to do?' she looks at him with wide eyes, 'I should have paid more attention to the time.'
'Hey calm down,' Stiles says in a soothing voice, rubbing up and down her arm gently. 'Can't you call your mom? She'll figure something out.'
'She's in Canada,' at Stiles' bemused look she explains, 'she's visiting her sister.'
'Really? She left you?' even though he sees her expression change he can hardly stop himself, 'Alone at Christmas?'
'It's not like it's the first time,' she gives him a pointed look.
He ushers her away from the door where she's being staring at the snow as if it holds the answers of how to get home.
'Hang on,' he stops, having closed the door. 'You're not waking up alone on Christmas morning,' he frowns. 'How about this, you stay here tonight and then tomorrow if it's still bad, then I'll get my dad to take you home.'
'I don't want to inconve-' Lydia starts.
'Don't be silly, my dad won't be home till the early hours and it'll be nice to have some company.'
Lydia smiles a grateful smile at him and then her expression drops, 'wait, you're not going to wake me up really early to make me watch you open your presents are you?'
'Well I can't exactly wake my dad up he'll only just have gotten in!'
She borrows an old lacrosse shirt of Stiles' and goes to the bathroom to change. When she returns he barely catches a glimpse of her in it before she slides beneath the blanket.
She smiles up at him and he manages to say 'suits you!' causing both of them to look away and blush.
He flicks through the channels choosing a repeat of a popular show he's seen about a million times. Lydia can almost feel the tension in the room; never have they been to sleep in the same bed before. She feels the urge to kiss him tickling her skin; heat rising up her cheeks.
'Is something wrong Lydia?'
'No, erm, no,' she says with a shake of her head as if to shake the thought of kissing him out of her brain.
'You were thinking about kissing me weren't you?' he jokes.
'No,' Lydia can't look him in the eyes.
'You did once,' he says quietly and silence follows. In fact he begins to wonder if she'd even heard him when she replies in a small voice.
'I know.'
'Lydia, will you look at me?'
She turns her eyes towards his and all she sees there is love and respect. How is it that this boy she had overlooked for years knew her better than anyone else? He didn't want her to change for him; he wanted her exactly the way she was. Before she knows what she's doing she's kissing him. It's a sweet kiss, tender and full of love. It's exactly what she needs.
They sleep curled around each other, like two children lost in the woods. When he wakes he watches her sleeping peacefully for a minute or two before waking her with a kiss on the tip of her nose. She smiles at him and refuses to wake snuggling further into his chest. Eventually he manages to coax her out with the promise of pancakes which later becomes their very first Christmas tradition.