A/N: A little time jump and established friendship in the group ahead. A little stalling before things get interesting.

Chapter 6

On the next morning, Lydia wasn't certain of what to do. Going back to her old "friends" was completely out of question for the sole reason that Lydia didn't want to, and for the first time Lydia felt powerful and sure of herself for something real, and not for the image others (and Lydia herself) had of her. But she also didn't want to suddenly attach to a group she didn't belong to, not yet anyway - even if they'd probably take her in the blink of an eye for what she was shown of them the day before -, afraid to be some sort of a burden for them, unwanted in their pack. Not unless they wanted her there. So as soon as she arrived to the school that morning, Lydia made her way to her locker by herself again, confidence pouring out of her in a constant as she purposefully ignored everyone's eyes on her.

She spotted Stiles at the end of the hallway even before he saw her and Lydia couldn't help but to smile to herself. As she put away some of her books, Lydia pondered if she should go over there and say something like she wanted to. Her wandering thoughts were interrupted by Allison, who – ever so enthusiastic – made her way to Lydia to wish her good morning and ask if she'd like to walk to class together. Lydia felt Allison's hesitance too because, much like herself, the brunette wasn't sure if Lydia would want to hang out with them again, maybe fearing that the day before had been an anomaly. But Lydia just smiled and nodded in agreement and before she knew it the girls were meeting with Stiles and Scott, and the way Stiles beamed at her with flushed cheeks was enough to dissipate any doubts she might have had on her decision. Lydia had lunch with them in the cafeteria that day and the days that followed.

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Stiles and Lydia grow closer in no time. A week later, the four of them along with Isaac and Erica – who, much to Lydia's satisfaction, is just a good friend of Stiles and nothing else – get together at his house to study on the weekend. They all have dinner with the Sheriff that night, and the way things feel extremely ordinary take everyone by surprise: on her part, Lydia - who's used to be alone at home - can just be thankful for the company; as for Stiles, the Sheriff and the others, they're stunned for how at ease Lydia seems to be with the rest of them.

It becomes a routine. Every weekend they'll all get together in one of their houses to study in group or just do their homework, but Stiles and Lydia need more than that. Even though he's not a genius much like the redhead, she likes the challenge because he's surely smart enough to fight her in most things and she craves it, feeds of the competition it brings, so they end up getting together most evenings to study by themselves because the others can't really keep up with them. Lydia can't say she's ever had more fun than she's been having as of late. After getting their homework done and revising their notes, Stiles and Lydia will just sit and talk about lots of different things for almost an hour before one of them has to leave. That's usually Lydia; she finds herself feeling more comfortable spending time at the Stilinskis than at her own house.

About Lydia and Stiles as a pair, things have been, well… Lydia can't really describe the nature of their current relationship, mostly because it's something she's never experienced before. They've become friends in a heartbeat and it's not like they have that many things in common really, but if Lydia would've have to venture in a description… They click. Stiles and Lydia click in ways she never expected, if she's being honest with herself. She has also grown closer with the others, but with Stiles it's different and she can't really explain why. Despite their differences, they work. They can't really ask for more than that.

But Lydia finds herself staring at him often. Staring at his hands, at his eyes, his moles, his everything really. The way his hair always seems dishevelled, the way he doesn't show off his physique like most guys and is maybe even a little insecure about his body even if he's not lanky at all, the way his mannerisms mirror his dad's like he's an authentic copy of the man, the way he babbles a little when he's nervous and tries to hide it with sarcasm… Yes, Lydia's attention span seems to be directed at Stiles lately. Because of it, she finds herself wondering. What if she'd met Stiles before? Should she make a move because god knows she wants to? What if Stiles doesn't want her to? And what if he does? What if's seem to invade most of her daily thoughts now.

There has been some teasing on both parts. The attraction is undeniable and neither seems willing to fight it. Honestly, they don't even mask it much when they are by themselves. There are stolen kisses here and there – mostly on the cheek, sometimes on the neck or the jaw, twice at the corner of the lips when saying goodbye – and certainly more touching than it's probably considered innocent. Lydia is actually fine with it, more than fine really. His mouth is something Lydia can't get enough of. More than once has she even been reprimanded by a teacher for not being paying attention in class, but in her defence Lydia was paying attention, just not to the teacher.

She tends to get lost on Stiles' lips more times than she can be proud of – but like that's her fault; if he'd just stop moving his mouth for a second… - while Stiles is, she hopes, oblivious to the way she stares at him every now and then. He's caught her looking a few times but she always dismisses it, saying she's just lost in thought and wasn't paying attention to whatever conversation the others were having, and so far Stiles hasn't said anything about it so Lydia is convinced she's in the clear. It hasn't moved from that, from those light touches that lead nowhere, and Lydia's not sure what to do with that. They have been in the position of almost kissing more times than she can recall by now, but at the last second Stiles always backs away and she respects that even if she just wants to kiss the hell out of him; he was the one with a crush for years, not her. He should be the first to make a move.

But things change for the better two months after that first night in the closet, when the six of them are at Lydia's on a Saturday afternoon. After doing their homework and revising some notes in the morning and a little more after lunch, the group settles for watching a horror movie. It's not like Lydia is fanatic for the genre but she does like a good scare. What she hasn't considered is that December is just around the corner and even if it's not that cold, it's raining a little and there'll be a thunderstorm that she didn't think about while they're actually watching the movie. Needless to say, there are a lot of screams going on.

Lydia and Stiles are sharing her bed leaning against the headboard, while Allison and Scott are sitting on the ground by the end of Lydia's bed, right in front of the TV. Lydia tried to tell them that it wasn't good for their eyes to be so close to the device but Stiles stopped her rambling, saying they're just gonna make out anyway. Stiles and Lydia end up piling up a few cushions behind the couple so they don't have to see them eating each other's faces off. As for the other two, Isaac is sitting in an armchair with Erica on his lap. Lydia is pretty sure they fell asleep.

Half an hour in, Stiles and Lydia are definitely the only ones paying attention to the movie. Isaac has been snoring softly for a while now and if Erica was awake, she'd be teasing him about it but from her silence she's probably asleep as well. That changes when Lydia first screams. A loud, crushing thunder echoes both outside and inside the house and before Stiles can even understand what happened, Lydia sits up promptly and lets out probably the loudest scream he's ever heard. At that, Isaac wakes up startled and almost lets Erica fall to the ground, and Scott jumps on the spot scared for his life while elbowing Allison in the process, who ends up whining. Before anyone else can say anything though, Stiles breaks out laughing at Lydia, who looks like she just saw a ghost.

"Lydia, what the hell?" Scott asks, one hand firmly placed on his chest.

"Jesus, Lyds," Allison mutters, stirring on her seat on the floor and hurrying to place a kiss on Scott's cheek like that will make it all better.

At the same time that she feels as scared as she's ever felt in her entire life, Lydia almost wants to laugh; Scott looks terrified. "Sorry, it's just…" She starts to apologize but Stiles' laugh is annoying, incessant in her ears and Lydia rolls her eyes before hitting him with a pillow. It just makes him laugh harder. "You are such an idiot," she mumbles.

"It wasn't my fault," he blurts out between snorts. Lydia would find it cute if he wasn't being such an ass.

Erica, who got up and made her way to the window in the meantime, murmurs "Thunderstorm, great." As if on cue, lightning illuminates the room, casting shadows all around. "We won't be able to go out tonight anymore."

"Yeah, we are," says Isaac. The poor boy is the one who's been struggling the most with his grades and, after all the group studying he's been doing lately and his efforts being rewarded with a few B's, he wanted a night out. It was supposed to be tonight. "I don't care that it's raining. I still want to go."

"Maybe it's just passing," Allison offers, always the optimistic. She gives Isaac a small smile.

Scott shrieks. "Why aren't you all freaking out? Lydia screamed like hell was gonna break loose," he exclaims out of breath, obviously still shaken up.

Stiles chuckles and Lydia shoves him to the side when he tries to sit up. "I'm sorry, Scott. The thunder, it… It hit exactly when something was about to happen," Lydia gestures to the TV. "You know. When the soundtrack indicates that something is gonna come out of the shadows and scare the hell out of you. It's not my fault that you guys weren't paying attention to the movie. I was."

The group quiets down after a bit, the others certainly more alert to the movie now. Stiles is grinning as he lies back on the bed again and Lydia follows, moving just a little closer to him. The second time she screams it is his fault. Exactly when the murderer was luring his prey in the dark and was about to jump out of a closet (the irony!), one of Stiles' hands tap on her shoulder and Lydia, as concentrated as she was on the movie, screams again.

This time she makes Scott swear. "Fuck, Lydia. Holy shit." All of them laugh.

All of them squeal when another incredibly loud thunder roars into the late afternoon, and they end up laughing again after taking a moment to recompose. Stiles tries to scare Lydia once more but she sees him out of the corner of her eye and smacks him in the stomach a little harder than she wanted to. Instead of bending forward to laugh, Stiles huffs in pain. "Shit."

"That's for being a jerk," she states, beaming proudly.

The next one screaming is actually Scott, and Lydia sends him a knowing look. The afternoon wears out like that, between shrieks and laughter, and by the time the movie is almost ending, Stiles takes advantage of his current situation.

Scott and Allison have been making out for the last fifteen minutes, so they're distracted. As for Isaac and Erica, they've been talking in whispers for the better part of the last half hour and Stiles is pretty sure they're in their own bubble. Lydia… Well, Lydia is on her side leaning slightly against him, her head resting on his arm. She's so close that he can easily notice when her heartbeat picks up if something scary is happening in the movie so now, instead of startling her, his hand moves down to her waist to hold her a little tighter and Lydia snuggles into him absently.

He likes this proximity of theirs. It means the world to him and it keeps him on edge, wondering if he should do something about it. He wants to, but he's not so sure he's ready to give in to his feelings for her. They went unnoticed for so long… But after discussing it with Scott the night before, Stiles put things in perspective. He doesn't need to be in a relationship with her. He never has been and he's survived just fine so far. But they can make the most of their closeness. They can have fun, right? They did, in the closet. And he knows that Lydia wants it too, or at least he thinks so. The way she gets just a little too close sometimes is downright shameful. Yeah, he's going for it.

Stiles groans lowly, massaging his torso softly as he whispers to her hair. Lydia can almost feel his lips as he moves them. "You hurt me, you know?"

She shifts her gaze from the TV and up to him, lively green meeting golden brown. "What?"

He hushes her, nodding in the others' direction. "Shh." Lydia notices he wants to keep their conversation to themselves and smirks, nodding. "You hurt me," he repeats.

No one else seems to notice their interaction. Lydia places her hand on his chest and starts drawing circles. A devious smile comes out. "It was your fault. You were being a dick."

His fingers dig into the skin of her waist purposefully, softly scratching from her flank to her lower back and getting a shiver out of her. "Learn your English," he says, almost looking as smug as he did the night she invited him over two months ago. "I am not a dick. I have one. It's totally different."

Lydia smacks his chest lightly. "I seriously don't know why people think you're funny." But at her words, a smile escapes her against her will.

"You like it," he says matter-of-factly.

She scowls. "Not right now."

He starts rubbing her back lazily and she visibly relaxes under his touch. "Better?"

Lydia moves an inch closer to him, biting her lip. "I thought we were discussing your sense of humour."

"Maybe there's something else we should be talking about," he murmurs, a crooked smile appearing just for her as he blushes.

Lydia nods, knowing exactly what he means. Scott may have ditched about his talk with Stiles to Allison, who obviously told Lydia. If Stiles is ready to try something, she's in. She's so in. She propels herself on her forearms, lying down on her stomach beside him and facing Stiles with a curious, wanting look. "Later?"

Seeing she's not backing away, he figures out what must have happened. "Scott talked, didn't he?" Lydia tries not to laugh. "Doesn't matter. Tonight?"

She nods again. "Okay."

Stiles grins. "We're going cluuuuuubbing," he chants amused.

Lydia rolls her eyes. "Not if you do that again."

"Pfft. We'll see what you have to say for yourself by the end of the night."

Lydia can only lick her lips in anticipation.

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A/N: Feel free to leave me a review to let me know what you're thinking of the story so far.

Until next time xx
Susana