"You know what I don't like?" Erica says one particular hot afternoon. "Soap operas,"
"Hm," Lydia replies disinterestedly, examining her nails. The pair is hanging out Derek's place that day. The guys have some 'major important meeting' going on and Lydia could not bring herself to care while Erica gets bored with it as soon as it starts.
"I mean, all the plots are so darn typical," Erica continues, waving her arms as if to put emphasis on her point. "Love happens, then they're mad, love comes back and someone is betrayed one way or another,"
"Don't forget someone usually dies at the end," Lydia chimes in quietly.
"Right," Erica nods, rolling her eyes. "Nothing is original. The dramas are so stupid. And the love story plot? Bleh," She makes a disgusted noise. "I mean, none of those things ever happen in real life,"
"Oh, sure they do," Lydia replies breezily as she looks at the girl in front of her. "Don't you notice the things going on around here?"
"Huh? Like what?" Erica crosses her arms.
The door opens and storms out Derek followed by Stiles. Derek looks livid and dangerous, eyes narrowed and lips set in a thin line. Stiles merely looks exasperated. "Don't be such a sourwolf, Derek," Stiles groans. "I only said it as a joke,"
"Really?" Derek snaps, his voice dangerously low. "Because to me, it sounds more like an insult,"
"On what?" Stiles demands. "Your intelligence? Your looks? Your mentality? Because you're not lacking in any of those-," he pauses. "On second thought, scratch that. You're lacking at the mentality part,"
"And what does that suppose to mean?" Derek growls, swiveling on his heels to face Stiles, glaring at him heatedly.
"Oh gee," Stiles says, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Maybe it has to do with your insanity? I mean, seriously, that plan itself proves how much of an insane person you are. You're basically saying 'Charge in headfirst and kill anyone that's in the way," Stiles rolls his eyes. "I can believe if Scott were to say that, but you?"
"What are they going on about?" Erica asks.
"Some plan about breaking into an enemy's lair. Or at least, in Jackson's term," Lydia answers, not even bothering to look at the pair who are still arguing. "You see that, Erica? That is what I'm talking about,"
"I don't understand, Martin," Erica furrows her brow.
Lydia smiles. "One of the typical plots in soap operas," Derek has his claws out now and looks as if he is about to attack Stiles. The latter is throwing his hands up in annoyance, but he is backing up regardless.
"The main characters hate each other at first,"
~*.*~
"Oh god, Derek is the most annoying person ever," Stiles whines as he enters the kitchen. "What a jackass,"
"It's your fault by saying all those things," Scott points out. "You know how he is,"
"Yeah, a jackass," Stiles snaps, snatching a sandwich from the plate.
"Maybe it's because you're human. You know…not fully part of the pack and all that," Erica suggests, smiling sardonically.
Stiles stares at her disbelievingly. "And what do you suppose he regards Lydia as, hm? A freaking duck?" he demands but he stops himself when he catches Lydia's glare from across the kitchen. "An attractive duck. A swan," he amends quickly. "A…a Cygnus,"
"What the hell is that?" Jackson asks.
"Some kind of a mythical creature?" Issac wonders.
"It's a scientific name for swans," Scott explains. "Biology, last month?" At Jackson's and Issac's blank look, Scott shakes his head. "Nothing, never mind,"
"She's a girl and Derek's a gentleman," Erica replies.
"Right," Stiles scoffs. "And I'm Robin Hood,"
Derek enters the kitchen, glowering at Stiles as he passes him before his eyes settles on the plate in front of him. It is empty. Which is not good, since Derek is hungry. And when he is hungry, he will be 'crankier' (as in more murderous) than he already is.
And Stiles-
Stiles knows this.
For some reason.
"Here," Stiles hands him his untouched sandwich. "You can have it,"
Derek looks at it suspiciously, refusing to take it. Stiles lets out a long, suffering sigh. "Look, I didn't lace it with wolfs bane or anything like that so don't fret," When Derek still does not look convinced, Stiles groans.
"Oh for god's sake, sniff it if you must!" he cries.
Derek wrinkles his nose at the suggestion but he takes the sandwich regardless. He eyes Stiles with speculation before he nods, taking a bite from the sandwich.
"If I die, I'll kill you," Derek warns but he eats the sandwich anyway.
"I'll keep that in mind," Stiles says dryly and walks out of the kitchen.
Across the kitchen, Lydia catches Erica's eyes and smiles once more.
"One of them will start being kind,"
~*.*~
"What the hell is taking him so long?"
The pack watches as Derek paces in the foyer, grumbling the whole time. "It's just a freaking hard drive. Shouldn't be that hard to find,"
"The school security is pretty tight, Derek," Scott reasons, defending his best friend. "Come on. It's only been 45 minutes since he left,"
"I gave him 30 minutes," Derek snaps.
"So he's 15 minutes late," Isaac says. "What's the big deal? He could be caught up in traffic,"
"In the woods?" Derek retorts.
"Maybe he hit an animal and decides to be a hero by bringing it to the vet," says Jackson. Derek merely glares at the boy, too angry to reply.
When Stiles arrives 5 minutes later, a screaming match begins. Derek wins by a margin.
"Yeesh," Erica rolls her eyes. "Someone's in a bad mood,"
Beside her, Lydia shakes her head.
"He's starting to get restless without the other, that's all,"
~*.*~
The next stage involves a lot of tears.
Angry ones, that is.
Stiles has been reckless on the mission. He does not follow orders and rushes out to save a cornered Derek, despite the enemy is a werewolf and ten times bigger than Stiles. He gets hurt, a deep scratch across his chest, and falls to the ground.
Derek runs towards him, falling to his knees and grabbing Stiles roughly by the shoulder, demanding him to snap out of it. To wake up.
"You idiot!" Derek yells. "What did I tell you about protecting yourself?"
"Nothing…" Stiles chokes out. "That I should listen,"
Stiles heals, and is stuck in bed for three whole days, unable to move much.
It is not obvious, and almost no one notices, but Lydia catches him one day.
He stands at the doorway of the bedroom, watching Stiles sleep off his medication. He stays like that for 15 whole minutes.
"He starts to care," Lydia mutters when Erica catches sight of him, too.
~*.*~
Denial comes next, but knowing Derek, that is pretty much self-explanatory.
~*.*~
When Stiles finally realizes what the strange warmth he feels in his chest whenever he is around Derek means, he could not believe it. He does not want to.
But Stiles does not like lying. No, not that.
He is incapable of doing so.
He blurts the words out one day in the midst of a heated argument before Derek and himself. Derek himself is being particularly mean that day, meaner than usual. His words hurt Stiles in ways he could not imagine, much less explain.
Stiles find himself blurting out the words before he could stop himself.
"It's because I love you, you jackass!"
There is silence and Stiles swears that his heart skips a beat. No, probably ten beats.
Derek stares at him disbelievingly and Stiles-
Stiles could not take it anymore. He strides across the room and abruptly, without any sort of fair warning, crashed their lips together.
The kiss is awkward and messy and definitely not the way Stiles imagines his first kiss to be.
But it is warm and wonderful and Derek-
Derek is not letting go.
To Stiles, that is progress.
Lydia watches the pair at the doorway with Erica by her side. She smiles.
"In the end, the feelings become clear on their own,"
Erica understands what Lydia means by soap operas happening in real life now.
~*.*~
It is five days later when Lydia and Erica watches Scott arguing with Isaac in the foyer.
Scott is yelling.
Isaac is brushing him off.
Scott follows.
Lydia smiles knowingly at Erica who returns the smile with a grin.
"Looks like the cycle is repeating itself,"
A/N: In which I totally think Lydia and Erica could be BFFs and discuss Sterek.
Reviews are lovely and appreciated.