Summary: Stiles and Lydia come to terms with their feelings a few weeks after he's saved her from Eichen House. Post S5A.
A/N – For stydia-fanfiction on tumblr, for the prompt "A night cuddling filled with kisses".
= As of January 24, 2019, this particular story will NOT BE CONTINUED =
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Stiles hasn't left Lydia's side since he – without the pack - rescued her from Eichen House a month and a half ago. Because of it, understandably, he's been feeling overprotective of her, always worried for her safety especially when she's out of his sight. He tries as he can to always be near and Lydia wouldn't want it any other way. He stops by often, spends time with her and helps her out, only leaving when she falls asleep. It's become their routine.
It's been good for them. Stiles and Lydia have gotten closer in the last month and a half in a way they haven't in the years they've known each other. In the beginning, Stiles was the only one Lydia would let touch her aside from her mother. With his grades mostly secured, Stiles managed to convince his dad that maybe a few days away from school wouldn't hurt, that Lydia needed him. The Sheriff had no other choice but to agree, really; he knew that if he didn't, Stiles would just skip school to be with her. The supernatural threats had taken their toll on all the members of the pack and the man understood. Stiles and Lydia needed each other and it was Lydia they were talking about after all.
It hadn't taken long after that for Stiles to definitely put an end to his relationship with the werecoyote. They both knew it was coming and decided to part amicably for everyone's sake. After the Dread Doctors' ordeal, the whole pack was still recovering and the last thing they needed was more problems. Besides, Malia saw how Stiles looked at Lydia after he saved her. Or more importantly, how Lydia looked at Stiles, like he was the only person capable of helping her keep the little sanity she had left. Malia was not gonna get in the middle of that.
Lydia had been hurt beyond belief and emotionally traumatized but thankfully Stiles had gotten her out before it was too late. From then on, everything he breathed was Lydia and everything Lydia breathed was him. They wouldn't talk much, not about what happened to her and not about anything else but they'd always be close to one another. Stiles would just look out for her along with Natalie, occasionally with his dad too, and be there to hold her when she'd need comfort. They never needed many words between them anyway.
It was hard on them both, though. Lydia was incredibly debilitated and it sickened Stiles seeing her like that. In the beginning she'd barely talk, eat or move. With their group so fragile and so many connections between the members of the pack severed almost to a point of no return, it wasn't like Lydia was particularly eager on reaching out to them. Stiles - all by himself – had gotten her out, not the others. Even more so, he almost died to do it. Stiles and Lydia both understand that the pack had other important matters to tend to at the time, but it doesn't make them hurt any less because of it. Hadn't it been for Stiles and if he'd been late for only five minutes, she'd be dead. So for now Lydia is choosing him over the others.
Stiles hasn't been trying to reach out to them either, not with the events still so recent. But as Lydia slowly got better, she started to look healthy again and wasn't as thin as when Stiles found her locked up in the basement of that damned institution. She started talking to him more and to her mom as well, even with the Sheriff when he stopped by to check on her sometimes. Three weeks after he rescued her, Stiles could barely contain his excitement when he finally got a smile out of her - he tripped and almost fell on his face, but whatever. Totally worth it!
At the end of the fourth week Lydia called Kira back, finally giving some feedback to the kitsune who had been trying to talk to the redhead ever since the rest of the pack found out about Lydia being out of Eichen. They talked briefly, Lydia only telling her that she was better, that Stiles was okay and that she hoped everyone else was alright as well. But when Kira tried to apologize in her name and the rest of the pack for not getting her out of Eichen with Stiles, Lydia muttered that she had to go and ended the call right then.
