After the Storm

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After fake Claudia vanishes from existence and the rumbling stops, Stiles runs over to where his dad and Lydia are and scoops both of them into a hug, stuttering out a "Oh my god I love you guys, that was so cool, that was so badass."

When he makes to pull back, the Sheriff smothers him, and they descend into mumbling "I found you again/you found me again" into each other's shoulders.

Then he turns to Lydia and pulls her close to him, placing a hand on her cheek then sliding it down to her neck, while her hand slides up his shoulder to around his neck.

"Did she hurt you?" he asks the same time Lydia says "Are you okay?"

There's a pause, then they both chuckle because they just are so in tune with one another and they are both okay - because they have each other. Stiles doesn't know who pulls who in, but they are hugging again, like in the locker room. Lydia nuzzles her face into his neck, and he feels her breath rush over his ear. "I love you."

His heart stutters in his chest. He pulls back, presses his forehead against hers, noses touching.

"I wanted to say it," Lydia whispers into the space between their lips, the space which Stiles quickly closes in a chaste but lingering kiss.

"I love you too," he tells her. "I love you, so much."

The moment breaks when his phone buzzes. Stiles untangles himself from Lydia (partially, because her arms insist on being wrapped around him) and picks up the call.

Scott's on the other side. He's panting heavily, but he sounds relieved and happy when he says "We did it. We diverted the train." Stiles learns that 'we' refers to Scott, Malia, Peter, and - what the heck? - Theo, and figures the rumbling was the - the borrow a lyric - midnight train going on and on and on and on.

Scott says he heard Liam howling from the hospital, and they agree to meet up there (and maybe he'll punch Theo in the face, just because).

"Scott?" his dad asks once he's hung up, and Stiles nods.

"We're meeting at the hospital. Liam's there." His jeep is there to, he realises. He drove there but then he and Scott followed the tracks out

"Alright," the Sheriff says. "Hospital. Then you're going home to get showered. You smell."

------

As they walk over to where Lydia's car is parked on the back road behind the library building, it suddenly occurs to him that he's with his dad, who is, well, his dad, and Lydia. Lydia, who loves him back. Lydia, his tether, who pulled him back into reality. Lydia, who is his...something. And somehow, it feels like a family. He looks down at where their hands are interlocked, and something warm and fuzzy stirs in his heart.

"Oh my god."

Lydia stops in her tracks. Father and son turn to look at her.

"My mum - I haven't called or seen her in two days..." her head snaps up and she looks at the Sheriff. "Did you - "

He shakes his head. "I didn't see her when I was down there, but the place was huge. The only person I found was Stiles, thank god."

The warm and fuzzy feeling gets warmer and fuzzier.

Until Lydia's hand slips out of his. She's pulling out her phone, hastily dialling for her mother, all the while mumbling "I can't believe I forgot."

The phone rings once...twice...three times, and then her mother picks up.

"Sweetheart?"

She visibly relaxes. A long sigh escapes her throat.

"Mom," she says.

"Lydia?" her mother says again, and Lydia hears the rustling in the background that suggests she's in bed. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah," Lydia breathes, smiling at the boy who's watching her. "We found Stiles, mom."

"Oh." There is so much mixed into that one word. Surprise, relief, pride. "You did it, honey. Is he okay? Are you all okay?"

"Yeah, we're all okay. He's with me now." And I'm not letting him get away from me again.

She can almost hear her mother smiling on the other end of the line. "That's great, honey," Natalie says. "Do you want to stay with him tonight?"

Stiles is smiling back at her now, having picked up on her relief. Something swells in Lydia's chest when she replies with "Yes, I think I will."

Her mother wouldn't have expected anything else.

"Okay then, call me if you need anything okay?"

"Okay. Goodnight, mom."

"Night, honey."

She stares at the phone for a while after ending the call, then she looks up.

"She's okay," she tells the Sheriff and his son. And when Stiles' hand finds her again, Lydia thinks, we're okay.

------

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