Black Webs

To The Wonder

'Cause in the madness there is perfection,
where do you end, where do I begin?
you were my broken imperfect reflection
the kiss on my skin.

t w e n t y - n i n e

S t i l e s

ONE WEEK AGO

"So all the city lights go out and you want to have a candlelight dinner?" Lydia muttered, and he would've thought she was complaining, if it wasn't for the amused ring to her tone.

Stiles smirked, lighting the last candle and blowing out the match. "Oh yes we're totally doing this, there's no backing out now. We'll be sappy and overenthusiastic and it'll feel like one of those cheesy rom-coms you enjoy so much and it'll be perfect."

A citywide blackout had swept the streets for over a day now, Stiles was sure this had something to do with Wolfram & Hart. All the power lines had been cut off, state-of-the-art equipment so beyond damaged that the city would have to have them replaced.

It was all rather outlandish, and cutting off the power grid of a monster big commercial city wasn't an easy feat to achieve, a storm was brewing and they knew it.

"Something bad's going to happen," Lydia mused, almost to herself, almost like a passing thought.

"Are you saying that as a banshee or as a pessimist?" Stiles asked.

Lydia scoffed. "I'm just saying, shouldn't we be doing something?"

"We are doing something," he replied, rather nonchalantly as he set the plates. "We're having dinner."

Lydia rolled her eyes, putting her bare feet up on the table and taking a sip of the red wine he'd poured her. She looked like the star of an indie movie, he thought, momentarily, with her hair up in that messy bun and her blushing cheeks and the denim overalls she had on.

"I mean something to keep all hell from breaking loose,"

"All hell's always breaking loose," Stiles reasoned. "It shouldn't keep us from enjoying the little things,"

"Naive," she snapped, her nose twitching slightly.

"Indulgent," he corrected.

"Denial," she retaliated,.

"I'd like to think of it as ephemeral bliss," he grinned.

Lydia stuck her tongue out at him. He finished setting the plates and leaned in to kiss her, she moved her face and the kiss meant for her lips landed under her eye instead.

"I didn't know you knew big words like that. Have you been reading the dictionary to keep with me?" she cocked an eyebrow.

"Ha-ha, very funny. Actually believe it or not, Scott taught me that word."

Lydia broke into another smile, all gumdrop and spring showers.

"I submit. Candlelit dinner it is. The world can wait."

"The world can go to hell," Stiles agreed.

They were in his living room, his father was out on duty as usual, so they had the house to themselves.

Everything was masked in darkness except for the candlelight, Stiles had used up most of the Stilinskis' stock, but Lydia had bought more from her house, so the entire living room was now adorned with candles.

Lydia had even bought a pack of floating candles that sat in a bowl at the centre of the dining table. The whole house smelt of distinct, warring scents: sandalwood and black cherry, fresh cut flowers and mocha. Little moonlight trickled in from the glass windows, where gold shadows fused with silver blue.