ROAD TO SERENITY | stydia [✔️]

68 // ever after - marianas trench

Stiles woke up at two in the morning, next to a sleeping Lydia with her hair spread across his chest and cheek right beside his shoulder. There was a pile of clothes on the end of the bed.

He woke up again at four, not used to having someone snuggled up on his chest and holding him tight, not letting go even in sleep. It tugged a sleepy smile at his lips and he stroke her back until he fell asleep again.

At six, with sun beginning to peer through the window, she looked like a goddess with sunlight drowning in her hair. He took a picture, making sure never to lose this image of her. She was the epitome of beautiful.

At nine, she cuddled up to him again. Her eyelids fluttered, opening for only a brief moment and a smile washed over her face. He gave her a peck on the nose and she was asleep again.

At eleven, he woke up in an empty bed.

His clothes were folded nicely where she slept and his were gone. He was scared that she'd gone but then she came out of the bathroom with wet hair and a sheepish smile and he knew things were going to be all right. For once, he knew he couldn't be wrong.

"Hey."

"Hey."

He smiled at her. She was wearing only a nightgown that looked an awful lot like his shirt. It might've been, but it also might've been that it was really early and she looked really nice.

"C'mere."

She did. She laughed and plopped down on bed, wrapping her hair in a towel before cuddling up next to him.

"Thanks for last night," she said. "It was amazing."

He laughed, although he would've never expected her to say something about it so soon. He had nothing against it, though. With a smile lingering on his lips, he lowered his head – but she pulled back.

"Wait," said Lydia. She turned to the nightstand and grabbed something, then slipped an Orbit candy into his mouth. "No offense."

Stiles laughed again and, once he was certain his morning breath was gone, kissed her. It felt good, sweet and soft.

They rested like that few minutes more, talking about random stuff, with him stroking her hair. She then went to blow dry her hair and he put on his clothes.

Following the sound of a hair drier, he found her sitting on the bathroom floor, drying her hair and singing to herself. He leaned against the wall and cleared her throat, on what she rolled her eyes. She continued singing and he coughed again and this time, without even batting an eye on him, she turned the hair drier to him.

"Ow!" He jumped backwards, rubbing his hands. "You're a little shit."

Lydia was grinning at him. "Your bad."

"Hey, what are you doing today? Got any plans?"

"Not really. Wasn't that your job, to make plans for me?"

"I'm not your secretary."

"Oh, please."

Ah, there was only so much he could do to control himself. So he sat down next to her, took the hair drier out of her hands and began drying her hair.

It lasted a whole three seconds before she yanked it out of his hands.

"I was trying to be cute!"

Lydia frowned at him. "How about you try being cute where you can't hurt my scalp?"

"I hurt your scalp?"

"A little."

"Ah, fuck. Sorry."

They were sitting in front of a giant mirror and he was watching her every move. Not like he used to, careful that she wouldn't see – now, he could fully admire her, not having to worry about the corners of his lips subconsciously tugging upwards. He watched her in her own mood, own element, without a little bit of shame.

When she smiled at him through the mirror, he realized that she looked even more beautiful than before.

That moment was the point where he realized she probably wasn't that pretty – it was simply the more time he spent with her, the stronger his feelings for her got and the more beautiful she seemed in his eyes.

"God, you're fucking beautiful."

It was a wonderful thing to see the tip of her nose become red. She giggled, punching him playfully.

They had less than twelve hours together left.

"Do you wanna film a cover with me?"

She lowered the drier, then turned it off. Her hair was pretty much a mess as she hadn't brushed it before. "Yeah?"

"Yeah."

He hoped she couldn't see how excited he was – he was trying to calm down, anyway. That was the one thing he'd been dying to ask ever since he heard her sing and frankly, this was their last opportunity. He wanted this. He needed this.

Somehow, in his own little version of a world he'd spend so long building, them singing together and filming it means more than kissing. He'd kissed many girls and some boys, even, but he never sang with one.

He wanted to sing with her.

"Okay."

She turned the drier on again and continued drying her hair, as if nothing had happened.

He was on the verge of saying the l-word, even though he knew it was way too soon and he wouldn't exactly mean it.

About half an hour later, Lydia was ready – turns out her long hair needed extra long to dry and extra care to look as beautiful as it generally does, but she just brushed it this time and went with it, which Stiles found really cute so he told her and she called him a softie and he couldn't even object. He took his guitar and she took his camera (there was a little awkward moment when she went to the pictures and found one of herself sleeping).

Downstairs, not many people were sitting at the tables in the dining hall. None of the ones he knew, anyway. Peter was still in the hotel for a few more weeks but he usually spent time in one of his rooms, working on both their management stuff – they were looking for a manager and he was also trying to find them one – and on the hotel stuff.

He told her to sit at the piano, so she did. He told her not to worry about the people, so she didn't. He ignored the people but they got quieter and paid attention to them, but he didn't care. He knew she did, so he told her not to worry about them and just do what she always does.

She agreed, so he placed the came on the piano and plugged in a microphone. He told her not to play loudly so his guitar could be heard and to sing loudly so she could be heard.

Then she asked what they would play.

He looked at her, and smiled, and said: "We Could Happen."

That was their song.

And so they played it. It was soft and gentle and at first it took them several attempts to get in sync but once they did, it was a great thing. Several times they almost broke the song when they had eye contact and began laughing, but they finished it and he couldn't be happier. She looked happy, too.

He kissed her. Quick peck on the lips.

"I'm going to miss you."

She nodded.

"Lydia, I'm going to miss you."

She smiled, sadly.

He knew she didn't understand. He partly didn't want her to understand because if he did, he would've said it normally. But this was enough. It had to be enough.

So, he smiled back at her.

"Are we going to play them another one?"

[sorry this one was so short. but hey, another update in two days?]