Multi-Fandom One-Shots Part 2

Red - Stydia (Teen Wolf)

She wishes it didn't happen like this, but it did, and it has, and there's nothing she can do to change it now.

"In another world," he whispers into her hair, words spilling over her temple and brushing her eyes shut, "in another universe, with a different you and a different me, we would have been together."

In this life, though, her entire existence has been racing towards this point.

And there's no changing it now.

His name is Stiles Stilinski, which is probably the weirdest name she's ever heard in her life, but somehow it suits him.

They're in the third grade and he's moved into the house behind hers, and as she's swinging in her backyard he climbs the tree overhanging their shared fence. His jeans are too baggy and he tears his shirt on a branch and doesn't even seem to notice.

"What's your name?" he asks, perched above her.

She kicks harder so that she can swing to his eye level. "Lydia." Kick, swing . "Lydia Martin."

"Lydia Martin," he repeats, tasting her name on his tongue. "That's a nice name."

"Better than Stiles," she says smugly, testing him.

She expects him to get huffy and disappear back into his own yard, but Stiles surprises her by barking out a laugh. "Stiles is better than my real name."

Lydia stops swinging. "Stiles isn't your real name?"

He shakes his head and crawls further along the tree branch. "Nah. Everyone calls me Stiles though."

"So your real name's a secret, then?" Lydia asks with pursed lips. Secrets are something she's good with.

"I guess so."

"Can I know it?"

Stiles smiles down at her, and it's sharp at the edges - almost like he's testing her, too. "Maybe later."

She shrugs and goes back to swinging, trying to look unaffected, but Stiles is still on the tree branch, smiling that secret sort of smile, and she's a little bit annoyed.

She doesn't want to, but she sort of likes him.

He's the new boy at school and Lydia feels important because she's the only person he knows, which means that she gets to show him around and answer any questions he has. He has a lot of questions, about where things are and why things are and who people are.

Lydia does her best to answer them all, but she's stumped when he asks her what sports there are.

"Lacrosse," Scott McCall says, leaning across the table. He sits opposite Lydia but they've never really talked before, because Scott is shy and small and constantly using his inhaler. "I mean, that's what all the big kids play. That's what I'm gonna play."

"No way," Stiles says, brown eyes wide and attention completely on Scott. "Do you think I could play lacrosse, too?"

"Yeah!" Scott exclaims. "We could be on the team together!"

Stiles half stands up so they can reach over the table and give each other a high five, and Lydia rolls her eyes.

When Stiles ignores her for the rest of the lesson she retaliates by 'accidentally' scratching a line of red crayon down the side of his work sheet.

"Hey!" he says, throwing his arms up. "What'd you do that for?"

Lydia presses her lips together. "It was an accident."

He frowns at her for a few seconds before mumbling something she doesn't catch. He tries to scrub the crayon off, but when that just makes the mess worse he just sighs and goes back to talking to Scott.