Log: Lydia Martin and Stiles Stilinski WHO: Lydia Martin and Stiles Stilinski (with a major appearance by Roey and an appearance by Void) WHERE: Their apartment, a dog park, a cafe, their apartment. WHEN: June 25th WARNINGS: Cuteness? Otherwise, naw. SPOILERS? None.
Roey loved the park down the road from the Station, and it was the closest place he could take her where he felt comfortable letting her run around not on a lead. Not that he thought she seemed like she’d run away from him. But now that he had her, the thought of losing her was mildly panic inducing.
He’d gotten up pretty early, or more accurately had never actually gone to sleep the night before, and it wasn’t often he was starting his day before Lydia. Did it count as starting your day if you hadn’t ended the previous one? Was midnight the point where you counted a new day starting? Either way, Roey made it a bit harder for him to spend his mornings napping. And with college in his not too distant future, he knew he should probably work on getting back to some kind of at least semi-regular sleep schedule. Or as close to one as he’d ever managed, anyway.
Either way, it was way too early, or late, for him to want to be conscious. But he’d pulled on some clothes, turned on Lydia’s coffee machine so it would be ready when she did get up, and made his way down here with his excitable new puppy. Now he was yawning into his hand as Roey ran mad laps of the grassy area around them.
The smell of coffee was always a good way to wake up, even if it meant the only warmth in the bed came from the cat. “Nothing against you,” she murmured to the black cat as she opened her eyes and reached out to give him a soft pat on the head. It just meant if the bed were less full, and she could smell coffee, Stiles wasn’t there with her. But was he still in the apartment? She tried to listen for him. However, after a few seconds, she decided to investigate.
“C’mon, Void. Let’s go see who’s here,” she spoke to the cat as she pushed herself up and out of bed. Void, on the other hand, seemed content to stay put, so she left him as she made her way out of the bedroom and toward the kitchen, grabbing her phone from the nightstand.
Noticing all obvious signs pointing to Stiles not being there — including a lack of dog — she pulled up her text messages and sent him one.
Thanks for the coffee. ❤️❤️❤️ Where’d you and Roey go?
Question asked, Lydia set her phone down on the counter and began preparing a cup of coffee for herself.
The message tone from his phone pulled him out of his stupor. He was unlocking the screen just as Roey was completing another lap around him and the park. He was a little envious of the dog's energy.
Smiling instinctively at her overuse of emojis, Stiles opened up the camera app, holding it up and taking a maybe 15 second video of the dog's antics, before typing a reply and attaching the video to send before slipping the phone back in his pocket.
Morning. Brought her to the park on the corner to burn off some of this.
Stirring in cream and sugar, Lydia used her free hand to slide the lock on her phone after the message chime. She smiled at the video and the text, happy to see how excited Roey seemed to be about getting to run around, even if it was a bit early still. Letting the spoon rest against the side of her mug, she concentrated on typing another message.
If we could harness her energy, I think we could power the whole apartment building for a month. And she'd probably still have energy left.
But what about you? I can bring you some tea and a donut. And snacks for Roey, of course.
Not that Lydia thought Roey truly needed the snacks or that Stiles hadn't brought any. But running around burned a lot of calories, and she knew how much Stiles cared about Roey. It warmed her heart to think about, and she started looking around for the travel mugs and a bag for treats without waiting for a reply. Even if they were close to being done – which she wasn't sure was possible with just how much energy that dog had – she still wanted to do something nice for them.
"And you, too, Void," she said a second after hearing a meow. "You also deserve nice things," she cooed, reaching down to scratch the now awake cat's head.
When Roey came running back over to him for attention he crouched down to pet her, laughing when she immediately tried to lick his face. It was crazy how quickly he’d become attached to the dog, and despite the early starts, he loved her endless puppy energy.
Still petting her with one hand as she nosed at his cheek he pulled his phone from his pocket with the other, unlocking the screen and smiling at the words.
More like the whole of San Francisco, he sent back. Tea would be good, thanks.
Pushing himself back into a standing position, he watched as Roey immediately took off again, laughing around the yawn this time.
At the sound of another message, Lydia stood back up, checking her phone and smiling.
One tea coming up. The ability to harness that energy? ETA TBD.
Message sent, she set her phone down and started preparing tea. She may not have been a master chef in the kitchen, but she could boil water. And make tea. But first, she filled one of the travel cups with coffee and cleaned out the coffee maker. Then she filled it with enough water for tea and got everything ready. Once that was sorted, she filled Void's bowl with food and refreshed his water, giving him another little scratch on his head as he began eating his breakfast.
With everything sorted in the kitchen, Lydia went to change out of her pajamas. She had every intention of being comfortable at the park, but pajamas wouldn't do. Leggings and a soft t-shirt would suffice, and she even opted for a reasonable pair of calf high boots. Well, reasonable for her. They still provided her with a bit of height, but they were better suited for a dog park than some of her other shoes.
Lydia pulled her hair up into a carefully crafted messy but chic bun as she headed back to the kitchen to check on the water. She smiled seeing the hot water and quickly put together the tea. While it steeped, she got her purse in order and pulled a headband on to deal with any flyaways from her hair. She applied lip gloss and a moisturizer with sunscreen to her face, opting for simple this early. It allowed her to be quicker – even if she could do her make up quickly – and she did a quick check for treats before grabbing her coffee, Stiles's tea, her keys, and her phone. With everything in hand, she sent off a text as she left the apartment.
On my way! See you both soon! ❤️😘🥰
Eventually, instead of running in circles, Roey started running up to him, then running away, then back up to him, practically bouncing. She obviously wanted him to play and he laughed. “It is way too early for this much enthusiasm, girl.”
His phone buzzing in his pocket drew his attention and he read it, but didn’t bother replying since she was on her way.
Remembering the ball he’d shoved in the pocket of his hoodie for her, he got it out, smiling at the renewed excited barking, and threw it a good distance across the grass.
It didn't take long to get to the dog park, though Lydia didn't mind the walk. Some of the hills in the city made walking less than pleasant, but not all of them were uphill battles. And with a new puppy, Lydia wondered if maybe she and Stiles could do a bit more walking. For the dog's sake, mostly. And to spend time together. With college right around the corner, it could be nice to have something like that to look forward to. Yeah, they lived together, but she knew their schedules had the very real possibility of keeping them apart from time to time. Which was strange to think about sometimes because part of her still wondered if they'd go back to Beacon Hills.
She shoved those thoughts aside for now, because they led down a path she didn't want to follow right then. Those thoughts were for another time. Right now, she wanted to focus on the present, and the present included bringing her boyfriend tea while he played with his new puppy in the park, a sight that made her smile and warmed her heart again.
"Hey there, handsome," she said with a smile as she approached the very person and dog she'd been thinking about. "And good morning you adorable ball of energy," she said to Roey as she offered Stiles the travel mug with his tea in it.
When Lydia walked up to them, Roey was immediately running up to excitedly greet her, faster than Stiles could manage.
“Hey,” he replied with a bit of a laugh at the dog's antics, taking the tea from her. “Thanks.” He didn’t know how she did it, but at this god awful hour of the morning she looked as beautiful as she ever did. And maybe he was a little biased where she was concerned, but it was early. It didn’t seem fair for someone to look like they had their shit together before eight am.
As soon as Roey had her fill of attention from Lydia she was off and running again. Which was fine with Stiles, he was happy to just stand there and sip his tea and watch her run around like a mad thing. “I’m seriously going to have to reconsider any morning classes.”
Lydia smiled as she watched Roey, looping one arm around Stiles’s, leaning just a little bit against him. She sighed softly, involuntarily, feeling happy and safe with him. If home were a person, she was sure one of her homes would be him. And this moment, standing in the dog park with him while watching a puppy have the time of her life? It was a perfect moment.
“We can coordinate schedules, if there are any you can’t take another time,” she offered, taking a sip of her coffee. “I don’t mind taking Roey to the park or for morning walks if you need the extra sleep or have to get to an early class.”
He smiled when she leaned into him that way, eyes on Roey as he drank some of his tea. He didn’t think he’d ever outright told her how he liked it, but she apparently knew. Aside from the part where he’d happily still be in bed, he didn’t think he could enjoy a moment more.
“That feels way too much like being back at school. I haven’t had a normal sleep schedule in months.” Not that getting up early for school and then being up at all hours to deal with Dread Doctors and break ins at Eichen House had been normal either.
"Maybe we can spend some time this summer working on that." Did she think they could completely fix his sleep schedule? No. Lydia was realistic enough and knew him well enough to know that, ultimately, Stiles would sleep when he slept. But that didn't mean she couldn't offer to help keep it from getting beyond out of control, like back in Beacon Hills. She didn't know how any of them managed some days to deal with school and the various threats that seemed to keep popping up. True, those threats seemed to ebb and flow like waves in the ocean, but how many nights had she spent with little to no sleep and still had to make it to school on time? How many times had she had to squeeze in homework where she could and grab a nap when things were calm because she couldn't be sure she'd ever get one? And how often had she simply not slept because she simply couldn't? She knew she wasn't the only one of them who had long days and long nights in Beacon Hills, but maybe this place could let them have some semblance of normal, even if it was just with their sleep schedules.
"Nothing too drastic," she added. "But it can't hurt to try. Along with no early morning classes, because I don't like the idea of them, either. Not unless they're necessary. They'll cut into this." At her last word, she gave his arm a little squeeze with her own, indicating them being together and moments like these.
“Hmm,” he made the sound of agreement with a small measure of scepticism. He knew himself maybe as well as she knew him. He’d never worked out the regular sleep thing like everyone else seemed to manage so effortlessly, even discounting everything they’d been dealing with back home. At least he hadn’t done any sleepwalking recently. He’d consider that a win.
“I’m glad we’re on the same page with that,” he smiled when she squeezed his arm. “We can’t all get going in the morning with coffee alone.”
Gently, she nudged his side with her elbow at his comment about getting going with just coffee. “There’s a reason why coffee’s magic,” she said, amusement in her voice. She didn’t consider herself a morning person so much as someone who could deal with being up early and could get going quickly when needed. And when she got a decent amount of quality sleep, it made it easier. Morning rituals helped, too, to get her brain and body ready for the day.
“But I had some good motivation today,” she added, resting her head against his shoulder as she watched Roey run around a tree where she’d chased a squirrel into its branches.
“Now, if we could discover the secret of all of her energy and replicate it for ourselves, then we’d never need coffee again.”
“No, coffee’s gross.” It wasn’t the most eloquent argument, but then again it was early. The only coffee he didn’t mind was generally really sweet with lots of ice cream. Basically a coffee milkshake. He knew the way he felt when he had caffeine was different to her, regardless.
He smiled down at her when she leaned her head against his shoulder, before turning his attention to the puppy circling the tree. “If we knew how to harness her energy we’d be able to make a fortune.” He pulled his phone from his pocket, checking the time. “That bakery on the corner is open by now. We could stop and get some breakfast on the way back.” And then maybe consider a nap. That sounded pretty good right then considering his lack of sleep the night before.
Lydia knew how he felt about coffee, and while she might occasionally present arguments for why it was superior to tea, she was happy not to go down that path today. Even if she’d be joking. And she liked tea. Not as much as coffee, but there were fruity and floral teas that she liked a lot and would even pick over coffee, depending on her mood.
She let out a soft laugh, nodding a little. They’d definitely make a fortune if they could. Put all the energy drinks out of business. And it’d be a healthy alternative because she wouldn’t let it be otherwise. If she actually wanted to figure out all the secrets of puppy energy, anyway. For now, she was happy to be envious of Roey.
Smiling, she nodded again. “That sounds like a great plan. And they have really good breakfast sandwiches.” Her stomach gave a tiny growl at the thought. “Maybe we can grab some something for dessert for tonight, too,” she added. She didn’t know what dinner was going to be, but it couldn’t hurt to have dessert already figured out. “And maybe after we all have breakfast, someone can get a nap in.” Or two someones, as she hoped Roey would also nap. If she didn’t, Lydia already had ideas for keeping her occupied and allowing Stiles the chance to try to get some sleep.
“Their breakfast sandwiches are the best,” he happily agreed. They were definitely stopping there now that she’d mentioned them. Her idea to get something for dessert just proved why she was the brains of this particular operation. Then again, if she was the brains he didn’t know what that left for him. Lesser brains? Playing second fiddle to the genius didn’t actually bother him when it was Lydia, so he’d take that.
He snorted a laugh when she mentioned someone getting a nap, amused at the way she was apparently reading his mind. “You know, napping after breakfast could be construed as admitting defeat on the getting up early plans.” Which basically defeated the purpose. Even if it was more tempting the more they talked about it.
“It could be. However, if we decide to eat our hearty breakfast on a comfortable couch while watching a movie, if we fall asleep, it’s simply because the combination of a full stomach with a very comfortable couch is too powerful to resist,” she said. And if he fell asleep, she’d tuck him in and let him get some rest. “But if we don’t fall asleep, there’s nothing to construe. And it lets us attempt to be productive before an afternoon nap, which could then be viewed as warranted as being up early and getting a lot done is understandably tiring and deserving of an afternoon nap,” she concluded, as if she’d put more thought into it than she might have. Well, she might have put a tiny bit of thought into it.
“Either way, I can rub your back and play with your hair, if you want,” she added, giving his arm a gentle squeeze. Even if he didn’t sleep, maybe she could help him get some quiet rest.
“That’s a good point. No one can be fairly expected to resist that combination.” Even if she was indulging his weird sleep schedule. Or lack of one. After a night of no sleep he knew he wouldn’t be making it through the whole afternoon without a nap if it came to that. History told him that much.
He smiled again, amused by that. “You know, someone who didn’t know you better might think you had ulterior motives with that offer. Lucky for you, I know you would never,” he teased. In the same way that she knew him well by this point, and that that was a sure fire way to get him to relax.
“It’s a strong combination that has felled the strong and weak alike. No one could blame anyone for being the latest in the long line to give in to such temptation,” she agreed. Ideally, it’d be a short nap and a decent bed time, but she knew such things might be beyond what his brain and body would allow. So she had to work with him to help him. And she might also take to the internet later as well for ideas on how to help without causing more harm. She didn’t want to shove a square peg into a round hole, but she did want to help her boyfriend sleep and feel rested when he woke up. And he’d helped her so many times and in so many ways. She wanted to help him, too. Even if it was just with blackout curtains and playing with his hair.
She smirked at his comments about an ulterior motive. “I would not compromise your dignity and honor and propriety with ulterior motives,” she said, amused at where this had gone. “At least, not right now,” she added with a teasing grin.
That made him laugh again, looking down at her. “Not right now, she says. Mhm. I see how it is. Watch your back, Stiles. Devious girlfriend laying right there beside you, scheming.” Not that he minded the idea of her scheming, particularly. Not when it was paired with that adorable little smile on her face. And all that it implied.
“Come on Roey!” He called to his excitable puppy, who immediately came barreling back over. Taking her leash he clipped it back onto her collar. “You’ve run enough circles. I want breakfast.” She didn’t seem all that distressed at the idea of leaving. He was pretty sure she liked being around people too much.
Was she a devious girlfriend? Maybe occasionally. With good intentions. Never malicious ones. So she just smiled up at him, happy to let him talk and to tease.
Her smile turned to Roey as the puppy came running up, and she reached out to give her head a scratch once Stiles secured her leash. “You probably want breakfast, too, huh,” she said, scratching behind her ear before straightening back up. “Which is good because that makes three of us.” Although she still had the treats in her bag, which she supposed she could use when they grabbed their food, as a distraction so Roey didn’t try to nose into the bag.
“Ready,” she asked, looking up at Stiles as she took his hand, entwining her fingers with his.
He transferred the now empty cup from his tea to the hand holding the leash so Lydia could take his now free one in hers, squeezing her fingers as she did, and they started walking. Roey still had a bit of a habit of pulling, full of energy as she was, but they’d been working on it. Training the dog wasn’t something he’d given a lot of thought to when he made the impulsive decision to adopt her. But so far she’d been taking to things pretty quickly.
“Do you have anything else planned for today?” He asked Lydia as they walked. He didn’t have anything in mind for himself. Beyond the nap they’d talked about. Given it was a Sunday he could take the jeep down to Kaylee’s new work place with her, but that wasn’t something he had to do in a hurry. It was running pretty great. Comparatively. But he appreciated her help. She really knew her way around an engine.
"Nothing much. I've been working on how I want my schedule to be so I can register for classes, but that doesn't start until July, so I've been taking my time," she said, letting herself momentarily think about college. She always imagined herself going, but between Beacon Hills the last couple of years and ending up here, it had seemed so much farther away. And being here presented its own challenges, including taking away MIT and having to figure out if her initial thoughts were viable here. Not to mention, the worry in the background that she'd somehow disappear, making all her work for nothing. That didn't even take into consideration anything outside of academics it'd affect. Part of her didn't want to plan for things with how quickly it could all be taken away here. However, the rest of her didn't want to give in to that feeling of hopelessness. So she spent time reviewing classes and professors and embraced the possibilities as best as she could.
"It's very exciting, I know," she said with a little laugh. "But other than that, no, no real plans. What about you? Besides the possibility of being overtaken by the lure of a nap on the couch, of course."
"I should...probably be doing that," he allowed. He had all the information there, sitting in a pile on the table in the apartment. In fact, Void seemed to find the spot favorable as a place to nap. Which was always an awesome excuse for 'I'll get to that later', and something else generally stole his attention. He didn't know exactly why he'd felt so off kilter lately. It would be easy to put it down to the weird things this place had been throwing at them, but they'd been almost tame compared to what had been happening at home - not that he was a huge fan of the powers that be here being able to get into his head and make him think he was someone else that way - and he'd managed to stay on top of the day to day things like school back home.
The obvious answer was that the idea of college, or at least college in this place, was what had him feeling unsettled. In truth, the thought of something so permanent was undeniably scary. He looked at the people who'd been here so long now, settled into jobs and getting married and a part of his brain still saw it as giving up, somehow.
"No other plans, though. I might take the jeep down for Kaylee to take a look, later." But they hadn't locked anything in.
"Well, if you need any help, let me know," she said, giving his hand a squeeze. "Or if you want to coordinate schedules." Which, she would easily concede, wasn't something they had to do. It might make some sense to her in terms of transportation, and it might be nice to do something so normal as spend time with each other between classes on campus, but it wasn't necessary. Not in the way she might have once felt it to be. Her life wasn't normal, and she knew she could spend time with him simply by asking. And she knew she didn't have to control everything. Not that she wanted to control Stiles. But there'd been a time when she'd wanted a certain degree of control over things around her, though that girl had mostly disappeared one winter night years ago. And that was okay. And it was okay to not be in control of everything.
"Oh? That'd be good. I know you keep it running, but it can't hurt to have her look at it sooner rather than later. At least, before classes start. And if a road trip ever presents itself," she said with a smile, encouragingly. It seemed like a good idea to Lydia to have the Jeep looked at and tuned up as needed. San Francisco wasn't exactly the friendliest on older vehicles from what she'd seen, and she thought his Jeep could use the extra love and care. And maybe something holding the engine together besides duct tape, though she didn't mention that. She worried, but she still remembered him saying he'd never abandon his Jeep. So it made perfect sense to her to get it looked at and in tip top working condition.
"I'm sure we can match up at least a couple of days." They'd have very different classes, but that didn't mean they couldn't find some time to spend together. There was undeniable appeal to the normality of the thought. It had been so long since they'd had normal, he felt like they deserved it. He also appreciated that Lydia wasn't suggesting they line everything up. He'd known her for a long time, after all. He knew the comfort she found in having some semblance of control over things. Including people.
"Yeah," he agreed. "She had a quick look the other day and found a few things she can do." Kaylee was good, and he knew he was overly particular about who he let near the jeep. Which was in direct contrast to the things he did to keep it running. But he'd never claimed to be a mechanic. Everything he learned had come from the internet, or his dad. And most of the time the things he did were quick fixes to keep it going long enough to get it back to a mechanic.
Of course, the last time he'd had any real work done on it, the mechanic had been squashed beneath the jeep as he'd lay paralyzed and unable to stop it, so maybe that had something to do with his hesitance. "It is struggling a little with all the hills." Beacon Hills didn't present quite the same challenges, if he wasn't taking it into the preserve. But he wasn't prepared to give it up for another car. Not until he had no other choice.
She gave his hand another squeeze at the mention of him being sure they could match up a couple of days. She had a feeling she'd be spending a fair amount of time in some of the libraries, which meant to her that it was possible they could meet up for lunch at times. Of course, there was always the possibility she'd get a bit lost in the stacks, but it was nice having something to look forward to, even if it were something that hadn't been planned out yet. Still, a possibility of planning something was nice. And scary, though she didn't want to think about why just then.
"That's good!" Lydia said in response to hearing that Kaylee had found some things she could do. "I'm glad she's confident she can help, especially if it's struggling a little with the hills. I know sometimes I do," she said, smiling a bit at her stupid joke. "But hopefully her helping means it'll handle the hills better, and it'll make the transit from the Station to Berkeley and back again good on both you and the Jeep. And maybe we could look for a dog friendly beach to check out before school starts back up," she added, thinking it could be fun to do a little end of summer trip with a working Jeep and a hyper puppy who might enjoy running in the sand. "Or when everyone's already in school so there's less tourists," she added after a second of thought.
Roey was pulling ahead a little, and he had to encourage her back. He gave Lydia a slightly indulgent smile at the crack about struggling with the hills. It was a pretty bad joke, but he didn't care when it meant that smile on her face. After so long with very little reason for it, he'd treasure every smile from her.
"I feel like at some point I'm going to have to admit defeat." But he wasn't prepared to give up on it yet. He'd always said 'never', but he could be realistic. Still, Kaylee had given him hope a bit more could be done for it, at least. "A trip to the beach would be nice," he agreed. "And we've still got Hawaii to think about. I found a few nice places we could stay. I'll show you when we're back, if you want?" He might have got a bit caught up looking at hotels and resorts in Hawaii the night before.
At his words about admitting defeat, she held his hand a little tighter, moving just a little closer to him. "Maybe one day, but it doesn't have to be any day soon," she said quietly. Part of her might feel better if he were in a car with better safety features than a Jeep from 1980, but it wasn't about her and what she wanted or how she felt. And, if it were, she wanted him to be happy. And the Jeep was part of that. Besides, people kept old cars running all the time. The Jeep was no different. With proper maintenance and some new parts to replace old ones, she was sure he could keep it running for quite a few years to come.
"I'd love to see them," she said. She'd honestly forgotten about Hawaii for a minute there, with other things going on. But the thought of going on a trip together to Hawaii? Where they didn't have to sit in a cramped plane for hours on end? Incredibly appealing. "I bet they're all gorgeous. Are they all on the same island or different ones? Are any pet friendly?" Not that they had to take Void and Roey, but the thought still crossed her mind. Did Hawaii allow you to visit with your pets? Would they want to really bring them? She found herself very attached to both animals, and she thought that they could certainly take trips with them. However, a trip to Hawaii? It'd probably be better for everyone to leave them at home. Even if she was curious now about the possibility.
The quiet way she responded immediately made him feel bad for bringing down the mood by saying that, and he tightened the grip he had on her fingers in response to her squeezing his hand. He remembered, vividly, the night he’d told her he would never abandon his jeep. But he’d never told her why. He’d never really told any of them. And right now that felt like something she should know. For as much as they knew about each other, there were still secrets. Or maybe not even secrets, just things they hadn’t shared. “It was my mom’s,” he ended up saying in reply, which was probably a bit out of the blue given that the entire thought process had been just that, a thought and not spoken out loud. “When I was little she told me I could have it one day.” And then…well, the rest didn’t really need saying.
He was more than happy to be talking about Hawaii, though. “There were some. But I was thinking maybe we could leave them here? Have some time just the two of us?” He’d settle for one of the places that allowed pets if she really wanted that, but he couldn’t get past the idea of sharing one of those fancy resort rooms with her now. Maybe spending some time on the beach.
When he said it was his mom’s, she knew what “it” he meant. She held his hand a little tighter, glancing up at him. She had an idea about just how much his mom meant to him, from things he’d mentioned and things he hadn’t. And from her own memories. Third grade felt so long ago, but when she dredged the recesses of her memories, she’d found him there. On the periphery. Not quite out of reach, but not front and center. Still, if she thought about it, she could remember a Before and an After. She wanted to hug him, but she held onto his hand a bit tighter for a moment, letting him know she was there.
And then she let her mind focus on Hawaii, happy to discuss the possibilities and tuck away that but of information for a later time.
“Hmm. Well, I’m not going to say no to some time that’s just the two of us,” she said, letting a small smirk play across her lips.”Especially not in a place as beautiful and romantic as Hawaii. Maybe we could look into snorkeling or star gazing. And walks on the beach and time in the pool, of course. Oh!” She turned to him, excited at her thoughts. “Do any of the ones you looked at have a private hot tub? That could be a lot of fun and a great way to end our nights!”
She didn't say anything, but she didn't need to. The little squeeze of his hand said more than enough. It wasn't something he really talked about all that often. The thought of that time, of sitting there alone and watching the light fade from his mom’s eyes, still hurt. But there were some things he found he wanted Lydia to know.
He was going to say that yes, they could look into star gazing or snorkelling, when she was suddenly turning towards him excitedly as she mentioned hot tubs, and he couldn't help but laugh at her enthusiasm. "A few of them did, yeah. I was thinking that could be a pretty good way to spend an evening." A nice walk on the beach, like she said. A dinner at one of the restaurants the resorts tended to have, and then a bit of time before bed in a hot tub.
"There's some really cool stuff to see around Hawaii, too. I mean, unless you'd prefer to just spend the whole time in the hot tub. I could get on board with that plan too," he joked.
“Hmm,” she hummed thoughtfully at his suggestion of spending the whole time in a hot tub. While there was certainly some level of appeal to it, she couldn’t actually imagine doing it. Still, she said, “I suppose we could… How do you feel about looking like a pair of raisins?” She looked over at him, giving him a bit of a once over. “Personally, I think you’d be adorable, but we might go through a lot of sun screen. Not to mention how much water we’ll need to keep hydrated…” She gave him a little smirk at that.
“Honestly, I think we should do a mix, if we can. Maybe a cruise of some kind and a tour. Check out the local food. Explore a bit on our own. Explore the history. Take in some of the local events. And spend enough time together that you’ll be sick of me by the time we get back,” she said, mostly teasing about the last. Sure, there was that fear in the back of her mind that he’d one day get sick and tired of her. It’d happened before. But she tried not to entertain those thoughts too often. They wouldn’t do any good, and she knew Stiles wasn’t someone who just gave up. She’d seen his stubbornness and determination so many times. It was one of the many things she loved about him. True, that stubbornness could be infuriating at times, but it was part of him.
As they approached the cafe, she said, “I can run inside and get the food. You two can hang out here. So many things to smell. And I have some t-r-e-a-t-s for someone if you want them?”
He laughed at the raisin comment. “We could get a place with a hot tub in the shade you know.” That seemed like a fair compromise. Because she had a point. They were both leaning pretty heavily into pale.
“There are some really cool things to see, we should definitely do that,” he agreed readily enough. “There’s Iolani Palace, the Arizona memorial, the The Shangri La Museum…” He trailed off. “Anyway. We can see what we can fit in.” And sure, he’d read all about a lot of different places, and he really wanted to see them all. But most of all he wanted to spend time with Lydia. Whatever that looked like.
When she spelled out the word so Roey wouldn’t know what she was talking about he held out his hand in a silent request to take them. “A breakfast sandwich and more of that tea I like.” The one with the name he always forgot. “Oh, and fries,” he added to his request. “Please,” he remembered to add at the end with a butter wouldn't melt smile.
Every time she made him laugh, she could help but glow a little inside. She knew what her strengths were, and humor wasn’t one of them. But making him laugh — making anyone laugh in a way that wasn’t laughing at her expense — always felt like a secret victory. Like she’d done something right with him. And she really wanted to do more right than wrong when it came to him — when it came to them.
“Sounds like you’re well on your way to having an itinerary planned,” she teased, though she liked that he’d looked into things and wanted to come up with things for them to see and do. It was cute and a lot nicer than she ever thought such a thing could be. “We’ll definitely see what we can squeeze in,” she added, her tone promising as she smiled.
It didn’t take her long to fish the bag of treats out of her purse, though she carefully passed the bag to him when Roey wasn’t looking. Just to keep her from immediately begging for them. She nodded at his requests, then leaned up, going up in her toes a little to place a kiss on his cheek. “Be right back,” she said, pausing to give Roey a quick pat on the head before she ducked inside to order.
“Just some ideas,” he defended of his late night binge of historical tourist spots around Hawaii. He took the bag from her when she passed it over, immediately shoving it into the pocket of his plaid shirt where Roey wouldn’t see it. She’d probably smell them soon enough, but he’d give her one soon.
Once Lydia was inside he moved away from the door so people didn’t need to navigate around him and an excitable puppy to get inside. Proving she was a lot like him, Roey started tugging on her leash, getting bored at waiting. Stiles crouched down, leaning against the brick wall behind him as he fished a few of her treats out of the bag. She hadn’t quite got the hang of following all his commands yet, but with the offer of food she was prepared to flop down beside him as he scritched her head between her ears.
Thankfully the cafe wasn't too crowded at this hour, though Lydia suspected it'd likely change in the next half hour or so. But with a low crowd, it made waiting in line and ordering easier. She got a couple of sandwiches, two fries – so someone couldn't accuse her of stealing his if she wanted a couple – Stiles's tea, and a latte for herself.
As she waited, she pulled her phone out and checked her email and social media accounts. She'd hesitated at first to make them, but, after some consideration, she thought it might be beneficial to have an online presence to show she was part of this world. That thought still sat strange with her, as she wasn't sure she considered it home. But, at least for the foreseeable future, this was where she was. This was where she hung her metaphorical hat at the end of the day. And it made it easier to handle when she had things she knew and was familiar with, like Instagram and posting a cute pic of the cafe before tagging it and posting it.
When her order was ready, she thanked the girl behind the counter and carefully looped the plastic takeout bag over her forearm. Then she grabbed the drinks and headed out, backing her way out the door so she didn't spill either drink by trying to balance the cups in one hand.
"One tea," she said as she walked up to Stiles and Roey, offering the tea with a smile.
When Lydia walked back out with the tea, Stiles returned the smile, taking the opportunity to slip the cup from the original tea she’d brought him into the bag hanging from her arm before taking the new one, holding Roey’s leash in the other hand. “Thanks. For the fries, too,” he added cheekily, seeing that she had more than just sandwiches in the bag. She was spoiling him and he was absolutely not going to complain about that.
He had to keep a tighter hold on Roey, who was far too interested in the contents of the bag swinging from her hand. Full hands meant he couldn’t take hers, so he just waited for her to take his arm again before they started back.
"I ordered extra for me, so don't think they're all for you," she teased. In truth, she'd let him eat some of her fries if he were still hungry, though at least this way she could have some of them without compromising his own supply. And if there were any left, she could save them for later. Maybe make a little snack out of them. One way or another, they'd get eaten.
She shifted things around quickly, moving her latte from one hand to the other so she could take his arm opposite Roey before starting the walk back to the apartment complex. She didn't want to trip over the dog by accident, nor did she want to make it even more difficult on Stiles if she kept trying to investigate the contents of the bag. She knew the puppy would get there eventually, but why tempt her now? Besides, she could always sneak a fry in her bowl later. Once they are done eating, of course.
After a few moments of silence, Lydia quietly said, “We should do this more often. You, me, and Roey. Maybe Void, depending on his reaction to a harness and leash. But at least the three of us. It’s nice.” And any excuse to spend time together was a good thing to her, especially with college looming just around the corner. “Could be a nice weekend tradition to look forward to, going on a walk the park and then getting breakfast a couple times a month,” she added, liking the way it sounded to have a standing but flexible weekend routine to look forward to.
He just smiled innocently at the fries comment as they started walking back. “That would be nice. I don’t like your chances of convincing Void he wants to live a life outside the apartment.” That would only end in disaster, he was sure of it. “But we’ll make time for each other, I promise.” He knew it would be different. Since she’d shown up here they’d been spending pretty much all their time together, and this would be an adjustment. But they’d dealt with far worse than competing schedules before. They could handle this, too.
He opened the door to the building for her with the hand holding Roey’s leash so she could walk in ahead of him. “I won’t even insist on fries every time,” he added with a smile.
“He and I can have a talk about it. I won’t push him, but maybe he’ll like the new vantage point for watching birds,” she said. She wasn’t sure if the cat would take to walks, though getting him used to a harness might serve the double purpose of also allowing vet visits to go easier. Well, the round up for them. And any trips they wanted to take with their animals, though finding a pet sitter was also a good option. Because maybe they would decide not to take them, or at least not Roey, on some. Day trips with Roey, though, were ones she mentally planned for, in a mostly abstract way. Anything more made her just a little nervous. What if something happened to one of them? What would classes entail? Was she being too pushy in thinking in a more detailed way? Yes, Stiles had started looking into Hawaii, but that was a strange gift from this place and not her own mind wanting to try to plan a future. Even if the future wasn’t 5 years from now but a few days or weeks.
Stop, she chastised herself. It wouldn’t do to stress over nothing. Or accidentally create issues when there weren’t any. Sometimes she struggled with keeping those things in check — those worries and attempts to keep things good and on a set track, prepping for a disaster on a sunny day — but she was trying not to do that. She was trying not to let fear overtake her.
“Good, because I can’t promise I’ll get you fries every time,” she teased, grinning back at him. She then gave a quiet thank you to the open door as she walked in, making space for him and Roey to follow.
He hadn’t spent as much time watching Lydia (and okay, the early watching could maybe be construed as creepy, in hindsight, but still) without getting to know her pretty well. And being a master of the overthinking himself, he could recognise it pretty easily in her. He also knew commenting on it wouldn’t help. Or at least, he didn’t think it would. In all his own wisdom on the subject, his usual approach was just completely ignore the problem until it went away. Tried and true method that worked wonders.
So that’s what he did, pressing the button to call the elevator a few times and honing in on the available subject change the second it came up. “I have this crazy theory that if I had fries too often I might get sick of them. Even the curly ones,” he added in a conspiratorial tone, as though it was a scandalous secret.
“You’re right; that’s a crazy theory,” she said with a laugh. “Although, they say everything in moderation. But if you get sick of fries, what’ll you eat? Broccoli? Cauliflower? Brussel sprouts?” She let out a small, scandalized gasp at the last vegetable, refraining from outright laughing.
“But if you’re worried about that, we can rotate other things out for the fries,” she continued, stepping into the elevator and putting a hand out to keep the door open for him and Roey. “Mac and cheese, maybe. It’s carb-y enough and saves you from the leafy greens.” She waited for them to settle into the elevator before hitting the button for the fourth floor. “Or there’s always rice. And pasta. Which maybe we could do for dinner? Spaghetti and meatballs? Or lasagna? We can make garlic bread, too.”
“You’re seriously suggesting I replace fries with vegetables? What kind of trade off is that?” He actually didn’t mind cauliflower, as long as it was smothered in cheese sauce. But it wasn’t a swap for fries.
He gave her a fond smile as they stepped into the elevator and she kept talking about food alternatives. And then she mentioned dinner and he laughed. “Oh, I see what this is now. You just want my lasagna.” He’d only made it a couple of times since they’d been here, but he was pretty sure she’d liked it. He hadn’t even made the ‘healthy’ version he usually made for his dad.
“It’s the reason why I keep you around,” she said, teasing. She reached out with her hand to grab wrist and gently squeeze, a silent reassurance that that wasn’t the truth at all. “That, and you make me laugh,” she added, her smile softening. That was very much true. He made her laugh. He made her smile. He made her feel safe. And she loved him for those things and more. She loved him for being him.
“But mostly the lasagna.” She gave him a playful grin and another wrist squeeze. Then she carefully fished her keys from her purse as the elevator chimed their floor. She stepped out and reached over to keep the door open for Stiles and Roey.
Even though he knew she was joking, he appreciated the physical reassurance all the same. She knew how his brain worked. If he got stuck on the thought he was just as likely to convince himself she wasn’t kidding, which would be ridiculous. He knew how she felt about him. She’d told him she loved him. He might not have really understood all the reasons why, but he didn’t doubt that she did.
“I guess since you brought me tea and treats for Roey I should probably make it for you then.” He followed her down the hall to their door, waiting for her to open the door. After breakfast, though. And maybe a nap. He’d been thinking about that nap since she’d first talked about it.
“And I took care of breakfast,” she said, raising her arm with the bag of food. In all honesty, if he said he wasn’t up to making lasagna tonight, Lydia wouldn’t be upset. She also didn’t look at things as tit for tat. Maybe in the past she might have, but not now. Not with him. They were together. They were partners. They were equal. She’d happily do the dishes when he cooked, because that’s what she believed was part of being equals in this relationship meant to her. She’d also happily get her own dinner or get them dinner or bring him a treat just because she loved him and was thinking about him in the moment. And she wanted him to know.
Slowly she opened the door, peeking inside to see where Void was. Sometimes she thought he was too smart for his own good, and she didn’t want to chase him down the hall in case he decided he wanted to sneak passed her to go exploring. Not seeing him in the entrance, she pushed the door open a bit more and walked in, keeping a vigilant eye out for the cat as she crossed into the kitchen to put the food, her keys, her drink, and her purse down on the counter.
Once they were inside, Stiles crouched down to undo the leash from Roey’s collar. “You’re going to behave, right?” He asked the dog in a conspiratorial tone, knowing she wouldn’t. The second he let her go the dog went running in the direction of where he assumed Void was. Well, at least she didn’t knock anything over this time.
Standing again he followed Lydia into the kitchen, emptying his own pockets of his keys, his phone, and setting the leash down beside them. “And you took care of breakfast.” He repeated Lydia’s words back to her, leaning in to kiss her as he did. He opened the bag she’d been carrying, eating one of the fries as he pulled things out of it.
She smiled at the kiss, warmth spreading out from her chest. She hoped that feeling would never go away, that she’d always get warm and tingly and happy feeling when he kissed her and when she kissed him. She watched him for a couple of seconds, one ear listening for the dog and cat. Not hearing any sounds of distress from either — she was more worried about Roey than Void — she put her empty travel mug in the sink before grabbing a plate and her fresh latte.
“C’mon. Grab the food, and we can eat at the coffee table. Check to see if there’s anything good on Netflix and get comfy,” she said, flashing him a smile as she headed out into the living room.
Grabbing a plate to dump the fries on, he brought that and the two sandwiches over to the couch with his tea, dropping down to sit on one end and sitting the food on the cushion next to him. He kicked his feet up to rest on the coffee table, kicking off his shoes as he did so they dropped to the carpet.
“You can pick something. Pretty sure I chose last time.” He reached for more of the fries, leaning down to set his tea on the floor right beside the couch so he could get to it easily.
Lydia sat on the couch, setting her plate and drink down on the table. She took a moment to grab her fries and sandwich, arranging them on the plate. She picked up a couple fries and popped them in her mouth as she took her shoes off, moving quickly to set them off to the side. She grabbed the remote before sitting back down on the couch, pulling up Netflix.
"I think you did. But if it's really bad, we can find something else." Not that she knew what to watch. But she settled in to scroll through what was new and what was in the top 10 today, deciding that was a good place to start to find something they could watch. And if it came down to it, she'd find a documentary to put on in the hopes that the narration and music would lull Stiles into sleep once he'd finished his breakfast.
He picked up his sandwich as she sat back with the remote, using the bag it came in to catch the crumbs so they didn’t end up all over him and the couch, mostly. They’d had the breakfast sandwiches from that place before, and it was as good as he remembered. It was no surprise that within minutes, Roey was hovering close by, that painfully hopeful look on her face that Stiles caved into ninety-nine percent of the time.
“Oh my god, fine,” he laughed after he’d held out for all of five minutes, giving her a little piece of bacon from the sandwich once he’d polished off the first half. He wasn’t all that concerned with what Lydia picked to watch. He was pretty sure he’d zone out about ten minutes into anything anyway.
It took her a couple of minutes to find a show. She didn't want something too interesting that Stiles would be likely to stay awake, but she didn't want to be bored out of her mind herself. That ruled out a good chunk of options that had come to her, but it did leave in quite a lot of reality tv. The one about whether or not an item was cake seemed a bit too interesting because he'd surely want to stay awake to see if it were, but the one about manners would probably put her to sleep, too. And she had to immediately veto the ones about meditation and sleep, though she saved them for herself for later.
And then she stumbled onto the fashion shows. She kept herself from smiling at the possibility as she browsed a few titles before finally selecting one. She hit play and set the remote down next to her – on her other side so Stiles couldn't easily reach for it in case he protested. Settling in, she managed one bite of her sandwich before his words caught her attention.
"Your dad's a push-over for a cute face," she said to Roey, smiling as she teased. It was cute, though, and it reminded her of Prada. Even if she was more likely to put it in Roey's bowl than straight from her plate, she couldn't really blame Stiles for sharing a bit of bacon with the puppy. She was cute, and it was bacon.
“Oh come on,” he protested with no actual heat. “Have you seen that face? No one could blame me.” And Roey had settled down beside the couch, content with the amount she’d been given. It was possible she was tired too - she’d been awake through a lot of the night with Stiles, which was his fault.
He wasn’t naive to Lydia’s choice of show to watch. But he also wasn’t too inclined to push the point right now, either. On those occasions where sleep felt possible, he was generally inclined to give in to the temptation. And a show about people designing clothes or whatever was going on right now was not something he was interested in. As the first episode played, his hand strayed to the plate of fries, occasionally eating some. But by the time the second had started, it was a battle to keep his eyes open. In the end, he’d never know if the person whose name he still hadn’t picked up on went with the red or pink skirt.
"I've seen that face. It's a very cute face," she said with a little nod and a smile down to Roey. Then she settled in with her breakfast and show, sneaking the occasional glance over to Stiles next to her. She was careful not to voice her opinions too often, not wanting to draw him into conversation and have the show turned off or him not lulled properly into sleep. She debated on writing them on her phone, but her phone was in her purse, and her purse was not within arms' length. So she kept them to herself as the first episode continued.
Lydia waited until the second episode was done and the preview for the next episode was rolling before she paused the show. She'd been keeping an eye on Stiles, but, seeing him fully asleep, she carefully stretched out to stand and take his plate, setting it down on the coffee table. Then she extracted the blanket from the back of the couch and carefully tucked it around him. She didn't want to risk waking him by easing him properly onto the couch, though she worried about how long and how sore he'd be from that position. Maybe he'd find a way to stretch out himself, she decided, leaning forward to press a soft kiss to his forehead.
She took a few seconds to look him over before turning her attention back to the dishes. Carefully gathering them together, she took them into the kitchen to wash them, letting Stiles sleep for as long as his body and brain would let him.