#post 5x16

Chapter 28: I'll Miss You Most of All

Fandom: Teen Wolf / The Wizard of Oz AU

Characters: Stiles + Lydia, Prada, Scott, Allison

“Dorothy now took Toto up solemnly in her arms, and having said one last good-bye, she clapped the heels of her shoes together three times.” - L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

“I think I’ll miss you, most of all.” - Dorothy Gale, The Wizard of Oz

They still have tonight, but it passes too quickly. Lydia and Noah stay in the Blue Room, and they don’t sleep a wink, don’t even try. They talk nonsense, and they wax poetic about life, and lie in comfortable silence looking at each other.

They touch. Noah is shirtless, and Lydia’s hands gravitate to his arms, shoulders, chest. His hands stroll up and down her back, heat blooming through the thin fabric of her camisole, sometimes settling on her hip or thigh, heat blooming there too.

His mouth silently begs to be kissed. The pull is strong as it ever was. All those times she wanted to kiss Stiles and didn’t, tingling her lips…

She gives in every now and then. Keeps her kisses delicate and chaste—as chaste as she can, given the fact that they’re in bed together and scantily dressed.

Noah is perfect. Never presses her for more than she can give. Takes what little she gives and makes it feel like everything. His body is warmer than afternoon sunlight. He tastes as good as she remembers. Better.

And maybe it’s the stress — tomorrow hanging over them like a storm cloud — but somehow, it all feels…

New.

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Major Spoilers for 5x16!!

Hi!! Yeah, I know that a lot of people are worried about the whole ‘invincible’ thing, and I do have a feeling that it’s not going to end well - but, I know at least for me that I’m willing to see where it goes first before I start worrying about my faves! :)

Also, this sort of took on a life of its own, because there’s still a lot that hasn’t been said (at least on screen) between FS that needs to be, so I kind of took the route where them talking about Jemma’s stunt led to them finally having The Conversation that I feel they need to. I hope it’s still okay, though!

(Ao3)

-

Their quinjet had been in the air for a little bit now, andthey were well on their way to the first of the bases that Malick had turnedover to SHIELD to search for the weapon Hale was after. But, despite the amountof time that had passed, it hadn’t dulled the emotion that was still poundingthrough Fitz’s body.

All that he could see in his mind’s eye was a constant loopof the memory of watching Jemma writhing and screaming in pain on the ground,thinking that she was dying right before his eyes and being unable to doanything to stop it.

She and Elena were conversing about something at the moment,sitting next to each other on the seats at the opposite side of the quinjet toFitz. They were possibly making some kind of small talk (or, his mind filled indarkly, hatching another potentially life-threatening plan), but he was drowningall of it out.

That was, until he heard, “Fitz.”

Blinking a couple of times, he glanced up at them, and hecould tell simply from Jemma’s expression that she’d already said his namequite a few times in her attempt to get his attention – and that she was bothirked by his lack of reply and concerned about it.

Chapter 30: There's No Place Like Home

Fandom: Teen Wolf / The Wizard of Oz AU

Characters: Stiles + Lydia, Prada, Scott McCall, Kira Yukimura, Natalie Martin, Alan Deaton

“I’m so glad to be at home again.’” - Dorothy Gale, L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

I’m so glad to be at home again.

Those are the final words of the final chapter in L. Frank Baum’s, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Stiles read them aloud more than thirty minutes ago. The book is closed now. Morning is bending towards noon, and still, Lydia hasn’t opened her eyes. He’s out of pages, ideas, patience…

He’s quite literally at the end of his rope. And for some reason, while he’s biting his nails and pacing the floor in Lydia’s bedroom, he thinks of history class. That day Mr. Yukimura quoted F.D.R., “When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.”

Good advice, but only so far as there’s something anchoring that rope.

Ever since the night of the eclipse, when Deaton brought up emotional tethers, Stiles has thought of Lydia being at the other end. No matter where he was or how dark things got—he could be sleepwalking through the woods or passed out in the school hallway or trapped inside his own mind—he could still feel Lydia.

All night and all morning, he’s been trying to focus on that feeling, the pull on the other end of their tether, how weak or strong it felt at any given moment. But maybe that’s not enough or maybe he’s been thinking about it the wrong way around.

Maybe Lydia needs to be reminded that he is on the other side, waiting for her.

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Chapter 27: Untethered

Fandom: Teen Wolf / The Wizard of Oz AU

Characters: Stiles + Lydia, Prada, Scott, Allison, Alan Deaton

Then, being prepared for the journey, they all started for the Emerald City. - L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

“…the Wicked Witch of the West had come to an end, and they were no longer prisoners in a strange land.”

Stiles, having read the last line of chapter twelve, sets the book down.

It’s calm. Everything is calm. The rain. The wind. The room. Lydia.

It’s 8:08 a.m., and she’s curled beside him with her fingertips tucked into his shirt pocket, green thread from his flannel still wrapped loosely around her index. The lamp on her nightstand casts a soft orange glow on her skin, makes her shine like the sun, makes the murky grey sky outside her window seem less dull and depressing.

He hasn’t nodded off since the last time, but he feels like he’s just waking up or like he was split in two and part of him was somewhere else for a while. The place was unfamiliar — older and darker, cold — but the energy wasn’t. That he’d recognize anywhere. It was warm and powerful. Vibrant. Unmistakably, Lydia.

Something happened between them.

Unlike the sex fantasy he had of them in a forest, he can’t remember much of what it looked like. But he remembers what it felt like. Like his heart had been touched by Lydia. Like she put her hand right inside his chest and squeezed.  

And it didn’t hurt. Not one bit. It was the purest expression of love he’s experienced in his nearly eighteen years on Earth. It felt like proof that they can always reach each other.

“I think we’re through the worst of it,” he tells her. “Don’t you?”

The corner of her mouth hitches, ever so slightly, like she agrees.

“That’s right. It’s gonna be easier from here on out.”

At the sound of his voice, Prada stirs from her most recent nap. She looks up at him with big brown eyes, fluffy tail slapping against Lydia’s book as if to say, keep going.

He pats her head, takes a sip of water, and flips to chapter thirteen. “How ‘bout we get to the really good part now, Lydia? The part where you come home to me?”

“Hmm…home,” she mutters. “Stiles.”

He feels that squeeze again, and he hopes it’s a sign that only a few more chapters stand between this moment and Lydia waking up.

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Chapter 29: Find My Way Back to You

Fandom: Teen Wolf / The Wizard of Oz AU

Characters: Stiles + Lydia

Instantly, she was whirling through the air so swiftly that all she could see or feel was the wind whistling past her ears. - L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

It’s 10:13 a.m. Lydia has been out for more than fifteen hours now. But finally, it feels like things are shifting into place. Like the pieces of her that have been adrift are finding their way back.

She’s been talking in her sleep. Stiles can’t make out most of her words, but that’s okay. What matters is she’s talking. What matters is she feels closer than she has in almost two hours. She responds to every one of his touches. Her fingers are knotted into his flannel so tightly, it feels like she’s binding herself to him. He keeps his arms around her, so she knows he’s not leaving her. No matter what.

.

There’s no way to prepare yourself for the experience of passing through a portal. Up is down. Left is right. What looked like water is not water, but air.

The first time was chaos — all noise and motion and terror.

Lydia leapt into that whirlpool expecting to be tossed around like a ragdoll. Instead, it’s quiet and calm. Warm. She expected to sink to the very bottom of what looked like an endless pool. But she didn’t. She’s floating…

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Chapter 22: Nocht Do Sholas (Reveal Your Light)

Fandom: Teen Wolf / The Wizard of Oz AU

Characters: Stiles + Lydia, Prada, Allison

“But if you go, I shall certainly go with you.” - L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

Lydia tells Alli everything. About Beacon Hills and Stiles, Noah and the kiss, Scott and…Allison. Everything.

Alli listens. She holds Lydia’s hand and passes her tissues, one after another, even takes a couple for herself.

They’ve changed into their pajamas, and they’re sitting on Lydia’s bed. Prada is between them, awake but calm, her sweet head resting on Lydia’s lap.

“Wow,” Alli says, staring at the carpet.

“I know,” Lydia replies, staring at the door, guilt still rattling her bones like the aftershocks of an earthquake.

It’s been over an hour since she’s seen Noah. She has no idea where he is, or how he is, or if he’ll ever talk to her again.

“Wow,” Alli repeats.

“Yeah.”

After an unbearable silence, Lydia states the obvious. “Turns out, you were right to be suspicious of me.”

“Lydia...”

“It’s the truth. I swore I didn’t want to hurt him, and that’s exactly what I did.”

The jagged pit in her stomach swells to the size of a grapefruit when Alli answers, “Believe me, I’m well aware that one of my best friends is hurting right now because of a decision you made. If you’d told him sooner, we’d probably all still be in the ballroom, dancing, and getting tipsy on tayberry champagne, and generally having the time of our lives.”

She’s right, of course.

Lydia hangs her head.

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Chapter 21: The Truth

Fandom: Teen Wolf / The Wizard of Oz AU

Characters: Stiles + Lydia, Prada, Allison, Scott, Alan Deaton

First they came to a great hall in which were many ladies and gentlemen of the court, all dressed in rich costumes. - L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

The knot in Stiles’s stomach tugs tighter. Even more so when he glances at Deaton. “Wha—why are you smiling?”

“This is good news, Stiles.”

“How? Lydia’s in deeper sleep now than she was twenty minutes ago.”

“Yes, but this also means she isn’t stuck in REM. The more she fluctuates between stages, the closer she is to waking.”

“She…” His eyes instantly fall back on Lydia, the hand tied to hers, his only grip on what’s left of his sanity, reality, hope. “How close are we talking here, Doc?”

“Likely within the next few hours.”

A collective sigh carries in from the other side of the door, confirming his suspicions about Scott and Kira’s presence.

Stiles’s exhale is partial at best. He won’t know true relief until Lydia is awake and talking to him.

But some of the weight is lifting. He bows his head, kissing her hand and not caring that Deaton is there to see it. He only realizes that he’s crying when he looks up to find that her face has blurred into a watercolor. He doesn’t care if Deaton sees that either.

The sun’s halo is breaking through the blue of twilight, and Lydia could already be on her way back to him. That revelation is worth shedding an entire ocean of happy tears in front of the whole world.

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Chapter 20: The Sun and The Moon

Fandom: Teen Wolf / The Wizard of Oz AU

Characters: Stiles + Lydia, Prada, Allison, Scott, Alan Deaton

The next morning, after breakfast, the green maiden came to fetch Dorothy, and she dressed her in one of the prettiest gowns—made of green brocaded satin. - L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

On Friday, Lydia wakes to mellow sunlight and the affectionate nudge of Prada’s nose on her elbow. She quietly gets out of bed, dressing in jeans and a white tee shirt that Kira loaned her. Leaving her hair down, she quickly combs it through before zipping up her silver boots and scribbling a note to let Alli know she’s taking Prada for a walk.

As she approaches the door, she sees that a letter has been slipped underneath. She picks up the green embossed cardstock. The outside is engraved with her name as well as Alli’s in elegant gold script. She breaks the wax seal, reading the message as she steps into the hallway.

You are cordially invited to attend the Seventh Annual Emissary’s Ball as the honored guests of Dr. Alan Deaton, Emissary of Oz 8 o’clock this evening Friday, the Fifteenth of November in the Garden Banquet Hall 100th Floor

At the same time, Noah is coming out of the boys’ room with an invitation of his own. He’s wearing a blue henley, jeans, and sneakers. His hair is damp, skin still dewy, like he just got out of the shower.

“Hey…” he says with a crooked smile. “I was just coming to see if you were up.”

Everything in her goes soft when he crosses the hall in one stride to give her a hug, tight like he hasn’t seen her in days…or weeks, then hums a g’morning against her temple.

“Morning,” she replies, sliding her arms around his torso, loosely at first, then equally tight once she gets a feel for how comforting it is.

It may be mere hours since they last saw each other, but there’s something about the way his hand comes up to smooth the back of her head that makes her lungs expand differently. She presses her nose into his shoulder. He smells so good, she can’t think, let alone pull away.

The hug goes on, longer than it should and still not long enough.  

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