#stydiasarcasm

“Un-freaking-believable,” Stiles held his wrist out as Deaton examined it. “This is literally the last time I play bait.”

“I’m sorry,” Scott said, as he glanced over to check on Liam. The beta was still out cold, as Allison ran a cloth across his forehead. “He okay?”

“Yea,” she replied with a nod. “The wolfsbane wasn’t a strong enough dosage to do much damage. He might be out for a while longer though.”

“Good. Baby beta’s a bit whiny when he’s been shot,” Stiles retorted.

Lydia snorted from the other side of the room with a grin. “You’re one to talk. The whole way here all you did was complain about your wrist hurting. The thing grabbed me too. You don’t hear me squawking about it.”

“He threw me into a tree!” Stiles added with a glare. “Because I told him to let you go. A thank you would be nice.”

“Oh sorry, thank you Stiles for making what was supposed to be a peaceful encounter, significantly worse. What would we do without you?”

Deaton’s eyes shot up as he looked between Stiles and Lydia. “You say he grabbed both of you? At the same time?”

“He grabbed Lydia, manhandled me,” Stiles corrected earning him a glare from the strawberry blonde.

“Lydia will you come here for a second,” the vet asked. And as soon as she did, he took her hand, lifting up the fabric of her jacket a little. Stiles obviously looked down, seeing the same faint red line across her wrist that was also on his.

“What the hell is that? And why the hell do we both have it?”

“I’m not sure,” Deaton answered with a sigh. “It looks like our peaceful friend Yue Lao may have worked a little magic on you.”

Stiles could see Lydia’s eyes were as wide as his as she spoke. “What?”

“There are legends about Yue Lao, legends that say he can cast certain spells on people. But not much is known about what those spells entail. And well after tonight he might be less inclined to divulge his secrets to us.”

He was still processing the unknown magic down to him, when he felt Lydia’s hand hit him square in the chest. “Holy god, what the hell, Lyds.”

“If you hadn’t mouthed off to some immortal god we wouldn’t be in this mess,” she hissed folding her arms. “I swear you never think before you speak do you?”

“I’m sorry okay, who knew the guy would whammy us because I said he only spoke in fortune cookies.”

She rolled her eyes heading towards the door. “Whatever. I’m heading home. Because ten more seconds here and I might scream.”

She stalked away from him, and he was more than content to let her go, especially because Lydia seemed to be in a worse mood than he was.

At first he thought he was delirious, or maybe the vet needed to change his light bulbs, but the more steps Lydia took from him the clearer it became. A thick red cord that seemed to spiral around her wrist and across the space to do the same on his.

“Lydia wait,” he stood reaching for her, and the second she turned away it seemed to fade to just a flicker of red light. “Please tell me someone else saw that.”

Scott and Allison had moved closer now, both nodding in awe.

“Saw what?” Lydia looked between them, focusing on Stiles. “What did I miss?”

“Lydia continue to walk out the door,” Deaton was looking between their wrists again, a calculating look on his face. “Allison will you walk with her?”

“Sure,” the brunette walked over to her friend. The two of them walking backwards towards the door.

It took a little longer this time, but the string returned more vibrate than before. It glowed in the light of the moon through the window, and Stiles couldn’t just feel it on his wrist. He could feel it pulling at his heart as well. The cord stretched further, the more the girls moved, and if he had to guess he supposed they had reached the front door by now, satisfied when he heard the bell sound. It was like he was standing below it, the sound was so clear. And he could feel the rush of air from outside, so much that the sensation was making him too woozy to stay upright, and with one more look to the red string he was out.

~

She couldn’t explain what happened. One minute she was standing there, entranced by the cord that appeared out of nowhere, and the next she was lying on a table in Deaton’s back room, the vet shining a light at her eyes.

“Okay, I’m awake,” she groaned slapping the thing out of her line of vision, as she sat up. “Can someone tell me what just happened?”

“You both fainted,” Deaton explained.

She turned her head to see Stiles sitting there a smirk on his face. “I think we gathered that, Doc, thanks. Maybe you wanna venture a why?”

“Perhaps whatever spell you were hit with prevents the two of you from leaving the other alone.”

“Are you kidding?” Her eyes bore into the vet, until turning back to Stiles. “Tell me he’s kidding.”

“He looks rather serious,” Stiles replied, without his usual tint of sarcasm. That worried her more than Deaton’s words. Stiles could always crack a joke, even in the direst of trouble they could get into. But now there wasn’t even a trace of the quality she had grown most fond of.

“I don’t think you’re in any real danger. Yue Lao has never been known for being a cruel god,” Deaton looked at them like he was trying to word his statements carefully. “I think you two should just wait this out, in the same room if you can achieve that.”

“There goes girl’s night with Allison,” Lydia huffed, as she glanced around the room. “Where is Allison?”

“Liam woke up while you two were out so her and Scott took him home,” the vet explained.

“They left their best friends here unconscious, how kind,” Stiles muttered.

“Scott said your heart rates were stable, and well they weren’t too concerned when you took each other’s hands.”

Lydia glanced down, where her hand was indeed still clasped with Stiles. She hadn’t even realized they were touching.

“Sorry,” Stiles pulled away a faint blush on his cheeks. “I bet it was just the spell.”

“Yeah, the spell,” she agreed suddenly more interested in the titled floor than she’d ever been before.

“I think your both okay to leave now, just try not to go more than twenty feet from each other,” Deaton added with a shrug. “To be safe.”

Lydia rolled her eyes hopping off the table at the same time as Stiles. “We should probably stay at your place. My mom might be a bit confused if I tell her about magical red cords.”

“Oh my dad might be more confused,” he countered. And even though things kinda sucked right now, Lydia still managed so smile.

~

Luckily the sheriff was working late, because Stiles really didn’t want to explain things to his dad. Not that he had enough information to explain anything.

“So I can offer you a shirt and some uh, boxers to sleep in. If you want,” Stiles stumbled as she sat on the edge of his bed. “Or not. It’s up to you.”

“I’m okay,” she said with a smile. “You seem nervous, are you worried Deaton won’t find out what happened to us?”

“No, I’m sure he will. It just might take some time.”

She eyed him and he couldn’t help but smile back.

“So we might be stuck with each other for a while?”

“Oh yeah, most definitely,” he nodded taking a seat next to her. She managed to link their arms pulling him down to the bed with her, laughing

“Sorry I implied this was all your fault.”

“Oh no you didn’t imply that you stated it outright, rather loudly, I might add,” he said earning him an elbow to the ribs. “Ow, okay. I’m sorry it’s kinda all my fault.”

“It’s okay,” she replied resting her head on his shoulder. “I mean I could think of worse people to be magically stuck to for all eternity.”

“Oh really? Top three then,” he met her eyes with a smirk. “I’ll go first. Finstock.”

“Oh god that would be terrible.”

“Yea and Derek, I’m pretty sure he’d kill me off the bat and get it over with.”

“Or rip off your arm and beat you unconscious with it,” she supplied with a smirk.

“Okay and lastly Jackson. I’m sorry I have no clue how you could stand him for so long,” he finished with a nod.

“Eh he was hot,” she rolled to her side so she was facing him, and he looked over meeting her eyes, before she continued. “My turn, number one would be, Peter.”

He grimaced. “That’s fair and valid.”

“And don’t hate me, Cora,” she let her eyes drop from his with an apologetic look. “I know you two were friends, but god she was a bit annoying.”

“We are just hating on all the Hales tonight,” he joked earning him a laugh, and an eye roll. “Come on what’s your last one.”

“Greenberg,” she replied with so much confidence he almost laughed again. “I’m totally serious, he killed my Colonial Williamsburg diorama in the third grade. And I know it wasn’t an accident, because I told Gina Vega he stole her brand new box of Crayola’s.”

“I remember, Gina almost took out his eyes, kid spent two hours in the nurse’s office.”

“And how would you know?”

“I was in there,” he said knowing his voice was trailing off. “I had a panic attack when I was talking to the guidance counselor and they rushed me to the nurse. Waited with Greenberg until my dad came and got me.”

“Was it about your mom?” she asked placing a hand over his.

He nodded, looking into her eyes. “It was my first week back after she passed, and I just couldn’t deal.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Nothing to be sorry for,” he laced their hands together, with a grin. “It was a long time ago.”

“Time doesn’t heal all wounds,” she mused rubbing circles into his palm.

“True, but it dulls the bad ones,” He sat up pulling her with him across the floor. “And sometimes, people can help the aches too.”

“So people are like Vicodin?”

“Exactly,” he laughed, turning towards the stereo. “Okay ask it a question.”

“I’m sorry? Ask what a question?”

“The radio,” he replied meeting her eyes. “Haven’t you ever played the radio game?”

Lydia shook her head.

“Okay the rules are simple, ask a question and the first song to come on is your answer. Come on it’s fun I promise. Me and my mom would play all the time.”

“Fine,” she relented rolling her eyes. “Will I be stuck with Stiles for the rest of my life?”

He gave her a mock scowled as he tuned the radio dial landing on the intro strums of a song, which he immediately recognized.

“Gotta be Somebody, Nickelback.”

“Great my future fate is in the hands of a Canadian pop rock group,” she joked, squealing as he pulled her close.

“For mocking Nickelback you must dance to Nickelback. Rules are rules.”

He expected her to roll her eyes and turn away, but instead she took his hand dancing around the small room. Nickelback faded into Ed Sheeran, which gave way to at least six other songs, before Lydia even looked like she was fading in his arms.

“You’re falling asleep,” he whispered as her head rest on his shoulder.

“So,” she replied nestling closer. “You’re firm enough to sleep on.”

“Yeah, but I bet you drop like a dead weight the second you’re out.”

“Mean,” she grumbled into him, pulling back. “But you’re right.”

She left his side slipping her shoes off before climbing into his bed.

“I’ll take the floor,” he noted grabbing for his pillow, when he hand fell over his.

“Don’t be stupid,” she pulled him down to the mattress. “It’s your bed. Sleep on it.”

“But you’re sleeping on it.”

“And you think I need the whole thing?” she curled onto the right side pulling the comforter over her. “See plenty of room.”

“Okay,” he said, settling into the mattress. He was convinced he’d never get to sleep with Lydia lying right next to him, but the next thing he knew he was out.

~

They didn’t waste much time the next morning before they headed straight to Deaton’s, pulling in at the same time as the vet.

“So what did you find out?” Lydia questioned when they got closer to him.

“Good morning,” he replied unlocking the door, as he ushered them in. He looked at both their wirst quickly. “Nothing else happened right?”

“Besides magical tethering?” Stiles retorted. “No, that was pretty much the highlight of the evening. Why?”

“Well the marks on your wrist are gone, so are Lydia’s,” he said.

Lydia looked down examining her own wrist, and then Stiles’. She still saw the red wrapped around them both, connecting the two. “I can still see it.”

“So can I,” Stiles added with a shrug. “What the deal doc?”

“I didn’t want to say this last night, but it could have something to do with Yue Lao,” Deaton sighed giving them both a smirk before continuing. “He’s not just an immortal god. In Chinese lore he’s the god of marriage.”

“I’m sorry what?” They replied in unison, glancing at each other.

“You miss understood,” the vet said, holding up a hand to calm them. “He’s just the representation of unions, and the red cord that manifested last night was his way of letting you know you’re connected to each other.”

“You’re saying this dude linked us for life?” Stiles questioned.

“No he can’t create that kind of bond; he can merely show it to you,” Deaton gave a reassuring smile. “It’s like the emotional tether, but stronger. You two have been moving on this path for longer than either of you realize. It’s destiny. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you last night, but it’s not something you tell people. They have to figure it out for themselves. I assumed you had since the metaphysical manifestation subsided.”

“But we can still see it,” Lydia chanced her voice not looking directly at Stiles even though she could feel his eyes on hers. “I mean what’s that supposed to mean.”

“Maybe you’re supposed to,” Deaton shrugged heading out of the waiting room and towards the back of the clinic.

“So” Stiles broke the silence. “Didn’t see that one coming.”

She couldn’t help the nervous laugh that escaped her lips. “Yeah, who would have guessed it?”

“Probably literally all of our friends,” he said, moving a little closer. “I mean I have been into you since grade school.”

She rolled her eyes, finally meeting his. “You barely knew me back then.”

“I knew enough,” he reached for her hand and she let his fingers slip in between hers. “What about you? I mean you find me annoying, and hit me sometimes repeatedly.”

“That’s because you’re infuriating,” she countered with a smile.

“Hey you are no picnic.” He pulled her in wrapping his hands around her, with a grin. “But I mean I could think of worse people to be stuck to for all eternity.”

“Will you stop stealing my lines and get your own.”

“Okay, how about this,” he leaned down letting his lips fall to hers. Lydia didn’t hold back wrapping her arms tightly around his neck, bringing them as close as possible.