Do you have any headcanons for stiles and Lydia’s relationship between the ghost riders and the end of senior year? I love imagining them as a couple around school, and how they interact with each other when they’re new in their relationship.
Do I have headcanons? Probably more than are healthy for any one person to have. I can’t help it. I also love thinking about Stydia, during this time in particular... Those first few days when they are both so relieved and awestruck and just so damned happy to finally be together. The two of them transitioning into this new part of their life together – not just as the problem-solving, genius power couple of Beacon Hills, but as a proper romantic couple as well. It’s delicious! There is trauma to deal with (of course) but also so much potential for cuteness...and awkwardness, and like deeply profound, intensely passionate moments too. This is probably one of the most remarkable and precious times in either of their lives. No supernatural drama. Just them and a whole lot of Love and maybe some stardust sprinkled on top. So yeah, I’ve imagined detailed headcanons about a bunch of things: their first night after the Wild Hunt, if/when Lydia says I love you, their second first date, etc... (all of which you can read here if you are so inclined). But since you mentioned their school life, I’ll try to stay on point.
Okay, so I think the time from when Stiles returns until the end of the school year is relatively brief. A week? Maybe two? Nevertheless, I’m sure we could squeeze in a few all of these...
Stiles drives Lydia to school in the Jeep every morning. Because it’s part of their story. It’s been with them from their very first date...all the way to the unforgettable moment when Stiles first told Lydia he loves her. Every time they climb inside, they remember that and so much more. They’ve shared meals in there, lost and caught up on sleep in there, laughed and cried in there. Their fingers have touched across the console countless times. Even when Stiles was gone and Lydia’s memories were stripped away, she always knew the Jeep belonged to him. They were in different dimensions, but they spoke to each other on its radio. This Jeep is sacred to them both. Always will be. And hey, they need moments like this – moments anchored by routine, the two of them doing something as mundane as driving to school each day. It helps them feel like normal teens. It helps them feel safe again.
As for how they interact throughout the day, there’s a saying: Everything changes, everything stays the same. I think that pretty accurately sums up the nature of Stydia’s relationship during this time, especially at school. They still share those secret looks and shy, only for you smiles. They still spend free periods together and sit together at lunch. They still meet by their lockers between classes and at the end of the day. But there’s a subtle shift too. They are a couple now, and while I think they keep their public displays of affection relatively low key, they definitely aren’t trying to hide their relationship either. They stand closer than they used to and hold eye contact for longer than they ever allowed themselves to do in the past. When their arms or hands or fingers graze, it’s intentional, and they don’t move away. They walk to class – slower now, so they can spend every possible second together. Whenever they pass the locker room, they pause for a few extra seconds.
Stiles’s hand is still perpetually hovering at Lydia’s back. But now it’s at her low back instead of her shoulder blade. Maybe he makes contact more often than he used to, and maybe she leans into it too. It feels good. His touch steadies her. Sometimes he tucks flyaway strands of hair behind her ear before whispering things to her. He lets his thumb linger on the pulse in her neck so he can feel it racing for him. Sometimes he sneaks kisses on her cheek that make her blush. That’s right. Lydia blushes now. Far more than she ever did in the past. Because of Stiles. Sometimes he puts his arm around her and talks right against her temple. She still purses her lips to conceal her smile – but not when it’s just the two of them. Then, she can’t help from breaking into a beautiful, goofy grin. It happens more times than she cares to count.
Lydia looks at Stiles. A lot. Sometimes, she still can’t believe he is really there, that they’re finally together. She’s been waiting for this – not just since he was taken from her, even before then – nearly a year. Now it’s happened. Now she gets to love him. More and more, she realizes just how much she likes taking care of him. She buys him his favorite drink at lunch. She always has a pen at the ready because he always manages to lose his. Maybe she fixes the collars of his flannel when they get caught under the strap of his backpack. And Stiles likes to take care of Lydia too. He shares his French fries with her and carries her books. When they are huddled in a quiet corner of the library, he makes sure she never gets the chair with the wobbly leg. If she asks to borrow his hoodie, he smiles his adorable, crooked smile and wraps her up in it, dropping a kiss on her forehead for good measure.
After an entire day of whirling around each other like two satellites, they go home together, usually to Stiles’s house. That’s when more magic happens. They shut the door behind them, and they get to be the Stiles and Lydia they have always been with each other. Except, you know... now they also have in-depth make out sessions on his bed or even the floor. Stiles talks to Lydia in between kisses. Sometimes he rambles, which makes her giggle. More often than not, he’ll say something so simple, so downright pure and sincere that tears start leaking from the corners of her eyes. She keeps kissing him though. She wants to kiss him forever. Sometimes they stay in bed and read together. Sometimes they relocate to the couch in the living room to watch tv. They make dinner, always saving a plate for Noah. They need these moments too. The more normal, the better.
Later on, Lydia helps Stiles catch up on some of the schoolwork he missed. There is no question he will graduate – on time and with honors – but it’s a good excuse to spend more time together. When he gets distracted, she writes sweet messages in the margins of his notebooks so he can find them later on. She gets nervous every time she is about to tell Stiles that she loves him. Right before the words leave her lips, her stomach does a somersault, but she says them anyway. And the look on his face when she does makes the nerves turn to butterflies. She can’t wait to say them again.
If/when it’s time to go home, Stiles drives really slow. Lydia’s eyes never leave his face. She doesn’t want to glance out the window and see how close they are to her house. They walk to her front door together. They never say good-bye. They only say see you tomorrow. Stiles texts Lydia the minute he gets back home, so she knows he is safe.
Every night, they go to sleep counting the minutes until their next reunion. Lydia wears Stiles's jersey or one of his flannels to bed. He has one of her hair ties looped around his wrist and her photo on the nightstand, always within arm’s reach. And because their lives are never completely without angst, sometimes they have nightmares. Stiles about being back in that desolate train station. Lydia about Stiles being taken from her. They wake up breathless and sweaty and aching for the solace that only the other can provide.
If they’re fortunate enough to already be spending the night together, they hold on to each other. Stiles’s embrace is particularly tight, but Lydia doesn’t mind. She likes being able to feel his heartbeat and breaths. She tells him so, and he gives her one of his upside-down smiles. Then he kisses her mouth until neither of them can remember why they were scared anymore. Sometimes kissing is enough. Sometimes it turns into more.
If they’re apart when they have nightmares, they don’t hesitate to call each other – no matter the time. If they can’t sneak out to be together, they stay on the phone, whispering secrets in the dark. But most of the time, they find a way to meet. At first, they don’t speak. They just hug. The same way they did on the night Stiles came home. Lydia with her chin on his shoulder. Stiles with his face buried in her hair. They stay like that until they feel better. Then they sit under the stars, holding hands. They talk until sunrise, telling each other all the things they couldn’t in the past three months. They don’t even miss the hours of sleep. Nothing compares to how much they missed each other.
So uh... Those are just a few things. Off the top of my head😅 Because clearly, I haven't had time to think too deeply about any of this.
