FOREVER
- LABRINTH

dedicated to
honeyinurtea

★━━─ ・‥...━━━☆

"may i join you?"

lydia nearly dropped the cigarette from her hand at the sudden presence of suze howard. there was a bottle of wine in the woman's hand, a comforting smile forming on her lips as the jacobs girl sent her a nod.

"i should be telling you to drop this habit." suze let out a sigh, taking a seat beside lydia on the front porch of the howard's residents. "not good for you, lyds."

"neither is the wine, su." lydia cupped the end of the cigarette, lighting it easily before glancing up to the woman. "you up for sharing?"

suze shook her head as a chuckle tumbled from her lips, allowing the teenager to take the bottle of wine in hand. "you made lexi's night with that text."

"i know." lydia glanced up to the sky where the stars shined above their heads. "i'm sorry it took so long."

"it's okay." suze wrapped her arm around the jacobs girl, a gentle motherly kiss pressed against lydia's temple. "our home is yours too, lyds. you know that."

"i know." lydia repeated, taking multiple sips of the wine before passing it back to the owner. the cigarette was back between her lips, a sign to the howard woman that lydia was at a loss of words.

"everything gets better." suze tightened her grip on the teenager, her gaze lost in the darkness surrounding the homes in the dollhouse neighborhood. "i promise you things get better. it doesn't always hurt, lyds."

lydia basked in the moment with the woman, for the howard's mother had always been more of a mother to her than her own. suze's arms remained until another kiss was pressed against lydia's forehead.

"you know where i'll be if you need me."

and with that, lydia was left alone on the front porch of the howard's home with nothing but her thoughts and a burning cigarette. it wasn't long, however, did mckay's car come to a halt in the street feet away.

"lydia?" cassie hadn't noticed the girl's presence until she was stepping out of the car. "what're you doing here?"

lydia hadn't missed the kisses the couple exchanged or the smile upon mckay's face as the two spoke to one another. lydia waved towards her brother's best friend, tossing the cigarette bud to the ground before stepping upon it with more force than necessary.

"lydia, wait!" cassie yelled after the girl once mckay had disappeared down the street. "please."

lydia didn't say a word, yet stopped in her step at the sound of cassie's voice.

"i'm sorry." cassie's words fell below a whisper, yet loud enough for the jacobs girl to catch. "i'm so sorry for not helping you when you needed me."

"i don't need your help, cass." lydia refused to meet the gaze of the blonde. "no need to apologize."

"you're my best friend. i saw the bruises, lyds. i heard the stories, yet didn't do anything."

"i never asked you to." lydia's exhaustion was evident in her voice. a moment of silence fell before lydia continued. "best friend. that's all i ever was, huh? a fucking distraction from the boys who broke your heart?"

cassie felt the tears brim her eyes as lydia turned on her heel abruptly. "as if i wasn't a distraction for you too, lyds. from jackson? from fez? don't turn all of this on me as if it was ever more for you."

"lydia, maddy's calling you." lexi made her presence known to the teenagers which forced lydia to fall silent. "i can answer if yo—"

"no, it's okay." lydia rushed up the few stairs before hurriedly answering the call from the perez girl. "maddy?"

"lyd, i need to come over like right now."

"cass, come on." lexi nodded towards the inside of the home, the howard siblings leaving lydia to be after a moment.

"for me or for nate?" lydia held the phone between her ear and her shoulder as another cigarette was pulled from the pack. "i'm not even home. what's wrong?"

"where are you?" maddy's voice was laced with her emotions.

lydia quickly noticed how maddy ignored the initial question. "lexi and cassie's."

"lydia, i really need you right now."

there was a moment of silence that fell over the phone call as lydia hesitantly glanced towards the howard's home before a sigh tumbled from her lips. "where are you?"

★━━─ ・‥...━━━☆

"about time."

lydia glanced around the suburban neighborhood, tossing her cigarette to the ground before getting inside maddy's car.

the tears and smudged makeup upon maddy's features were hard to miss, even with the lack of light. a comforting blanket of silence fell over the car as maddy drove aimlessly down the roads of their small town.

"you smell like cigarettes and wine."

lydia sent maddy a grin to which the perez girl reluctantly mirrored. it wasn't another moment before lydia's phone began to chime as the texts from lexi howard flooded her phone.

LEXI <3.
why'd you come by just to run off again?
READ!

lydia reread the message repeatedly, closing her eyes tightly in response to the sudden guilt. she knew lexi was understanding, and had she said a word to her about maddy needing someone, there wouldn't of been a care to lydia leaving.

but it seemed all lydia was good at was hurting the ones who loved her most.

"are you good?"

"are you?" lydia countered, letting out a sigh before glancing towards the perez girl. "you are the one who called me, mads."

the teenagers resided in the empty parking lot of a deserted drugstore. their frames were illuminated by the red lettered lights above the store's entry.

"no one understands him like you, lydia." maddy felt vulnerable under lydia's intense gaze, something she wasn't accustomed to happening. "sometimes i think you're the only person nate will ever love more than himself."

"he doesn't love me." lydia quickly argued maddy's words. "he doesn't love you. my brother is nothing but angry and abusive. you deserve more, maddy."

maddy felt lydia's hand go to the side of her face. the act forced the perez girl to meet her gaze. "i know."

lydia watched as maddy's eyes seemed to study her features. it was almost as if the perez girl was searching for something in the details of lydia's features.

maddy mirrored lydia's move without a thought, her hands now holding onto the sides of the jacobs girl's face. the act forced lydia to drop her own grasp. "you're beautiful, lyds."

"maddy." lydia's hand then came to hold onto maddy's wrist, for the girl quickly took notice to the motive behind maddy's moves.

"you look so much like him." maddy's hold tightened ever so slightly before her lips were being pressed against lydia's.

to be fair, the thought to kiss her back did cross lydia's mind. it would've been a way to hurt nate, in one way or the other, but lydia was tired of being used as a distraction.

lydia forced maddy's hands away without another thought. the rage settling upon her chest in response to the betrayal quickly caused tears to brim her eyes. "fuck you, maddy."

"lydi—"

"you know, i truly thought this time was different. that maybe you seeing him get violent with me would open your fucking eyes," lydia refused to meet the eye of the perez girl as she made her way out of the car. "but i was so wrong. you two will carry on what my parents started."

★━━─ ・‥...━━━☆

"fuck."

lydia huffed at the sight of the now empty pack of cigarettes in hand. she stuffed the trash back into her pocket while holding the burning cigarette between her lips.

the streets were deserted as she walked down the sidewalk carelessly. lydia let one hand rest in the pocket of the leather jacket she'd stolen from jackson years beforehand. it remained too big to fit her frame, yet the girl never minded the fact. it was worn because of the familiarity it'd given her since the day she got her hands on it.

the corner-store with too many memories inside was only a few feet away when lydia came to a halt. she stared towards the building with doubt in her chest before tossing the cigarette bud to the ground.

fez was inside leaned back in a chair, his gaze remaining on the floor until her presence was made. the ripped fishnets that covered her legs were the first thing to catch fez's eye.

"fez, hey." lydia breathed out, her words falling innocently.

"what're you doing here?" fez quickly questioned the jacobs girl, eyebrows contorted in confusion. "it's almost midnight."

"listen," a sigh tumbled from lydia's lips as the guilt formed in her gut as she continued to meet his gaze. "i'm sorry. i don't know how many times i'm going to say those words to you, but i am. i'm so fucking sorry, fez."

"i know." fez nodded after a moment. it didn't take much to realize lydia hadn't remembered waking and apologizing relentlessly weeks before when she nearly overdosed in his bed.

"i was supposed to be a mother." lydia spoke with a gentle shake of her head. "which is a dumb thing to say as a teenager, but i put so much hope into that child, fez. i thought there'd finally be a person to live for. someone who'd love me unconditionally."

when fez failed to utter a word in response, lydia quickly continued. "but my parents ripped it away from me before taking jackson too. can you see how they ruin everything i love? i can't let the same happen to you."

"i can protect myself." fez finally stood to his feet, taking multiple steps towards the girl. "please, do not worry 'bout me, lyds."

"jackson said the same thing, you know," lydia's eyes fluttered shut as fez's hands came to hold the sides of her face. "and then he was put behind bars because we loved each other and my family despised it."

"you're the strongest person i know, lyds." fez pulled the jacobs girl into his chest, his hands finding their way to the back of her head. "i hate to break it to you, but it'll take more than your brother to keep me from loving you."

lydia's arms came to wrap around fez's frame with ease. her touch was so gentle, the boy nearly missed it as she traced shapes upon his back. "can i stay with you tonight?"

★━━─ ・‥...━━━☆

"i think this may be the first time you've ever been in my house sober."

lydia shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly, following shortly behind the boy through his home. "yeah, well, figured you were tired of taking care of me."

"i don't mind." fez hummed, motioning towards his grandmother's room as the two passed in order to get to his own. "used to it. just hurts watchin' you hurt."

lydia didn't utter a word in response to the words, for the guilt rendered her speechless. she felt as if there weren't enough words to express her feelings, so she gave up the attempt to do so.

it wasn't long before lydia was climbing upon fez's frame on top of the bed. the jacobs girl straddled the boy's waist, her hands pressed against his chest as she kept his gaze. the two simply stared, both seemingly studying one another features as if they'd never see them again.

"god, i love you." fez sat up as best he could to press his lips against lydia's. he felt her grin into the kiss, the boy quickly following suit.

"i love you." lydia said between kisses, repeating herself until fez's lips causing her to fall silent. "i just don't deserve you."

"shut yo' ass up and let me love you, lyds." fez quickly flipped their positions with ease, his chain falling to dangle in front of lydia's face. "so beautiful."

"kiss me."

★━━─ ・‥...━━━☆

the sunlight easily peaked through the window despite the curtains made to block. a ray seemed to hit lydia directly in the face forcing the girl to turn her frame.

"you're still here." fez's words fell as more of a question than a statement, but even in her tired state, she could hear the relief that was laced in his statement.

"please, don't move." lydia whispered out with closed eyes, her grip on fez's frame tightening to the slightest. "so warm."

fez felt a genuine grin form on his lips as he pressed a gentle kiss to the top of lydia's head. "go back to sleep, baby."

"fuck!" lydia moved abruptly, the blankets falling off her bare body in response. "today's halloween."

fez let out a chuckle as lydia quickly covered herself once again, cheeks flushing red when his gaze never faltered from her own. "what're you going as, hmm?"

"don't know yet." lydia seemed to be deep in thought over the question at hand. "the options are endless. come with me today."

"where?"

"do you really care where?" lydia situated herself to lay upon fez's frame once again, her chin pressed upon his chest as he peered down. "you'll be with me. nothing else matters."

fez pushed the hair that framed her face behind her ear with a gentle touch. "nothing else matters."

★━━─ ・‥...━━━☆

AUTHOR'S NOTE,
i'm not editing this rn because it's almost 6am n i've been writing this for the last 3 hours <3

the next chapter is the halloween episode n i still do not know what lydia is going to go as!! for irony purposes, i could make her go as a barbie, but i need something more creative for her character. whoever can give me an idea as to wtf this girl should be for halloween, i'll dedicate the chapter to you <3