Chapter Text
Sophomore year - Thanksgiving
Since Katy and Shawn got married, the Hunters started spending their holidays with the Matthews, becoming a sort of big family, but it was inevitable. Cory’s parents had almost adopted Shawn when he was younger and Riley and Maya were always together, so the two couples of friends couldn’t be anything but together, even that year. Maya and Riley were talking in the back of Shawn’s car when they got to Matthews’: Cory, Topanga and Auggie got there the day before, while Maya – and as a consequence Riley – had waited for Shawn to come back from his last photoshoot. It was Thanksgiving and it was already freezing in Philly. When they knocked at the door, bags in hand, Auggie welcomed them, exclaiming:
“Finally! I’m starving and grandma didn’t let me eat anything because we were waiting for you” he pouted.
“Sorry, buddy, my fault, but now we’re here, let’s go eat”
“Wait there, big boy, I’ll show you your rooms so you can drop your bags off”
Amy said smiling, hugging all of them. After they dropped their bags, they reunited with the rest of the family. Immediately Maya looked for her second favourite Matthews' member, who was talking with the youngest of the family, who was probably still complaining about the fact that he was starving. As if he had felt her gaze on him, he turned, smiling at the tiny blonde. She got closer, saluting him.
“Boing”
“Ferret”
“Long game?”
“Long game”
Maya sat next to Riley, Josh directly in front of her, listening to Shawn and Cory murmuring:
“Did you figure out what that means, eventually?”
“Still working on it”
After Cory heard she and Josh talking about the long game when they met during the taco day, he and Shawn – that he immediately informed when he understood something was going on – started trying to find out what their promise meant, but nobody except the two of them knew, not even Riley.
“Peaches hasn’t told me what that means, dad, and I spent hours at the bay window trying to persuade her but nothing came from it, so give up”
“Plus, is none of your business”
“I think knowing what is going on between my daughter and a boy is my business”
“Shawn, I promise you nothing is going on” Josh said. He knew that actually something was going on, something had changed after the trip at the ski lodge, but he didn’t want to tell Maya’s step-father they fancied each other but waited to get older and more mature. Maya looked at him and smirking she mouthed ‘yet’. He rolled his eyes, blushing a bit, but before the conversation could go on, Ama and Topanga brought dinner on the table.
“Happy Thanksgiving everybody” Cory exclaimed, then they started eating. While everyone was talking to everyone, Riley and Maya were discussing the upcoming holiday, Christmas: obviously even though it was still weeks away, Riley couldn't stop talking about her favourite holiday.
“We could do secret Santa and I won’t take a no this time”
Maya rolled her eyes. The previous year the brunette proposed it right after they met for the first time after Thanksgiving, but they managed to persuade her they didn’t know each other that good yet: Zay was still a big question mark and Isadora had joined their group only during their freshman year in high school. Now, their group got stronger, they used to hang out together, sometimes Maya and Zay kept each other company when their best friends were on a date and even Isadora used to come to their sleepovers every now and then. They were totally going to do that thing that year.
“Do you want to include Josh too?”
The two girls looked over him, who was talking with Morgan, so probably he didn’t hear her niece.
“It would be weird. We don’t know him and we could end up giving him something terrible and- “
“You know him, Peaches, better than anyone. You showed it when we were in middle school and you know him even better now that you’re whatever you are”
“We’re friends, that’s it, otherwise you would know, I assure you. Please, don’t tell him anything about secret Santa”
“As you wish, Peaches”
***
After dinner, everybody separated, doing something different: Morgan, Amy and Riley were cleaning in the kitchen, while Cory, Topanga and Shawn were still sitting at the table, telling Katy stories about their years in high school. Maya, Josh, Morgan and Auggie were sitting on the couch, listening to Auggie who was talking about Ava.
“You know, uncle Josh, I think I’ll marry her someday, but for real”
“You’ll be the next Cory and Topanga” Morgan said.
“But third-generation” Maya talked, but when everybody looked at her confused, she explained: “Riley and Lucas are the second one”
“Why not you and some other boy?”
Both Maya and Josh knew Morgan was pushing them. Probably everyone in that family was trying to figure out what they were and, to be honest, even the two teenagers were.
“First of all, I’m not a Matthews and then…”
“And then what?” Josh asked. He was now curious what was the reason why she didn’t saw themselves as the new Cory and Topanga. On the other hand, he liked to think about their future themselves as happy as his brother and his sister-in-law were.
“They loved each other since middle school, they’ll love each other forever while I- “
Maya stopped herself. She was going to say she had never loved anyone, but she knew it’d be a lie. She still didn’t know what she was feeling about Josh, but she knew that if she had to put a label on it, she knew the closest word to describe her feelings was the L-word. Also, she had fancied him as long as Riley had loved Lucas. Luckily, Riley interrupted their conversation, asking Maya if she could go upstairs with her to set for the night. She followed her in Morgan's old room, where they would sleep. Eight new inhabitants were difficult to fit in the house, but since Eric hadn't could make it and Morgan didn’t live there anymore, they managed it.
“What were you talking about downstairs?” Riley asked while she was putting her clothes in the closet.
“Lucas and you”
Riley turned and looked at her confused.
“Auggie said he and Ava are going to be the next Tory and Topanga and I said they’d be the third generation because you and Lucas are already the second one”
“You think we are?”
Maya knew her best friend loved their parents’ story and wished her own fairy tale with Lucas.
“I do. Your story would have started before if I didn’t mess up everything, but I know you are going to”
“Peaches, you didn’t mess up a thing, you were just trying to protect me and I did the same and I’d do it all over again. I would never let a boy come between us: he may be my Topanga, but you’ll always be my Shawn”.
Maya hugged her, feeling overwhelmed by her affection.
“And you’ll always be my Cory”
That moment was interrupted by a knocking on the door and after Riley’s ‘come in’, Josh’s face appeared.
“Hi, Riley, can I borrow Maya, please?”
“Who said I would let you borrow me?”
Josh ignored her, waiting for a response.
“Are you going to tell me what long game is?” Riley provoked him.
“No” Josh said simultaneously to Maya’s “never”.
“Alright, keep your secrets. Now go, I have to facetime Lucas”
The two left the room, heading to Josh’s room. Since Eric’s one was empty, Auggie asked if he could take it, so he was alone for once.
“What’s up, Boing?”
“Just wanted to talk. I feel like we haven’t in forever”
After the ski lodge trip, Maya and Josh had started to keep in touch more. They used to text each other, even just to say ‘hi’, hang out on Saturday afternoons when Riley and Lucas were on dates and Zay was in Texas and they had even spent a weekend in Chicago with Shawn, Cory and Riley the previous summer. They were always informed by each other's lives, but in the last few weeks they hadn’t talked that much, since she started an art course twice a week and he was starting to enjoy his college life.
“I’ve never seen your room before. I kinda like it”
Maya searched the room, trying to know her crush by the objects that decorated his room, but she could tell some were missing, probably they were in his room at NYU. While Josh was sitting on the bed, she opened the textbook she found on his desk, closing it immediately when she realized what it was about.
“So… how’s the art course?”
“Even more exciting than I expected. They’re teaching us way more they do in school and I think I could make it to a pretty good college. Well… it’s what I hope. I know I’m just a sophomore, so I might change my mind eventually, but…”
“Are you already thinking about college?”
“You weren’t when you were at my age?”
“I was, but I was kind of confused till the end. It’s good to have things already figured out”
“How’s college? Better than last year?”
“Definitely. Still not good at doing laundry and everything once my mother did for me, but now I have a new roommate and we get along pretty well. He introduced me to his group of friends and we hang out together sometimes. He…he also introduced me to a girl. We hung out together twice”
That was the thing Josh needed to tell her since he saw her that night. They had met just twice and he couldn’t tell what he thought about her yet, but he wanted Maya to know about her. He needed to know if she was okay with that and if she still actually was in for the long game. It was the first time one of them dated anyone else since they promised each other their ‘someday’.
“Like a date?”
Josh nodded.
“It’s fantastic, Boing! How’s she? What’s her name?”
Josh looked at her confused. Was she actually okay with it or was she just pretending?
“Are you okay with it?”
“Why shouldn’t I? When Zay asked you if he could date me you said there wasn’t any problem with it, so why should I be against it?”
“You and Zay aren’t actually dating…”
“You know he and I spend most of the Saturdays together, right?”
“I do, just… Are you sure?”
“I am, boing”
Actually, she was kinda upset. Part of her wished he never dated anyone, but her rational part knew that they couldn’t wait for each other forever and they had to date and experience and live their lives. Moreover, they were now friends, friends that hadn’t figure out yet what they feel for each other, so she thought that dating some else was the right way to find it out. They were now sitting next to each other, a comfortable silence between the two of them.
“What college were you thinking about?”
He knew she was going for something art-related, so he actually wanted to know if it was in New York. Even though he knew it was wrong, especially now that he was seeing someone, but he needed to know how long they had to wait for their someday. Only in that moment, he realized he was dating that girl only to know if their waiting was worth it, but part of him already knew it was.
“Hoping I could get in and get a scholarship, I was thinking about Parson, but it’s very difficult and the Royal Academy in London, but there’s the same problem. Last but not least, NYU. I heard the art program is pretty good”
He sighed in relief: two of three were in New York. Nevertheless, he hoped for her to get in her dream college, even though it was across the ocean.
“If I get in NYU, would you be my mentor?”
“Sure I’d be, ferret. I’ll always be whatever you need”