Work Text:
Riley came down the stairs to her mother's pacing in the living room. Topanga, Auggie, and Cory were decorating the tree for Christmas.
"Honey, this is our first year hosting the holidays. Is your mom gonna go easy on me?" Topanga fretted.
"You want comfort or truth?" Cory, her father, offered.
"Comfort." Topanga whined.
"It's gonna be hideous." Cory replied joyfully.
"I said I want you to comfort me!" Topanga accused.
Cory walked over to his wife and hugged her. "It's gonna be hideous." He repeated.
Riley interjected. "It's Maya's first time with us, and I need the holiday to go good for her."
Cory looked at her and said "Well, I need the holiday to be good for your mother."
"Liar!" His wife shouted.
"Liar! I need the holiday to be good for Shawn." The door buzzed. "Shawn??"
"Maya."
"Shawn??"
"Aw, what's the matter? Your boyfriend not here yet?" Maya called through the intercom.
"Just get upstairs, Maya."
Awhile later, Cory's parents, Alan and Amy, had arrived with their youngest, Josh. Cory, Alan, and Auggie were talking on the couch when Shawn walked through the open door. He put his finger to his lips towards Riley and Maya and sat down on the opposite end of the couch.
"Gee, Cor, I thought you'd be more excited to see me." Cory gasped and flung himself at Shawn. The two men hugged tightly to one another as Auggie wiggled his way out from under them. Cory released Shawn and they stood up. Topanga strides over to Shawn.
"Hello, Mrs.. Cory." Shawn greeted with open arms.
"Hello, Mr.. Cory," Topanga teased as the two embraced. Cory moved to touch both as they separated.
"How great is this? My favorite person in the world..And my wife." He one armed hugged both of them. Topanga just rolled her eyes.
Shawn faltered in front of the girls.
"Hello, Uncle Shawn." Riley gawked.
"Kids." Shawn said with a head nod.
"Wow, that's all we get." Maya noted.
"It's getting better. Last time, he just nodded. I don't think he likes me."
"Riley, why would you say that?" Cory exclaimed.
"He never talks to me." Riley muttered. "He doesn't know anything about me."
Maya confronted Shawn. "How could you possibly not like Riley?"
"What is she talking about?" Shawn questioned.
"Well, whenever you do come here, it's like you find some excuse not to talk to me and then you leave." Riley opened up.
"I talk to you, Riley. I'm talking to you right now." Shawn said.
"Then, when's my birthday? What's my favorite color?" Riley accused.
"Riley, that stuff doesn't matter." Cory told her.
"It does matter." Maya pronounced. "Tell us what you know."
"Girls, Shawn knows Riley's birthday." Cory implored.
"How do you know?" Maya asked.
"He knows." Cory sagely replied.
Topanga called the family to dinner. The nine family members sat around the table. Alan said the blessing and the group dug in.
"This food was great, Topanga." Shawn complimented. "I don't get a lot of home cooked meals."
"How's the job going, Shawn?" Alan inquired.
"Oh, you do something?" Maya sneered.
"Yeah," Shawn laughed. "I write for a site called hit the road. Go to a lot of different places and tell you if it's worth a weekend."
"Hm, I go on that site." Maya allowed.
"Okay, that's it." Riley chimed in. "When's my birthday, Uncle Shawn?"
"He knows, Riley." Cory repeated.
"You keep saying that. Why won't he answer?" Topanga, Cory, and Shawn shared a glance. Shawn arose from the table and gestured for Riley to follow him upstairs. Cory and Topanga followed. Shawn opened her parents' bedroom door and walked inside. The four took a seat in the small sitting area.
"December 8th." Shawn huffed. "You were five pounds, four ounces, 21 inches long born at 6A. I was there all night, Riley. I was the first person to hold you after Topanga."
"I thought Dad was the first to hold me."
"There's a lot of things we didn't tell you, Riley." Cory explained.
"You know how I come to stay here when I'm between articles?" Shawn asked.
"Yeah, so." Riley shrugged.
"After you ever wondered where I sleep?" Shawn shyly put forth.
"The couch." Riley offered.
"No, Riley. There's a lot you don't know about us." Topanga injected. "Shawn sleeps up here with us. It's why we have a California-King sized bed."
"I don't understand. Why would he sleep with you guys?" Riley questioned.
"You know that the three of us have been friends are whole lives. Shawn and Topanga are the two most important people in my life after you and your brother." Cory spoke. "Shortly after our wedding, your mother sat us both down and explained that while she was my wife and the love of my life, she understood that I needed Shawn, too. She said she wanted us to live together and even packed Shawn's bag for New York."
"I went with them. We got a little one room apartment close enough for your mom to get to the law firm, but cheap enough for the three of us to afford it. It was really great." Shawn injected. "I made a friend who got me a job writing for a little known newspaper and Cory got his teaching degree at night while working at this little diner two streets over."
"Ah, yes, Mama's. I used to bring home food every night for dinner before running off. It was hard, I guess, but so lovely too. Just the three of us against the world." Cory pondered, taking both Topanga and Shawn's hand in his.
"We eventually moved into a bigger apartment and Cory got his first teaching job. Your mom got promoted after her internship, I bought your dad and I matching rings, and life went on. Then, your mom got pregnant." Shawn continued.
"Please don't say your my father." Riley begged.
"Oh, no, you are definitely Cory's genes with Topanga's hair." Shawn reassured her. "No, but it changed things. We didn't want you to get confused. We spent nine months discussing it over and over. They wanted me to stay, but I was so afraid of getting in their way. That night you were born, when I held you, I knew that as much as I loved this adorable creature that had been growing inside Topanga, I also knew that you needed your parents. I packed up and left New York that night."
"But every time, he comes back, he stays here with us. He's still a major component in our marriage and we communicate all the time while he's away. But once Shawn had made his decision, we didn't want you to know until you were old enough to understand." Topanga wrapped an arm around her oldest.
"So every time I'm here, I'm reminded that you still need your parents, and so does Auggie. I love you because you're the best parts of your parents, whom I love very much. I just know what I'm missing out on when I look at you." Shawn ran his hand down Riley's cheek. "It's me, not you. I would never let anyone go through what I went through as a child. So I loved you enough to let them go, at least most of the time."
"But, why couldn't all three of you just raise us?" Riley asked.
"Well, it was the early 2000s. Things were just beginning to change in the US and I was worried about everyone finding out and it impacting Cory or Topanga's careers." Shawn explained.
"You should come home to stay, Uncle Shawn." Riley implored. "Maybe, I'll learn to call you something else, plus I would love for you to be Maya's father."
"Woah, getting a little ahead of ourselves there, Riley. And you questioned that Cory was your father, if it weren't for your hair, you'd be Cory." Shawn laughed. "I'm glad you want me to come home though, I've missed having a home."
"Shawn, you are always welcome back into our lives. You know that." Topanga offered.
"Move back in, Shawnie." Cory requested. "It's time."
"Okay, I'm moving back to New York." Shawn announced to the remaining family members sitting around the table.
"Wow, where are you going to live, Shawn?" Amy asked.
"Here, Mom, he's going to stay here, with us." Cory told them. "Like it should be."
"Well, it had to happen sometime." Alan said. "Where's dessert?"