Chapter Text
Shawn Hunter couldn't believe a lot of things in his life right now. He couldn't believe he was happily married to someone as wonderful as Katy Hart, and he couldn't believe they were expecting a child to be born in just a few weeks. He also couldn't believe that Maya was actually his daughter and that she and Riley were now officially high school graduates. Shawn's heart swelled with pride in himself and his family for coming so far in life.
The graduation ceremony had just ended, and as all the parents and other relatives were leaving the auditorium to congratulate their respective graduates, Shawn slipped away to hit the men's room. On his way back, he took a wrong turn and stumbled upon one more thing he couldn't believe. About ten feet in front of him, Shawn saw Maya, clad in cap and gown, with her arms wrapped around some guy's neck as she made out with him. His eyes widened and mouth popped open as he took in the unexpected sight. Shawn couldn't see the guy's face, but he was wearing a navy blue beanie, a beanie that he would recognize anywhere.
Joshua Matthews. Maya was kissing Joshua Matthews.
Shawn didn't know what to do or say, so he just calmly and quietly made his way back around the corner, walking until he found another way back to the auditorium entrance. Shawn ran a hand through his hair as he walked, smirking a bit as he thought back to what he just witnessed. Maya had had a crush on him years ago and Josh had always kept his distance. Truthfully, Josh's responses to Maya's blatant feelings for him were quite comical. Who would've thought that those two would end up getting together?
Hands in his pockets and a giant grin on his face, he made his way over to Katy, who was rubbing circles on her protruding belly. She was huge and still had a month to go. The sight of her just made Shawn's smile grow bigger.
"There you are. What took you so long?" Katy questioned.
"Oh...nothing." Shawn said, voice dripping with amusement. "Just got a little lost... no worries." He finished, tossing an arm around his wife's back.
"O-kay." Katy said slowly, announcing each syllable and quirking a brow to show her skepticism, though her tone indicated she was slightly amused.
Just then, Maya and Riley emerged through the crowd to greet their families and Katy forgot all about Shawn and how suspicious he was acting.
Shawn wanted to tell Katy about what he saw just moments ago, but he figured he would let Maya tell her when she was ready. After all, boys and kissing were total mother-daughter territory.
Suddenly, Shawn caught Josh and Maya sharing a look, and thought it couldn't hurt to have a little fun.
After everyone finished congratulating the girls, Shawn spoke up.
"Alright, let's get out of here. Dinner is on me."
*******
About 30 minutes later, the Matthews and Hunter-Hart families, plus Riley's boyfriend Lucas and her Uncle Josh, were all seated around the table at a nearby, family-friendly, Italian restaurant called Graziano's. A perky, blonde waitress had just brought out their drink orders and then left again to go put in their food orders when Shawn turned his torso slightly to the right and began conversing with Josh, purposefully speaking loud enough for everyone to hear.
"So, Josh... you seeing anyone these days?" Shawn asked, feigning innocence.
"Uh..." Josh hesitated a moment as his eyes flicked over to Maya who sat across the table from him . During their little rendezvous after the graduation ceremony, they officially became an item, but Maya wanted to keep it on the down-low for now. Careful not to linger on Maya for more than a second or two, he glanced back at Shawn, reluctantly responding, "No, not really." Josh looked quickly to Maya once more to make sure his response was adequate, but she just looked indifferent.
A smile began to form on Shawn's lips at Josh's vague response, but he managed to cover it by taking a sip from his glass of water. As he placed it back down on the cardboard coaster in front of him, he noticed that their waitress was a few feet behind Maya, clearing off a table that sat diagonal from theirs. Nodding his head towards the waitress, and essentially at Maya as well, he remarked, "What about her?"
Josh was mid-drink when Shawn spoke, and, as his eyes followed the direction of his head nod, Josh couldn't help but choke on his water. Did Shawn really just suggest that he date Maya? With a furrowed brow, he stared at Shawn, feeling completely confused.
"Her?" Josh questioned.
Shawn smirked, getting the reaction he had been hoping for.
"The waitress..." He elaborated. "She's cute and seems very nice."
"Yeah, I guess, but--" Josh started, but didn't get to finish before Shawn cut him off.
"And I know you have a thing for blondes." Shawn winked, letting the double meaning hang in the air.
"Okay, that's enough." Maya finally chimed in, trying to sound indifferent on the subject yet put an end to it. "Stop trying to play cupid. Josh is a big boy. He can make his own decisions."
"I don't know about that. I think the jury is still out on his taste in women." Cory tossed in, teasing his little brother about the motley crew of ex-girlfriends he has compiled over the past couple of years, none of which lasted more than a week or so.
"Hey, it's not that bad." Josh defended.
"I have to agree with dad on this one." Riley interjected. "I mean, first there was Bridgette the brainiac who talked a mile a minute, then Leah the overly-intense lacrosse player, Gretchen the glutton, timid Tara, oh and my personal favorite, Victoria the vocalist who broke out into song every five seconds." Riley counted them off on her fingers as she made her mental list of Josh's exes.
"You forgot the dancer." Topanga noted.
"And that vegetarian girl." Lucas added with a small smile at Josh's expense.
"Okay, so I've had a lot of girlfriends." Josh stated matter-of-factly. "That doesn't mean I have bad taste."
"Do I really need to list all of those descriptions again?" Riley asked teasingly.
"I think Josh has great taste." Maya said sweetly before she could stop herself. Josh smiled at her sentiment while everyone else gave her puzzling looks. Realizing her error, she hastily added, "I mean, uh, yeah-whatever-hi-I don't care."
"Okaaaay." Cory said after a slight pause, humoring his daughter's best friend, and then changed the subject. "How 'bout a toast?" He asked rhetorically, raising his glass before continuing on. "To the graduates... only one of you is related to me by blood, and yet I consider all three of you my family. I taught you guys for years and watched you all learn and grow, and I am so proud of what you have accomplished and of the people you have become."
"We all are." Topanga smiled, lifting her glass.
"And we can't wait to see what the future holds for each one of you." Katy stated, tears pooling in the corners of her eyes.
"Because we know that you all are gonna do great things." Shawn joined in.
"So, here's to the graduates and their graduation... it's not an end, but a new beginning. So, believe in yourselves, dream, try, and do good." Cory finished, quoting some wise words from his old mentor.
"Here, here." Topanga cheered.
"Here, here." The group echoed as they clinked glasses in celebration.
There was a minor lull in the conversation as they all sipped on their drinks, but, once again, Shawn took it upon himself to break the silence.
"Ah, yes, graduation..." Shawn leaned back in his chair and smiled mischievously. "Magical things seem to happen after those ceremonies." His eyes quickly went back and forth between Maya and Josh to see their reaction to his statement. Maya was biting her lip nervously, while she stirred her lemonade aimlessly with her straw, and Josh just adjusted the beanie on his head apprehensively. Both were trying, and failing, to avoid each other's gaze, and both had cheeks redder than Graziano's homemade tomato sauce. Shawn was tickled with himself, and wanted to press further, but he didn't have time before a curious Riley inserted herself into the conversation once more.
"What do you mean? Like, going to college and finding yourself and stuff?" Riley inquired.
"Well, yeah..." Shawn acquiesced. "But not just that. For instance, right after our graduation, your mom proposed to your dad."
"Really?" Riley asked, voice coated in disbelief, as her gaze moved back and forth between her parents. Topanga just smiled, while a pained look crossed Cory's face.
"Why would you tell her that, Shawn?! Huh? Why?" Cory yelled comically.
"Oh, come on, Cor, it's not like she is gonna go run off and marry Lucas now just because--" Shawn stopped midsentence, when he noticed Riley and Lucas, sitting there next to each other, arm in arm, with excited smiles plastered across their faces. "Oh, boy." He muttered.
"No," Cory barked. "no, no, no, no, NO!"
While Topanga tried to calm her husband, Shawn decided it was time to change the subject, and said, "So, as I was saying..."
Everyone pretty much ignored him, and was still watching Cory's little outburst when Lucas said the unthinkable.
"Don't worry, Mr. Matthews, I love your daughter, but I'm not proposing to her... " Lucas returned his smile to Riley, stroking her chin with his thumb as he uttered, "yet."
Everyone was rendered speechless at his comment and just sat there open mouthed. Shawn saw that Cory was about to explode, and that Riley was two seconds away from shouting one of her ridiculous yays, so before things could go from bad to worse, Shawn shouted abruptly, "Josh kissed Maya!"
"WHAT?" Everyone, but Shawn, Maya, and Josh yelled in unison as they turned to look at the couple in question. It occurred to Shawn just then that this topic may not be that much better than the last, but at least Cory appeared confused now rather than angry. It was a step in the right direction, a small step, but a step nonetheless.
"And when did this happen, exactly, baby girl?" Katy asked her daughter as she crossed her arms over her baby belly, amusement apparent in her voice.
"Right after the graduation ceremony..." Maya trailed off, brushing some hair behind her ear nervously. She wasn't sure how everyone would react, if they would all accept it. That's why she didn't want to tell people right away, not that she even knew what their relationship was at the moment. Regardless, she just wanted to keep this little slice of happiness to herself and enjoy it for as long as possible. Looks like that time was up, and a lot sooner than she thought.
"Like I said, graduation is magic." Shawn commented with a chuckle.
"And you knew about this? How?" Katy queried, quirking a blonde brow at her husband.
"Yeah, how did you know?" Josh wondered as well.
"Guys, I have a trained eye for detail. I notice things, not to mention, I am very street smart. It's a skill I have used and refined since my trailer park days and..."
"You saw us, didn't you?" Maya questioned dryly, fairly certain of the answer.
"Yeah, I did." Shawn gave in easily, admitting the truth.
The whole group chuckled at Shawn's response, then Riley let her curiosity get the better of her once again.
"So, this kiss... was it just a kiss or--"
"We're dating." Josh said simply before he even realized what he had said. It just seemed so natural to say and, to be honest, he liked the way it sounded. So, he just smiled his boyish grin at Maya, hoping his answer satisfied her, and judging by her beaming face, it did. The look she gave him made his heart swell and encouraged him to continue his thought. "Not that we've actually been on a date yet, but I plan to rectify that situation very soon...if you'll let me." He directed the last part to Maya specifically.
Maya's sweet smile turned into a cheeky grin. She had waited for this day for a long time, and wasn't about to let Josh get off that easily.
"Joshua Gabriel Matthews, are you actually asking me out on a date?" Maya teased, sitting up straighter and folding her hands on the table. The group couldn't help but smirk at the situation. including Josh.
"Yes, Maya Penelope Hart, I am." He retorted, wiping the smirk off her face. Maya had no idea that he knew her middle name, but she knew that whoever told him was gonna pay dearly.
"Who told you?" She questioned angrily as she slapped her hands down on the table, though she really wasn't that mad about it in actuality.
"I can't reveal my sources." Josh replied, clearly amused.
"Riley?" She inquired, turning to look straight at her friend.
"It wasn't me." Riley answered.
"Huckleberry?" Maya said, moving her gaze to Lucas.
"Nope." He smiled.
She then looked to Shawn, but before she could say anything, Shawn said, "Don't look at me, I didn't know your middle name until five seconds ago."
"Then who..." Maya started, then it clicked and she glared at Mr. Matthews. "You."
"It was an accident?" Cory tried, smiling innocently.
Maya just shook her head and said, "You just wait, I will get my revenge, and it will be anything but an accident." She was giving Cory her best Cheshire Cat smile, causing him to edge his chair closer to Topanga and whisper, "Protect me!"
"Always do." Topanga hugged him, but not before she rolled her eyes.
"So..." Josh spoke loudly, gathering everyone's attention. "Now that you've cracked the case, will you please answer my question."
"What question is that?" Maya feigned confusion.
Josh shook his head and stifled a smile before responding, "You know what question."
"Hmmm..." Maya pretended to think about it. "I don't think I do. You better ask me again." Maya smirked.
Josh smirked back, then stood up and circled the table, coming to a stop in front of Maya where he went down on one knee and clasped one of her hands in-between his.
"Oh no, not you too." Cory muttered, only partially worried about what was going to happen next. He knew that these young couples weren't really going to get married anytime soon, but that didn't stop the marriage references from making his blood pressure rise.
"Maya Penelope Hart," Josh began. "would you do me the honor of going on a date with me."
Maya grinned and nodded, "Yes, I'd love to."
"Good." Josh said happily before placing a soft kiss on the top of her hand. Then the sweet moment got a bit sweeter and a lot more humorous as Josh jumped to his feet, raised their joined hands and yelled, "She said yes!"
Maya just rolled her eyes at Josh, while their table and the surrounding tables began to clap. Her face immediately flushed at all the attention, but Josh didn't seem to mind at all. He just threw her a wink and strutted cockily back to his seat.
Not long after, the waitress returned with a large tray and began distributing their food. Once they all had their meals, they began to chow down and chat aimlessly with one another. Cory, neglecting his steaming plate of lasagna, kept staring at Josh and Maya who were flirting across the table. All of a sudden, he felt a nudge at his side and looked to find Topanga staring at him thoughtfully.
"It's gonna be okay, you know?" Topanga spoke quietly, so no one else could hear. "They are gonna be okay." She said confidently, patting his arm for reassurance.
"I know." Cory agreed. "I was just thinking about our high school year book... and that quote you put under your picture."
"And your picture." She reminded him. "What about it?" Topanga added, then took a bite of her ravioli.
"It's just always been one of my favorites," Cory noted. "and it seems oddly perfect for the moment, don't you think?" He questioned, then paused briefly to watch his younger brother talk and laugh with the blonde across from him. Cory half-smiled at the young couple before turning back to his wife. She mimicked his sweet smile as he began to recite the quote to her.
"I do my thing, and you do your thing." Cory started off.
"You are you, and I am I." She said as she intertwined their hands.
"And if in the end, we end up together..." He replied.
"it's beautiful." She finished.
Cory borrowed Josh's move and kissed Topanga's hand, then looked back at the young couple one last time and gave a curt nod as he repeated, "It's beautiful."