Chapter Text
Riley was sitting on her bed doing homework when Maya slipped through the open window.
"Have you started the math assignment yet? I can't figure out what I'm doing wrong for number eight." Riley said, punching numbers into a calculator and frowning at the result.
"Really, Riley? You're asking me if I've done my homework?" Maya gave Riley a look of disbelief.
"Yeah, I guess that was a longshot." Riley admitted. "Are you coming to study with Lucas and Farkle later?"
"Yeah, but before we go, I, um, I wanted to talk to you about something, honey." Maya was trying to hide how nervous she was but the nickname and Maya's tone just made Riley nervous.
"What is it? Is someone dead? Dying? Are you dying?"
"No, no one is dying." Maya assured her.
"Then it's something else. Lucas is moving away. Farkle is moving away. Oh my god, you're moving away?" Riley was getting closer and closer to a full breakdown over something that wasn't even happening and Maya knew she needed to stop it.
"Hey, Riley, no, no one is moving or dying or anything else you could possibly think of." Maya moved to take Riley's hands. "I just need to talk to you."
"You promise everything's okay?" Riley asked and Maya hesitated.
"In terms of health and people staying here? I promise." Riley seemed to accept that answer and the girls went to go sit in the window.
"So what's up?" Riley asked.
"You remember how I told you I like girls?" Maya asked. She remembered it perfectly. It had been two weeks ago and Maya had never been more nervous in her life. Riley was okay with it though and had even offered to find Maya a girlfriend.
"Yes. Have you changed your mind about letting me find you true love?" Riley asked, a grin on her face.
"No, Riley, I'm trying to tell you I-" Maya took a deep breath. "You don't need to find me true love because there's someone I already have feelings for. Someone I'm in love with."
"Well, who is this girl?" Riley asked.
"It's you, honey. I'm in love with you." Maya admitted.
"Me? As in me me?" Riley's look of surprise made Maya think she had been wrong to tell her. She had thought she'd been dropping hints about her feelings for the past couple weeks but apparently they hadn't been clear enough.
"Yeah, you you, Riley. But it's fine you don't feel the same. I'll just lock it down and we can pretend this never happened." Maya turned away and bit down on her lip to stop the tears that threatened to fall. She should've known this would be a mistake.
"Maya..." Riley said gently. When the blonde didn't look at her she reached out and put her hand on Maya's cheek, softly guiding her back. Looking into Maya's eyes she opened her mouth to say something but closed it again before any words came out. Riley looked like she was trying to decide something and Maya was about to ask what it was when she came to her decision and very quickly leaned forward and gave Maya a peck on the lips.
Maya was surprised but that didn't mean she wasted any time before leaning in and kissing Riley back. This wasn't a peck. This was what Maya had been dreaming about for years. She tried to memorize every part of that kiss, the softness of Riley's lips against hers, the way Riley tasted, the way one of Riley's hands was on her face while the other gripped Maya's arm as if she wanted to make sure this was real, that Maya was actually there sitting beside her, kissing her like the world might end tomorrow and this was her last chance. And then came the part Maya didn't want to memorize. The part she was deathly afraid of. Riley pulled away.
"Wait." Riley scooted back, away from Maya.
"Riles-" Maya started.
"No, Maya, wait. I like Lucas, remember? I've always liked Lucas, ever since we met, I can't just-" Riley shook her head. "I'm sorry Maya."
"Riley, please. Can you really tell me you felt nothing just then? That you were just thinking about Lucas?" Maya asked.
"We should go. Lucas and Farkle are waiting for us." Riley couldn't meet Maya's eyes as she got up and started gathering her books.
"Yeah. Fine. Let's go study." Maya grabbed her own bag and without speaking they left for the library.
---
Farkle and Lucas were sitting together in a study room in the library. Riley and Maya had been there too up until about five minutes ago when Maya had interrupted the awkward tension they'd been having and insisted they get to the bay window immediately. Riley had hesitated, seeming unready to talk about whatever was going on between them but Maya had called ring power and Riley couldn't say no to that.
So now it was just Farkle and Lucas and Farkle was actually glad because he needed to say something and he wasn't sure he was ready to talk to the girls about it yet. It wasn't that he didn't trust Riley and Maya with it, he just felt he could talk to Lucas about it more easily. They were best friends after all.
"Lucas?" Farkle started.
"Yeah?" Lucas looked up from the textbook in front of him.
"I think I like boys. In the same way I like girls, I mean." Farkle was surprised at how calmly his confession came out. He had been fully expecting to get so nervous that his words ran together and he wasn't understandable.
"You think? You don't know?" Lucas asked, his expression not lending any hints as to what he was thinking.
"Well, no. I don't know. I've never kissed a boy. I wanna know how it makes me feel before I say anything definite. Scientists never say something is definite before running experiments and confirming their hypothesis." Farkle explained.
"But you want to experiment? You want to kiss a boy?" Lucas was still wearing that unreadable expression and it occurred to Farkle that Lucas was from Texas and had probably grown up in an environment that taught him what Farkle was saying he wanted was a sin.
"Yes. I do." Farkle had gotten nervous, waiting for Lucas to say something, anything, that was positive. As it turned out, Lucas wasn't going to say anything. He did however lean in and press his lips against Farkle's. Farkle was surprised, by both the quick kiss and how much he missed it when Lucas pulled away.
"Did that help? With your hypothesis and everything?" Lucas asked with a small smile on his face, barely there but enough that Farkle, who spent most of his time with Lucas, could see it was there.
"You know, there's usually more than one experiment. In case one's a fluke." Farkle said. He was the one who leaned in this time and found that even without the pleasant feeling of surprise, he still liked kissing Lucas.
"So?" Lucas asked once they had pulled apart.
"Not a fluke. I like boys." Farkle confirmed and when Lucas smiled at him there was a flutter in his chest he didn't think had been there before.
"Glad I could help you figure that out, buddy." Lucas said.
"So you're okay with this? I had started thinking maybe you weren't when you weren't really reacting and I remembered you're from Texas and that isn't exactly the most accepting place in the world and-" Lucas put his hand on Farkle's arm to stop his rambling.
"Farkle. You're my best friend. Truthfully, yeah, I was raised in a place where everyone said being gay was wrong, but my mama always taught me that if you love someone you support them. And you know, I never really bought that 'love is a sin' thing anyway. So, yes, I am okay with whatever you tell me you are and I'll always support you with whatever it is." Lucas said and after giving Farkle's arm a reassuring squeeze, moved his hand away.
"Thank you, Lucas." Farkle smiled at his friend and attempted to ignore the way he missed having Lucas's hand on his arm. He looked back down at the books in front of him and tried to go back to studying. They did have a test the next day after all. Lucas went back to his books too and after a minute or two, spoke up.
"Hey, Farkle? I don't really get this part here." Lucas pointed to a part on the page and Farkle looked over it.
"The part about the cell wall? Okay well..." As Farkle started to explain what Lucas didn't quite understand he realized he hadn't really changed much at all like he had been afraid he was going to. Even though he had admitted to Lucas one of his biggest secrets they were still studying like nothing had changed. The only things different was everything was out in the open and well, the way Farkle's ears felt hot whenever Lucas's arm brushed up against Farkle's. Everything else though? Absolutely the same.