Shadows

It turns out dating Maya means parties. A lot of parties. College parties.

"C'mon Riles, we're gonna play ring of fire and you're my secret weapon!"
"Oh, cool."

It is cool. Maya drinks almost too much, enough to be even softer and soppier than usual, she latches onto Riley, all Eskimo kisses and glares at anyone who's gaze lingers on Riley for more than a minute. Riley tries her best not to squirm from happiness.

The drives home are always entertaining - after a terrifying encounter with a yellow taxi because Maya point blank refuses to use Uber, they alternate between being the designated driver if Maya's ex can't drive them. Even though she'd never admit it to the blonde, Riley would rather drive a thousand miles for her than spend a single second in a car with Charlie Gardner and his easy jokes. She settles for being overly touchy in the back seat with Maya, which the older girl can't get enough of.

They always get home just after Riley's curfew, wrapped around each other and buzzed off of young love, but Cory just gives them a tired smile and is happy to finally be able to sleep - maybe he should just give Riley a front door key.

~

Even though both girls have eluded to it a lot, and everyone thinks they've been at it like rabbits, the two haven't actually slept together. Not yet.

Thanks to Maya wanting to be a gentleman about things, Riley is practically strung like a tightrope by the time she's managed to drag Maya into a guest room at one of the many parties they somehow always end up at.
The older girl worries at her lower lip, until Riley's shirt is off and her restraint is awful.

~

It turns out they both suck at... that. Maya starts crying halfway through and Riley's head snaps up so fast they both have purple bruises on their foreheads and chins respectively (Maya wasn't hurt or anything, she just loved Riley so much and was overwhelmed in the moment).

Despite claiming to be awesome at anything even remotely physical, Maya is kind of awful.

"Where does it even go?"
"I don't know... ow! Ow ow ow, Maya! Not there!! Jesus. Oh, yeah there's.. nice."

When Maya stops crying, finally, Riley decided their first time just isn't going to be a grade A porn fest, so decides to make it more RileyandMaya, by attempting to ruin the mood and make Maya laugh every thirty seconds.

"Aye aye captain! I can't heaaaaaar youuuuu!" She yells in Maya's ear when the girl falls apart on top of her, and Maya's ears go bright red, tears of joy streaking down the previous tear tracks.

"You're such a loser."
"Yeah, but I'm better at it than you."
"Shut up!"

Maya relaxes eventually and turns more into the fuckboy everyone seems to rave about, just with more cutesy teasing,

"You shaved your legs for me, Matthews? Marry me."

Riley's not sure if she's breathless from Maya or from her stupid ass jokes, but when she collapses against her girlfriend (!!) completely exhausted and happy and safe, she doesn't really care.

"Love you, kinda,"
"Love you a whole lotta," Maya mumbles into Riley's shoulder, wrapping her arms around the taller girl and letting the two finally sleep, because they're both kinda exhausted from laughing so much.

~

"Why are you two being so cutesy? Like, more than normal? It's like you engaged in... oh!" Maya clamps her hand over Smackle's mouth, barely covering the girl's confused but also happy grin. Farkle smiles proudly at his girlfriend (!!!!) and gives Riley a knowing look. She nods, blushing furiously and yanks Maya back into her side, allowing the blonde to stand on tiptoes and kiss her temple. She has to crane her neck but it's totally worth it, so shut up Farkle.

"So... you guys... y'know?"
"I thought you had already. Zay sent some pretty explicit texts to me."
"He what?!"
"Calm down baby," Maya coos, stroking Riley's cheek with her free hand, letting Riley relax against her touch.

The brunette hums happily, then gives Farkle a death stare when he mutters 'whipped' under his breath.

"Zay got coffee! What'd I miss?"
"Riley and Maya -"
"Are starting a book club!" Riley yelped, and Maya burst out laughing.
"What?"

Farkle whispers something in a very confused Zay's ear, and he pauses to give Maya a very thoughtful look.

"You waited?"
"Shut up." Maya muttered, playing with Riley's hands nervously, heart thrumming against her chest.

Grinning like an idiot, Riley presses a kiss against Maya's hair, and looks back at Zay.

"Nearer the occasion I was definitely the one waiting." She clarifies with confidence, and everyone's ears go pink.

Maya's past scarlet at this point.

"Well, it's time someone did a number on you, Hart." Zay grins, handing Riley her caramel macchiato and Maya her black coffee. "Proud of you, Matthews."

"Only I call her Matthews," Maya mumbles from behind her coffee, and Riley's eyes go dreamy as she stares at the shorter, extremely flustered girl.
"I'm so in love with you." Riley speaks clearly, but Maya's head whips round as if she's barely whispered.

"You are?"
"You are? Couldn't tell." Farkle mutters, ducking past the sugar cube Maya chucks at him.

"I am." Riley confirms with a huge smile, not worried that Maya hasn't really responded, she knows she'll feel more comfortable saying it in private. Instead she just squeezes Riley's hand under the table, and it's enough.

~

Everything's perfect until Thursday. Fucking Thursday.

"Riley, I need to talk to you."
"Nuh uh, you need to take a walk. Maya hates you and I'm in love with her." Riley's response is so fast Lucas wonders if she planned it.

"I'm serious, why did Maya call you eagle 1 earlier, I thought that was our thing?"

Riley's eyes go wide. Of all the things this idiot could ask her. She doesn't even grace Lucas with a response, simply lets out a fake laugh and rushes off to find 'currently doing that'.

~

"...and then he said it was our thing! Can you believe that! The nerve, why I oughta -"

Riley's cut off by an insistent kiss from Maya, and she can feel hands tugging at her shirt. She knows the topic of Lucas still makes Maya uncomfortable and angry and jealous, so she goes along with it, biting Maya's lip and rushing to unbutton her shirt. Their makeout session comes to an abrupt halt when Riley tastes tears against Maya's lips.

"Hey, what's going on peaches?" She mumbles, trying to slow down Maya's achingly desperate kisses.
Maya finally relents and collapses against Riley's almost bare chest, sobbing.

"I just fucking hate him, y'know."
"Well I'm hardly his number one fan," Riley's joke is lame but Maya laughs deeply into her stomach, feeling her anger dissipate almost as quickly as it came. Slowly rolling over onto her back, head in Riley's lap, she takes a deep breath before giving Riley the confession she's been waiting for since Tuesday afternoon at Topanga's.

"I'm in love with you too, I'm so far gone for you, Riley Matthews."

Riley just gives her that heartbreaker smile and connects their lips softly, sighing against the blonde's mouth.

"Love you too. So much Maya, so, so much."

With Lucas forgotten, the girls cook spaghetti in Riley's underwear, singing too loud to one of Maya's more jokey playlists.

"Mama, just kiiiiillllled a maaaaaan!" Riley belts out, holding the wooden spoon dramatically against her chest, sighing when she realises she's stained her favourite sleep shirt.

(It's only her favourite because Maya usually wears it and it smells like her shampoo and the body lotion she swears by.)

"Riley, something you wanna tell me," Topanga grins, leaning against the dining table. Maya blushes until she realises the lawyer is joking.

"Oh, right. Maya, this is the more sane one of my parents, which isn't saying a lot. Mom, this is Maya, my girlfriend." Riley finishes her introduction by kissing Maya's cheek, wrapping an arm around her waist and ruining Maya's sleep shirt with sauce.

"You're an idiot," Maya smiles dopily, "she was making a joke about the song.

"Oh, well you're still my girlfriend, so who's the real winner?!"
"Still me."
"Adorable. Make enough pasta for everyone, and Ava!" Topanga calls, before exiting the apartment to collect her son from soccer practice.

"She still doesn't count Ava as family?"
"She does deep down." Riley grins, smiling when she realises the garlic bread is done. After setting it onto the counter, she wraps her arms around Maya's waist, swaying them gently.

"Can you sing for me? Not one of these songs, a nice one."
"Anything you want," Maya smiles, leaning against Riley's shoulder as she tries to find an instrumental version of Riley's favourite song.

Riley doesn't mind when she can't, she likes the sound of Maya's voice together with Tyler Joseph's.

I can lift you up, I can show you what you wanna see
And take you where you wanna be
You can be my luck
Even if the sky is falling down, I know that we'll be safe and sound

The taller girl grins and spins Maya around so they're facing each other,
"your voice is so beautiful," she murmurs, before brushing a hair behind Maya's ear.

It's not that Maya isn't used to compliments from Riley, it's just that there's nearly no space between them, and she can feel Riley's breath against hers and she suddenly wants to cry again.

"Hey, you're okay,"
"I want you to meet my mom," Maya replies, almost too quickly, and Riley raises an eyebrow before breaking into one of the best smiles Maya's ever seen.

"I'd love to."
"She's gonna love you."
"Yeah?"
"Well, I do, and everyone says we're pretty similar."
"I love you too,"
"Yeah."
"DINNER TIME!" Auggie yells, and Maya jumps three feet in the air.

"I missed you asshole. Miss any open goals?"
"One time," Auggie grumbles, before grabbing a slice of garlic bread and a plate of bolognese.
"She knows, Augster," Ava smiles, before shooting Maya a look and taking a much smaller plate of spaghetti.

"Still funny," Maya grins, and Riley rolls her eyes, before loading pasta onto her and Maya's plates.

"Whatever. Pass the juice."

Riley's heart swells at how familiar all of it feels. Maya and Auggie teasing each other, Riley or Ava jumping in if need be, Topanga and Cory looking on with these giant smiles. 

She hopes it stays like this forever. 

"Nobody move." She demands. 

Maya hooks an arm around her girlfriend's waist and gives her a huge smile, "you heard her."