She smiles at him, a serious look in her eyes when she confirms, “it is.” She knows that he’s always the one to care more into what everyone around them thinks about their relationship, but she does hear the little voices in her head, too, reminding her that once they cross certain lines, there’s no going back. At the end of the day, the most important opinions on them would come from each other, nothing anyone could say changing that. She would do almost anything to make sure that they get their happy ending- fuck, she do literally anything for it. “Oh, she gave me that lecture after she walked in on us making out that one time when we were visiting home.” She can still picture Riley’s eyes wide in horror before he hands fly to cover them, Josh and Maya too close for her comfort at the bay window. “While I’m glad that I know your heart is being taken care of, if you and Josh are going to be doing…certain things, Maya,” she says in a mocking voice, imitating Riley’s ‘stern talking to’ she’d gotten once she forced Josh out of her bedroom, “then they need to happen in places that aren’t sacred to us, and I don’t want to hear about them. Your private moments with my uncle are not to happen in my apartment.” She attempts her best Riley scowl, pointing a finger as she recites the spiel she’d gotten. “Then I told her to stop speaking to her future aunt in such a tone and she went into an I’m not calling you Aunt Maya rant, but I think she’s still mad about when I said that once Auggie and Ava are married, she’s gonna be my favorite niece.” She can’t help but chuckle at the memory of antagonizing her best friend, always eager to point out that Riley would be forced to respect her authority. She doesn’t like to think too much into it because they’d just become cousins, making her transition to aunt as awkward as the transition Josh would have to make for Shawn as his dad as opposed to brother. Honestly, the entire family tree would seem oddly cross wired once Josh and Maya got married, which she wasn’t shy on pointing out would happen. She got this feeling deep in her heart when they got together, the overwhelming sense of ‘this is really it for us’ taking the lead. “Right, my mistake, you had a big, fat, intriguing crush on me.” He makes it too easy to tease him, she thinks. She is holding out hope that one day, the shock value of their PDA losing its stamina. Not that it’d be any time soon, but being able to relax around their family would be a great power to regain.
“You think that my sex drive is higher than my need to have the upper hand?” she counters, quirking a brow. It’s not that she would even want to withhold sex, especially since she does seem to find her mind in the gutter more often than Josh does, but if it comes between feeling right and being turned on, she’ll take cold showers until the day she dies. “Who’s to say that once you get some, you’ll ever want to stop?” She’s cocky for a girl that hasn’t even lost her virginity yet, but she didn’t have the fear of their sex life being anything but great. She knew that their feelings are strong and true, that they’d both communicate what is good or bad, and that they’d both work towards the common goal of making the other feel good. How could sex go wrong when those things are guaranteed? She giggles into the kiss, stumbling a little when he pulls her to a stop. She barely has time to notice the dirty look their receiving before he’s kissing her again. She reciprocates, her free hand moving to the base of his neck as her lips work against his. “You’re lucky you’re cute, Matthews.” She wishes they could stay there, stay in this night. They’d never have to go home, wandering around as they steal kisses and laugh. Freely being able to express her love for her boyfriend is her favorite part of getting alone time, as rare as it is now that they’re back at their homes. Of course, he has to mention that he doesn’t like the thought of her not being fully clued in to this plan. His priority is always her and her comfort, another one of the reasons she knows how perfect their first time will be. “Calling them encounters makes it seem like you’re taking me on a safari,” she snickers, delivering a chaste kiss and shaking her head a little. “It’s going to be with you, and I trust you. As long as you don’t leave any visible marks,” she makes sure to insinuate that any others are acceptable, “I think that we’re safe from it being a headline. I don’t think there’s anything you can do to make me not think it’s perfect, if we’re being 100% honest here. You could literally do everything horribly and I’d fall in love all over again just because I know how hard you’re trying to make it everything you think it needs to be for me.”
Her eyes roll when he asks the his question. “She has spent time with you at family functions, and she’s heard the most from Topanga about you. She jumped at the opportunity to spill ever detail of every interaction we’ve ever had when my mom asked if we were a good match. Shawn bounces between you being great and you still being a teenage boy, and ‘I know what teenage boys think about, and I don’t like it, Matthews or not!’ And I’m biased because you’re my boyfriend so I only tell her when you do something extra sappy or if you’re annoying me.” She knows her mom never holds her irritations with Josh against him, usually chalking it up to Maya being moody and irritable to everyone on the days she complains about her boyfriend. It’s always something minuscule, too, like if he’s a few minutes late calling or he didn’t say goodnight before falling asleep- dumb little things she’s mad about because she just wants to be mad about something, never anything truly his fault. She hasn’t ever put too much thought into what would happen from Josh spending more time getting to know her mom. It’s kind of strange that they’re the only relationship not already bonded in another way, her connection with Josh’s parents being formed years ago. She thinks it’d go well, that Katy would only embarrass her a little and ask the basic questions a mother does when she’s getting to know a boyfriend. “Honestly, she might trust yours better than she trusts mine, but if the trust is there, we’re not questioning it.” Her mom is no stranger to the Matthews sensibility that Maya grew up learning or the stories that Shawn has that parallel to Maya’s friendship with Riley. Between that, and her basic knowledge of how carefully Josh has approached everything with her daughter, it’s no secret who would stop first if they got caught up in the heat if a moment. “I…” Does she think she’s waited long enough? Yeah, she let’s her hormones take the lead, and, yeah, it’s no secret that she wants Josh in multiple ways, but is this something she’s willing to hint that she wants to take from his control? “I mean,” logically, she can be honest, can’t she? “I’m definitely not saying that I haven’t waited long enough, but I’m not out here trying to ruin your big moment, y’know? I feel like we have very different standards for what our first time should be. I, for example, when at my most frustrated, would probably let it happen in the nearest closet or bathroom of wherever we are with absolutely no regrets, while you already have a romantic little scheme in that pretty little head of yours that is going to make it all memorable.” It almost goes right over her head that he mentions it being relatively soon. They could reach that milestone soon, and that’s just about enough for her to insist on holding out regardless of how long she thinks she should have to wait.
“Don’t get too used to it, I could easily change my mind.” She couldn’t, but she wouldn’t be Maya if she didn’t constantly tease him at any given opportunity. It’s almost too easy to steal another quick kiss, as if to deny the pointless lie she just told. Changing her mind is as far of a cry from reality as saying that her friendship with Riley is weak. She’s more sure of never letting Josh go than she is of mostly anything in her life, even in her newfound faith in hope not being just for suckers. “If this place closes, it’s going to be really hard to find another place that’s always empty, always dark, and open all hours of the night to sneak off to.” She knows there are other places around the city to spend their time, the restaurant they’d just left being an example, but she can’t think of anywhere being as perfect as this theater really is for them to run off and hide in. She’s not sure how they’re always lucky enough to miss any other teenage couple that undoubtedly takes advantage of this place as well, but it probably has something to do with Josh and his luck as a Matthews. She sighs happily when they settle into their seats, leaning into his touch without hesitation and grinning amusedly at the nerves that seem to be showing on his features. Her heart beats a little faster, always amazed at the way he looks at her when they’re so close. “Hey.” It’s barely a whisper before she leans in, connecting their lips. She keeps it sweet, innocent, just trying to show how much she cares for him, how much she truly cherishes him. When she pulls back, she pecks his nose and smiles giddily. Fuck, does her sun rise and set around this boy. Her stomach interrupts her internal beaming, growling obnoxiously to remind her that they still haven’t eaten. “We can finish being disgusting after we eat, I promise.” Her eyes leave his to locate her food, reaching over and pulling their sandwiches out. Maya hands him his before she places her own on her lap, glancing up at the screen where the previews had begun rolling. “What do you think this movie is even about?” she wonders curiously, pulling her grilled cheese out and taking a bite. “More importantly, what should we make it about because we can’t understand it? I vote vampires.”
For Josh, at least, physical intimacy isn’t his biggest concern. Because they’re good at it, up to a point. He gets a bit rigid around his family, and sadly they spend a lot of their time together around people Josh is related to, but he’s pretty sure they’d have gotten a lot farther by now if not for his brother. And that’s probably, weirdly, exactly what Cory wants. He agrees that Maya is young, perhaps even too young, for certain things. Objectively, he does believe that. But she’s not just some girl, she’s his Maya and he’s Josh and at least he loves her, at least he’s responsible enough to think about it endlessly before doing anything. At least, no matter what happens between them down the line, she won’t regret it because he won’t let her have anything to regret. There are few things that would make Josh stop touching Maya in his brother’s apartment altogether, but his niece catching them pretty much on top of each other in a spot she considers sacred is definitely a contender. “She...really lectured you about that? I wasn’t sure she’d even bring it up.” He knows that they have a friendship that entails talking about everything but surely there are limits? When it comes to possible sexy times with members of the other’s family? He thinks possible just to make himself feel better, but it’s pretty much inevitable and he feels like his family knows that, even if they don’t want to think about it, but maybe they expect him to be as...self-disciplined as they were. It’s just so trivial to place such a high value on virginity and sex when it doesn’t have to mean so much, even though to Josh, stupidly, it does. But if a relationship is of incredible importance and both participants are willing, it seems dumb to avoid it just for the sake of...what? Purity? Maya’s imitation both does and doesn’t sound like Riley, but as realistic as it may or may not be, he would also prefer not to think about making out with Maya and his niece at the same time. “I’m sure I’d feel the same way if Riley was making out with my best friend in my house, but...” That’s different, his best friend barely even knows Riley. That’s beside the point, though. He smiles softly at her story, because even though he’s only eighteen, he’s not afraid to admit that he’s almost definitely already dating his future wife. If Cory and Topanga could meet as children, why couldn’t they? He already knows it’s possible. “Morgan has always wanted a little sister. I bet it’s more fun shopping with her than Shawn.” His sister might not buy her as much as Shawn usually did, but the enhanced experience would be worth the trade off. He didn’t have a crush on her back then and everything he said and did back then indicated as much. She knows this, though, so there’s no point in hurting her feelings by contradicting her. They’re together now so obviously there was something, and that something made itself known most prominently on the train after his NYU interview. It’s the closest he can pinpoint to looking at Maya and actually thinking, “oh.” Oh, she’s always easy to talk to, even when she’s giving him heart eyes, even when she’s sitting uncomfortably close on the couch. She always made him laugh and he saw how deeply she loved those she cared about. Even seeing each other on the train that night was fate, wasn’t it? That they’d be on the same train, in the same car. They just...fit. It was his unwillingness to fit that got in their way, but it was important that he see her differently before developing anything close to a crush. “What I had was...a niece with a really cute best friend. And, huh, guess I still do.”
“Uh...” How would he know? She’s not even that handsy, not any more than...an average girlfriend. “That’s inconclusive. I guess we’ll see who laughs last.” He realizes this means he’s hoping for her sex drive to be high enough that she won’t be able to use it to punish him and he’s already concerned that his own won’t be comparable to hers. If sex actually does end up ruining their relationship, he’ll just...die, probably. “Since it’s you, I’m sure I won’t.” There’s no way to know what it’s like, or what it’ll eventually become, until they enter that stage. But he loves every part of Maya that he’s seen on the outside and every part she’s shown him on the inside, so it seems likely that sex will be no different. It just doesn’t seem like something that would break him or work as some weird punishment. “I’d say the same thing about you except I’m not as shallow as you are.” Maya’s seemingly sudden change during middle school had flustered him at first and even now, even knowing that she’s his girlfriend, and he’s the only one who gets to kiss her, her beauty astonishes him. Every time he sees her in person again after time apart, seeing her leaves him breathless. She’s still so young, he’s pretty sure she factually does get prettier each time he sees her. But if she was still Maya with a different face, he wouldn’t love her any less, she’d still dominate his heart and thoughts completely. She’d still be able to get away with way too much. The one thing he doesn’t let her evade is claiming that she can’t do things that he knows she can, but that’s because he wants the best for her. He wants her to get everything she’s ever wanted. “I couldn’t think of the right word,” he mumbles to himself. He’s no expert. But sexual encounters is a phrase, so, there. “I...I don’t even do that now! And I could, if I...wanted, and I don’t! So that won’t change.” Sure, he’s only eighteen, but things like hickies, for example, have always struck him as so juvenile. Besides, if Cory say anything even resembling a mark on Maya’s neck, he’d lose his mind and Josh would be beyond embarrassed. “Everything horrible?” He frowns, thinking about all of the horrible implications. Does she think he’ll be awkward and bad at reading signals and generally be terrible in bed? Honestly, it feels like she’s right. He almost doesn’t even notice anything else she said, but after a few seconds, he tugs her to a stop again. “Wait...” He pulls her closer and wraps his free arm around her waist, leaning down to kiss her. It’s the longest one he’s allowed in public so far, but he’s hardly even thinking about witnesses. “What’d you say about falling in love?” He says against her lips, then kisses her again, because he knows it was just a slip, maybe not even one that does mean what he wants it to mean, because he’s wanted to say he loves her hundreds of times but he doesn’t want to scare her, even though they regularly talk about their future and the fact that they’re soul mates and there’s nobody else either of them would ever want to be with, ever. Love, though, when you say it out loud like that, is a whole different thing. it’s real, it’s now.
Josh knows that Topanga loves him, and she knows him well. If he needed a character witness for almost anything, Topanga would be at the top of his list. But she’s also an exceptionally honest person and if Katy ever brought up concerns that Topanga agreed with, she wouldn’t sugarcoat it. But that just makes her praise mean all that much more. “I feel like he’s remembering himself as a teenage boy and not Cory.” Truth be told, he’s not sure which man he resembles most, if either. Maybe he’s somewhere in-between. He used to fancy himself a Shawn but there are parts of Cory that are a part of Josh, too. That’s what sharing a bloodline and similar upbringing can do. And he knows he’s not damaged enough to be Shawn, for which he's lucky. “Not that I’m saying me and Cory are the exact same, or even mostly the same. Why do you tell your mom about annoying things? You’re not helping the Pro Josh side.” It’s only natural for a girl to complain to her mom about her boyfriend from time to time, but he’s offended, nonetheless. And embarrassed, to think Katy knows about every time Josh spaced on a Skype date or didn’t answer a FaceTime call because he wasn’t in a private enough setting. “I...don’t want to think about your mom even taking my hormones into consideration.” He thinks that Katy knows the difference, though, between Josh’s constant protective or loving touches and those of a boy who only has one thing on his mind. It’s barely on his mind, because he won’t let it be. Maya just forces him to think about it more than he wants. “I don’t want this to come out the wrong way...” Always a great start to a Josh speech. “But you’re...you’re so much younger than a lot of people are when they have sex for the first time and I don’t want to ever put too much emphasis on your age in our relationship again, but it is a factor. I know you’re miles ahead of me in maturity, but when I was fifteen, I definitely wasn’t ready. It’s not even about how long we’ve been together or how much I care about you. I mean...I would do anything for you. I just want to be sure this is the right thing. I don’t want to go through with it and then have these stupid doubts and second guesses that just spoil the whole thing. I can’t shake this thought that might not even be mine that we’re supposed to wait, at least until you’re almost done with high school.” It’s, like...illegal but that’s not even...the problem, at least he doesn’t think so. “And for the record...I don’t think I’m ever going to be the guy who has sex in a bathroom. Sorry if that’s a deal breaker.” It’s a weak joke to lighten the mood, but also, maybe something to keep in mind.
Every time he kisses her, he’s reminded that any and all moments not spent kissing her are wasted. “Based on that description, I’m surprised we haven’t been murdered yet. Maybe in a different place, we’d be less lucky. So we better keep coming and giving them my money so they don’t go out of business.” He does wonder how they manage to stay afloat with the random movie selections they provide and their broken seating and their lack of an audience any time he’s ever been there. Maybe it doesn’t cost much to keep running or maybe the owner is an eccentric billionaire. Despite his thought not five minutes earlier that he hates not kissing her at all times, it’s difficult when the moment is expected. Or it’s hard to initiate, anyways, so he’s lucky that Maya is so Maya and doesn’t have that same problem. He smile when she pulls away and kisses his nose, even though he just wants to immediately kiss her again. He wasn’t thinking about their food at all but of course Maya would never forget about a grilled cheese sandwich. “Okay, as long as you promise.” And he holds out his pinky, making sure she properly shakes it with her own before offering her the bag containing their food. He half-heartedly unwraps his own sandwich, quite frankly no longer hungry despite not eating since the morning. Before, his excitement to see her had ruined his appetite and now it was how one-track minded he got when he was with her. “Then it’s about vampires. I vote they can’t fly. Flying vampires makes no sense. Like, let somebody else have some of the superpowers. They can keep super strength and speed, though.”
prguitarman
romaincrisis
theartofmadeline
2087
vaporwave
