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Chapter Text

It hadn’t started in Texas, not really. But the door had been opened, and he and Maya had both had a small glimpse inside, to what could be. But it was too big, it was overwhelming to even think about, that this girl who he’d grown so fond of had allowed him to sneak under her walls enough that she could have those kinds of feelings for him of all people. He was so stunned by the idea of her feelings, and confused by his feelings for Riley, that he couldn’t sort through his feelings and what it all could mean until it was far too late, and Maya had taken the decision out of his hands entirely.

It didn’t occur to Lucas to notice exactly how protective he’d grown of Maya until they went on the ski trip that screwed everything up. He’d seen her fight to smother her love for art when the board had planned to shut them down, but inevitably she’d fought for herself… her future. He’d been proud of her. Not long that triumph, her pain takes a front seat when Mr. Matthews’ history class digs up the past in the form of forgiveness. She’d bared her abandonment to an entire classroom, and knowing she was hurting, hurt him too. He’d always thought Riley’s mom was right when she said Maya was fierce. Maya was one of the strongest people he’d ever known. Lucas had offered what little comfort he could in that moment, silently wishing, not for the first time, that the ease that Farkle had with the girls could be shared with him. But he knew nothing could compare to the years of childhood friendship that they had cultivated. And then, during their school trip to the mountains, when everything was held together by threads, he watched her nearly fall off a cliff to save Farkle. He’d never been so furious at her. But even then? He still didn’t get it.

Maya defended Riley’s actions toward ‘cabin boy’, which wasn’t unexpected, but made him annoyed nonetheless, even if he couldn’t explain why. Lucas knew Maya operated in shades of grey when it came to her friendships. He also couldn’t explain why he felt jealousy over Riley’s innocent conversation, and even though Maya’s giddy flirtation towards Josh Matthews was more annoying than it used to be… somehow it wasn't the same. Her excuses for Riley felt like just a Band-Aid to cover other problems. Lucas had noticed it more and more since the bomb Farkle dropped on New Year’s, the way Maya did her best to put Riley between them. He didn’t blame Maya. How could he? They were all one step from being pulled into quicksand now. And her loyalty always laid with Riley… even over herself.

If Lucas was honest with himself, Maya’s lack of regard for her own feelings made him equally sad and angry.

Somehow, between all the sarcasm and distractions Maya threw at him that weekend, he did finally get her to be serious for about five minutes. He finally asked a seemingly stupid question that had been itching at him for a few months. It wasn’t stupid though, and he thought he knew the answer, and it was clear from the look on her face that she suspected they were on the same page. But he had to ask. Because things between them didn’t just start in Texas. It had been steady as falling snow that finally triggered an avalanche that they were trying to fight their way through.

He’d known for some time that Riley liked his more polite and docile demeanor… the part of him that had dealt with serious consequences to thoughtless actions, and prevented him from letting loose. Lucas sometimes thought about that day in history class, when Billy had finally owned up to what he’d done and apologized. It wasn’t really a coincidence that he’d written Mr. Perfect on his head, or that he’d easily chosen Mayaville months later. Could he stay out of trouble? Absolutely. Was it mind-numbingly boring? Sometimes.

He never felt bored with Maya. Sometimes ‘not bored’ fell into terror inducing.

Lucas would call ‘Mr. Perfect’ a facade, but it’s the part of him that Riley likes. It’s the part Maya peels from him effortlessly, like a second skin. And he not only lets her, he encourages it.

Maya likes him for who he is… which is why she dumped the smoothie on his head, not just because it was a story he’d charmed Riley with.

“I never needed you to be a hero”, she finally said through clenched teeth. She knew he already knew. He understood her. She was a bit annoyed he made her say the words. “And I like when you don’t think you have to try to be perfect.”

And then somehow, she broke his brain and convinced him that he wanted Riley.

He wasn’t ready for Maya, not really. He wanted time. And she’d thrown him toward the ocean of commitment with a cinder block around his ankle. Forever with Riley or forever with her… there was no in-between. So, he did what she wanted even though the memory of her grin after the date they’d attempted at Topanga’s still made his chest hurt.

Maya would never even consider herself an option if she thought it would hurt Riley, even though the course the last few months had taken had pushed them closer than ever. She’d let him in, more than she’d probably planned.

00

It was the weekend after they came back from the cabin in the mountains when Zay knocked on the door to Maya’s apartment.

“I know you think you did the right thing here”, Zay said as she shut her bedroom door and he took up residence of her bean bag chair under the window.

“I did”, Maya insisted.

“It’s gonna blow up in your face”, he shook his head. “I know you did it to protect your girl, but is it going to be worth it in the end when they figure out what happened?”

“Let’s hope is not until senior year”, she gave a fake smile.

“Three years?!” Zay looked at her like she was crazy.

She shook her head. “Oh. No. Senior year of college”, she clarified with a tight smile. “With any luck, they’ll be married by then.”

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “Yikes.”

“Oh, relax. Everything will be fine-“

“She says, before Mount Vesuvius erupts”, Zay finished.

She shrugged. “Wouldn’t be the first time.”

Zay huffed, very acquainted with her stubbornness. “Do you know what I thought when I first got to New York?”

“‘Wow, that’s a lot of goofballs in one friend group’?” she suggested.

“Besides that”, Zay rolled his eyes.

“You’re one of us now”, she teased, pointing a finger in his face.

“Yeah, okay. I’m a weirdo like the rest of you”, he rolled his eyes. “What I thought was-“ he pointed a finger back at her when she opened her mouth again and she scrunched her nose and plopped on the end of her bed, making a gesture for him to continue and then covered her mouth with her hand.

He stared at her suspiciously for a moment and continued.

“Honestly, when I lived in Texas? I thought Lucas was making you guys up. Or maybe he was exaggerating. I didn’t think there was any possible way that he would find himself with people like you.”

“Because New Yorkers are stereotypically rude?” Maya mumbled behind her hand.

“After barely two years, he was closer to you guys than any of our friends back home. And something about you in particular-“

Maya glared at him.

He snorted and waved her off. “Girl, I’m not scared of you. You chilled him out, Maya. You made Lucas one of your goofballs.”

Maya softened slightly and uncovered her mouth. “I’m glad you came here, Zay.”

“Me too. I’m glad I got to know all of you… and even more? I'm glad that I got to know this version of my best friend.”

“Is he really all that different?” she asked quietly.

“Let me just say that four years ago? He wouldn’t have let you tease him the way you do.”

She shakes her head. “I never would have been afraid of baby face Ranger Rick.”

“Probably not”, Zay agreed. “But he wouldn’t have let you close enough to be friends the way you are either.”

“If it actually bothered him, I wouldn’t do it!” Maya protested. “He’s the one pulling a flower out of his giant cowboy hat and putting it in my teeth, and playing the harmonic behind me while I’m mocking him-" she cut herself off when she noticed Zay staring at her with wide eyes. “What?!”

“Nothing. Just sometimes my best friend is a massive dummy. He likes when you’re happy. He grins himself absolutely stupid when you smile”, he said exasperatedly. “You two have really strange ways of being affectionate.”

“Do not”, she muttered.

“You call him Ranger Rick multiple times a day”, he said seriously. “Are you gonna try telling me it’s not affectionate? Isn’t your BS why he literally grabbed you by the face-”

She scowled. “Shut up.”

Zay just laughed.

00

“Something’s not right”, Lucas muttered for the third time as he through down his pen and got up to pace.

It had been several months since Riley had taken Maya on a field trip to ‘find herself’… whatever the heck that meant… and come home painted like Riley’s collage of purple cats. Shawn had proposed to Katy and they were planning a wedding. And then there had been the disaster at the ski lodge. Things have been easy with Riley, but the three of them were back at Topanga’s studying without the girls, and Lucas couldn’t help but feel unsettled about the last few months.

“What are you doing?” Zay asked watching Lucas warily.

Lucas shrugged. “Having a crisis?”

“I was afraid of that”, Zay muttered.

“Zay-“

“Man, we’ve been through this.”

“Something isn’t right-”

“With Maya”, Zay finished, letting out a loud sigh. He’d warned her this would happen.

“No, no. You don't want to poke the bear”, Farkle stared at Lucas incredulously. “Let the bear hibernate for the love-”

“Farkle… I know you want to protect Riley”, Lucas said earnestly. “I get it. That’s what Maya wants too… but who’s protecting Maya?”

“The Maya who would rip your arms off for even suggesting that?” Farkle asked.

“I know.” Lucas grimaced. Then he shook his head. “But everyone needs to be protected sometimes, Farkle. Do you remember when she drew you in a bird’s nest? You asked her if she thought you looked like a bird… What did she say?”

“That she thought I needed to be protected”, Farkle sighed.

“She’s been taking care of you and Riley for how long?” Lucas said a bit sympathetically.

Farkle grumbled a few things incoherently and finally came back to the conversation. “Do you and Maya actually have anything in common?”

Zay raised his hand for half a second. “They’re a lot more similar than you might think. Maya is ridiculously protective of the people she cares about. She may not always do the right thing, but she owns her mistakes… and usually the person that gets hurt the most by her actions is her. She would throw herself under a bus instead of hurting Riley.” He shrugged. “Lucas was always the protector in our group of friends… and then he met Maya. And even though she protected you and Riley, he started to want to protect her too. And then she let him.”

“You’re right about that”, Lucas agreed.

“Yeah, but-"

“Nobody is all one thing, Farkle”, Lucas shrugged.

“Yeah”, Zay offered with false humility, “Look at me! I’m both sexy and clever.” He received incredulous stares for his self-assessment. “All I’m sayin’, man, is I’ve been watching you and Maya doing the Cha Cha Slide while you’ve been doing the chicken dance with Riley.”

“Riley does like the Chicken Dance”, Farkle sighed.

Lucas stared at his oldest friend. “I don’t think-“

“Everybody clap your hands!” Zay said flatly.

Farkle was staring like Zay was crazy. Nothing new there.

“Alright. Ya’ll are no fun. Raise your hand if you’ve actually talked to Maya about her feelings”, Zay sighed and raised his hand again. “Right. Just me.”

“You talked to Maya-?”

“About feelings-“

“And you’re still alive?” Lucas finished incredulously. “Wait- what do you know?”

“Oh, I know lots of stuff.” Zay laughed in his face. “But I can’t help you. Do I look like I have a death wish?”

“Sometimes”, Lucas said pointedly.

“Okay, first of all, rude. Second… I can’t tell you what she said.”

“Come on, man! Help me out”, Lucas whined.

“I will say that you made it really easy for her.”

Lucas frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“I know Maya’s the terrifying option here, but you never did tell her if you had non-friendly feelings for her. Not even a little bit… and Maya’s no chump. She saw the writing on the wall. She figured the only way for Riley not to get hurt, was to let her make the decision. But Maya always thought it should have been the three of you. And for the record, I’m not an idiot. So don’t think I didn’t notice that the way you flipped out about her leaving the trail to save Farkle… and that it was equally as angry as she was at you for getting on Tombstone.”

“I said we weren’t just friends”, Lucas defended with a bit of a pout.

Zay just looked at him like he was an idiot.

Lucas groaned and banged his head on the table. “Damocles”, he grumbled.

“And don’t get me wrong. I love Riley. Anyone who doesn’t like Riley is a monster. You and Riley would probably have a really easy relationship, but the Lucas I knew would have appreciated a bit more of a challenge. I know you’ve changed, but I think that’s still part of who you are. And then there’s the other thing”, he said making a face.

“What other thing?” Farkle asked.

“Riley wants Prince Charming”, Zay said honestly.

“Yeah, well, look at him!” Farkle gestured to Lucas’s face.

“Riley has this certain idea of who people are supposed to be. When they don’t do that… she gets a little angry. It’s a lot to live up to sometimes.”

“But he literally called Riley a princess and put her on a white horse.”

Lucas groaned.

Zay snorted. “Do you want me to tell him?”

Lucas just sighed, looking like he wanted to take a nap. “It was Riley’s unicorn. Maya knows a guy.”

Farkle stared. “What? How? How did I not know about that?! Is my whole life a lie?”

“Maya came to me and asked me if I wanted to borrow her horse. I asked why, and she said ‘so that Riley can be a princess. Duh.’

Farkle’s eyebrows went up. “But she dumped two smoothies on your head!”

“That’s exactly what I wanted to do!” Zay threw his hands up. “Recycling conversations you had with her best friend is just tacky”, he scoffed.

“Yeah”, Lucas shrugged. “And she doesn’t look at me like I was the one who shot Bambi’s mom when I get mad!” he said exasperatedly.

“It seems that I may have made a miscalculation”, Farkle muttered, looking a bit confused.

“Look, man. They’re both special”, Zay said. “Riley makes you feel like you can always the best version of yourself. And Maya… she keeps you grounded, because she understands that making mistakes is inevitable. She doesn’t try to be perfect. What do you want?”

00

Lucas always looked to Maya. It had become a habit he didn't even know he had. She was usually the best gauge of what was going on. So when he looked for Maya and found her absent from their shared Biology class for the third day in a row, he knew he had to do something about it.

Instead of going to class the following day, he tracked Maya down, finding her in an abandoned corner of the school library.

“I don’t like when we fight.”

Maya slowly removed her nose from the chapter she was studying in Geometry. She looked up to find Lucas staring down at her more intensely than she was comfortable with. “Are we in a fight that I don’t know about?” she glanced back at her notes, pencil wiggling between her fingers.

“You never would have said anything if Riley hadn’t out-ted you”, Lucas said staring her down.

“Obviously not. I’d take it back if I could”, she shrugged, shooting him a warning look before going back to her text book. She was actually still low-key furious about Riley airing her feelings the way she did… and attempting to close the chapter of the Riley/Lucas will-they-won’t-they saga by telling a massive lie.

She appreciated even less, that now she got vaguely nauseous whenever Lucas was around. Riley swore they were butterflies, but Maya didn’t believe it. But if they were butterflies, Maya would murder them all eventually.

“Maya-“

She shook her head and looked back up, eyes looking over his shoulder. “Nope. We aren’t doing this.” Then Maya frowned. “You’re supposed to be in class.”

“You skipped Bio. Again.”

“Still trying to be like me, Lucas the Good?” Maya teased.

He sighed, mouth twisting in frustration. “Maya- aren’t you tired?” he asked quietly.

She met his gaze for a few long seconds. “All the time”, she muttered before going back to the worksheet she was filling out, silently dismissing him. Her willpower wasn’t strong enough for them to keep this up.

She wanted- It didn’t matter what she wanted.

Maya didn’t look up until she long after the sound of his shoes against the floor faded.

The next day, she slipped silently back into their class, deciding to pretend that the last few days hadn’t happened.

Chapter Text

Later that evening, Farkle finds himself climbing up the fire escape to Maya’s apartment. He knocked on the closed window.

“Farkle!” Maya shouted through the glass as she crossed the room to open the window. “You nearly gave me a heart attack!”

“Can I come in?” he asked quietly.

“You didn’t want to use the door?”

He shrugged. “Can I-?”

Maya rolled her eyes. “Get in here. And try not to break your neck.” She sat on the edge of her bed and waited for Farkle to drop through her window and stand up to dust himself off. “What are you doing here, Farkle?”

“I wanted to talk to you.”

“Give me the conversation summary”, she said with a sigh and a wave of her hand.

“I owe you an apology”, Farkle said.

“You may continue”, Maya said with a shrug.

“I haven’t been a very good friend to you lately.”

“Farkle-”

“No, Maya. I’m serious. I was so concerned about Riley that I didn’t really even consider your feelings… maybe because I haven’t really talked to you about your feelings”, he made a face.

“That would be the Riley Effect, my dear Farkle”, she said with a sympathetic grin.

He just gave her an unimpressed look saying that he was not going to be dismissed from the conversation by her sarcasm.

Maya sighed. “Farkle, don’t you think that I, of all people, understand that you can’t have equal types of feelings for two completely different people?”

“Maya… I’m sorry. For New Years Eve… and everything else”, he said quietly, finally sitting down next to her.

She shrugged. “You chose Riley. I can’t blame you. Wasn’t I the one who made you a co-founder in the Riley Protection Committee? We always choose Riley. We can’t help it.”

He squinted at her suspiciously. “You do know how you feel… don’t you?” he asked carefully.

“Maybe”, she shrugged. “Maybe not. Maybe it doesn’t matter. What happened was what was supposed to happen. It’s fine.”

He stared incredulously, mouth dropping open and he pointed at her accusingly. “Maya?! Did you really do the same exact same thing I yelled at Riley about?!”

Maya shrugged a did unenthusiastic jazz hands. “Tada. Act Two has begun”, she deadpanned.

“Why?” he groaned helplessly, throwing himself onto his back. Having girl best friends didn’t used to be so dramatic.

She scoffed. “Riley couldn't handle the triangle. I mean, really, we were all falling apart. She refused to even talk about anything to do with Lucas. I tried, Farkle. I really tried. She covered here ears and made it about me not being me anymore! She was so convinced that I couldn't really be me and actually like Lucas she basically pushed me off a cliff without a parachute. That would have really solved the triangle, huh? Me not being me so much that I only liked Lucas because I became Riley?! Because if I was really me, I wouldn’t want Lucas because I couldn’t want a nice guy. That was really fun, let me tell ya.”

“That’s what she said to you?” Farkle sat up quickly, and absorbed her words in shock. He knew Riley went overboard when she wanted something, but he’d never known her to sabotage her best friend.

“She thought she was helping”, Maya said tonelessly. “And to be fair to her, I was a little lost.”

“You didn’t deserve that, Maya”, he whispered.

She shrugged. “Thanks.”

“I love you, Maya.”

“I know you do. I love you too.”

“Why won’t you be angry at me for what I did?” he complained. “Don’t let me off the hook!”

“You did what you thought was right”, she sighed. “How can I be mad about that?”

“I hurt you”, he said remorsefully. “And maybe if I hadn’t dropped Riley’s bomb on New Years- Do you want to borrow another diamond ring?” he offered.

She snorted. “No- well, yes.” Maya shook her head roughly trying to ignore the pull of shiny things. “No”, she finally decided. “It was always going to be Riley, Farkle. How could he not choose Riley? It’s what makes sense.”

“Maya? When do you get what you want?” He’d heard what she refused to say… that she thought if there was a choice between her and Riley, the easy choice would always be Riley.

“Maybe the next time around?” she suggested. “Maybe I really don't know what I want.”

“I don't think that’s true”, he said quietly.

She scoffed. “I don’t know. It’s never really happened before… me getting what I want.”

“I think we have to do something first “, he suggested quietly.

Maya frowned. “What is it?”

“It’s time to disband the Riley Protection Committee.”

“What?!”

“Maya, it’s time. The way we’ve protected her isn’t helping her anymore. And we’re hurting ourselves and other people.”

“Farkle-”

“When I had my five minute identity crisis and finally decided I wanted to change a bit to find out who I am, I told Lucas that any living organism has to be allowed to grow if it’s going to thrive. Maya, this applies to people too, not just plants. You let me grow, Maya. I experienced life outside of our little bubble. We have to do the same for Riley… and we have to do it for you too.”

Maya took a harsh breath and wiped at watery eyes and dropped her head on his shoulder. “I don’t want to lose her.”

“Did you ever think that she might actually understand you better if she saw more of the world?” he said gently.

“You’re not my baby bird anymore”, Maya complained half-heartedly.

“Maybe not”, he agreed, kissing the top of her head. “But I still love you.”

“But seriously”, Maya pulled away and narrowed her eyes at him. “Can we talk about your shoulders for a minute?” she said incredulously, sticking a finger out to poke at said shoulder while he tried to slap her hand away.

He blushed. “Maya!”

She laughed and pulled out her ‘Sally voice’. “Why you certainly are a sturdy young man-“

Farkle grabbed one of her pillows and bopped her face with it. “You know who else has great shoulders? Lucas!” he said pointedly. “You have to deal with that!”

“No!” she insisted before grabbing another pillow and smacking him with it as well.

“And his ridiculous face”, Farkle said exasperatedly.

Maya snorted. “Zay and I were just talking about how Lucas used to have a baby face”, she laughed and then scrunched her eyes shut making a pouty face. “And now he’s got a jaw that can probably cut glass, and it’s totally unfair!” she hissed angrily.

“It is kind of unfair”, Farkle nodded. “But you seem to like his ridiculous face, so… good luck with that”, he laughed.

Maya started pelting him with pillows and a few stray stuffed animals. The conversation ended in giggles and them both falling off the bed.

00

Several days later, she and Farkle took up residence in the bay window and waited for Riley.

“Are you sure we have to-“

“Maya.”

She sighed, shoulders drooping. “Fine.”

Riley came upstairs after dinner to find her two oldest friends in her bay window. She smiled cautiously, tilting her head. “What are you guys doing here?”

“Polar bears!” Maya exclaimed, looking crazed for a minute.

Farkle gave her the same look in return. “Really?”

“A polar bear breaks the ice!” she insisted with her Southern Belle voice.

“Take it easy there, Sally”, Farkle rolled his eyes in amusement.

“Guys?” Riley tried again, unable to stop herself from smiling at their banter.

“We need to talk to you”, Maya said, patting the cushion between them for Riley to sit down.

“That’s all the help you’re giving me, isn’t it?” Farkle said to Maya.

She grinned and nodded. “Absolutely!”

“We have to stop protecting you from life”, Farkle said, having earlier decided that it would be best to be blunt; they’d cushioned Riley’s feelings enough. They’d never wanted to hurt her, but they had also been less than truthful over the years, and it really was time to stop. “We’re your friends. Our job is to walk through life with you, not make sure you don’t see anything.”

“Are you sure we can’t just blindfold her?” Maya threw her hands up.

“Maybe put her on leash like a puppy?” he grinned at her.

“Hey!” Riley protested.

“Yeah”, Maya said hopefully.

“No!”

“I’m right here!” Riley said exasperatedly.

Farkle laughed. “Riley, when we were kids-”

“You were very, extremely gullible”, Maya interrupted, trying to sound upbeat.

“Maya had already experienced pain and loss, and she was barely six. I was a weird kid with no friends. And you-“

“You were sunshine”, Maya added quietly.

“Maya never wanted one bad thing to happen to you because she didn’t want you to change. And we went overboard.”

“I think”, Maya started unsteadily, “that instead of us just holding your hand and walking through life with you… we kind of protected you from a lot of life in general.” She looked at Farkle who took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly, and she plowed on. “We were wrong.”

“And now? You’ve got to do what you wouldn’t do while apple bobbing”, Farkle grinned.

Maya let out a watery laugh. “You have to wift your head, Wiley”, she said mimicking her little girl voice. She reached for Riley’s hand with her free one. She gave a confident nod. “It’s time.”

Chapter Text

The next few weeks were fairly quiet considering all the drama just under the surface.

It was three weeks later when Riley and Lucas both happened to be looking for each other after school and when they ran into each other, they both said some version of ‘can we go somewhere and talk?’.

Lucas suggested that they go for a walk in the park.

“Do you want to talk first?” Lucas offered.

Riley frowned, thinking back to the extremely long conversation that she’d had with Farkle and Maya, one that hadn’t ended until they were all a bit watery around the eyes, and how Maya had reluctantly pointed out that Riley had basically steamrolled – Maya hadn’t used that word – the triangle. And that Riley hadn’t been very open to hearing anything she didn’t like. Maya had said she understood that Riley had done it to protect her own feelings, but that Lucas’s feelings probably should have factored into how the situation had ended.

“Great, now I’m the bulldozer in the pink sweater!” Riley had cried dramatically. She hadn’t been very accepting of the criticism at the time, but the more she thought about it, the more her eyes had opened to what had really happened. She couldn’t lie; there were still things she didn’t understand… things Maya refused to talk about, and even Farkle said that Maya needed time. So she tried. She wanted to fix the mess that was between all of them. And she couldn’t do that without listening. Her first cleanup was with Lucas. She owed both of them honesty, because she did love Lucas, truly, no matter what definition that took. And maybe she was still a lot confused about the ins and outs of falling in love, but she was certain that she always wanted him to be a part of her life.

Riley shook her head and smiled. “You first.”

“You sure?”

Riley sighed. “It was recently brought to my attention that I haven’t been listening very well lately. I’d really like to hear what you have to say.”

“Okay.” Lucas frowned, seeming not sure where to start. “You remember when Zay first got here?” he started. “And you were mad at me because you thought you didn’t know who I really was?”

Riley nodded. “I remember an epic water fight and being turned into a human fountain”, she raised an accusing eyebrow at him. But then she grinned. “And then I dumped a bucket of soapy water on your head.”

“I remember. I was there.” Lucas snorted in amusement. “Before that… at lunch? You wanted me to tell you that you weren’t wrong about me. And Maya actually called me by my name and told me that I needed to do what you wanted… because it was important to you and that made it equally important to her?”

Riley nodded slowly, a frown crossing her face. “Why are we talking about this now?” she asked softly.

“People change people, Riley. Right? How long have you spent trying to get Maya in a place where she feels safe enough to want things?”

“A long time…”

“Then why, after all the ways you fought for her happiness, did you think she was only happy because she pretended to be you?”

“I-“

“Maya would do anything for you, Riley. Even if it meant giving up her happiness and reverting back to the role of your troubled friend that you need to ‘save’… just so you could be happy.”

Riley stared absently in front of her. “Do you think I broke Maya?” she asked finally.

“Maya was never broken.”

“You really think I was wrong?” she asked softly.

He bit his lip and nodded. “I do. Do you remember being Dark Riley-?”

“Morotia”, she cut him off abruptly.

He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, that. Let’s not do that ever again. Yeah? Okay.”

“She would have been an awful bunny farmer”, Riley shook her head in disappointment.

“Maya has experienced true pain that’s affected her entire life. I think she’s done her best to keep even an ounce of pain from touching you. And she’s done such a good job at it, she thinks it for the best… even if it ends up hurting her.”

“I broke Maya-”

“What’s her biggest fear, Riley?”

“Ballerinas!”

“Try again?” he suggested gently, raising his eyebrows.

“Losing people”, she said quietly.

He reached over and held her hand. “Could you ever hate her?”

“No. Not ever.”

“I know.”

“Lucas? How do you feel about Maya?” she whispered.

He let out a laugh and ran a hand through his hair. “Turning this around on me? That’s fair.”

Riley rolled her eyes. “I know you care about her. To be clear, we can’t be friends if you don’t like Maya.” She gestured between them, nodding seriously.

He grinned briefly. “I know. You two are a package deal. Although, I didn’t really ask you to talk about Maya.”

“So?” she prompted.

“It’s complicated”, he offered with a shrug.

“It’s all getting complicated now, isn’t it? Just... try?”

“I know I don’t want to lose her as a friend”, he answered finally. “I like when she’s happy.”

“She makes you laugh”, Riley offered. It was strange to notice the absence of pain she felt now at hearing Lucas’s thoughts about Maya.

“Yeah, she does.”

“You think she’s pretty”, Riley sing-songed teasingly.

“Well-“

She laughed. “You seriously texted Zay calling her ‘Blonde Beauty’?”

“How about we pretend that didn’t happen”, Lucas nodded emphatically.

Riley snorted. “I don’t think so, buddy.”

“And I’m back to ‘buddy’”, he sighed dramatically.

She nudged him with her shoulder and directed them to sit on a bench.

Lucas let his head fall back and glared at the sky. “I never wanted to come between the two of you.”

Riley shook her head immediately. “Lucas, no. This wasn’t anybody’s fault.”

“Not sure if I believe that”, he muttered.

“You believe there’s no such thing as coincidence, right? That we eventually get guided to where we need to be if we watch for the signs?”

“Basically”, Lucas shrugged.

“I believe you were meant to be here, in New York, with all of us. No matter what happens, no matter how we change and grow… we do it together.”

“I hope so. I always want all of you to be a part of my life.”

“So…” Riley started, suddenly wanting answers for all the things that didn’t make sense to her. “Just out of curiosity - for science - how long did it take exactly, from the time I when I left the two of you alone by the fire until you grabbed her by the face and then didn’t kiss her?!”

“We were arguing!” he protested.

“Have you ever considered even once to almost kiss me when we’re fighting?” she demanded.

“No!”

“Uh-huh. How long?” she demanded.

Lucas groaned. “Less than ten minutes.”

Riley stared at him incredulously and then burst out laughing. This was ridiculous. “Lucas!”

“Riley! I’m serious!”

“Oh, I know you are”, she promised, stifling giggles. “That’s why I’m laughing. Lucas? The person you are with me isn’t the same person you are with Maya, and both of those parts of you are true. I love you, and I think we’ll make sure we’re a part of each other’s lives forever. But… if the secret to life is that people change people… do you think we’ll change each other?”

He frowned. “I don’t know how to answer that. I know I’m not the same person I was before I moved here.”

“Why were you fighting with Maya?” she asked abruptly.

Lucas shrugged. “Because I wanted to know if you were telling the truth… and it felt like she was lying to me.”

“And it mattered to you?” Riley prodded. “It mattered whether or not she had feelings for you?”

“I- yes?” he frowned, not understanding what she was asking.

“Why?”

He gave her a sideways glance. “What do you mean why?”

“I mean… if you didn’t already have some kind of feelings for her, why did you care so much whether she was lying about it or not. You could have left it alone”, she shrugged. “Or you could have let Maya sidestep her way out of the conversation, which she is very good at.”

“I don’t know. I couldn’t let it go.”

“Lucas, was this”, she gestured between them, “was it what you expected?” Riley asked curiously.

“What do you mean?”

“I don't know. I just have been thinking about the last year, and all the times I’ve worried I wouldn’t live up to my parents’ legacy… and it seems like every time I try to make myself more like them, the universe slaps me in the face and tells me I have to be my own person. I’ve just been wondering if I expected you to be something you’re not because it’s what I needed. And that wasn’t very fair of me.”

He sighed. “Riley… I’ve liked you since the day we met.”

“I’ve liked you since the day we met too. You don't know this, but I was trying to be Maya that day”, she admitted with a laugh. “It was my first time riding the subway. I told her I wanted to be bad like her, and so I put on her lip gloss. I thought I was really bad.”

Lucas grinned. “Yeah?”

“Maya’s life always seemed like such an adventure. She’s known practically everyone on our subway route for years. I’ve always wanted to be confident like Maya. She never lets anyone see how much she cares. I thought for a long time that she didn’t. She just… she took care of me and Farkle. And we didn’t even realize. She saw you, and we were talking about talking to boys, and she told me it wasn’t that hard. She said she was going to teach me all about relationships, and she skipped across the car- what did she even say to you that day?” Riley frowned.

Lucas raised his eyebrows. “You never asked her?”

Her head tilted. “No? That’s weird, isn't it? I got a bit distracted when she let me fly into your lap”, she admitted with a shrug.

“We had a thirty second speed date, and at the end she dumped me”, he admitted with a laugh.

“Wait, what?” Riley shook her head incredulously. “When she came back, she told me that you guys just broke up. I kind of thought she was kidding.”

He squinted, dredging up the old memory… his first time being completely blindsided by Maya’s force of nature personality. Lucas grinned and took a deep breath. “’Hi, I’m Maya. You’re really cute. We should hang out some time. You make me happy. You don't pay enough attention to me. This isn’t working out. It’s you, not me. We can still be friends. Not really.’”

“Oh, you got Maya’d”, Riley said with wide eyes.

“Then she left and you were in my lap. In was the most interesting thirty seconds I’d had since I got to New York.”

“And now?” Riley asked. “We’ve all been through a lot since then. How’s it rate now?”

“It still makes the top ten”, he grinned.

Riley sucked in air. The realization of the situation they were in, and the turmoil her best friend was probably still hiding from her, washed over Riley like cold water. “Go talk to her.”

“Riley-”

“No, Lucas. I don’t know what our relationship is going to look like in the future, but I know we’re going to have one. You mean too much to me to ever not be a part of my life, but no one else has ever fought me to protect Maya”, she said quietly.

And this wasn’t even the first time it had happened. Lucas hadn’t been happy the day Maya ran out of Topanga’s only to be brought back by the cops.

Riley was fairly certain that Maya still hadn’t heard that Lucas had yelled at Riley for accusing Maya of stealing money while Katy was working.

“This isn’t a joke, Riley! Tell me you don’t seriously believe Maya would steal! Picking up a five dollar bill off the ground - that she willingly put back, by the way - is not the same as stealing from where her mom works. Maya isn’t a thief, Riley. She’s your best friend. You should know who she is.”

Lucas left. It took a minute for Riley and Farkle to go after him and the three to agree they needed to find Maya.

Much later, way too late to prevent the metaphorical avalanche that almost took them all out, Riley would think of this moment and realize that she had been the one to push Maya off the mountain.

“Except when Uncle Shawn called me ‘baby Cory’… something I’m still mildly insulted about…” Riley continued, shaking her head and tried to focus. “I’ve been watching my best friend disappear. She won’t say what she wants, she won’t argue with me, and she refuses to stand up for herself. I don’t know if she’ll let me help her now… or even if I can. We’ve been who we are for so long… I think we both know I don’t do well with change.”

“Change is hard”, he said. “But it can be good too. Like me moving here… or Zay moving here-“

“Or Maya being happy”, Riley whispered. “I tried to take that from her… and she let me. She’s my best friend. And her being happy is all I’ve wanted for her our whole lives. Why did I do that? She tried to tell me how she felt and I wouldn’t believe her.”

“I think we’re all a little confused right now”, Lucas muttered, running a hand through his hair. “And I think sometimes… you both go too far to protect each other’s feelings.”

“You mean Maya-“

“Oh no. You do it too”, Lucas nodded rapidly, then winced. “No offense.”

Riley stared incredulously. “Kinda offense!” she insisted. Then she rolled her eyes. “I want Maya to be happy, and I know you do too. If your feelings for her are what they sound like they might be? Lucas, you have to tell her. Because I think we both know you don’t feel the same way about me.”

“Riley-” he protested.

“Lucas, I love you. And I know you love me… maybe it doesn’t matter what we call it”, she said softly. “But I don’t think the feelings you have for me are anywhere close to what you feel for Maya. And… maybe I don't have those feelings for you either.” She frowned. “And I think we both deserve fire, don’t you?”

Lucas groaned. “That stupid yearbook.”

“And this?” she gestured between them, “It doesn't hurt like it used to… knowing how much you like Maya. It feels… right. Somehow.” Riley smiled a bit sadly. “I wish I’d seen it then… but I do now. I get it. Now, Maya needs to see it too.”

He frowned, “I don’t think I’m the one she needs to talk to right now. And you should probably do it before she elopes with your uncle.” Lucas couldn't help but grimace.

Riley’s eyes widened comically, nose scrunching in disgust. “Yeah, that gets weirder the longer I think about it.” She stood up and held out her hand. “We’re both right. Maya needs both of us. No more secrets”, she said firmly. “Come on.”

Chapter Text

Lucas followed Riley back to her apartment where they found Maya in the kitchen with Josh. Riley stared at them for several long moments before taking a breath and stealing herself.

“Uncle Josh”, she announced. “I love you, but you gots to go”, she pointed.

Lucas reached over and adjusted her hand so it was pointing at the door and not the side window.

“Riley-”

“Maya, shush”, Riley flapped a hand at her.

Maya’s eyes widened. “You just shushed me?! I beg your pardon!”

Riley met Josh as he exited the kitchen and she smiled innocently. She looped her arm through his and led him to the door. “If you’ll excuse us, we have some unfinished business to take care of… but feel free to continue your conversation with Maya once we’re all a bit closer to thirty.” She opened the door and deposited him in the hallway. “My mommy is a lawyer, and I know stuff. Love you. Bye-bye.” He was squinting at her curiously before she slammed the door in his face… and then she locked it.

“What did you do that for?” Maya whined as the door closed.

By the time Riley turned around, Maya turned her glare to Lucas.

“What. Did. You. Do?!” Maya demanded through clenched teeth.

“Why are you blaming me?” he protested.

“Uchh, because it’s always you!”

Riley made an ‘eep’ noise even though the fury wasn’t directed at her yet. She could do this. She pointed at Maya. “You get back in this triangle right now!” Riley demanded.

“Oh”, Maya shook her head. “Yeah, no. The triangle is dead and buried, Riles. And last I checked, digging up graves is illegal.”

“Mayaaaa-“

“Not doing it!” Maya insisted as she ran around the island to escape Riley.

“Oh, you’re doing it!” Riley insisted running around the corner to block Maya.

“Riley! Quit pushing!”

“No! I’m not very good at being wrong, Maya- I don’t have enough practice at it”, she squinted comically. “But I told you that you deserved to have everything you ever wanted. I meant it then, and I still do! Why did you let me stomp all over your happiness like Godzilla?!”

Maya scoffed. “Riles, you’re hardly Godzilla.”

“Here’s what’s going to happen”, Riley said, crossing her arms in an attempt to be stern. “The three of us are all going to talk. And we’re going to agree to tell the truth… even if it’s hard.”

“I don’t know what the truth is anymore”, Maya said flatly.

“I’ll tell you something true”, Lucas said finally. He was still leaning against the back of the couch, temporarily content to let them chase each other, but prepared to stop Maya from making a run for it.

The both looked over like they’d forgotten he was there. At least some things were still normal. Maya glanced up reflexively and immediately avoided his gaze. She closed her eyes and tried to contain her temper. “You again”, she practically growled.

“Riley is your best friend, and you’re never going to lose her.”

“Thank you, Dr. Phil”, Maya snorted.

“Maya”, he sighed exasperatedly. “You aren’t going to lose me either. I didn’t realize what I was missing until I met you guys. And I can’t imagine what life would be like without you in it.”

Maya mimes gagging in disgust, but he waits her out until she rolls her eyes and shrugs. “Sure you can, Buckaroo. It would be full-time Riley Town… and you seem like you like it there just fine”, she shrugged dismissively. “I don’t exactly blame you, since I take the odd vacation there-“

“I’m not asking you to be something you’re not”, Lucas glared at her. “I liked you when we met, and I still like you now. Who you are hasn’t changed that much. Not really. But the way you let people see you… that has. I like Riley Town because that’s part of who she is.”

“Stop acting like you know me, Lucas.”

Riley stares in disbelief. “Maya, please- I never should have said what I did. You deserve a nice boy if you want one. Lucas doesn’t belong in your Dungeon of Sadness with the ballerinas!”

Lucas blinked. Yikes.

“Riley?” Maya glared angrily, teeth clenched. “I’m only going to say this once: stop throwing me under the bus! You can’t control everything! Including me. My feelings are mine. And you can’t just pull them out and dump them on the floor to poke with a stick whenever you want to!”

“Maya, please just-”

“Lucas is free to go to whatever land he likes, Riley. I hear Australia is nice. Maybe he can be Ranger Rick the ‘Roo Wrangler.” She waggled her eyebrows teasingly at Lucas. “Say that three times.”

“Can you be serious for five minutes?” Lucas asked exasperatedly.

Maya’s eye twitched and she held up a finger. “I don’t think you understand”, she said slowly. “I would rather be butt-naked in an eel tank right now than do whatever emotionally vulnerable malarkey that this conversation is trying to be!”

Riley shrieked. “Maya!”

“You’re not the boss of me!” Maya yelled back. “My life is not going to turn into an episode of ‘The Bachelor’! Do we even know ten other girls?!”

“Would you stop!” Lucas yelled over them both before Maya could do what she did best… distract Riley. But he hadn’t thought that through, and they both winced.

Maya turned her laser eyes in his direction, finger pointing accusingly. “Not cool, Lucas! Not cool!”

He held both hands up innocently. “Sorry.”

“Oh, you’re not sorry yet”, she muttered with a glare.

“We’ll come back to that later”, Riley raised an eyebrow. “Maya, we have to talk about this!”

“I can’t hear you-”

Riley gestured for Lucas. “Get her.”