A/N: This is my next Joshaya. It's part of the At The Party series. It might be the last, probably will be, in that series. Although I might write more companion one shots that fit into that AU future. This wasn't intended to be a Christmas fic (as I wrote it mid spring), but it kind of ended up going that direction. So Christmas in July (or I guess, August, HA). This is just a little fun fic that I wrote to round out this series of one shots. This was also my 20th Girl Meets World fic, although I've written more since. Enjoy! R&R! Thanks! ~Mac
Disclaimer: I don't own GMW or the Kacey Musgraves song "Late To The Party."
Late To The Party
Oh, who needs confetti?
We're already falling into the groove,
And who needs a crowd when you're happy at a party for two?
The world can wait
Cause I'm never late to the party if I'm late to the party with you.
…
"She wants to know when we're going to be there," Josh said, reading off his phone screen with a small frown.
Maya rolled her eyes and continued her task of digging through the pile of shoes at the bottom of her closet. "So said her last three text messages."
"She's getting insistent if she's texting me now," Josh ran a hand through his hair. He sat up from where he had been lounging on her bed while she finished getting ready. He turned the phone screen toward Maya. "She used the red scowling emoji. What should I say?"
Maya glanced over her shoulder at him. "Tell her we're almost there."
"But you're not even ready yet," Josh replied.
"I'm almost ready," Maya plucked out a pair of heels with quick hands, but managed to topple over the pile of shoes anyway. She held up the strappy heels over her head. "I just need shoes."
"Nice choice," Josh said. "Did you really need thirty minutes to make it?"
"You won't be complaining when you see me in them," Maya sat down beside him on the edge of her bed. She leaned over to go about the task of strapping her feet into the heels. "Tell her we're almost there before she calls again."
"She can sniff out a lie like no one else I know," Josh shook his head, but typed in the message obediently anyway and hit send. He tucked his hands under his arms. "She's like a bloodhound, or a guinea pig—you know, they ranked in the top ten of a study on how an animal's genetic makeup affects its sense of smell."
"Don't repeat that in front of Farkle. He will not understand that you get this stuff from Daily Random Fact Feeds and you will get sucked into a conversation olfactory receptors for the rest of the night," Maya warned as she got both of her heels in place. She stood up again and pivoted to face him. "And it's Riley, for goodness' sake. She'll forgive you for the fib before she even knows it's a fib. How do you think she and I have stayed friends this long? I'll tell you, it's not my sparkling personality."
"I don't know," Josh eyed her up and down. "I've always felt like there was something magnetic about your personality."
Maya raised an eyebrow and propped her hands on her hips. "That's not my personality you're looking at."
"What can I say? There's a lot about you that's magnetic," Josh smirked. He grabbed her by her waist and tugged on her until she fell onto his lap.
Maya gasped out a breathy laugh as she caught herself with her arms around his neck. With an arm slung around her waist, Josh dipped her backwards and chased after her lips. He kissed away any protests she might have issued over being handled in such a way. She curled her fingers into his hair, taking advantage of the rare instance that it wasn't covered by his signature beanie. The lack of head wear reminded Maya that this day was a special occasion and they had somewhere to be—even if she would be more than happy to see where this led if they went uninterrupted.
"We're gonna be late," Maya said against Josh's lips.
"We're already late," Josh countered, kissing her again maybe as a distraction and maybe just because he loved kissing her so much. "And you're wearing that dress. You know what that dress does to me."
"This old thing?" Maya teased, pulling away and nuzzling her nose against his cheek.
"Mmhmm," Josh murmured and dropped his head to kiss her neck.
Maya bit her lip as he trailed almost sloppy kisses up her neck and along her jaw. "I'll tell you what? I'll let you keep doing that, if you explain to Riley and your brothers, and Shawn and your parents that we're late because my dress was too tempting."
Josh made a strangled sound in the back of his throat—and she would give him the benefit of the doubt by not labeling it a yelp. He had her off his lap and balanced on her heels again before she could blink. Then he was up and standing beside her, already grabbing both of their coats where they were laid over her desk chair and holding hers out for her to slide into, she knew they needed to get going sooner rather than later. She also knew that only a thinly veiled threat like that would call him to action.
Even though he swore that nothing anyone thought about them would stop him from wanting her in his life, after the disastrous introductions to his friends, Josh had depended on the approval of the people who were mutually important to them. Obviously Riley had been on board since the beginning, but he feared that some of the others wouldn't be as keen to the relationship, at least maybe not at first. However, they had all been supportive, if a little surprised by the development. Shawn had taken it the hardest, but that had less to do with it being Josh or Josh being older, and more to do with her being with any boy at all. Despite the overwhelming support, Josh was still touchy on the subject, even months into their relationship. These people were his family, but they were practically Maya's as well. That dynamic made him nervous, as if one step out of line and they would all change their minds. When Maya tried to talk to him about it, he had claimed that he had to be careful because they all liked her better and anything that happened would be held against him. That blew her mind because this was his blood he was talking about—his parents, his brothers, his niece—and she found it hilarious that he thought they would care about her more than him, but she didn't push it. She let it be, because she realized that maybe what he was saying, between the lines, was that he held her to that high of a regard—so why wouldn't everyone else—and he was afraid of being the one to ruin this thing between them. That meant the world to her. Still, she couldn't help but seize the opportunity to torment him a little with his irrational fear, all in good fun of course.
Sometimes it was the only way to get things done.
"So, what's our story?" Josh asked when they had finally made it out of her building. He had her hand clasped in his as they walked. "Delayed train, navigationally challenged taxi driver?"
"No story," Maya shook her head and leaned in closer to his side, letting his taller frame shield her from some of the chill in the air. "Exude confidence and walk in like we're right on time. That's story enough."
"Not for Riley," Josh checked the time. "We're gonna be later than could be considered fashionable. She's gonna pounce as soon as we're through the door."
"She'll get over it," Maya said with a shrug. "Tardiness is one of my signatures, just ask Cory. He gave me several detentions for it back in the day. Also, it's Christmas. It's the time for forgiveness."
"You know what they're going to think," Josh said.
"So let them think it," Maya replied. "The truth is, we could never be late to the party when we're late together. Our time together defies limitations."
Josh laughed and released her hand, only to wrap his arm around her waist. "You're not gonna hear any disagreement from me. I love my family, but I would be just as happy spending the holidays with you to myself."
"As lovely as that is to hear, I know that's not true," Maya said.
"You know I don't particularly like sharing you," Josh said and he pressed a kiss to her hair. The move was smooth and did nothing to falter their strides down the sidewalk.
"With your friends, maybe," Maya said, "but family? We both know that's a different story. Who did you go to first when you were freaking out about us, before we were an us? You wanna jog my memory?"
"Riley," Josh answered. "To be fair, you also went to her first."
"Because I'm Maya and she's Riley and we're Riley and Maya. That's a given," Maya said. "You bypassed all your friends and usual confidants and went to your niece, your family."
"Only because she knows you best," Josh said.
"Right, and she and the Matthews family with all its honorary members are something we share—something we will always share, so long as this lasts—"
"—this is going to last," Josh insisted.
"And I believe that," Maya nodded, "but as long as we're together, you're going to have to accept that as much as I'm yours and you're mine, we're both theirs."
"You know this is one of the reasons some people dislike the holidays," Josh said, although his tone was light and joking. "People get all filled up with the Christmas spirit, or whatever, and suddenly there's no such thing as privacy. It's all about being social and giving your time unto others."
Maya smiled despite herself. "What happened to 'Joshua Matthews is a social person?'"
"Maya Hart happened," Josh said and he stopped her right there in the middle of the sidewalk, one of the worst New York City faux pas, although they had little foot traffic to worry about given the date and time. He supposed it was worth it to look into her eyes as he said those words. It wasn't a declaration of love, not yet, but it said a lot in what wasn't said.
Maya shook her head as a sigh of a laugh left her parted lips. "Alright, let's agree right now, they get the biggies: Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, Fourth of July. And you and I get Valentine's Day, obviously, New Year's, maybe, if none of our friends try to lay claim, Halloween, you know if nothing strange or unexplainable comes up like it's been known to happen, and I don't know, April Fool's Day, St. Patrick's, Presidents Day—"
"National Pi day?" Josh suggested.
"You mean the Pi that Farkle memorized like five million digits of or pie, like pie I can understand, because I can eat it, pie?" Maya asked. "Because one is in March and one is in January—and yes, I know this because I follow the same Random Facts feeds as you."
"Both?"
"That's fair," Maya agreed.
"Okay," Josh said. "But if anyone tries to hone in on our plans for Draw a Picture of a Bird Day, I'm not going to stand for it."
Maya frowned. "When's that one?"
"April, I think," Josh said.
"I'll have to mark my calendar," Maya said. "Until then, we'll have to make do with our moments together before."
"Yeah, good idea," Josh nodded with her and then surprised her by kissing her right there in the middle of the sidewalk. She barely had a chance to get her arms properly around him before he pulled back and started walking again. He linked their arms together and kept going. "I wouldn't mind all the family time if I could do that whenever I wanted, even when they're around."
"And why can't you?"
"Well, I have in the past and Shawn has the tendency to glare and Cory has the tendency to faint," Josh explained. "Also, it's more fun when each one isn't announced by Riley squealing and flailing about like our personal kiss cam cheerleader."
"All valid points," Maya said. "Although—"
"Although, what?" Josh asked.
"Your mom and dad kiss in front of everyone," Maya said. "So do Cory and Topanga."
"Your point?"
"Does anyone cheerlead their displays of affection?"
"No?" Josh shrugged. "We're all used to it."
"Then, perhaps, the best way to curb their reactions is to desensitize them to the image," Maya said. "And we do that by kissing in front of them as much as humanly possible."
"While your eagerness to kiss me is both intriguing and flattering, it is also a little obsessive—" Josh joked, earning him a playful shove from Maya.
"You're talking yourself out of a lot of kissing," Maya said. "That's what you're doing. And here I was thinking you would want to seize every opportunity available to you, what with all the mistletoe Riley lines the place with each year."
"That could be our story," Josh said. "We're late because we were negotiating the appropriate number of times to kiss in front of them. We can say it turned into this huge debate, so of course we're late because we had to get that settled before we got there."
"You're funny," Maya replied. "You're gonna have to tell that one to Shawn. He loves a good joke."
"See, I know you're teasing me and I'm one hundred percent cool with it. Do you know why?" Josh asked.
"Because I'm adorable and you can't be mad at me for anything?" Maya grinned up at him, batting her eyelashes for added effect.
"You are adorable and I really can't be mad at you for anything, but no," Josh responded.
"Then why?" Maya raised an eyebrow.
"Because I know you would never let me say anything like that to Shawn," Josh said. "You want to put me in danger of bodily harm even less than I do."
"Shawn would never hurt you. You're like his little brother," Maya said.
"And you're like his daughter," Josh countered. "Daughter trumps brother, every time."
"Well, I'll just have to protect you," Maya said.
Their conversation continued all the way through their trip—down the street, into the subway, and almost all the way up to the door. It was silly and tangential, always something to pass the time. They talked like that all the time, because they enjoyed each other's voices, because they enjoyed each other. While their relationship was relatively new, the comfort and ease they had felt with each other that very first night had carried over, carried on with them. They thrived on it, dancing around each other until everything in their lives was intertwined. Maybe that was why the moments between just the two of them were so cherished, far above any spent in the company of others.
Sure, they were happy to spend a lovely evening with their family and favorite people. It was the holiday season, a time to be amongst family and friends, and despite everything they had said on their way, they wanted that. This was just their way. They were like this before every event, every party. Josh's roommate had been shocked to find that, by some extraordinary means, they could even make each other late for a party being held in Josh's apartment—if they even showed up at all and didn't spend the hours recreating their first night as something more. Josh had once been a key player in the party scene, but now he looked forward to what came before and after and the time between because that was when he had Maya at her best. Maya was used to being alone, so all of this was a welcome change to her. Maybe they would grow out of this or maybe they wouldn't. For now, she'd choose their little party of two every time.
Maya stopped them outside the door and turned to face Josh fully. Her hands tugged on the labels of his coat so that they fell neat and straight. "So, here's the plan. We eat, we open presents, we make our rounds and then we hightail it back to your place so I can give you your Christmas present from me."
"Your present for me isn't here?" Josh raised an eyebrow. "I thought we said we would bring all our gifts here ahead of time—"
A slow smirk worked its way across Maya's lips until Josh went silent. "That was our agreement, but one of my gifts for you is not what I would call family friendly."
Josh's jaw went slack for a second before he snapped it closed again. He nodded vigorously, a little longer than he originally intended, but he had temporarily lost control of himself. "Okay, in and out. Good plan. Let's go—"
Maya pressed up and kissed him quickly. Then she rocked back on her feet, still smirking. "One more for luck."
"Another fabulous idea," Josh breathed.
"Also," Maya pointed to the door frame and the sprig of mistletoe attached to it.
Josh shook his head with a small laugh. "You did warn me."
"Alright then," Maya said. "Let's get this party started."
When Maya pushed open the door to let them in, what she found on the other side looked less like a party party and more like a slumber party. Everyone was sprawled out across all the available furniture, most with heads lolled to the side either already knocked out or dangerously close to it. Even the Christmas carols playing in the background were snooze inducing. Even Maya swinging the door open to present them had barely garnered a reaction. She glanced at Josh, holding back a laugh.
Josh cleared his throat once, and, when that got nothing, he tried again much louder the second time. That was when everyone seemed to jolt back to life. Cory nearly slid out of his seat. Auggie's hands pumped into the air, and Riley popped up onto her feet from where she had previously been slumped between Lucas and Farkle. Eric was still dozing by the window, but the snore he issued seemed more like one of acknowledgement than one of the regular variety. One second, there was only the sound of "Silent Night" and then Maya and Josh were hit with a cacophony of questions and exclamations.
"Finally! I'm starving," Auggie said, already trudging for the table. "We've been waiting a million years for dinner."
"You said you were almost here forty minutes ago!" Riley huffed, her hands on her hips.
"It's about time."
"Where have you two been?"
"You better have a good reason..."
"Someone wake up Eric."
"I'll start serving..."
Maya just glanced around the room with a look of innocence so convincing even Josh almost believed it. "What? Are we late?"
Then there was only the sound of Josh laughing harder than he probably ever had in his life, until Maya joined him with her own melodious laughter.
…
Oh, I'm never late to the party, if I'm late to the party with you.
…
-fin-