Three Kisses to Paradise by Semmi
Author's Note: Written for Yuletide 2008. I don't own Boy Meets World but I do wish Shawn/Cory/Topanga had been canon since they just work.
The first time Cory kissed Shawn was a dare. It was quick and simple and should have been nothing since they'd been best friends for forever and had seen each other in various states of undress and in positions that no one should see their friend in before so a kiss? No big deal.
Which didn't explain why Cory spent a week thinking about it and comparing it to Topanga's kisses. Their lips were both soft, Topanga oddly enough was the more aggressive one but oh nothing could compare to Shawn's technique.
But eventually he forgot about it. Moved on. It helped to have the most wonderful girlfriend in the world so Cory focused on that.
It wasn't until after their third kiss that Cory knew he was in trouble. He didn't think the second kiss really counted, but oh the third kiss. Not a dare, no learning CPR pretense, just a kiss for no reason at all.
"Whu-why did you do that?" Cory asked bewildered, staring at his best friend, trying to stop his hand from reaching up to touch his lips. They'd been studying, or he had been at least. Just hanging out in his room, on his bed and all of a sudden Shawn's lips were on his and Cory had forgotten how to breathe, how to function.
Shawn just gave him a little smile. "Because I wanted to." And then it was like nothing had ever happened and Cory didn't know what to do.
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"I kissed Shawn," Cory said walking into Eric's apartment. He knew Jack and Shawn were off doing something in an attempt to forge a brotherly bond. It had been his idea afterall and he knew they'd be gone for awhile.
He didn't know what he was expecting. Something dramatic since it was Eric. Maybe falling off the stool or yelling or Eric running to get soap so he could cleanse Cory's mouth. But he definitely wasn't expecting Eric to look up with a mildly interested expression and say, "Man he's a really good kisser. Good choice there."
Cory stood in the doorway dumbstruck for a moment and then he walked out into the hallway, closed his eyes and counted to ten before opening the door again.
"Hey Eric, what's up?"
"Nothing much man," Eric looked around confusedly for a second. "Weren't you just in here?"
"Nope, definitely not. I was not just in here and I did not tell you about how I kissed Shawn and you did not tell me that Shawn's a good kisser and I do not want to know how you know that."
"Well, glad we got that straight. Pizza?"
Cory shrugged, "Yeah sure," and went to sit on the stool next to Eric. He'd really been hoping for some off the wall only works in Eric-world logic as an explanation for why he liked kissing Shawn, but there was no way he was touching that conversation again. And what the hell was his best friend doing kissing his brother. But there was one thing he needed to get out.
"Well ok, it's more like he kissed me."
Eric snorted, "Well I'd hope you weren't actively cheating on your girlfriend. She'd beat you up."
And that brought Cory up short. Topanga. He hadn't even thought about how she would react. And after the first kiss all he'd been able to think about was comparing how they kissed. Cory started banging his head on the island and Eric kept eating his pizza. It's how they worked.
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"I kissed Shawn. Well, no, really he kissed me. Three times. Shawn and I have kissed three times and I liked it every time and I don't know what to do."
Plan B which should have been Plan A because what was Cory thinking trying to go to Eric for actual advice? It's a good thing the best advice giver was a fence away and staring at him like he wanted to be anywhere else. That made the world seem normal again.
"And why did I need to know that Mr. Matthews?"
"Because, because I need help. And you give help. That's how we work. I mess up and you tell me how to fix it and then I mess that up and you tell me how to fix that too and the world keeps spinning." Cory was definitely panicked now. If Feeny couldn't help then he was definitely doomed.
Mr. Feeny let out a heavy sigh and brought his hand to his head and gave a little God save me from insufferable teenagers head shake before looking at Cory.
"I assume your problem is you don't think you're gay?"
"Exactly! Except not at all."
"Mr. Matthews, I can't help you if you don't tell me the problem."
"Well, the thing is," Cory hesitated trying to think about how to say this even though he'd been thinking about it for months now. Ever since the first kiss really because who was he kidding he'd never stopped thinking about it. "I like kissing Topanga and I like being with her, I like her a lot. But I also like kissing Shawn and kinda want to do that more but I don't want to stop kissing Topanga and I don't know what to do." The last part was said in almost a whine and it was high pitched enough that Feeny winced.
"I hate to be the one to tell you this Mr. Matthews, but typically you can't have everything you want and you're going to have to choose between them."
"Well duh, I already knew that. I was hoping for some help in how because last time with the jelly beans didn't work so well."
"There is only one solution Mr. Matthews."
Cory looked up eagerly at that, he knew Feeny would come through, just like always.
"Talk to them."
Or maybe not.
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Cory stared nervously at his best friend and girlfriend sitting on his bed, both of them staring at him waiting patiently to find out why it was he'd called them over.
"So I guess you want to know why you're here."
"Hey if we're going to start debating existential questions then I'm out of here."
Both Cory and Topanga stared at Shawn and Shawn stared back. "I did take that Psych class remember?"
"Right," Cory said trying to get back on track. "Ok, reason you're here. It's just, I, well, IkissedShawn," he blurted out really fast.
Shawn and Topanga both burst out laughing and Shawn said, "No, I kissed you, remember?" in between giggles.
He really needed to start learning how to judge these reactions better. Why was he the only person who thought that kissing Shawn was a big deal?
"HEY," Cory yelled and that shut both of them up. "Look this is serious because I don't know what to do and I like both of you and that's why we're talking now because kissing Shawn has just made the world turn over and why am I the only one who notices? I don't want to have to choose between you two but I can't just keep this inside anymore and I don't know what to do."
"Oh for chrissake," Shawn muttered and turned to Topanga, "Why is your boyfriend so slow?"
"It's probably the male company he keeps," Topanga shot back. "Besides, you want him to be your boyfriend too."
Cory looked back and forth between the two of them. "What's going on? I don't understand."
Topanga rolled her eyes. "Shawn's right, you're pretty dense. We've been dropping hints about wanting this for ages but you just keep on ignoring them."
"Told you we should have just gone with anvil approach from the start."
"And miss watching his face get all scrunched up in confusion and him running around trying to find a solution when the obvious one was staring him in the face?"
Shawn nodded, "You're right that was fun. But can we do anvil now?"
Topanga nodded and less than a second later Cory was watching his best friend and girlfriend kissing on his bed and his world flipped over once again.
"Is this what you were trying to tell me?" Cory yelled, hurt beyond belief, "that you two want to be together? Shawn kisses me to get me all confused and then we break up and the two of you run off together?"
They'd sprung apart and were staring at him incredulously and then as one stood up and pulled Cory onto the bed.
"You," Shawn said, planting a kiss on his lips, "are so dense."
"Don't," Topanga said after Shawn moved giving her room to kiss right where Shawn had just been kissing, "know how you survive with out us."
They both stared at him and the light bulb flicked on.
"You mean, you and you and me? Together? Can-can we do that? I'd get to kiss you both?"
"Oh Cory," Shawn said grinning slyly and lying next to him, "We're going to be more than kissing."
"So much more," Topanga said lying down on his other side.
Cory definitely couldn't complain about that.