A/N: I want to apologize. This chapter is atrocious, I know... I'm sorry lol. It could have been a lot better written and described and less choppy, but I'm a little worse for wear right now and haven't done any revision or smoothing out yet. Bah I hate this chapter... -_-; Cringe-y lines. Cringe-y descriptions. Too much fluff. I cut out like four different scenes... I am so off my game... Bear with me for now please. I might end up rewriting it completely ahahahaha xD
I really honestly truly love you guys in this fandom. You are the sweetest people I have ever met and I can't thank you enough for helping me overcome my fears with sharing my work! I loves you! And thank you for being so supportive! I really appreciate it so much! :'D
Disclaimer: I do not own GMW, but Lucaya is bae.
"So… You excited for your late night birthday date?" Riley asked, trying to apply some mascara on Maya's eyelashes.
"I guess." Maya tried to feign indifference, but she was actually really happy that she finally had the chance to celebrate her evening with Lucas.
Maya smiled, laughing to herself as Riley frowned when she blinked and impeded Riley's work. After she'd told Lucas that she had never had a chance to ride the Staten Island Ferry in her life, he'd taken it upon himself to take her for her birthday. Then she was spending the night at his place.
Two weeks had passed since Lila's offer of an open home. Though Maya hadn't necessarily wanted to up and move into the Friar's place immediately, after much deliberation and several long, long discussions and debates with Cory (who was staunchly against her moving out and living with that delinquent hooligan who impregnated her), they'd finally come to an agreement that she should eventually move in with the Friars once she reached thirty weeks. Honestly, they would have more room for her, especially as her due date approached, not to mention Maya's part time was closer to the Friar's than the Matthews' apartment. It just made more sense.
At the moment, she occasionally stayed with Lucas if she really wanted a cuddle buddy (or her hormones were haywire), but Maya had promised Riley that despite the fact that she wouldn't live with Riley anymore, she would still spend time at their apartment because she couldn't physically go without Riley for too many days without withdrawal symptoms showing.
But other than that, her day had begun swimmingly. She woke up energetic and feeling better than she had in a long time. No bloating, no rush to the bathroom lest she spill her pants, and no raging horniness that needed immediate taking care of. It was a surprisingly great morning.
She'd gotten a text from Missy:
I would say hbd to you, but I don't really like you, so...
And then from Farkle, who sent her a video message. It had been sweet.
And then the Matthews had burst into the room, surprising her with breakfast in bed. They'd pampered her like a princess and honestly, Maya couldn't remember a single birthday that she had felt so special on. Most all her birthdays had been spent waking up to an empty apartment with a single card on the kitchen counter and an apology from her mom for not being able to spend it with her.
School had been pleasant too, although Lucas (being an asshole) had taken it upon himself to rile her up with small touches and barely there kisses every time they passed by each other in the hallway. And then in the middle of biology, she'd had to leave and run to the bathroom to take care of herself because Lucas had given her an absolutely vulgar kiss right before class. Nothing Mr. Weatherly had said all class had made sense because she'd been way too flustered next to Lucas and unbelievably fucking horny. He thought her horniness was amusing and had been teasing her for the past two weeks and making it that much harder for her to pay attention in school. She hated it, but at the same time, she loved it.
In the evening, the Matthews had taken her out to dinner at an Italian restaurant she'd never been to, but had been amazing. And after dinner, they'd presented her with a key to their apartment to let her know that even after she moved in with Lucas and his mother, she was always welcome in their home. That had given her a good cry that ruined her makeup.
Hence why Riley was currently trying to fix up Maya's eye makeup before she went out with Lucas for her birthday date.
"Alright." Riley said, smiling triumphantly, "I may have outdone myself with this. Turn around."
Maya turned to face Riley's body length mirror and her eyebrows lifted, honestly surprised by the outcome. Riley had layered her eyes with a little bit of bronze and a hint of gold and brown to give her a smokey eyed look. Matched with her off the shoulder crimson dress, it looked superb. She would have loved to top the outfit off with a pair of her high heels, but unfortunately she couldn't wear them. Maya smiled, she felt and looked great. It was the first time in a while that she'd dressed up and hadn't felt crappy.
"Riley don't you think you went a little overboard with the eyes?" Maya chuckled.
"No way. You have to look like a princess today."
"We're literally going on a ferry boat ride. Looking great isn't that big a deal."
"Still Maya. This is your first date with Lucas. It has to be perfect."
And Maya realized that technically, it was her first date with Lucas since they had finally made things official. They were both very busy on a day to day basis. Maya had to take a day off of work to even celebrate her birthday, and Lucas was generally busy with his pre-season baseball workouts.
"Huh. I guess this is our first date."
"Right!" Riley chirped. "So I have to make sure you look amazing for it. Not that you don't always look amazing anyway."
Maya turned around and hugged Riley tightly. "Thank you."
Maya's phone pinged with an alert for a text and she knew that was Lucas letting her know that he had arrived.
"Well. There's my date."
"Your boyfriend." Riley corrected with a grin, "I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Yupp."
Maya gave Riley one more quick squeeze before she tugged on her coat and snatched up her overnight bag before racing out of the room. She bid goodnight to Cory and Topanga watching TV on the couch before leaving the apartment and heading down the stairs to the lobby.
As she approached the front doors of the complex, she tried to keep her ear splitting grin from showing up on her face. Maya wasn't one to spazz about anything like Riley, but even she couldn't deny that she was pretty excited.
She opened the door with a flourish. "Ranger Rick."
He turned around with a smile, his gaze dropping down her form with a look of surprise. She took pride in the fact that he looked a little speechless. She walked down the steps and took his free hand.
"Want a napkin for that drool?" she said smugly, tossing back something he'd said to her months ago.
Lucas chuckled, "Can't help it. You're beautiful, Maya."
Dammit. She hated how he always turned around her jabs and made her feel flustered.
Maya fought her blush and averted her gaze to the gift bag he was holding in his other hand. It had decorative tissue paper bunched at the top. No doubt it was a gift of some sort.
"What's that?"
"I'll show you later." Lucas said, though his expression had taken on something of an odd look for a split second. Maya wondered if she had imagined it, but he had looked uncomfortable. And not the slightly embarrassed kind of uncomfortable but actually worried kind of uncomfortable. Come to think of it, he looked a little worried in general. But she pushed the thought away. "Ready for the ferry boat ride?"
"Yeah. Let's go. This is the first time I don't feel absolutely disgusting, so I want to enjoy today."
"Alright, but I think I forgot something."
She frowned, "What'd you forget?"
Lucas leaned down and kissed her softly, gently cradling the nape of her neck. When he pulled away, he leaned his forehead against hers affectionately, his thumb caressing her jaw. She held his warm gaze, her heart racing uncontrollably. She couldn't contain the happy grin that came to her lips.
"Okay. Now let's go."
~.~.~
"Feeling any seasickness?" Lucas asked, leaning next to her on the railing as the ferry slowly made its way on by in the bay.
It was very peaceful riding the ferry. The light breeze, the calming music in the background, the beautiful lights of Manhattan in the distance reflecting off of the water. The small waves and ripples made the water look like it was glittering. It was magical. Something she would love to paint. Maya absolutely loved it. Maybe one day, if her mother ever spoke to her again, she could come here with her so she could experience the magic as well. She quickly stopped her train of thought before her mind clouded over in melancholy. She hadn't even gotten a happy birthday from her mother and late evening was already upon them.
"No." She smiled up at him, "I love this. It's gorgeous."
"That's good. I'm glad."
Maya stared up at him, a little bit enraptured by his profile. His tousled hair lightly blowing in the cool breeze, the lines of his jaw, his soft gaze as he stared at the horizon. She felt kind of anxious, butterflies dancing wildly in her stomach. It was hard to describe this intense elation—almost euphoria—that made her heart jump in her chest.
Blinking rapidly, a slight blush on her face, she turned back and stared at the water, a little shaken up by how happy being with him made her feel. She'd been feeling it a lot lately, at the most random of times. Even for simple things like holding hands with him, fingers laced, her smaller hand almost engulfed by his or the little kisses he kept sneaking when she was trying to go to work. The happiness she would get was a little frightening, seeing as how Maya could never remember a time when she'd felt that way.
"Maya…" Lucas said with a sigh, turning to face her after a few moments of comfortable silence, "I need to tell you something."
She glanced at him, a little alarmed by the guilt in his voice.
"What?" she said, stiffening.
"I ran into your mom a couple days ago. And we talked."
She almost felt relief—almost—at the fact that it hadn't been as bad as her mind had been jumping to conclusions, but then she realized what he had said.
"I don't want to know." she snapped.
"Maya. I think you need to know this."
She turned back to face the water, crossing her arms over her chest. "I told you I wanted to enjoy today. Talking about my mother will have the opposite effect."
"She asked about you, Maya." He continued, "She asked what Jellybean's gender was. And how you were doing. If you were eating enough, how tired you were, what your cravings were. She said she had ketchup cravings too."
Maya glared out at the water, unmoved by his words. "I don't care. She could have just come to the Matthews' to talk to me if she really wanted to know. But she didn't. And she hasn't."
"I think she's scared to talk to you. She probably doesn't know how to approach you anymore after the blowout you two had. She might not know how to start a conversation with you."
"She can start by apologizing for kicking me out when I needed her. She can start by apologizing for forcing me to choose between her or Jellybean." Maya spun around to face Lucas, fighting the pain that was tugging at her heart. "But even that won't be enough, because I'll always remember her words and the way she looked at me. I'll always remember that I was nothing but a regret and a mistake to her."
"I know you're mad at her. I can't even begin to understand the hurt she caused you, but Maya, without a doubt, she still cares about you. I saw something in her eyes when we talked. I think she needs you just as much as you need her."
"I don't need her!" Maya shouted, taking a step back from Lucas, "And I can't believe you would even consider bringing this up today of all days when you know how much it hurts!"
He frowned. "I know. It's terrible. But I'm doing it anyway, because you need to see this."
Before she could even retort, he had her wrist in his hand and all but forced her to take the handles of the gift bag. Maya felt anger build up in her. She was fixing to toss him into the damn bay if he didn't stop pissing her off.
"Lucas—"
"Would you just listen to me?! Your mom asked me to give this to you on your birthday, okay?"
"I don't want her shitty present!"
"Yeah? I don't care." He asserted, loosening his grip on her wrist, his expression somber. "Maya, at least open it."
"I don't want to…" Maya said quietly.
"Maya." Lucas reached up and wiped a tear Maya hadn't even realized was falling down her cheek. "Just open it."
She stared at the paper at the top of the bag, her heart racing a mile a minute. She didn't know what was in the bag, but she was terrified about what she would find. Maya was trying not to think of her mother at all. She was trying to shuck her from her life, just as Katy had shucked Maya from her own, but when her mother did things like this—things that only made Maya wish she had her mother to support her through the pregnancy—it made it difficult.
"You damn Huckleberry…" she said, sniffling slightly though there was no malice in her words, "You're ruining my birthday, you asshole."
"I know. And I'm sorry." Lucas smiled. "But it was a risk I was willing to take. Because you need to see this."
Maya wiped her eyes and reached into the bag with a roll of her eyes, somewhat expecting it to be something stupid that wouldn't make up for anything. She was fairly certain whatever it happened to be, she would end up tossing it over the side of the railing into the water. She meant what she said. She didn't want anything from her mother. It was pretty clear to her by now that Katy had no intention of taking her back. So Maya was protecting her heart.
The object she pulled out made her breath catch in her chest.
"What…?"
Maya stared at it with wide eyes.
It was Mr. Flopsy, the stuffed rabbit from her childhood. The stuffed rabbit she outgrew pretty quickly a few years after she and her mother had moved to their apartment. Maya thought Katy had donated it or given it away this whole time. But all these years, she had kept it.
"She said she's sorry about not being able to buy anything new, but she wanted you to have your rabbit back to give to Jellybean."
Maya stared at the toy. He was in perfect condition. He was washed, his once matted fur was fluffy again, the patches of dirt gone from the faux fur. The tear on the right arm was sewn together and a plaid heart patch was stitched over the chest where Maya had once scribbled on him with a permanent sharpie. Katy had restored him back to the way he looked when Maya had him as a baby.
And Maya's vision blurred as fresh tears welled in her eyes.
This was the first time her mother had ever acknowledged Jellybean. The first time she had acknowledged the fact that Maya was going to keep her baby, regardless of Katy's words.
And suddenly, Maya really wanted to see her mother.
"Fuck…" She let out a breathless laugh as she stared at her childhood toy. "And just when I thought I was over my mom. She goes and does this."
Lucas pulled her into his arms, kissing the top of her head as he rocked her gently side by side. Maya clung to him, her arms wrapped around him as she let the few silent tears drop from her eyes.
It hurt. But not as much as it did anymore.
And even though she was a little upset, she felt happy.
"I'm sorry I had to do it this way. I didn't mean to hurt you."
"You're still an asshole." Maya leaned back and gazed up at Lucas. "But thank you for making me to open it."
She rose up on her toes and pressed a soft kiss to his lips before smiling contently.
"Excuse me?" A lady stopped by them with a dopey smile on her face. "If you don't mind me asking, how many weeks in are you?"
"About twenty." Maya responded.
"Well you two are just the cutest couple." she gushed, "Babies are a blessing. Congratulations."
She meandered on and Maya and Lucas stared after her, both a little surprised.
"She was drunk, wasn't she?"
"Most definitely."
It didn't matter to Maya, regardless. But it did bring a smile to her lips. That had been the first time since Maya started showing that an adult hadn't given her a dirty look or made a degrading comment for her very obviously being a pregnant teen.
Maya sighed happily and shifted in Lucas' arms, turning to face the water again. Lucas held her from behind, one arm gripping the railing, the other wrapped around her, his hand massaging gentle circles on her abdomen. He leaned down and kissed her cheek before resting his chin on her head. She leaned back into him, closing her eyes and just enjoying the relaxing atmosphere.
Maya wasn't one to have a lot of hope for or faith in the future, but she would be damned if she didn't feel like things were finally starting to turn around for the better.
~.~.~
Lucas shoved open his apartment door, dragging Maya in after him as she tugged him closer by the shirt, trying to keep the connection of their lips despite the fact that it was terribly difficult to walk. He reached out and flicked on the dimmed lights of the living room before sliding his arm around her waist. She kicked the door shut, rising to her toes and wrapping her arms around his neck as he kissed her senseless.
"Where's your…" she asked, her breathing a little shallow as he nipped at the skin on her neck. He was making it hard to think. "…your mom?"
"She's staying with a friend tonight."
"Wait? So we're alone?"
Lucas smiled a little mischievously and then let go of Maya, taking her hand and bringing her to the sofa. She sat down, dropping her overnight bag and the bag with Mr. Flopsy on the ground and staring up at him in slight surprise, wondering what Lucas had to barter with Lila to convince her to let them be in the apartment alone. Maya knew where this birthday date was headed. And no doubt, Lila did too. But it was a school night. Lila was pretty strict about her rules.
Which meant that Lucas had to have done something pretty spectacular for his mom to even consider it.
"How?"
"I told her it was your birthday."
Maya's brows furrowed as Lucas made his way behind her to the kitchen.
"Really? And she's okay with us being alone here. On a school night. Alone."
"She really loves you."
Clearly, if she was willing to let a boy with a very intense sex drive and a horny pregnant girl spend the night alone in an apartment. It warmed Maya's heart that Lila was so kindhearted and friendly with Maya. She always enjoyed her stays at the Friar's because Lila was so accommodating and made sure everything was perfect and comfortable for Maya.
(Also, Maya was pretty damn sure Lila knew what went on behind Lucas' closed bedroom door when Maya stayed over, but she'd never brought it up which Maya was grateful for).
"Alright, close your eyes." Lucas said from somewhere behind her.
Maya shut her eyes and waited patiently as Lucas' footsteps approached. He walked around the side of the sofa and in front of her before she heard his steps stop.
"Open them."
She opened her eyes to Lucas crouched in front of her on his knees, holding a red velvet cupcake. It was immaculately frosted, swirling gently into a peak at the top where a single candle was lit. There were little sprinkles dotting the frosting.
"Did you make this?" Maya was impressed.
"Yeah. I think this one finally turned out okay." He grinned, "Make a wish."
She looked over the flame into the sparkling green eyes and felt her heart skip a beat. There was one wish she wanted to make, but she felt a little awkward thinking it at all.
So she closed her eyes, but didn't wish for anything in particular.
Thank you, Jellybean, for surprisingly bringing some happiness in my life.
She blew out the candle and then bit her lower lip as she smiled. Maya dipped her finger into the frosting and tasted it. It was amazing. Smooth and creamy and rich and just the perfect combination of sweet and slightly buttery. She'd been craving something sweet for the past hour or so, and her tastebuds felt so alive after trying it. Fuck, Lucas could do everything.
"How is it?" he asked tentatively.
"It's pretty good, Huckleberry. Try some."
She scooped up some more frosting and held it out to him with a flirtatious little smile. Lucas rose a brow and set the cupcake on the coffee table before taking her finger in his mouth and licking off the frosting. Maya felt pleasure shoot all the way down to her toes when his tongue made contact with her skin. She took in a sharp breath, her gaze locked with his when he took his mouth off of her finger. They stared at each other silently for a few moments, Maya feeling heat run down her body.
"So are you going to kiss me any time soon or…" Maya asked, a brow raised playfully.
His gaze darkened the slightest bit. "I want to. But I know I won't be able to stop."
"Maybe I don't want you to stop."
"Not before I give you something." He pulled away from her reluctantly and rose to his feet. "I have something for you. Hold on a second."
He walked away further into the apartment, and Maya groaned in annoyance that he was stalling the inevitable. What could he possibly have for her that he would purposely stop where things were clearly headed. He was cockblocking himself and her, and she horny dammit!
"Hurry up Sundance." Maya called out, "It's only my birthday for another thirty minutes. And then I can't order you around anymore."
Lucas chuckled as he came back to the living room, walking around the sofa and sitting down next to her. He had a mid sized square velvet box in his hands and Maya stared at it, her brows furrowed anxiously.
"Lucas… what is that?"
He smiled as she reached over and opened the lid. It was a gorgeous golden locket with her name engraved on it in cursive. Her brows lifted in surprise as she gingerly took it out, her fingers shaking the slightest bit. She'd wanted one of these since she was young, but had never been able to afford one.
"You said you've always wanted one, Maya. A locket to put a picture of your family in." Lucas said softly with a smile, "And I know I can never take the place of your mother, but I want you to know you have another family of your own too. You, me, and Jellybean."
"…You're going to have to work really hard to top a present like this in the future." She joked, though her voice cracked and she could feel the back of her eyes stinging with tears.
Maya handed it to him as she turned her back on him and Lucas gently brushed aside her hair, wrapping the chain around her neck before clasping it shut. Maya stared down at it against her chest, touching it lightly and knowing she was a few seconds from bursting into tears. She was unbelievably lucky to have Lucas. So unbelievably lucky that he cared about her. That he was sticking around with her.
Her heart lurched in a maelstrom of emotions as she turned back around to face Lucas. His smile was warm and his sea foam gaze was loving and affectionate. He was watching her like there was no one else in the world he would rather be with, and something in his gaze lit her heart on fire.
He meant the world to her. He really did.
Maya took his face in her hands and left a lingering kiss on his lips, her cheeks wet from the trail of tears that were tumbling down her face.
"Thank you. Honestly." She smiled against his lips.
Lucas cupped the back of her neck, leaning forward and deepening the heated kiss. She sighed into his mouth, sliding her hands into his hair as he slowly drove her mind to an insatiable need to be fucked. Their short, languid kisses all melded and blurred into one to the point where Maya wasn't sure which one ended and which one began. She climbed on his lap, moaning as his tongue caressed hers, causing fire to pool low in her abdomen. His hands trailed up her thighs, gripping her ass under her dress and pulling her flush against him.
Maya felt like she was free falling. She felt weightless, like that moment right as a rollercoaster dropped. It was a terrifying feeling, and she held Lucas tighter, loving the soft groan he released into her mouth as she pressed against his erection. She wanted him so badly, her head was dazed and swimming in a haze of lust.
He toyed with the strap of her panties, sliding his fingers underneath the fabric, tugging slightly. Maya squirmed in his lap, the grazing of her panties against her sensitive area causing a jolt of electricity to shoot to her core.
Maya broke the kiss, panting slightly against his lips, her body craving more attention between her legs.
"Lucas fuck…" she said breathlessly when one of his hands slid into the front of her panties and he stroked her languidly. "Wait. Hold on. Let's change positions."
"Why?" he muttered, his gaze crackling with heat as he watched her reaction to his teasing.
"Your legs will get tired. I'm heavy. And gross."
"You're not. You're not heavy, you're not gross, you're not anything you're thinking right now." He stopped his motions and watched Maya seriously. "I told you already. You're beautiful, Maya. You always have been, and you always will be."
Her heart skipped a beat.
"Lucas…"
He smiled deviously against her lips, capturing the gasp that she let out when he hooked his finger inside her.
"Happy birthday, Maya…"
She moaned and captured his lips again, silencing any other words he might have had with a filthy, tongue filled kiss.