#all he’ll have to do is say boo and the kid very nearly faints on him

[ghost-bxrd]

Prompt:

Damian isn’t happy about father’s rule not to hurt the gaggle of false kids he has acquired. How is he supposed to prove to him that he is the only one worthy of the title of heir now?

But fine. Most of them are stupid enough they’ll end up dead sooner or later. Damian just has to play the long game. Establish himself as the only constant.

But then father’s wayward son, Todd, comes home… and it’s so much worse than Damian expected.

He remembers this man. Remembers him from hushed whispers in the League, from mother’s creased eyebrow, and training halls drenched with blood.

And he’ll take one look at Damian and know. Know that he’s a threat to his position.

And the worst thing: Damian isn’t allowed to defend himself.

[just-a-creep-babe]

Matchup!

Commissioned by @nemkultra, tysm ^^ 💗✨

~Requests are closed~

Masterlist: x

I match you with: Eyeless Jack

This mans has some hardcore heart eyes for you ngl 💗~💗

You’re just,, so chill and easy to get along with??

Maybe it’s your style—that dark emo kind of fashion that he also tends to stick to himself—but something about you just makes him feel super at ease from the very beginning

In a room full of people, even before he got to know you, he kinda just naturally gravitates towards you tbh

You just have this magnetic pull on him that feels right

Your scent too btw?

It’s kinda weird to say but you smell fckn delicious to him 👀👌

And the fact that you’re pretty short—especially compared to him—combined with your scent & that magnetism really sends his demon instincts in overdrive

Meaning, he ends up getting very protective of you very quickly

He realizes earlier on that you can most certainly take care of yourself, but like,, that’s not gonna stop him from wanting to defend you any way he can

Any threats in the near vicinity, especially the physical/confrontational ones, are nearly nonexistent when he’s around

Which might be more often than you realize

Like I’m not saying he stalks you, he just sometimes keeps a close eye on you,,, from a distance,,,,, usually lurking in the shadows skdkhdksldl

Honestly, lord help anyone who comes near you with aggressive intentions smh

Not only that, but he also can and will remove anyone who’s bugging you or draining you social battery & making you anxious

All ya gotta do is ask or gives him some kind of signal

And even then, if he gets suspicious they’re being rude or unpleasant or anything, he’ll straight up just come to you like “is he bothering you, queen?”

But other than that, he’s a pretty laid-back person ngl

He’s a great listener & will gladly hear you ramble on about anything and nothing

Whatever it might be, whether you just wanna talk about your day or some new songs you’ve discovered, he’ll put you on his lap, stroke through your hair or trace your tattoos while purring contently, listening to you

Boy just wants to be near you and hear your soothing voice as you explain to him your general thoughts & opinions—it makes him so damn happy tbh ^^

He’s a very good bf and will always support you however he can uwu

Even if you don’t really feel like talking, he’s fine with just wrapping his arms around you & quietly enjoying your presence

He might not know much about ADHD, but he will do his research to get a better understand of it & learn how to help any way he can

He does, however, have a bit of PTSD himself, so he already knows a bit on how to help deal with that

So he’s very considerate of any triggers you might have and does his best to keep you safe & happy & comfortable :>

Also like,,,, this man’s presence is so damn comforting

Any time you feel a panic/anxiety attack come on, having him around does wonders

It’s very reassuring to have a tall, strong & protective demon bf in life tbh

Like he knows he’s pretty intimidating, so he‘a got a very calm & relaxed demeanor to make up for it

Knowing this strong ass predatory monster would do anything in his power to protect you from legit anything does wonders to your peace of mind

And having him hold you in his arms, purring and rumbling soothing praises is always very comforting—like the two of you are in your own little world & nothing can reach you

He’s kinda effortlessly powerful, but it goes without saying that he’s an absolute gentleman & would never use that strength against you—with exception in the bedroom, but we’ll get to that later ;)

He doesn’t wanna abuse his capabilities, but he still does end up naturally taking charge tho—both in the streets and in the sheets

Those are just demon instincts for ya ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Boy admires how you don’t take any crap & won’t hesitate to stand up for yourself tho

He likes knowing you’d tell him off if he ever crossed any boundaries; that way he doesn’t have to overthink or worry too much

Also, that nurturing side you’ve got with those strong maternal instincts??

His demonic side is crazy for it

He honestly admires you so damn much, you have no idea ✨🤧

Like he, himself, isn’t the best with kids; he’s kinda scared to hurt them and he’s not really sure how to react around them

But he still appreciates them & their different perspective on life

So he genuinely likes asking how your day went at work, and after a while, he’ll start learning about the kids & asking about them too ^^

If he can help them with any kind of,, situations out of their control, he most certainly will, almost like a guardian demon angel :”)

Like with kids, even if he does appreciate them, he’s also not the best with animals

They can usually sniff out his demon side & it scares them

Cats are sometimes ok with him, but even then, it depends on the cat

So honestly, ya just gotta give him a lil time to adjust to them and vice versa :”>

He’s also a lil freaked out by spiders, snakes, rodents and the like, but he’ll never admit it, so it’s just fun to tease him skdjdksll

He’s a very clean boy himself, so unless he doesn’t eat/sleep for a while & loses control to his demon, you don’t have to worry about him making any kind of mess

Ultimately, this mans is super chill & laid back and will absolutely not hesitate to cuddle up with you any day/any time, whether or not you’re feeling stressed or anxious tbh

You've had a long day & just wanna unwind watching anime or playing video games?

No prob boo; even if he might not understand them, he’ll gladly watch any show with you while offering up some fine back rubs to help you relax 😌👌

He doesn’t really understand poetry either, but he’ll listen to you read it aloud, purring faintly, rubbing his thumbs over your skin and sometimes planting lil kissies here n there 😚😚

He also might try to pick up an instrument, having the faint recollection of knowing how to play from his old life, just to impress you ngl

He just wants to make you happy & care for you because he loves you and thinks you deserve the world uwu

NSFW

Omg you’re honestly like,, the perfect height for him to just pick up & manhandle however he pleases tbh skdjdhslsl 😳😳

When you’re wearing dresses too?

All the easier to use you like a perfect little doll~

But he won’t do it unless he knows it’s alright with you, ofc

Like I said, he’s a gentleman first & foremost 😌👌

Homeboy’s also got a thing for those fishnet tights 👀

So you can bet he might just tear a hole through them & stick his dick in them to fuck your thighs through the lace

He just can’t resist the feeling of your plush thighs squishing his length, squeezing him with the frail material stretching & wrapping so perfectly around him

Don’t worry though, he definitely buys you new clothes all 👏the 👏time 👏to make up for it ;))

Sometimes when he’s feeling like a tease, he’ll settle you down nice and comfy while you’re still wearing those tights & get between your legs to tease his tongue through the material

Loves hearing your little gasps and moans as you try to rub into him for more friction, desperate to feel the entirety of his tongue without that stupid obstruction

Once he thinks you’ve had enough, he won’t be able to hold back any longer before dislocating his jaw and absolutely devouring you until you’re practically shaking against him

But other than the occasional teasing that has you mewling and squirming, this mans will absolutely treat every inch of your body just right 🥴👌

Those belly button & nipple piercings will definitely receive the attention they deserve 👅💦💦

If you’ve had a stressful day at work or if your anxiety’s starting to get the best of you, it’s no prob bb

You can lay back, relax & let him do all the work—having his fun tasting you & shoving his tongue in and out of your dripping core~

He’ll be on cloud 9 knowing he can help while also getting to stuff his face between your legs

Also likes dislocating his jaw to cram the full length of his tongue down you throat to toy with the little metal ball on your tongue too :pp

His demon is totally enamored with everything about you, so you can bet he’ll always leave plenty of possessive bite marks all over you

He’s super scared to hurt you tho, so it’s safe words galore tbh

He pays a lot of attention to your boundaries & needs; you’re so frail & vulnerable compared to him, how could he ever forgive himself if he hurt you?

His heats are especially bad when it comes to being rough—he has to resist absolutely ruining you every time

It honestly takes a long ass time for him to let you stay to help through it because he’s so scared of losing control

If he ends up going too hard & you need to use a safeword, he’ll treat you like porcelain during the aftercare

And even throughout the next couple of days that follow, he’ll be extra careful around you because he’ll feel like shit for taking things too far ngl

I’m talking about waiting hand & foot on you—not that he wouldn’t already do so regardless

And he might be a tad reluctant to do the nasty afterwards, but a lil convincing & reassurance on your part and he won’t be able to resist

Except he’ll take things real slow and careful

Like,, excruciatingly slow skdjdhsl

But honestly, it doesn’t make the orgasms any less intense

Instead of hitting you hard & fast like electricity rocketing through you, it’ll be like one long wave crashing into you as he keeps rocking his hips at a perfectly steady pace

He just wants to make you feel good & show you how much he loves and cares for you, ya know?

Those back rubs I mentioned have some high ass chances of turning into something more

They might end up with you beneath him, one of his large hands pining your hips down, the other entwining his fingers into yours so he can feel every little squeeze when he drags his cock along you most sensitive spots

And if you read him some steamy poetry, he just might end up between your legs one way or another, chuckling and coaxing you to keep going as he hits every spot so wonderfully

This mans is practically a sex god even if he might not realize it ngl 👁👅👁

Only thing is, like I’ve mentioned, him and animals don’t always get along

So he can’t stand being watched by your pets while he’s trying to get some :/

You, ah, might wanna close the door behind you or he’ll have to stop halfway through 😬

But he’ll be more than happy to keep going once he knows the two of you are completely alone again~ 😏👌

[seriestrash]

You Me Her

1 || 2 || 3 || 4 || 5 || 6 || 7 || 8 || 9 || 10 || 11 || 12 || 13 || 14 || 15 || 16 || 17 || 

Chapter Eighteen: No Regrets

Word Count: 6283

↠ ♥ ↞

Riley awakes Sunday morning still in her prom dress. Sometime after Maya left the bay window, Riley had passed out on top of her bed covers. Sleepily she sits up and runs her fingers through her knotted hair, for a moment she forgot about her haircut and was surprised by how short it was. Riley gently rubs at her stinging eyes, they were sore from all her crying and from sleeping with her makeup on. 

Riley fiddles with the tulle of her prom dress, a sadness lingering in her heart. Riley lets out a deep breath and silently ponders why exactly she’s upset. Was it because of Lucas, was it because of Maya or was it because of them both? Perhaps the most confusing thing of all was even though her heart hurt somehow Riley’s woken up feeling better.

Riley’s thoughts are interrupted when she hears the faint sound of her phone buzzing. Riley finds her clutch sitting on the dresser and nearly trips over her heels on the way over to it. Riley opens her phone to a text from Kai. 

8:13am From: Kai 🎭💙 

I know you want to be alone right now but Noah’s leaving again this afternoon. We’re having breakfast at the bakery if you want to come.  Love you 💕

Riley quickly freshens up and changes her clothes before making her way downstairs where the rest of the Matthews are already sitting around the breakfast table. Topanga rises from her seat once she spots Riley. 

“Riley, you’re leaving?” Topanga questions noticing Riley’s ready to go. 

“Noah’s leaving this afternoon.” Riley explains. “I’m meeting up with him at the bakery.” 

“Honey-”  “I know, mom.” Riley cuts in knowing how much shutting her out last night must have played on her mind. “We can talk when I get back. Promise.” Riley hands her mom back the gold double heart necklace and quickly makes her way out the door. 

When Riley arrives at the bakery she finds her friends sitting in their usual booth. Kai, Noah, Caitlin and Harper. Kai spots Riley first and excitedly waves her over. The boy in glasses pushes Noah further down their shared seat and makes room for Riley. 

"You made it." Kai side hugs Riley as she sits. 

"Yep." Riley shifts nervously in place. 

There was an undeniable awkwardness in the air. Riley imagines Noah and Kai filled in Caitlin and Harper on the details of Riley’s exit from prom. The four of them were all unnaturally acting natural. Kai was definitely the worst, everyone else was just sheepish whereas Kai was excessively upbeat. 

"So have you guys ordered?" Riley asks trying to play of the tension. 

"Yes, I ordered your favourite just in case." Kai replies enthusiastically. 

"Boo." Caitlin groans jokingly. "Now I don't get to eat your serving too." 

Riley shares a soft giggle, it’s just like Caitlin to be the least shaken by boy drama but her playfulness earns her a mild glare from Kai. 

Riley turns to face Kai with a coaxed head. "You can take the kid gloves off Kai, I’m okay." 

"What are you talking about?" Kai laughs nervously. 

"You tried." Noah pats Kai's shoulder before leaning forward to see Riley better "You promise you're okay, Sunshine? Because we're all here if you want to talk about it." 

"I consider myself extremely lucky to have friends that care about me so much." Riley smiles sweetly. "So instead of pretending like nothing happened I will admit that prom didn't exactly play out the way I had imagined but after speaking with Maya I have woken up feeling better." 

"I'm sorry talking with who?" Kai furrows his brows. 

"I won't bore Caitlin with the details of my boy drama," Riley sends her girl friend a small smile hoping she doesn't take her lighthearted joke as her insinuating she doesn't care. Caitlin's wears her trademark crooked smirk implying she understood. "So I'll just say that Maya came by last night to plead Lucas' case." Riley continued.   

"Okay cause hearing from the ex girlfriend is surely going to help?" Kai scoffs. 

"The exact details aren't important." Riley shakes her head. "Basically the whole Riley, Maya, Lucas situation is complicated, the way it's always been." 

"And this makes you feel.. better?" Noah pricks up a brow in confusion. 

"Even though I didn't really want to hear what Maya had to say I'm glad she told me anyway." Riley says. "She tried to explain her relationship with Lucas but we also sort of talked about our friendship ending and overall I think it’s given me a bit of closure.” 

“Closure is good.” Harper chimes in. 

“Yeah, no regrets.” Caitlin smiles. “Right, Matthews?” 

“Exactly.” Riley nods. “I intend to stick to that motto as we approach graduation.” 

Kai raises his hand before speaking, “Okay so Caitlin might not want to be bored with details but I think I need them if you want me to wrap my head around this closure nonsense.” 

“Later.” Riley sends him a firm look and which Kai accepts. “For now I want to eat breakfast with my friends and work on graduating with no regrets.” 

“Here, here!” Caitlin over dramatises the raising of her water glass. 

“I have been saying ‘no regrets’ for a while now but it wasn’t really until yesterday that I even tried to do something I was afraid of.” Riley subconsciously fiddles with her shorter locks. 

“Has anyone got a pen?” Noah asks and it seems very random to the group. 

Harper pulls one out of her bag and hands it to him. Noah takes a handful of napkins from the dispenser in the middle of the table and passes one around to each of his friends. 

“What’s this for?” Kai is the first one to question him. 

“We’re each going to write a list of things to do before we graduate.” Noah says scribbling something down on his napkin first. “Our no regret lists.” 

“You’re not even going to be here.” Caitlin says sharply. 

“I know.” Noah shoots her an unimpressed look before holding up his napkin, “That’s why the only thing on my list is make it back for graduation.”

“Awww.” Riley, Noah and Harper say in unison. Caitlin rolls her eyes but wears a small smile. Maybe that was a little sweet. 

“Me next.” Kai grabs at the air as he asks for the pen. 

“This is stupid.” Caitlin groans, “You’re not really going to make me do this.” 

“Cait, just do it.” Harper chuckles as she takes the pen next. 

“Ugh, fine.” Caitlin sighs as she takes out her own pen from her bag. 

“Here you go, Riley.” Harper hands her pen across the table to Riley once she’s finished her list. 

“Thanks.” Riley takes it and then stares helplessly at her blank napkin. Both Harper and Kai had written trivial senior things about ditch day and what not. 

“What did you put down, Ri?” Kai asks. 

“I’m still thinking.” Riley admits sheepishly. 

“That’s fine.” Noah sends her a smile, “What about you Caity, what did you write?” 

“Get cooler friends.” Caitlin says with a goofy smirk as she holds out her napkin for everyone to see. Laughter and fake expressions of offence spark around the table. 

Their fun is momentarily interrupted when their smoothies and various pastries are brought over. The original awkwardness of the group hang had long passed and a true natural conversation falls upon them. Riley still clutches the pen in her right hand as she tries to figure something meaningful to write. Riley looks up for a moment in thought and she meets the sheepish gaze of Farkle and his father at the counter. He lowers his stare once he makes eye contact with Riley and it was like the genius couldn’t have gotten out of their quicker. Riley chews on her bottom lip and begins writing her list, it consists of five things- Well, five names. 

- Isadora  - Farkle - Zay - Maya - Lucas?

After their breakfast wraps up the friends gather outside the bakery to say their farewells to Noah. Kai is going with him to the airport so he lets Riley know he’ll be by later for all the boring details. 

Riley rolls her eyes and tells him he’ll have to wait until she talks things through with her mother. Maybe she’d have to let herself be sad for two days and then finally move past it all tomorrow.

As they're all leaving Caitlin holds Riley back for a moment. "Are you sure you're okay, Matthews?" She asks quietly. 

"It's not like you to be overly invested in my boy drama." Riley evades the question with a light remark. 

"But if he's the boy.." Caitlin wears a serious look. 

Riley matches her friends expression. "Lucas is just a chapter in this story." 

"Whatever you say, Matthews." Caitlin says unconvinced as she throws an arm around the brunette. "Whatever you say." 

↠

The following day Riley returns to school and she has to walk the halls with side glances pointed her way. News had spread of Riley's emotional exit from prom making her a hot spectacle that Monday morning. 

After first bell the seniors are all called into the gym for an assembly. It wasn't until Riley was shuffling into the bleachers that she remembered what Ms. Mitchell had told her about being Valedictorian. Riley had been quietly consumed with her own soap opera she’d completely forgotten about it. 

Isadora and Farkle had taken a seat directly in front of Riley and Kai although the two geniuses hadn't noticed the brunette. The meeting is started and the principal goes over a few things regarding the last month of school. After a quick run through of how the graduation ceremony will work the principal asks everyone to give a round of applause to the valedictorian. Riley sheepishly shrinks into herself as Kai gives her a wide eye look of pleasant surprise. Both Isadora and Farkle turned to each other and uttered a surprised, "Riley?" Kai scrunches up his face and is about to cut in with some choice words but Riley swoops in first. "Please save the heartfelt congratulations until after my speech." Both geniuses turn around with looks of embarrassment. Riley shrugs them off and turns her attention back to Kai who is still cooing praise. 

After the assembly Riley is filing out of the gym with all the seniors and when she rounds the doorway she smacks into Lucas. Riley stumbles backwards for a second and then nervously meets his gaze. 

“I’m sorry.” Lucas says awkwardly. “I was waiting for Zay.” 

Riley just lowers her stare and continues on her way. As much as speaking to Maya had made her feel better there was no denying that Lucas was still and probably always would be a trigger for her.

↠

Days turn into weeks and before Riley knows it it’s the weekend before her last week of school and she had made no progress on her no regrets list. She didn’t even have the list anymore, Riley was pretty certain it accidentally got thrown away after breakfast the day she wrote it. 

It’s Sunday morning and Riley had been going through her things as she prepares for her pending Euro trip. Riley’s sorting through some junk on her dresser as she was looking for a portable phone charger when she found something. Something she hadn't seen in a long while, something she hadn’t even thought about. Riley picks up the thin silver ring and twirls it with her fingers. To Riley this was like the universes way of telling her she should complete her list. Riley pockets the ring and makes her way over to Maya’s apartment. 

Its Shawn who answers the door, he’s surprised to see the brunette. “Riley, hey.” He gives her a hug. 

“Hey, Uncle Shawn, is Maya home?” Riley asks once they part. 

“Yeah she’s in her room.” He nods.  Riley makes her way towards Maya’s room and knocks gently on the wood of her door. 

“Come in.” Maya’s voice is muffled. Riley opens the door and Maya is surprised to find it’s Riley and not one of her parents. 

“Riley.” Maya places her sketchpad beside her on the bed. “What are you doing here?” 

Riley steps into the entirety of the room and doesn’t answer right away, instead she takes a moment to absorb how much it’s changed since she was last there. The once red brick walls were now painted blue with white clouds. The leaky roof was only a memory. 

“Riles?” Maya says still sitting on the bed as she tries to capture Riley’s attention. 

“Do you still have your ring?” Riley asks. 

“What?” Maya is quiet. 

Riley digs into her pocket and pulls out the silver band. “I can’t even remember taking it off...” Riley frowns as she stares at the ring which once held such importance to her. 

Maya grows sheepish as she pulls at the chain handing around her neck, she untucks it from her shirt and reveals it to Riley. Along with the heart locket her mom bought her for her fourteen birthday there was her friendship ring Riley had given her the very same day. “Yeah I still got it.” Maya half smiles as she lets it fall back against her chest. 

Riley nods as she tries to gather her scrambled thoughts but finally she finds her words. “Do you want to go see a movie or something?” 

↠

The following day Riley has a newfound determination and an extra spark of bravery within her. At school Riley approaches Zay in the hall, he’s leaning against a locker chatting to a few of his friends from the baseball team. Riley walks up to him confidently and clears her throat. 

“Hey, Riley,” Zay laughs slightly nervously. He’d been present for many of Lucas’ bakery advances on Riley after Winter Formal so he wasn’t exactly a stranger to Riley anymore but they also weren't exactly pals either. 

“I would like to talk please.” Riley says calmly. 

“Okay,” Zay says as he walks off to the side with her, “Is this about Lucas?”

“No, this is about you and me.” Riley states. 

“Gee, I’m flattered but I’m not sure Lucas would be too thrilled about us.” Zay jokes trying to make light of things. 

“I’m being serious.” Riley isn’t amused. 

“That’s what I’m afraid off.” Zay lets out a nervous breath. 

“You really hurt my feelings during the triangle.” Riley just gets on with it before she loses her nerve. “You were always pro Maya and it upset me, made me question our friendship and why you didn’t seem to think I was right for Lucas.” 

Zay is shocked by her sudden outburst of realness so he stumbles through his sentence, “I didn’t know you felt that way. I just say dumb things to be funny, I was trying to give Lucas a hard time, I wasn’t really thinking about you or Maya..” 

“It’s not just that.” Riley continues, “Once Lucas chose Maya you became very involved with them. Maya tells me it’s because they couldn’t be alone without things being weird but back then I felt like you didn’t really care about me especially since Lucas was dating your obvious choice in the triangle.” 

“I’m sorry.” Zay says still slightly in shock but he means it sincerely. “I was just trying to have Lucas’ back.” 

“I know and I’m sorry too.” Riley says. “I treated you like you were an expendable friend when you weren't. Even if I was feeling sorry for myself when it came to the triangle I shouldn’t have just stopped being your friend.” 

“You don't have to be sorry, Riley.” Zay shakes his head. 

“Yes I do.” Riley insists. “Communication could have saved something really special we all had but instead I was too afraid to speak my mind, too scared to talk to those who would have listened.” 

“You were never just the other girl in the triangle, Riley.” Zay says with a frown. “I really hope you know that.” 

“I do.” Riley nods. “And I want you to know you were never just Lucas’ friend to me. You were my friend too.” 

“You know we don’t graduate for four more days, we could still be friends now?” Zay asks with a hand held out to shake it.

Riley pushes his hand down and gives him a hug instead, a hug Zay happily reciprocates. It was a little awkward and long overdue but it was nice.

↠

Graduation morning approaches Riley had nervously read over her speech already a dozen times before breakfast alone and at least another two dozen before the ceremony itself. Out in the hallway after a quick bathroom break Riley paces nervously until she spots Farkle and Isadora across the way. Riley stops abruptly and marches over to them. The couple are surprised to see Riley and with such urgency. 

“I want to speak to you.” Riley points at Farkle. 

“I can leave?” Smackle offers but Farkle nervously grips at her hand. 

“I want to speak to you too but more so Farkle.” Riley says all in one quick breath. 

Farkle and Smackle both nod. Riley edges her attention solely at Farkle as she begins, “I was angry at you for telling Lucas I loved him. I was constantly hurting as I watched them be together. I blamed you for it because if I didn’t I’d have to admit that it was my own fault. I outed Maya’s feelings the same way you did mine and this was before New Years. I started this mess. So instead of owning up to my own actions and being upset with myself I took it out on you.” 

“But, Riley I was in the wrong.” Farkle insists, his voice a bit shaky. “I should have respected your wishes and kept quiet about that.” 

“Honestly the end result probably would have still been the same.” Riley shrugs it off. “The triangle just dragged out the inevitable.” 

“Riley, I’m so sorry-” 

“So am I.” Riley cuts in before Farkle can go any further. “I should never have dropped you as a friend because I was upset. We had been friends just as long as Maya and I had. I treated all of you like our friendship meant nothing-” 

“You can’t take responsibility for this-” 

“Yes I can.” Riley gives a single nod. “Admitting to my own faults is how I forgive.” 

“But we were the ones who just accepted that you didn’t want to be friends anymore.” Farkle again tries to shift blame back onto himself. 

“And I know that’s because you were hurting.” Riley softens. “I heard you at the bakery when you said that I told Maya and then ignored you. You’re right, that was awful no matter how much I was hurting-” 

“Riley, you were hurting.” Smackle finally speaks up.  

“Well I’m still sorry.” Riley says with a sudden wave of emotion hitting her. “To both of you.” 

“We’re sorry.” Farkle says sincerely. 

“Farkle and I accepted that the problem was too difficult to solve. We should have been smarter than that.” Smackle says, “Can you forgive us?”

“I never had to forgive you, only myself.” Riley smiles. 

Suddenly it was like another huge weight was lifted off Riley’s shoulders. All this reconciling was lifting Riley up, making her lighter for it. 

“By the way,” Farkle says as they’re walking towards the rest of the seniors gathering outside the gym, “I’m actually really proud that you won valedictorian.” 

“And bested both of our SAT scores.” Smackle adds with a smile. 

“You knew about that?” Riley questions. 

“Lucas told us.” Smackle says and Riley tenses up awkwardly. Ah, Lucas....

Outside the gym Riley finds Kai and Noah dressed in their blue caps and gowns.

“What was that about?” Kai asks curiously as he notices who Riley was just with. 

“Just mending a few fences.” Riley wears a small smile. Quite quickly Riley’s coming off her momentary high from her reconciliation with the geniuses and is reentering panic mode. 

“Where’s my speech, I can’t remember where I put my speech?” Riley is breathing heavily. 

“Calm down, Sunshine, I have it.” Noah hands her the papers. “I was holding it for you when you went to the bathroom. 

Riley takes another deep breath and stares anxiously at her opening line. “Maybe I made a mistake saying hello as my opening. It’s too casual.. Maybe I should change it to ‘good morning’ do either of you have a pen?” 

“Ri.” Kai holds Riley firmly by the shoulders and forces her gaze. “You got this.” 

“I got this.” Riley says unconvincingly but there was no more time for pep talks as they were being ushered into the gym. 

Riley’s speech comes around and she nervously takes to the podium. Riley looks at the large crowd of faces, she spots her parents and Auggie smiling happily together. She even spots Katy and Shawn sitting with them. Riley looks to Kai for a little support and he gives her a reassuring wink. Caitlin is not too far away and mouths ‘don’t blow it’ to Riley which causes the brunette to laugh quietly to herself. Suddenly feeling a little more at ease she begins reciting her speech, the speech she now knew from memory from having read over it so many times. 

Riley gets through the first page, the speech perfectly tailored to the school and met any basic valedictorian speech structure. It’s when Riley turns over her sheet that she gets thrown. Pinned to the corner of the page was a napkin with five names on it. The napkin Riley thought she lost after breakfast at the bakery with her friends. Riley stumbles for a moment trying to gather her thoughts. Maya, Zay, Farkle, Isadora, all faces Riley could see staring up at her with smiles and maybe slight confusion as to why she stopped. Riley’s eyes read over the last name marked as a question; Lucas? 

Riley finds the Texan in the crowd, he has a slight look of worry on his face. When their eyes meet he gives her a small smile and an encouraging nod as if to silently communicate that he knows she’s got this. Riley decides to push her speech to the side. 

“I was going to give you all a speech about making the most of high school and the years to come.” Riley begins again, “I was going to tell you that we should try and live life with no regrets but that’s unrealistic. Impossible even.” Riley is gripping the podium passionately. “I certainly wouldn’t be standing here today if I didn’t have a few regrets. I wouldn’t be travelling Europe this Summer or attending Yale in the Fall. I am who I am because of these regrets. Sometimes we make the wrong choice, sometimes things happen that are out of our control but it’s what we do afterwards that really matters. I was going to end this speech by saying ‘here’s to no regrets’!” Riley shakes her head with a smile. “But now I’ve changed my mind. I say you should live life even with all the dumb choices we’re bound to make.” Riley shares a soft laugh and so does her audience, “I say don’t be afraid to live and if you make a mistake along the way or embarrass yourself of have your heart broken I say embrace it, learn from it, grow. Become the person you’re meant to be because of it. I for one can’t wait to meet you all again.” 

Riley’s impromptu change of her speech was well received amongst her peers. After the cap tossing everyone scatters for photos with friends and family. Riley’s standing with Noah and his family isn’t too far away as they chat. 

"What's the deal with that?" Riley subtly nudges towards Kai whom is across the way chatting with Lucas. "Are they friends or something now?" 

"Lets just say they have a shared interest." Noah smiles as he lovingly pats Riley's hair. 

"It's too late." Riley shrugs. 

"It's never too late, Sunshine." Noah says softly. 

"Yes it is." Riley insists. "In a few hours I'm leaving for Europe and then we're going to college two worlds away." 

"That doesn't mean it's over." Noah says. He couldn't help it, he was a hopeless romantic and truthfully he always secretly liked Lucas. "You can still have your happy ending." 

"Maybe my happy ending involves me being alone." Riley says seriously. 

"I don't doubt that loving yourself is enough but maybe letting someone else love you is what’s next for you." 

"Don't you think I deserve better?" Riley asks. "Someone who wasn't afraid to risk it all, someone who chose me first?" 

"Maybe Lucas is better, if you'll let him be." Noah says positively but in a gentle tone. 

"It's too late." Riley repeats. 

"Then I think you should say goodbye." Noah says. "Cross him off your list." 

Riley squints her eyes as she stares at Noah. "You were the one who slipped my list in with my speech?" 

“I picked it up after breakfast by accident.” Noah shrugs innocently. "You're right, no regrets is an impossible task but closure isn’t." 

Riley sighs heavily, she knows he’s right. Riley strolls over to Lucas and Kai, the boy in glasses knows he’s not who she needs to talk to right now so he gives Riley a supportive squeeze on the shoulder and goes off towards his boyfriend. 

“I liked your speech.” Lucas says once they’re alone. 

“Thank you.” Riley says nervously. 

“Look I wanted-” Lucas says at the same time Riley says, “I wanted to-” 

They both laugh off their clash and Lucas motions for Riley to go first. 

“I am having some friends by the bakery after this, to celebrate graduation and say some goodbyes before I leave for Europe tonight.” Riley says. “I would like if you came, if you don’t already have plans.” 

“I’ll be there.” Lucas nods. Truthfully if he did have plans he’d cancel them. 

“Were you going to say something to me?” Riley questions referring to him trying to get something out when they first met up. 

“I did actually,” Lucas takes a nervous breath. Riley’s heart picks up pace as she anxiously anticipates what’s to come next. 

“Riley, honey!” Topanga calls over her daughter. Riley’s head turns towards her mother for a moment, she’s standing with Maya, Shawn and Katy. Riley flicks her gaze back to Lucas and he tells her not to worry about it. 

“Are you sure?” Riley frowns, she was slightly disappointed. 

“I’ll speak to you at the bakery.” Lucas smiles. 

Riley nods with a small smile of her own and goes over to her mother. Maya is standing sheepishly with her parents. 

“We wanted to get a picture of you two girls together.” Katy says with that Southern twang in her accent. 

Maya looks to Riley with an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry.” Maya whispers. 

“Don’t be.” Riley says wrapping her arm around Maya’s shoulder with a smile. “Embrace it, right?” 

“Right.” Maya leans in and smiles for the photo. Things might not be normal for them yet and they might never be again but they certainly were mending the bridge to friendship again. That’s how Riley felt about the status of all her old friendships. Things might be strained and weird and very poorly timed but for the first time in a long time Riley truly believed they’d all be okay. Well, everyone but Lucas but after all Lucas was never really just Riley’s friend. 

After the multitude of photos Riley posed for with friends and family, the brunette makes her way to the bakery where Topanga was hosting some festivities in her daughters honour. Riley invited all her old friend - Lucas included - as well as her new friends. 

Riley’s closest past and present were all hanging around the bakery. For the first time ever Riley didn’t feel like her two worlds were colliding with new versus old, Riley just saw it as her world, big, messy and wonderful. 

Harper leaves first as she had her own flight to catch and gives Riley a warm hug farewell. Riley’s standing with Caitlin outside the bakery when the free spirit shares some news that surprises Riley. The brunette had been nervously rambling about how far away New York and California was and how amazing their relationship is to stand the distance.

“We actually broke up.” Caitlin admits. 

“What?” Riley’s face drops and she lifts a hand to pat Caitlin’s shoulder. “Are you alright?” 

“Yes, I’m fine. We’re fine.” She says honestly. “You said it yourself, Cali and New York are very far apart.” 

Riley’s frown deepens. “But don’t you love each other?” 

“Of course.” Caitlin half laughs. “Who knows in a few years we might cross paths again but for now we had a really good run. We’re okay with this.” 

“Wow.” Riley says still shocked. “How can you be so calm? I mean, I feel like I’ve been crying for years over a boy I never officially dated.” Riley laughs lightly and her eyes wander inside and towards Lucas whom is chatting with Zay. 

“You are the most over the top, intense person I have ever met.” Caitlin laughs and she meant it completely positively. “You are all or nothing, Matthews and that’s not a bad thing. It’s brave."

Riley’s smile creeps wider. Caitlin really did have a knack for making Riley feel good about herself. “You know I think Yale is technically further away from California than New York so if you think this is our breakup talk you can save it because I won't allow.” 

“If I thought forty-two hours between us was all it took to get rid of you I would have moved years ago.” Caitlin jokes. 

Riley gasps in mock offence. The brunette then goes on to over dramatise her wounded puppy act. 

“Ah, Matthews.” Caitlin mumbles embarrased. “Don’t make me say it.” 

“It’s fine.” Riley keeps going with her fake sadness. 

“I’m going to miss you.” Caitlin mumbles. 

“Sorry what was that?” Riley asks. “I couldn’t hear you over my aching heart.” 

“I’m going to miss your big stupid quirks.” Caitlin laughs. 

Riley cups her hands to her heart. “And to think my mom almost tried to take down your family for tax fraud.” 

“What?” Caitlin gives Riley a confused look. 

“Nothing..” Riley smiles sheepishly. “Let’s go back inside.”

Riley spends sometime mingling with her friends. She even suggests to Maya that she should talk to Topanga about picking some shifts up at the bakery over the Summer since Riley wouldn’t be there to help. An idea Maya took a liking to. 

Finally Lucas and Riley get a moment alone unbeknown to them Kai was eavesdropping not too far away.

“So you invited all your friends here.” Lucas says. “Does that mean we’re friends?” 

“It means for whatever reason I can’t seem to give you up completely.” Riley admits sheepishly with a shrug of her shoulder. “You were going to tell me something back at school?” Riley fiddles nervously with her fingers.

“I just wanted to tell you I’m sorry.” Lucas says. 

“I know prom wasn’t your fault.” Riley shakes her head. 

“It’s not that. I wanted to apologise for how I apologised.”

“What?” Riley knits her brows. 

“Maya told me you two spoke after prom. She made me realise that my apology was completely explanation based.” Lucas shakes his head at himself. “I was so concerned with winning you back that I didn’t stop to think about what it was doing to you. I knew that I’d have to suffer whatever heartache should you not want to be with me but what I didn’t consider was putting you through crap all over again. I forced you to listen to my explanation and I did expect that it would magically make things better. You were completely right, Riley, I cared more about looking like the good guy than I did actually being the good guy.”

“Lucas, it’s okay.” Riley shrugs. “I needed to hear it all, even if I didn’t want to.” 

“I still should have listened.” Lucas holds her gaze. “I’m truly sorry. For everything. For the entire triangle mess and then for dragging you through it all over again. I shouldn’t have been concerned with my own white night hero complex because you’re the hero of this story. You’re my hero, Riley.” 

A smile creeps across Riley’s face. There was a million things she wanted to say but it seemed as though she couldn’t get a single word out. 

“Riley, cake!” Topanga calls Riley over from behind the counter. Riley turns back to Lucas with an apologetic smile. 

“Go.” Lucas smiles and motions towards Topanga. Riley nods and makes her way over to her mom. 

"You're my hero." Kai nods with an approving look as he approaches Lucas. "That's pretty smooth, wonder boy." 

"Well I meant it." Lucas says mildly embarrassed that Kai had been listening.

"How about those three other words you didn't say to her?" Kai looks at Lucas knowingly. 

"I can't." Lucas shakes his head. "I promised I'd step back when the time came and it did." 

"You could still try." 

"Riley's not going to get over what happened and I can't force her to." Lucas shakes his head. 

"Lucas she is over it she just finds it hard to believe that you've always cared about her." 

"I have though." Lucas states sincerely. 

"Find a way to prove that to her." Kai says. 

"And what if that doesn't change anything?" Lucas questions. 

"If you don't believe she's worth risking it all for then I've wasted my advice on you." Kai laughs lightly even though he meant it quite seriously.

Lucas thinks deeply for a moment before nodding to himself, "I'll be right back."  

"She leaves in an hour." Kai says. 

"I'll be back." Lucas affirms as he turns for the door. 

Lucas returns shortly after. Immediately his eyes find Riley, she’s standing in a big group of her friends, old and new. Lucas walked closer trying to plan a way to whisk her off to the side privately. As he steps into hearing distance Lucas listens as Riley excitedly gushes about her independent journey. After a sudden realisation Lucas steps towards the counter rather than approach Riley as planned. He asks Tammy the day manager who's working if he could borrow some pen, paper and an envelope if they had one. Tammy obliges and Lucas is left alone to write his letter. 

Once Lucas seals the envelope shut he writes ‘Riley’ on the centre of it. 

"What do you have there, Huckleberry?" Maya questions as she casually approaches and sits on the stool beside him. 

“It’s for Riley.” Lucas wears a small smile as he waves for the attention of Tammy. The woman in her late twenties walks over to them. 

“What can I do for you know?” She asks with a smile. 

“Can you make sure Riley gets this?” Lucas hands her the envelope. “Just tell her not to open it until after she’s left.” 

Tammy is confused but agrees to his wishes as she slips the envelope in the pocket of her apron. 

“You’re not going to give it to her yourself?” Maya questions once they’re alone again. 

“This is Riley’s dream trip.” Lucas half smiles. “I think she deserves to leave without me dragging her through this all over again.” 

“Well if that’s a goodbye letter then I might have to kill you.” Maya stands up and pats Lucas’ shoulder. “Because she deserves that in person.” With that the blonde makes her way over to the group. Lucas stands and heads for the door. 

On the other side of the room Riley stands laughing with the rest of her friends after Smackle shared a funny statistic about France. Riley notices the time and how she’s only got a few minutes before she has to leave. In the corner of her eye she spots Lucas making his way towards the door. They make eye contact before he exits, the Texan raises his hand and gives her a small smile and a slight wave. Riley smiles too but watching him disappear out the door wasn’t exactly something she’d describe as a happy thing. 

Quickly Riley excuses herself from the group and runs outside, she catches Lucas as he reaches the top of the stairs. 

“You were going to leave without properly saying goodbye?” Riley stops at the foot of the stairs and looks up at Lucas. 

“If I don’t say it then it’s not goodbye.” Lucas’ smile is small. 

“Maybe we should say it.” Riley shifts nervously. 

“If that’s what you want..” Lucas says and Riley remains silent because she didn’t really know what she wanted. Riley feels like she can’t really be selfish and ask Lucas to be her friend if he had feelings for her but part of her also thought that being his friend meant that she may never have feelings for anyone else. Lucas’ smile creeps upon his face again and he says, “I’ll see you around, Riley. Have fun in Europe.” 

It’s now Riley with the slight wave as she watches Lucas leave. The brunette even waits around to see if he’ll turn back to look for her but he doesn’t. Riley’s left wondering if she’s left things too late for anything, even a friendship with Lucas. Riley slowly walks back inside, she had everything she wanted out of her no regrets list, open communication with her old friends, even Lucas yet somehow it still didn’t feel right. 

End Notes: Next: The Epilogue. The Letter. The End.