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❛ ᴏᴄᴇᴀɴ ᴇʏᴇꜱ​​​​​​​​​​. ❜ ° . ༄
- ͙۪۪˚   ▎❛ 𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑 ❜   ▎˚ ͙۪۪̥◌
»»————- ꒰ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪɢʜᴛ ᴜᴘ
ᴍʏ ᴜɴɪᴏɴ ꒱


❝ MY NAME IS SHAWN
& I HAVE A PROBLEM ❞

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Now that Juliet and Topanga were back with their respective boyfriends, both girls were much happier than they had been when the year first started. For the redhead, it had been a wonderful two weeks (most of which she'd spent attached at the lips with her boyfriend.) Topanga's had been a little less happy, though she felt better now. As a result, the two girls decided that a day of just them was in order to catch up after being emotionally rather than physically separated. Angela and Rachel had been invited to come along but both had been busy, so instead they promised to have a girls movie night later that evening.

They decided to pick up one of their old habits which was to walk the mall while not actually buying anything. As they browsed the stores' front windows, they talked about school and Juliet's orchestra practice, which Topanga insisted that she needed the date of her first performance. She'd apologized for not being as enthusiastic about her friend's new interest as she should have been, but it was understandable with what she had been going though at the time.

Now, they sat in Souplantation which the blonde had chosen because of its made-from-scratch soups. The enclosed restaurant was quieter than the open food court and it made conversation easier, especially for the topic that Topanga was about to broach. "So, Peaches?"

"Yeah?"

"Was there something that you wanted to talk about?"

Juliet, with her spoon held frozen halfway to her mouth, gave her a confused look. "What do you mean?"

"Well that night that Eric and Jack wanted to win back the apartment you said that you wanted to talk about something but we never got a chance to discuss it. Do you want to do that now?"

The redhead stared at her. "How do you remember that?"

The other girl shrugged. "You're my best friend, Peaches. I know we haven't spent a lot of time together recently but I do still care about you, you know."

Her expression softened and some of the doubt she felt dissipated just because of those words. She lowered her spoon back to her bowl before she spoke: "er— yeah. That's. . . actually what I wanted to talk about. I know you guys care about me like I care about you— don't get me wrong— but with everything that was going on between me and Shawn and you and Cory it felt. . . it felt like you didn't. It felt like we weren't really friends anymore," she finished quietly.

"Oh, Peaches," Topanga said sympathetically. She reached her hand out to gently rest it on the redhead's arm. "You should have said something sooner. I'd never want you to feel like that. How long have you felt this way?"

"Um. . . ever since Shawn and I broke up," the redhead replied. "It was like. . . if I wasn't directly connected to the group then I wasn't in the group. It didn't help that with Angela, we made a group of three instead of two so someone is always bound to feel left out. Not that I have anything against her," she added quickly (though that was only partially true), "but it certainly made the feeling more obvious."

"Do you still feel like this?" the other girl asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

"Not really. I mean, from time to time yeah, but that's probably only because you're getting married soon and I don't want to lose one of my best friends."

"You won't lose me," the blonde promised as she squeezed her arm. "As much as I love him I could never be around Cory twenty-four seven." They shared a laugh at that. "But seriously, if you do ever feel like this you'll tell. . . someone, right? It doesn't have to be me but you shouldn't keep this bottled up inside."

"I promise," Juliet said softly, finally relieved of the weight she'd carried around for months.

For the time being, at least.

🌎🌎🌎

That night, the four girls gathered excitedly in the living room and sat on the couch. This time, Topanga made it a point to have Juliet sit next to her instead of the kitchen stool that she'd occupied last time. Rachel was the one who took the extra seat and Angela opted for cushions on the floor as the redhead spoke happily: "this is so fun, the four of us hanging out together."

"I know," the brunette agreed. "Nothing beats girlfriends."

"What movies did you rent?" Topanga asked.

The older girl picked up the tapes and read out the titles: "I have Little Women, Terms of Endearment and Ever After. I never got to watch these kinds of films when Eric and Jack lived here. I'm so glad to see a movie without 'booty' in the title."

The girls laughed at the disgusted face Juliet pulled as a knock sounded at the door. Rachel answered it to reveal Cory and Shawn. The curly-haired boy addressed the quartet: "good evening, ladies. The boyfriends have arrived! Let the kissy-kissy begin."

She beamed happily at the dark-haired boy and their lips almost immediately connected even before he finished sitting down. When they pulled apart, she gave him a curious look. "What are you doing? I thought I told you I was spending the day with the girls."

"I know, but I figured you and Topanga here, me and Cory not here, it's just not right," he answered with an effortless shrug. "Now kiss your boyfriend."

"Well, I'm not gonna argue with that," she decided, and leaned forward to do so.

Before she could fully enjoy it, Cory's voice brought them to a halt. "Yes?"

Rachel was watching them with disappointment written all over her face. "We were gonna watch a movie."

That made Juliet feel bad as she'd not so long ago been in her friend's place. Cory leaned over to the other boy to whisper, "movie?"

"Dark," Shawn replied.

"Good. Movie good," he finished before he picked up the options. "Let's see what you got. Estrogen on Parade, Put Down the Seat and These Shoes or These Shoes. . . Well, these are all very lovely."

"However, no," the dark-haired boy agreed. "Perhaps the ladies are unaware of Jennifer Lopez versus Carmen Electra on Celebrity Deathmatch? In pudding. On ponies." He winced as Juliet poked him in the side. "Okay, okay, maybe it's not your favorite movie but—"

"This was supposed to be a ladies' night," she reminded him sternly.

"No, ladies," Cory argued. "Tonight is booty night."

🌎🌎🌎

"See, it doesn't matter that we're not roommates anymore," Juliet pointed out with a laugh as they got off the elevator. "It's almost like I live here with how often I come to visit."

Topanga gave her an amused smile and was about to reply only for her attention to be taken by Rachel. The redhead standing in the doorway in a towel as she forcefully shoved the boys out of the apartment. Topanga paused. "Okay, wait a minute. What's going on here?"

"How could you give him a key?" she demanded. "How could you not even ask me if they could have a key? Just us three girls. Remember how it's supposed to be?"

"Oh, Rachel, you know we got back together," the blonde protested.

"They ate all of my food!" The girls turned to their boyfriends for an explanation. 

"We need carbos for kissing," Shawn said.

"They read my diary!"

"Oh, Rachel, that's just not true!" Cory retorted.

"But if we did, you're a bad girl." At her boyfriend's statement, Juliet's eyes narrowed with suspicion.

"They went through my underwear drawer!"

"Oh, Rachel, that's just ludicrous now."

Topanga marched over to the curly-haired boy. "Did you?"

His eyes widened and he immediately jerked his thumb towards his best friend. "He made me do it!"

The redhead repeated the girl's words in a sharp tone: "did you?"

Shawn looked down at his feet. "My name is Shawn and I have a problem."

"You're a pig," she scoffed. "You better not have gone through Celeste's underwear drawer while I wasn't there—"

"I didn't," he said quickly. A mischievous smile appeared on his face. ". . .but you haven't mentioned your underwear drawer, so can I—"

"No!" Juliet exclaimed loudly as her face turned pink. She glowered at him. "Mind your own business, you pig!"

"Aw, Peaches, don't be too hard on him. Look how cute they are when they're guilty. You can't stay mad at them," Topanga told her before she turned to the boys. "Apologize to her."

"We're sorry we went through your underwear, miss," they said in unison.

"Okay?" the blonde asked. "Is that okay? Now can they have their key back?"

"No, it's not okay," Rachel stated firmly. "I feel like I don't have any privacy. I feel like I can't be myself in my own apartment. Come on, Jules, help me out here!"

"I'm trying—" the redhead protested.

Cory cut her off, "hey, that's ridiculous!"

"You can go back to being your bad self," Shawn added.

"Oh, Rachel, it's Cory and Shawn," Topanga pleaded. "Cory and I are getting married. We're like family."

"I don't even live here!" Juliet pointed out. "Shawn's only here because Cory is."

"See?" the other girl offered. "Let's all be like a family. Now can they have their key back?"

"Fine," the older girl replied stiffly as she passed the key to Cory. "We'll be like one big, happy family."

Once she'd gone back upstairs, Juliet turned to her boyfriend and crossed her arms to pin him with an irritated look. "Why do have to be such a pig? You should know that I don't find this cute at all and I'm certainly revoking your privileges of being alone in my dorm until I can trust you again."

He seemed unaffected by this threat. "Well, I'm probably going to just see it all on you eventually anyway so it's not like that's a punishment."

"Shawn!" she exclaimed. Her face turned as red as her hair as he smirked shamelessly back at her.

🌎🌎🌎

If Shawn and Juliet kissed a lot before (and occasionally during) their breakup, it was nothing compared to what they did now. Whenever they weren't separated by something (classes, extracurriculars or sleep), they could be found in a rather passionate make-out session. Topanga had taken a leaf out of her book and both couples occupied the couch in the apartment after their double date.

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" Cory asked after several long moments of. . . silence.

"Yeah, I feel kind of bad," Shawn agreed as they separated. "Rachel and Angela are alone in the other room."

"I mean, Rachel was real ticked off about the diary and stuff."

"Look, you guys apologized," Topanga said. "She understands that you're my boyfriend and Juliet's my best friend, so it's only natural she's over here a lot. You have every right to be here, too."

"You haven't come back on your own, have you?" Juliet asked them suspiciously.

"No!" the dark-haired boy replied hastily. The redhead nodded in approval.

"Well, in that case, we got a lot more kissing to do," Cory remarked.

Their next interruption came from Rachel herself, dressed in a rather. . . revealing outfit. "Hey, guys."

Immediately, Shawn and Cory's attention went to her. "Hey."

"Oh, don't stop on my account," she told them as she came down the stairs. "Remember we're one big, happy family. You don't mind if I play some music, do you?"

She turned the stereo on and went to the sink. Juliet reached up and quickly covered her boyfriends eyes, causing him to complain: "hey! I wanted to see that!"

As Topanga questioned the older redhead about her passive-aggressive actions, she turned to the dark-haired boy. "That? What are you calling that?"

"Well, nothing since I can't see!"

"And it's going to stay that way until you learn some self-control."

"Oh, don't you love this music?" Rachel asked over her scolding.

"I would if I could see!"

"That sounds like a you problem," Juliet shot back. She kept her hand firmly in front of his eyes.

"You guys have a little more room for me on the couch?" the older girl asked as she came over to sit with them.

"Yes!" the boys exclaimed and pushed their respective girlfriends onto the floor.

"Cory!"

"Shawn!"

"Sorry," the said in unison again, though they didn't sound remotely so.

Juliet glowered at him. "Stop looking at her!"

Topanga smacked her boyfriend. "Cory!"

"Oh, how can you be mad at these two? They are so cute!"

"No, they are not cute!" the blonde huffed.

"Oh, but it's cute when they look at my underwear as long as I'm not wearing it?" Rachel pointed out.

"I never thought so," she grumbled.

"But it still doesn't erase the fact that they did it," the older girl replied. "What about my diary?"

"What I was saying was that. . ." the blonde began.

"Wait, wait!" Shawn interrupted her. "I have a question! Are you gonna do the dishes some more?"

With an irritated growl, Juliet pushed herself off the floor and flicked him against the back of his head. "I'm grounding you."

Cory stared at his best friend with wide eyes. "Can she do that?"

"In some ways, yes," the dark-haired boy admitted sheepishly. "Okay, we're leaving."

"We are?"

"Yes, Cory."

Topanga held out her hand. "Give me your key."

"No!"

She reached into his pocket and took it anyway before she pushed the boys out without another word.

[written dec. 2021]
[edited jun. 2022]