#FUCKING 'i always thought topanga was the one person i could live without but shes gone and uoure here and im alive so it must be you'

[minamotoz]

the boy meets world writers creating the most heartbreaking narrative about growing up queer and closeted in 90's you've ever seen (it is entirely through subtext and poorly aged, sorta problematic jokes)

[wellhellsbelles]

There Goes Our Love Again

final chapter! thanks to all who read this :)

ao3 link here.

//

xv. Get Out My Heart, She Won’t

Farkle finished packing up one of the last of his boxes, sealing it up with packaging tape before collapsing on his floor in an exhausted heap. Moving was never fun, and he hoped he wouldn’t have to do it again for a really long time.

He remained on his back for a few more minutes before finding the will to get up onto his feet, pushing the sleeves of his sweatshirt up after and ditching his room to get a snack from the kitchen. Zay was hanging out at the island when he arrived at the fridge, typing away at his phone as Farkle grabbed the orange juice container.

“You almost done?” Zay asked without looking up from his phone. Farkle nodded his head, stealing a swig of juice straight from the container.

“Yup,” Farkle answered him, wiping his mouth off with his forearm. “Just a few more boxes to go and I’ll be set.”

“Do you have to leave?” Zay pouted. Farkle thinned his lips.

“Yeah, I do. It’ll be good for me.” Zay seemed skeptical of Farkle’s answer, but he didn’t press, rising from the stool by the island to join his friend in the kitchen.

“You know, it’s not going to be the same without you here. Who’s going to throw stuff at me in the morning when I’m not up already?”

“Maybe you should set a lot more alarms?” Farkle offered.

“Or watch stupid movies with me in the morning?”

“I bet Isadora would love to do that, if you ask her to come stay here with you.”

“Who’s going to be my best friend in the whole wide world named Farkle Minkus, though? You got an answer to that?” Farkle didn’t, but instead opened his arms for a hug, which Zay gave into without hesitation.

“I’m gonna miss you, too,” Farkle told him, getting choked up a bit. “I wouldn’t trade this past half-year for the world. You’re the best roommate I’ve ever had.”

“Yeah, well don’t go getting sentimental on me, Minkus,” Zay laughed, sniffling a little bit. They broke the hug and Farkle kicked at the ground absentmindedly, sighing.

“You got anything to do tonight? We could do one last movie marathon,” Farkle suggested, but Zay shook his head.

“I would love to, but I already promised Maya and Lucas I’d meet them for dinner, and I’ve gotta leave for that now. Maybe we could do a movie later on?”

“Sounds good to me. See you in a bit,” Farkle waved as Zay departed, leaving him alone to his thoughts for the rest of the night. He stalked off towards the couch and collapsed onto it in a huff, staring at the ceiling as if awaiting some sort of answer from it for a question he had repeating inside his head nonstop since he took the job offer. He would’ve stared longer, too, but then an abrupt knock came from the door, forcing him to peel his focus away from the ceiling towards the front of the apartment.

“You know the door is unlocked!” Farkle called out to it, assuming it was Zay who had forgotten his keys for the billionth time since he’d lived there. But when the door opened, it wasn’t Zay who had appeared. Farkle sat up, his jaw dropping when he saw who was standing there, covered head-to-toe in rain.

“Riley?” he stood up immediately, confused by her presence. She was panting as if she had run across New York City to appear at his place, and he was shocked overall that she would even want to be there. They hadn’t talked since he left her at her own apartment, angry and disappointed at her.

Now? He didn’t know what to think.

“Farkle, I need to talk to you,” Riley told him, dropping everything she had at her feet. “And I just need you to listen to me and let me speak.”

“Uh, alright?” Farkle said, practically speechless as he inched closer towards her, still leaving a palpable amount of distance between them. He was wary, had a right to be, and he didn’t think Riley would fault him for that.

“You were right,” she breathed, a crinkle forming in between her brows.

“Right about what?” he asked back.

“You were right about everything, because of course you were right—you’re freaking Farkle Minkus!” she exclaimed, throwing her arms in the air. “I’ve just been scared of my own feelings and change, and I didn’t want to accept that things being different would be good, and I didn’t want to be the person to hold you back from doing something amazing. You’ve always been my rock since the day I met you, and I thought that, if that changed, I would lose you. Losing you is the worst thing I could possibly think of.

“But I still managed to lose you because I was so scared. I was scared that if things changed I could end up losing the best thing in my life, so I tried so hard to keep things the way they had been for years, but I alienated you in the process. But the thing is, I don’t care about that anymore. Honestly, fuck all of that. You’re my important person, the Topanga to my Cory. I need you to be in my life because without you, it’s shitty and I hate it. And I know it’s probably too late now and you’re supposed to be leaving tomorrow, but stay, Farkle. Please, stay because you’re my important person, and I love you so much. I’m in love with you. So stay for me, Farkle.”

When she finished, Farkle just stared at her incredulously, his mind buzzing. He watched her expression become crestfallen when he hadn’t responded to her, and he finally managed to find the words he had been searching for.

“I guess I’ll just go now. I’m sorry for—” Riley tried to retreat, but Farkle stopped her in her tracks.

“Riley?” he called out to her, breathless.

“Yes?” her eyes became bright and expansive, full of bright stars like he had come to know.

“I love you, too. So shut up.”

And he was walking across the living room to where she was, placing his hands on the sides of her face, his mouth on hers in an instant. It was an explosive kiss, the kind that he’d use to describe the forming of the cosmos, and it was like her heart was a blackhole, sucking him in with no way out. Because that was the way it had always been—Farkle was always Riley’s, from the very beginning until the end of time. She was his everything, his important person, the Cory to his Topanga, too. She was his universe, and his life had always, always revolved around her.

He didn’t want that to stop ever.

“Oh,” Riley had muttered once they broke the kiss, her forehead rested up against Farkle’s as they caught their breath.

“Yeah,” Farkle muttered back, a wide, beaming grin engulfing his entire face.

“So, do you think you’ll stay in New York?” she asked him. Farkle let out a breathy laugh, pulling Riley in closer to him, not daring to let go of her for a single second as his mouth hovered over hers, his breath ghosting her lips.

“For you, Riley Matthews? Anything.”

“Hey, have you guys seen my keys—OOOOOOH! WHAT?! WHAT?!” Zay entered through the door right then, jumping excitedly when he saw Farkle and Riley, together at last.

“Oh, hi, Zay,” Riley giggled, waving at him before burying her face into Farkle’s shoulder.

“Does this mean you’re staying? You’re staying now, right?” Zay asked.

“Yes, Zay, I’m staying in New York City,” Farkle said, snorting. Zay ran in and wrapped the both of them in a tight bear-hug, grinning from ear to ear.

“Yay!! My best friends are in love and staying in New York!” he shouted, making Farkle roll his eyes.

“Alright, alright. Now get off,” he shrugged Zay off of them.

“When’s the wedding?”

“Zay!” Farkle coughed, blushing furiously while earning a smug look from Zay.

“Okay, I get it, I’ll go already. I’ll leave you two love birds in peace. For now. But when I get to that restaurant I’m totally telling Maya and Lucas, so you’ve got like thirty minutes or so to yourself. See ya!” Zay waved as he grabbed his keys, shutting the door behind him abruptly. Farkle sighed.

“Now where were we? Oh, I remember,” Riley told him, pulling him by the hood of his jacket, pressing her lips against his. Farkle smiled happily, his heart singing.

“I guess I could get used to this.”

“You better, ‘cause there’s more where that came from,” she chuckled.

And Farkle realized that, sure, New York was where he belonged, but home?

His home was always, always Riley Matthews, and he wouldn’t change that for the world

[ddproductionsw77]

Little Drunk, Lotta Careless (A Riarkle Future One-Shot)

Fandom: Girl Meets World

Pairing(s): Riarkle

Characters: (Major) Riley Matthews and Farkle Minkus, (Supporting) Topanga Lawrence-Matthews, Cory Matthews, and Auggie Matthews, (Mentioned, mean kinda?) Sophia Mars Minkus (oc)

Rating: T because, like, retrospective thoughts about sex and language.

Description: “The color pink has never seemed so intimidating” Riley finds out she is pregnant for the first time as a Senior in college. (Pregnancy-Test fic)

Author’s Note: This is Riley finding she’s pregnant with Sophia, for those of you who have read Just Go To Sleep, Riles. If you haven’t…GO DO IT!!! It’s basically a sequel!

“Okay, Riley, breathe. Just breathe,” The jumpy brunette muttered to herself, bouncing on the balls of her feet as her gaze flickered over the shelves before her. “It’s just a little plastic stick! Nothing to be freaked out about.”

But it wasn’t just a little plastic stick and there were about a million to choose from and there was definitely something going on to be freaked out about. 

Riley Matthews had never bought a pregnancy test in her life and had only seen one done once before, the time Maya had had her ‘big scare’. How was she supposed to know whether to go digital or not? Cheap or expensive? A single test kit or the pack with, like, ten?

How did other women do this?  

And who the fuck thought to put the goddamn diapers across the aisle from the pregnancy tests anyway? Because whoever it was, was an asshole.

Riley was nearing the point where tears of frustration were welling in her eyes when she felt a hand rest on her shoulder. Starting, she gasped and whirled around.

A woman, a little older than her, stood there with a kind smile on her face and a small toddler on her hip. “Want some help?”

“I- Uh, would you mind?” Riley stuttered, sheepishly.

With a laugh, the woman stepped forward and passed her child off to Riley without warning, looking over the tests more closely. The brunette yelped, holding the child in her arms awkwardly.

Holy fuck, she couldn’t even hold a goddamn baby!

But the little boy seemed completely at ease, oblivious to Riley’s discomfort. He was more interested in the necklace hanging from her neck on a long, shiny chain with a glittering pendant. Maya had given her the necklace a few months ago, on her birthday.

“I like ClearBlue or First Response,” The boy’s mother broke back in, turning to Riley with a box in each hand. She looked the brunette over and narrowed her eyes, “How pregnant are you thinking?”

What?

Riley had not had the courage yet to even think in terms of being a certain amount of ‘pregnant’. Because she wasn’t even sure she was and if she was then… Well, wasn’t that it? How could one be more or less pregnant?

She must have looked at lost as she felt because the mother giggled and held a hand up, “Forgive me. I mean, how many weeks along do you think you are?”

Um, hopefully, none? Riley wanted to answer but instead instantly blurted out, “Over a month?”

Because fuck Valentine's Day.

And Champagne. That's where this whole mess had started, with the two of them a little drunk and a lotta careless.

The woman nodded, putting one of the boxes back and turning back to Riley with the other. She took her baby boy back, relieving some of the pressure in the girl’s chest, and passed the test over with a smile.

“Good luck.”

And then she left, casually grabbing some Pampers as she passed.

“Good luck?” Riley echoed incredulously under her breath as she looked down at the pregnancy test in her shaking hands. What did that even mean?

Riley Matthews knew that she did want a family, a baby, with Farkle Minkus someday. How could she not? She was too maternal in nature to never be a mother and Farkle, well, Farkle would be an incredible father.

Just the thought brought a million flashing images to her mind…

Farkle watching Bill Nye the Science Guy with a little boy with big blue eyes or teaching a little one to walk as they gripped his hands with each step or kissing a small princess' forehead to check for fevers the same way he did whenever Riley was sick.

That thought made her throat tighten and her eyes burn. Oddly, it wasn't out of entirely out of fear or dread, either. It came from the beauty that the thought called to her mind. And, god, it would be so beautiful.

Someday.

It would be so beautiful, someday. They weren’t ready for that now though.

Right?

Riley nervously paid for the test and made her way home in the same public subway system she’d been taking her whole life, heart pounding in her chest and grocery bag crinkling in her hand. Reaching the shitty studio apartment on Adams Street where she and Farkle had now been living for over two years, she struggled with the lock on the front door that always caught and slammed a shoulder against the wood to get it open.

She was lucky Farkle wasn’t home, his temporary assistant position at Minkus International keeping him pretty busy in the time not already dedicated to school or his paid lab internship. 

Just another reason they couldn’t be having a baby… There was no time for one!

But even stubborn Riley Matthews had to admit at this point that the possibility wasn’t exactly… ludicrous.

Something was defiantly off, different. Her body didn’t feel… right?

Not that is felt ‘wrong’ either; that wasn’t quite the word for it.

But she couldn’t exactly ignore the fact that suddenly her usual breakfast of oatmeal and apples looked incredibly unappetizing and made her stomach churn threateningly. Farkle’s cologne, her favorite scent in the whole world, had started triggering her gag reflex as well, to the point where she’d started having to dodge hugs and kisses just to be sure she wouldn’t loose her stomach all over her fiancé.

And her boobs!

All her bras felt suffocating and painful, making her sore by the time she was finally home every evening and able to change out of them.

All that, combined with a period that simply refused to come, and an offhanded joke from Maya —geez, you’re moody. What are you, pregnant?—, had made Riley think that maybe, just maybe, there was a situation that needed handling.

After all, she could remember Valentine’s Day very vividly and knew that she and Farkle hadn’t been as careful as they normally were. It had happened once or twice before and had never been a big deal, they’d figured ‘what the hell’, right?

Well, none of the other times came with side effects, like this one. Riley admitted, grudgingly, as she ripped open the test box and allowed a slim, wrapped stick to fall into her hand. Suddenly, she felt sick again.

Maybe she should wait? Take the test in a few more weeks? What if it was too early and she got a false positive or something and it turned out to be nothing? Because it had to be nothing…

She hadn’t even told Farkle she was late yet, that any of this was even a possibility…

That everything might be about to change.

She barely managed to take the damn thing with all the complicated instructions —Only test for five seconds, wait at least two minutes, results may be faint, works best first thing in the morning. It felt like having a lab day in high school biology. Instead of extracting the DNA of a strawberry, however, she was testing to see if a tiny human being was currently residing in her uterus.

1 minute, 45 seconds.

Riley wished she could just stop thinking. Thinking always got her into trouble, always made everything a million times worse. She wished she could just relax.

1 minute, 10 seconds.

She wasn't even making any sense, but how could she? How did someone not loose their cool when doing this? How did they not completely freak the fuck out?

37 seconds.

It wasn’t going to be positive. It just couldn’t be.

23 seconds.

But… But what if it was positive?

12 seconds.

Once again, fuck Valentine’s Day.

3 seconds.

Riley was ninety-nine point nine percent sure that she was going to throw up as her phone timer hit zero and her gaze flickered to the upside down test waiting on the counter. Slowly, she made her way over. With shaking hands, Riley picked up the thin, white stick; the pregnancy test quivered in her grip, her light blue nail polish contrasting with the bright pink cap.

Drawing in a shaky breath, Riley counted to 3, prayed, and flipped the test.

The color pink had never seemed so intimidating, especially as it defined two bold lines.

Positive. Unquestionably, undeniably positive.

Her vision blurred as a hand came up to cover her mouth, her heart racing a million miles a minute and her breathing coming in gasps.

Oh, god, she was pregnant.

And incredibly lightheaded.

Trembling with tears — Happy? Sad? Scared? All of the above? — welling in her eyes, Riley sat on the closed toilet lid and tried to think straight. It felt a little like trying to breathe underwater or read a sign from 100 miles away.

Pregnant. Knocked-up. With child. Expecting. Having a baby. Bun in the oven.

Holy mother of god, she was pregnant!

The ridiculousness of the mere thought made her giggle, which broke into a sob and then something kind of like a strangled laugh. A kaleidoscope of emotions flirted with her racing heart, fluctuating too fast for her to even know what she was feeling.

Her hand slipped from her mouth, trembling as it fell over her flat stomach, checking that it was still just that — flat. Only it wasn’t… there was the slightest curve, firm and round against her palm. Somewhere beneath her skin, sheltered within her body, cells were multiplying and colliding and creating. Pieces of Farkle and piece of her becoming irrevocably sewn together to form one, precious life.

Sitting there on the toilet lid with a positive pregnancy test in one hand and the other covering her middle, Riley Matthews had never felt so lost and there was only one person in the whole world she wanted to talk to. One person who would make it all okay, somehow.

Riley really wished she had waited until Farkle was home.

But she also wasn’t sure she could face him just yet... So, Riley decided to go for the next best thing.

She needed her mother.

Spending the night at my parents. Text me if you need me.

Love,

Riley

Farkle Minkus read the post-it over three more times with a crinkled brow before sticking it back to the fridge.

He’d come home, tired and more than a little worn down, expecting to slip into his normal spot between his fiancée and the back of the couch and bury his face in her silken hair. Work was long and degrading and hard and he’d just wanted Riley.

But he’d gotten a post-it note.

It’d been forever, a year or more at least, since Riley had last spent the night at her parents. Now, when she did it was normally because she was having a sleepover with Maya or because Farkle had to cover someone’s late shift and she didn’t want to sleep in an empty apartment.

Not because… Well, he didn’t know.

Running a hand through his styled hair, Farkle loosened his tie and shot Riley a quick text.

To The Babe: I’m gonna miss you :(

After hitting send, he quickly reheated some leftovers for dinner and ate while scanning through his advanced economics book. The tension in his muscles demanded attention and he decided to take a shower before settling in for the night.

Glancing at his phone, Farkle saw that his fiancée had ‘read’ his text but hadn’t replied.

…Had he screwed up?

He couldn’t remember doing anything, thinking retrospectively as he headed to the bathroom. Stepping into the room, Farkle stepped onto something crinkly and bent over to pick up a slender, empty, open packet.

What the- His narrowed eyes scanned the letters printed on the side.

First Response Pregnancy Test

Farkle’s stomach hit the floor, the air swept from his lungs.

Everything began clicking together at a dizzyingly quick pace, leaving the genius feeling as if he had been picked up by a tornado and was spiraling around a funnel cloud. Riley’s absence and vague note, even the text he’d sent that had gone unanswered…

But if Riley had thought she was, He swallowed hard and rubbed his forehead, She would have said something. She wouldn’t keep something like that to herself.

Still, who else would have been using a pregnancy test in their apartment? Maya, maybe? Though Maya wasn’t the one acting weird the last few weeks. No, that had definitely been his fiancée. She’d complained for weeks about feeling funny but he’d just thought, well, honestly he hadn’t really thought about it at all and maybe that was why she hadn’t said anything else?

God, Farkle thought he might be sick.

Riley might be…

He needed to talk to Riley.

Farkle was panting and buzzing by the time be made to the Matthews’ residence, pressing a little frantically on the speaker box. He really hated that he had to be fucking buzzed in just to see the woman that could very possibly be having his baby. It seemed really fucking unnecessary.

“Yes?”

He leaned into the box, recognizing his fiancée’s gentle voice, “Riley, I think we need to talk.”

There was a long silence. “Farkle, I told you-“

“Actually, I don’t think you did.” He cut in, impatiently. Farkle didn’t have to say anything else, Riley knew exactly what he was referring to and her head spun on the other side of the speaker box. Without another word, she buzzed him in.

Farkle climbed the stairs two at a time, almost tripping multiple times. He didn’t care just then, he just needed to get to Riley. Everything would make sense once he saw her like it always did. She gave his life clarity, perspective, and without her, things blurred and got foggy.

When he reached the Matthews’ floor, Riley was already in the open doorway with her arms crossed. Her hair was hanging in a half-updo, the top twisted into a clumsy bun. Her expression was one of slight annoyance and indifference, but her eyes held something else. Something that made Farkle really fucking nervous.

“So, when were you going to tell me?” He asked, stepping up to her.

Behind her, he could see Topanga watching them closely from the kitchen while Cory and Auggie glanced around on the couch in confusion. Riley darted her head back to look at them, shifting uneasily on her feet before hissing, “Farkle! We are not discussing this right here!”

Looking back at her father, mother, and brother, Farkle raised his hand in a quick wave. Cory slowly responded, a questioning look on his face. Turning his eyes back down to Riley, Farkle nodded, “Fair enough.”

She looked relieved for a second before Farkle reached out and lightly grasped her arm, “Hey, remember this?”

The genius dragged her out into the hallway, letting the door close behind her, just like they’d done so many times before. Farkle kept his firm but lose grip on her arm as he pulled her up the staircase that lead to the rooftop.

Once they were through the heavy metal outer door, Farkle let Riley go and spun to face her, looking a little manic, very tired, and desperate for answers.

“Are you,” He faltered, closing his eyes and shaking his head before opening them and trying again, “Riley, are you pregnant?”

Her eyes darted away from him as the word left his mouth and it was all the answer he needed. The earth seemed to tilt on its axis because holy shit Riley was pregnant; he was going to be somebody’s father, someone’s Dad.

Who in all the cosmos had thought that that was a good idea?

Still, as cold terror saturated his system, Farkle could feel something else blossom in his chest. Something warm, fierce, and protective. It took him a moment to realize it was… love. A love similar to his for Riley in intensity and yet entirely different.

Riley shifted, crossing her arms over her chest again and drawing his eyes to her abdomen. Did it look any different? Did she? Had he just been blind for weeks?

“Look, Farkle, I know we weren’t plan-“

Before he could even register his own actions, Farkle closed the space between them and swept the love of his life into his arms, kissing her like he might die if he didn’t. He honestly thought he could…

Pressing her against the wall behind them, Farkle set her feet back on the ground, moving his hands to cup her face and kissing her until his lungs screamed for oxygen. Pulling away ever so slightly, so that his lips still brushed hers as he spoke, he let out a breathless laugh of disbelief.

Riley, a little dazed from the kiss, opened her eyes to meet electric blue. Her rapidly beating heart stood still for an instant and melted as she took in the tears pooling in the boy’s eyes and heard the little break in his voice as he asked, “We’re having a baby?”

Breaking into an involuntary smile, a single petrified laugh slipped past Riley’s lips as she nodded, nose brushing against Farkle’s, “Yeah, we are.” Biting her lip, she brought a hand up to brush her thumb over the curve of her fiancé’s cheekbone. “You’re not mad?”

“Mad?” His voice broke again and he groaned in frustration, clearing his throat. Riley took his hands in hers and waited for him to continue, “Why would I be mad? Terrified, yeah, but not mad. Riley, we’re having a baby! That’s…”

Her grin widened until her cheeks hurt and she nodded, filling the blank for him, “Insane?”

“Completely fucking insane,” Farkle implored, shaking his head in disbelief and gazing up at the sky before his eyes fell back down to the woman he was going to marry, the woman who was now carrying his child. “It’s a good thing, right? You’re happy?”

Riley paused for a second, eyebrows drawing together before she slowly nodded, a giggle bubbling up and slipping out, “Yeah, I am.”

Farkle leaned down and hugged her against him. Riley’s chin rested on his shoulder as she gripped back onto him. Burying his face in that silky hair, hair he prayed their son or daughter would get, Farkle took a deep breath.

“Me too.”

And that, my friends, is the story of how Riley and Farkle learned of the budding existence of Sophia Mars Minkus… I don’t even know if she’s developed enough at this point to even be a girl, honestly, but ONE DAY!!! Happy Mother’s Day, guys!

[couldnt-think-of-a-funny-name]

can you do a headcanon where riley stays with eric for like a summer?

absolutely

Okay so 9th grade is drawing to a close and Riley’s a bit of an emotional mess

She’s just officially dumped Lucas after a few months of him being a shitty boyfriend and leaving her confused

She’s been picking up hints that Farkle’s actually interested in her, and by now she knows how she feels about him, but the dummy is still dating Isadora and hasn’t outright said anything so she’s just upset and confused about that whole situation

Her self-esteem is at an all time low, she’s fighting with Topanga more and more, she doesn’t want to talk about most of that with Maya and that’s causing them to fight a little

Basically she’s just back in ‘tired’ mode you feel

So Cory picks up on this and knows she just needs a general break so he starts looking up like if there’s any sleep away camps for her but he’s not finding anything he thinks she’d be thrilled with

And he does this for a while and just mentions it in passing to Eric (bc Eric knew something was up with her and wanted details) and Eric’s just like “dude I’m gonna be in DC for most of the summer and they’re running this program where high school kids can intern for their state’s senators. I’m SURE I could pull some strings and get Riley in”

And Cory thinks that sounds perfect bc he knows Riley misses being close to Eric and it’d be a great way for her to just forget about everything back home for two months and learn some things about politics while she’s at it

Topanga is sold because she thinks it would look great for college and job resumes

So one day after a particularly horrid day at school, during which she overheard 10 different classmates wonder when lucaya would get together now that Riley’s not ‘holding him back’, Smackle announced it was her and Farkle’s one year anniversary, and she accidentally toppled a pyramid during cheer practice, this girl is fucking done. She just wants to sleep. But Eric appears from the shadows and drags her off to dinner at some fancy restaurant

Like she appreciates the gesture but she’s not feeling it Topanga dead ass had to get a dress and shove her into the bathroom lmao

But anyway they get there and have a nice dinner. It’s literally just mostly Riley venting about all her problems while Eric nod’s and “no” ‘s appropriately

But sometime during dessert he just out of the blue “hey you wanna live with me this summer?”

This man has no tact there was no build up Riley was caught so off guard omfg

But he explains the whole internship thing, and he’s like “You’re a model student and I already spoke to the head of the program, they have no problem giving you the spot. I’ve got this big place in DC and Jack’s only going to be able to come by sporadically because of the company so that leaves plenty of time for uncle/niche bonding when I’m not at work. You’d get to meet a bunch of new kids your age, and I’m sure all the Smivy League colleges you’re shooting for will think this is great. You won’t have to focus on any drama with your friends until August. So, I’ll give you a few days to think about it? You know you can call me whenev-”

But Riley’s already shouting “YES!!!!” at the top of her lungs and lowkey tearing up omfg she’s so happy about this

Eric was not expecting this enthusiastic of a response but Riley’s hugging him and seems genuinely happy and excited for the first time all night so he’s thrilled

Okay, so she had to leave to be in DC about a week before her school actually got out. (Technically two, if you count the three days for exams) Cory worked it out so she took all her exams early on the weekend before she left

And Riley was like “Now, I could be mature about this and tell all my friends about this…Or I could be me and just up and leave with absolutely no warning and not give them any solid explanations unless I’m feeling better in August.”

She decides to go with that and swears Cory and Topanga and Auggie to secrecy lmao

Like literally the gang walks into History class one day and they’re all “Wtf where the hell is Riley she’s never absent” and Cory’s just like “Oh she moved to Washington please turn to page 394.”

You can imagine the reactions that got lmaoooo

So anyway, Riley’s in awe of Eric’s place in DC cause it’s so big and fancy

She doesn’t have to do anything her first day there so he sets her up with someone to take her on a tour of all the important buildings and stuff and she meets a couple of other intern kids so she has fun

And then when she actually starts the intern job it’s literally basically just following him around to take notes at meetings and getting messages to other senators and making coffee. She doesn’t find it that much of a hassle and really gets to know some of the other kids pretty well

They all have relatively the same grades and college aspirations as her and she’s like!!! Finally!!! People who are as smart as me but not obnoxiously condescending about it as Farkle and Smackle!!!

OR Finally!!!! People who seem to like me and not find any parts of me too annoying like Lucas and Maya!!!

Or Finally!!! People who don’t make me feel like they’re only talking to me out of convenience like Zay!!!

Like obviously Riley still adores her friends, she always will, but this was like a big eye opener that not every single person in the world is going to view her in the same way her friends and family do.

 And that really helped with her self-esteem a bit. Did it also help that Maya wasn’t there so she could constantly feel overshadowed? Yes. Like, she knows Maya’s in her life for eternity, but having a couple months to learn to thrive without her was really helpful for Riley. Same with not having Topanga try to nit-pick everything she does, or Cory constantly worrying over her, or things like that.

Eric was a pretty chill guardian. He gave her space to grow and try to figure things out about herself, he had no problem with her hanging out with the other internship kids. He let her dye the ends of her hair purple (which she pulled into a bun during work hours to look more professional), she got another ear piercing, she started playing guitar again which she hadn’t really consistently done in years (Eric had somehow ended up with one of Alan’s old ones, but he never used it despite his talent for it lol. Riley found it in a space room when she was exploring around one day since Eric and Jack went for dinner)

And Riley loves spending all this time with Eric again. Since he was around daily in her early childhood, and she had never completely taken well to him moving out. While they stayed close through the years there was just something different about it, you know? So hanging out with him every day made her happy and feel a lot more carefree.

He took her out for lunch every day unless he had to work through it, they saw movies whenever they could, he let her drag him onto a couple horrid shopping trips (with all the pink he was starting to have war flashbacks to Desire lol), her Instagram was flooded with cute selfies of them, they ate way too much pizza because cooking will never be Eric’s strong spot, he took her to see a musical one night. They were having a lot of fun.

And Eric was just thrilled bc Riley was deadass thriving like she was so on top of everything for work and was always having fun with the other interns. She was back to huge, bright smiles never leaving her face, there was a bounce in her step at all times, she joked around a lot and everyone at the office adored her.

Riley, true to plan, barely spent any time worrying about any drama she had back home. She was living in the moment and being happy. She occasionally shot her friends short updates like “Having so much fun here! Can’t talk right now, too busy, but can’t wait to see you guys when I get back!” but that was basically all the thought she was giving them. This was a summer of having fun and focusing on herself and her own shit and that’s what she was committed to doing

There were a few instances where Eric and Jack had her go through everything that was upsetting her, just so she doesn’t go back and just immediately fall back into those situations.

Conclusions she came to:

1) She was absolute on her feelings for Farkle, and felt she had dropped enough hints alluding to them. The boy and Smackle had officially broken up sometime in late June, and after all the drama of Lucas being such a passive boyfriend, she demanded that Farkle would have to be smart enough to make the first move.

2) She needed to stop being so symbiotic with Maya, or else she will never escape feeling overshadowed by her. She was sorta getting there with cheerleading, but she shouldn’t let devotion to her friend stop her from joining other clubs she wanted to, like physics club or sci fi club or drama club or GSA or student council or film club or the basketball team or a book club. She just needed some space away from Maya in places she knew she’d enjoy and shine in.

3) She already knew she was completely over Lucas Friar’s ass, but she needed to stop listening to her obnoxious classmates gossip about them. They had no real idea of anything that went on between them, so whatever they have to say shouldn’t effect her

4) Her grades were just as good as Farkle and Smackle’s, and she was going to make damn sure they remembered that when school started back up. She was sick of being made to feel like an idiot just because she didn’t laude her grades over everyone (however unintentionally the duo were doing that). She knew Farkle was mostly better considering she had floored him when she turned out to tutor him in math earlier in the year, so her main focus was just beating Smackle at like every test she could lol. It might be slightly petty but what else do you want from a 15 year old?

5) She was going to sit down and have a LONG talk with Topanga about how she makes her feel.

6) She is going to remain in contact with all her new friends from across the country and make more in the clubs she’s planning on joining. Her little group is still who she feels closest to and she has no plans on ditching them, but she still wants to branch out and not feel dependent on people who don’t feel dependent on her. She doesn’t want to feel dependent on ANYBODY.

And various other ideas on just how to keep herself sane and happy. Eric is extremely proud of her for all this yes he cries a bit

She also has a brief fling with one of the other interns and they both know it’s not serious or going anywhere and tbh that kinda thrills her to just spend a few weeks kissing someone she knows she doesn’t have to feel destined to marry. Having something so non-serious like that helps her feel more like she’s growing into her own person and isn’t supposed to repeat the steps of her parents

Eric gave her a diary so she could keep a very detailed account of all she’s going through and figuring out

Did they spend a bunch of time reminiscing old memories??? Yes. Because Eric has way too many baby pictures of her lol

All in all they just really re-bonded and Riley really started blossoming during this summer. But she did eventually have to head back home.

There was a big ‘welcome back’ party planned at the bakery, and they were all expecting the Riley Matthews who left to walk through the doors right

But instead in walks Riley Matthews, who doesn’t have bags under her eyes and who seems like she’s almost glowing. Spring in her step, bright smile, purple hair, taller, not sleep deprived, looking genuinely happy to see everyone. She seems sure of herself and confident, everyone is fucking floored yo

She did throw glitter in the air for her own entrance though, so they did know their girl was in there lol

She maintains the summer spent with Eric was one of the best moves of her life Topanga and Cory are lowkey like is this an insult lol

So yeah season 4′s happening so we can get the developed and confident Riley we deserve what to you mean cancellation lmao you must have misheard

[ddproductionsw77]

Just Go To Sleep, Riles

Fandom: Girl Meets World

Pairing(s): Riarkle

Characters: Riley Matthews and Farkle Minkus

Rating: K

Description: Riley is trying to study for her Russian Lit exam but she just can’t concentrate.

Author’s Note: So, I have headcanons of the Riarkle-children and like how they all come to be and all that… this is basically born from that. IF YOU HAVE A RIARKLE ONE-SHOT REQUEST SEND IT MY WAY!!!

“Sophia Mars Minkus, you are making it very hard for Mommy to study.”

Riley grumbled and threw down the Dostoyevsky novel she’d been pouring over for hours now. Her hand slipped to the swell of her stomach, feeling a small kick against the tips her fingers. Her daughter, it seemed, was tired of studying and restless.

“Well, what do you want me to do, Bug? I gotta pass this exam.” Riley asked, tracing patterns over the fabric of her— well, Farkle’s —shirt with her fingernails.

The baby had started moving almost the second she was expected to and hadn’t seemed to stop since. These days, Riley was lucky to sleep through the night without feeling a sharp kick or a bout of hiccups and while she was elated that her daughter was healthy, she was also exhausted.

The baby kicked again, hard into Riley’s ribs, in response.

Well, that's too bad, Mommy...

Flinching and rubbing at her tummy, the brunette pulled herself to the side of the bed she’d been sitting on and just managed to get herself to her feet. Giving her head a moment to adjust to the shift in gravity, Riley started out of the bedroom and trailed down the hallway.

Boxes and various items stacked up the walls of the small hall, evidence of the young couple’s procrastination in moving in. They knew they had to get unpacked eventually but between jobs, internships, classes, and now the ever-approaching arrival of Sophia Mars Minkus there just hadn’t been time.

Topanga had made Riley feel a little better by commenting that she was astounded they had managed to even find a bigger place with how busy they were. However, the comment didn't unpack the boxes...

But obviously, with a baby on the way, they couldn’t have stayed in their original studio apartment. It was perfect for a young couple, just starting out, but didn’t quite fit a small family that was just beginning.

It started after high school, when Riley and Farkle had decided to move in together.

Farkle’s parents hadn’t been thrilled. They had already been distraught over their son choosing a girl and Columbia over Trenton and Princeton, so finding out that he would be living with said girl on top of it all had only been icing on the cake.

There had been some yelling about getting distracted and falling off course, but Farkle had made up his mind. Riley was his choice. How could she ever not be?

So, they found their little one room, studio apartment, nestled exactly halfway between Riley’s NYU and Farkle’s Columbia. It wasn't exactly glamorous... Riley had sobbed for a month after they moved in because there was no bay window and the 'water tasted different' — it didn't. Farkle had to patch drywall for the first time and ended up sticking some in Riley’s hair by accident.

But that was what just starting out was all about, right?

Being terrified?

Having no fucking clue what to do the first time something breaks?

Then bucking up and working through it together.

That was normal and for about three years, nothing changed and the space slowly became endearingly horrible. You had the kick the fridge open, hot showers only lasted 10 minutes (if you were lucky), but those things made Riley and Farkle laugh. It made it their apartment.

And then the pregnancy test came back positive about halfway through Junior year.

Things, to put it lightly, had to change.

Jennifer and Stuart had had some more yelling to do over that news. Words that hurt more than either Riley or Farkle openly admitted were said — "mistake", "regret", "screw up". Topanga had had to catch Cory when he passed out and then Farkle had been forced to try and outrun the man on the crowded New York streets.

The thing was, even with all that and being scared out of their fucking minds... Farkle and Riley were happy?

Because, holy shit, they made a tiny, little person who was going to live and breath and need them for everything.

Nothing they had ever done before seemed even remotely impressive anymore.

Riley was pregnant.

They were going to be parents.

To a baby.

A daughter, to be exact. And her name was going to be Sophia Mars Minkus, after wisdom, intellect, and her father's favorite planet, and she was going to be out of this world. But she wasn’t there quite yet.

Not that something like that would keep the little Bug from demanding attention.

Riley came to the living room and glanced at the clock on the small mantle. It was late, later than she’d been known to stay up since she’d gotten pregnant.

Months ago, Maya had called her boring when she'd left their favorite bar before even 8 o'clock. At that point, the couple hadn't disclosed the news of their little surprise to their friends and the blonde could not imagine what would be making her Honey such a party pooper. Riley'd cried the whole subway ride home. Farkle had come home two hours later, taken one look at her tearstained face, and rolled his eyes with a "Babe, you're not boring. You're pregnant."

Only this was different. She just couldn’t bring herself to put away her textbooks and novels. Russian Lit was hell but it was necessary for her Bachelor’s. She had to pass that exam.

Sophia needed a well-educated Mommy with a nice job where she could write about important things and people every day and come home to her baby girl every night. And Riley would give her that.

Another thought crossed Riley’s mind and she smiled down at her bump, “Daddy’ll be home soon, Bug. Maybe he’ll be able to get you to calm down.”

It infuriated her, but Riley couldn’t deny that Farkle was by far Sophia’s favorite, not only out of the two of them but out of everyone.

When ever he touched Riley’s stomach the baby would always shift to press against his hand and she would even kick directly against his palm. However, the most precious interaction was when Farkle would read to their daughter.

The baby Bug would always immediately settle at her father's easy, soft reading voice. Riley couldn't blame the baby though as she could barely keep her eyes opening listening to A Brief History of Time, but it still made the brunette's heart sing to witness.

Sophia was definitely going to be a Daddy's Girl, just as her mother had always been.

Wondering to the fridge, Riley worried at her lower lip as her mind wondered to the leftover homemade mac and cheese from dinner the night before. God, it sounded so good...

But she knew it wasn't good to eat right before sleep and honestly she was maybe just a little worried about the weight she'd already gained over her pregnancy. She really didn't need mac and cheese... but then again maybe Sophia did? Maybe that was the reasoning behind her craving?

Well, for Sophia...

Twenty minutes later when Farkle's key turned in the door, Riley was tucked into the couch with cold mac and cheese settled into her lap and Netflix calling her full attention to the television before her. As her fiancé came stumbling in, she shoved one last bite into her mouth and (as quickly as she was capable of) shot into an upright position.

"Oo're ome!" She exclaimed, covering her mouth.

Chuckling tiredly, Farkle ruffled his hair. It was sprinkling outside, making his walk home from the subway station a bit wetter than usual. He easily deciphered her yelp, knowing fluent 'Eating Riley'.

"Yeah, I'm home," He stepped towards her on the couch, quirking at eyebrow, "Why are you still up?"

Riley swallowed her food and shifted as Farkle slipped between her back and the armrest of the couch before laying back onto him. Her head fit just right in the crook of his neck. "I'm studying."

Glancing between the mac and cheese, television, and his fiancée, Farkle rubbed light circles over the woman's arm. "You were? Because we might want to go over what 'studying' means again."

"I was studying!" Riley defended, glaring up at his jaw line. Her eye fluttered closed at she sighed, shrugging, "Sophie got bored. Not me."

"You got bored, Bug? How could Mommy do that to you?" Farkle asked, leaning in to gently address Riley's stomach. His hand came to rest over the fabric of her shirt and Sophia nudged against his palm, drawing a tired smile.

Bring her hand up, Riley jokingly slapped Farkle's cheek, bring his gaze to her's. "I had no choice! My Russian Lit exam is tomorrow and if I don't pass-"

"Then you'll still be okay, Babe. Besides, you're going to pass, Riley! You're too smart and too damn determined not to." He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her temple, shifting to nuzzle her soft hair.

Riley sighed and closed her burning eyes again, "Well, at least one of us has faith in me."

Sophia gave another hard kick and Farkle smirked, "Two of us."

"She doesn't count. She's just tired of studying." The young mother's speech was slightly slurred from exhaustion and her eyes hadn't come back open yet.

Farkle lightly ran his hand over her stomach, "Well, you seem pretty tired too."

She brought her hands down to encase his and nodded, cracking one eye open, "Maybe just a little."

"Just a little?"

"A smidgen."

"Obviously," Farkle placated, shaking his head. Kissing her lips this time, he leaned back against the couch and closed his own eyes, “Just go to sleep, Riles."

"If you insist..." She trailed off, running a finger up along his arm. "Farkle?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

He smiled at the ceiling, eyes still closed. "And I love you.”

AM STILL TAKING ONE-SHOT REQUESTS FOR RIARKLE!!! PLEASE SEND ME SOME!!! I LOVE WRITING THESE TWO! Also, would you like more future-Riarkle one-shots like this one? Like their lives before kids but after high school? Or bits and pieces of engaged/married/parenting life?