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?