Author notes: So I got the idea for this from a quote from a Logan and Veronica fanfic. "and it never worked because they were too alike, and too different at the same time." I think that quote fits all my ships but none better than Swarkles ;) The first is set before or maybe during The Leap kind of and the second after The Rough Patch. And it is of course dedicated to my lovely Laura, the first of a few fics I wrote for her as a SS present.
Too Different
That's what Robin always claimed.
"Barney… You and me, together, just doesn't make any sense. We're too different."
Robin wanted to believe that she was more mature, more stable and better rounded than Barney. But in reality they both knew that wasn't true. She was almost as messed up as he was. If anyone could match Barney and his unwillingness to commit to or confront anything, it was Robin. Maybe that's why Robin finally gave them a chance to be together…
Too Alike
That's what they both claimed. After being together for almost 6 months, they hit one bump in the road, a rough patch, and they both toppled over. Maybe neither was ready to fully commit to the other. Maybe they never would be. So they took the easy way out and tried, unsuccessfully, to never look back. But two awesomes don't cancel out. And they both know it. They're just waiting for the other to figure it out.