Title: Magnetism
Rating: PG.
Fandom: How I Met Your Mother.
Pairing: Barney/Robin
Spoilers: Season 7's The Stinson Missile Crisis, the series in general.
Word Count: 700ish words (ficlet).
Summary: The gang's thoughts about Barney and Robin.
Author's Note: The POV switches, let me know if it's not clear.
There's a connection. It's simple, yet passionate. Complex, yet easy. It's veiled, yet it's obvious. There's sparks, a type of fire.
-[Barney Stinson]
He loves her and he can't keep away from her, no matter how he tries to hide it or how he forces obstacles in the way. He looks at her across the booth, he stares, he imagines what could be. He's not sure how long he can last without exploding. He's a ticking time bomb.
She's a sort of positive energy. At least, she makes him feel positive, like there's hope for him, like he's a little less broken and a little more human. He's negative. He hates himself, his lifestyle, his choices. But she picks him up, she carries him, she makes him stronger. She can carry herself and deal with everything and he loves that. He knows it, she might know it, and he's eternally hoping she can possibly love him too.
The physics makes sense. They're connected in an inexplicable way and they can get there.
-[Robin Scherbatsky]
She notices how he looks at her. She tries to ignore it, tries to keep living her life without worrying whether it's right or safe or real. She can't keep it up. Feelings spill out eventually. She's a ticking time bomb.
And she's a mess. She's negative. She has every type of emotional problem on the planet and she can't even talk to a therapist without digressing. It's difficult to let herself feel. But he's positive. He keeps himself strong, he keeps himself believing even when it's difficult, even when she can't. He trusts in his friends and she loves that. Loves? Yes, loves. That works. He can love unconditionally and she admires him for it.
The physics makes sense. Either way, it's logical. They just need to get it right.
-[Marshall Eriksen]
He thinks they're kind of perfect for each other. They have a back-and-forth energy that he'd never seen before. It's powerful, it's intense. Every time they look at each other, it's chemistry. He sees it, though. Whenever they touch. It's electricity and it's strong. He thinks it's strong enough to overcome everything.
And he's the king of relationships. Girlfriend for nine years, married for four by now. He's one of the lucky few. And he thinks that they are too. They found each other, now it's just time to point north and follow the compass to happiness.
The physics makes sense. They've attracted each other, now it's just time to pull.
-[Lily Aldrin]
She thinks they have the kind of chemistry that just doesn't go away. She was the first to know. She considers herself important in this whole ordeal. But she has a few doubts. After all they've been through, could their relationship survive another attack? Would it still work?
But then she thinks, and all the doubts go bye-bye. They're both extremely potent. Lethal if used incorrectly. Maybe mashing them together would mean an explosion, but it could also create something entirely new to the group, something wonderful. And then it all makes sense to her: they're meant to be together. They're both strong, both extremely unbalanced elements. Only by coming together do they work and coexist.
The physics makes sense. The chemistry makes sense too. They're almost there.
-[Ted Mosby]
He's rather confused. He doesn't know what he feels about the whole thing. He used to be in love with her, he's his best friend. He shouldn't approve because this all breaks the Bro Code. It's a sacred bond between bros... Right?
Yet he kind of thinks they work. He's the robot, she's the toaster oven. In some weird way, they could come together. He can see the looks they share. The winks. How he gazes at her with a look of (rather thinly-veiled) adoration. How she returns the looks when she thinks nobody's looking and how she constantly touches him for no reason, feigning nonchalance. He knows it's a good idea. And he's fine with it. They have an attraction and near-supernatural chemistry that it leaves him, Ted Mosby, marriage-wanting, loving and sweet Ted Mosby, amazed.
The physics make sense. They make sense. He knows they're in love.
They just don't know it yet.