AN: Hi guys, I'm sorry it's been so long! The Easter Holidays have ended for me last week and I have been having school, so with the workload, I couldn't keep up with the writing. But it's here now, Chapter Ten! And for this one, I've actually had gotten my friend to help me with some of these ideas just now, so Rita if you're reading this, thank you. :) I'm also aware of the fact that I'm blabbering and you all probably want to go ahead, dive in and read the story. So... I apologise again. Enjoy Ten. x
"Hey Carl, thanks for the call. Appreciate it, man. Where's Ted?" Barney spluttered as he raced into the bar, determined to get this over and done with as quickly as possible. Scanning the room for him, he held a surprised look when he saw Robin sitting there instead.
"How many times do I have to tell you it's Robin that is here, not Ted?" Carl sighed, directing Barney to a corner where she was sitting, alone and extremely drunk.
"Uh, like zero?" Barney raised an eyebrow at Carl before heading straight to Robin, who looked worse by the second. He slid in the seat beside her and after some effort, managed to put his arm around her shoulder, holding her close with her head resting on his shoulder.
"What's wrong?" He whispered, stroking her hair as she wept silently in his arms. He waited patiently for her reply, but as soon as she uttered a sound, he seemed to have changed his mind. "Wait, no… Don't." He silenced her with the touch of his finger on her lips, surprising her.
Not wanting to interrupt them but feeling a little awkward in the situation, Carl cleared his throat and continued polishing his glassware in a weird manner.
Being the only people left in the bar, Barney realised the only reason Carl was still standing behind the counter was because of them. Thinking logically and not wanting to bother the poor bartender further, he propped Robin up, dabbing at her face with a clean tissue, trying his best in removing the tearstains that had formed hours ago. "I think what you need to do right now is go home. So let's get you home, shall we?"
Robin stared at him in confusion and let out a reluctant whine, like one of a child's when told the Sun is setting and she needed to go home. Giving an encouraging smile, he got up and helped her as she did the same but with great effort.
"Thanks Carl," Barney mustered while half carrying and half dragging Robin out of the bar and into the cold and busy streets. It took a while, but eventually they managed to get a cab and back to her apartment.
"There, there…" Barney whispered, finally settling on the couch after a cab ride that seemed to have taken forever.
Robin, having sobered up slightly, surprised him when she burst into tears all of a sudden. She wept and wept, but this time, instead of weeping for Sam and their wilted relationship, she wept for herself.
"Robin… Please don't do this. Can we talk about it? Don't leave stuff all bottled up. It's not healthy. Come on, you can trust me. Maybe not Ted, but you can definitely trust me, because I'm awesome."
"I'm not sure about anything at all," She mumbled, blinking back tears. "I mean… I think I know what I need to do right now. I need to… Get him out of my system. But how I am going to do it… I have no idea."
"Get him out of your system?" Barney repeated after her, wondering out loud.
"Yeah… Like… I mean, I don't know. I've heard it works. To just do something so crazy you forget about someone completely. I just haven't figured out what that thing will be."
"Oh… Okay. We can brainstorm if you like. Though personally, I don't believe in brainstorming. Don't ask why. I just don't." He shrugged, then seemed to realise whatever he had just said might have ended up hurting her. Not wanting to make her think otherwise, he cleared his throat and quickly thought of something encouraging he could say. "And what I meant by that, was… You know, we could get a piece of paper and write down how much of a jerk he was, that Sam. Or we can just laugh at him and you can tell me he wears ugly underwear or something."
"Barney… Thanks, but no… I don't think that would be very nice. I mean, I need to get him out of the way, not talk about him all night long. But thanks anyway… And, really? Is that all you've got? Come on, Stinson. I am expecting better ideas from that awful mind of yours." Cheering up now, she challenged him to a mini competition for the best idea.
"Challenge accepted. You're going to regret this, Scherbatsky," Barney grinned, causing his lady friend to do the same, and to do so for the first time in a month.
"Okay, I'll start." Robin piped up a little, feeling even slightly whimsical. "How about we talk about those attractive people from The Avengers? I really, really like Captain America. He's very… Attractive. Lord, have you seen his eyes? He's like a little puppy. The things I would do to him are-"
Before Robin could finish her sentence, Barney leaned in for a kiss, surprising them both. He leaned in for a kiss, but not just for any kind of kiss. He did not do a crappy one where he slobbered all over her and he did not settle for a quick peck on the lips. He placed his hand on her back, pulling her closer, savouring the full of her lips and the taste of her skin.
And willingly, she allowed herself to kiss him back, garnering all the taste his tender lips would allow.
"Barney… I think you beat me. You win. You got me and you got me good." Robin muttered, in between kisses, in which Barney only responded by kissing her even harder. They got up clumsily, still kissing and making out, and proceeded to her bedroom, knocking over things as they moved and Robin instantly regretting not having cleaned her bedroom all week.
Clothes, tissues and books were strewn across the carpet and the room looked like it had been ransacked, but upon noticing the fact that Barney had either decided not to care or just had not noticed the enormous mess at all, she let it go as well.
They both knew they were about to commit possibly the biggest mistake of all time and they both knew this hook-up could potentially ruin their years-long friendship, but if this is wrong, then why the hell is it feeling so right?
Despite their conscience warning them, they ignored the doubtful voices in their heads. They had gone too far now, too far to stop. Besides, it was not like they would have, even if both had suddenly changed their minds.
Settling on her bed and kissing franticly, they allowed their bodies to intertwine, all the time wondering why they were doing this, all the time demanding an explanation or even a word of reassurance. And knowing they would both regret it in the morning, they went forth with their actions anyway, ditching all the consequences they will have to face in ten hours, crossing all the lines in an honest friendship.