Interesting Times, Chapter 23

By GirlX2

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Barney toweled off, the hot water washing the worst of the nightmare from his mind. He could hear Robin moving around outside, obviously restless.

'Well, she was awake to hear my freak out.' He shook his head. He had to talk to her. 'I can't even suit up for this. Life is not fair.'

He left the mini-apartment, and found Robin shifting restlessly on the couch, pretending to watch a rerun of COPS. "Hey."

"Hi." She muted the TV. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Just a nightmare."

"I don't blame you, after today."

"Yeah. Mind if I join you?"

"Sure." She laid her hand flat. "Hop on."

"That's what he said."

"Very funny." She set him on the back of the couch.

They watched a cop chase a robber over a fence. "So."

"So, James said you're in love with me."

Barney went ridged, his eyes locked on the TV. "Uh."

"Yeah." Robin's voice cracked a little. "So…do you?"

"Um…I…"

"Barney, just say it."

"If I do, you're gonna squish me." The events of the previous day sucked out any humor this joke might have had.

"Stinson, if you don't just say whatever you need to say-"

"I'm in love with you!" Barney managed to tear his gaze from the TV and look at her. "I've been in love with you since before this all happened to me, and I wasn't going to tell you then, let alone now!"

Robin said nothing.

"If you're gonna walk out, I'd appreciate a lift back onto the table."

"I'm not walking out."

Barney stared at her, puzzled. "Getting ready to scream? Because it's already loud."

"No."

"I'm running out of appropriate reactions."

"How about I just say I have feelings for you too?"

Barney's throat clenched. "You…love me too?"

"I didn't say that." She said quietly. "I'm not sure what I feel, Barney."

He nodded quietly. "Well. Moot point anyway."

"Why?"

"Because I'm three inches tall?"

She shook her head. "Like there aren't any regular/Lilliputian couples."

"You…would date me?"

"Yeah."

"Like this."

"Yeah."

"No sex, and virtually no touching involved."

"Yes."

"Dating me, for my mind and not my body."

"Do you want me to say it in French? Oui, je vais sortir avec vous."

Barney studied her face. "You're serious?"

"Barney, if I wanted to screw with you, I'd stick you in a Barbie dress and take you to Lily's classroom for playtime."

Barney laughed with a slightly manic note to his voice. "So. Where do we go from here?"

"I'd like to start with this." Robin pressed the tip of her finger to her lips, and gently brushed Barney's mouth. "Until we figure out something better. You're tiny, not made of glass."

It was good that he was already sitting down, or he might have fallen to his knees. "Robin…what if they never fix this, and I'm stuck this way?"

"We'll burn that bridge if and when we come to it. Right now, who cares?"

Barney thought about this for a moment. "I knew there was a reason I loved you."

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A/N About time those crazy kids got it all out in the open.