No POV:
The morning comes quicker than expected for Fred, whom fell asleep virtually as soon as his head hit the pillow.
"Wow- I must've been tired.." He mumbles and sits up in his bed
"Morning, Fred" Wilma notices he's awake and greets him. She hustles around the room as she gets ready for work
"Hey, Wilma." He replies, still only half-awake
Despite still being sleepy, he climbs out of bed and heads into the bathroom to shower.
[Meanwhile, at the Rubbles']
Barney's POV:
Yes, I know I got in late- but I wanted to fix breakfast for Betty. The finest deli sausage and a pterodactyl egg to make an omelet, just amazing to wake up to.
If she's happy, she probably won't question why I won't sit down-
-still a little sore over here from all the work last night.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I wonder what Fred's up to this morning, and hopefully Wilma didn't notice he was gone for a while.
...
Gee... if our wives found out- I can't even begin to imagine what would happen.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Thanks for making breakfast again, Barney." She smiles and motions for me to come closer. I follow the signal and she hugs me
"Hehe- no problem, sweetheart."
"If I can expect a hug every time as a reward, it's a great deal." I smile, too, blushing.
"Awwww.. my Barney!" She squeezes me once more
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yeah... her Barney.
-But what about Fred?
I'm Fred's Barney too...
I guess it'll just have to stay in private until there's another way.
...
Best not worry too much about it right now.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Hey-ya Betty, what's your day gonna be like?"
...
" 'Cause Wilma works today." I ask and inform her of Wilma's absence.
"-Oh... well maybe I'll go get my hair done." She suggests
"If you'd like to, I'll pay for it."
...
Being without a friend for the day might make Betty feel lonely, it's the least I can do.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"What about you, Barney?" She asks, sounding sad
I feel guilty to see the frown on her face.
"Don't worry, I'll keep busy. There's a lodge meeting this evening and I figured I'd help Fred tidy up the house while Wilma's gone."
...
...
"Another lodge meeting?"
"Don't you boys get tired of those 'kooks'- at least sometimes?"
Betty chuckles, making fun of the no-lifers down at the lodge.
"Tonight is different! They're holding an election for the next Royal Poobah, soon."
I remind her, enthusiastically
"-and aren't you going to run for Poobah?"
...
Her question makes me think
"I never really thought about it- but now that ya gave me the idea... maybe."
"I bet a lot of people would vote for you! What's not to like?" She hypes me up with her confidence.
"Awwww... Betty!"
I hug her waist- as it's hard to reach the rest of her when she stands up, heh.
"I'll go check on Fred."
"Okay, Barney."
"Love ya"
She calls to me as I go out the door.
I poke my head back through the window, standing on a patio chair to reach
"Love you more- mwah."
-Not forgetting to blow her a kiss before leaving.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fred's POV:
I wonder about what Barney's up to-
as I flip through channels on TV, hoping to cure my boredom.
My thoughts are interrupted as there's a knock on the door
"That must be him now." I mumble before opening it
"Hey, Fred." His body language suggests that he's not stressed out- so Betty must not've been mad at him.
That's good news.
"What's goin' on, pal?" I make small talk and step aside to let him in
"I just came over to see ya. Then maybe I'd help tidy up if you need." He blushes
"Well- that's real thoughtful of you. Thanks, Barn." I blush too, not surprised at his kindness.
He's always out to do nice things for people. It's just what he likes to do.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"So... Fred..."
He pauses
"You took care of me real good... I'm a little sore- hehehe."
"Yeah?" I look at him and try to hold back laughing- especially 'cause it's not very nice to laugh if he's actually in pain.
"Yep, but can I tell ya a secret?" Barney asks
"Of course!" I encourage, curiously
He takes a step closer and whispers "I love it..."
"It really proves that I wasn't just dreaming... and... something actually happened."
...
I close the door before responding with a chuckle
"Well, I can testify... something happened, alright."
...
Before I can even finish my sentence, he's already hugging me and nuzzling his head into my side.
"Thank you, Fred." He looks up at me and smiles.
...
"Wanna help me vacuum?" I hurriedly change the subject
"Sure" he follows behind me to the closet and I bring out Clara, my mini elephant.
...
She's got a nose of steel. She can suck up just about anything and not sneeze.
I pay her with peanuts, her favorite snack- heh-heh.
"You take Clara and I'll sweep the kitchen floor with the broom."
"O-kay, Fred." He agrees and begins vacuuming.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The kitchen floor doesn't take long to clean. Barney finishes up with Clara on all the carpets- taking less than 20 minutes total.
"He's very efficient"
I think to myself
"You wanna take a break and watch some TV? "
I suggest, trying to show my appreciation for his help
"Sure!" He replies enthusiastically before joining me on the couch- sitting close enough for me to put my arm around him- so I do.
"I love you, Barney."
...
"Hehehe- love ya more, Freddie."
He kisses my hand that's conveniently resting on his shoulder, it makes me blush.
I've seen him kiss Betty's hand, but it feels extra special because, this time, it's mine.
"Awwww..." I give him a good squeeze and he lays his head against my side- fitting perfectly between my arm and torso.
Continuing to flip through channels, we have yet to see anything interesting.
I walk into the kitchen to retrieve today's newspaper- proceeding to check the TV guides‐
-Still seeing nothing that catches my eye.
"Welp. So much for that-" I say, shrugging and looking at Barney
...
...
"How about we just take it easy today, relaxing 'n stuff?" He suggests, then pauses before adding
"That won't bore you, will it?"
I try and think of ways to incorporate both of us- so it's not a whole day of only me sleeping in my hammock.
"Nah, as long as you stay here with me." I assure him
"Maybe... uh... a bubble bath before the lodge meeting?" Barney makes another suggestion
...
"That... actually sounds kinda nice." I imagine a soothing bath, shared between me and him.
"Yeah." He smiles warmly before walking into the bathroom and motioning for me to follow
We fill up the bathtub with warm water and bubbles- Barney gets in first and then makes room for me.
As soon as we get comfortable, we lay back and relax.
Starting out, we're sitting at each end of the tub and facing each other. Then, we try snuggling closer.
Now, I straddle Barney and wash his hair as he sits in front of me.
Once he's clean, we trade places and he washes mine.
"Seems to me, he's full of good ideas. I never would have thought of this for a bonding experience- but it's actually great." I think to myself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After soaking in our bubble bath, we decide that we're clean enough and we get out.
I drain the water and Barney throws a towel over me, then he proceeds to dry himself off.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
No POV:
Fred and Barney decide to stay in the steamy bathroom, since it's so warm. Stepping out would make them both shiver.
...
"Barney?"
Fred asks
"Yeah??" He replies
"We didn't bring any clean clothes in here with us." Fred bluntly admits.
Barney looks around and shrugs
"Hmm- I guess you're right..."
"Let's just wear our towels 'til we can get some clothes from your room." He suggests, as he wraps the towel around his bottom half and ties it.
Fred does the same, then he adds
"But it's freezin' cold."
Barney sees a good opportunity for a pick-up line, feeling obligated to come up with a few since Fred's so good at it.
"He-he. Don't-cha worry, Fred. I'll keep ya warm."
He says, folding his hands in a bashful way.
Fred chuckles and blushes
"Awwwhh."
...
"-wanna make a run for it..?"
He asks for Barney's approval
"Yep, in a minute-"
Barney stops to think
...
"We're here alone all day, right Fred?"
Fred answers with a nod.
"O-kay"
"You ready?"
"...3..."
"...2..."
"...1..."
"Go!"
They dart from the bathroom to Fred's room and close the door behind them.
Barney hops right into the bed and covers up, to stay warm.
"You're not even gonna get dressed?"
Fred asks, curiously, as he looks into his closet for something to wear
"Nope- unless you want me to..." Barney says
"I just figured I didn't need to... I guess I got too comfor-"
He's interrupted by Fred hopping into the bed, too, and immediately giving up on digging in the closet.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"No, no- it's okay, Barn."
...
"I like it this way."
Fred bluntly admits, again
...
Barney scoots closer and snuggles up to Fred, throwing his arm over him and planting a kiss on the tip of his nose.
His warm breath gives Fred goosebumps, so he hugs back and squeezes tighter.
"Oh, Barney."
"I dunno where I'd be without you."
He says in a soft, sincere tone. Allowing all the emotion to be conveyed through his voice- unlike the usual, tough Fred.
Instead of speaking, Barney just moves in and deeply kisses him.
"Love ya, Freddie." He whispers
"Heh-heh, Lover Bean." Fred says, getting the last word in and making Barney blush.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It's not long until the both of them fall asleep and take a little snooze. Having only each other for warmth and a house to themselves.