#cliqbaits – barney s.

[venustrape-arch]

@cliqbaits | cont.

it was a good question. thinking back on the first time they ended up in bed together, she could only think of one thing – great job making the list, sherbatsky. it's not like there was room to process how she felt about what happened between them. she was just left guilty & questioning any shred of self respect she'd ever thought there was. but that was then. & things have changed. they keep changing. she's not saying their secret summer affair is particularly healthy, but they went into this on the same page – wanting something casual & fun. not being able to stay away from each other. the type of thing people might call a ticking time bomb. there's a reason nobody knows, after all. still... that ticking is louder than it's ever been, harmonizing with the beat of her heart. " i – " she hears herself asking him to stay & panics when he questions it, gaze shifting to the side. sleepovers weren't part of the deal. not explicitly. but for once, she can't stomach the thought of waking up to his empty side of the bed. " – just don't want you to run into ted, it's better if you stay. he chugged a lot of coffee, i think he's staying up to work on his first day teaching plan tonight. " relief fills the breath that leaves her as he pulls her close, arm wrapping around his middle & head tucked in the crook of his neck, gluing herself to his body. she knows she's not fooling him. & he's not fooling her, either. but she'll happily play along. " ah man, you got me. morning sex was totally my ulterior motive. "

[venustrape-arch]

it still baffles her how easy this transition feels. the one thing that would make this a horrible idea has already gone out the window the second they started hooking up – expectations. if it's one thing she can count on, it's barney stinson's aversion to boyfriend duties. sleeping with someone comes easy. intimacy is another thing entirely & neither of them have the best track record with it, which is so weirdly comforting to know. still, they might be a mess individually, but they're perfectly imperfect together. they take each other as they are, & it makes things effortless. she allows herself to bask in that feeling for as long as she possibly can. " shut up. " she mumbles, but grins nonetheless, shifting for a second just to playfully elbow him in the ribs. his girl – the words stick in the back of her mind & she does her best not to overthink the implications. he teases her all the time, after all. no need to invoke the safe word. her body glues to his own once again, eyes closed as his warmth envelops her. it's quiet & safe & everything neither of them are used to... but it feels too good to ruin. " as if. i'm just using you for your body heat. " she jokes, sneaking in a quiet laugh, not daring to open her eyes again as she holds onto him. " ... it's not horrible though, is it ? "

barney nodded, letting the obvious half-truth pass between them, they both knew that their concern for ted had been tossed out the window the moment they'd started hooking up. of course they cared for ted, he was their best friend, but there was no denying that this thing between them was strong, maybe even stronger than any connection robin had ever had with ted. this was different. even as they told half-truths to each other to avoid the obvious feelings they both had, even then this was more real than what ted and robin had been. barney saw robin for who she was, and she saw him for the same. no expectations to change, to shift their believe systems, their future desires and goals to meet the other's expectations or dreams. they were just themselves, though it was possible barney was a slightly better version of himself with her, he had changed, only altered his behavior in order to keep her close. and it hadn't felt like a sacrifice, it had just been right. still, he let her 'concern' for ted sit and nodded, silent as he nuzzled his face against her neck, breathing in deeply before he chuckled, "that's my girl, always putting out. i always liked that about you." he teased. his girl? he didn't know where that had come from, but he didn't correct himself. "is this the part where we pretend we loved to cuddle until the other person falls asleep?" he added, though he didn't make any effort to pull away from her, maybe he'd convinced himself he actually did enjoy cuddling.