Title: Number nine with my head on the bar: HIMYM/FNL, Ted & Jason
Title: Number nine with my head on the bar
Author: spamdilemma
Fandom: HIMYM/FNL crossover
Characters: Ted Mosby & Jason Street
Rating: G
Wordcount: 1052
Notes: Spoilers through HIMYM (s4, ep 5) and FNL (s3, ep 8); timelines are off. Also: fall is winter, winter is fall, and this can be... seasonal au?
Barney in drag should not be the last thing Ted sees before he calls it a night, and so he walks down and catches the train across the river, to New Jersey. The second car's mostly empty, except for one other guy sitting alone, staring out the streaky darkened window. He's in a wheelchair.
He turns around as Ted drops his messenger bag down in the row across. "Evening, sir," he says, and it's so genuine that Ted forgets himself.
"Hey, how's it going?" Ted asks, because he's not actually a New Yorker.
"Fine, thanks. Yourself?"
Ted stretches his legs out and thinks, a moment. "A little tired, but what's a commute, right? New Jersey here we come."
"Yeah, it's my first official week on the job -- in Manhattan, I mean. So this whole riding trains and subways thing is taking some getting used to."
"How're you liking New Jersey?" Ted honestly wants to know.
He looks up at him. "Oh, it's good. It's been real good." He rubs his hands together and laughs: no gloves. "Truthfully, though, the cold is just about killing me. My girl didn't warn me about that."
"I hate to say it, but December is the least of your worries, my friend."
"Seriously?"
"Oh yeah," Ted says, fussing with his scarf like a veteran. "I'm from Ohio." The guy seems reasonably impressed, unlike certain other acquaintances.
"I'm from Texas myself. I mean, it gets cold at night there at this time, and on the odd year we might even catch a whiff of snow, but nothing like this. I think my system's in for a shock."
Ted laughs a little. "You moved up here recently, then?"
"I'm very green." He shakes his head. "It's been a wild ride. I wasn't sure about anything when I left -- and it's still so new, that I got everything. Everything I wanted."
"Followed a girl?" Ted asks then, because, well, a romantic -- that he is.
Jason's smile is slow. "Yeah. Yeah, I did." He offers a hand. "I'm Jason, by the way. Jason Street."
"Ted Mosby," Ted says, taking it.
---
Ted sees Jason most weekdays, when he makes it out to see Stella on the train. And Jason, well, Ted will just say that he's a lot better company than the occasional skate-by high-five with Matisse.
At first it's more about killing time -- it feels like lately Ted's been spending all his time tunneling from one place to another. But Jason has an open face, a way about about him, and it's nice. Jason's nice in a way that Ted hasn't thought about in a long time.
And then come the baby pictures. "This here's Noah," Jason says proudly, holding up the small screen on his cell. "And this pretty girl with the red hair's his mama, Erin."
"Well, who's this robust man in fur, then?" Ted asks. It's a mall Christmas photo op.
Jason grins over the pull of his collar. He flips his phone shut. "What, don't they celebrate the holidays in Ohio?"
"I could've been raised non-denominational."
"I saw the candy cane socks you're wearing," Jason points out.
"Must've sorted them with the colors," Ted coughs.
But Jason drops things easily. He's more interested in the stake of the Cowboys in this year's post-season. "I don't know about Romo," Jason sighs. "When push comes to shove, he needs to make it count. Where is his head at, you know?"
Ted nods in what he hopes is due seriousness. "You played football then? Is that how it, uh, happened?" He tries not to look at the chair, but then reconsiders. It'd be ruder to look away.
And it's probably too personal a question, but Jason doesn't seem offended -- or even surprised. "Nature of the game. That's what they only tell you afterwards." His smile is a little wry, but not bitter. "Can't stop loving it, though."
"What position did you play?"
"Quarterback," Jason says, to Ted's relief. Even he knows that one. "I was a talent too. Scouted by Notre Dame in my freshman year. But things changed, obviously. It took me a while to realize that it wasn't for the worst."
Ted thinks of Lily, thinks of Robin. He tries to picture his future as being more than a blank face. "Hey, do you want to have dinner with me and Stella and Lucy?" he asks suddenly. "Your family too?"
Jason sits up in his chair and smiles. "That'd be great. Just let me know when."
For someone who's demonstrated, multiple times (purposefully alone, okay?), against the injustices of the jock hierarchy, Ted might just throw this Street kid a bone.
---
"I'm getting married," Ted says in greeting, shrugging off his overcoat. "Eloping, sort of."
"Way to cut to the chase," Jason says, shaking his hand. "Congratulations, man."
"Yeah, it's been --" Ted makes a big, sweeping gesture with his hands. "Wow."
"So I take it Stella did the asking?"
Ted laughs a little, under his breath. "Actually, we're sort of taking over her sister's wedding. She broke up with her fiancé, and everything's booked -- no refunds. It'd be a shame to let it all go to waste, right?"
Jason starts to frown, but shakes his head. "But the timing's right? For you two?"
"I guess," Ted says. He's been worrying more and more about that. Before there'd always been something off -- girl meets other boy, girl moves away, girl doesn't want the same things. The same life. But it's different now, it has to be, because Stella wants this. Ted can be spontaneous, sure thing. It's the doubt creeping back in that he needs to shatter.
"Well, I'll be seeing more of you, in any case," Jason says, snapping Ted out of it -- whatever 'it' is. "You did say you'd be the one doing the moving?"
"Oh. Oh yeah," Ted says slowly. "We agreed it would be best. For Lucy -- and us."
"I've started to warm up to New Jersey, believe it or not, although I am glad spring is in sight. It's no Texas barbecue, but I think I can deal." He looks up at Ted, and his is a life spent looking ahead, not back.
"I'd invite you to the wedding, but the seating's tight as is," Ted apologizes.
Jason waves him off. "Don't even worry about it. I'll be sick of your face soon enough."
And they laugh at their future truths and future selves and lives just waiting to be lived.
Author: spamdilemma
Fandom: HIMYM/FNL crossover
Characters: Ted Mosby & Jason Street
Rating: G
Wordcount: 1052
Notes: Spoilers through HIMYM (s4, ep 5) and FNL (s3, ep 8); timelines are off. Also: fall is winter, winter is fall, and this can be... seasonal au?
Barney in drag should not be the last thing Ted sees before he calls it a night, and so he walks down and catches the train across the river, to New Jersey. The second car's mostly empty, except for one other guy sitting alone, staring out the streaky darkened window. He's in a wheelchair.
He turns around as Ted drops his messenger bag down in the row across. "Evening, sir," he says, and it's so genuine that Ted forgets himself.
"Hey, how's it going?" Ted asks, because he's not actually a New Yorker.
"Fine, thanks. Yourself?"
Ted stretches his legs out and thinks, a moment. "A little tired, but what's a commute, right? New Jersey here we come."
"Yeah, it's my first official week on the job -- in Manhattan, I mean. So this whole riding trains and subways thing is taking some getting used to."
"How're you liking New Jersey?" Ted honestly wants to know.
He looks up at him. "Oh, it's good. It's been real good." He rubs his hands together and laughs: no gloves. "Truthfully, though, the cold is just about killing me. My girl didn't warn me about that."
"I hate to say it, but December is the least of your worries, my friend."
"Seriously?"
"Oh yeah," Ted says, fussing with his scarf like a veteran. "I'm from Ohio." The guy seems reasonably impressed, unlike certain other acquaintances.
"I'm from Texas myself. I mean, it gets cold at night there at this time, and on the odd year we might even catch a whiff of snow, but nothing like this. I think my system's in for a shock."
Ted laughs a little. "You moved up here recently, then?"
"I'm very green." He shakes his head. "It's been a wild ride. I wasn't sure about anything when I left -- and it's still so new, that I got everything. Everything I wanted."
"Followed a girl?" Ted asks then, because, well, a romantic -- that he is.
Jason's smile is slow. "Yeah. Yeah, I did." He offers a hand. "I'm Jason, by the way. Jason Street."
"Ted Mosby," Ted says, taking it.
---
Ted sees Jason most weekdays, when he makes it out to see Stella on the train. And Jason, well, Ted will just say that he's a lot better company than the occasional skate-by high-five with Matisse.
At first it's more about killing time -- it feels like lately Ted's been spending all his time tunneling from one place to another. But Jason has an open face, a way about about him, and it's nice. Jason's nice in a way that Ted hasn't thought about in a long time.
And then come the baby pictures. "This here's Noah," Jason says proudly, holding up the small screen on his cell. "And this pretty girl with the red hair's his mama, Erin."
"Well, who's this robust man in fur, then?" Ted asks. It's a mall Christmas photo op.
Jason grins over the pull of his collar. He flips his phone shut. "What, don't they celebrate the holidays in Ohio?"
"I could've been raised non-denominational."
"I saw the candy cane socks you're wearing," Jason points out.
"Must've sorted them with the colors," Ted coughs.
But Jason drops things easily. He's more interested in the stake of the Cowboys in this year's post-season. "I don't know about Romo," Jason sighs. "When push comes to shove, he needs to make it count. Where is his head at, you know?"
Ted nods in what he hopes is due seriousness. "You played football then? Is that how it, uh, happened?" He tries not to look at the chair, but then reconsiders. It'd be ruder to look away.
And it's probably too personal a question, but Jason doesn't seem offended -- or even surprised. "Nature of the game. That's what they only tell you afterwards." His smile is a little wry, but not bitter. "Can't stop loving it, though."
"What position did you play?"
"Quarterback," Jason says, to Ted's relief. Even he knows that one. "I was a talent too. Scouted by Notre Dame in my freshman year. But things changed, obviously. It took me a while to realize that it wasn't for the worst."
Ted thinks of Lily, thinks of Robin. He tries to picture his future as being more than a blank face. "Hey, do you want to have dinner with me and Stella and Lucy?" he asks suddenly. "Your family too?"
Jason sits up in his chair and smiles. "That'd be great. Just let me know when."
For someone who's demonstrated, multiple times (purposefully alone, okay?), against the injustices of the jock hierarchy, Ted might just throw this Street kid a bone.
---
"I'm getting married," Ted says in greeting, shrugging off his overcoat. "Eloping, sort of."
"Way to cut to the chase," Jason says, shaking his hand. "Congratulations, man."
"Yeah, it's been --" Ted makes a big, sweeping gesture with his hands. "Wow."
"So I take it Stella did the asking?"
Ted laughs a little, under his breath. "Actually, we're sort of taking over her sister's wedding. She broke up with her fiancé, and everything's booked -- no refunds. It'd be a shame to let it all go to waste, right?"
Jason starts to frown, but shakes his head. "But the timing's right? For you two?"
"I guess," Ted says. He's been worrying more and more about that. Before there'd always been something off -- girl meets other boy, girl moves away, girl doesn't want the same things. The same life. But it's different now, it has to be, because Stella wants this. Ted can be spontaneous, sure thing. It's the doubt creeping back in that he needs to shatter.
"Well, I'll be seeing more of you, in any case," Jason says, snapping Ted out of it -- whatever 'it' is. "You did say you'd be the one doing the moving?"
"Oh. Oh yeah," Ted says slowly. "We agreed it would be best. For Lucy -- and us."
"I've started to warm up to New Jersey, believe it or not, although I am glad spring is in sight. It's no Texas barbecue, but I think I can deal." He looks up at Ted, and his is a life spent looking ahead, not back.
"I'd invite you to the wedding, but the seating's tight as is," Ted apologizes.
Jason waves him off. "Don't even worry about it. I'll be sick of your face soon enough."
And they laugh at their future truths and future selves and lives just waiting to be lived.