FIC: Brohemian (6/6) HIMYM - AU
Title: Brohemian
Co-fic with: otempora42
Overview summary: In an alternative universe, Lily and Barney are starving artists living together in a run-down apartment building. Lily left Westleyan after her freshman year and Barney because a classical violinist.
This chapter: Lily arrives home after her art show.
Previously on: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | This is Part 6
Rating/Warnings: In this part: PG15 (overall - X for explicit smut)
Word Count: 1,090
Fandom/Pairing: HIMYM: Lily/Barney
Spoilers: Refers to events told in flashback about Lily's college days, and a throw away joke in 4.24
Lily gets home an hour or two later. It's obscenely late, and she's completely exhausted, both physically and emotionally, and all she wants to do is crash on the bed.
She puts down her armful of unsold paintings and throws her purse onto the couch. It's only then that she sees the jacket and the tie slung over the back, and her heart sinks. So they did come back here. The door to his bedroom is closed, thank God - if she saw them in there together, she might actually have a complete meltdown. It's bad enough that she broke down in front of Ted.
She collapses on the couch. She can't forget what Ted had said - So, you're in love with him? She doesn't know - she just knows that this is very, very bad. She puts her head in her hands and groans.
Lily's just about to go to bed and wallow in self-pity for the rest of the night when, with a bang, the bedroom door swings open and someone shouts "Surprise!" Lily, naturally, screams her head off as a champagne cork hits her in the arm.
Barney yells out and clamps his hand over his mouth as she rubs her arm. He dashes her to her side, his arms flailing, spilling champagne everywhere. "Oh crap, Lily! I'm so sorry!"
"What the hell, Barney?" She rages, her anger suddenly over-riding her confusion.
"I- I- I thought we... you? Celebrate?" He holds up the half-bottle of champagne weakly.
She looks over at him. His shirt sleeves are rolled up, and his collar's unbuttoned so that she can see his neck and hints of chest hair, and he looks really worried that he's hurt her. Her anger slips away as easily as it came.
"You're not hurt, are you?" he asks, and she shakes her head. Lily looks around.
"Where's Robin?" she says without thinking. Barney's forehead furrows in confusion.
"How should I know?"
"Didn't you..." She pauses as it hits her. They didn't leave together. They didn't sleep together. Lily grins and takes the bottle from him. "So, where are the glasses?"
He laughs uncertainly, going to the sink to get a couple of mugs. He fills them both with the bubbling wine and pushes one into her hand.
Lily holds the mug and can't help but laugh. Champagne in mugs? Her roommate in a suit? What in the hell? She has no idea what to say so she holds up her mug and tries not to stare at him, at how his cheekbones look so sharp in this low light. At how that damn shirt looks so great on him.
"To... what? What do we toast to?" She asks.
"To you, lame-o!" Barney laughs. "Your success."
She really just wants to kiss him. Her eyes linger on his lips as he takes a sip of his wine.
"Couldn't have done it without you," she says, sinking down on the couch. Lily takes a sip of the champagne. It's not exactly quality stuff, and the slight tinge of coffee doesn't help, either, but she manages to stop herself from grimacing. "How did you pull it off?"
Barney shrugs and plops down next to her. "I know people." He smiles, boyishly, and brings the mug to his mouth again. He chuckles. "This is kind of disgusting, isn't it?"
"Only a little." They're sitting too close, their shoulders brushing, and Lily remembers the last time they sat together like this, when they'd ended up fucking on the couch, and when he'd become, as well as sweet and fun and thoughtful, undeniably sexy. Lily'd been so afraid to lose their friendship. That had worked out, at least, even if that's not what she wants anymore.
"I saved the painting," Lily says. "The one you liked." She points over to the abstract. Barney smiles, but then looks confused.
"You mean you didn't let Marshall have it?"
She blushes, still a little shaky from her confession to Ted. "No..." She doesn't know what to say, what to do around him. Her mouth is furry from coffee-flavored champagne and she can't even look him in the eye. Then suddenly his fingers are on her face and his lips are pressing against hers and oh shit, it's happening again. But this time, it's different.
He cups her face as he kisses her, his tongue teasing her lip. It's like a sigh of relief, an easing of tension, and Lily wraps her arms around his waist. God, she could kiss him forever.
But then he pulls away, and scoots away, and Lily misses him like anything. "I'm sorry," he says, not looking at her. "I shouldn't. Not when you're with..." His eyes screw shut. "Marshall seems like a nice guy."
She shakes her head and reaches out to grab his arm. "You idiot..." She breathes with a half-laugh. Sure, Marshall ignited a whole bunch of feelings that had lain dormant for a long time. But those feelings had flared and died just as quickly, leaving her confused and yet certain at the same time. "Jeez, Barney... Marshall's so not in the picture right now."
"But you were all over him at the exhibition," he says. He looks confused and somehow hopeful at the same time. Lily remembers how she felt when she thought he was with another woman, and wonders if he's been feeling the same way all week. Suddenly, she feels like a complete idiot for not figuring this out sooner.
"I was..." She laughs. "I was jealous. I thought that you were going home with Robin, and I thought I saw you leave together, and I was completely miserable for the rest of the night."
He reaches out and tucks her hair behind her ear, his hand lingering on the side of her face. He's smiling incredulously, like he can barely believe that she's here, and she's so far gone, it's not even funny.
"I'm not with him," she continues, all in a rush. "And if I was, I shouldn't be, because..." She swallows. "I'm crazy about you."
The words are barely out of her mouth before he kisses her again, hungrily, like he can't get enough of her. Lily's hands sink into his short hair, and her heart pounds in her chest. Eventually they surface for air, his knuckles brushing over her forearm, him grinning down at her. She likes it. Her fingers continue to play with his hair, and he chuckles.
"I was hoping you'd like it."
She laughs. "I do."
Co-fic with: otempora42
Overview summary: In an alternative universe, Lily and Barney are starving artists living together in a run-down apartment building. Lily left Westleyan after her freshman year and Barney because a classical violinist.
This chapter: Lily arrives home after her art show.
Previously on: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | This is Part 6
Rating/Warnings: In this part: PG15 (overall - X for explicit smut)
Word Count: 1,090
Fandom/Pairing: HIMYM: Lily/Barney
Spoilers: Refers to events told in flashback about Lily's college days, and a throw away joke in 4.24
Lily gets home an hour or two later. It's obscenely late, and she's completely exhausted, both physically and emotionally, and all she wants to do is crash on the bed.
She puts down her armful of unsold paintings and throws her purse onto the couch. It's only then that she sees the jacket and the tie slung over the back, and her heart sinks. So they did come back here. The door to his bedroom is closed, thank God - if she saw them in there together, she might actually have a complete meltdown. It's bad enough that she broke down in front of Ted.
She collapses on the couch. She can't forget what Ted had said - So, you're in love with him? She doesn't know - she just knows that this is very, very bad. She puts her head in her hands and groans.
Lily's just about to go to bed and wallow in self-pity for the rest of the night when, with a bang, the bedroom door swings open and someone shouts "Surprise!" Lily, naturally, screams her head off as a champagne cork hits her in the arm.
Barney yells out and clamps his hand over his mouth as she rubs her arm. He dashes her to her side, his arms flailing, spilling champagne everywhere. "Oh crap, Lily! I'm so sorry!"
"What the hell, Barney?" She rages, her anger suddenly over-riding her confusion.
"I- I- I thought we... you? Celebrate?" He holds up the half-bottle of champagne weakly.
She looks over at him. His shirt sleeves are rolled up, and his collar's unbuttoned so that she can see his neck and hints of chest hair, and he looks really worried that he's hurt her. Her anger slips away as easily as it came.
"You're not hurt, are you?" he asks, and she shakes her head. Lily looks around.
"Where's Robin?" she says without thinking. Barney's forehead furrows in confusion.
"How should I know?"
"Didn't you..." She pauses as it hits her. They didn't leave together. They didn't sleep together. Lily grins and takes the bottle from him. "So, where are the glasses?"
He laughs uncertainly, going to the sink to get a couple of mugs. He fills them both with the bubbling wine and pushes one into her hand.
Lily holds the mug and can't help but laugh. Champagne in mugs? Her roommate in a suit? What in the hell? She has no idea what to say so she holds up her mug and tries not to stare at him, at how his cheekbones look so sharp in this low light. At how that damn shirt looks so great on him.
"To... what? What do we toast to?" She asks.
"To you, lame-o!" Barney laughs. "Your success."
She really just wants to kiss him. Her eyes linger on his lips as he takes a sip of his wine.
"Couldn't have done it without you," she says, sinking down on the couch. Lily takes a sip of the champagne. It's not exactly quality stuff, and the slight tinge of coffee doesn't help, either, but she manages to stop herself from grimacing. "How did you pull it off?"
Barney shrugs and plops down next to her. "I know people." He smiles, boyishly, and brings the mug to his mouth again. He chuckles. "This is kind of disgusting, isn't it?"
"Only a little." They're sitting too close, their shoulders brushing, and Lily remembers the last time they sat together like this, when they'd ended up fucking on the couch, and when he'd become, as well as sweet and fun and thoughtful, undeniably sexy. Lily'd been so afraid to lose their friendship. That had worked out, at least, even if that's not what she wants anymore.
"I saved the painting," Lily says. "The one you liked." She points over to the abstract. Barney smiles, but then looks confused.
"You mean you didn't let Marshall have it?"
She blushes, still a little shaky from her confession to Ted. "No..." She doesn't know what to say, what to do around him. Her mouth is furry from coffee-flavored champagne and she can't even look him in the eye. Then suddenly his fingers are on her face and his lips are pressing against hers and oh shit, it's happening again. But this time, it's different.
He cups her face as he kisses her, his tongue teasing her lip. It's like a sigh of relief, an easing of tension, and Lily wraps her arms around his waist. God, she could kiss him forever.
But then he pulls away, and scoots away, and Lily misses him like anything. "I'm sorry," he says, not looking at her. "I shouldn't. Not when you're with..." His eyes screw shut. "Marshall seems like a nice guy."
She shakes her head and reaches out to grab his arm. "You idiot..." She breathes with a half-laugh. Sure, Marshall ignited a whole bunch of feelings that had lain dormant for a long time. But those feelings had flared and died just as quickly, leaving her confused and yet certain at the same time. "Jeez, Barney... Marshall's so not in the picture right now."
"But you were all over him at the exhibition," he says. He looks confused and somehow hopeful at the same time. Lily remembers how she felt when she thought he was with another woman, and wonders if he's been feeling the same way all week. Suddenly, she feels like a complete idiot for not figuring this out sooner.
"I was..." She laughs. "I was jealous. I thought that you were going home with Robin, and I thought I saw you leave together, and I was completely miserable for the rest of the night."
He reaches out and tucks her hair behind her ear, his hand lingering on the side of her face. He's smiling incredulously, like he can barely believe that she's here, and she's so far gone, it's not even funny.
"I'm not with him," she continues, all in a rush. "And if I was, I shouldn't be, because..." She swallows. "I'm crazy about you."
The words are barely out of her mouth before he kisses her again, hungrily, like he can't get enough of her. Lily's hands sink into his short hair, and her heart pounds in her chest. Eventually they surface for air, his knuckles brushing over her forearm, him grinning down at her. She likes it. Her fingers continue to play with his hair, and he chuckles.
"I was hoping you'd like it."
She laughs. "I do."