Ficlet: Nap-deprived
Title: Nap-deprived (1/1)
Author: roland44
Summary: Lily's been deprived of her afternoon nap and things get a bit out of hand.
Word Count: 990
Fandom: HIMYM
Characters/Pairings: Lily/Robin, Lily/Barney, Barney/Robin, I leave you to figure out what's platonic and what's not!
Rating/Warnings/Spoilers: PG13 for language/ Don't own anything/ Spoilers up to 418 Old King Clancy
AN: Response to barneyrobin drabbleathon prompt "Nap" by tempestdance Sorry I ran with it and it became way too long! Also in part inspired by the Facebook HIMYM role playing stuff going on, particularly idioticonion's hope-devoid Barney, hence the blame tag!
AN2: If there are any huge mistakes in there, I blame the meds. Frickin' meds...
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The idiotic school board had gone and done it again.
Just when Lily was buckling under the pressure of dealing with a new batch of second graders, Marshall not being home nearly enough, Ted busy setting up his own firm and Robin being asleep whenever she needed a heart-to-heart with her best friend, they went and took away her (the kids') nap time again!
When Lily Aldrin didn't get her nap, the sleeping demon within her soon awoke.
"For the five hundred and twenty-eighth time Barney, you can't have Robin if you don't give up the bimbos. I've had it with your incessant snivelling and moping that she just doesn't see you, that she doesn't see your love for her. How the hell do you expect anyone to see you when you're constantly shrouded in suits, booze and twenty-two year olds? Maybe some day you'll grow up and learn the meaning of sacrifice Barney, but don't you dare say I didn't warn you if it happens too late!"
Barney's face fell as she stormed out of the crowded bar, leaving a trail of angry shoves and curses in her wake.
It was too much, too much for her to take anymore. Why did it always have to be her bearing everyone's burdens? Why was she always the one with the soothing caresses, the calming words? Why was she the only one who saw the simplicity in everything, where everyone else was saw only despair and regret?
The cold air outside MacLaren's hit her hot, flushed cheeks. She stood on the sidewalk, not knowing where to go next. Back to the empty apartment? To Marshall's office?
She glanced up at the doorway which led to her old home.
Yeah, she thought, I need to go back home. Just for a little while…
Ted smiled up at her from his computer when she staggered in the door.
"Hey Lil...tired?"
She nodded, wordlessly hanging up her coat on its old hook, her face relaxing into a smile for the first time in hours.
"Why don't you just crash here for tonight then?"
"Thanks, Ted…"
She shuffled over to her old room, quietly slid open the door, took off her boots in the crack of light that shone through the half-open door. Robin stirred in the dark and mumbled sleepily, rolling onto her back and sliding her long, slender arm around her friend's shoulder as she slipped under the sheets next to her.
"Lill...wha happ'n?"
"I ...missed you...and I'm just so tired…"
"Mmmm...mizzd you too sweetie"
Her eyes took a while to adjust to the darkness. When she could finally see the outline of Robin's sleeping face, she tucked a stray lock of hair away from her cheek. Robin responded with a low sigh, slowly stroking her cheek against Lily's palm.
Lily was suddenly overwhelmed by the pent-up emotions, the secrets, the lies, everything she’d been hiding for months that had been boiling up inside her, fuelled by her fatigue, her frustration and dangerously low levels of intimate human contact for the whole damned week.
“Robin, I really need to tell you something,” she whispered into her friend’s shoulder, snuggling in closer to her.
Robin forced her blue eyes half-open and batted her dark eyelashes in confusion.
“Mmmnn…wassat…?”
“He never really swore me to secrecy or anything. Would it be wrong if I say it? But I just …I give up…can’t handle any of it anymore. I, I can’t - ”
A sob suddenly escaped her. Robin felt her tiny body shudder and wrapped her arms tighter around Lily, stroking her back and her hair and cooing as lovingly as she could to ease her friend’s anxiety as the unrelenting waves of sobs broke from within her.
“What is it honey? Just …breathe first…deep breath...and then let it out…”
Lily choked, gulped in a breath of air and struggled to hold it in her chest before it escaped in a fresh bout of sobbing.
“He…he-he-...l-l-love…-s”, she gasped, fingernails digging into Robin’s arm as she struggled to ease her breathing, her diaphragm and abdominal muscles spasming uncontrollably.
“You…huh-huh-he…Bar…ney…’s in…love...with you….he’s scared…you’ll ne…ver...love him…back, plea..ease…just…give him…a chan-…talk to...him…later…please?”
Robin sat up abruptly, Lily’s fingers still awkwardly locked onto her forearms. In her half-sleep, she tried to logically come up with a reason why she couldn’t love Barney back, why she didn’t already love Barney, why she couldn't give him a chance and why she felt like she already knew that Barney was in love with her.
“Whaaatt…?”
She couldn’t think of anything. Not one good reason for anything. It was 10:30 in the night and nothing made sense. So she let her head drop to the pillow again, snuggled up against Lily and planted a sloppy kiss on her forehead.
As Lily’s heavy breathing evened out, she wiped away the hot tears from her eyes and stared up at Robin’s sleepy face.
“What, that’s it, Robin?” she said, her brow furrowing in confusion and concern. “I just told you - Robin Scherbatsky- that Barney Stinson is in love with you and ...and you just want to go back to sleep?! Hey! Explain yourself young lady!”
She shook Robin’s arm as hard as she possibly could, but her friend barely stirred. Robin clucked her tongue in mild annoyance, peered at Lily through the one eye she managed to get open and mumbled into the pillow, “Hegh toad meh olreggy…”
“WHAT?”
“Hieh…tole me already I nooo lemme sleeeep Lillly!”
“He TOLD you already?”
“Z’wut I sed Lily…”
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15 minutes earlier:
“…And then she said she’d only be into it if it was a new position. What up?”
Lily chugged her beer and then crunched as loudly and obscenely as she could on a peanut, ignoring Barney’s raised open palm and the usual conceited, carefree grin plastered across his face.
God, she felt like just slapping that smug grin right off his face.
“Umm Lil… There’s actually something I really need to tell you, and something I’ve been meaning to ask you.... it’s um… about Robin…do you think she-“
"For the five hundred and twenty-eighth time Barney, you can’t have Robin if you don't give up the bimbos.…"
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Author: roland44
Summary: Lily's been deprived of her afternoon nap and things get a bit out of hand.
Word Count: 990
Fandom: HIMYM
Characters/Pairings: Lily/Robin, Lily/Barney, Barney/Robin, I leave you to figure out what's platonic and what's not!
Rating/Warnings/Spoilers: PG13 for language/ Don't own anything/ Spoilers up to 418 Old King Clancy
AN: Response to barneyrobin drabbleathon prompt "Nap" by tempestdance Sorry I ran with it and it became way too long! Also in part inspired by the Facebook HIMYM role playing stuff going on, particularly idioticonion's hope-devoid Barney, hence the blame tag!
AN2: If there are any huge mistakes in there, I blame the meds. Frickin' meds...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
The idiotic school board had gone and done it again.
Just when Lily was buckling under the pressure of dealing with a new batch of second graders, Marshall not being home nearly enough, Ted busy setting up his own firm and Robin being asleep whenever she needed a heart-to-heart with her best friend, they went and took away her (the kids') nap time again!
When Lily Aldrin didn't get her nap, the sleeping demon within her soon awoke.
"For the five hundred and twenty-eighth time Barney, you can't have Robin if you don't give up the bimbos. I've had it with your incessant snivelling and moping that she just doesn't see you, that she doesn't see your love for her. How the hell do you expect anyone to see you when you're constantly shrouded in suits, booze and twenty-two year olds? Maybe some day you'll grow up and learn the meaning of sacrifice Barney, but don't you dare say I didn't warn you if it happens too late!"
Barney's face fell as she stormed out of the crowded bar, leaving a trail of angry shoves and curses in her wake.
It was too much, too much for her to take anymore. Why did it always have to be her bearing everyone's burdens? Why was she always the one with the soothing caresses, the calming words? Why was she the only one who saw the simplicity in everything, where everyone else was saw only despair and regret?
The cold air outside MacLaren's hit her hot, flushed cheeks. She stood on the sidewalk, not knowing where to go next. Back to the empty apartment? To Marshall's office?
She glanced up at the doorway which led to her old home.
Yeah, she thought, I need to go back home. Just for a little while…
Ted smiled up at her from his computer when she staggered in the door.
"Hey Lil...tired?"
She nodded, wordlessly hanging up her coat on its old hook, her face relaxing into a smile for the first time in hours.
"Why don't you just crash here for tonight then?"
"Thanks, Ted…"
She shuffled over to her old room, quietly slid open the door, took off her boots in the crack of light that shone through the half-open door. Robin stirred in the dark and mumbled sleepily, rolling onto her back and sliding her long, slender arm around her friend's shoulder as she slipped under the sheets next to her.
"Lill...wha happ'n?"
"I ...missed you...and I'm just so tired…"
"Mmmm...mizzd you too sweetie"
Her eyes took a while to adjust to the darkness. When she could finally see the outline of Robin's sleeping face, she tucked a stray lock of hair away from her cheek. Robin responded with a low sigh, slowly stroking her cheek against Lily's palm.
Lily was suddenly overwhelmed by the pent-up emotions, the secrets, the lies, everything she’d been hiding for months that had been boiling up inside her, fuelled by her fatigue, her frustration and dangerously low levels of intimate human contact for the whole damned week.
“Robin, I really need to tell you something,” she whispered into her friend’s shoulder, snuggling in closer to her.
Robin forced her blue eyes half-open and batted her dark eyelashes in confusion.
“Mmmnn…wassat…?”
“He never really swore me to secrecy or anything. Would it be wrong if I say it? But I just …I give up…can’t handle any of it anymore. I, I can’t - ”
A sob suddenly escaped her. Robin felt her tiny body shudder and wrapped her arms tighter around Lily, stroking her back and her hair and cooing as lovingly as she could to ease her friend’s anxiety as the unrelenting waves of sobs broke from within her.
“What is it honey? Just …breathe first…deep breath...and then let it out…”
Lily choked, gulped in a breath of air and struggled to hold it in her chest before it escaped in a fresh bout of sobbing.
“He…he-he-...l-l-love…-s”, she gasped, fingernails digging into Robin’s arm as she struggled to ease her breathing, her diaphragm and abdominal muscles spasming uncontrollably.
“You…huh-huh-he…Bar…ney…’s in…love...with you….he’s scared…you’ll ne…ver...love him…back, plea..ease…just…give him…a chan-…talk to...him…later…please?”
Robin sat up abruptly, Lily’s fingers still awkwardly locked onto her forearms. In her half-sleep, she tried to logically come up with a reason why she couldn’t love Barney back, why she didn’t already love Barney, why she couldn't give him a chance and why she felt like she already knew that Barney was in love with her.
“Whaaatt…?”
She couldn’t think of anything. Not one good reason for anything. It was 10:30 in the night and nothing made sense. So she let her head drop to the pillow again, snuggled up against Lily and planted a sloppy kiss on her forehead.
As Lily’s heavy breathing evened out, she wiped away the hot tears from her eyes and stared up at Robin’s sleepy face.
“What, that’s it, Robin?” she said, her brow furrowing in confusion and concern. “I just told you - Robin Scherbatsky- that Barney Stinson is in love with you and ...and you just want to go back to sleep?! Hey! Explain yourself young lady!”
She shook Robin’s arm as hard as she possibly could, but her friend barely stirred. Robin clucked her tongue in mild annoyance, peered at Lily through the one eye she managed to get open and mumbled into the pillow, “Hegh toad meh olreggy…”
“WHAT?”
“Hieh…tole me already I nooo lemme sleeeep Lillly!”
“He TOLD you already?”
“Z’wut I sed Lily…”
---------------------------------------------------
15 minutes earlier:
“…And then she said she’d only be into it if it was a new position. What up?”
Lily chugged her beer and then crunched as loudly and obscenely as she could on a peanut, ignoring Barney’s raised open palm and the usual conceited, carefree grin plastered across his face.
God, she felt like just slapping that smug grin right off his face.
“Umm Lil… There’s actually something I really need to tell you, and something I’ve been meaning to ask you.... it’s um… about Robin…do you think she-“
"For the five hundred and twenty-eighth time Barney, you can’t have Robin if you don't give up the bimbos.…"
------------------------------------------------