January 1, 1999.
The first day of bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new.
And then this happened.
Adam's subtle way of cutting ties with Barney cast a gray shadow over everyone's hearts.
They were mad at Barney too, sure.
But not that mad.
So Adam's decision still caught them off guard.
And what's with the weird condition that they'd only patch things up if Barney had a daughter? What even is that?
Does Adam seriously think that if Barney had a kid, he'd turn into a doting dad, freaking out about his daughter dating a guy like him and finally cleaning up his act?
Hmm…
Okay, that kinda makes sense. 😅
But Barney? He won't even date, let alone get married and have kids.
Looks like future hangouts are gonna need some ground rules—no bringing Barney if Adam's around.
Adam didn't say much more about it.
As for Barney, any fondness from watching him on TV in a past life? Gone. Wiped out after dealing with his nonsense in person.
Imagine this: a friend who keeps spewing the most vulgar garbage about your little sister right to your face—over and over, even making up songs about it.
Oh, and he doesn't stop there—he throws your mom into the mix too.
Yup.
Barney claims he hooked up with Ted's mom, Mrs. Mosby, in the car on the way to the airport…
Any normal person would've smashed his face in. If you didn't at least rough him up, you'd look spineless.
But Ted? He just gave a weak laugh and maybe a playful elbow nudge at most.
Now that it's all out in the open and Barney's filthy words turned out to be true, Ted's reaction was to scold his "immature" little sister first, toss a few words at Barney, and then… nothing. Done.
Gotta admit, Ted's got some serious love for Barney. True bromance right there. ❤️
Saying goodbye to Lily and the others—who were all tangled up in their feelings—Adam left with Robin.
"Heard there was an explosion at your hospital today?"
Robin, riding shotgun, brought up the hot news buzzing around New York. "Ugh, when do I get to cover a story like that?!"
"Chill out," Adam said, trying to calm her down. "All this groundwork you're laying now? It's setting you up to blow up big later. I know you'll be an amazing reporter."
"Really?"
Robin cracked a smile.
"Totally," Adam grinned back. "Your first instinct was to report the story, not geek out over how the bomb was made or think, 'Wow, so cool, I wanna build one too.' That's how I know."
"…"
Robin caught the teasing in his tone and shot back, "Okay, I'm into weapons, but not that into them."
"Oh, yeah?" Adam raised an eyebrow. "I was gonna tell you more since I was there in person. Afterward, they told me all about the rocket's specs and how the guy pulled it off."
"How'd he make an M9A1 anti-tank rocket?"
Robin blurted out without thinking.
Adam just smirked, saying nothing.
Robin realized she'd walked right into it. 😳
"You enthusiasts, man," Adam said, shaking his head.
"What's wrong with that?" Robin shrugged it off. "This was just a freak accident. We just like this stuff—we're not out here hurting anyone."
"He's dead," Adam said quietly. "His wife almost had a heart attack, and he left behind three kids. He test-fired it in his backyard. Imagine if it wasn't a dud and went off—or if it blew up while he was tinkering in the garage. You think his wife and kids would've made it out?"
He paused. "There's a line between what's okay to mess with and what's not. Dangerous stuff like that? Even if you love it, it's not a toy or a hobby."
Robin didn't have a comeback, but her expression said she wasn't fully convinced.
Her gun-nut vibes weren't about to budge from a few words from Adam.
Good thing he wasn't trying to change her—just tossing out a thought.
If he really wanted to flip her personality, he could've gone all out and probably pulled it off. Actions speak louder than words, right? 😉
"Where are we going?"
Robin finally noticed something was up, glancing out the window and then at Adam. "This isn't the way to your place."
"Not heading to my apartment tonight," Adam said with a mysterious little smile.
"Then where?" Robin asked, suspicious. "It's freezing out here, and I'm not as cold-proof as you. Remember that time in the fall? Too long outside, and I ended up sick afterward. No way I'm doing that again—I've got work later!"
"Where's your mind at?" Adam teased. "It's not what you're thinking. I just wanna hit the streets with you and buy you something."
"For real?"
Robin couldn't believe it.
Up until now, her thing with Adam was either fighting or heading somewhere to fight.
What's he up to now?
Taking things to the next level?
"Adam, uh…" Robin hesitated.
"No 'uh' about it—it's legit," Adam said, sensing she was overthinking it and jumping in before it got messy. "I'm taking you shopping at the mall."
"The mall?"
Robin snapped to attention, staring at him.
"Yup, the mall! Let's go shopping together—just today~"
Adam winked playfully.
"No way!"
Robin finally clocked it and wasn't having it.
"Oh, yes~"
Adam nodded, confirming her fears, then flipped on the car's TV.
"Please, Mr. Johnson, I know I messed up—don't put me in detention! Want me to make it up to you somehow?~"
On the screen, a younger Robin popped up—white shirt, plaid skirt, in a classroom, pleading with a teacher, winking and biting her lip like she's offering something…
Emmm.
Totally the opening vibe of a cheesy romance flick.
"Oh, no!"
Robin lunged to turn it off, but Adam blocked her with one hand.
"You think turning it off now changes anything?" Adam laughed. "Robin Sparkly?"
"Was it Katie?!"
Robin gave up, letting the MV play, mortified.
"How about I sing you a song?"
The plot swerved—no steamy romance, just a music video.
"Let's all go to the mall! Just today!"
Robin danced and sang, oozing 'charm.'
Emmm.
This was an MV made to hype up mall shopping, literally called Let's All Go to the Mall. It was Robin's first hit back when she was a teen idol singer.
"I'm gonna kill Katie!"
Adam didn't say it, just grinned at the video, but Robin knew—only Katie, fresh from Christmas in Canada, would dig up this old relic for Adam to see.
"It's not so bad," Adam chuckled. "Robin Sparkly's adorable. I've already ordered you the original silicone bracelet and graffiti jacket. I'll be your robot buddy, and we'll blast off to space together, dancing and singing among the stars…"
Robin's face darkened, silent.
"What, not happy?" Adam said, apologetic. "My bad~"
He reached for the car TV as he spoke.
Robin's expression softened a bit, thinking maybe Adam wasn't that awful and was about to spare her the embarrassment.
Nope. She nearly lost it.
"Since you're not feeling it today, forcing the sunny Robin Sparkly vibe won't cut it. Let's switch it up."
Adam hit 'next.'
The screen cut to Robin at a concert, stepping up to greet the crowd.
"No!"
Robin yelped in disbelief again.
"Oh, yes!"
Adam nodded with a grin. "Compared to Robin Sparkly, I'm way more into…"
On the TV, Robin Sparkly said, "Hey, everyone! I'm Robin Sparkly. Well, actually, I was Robin Sparkly. Because Robin Sparkly is dead. My new name is…"
She spun around, ditched the wig and jacket, revealing a metallic punk look—going from bright and sweet to dark and edgy in a flash.
"Robin Stabby!!!"
"You're so beautiful… no law can stop me from loving you. I'll stick to you like glue, no restraining order can scare me off…"
Robin, now Stabby, belted it out wildly on the screen.
"Yup, got that outfit ready for you too," Adam said with a smile. "This one, P.S. I Love You? Blows Let's All Go to the Mall out of the water, doesn't it? Hate to say it, but you being grumpy makes me kinda happy."
Robin: "…"
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