Support me on pat_reon.com/kapur69 (Delete "_") and read for 15 chapter ahead or more.
Disclaimer, i own nothing but my own idea.
-----------------
3rd POV
"…I want your pancakes again, Daddy."
Penny said it with a pout, cheeks slightly puffed as she chewed on the popcorn in her hand. She turned her face away dramatically, acting as if she were five again instead of a girl who very much knew how to negotiate with her father.
Beside her, Luke let out a loud burp after gulping down the last of his Monster energy drink. "Yeah! I love your pancakes, Dad!" Luke added proudly, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
Penny shot him a look of pure disgust.
"That's gross."
Luke didn't care and kept looking at Ted. "So… that's it?" he continued, looking at Ted with a crooked grin. "Your friends being friends with Aunt Robin?" He lifted the empty Monster can like a trophy. "Not only you conquered her heart, but you conquered her stomach too. Nice."
Ted froze and he slowly turned his head toward Luke, staring at him with a completely deadpan expression.
{…What the hell are you talking about?!} His eyes then dropped to the can in Luke's hand.
{And I told you that drink is bad for you. No more Monster!.} Ted raised his voice just enough to make the point clear, then immediately softened as he turned back to Penny. {Alright, baby girl. I'll make pancakes for you later.}
Penny's face lit up instantly.
Luke only snorted and tried and very unsuccessfully, to squeeze one last imaginary drop out of the empty can, tilting it upside down like sheer determination might summon more drinks.
"Thank you, Daddy!" Penny clapped her hands happily before nudging Luke away with her elbow.
She clearly had no intention of sharing pancakes.
Either Ted made two portions…
…..or Luke mysteriously got locked in his room so he can't bother her.
"Thanks, old man!" Luke said casually, pointing at Ted and flashing a dramatic you're-the-best gesture.
Ted sighed, rubbing his temple.
{Alright. Back to the story, you two.} He cleared his throat. {So, Marshall and Lily had just gotten engaged. Marshall put the ring on her finger and… well—}
Ted hesitated, his face clearly uncomfortable about this.
{Lily became… extra affectionate.}
Penny and Luke blinked at him.
It took Penny only a second to understand. Her eyes widened and then she blushed.
"Well, they just got engaged, Dad," she said quickly, crossing her arms. "Unlike you."
She squinted at him suspiciously. "…You know, I actually want to hear about your college days. Aunt Lily said you were kind of a beast—"
{NO.}
Ted shot up straight and pointed at Penny.
{That is a lie, baby. WE are NOT talking about that.}
He took a breath, forcing himself to calm down.
{Your Aunt Lily exaggerates everything. I was completely ordinary. Just a beatboxer and a campus radio guy. Nothing special. Nothing wild. College was… normal.}
He paused, giving just enough information to sound believable.
Luke tilted his head, clearly unconvinced by what Ted said. "Didn't you say Aunt Lily told you every girl in college 'wanted' a piece of you?" he asked innocently. "Not that I trust you or anything. Just saying."
Either Luke had a very selective memory…
….or he was enjoying this far too much.
Ted bet it's the latter, because the way he tilted his head and gave him an innocent smile? Yeah he didn't buy it.
Penny snorted and crossed her arms tighter, still watching Ted carefully.
{…I have no idea what you're talking about.} Ted waved it off quickly and continued the story.
{Anyway…yes. Lily had absolutely no boundaries when it came to affection. She basically threw pheromones at Marshall nonstop. Even when I was in the room.} He sighed deeply for remembering that.
Luke snorted, disappointed that his bait hadn't worked.
Penny snorted too, fully aware that Ted had just masterfully dodged the entire topic.
—--------
{After the pancake fiasco earlier, Robin and Barney went back to their respective apartments. Marshall, Lily, and I returned to our own versions of a quiet Sunday.}
Marshall was dressed in his usual lazy Sunday outfit, a sweatpants, an old T-shirt, though the illusion of rest was immediately ruined by the laptop open on the coffee table in front of him. His fingers tapped steadily against the keyboard, eyes focused, determined to make it done as quickly as possible.
Across from him….is Lily. She wasn't doing anything.
At least… not productively.
Every few seconds, her gaze drifted down to the ring on her finger. She turned her hand slightly, admiring the way it caught the light or that's what she thought. Then she looked back at Marshall. Then back at the ring. Then back at Marshall again, but this time with a very specific look.
A look that absolutely did not help constitutional law he was doing right now.
Marshall tried to ignore it.
He really did.
Sunday was supposed to be calm and peaceful, doing his Paper-writing that he ignored for a couple days before. He just wanted to finish his assignment and enjoy the rest of the day.
He glanced at Lily….Just a little bit.
….Alright, that was a big mistake.
She licked her lips slowly.
Then shifted her body just enough to be distracting him from the right way of being a lawyer!.
"…Baby. No," Marshall said, lifting his eyes and giving her a warning stare.
It did nothing.
"What?" Lily asked innocently, tilting her head as if she had no idea what he meant. She lifted her hand between them, fingers delicate, the ring shining proudly. "I don't know what you're talking about, Marshall."
She admired the ring again, sighing softly.
"....My beautiful ring."
Marshall swallowed and tried to keep his focus on the task. "…I have a twenty-five-page paper on constitutional law due Monday," he said, forcing his eyes back to the screen. "And I've barely started."
….Another glance.
Lily smiled at him with wide, playful eyes.
"Hey, I'm just sitting here… wearing my ring," she said sweetly. "Kind of makes wearing other stuff feel… unnecessary."
She tugged lightly at her shirt.
"Like this, for example," she added with a quiet giggle. "....I don't really feel like wearing it anymore."
Marshall pressed his lips together, fighting the urge to smile. He knew better. Smiling would only encourage her.
"…Or my underwear," Lily continued casually, leaning back. "Oh. Right. I'm not wearing any."
"…So you haven't been wearing underwear since last night's party?!"
Ted's voice cut straight through the moment.
Lily whipped her head toward him, instantly furious. "I TOOK IT OFF THIS MORNING! SHUT UP, TED!"
It was true. After the pancake disaster, she'd gone to the bathroom and simply… decided underwear was optional.
Ted raised both hands in surrender.
There's only thin boundaries with these two of his best friends. Not that large boundaries, even Lily already telling Marshal that she already saw Ted's Dick.
Especially not since the incident where they'd had sex while Ted was asleep on top of Marshall's bed in college.
Some scars never heal.....
Marshall snapped out of Lily's spell, shook his head, and turned back to his laptop, typing furiously as if constitutional law could save him now.
Lily scoffed and slumped back against the chair.
"I'm jealous of Robin," she muttered dramatically. "She got sex last night. I just got a hangover and a fiancé with homework."
That did it.
"…Fine!" Marshall snapped, slamming the laptop shut. He stood up, grabbed Lily's hands, and pulled her to her feet.
"We are going to have great sex!" he declared loudly without care if Ted's still in the room.
Lily giggled, instantly energized, and followed him eagerly.
At the bedroom door, Marshall paused and glanced back at Ted, who was sipping his morning coffee and flipping through a magazine.
"Ted," Marshall said calmly, "turn the TV up. Or something. It's gonna get loud…"
And with that, he pulled Lily into the bedroom and shut the door without waiting for a response.
Ted simply raised his coffee mug… and turned up the TV.
— twenty minutes later.
Marshall and Lily emerged from the bedroom.
Lily's hair was a mess.
Marshall looked… victorious.
"Well," Ted said, glancing up with a small chuckle, "that's a new record."
Marshall knew it was sarcasm but he didn't care.
He grinned proudly and ignoring Ted's words, then sat back down and reopened his laptop, fully focused now.
Well, yeah, it's a new record for him alright!
"So, Ted," Lily said cheerfully as she plopped down beside him on the couch, clearly already satisfied. "What are you doing today?"
She looked at him casually. "You said you've got a new job? What kind of job is it?" She said casually.
The question made Marshall pause mid-typing.
It was important.
Ted had thrown parties for two straight days. Burned through over ten grand and plus tips for Wendy. Even with Ted claiming he had already found a job, he didn't say what kind of job is that.
He trusted Ted's words, but he was still concerned. He was worried if Ted lost his way.
Ted took another sip of his coffee, eyes still fixed on the TV.
"Don't worry about it, Lily," he said casually, leaning back against the couch as if the conversation meant nothing at all. "What really matters is that I'm happy, right?"
He sounded relaxed. Too relaxed for someone who just changed his career.
Lily glanced at Marshall, offering him a tight smile. They had always shared everything, secrets, fears, stupid thoughts but even they knew there were still corners of Ted's life they'd never fully explored.
'Maybe Ted's job is… shady?'
Marshall sent the thought silently, his eyebrows lifting just a little.
Lily's lips twitched as she replied in the same unspoken language telepathically.
'Really? I don't think Ted would take a shady job…'
She paused, then added, 'But if it excites him? Yeah. Maybe.'
Marshall's eyes widened in panic but he kept controlling his body to not shout or freak out.
'What do we do?! Should we still support him?! What if he becomes a stripper or worse…a whore?!'
Lily subtly shook her head, suppressing a smile.
'You're his best friend. No matter what path he takes, you support him!.'
She added, just to calm him down, 'Besides, he'll still pay rent.'
Marshall swallowed and nodded in agreement, visibly convincing himself.
"Uh… um, Ted," he said out loud, turning toward him with an awkward little smile. "No matter what happens… you'll always be my best friend."
The sincerity was unmistakable even if the delivery was clumsy. Lily reached out and gently patted Ted's arm, a silent gesture of encouragement.
"Aw… thanks, guys," Ted said, genuinely touched. He smiled at both of them before casually dropping, "I'm meeting someone important tonight. Might not come home. The apartment's yours."
Lily and Marshall exchanged another look.
'Oh my God. He already has a client!' Marshall panicked silently and gave Lily another telepathic voice.
'Stop it!' Lily shot back. '....Maybe it's just a friend.' She said to Marshal telepathically, but it was just to convince herself.
She turned back to Ted, instantly switching tones.
"So…Ted… who are you meeting with?" she asked, rolling her eyes playfully. "...Is it someone we know? You know me…I'm a little nosy."
Marshall nodded enthusiastically, giving Lily a discreet thumbs-up for the performance.
"No. Not one of our friends," Ted replied, his tone shifting slightly. "But… I'll say this….he's someone with power."
That got their attention more and more terrified them.
"....I don't really know what he wants from me," Ted continued, his expression turning more serious.
This time, Lily and Marshall didn't exchange telepathic thoughts and waited for him to finish his words.
Ted chuckled, unaware of the tension he'd just created.
"Honestly," he added jokingly, "even if he tried something, I probably couldn't fight him anyway."
Neither Lily nor Marshall laughed.
They just looked at each other with uncertainty and unease, unsure whether to worry… or trust Ted like they always had.
….And for the first time that morning, the apartment felt heavy with questions no one dared to ask.
'Who is the one gonna meet with Ted?!'
Both Marshal and Lily really didn't want to know. They are just gonna sit in the apartment tonight and wait for Ted's calling for help.
Yeah, that's what friends do….