章節 3: Goodbyes and Goodnight
As Lily was giving him a furious look, Barney responded by looking like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Utterly pathetic and very uncomfortable. Before it went any further, Marshall stepped up, resting a hand on her shoulder to calm her down.
"Look Barney, don't think we're mad at you bud. We were just worried. You should've at least reached out and told us what was going on... What exactly is going on, though?"
All eyes were on Barney, his face was flushed red and suddenly his throat felt like it was being choked. It was only a matter of time, so he took a deep breath and began to explain with an uncharacteristically weak voice.
"Sigh... I didn't want you guys to find out like this. Lily, Marshall, Robin, and Ted, meet my other group of friends Lary, Mar-Shell, Blue Jay, and Ned. Lary is born male but transitioning female and is in a relationship with Mar-Shell who's born female and lesbian. Blue Jay and Ned are gay... and I'm..."
Suddenly Barney choked up, looking down as if ashamed of the spotlight on him. Ted seemed to understand what Barney was trying to say.
"Barney, are you gay?"
"Obviously he's gay, right Barney!"
Ned fired back, almost expectantly and smug. Though he dressed like a nerd, the attitude he gave others was like some rich snob. The other three stood behind him as if using Ned as a shield or perhaps more like, Ned was blocking them from Ted and his friends.
"Hey! Back off and let the man speak! Go ahead Barney, the floor is yours." Lily sternly reprimanded. Barney was grateful at this moment to have such an awesome friend who could also be a little scary when mad. Letting a small smile slip, he quickly straightened his face. Closing his eyes as if that would give him enough courage, Barney continued to explain.
"I... I'm bisexual. I like both men and women. I'm sorry, Ned. I know you say you can only either be gay or straight but the truth is, I do like both equally. So, when I feel like getting with a woman, I hang out with Ted and his friends at another bar and when I want to get with a guy, I go out with you and your friends. I'm sorry, Ned but I'm not 100% gay."
Once Barney finished saying what he wanted, he took a shaky breath and looked over to Ned's side. Though Ned stood only an inch or two taller than Barney, at the moment it felt like he was a hundred feet tall. His face was darkened and his knitted eyebrows twitched, clearly upset with what he heard. His arms folded across his puffed-out chest. As he took a deep breath in like he was going to start yelling, Ned merely spoke in a tight lip tone.
"Well, Barney, it's clear that you lied to us. However! If you decide to only date men from now on then we can overlook this-"
"Uh, hang on a second there bub. I don't know how they do it here in the States, but where I'm from, Barney's sexual preference isn't something that needs to be decided by anyone else but Barney." Robin interrupted stepping up as if going toe to toe with Ned and his group of friends. Deep down, she always knew Barney was at the very least bi-curious and she really knew it was Barney exiting the gay bar from that night she was doing her news report but she also knew it wasn't her business to pry into something Barney was clearly trying so hard to hide.
"Yeah, this is America! Barney is free to like whoever he wants and sleep with anyone he wants. Even if it's a disturbing amount of either men or women!" Marshall declared as well standing tall next to Robin.
Ted and Lily remained silent but proud, as they felt their two group members had said what they wanted to say.
"Barney! If you aren't gay then you can't be in our group anymore! That's the rule! We don't hang out with breeders!"
"I-I know Ned, but I mean come on, that's a little-"
"Need I remind you it's because of breeders that we couldn't come to Lame for a year cause THEY burned it down! Or that we have to consistently hide our attractions and lovers! God forbid we show support openly! Barney, if you're not with us then you're against us and we can't have a traitor in our community!"
Barney stood to the side, silently lamenting what to do. On one hand, he really liked hanging out with these people, they always had a great time bar hopping and they knew where the best places to pick up guys were. He only knew them for a few months but it really was so much fun. It was always hard for Barney to say goodbye once he formed an attachment. Out of sheer panic, he looked to Ted who stayed mostly silent this whole time. And as Ted stared back at Barney, it reached 2 am on the dot.
Whether it was due to the 2 am phenomenon or if this was some latent feelings that were awakened after getting a better look at Barney's outfit, Ted's heart began beating really fast, his face blushed uncontrollably and all noise seemed to be muffled. The pink hue from the neon 'Lame' sign seemed to illuminate Barney's sensual figure, outlining his subtle curves otherwise missed by his always wearing a suit. With less clothing, the slight dip in his hips and soft-looking skin could clearly be seen. Ted unconsciously swallowed hard. It was too different seeing Barney not wearing a suit. To think that was all it took to make him seem so… vulnerable? Small? All this arguing wasn't helping and without thinking about it, Ted went over and held Barney's hand, slightly pulling him over to their side.
"Barney, screw those guys. If they can't accept you for who you are, then they don't deserve to have such an awesome friend!"
"... Alright, Ted."
Turning to face Ned, Barney announced whilst squeezing Ted's hand for reassurance. "I'm sorry Ned, but I'd rather be with women than stay in your little gang."
With an agitated huff, Ned turned around and stomped back inside the building, not without muttering some cusses under his breath. Following after were Lary, Mar-Shell, and Blue Jay, each giving Barney a sorry glance or slight nod before disappearing behind the doors. While it did slightly sting, at least Barney wasn't completely alone.
"You know Barney, this doesn't mean you only have to hit on women when you're with us." Lily wrapped her arm around Barney's shoulder in an attempt to give a half hug.
"Oh thank god! I mean, don't get me wrong, I love the ladies but there's just something about being in a guy's strong arms that you just can't replicate, you know."
Unexpectedly Marshall jumps in with a smile "Yeah, that's true... I mean, not that I would know pfft! Lily, it's getting late, we better head home now! Please!"
With a knowing smile, Lily took Marshall's hand and they said their goodbyes as they went looking for a cab.
"Barney, I'm proud of you. Tonight you took a stand for yourself and that takes a lot of guts. I'm taking off and welcome back."
With that Robin also took her leave, having to get up early in a few hours, she chose to stay awake and walk back to her apartment. This left Ted and Barney standing in front of Lame's closed doors with the pink neon sign of the bar hanging ever so high, still holding hands. Reluctantly, Ted lets Barney's hand slip out.
"Well, we better get home too," Ted spoke first, trying his best to ease the tension but only replacing it with some awkwardness.
"Yeah, I should really go home and change. This uh "outfit" isn't really what I want to be seen in, it was Ned who said I should wear this heh. Said it would get me twice as many guys to hit on me."
Suddenly, Barney felt a jacket cover his shoulders. Looking over at Ted, he was surprised and felt almost embarrassed, like a hooker who got caught in the rain and was shown pure kindness for the first time ever.
"Here, just take my jacket for now and return it when you can... well see ya."
Ted hurriedly took a few steps away before swiftly turning around.
"Oh and Barney, I think you look fine, suit or no suit. Have a good night."
And before Barney could say anything back, Ted practically ran out of sight. Though perhaps it was for the best, as Barney was left flushed and speechless, clutching the warm jacket for dear life.
"It's good to be back..."
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