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  Ted POV

  The low hum of the TV filled Robin’s living room, a steady background noise that somehow made the place feel warmer. Her slow, even breaths brushed against my ear, the soft, peaceful and completely defenseless. She’d fallen asleep right beside me.

  No, she fell asleep in my arms.

  How can she be so unguarded like this? What if I were some creep? What if I-...

  ....Oh, forget it.

  Robin shifted closer, her hand which had been loosely holding mine, slowly traveling up and wrapping around my torso. Yeah, she was definitely asleep now. The small trail of drool collecting on my shirt and the soft snores competing with the TV pretty much confirmed it.

  I sighed, glancing down at her dogs. One of them had been sleeping across my lap, the other perched above the sofa, leaning against my head. The dogs and their owner… seriously, they’re the same.

  I gently patted Robin’s dog and nudged them off my lap. They stared at me for a moment, almost offended and didn't want to move, before finally obeying and stepping away. I am great with animals, they love me, cats, dogs, birds, almost all animals feel goods around me, maybe benefit from being a transmigration/reincarnate person.

  When the dogs finally backed off, I carefully slid my arms under Robin and lifted her.

  She groaned a little, her hand lazily landing on my chest, but then she went right back to snoring, it felt like an oversized, adorable baby.

  I couldn’t help but chuckle. Robin Scherbatsky: the independent, tough, gun-loving woman… now drooling on my shirt with her hair sticking everywhere. Good thing she had cleaned her face and brushed her teeth before falling asleep like this.

  I came to her apartment tonight to apologize, to try and salvage whatever friendship we were supposed to have. I didn’t want one stupid night to erase a bond that could’ve lasted years.

  Yeah… I had been full of myself. I didn’t think about what Robin felt.

  I didn’t consider whether she liked me, or whether she wanted things to move slow.

  I treated her with the same pattern I used with other women, the women who fell for me easily because I put in just enough effort to make them feel special.

  Was that wrong?

  Not entirely.

  But with Robin? It wasn’t right, either. But I know that Robin will forgive me, the same as the original Ted, which is more psycho to tell her that he loves her.

  I laid her gently on the bed, pulling the blanket up and brushing a hand over her hair.

  “Goodnight,” I whispered before quietly walking out of the room.

  When I closed her door, her dogs were already waiting for me, five sets of sleepy, lonely eyes staring up.

  “Sssttt…” I hushed, tiptoeing to turn off the TV and pick up my jacket. “Let her sleep, okay? No noise.”

  They stared at me like I’d just betrayed them. I couldn’t play with them now, not without waking her.

  I turned off the lights in the living room and stepped out of the apartment.

  It’s fine if I’m not Robin’s boyfriend.

  As long as we can still be friends…

  I’ll be okay.

  —-------

  Robin POV

  I woke up in Ted’s arms, walking so slow to my room.

  Great….. That's Fantastic…..Please kill me now!.

  Instinctively, I shut my eyes again and pretended to still be asleep, even adding a tiny snore for realism. Not too loud, please, I still have dignity.

  Ted kept carrying me toward my bedroom with those careful, steady steps of his. And for a second, my sleepy brain thought… okay, in movies this is usually the moment where the guy lays the girl down, leans in, and….Well. Yeah. You know what i am talking about right?!.

  But instead?

  He placed me on the bed, gently.

  Embarrassingly gently.

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  Seriously, wow. Ted is stronger than he looks. I mean, I’m not made of feathers, okay? Don’t judge me.

  He tucked the blanket around me, adjusted my hair, and then brushed a soft hand over my head like I was some fragile little princess or something.

  “Goodnight,” he whispered.

  …and that was it.

  No forehead kiss.

  No cheek kiss.

  Not even a tiny, friendly little peck.

  ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!

  I kept my eyes closed while he walked out, closing the door as quietly as possible, like he was putting a real baby to sleep. Meanwhile, my heart was pounding so loud it should’ve woken up the entire building.

  “Unbelievable…” I muttered, glaring at the door before letting my eyes close again.

  He did something incredibly sweet, something that had nothing to do with sex or the usual expectations. He could’ve done so many things while I was half-asleep: unbuttoned my pajamas, kissed me, touched me, had his way with me.

  Honestly?

  If he had tried… I probably would’ve gone along with it. Yeah, did I already say he's a funny and handsome guy before? Yeah.

  But he didn’t do it!.

  Not even a goodnight kiss!.

  I let out a quiet snort, rolling my eyes even though there was no one to witness the drama anymore.

  “His loss…” I whispered before pulling the blanket up and sinking back into sleep with my cheeks warm, and a tiny smile tugging at my lips.

  —-------

  3rd POV

  “I have to work, Ted. This is not good,” the Indian man said as he stepped inside MacLaren’s, wearing an awkward smile. His accent made half of his words sound unintentionally funny, not because he was trying to be.

  He looked around the bar. It was already close to last call, the earlier crowd long gone, leaving only the late-night stragglers behind. The customers can be counted by fingers, it was just the people who wanted to get a little tipsy or the couple who just wanted to have a little drink before going home and do something the couple must do.

  “Come on, Ranjit! You’re funny, I like you, and one or two beers aren’t going to bankrupt you!” Ted insisted as he nudged him further into the bar. “Besides....I am paying for your drink!”

  That made Ranjit grin immediately.

  He was pretending to be difficult, but Ted had already won him over earlier. After all, he had just dropped someone off in Brooklyn and found Ted waiting for a taxi in the cold. And turns out, Ted wasn’t only a respectful guy or wanted to be silent in the car, he also gave Ranjit a massive tip.

  How massive?

  He paid double the fare.

  Yes. Double. That’s not a tip, that’s charity. Usually the tip is only 10% or 20% right? But Ted gave him double the fare.

  So after driving Ted back to Manhattan, Ted invited him for one or two beers to unwind. After all, Ranjit practically saved Ted from having to take the train or wait forever for another taxi this late at night.

  It was New York after all. People got robbed for wearing clean clothes at night.

  “Okay… only because I like you, Ted,” Ranjit finally agreed with a smile, taking a seat with a group of strangers. He spotted a lovely young woman, a tall guy giving him a goofy smile, and beside him a man in a suit straight out of a magazine.

  “Did you just come from work?” Ranjit asked in confusion, reaching out to touch Barney’s sleeve. “That’s a good suit. My grandfather was a tailor. I used to sit in his shop and smell all kinds of fabric, you know, wool, cloth, every thread. Not feel. Smell.” He said while touching his nose.

  Barney’s eyes shot open.

  Complete respect!.

  He looked at Marshal and Lily too, giving them ‘Wow’ and like showing them expressions of unbelievable.

  “...Who are you, you kind, noble young man?” Barney said, his tone suddenly gentlemanly. Someone from a tailor family who respected suits? That was basically royalty to him.

  “Me? I am Ted’s taxi driver,” Ranjit said proudly, nodding at Ted.

  “Would you allow me to buy you a drink, gentleman?” Barney offered, still staring at him with reverence. Barney didn’t care about job titles, only about who understood the beauty of a suit. And Ranjit, apparently, understood it better than his own friends.

  “Hell yeah!” Ranjit said then paused. “...But just one beer, please. I am driving.”

  Marshal chuckled after hearing that. “Hahaha! Lily, did you hear that? He says ‘I’m driving’ because he’s a taxi driver!” Marshal explained proudly.

  Barney flicked Ranjit a knowing side-eye, a silent ‘You’re awesome.’ before standing up and ordering a beer from Carl.

  “Huh… my fiancé likes dad jokes. Guess I’ll have to keep up,” Lily muttered, shaking her head.

  Ranjit, overhearing that, beamed. “Oh! You two are engaged?! Congratulations! Nothing is more important than family.” His kindness made Lily smile.

  “You are going to be a husband, you know that it is a great and heavy job. I have three kids, and still married today because I am a great husband and great father.” He pointed at Marshal with deep respect like giving him wise words seriously.

  Marshal, who was laughing a moment ago, straightened in his seat. “Yeah… I had a father who worked his butt off raising me and my brothers. So thank you.” Marshal nodded sincerely and respectfully to him. He loves his family and they’re bond is stronger than ever so he knows how hard it is to be an awesome father.

  Ranjit returned the nod like two warriors acknowledging each other.

  Lily, watching this deep emotional exchange, immediately grabbed Marshal’s face and kissed him passionately.

  It had barely been five minutes since Ranjit entered the bar, and he had already lifted the whole table’s mood. Everyone liked him instantly with Ted included, smiling proudly like he had brought a rare treasure into the group, or fun taxi driver.

  “So, Ranjit, how did you pick up Ted?” Barney asked while handing beers to Ted, Ranjit, and himself.

  “I was in Brooklyn, dropping off a passenger, and I saw Ted standing by the road waiting for a taxi. But it was already midnight, and there were not many taxis around. Poor guy must have been waiting forever,” Ranjit said, grinning at Ted.

  Barney gasped dramatically. “Not only are you a gentleman with noble tailoring blood, you also have a kind heart!” he declared, as if Ranjit saved Ted from a burning building rather than performing his job.

  “Oh right!...Ted, how was it?!” Lily asked, finally breaking away from Marshal. She was very curious about what happened with Ted and the TV reporter.

  “She forgave me. We’re friends now,” Ted said, taking a sip of beer. “....And no, Barney…..we didn’t have sex.” Ted cut Barney off before he could even open his mouth all the way.

  Ranjit nodded. “Yes, I saw Ted. Very tidy, very clean clothes. That’s why I picked him up, I was afraid he would get robbed. Too clean and too tidy is not good.” He grinned at Ted, and Ted clinked his beer against Ranjit’s.

  Lily exhaled, patting Ted’s arm. “Well, there are plenty of fish in the sea. I’m sure you’ll meet ‘The One,’ Ted.”

  Ted gave her a calm nod, as if it really wasn’t eating at him at all.

  “So, Ranjit,” Marshal asked, “how long have you been driving taxis? Why didn’t you continue your family’s tailoring business?”

  The night went on with Ranjit fully folded into the friend group. Barney even ordered champagne for Marshal and Lily’s engagement, even though he wasn’t exactly a fan of marriage, relationships, or anything remotely stable. But Marshal and Lily were his friends, and that mattered.

  The bar had that soft, late-night glow as Ted laughed at Ranjit’s stories, listened to Barney’s absurd stories, and watched Lily leaning on Marshal’s chest completely in love.

  Ted felt genuinely happy for them.

  (A/N : Just a curiosity, if you have a Rock Band in 80's, what it called?)