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  3rd POV

  The familiar hum filled the room.

  The familiar rhythm of breathing.

  The familiar warmth beside her.

  Sunlight spilled through the window, careless and bright, cutting straight across Robin’s face. It pierced through her closed eyelids, relentless, forcing a soft frown to form between her brows. She wrinkled her nose, shifting slightly, trying to escape the light without fully waking up.

  She squeezed her eyes shut tighter, turning her face away, but the sunlight followed her anyway, like it had a personal vendetta.

  With a quiet groan, she raised her hand to shield her face, the golden glow bleeding through her fingers, illuminating her palm.

  …This isn’t my room.

  That realization came slowly, like cold water seeping into her thoughts.

  Her eyes opened slowly.

  The ceiling wasn’t familiar. The walls weren’t hers. The air didn’t smell like her apartment—it smelled warmer, heavier, faintly like soap, wood, and something undeniably…. him.

  Her heart skipped.

  She tried to lift herself, to look around properly—

  ….And then she felt it.

  A hand.

  Strong and Warm.

  Moving beneath the blanket, sliding over her skin with an intimacy that made her breath hitch. The arm tightened around her waist, pulling her closer, anchoring her body against someone else’s.

  …Oh no.

  Her pulse spiked.

  Robin froze, fear crawling up her spine as her mind scrambled to catch up. Her gaze flicked downward, then upward, following the arm to its source.

  The breathing.

  That soft, almost absent sound.

  The steady rise and fall of a chest beneath her cheek.

  The faint breath brushing against her hair, just under his nose.

  For a brief, desperate second, she hoped that it was Lily.

  But she already knew.

  She lifted her head just enough to see his face.

  ….Ted.

  Her stomach twisted.

  Instinct kicked in immediately. She wanted to pull away, to slip out of his arms just like yesterday quietly, carefully, before he woke up. Before this became something they had to acknowledge.

  …..Maybe if she was sneakier this time.

  ….…..Maybe Ted wouldn’t remember last night.

  Yeah…

  A lazy arm tightened around her again.

  “Hmm… get back to sleep, Robin…” Ted murmured, his voice low and thick with sleep as he pulled her closer, his chin resting lightly against the top of her head.

  She got caught!.

  “…Okay,” Robin answered softly.

  Well. So much for sneaking away.

  He remembered.

  And he knew exactly who was in his bed.

  There was no point pretending otherwise.

  Her body relaxed, surrendering to the truth settling in her chest. She remembered last night perfectly….too perfectly.

  She hadn’t called him Daddy. She hadn’t been that drunk.

  But she had clung to him and pressed herself against him like a girlfriend would, not a joke, not a tease. Something real.

  After the chaos at the bar, Wendy and another waitress had practically dragged all of them back to the apartment. No after-party. No more drinks. Just exhaustion.

  Barney had passed out on the floor.

  Marshall and Lily went straight to their bedroom.

  And Robin—

  Robin had pulled Ted into his room.

  The last clear memory she had was her own breath breaking apart, the overwhelming rush, the stupidly happy look on her face as everything blurred into warmth and pleasure. The orgasm she never felt and how happy she was while they have intimate moments like that.

  A funny, happy face.

  “Is this…” she murmured quietly, tilting her head just enough to glance up at him, “…does this mean we’re a couple?”

  Ted didn’t even open his eyes.

  “…No,” he said calmly, tightening his hold around her. “....We’re friends with benefits.”

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  He shifted slightly, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead.

  “…Don’t think about it….. Just sleep some more.”

  Friends with benefits?

  Robin considered that.

  She shrugged faintly.

  She didn’t hate it.

  Casual. Simple. No labels. No expectations.

  Of course, they’d need to talk about it, a really long talk later.

  But not now.

  For now, she let herself stay right where she was.

  Curled against him. Breathing him in. Wrapped in the quiet comfort of his arms.

  She closed her eyes again.

  And let herself sleep.

  —-------

  Penny and Luke stared at Ted’s figure hovering in the 3D projector, their mouths hanging open in synchronized disbelief.

  “…No way,” Luke muttered.

  Beside him, Penny reacted faster—her hand already slipping into her pocket, fingers wrapping around her phone out of pure instinct.

  {Hey, hey, hey! Young lady!} Ted barked sharply, his hologram leaning forward as if that might physically stop her. {Stop it! The rule is simple! No contact with outsiders! Whatever we talk about here….stays in here!}

  Penny snorted, clearly unimpressed, before slowly sliding her phone back into her pocket, eyes never leaving her father’s face.

  Luke still hadn’t moved.

  He sat there, staring at Ted like the man had just confessed to being abducted by aliens.

  Maybe…if Ted had said it was just another stupid, alcohol-fueled mistake like the ones before, Luke could’ve processed it.

  But this?

  Ted was talking about Aunt Robin.

  …..Aunt Robin!.

  Inviting him to stay the night. That didn’t fit. Not even a little. Well, she is still intoxicated by alcohol, but he said it’s not that much!. She still can think straight, even in the morning she said something stupid!.

  That wasn’t the Robin they knew.

  …friends with benefits?

  Yeah. Right.

  Luke and Penny exchanged a look that said the same thing: absolute bullshit!.

  “Dad, please stop lying to us,” Luke said, crossing his arms defensively. “That’s not like Aunt Robin at all.”

  {Why would I lie to you?!} Ted shot back immediately. {I never lie!}

  Penny raised an eyebrow. “If you’re not lying,” she said calmly, lifting her phone again, “then let me call her.”

  She tilted the screen toward him, Robin’s name glowing on the display, one tap away from detonating the situation.

  Ted stared at it for a long second, before saying something. {…Fine.} He sighed heavily. {This is the last time.} His shoulders slumped, like a man willingly walking into an execution.

  Penny paused.

  She hadn’t actually planned to call. It was a bluff.

  She wanted him to dodge. To panic. To change the story.

  ….But Ted didn’t.

  And that meant only one thing.

  Either he was completely accept the consequence….

  ….or he was telling the truth.

  Knowing their dad?

  Yeah. The odds are he's telling the truth.

  “…So?” Penny said after a moment, slipping her phone back into her pocket. “What happened after that?”

  Ted let out a sharp snort.

  {Losing your guts, huh, Penny?!} he said smugly. {I knew you two were blu—…wait! Wait! Alright, alright!}

  He raised his hands quickly as Penny’s fingers drifted back toward her pocket.

  {I’m telling the truth, guys. I never lie about this.}

  He exhaled deeply, then noticed Luke looking down at his own phone.

  {…What are you doing, buddy?}

  Luke didn’t answer. He just chuckled softly before he stared wide-eyed at his phone.

  “…Oh shit,” Luke muttered, eyes widening. “You’re telling the truth….”

  He turned the screen around and handed it to Penny.

  Ted froze.

  {…What are you doing?!}

  A notification buzzed on Ted’s end almost instantly.

  Marshall.

  {You asked Marshall?!} Ted exploded. {He’s going to crack to Lily! Damn it! I can’t believe you guys!}

  The hologram flickered violently—

  ….And then vanished.

  Silence.

  The both of them just stared at the last hologram Ted appeared, now it’s nothing there. A little panic is creeping in their skins now.

  Their father is angry!.

  “…Oh shit,” Luke whispered, panic creeping into his voice. “...He’s angry.”

  He turned to Penny, who was already glaring at him.

  “That’s your fault, you jackass!” she snapped. “I was just bluffing!”

  “What were we supposed to do?!” Luke shot back.

  Before either of them could argue further, both their phones vibrated at the exact same time.

  They looked down.

  Credit Card Suspended.

  “…Oh no…” Luke breathed, horror draining the color from his face.

  Penny stared at her screen.

  Same notification. The same cold realization.

  They slowly looked at each other. This wasn’t a joke. They tried calling Ted but it was straight to voicemail.

  ….Again.

  ……Still nothing.

  “Should we go to his office?!” Luke asked cautiously, glancing at Penny. “We can… you know… apologize in person. Try to act cute.”

  He hesitated.

  “....Especially you. He’s always soft on you.”

  Penny opened her mouth to answer—

  ….And the front door opened.

  Both of them snapped their heads toward the sound.

  Their butler stepped inside, phone pressed to his ear, eyes flicking toward the siblings. A small, amused smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.

  “Yeah, sir,” he said calmly into the phone. “They’re still here.”

  His gaze lingered on their pale faces.

  “…I can see their horror faces right now.”

  Penny and Luke swallowed hard, their bodies stiff as they sat frozen on the couch, afraid that even breathing too loudly might make things worse.

  “…I believe they’ve learned their lesson, sir,” the butler said calmly before turning and handing Penny the phone.

  “Young lady,” he added, polite as ever, “this is your father.”

  There was a smile on his face—

  —but it wasn’t warm.

  It was the kind of pleasant smile people wore when things were already far too serious.

  Penny took the phone with trembling fingers, swallowing again before lifting it to her ear.

  “…Daddy?”

  Silence.

  Ted didn’t answer right away.

  He let the quiet stretch, heavy and suffocating, forcing Penny to fill it.

  “…I–I’m sorry, Daddy,” she said quickly, her voice pitching higher with panic. “Luke is sorry too!”

  “Y–yeah, Dad!” Luke blurted out, leaning forward desperately. “I’m sorry, okay?! Please don’t freeze our credit cards!”

  He reached for the phone, but Penny pulled it away instantly, whispering sharply, “…Are you crazy?! Let me handle it!!”

  Her glare shut him up immediately.

  “…I got a call from Robin again.”

  Ted finally spoke.

  His voice wasn’t loud. It wasn’t yelling.

  It was worse….slow, controlled, and tight with restrained anger.

  “…I gave you both one rule.”

  “I’m sorry, Daddy!” Penny said again, faster now, glancing at Luke. “We swear we won’t break it again!”

  “Yeah, Dad! We swear!” Luke echoed, just as panicked.

  “…Do you?”

  Ted exhaled softly.

  “I don’t have much time….” he said quietly. “I wanted to tell you the story of how I met your mother… but I guess you two aren’t really interested in that kind of story.”

  Something in his voice shifted. Sadness crept in gently, almost tired.

  Luke and Penny stayed silent, their throats tightening as they listened.

  “…I just wanted to tell you how crazy and fun things were back then,” Ted continued. “Like memoirs… something to help my own kids remember their old dad.”

  There was a brief pause.

  “…Alright. I’ll unfreeze your credit cards. You can go and do your own thing.”

  The call ended.

  “Dad!” Penny cried, but the line was already dead.

  Her hand trembled as she lowered the phone.

  “…What does he mean by ‘he doesn’t have much time’?” she whispered, turning slowly toward the butler.

  He said nothing.

  “…Tell me,” Penny pleaded, her voice breaking now, tears pooling in her eyes. “Please….”

  Luke shook his head immediately, fear flashing across his face.

  “W–what are you talking about?! He’s probably just busy or something!” he said quickly, clinging to denial. “That’s all!”

  Their phones buzzed again.

  Credit Card Active.

  ….Neither of them looked.

  ….Neither of them cared.

  Their eyes stayed locked on the butler, who remained silent for a long moment.

  “…You know I’m an orphan, right?” he said finally, his voice softer now. “I started working here when you were both still very small.”

  He looked at them, not as an employee, but almost like family.

  “I saw Mr. and Mrs. Mosby love you both deeply,” he continued. “I saw them hold you like you were made of glass. So small. So fragile.” He said with a hand gesture like holding a baby.

  Then he smiled faintly.

  “Mr. Ted would even wash his hands before touching you.”

  The butler glanced at his phone, pausing for a few seconds before slipping it away.

  “…Don’t worry,” he said gently. “Your father loves you both very much.”

  He turned to leave—then stopped.

  Looked back over his shoulder.

  “…..”

  ….But he didn’t say anything more. The door closed quietly behind him.

  Penny finally broke.

  Tears streamed down her cheeks as she stared at the floor, memories crashing into her all at once.

  She remembered her mother’s death.

  She remembered how completely her father had fallen apart afterward.

  She didn’t want to live through that again.

  She couldn’t.

  And beside her, Luke stayed silent—still refusing to accept the fear growing in his chest.