Lean on me
Author: wanderingsmith with Gadhar
mar 17, 2016
Summary: "Aww, don't get all outa shape
about it, Barney; your image is safe. Cute's the new
cool."
Rating: PG13
Disclaimer: I ain't got no money, and nobody'd
be daft enough to pay me for this. As it is thought,
so let it be said; you make the toys, I play with
'em..
AN: this was more email exchanges, started
with this. and my commenting on the heads on
shoulders comment therein
http://www.queerty.com/college-guy-realizes-his-best-friend-might-be-his-boyfriend-in-the-most-adorable-way-possible-20151028
"Barney, Tool said you *have* to go to this thing or
you'll lose your business license and we'll be
constantly dodging shit right here at home!"
"Fine. Then you damn well come with me."
"Why the hell would I do that?? It's *your* bloody
business!"
"And you're my second in command. And if *I* have to sit
through this shit, you can damn well come along and keep
me from falling asleep."
Lee narrowed his eyes at the practically *pouting*
mercenary, "Fine. Then I want equal vote on job
decisions."
"What?? ...Oh fine. Not like you give me any peace,
anyway."
--
Of course he's not even bothered by how completely
fucking *boring* this is! Bastard.
Lee crossed his arms; silently snarling when even that
tiny fucking movement made his damn plastic chair squeak
in the eerily silent auditorium and the sweaty-suited
guy in front turned to glare at him. His jaw clenched as
the guy turned back forward and Lee dropped his head to
his chest. Knowing he couldn't move made him feel like
he'd jump out of his skin. He looked besides him: and
fucking Barney sat there as still as a guard, looking
like he had all the time in the world before
self-combustion from frustration became an issue.
Hearing the goddamn presenter's drone startup again on a
whole new topic, he breathed out hard through his nose
to keep from exploding. Fuck! If he at least had a
fucking headrest he could lean back and close his
eyes... he darted a look besides him. Hell, as well make
use of being pressed like a sardine.
Of course the chair squeaked, no matter how he
controlled his sideways tilt, but he kept his eyes
closed and just settled his head on Barney's shoulder.
Not exactly a 5-star soft feather pillow, but it was
wide enough that Lee could rest on it without effort. He
felt himself start to relax as he focused on the body
pressed against him: smell of familiar cigars, less
familiar aftershave not quite overpowering the old
shirt's sweat and Barney's skin, warmed by the
overheated room. As familiar and safe as his own
sleeping bag.
He'd been trying to ignore Lee's unhappy jittering,
knowing he was miserable without a target to focus on,
but when he felt the man's heavy skull suddenly on his
shoulder, Barney's head turned to give him a
disbelieving look. Typically, Lee felt him and didn't
bother looking at him as he grumbled, almost too low to
hear, "What?? *You* were the one pulling me into a hug
in a crowded *bar* the other day. I'm tired."
He could hardly argue with that. Barney turned back to
pretending to listen to the stultifying voice, most of
his attention sticking to Lee as he seemed to fall into
a light drowse for the rest of the thing; that warm
presence breathing against him relaxing Barney enough
that he wasn't even annoyed at having to be there,
anymore. Even if his ass was going square from the
fucking seat.
The speech finally ended, and people started getting up
all around them, Lee continuing to sleep, field-trusting
the noise to Barney, who stayed in his seat. Better to
let Lee sleep until they could actually get out; he'd
just start jittering and ranting and making people
nervous if they stood waiting with the rest of the
sheep.
Entertaining himself by trying to remember every step of
Kasparov's game against Topalov in the book he'd been
reading, Barney automatically tracked the two
40something women in feminine business suits when they
stepped aside from the milling herd to lean over the
seats between Barney and the aisle.
He hadn't decided whether to scowl yet when their smiles
shifted from him to Lee and back before the one spoke
quietly, "You guys are just so cute together." With a
last smile and even a damn *wave*, they melted back into
the finally moving crowd, and Barney was left to recover
from the shock.
The stiffness of his pillow finally pulled Lee out of
the warm rest and he frowned up at Barney, not quite
willing to lift his head, yet, "What the hell's the
matter with you?"
Barney hesitated, but then finally grumbled, staring at
Lee with an indecipherable look, "Some lady just walk by
and called us 'cute'."
Lee finally raised his head, slowly grinning, "Aww,
don't get all outa shape about it, Barney; your image is
safe. Cute's the new cool."
And Barney finally relaxed, a familiar wry fond smirk
coming out, "You just made that up."
--
Whether in peace offering or as a pointed you *slept*,
Barney threw him the keys to the truck as they stepped
in the parking lot, and Lee grinned, glad to be away
from the crowd and finally *doing* something. 'Course he
had to raz his pal for the oversized transport, though;
wasn't like he used it to actually haul anything but his
own arse!
They were still exchanging jeers as Barney unlocked his
front door and Lee automatically followed him in. Wasn't
like he had anywhere else to hurry, and Barney never
kicked him out. Comfy couch, old western on the telly,
good cold beers; homey and easy. Not exactly *familiar*,
but not new, either. Barney leaning back into a corner
of the sofa, eyes half-closed and legs up on the coffee
table; and after the evening smushed together, Lee
plopped down next to him without thinking, just watching
Brando slowly getting pissed off on the set.
He didn't notice when he started leaning Barney's way.
Familiarity and gravity conspiring until he
automatically shifted a fraction of an inch, his head
looking for a place to rest, and he didn't comment as
Barney hesitated at first, but then wrapped an arm
around him, and Lee found that perfectly comfortable
spot for his head, and they just sat there, relaxing,
both of them half-dozing before they even got half-way
through their beers.
Weird comfortableness neither of them understood but
neither really cared to think about. They'd had enough
rough times not to go looking the gift horse in the
mouth. Life was too shitty not to take what friendship
and simple pleasures it bothered to give you.
--
And somehow it turned into a habit: no longer just
standing close, it was somehow natural to get that
little bit closer to actually press shoulders. A little
more time together in off-hours, work shared instead of
handed-off. Meals an extension of that shared work.
And yeah, there was the odd double-take from the guys,
but it wasn't really that different from before. Gunner
tried, but even he couldn't come up with a jibe on the
spur of the moment. And if Doc's eyes gleamed, he wasn't
quite the fool he pretended to be; between Christmas'
still obvious dislike, and the way he could see Barney
relaxing, he kept quiet. For now.
--
A month later, the TV's on and Barney's sitting with his
feet on the couch, head turned to watch it, sort of. But
Lee stayed up half the night working on a model ship,
not that he's admitting that to Barney, though he's not
sure why, and he went from sitting, to leaning, to
outright laying down, half on Barney, half on the couch;
after poking and grunting and generally forcefully
cuddling until Barney shifted into position. Just
another quiet between-jobs Tuesday for Barney and Lee.
Until Lee's elbow shifted and Barney jerked sharply. And
Lee dragged his head up, drowsy but still managing
half-surprised half-amused raised brows, "What are you
watching??"
And Barney just kinda sat there at a loss, blinking down
at Lee because he hadn't been really watching: somewhere
along the way he just ended up watching Lee; quiet and
just staring, not really thinking, and not really
*noticing* that his shorts were getting tight... But
content to just watch, and part of him wondered why Lee
was so sleepy in the middle of the day, but then he
found he didn't really care because he liked that Lee
was relaxed and comfortable, and he liked that Lee was
relaxed and comfortable around *him*. And Lee was trying
to give him his sceptical look, but he was still half
asleep so it was more of a pout that left Barney smiling
softly.
Until Lee started to straighten, getting up, glancing at
the set to see some weird *cartoons*, of all things,
playing and blinking back at Barney's little problem
before he shook his head, waking up to smirk at his old
reserved pal, "Little afternoon wood, there, Barney?"
Barney was too used to ignoring the feeling, and sure as
hell not used to having it brought up in conversation,
that it took a few blinks to register the question. But
when he did, he shrugged, "It has less to do with the
afternoon and more to do with the guy on my lap." Hardly
any hesitation because he's always been too comfortable
around Lee; and right now he's too relaxed and
comfortable to have the kind of doubting thoughts in his
head that'd normally have him shutting this down.
And it was one of the few times you could see Barney as
himself, completely unfiltered, and Lee just blinked a
couple times cause he really was kinda half-sleeping
there, and that was... hell. The idea that this was
*him*.. was crazy enough, but the idea of hearing Barney
actually *say* it-
Then it actually clicks and he can feel the smile
spreading over his face as his body just completely
relaxes; careful not to cause pain, but otherwise pretty
much melting on his willing pillow. "Yeah?" Eyes not
budging from that stupidly heart-catching look of total
open ease on Barney's face, he got one hand down to wrap
lightly around the subject of conversation, "Need some
help?"
AN:
sorry pastel, I thought about getting a chappy of
Keeping up done for you birthday, but hit this first
and there was a better chance would get it cleaned
up to post than there was of getting brain to
actually produce fresh KU
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