Gambling with Life (1/1)(R)(Marshall/Lily/Barney)(Barney/OMC)
Title: Gambling With Life (1/1)
Author: lilithisbitter
Characters: Marshall/Lily/Barney, Implied Barney/Robin, Barney/OMC
Summary: Barney always had a gambling addiction. If he could bet on it, he did. The one thing he never intended to put up on the table was his life. The cards are stacked against him… so what do you do, Barney Stinson, when your luck finally runs out?
Author’s Notes: Prequel to dreamofspike’s fic A Secret Exposed. Expanded from its Comment_fic starter base and edited and pulled together from the two comment boxes it was in. Prompt that grew out of control.
Spoilers: N/A
Rating: R (For implied rape)
Word Count: Just under 2000
He later thought about it a lot, since it was pretty much the only thing he could think of. It had to be somebody’s fault… so it was either his fault or Ted’s fault and he’s pretty sure Ted’s not to blame. So it’s his fault… simple as that. All Barney Stinson’s fault. The man to blame is first and foremost him.
They were both bad at straight whiskey shots. Ted usually cut his with Coca-Cola and Barney loved mixing his with Red Bull. But after seeing Robin bolt down about six and happily head off to work with neither a wobble to her step or slur to her voice, guy logic said they had to beat her for the honor of bros everywhere.
Three shots in, it started to get ridiculous. For one thing neither of them had even tried the 160 proof Whiskey Robin preferred. They generally stuck to 101 proof themselves. That was the first mistake.
Generally the world’s worst bets are among men… to be more clear… drunk men. And at two o’ four am, Ted came across his worst idea ever.
“I bet you five hundred that you aren’t as hot as you think you are.”
“You’re on… it’s a foolish Ted to get in a bet with a master debater and a cunning linguist.”
And that was the second.
---
The result Barney was in the corner of MacLaren's, his mouth pressed to that of a Hispanic male's, arms wrapped around the man's neck, allowing the other man to cup his slack-covered taunt buttocks with both hands. As Ted watched, Barney's hand suddenly uncurled with two fingers up. Without even breaking liplock, Barney sent a quick bro-lepthic message, "Ted, Ted, right here."
Ted rolled his eyes and returned the bro-lepthy message. "Okay, fine, fine... you win. Men love you too. The five hundred is yours." He gulped back his beer and waved Barney over.
Barney wobbled over, eyes hazy, cheeks flushed, and lips a bit on the swollen side. "Well, well, well," he slurred out because he was rather plastered, "Looks like I win in more ways than one." He popped open his billfold and let Ted slide the money in, grinning wildly. "Well, see you loser Ted later... because I am going to get me some." Barney ran his hand over his body before licking a finger and mock-sizzling it on his butt. “Told you no one could resist this smoking hot body.” He turned and sauntered out of the bar, the other man following behind him, hand practically glued to Barney's ass.
If Ted had been sober, he might have realized that Barney's iPhone still laying on the table was a bad thing. There was no way for the other man to contact any of them. Unfortunately, he had just as much to drink as Barney. He grinned and slid the thing over to him. "Hey, I can beat his high score at Ninja Ropes Extreme."
---
The man ran his hands along the tenting fabric in Barney’s suit and he helplessly arched forward into it. He could feel the pulse of his erection, feel his boxers grow damp around the head of his cock. Barney tilted his head back to allow the man access to the long column of his throat. He allowed him to nibble on the corded muscle of his neck, before soothing the nipped marks with tongue. He didn’t know it, but his long throat was one of the reasons Ted was unconsciously obsessed with columns. “Mmm… that’s nice…”
All he got from the other man was a chuckle. The man… what was his name? Ah, hell. He didn’t even know the man’s name… just that they had gotten on his bike and driven quite a distance away from MacLaren’s. They weren’t even in the man’s house; he had just stopped the bike and said that he couldn’t wait any longer to claim his prize. “Claim away,” Barney had said, carefully draping his jacket (he’d never let the thing drop, since the jacket cost six thousand alone) over the seat of the bike and pressed himself against the wall of the alley, offering all there was of the Barnacle to the man to enjoy and explore.
Suddenly, the man grabbed a handful of Barney’s hair and pulled him to his knees. Barney’s back arched and twisted, but he couldn’t break free of the iron grip that was pulling him closer to the man’s unzipped chinos. No, no, this was not happening. “Suck my cock, you little slut.”
Barney’s heart leapt into his throat where it seemed to choke him. “’M not a slut,” he protested, the pain in his scalp overwhelming so he let the man pull him where he liked, rather than risk losing a huge handful of blond hair.
“Oh, you are a slut,” the man chuckled, “I’ve been watching you all evening. See… sluts like you can’t get raped. It’s not possible because you just want it anyway.”
“No, no, no, no…” Barney protested.
“And you’re going to give me everything I want. But don’t worry… I’m not going to harm that pretty face.” The man’s finger brushed mockingly sweet against one of Barney’s high cheekbones, before pressing a little too hard before pulling away. He smiled when Barney’ winced in response. “In fact… I’m going to tell my Bros that your face is the one face to remain unmarked, but of course that takes your willing mouth as well as a few other things.” He smiled coldly. “Strip. That suit is sure to fetch me a pretty penny. Your wallet too and don’t forget that watch. Don’t tell me that it’s a fake Rolex, because I know it’s real.”
Barney had no other choice, but to obey. Stay alive, do what he says, do what he wants. And try not to gag.
---
Rain poured in heavy sheets outside. It was probably for the best that they were staying inside tonight. Cold and rain was a miserable combination topped only by cold, rain, and wind. It was cozy inside and miserable out there… simple solution was you stayed indoors. Lily's group member in danger sense was going off and she didn't know why. She debated waking up Marshall, but the man looked so adorable with his messy hair and his nightshirt riding up... nightshirt... riding up... well maybe she could wake him up in ten minutes. Or maybe...
Somebody pounded at the door. Lily scowled as Marshall woke up. "Oh, God, Lilypad, someone is trying to break in." He was already out of bed and moving through the apartment. Lily followed him and swore she was going to break the neck of anyone who interrupted Lily Happy Time. "Get the baseball bat."
She could hear the banging continue as if if someone wasn't only pounding on the door, they were kicking it was well. Lily could now hear a very familiar voice on the other side, but it was as if Awesome Barney had been replaced by Hippie Barney. And it sounded like he was trying not to cry or had been crying at some point in time. Or maybe even both. "Please, Marshall, Lily, be home, just be home. Let me in. Please, please, please. I'm scared... I'll never do this again. Just let me in."
Marshall cracked open the door. Barney stumbled and leaned against the doorway, his face the only part of him not bruised or covered in scrapes, although his eyes were swollen from sobbing and tear marks streaked his filthy face. He reeked of urine and vomit, but that wasn’t the worst part. His suit was gone, only a towel was draped around his thin shoulders and there was a trail of blood mixed in with each soggy step of his right foot. “I didn’t know where else to go. I was robbed. Even if I had my cell phone, he would have taken it.” Barney stared at his bare feet, both scraped up, but one had a pool of blood forming around it.
“Barney,” Lily sobbed and pulled him inside, allowing Marshall to close the door behind them. Barney didn’t resist and allowed them to lead him to the couch. “Just sit right there, okay?”
Barney nodded and didn’t even protest when Marshall wrapped an arm around his shoulders. He was shivering, dripping wet in a mixture of rainwater and greasy water from puddles. His short cropped hair was plastered to his head and made him look like a teenager instead of a man in his early thirties. Not just plastered. His hair was tangled and clumpy, closer to grey than blond with the amount of greasy water and other fluids in it. “What happened, Barnaby?” Marshall asked. “Just tell us what happened.”
“I… I… I… I did something stupid, Marshall,” Barney said, chewing on one of his knuckles. “It’s a long story, but I have to tell it… no, I shouldn’t… I should… let’s just forget about this… hold me, God, Marshall…”
He started to tell them everything that had happened, how he had been forced to give the other man oral sex as well as turn over ever possession to him. That wasn’t enough, so he had kicked Barney to the curb, kicked him several times for a lark, before urinating on him. As soon as the thing was over, Barney had started walking, knowing that he was near their place (well that was after the snuck on ride to get him back into city limits and please don’t mention that detail, he was in New Jersey for crying loud, that festering open sewer pipe state, who the hell decided to call it The Garden State? And was he rambling… oh, the story, right…) and hoping that they were in. He had no shoes and on the way over, stepped on a piece of broken glass, cutting the bottom of his foot. Well, more like lacerated considering how much blood he tracked in. He was going to need stitches and a tetanus shot without a doubt.
“You could have died,” Lily said, stroking his hair.
“I know,” Barney said, in that soft broken voice again. “But what am I supposed to do. It’s not like Robin’s ever going to want a slut like me. Not like she ever would want me in the first place.” He wiped at his eyes. “Pretend you didn’t hear that. And please don’t make me report this.”
“We should,” Lily began.
“No! Just tell them I was robbed. Don’t tell about this.”
“Okay…” she stroked his hair. “We just need to get you cleaned up so you can deliver a witness statement.” Barney nodded mechanically.
“I should beat Ted up,” Marshall said, his slaphand flexing, a glimmer of righteousness in his eyes. Or maybe that was rage. “How could he do that? He indulged two of your worst habits and he should know better.”
“I’ll help you beat Ted up,” Lily said, already helping Barney up and leading him in the direction of the bathroom. “Just hold him down and I’ll punch him in the face. It will be fun.” She narrowed in her eyes in her best mean face face.
“No!” Barney protested. “We were drunk… it was a stupid bet.”
“A stupid bet that could have cost your life.”
“I know,” Barney said, eyes to the floor. “Listen, I need to ask you both a favor. I need you to save me from myself. I’m scraping rock bottom right now.”
“What do you mean?” Lily asked not sure what Barney was getting at.
“Have you ever heard of a dominant/submissive relationship?”
The Beginning
Author: lilithisbitter
Characters: Marshall/Lily/Barney, Implied Barney/Robin, Barney/OMC
Summary: Barney always had a gambling addiction. If he could bet on it, he did. The one thing he never intended to put up on the table was his life. The cards are stacked against him… so what do you do, Barney Stinson, when your luck finally runs out?
Author’s Notes: Prequel to dreamofspike’s fic A Secret Exposed. Expanded from its Comment_fic starter base and edited and pulled together from the two comment boxes it was in. Prompt that grew out of control.
Spoilers: N/A
Rating: R (For implied rape)
Word Count: Just under 2000
He later thought about it a lot, since it was pretty much the only thing he could think of. It had to be somebody’s fault… so it was either his fault or Ted’s fault and he’s pretty sure Ted’s not to blame. So it’s his fault… simple as that. All Barney Stinson’s fault. The man to blame is first and foremost him.
They were both bad at straight whiskey shots. Ted usually cut his with Coca-Cola and Barney loved mixing his with Red Bull. But after seeing Robin bolt down about six and happily head off to work with neither a wobble to her step or slur to her voice, guy logic said they had to beat her for the honor of bros everywhere.
Three shots in, it started to get ridiculous. For one thing neither of them had even tried the 160 proof Whiskey Robin preferred. They generally stuck to 101 proof themselves. That was the first mistake.
Generally the world’s worst bets are among men… to be more clear… drunk men. And at two o’ four am, Ted came across his worst idea ever.
“I bet you five hundred that you aren’t as hot as you think you are.”
“You’re on… it’s a foolish Ted to get in a bet with a master debater and a cunning linguist.”
And that was the second.
---
The result Barney was in the corner of MacLaren's, his mouth pressed to that of a Hispanic male's, arms wrapped around the man's neck, allowing the other man to cup his slack-covered taunt buttocks with both hands. As Ted watched, Barney's hand suddenly uncurled with two fingers up. Without even breaking liplock, Barney sent a quick bro-lepthic message, "Ted, Ted, right here."
Ted rolled his eyes and returned the bro-lepthy message. "Okay, fine, fine... you win. Men love you too. The five hundred is yours." He gulped back his beer and waved Barney over.
Barney wobbled over, eyes hazy, cheeks flushed, and lips a bit on the swollen side. "Well, well, well," he slurred out because he was rather plastered, "Looks like I win in more ways than one." He popped open his billfold and let Ted slide the money in, grinning wildly. "Well, see you loser Ted later... because I am going to get me some." Barney ran his hand over his body before licking a finger and mock-sizzling it on his butt. “Told you no one could resist this smoking hot body.” He turned and sauntered out of the bar, the other man following behind him, hand practically glued to Barney's ass.
If Ted had been sober, he might have realized that Barney's iPhone still laying on the table was a bad thing. There was no way for the other man to contact any of them. Unfortunately, he had just as much to drink as Barney. He grinned and slid the thing over to him. "Hey, I can beat his high score at Ninja Ropes Extreme."
---
The man ran his hands along the tenting fabric in Barney’s suit and he helplessly arched forward into it. He could feel the pulse of his erection, feel his boxers grow damp around the head of his cock. Barney tilted his head back to allow the man access to the long column of his throat. He allowed him to nibble on the corded muscle of his neck, before soothing the nipped marks with tongue. He didn’t know it, but his long throat was one of the reasons Ted was unconsciously obsessed with columns. “Mmm… that’s nice…”
All he got from the other man was a chuckle. The man… what was his name? Ah, hell. He didn’t even know the man’s name… just that they had gotten on his bike and driven quite a distance away from MacLaren’s. They weren’t even in the man’s house; he had just stopped the bike and said that he couldn’t wait any longer to claim his prize. “Claim away,” Barney had said, carefully draping his jacket (he’d never let the thing drop, since the jacket cost six thousand alone) over the seat of the bike and pressed himself against the wall of the alley, offering all there was of the Barnacle to the man to enjoy and explore.
Suddenly, the man grabbed a handful of Barney’s hair and pulled him to his knees. Barney’s back arched and twisted, but he couldn’t break free of the iron grip that was pulling him closer to the man’s unzipped chinos. No, no, this was not happening. “Suck my cock, you little slut.”
Barney’s heart leapt into his throat where it seemed to choke him. “’M not a slut,” he protested, the pain in his scalp overwhelming so he let the man pull him where he liked, rather than risk losing a huge handful of blond hair.
“Oh, you are a slut,” the man chuckled, “I’ve been watching you all evening. See… sluts like you can’t get raped. It’s not possible because you just want it anyway.”
“No, no, no, no…” Barney protested.
“And you’re going to give me everything I want. But don’t worry… I’m not going to harm that pretty face.” The man’s finger brushed mockingly sweet against one of Barney’s high cheekbones, before pressing a little too hard before pulling away. He smiled when Barney’ winced in response. “In fact… I’m going to tell my Bros that your face is the one face to remain unmarked, but of course that takes your willing mouth as well as a few other things.” He smiled coldly. “Strip. That suit is sure to fetch me a pretty penny. Your wallet too and don’t forget that watch. Don’t tell me that it’s a fake Rolex, because I know it’s real.”
Barney had no other choice, but to obey. Stay alive, do what he says, do what he wants. And try not to gag.
---
Rain poured in heavy sheets outside. It was probably for the best that they were staying inside tonight. Cold and rain was a miserable combination topped only by cold, rain, and wind. It was cozy inside and miserable out there… simple solution was you stayed indoors. Lily's group member in danger sense was going off and she didn't know why. She debated waking up Marshall, but the man looked so adorable with his messy hair and his nightshirt riding up... nightshirt... riding up... well maybe she could wake him up in ten minutes. Or maybe...
Somebody pounded at the door. Lily scowled as Marshall woke up. "Oh, God, Lilypad, someone is trying to break in." He was already out of bed and moving through the apartment. Lily followed him and swore she was going to break the neck of anyone who interrupted Lily Happy Time. "Get the baseball bat."
She could hear the banging continue as if if someone wasn't only pounding on the door, they were kicking it was well. Lily could now hear a very familiar voice on the other side, but it was as if Awesome Barney had been replaced by Hippie Barney. And it sounded like he was trying not to cry or had been crying at some point in time. Or maybe even both. "Please, Marshall, Lily, be home, just be home. Let me in. Please, please, please. I'm scared... I'll never do this again. Just let me in."
Marshall cracked open the door. Barney stumbled and leaned against the doorway, his face the only part of him not bruised or covered in scrapes, although his eyes were swollen from sobbing and tear marks streaked his filthy face. He reeked of urine and vomit, but that wasn’t the worst part. His suit was gone, only a towel was draped around his thin shoulders and there was a trail of blood mixed in with each soggy step of his right foot. “I didn’t know where else to go. I was robbed. Even if I had my cell phone, he would have taken it.” Barney stared at his bare feet, both scraped up, but one had a pool of blood forming around it.
“Barney,” Lily sobbed and pulled him inside, allowing Marshall to close the door behind them. Barney didn’t resist and allowed them to lead him to the couch. “Just sit right there, okay?”
Barney nodded and didn’t even protest when Marshall wrapped an arm around his shoulders. He was shivering, dripping wet in a mixture of rainwater and greasy water from puddles. His short cropped hair was plastered to his head and made him look like a teenager instead of a man in his early thirties. Not just plastered. His hair was tangled and clumpy, closer to grey than blond with the amount of greasy water and other fluids in it. “What happened, Barnaby?” Marshall asked. “Just tell us what happened.”
“I… I… I… I did something stupid, Marshall,” Barney said, chewing on one of his knuckles. “It’s a long story, but I have to tell it… no, I shouldn’t… I should… let’s just forget about this… hold me, God, Marshall…”
He started to tell them everything that had happened, how he had been forced to give the other man oral sex as well as turn over ever possession to him. That wasn’t enough, so he had kicked Barney to the curb, kicked him several times for a lark, before urinating on him. As soon as the thing was over, Barney had started walking, knowing that he was near their place (well that was after the snuck on ride to get him back into city limits and please don’t mention that detail, he was in New Jersey for crying loud, that festering open sewer pipe state, who the hell decided to call it The Garden State? And was he rambling… oh, the story, right…) and hoping that they were in. He had no shoes and on the way over, stepped on a piece of broken glass, cutting the bottom of his foot. Well, more like lacerated considering how much blood he tracked in. He was going to need stitches and a tetanus shot without a doubt.
“You could have died,” Lily said, stroking his hair.
“I know,” Barney said, in that soft broken voice again. “But what am I supposed to do. It’s not like Robin’s ever going to want a slut like me. Not like she ever would want me in the first place.” He wiped at his eyes. “Pretend you didn’t hear that. And please don’t make me report this.”
“We should,” Lily began.
“No! Just tell them I was robbed. Don’t tell about this.”
“Okay…” she stroked his hair. “We just need to get you cleaned up so you can deliver a witness statement.” Barney nodded mechanically.
“I should beat Ted up,” Marshall said, his slaphand flexing, a glimmer of righteousness in his eyes. Or maybe that was rage. “How could he do that? He indulged two of your worst habits and he should know better.”
“I’ll help you beat Ted up,” Lily said, already helping Barney up and leading him in the direction of the bathroom. “Just hold him down and I’ll punch him in the face. It will be fun.” She narrowed in her eyes in her best mean face face.
“No!” Barney protested. “We were drunk… it was a stupid bet.”
“A stupid bet that could have cost your life.”
“I know,” Barney said, eyes to the floor. “Listen, I need to ask you both a favor. I need you to save me from myself. I’m scraping rock bottom right now.”
“What do you mean?” Lily asked not sure what Barney was getting at.
“Have you ever heard of a dominant/submissive relationship?”
The Beginning