Support me on pat_reon.com/kapur69 (Delete "_") and read for 15 chapter ahead or more.
Disclaimer, i own nothing but my own idea.
-----------------
3rd POV)
Robin watched Marshall, Lily, and Barney with narrowed eyes as they devoured the pancakes Ted had made. The smiles plastered on their faces were too satisfied even borderline suspicious. It made her wonder if something was wrong with the pancakes.
Weed? Drugs? Some kind of illegal recipe?
She had no idea.
All she knew was that the sight of them eating like that made her stomach growl and worse, made her jealous.
The hangovers they'd all been complaining about earlier hadn't exactly disappeared. No, they were still there. Just… buried. Completely overwhelmed by whatever magic these pancakes possessed. And somehow, that only confused Robin more.
"Oh God… Ted!" Marshall cried dramatically, licking syrup off his fork like a man who had just found religion. "Never change the recipe…never!....and please… Can I get more?"
He slid his plate forward, empty and spotless. A plate that had once held four pancakes, drowning in syrup and butter, now gleamed as if it had been freshly washed.
"No more, Marshall," Ted's voice came from the kitchen. "Those are for Robin and me. You already ate four."
Marshall grumbled under his breath, clearly offended by the concept of limits.
"Haha, yes! No more pancakes for you, Marshall," Barney added, pointing at him with his knife before turning toward the kitchen. "Ted, as your best friend, I should get more pancakes than Marshall, right?"
He pushed his own plate forward, just as clean as Marshall plate and not even a single crumb left behind.
Ted stepped out of the kitchen carrying two plates. "Marshall is my best friend," he said calmly. "And no, you're not getting any pancakes."
He placed one of the plates in front of Robin.
Robin, who had originally planned to leave immediately, hesitated even more. Her curiosity betrayed her. She didn't know why Barney, who had loudly announced earlier that he had other plans and wanted to leave this place like her, was still sitting through a hangover in Ted's apartment. Yet here he was. And here she was too, sitting back down on the couch, quietly waiting while Ted cooked what he claimed were ordinary pancakes.
She looked down at the plate in front of her.
They really did look ordinary.
Golden pancakes stacked neatly, a pat of butter slowly melting on top, syrup already soaking in. A few strawberries sat there for decoration. Nothing fancy and nothing suspicious. Just…pancakes.
"Uhmm… Robin, if you don't want those, I can eat them with you," Lily said, reaching toward Robin's plate like a starving zombie. "....Didn't you say you have another plan? You could just put one pancake on my plate….save time, you know…" Her hand kept inching closer.
Without thinking, Robin instinctively pulled the plate away. She didn't know what was going on with these pancakes, but if Lily was this desperate, there was no way she was giving them up.
"Ahh… I want it…" Lily whined sadly, like a child denied a toy.
Robin shot her a sharp glare. "It's my pancakes, Lily!" she said firmly.
But Lily wasn't the only one staring.
Marshall. Barney. All of them were watching the pancakes on Robin's plate like predators eyeing prey.
"....You're a lucky woman," Marshall muttered, squinting...not at Robin, but at the pancake. "Ted usually doesn't cook…..He only does it when he wants to."
Robin snorted and glanced at Ted, who was calmly enjoying his own pancakes, completely unbothered by the chaos around him.
Finally, she picked up her fork and cut into the pancakes.
She had to know.
"Robin!" Barney suddenly shouted, just as she lifted the first bite. "I'll give you fifty bucks, give me the plate!"
He was already reaching for his wallet and making Robin paused, glanced at him, then looked back down at her pancakes. She didn't want to bother hearing him again, and put the pancake inside her mouth.
"Ahh! One hundred bucks!" Barney shouted louder. "Give me! Give me! Give me!"
Too late.
One bite was all it took.
Robin froze.
Her eyes widened just slightly as the taste hit her: warm, soft, rich, impossibly comforting feeling inside her mouth. Whatever this was, it wasn't ordinary at all.
She slowly lowered her fork, her expression unreadable.
And in that moment, there was absolutely no amount of money in the world that could make her sell those pancakes.
Robin didn't move for a second and kept feeling the pancake melt away under her teeth and tongue.
The world seemed to slow as the bite settled on her tongue.
The pancake was impossibly soft and not soggy or dry, but light, warm, and tender, like it had been made with patience instead of just ingredients. It almost melted the moment her teeth sank in, giving way effortlessly, as if it didn't want to resist her at all.
The sweetness wasn't loud or forced.
It wasn't the aggressive kind that punched her senses with sugar. Instead, it was gentle and balanced. The syrup soaked deep into the pancake, not sitting on the surface, but blending into it, carrying warmth with every bite. The butter added a subtle richness, smoothing everything out, coating her tongue with something comforting and familiar.
And then there was something else.
Something she couldn't immediately name.
A faint hint of vanilla. Maybe cinnamon? It is just enough to be noticed but it's not enough to dominate. It tasted intentional, like every flavor had been invited instead of thrown together.
Robin swallowed slowly.
Her shoulders relaxed without her realizing it.
The lingering warmth spread through her chest. It wasn't just delicious….it was grounding. The kind of food that made you forget the headache from last night, the noise, the chaos, the stupid decisions for having a two night party.
She took another bite.
This one slower.
Her eyes drifted shut for half a second.
"Oh my god…" she muttered under her breath, barely audible.
The strawberries added a soft freshness, cutting through the richness at just the right moment, keeping the bite from becoming heavy. Every chew felt… right.
This wasn't a pancake.
….This was home on a plate!
When she finally opened her eyes, she realized the room had gone quiet.
Marshall was staring at her face like he was watching a food commercial.
Lily leaned forward, hands clasped, eyes desperate to taste more of pancakes.
Barney looked personally offended by Robin not taking his money and just sitting there and eating calmly.
"…That good, right?" Marshall asked calmly and smiling at her.
Robin didn't answer but she took another bite instead.
Yep, that's her answer.
Marshall could only chuckle as he watched Robin completely drown in the pancakes Ted had made, while Ted himself sat there calmly, eating at his own pace, seemingly unfazed by her expression.
It wasn't ignorance.
…..It was confidence.
"Like I said before," Marshall added with a grin, glancing between Robin and Ted, "Ted rarely cooks. And when he does… it's usually after a few days of something going on, right, Lily?"
Lily, meanwhile, had her mouth slightly open, unconsciously mirroring every movement Robin made as she fed herself….chew, pause, swallow…like she was living vicariously through her.
"Huh? What?" Lily blinked, finally snapping back to reality when she noticed Marshall laughing at her. "Yes! Yes! I hate Ted!" she said vaguely, not having heard a single word he'd said.
Barney let out a dramatic sigh and pushed his chair back. "Well, since the woman refuses to give me another plate, I'll be leaving now."
He turned toward the door, but Ted's calm voice stopped him without effort.
"Barney. The plate."
"...OKAY! Don't push me!" Barney grumbled like a scolded child, but he still obeyed. He marched into the kitchen, washing his plate with exaggerated irritation, muttering under his breath the entire time.
Robin, meanwhile, finished her pancakes faster than Ted had. And just like Marshall, Lily, and Barney before her, she found herself staring….not at Ted's face, but at the pancakes still on his plate.
"Ted?" she called softly. She tilted her head, batting her eyelashes, trying very hard to look innocent and cute. "Can I get some more?" she asked, a small smile forming on her lips.
"Sure," Ted replied simply. He cut off a piece with his fork and offered it to her.
Robin beamed, leaning against Ted as she accepted the bite, completely at ease as she ate from his fork.
"I hate Ted," Lily muttered again, but this time with genuine frustration.
Marshall stood there in silence, watching them. From the kitchen, Barney clenched his teeth before storming back out, pointing a soapy finger at Ted and Robin.
"Ted! You traitor!" Barney shouted. "Bros before hos! Bros before hos!" Bubble soap fell down on his finger but it didn't matter to him, he kept pointing at Ted and Robin. "Bro Code, Ted! Remember the Bro Code?!"
Marshall hesitated. It felt strange siding with Barney, especially over pancakes, but… this was about pancakes.
"Yeah!" Marshall added, stepping beside Barney. "Ted, how could you do this to us?"
The look they gave him was nothing short of betrayal.
Lily finally joined them, standing next to Marshall and Barney. "Yeah! Bro Code, Ted! Bro Code!" she chanted, then turned to the two men. "Give us your pancake! Give us your pancake! Give us your pancake!" Getting excited like she wanted to turn the country upside down.
Marshall and Barney were just about to join in….
"No more pancakes for a week." Ted's voice was calm. Flat and absolute. Didn't care about the shout and just kept eating the pancake beside Robin. "I'm not in the mood anymore."
Silence for a moment, even Lily's utterly horrified face didn't shout again.
"LILY!!"
"GOD, LILY!!"
Marshall and Barney immediately turned on her. Lily who instantly became the scapegoat by two of them, looking still horrified.
"LILY! HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO US? LOOK WHAT YOU'VE DONE!" Barney yelled, rushing behind Ted and patting his shoulder. "Don't worry, Ted. I always support you. I am your best friend, remember that."
Marshall turned to Lily with an apologetic look. "Sorry, Lily… but it's pancakes."
"What….What?!" Lily stared at him in disbelief, then glared. "You should be on my side, Marshall!"
Marshall opened his mouth.
Closed it.
And quietly looked back at Ted's plate.
Because some lines…even marriage….were apparently negotiable.
But pancakes?
Pancakes were sacred.
{It was just a Sunday morning, kids. Robin was already my friend by then and calmly or naturally integrating into my circle. Marshall, Lily, and Barney already liked her.} — Old Ted
"Robin, give us some pancakes too!" Lily said as she sat beside her, nudging Robin to give her a little bite.
Robin only stuck out her tongue in response, continuing to eat from Ted's plate while snuggling even closer to him.
Barney patted Ted's shoulder repeatedly, whispering and begging for Ted to feed him too, that's only to be completely ignored.
Marshall, meanwhile, returned to his seat, watching all of them in silence.
What is a hangover?
A hangover cured by pancakes.