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Barney chuckled charitably at Marshall's abysmal attempt at a pun, as he stood up and started towards the kitchen. He placed his empty beer bottle alongside the others lined up on the counter, but hesitated in his initial aim to retrieve another from the fridge. The murmur of the thanksgiving football game and the accompanying commentary from the gang faded as Barney stepped up beside Lily at the kitchen sink.
"Hey Lil." Barney greeted as he neatly rolled up his shirt sleeves.
"Hi Barney," Lily responded absently while continuing to scrub a particularly stubborn stain from a dish.
"I can takeover for a bit, if you wanna dry? Budge up," suggested Barney while lightly bumping Lily's hip with his own.
Lily rolled her eyes but gladly shuffled away from the sink so her friend could take her place. She grabbed a cloth to start working on the pile of clean dishes she had accumulated. Barney picked up where Lily had left off and started his own attempt at the unruly stain.
"Dinner was a triumph as always Lily... thanks for cooking basically all of it."
"Thanks Barney, but I can't take all the credit. Robin's pecan pie was surprising edible this year."
"And we mustn't forget that I brought the beer! That's the real star attraction," Barney boasted light-heartedly.
Lily huffed dramatically but shared a kind glance with her friend. A peaceful quiet lingered for a moment as they focused on their respective tasks, both standing in a relaxed posture with their shoulders just barely touching.
"This is it for me," Barney stated with a calm clarity, out of seemingly nowhere. Lily offered a questioning glance, and slowed in her motions without pausing completely. "I never imagined I'd have something like this, just everyone here together. I don't want anything else, just this for as long as we can."
Lily turned to fully face Barney in that moment, contemplating his confession and her response. But he kept his head lowered over the sink in apparent focus and possible embarrassment. She waited a second before shifting back to face the counter, offering less direct attention, and hummed a light agreement in response. That was enough to encourage Barney to finish his thought.
"I know you and Marshall will get your own place some day and have kids," Barney continued softly. "But I hope we can all still do this in some way. Whatever that may be, for a long as everyone is still around. Count me in, always."
Barney rinsed the dish he had been grasping tightly for a few long moments. The splash of water and slight clatter of plates filled the brief silence.
"You'll always be welcome here, Barney. You won't ever have to ask, " Lily stated with certainty. "I feel the same."
Nothing more was said. The echo of cheers rippled into the kitchen from Ted and Marshall in the other room. Lily and Barney shared a fond look and then continued to work in companionable silence.