#troy and abed in the mooorninnggg

[thesockbehindthewashingmachine]

GEOTHERMAL ESCAPISM FIX IT FIC BECAUSE FUCK YOU DAN HARMON

“ It's not a game for me, Troy. I'm seeing real lava because you're leaving. It's embarrassing and I don't want to be crazy, but I am crazy, so... I made a game that made you and everyone else see what I see”

This is a short (and super rushed im so sorry) self-indulgent fix-it fic for geothermal escapism because otherwise ill die/j @starrrgazingbunny if you still wanna read :D

"By the way, when I cloned you, I had to patch some missing parts of your DNA with genes from a homing pigeon."

Troy struggled to hold back tears. "I can't do this, I can't do this, I can't do this," he thought, staring at his boyfriend best friend. Abed met his gaze with gentle brown eyes, and Troy couldn't go through with it. Not again.

"You may notice side effects, like a compulsion to come back."

The words were meant to sound playful, but Troy could hear the hurt in Abed’s voice.

"Not again, I can't do this again," Troy thought to himself, attempting to appear nonchalant as if his heart wasn't shattering into a thousand pieces. 

"Cool," he managed to mutter, in a voice that didn't sound like his. "Clone hug?" He held his arms out, trying his hardest to stop them from shaking.

Abed hugged him tightly. "Please don't let go again," they both thought to themselves, gripping each other for dear life. Troy heard an engine in the background, and Abed released him, leaving Troy with a coldness he hadn't felt in years.

"I know you hate when people do this in movies," his own voice echoed in the back of his mind.

He turned around to see a large boat on wheels, and a man standing on it with a captain's hat. If he wasn’t so distraught he would have noticed that it was LeVar Burton, but at that moment he didn't care about (or see) anyone but Abed. His Abed. His… Friend? 

For some reason that word didn’t feel quite right anymore. 

“No, I'm not doing this again,” He thought, turning back to Abed. He hastily wiped a tear that was making its way down his face and took a shaky breath.

“Abed I can’t”, he whispered. 

Abed tilted his head and furrowed his brows “You have to, Troy. This is your chance to be one person, remember?” he asked, truthfully trying more to remind himself than to remind the other. 

Troy shook his head and wiped his eyes again with his sleeve. “I don’t want to be. At least not that way. Not if being one person... Means being alone.” 

He took another, less shaky breath, and looked up at the man in front of him. “Abed, I’m already one person and that person wants to be with you.”  The pained expression etched on Abed’s face faded into a sad smile. 

 “Troy, I know. And... I want to be with you too. but even though I hate the anguished confession trope, that's what this has to be. Because you need to do this. It's not just the money, it's that you need the chance to see the world. To become your own man.” 

 Abed’s voice stayed calm, but Troy could see the hurt in his eyes. 

“I am my own man. You showed me who I am. I am my own man because you let me be me, without judgment or expectations.”  Troy said, almost begging, even though he still wasn’t 100% sure what he was begging for.

“U-um Troy?” Annie’s voice became apparent, reminding the two that the rest of the study group was there too. Troy quickly wiped his face and turned to her.

“Pierce said that someone would have to be assigned to make sure you don't cheat… but he never explicitly said who. I'm guessing he meant uh... Mr. Burton... But he never put it in writing that it had to be him.” 

She implored, looking between him and Abed with her signature look, saying “It’s him. Take him with you.” 

Troy's eyes lit up, and he saw Abed's expression relax. "You mean he could... could I even ask him to do that? Would he—" Abed interrupted him. "Troy." Troy looked at him nervously before Abed spoke again. "If you asked me to go, I would."

Troy smiled so broadly that his mouth hurt. "You would? I mean, you have a whole life, and I wouldn't want to disrupt that if you—"

Abed interrupted once more. "I would. I'm one person too, and I couldn't bear being without you again." He paused for a moment before continuing. "I have so many scenes that would be perfect for this, but a movie scene isn't what we need right now... What we need is Troy and Abed. And I, Abed, love you, Troy."

Annie and Britta squealed with excitement, but Jeff elbowed them, signaling them to quiet down and let the two share their moment. Shirley clutched her cross necklace and hid a smile. In the background, Duncan handed Chang $20 as they watched.

Troy beamed and responded without hesitation. "I, Troy, love you too, Abed."

 The two of them smiled at each other before Troy stepped towards Abed. “Can I.. Can I hug you?” He asked, arms wide open. Abed nodded hugging Troy as tightly as possible The two of them stayed that way for a full minute before separating, abed planting a light kiss on Troy’s forehead.

"Excuse me," LeVar interjected awkwardly from the boat. "This is really sweet, but I was paid $3,000 in advance for this. What do you want me to do?"

Troy glanced at Abed and then back at LeVar. "Um, I don't know—just go home?" LeVar nodded, stepped down from the boat ladder, and walked toward his car. "Oh, and uh, congratulations you two," he added before waving to them as he left. 

“So.. should we? Do You need to get your stuff first?” Troy looked back to Abed curiously. “We can stop by the dorm before we go to the dock” Abed replied, his arm still around Troy.

The rest of the group takes this moment to run up to the two of them, murmuring “congratulations” and “I knew it”s.

everyone exchanges hugs and goodbyes, and after 30 minutes (and many tears) The two board the boat, smiling at each other before singing: “Troy and abed around the wo-rld”