Community: Obviously
Title: Obviously
Author: arliddian
Rating: PG
Fandom: Community
Characters/Pairing: Abed/Annie
Summary: Abed has a girlfriend, and if Annie's acting weird, it isn't due to jealousy. Because she's totally fine. Obviously.
Word Count: 1090
Author's Note: Written for the prompt cloakroom.
Warnings: Nil.
Disclaimer: Don't own it; don't sue me.
I'm coming out of my cage, and I've been doing just fine... - Mr Brightside, The Killers
The Springtime Save-the-Rainforests dance was really not as much fun as Annie had expected to be. Jeff had gotten caught up in some urgent case work and couldn't come in the end, which meant that their numbers were down to five, and it just didn't feel right to be at a Greendale dance without Jeff and Pierce around. It didn't help that Abed had disappeared almost as soon as they'd arrived. The whole evening had just been so... flat.
Troy wandered over to where Annie sat nursing her fifth cup of punch.
"Hey," he said as he plopped down next to her.
"Hey," she replied, flashing him a small smile. "Having fun?"
"I'm so bored!" he exclaimed. "Britta and Shirley started arguing about whether celebrating spring is a pagan tradition or giving thanks to Jesus, and they won't stop! Where's Abed?"
Annie made a face and handed him her cup. "I don't know. But Rachel's working the coat check tonight, so I'm guessing he's been hanging out with her."
(If she sounded a little put out, it was because she felt bad that Troy hadn't been able to hang out with his best friend all night, and it had nothing to do with how she felt about Abed having a girlfriend. Which she was totally fine with, anyway. Obviously.)
"Oh, yeah." Troy sighed and took a sip of Annie's punch before handing the cup back. "Maybe we should just go home. If Abed wants to stay, he can get a lift with Shirley, and then you and I can watch Little Women again and I won't lose any man-points."
The idea of curling up on Abed's recliner in her pyjamas and sharing a tissue box with Troy was definitely more appealing than sitting in a corner and watching couples dance and have fun all night.
"Sure," she smiled. "That sounds good to me. I'll just go get my coat and let Abed know."
"Okay. I'll tell Britta and Shirley."
Annie set her half-empty cup on the table and made her way to the cloakroom, thoroughly ready to throw in the towel on this whole evening.
It'll only get better from here, right? she thought, opening the door...
... and immediately walking in on Abed and Rachel, who were wrapped up in a tender lip-lock.
"Oh!" Annie gasped, throwing up a hand to cover her eyes and then immediately lowering it when she realised how stupid the gesture was since they were both fully clothed and not doing anything particularly scandalous.
The couple sprang apart at the sound of her voice.
"Hey, Annie," Abed greeted her, utterly nonplussed.
Rachel smoothed down her hair self-consciously, and Annie noted that she at least had the decency to look embarrassed. "Um, hi, Annie."
(If Annie felt rattled, it was just because she'd never actually seen Abed and Rachel together before. He never brought her back to the apartment and rarely talked about her, so it was just weird to see them kissing. It had nothing to do with the fact that Annie had never seen Abed kiss anyone before, except for the time he'd kissed her, when it had been brief and passionate and covered in orange paint. And she wasn't thinking about that moment right now. Obviously.)
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt anything," Annie apologised awkwardly. "I, uh, I just wanted to get my coat."
"Oh! Yeah, sure. I'll just go grab it."
Rachel disappeared into the rows of jackets and scarves, leaving Annie to smile nervously at Abed and play with her fingers.
"Um, Troy and I are going home early," Annie told him conversationally, wondering why her voice sounded so high and squeaky. "You don't have to come too, though. If you want to stay here with Rachel, I'm sure Britta or Shirley can take you home."
"Cool," was his simple response. He was as calm and unruffled as ever, and clearly unembarrassed at having been caught mid-make-out.
(If she felt a sudden spike of irritation, it was obviously just because Rachel was taking kind of a long time to find her coat, and she didn't want to keep Troy waiting. It had nothing to do with the fact that Annie had been carrying a secret thought in the back of her mind that she was kind of special to Abed, because he'd never really acted in a romantic way towards anyone besides her before, even though he'd been playing a character every time he'd ever shown more-than-platonic interest in her. And it had nothing to do with the fact that she now realised that Rachel was the special one, the one who had managed to capture Abed's attention and move him to actual, genuine romantic feelings.)
Rachel finally rejoined them, Annie's coat in her hands.
"So, you're leaving already?" she asked as she handed it over. "We didn't really get a chance to hang out."
"Yeah, I know. I'm just kind of tired - Britta and Shirley's debates can be kind of exhausting," Annie fibbed, darting a quick glance at Abed. "Plus it looks like you two want some... quality time."
"Oh. Okay." Rachel pushed her glasses up her nose, and when she dropped her hand, it brushed against Abed's.
(If Annie felt a sudden pang of emotion when Abed casually took Rachel's hand in his, it was just because she had been single for months and was feeling a little lonely. It obviously had nothing to do with the way she was remembering all the times he had ever touched her with those long fingers - Don Draper, Han Solo, Batman, simply Abed...)
"Well, I guess I'll see you around?" Rachel finished with a cheerful, friendly smile.
Annie forced an equally friendly smile back as she pulled on her coat. "Sure."
"See you at home," Abed said, with a brief upward quirk of his lips.
"Yep. Have fun." The smile remained fixed on her face as she began to move towards the door. "We, uh, we won't wait up for you!" she added brightly in a feeble attempt at a joke that made her want to cringe as soon as the words left her mouth. "Bye!"
Abed gave a small wave, and Annie made a hasty retreat.
(And if she shut the cloakroom door a little too hard on her way out, it was because the handle slipped out of her fingers. It wasn't because she was jealous. Obviously.)
Fin
Author: arliddian
Rating: PG
Fandom: Community
Characters/Pairing: Abed/Annie
Summary: Abed has a girlfriend, and if Annie's acting weird, it isn't due to jealousy. Because she's totally fine. Obviously.
Word Count: 1090
Author's Note: Written for the prompt cloakroom.
Warnings: Nil.
Disclaimer: Don't own it; don't sue me.
I'm coming out of my cage, and I've been doing just fine... - Mr Brightside, The Killers
The Springtime Save-the-Rainforests dance was really not as much fun as Annie had expected to be. Jeff had gotten caught up in some urgent case work and couldn't come in the end, which meant that their numbers were down to five, and it just didn't feel right to be at a Greendale dance without Jeff and Pierce around. It didn't help that Abed had disappeared almost as soon as they'd arrived. The whole evening had just been so... flat.
Troy wandered over to where Annie sat nursing her fifth cup of punch.
"Hey," he said as he plopped down next to her.
"Hey," she replied, flashing him a small smile. "Having fun?"
"I'm so bored!" he exclaimed. "Britta and Shirley started arguing about whether celebrating spring is a pagan tradition or giving thanks to Jesus, and they won't stop! Where's Abed?"
Annie made a face and handed him her cup. "I don't know. But Rachel's working the coat check tonight, so I'm guessing he's been hanging out with her."
(If she sounded a little put out, it was because she felt bad that Troy hadn't been able to hang out with his best friend all night, and it had nothing to do with how she felt about Abed having a girlfriend. Which she was totally fine with, anyway. Obviously.)
"Oh, yeah." Troy sighed and took a sip of Annie's punch before handing the cup back. "Maybe we should just go home. If Abed wants to stay, he can get a lift with Shirley, and then you and I can watch Little Women again and I won't lose any man-points."
The idea of curling up on Abed's recliner in her pyjamas and sharing a tissue box with Troy was definitely more appealing than sitting in a corner and watching couples dance and have fun all night.
"Sure," she smiled. "That sounds good to me. I'll just go get my coat and let Abed know."
"Okay. I'll tell Britta and Shirley."
Annie set her half-empty cup on the table and made her way to the cloakroom, thoroughly ready to throw in the towel on this whole evening.
It'll only get better from here, right? she thought, opening the door...
... and immediately walking in on Abed and Rachel, who were wrapped up in a tender lip-lock.
"Oh!" Annie gasped, throwing up a hand to cover her eyes and then immediately lowering it when she realised how stupid the gesture was since they were both fully clothed and not doing anything particularly scandalous.
The couple sprang apart at the sound of her voice.
"Hey, Annie," Abed greeted her, utterly nonplussed.
Rachel smoothed down her hair self-consciously, and Annie noted that she at least had the decency to look embarrassed. "Um, hi, Annie."
(If Annie felt rattled, it was just because she'd never actually seen Abed and Rachel together before. He never brought her back to the apartment and rarely talked about her, so it was just weird to see them kissing. It had nothing to do with the fact that Annie had never seen Abed kiss anyone before, except for the time he'd kissed her, when it had been brief and passionate and covered in orange paint. And she wasn't thinking about that moment right now. Obviously.)
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt anything," Annie apologised awkwardly. "I, uh, I just wanted to get my coat."
"Oh! Yeah, sure. I'll just go grab it."
Rachel disappeared into the rows of jackets and scarves, leaving Annie to smile nervously at Abed and play with her fingers.
"Um, Troy and I are going home early," Annie told him conversationally, wondering why her voice sounded so high and squeaky. "You don't have to come too, though. If you want to stay here with Rachel, I'm sure Britta or Shirley can take you home."
"Cool," was his simple response. He was as calm and unruffled as ever, and clearly unembarrassed at having been caught mid-make-out.
(If she felt a sudden spike of irritation, it was obviously just because Rachel was taking kind of a long time to find her coat, and she didn't want to keep Troy waiting. It had nothing to do with the fact that Annie had been carrying a secret thought in the back of her mind that she was kind of special to Abed, because he'd never really acted in a romantic way towards anyone besides her before, even though he'd been playing a character every time he'd ever shown more-than-platonic interest in her. And it had nothing to do with the fact that she now realised that Rachel was the special one, the one who had managed to capture Abed's attention and move him to actual, genuine romantic feelings.)
Rachel finally rejoined them, Annie's coat in her hands.
"So, you're leaving already?" she asked as she handed it over. "We didn't really get a chance to hang out."
"Yeah, I know. I'm just kind of tired - Britta and Shirley's debates can be kind of exhausting," Annie fibbed, darting a quick glance at Abed. "Plus it looks like you two want some... quality time."
"Oh. Okay." Rachel pushed her glasses up her nose, and when she dropped her hand, it brushed against Abed's.
(If Annie felt a sudden pang of emotion when Abed casually took Rachel's hand in his, it was just because she had been single for months and was feeling a little lonely. It obviously had nothing to do with the way she was remembering all the times he had ever touched her with those long fingers - Don Draper, Han Solo, Batman, simply Abed...)
"Well, I guess I'll see you around?" Rachel finished with a cheerful, friendly smile.
Annie forced an equally friendly smile back as she pulled on her coat. "Sure."
"See you at home," Abed said, with a brief upward quirk of his lips.
"Yep. Have fun." The smile remained fixed on her face as she began to move towards the door. "We, uh, we won't wait up for you!" she added brightly in a feeble attempt at a joke that made her want to cringe as soon as the words left her mouth. "Bye!"
Abed gave a small wave, and Annie made a hasty retreat.
(And if she shut the cloakroom door a little too hard on her way out, it was because the handle slipped out of her fingers. It wasn't because she was jealous. Obviously.)
Fin