Lessons in Epic Storytelling, Ch 11/?
Title: Lessons in Epic Storytelling
Chapter: 11/?
Pairings: Annie/Abed, Annie/Jeff, side Britta/Troy
Rating: NC-17
Words: 9277
Summary: Annie enters the study room to a scene of even greater chaos than usual. When the group blames her for their behavior, she sets them down to tell them an epic love story that will reveal every single one of her deepest secrets.
Spoilers: Anything up to and including the season three finale, 'Introduction to Finality'. In fact, several of the scenes in that episode's final montage will find their way into this story as I provide my own events that lead up to them.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. If I had any claim on Community, Abed would be all mine.
A/N: I'm thrilled that I finally got to this chapter. This chapter is the big one that I've had on tap since before I even started writing this story, so I hope you guys enjoy it. There's only one chapter and the epilogue left after this. As always, I'd like to thank my livejournal reviewers: fangirl 101, fluffyfrolicker, sassyrogue, who_locked, wingster55, and my one anonymous reviewer. I love hearing from you on such a regular basis. It makes my efforts worth it. Please read and review! Thanks!
Chapter Eleven: A Massive Revelation
Study Room
Present Day
"So the story is almost over?" Troy asked sadly. "But I like it. I'm not ready for it to be over."
Annie smiled gently at him. "It has to end sometime, Troy. There's no point in dragging it out any longer than it should be."
Crossing his arms, he leaned back in his chair and sulked. Annie tried not to chuckle because that would probably only make him mad.
"So, Annie," Britta stated, leaning forward, a strange note in her voice. "The hero thing was really working on you, huh?"
Annie felt the heat of embarrassment crawl along her entire body and up into her cheeks. It was actually kind of humiliating just how large a weakness she had for heroes. Although the more mortifying part might be the fact that all it had taken for her to see Abed as a hero was for him to carry her upstairs, hold her hand, and kiss her injured knee. For most men, those wouldn't be heroic acts, but Abed wasn't most men. His discomfort with expressing affection truly did make those heroic acts for him.
"Yes," she admitted, cheeks red. "It was definitely working. I really wanted him to be single. Like, right then. And, if I had known that he was..."
She trailed off because her thoughts had drifted into highly inappropriate areas for discussion with the group.
"When did you finally find out that Abed was single?" Shirley asked curiously.
Annie grinned. "That is an interesting tale."
ooooo
Saturday, February 9, 2013
"I need your help."
When Abed spoke, Annie pulled her attention away from her computer screen. She was sitting at the table, working on a paper for her psych class, her mostly healed leg stretched out to rest on the chair across from her. The apartment had been quiet all day because Troy and Britta were spending the day with his family, much to the blonde's distress. Things hadn't gone at all smoothly when she had met them on Thanksgiving (she had apparently greatly offended his stay-at-home mom), but Troy was determined to make them like her. Annie had actually been extremely amused to watch Troy drag his still-protesting girlfriend out of the apartment.
"Do you want to resume shooting?" she asked, glancing up at him where he was standing next to her chair.
Abed had placed all filming on hold until Annie's knee healed up. She was grateful for that because she had only finally stopped limping yesterday.
"No. We'll resume next weekend. I need you to help me with something else."
Her interest definitely peaked, Annie saved her paper and shut down the computer. It was getting late anyway, and she was definitely ready for a break.
"What's going on?"
"I think Starburns is alive," Abed stated with absolutely no preamble.
For a moment, Annie was too stunned to respond. All she could do was stare up at him in disbelief. He thought what?
"I'm sorry," she finally apologized. "But I'm pretty sure you just said that you think Starburns is alive."
"I did," he said flatly. "I saw him going into a restaurant downtown wearing the uniform. He's blonde now, though, so I'm not completely sure that it was him. I want you to come with me and tell me what you think."
Annie raised an eyebrow at him. "Isn't that the sort of thing you'd normally do with Troy?"
"He's not here," Abed replied simply.
"Okay," she agreed. That certainly made sense. "Where are we going?"
"I saw him going into that one French restaurant, Chez Paris. We leave in an hour."
When he walked away, a knot formed in Annie's stomach. Had she really just agreed to go to dinner with Abed at the nicest, most romantic restaurant in town? No, no, not really, she reassured herself. It was just a stakeout.
It was definitely not a date.
ooooo
Study Room
Present Day
"It was a date, wasn't it?" Britta asked, excitement shining in her eyes.
"I find myself going back to the statement that it was complicated," Annie responded. "We actually were there to see if Starburns really was alive, but I eventually figured out that Abed also had an ulterior motive."
"I can't believe you took her with you! That should have been our adventure!" Troy burst out, glaring at Abed.
"As Annie said, I had an additional motive for asking her to come with me," Abed explained tonelessly.
Annie smiled gently at Troy. "Trust me, Troy. It wasn't so much an adventure as it was, well..."
ooooo
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Annie gazed around in awe. Chez Paris was much more luxurious than she had expected.
Although Annie had grown up as part of Greendale's upper class, she had never set foot in this restaurant before. It was her mother's favorite, so her parents had eaten here on several occasions, but they had declared that it wasn't a place for kids, not even one as well-behaved as Annie. Seeing it for herself, she had to agree with that assessment.
It was easy to see why the restaurant had appealed to her mother. It was definitely her style. For Annie, though, it was just a little too much. It seemed highly pretentious. She would have been happier going back to the Mexican restaurant that she and Abed had visited in November. However, that wasn't where Abed had seen Starburns.
Looking at the people around her, Annie felt distinctly under-dressed. Wearing a simple green sheath dress, she was obviously out of place among all of the women in expensive cocktail dresses. At least Abed, in the suit he had worn to Shirley's wedding, looked like he belonged here. As she surveyed the obviously wealthy clientele, another worry hit her.
"Abed," she hissed. "I think we need reservations."
"We have one," he replied, leading her to the maitre d's station.
Amazingly enough, just ten minutes later they were sitting at a small table for two against one of the walls, studying their menus. When Annie saw how much everything cost, she sucked in a sharp breath.
"I can't afford this place," she admitted in quiet embarrassment.
She had managed to save a bit of money while working at Shirley's sandwich shop, but her car had broken down on Tuesday and the repairs had wiped out nearly all of it. She knew that she should have considered the cost before agreeing to observe Starburns, but it simply hadn't occurred to her. She had been too excited that Abed was taking her on one of his adventures and panicked that she only had an hour to get ready. How expensive the food would be had never crossed her mind.
"I'm paying."
Abed's words had Annie shooting her head up to stare at him.
"Oh, no, Abed. You can't do that. It's far too much. You don't even have a job," she pointed out.
"Don't argue, Annie," he said.
His voice was his usual monotone, but Annie could see the determination in his eyes. For whatever reason, he clearly wanted to buy dinner for her. Annie wasn't about to turn down his generosity, but she wasn't willing to take advantage. Nibbling on her lip, she studied the menu and picked out the cheapest items.
"What can I get for you tonight?"
The sound of a familiar voice caused Annie to look up at their waiter. Although Abed had warned her, she was still shocked to see Starburns standing there. She saw the familiarity flash through his eyes before his face went blank. Since he had chosen not to acknowledge that they knew each other, she followed his lead.
"I'll just have a side salad and a glass of water," she ordered.
She felt Abed's eyes on her, but she carefully avoided looking at him as he placed his order of one of the chicken dishes.
"And bring me the escargot," he finished.
Biting back a smile as Starburns walked away, Annie couldn't help but ask, "Escargot?"
"You have to order escargot in a French restaurant," he answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Annie grinned. "Right." She leaned forward and lowered her voice. "You were right. Starburns really does work here. Why do you think he faked his death?"
She couldn't understand what would make someone take such a desperate step.
Abed's brow furrowed as he considered the question.
"Starburns was often angry because everyone called him Starburns. He even threw the first pillow of the Pillow War because the dean didn't call him Alex. I suspect that he faked his death to start over as Alex instead of Starburns."
Annie thought over his words. They actually made a surprising amount of sense. For a man who added a top hat and then a lizard to his everyday wardrobe just to draw attention away from his starburns, was faking death really all that much of a stretch?
"Since he went to so much trouble to disappear, I think we should keep this to ourselves," Annie announced.
"Okay," Abed agreed easily.
ooooo
Study Room
Present Day
"Oops," Annie muttered sheepishly.
ooooo
Saturday, February 9, 2013
While they waited for their food, Annie chattered about the paper that she was working on when Abed had interrupted her to invite her on his adventure.
"I know that Britta's much more experienced with psychology," Annie finished, "but I really like the class. It's just fascinating, so I can see why she picked it for her major."
As she took a sip of her water, a man stopped next to their table. Annie had noticed him wandering the room earlier with a basket in his hand. Intensely curious, she had watched him and realized that he was selling roses for the men in the room to give to their dates. She had really hoped that he wouldn't come to their table, though. She and Abed weren't on a date, so his presence would just make things awkward. She should have known that he wouldn't pass up the chance to possibly make some more money, though.
"Would you like to buy a rose for your enchanting date?" the man asked Abed while shooting a charming smile at Annie.
"Oh, we're not..." Annie started.
"Yes," Abed interrupted.
Startled, Annie was quite sure that her mouth was hanging open as she watched Abed fork over three dollars for a gorgeous red rose. When the man handed her the flower and moved on, she stared down at it for a moment before looking back up at her roommate. She was completely confused. Did he only buy her the flower because he thought it was non-optional?
"Abed?" she asked, her voice slightly shaky. "Why did you...?"
She stopped, uncertain what she wanted to ask. Wait. No. She knew exactly what she wanted to ask; she was just terrified that it was a really stupid question that would make the entire night uncomfortable. But his insistence on paying and the rose...they had gotten her thinking something that couldn't possibly be true. She struggled to keep in the words that were fighting to escape. But, just like with her questions about Robin, they burst from her without permission.
"Is this a date?"
The instant the words were out, she would have given anything to call them back. Certain that she had just ruined what had been a perfectly lovely night, Annie turned her head to focus on the flower man selling yet another rose. There was a terrible knot of unease in the pit of her stomach.
"Yes."
That word, the one word that she had longed to hear but never expected, made her whip her head around to him so quickly that a pain shot up the side of her neck. She didn't care, though. She just gazed at him, taking in his blank face and soft eyes with amazement.
"It is?" she asked.
She just needed to hear it again, just to make sure that she hadn't imagined it.
"Yes, Annie. This is a date," he replied, voice emotionless. "After consideration, I decided that it was the next logical step in our relationship after I broke up with Robin."
He had broken up with Robin! As Abed's words, his wonderful, wonderful words, sunk in, Annie felt a tingling warmth flood through her. He was single. She didn't know when or how it had happened, but she didn't really care at that moment. The fact that it had happened was enough for her.
"So we're really on a date?" she questioned, just to confirm what he had said.
He studied her for a moment before responding.
"I intend to kiss you at the end of the night," he answered practically.
That was good enough for her. Unable to help herself, she beamed so brightly that she was surprised he didn't have to shade his eyes. She felt like all the stress that had been pressing down on her since they had filmed their love scene had dissipated all at once. She was on a date with Abed. After that, the conversation seemed to flow smoother and Annie laughed at the slightest provocation. Even the normally flavorless lettuce of her salad tasted amazing.
After she finished, she was feeling particularly playful, so she reached out for one of Abed's escargot. Although he had inspected the tray of cooked snails when they had arrived, he hadn't eaten any of them. Annie wasn't going to eat it, either. She simply couldn't get past the idea that snails left trails of slime when they glided across the ground. No, the only reason that she had taken the snail was out of pure curiosity.
Setting it down on her plate, she stared at it in confusion. The only time she had ever seen escargot was when she had watched Pretty Woman. Aware of Abed watching her closely, she tried to remember what they had done to open the shell. Oh, yeah. Julia Roberts' character had tried to use the tongs to crack it. That hadn't worked all that well for her, but Annie was pretty sure that she would succeed since she was forewarned from watching the movie. She used the tongs to pick up the shell and squeezed in an effort to open it. Instead, just as in the movie, the shell went flying, smacking a woman at the neighboring table in the back of the head. When the woman turned around to shoot Annie a dirty look, her cheeks blazed.
"Sorry," she apologized before turning back to Abed. "They really are slippery little suckers."
Annie could tell that he immediately recognized the reference because his eyes heated up in a way that made her all tingly. He broke eye contact to pick up the check.
"Yes. I am definitely going to kiss her tonight," he muttered to himself so quietly that Annie barely heard him.
A short time later, Annie and Abed were standing in the living room of their apartment. Shifting nervously, Annie looked up at him. She didn't know why she was so anxious. Maybe it was because she knew that Abed was going to kiss her, and yes, they had kissed before, but those hadn't been preplanned like this one was. Even their kiss on New Year's had been a last minute decision. Plus, when they had kissed in the past, she had always known that it couldn't mean anything since he had a girlfriend. But now he was single, and kissing could mean something. That was a little terrifying.
"Tonight was fun. We should go out again sometime," she started chatting nervously. "Although it might be good to pick somewhere that won't have me pelting people in the back of the head with snails. I don't think Chez Paris is the best place to start an accidental food fight. I'm actually kind of surprised that they didn't kick us out immediately since that wasn't exactly appropriate behavior. But, then again, you were already paying so maybe they didn't have to kick us out."
When Abed finally swooped down and took her lips, Annie sent out a silent prayer of thanks. She knew that she was starting to look like an idiot with her incessant rambling.
She was just settling into the kiss when he pulled away, much to her disappointment.
"Good night, Annie," he said, brushing her hair back from her face.
When he entered the blanket fort, Annie headed for her bedroom. Once inside, she pulled out a pair of pajama pants and a tank top. She was a little let down. The kiss had been very sweet, but entirely too short for her tastes. She had definitely been hoping for something more along the lines of their New Year's kiss. She had accidentally reenacted a movie scene. Shouldn't that have earned her at least a few minutes of making out? The more she thought about it, the more frustrated she got. What if Abed didn't like her as much now that she wasn't the other woman? That would be just her luck.
As she pulled the tank top over her head, Annie frowned. Why did she have to wait for Abed to make the first move? She had initiated a couple of their kisses. Britta would be so disappointed in her for waiting around for him. Decision made, she pulled her bedroom door open...
...only to find Abed standing on the other side in his pajamas.
"Abed?" she asked, startled.
"It occurs to me that I neglected to follow through on all of my plans for tonight," he stated tonelessly.
"Really?"
Her heart was beating faster. He'd had more planned?
"Yes," he confirmed. "Would you like to attend the Valentine's Day costume dance with me? Not as friends."
Maybe it lacked the 'because I'm secretly, desperately in love with you' part, but hearing her words for Duckie come back to her definitely made her smile.
"I would like that very much," Annie accepted the invitation.
"Good."
He paused for a moment before dropping a quick kiss on her forehead and walking stiffly away. Hesitating only briefly, Annie stepped out of her bedroom, pulling the door shut behind her. She caught up to Abed at the entrance to the blanket fort. Grabbing his arm, she dragged him around to face her.
"You know, Abed, it occurs to me that I haven't yet followed through on all of my plans for the evening, either," she pointed out.
And then she grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him down to her.
The instant their lips meshed, Annie could tell that she had caught Abed off guard. His body froze, his arms hanging limply to his sides. She knew him well enough to give him time to warm up before giving up, and, sure enough, mere seconds later, he wound his arms around her back. As he started to respond, warmth blossomed in Annie's stomach.
Stepping forward, she urged him backward into the blanket fort. When they reached the bunk bed, he stumbled slightly, landing on the edge of the lower bunk. The fall pulled their lips apart, but he kept his arms around her waist. Staring down into his eyes, Annie could see the uncertainty lurking there, and it occurred to her that she would have to be the aggressor. Breaking away from his arms, she gave a light push on his chest so that he would scoot. Once he had his back against the wall, she climbed onto the bed, being careful not to hit her head on the top bunk, and crawled into his lap to straddle him. As soon as she was in place, she took his lips again.
She didn't waste any time asking for entrance into his mouth, and, luckily, he didn't keep her waiting for permission. The instant her tongue touched his lips, he opened to her. Sliding her tongue against his, Annie tasted cinnamon. She wondered how he always tasted like that. Falling into the kiss, she ran her hands up his hard chest to curl her hands over his shoulders.
When Abed slid his own hands down her spine, Annie relaxed back into his grip. She didn't know why he liked her back so much, but she had missed this feeling. When he reached her lower back, she expected him to start the trail back up. She whimpered when he lowered his hands to caress her butt instead.
Wrenching her mouth from his, she gasped his name. He took immediate advantage of the freedom to drop kisses along her jawline and down her neck. Shivering, Annie was highly grateful that Abed stayed hot once she got him warmed up. In fact, she could feel him growing hard beneath her. Her core already aching and wet, she ground down against him.
He didn't make any noise, but his hips lifted beneath her and she felt his sharp exhale against her neck. Thrilled with his response, she moved against him again, and again he thrust up toward her. As she kept up the circling of her hips against his erection, she dropped her head back. It just felt so good.
Abed took one hand off her ass to slide it up her ribcage and cup her breast through her tank top. When he sucked on her collarbone and rubbed his thumb over her hardening nipple simultaneously, Annie couldn't keep from moaning. She lowered her hips against his, hard, the angle just right to hit her nerves. Needing to have nothing between them, Annie scrabbled for the bottom of his shirt.
She was just starting to pull it up when the front door slammed. Pulled from the moment, Annie's every muscle froze, as did Abed below her, his mouth still against her neck. When giggling sounded, she looked over her shoulder and watched as Troy and Britta stumbled past the blanket fort, kissing and tugging at each other's clothing. When the closing of their bedroom door sounded, Annie relaxed and let out a small laugh.
"I guess their day went well," she murmured.
When Abed shifted so that his head was tilted back against the wall, Annie knew that the interruption had officially prevented whatever might have happened between them tonight. That was a good thing, though. They couldn't have had sex, anyway. She didn't have any condoms, and something told her that Abed probably didn't keep them around since sex wasn't exactly a priority for him either. Plus, Annie wasn't even on birth control since she had never found one that didn't cause frequent migraines. Even if she had been willing to risk STDs by skipping the condom (not that she thought Abed had anything, but she wasn't about to get into the habit of taking that risk), she definitely wasn't willing to risk getting pregnant. So, yes, it was best that Troy and Britta had interrupted them when they had.
Still, she wasn't looking forward to going back to her room. Something told her that their roommates were going to be particularly loud tonight which meant no sleep for her. She should probably just climb up into the top bunk now and save herself the effort. With that thought in mind, she backed off of Abed's lap and then the bed. She smiled down at him as he shifted forward on the bed after her.
"Good night," she said, stepping toward the ladder.
Before she could climb up, Abed wrapped his hand around her wrist. Startled, she glanced back at him. His expression was soft and Annie bit her lip. When he tugged on her arm, she allowed herself to be pulled back down onto the bed. Keeping a hold on her wrist, he stretched out at the back of the bed. Annie followed his example, laying down in front of him. Freeing her arm, she rolled onto her side to face him. He immediately threw an arm over her waist and pulled her close.
Snuggling into his chest, Annie smiled. Maybe Abed wasn't very vocal during sexually charged moments, and maybe he didn't verbally express his emotions. But at least he was comfortable enough with her now to go after what he wanted.
Even if all he wanted was to hold her while they slept.
ooooo
Study Room
Present Day
"So let me get this straight," Britta said, breaking the silence that had fallen when Annie stopped talking. "You and Abed were making out in the blanket fort when Troy and I got home and interrupted you. So you slept in Abed's bed instead. Since you won't give us the details, that's what I've taken away from this segment."
Annie nodded. "That's a pretty accurate summary."
"Oh, man," Troy moaned. "If we had just looked over as we passed, we could have found out what was going on over a month ago!"
"But then you wouldn't have had sex," Pierce pointed out, his tone making it clear that he couldn't comprehend that thought.
Troy looked torn, causing Annie, Jeff, and Britta to laugh.
"While I don't approve of the direction that I'm sure this story is headed," Shirley spoke over them, "I must admit that it was sweet that he took you out on a real date and wanted to hold you while you slept." She stared across the table at Abed. "I think I owe you an apology for calling you a robot."
"It's okay," he replied immediately, unflinching. "That is a common misconception."
"So you and Abed were together at the Valentine's Day dance?" Jeff asked, his voice curious. "You didn't seem any different."
Annie grinned sheepishly. "We discussed it before the dance and decided that we wanted to keep it quiet. We...weren't sure how you would handle it if we announced that we were on a date so soon after what had happened. So, we mostly handled the dance as just friends. But, not to get him in trouble, Andre knew differently."
ooooo
Thursday, February 14, 2013
"Why did the dean opt for a costume dance for Valentine's Day, again?" Britta complained, straightening her black leather jacket.
"Something about how discovering the truth behind the mask is the most romantic thing ever," Annie answered. "I'm not really sure what that means but I suspect it has something to do with his disturbing furry obsession. And, anyway, why are you complaining? You're just wearing what you always wear. That's hardly a costume."
Britta pulled a sharp piece of wood out of her pocket. "I'm Buffy the Vampire Slayer. She was a strong woman who was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. She didn't need a man, although she did fall for a handful of douches over the course of the series."
"So, nothing like you then," Annie observed sarcastically.
"Hey! Troy is not a douche."
"He's not," Annie agreed. "But there were plenty who were."
Tucking the stake back into her jacket, Britta gestured at Annie. "Whatever. What are you supposed to be?"
Smoothing her hands down her waist and hips over the dark blue velvet, she replied, "I'm a lounge singer from the 40's."
In the spirit of the dance and her low bank account, Annie had raided her closet for her costume. Abed had let her keep her dress from their previous shoot. Since it was quite fancy, she had decided that it would be the perfect basis for an old-fashioned lounge singer costume. It had taken a long time to create pin curls in her hair, and she had placed a white rose behind one ear. She had chosen smoky eyeshadow and striking red lipstick. The final piece of her costume was a black lace garter high on her upper thigh. She had added it in the hope that Abed would see it later.
And maybe even take it off her.
Yes, Annie had decided that tonight was the night for her and Abed to have sex. She had even braved a drugstore well away from the GCC campus to buy condoms. She had thought that if she shopped across town, she wouldn't run into anyone. So it was just her luck that Sam, the Black Rider himself, had gotten in line behind her. After the requisite invitation to test her purchase at his place, he had immediately identified Abed as the guy the condoms were meant for. Annie had tried to deny it, but she never was a good liar. Sam proceeded to gloat over how right he had been about her paintball partner being into her just as he had told her on Halloween. When she had left, Annie had vowed to avoid that place if she needed to buy condoms again.
Annie shifted nervously. She didn't even want to know what her friends would think if they knew that she had a condom secured snugly to her inner thigh with her garter. Not that she expected to use it in public, but it never hurt to be prepared since she'd opted against bringing her purse.
"So remind me again, Annie," Britta interrupted her thoughts. "Am I dating Troy or Abed tonight?"
Annie laughed. The guys' solution to the costume element had been to dress up as each other. Troy was wearing Abed's favorite T-shirt and plaid combination while Abed had on one of Troy's T-shirts under his best friend's favorite red sweater. They had also taken on each other's personalities as best as they could when they were around other people. It was completely unnerving how well they were doing at being each other.
"You're dating Troy being Abed tonight, Britta. What's confusing about that?" she asked, still snickering.
"Did you know that the dalmatians the dean brought like to be petted?" Abed, channeling Troy's usual enthusiasm, questioned as he approached with the actual Troy.
"You didn't pet them, though, did you?"
Britta's voice was panicked. Both guys shook their heads and the girls breathed a sigh of relief.
Troy frowned. "I need a break from being you, Abed. I want to dance with Britta."
The open, happy expression on Abed's face immediately faded into his usual neutrality.
"Okay," he agreed easily.
Shortly after the other couple disappeared onto the dance floor, Abed glanced around the room before scooting close to Annie.
"I want to show you something," he announced in his normal blank voice.
Interest aroused, Annie immediately answered, "Okay."
Looking around, she saw that none of their friends were nearby and nobody else was paying attention to them, so she slipped her hand into his. He blinked at her before curling his fingers around hers and, moving close enough that they were able to keep their hands hidden between them, leading her through the crowd to a table in the corner of the room.
"Sit," he instructed.
Intrigued, Annie sat down in one of the seats facing the room and watched as Abed crawled under the table. When he emerged, he was holding two small Nerf guns and several packets of foam darts. He sat down in the chair next to hers.
"Troy and I hid these here while they were setting up in case we got bored. I don't think he'll be too angry if you use his gun," he explained matter-of-factly.
Annie snickered and held out her hand for the toy weapon. After taking a couple of minutes to load their guns, she looked over at him.
"So, is there a point system or what?"
"One point for each person you hit, two if you hit them in the back of the head, and three points if you're able to hit one of the black spots on the dean's dalmatians."
"So, do I get a two point lead for the snail last Saturday?" she asked, laughter in her voice.
"No."
Annie stuck her lower lip out in a pout, but he wouldn't be swayed. For the next ten minutes, they shot at their classmates and the faculty. Abed quickly took the lead, but Annie wasn't too far behind. She was having a blast, especially because no one caught them. It was fun to shoot people in the back of the head and then watch as they searched for the source of the hit. When Annie hit one of the dalmatians on a spot on his butt, she burst into giggles, causing Abed to observe her with amusement on his face.
"Oh, look. Shirley!" Annie exclaimed excitedly, pointing at where the other woman was dancing with her husband.
Lifting her gun, she shot one of the darts. It found it's mark, but instead of falling to the floor, it caught in her thick curls. Laughing even harder, Annie collapsed sideways into Abed. When his hand snuck under the table and behind her to caress her lower back, Annie's giggles stuck in her throat. Lifting her eyes to his, she tilted her head back and stole a quick kiss.
Abed pulled away and raised an eyebrow at Annie, gesturing with his head to the dance floor. Annie followed the nod and saw that while Shirley still had her back to them, Andre was watching them, an entertained smile on his lips. Sighing in relief because she was pretty sure that Andre already knew what was going on, Annie offered him a sheepish smile and a shrug. Straightening in her seat away from Abed, Annie glanced around the dance floor and spotted Pierce. Taking aim, she shot him on his bare arm, then watched with amusement as he scowled at the dalmatian standing near him.
"So you're the ones shooting everyone," Jeff observed, joining them.
"Yes. That's us," Abed confirmed.
Annie stayed silent. Things were still awkward between her and Jeff, although they hid it well from the rest of the group. Needless to say, she was happy for Abed's presence.
"Awe, man," Troy moaned as he and Britta arrived. "You got out the guns without telling me?"
Feeling bad for horning in on his territory and wanting to get away from Jeff, Annie handed over hers and the spare ammunition she had.
"Enjoy."
Standing up, she made her way over to Pierce who was now picking a fight with the dalmatian. She needed to split that up since it was her fault. On her way past Shirley, she stopped and plucked the dart out of her hair, offering Andre an apologetic smile.
He simply shook his head, amusement on his face.
ooooo
Study Room
Present Day
"That was surprisingly immature of you, Annie. I expect that sort of behavior from Troy and Abed, but not you," Shirley admonished.
"You're just angry because no one told you you had a dart in your hair," Pierce pointed out, likely accurately.
"That has nothing to do with it," Shirley insisted although she averted her gaze from the older man. "I just expect better from her."
"Why?" Annie asked.
"What?" Shirley returned, blinking in confusion.
"Why do I always have to be mature? Don't misunderstand me -- I want to be seen as an adult -- but why can't I sometimes just have fun like everyone else? I spent my entire childhood and all of high school under pressure to be perfect and I turned to adderall just to get through it," Annie vented. "I don't want that to happen again. So, yes, sometimes I do stupid, childish things while I'm with Abed, but I like that. It's good for me. He's good for me."
Shirley stared down at the table for a moment before meeting Annie's eyes.
"I'm sorry," she apologized. "It's easy to forget what you've been through since you're doing so well now."
Annie smiled gently at her. "It's okay, Shirley. I actually do appreciate that you think I'm mature enough not to shoot foam darts at people."
"So, Annie, I've been considering the dates that you gave us earlier when you were talking about all the times that you guys have hidden stuff from me," Britta inserted in an excited voice. "And I can't help but notice that your little encounter with Troy while you were wearing nothing but a T-shirt happened after the dance. So, what exactly happened between you and Abed after we got home?"
Annie's cheeks were on fire.
"Well, as you know, the guys did eventually get caught and Professor Slater kicked them out of the dance in spite of Dean Pelton's protests, so all four of us went home."
ooooo
Thursday, February 14, 2013
"I can't believe that she confiscated our guns," Troy complained as they all entered the apartment and kicked off their shoes.
"I know, but Slater's always been a bitch," Britta sympathized, her mouth twisting on the other woman's name. She and Slater had never come to terms over the entire Jeff thing, each blaming the other for their public humiliation. "But I know how to make you feel better."
Troy's expression perked up immediately.
"Okay! Good night, guys."
He hurried toward the bedroom, making Britta shake her head. Smiling, she too bid Annie and Abed goodnight. Once they were in their room, Annie started toward her room, Abed following her. She stopped just outside of the open door. Her nerves spiking, she clasped her hands and stared up at him. She knew that if she wanted Abed to stay with her tonight, she would have to make the first move. She wasn't sure how to make it clear what she wanted without scaring him off, though.
When he leaned down to kiss her, Annie melted into him. The longer his lips were on hers, the less her inhibitions mattered. Taking the initiative, she grabbed a fistful of sweater and backed up, hauling him into her room. Once inside, she let go of the sweater to wrap her arms around his neck instead. Tilting her head to get a better angle on the kiss, Annie opened her mouth to his seeking tongue.
When she could no longer breathe, Annie broke contact to gasp for air even as Abed slid his hands down her bare back. Goosebumps broke out on her skin at the contact and she found herself thankful that he had picked something so risque for their earlier scene. Her hunger awakened, Annie grasped the hem of his sweater and pulled it up and over his head, breaking his touch.
When she tossed the sweater on the floor, she stared up at him and saw the uncertainty on his face. In that moment, she knew that he knew exactly where this was going.
"Are you sure this is what you want, Annie?" he asked, an unsure note underlying the tightly restrained tone of his voice.
In answer, Annie circled him to shut and lock the door.
"I am very sure, Abed."
The way he was looking at her, with the barest traces of lust in his dark eyes, made Annie feel brave. Stepping forward, she undid the choker that held up her top and allowed it to fall, baring her breasts to his gaze. Pausing just two steps from him, she shimmied the rest of the way out of her dress. Stepping out of the pool of velvet, she stood in front of him in her black lace panties and matching garter.
The longer he stared at her, his head tilted to the side, the more nervous Annie felt. Had he gone catatonic? No, his eyes weren't blank like they were when that happened. She had clearly scared him, though. She should have stuck to her plan to take things really slow, easing him into each step. She certainly shouldn't have moved so quickly. Taking off her dress had been a rash decision at best, but she was just so comfortable with Abed that it had felt like a natural next move to assure him that he was exactly what she wanted.
When Abed simply continued to watch her, his eyes appraising, Annie fought the urge to cross her arms over her chest. Was she that hideous?
"Women in Hollywood movies are the standard that beauty is measured against," he finally said tonelessly, causing her heart to fall. "That is the accepted convention. Looking at you now, I believe that society needs to reconsider their standards because none of the women in Hollywood are as naturally pleasing as you are."
Working through the Abed-speak, Annie's heart leapt when she realized what he was saying. And if she was right, it was one hell of a compliment.
"You think I'm pretty?" she asked.
"Let me correct you. I think you're the standard by which beauty should be measured."
His tone was so practical, so factual, that Annie had no choice but to believe that he really thought that. He thought that she was prettier than the women who graced the covers of magazines. Her confidence back in spades, she took the final steps toward him and kissed him once again.
Her kisses were frenzied. She couldn't get enough of him and she couldn't reach enough skin. Annie was quick about pulling Troy's black T-shirt over Abed's head. With his chest bared, she could easily understand his earlier staring. He was just so beautiful. His skin was silky as it hugged the hard muscles of his chest and abs. Although mostly smooth, there was a short trail of dark hair starting below his navel and arrowing down to the top of his jeans. However, unlike Abed, Annie wasn't happy to simply look at him. Reaching out, she trailed her fingers over his chest and down the planes of his stomach.
He was every bit as firm as he looked. Leaning forward, she pressed a kiss to his collarbone even as she dipped her fingers into the curves of his abs. Abed held still while she kissed her way down his skin, relishing in the slightly salty taste of him. When she noticed that he wasn't touching her, that he was standing frozen, Annie decided that simply wouldn't work.
"I want you to touch me, Abed. Please," she added when he stiffened even more.
It took a moment for him to respond. When he finally slid his hand up her side to cup her bare breast, Annie gasped and arched into him.
For several minutes, all they did was simply explore the valleys and peaks of each other's upper bodies. Abed learned that she moaned every time he so much as brushed against the sensitive tips of her breasts, and Annie discovered that he was surprisingly ticklish right around his navel. He didn't laugh, but he squirmed every time she got anywhere near that area. Curious, she bent down to run her tongue along the ticklish spot. His only response was to thread his fingers through her hair.
Now that she was in the vicinity, Annie couldn't ignore the erection that was pressing very obviously against the front of his jeans. Popping the button, she pulled down the zipper and pushed them to the floor. Grinning at the sight of his tightie whities, which had to be the most unflattering underwear style ever, Annie hooked her fingers in the waistband and tugged them down too.
Annie eyed his hardened shaft. He was definitely more than enough for her to handle. She wasn't all that large, and if he were any bigger, she was sure that fitting him would be more work and discomfort and a lot less fun. She ran her thumb up the underside of him and over the tip, gathering up the drops of precum that had leaked out. Adjusting her grip around him, she began a smooth pace.
After several moments, Annie's curiosity got the best of her, and she dipped her head down to pull him into her mouth. Lifting her eyes to his face, she watched as his eyes widened almost comically before closing. Smiling around him, she continued to smooth her tongue along his length, sucking on each upstroke. When Abed finally groaned, she felt amazingly pleased with herself.
A short time later, Abed pushed her away from him. Annie rose to her feet and took the few steps to her bed. Climbing onto it, she rolled onto her side and did her best to look seductive, but ended up laughing nervously at how ridiculous she felt posing for him.
"Why are you laughing?" Abed asked, pausing next to the bed anxiously.
Rolling onto her back, Annie shook her head. "Even when I'm naked, I still can't channel sexy, and yet all you have to do is stand there to exude it in waves. It's actually kind of hilarious."
She stopped laughing when he crawled onto the bed, bracing himself over her on his hands and knees. He stared down at her with those enchanting dark eyes of his.
"Only a truly unique woman would find a robot sexy," he admitted gruffly.
It was the first time that Annie had heard blatant emotion in his voice, instead of just hints of it. It broke her heart that the emotion was shame.
Reaching up, she ran her fingers through his silky hair.
"You're not a robot, Abed. You are a man. Never let anyone tell you otherwise," she declared sincerely, her voice serious.
Abed didn't respond, but he did lean down and kiss her. Everything he might have said was in the feel of his lips against hers and their tongues twining together. And then his lips were gone, trailing down her jaw, her neck, and her chest, stopping briefly to pay attention to each breast. When he moved his mouth along her stomach, he dipped his tongue into the indentation of her navel. As busy as his mouth was, his hands weren't idle either. One was switching between her breasts, paying equal attention to both. The other had dipped beneath the lace of her panties. Unfortunately, he touched every part of her but the one part that she needed touched most.
By the time he ran his tongue along the waistband, she was squirming on the bed under his ministrations. When he removed his hand, she let out a frustrated groan.
"Abed, please," she pleaded, rejoicing quietly when he dragged the lace off her.
Annie wasn't surprised when he spread her legs by placing a hand on each of her thighs. But when it was his warm, wet tongue that finally touched her most sensitive of nerves, she startled.
He focused on tasting her with the same single-minded intensity that he applied to his movies. And, Annie had to admit...Oh God! Her hips arched off the bed as he slid a finger inside of her and he flattened his other hand on her stomach to hold her down. Oh! It was good to be the focus of that concentration.
When he added a second finger, Annie grabbed the blanket in her fists, ignoring the urge to grab his hair for fear of pulling it out. The ball of tension in her stomach tightened with his every move until it finally snapped and she arched off the bed, stifling a cry at the last moment by stuffing her fist against her mouth.
Annie was still shivering from the aftereffects of her orgasm when Abed pressed a kiss to her inner thigh above her garter. Looking down, she watched him slide out the condom that she had tucked there.
"You planned this," he said, meeting her eyes.
His voice was so blank that Annie worried for a brief moment that she had offended him with her presumptuousness.
"Yes," she admitted honestly.
"Planning ahead is always a smart move. It is a necessary step to plotting a successful story," he responded, tearing open the packet and quickly rolling the condom on.
His words made Annie smile. They were just so...Abed. Always thinking about the plot, even during sex. She wouldn't have him any other way. And that was the moment that the truth became startlingly clear to her.
She was in love with Abed.
She had know that she was attracted to him; she had known that she had deep feelings for him, but she had been blind to the fact that she was in love with him. That was why it hurt so much when he chose Robin. That was why she hadn't felt any hesitation to strip down in front of him. That was why hearing him talk about planning and stories during sex didn't pull her out of the moment, but instead made it more enjoyable.
It was because she loved him and his quirks and probably had since at least paintball, if not before.
She was still coming to terms with this new revelation when he settled between her legs and thrust forward, filling her in one smooth stoke. She whimpered at the sudden invasion, and Abed stilled.
"I'm sorry. That was too fast," he muttered.
In truth, it was. He was fairly sizable and, as wet as she was, she hadn't had time to get used to him before she was filled to the hilt with him. However, she didn't want to ruin the moment and she was quickly getting accommodated to him. So to avoid answering, she grabbed the back of his head and pulled his lips down to hers. Mere seconds later, she was desperate for him to move, so she arched her hips against him.
He took the hint and started up a lazy pace, and for a couple of minutes that was sufficient for Annie. She was still getting used to his size and the friction was delicious. But eventually the slow pace wasn't enough. Gripping his shoulders, Annie wrapped her legs around Abed's hips and urged him to pick up the pace.
The change in angle of their new position meant that he was hitting a very responsive spot inside of her, and Annie could feel the tension coiling in the pit of her stomach again. Abed's strokes had grown more erratic, a sure sign that he was also close. With that thought in mind, Annie slid one hand from his shoulder down to where they were joined. Rubbing the nerves there, she let her eyes drift shut so that she could focus on the feelings.
"Look at me."
Abed's rough demand had her opening her eyes to stare into his dark ones. The myriad of emotions she saw there, pure and unvarnished, familiar and yet wholly unfamiliar on him, pushed her over the edge. She kissed him desperately as she was once more reduced to a shaking, quivering mass of nerves. When she felt him stiffen and then quake above her, she knew that he too had reached the limits of what he could take.
When he stopped moving, Abed pulled out of her and rolled to the side. She was a little surprised when, after removing and disposing of the condom in the trashcan under her nightstand, he immediately gathered her into his arms and buried his face in her hair. She shouldn't have been, though, given that the two times she had shared a bed with him previously, she had woken up to find herself completely entangled in him. The knowledge that Abed Nadir, the man that everyone saw as an emotionless robot, was actually a cuddler, even after sex, was endearing.
She felt him brush a kiss against the crown of her head before his breathing evened out as he fell asleep. Toeing off the uncomfortable garter carefully so that she wouldn't wake him, Annie smiled.
Yes, Abed was definitely a man.
Several hours later, Annie woke up. She really needed to use the bathroom, and it was early enough that no one else would be up yet. Picking up Abed's (well, Troy's) shirt from her floor, she slipped it on and hurried out. When she reached the bathroom, the door opened and bottomless Annie was faced with nude Troy. They both yelped and averted their gazes, Annie covering her eyes. They spoke at the same time.
"Don't tell Britta."
ooooo
Study Room
Present Day
"Annie!"
Britta's loud shout brought Annie out of the wonderful memories of her first time with Abed.
"What?" she asked.
Britta gave her a sly grin. "I was going to ask what happened after you and Abed went into your room, but I think the distinctly satisfied smile on your face says it all."
"You two boned!" Pierce exclaimed, pointing at them.
"We all got that, Pierce. You didn't need to say it," Jeff said, his tone slightly sulky.
"So, that's why you were in my shirt when we ran into each other that night," Troy mused with realization. "If I hadn't been so busy trying not to think about you wearing no pants, I would have figured that out a lot sooner."
Troy quickly recognized the implications of what he had said because he sent Britta a guilty look. Her expression was understanding.
"Troy, you're a man, and I know that your base instinct is to think about women naked," she explained in an indulgent tone before her voice sharpened. "But just remember that you have a girlfriend and Annie is your best friend's girlfriend."
Gulping, Troy nodded.
"Anyway," Annie stated in an effort to take everyone off of the very uncomfortable topic of Troy thinking about her naked. "That's really all there is to my story. Abed and I have been together for the last month and a half. I'm sorry that we didn't tell you before, but he was worried about disrupting the group dynamics and I just wanted to relish being with him after the months of struggle to get there. Now you know all of my secrets."
"Do we really?" Britta asked, her tone sharp.
Annie shifted guiltily. They couldn't possibly know...no. There was no way they could. She hadn't told anyone yet.
"Oh, no," Shirley breathed in horror as she watched Annie. "Troy was telling the truth. I was too late with my warning. I had been praying that he had misunderstood."
Annie could feel the color drain from her face. Troy? But how could he know? Nausea rising, she decided to just ask.
"What are you two talking about?"
The others all glanced at each other, except for Abed who kept his unflinching gaze on Annie, but it was Britta who finally answered.
"The baby, Annie. What about the baby?"
A/N 2: I'll be honest. The above revelation is what this story has been building up to the entire time (if you look back at other chapters, you'll even find tiny hints here and there that it was coming). It was the moment that I've had planned since I first conceived of the story. I'm sure there will be some who are disappointed, but I'm personally thrilled to have finally gotten to type those words.
Chapter Twelve: Tying Up the Loose Ends