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Evening had already fallen by the time the study group had arrived at the carnival, taking in the sights of people gravitating to the rides and game booths lined up around the field. Troy and Abed grinned at all of the shining lights in their faces, while everybody else simply paid for their tickets.
"Okay. Two rolls for you, two rolls for you," Britta said, passing them out to everyone. "Wait. Everyone's gonna pay me back, right?"
"Yeah, sure," Jeff said, pocketing them carelessly. "I'll make that my top priority."
Britta scoffed and turned away. "I'm gonna get a drink. Who wants to come with me?"
Pierce and Shirley both raised their hands before giving each other the stink eye, glaring as they followed Britta towards the food booths blaring with live music.
"Yeah," Annie sighed. "They're gonna get drunk tonight."
"Yep," Jeff replied. "What a bunch of losers. Hey, let's go win at all of the games and take as many stuffed animals as we can."
Annie brightened up. "Deal!"
Jeff and Annie ran off together, leaving Troy and Abed standing together, counting out their tickets.
"All right!" Troy exclaimed. "So, we have like, two rolls. What should we do with them?"
"Well," Abed thought aloud. "Going by how most carnival scenes go, the first course of action that the hero takes is attempting to win prizes to impress a girl."
Troy nodded. "Cool. So we're doing some role-playing?"
Abed grinned. "Definitely. Hey, since you seem to have some experience in hand-eye coordination, I think it's only fair to cast you as the hero."
"That's true, I am awesome," Troy agreed. "I mean, you're a better athlete, but I think I can still pull it off."
Abed nodded in response. "And I'll play the unsuspecting pretty blonde girl from the Midwest visiting her grandparents," he added, thinking for a second. "Yeah. This should be fun."
"Cool."
Abed pointed. "Cool, cool, cool."
1.
The first game they immediately went to was famous in all of the classics. Troy winked suggestively at Abed as he held the mallet in his hands, looking up at the high measuring stick at the top.
Abed was right: pretending to play the flirty jock with Abed as the chick was pretty fun.
The gamekeeper stared at the two of them, clearly lost and confused in what they were doing, but having absolutely nothing against it.
"Don't think I'm this easy to impress, Troy Barnes," said Abed in his adopted character voice. "I would never consort with an ape like YOU!"
Troy smirked, and he leaned right into his character. "I wouldn't dream of it, doll."
With a big smile on his face, Troy then slammed the mallet down to the platform, and the measure went all the way to the top. Lights went off, and Troy cheered as the gamekeeper handed him a teddy bear.
Troy turned to Abed and bowed jokingly. "My lady. I believe this is yours."
Abed smirked slyly in response. "Hm." He looked Troy up and down. "Carry it for me," he said, turning away.
The gamekeeper barked out a laugh from behind Troy, apparently unable to hold it back any longer. Troy pointedly ignored him, smiling, and he jogged right after Abed.
2.
The next game was a basketball setup, complete with a referee and a fake whistle. Abed was rolling his eyes to the back of his head as Troy winked at him with the same sly smile on his face.
"Alright darling," said Troy. "We're tied, two-to-two. What will you give me if I make this here shot?"
Abed scoffs. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
"Only if you'd like to tell me."
Abed blushes, straightening up. "Take the shot and you'll find out."
The gamekeeper stared at them, brows raised, and clearly intrigued.
Both Troy and Abed ignore him.
"I'll do you one better," smirked Troy. "I'm not even gonna look at the basket."
"That's quite a lot of risk, Mr. Barnes."
"Hopefully for a big reward."
For comedic effect, Troy wiggled his eyebrows. Abed giggled, which only made Troy smile wider. Without thinking, he shot the ball, and he turned to the hoop in anticipation.
The ball flipped right over the hoop, bouncing up and down on the rim before falling off to the side. Troy's jaw dropped to the floor, his palms coming to his cheeks.
"Damn," Troy muttered. "Really thought I'd make that."
Abed shot the ball next, and it landed right in the hoop, making him the reigning champion of the world. Abed grinned, and he went right up to Troy.
"Hmm," Abed said, leaning in close against Troy's side. "I suppose you'll just have to wait till next time to find out what your prize was."
Abed pulled away and walked off, leaving Troy shocked at the low, sultry tone Abed had used. The referee was in the background, visibly biting back a grin, but Troy barely noticed.
As Troy staggered to follow Abed, he thought to himself repeatedly, This is just a game. Just a game.
3.
Here's the thing.
Best friends and 'bros' don't just come to carnivals and pretend-flirt with each other. They go and try to flirt with an actual girl by playing games and winning her prizes, or otherwise just act like normal people.
But, then again, they are Troy and Abed. They're special, and unique, and totally and completely platonic.
At least, that's what Troy has been telling himself all night.
And that's what he's gonna keep telling himself as he stands behind Abed, his hand covering his, pretending to teach him how to throw a ball at a stack of milk bottles.
"I know all about this," Troy says in a deep voice, flicking his eyes over Abed's profile. "I scored the winning touchdown for my entire school, like, nine times. Took us to the championships. Had a shot at the NFL. So many autographs my hand hurt."
"Sounds like you were busy," Abed muttered in a low voice, smiling just slightly.
"Oh, so busy," Troy shook his head dramatically. "You can trust me, babe. I know a great shot when I see one."
"Let's hope so."
Troy's heart was already pounding, and he had no idea why. He never knew he'd ever be this pumped up over a little carnival game.
The concession stand owner had been focused on other players before Troy and Abed had arrived; and now he was standing there just watching them, as if he himself wanted to see what would happen next.
"Nice and easy," Troy told Abed, pressed against his side, desperately trying to imagine he was enjoying flirting with some girl from the Midwest.
Not his best friend.
They both launched the ball towards the stacked tower of milk bottles; and they cheered as they successfully toppled all of them over, causing lights and flashes to go off. Troy and Abed threw their arms around each other, shouting out nonsense noises in celebration.
"Congratulations, you two," said the gamekeeper, and he was smiling brightly. "We were all rooting for you."
"Looks like we make a great team," said Abed, pulling away, and Troy looked up at his friend.
Then, without much warning at all, Abed trailed his palm all down Troy's arm, drifting over the fabric and down the back of Troy's hand. By then, Troy was well aware that there was a stupid, lovesick grin spreading across his face.
He watched shamelessly as Abed sauntered away, feeling as if he wasn't quite ready to get moving yet.
"You better hold on to him," said the gamekeeper, a smile in his voice. "He's a keeper."
"Yeah," said Troy without thinking. With a light chuckle, he followed behind, stuffing his hands in his pockets with the same dopey grin on his face.
4.
"Oh, no way!" Troy exclaimed, when they were both walking down by the rides with ice cream cones in their hands. His smile had gotten wider upon seeing his favorite ride up and running.
"What is it?" said Abed, never dropping his innocent and high character voice. "Did you see something?"
"I haven't been on this ride since I was a kid," Troy replied, and now he was kind of breaking character. Luckily, Abed didn't seem to mind.
"That looks like fun. I'd like to go on it," Abed announced, smiling like his character would. "Well? Are you coming with me?"
Troy stared at him in wonder, before putting on his best smug look. "Depends. Does this mean you're warming up to me?"
"Only if you're paying," replied Abed, his eyes bright, shining, genuinely excited.
Troy smiled back. "That can be arranged," he said, holding out his arm. "M'lady?"
Abed's face flushed, before he changed his expression and pulled Troy close until they were linking arms, their sides pressed together. Troy literally couldn't be happier.
"Lead the way, Barnes," Abed said, his face soft.
"My pleasure," Troy replied, before breaking out into a grin and led them both to the entrance of the ride.
/
From what Troy could remember, it was called the 'swing ride'. There were these chairs hanging by these steel ropes, and when the center pole would turn, it'd lift the riders in the air and spin them, making them feel like they were flying. It was the best memory that Troy could recall from his childhood.
Troy walked with Abed and kept his arm linked with his even as they paid for their tickets. As soon as they had gotten past the entrance, Troy felt Abed nudge him with his arm.
"So? What is it you're taking me on?" Abed asked, slipping back into his character's mannerisms. "I haven't been on one of these before."
Troy shot over an incredulous look, smiling wide. "What? Never?"
"Need I remind you that I'm from a small town in the Midwest, where nothing ever happens. I've never had the opportunity," Abed told him simply. "I guess... there hasn't ever been anyone to take me."
Troy looked at him. "I find that hard to believe."
Abed smiled softly, then he slipped his hand into Troy's and squeezed it. And it's not like they've never held hands while they role-played before, but feeling Abed's thin palms against his always made his insides feel mysteriously warm.
"I'm glad that's changed," Abed told him.
"Well." Troy swallowed hard. "That's what I'm here for."
Abed smiled, and it was dangerously close to his real one, the one he only reserved for Troy. He couldn't help but smile back.
He really, really had to remember that this was all fake.
/
Troy's stomach was jumping, and it had nothing to do with the fact that he was currently seventy feet in the air, essentially being spun in a huge circle by a carnival ride. Rather, it was because the character Abed had chosen was apparently afraid of heights, because he had not let go of Troy's hand since they sat down.
Abed's head was pressed against Troy's chest, peeking out at the view a few times before nuzzling back against his letterman jacket. Troy would be worried about him, but he knew that the real Abed had absolutely no problem with heights.
After all, how else would Abed be able to stand dramatically on the rooftops, pretending to be Batman?
"You've got me, right, Troy?" Abed asked in his character's meek voice, and really, he wasn't making the butterflies in Troy's chest any less noticeable.
"Yeah," said Troy softly. "Of course."
Before he could change his mind, Troy draped his arm over Abed's shoulders, grinning at the view before them.
"I'd never let you fall, darling."
5.
"Hey! There you guys are!" Annie cried from across the walkway, waving her arms. "Wow! You...really have a lot of prizes."
"Yeah," Troy said. He signaled to Abed that he was breaking character. "We've won almost every game we've went to. I think we're almost out of tickets."
"Jeff and I are the same," Annie replied, and she was definitely boasting. "All of the gamekeepers seemed so impressed with us. Jeff's really good at games."
"Where is Jeff anyway?" Abed asked her, his nose wrinkled. "I thought he'd be here."
"Oh! He's just... getting us some drinks," Annie said in her 'I love butterflies' voice. "He's been so thoughtful all night. He even offered to get us more tickets so we could keep playing together."
"Wow," Troy laughed. "Almost sounds like you guys are on a date."
Annie scoffed. "Pft. Yeah. Right! Ha! Anyway we were just about to play a game. Maybe you've heard of it?"
"Maybe you should explain it for the audience," said Abed. Troy high-fived him.
"You and your exposition," Annie sighed, faking exasperation. "Fine. Well, it's kind of like skee-ball, where you roll the ball right into the slot with the most points. The higher the points, the faster your horse goes. And if you win... well... you get a prize!"
"Nice."
"Cool, sounds like fun."
"No. It's not fun. Cause me and Jeff are gonna crush you."
Troy's eyes widened comically. "Annie!"
Annie blushed, immediately backing down. "Sorry! Sorry. It's just that I've been around Jeff's competitive side all night. It's kind of starting to rub off on me." She thought for a moment. "It's kind of fun, actually."
"Well, okay," Troy replied uncertainly. "Abed and I are gonna wait by the hot dog stand. We only have enough to buy us a pretzel to share together."
Troy and Abed had started to walk away, but Annie grabbed them both and pulled them back.
"No!" Annie cried. "Please, please, please? I'm on a roll, you guys, I need the competition! And I don't want my night with Jeff to end. Can you guys please just do this for me?"
Troy and Abed looked at her, and typically, Troy would refuse such a stupid request. But Annie was doing her famous Disney face, and anyone who lays eyes on it automatically has to do whatever she says. It's basically like a law.
Together, Troy and Abed groaned in exasperation. "Ughhhhhh, fine."
"Great!" Annie said, immediately cheering up. "Thanks so much, you guys. But Jeff's gonna win the giraffe for me next. He's already won me a panda bear and, like, seven stuffed dogs. He's really good at games. Did I mention that already?"
"Yeah, Annie, you did."
"Well, Jeff says he can wipe the floor with anyone who tries to play. Good luck."
Annie walked to her chair, and Abed leaned in close to Troy and whispered, "How gentlemanly of him."
Troy couldn't help but snort out a laugh.
/
The competition was at its peak, the four of them hunched over the ball game, furiously rolling the ball into the highest slot, screaming at the top of their lungs. Jeff and Annie's horses were slowly inching in front of Troy and Abed's, their eyes ablaze with determination and focused rage.
"I'm taking you down!" Jeff yelled out, his competitive side unveiling itself. "I'm getting that giraffe."
"You tell them, Jeff!" Annie yelled back. "They can't win every game at the carnival. Only we can do that."
"Technically, we don't have enough money to win every carnival game," Abed brought up. "But going by the rules established by the context of this episode, that doesn't seem to matter."
"Not now, Abed!"
"Focus, Jeff! Don't let him distract you."
Abed and Troy made eye contact, and they both nodded. They turned to Jeff.
"Hey, Jeff," called Abed. "You have something on your pants. It kind of looks like dirt. Did you sit anywhere next to a port-a-potty?"
"Nice try, Abed," Jeff told him, his eyes narrowed and focused. "I'm not falling for that."
"Well, we didn't say it," Troy replied back. "We just saw those teenagers pointing at it, so we just thought we'd let you know."
"Wait, what, they see it?" Jeff exclaimed, immediately feeling around his own butt for any dirt stains. "Oh, you little-"
But it was too late. Troy and Abed had already won first place, and the lights flashed in front of them. Annie and Jeff had lost by only an inch.
"That's not fair!" Annie cried. "You two cheated!"
"Not our fault that your boyfriend spent $200 on Gucci jeans!"
"It was a sale!"
Annie held up the tickets in front of their faces. "You guys just wait. We're gonna play another game, and we're gonna-"
Without hesitating for a second, Abed yanked the tickets right out of Annie's fingers and grabbed Troy's hand, sprinting across the field before Troy could even register what was going on. Annie gasped loudly, her high-pitched squeak reaching all the way to Troy's ears, which were pounding from the sudden spike of adrenaline in his body.
"Hey! You little twerps! Come back here!" Jeff cried. "You owe us a giraffe!"
/
Troy could hear Jeff and Annie sprinting after them from behind, so he pulled Abed behind a tent at the end of the field, pressing him against the hidden wall between the booths to hide themselves.
They were panting hard, and Abed turned around and peeked out from behind the tents like in a spy movie. Both of them saw Jeff's figure running behind some rides, and they bowed their heads again to hide.
"I think they might be gone," said Abed, before he looked down at Troy. "How long should we stay here?"
"Well," Troy breathed out. "They said to meet back up at the entrance at 11, so I guess until then."
Abed scoffed. "You think they'll stop wanting to kill us by then?"
"Yeah. We can only hope."
Their eyes met, and they chuckled before they burst out laughing. Because quite frankly, this was ridiculous.
Though, really, the school-wide paintball war and blanket fort was more ridiculous than this.
Troy and Abed's laughter died down eventually, and it was only then that Troy realized that Abed was still holding his hand. Abed, pressed against the empty booth's wall, looked down and noticed at the same time Troy did. His smile had begun to fade as his eyes met Troy's again.
After a few seconds, Troy cleared his throat and looked away from him.
"I-I think we're safe now," Troy said, his voice cracking. "We should get out before someone finds us here."
Abed's feet shifted. "Good idea."
Troy couldn't help but look at Abed again, and this time, they were definitely standing closer together than they were a second ago. Their fingers were still interlocked, their palms pressed together almost as firmly as their torsos were.
Abed looked at Troy up and down, his eyes flicking all over Troy's face, and down to his mouth. Troy swallowed hard.
"A-are we..." Troy said, not saying what he wanted to. "Are we still role-playing?"
Abed startled against the tent wall, and it was very slight, only visible enough for Troy to be able to catch it. To anyone else, it would have looked like a very small movement.
"Oh." he licked his lips. "Yes. Obviously."
"Cool." It wasn't. "Then how about I take you on one last ride, darling? I have enough tickets here."
Troy forced himself to smile coyly and held up the stolen tickets, quirking up his eyebrows in a questioning glance.
Abed hesitated-actually hesitated- for a moment before he finally snapped back into character and adopted his character's face again.
"I suppose I could...go on one last ride with you before my curfew," Abed said in a higher voice. "Where to?"
"I know just the place."
+1
"Last call! Last call!"
Some of the people at the Ferris Wheel were starting to file out of the carnival by now, but Troy and Abed were the only ones actually walking towards one of the last rides towards the center of the park.
The ticket master looked at the boys up and down, quirking an eyebrow. "The park closes in ten minutes, gentlemen."
"We know," said Troy, showing his brightest smile. "That's all we need for one ride, right?"
The ticket master narrowed his eyes and looked between them, as if debating with himself. Then, after a moment, he gave in and took the required tickets. "Go ahead. You have ten minutes."
"Awesome, thanks," Troy told him. He turned to Abed. "Come on. One more."
Abed was smiling, but his eyes were questioning, almost uncertain. Troy had a nagging feeling in his head, like Abed really had something to say.
Troy would have to ask him about it later.
"Strap yourselves in," said the ticket master. "And don't shake the cart. Have fun, you two."
"Thanks again."
The man nodded, and he started the ride.
/
The cart was inching close to the very top of the wheel now, the silence between the two thick and heavy. The small cart made them squeeze together very close, making them have absolutely no space between them.
Troy kept sneaking glances at Abed, but he was busy looking at the sights. Abed's eyes were far away, like he wasn't really there at all.
"What are you thinking about?"
Abed looked at Troy again, knocked out of his stupor. "Just thinking about...home."
"Yeah." Troy snapped back into character. "Grew up in a small town, huh? How do you like it in Colorado?"
Abed inhaled deeply. "I like it better here than where I grew up," he answered. "I like the people. I like you."
Troy's chest jumped, because Abed had forgotten to use his character voice. He was talking like he wasn't acting after all. This was all really confusing, especially since they usually signal to each other when they want to break character.
He cleared his throat. "I-I, I like you too. I'm glad you came. To visit your grandparents. I had a great time with you tonight."
Abed smiled shyly, and Troy was mostly sure he was still in character this time. "Me too."
The cart had reached the top by now, with all of the lights of Colorado before them. It looked quiet, though Troy figured there must still be some people who haven't fallen asleep yet. Probably adults working on their taxes. Or something.
"Troy?"
Abed had been talking to him, and he was looking at Troy like he really wanted to say something. He turned back to Abed, before his eyes drifted back down to look down to his lips.
"I'm going to try something, okay?"
Abed nodded, slow, but eager. "Okay."
"You know you can stop me whenever you want, right?"
Abed continued nodding. "Yes."
"Good."
Troy shifted closer, and he pressed a palm against Abed's back and another to the side of his face. Abed's face was stoic, but Troy could hear his breath quicken immediately at the contact.
Before he could chicken out, Troy tilted his head forward and pressed his lips to Abed's.
Abed gasped slightly in response, a brush of air passing across Troy's cheeks, before his hand came up to hold the side of Troy's face. Troy's hand was on Abed's hip, trailing all up and down his side, rubbing the fabric of his clothes between his fingers.
Troy felt Abed flick his tongue against his mouth, and Troy let out an involuntary whimper. Abed smirked slightly into the kiss, pulling away for a small second before leaning back into it.
Kissing Abed was so far from what Troy had expected. He moved with Troy completely in sync, gasping very softly every time Troy moved his lips against Abed's.
After only several seconds, Troy pulled back, but only slightly. Abed was breathing fast through his nose, like he needed a moment to breathe.
"Was that okay?"
"Troy, I... yes."
"What's wrong?"
"I don't want to role-play anymore."
Troy's chest fell with disappointment. "Oh. Okay. Um. That's alright. We can stop."
"No! No, I-"
Troy looked back up at him, his eyes wide. "Abed?"
Abed looked up at him. "I don't want you to kiss me like I'm some girl. I want you to kiss me like I'm me."
Troy's heart pounded against his chest. "Yeah. Me too."
Abed sighed in relief, curling his fingers around Troy's neck. "Cool, cool, cool."
"Yeah."
"I'd like to you to kiss me again."
So Troy did.
/
"I really liked it when you called me darling."
Troy laughed as they stepped off of the ride, his hand intwined with Abed's. "Really? You didn't think it was overused?"
"Well that was the point," Abed replied. "So many movies use the carnival scenes and assume that women want games to be played in her favor so that she could get whatever she wants. And some do, but it's still an overused scene structure."
Troy squeezed Abed's hand. "Yeah. I could see that."
"The only reason I went along with it tonight was because I wanted this to be a date."
Troy quickly turned to look at him. He smiled. "Yeah. I think I did, too."
Abed face softened, and in response, Troy wrapped an arm around his waist and kissed him again.
"Hey! There they are!"
Troy and Abed startled against each other, and Troy instinctively stood in front of Abed as Jeff came rushing at them, Annie right at his heels.
"Cool," Abed said from behind Troy. "Our very own high school bullies. Nice touch, guys."
Annie smiled. "Thanks!" she said, before falling back into character. "Now give us back our tickets or else- hey were you guys just kissing?"
Jeff had dropped the act too and was straightening up, an incredulous look on his face. "We left you alone for ten minutes. How did you figure all your stuff out in ten minutes?"
Abed answered immediately. "We were on the ferris wheel."
Jeff nodded to himself. "Yeah, that'll do it."
Troy blushed, and Annie rushed forward and hugged them hard.
"You guys!" Annie cried. "I'm so so happy for you!"
Jeff looked equally as happy. "Yeah, thank you. Now Shirley owes me twenty bucks." That earned an elbow jab from Annie.
"Thanks, guys, but this is still, like really new," Troy told them. "So can we just save all of the questions tomorrow? We're pretty tired."
Both Annie and Jeff agreed to keep it to themselves, with extra pleading from Annie for Jeff to let go of the money for just one night. Jeff acquiesced pretty quickly, before wrapping his arm around Annie's shoulders and walked off with her towards the entrance of the carnival.
Abed turned to look at Troy, before taking his hand again and following close behind him.
Troy smiled to himself. He was definitely gonna come back to the carnival again.