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Troy doesn't know what to do.
He likes Britta. Really! He does! It's just that… the spark isn't there anymore.
When they had first gotten together, Troy was mostly confused, but he figured that that was normal, especially considering the fact that he's been confused at the start of every relationship he's ever had. Other than the confusion, though, there had been something there. Something like excitement. Something like eagerness to start a new thing. Something like nerves and fear and awesomeness. Good and bad mixed together in so many twists and turns just like his favorite roller coaster at Disney World. It was fun. It was the spark.
Now the only word Troy can find to use for their relationship as they're sitting at the same restaurant they always go to is dull.
That's not to say he doesn't love Britta, because he does! He just loves her like he loves Jeff and Shirley and even Pierce. He loves spending time with her and he loves talking to her. He just… doesn't enjoy kissing her as much as he used to. And sharing his bed with her most nights and having to hold only her hand exclusively is starting to get a little bit frustrating.
And he's pretty sure she feels the same, if the worn out look on her face as she looks down at the menu is anything to go by.
He must've been staring for far too long, because she eventually looks up, catching his eyes, and wow, he doesn't feel his face heat up or have the urge to move his eyes away like he did when this whole thing started a year ago and yeah they really need to break up.
Troy exhales, setting the menu down on the table and resting his arms on top so he can look at her completely.
"I think we need to break up."
Britta stares at him for a second, looking as if she's thinking while she takes a sip of her water, before she shrugs, not looking all that upset.
"Yeah. You're probably right," she says, closing her menu as he does the same, and he's surprised to find not a single ounce of hurt in his chest at her easy acceptance. She sticks her fist out halfway across the table, tilting her head with a small smile on her face. "Still friends?"
He laughs a little breathlessly, shaking his head to himself as he bumps their fists together. "Yeah. Of course."
She aims a grin his way, and he goes to stand, stopping when she holds her hand out with a frown.
"Can we still eat though? I'm so hungry and eating by yourself at a restaurant is kinda sad. I'll pay?" she offers, and he immediately sits back down, having no idea how he could possibly say no to that. Especially since this place has the best nachos in the entire world.
"Jeff. What the hell am I supposed to do."
Jeff groans, throwing his phone down before looking at Troy from across the table. "If I actually knew what you were talking about, I might just be able to give you some much needed advice." He paused, then shook his head. "Actually, scratch that. I don't care."
"It's about Abed," Troy elaborates anyways, standing up from his chair so he can sit in the chair next to Jeff, grateful that no one else is in the room for once.
"Wow. Shocker."
"He's been acting weird around me ever since I told him that I broke up with Britta," Troy continues, ignoring the way Jeff rolls his eyes. "And I have no idea why! He was fine with us dating, so I don't know why he's not-fine with us not-dating."
Troy raises his eyebrows at the "oh my god" Jeff mouths to himself, but doesn't comment on it, figuring it's not all too important.
"Okay, well, let's start with this. Did you tell Abed why you guys broke up?" he asks, and Troy is more confused than he was a minute ago, which he thought was impossible.
"No?" he says it like it's a question, and Jeff sighs. "I thought it was obvious! And that it didn't really matter that much!"
"You thought something that doesn't matter to, quote, "normal people" wasn't going to matter to Abed?" he asks, giving him a pointed look, and Troy wilts. "Look, Abed is your…" he pauses, hesitating a bit before continuing with "best friend. He probably just thinks you don't trust him enough to tell him the details."
"What? That's crazy. I trust Abed more than anyone."
Jeff huffs. "Well I know that, stupid. He just doesn't."
Troy thinks to himself for a second, then just shrugs hopelessly, coming up empty. "I don't get it."
"Troy," Jeff starts, leaning forward slightly in his seat. "Why did you break up with Britta?"
Troy shrugs, scrunching his face up. "It was more of a mutual thing. We both agreed we work better as friends. The spark wasn't really there anymore."
"Right," Jeff says slowly, looking disgusted at the implication that "sparks" are real. "But was there any other reason? Like, was she taking up too much of your time."
Troy just squints at him. "What do you mean?"
"Do I really have to spell it out?" Troy stares at him blankly, and he sighs. "Wow. I guess I do. Do you like anyone else?"
"Um. I don't think so."
"So breaking up with Britta had nothing to do with you needing more time to hang out with anyone else?" He asks, leaning forward even more, and Troy has to think as hard as he can to come up with a possible answer.
"I mean, I guess while I was with Britta I couldn't hang out with Abed as much. Which sucked. But that's what we're talking about! That's how I noticed he's acting weird!"
Jeff doesn't say anything else, leaning forward and staring at Troy so pointedly as if he's trying to pass what he's thinking to him through mind power alone.
The gears are turning in Troy's brain, and the silence in the room must last at least five minutes before he finally comes to a conclusion, and both his stomach and jaw drop as far as they can go with it.
"Holy shit," he breathes out, and Jeff finally leans back in his seat, looking accomplished. "I'm in love with Abed."
"Ding ding ding!" Jeff cheers half-heartedly, already back to texting. "You figured out the thing all of us but you and Abed have had figured out for the past three years. Congrats, man. And yes," be cuts Troy off just as he's about to speak. "Britta knows too. It's just you guys who are idiots."
"Oh my god. I really am stupid," he says, standing up and making his way out of the study room, throwing a "Thanks Jeff!" behind him just before the door shuts.
He has a lot of thinking to do.
Though Troy hates to admit it, it takes him three weeks to even start to build up the courage to tell Abed how he feels.
And ever since he's found out for himself, he can't help but act weird around his best friend, and he knows for a fact that he's picked up on it, which only gives him another week or so before Abed starts to question him about it.
Surprisingly, it's Annie who finally gives him that last push to finally tell Abed. Or, she more so forcibly puts him in a position where he has to say something, because she walks out of the apartment just before Abed comes up to him.
"Annie said you have something to tell me," Abed says, and Troy freezes.
"Damnit Annie," he mutters under his breath, but of course, Abed hears him.
"You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to. I just figured I should ask."
"No- I… I want to tell you," Troy starts, and Abed just tilts his head at him. "It's just kind of hard."
"Well, whatever it is I'm sure it's fine."
"Yeah," Troy huffs, smiling a little. "I just. I- I love you," he blurts out ages before he's ready, and he barely resists the urge to clap his hand over his mouth.
Abed just gives him a small smile and his usual response of "I know."
Usually that would make Troy grin right back, but today, it's the most frustrating thing in the world.
"No," he sighs, looking down at their feet. "I meant I'm in love with you. Like. I love-love you. In a romantic-sorta-way."
When Troy goes to look back up after his confession, he doesn't get more than a glimpse of Abed's face before hands are wrapped around his waist and he's being pulled in for a kiss while his brain completely blue-screens.
His arms hang limply at his sides, and before he can think up any helpful coherent thought, let alone one about kissing the guy he's in love with back, Abed is pulling away and looking as if he regrets doing one of the best things Troy has ever experienced.
"Was that not okay?" Abed asks, and he can't even reply, still in shock. "Because after love confessions in those cheesy rom-coms Annie always makes us watch there's always a kiss," he says, and Troy's heart falls just before he hears, "especially if the feelings are reciprocated" and it's lifted right back up.
Abed takes another step back before Troy can stop him, looking all kinds of apologetic in a way that absolutely kills his heart.
"Either way, I'm sorry if that wasn't right. I should've asked before I-"
Before he can finish the apology, Troy strides forward and takes his face in both of his hands, pulling him in for a deep kiss that he feels all the way down to his toes.
When they eventually separate, Troy doesn't miss the muttered "Cool. Cool, cool, cool" under Abed's breath, and he can't help but laugh fondly, wrapping his arms completely around Abed and holding him close.
(And later, when Abed grabs his hand as they go to sit down on the couch to watch Kickpuncher 4, electricity lights up from where their hands are linked and shoots through his veins even though they've held hands exactly like this millions of times before, and somehow, Troy knows that this spark will never go dull.)