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Jeff takes a deep breath before he knocks on apartment 303’s door
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“Jeff, you need to talk to Abed.”
“Why? He’s an adult, he will ask for comfort if he needs it, he’s one of the most blunt people on the planet, maybe in the entire universe” Jeff responds to Annie while still scrolling through nothing on his phone.
“He’s been acting weird since Troy left”
“He’s always weird, you're going to have to be more specific.”
“more distant-“
“More specific”
“UGH! Jeff please just talk to him!”
As dismissive Jeff was being, he couldn’t help but agree with her. Abed had been more silent since Troy left. He wouldn’t comment on TV situations in real life or even talk about Inspector Spacetime.
“Fine.”
“Thank you.” Annie smiles and walks out of the study room, satisfied.
Jeff sighs.
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Jeff knocks. Almost immediately the door opens and he is met with an eerily calm Abed.
“Annie isn’t here right now.”
“oh I actually, uh, came to see you, just check in on you and see how you are doing.” Jeff rocks back and forth on his feet.
“Oh, well I’m fine. Goodbye then.” And Abed starts to close the door.
“Abed stop, ” Jeff puts his foot in the door to stop it from closing, “look Annie is worried about you and honestly I am too. I am here if you need to talk, we both know you don’t like change.”
Silence,,, and then abed opens the door all the way. Jeff was honestly suprised, he mostly expected that he would be sent home and Abed’s emotions would be resolved in his own time or end up boiling over into a big melt down that would mostly be handled between him and Annie. However, it’s obviously not going that way so Jeff walks in into the apartment.
The first thing that Jeff noticed was how the items Troy didn’t take with him, were left exactly where Troy left him, which even involved some clothes Troy forgot to clean up. Yeah, Abed isn’t handling this situation well. Abed has taken a seat in front of the tv, where a bowl of butter noodles was placed next to. Jeff doesn’t know what to do, he really didn’t think he would get this far.
But before he could say anything Abed starts speaking “you and I really don’t have many scene together where it’s just us, especially any emotional scenes together,”
Great. So abed has been acting weird just so he could do this trope thing, Causing the study group distress just so he woul- Jeff no.
“But I am fine.”
Jeff takes a deep breath.
No Abed needs someone right now. He’s not doing a scene. You just need to coax it out of him. Breath out.
“It’s been two weeks since Troy left. I see that some of his clothes are still lying around, can’t believe Annie hasn’t cleaned them up yet.”
Silence. So Jeff decides to pick up one of Troy's shirts that was laying around. It was his blue and brown striped sweater.
“Stop,” Abed rushes over and takes it from Jeff’s hands, “don’t touch his things.”
He says as he puts it back in the position it was in. This is the most stress Jeff has seen Abed, his expression was no longer stoic it cracked, his hand was shaking as well.
“Abed,”
“No no no no no. Don't touch anything, Troy left it like that. Don't touch anything.. please.. don’t.”
He took a step back “Abed, I’m here-“
“I know and I’m fine, Troy left and he made his own desicion, I’m fine. Troy can make his own desicions. I’m fine. I’m fine” Abeds hand started shaking more as he was trying to calm himself.
Jeff really didn’t know what to do, so he just said “Okay.”
“Cool. Cool cool cool.” Abed responds.
after a beat of silence Abed says, “You can stay and watch Inspector spacetime, if you want”
Jeff nods and sits in what used to be troy’s chair. He will wait till Abed is ready to speak or cracks and falls apart, and he will help pick of the pieces of his friend. but until then, he will watch inspector spacetime with him.