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“Some people are just better than everybody else!” Toby explains. Abed tilts his head slightly, trying to see where the guy he called his friend is taking this monologue.
“They can’t handle it so they always leave!” Abed cringes slightly at that particular statement, finding it fits all too well in his life.
“Just like how the brilliant inspector has constant adventures, while his constables always eventually return to their dumb, ordinary, earth lives!” Toby stares at Abed expectingly.
Abed thinks for a second, tilting his head. “But maybe there’s a reason the Inspector always chooses a human companion..” The pieces click into place, a satisfying feeling he could never get enough of as an avid theorist.
“He’s an alien, but his human friends keep him grounded and invested in the world, like with me and Troy.” Abed’s eyes light up at the warming comparison.
“If I could Winger you for a second?”
Toby cocks an eyebrow, “Sure? I don’t know what that means but..”
“Maybe,” Abed starts, “all relationships are made of logical inspectors, and emotional constables, and we need both to make space and time a better place.” He looks up at Toby, waiting for a response.
Toby smiles, “Maybe you’re right!”
Abed smiles back and holds out a hand, a signal for no bad feelings. Toby looks down and grabs Abed’s hand shaking it firmly. Then, quicker than he could react, Toby pulls Abed back roughly into the open door of the iconic Inspector Spacetime time booth.
“Wait, wait, Toby Toby Toby no! Wait just a second-” Abed yells but it’s not use, Toby slams the door shut and locks it while Abed stumbles upright.
Abed’s mind starts racing as he puts both hands on the close walls, seeing if it will at any point open. This is eerily familiar, Abed doesn’t want to think about it. A high pitch whine is omitted from Abed’s throat unwillingly. His mind wanders back to Highschool, being shoved into lockers, taunts coming at him from the outside, how absolutely closed in and suffocating it is. He shakes his head. ‘No, this isn’t the same, people will be looking for you.’
He starts banging on the walls, “You have to let me out!” His voice seems smaller than he wants it to be.
Toby leans nonchalantly against the booth next to him. “Nope. Not until Stockholm syndrome kicks in. How long do you think that’ll be? A couple hours?” He smirks inching closer to the booth, “Would you love me if I bought you a churro?”
Abed clenches his eyes shut and tries to control his breathing, reminding himself of where he is. But despite his efforts, his mind couldn’t stop wandering back.
‘Is there air in here? Oh god it’s too hot, there’s too much noise. Where am I?’
“I’m not sure how much air there is in here.” Abed says, panic taking full control of him. He feels the walls, looking for any way out.
“And still you talk.” Toby says, obviously bored.
“Troy will find me.” The thought comes out of his mouth, only processed after saying it. His mind slows a bit.
“Who?”
Abed scoffs. “You know who Troy is!” He takes a deep breath and focuses on the thought of Troy, his best friend, his second half, Abed’s heart flutters. Lately, he’d begun to feel more for the boy, more than he probably should, but he pushes those thoughts down and thinks of all the good times they’ve had together. All the moments, of course Troy is looking for him!
“Yeah, Troy will find me.” Abed sighs, hopefully.
Abed hears Toby laugh from outside. “Troy? Troy will find you? As in the Troy you’ve been avoiding all night? The Troy you’ve been ignoring just to hang out with me? Oh yeah, he’s toootally looking for you.”
‘Inflection,’ Abed noted, ‘he’s being sarcastic’. Abed’s heart drops, recalling the day, he spent more time away from his best friend than with, Troy isn’t coming. What Toby said was becoming more real by the second. The recently departed panic was coming back, and it was hitting harder than before.
‘Why would Troy come to help if you had been avoiding him? Of course it’s normal for you to be away from him today so why would he be looking?’ Abed tried running simulation after simulation in his head but all he could come up with is that he was stuck, and no one was coming.
His vision darkened and he slid to the ground, Abed was finding it increasingly hard to breathe and it felt like he was underwater. He felt like he was floating, but in a bad way, floating in terrible emotions and memories.
Everything was too much, too overwhelming, so much so he barely heard Troys voice through all the terrible sensations he was currently experiencing.
It sounded like he was at the bottom of a deep dark well and Troy was at the top, he tried focusing on the voice but everything felt wrong, felt bad.
His brain swirled for what felt like hours until he felt hands on his shoulders. Felt, he felt something. Abed tried to hold on to that feeling, but he was so exhausted.
“Abed, Abed can you hear me? Focus on my voice Abed I know it might be hard but you need to do this for me okay?”
‘Troy. That’s Troy right? If Troy needs me I can’t let him down.’ He puts all of his energy into focusing on Troys voice and touch. It takes a while, but eventually he calms down. His breathing now steady, and thoughts back to their normal pace.
Abed finally opens his eyes and sees Troy squatting in front of him. That’s right, they were in the phone booth, Toby put him here. He focused back on Troy, a look he couldn’t decipher on his face. “Where’s Toby?” He cocks his head to the side. “I scared him off
buddy, are you okay?” Abed stands up and brushes himself off. “Yeah, I’m cool.”
Troy stands up next to him. “But, you were just- you freaked out. Like a lot. You were just locked in a phone booth are you sure you’re okay?”
Abed tilts his head to the side. “Why wouldn’t I be you showed up. I’m fine now.”
Troy smiles. “Okay if you say so. I’m glad you’re alright.”
Abed smiles back. “Im sorry. For spending more time with him. I should’ve realized you didn’t like it.”
Troy sighs. “No, Abed, im sorry. I understand why. You hang with me all the time! I just got jealous I guess.”
Abed nods thoughtfully. “Okay. Still wanna take the gluon photo?” Troy holds out his arm, “What do you think?” Abed smiles and takes it. They walk together to get their photos, a warm feeling in both of their hearts.