Work Text:
There was something to be said for feeling ‘normal’. Oh, Abed was good at appearing ‘normal’, just as long as he careful not to open his mouth he could appear as ‘normal’ as any other person. Well, for what passed as normal’ for anyone attending Greendale anyway. But feeling ’normal’, was an experience he hadn’t had much time to cherish. Not that Abed minded being different, on the contrary, Abed felt that his unique perspective on life was an important part of his role as a filmmaker. He enjoyed being ‘different’, it allowed him to detach from the drama his new family often generated and to truly appreciate the power of a Winger Speech. Never know how that’s going to pay off when his movie career inevitably (Abed was sure it was inevitable) takes off. And besides, ‘normalcy’ was reserved for one Jeff Winger.
The study group loved him, there wasn’t any question of that. And he loved them, they were his family, closer to him than his parents had ever been. But when it came to hanging out with the individually? They had a bad habit of bringing his ‘weirdness’ to the forefront of everything, either focusing on it or trying to ignore it in that well meaning way that somehow made it even more obvious that Abed was well aware of.
Time alone with Britta often revolved around her trying to define him, not for Abed’s sake but for her, or one of her papers, and then mentioning her brother who worked with autistic children and taught her some techniques that he “may be interested in trying.” Followed by her questions of, “At what age did you start speaking?” and “Do you have any other symptoms of OCD besides the way you organize your DVD’s and comics?” and Abed outright ignored, “I’m thinking of doing some volunteer work for Autism Speaks, want to join me?” He indulged these things because he knew she didn’t mean any harm, she was just trying to be her idea of a good friend. He was sure that if he ever asked her stop she probably would, eventually, maybe, probably. But these things made her feel good, maybe even superior. And Abed did consider himself a good friend. And, it was sweet in that completely wrong way of hers that she hadn’t given up after 4 years, most people left after a few months in his experience. Abed was just lucky that it was very easy to distract her onto new topics when it got to be too much.
“Britta, did you know there’s this shelter that’s just rescued some baby kittens?"
“Oh?”
“Yeah, the shelter doesn’t have the space for all of them and one of them is missing a leg, they’re probably going to put it down first."
“Oh yeah? Well let’s see them try! I’m going down there right now to adopt that poor baby and you’re coming with me. Maybe you could adopt one! Then we’ll be cat buddies! And it’d be a really great cause, I mean, do you know how many perfectly good animals are euthanized each year?”
Time alone with Annie was slightly better now that she, hopefully, understood that he wasn’t emotionless or lacking in empathy. But she still retained this bad habit of trying to…
“Annie, I don’t understand what this is supposed to do.”
“Well Abed, we’re going to pretend, I mean, uh, simulate several different emotional situations."
“I’m still not understanding.”
“I’m trying to help…mmm teach you how to react and feel in different emotional climates.” Abed was close to calling Troy home from his date to supply a proper reaction and rescue him. But Annie just looked so hopeful, she was clearly using the Disney Eyes and they were broadcasting her inevitable disappointment loud and clear. Jeff was right, she was becoming dangerous.
“So it’ll be like when Buddy coached Terri on guy behavior in Just One of the Guys.”
“Uh, sure!”
Abed liked hanging around Shirley, he’d decided that years ago, and was even more sure as he licked chocolate off his fingers. She was an intelligent, kind, caring woman with a dangerous edge to her, like a number of sitcom mothers. Claire Huxtable came readily to mind, but with her thinly veiled rage maybe she was more like Kitty from That 70’s Show or even Jill Taylor from Home Improvement.
“Uh, Abed,” Uh oh, the danger voice. “I know you’re not licking your fingers and then putting them back into the bowl.”
“Sorry, Shirley.”
“Oh, that’s quite alright,” She cooed at him, the supposed ‘sexy’ voice in play once more, “Now, after you finish trying those cookies I need you to try these brownies.They’re a new recipe I’m working on for my shop and I know I can trust you for an honest answer.” It wasn’t so much hanging out, it was more like visiting your mother after a long absence. Well not like visiting his mother, Abed mused. More like visiting Edith from Family Matters, but she didn’t do much baking…
“Then once you finish eating perhaps we can talk about a late christening for you? I’d settle for a baptism really.”
Pierce never really showed much interest in hanging out with Abed outside of the group, but Abed did try to make an effort. He tuned back into the “conversation”, apparently right in the middle of what appeared to be a failing ‘Winger Speech’ that Abed definitely didn’t need nor asked for.
“Now I know your people ‘normally just cut off hands, but here in America, we tend to be a little more civilized…” Shaking his head Abed tuned him right out again, refocusing on his cardboard project. Abed had found that pretending Pierce wasn’t there and just letting him talk created the best possible outcomes for both parties.
Abed lived with Troy, they were hanging out anytime they were in the same room
“It’s raining…wanna have a swordfight in the Greendale parking lot?”
“Get outta my brain!”
Hanging out with Jeff was something entirely different, in a good way. Jeff treated him the way he treated everyone else, just, ‘normal’. Jeff didn’t want to baby him, fix him or teach him anything. Not that Troy did either, but Troy was a lot like Abed, weird. But, unlike Abed, Troy was able to be seen as ‘normal’ when he wanted to, or whenever Abed wasn’t around it seemed. It was almost like flipping a switch, but Abed? Abed didn’t have a switch to flip, Abed was always Abed. Well, not always, sometimes he was Babed the Emotionally Unavailable Unicorn, and sometimes he was the Inspector, and sometimes he was…
“Don’t tell me I lost you already to a Scrubs fantasy thing?” Abed shook his head,
“Nah, it was more like a rambling, end of a Marvel superhero movie monologue.” Jeff snorted, shoveling more cereal into his mouth while Abed settled further into the couch, Jeff was finally starting Die Hard.
“Your obsession with this movie is bordering on creepy, you know that right?”
“I wouldn’t say I was obsessed with it. Not yet, but you said you hadn’t seen Die Hard 3 and in order to appreciate it we need to watch all of them in a marathon.”
“And that’s the only way to appreciate this…masterpiece of a series?”
“The only way, Jeff.”
“Okay fine, but next time we do this, this hanging out? We’re watching something classy.”
"The Artist?”
“The Big Lebowski.” Jeff titled his head with a smirk, raising his eyebrows a bit. Abed gave him a smile, and it wasn’t one of the ones Annie had ‘taught’ him to do to supposedly reassure other people. Sometimes with Jeff, Abed could just feel, ‘normal’.
“Cool. cool cool cool.”
And after almost an entire week of being ‘weird’ it was a welcome change.