For A Few Drinks More
A/N- first (published) annie/abed fic, hope it doesn't drag too much, it was written at like 4am on a sleepless night. So let me know how I did!
Abed sat uncomfortably in the stall, staring at the table while trying to block the loud, wet noises coming from Britta and Troy, who squirmed around beside him, locked in a long kiss. Abed knew under normal circumstances Troy would never act this way, but had observed that under the influence of alcohol, the study group each displayed abnormal tendencies, including lavish public displays of affection.
He cast his eyes around the room, sighing as his gaze passed the Asteroids machine with the poorly handwritten 'Out Of Order' sign taped over the screen, to where Jeff sat in the centre of a booth, surrounded by young women giggling and sipping on brightly coloured drinks with huge fruit garnishes. Abed, head cocked, fixed his glance on Jeff, at ease in his natural habitat, scotch in hand, smiling sheepishly as one of the girls tousled his hair.
In the year they'd been living together, Abed could only assume that like himself, Troy hadn't had much luck with girls. He was mildly aware of a lukewarm romance with Britta, which was apparently taking a bolder form right next to him under the warm lamps in a crowded room that smelled of cigarettes and sweat. However for Abed, there had been no one special for a long time now. Except, his mind wandered, and his eyes followed, to the brunette sitting at the bar, her long legs dangling down, not quite touching the floor.
His roommate Annie sat amongst a small crowd, brandishing her Screwdriver, slopping the liquid onto the floor while telling some elaborate tale in the hackneyed accent she always adopted at this particular bar. She caught his eye across the room and waved, before continuing her story with gusto. Abed waved back, too late for her to see. He watched her in a kind of perplexed awe, an uncomfortably familiar feeling rising in his stomach. For a while now he had been harbouring feelings he was unsure of how to express, feelings he was hardly able to identify. Never before in his life had he experienced such physical anxiety as he did when he thought about this strange plague of feelings towards Annie. His palms were damp, his face flushed and his stomach churned. He looked down at the table, suddenly aware again of Troy and Britta, still noisily kissing beside him in the booth. He stood up and made for the bar.
'Abed! Howdy!' Annie squealed, sliding clumsily off her barstool and making a beeline for Abed, who quickly finished his drink and turned towards her. 'Hi Annie. Having fun?' he said monotonously, all at once noticing the humidity of the room and his own increasing intoxication. 'Oh, so much! Are… Are you okay though? You look, um…' she trailed off, raising her hand to feel his forehead, which was damp and clammy.
'I think I need to go outside for some air,' Abed replied, hoping his face and voice didn't reflect his inner turmoil. 'I'll come too!' Annie exclaimed, finishing her drink in one gulp and slamming it on the bar. 'Yeehaw!' she shouted, grinning up at Abed.
Outside, Annie felt the effects of the alcohol take hold. Her blue eyes glassed over, dishevelled hair fallen out of its clasp, hanging over her face as she leaned over the balcony of the bar's upper level courtyard. It was August, and they were alone in the soft, but chilly breeze. 'Here,' Abed said as he draped his hoodie over her shoulders gently. She smiled up at him, and reached up to squeeze his hand which still sat on her shoulder.
'Abed! Your hands are freezing! Put your jacket back on.' She demanded, shaking off the hoodie. Abed stopped her, 'No, that's ok Annie, I'm fine.' he said, his tone flat. Annie bit her lip thoughtfully, before turning to face him, stepping in close, and taking both his hands.
Abed froze, the undiagnosed feeling inside, outside, stronger than ever. His breath quickened, his heart pounded in his chest as Annie took his hands and laced them around her waist, underneath the hoodie. 'There, now we can both be warm.' She said happily. They stood in silence, both comfortable in their slightly intoxicated state to just be still and quiet, uninterrupted by loud kissing, cheesy pick up lines and drunken banter. Abed felt her hands snake around his waist and slip underneath his shirt, brushing her fingers against the warm skin of his back.
Abed shivered as Annie snuggled in closer, her fingers tracing patterns on his skin, giving him goosebumps. 'Still cold?' She murmured into his chest.
'No.' Abed replied simply, not daring to speak more, to ruin this perfect moment.
Without warning, her hands darted up, circled his neck and pulled him down into a deep kiss. Abed didn't know how to react, his hands flew out from underneath the hoodie and landed either side of his head, suspended in the cold air as his insides frenzied. Annie's fingers weaved through his hair, lightly tugging small tufts to pull him closer as their lips moved against each other. Abed lowered his hands tentatively, placing them either side of her hips. She moved closer still, her warm body pressed against his, causing Abed's breath to hitch, and shivers to shoot down his spine. Amidst his internal panic, Abed had barely noticed Annie had pulled away. She took a step back, hiccuped once and headed back towards the bar. 'Coming?' she squeaked, before quickly clearing her throat.
'Uh, yeah, right behind you,' Abed stammered, watching in shock as she pranced inside before following, a sheepish smile sneaking onto his face.