A/N: This is based on a prompt from rashaka from a million years ago (or July 2012, however you choose to remember it). I meant to do it as comment fic and then it grew to 1000 words and then it languished and I finally decided to start reworking it so I'd have something to post. Sadly, it meets none of the requirements of my Trope Bingo card. Anyway, I hope it makes sense. I added in a huge chunk tonight that made it longer but significantly less angsty. P.S. I still don't have a beta, so all mistakes are mine. And I think I'm abandoning the 'titles like school courses' concept. Too hard, guys, too hard.
Disclaimer: I don't own Community whatsoever, which I think is pretty obvious, since I can barely write the characters.
Summary: The prompt, by the way, was: "Abed wants to woo Annie. Annie is confused. Jeff reacts badly. There may be an aquarium involved, or possibly a wine cellar. Someone gets a little (or a lot) sexy. Angst, Humor, the lot."
"Annie, I've been thinking. Our storylines have sort of stalled. The most practical way of jumpstarting our characters so that we don't stagnate is introducing a new love interest. The obvious choice, since we're both stuck in a rut, is to use each other."
"Abed..." Annie shook her head. "What exactly do you mean?"
"It's simple, Annie. Your character doesn't really do one night stands so I'm willing to woo you. It'll result in significant growth for both of us and maybe a new story arc involving the study group's reaction to our new relationship."
"Um, well, Abed, I appreciate your... Interest. But, I'm not really sure if I'm ready for our friendship to go to the next level, you know?"
"Oh, don't worry, Annie. We won't 'go to the next level' until sweeps. That's right before Christmas break."
"He means they won't have sex until Christmas, right?" Pierce's whisper wasn't much of a whisper and Britta broke off her wide-eyed stare to fix him with a angry glare.
"Pierce! Abed is trying to express his romantic and sexual desires and we need to be supportive so that his emotional growth is encouraged and not stunted resulting in feelings of rejection and abandonment." Pierce glared right back.
"I think that ship's sailed, Brittles, right back to Ay-bed's foreign homeland." Britta's glare intensified. Choosing to ignore her, Pierce turned his attention back to Annie and Abed. "Annie, I say go for it. Taste the rainbow!"
"An-nie, I don't say this often, but Pierce is right. I mean, Abed is a nice, young man and so," A subtle glare at Jeff didn't stop the flow of words, "Age-appropriate too!" Unable to think of a good reason to say no as Britta nodded encouragingly and Troy looked on hopefully, Annie gave a small, uncomfortable smile and nodded.
"Our first date will take place at an aquarium. We'll arrive at sunset, she'll be wearing a simple dress, not wanting to dress up for a date she only reluctantly agreed to and if I arrange it just right, she'll forget her cardigan. All the exotic fish will catch her attention and she'll forget all about being aloof. We'll enter, the lights will be dimmed, creating the impression of intimacy and, on a secondary note, giving us the opportunity to explore all the dark corners - I'll try to steal a kiss, she'll giggle."
"It'll set the mood as playful and sexy. Think Sunset Beach without the beach. We'll wander around the aquarium for about 45 minutes, conversing quietly, lost in our little world. She'll probably get cold around the 34 minute mark so I'll have my arm around her shoulder as we head back to the car. Pierce offered to lend me his cook if we want to swing by the mansion and have dinner there - apparently his wine cellar is-"
"Abed! Stop it! You can't script your date with Annie. That isn't fair to her. What's this about, really, anyway? You were never interested in Annie before. Not like that, anyway."
"Actually, Jeff, that's not technically true. Annie and I have shared three kisses. Although, one was imagined and one took place in the Dreamatorium which I understand may not be as credible. Still, it stands that I might be interested in Annie and you just didn't know." Abed regarded him curiously.
"You've kissed..." Jeff let out a deep sigh. "Abed, are you seriously interested in dating Annie?"
"I'm not sure. I want something to happen. And on TV and in real life, a new romance is a good catalyst for change. Why?" Jeff sighed once more, nodded twice, and silently left the room.
They had agreed to meet at the aquarium because Annie had to stay late at school and Abed thought it lent more authenticity to the scene if there was a meet up rather than a calm exodus from the apartment. He straightened his hoodie before he turned to Troy who was sitting in the driver seat with his hands clenched on the wheel.
"How do I look?"
"You look fine, man. Abed, are you sure you want to do this? I'm pretty sure Annie is maybe sort of in like with Jeff."
"I know that, Troy. I'm almost 100% certain that Jeff is in like with Annie, too. But really, I've got nothing to lose. You and Britta are tentatively moving toward something and your future is resolved for the moment. Shirley has developed into her own, her new business and her marriage on course. Jeff is in therapy and actively trying to become a better person. Even Pierce is developing; Gilbert has really changed him. That just leaves me and Annie. If this doesn't work out, that's okay. If it does, that's okay too."
"You don't sound that excited." Abed cocked his head and considered the statement.
"Hmm. I guess I'm not. I like Annie. I liked kissing her. I don't really know if I want to date her, though." He shrugged. "Still. Here we are." Troy nodded, forehead still creased in a frown. "Can't forget the flowers!" Patting Troy on the back, Abed got out of the car and began approaching the aquarium door as he heard Troy drive away. Upon reaching the entrance, he checked his watch, noting it was two minutes past their agreed meeting time.
Scanning the lot, a dark corner, away from the street lights, caught Abed's attention. He squinted for a moment then rolled his eyes.
Jeff's Lexus sat parked in the farthest corner of the lot inconspicuously. Abed debated whether to approach, finally deciding that it would be a better option than waiting, unsuspecting, for the hammer to drop later on during their date. As he approached the vehicle, he could see Annie sitting in the passenger seat, head bowed toward Jeff. He couldn't see much more and it didn't look particularly romantic but, Abed acknowledged, it didn't look unromantic either.
The knock at the window appeared to startle them both.
"Oh, Abed, hi. Jeff just gave me a ride." The passenger side door was open in a flash and Annie was half way out before Abed had a chance to speak. He held up a hand to forestall any further explanation.
"It's okay, Annie. You don't owe me an explanation. Besides, I trust you." Annie's expression softened and she smiled but before she could respond, Jeff cleared his throat and interrupted.
"You guys have fun on your date. I'll… I'll see you both later." He nodded to Abed, then shared one long, final look with Annie. She got out of the car slowly, ducking back in to grab her purse and, Abed was sure, to squeeze Jeff's hand. His car started a second later and as Annie moved toward Abed, he reversed out of his parking spot and they were left alone.
"Shall we?" Abed held out an arm to Annie and, with one last glance over her shoulder at Jeff's retreating Lexus, took it.
All things considered, Abed was inclined to call the date a success. The aquarium had been fairly well-lit with a number of young families walking around so his scoundrel bit had been dialed back and Annie had remembered her cardigan so there was no telegraphed but effective arm-over-shoulders manoeuvre. But Annie had smiled the whole time and Abed had enjoyed hanging out with Annie one-on-one. He realized with a start that it was something they rarely did, despite living together.
"Did you know that we haven't spent much time together, just hanging out?" Annie looked at him, the confusion clear on her face. "Just the two of us, I mean."
"Oh. Yeah, I knew that, Abed. It's part of why I wanted to play with you in the Dreamatorium."
"Hmm. I'm sorry. I didn't realize just how brief our time together had been. We should change that." Annie nodded.
"I agree, we should… Abed, was that why you asked me out on a date?"
"No. I asked you out because I feel like you and I have both stalled. Troy knows what he wants to do in school and he's heading toward something with Britta. Shirley just opened her business and she renewed her vows with Andre. Pierce is Pierce. And you know more than anyone how much Jeff has changed. I wanted something to happen for us too." Annie leaned in slowly and Abed extended his arm, aware she wanted to hug him.
"Abed, do you even want to date me?" She was standing close to him, one arm wound around his waist, so he didn't think she was particularly offended.
"I'm not sure. I had fun tonight, though." Annie bit her lip, taking her time in responding.
"So did I. But Abed… I'm not sure we should date. I mean, I would really like to do this again but I didn't feel like you wanted a romance. And I'm not sure I want one either." He regarded her silently for a few minutes. She didn't flinch or fidget. Abed appreciated that about Annie.
"You said you weren't sure you wanted a romance. Did you mean you were unsure you wanted one at all or just unsure that you wanted one with me?" Annie's arm tightened around him, not painfully, but Abed was still surprised when she snuggled closer to him.
"I don't know. I'm not sure we would be good together Abed. But it's not as if I have guys beating down my door-"
"It would be a terrible way to woo you. If they beat your door down." The eye roll, however, was expected. She continued as if she hadn't heard him.
"But I don't want to use you just because I don't have anyone else. You're a good guy, Abed. I think you deserve more than I feel like I can offer."
"What if we just did this?" She turned her head up from where it rested on his shoulder to meet his eyes, obviously unsure of what he meant. "What if we didn't push the romance? What if we just hung out together? If at some point you feel like kissing me or I feel like kissing you, we could ask each other. If we don't, then we don't."
"Are you asking me to be your friend, Abed?" He paused as her words sunk in.
"I guess I am. So, what do you say, Annie? More storylines for Phoebe and Chandler?" Her smile was blinding.
"I'd like that, Abed. I'd really like that."
Four weeks later, Abed and Annie had managed to eke out time once every two weeks or so to hang out, just the two of them. Their second 'date', they had competed in had a trivia contest at a bar in their neighbourhood with the grand prize of two Inspector Spacetime Inspecticon tickets, which they had won handily, and their third 'date' had been a guided wine tasting of Pierce's wine cellar.
This week, the plan was to attend an all-night showing of Harrison Ford movies. Abed tapped his foot, slightly impatient, as he checked his watch. Noting that Annie was a few minutes late, he nodded to himself in recognition – the déjà vu trope!
He moved toward the parking lot and was unsurprised to see, once again, Jeff's Lexus parked in a corner spot, shaded by a large tree that hung over the defining fence. Abed shook his head at the predictability as he continued toward the car.
As he got closer, Abed realized that, this time, it was slightly different: the Lexus' windows were cloudy with condensation. Without meaning to, he could hear the muffled moans, the slight bounce of shocks being tested, the rustling of clothes and bodies as they moved in close quarters. A particularly high-pitched moan filtering out into the night air led Abed to make a quick retreat as he sighed in consternation. He considered warning them but dismissed the idea before it fully formed. This would make a much better story if he left the ending up to chance.
His phone already out, a text half-composed, Abed walked away.