"It's just so weird, I keep trying to figure out how my costume got wrecked, and I can't remember anything…" Troy sat back in the seat, fingering what appeared to be toilet paper around his wrists.

"Maybe it's better if you don't remember…your new costume is kinda lame." Abed eyed the "Dracula" collar critically. "Oh well. So, Marmaduke? I'll get the popcorn."

While he punched numbers into the microwave, Troy opened up Abed's laptop and wiggled the mouse to wake it up. As he went to look through the movies in Abed's queue, an already opened tab popped up. Pandora. Troy went to minimize it when suddenly a horribly familiar melody filtered out of the speakers. Abed turned with an expression on his face usually reserved for the cancelation of 2nd seasons.

"I've been cheated by you
And I think you know when.
So I made up my mind, it must come to an end
Look at me now, will I ever learn?
I don't know how but I suddenly lose control—"

Troy let out a strangled yell as Abed leapt across the couch and slammed the laptop shut. The pair stared at it for a moment with the wariness of long-time scifi fanatics, waiting for the beast to get it's second wind and attack. When it seemed certain that the computer would not spring open and start playing more Abba, Abed shakily said, "So…maybe we can watch a DVD instead."

Troy nodded, but didn't move.

"Troy?"

"Yes?"

"You need to stop clinging to me, unless you want me to stay on your lap. Which I wouldn't recommend, because carnal activities generally doom secondary characters in every horror film I've seen."

Troy released Abed from the teddy-bear-death-grip he had been using before, muttering "bad song…horrible…I've always hated that one…" still eyeing the shiny rectangle with suspicion. As Abed crouched over one of the many boxes of DVD's scattered about the room, Troy suddenly looked up with a strange expression on his face.

"Wait a minute…were you saying something about the people-who-have-sex-get-possessed-or-eaten-first rule?"

"Yeah, why?" Abed turned his back to Troy, now scanning his most-watched stack.

"But we're not…I mean we wouldn't…that's just…uh…" Abed turned around, cutting through Troy's incoherency. Troy tried to read his expression, but got nothing "I have the first two seasons of the 60's Batman series. You up for an all-nighter?"

"Um, sure." Troy wondered if he should ask Abed about that comment again…nah. Abed settled into his place on the couch, saying "pass the blanket" as he selected Episode 1 on the menu. Troy pulled the ratty comforter over both of them.

"Sorry for freaking out about the…you know." Troy suddenly wondered how it would look to someone else, two guys huddled side-by-side, sharing a blanket, watching a movie. Did guys who were friends do this? Had Troy just imagined that Abed had been saying something else?

"It's fine. Is the volume remote on your side?"

Maybe it was the roofies, but Troy suddenly had the rushing feeling of gratefulness that he was back in Abed's dorm room, that they were both safe and—alive.

He shivered. Now why had he thought that?

Unconsciously he snuggled up to his friend a bit, and Abed leaned into him automatically. If Abed's hand touched Troy's a bit more than necessary when he reached for popcorn, or Troy sat a little closer than he normally would have…and if they both were a tad more conscious of the contact than usual, in their minds…well, it had been a rough night. It was excusable. And, though neither could quite remember why, they both really, REALLY hated that song.