Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Today, I invited Troy and Abed to see an experiment for my new psychology class! They accepted my bribe of a thousand dollars each, saying it’ll “cover their next pantry stock.” I didn’t question it since I got my test subjects! Luckily, neither of them questioned where I was taking them for the experiment. My professor’s funds fortunately covered the place they’re staying at; a small house near the city within the woods. It also helped fund all the cameras and microphones I needed to keep track of their every move, and I am glad I was able to cover the whole perimeter with them! I was seriously doubting the capabilities of my professor, but I guess she had some connections.

I decided not to tell them what the experiment was for and that they’d just wait there until I tell them later. Hopefully neither of them figure out they’re the experiment by the time I got enough data. I know last time Abed was livid from not telling him the real length of my last experiment but hopefully he won’t mind it this time if I provide everything they need. It didn’t seem like he had something to look forward to either, so he might not be as mad this time.

While they start getting themselves situated into the cabin, I’m starting my notes for this project. I like to call it “A Study of Besties” in my head, but I had to make the title for this experiment professional for my professor, so I went with Studying Friendship In Isolation to my disappointment. It’s not as fun as my title! Since I have to state my hypothesis, I’ll do so here:

If close friends are alienated from society and are forced to be together at all times, they will become hostile towards each other.

As much as I hate pitting Troy and Abed against one another, they’re my prime subjects for this experiment. No other pair (that I knew) could’ve fit that description better! I’ll update how much they’ve progressed in a few hours after they’ve settled and I’m “out of the picture.”

2:47 PM

Started up the cameras and tested the microphones and it seems like I’m good to go! They had a few questions about what I was gonna do in the meantime, considering I only told them to wait for me in the cabin with an undisclosed amount of time. I decided to say I was still conducting my experiment and I needed a lot of time for it, estimating around a week and a half, maybe three weeks at most. Thank God that they bought it, especially when I told them I was still going to provide them supplies at the cabin! They seemed content with everything so I said my goodbyes and gave them a batch of supplies before heading out to my apartment where I have a monitor to watch the camera feed. So far, nothing much has happened aside from them gorging down food and watching some TV together.

I’ll be checking in every now and then, maybe plan a schedule and only steer away from it when I hear or see something particularly interesting. Until then!

8:49 PM

I’ve made a schedule for myself to check in every couple hours! Yes, this does mean I’ll be forcing myself awake for some hours, but it’s for the sake of this experiment! I have it laid out for the next two weeks, saving space for the future in case I want to change it or if it’s more or less often than anticipated. Even if I don’t reach my designated times, the video will still be recorded, and each video will be saved on a separate drive to not kill my poor computer. Thanks to classes still being a constant for me, I definitely won't be able to check in all the time. I’m just glad this money was able to fund this technology because I would’ve never thought of this with the funds I initially had! I’ve made it so each saved video will be cut after a 6 hour mark and the cameras will have the unfortunate end/starting time be an uneven mark. Sincerely wished I planned what time they’d function, but I can’t control everything I guess.

Within the schedule, I’ve also planned days to drop off any supplies they need for their stay. I made sure to keep a separate amount of money to have a safety net for that, especially since they can sometimes change what they want, but that’s usually a Troy-thing. Abed sticks to his routines and comfort items most of the time, his exceptions being for events or for his current fixations. Hopefully they don’t ask for much while they’re there, I don’t want them getting any... ideas of any matter that could interfere with this experiment. I don’t wanna end up with another pillow-fort vs blanket-fort situation.

So far, not much has happened and I’m glad because I’m getting a bit tired to be honest. This experiment will absolutely do a number on me, but I’ll have fun at least! Will update tomorrow!

A camera hidden underneath a kitchen counter records the following interaction.

Troy walks in with his blue silk pajamas and a bowl of popcorn before veering off-camera, “Man, can you believe that Annie’s letting us stay here for at least a week?! What do you think she’s doing while we’re here?” Abed sits on a reclining chair as he holds his bowl of buttered noodles. “I dunno, but maybe she’s off doing a heist as her experiment. Sometimes I can’t tell what goes on in her head, but she doesn’t usually tell full lies.” Troy sits down on a sofa chair next to Abed, their bodies now blocked from the camera’s view but their voices still heard. “Man that’d be so awesome! But that means we’d be left out of it... That sucks.”

An affirming hum is heard from Abed, “Yeah, but at least we’re able to continue our binge of Inspector Spacetime. What episode were we on?” “Uh, I think we were on Season 3 Episode 6?” A few changing lights flicker from the camera’s perspective.“Yup, seems about right.” The two get comfortable in their chairs as the intro for Inspector Spacetime plays.

11:15 PM

As the outro gets cut off by the TV getting turned off, a snore could be heard from Troy. A body shifts in the chair as it gets up and puts away their dishes and trash, revealed to be Abed in his matching green silk pajamas. For a few seconds, a silence follows his return to the couch before the sound of small grunts and steps happen, where Abed is seen carrying him to his respective bed offscreen, the camera now switching to a different angle, one in the hallway.

Abed is seen entering the bedroom Annie had prepared for them ahead of time, the camera angle changing to a different view, underneath a desk she'd put next to their bed. From the limited vision, Abed can be seen tucking Troy in bed before returning to the kitchen, the camera capturing his brief dish washing moment before promptly going back to the bedroom to sleep above Troy. Hours passed until the next morning…

Chapter Text

I reviewed the footage from last night and, for as little as the camera's could see, I'm glad I didn't miss much. Knowing these two, they're somehow gonna get into hijinks and find one of these cameras on accident. Or maybe on purpose; that's something Abed would probably do but he'd get an idea for tropes if he did find one. Luckily, as I'm checking the live feed right now, they're sleeping in; probably something they've been excited to do since I got them out of classes for a while with this experiment.

Tomorrow is my check-in with the two subjects, as well as a home visit to make sure they're not messing up anything on my end without realizing it. I don't wanna be saddled with a bill I can't pay off till I'm 50… But yeah, after some 10 maybe 20 minutes, I'll head out for my other classes and then come back in and check the footage.

The sound of rustling was logged and the camera picked up the door opening to a sleepy, bedhead Abed making his way out the hallway. As he landed himself into the kitchen, the respective camera continued its duty, recording the man preparing what seemed to be a batter for pancakes or waffles. The ladder of the two was made evident as the primary choice as he brought out the mold that was appropriately shaped as a sunny side-up.

The camera in the hallway had picked up small visual cues coming from inside, mainly Troy's figure tussling in bed before slowly rising from the mattress. A disgruntled sigh could be heard as he groggily got to his feet, heading to the hallway with tired eyes. The living room camera's feed caught their conversation as Troy took a seat at the dinner table.

"Morning. Want chocolate chips in your waffles?" Troy makes a contented sigh as energy visibly rose in him in response, "Oh man, of course I do! Thanks for prepping breakfast Abed, you're the best." He laid his head on the table, Abed making a quick glance and a barely visible grin before turning back to the task at hand. "What do you feel like doing today? I was thinking we could explore this forest that I never saw outside the city. Maybe try out some movie scenes here." Troy's hum reverberated with thought, "Eh, I dunno bout doing tropes at this hour. Ooh, but! We could totally have a picnic outside! Imagine frolicking in a flower field somewhere in there!!"

Troy's giggling caught up to Abed, who simply chuckled before replying with "That's a really good idea, too." Soon enough, he'd finished with Troy's waffles, moving onto his own and began cooking some eggs and toast on the side. Their breakfast continued in content silence as the two horked their food down to quickly get to planning their picnic lasting for another 40 minutes. Just as the cameras caught their movements to the room—

As it came back online, it witnessed a dressed up Troy and Abed with their picnic basket in hand, making their way out the front door and going into the forest where the cameras feed could see out the window before disappearing.

Why is it that something interesting happens whenever I'm not actively watching them?! Whatever, but it seems like the camera was able to catch their breakfast and their planning to go out. It says that they left around probably 2:52PM, which would make sense as to why it didn't capture them dressing up earlier. Well, according to the camera feed, they were out till 3:30, probably to continue their usual schedule of binge-watching shows together. And, at some point, one of them suggested lunch, which caused the kitchen to get even dirtier than before, making some buttered noodles and some fries.

So far, as to what my hypothesis predicts they haven't hit a tension point like I've predicted. I'm pretty sure it's just cus it's been one day, in my original diagram I pictured it to have tension start building a little after 4 or 5 days. It kinda reminds me of the diagram you'd see in English class for story progression! Ok, well, with that jotted down, I'll check in later after doing some of the homework they assigned me. See you soon, logbook!

Catching Troy coming out of the bathroom, the cameras continue to log as he makes his way to the living room, taking a seat in one of the large lounge chairs, where his image disappeared while his voice could be heard.

"Hey Abed, have you felt like there's something a little weird goin' on? Like there's something happening and we don't even know it?" An inquisitive and playful hum could be heard, "Hmm, well, I won't disagree on that weird feeling. I keep thinking we're being watched. Oh, you know, it might be some secret alternative timeline hijinks ever since that one Christmas we spent together. One of those Annie's basically became her own surveillance state, putting cameras everywhere in everything." Troy could be heard grunting, "well, I hope the Annie we have is our Annie and not 'weird watchful big sis' Annie." Abed made a sound in agreement, followed by a quick "That, or someone has been watching us ever since we left."

A few seconds of silence passed before Troy's anxious "I hope it's an evil Annie" broke the tension, drowned out by an episode of Inspector Spacetime beginning.

Oh God, I really hope they don't catch on THIS early… It'd really put a wrench in my planning and hypothesis. What should I even do if they find out I've been recording them?! Maybe I can just say it was for security like I originally planned… Or that I just thought they'd appreciate the footage in case they wanted to make a documentary? Ugh, why did one of the subjects have to be smart?? Whatever, I can't predict what'll happen, just guess. If the worst happens, I'll stick with the plan and say they're for security 'cus you never know what can happen in the woods!

… Really hope it stays this way for at least the rest of the week…

The outro for another Inspector Spacetime episode was cut off as Abed stated, "I'm starving. Do you wanna make dinner tonight or should I?" Before Troy could give a response, he added, "Or order in?" A small gasp could be heard, Troy's excited voice replying, "Dude, get outta my brain! I was thinking 'bout having some pizza!" The shadowy figures behind the chairs could be seen shifting, the two being brought to light in the kitchen area as they called the nearest pizza place, bringing out some snacks and sitting themselves at the table.

"One extra-large pepperoni-sausage pizza coming in half an hour and a box of the perfect cookies in the meantime." Troy followed up by leaning over asking "You thinking what I'm thinking, dude?" As if counting down simultaneously, they both blurted "Stargaze picnic" and did their special handshake before going back to planning said picnic.

The camera caught the interaction between the duo retrieving the pizza; Troy getting the pizza passed over as Abed stays behind to pay the delivery guy with cash before thanking him and closing the door. Switching over to the living room camera, it captured the two placing the box on the table, next to their preparations for star gazing which reused the picnic basket from earlier and some extra binoculars, lanterns, and two soda bottles.

"Now that we've got everything, project 'Star Gaze' can commence." Abed's voice had a slight inclination at the end, supposed to portray his excitement but still coming off as monotone through the microphones. "Hell yeah, dude! Man, I've never been star gazing before. My church would only put up a picture of the constellations to tell us what they meant and represented. All I remember is the North Star." As the two continued chatting, they headed outside, moving and sitting on the porch chairs a couple feet away from the actual cabin.

As time went on, the camera saved footage at 8:39PM, rebooting just as the two could be seen having the time of their lives; Troy pointing at the sky and a few hand gestures being seen from Abed, supposedly responding to each question with unwavering dedication. As the time signature increased to past 9:30 PM, the shadowy figures started to close in the front, the two returning inside with their basket and trash in hand.

"Man, that was awesome!! We should do this again sometime, maybe even schedule it?" Abed nods, putting the trash into a giant bag, "Cool, cool, cool. I can try figuring out when there'll be some cool events, like a harvest moon or a blood moon." Eager nodding received, Abed made headway to the kitchen, where he pulls out the ingredients for buttered noodles and gets to prepping, Troy watching along as he continued to discuss what else they could do when they star gaze together.

Another outro for Inspector Spacetime plays, more footage of Troy and Abed getting ready for bed, this time Troy was able to stay awake throughout the marathon. Trudging behind Abed, he mutters "You think we're really gonna be fine from school 'cus of this? It kinda feels like some lake oil salesman type of thing…" Abed corrects, "Snake oil salesman, actually. And, maybe it is, maybe it isn't but we still get time off school either way. Gives us time to do whatever we want in the meantime." Troy sighs, "I hope this doesn't affect us too much. All I really feel like doing is catch up on our shows, make some new costume ideas with you and do stuff we'd never be able to do in the city! Ooh, do you think there's a lake somewhere near here?"

As the two head into the bathroom, the camera recording from below the sink begins recording, but the audio received is a little muffled. "Yeah… … ing and do… com tropes that'd def…" The sound of water occasionally running and turning off buzzes before gurgling noises could be heard. Once the door opened again, the camera switched perspectives, the camera beneath their desk listening in as the two slumped and crawled into their respective bunks. A small nightlight brightened underneath, "G'night, Abed." "Night, Troy," being exchanged before complete silence followed.

I know how anxious Troy gets when he misses class now that he knows his grades matter… Maybe I should give them their homework and give a note from my professor to their teachers to let them know they'll be out for a while? That's probably the best choice, especially 'cus I don't want them to try leaving the cabin for extended amounts of time. Alright, before my visit, I'll get some notes from my professor to excuse their absence for the next two weeks, tell them that I'll still give them their homework, and then drop those off while giving them more supplies! This should be good till the next drop off!

Until then, logbook! Hopefully after my visit they'll start building tension I can finally jot down something for the experiment.

<End - 11:45 PM

Chapter Text

Okay, I woke up extra early today (5 AM) so I can head to Abed and Troy's classes and give the notes to their teachers. Some of them didn't really seem to care, a few were happy? For some reason? I told them I can give them their homework for as long as they're out and turn it in before it's due so that they can still go as normal. I updated the rest of the study group since it seemed like they felt off balance without them. Maybe I can schedule a group visit? For morale? Yeah, that could be something I could do.

Well, in a couple hours, I'm gonna be visiting the two subjects to drop off supplies, homework and help clean up the place. As much as I'd love to let them clean up after themselves, I don't wanna risk them finding the cameras. Especially in the spots that are more… confusing. How the hell am I supposed to explain the one under their desk in the bedroom?! Or even the one underneath the bathroom sink? I'll write later a couple hours after my visit, I want them to settle in after I come by in case they were putting on a facade in my visit. Never know what these two are planning.

CAMERA/AUDIO FEED: STOPPED — SAVING FOOTAGE TO "AnnEdi_USB_Drive" … REBOOTING…

RESUMED RECORDING: LIVING ROOM FEED - 8:42 AM

As the cameras woke up anew, they sat and recorded in quiet scenery, nothing of note happening until the hour of reckoning came around. 10:24 came up on the camera's clock, seeing the lights of Annie's car approaching the porch and parking a couple feet away on the side. Her image walks up to the front door, capturing the boxes she'd brought and wheeled up sitting next to her as she rang the doorbell. From inside, the bedroom camera underneath their desk logged rustling coming about, the feet suddenly plopping into the floorboard, most definitely Abed's as his green pajamas were peeking out as he walked towards the source of his disturbed slumber.

Abed opens the door and simply greets Annie with "Unanticipated visit, Annie, but hi. What'd you bring with you?" Annie scoffs, retorting "Hey, I thought at least one of you guys would check your phones last night! I sent a message to both of you telling you I was coming today to drop off some more supplies and hopefully help out if the apartment's as dirty as I felt it was." No audible sound was made but Annie's expression shifted with confusion mixed with annoyance, the lens capturing her face contorting before flatly responding "Just help me get the boxes in first. And, since I woke y'all up without knowing, how about I throw in breakfast as an apology?" Abed's head tilts, before settling on "Alright, that can work. What're you gonna make?" "How about a classic breakfast, like chicken and waffles?" Considering her smirk appearing afterward, the camera could figure that Abed's face lit up.

Quickly agreeing to the arrangement, Abed helps Annie bring in the boxes of supplies and heads to the bedroom to wake up Troy for an iconic breakfast. Meanwhile, As Annie lets them get ready, she quickly makes sure the living room and hallway cameras aren't too obvious, finding them to be slightly innocuous but feeling the need to shift them still. "Ugh, I knew I shouldn't have had Jeff help me with this… Maybe I can get them out for a bit so I can readjust them…" As she returns to the kitchen, she places all the ingredients needed for the iconic breakfast she promised, beginning prep work on the chicken before moving onto everything else.

CAMERA FEED: BEDROOM - 10:53 AM

"Abed… dude, what are you doin'?" Troy's disgruntled voice was picked up as the camera recorded the attempted waking Abed was performing, his feet shifting back and forth as he presumably was shaking Troy awake. "Get up, Annie's here and she's gonna make chicken and eggs. Oh, and she mentioned something about helping us clean up." Rustled bedsheets could be heard as his feet slowly appeared on the footage, "Ugh, cleaning in the morning… Never thought I'd do this again after AC School. Wait, how did she know this place was getting dirty?" "Maybe she's got superhuman powers that tells her there's a mess afoot. Earlier, she said something like 'something something if it's as dirty as I feel it is'." Troy got to his feet, seeming to stretch as voice strained while he responded with "Y'know, that'd make sense. She's always had freakishly good predictions when it came to spotting people not taking care of themselves. Alright, well, you wanna go brush teeth together?" After Abed's affirming hum, the pair of feet headed off to the bathroom, the camera underneath the sink barely catching audible cues of their routine.

CAMERA FEED: LIVING ROOM - 11:09 AM

Annie was letting the chicken marinate as she seemed to be making more batter, keeping watch of the time as the oven warmed up. Troy and Abed strutted up to the kitchen counter, taking seats in their comfortable stools as Annie requested "Could one of you bring out the waffle mold? Or do you want pancakes today?" The two of them looked at each other, seemingly telepathically communicating before simultaneously saying "Pancakes" while doing their handshake. "Alright, uh, do you want chocolate chips in them or plain?" Troy excitedly raised his hand as he exclaimed "Ooh, ooh! Can mine have some of those? It's been a while since I've had chocolate chip pancakes. Did you bring other syrups or…?" She sighs as she coyly states "Well, I was gonna bring 'em out after making them, but yeah, I brought other syrup flavors."

Troy kicked his feet and tapped at the counter, happily waiting for his breakfast. Abed hummed as he asked, "Instead of chocolate chips, can I have blueberries? I can't remember if we have them or not, but I have a feeling you brought some." Her eyes flicker over to the freezer, hesitantly saying "Ok, I did… But it freaks me out that you guessed it… Want different syrup, too?" He shook his head, simply stating "Maple rules over all for my taste." Troy gasps as a revelation comes to his mind, "Did you bring whipped cream?! I just remembered cus we ran out when we made waffles our first morning here." Her mouth opens in surprise as she questions "How the hell did you finish a can of whipped cream in one morning?!" The two turned to each other, cheeky smiles as they said "Playing with food and making art." "Mountain of whipped cream was so yummy."

Exasperatedly, she advises them as she brings out a pan and butter, "Please don't waste your food that quickly. My next visit isn't until next Tuesday! Promise me that you two won't eat everything in a day." She held out her pinkie, waiting for their answer. Slowly the two got up and hooked their pinkie's around hers, their voices disappointedly replying "We promise…" Returning to their seats, Annie gets ready to whip up all the foods together, the time signature lingering on the camera's recording footage as it watched the morning play out.

CAMERA FEED: KITCHEN - 11:30 AM

The living room camera watched as Annie served the two friends their breakfast, Troy looking excited like a kid handed a birthday cake while Abed had a content smile upon his face. Scarfing down their food, Annie advised them to help dust furniture before she does a deep clean. "Can y'all dust your room? I can do the kitchen and bathroom while you guys do that and the living room." The two nodded with a thumbs up, Abed replying "Yup. Also, do you plan to do both sweeping and mopping? Cus, if you want, we can do one." Annie gave a wave of her hand as she coyly stated, "Nah, it's fine with me. I've been meaning to properly give this place a deep clean my style, y'know?" She noticed the two's hesitance as Abed fidgeted with the towel in his hands and Troy scratched at his arm. "Okay, if y'all are worried about what to do in the meantime, y'all can go ahead and explore the woods until it's dry. That sound good?"

They excitedly nod, getting to work on their room while Annie takes a sigh of relief.

25 minutes later…

The duo finished dusting their room and the living room, quickly getting to stuffing their picnic basket with some snacks and other items that, she assumed, were for playing around. At the door, the two briefly said bid their farewells before skipping toward the wooded area. Locking the front door, Annie slowly turns her face to the camera capturing her contemplation. "… How the hell am I supposed to pick a better spot for some of these…" Her hands automatically reaching for the broom, she mindlessly sweeps as she contemplates new spots to hide the cameras.

KITCHEN CAMERA FEED: STOPPED — SAVING FOOTAGE TO "AnnEdi_USB_Drive" …

She had disconnected the kitchen camera, successfully obtaining it unharmed as she paced around the kitchen to find its new spot that wouldn't be so out-in-the-open. "Uh… Where's a spot that can capture visual but isn't so easy to spot?" The camera in her hand was about as big as a golf ball, one side flat in order to provide accessibility to wiring and an off/on switch. Although she knew they were less likely to be spotted thanks to their size, she didn't want to jinx herself considering these two prefer knowing the ins and outs of wherever they're living like the back of their hand. Scanning the kitchen, she picked a few spots that seemed ideal: between the fridge and stove, wedged between some of the logs supporting the counters, or placing it next to the overhead light.

"It's probably better putting it with the overhead light since it's already got a cover, but Abed's sensitivity to bright lights could mean a slightly worse capture, but maybe they'll install some lamps to use." She walks over to grab a step stool, carefully squeezing in the camera behind the lightbulb. Her next spot of inspection: the living room location. She'd placed it on one of the supporting beams up top, and looking at it again, she felt it was a little too out in the open. "Hmm, maybe putting it in front or next to the chairs would be better? Let's see the den…"

Checking every possible nook and cranny, she decided to put the camera in place of an eyeball on a mounted deer head. Some of the decorations they brought were turning in her favor, and thanks to that coincidence, they were less likely to check them ever again. And now, her last two concerns: the bathroom and bedroom cameras. "Bathroom should be moved closer to the wedge between the door and top of the cabinet, but bedroom…" As she walked over to the bathroom, opening the cabinet and taking out the camera, she continued to contemplate aloud.

"Mmm, now that I look at this layout, I could do something that'd be a little more preferable. But I'm not gonna wanna see their junk…" She stared into the bathroom mirror, imagining a way to hide the camera…

10 minutes later…

Annie had successfully taken off the bathroom mirror, thanking whoever installed it since the mirror was a few inches away from the wall in order to accommodate the lights outlining its frame. She took a look at the mirror from behind, noting that it worked like one you'd find in a police station. "Hopefully this cabin isn't haunted… if this was already here before I found it, maybe they got rid of some hole that used to be here in a freakshow murder case." Installing the camera onto the wall, she quickly reapplied the mirror with a drill she found in the duo's toolbox. A few feet away, stepping into their bedroom, she takes the camera hidden underneath the desk. "Let's see… Something this small can really only be hidden in a space between furniture or somewhere they wouldn't think twice about: both of which aren't ideal to capture video footage…" Looking at the floor plan, she works up a plan.

"Okay, uh, this probably isn't the best idea but maybe if I only record audio in their room and only record visuals somewhere else, it could work!" She deflatedly laughs as she slowly disconnects the microphone from the camera, placing it behind the bedframe in the crevice between the top bunk and the wall. Walking out into the hallway, she tries to figure out where to place the last camera. "Let's see; the kitchen, bathroom, and hallway are covered, and now the bedroom is pure audio… Maybe I can convince them to know about this one with the guise that it's for security and place it outside on the front porch above the doorbell?" She checks her phone, the two have been outside for over half an hour. "That could work, and that way at least they won't question one camera."

A few moments later…

The clock had shown 12:13, Annie was resting after doing her promised deep cleaning and awaited the return of the esteemed duo. Watching outside the window, she took out her laptop from her backpack, opening it to check how the new placement was doing for capturing footage. Luckily, everything seemed to be in working order, the now separated microphone and camera operating as expected. She still has all the cameras programmed to save the footage at their intervals she'd assigned prior to their relocations, but the handful of footage lost would be noted when it saves in a few hours and the archived records miss somewhere around 30-40 minutes of lost footage.

As she checked up each camera, ending her check with the new front door camera, she noticed the image of the duo coming out of the woods, seemingly slightly tussled and out of breath. Going outside, the micless camera picks up their interaction, the conversation truly being heard via the hallway camera as they enter altogether, Annie's voice cutting the silent cabin with "… and you seriously didn't think it'd get you hurt in the end?! Obviously skipping on rocky terrain isn't the best idea! Lemme just snatch the first aid I brought, it's just gonna take a sec to cover that scratch." A few more moments pass by as the cameras watch her patching up Troy and Abed and briefly advising them of their new security camera outside, shortly thereafter bidding them goodbye and sternly telling them to try not to go through their supplies quickly before her next visit.

And just like that, the two were left with their lonesome once more, the cameras watching as they get back to going along with their own schedule.

CAMERA FEED: LIVING ROOM - 1:37 PM

Adjusting to its new perspective, the camera could comfortably view the entire living room den area, both lounge chairs front and center where the coffee table and mounted TV could be seen in the peripheral vision. The duo were seen checking out their newly refurbished cabin, looking at the free groceries and gawking at how clean it became. "Wow dude, she really got us hooked on supplies for a week huh?" Troy's excitement rang as he checked out the pantry and fridge, practically drooling from how much they'd been provided. "Do you think we can make a proper picnic dinner with this stuff?" Abed quietly hummed, replying with a short, "Definitely" before his figure moved around and started looking around with an arched brow.

Troy stopped snooping in the pantry and walked up to Abed, asking "What's up?" Abed slowly looks around, his eyes scanning every inch of the living room before landing directly on the mounted decorations, stating "Something's off."

Chapter Text

On the typically neat paper lie hurried words, reading:

"I was reviewing the footage from yesterday and oh God was it really that obvious? what the hell am I supposed to do if they ask about it? Seems like Abed didn't do much after noticing a change but.. My whole plan will be ruined if they make me come clean please god don't let them make me have to choose something else when I already stuck with the plan for three days…

I'll just have to wait and see, logbook…"

The camera had continued recording in it's new location of the deers eye, capturing a slightly disoriented Abed making his way directly in front of the mounted decoration. Abed was staring intensely at the mounted deer decor, his eyes somewhat widened as he seemed to figure out what he was discovering in front of him.

As he continued to stare, Troy joined him, staring at the decoration before his eyes moved on to the surrounding decor, mumbling "Y'know, these heads really bring the whole crazy-hunter-cabin feel together, huh?" Abed nodded, putting a hand over his mouth as he seemed to mumble to himself, inaudible to the camera. Troy's attention seemed to be caught by his pensive state, asking "You thinking of something for the week?" Abed's eyes flickered between the camera and Troy before he briefly said "Yeah, I'm thinking about that picnic dinner you mentioned earlier. You think we can star gaze while eating this time?" Troy nodded, bouncing on his heels as he replied "Yooo, that'd be so sick! It'd be like Super Mario Galaxy!"

As Troy kept rambling on, Abed's eye lingered on the camera for a second before guiding himself and Troy to the kitchen for breakfast and morning activities. Making eggs and bacon, the duo's morning began.

Annie's Logbook - 10:17 AM

Seems like Abed abstained from pointing out that there was a camera in the deer head. Is he plotting something? He's probably (for sure) going to ask me what that's about and if I knew about it. I can't just say I didn't know because he immediately felt a difference after I "cleaned up". Maybe he wants to play around with the cameras for some kind of movie scene recreation? This is giving me a migraine… I'll just wait for him to reach out to me instead of outing myself.

Troy and Abed were wrapping up their plans for the week, Troy briefly going to the restroom while Abed sat in silence, now taking a long hard look around the kitchen. Scanning every inch of the kitchen from wall to counter, his eyes seemed to soften as he couldn't find a hidden camera. As the camera continued to record, he slowly tilted his head upwards, his eyes intensely staring at the overhead light. Squinting, his expression turns into a deadpan, blandly stating "Very clever, Edison. Very clever…" Shortly thereafter, Troy comes back from his bathroom break, proudly exclaiming "I think I just lost a couple pounds in there! Anyways, what do you wanna do today for lunch, Abed?" Abed simply said "Let's watch some classic movies tonight, like Mission Impossible. That good with you?" Troy excitedly nods, jumping onto his destined sofa chair, awaiting Abed's initiation.

Abed glared at the camera before going to the den to join his other half, grabbing the dvd and placing it into their dvd player, sitting on his chair and staring at the camera while the predecessing commercials were skipped by Troy. As the movie finally played, he relaxed in his chair and attempted to focus on the movie, the camera continuing to record beknownst to him.

The movie had just finished, Troy sipping on the last of his fruit punch-flavored Kool-Aid, and Abed finishing with the popcorn. "Wow, I didn't think this movie was this long. I always remember it being shorter, y'know?" Abed nods as he adds "And it always feels like it's crazy by the time it's the second half? Yeah, that's what always goes through my head whenever we rewatch it." Troy sheepishly smiles as he responds "Get outta my brain, dude" while he gets up to clean up after himself and goes over to the sink to do the dishes. Abed stays in his seat a little longer, eating the last popped kernels and sets his eyes onto the camera, squinting as he mouths 'Why are you recording us' before getting up from his seat and cleaning his area, joining Troy at the sink and engaging in leisure chatter.

After they finished, Troy resorted to staying at the kitchen counter, watching videos while Abed went to their bedroom.

AUDIO FEED: BEDROOM - 12:48 PM

The sound of Abed settling on the bottom bunk was picked up as the sheetles rustled around. Another minute passed before the faint sound a phone call being made.

"Uh… Abed? W-Why are you calling me?"

"You know why, Annie. Were you the one who put the two camera's in the house?"

A beat of silence filled their ears, her slightly ragged breathing being the only evidence of life before she replied.

"I mean, I put up the one outside, but two other cameras? Where are they?"

He sighed. "The living room and the kitchen. I know you put them there because I didn't feel anything weird before you came by. Tell me the truth."

"Okay, yes, I put those there! But please, don't tell Troy and please don't get mad! I swear it's not for anything really bad, really."

He huffs, asking "What could you possibly need camera's in the cabin for?"

He hears her incoherently mumbling before settling on a timid "Uh, do you remember what I told y'all when I got you guys to sign up for staying here?"

"Um… Wait, no- again?! Why are you always dragging us into your psychology projects? Can't you get someone stupider like Pierce or Starburns?"

She exasperatedly sighed, "Look, just 'cus you learned I'm recording you doesn't mean I can tell you everything! Just know that you two were the only ones that fit my, uh, project requierements. That's all I'm gonna say for now!"

He dejectedly groans as he questioned "Do we have any other cameras other than the three I now know about?"

"If you really need to know, there are only two more; one in the hallway and one in the bathroom. I won't tell you where, but that's it."

Abed hummed as he contemplated to himself, settling on, "Alright, but Annie, you know I'm gonna ask for a deal now that I know this information, right?"

"I wouldn't have expected anything else from you. What am I gonna have to do for you to keep this under wraps?"

"After your supposed project is done, give me all the footage and equipment."

She sputters, "Wh- Huh?! ALL of the equipment?! I can't even keep a camera to myself??"

He scoffs, "I think it's a fair price for taking as long as you want sitting back and watching us for however long you deem necessary, no?" He listens to her irritated grunts as she agreed.

"Fine. I'll send you a message when it's all over." After a few more stern words advising Abed to stop himself from tampering with the camera's, she cuts the call, leaving Abed to contemplate what to do now that he knows they're being watched at all times. "So no camera in the bedroom, huh?" Scanning around the bottom bunk before getting up to inspect the rest of the room, he concludes she was telling the truth. "That's good at least… I guess"

Exiting the bedroom, the living room and kitchen camera catch his movements toward the kitchen counter, settling on the seat next to Troy. "Anything new on your recommendations?" Troy shrugged, "Kinda? Some guy explaining the inner mechanics of Air Conditioners keeps popping up. I'm pretty sure the AC School bugged me or something." Abed nods, joining Troy in watching some videos and silently staring at the camera with an almost solemn look.

Chapter Text

After that phone call, Abed hasn't tried anything. I'd like to believe it's because of my warnings but I doubt it's from that, he probably just doesn't want to mess up the recordings since he's going to inherit them afterwards. Ugh, why'd he have to be observant?! Whatever, as long as he doesn't actively bug me about what this is for and doesn't try to fool around with the cameras or himself, everything should still go according to plan.

Today I'm just gonna do my usual check-ins and hopefully, everything will be in line when I come back for my 5 PM check-in. Now the only issue I have when watching over live footage, sometimes I'll accidentally get into some sort of hostage situation. Abed just sits or stands and stares at whatever camera he knows exists and mouth words and phrases; some he probably came up with and others definitely from a movie. But, until then, I'll come back, logbook!

Abed was waiting at the door in his Inspector Spacetime cosplay with another picnic basket in hand, eyes occasionally glancing at the camera as Troy's voice could be heard yelling "Almost done! Hold up," before his footsteps quickly approached and his image came upon the camera's view. He was wearing his matching Constable Reggie cosplay, heaving as he caught his breath. Abed looks at his wristwatch, stating in a slightly British accent, "I believe it's time for our interdimensional meal, my dear Reggie. May you do the honors and open the portal for today?" Troy, almost as if he never ran, sprang into character, responding "Of course, Inspector! For today's meal, it's imperative we keep watch so as to not let the Blorgons catch us and steal our delicious feasting!"

Nodding in sync, the two opened the door and pretended to be sucked in by a vortex, contorting their bodies as they jumped past the doorframe, before they skedaddle into the woods, the front door camera capturing their venture.

~Abed's 3rd P.O.V.~

He guided them into the forest, into the heart of the forest where they'd found a perfect ditch to have their picnic for today. Although they made plans to watch the stars later tonight, he did something he never thought he'd do in his lifetime: spontaneously do something with no further planning. Luckily, he already has plans after this extra picnic, so it didn't send him into full panic mode. With Troy beside him, nothing seemed to matter, so long as they didn't completely deviate from the timeline he had in mind.

Arriving at the stone ditch, they slowly tip toed and set down the blanket; a classic picnic blanket he'd found in a thrift store last year that was a checkered red and white pattern with a couple embroidered birds and fruits on some of the squares. Then, they laid out their boxes of prepped lunches; three PB&J sandwiches, crackers and cheese, and a pack of cookies they brought to finish. For drinks, they made a gallon of Kool-Aid punch using some of the flavor packs Annie brought and some extra water bottles. Sitting themselves down, Troy takes a gander at the choices they made, saying "Do you think we should eat the sandwiches first or the crackers?"

Abed made a flat hum, saying "Since we're gonna be here for probably half an hour or 45 minutes tops, I'd say crackers first. That way after exploring a little bit more, we can munch on the actual packed lunches and head back afterwards." Troy happily took his advice, opening one of the bags containing their cracker mix. Mouth full of food, he asks "So, whuh do you fink the thky if gonna wuk wike later?" Abed handed him a napkin while replying, "I was checking an online calendar for potential nighttime events, apparently tonight's supposedly a part of an ongoing meteor shower. Wanted to come out for one night to make a wish upon a star, you know how it's gonna go."

He gives one of his smirks before turning to the bag and grabbing a handful, picking out a few crackers from his palm to calmly eat at his own pace. Troy wipes his mouth and leaned back, resting on his hands as he gazed into the sky and wondered, "Man, what else is happening this month? What if we saw a blue moon, dude?! Wouldn't that be awesome? I don't think I've seen a blue moon yet, and my grandma always said it's supposed to happen once in your life…" Abed quirks his eyebrow and tilts his head as he states, "Y'know, as fun as the name is, a blue moon isn't actually blue. It's a shame, but it's apparently from when an extra new moon would randomly happen in a season." Troy dejectedly hummed, "Aw man, why can't the moon turn blue… It turns red, it turns yellow! Not fair it doesn't turn my color…"

Abed stared at Troy's pout, tapping his finger against the gravel beneath him before saying, "It's not fair it never turns your color, that's true. It doesn't turn into my color either, green. But hey, some stuff does." Troy turned to him, his face blanketed with confusion as he asked, "Yeah? Like what?" Abed, grabbing another handful of crackers, continued. "Stuff like bioluminescent water, the algae, certain animals like chameleons, sea slugs, plants, flowers…" Before long, he had explained several animal and plant species to Troy about their colors appearing in things that may not be as big as the moon but still have an amazing color change nature. All the way until 3 hours had passed.

Looking around, the duo realized they'd lost track of time and food; all the bags had been emptied and their drinks had been drunk, leaving them in solice with their accompanying lamps, basket and blanket for comfort. "Oh dang, we should probably get back, huh?" Abed made an affirmative sound, "Mhm. We get back, put away the trash, and then start getting ready to watch the shower. Cool?" "Cool." Doing their handshake, they get to work to pack everything and head back to the cabin.

The camera's food had finally arrived, catching the duo entering the cabin in somewhat of a hurry and one half, Abed, staying behind do their dishes while Troy hurried in compiling their trash into one big bag. After half an hour, they'd made enough progress for them to discuss their dinner plans and proceeding to make the food for their nighttime rendezvous. They decided on packing some more sandwiches, this time some classic BLT's with ranch and ketchup for the person that preferred it, original versions of chips and spicy varieties, and some Caprisun pouches with a couple extra mixed candy bags. Going off to change, they switched their clothes to their matching pajamas and slippers, landing themselves at the kitchen counter once more.

"Abed, do you wanna take some pictures of the shower? Ooh, better idea; there any movie scenes we can recreate with the shower?" Abed put a hand to his chin, "Hmm, not a lot of movies with a meteor shower scene but there is a really good one from Your Name that we could try." Troy nodded, saying, "Alright, I-I don't know if I've watched it but if it's something you wanna recreate, it can only be perfect, right?" Abed nodded fervently, "You'd be correct in thinking that. But yeah, we should try it. You ready or need something else?" Troy briefly patted himself, looking around before hitting a thumbs a up and responding "All set!"

Grabbing their equipment and basket, they headed back outside, the front door camera watching as they walked together in stride, chattering on with no sound.

~Troy's 3rd P.O.V.~

Abed guided Troy back into the woods with their dim exclusively-themed lantern that they got at that Inspector Spacetime convention, made in the shape of a dead Blorgon's head, lighting the way to their little spot where he began to lay out the picnic blanket once again. While he put out their food, Abed quickly got to setting up a camera as well as taking out a marker and saying, "Let me put something on your hand first…" He proceeded to write down… "Hey, what are you writing on my palm? Is it for the scene?" Abed nods, replying "Yeah, the meteor shower scene I'm thinking of has this thing happen between the two main characters where they write down each others name on their palms to remember who they are to each other." He makes a couple marks on his hand, before stepping back and saying, "We're not gonna write it in the moment cus this takes a minute, so when we get to that part, just pretend to write on my hand with the marker." He took a moment to write down the character Troy was playing onto his hand, in different symbols than what was on his own hand.

They took a moment to enjoy the quiet of the night, only faint chirps and winds being heard as they ate their respective sandwiches and sipped their pouches of fruit punch Caprisun. Before long, Abed took a look at his watch and glancing at the sky, standing up and saying "It's gonna start soon," before urging Troy to finish. Though, it wasn't really urging, it was more so a slight peer pressure via eye contact as Troy quickly downed his sandwich and taking his hand to direct him for the scene.

"Alright, now you're gonna come in from over there," he points towards a clump of trees, "and when I say 'Mitsuha, where are you?', you'll come out and say 'Taki-kun, where are you?' Once we say that, we're gonna turn over to look at the shower and say 'It's half-light'." He guided Troy over to the spot he directed for his entrance, continuing to give directions. "Then, we're gonna have a small conversation which starts with me saying 'I came to see you… It was rough trip, you're way out here.' From then on, follow this little script I wrote up; that's the scene's dialogue. That way, you'll know what to say." He presses the folded paper into Troy's hand, walking back into the small open space and yelling, "I'll start the scene, just wait for my cue." Nodding, he awaits for Abed's voice to come through the ambient noises of the forest.

Waiting alone beside trees full of life and managing a silence he'd never understand to achieve, he looked at the symbols Abed had written on his palm. It definitely wasn't English, so he supposed it was Japanese. He forgot what Abed called it… it had a "j" in there somewhere. Looking at it, he figured that's just how you spell Taki-whatever else his name is. He should really get to reading or watching this thing. Then, as he traced over the symbols, he could hear Abed's voice cutting through the quiet of the glade. "Mitsuhaaa, where are you?" He gasps, quickly getting into the mindset of a high school girl as he quickly skims his dialogue before stepping out. "Taki-kun! Where are you?"

As he steps out, he sees Abed's figure dimly lit by their lantern as he calls again, "Mitsuha! Where are you?" And just as Troy tries to call out again, the meteor shower started to seep into the night sky, making their area light up and seem sprinkled by starlight. Seeing Abed make a little nod, he takes a breath before they simultaneously say "It's half-light…" They turned towards each other, the faint trace of a smile was slightly notable to Troy, and they stepped closer to each other, Abed taking Troy's hands and holding them gently.

"Mitsuha…" Troy's face lifts as he tightens the grip on Abed's hands. "Taki-kun… Taki-kun, you're here?" He gives a small pat and caresses Abed's arm before resting it on his side. Abed sighs, "I came to see you. It was a rough trip. You're way out here" motioning towards the thicket of the forest before turning back to Troy. Troy makes a curious hum, "Huh? But, how… I mean…" Abed steps a little closer, putting his hand to pause Troy as he cut in with his line. "Back then I… I drank your Kuchikamesake." Troy, in an attempt to follow the directions the paper provided, he gives a staggered exhale as he simply says, "Huh?" Waiting a few more seconds, he continues the dialogue.

"You drank that?!" Abed responds with the expected, "Huh?" Albeit not as taken aback as he figured the original scene would've gone. "Idiot! Idiot! Pervert!" Gasping quietly, almost as if in realization, he yells, "Oh and— A-And you felt me up when you were me, didn't you?!" Abed's face contorts with surprise and embarrassment when he reacts with "W-What?! H-How do you know about…" Troy follows the papers words, turning more to his right as he crosses his arms, sternly responding with a glare as he replies "Yotsuha saw you." Abed fidgets with his hands before bowing and clasping his hands together, clarifying "Uh, sorry! I just… it was just once!" Flashing Troy a faintly guilty smile behind his hands, Troy pouts before continuing his line. "No, it's the same no matter how many times you do it. Moron!"

After a moment passes, the shower still adorning the sky, Troy steps close as he points to the make believe ribbon tied around Abed's hand, muttering, "Huh? That's…" Abed turns his hand over, keeping the illusion before pulling out a real ribbon from his back pocket and continuing with, "Oh yeah!" As he unraveled it from his palm, he slowly brought the two ends to Troy's neck, whispering out of character, "I'm gonna wrap it like a bow since in the manga, he would've wrapped it as a headband but I think this suits you better…" before returning to standing straight and speaking, "Seriously, coming to visit me before we'd meet… How was I supposed to know it was you?" As he finished tying the bow, fingers lingering along Troy's neck, he calmly states, "Here. I've had it for three years."

Stepping back, Abed reassures, "This time, you hang onto it," as he gently smiles at Troy. Even though he didn't know the original source material, he was feeling massive "romance drama anime" energy, and he couldn't help but panic at the small yet loud skip of his heart he just felt as heat rose to his cheeks staring back at Abed's ever so calm face. Maybe he was reading too much into it or getting too in character. Attempting to continue the scene, he stumbles on the line, his voice meekly asking, "H-How's this?" Luckily for him, Abed continued acting out the scene, he covered his face, brow furrowed and eyes subtly looking to the side as he delivered "Well… Not bad… I guess…" Thank god he was also in character! Continuing, Troy gave a small stomp on the ground as he said, "Hey! That's not what you really think!"

As they delved into the scenes small fit of laughter, Abed turned to the shower, a few comets lagging behind as he whispered, "Mitsuha, you've still got things to do. Listen." Troy appears at Abed's side, saying his next words in a quiet panic. "It's here…" Abed responds in a comforting tone, "It's alright. You'll make it." "Yes. I'll try." As he trailed the comets slow decline, he utters "Half-light's already…" "Over." Abed states, suddenly only a few breaths away from Troy. His quiet voice cuts through the mild buzz coming from the forest, "Hey Mitsuha," taking hold of Troy's wrist, "so we don't forget each other after we wake up…" He pulls out the marker he'd previously used to write on Troy's hand. Guess we're at this part now… "Huh?" He spills to continue the scene. "Let's write our names down." Abed's hand subtly pretends to write before he hands it over to Troy, muttering "Here" as he lets Troy start grabbing for the marker before he remembered what the paper said: Wait for me to turn around and run out of view."

Right as his brain clicked back into place, he noticed Abed starting to turn his head. Nodding to himself, he sprints out into the bushes nearby, watching as Abed acted out the rest of the scene. Watching him from a distance, he couldn't help but think it looked like the character he was playing looked lost. Some words occasionally reached his ears, like "Mitsuha!" And "… in the world…" but he was honestly just gazing at the finishing star fall in the night sky. He'd never been able to experience a meteor shower, let alone with a best friend before, and this scene they were acting out… Something inside him started ticking, telling him the air changed despite the consistent density and staleness thanks to the nighttime mildew. He made his way back to their isolated picnic area, mumbling to himself "No, no, no no no, nothings weird, you're just overthinking this…" as he sat back down. It didn't take long for Abed to notice his absence, footsteps hurriedly approached from the dense woods and a mildly worried question lingered in his ear the second it hit.

"Are you okay?" His throat seemed to close even though he desperately wanted to respond with a chill "Yeah I'm cool. Aren't you cool? Nothing about tonight feels different to either of us, right?" You know what, that didn't sound like a real chill answer, so he mustered up the courage to state a better answer. "Yeah, I-I think I gotta pee real bad, though…" Truly a shame considering they still had some cookies leftover in the ziplock bags they packed, but curse Abed for being his best friend in that moment— he kneeled down to be at eye level, replying with his ever-so understanding tone, "Okay. If you still feel up for it, we can finish up the food during our nightly binge?" Troy's eyes flickered between the twinkling sky and Abed's patient eyes, pooling an image reminiscent of the sight they both got to behold. "I'm cool with that! Let's get this stuff wrapped up first then. … Race you to the door?" Even though they both knew Troy would technically lose, they nodded in earnest competitive energy.

"First one gets the rest of the popcorn packs," Abed quickly says as he takes a headstart snatching the basket while Abed quickly folds any leftover items within the blanket and sprints to catch up, laughing without a care in the world as he watches Abed turn with a smile before letting himself slow down to match Troy.

After the duo briefly get caught by the front door (camera decisively proving Troy had won by a literal second and a half) and hallway camera reentering the cabin, a particular half caught the eye of the deer in the living room; Abed was quick in succession to prepare their nightly binge, his hands nearly fumbling in every other action. The kitchen could see Troy robotically cleaning up the kitchen, putting away dishes and bringing out the rest of their unfinished picnic dinner on some plates and a few mugs filled with "special drink", setting it on the coffee table as he sits on his designated seat. Abed had finally booted up the disc they were currently on, scrambling onto his chair and skipping all the commercials himself before going to the episode selection menu to return to their binge.

Troy's eyes seemed to flicker between the TV and Abed's hand, inquisitive, but he ended up sinking into his chair, letting himself relax as the intro started to play. The camera was still being watched, not with anger as it had for the past 12 hours, but with a silent crisis not even Abed could articulate asides from a scrunched brow and frantic eyes switching between the lens he'd been glaring at and in the direction of the floor. Although things seemed tense, the duo made no move to acknowledge it, stewing in their binge routine and following their bedtime habits immediately after finishing the season they were stuck on.

After the duo briefly get caught by the front door (camera decisively proving Troy had won by a literal second and a half) and hallway camera reentering the cabin, a particular half caught the eye of the deer in the living room; Abed was quick in succession to prepare their nightly binge, his hands nearly fumbling in every other action. The kitchen could see Troy robotically cleaning up the kitchen, putting away dishes and bringing out the rest of their unfinished picnic dinner on some plates and a few mugs filled with "special drink", setting it on the coffee table as he sits on his designated seat. Abed had finally booted up the disc they were currently on, scrambling onto his chair and skipping all the commercials himself before going to the episode selection menu to return to their binge.

Troy's eyes seemed to flicker between the TV and Abed's hand, inquisitive, but he ended up sinking into his chair, letting himself relax as the intro started to play. The camera was still being watched, not with anger as it had for the past 12 hours, but with a silent crisis not even Abed could articulate asides from a scrunched brow and frantic eyes switching between the lens he'd been glaring at and in the direction of the floor. Although things seemed tense, the duo made no move to acknowledge it, stewing in their binge routine and following their bedtime habits immediately after finishing the season they were stuck on.

Ruffling bedsheets could be heard as the two settled into their respective bunks, huffed breaths picked up as they tried finding the perfect sleeping position. After a few minutes of silence and occasional shuffles, a quiet inquiry was asked.

"What kind of movie is Your Name?"

Troy's voice sounded a little hesitant with the way his breath seemed to stifle after asking that question. Laying in quiet, a beat passes before Abed calmly responds with, "I'd label it as a sci-fi mystery type of thing mixed with Japanese culture but some would like to consider it a romcom or a mix of that with mystery. But, it'll always have the genres mystery and sci-fi because of it's main event that's expected throughout the story." After a hum coming from Troy, he creaked the mattress, his voice sounding a little more muffled as he said, "I should probably watch it to get it, huh?" Abed sighed, wisply replying "Yeah, definitely. It's definitely something you should watch at least once in your life… Goodnight Troy."

Sounds of sheets being pulled and crinkled could be heard accompanied by small breaths before a sigh escapes a mouth, followed by a solemn, "G'night, Abed…" as a pair of breathing patterns continued to play against each other before one slowed to snores and the other slowed to silent inhales.

Chapter Text

… Okay, uh… logbook, I know this isn't how I usually start out these logs, but… I don't know what the hell happened yesterday. I went to go visit and I gave them supplies the day before and I didn't fail to notice the rising suspicion Abed had the minute they were alone settling back into the cabin. It kinda creeped me out seeing him learn about the cameras, and sure, I kinda folded and told him bout the cameras, but I didn't completely ruin everything! No, I couldn't have made this… stalemate happen!

This has to be something they've got going on that I just have no idea what caused it! Firstly, for as morbid as it might sound coming from a friend of the subjects, I'm glad. I get to have something to write about and expect more results to come out soon, either this week or next week, but secondly, their off-screen 'inciting incident' kinda messes with the process of doing this experiment. Alongside my classmates, I'm supposed to document what could possibly be the start of my thesis beginning to come true, but no, they just had to go outside and have whatever damn conflict that caused their sudden disconnect offscreen. Not even in front of the front door camera!! (It wouldn't have mattered if it has no audio recording, it still documents it…)

[A bunch of small dots decorated the edge of the page.]

Mmm god I don't want this experiment to ACTUALLY make them 'break up' as Jeff and Pierce put it. I have faith they'll get through this! I'm just not gonna dwell on my part in this potential detriment to their relationship because they might end up closer than ever after this! Yeah, the classic two negatives make a positive, that's more likely to happen since these two have somehow had more fights than I'd had in my entire life and still call each other soulmates (not to mention bringing the entire school to arms in wars that really were just covering up their own issues with each other before making up).

Hopefully, I won't be witness to murder or something worse with this plan. Until later logbook!

Sounds of heavy footsteps were muffled through the bedroom door, but the question of whose they were was quickly answered as a disheveled Troy came into view. His mouth seemed to be mumbling something, no audible words could be picked up, but as he moved into the bathroom, the camera was able to hear his lingering monologue.

"It didn't mean anything… Nothing in that sequence was real… I'm just having some weird freaky movie moment…" He absentmindedly did a sloppy version of his typical morning routine; barely combing his hair, only splashing water onto his face, and missing a couple spots while shaving. He seemed to realize his autopilot mistakes, heaving a sigh before shrugging and walking out of the bathroom, making his way to the kitchen and sitting down at the dinner table, laying his head on his arms as he gazes into the countertop.

The white noise of the surrounding woods filled the tape as distant bird songs and the occasional chirps of mammals rang out, accompanying Abed waking up. His slightly messy hair was the only thing indicating he slept as he walked in his typical rigid stride, making his way to the bathroom to do his morning routine. The bathroom camera was treated to the usual; he starts with a simple facial-cleanse using water and a scrub, rinsing it as he prepares to brush his teeth, finishing it off with a brief comb through his hair and—

He goes still, his face inching closer to the mirror before stepping back and resting his hands on the sink basin to continue staring into the glass. He contorts his facial expression, somewhat mimicking a stereotypical investigator you'd see in a 90's classic series and putting a hand to his chin as he sways side to side with a smug, inquisitive smirk before asking in a suave voice, "The ol' camera in the mirror trick I suppose? Nobody'd pass up an opportunity like that if they could…" he leans in, tapping on the mirror, "make it as authentic as possible, eh?" Shortly after his act, he returns into a normal stance, dusting himself off before leaving the bathroom.

Troy, still lounging at the kitchen counter, jumps as he hears "Morning" next to him, his stool mildly stumbling. He put a hand to his chest as he breathes, responding "O-Oh, my God, you came outta nowhere, dude!" Abed stood at the counter opposite to Troy, one hand resting on top while the other tapped against his wrist as he responded, "Guess I should've knocked on the wall." He knocks a knuckle against the counter as he moves toward the fridge, opening it to find the abundance of groceries Annie had left them. "What do you wanna have for breakfast? I don't really feel like anything particular, strangely enough." Troy hummed, splaying his arms across the counter as he listed out his thought process.

"Well, we had chicken nuggets and fries, we had buttered noodles, we had pancakes and waffles… y'know, we haven't had it yet, but today kinda feels like cereal to me, if that makes sense." Abed slowly nods, "The air is a bit stale, outside looks gloomy, but it's warm enough in here to feel cozy. Sounds like the perfect mood to have cereal to me." He opens the pantry and stares at their options. "We got Honey Bunches, Choco Crisps, and Rainbow Loops." "Rainbow for me, please!" He grabs the bag as well as the Honey Bunches box, returning to the counter and setting them to the side as he gathers bowls and milk. Pouring their breakfast, silence made the moment, Troy frequently switching his attention between Abed and his phone while Abed was wholeheartedly focused on his task.

"Uh, this might be a weird question but, have you ever had a really weird dream that made you rethink some stuff?" Troy's voice cut the dense scene, Abed seemingly being brought back to reality as he shook his head before answering. "Mm, I wouldn't say it made me rethink things, but yeah, I've had my fair share of weird dreams. Most of them involve us doing a scene of Inspector Spacetime and the others are… Not Great." He stops pouring their cereals, popping the cap off the milk jug and filling the bowls until it looked like an island for one bowl and until you could just see it coming up on the side in another. "What makes the other dreams 'Not Great'? Wait, is it the alternate timelines with evil Abed and evil Troy?" Abed makes a so-so motion with his head, putting away the milk and sliding the bowls to the counter. "Part of them are."

Sitting himself down next to Troy as he hands Troy a large spoon and takes hold of the small, particularly circular spoon he brought for himself. "I don't really think there's a way to explain them right now, so… cereal." Quickly scooping a spoonful before shoving it in his mouth, Troy nods, joining Abed in divulging their morning meal.

An hour and a half had passed, the cameras in the house had been sitting in putrid silence as they recorded the duo's estranged activities. Playing games, either on their phones or on the provided console Annie brought from their home, in separate time slots, munching on snacks, one on the couch and one in the kitchen. They seemed to keep a solid minimum of a 3ft distance between each other the entire time. Until finally, it came around the time they would start planning their lunchtime meal. They slowly made their way to the kitchen area, reconvening at the dinner table, where Abed put his hands in the position of what seemed to be what one would think a mob boss would position himself as while Troy sat normally with his hands crossed in front of him on the tabletop.

"So… we meet again." He calmly says, leaning back in his chair as he stares at Troy, twiddling his thumbs. "Sorry boss," Troy starts, in a notably terrible Jersey accent, "I been perusin' the haps in that there pantry for som'in' to snack on, y'know?" He straightens his back, staring at Abed as he leaned back and put a hand to his mouth as if he were smoking a cigar. "Of course… It's that time o' day, as you know. Now, what did ya find is the real question." "Some pasta, the ole chicken soup tins, and some rice and beans. What's it lookin' like, boss?" Abed leans on the table, hands propped up covering his mouth while one hand continues to act like a cigar is being held. "Startin' to sound like we're gonna have ourselves some pasta today. Hear that? Now get to preppin'!" He slaps the table, making Troy jump up and zoom to the pantry, gathering the ingredients necessary as Abed takes out a pot and saucer, starting up two coils and pouring water into the huge container. As they reunited at the stove, Abed quietly stated, "I think you should work on your accents again" before he went on his own to begin boiling water.

The camera watching their progress, recorded their quiet cooking, staying a mildly unknown presence as the duo made their pasta.

The eye of the deer had been watching them lounge on their signature sofa chairs, continuing their binge once again. Their comically huge portions of pasta on their plates had been sized down to mere spoonfuls by the time they finished the 4th episode. Troy got up, leaving his plate on the counter whilst he went to refill his cup, meanwhile Abed had paused the upcoming episode and picked at his plate, frequently glancing at the deer head. Taking a glance behind him, he pulls out a note and walks toward the decoration, acting as if he was admiring the composition.

The note had the words, "Call me before tomorrow. Important." He quickly goes back to sitting on his chair and patiently waits as Troy returns their container of juice in the fridge before speedwalking back to his sofa chair. "Sorry, I kinda spilled while I poured it. Don't worry though, I cleaned it up." Settling back in, Abed gives a quick nod as he presses play, the intro sped up as they try to get to the meat of the episode.

The door had been shut, the muffled noise of running water in the background while some clutter was made before the sound of a ring could be heard. After a few more moments, a voice finally rang out.

"Abed, why'd you wanna call? By the way, I just got out of class, sorry for making you wait."

He sighs, responding succinctly, "That's fine. I know your schedule by now. I need to tell you that there may have been a complication."

A beat of silence before she asks, "Was it while you guys were outside for your nighttime picnic?" He hums in affirmation, "Yeah, most likely. The problem is that… I don't know what happened." She scoffs, "How could you not know? You were there! You're always together!"

The sheets shuffled around, "Look, I had a scene reenactment idea, we were doing it, and the scene called for us to be separated in the second half, it's an integral part of the whole scene. But anyways, I don't know what was going on while I was finishing the scene, but he must've experienced something in the woods." His breath became slightly harsh as he sighed, "I'm concerned he's going into psychosis from being cooped up in here. Is there any way we can have a day out?"

Annie gives a long, disgruntled sigh, mumbling before saying with a slightly remorseful tone, "Sorry Abed, but I can't let you two go outside, no matter what. I'm still not gonna explain everything about why you're there, but just know you guys can't leave for any reason except emergencies." As Abed took a breath, she quickly cut him off, "And that doesn't mean you can leave for new movies, new consoles, cafes, expos, or group hangouts." His breath dissipates, quietly resigning with a short, "Okay."

"Look, the most I can do is bring y'all stuff, but nothing bigger than a console and one that isn't new! I can let you borrow my consoles or get others from your apartment." She quickly mutters as the sound of rustling papers jostle on the receiver end. He hums in contemplation, "But when are you gonna give it to us? Because, even though I'll be okay for the next 4 days Ike this, I don't think Troy's gonna be able to keep it together without something to latch onto."

He hears what he could assume was tapping against a desk before she replied in a stale, "In that case, I might be able to squeeze in a visit tomorrow, but it'll have to be to be before 5 PM, I've got stuff to do then."

"Okay, sounds good. Thanks." But before he cut the call, she suddenly yelled, "Wait!" His breathing was the only audible noise until she spoke again. "You… don't have anything to do with him acting weird today, right?" He exhales quickly, stating in a stern, "Of course not. If I was, he'd tell me. That was part of our deal when we became best friends." She sighed, her voice a little distant as she wearily replied, "Okay, you don't have to remind me. We all know how good of friends you guys are. I was just checking."

A beat of silence passed, and just as he debated asking if they were done, she whispered, "Maybe watch him for the next 24 hours if you are the reason he's acting like that." Before a retort could reach his lips, she hung up, the dial tone deafening as the sound of water had come to a stop alongside the phone call. Huffing, he mutters, "Figures she'd say that…" Silence filled the air until the sound of the door being opened and closed signaled his leave.

A towel dried Troy stood in front of the mirror, unknowingly starting directly into the camera hidden behind the glass. He sighs, hanging his towel across his shoulders as he slouches toward the basin. "Sigh It kinda made me feel better, but I'm still kinda confused. Why does it feel weird to be around or even think about him now?" He stares into the mirror, eyes moving ever so slightly as if searching for a face. He quickly covered his mouth before whispering in a slightly higher pitched voice, "Maybe you've gotta simulate something you both know to see if the simulation really was the problem."

He scoffs, replying in a playful tone, "Oh, you know what? That would be a good idea, brain, but what if it just makes it worse?" Back to playing the other half he quickly says, "There's also asking what that stuff he wrote on you meant! He seemed to think it was pretty important to the scene." He quizzically looks into the mirror, questioning, "Well, wouldn't it have just been his character's name? He wouldn't write something else if it weren't part of the scene." A few seconds of silence before he mumbled, "Or maybe the character did write something else…?" Looking at his hand, switching between it and the mirror, before settling with a proud smile stating, "Man, brain. Why can't we work together like this more?" He replied as his brain, "Not on the script, dummy." Nodding and getting to put his clothes on, he resides in silence before exiting the bathroom.

Abed had sat himself down at one of the counter stools, seemingly editing their session of simulation last night. A couple of seconds pass until Troy comes into view, settling on the stool next to Abed. "Shower's free if you wanna take one now. Whatcha doin'?" Abed shook his head, politely declining with "Nah, I'll take it later. I'm currently editing their footage from when we were doing the scene last night. I seemed to forget to factor in the noise pollution thanks to the slight wind we had, so the audio is kinda rendered unusable. No worries, though. We can always dub it over if you're up for it." He turns to Troy, facing the laptop his way to give him a look, pressing play.

Though the audio could barely be caught by the microphone, Troy's face contorted with confusion and understanding, "Yeah, I see what you mean. In this case, hear what you mean. Heh…" Lightheartedly chuckling while Abed nodded, continuing his line of thought. "Yeah, but we can deal with that later. For now, what are we feeling for dinner?" He clasps his hand as he rests them on the countertop. Troy put his hand to his head, a pensive look on his face. "I'm feeling… something soupy. We've still got pastas, right? Did she bring any of the smaller versions?" Abed stood and made his way to the pantry, scanning before saying, "Luckily she brought the best shapes; wheels, stars and alphabet. Which one do we want tonight?" Troy sighed happily as he said "Stars, for sure!" The two got to making their dinner, Abed on the soup and Troy on their drinks and extra snackage.

One hour later…

The two were happily serving themselves bowls of soup, accompanied by plates filled with varying snacks: chips, cookies, crackers, and a singular Jell-O cup of their favorite flavor. They make their way to their designated seats in front of the TV, setting down their food on the coffee table as Abed gets up to prepare their nightly binge. "We've got everything, right?" Troy nods, putting some flakes of a certain spice mix on his bowl while Abed put a few drops of lemon juice and salt. "Okay, then we'll continue where we left off: Season 5 Episode 13." Switching over to the DVD menu and choosing the episode, the intro begins to play out, the camera watching as they dedicated binge begins.

After 3 episodes had passed, during an intermission, Troy had went for a refill on his snack plates while Abed was refilling his bowl. Clearing his throat, Troy brought up a question on his mind. "Hey, Abed, what did you write on my hand? I kinda fried my brain trying to figure it out…" He gave a pitiful laugh as he waited for Abed's answer. "I wrote down what the original character wrote down, but if you want the actual context, he writes something that's not his name. I don't really wanna tell you 'cus you said you hadn't read it or even seen it. I wanna give you that experience instead of spoiling a part of the ending." Before Troy could think of a response, Abed quickly added, "I have the movie if you ever wanna watch it together." He scoops some spoonfuls of soup before returning to his seat, Troy following in quick succession.

Before unpausing the binge, Abed asks, "Do you wanna watch it sometime this week?" Troy turns his face to Abed, shifting his focus towards his plate as he contemplated aloud. "Well, on your scale, what would you rate the adaptation to the book?" With a pointed finger, Abed firmly states "Solid 9. Due to it being an adaptation and all, it's not gonna have everything the manga had, but still a pretty good adaptation." Troy nodded, saying "How about we watch it this weekend? Like Sunday?" Abed nods, putting a note on his phone. "Alright, back to binging the rest of the season. Ready Constable?" Quirking his head over to the TV whilst carrying his bowl.

Troy gathers his plate, nodding sternly as he responded, "Of course! Lead the way, Inspector!" The two return to their spots, Abed quickly resuming the footage while the camera caught Troy's content smile as he munched on a cookie.

Several episodes have been watched, the outro of the finale was left playing as the camera had been recording their reactions and mild chatter. By the time Abed had turned off the TV, Troy yawned as he stretched, scratching his back as he exclaimed, "Finally! I kinda forgot just how much that season goes on for! Almost as long as Season 3, just kinda boring." Abed huffs, lifting himself off the chair and stretching his body, a pop could be heard as he replied, "Yeah, Season 5 is really only worth it for half the episodes. The other half is almost unnecessary asides from pivotal character growth hidden in the garbage that was that subplot."

The two tidied up, putting away the leftovers, washing dishes, and returning all the bags and boxes of snacks to their respective spots. Their figures slowly trudged to the hallway and their bedroom door signaled their ending destination.

Shuffling sheets, the closing of a door, and more ruffling was heard until mild silence with only the sounds of their breathing remained.

"Hey Abed?"

"Yeah?"

"What was your favorite part of that movie?"

A beat of silence.

"I'd say visually, my favorite moment would be the meteor scene. It's probably considered some of the best animation in the entire decade. But personally, I really like the scene of the two main characters in a montage getting accustomed to their new lives."

A hum was made as Troy continued to listen to Abed's reasonings. "Well, can't wait to watch it with you, then! Sounds real cool."

A small exhale could be heard, "I promise it is. …Goodnight Troy."

Shuffling sheets were recorded again, as a sigh escapes before a wistful "G'night, Abed" was said as the two went to sleep.