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…