TophAbe

TophAbe is the slash ship between Abe Lincoln and Topher Bus from the Clone High fandom.

Season 2
LET'S TRY THIS AGAIN

The new clones host a Unity Week at the high school to reacclimate the original students to the current school culture. The first event of Unity Week is "Walk a Mile in Someone Else's Shoes," where students literally swap shoes with each other and walk a mile around the school track. Abe and Topher switch shoes, and Topher educates Abe as they walk together about the differences in language and politics in 2023 as opposed to 2003, emphasizing that there are a lot of different words and phrases that Abe is saying that he's not allowed to say anymore. Topher finally drags Abe to the side to tell Abe that he's the clone of Christopher Columbus, but that he changed his name to Topher Bus instead because of the problematic nature of his clone father.

SLEEPOVER

Abe asks Joan if she wants to see his lighthouse impression. She runs off because she is avoiding Abe after having an embarrassing sex dream about him in the middle of class. He turns to leave when Topher jumps out of a locker, scaring Abe. Topher says that he heard about Abe's lighthouse impression and that he loves lighthouses. Abe asks if he really does, and Topher says that he was lying. He explains that his therapist told him that he needs to have three social interactions a month to keep him from being put back in an asylum. He then segues into asking Abe if he wants to hang out later. Abe looks scared but hesitantly agrees to the invitation.

That night, Abe shows up to Topher's house to hang out. Topher's foster mother tells Abe to come in, and Topher is clearly annoyed by her. Abe walks in and Topher's foster mother asks if he wants something to drink. Abe politely declines and Topher yells at her to back off before grabbing Abe's hand and leading him upstairs to his room, telling him that he found cool stuff they can watch online. Upstairs, Topher is on FlipFlop on his computer arguing with someone the audience knows is JFK. Abe is sitting on his bed watching from afar but clearly uninterested. As Topher gets steadily angrier, Abe suggests taking a break from the computer, but Topher yells at him that he's online. Abe tries to get his attention by looking around his room, commenting on the fact that Topher has a guitar and asking if he plays. Topher yells back that it was just something his uncle got him and to not distract him while he's online. Abe eventually comes up to Topher at the computer and looks at the horrible comment he's leaving JFK online. He calls Topher a monster online, and Topher laughs evilly. Abe adds under his breath that Topher is also a monster in person. Topher then celebrates, assuming that he won the online argument against JFK, by jumping on his bed and playing the guitar. Abe then looks as the account sends another message destroying Topher's argument and reads it out to him. Topher freezes and runs to the screen to see what Abe already read. He is devastated and Abe silently leaves the house, not enjoying himself.

SEXY-ED

At the funeral for Joan and JFK's relationship, Topher comes up behind Abe to say that he's glad that Joan is another woman free from "misogynistic courting rituals." It seems that Abe agrees, until he expands that he's more happy about the breakup because it could mean that he has a chance to finally date Joan. Topher is shocked at learning that Abe is interested in Joan. Meanwhile, The Secret Board of Shadowy Figures learns of JFK and Joan's relationship and say that pairing two of the clones together could actually be better for Operation Spread Eagle. Butlertron then informs Candide and Scudworth that the couple broke up. The three devise a plan to implement mandatory sexual education classes for the students to see if talking about sex will make Joan and JFK get back together to appease The Secret Board of Shadowy Figures.

The students learn about the mandatory sexual education classes and Topher and Abe talk at their lockers. Abe asks Topher how long he thinks Abe should wait before asking Joan about possibly getting together, since he still wants to give her space after her breakup with JFK. Topher just says that he thinks Abe should give Joan more space as he walks off with his bag. After sex-ed class, Topher lurks as he sees Abe walk out late from the classroom after being stopped by the teacher, Diane Grumbles. Abe sees Joan in the hall is about to ask her about going on a date when Topher stops him. He manipulates Abe into believing that Joan will never want Abe because he hasn't had as much sex as JFK. He suggests that Abe sleep with their sex-ed teacher because she's the only person who's had more sex than JFK.

Abe stands at the door of Mrs. Grumbles' classroom and says to himself that he has to sleep with the teacher for Joan. Topher, lurking behind a corner, also says that he has to do this for Joan, taking out his phone to start recorded and photographing Abe sleeping with Mrs. Grumbles without his consent. Abe ends up refusing after Mrs. Grumbles starts kissing him, but not before she dies in the act. Topher successfully gets multiple pictures of Abe and Mrs. Grumbles together, even while it looks like Abe is not enjoying himself. Later, at a party that Harriet and Confucius are throwing to cement that they are a couple, Abe sees Joan in the crowd of partygoers. He is about to walk up to her when Topher again stops him and asks him about Mrs. Grumbles. Abe explains that he can't hide his feelings for Joan any longer, and then Topher pulls up the photos of Abe and Mrs. Grumbles he took on his phone earlier, saying that he will show the photos to Joan if Abe reveals his feelings for her. Abe is appalled that Topher is blackmailing him, asking him why he would do such a thing. Topher explains that he needs to do it because he has a crush on Joan too, and he wants her. He then runs off as Joan comes up to Abe to talk to him, asking if the two of them could hang out sometime. Abe freaks out thinking about the blackmail and tells her that he can't, running off dramatically.

CLONE ALONE

The last day of Clone High is upon the clones, and there is a yearbook signing assembly for all the students to convene and sign each other's yearbooks. Joan is looking for someone to sign hers, but she finds that Harriet, Confucius, Frida and Cleo are all making out with their respective partners instead of listening to her. Abe is not, however, and says that he would like to sign her yearbook. He requests a full page to write out all of his feelings about her as Topher appears behind her with his phone, reminding Abe of the blackmail Topher is still holding above his head of Abe and Mrs. Grumbles. Abe freaks out and runs out of the auditorium without explaining. Joan is confused.

Candide, Scudworth and Butlertron perform a musical number for the students explaining the wonders of college, inspiring them all to desire to go to Clone College after Clone High. Candide finishes the number by telling the students that there will be an entrance exam for Clone College at lunch. At the test however, it is revealed that the test was a ploy to get the clones in one place so that Candide could put them in individual shuttles and fly them to an undisclosed location. From there, they are told that they must complete the "Death Maze" as their real test to get into Clone College. The main clones split into smaller groups to traverse the maze, and Topher is seen with Abe by riding on his back, wrapping his body around Abe's torso to be carried around. Topher is on Abe's back seemingly to keep Abe from revealing his secret feelings for Joan to anyone else, still pressuring him with the blackmail material. They are seen connected together as such until they are taken out by Joan in her feral state.

Fanon
Prior to Episode 8, the pair hardly interacted on-screen. The ship rose partially out of the uncomfortable dynamic between them and the massive height difference, as well as the knowledge of Topher being the first new clone that Abe had a conversation with after being thawed out. Episode 8, Sexy-Ed, split fans of the ship based on the new plotline of Topher blackmailing Abe with footage of Abe being sexually assaulted by their sex-ed teacher. The ship is the fourth most popular ship on the Clone High tag on AO3, and is the most popular ship for both character tags on AO3 as well.

Fandom
FAN FICTION