Discretion (2/?)
Pairing: Jeff/Annie
Spoilers: Through 2.02
Word Count: 1001
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I do not own this show. This show owns me. True story.
Description: Missing Moment from Accounting for Lawyers.
Author's Note: Muchas gracias to 0penhearts for helping to beta this in the midst of epically long work hours. You are awesome bb.
II: Circumstantial
Annie stands with Abed and Troy, circled around a trashcan in front of the library. They briefly consider tossing in a match to destroy all offending materials but none of them are sure how flammable or explosive chloroform is (and drugging an innocent man was bad enough, they don’t need to add arson to the list of illegal activities for the night) so they settle for piling a bunch of wadded up newspapers on top of the rag and bottle of chloroform and then perform a complicated handshake to cement their promise to never reveal the details of what really happened in Alan’s office.
They don’t see Jeff saunter up until he’s standing a few feet away behind Annie.
“You know what’s weird?” All three of them jump and turn to him with looks of panic-laced guilt. “Right before I left the party a member of the maintenance crew came stumbling in, rambling about being attacked and chloroformed by a group of crazy teenagers. You guys wouldn’t know anything about that would you?”
He arches one eyebrow, glancing at each of them in turn.
Abed and Troy look side-ways at each other. Abed opens his eyes really wide and Troy responds with a single nod.
“It was her.” They both point and then begin backing away slowly.
Annie gasps and spins around just in time to see them both turn on their heels and take off running towards the parking lot, Troy falling behind as he cries, “This night sucks! I hate it! And I bought a new suit and everything!”
“Wow. Abed is reeeeally fast,” Jeff squints after them.
“Yup. Ha. Ha. Okay, I gotta go now. Bye.” Annie says in a rush, inching away from him.
“Hold it.”
She freezes and looks up at him wide-eyed.
“Jeff,” She’s trying to keep her voice calm. “I want you to remember that we did this for you.”
He raises an eyebrow as he takes a step closer, hands shoved in his pockets, and looks down at her with a tilted smile. “You chloroformed a janitor?”
“Weeeeelll.” Her hands twist together nervously as she looks everywhere but at his face. “It was an accident?”
“Oh. You, what? Tripped onto his face and just happened to be holding a rag soaked in chloroform? Yeah, I’ve heard that can happen.”
“Okay. I’m sorry! But Jeeeeff!” Annie stomps her foot, “What else were we supposed to do?”
He inches even closer and leans toward her so that she has to tilt her chin up to hold his gaze.
“Here’s an idea: nothing. You do nothing. You leave me alone. Let me figure out my own shit.”
“Please,” she scoffs, “Do you not know us at all?”
A muscle in his jaw twitches and she can tell he’s trying to hold back a smile. It triggers a brief little twinge of relief somewhere deep inside her chest - also, a comfortable familiarity in knowing exactly what to do next.
She sighs in exaggerated fashion and looks down at the ground, scuffs the toe of her shoe for good measure. “You’re not really mad.” Looks up. Flutters eyelashes. “Are you?”
Jeff shakes his head and scowls playfully, “Damn. You.”
The Disney Face vanishes as Annie beams and bounces up on her toes. “Admit it, you love us. You care about us,” she sing-songs gleefully.
“I can neither confirm nor deny such accusations.” He shrugs, “Maybe I’m still just using you guys to do all my homework.”
Annie rolls her eyes, “Please. No one believes that anymore. Not even you would dance in a pop-and-lock-athon just to manipulate us into doing things for you. It’s-”
She freezes then because Jeff’s gaze has slipped down and he’s watching her hands where they’re fussing with his tie and… they’re fussing with his tie? Why, why, WHY is she touching his tie?
And WHY isn’t she moving away?
Her heart rate quickens as they both stare at where her hands are now just pressed against his chest. After a moment, simultaneously, their gazes drift northward again, meet and hold.
Oh God. No no no no no. WHY? Oh, but his eyes…
For one brief moment it had been normal, it had been like last year - this easy little push and pull they had discovered somewhere around the time he called her out for being selfish - before pencil skirts and frilly blouses and the kissing and stupid stupid feelings that’s she’s tried to shove away because he’s GROSS but then this happens and…
WHY. WHY. WHY.
He’s looking down at her darkly and she licks her lips nervously, thinks about that kiss from last week, wonders if he’ll ever kiss her like that again. If anyone will.
She shivers and pulls her hand away.
Jeff clears his throat and glances up at the sky. “I should go.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah. I should-” He cuts himself off, frowning, and looks back down at her, “You’re good?”
Annie nods as he takes a large step backwards and then pivots on his heel in the other direction.
A suffocating wave of emotion crashes over her but she forces it away with a swallow.
“I’ll see you tomorrow Jeff!” she calls after him, hoping it doesn’t sound too much like a question.
He mutters something she barely hears. It sounds like, “Bye Annie.”
As he disappears around the corner she lets out a tiny shout of frustration and aims a kick at the trashcan.
They can’t go back. They can’t be the alternate universe version of themselves where that kiss never actually happened, where they are still friends who push and pull each other to middle ground, where she can still revel in the zipping thrill of being near him and seeing the possibility of want in his eyes.
No. It did happen. Tension and friendship exploded into awkwardness and whether or not anyone actually acknowledges it, everything is different.
Sorry, Annie Edison, you cannot have it both ways.
Damn his stupid ties.
Spoilers: Through 2.02
Word Count: 1001
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I do not own this show. This show owns me. True story.
Description: Missing Moment from Accounting for Lawyers.
Author's Note: Muchas gracias to 0penhearts for helping to beta this in the midst of epically long work hours. You are awesome bb.
II: Circumstantial
Annie stands with Abed and Troy, circled around a trashcan in front of the library. They briefly consider tossing in a match to destroy all offending materials but none of them are sure how flammable or explosive chloroform is (and drugging an innocent man was bad enough, they don’t need to add arson to the list of illegal activities for the night) so they settle for piling a bunch of wadded up newspapers on top of the rag and bottle of chloroform and then perform a complicated handshake to cement their promise to never reveal the details of what really happened in Alan’s office.
They don’t see Jeff saunter up until he’s standing a few feet away behind Annie.
“You know what’s weird?” All three of them jump and turn to him with looks of panic-laced guilt. “Right before I left the party a member of the maintenance crew came stumbling in, rambling about being attacked and chloroformed by a group of crazy teenagers. You guys wouldn’t know anything about that would you?”
He arches one eyebrow, glancing at each of them in turn.
Abed and Troy look side-ways at each other. Abed opens his eyes really wide and Troy responds with a single nod.
“It was her.” They both point and then begin backing away slowly.
Annie gasps and spins around just in time to see them both turn on their heels and take off running towards the parking lot, Troy falling behind as he cries, “This night sucks! I hate it! And I bought a new suit and everything!”
“Wow. Abed is reeeeally fast,” Jeff squints after them.
“Yup. Ha. Ha. Okay, I gotta go now. Bye.” Annie says in a rush, inching away from him.
“Hold it.”
She freezes and looks up at him wide-eyed.
“Jeff,” She’s trying to keep her voice calm. “I want you to remember that we did this for you.”
He raises an eyebrow as he takes a step closer, hands shoved in his pockets, and looks down at her with a tilted smile. “You chloroformed a janitor?”
“Weeeeelll.” Her hands twist together nervously as she looks everywhere but at his face. “It was an accident?”
“Oh. You, what? Tripped onto his face and just happened to be holding a rag soaked in chloroform? Yeah, I’ve heard that can happen.”
“Okay. I’m sorry! But Jeeeeff!” Annie stomps her foot, “What else were we supposed to do?”
He inches even closer and leans toward her so that she has to tilt her chin up to hold his gaze.
“Here’s an idea: nothing. You do nothing. You leave me alone. Let me figure out my own shit.”
“Please,” she scoffs, “Do you not know us at all?”
A muscle in his jaw twitches and she can tell he’s trying to hold back a smile. It triggers a brief little twinge of relief somewhere deep inside her chest - also, a comfortable familiarity in knowing exactly what to do next.
She sighs in exaggerated fashion and looks down at the ground, scuffs the toe of her shoe for good measure. “You’re not really mad.” Looks up. Flutters eyelashes. “Are you?”
Jeff shakes his head and scowls playfully, “Damn. You.”
The Disney Face vanishes as Annie beams and bounces up on her toes. “Admit it, you love us. You care about us,” she sing-songs gleefully.
“I can neither confirm nor deny such accusations.” He shrugs, “Maybe I’m still just using you guys to do all my homework.”
Annie rolls her eyes, “Please. No one believes that anymore. Not even you would dance in a pop-and-lock-athon just to manipulate us into doing things for you. It’s-”
She freezes then because Jeff’s gaze has slipped down and he’s watching her hands where they’re fussing with his tie and… they’re fussing with his tie? Why, why, WHY is she touching his tie?
And WHY isn’t she moving away?
Her heart rate quickens as they both stare at where her hands are now just pressed against his chest. After a moment, simultaneously, their gazes drift northward again, meet and hold.
Oh God. No no no no no. WHY? Oh, but his eyes…
For one brief moment it had been normal, it had been like last year - this easy little push and pull they had discovered somewhere around the time he called her out for being selfish - before pencil skirts and frilly blouses and the kissing and stupid stupid feelings that’s she’s tried to shove away because he’s GROSS but then this happens and…
WHY. WHY. WHY.
He’s looking down at her darkly and she licks her lips nervously, thinks about that kiss from last week, wonders if he’ll ever kiss her like that again. If anyone will.
She shivers and pulls her hand away.
Jeff clears his throat and glances up at the sky. “I should go.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah. I should-” He cuts himself off, frowning, and looks back down at her, “You’re good?”
Annie nods as he takes a large step backwards and then pivots on his heel in the other direction.
A suffocating wave of emotion crashes over her but she forces it away with a swallow.
“I’ll see you tomorrow Jeff!” she calls after him, hoping it doesn’t sound too much like a question.
He mutters something she barely hears. It sounds like, “Bye Annie.”
As he disappears around the corner she lets out a tiny shout of frustration and aims a kick at the trashcan.
They can’t go back. They can’t be the alternate universe version of themselves where that kiss never actually happened, where they are still friends who push and pull each other to middle ground, where she can still revel in the zipping thrill of being near him and seeing the possibility of want in his eyes.
No. It did happen. Tension and friendship exploded into awkwardness and whether or not anyone actually acknowledges it, everything is different.
Sorry, Annie Edison, you cannot have it both ways.
Damn his stupid ties.