Fic: Five ways Valentine's Day didn't go exactly as Annie imagined it would, Jeff/Annie, G
Title: Five ways Valentine’s Day didn’t go exactly as Annie imagined it would
Author: jacqui_hw
Fandom: Community
Pairing: Jeff/Annie
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Summary: Exactly what the title says.
Notes: Requested by ditchwitchbitch
As far back as she could remember, Annie had spent Valentine’s Day imagining some grand romantic gesture that was never going to happen. During high school she’d fantasized about Troy and how he’d stand up in front of the whole school and tell everyone that she was the girl for him. Then her first year at Greendale she’d actually had a boyfriend, even if he hadn’t been around to share it with her, and she imagined him coming back and snatching her up in his arms and kissing her breathless. Last year she’d thought about Jeff and how close they’d come, so many times, to nothing specific; but how if maybe she looked at him for a moment too long, he’d just grab her and throw her down on study room table, or the back of his car, or God, anywhere at all and just take her until she was a moaning, writhing, puddle of...
Ahem.
This year Annie has made a list of things that will not happen. She will not spend the day getting her hopes up about Jeff. No siree. She’s a strong, independent woman, and Valentine’s Day is just another day.
It is. It is. It is.
1. I will not receive any Valentine cards
Annie awoke that morning to the strains of Endless Love filtering from the radio and from Troy and Abed, who seemed to be doing some sort of duet in the kitchen. Annie lay still for a moment and reminded herself that she had no expectations. If she went out there, there would be no cards from secret admirers - or not so secret ones. Jeff would never send valentines. Not even to his girlfriend. Flowers, maybe. But not a card.
She rolled out of bed and picked up her brush as she passed her dresser. She stepped out into the living room and make a beeline for the bathroom, waving hello to Troy and Abed who were now in the middle of I Just Called to Say I Love You.
“Annie, would you like some pancakes?” Troy called out, just as she turned on the shower. “They’re heart shapes.”
Annie chuckled quietly and allowed herself to feel happy about her resolution. She could still enjoy the day and the usual fun things that Troy and Abed did to make her life, well, more fun.
“Yes, please,” she called back. “I won’t be long.”
By the time she emerged from the bathroom, Troy and Abed had departed for class, but there was a stack of heart shaped pancakes on the table waiting for her along with some syrup and an envelope.
She sat down and poured a generous amount of syrup over the pancakes, and ate half before she picked up the envelope.
Inside was a handmade card with three stick figures on the front, helpfully labelled Troy, Annie and Abed, and they were all holding hands under a rainbow. She grinned when she saw it and giggled upon reading the poem inside.
Annie finished her pancakes and took the card and put in pride of place on the dresser in her room, humming happily to herself that at least one of her expectations had been surpassed.
2. I will not receive any flowers
The study room was empty when Annie got there and she took advantage of the quiet thirty minutes she had while everyone else was in class, to do some actual studying.
Shirley arrived first and greeted her warmly, chattering happily about her morning with Andre and the boys.
“They made me a card,” she said, pulling the cherished item out of her bag to show to Annie. “And look, they even signed it from Ben. They’re good boys.”
“That’s so sweet,” Annie agreed, handing it back. “Troy and Abed made me a card.”
The look on Shirley’s face hovered somewhere between “that’s nice” and “your weird threesome will send you straight to hell and I won’t hesitate to say I told you so.”
Annie forced herself not to roll her eyes and shook her head. “We’re friends, Shirley. It’s a nice thing.”
“Of course it is, sweetie,” Shirley said with a bright smile and Annie pretended that she believed it so they wouldn’t have to have an argument about it.
Pierce arrived then, carrying a huge bouquet of roses, and Annie smiled widely at him.
“Wow, Pierce. Those are going to make someone very happy. Who’s the lucky girl?”
He stepped around Shirley and held them out to Annie.
“Happy Valentine’s Day, Annie.”
“Pierce,” Annie said, getting quickly to her feet as she found her arms suddenly full of flowers. “Thank you. They’re beautiful, but... why?”
Pierce shrugged and backed away to take his usual seat. “I saw them and I thought, Annie deserves something nice like those.” He shrugged and started to unpack his books.
Shirley frowned at him then looked at Annie who was just as confused.
“Well, thank you again,” Annie said and sat down again, burying her nose in the roses to breathe them in. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”
3. I will not be taken out for dinner or drinks
Everyone commented on the flowers. Everyone except Jeff, who acknowledged them with a quirk of one eyebrow and the beginnings of a smirk. Annie ignored him, because she hadn’t been expecting flowers and yet here she had the most beautiful bouquet she could ever imagine.
Britta, predictably, had plenty say on the subject of manufactured holidays and the commercialisation of romance, but Annie didn’t fail to see the covert glances she shot at Troy once they settled down.
Thankfully talk of anything to do with Valentine’s day was put on hold for a couple of hours and then they disbanded. Jeff left with a vague wave of his hand and muttering something about Capital Markets Regulation. Pierce and Shirley disappeared together to their Cupcake Workshop.
Britta slowed her packing down to linger a little longer with Troy. Annie knew the signs and tried to help by ushering Abed out of the room to give Troy and Britta some time alone.
“Why do they need time alone?” Abed asked, when Annie tried to explain it to him a minute later.
“Abed, you know why,” Annie said. “They have a thing. It’s cute.” She gave an excited smile, leaning backwards a little to see what was happening between them. Abed seemed to take this minute to debate the relative cuteness of the situation himself.
“Troy and I have plans for tonight,” he said. “Does he have plans with Britta?”
Annie knew for a fact that their plans consisted solely of watching Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink and Some Kind of Wonderful. But if Troy had plans with Abed, then...
“No,” Annie said. “He doesn’t have plans with Britta.”
Troy emerged a minute later and slapped Abed on the back. “Lets go, buddy. See you later, Annie.”
Annie waited until they’d gone before she hurried back into the study room to find Britta staring despondently at the floor.
“Britta?” Annie said. “Are you okay?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah, yeah. Of course,” Britta said. “I was just, I just...”
Annie nodded and put an arm around her.
“I know.”
Britta took and couple of deep breaths and then smiled genuinely at Annie. “Do you still have that fake ID?”
4. There will be no surprises
Annie thought, as she fumbled with the key in the lock to her apartment, that she might be a teeny tiny bit drunk. Just a teeny tiny bit though. Not like Britta. Britta who had given Annie her cell phone at the start of the night and said “Don’t let me call anyone.”
About an hour ago, Britta had wrestled the phone from Annie and slurred, “I jus’ wanna text him, okay?”
Who she wanted to text became apparent fifteen minutes later when Troy had turned up at the bar, bundled both Britta and Annie into his car and driven first Annie, then Britta home.
“Don’t be too hard on her, okay?” Annie had said as Troy helped her inside the main door of their building. “She really likes you. Shhhh.” She’d held up her finger to her lips to swear him to secrecy. Troy had smiled and nodded and left her to make her way up to bed while he’d gone back out to Britta.
“Abed?” she called out when the door finally swung open. “I’m home. Did you finish Pretty In Pink yet?” She dropped her purse on the kitchen counter and pulled off her jacket, muttering, “Because I hate that movie.”
The TV was turned off and the living room was empty. She could vaguely make out the muffled, tinny sounds of music coming from Abed’s ipod in the blanket fort, so she poured herself a glass of water and headed straight for her bedroom.
Where she found Jeff sprawled on her bed, fast asleep.
5. Jeff will not kiss me
“Jeff!” she exclaimed, which made him jerk awake and sit up straight on the bed, like a startled rabbit. He looked disoriented for a moment and glanced around, trying to get his bearings.
“Annie,” he said sleepily and then frowned at the clock. “Where the hell have you been?”
“I went out with Britta,” Annie said, as she closed the door behind her. “She was upset. Why are you here? Do Troy and Abed know you’re here?”
“Well I didn’t break in,” Jeff said. “They tried to make me watch Pretty in Pink, but...”
“I hate that movie,” they both said at the same time, then smiled.
“What are you doing here?” Annie asked again.
“I didn’t get a chance to see you earlier,” Jeff said. “I wanted to say... something.”
“Oh?” Annie said. “Is it about the Biology notes for last week? Because I know they weren’t as comprehensive as usual, but photosynthesis is pretty basic and...”
“It’s not about the Biology notes,” Jeff said, and slid to the edge of the bed.
“Is it about Britta and Tory?” Annie asked, stepping closer to him. “Because I think that’s fixed now.”
“No,”Jeff said and he reached out and wrapped his hand around her wrist. “It’s not about Britta and Troy, though I will say thank God. Maybe he’ll have to cat sit for the demon spawn next time.”
“Jeff!” Annie scolded and swatted at his arm. “What has that poor cat ever done to you?”
Jeff twisted his face.
“Well that was one time,” Annie said. “And you provoked him.”
“Are you ever going to shut up?” Jeff asked. “Because I had this whole day planned out and it hasn’t exactly gone the way I hoped, and I’d like to get it the really good part while I still get points for it being Valentine’s Day.”
As Annie found herself wrapped up in Jeff’s arms and kissed within in an inch of her life, she considered that maybe lowering her expectations of Valentine’s Day was the best thing she could ever possibly have done.
Author: jacqui_hw
Fandom: Community
Pairing: Jeff/Annie
Rating: G
Warnings: None
Summary: Exactly what the title says.
Notes: Requested by ditchwitchbitch
As far back as she could remember, Annie had spent Valentine’s Day imagining some grand romantic gesture that was never going to happen. During high school she’d fantasized about Troy and how he’d stand up in front of the whole school and tell everyone that she was the girl for him. Then her first year at Greendale she’d actually had a boyfriend, even if he hadn’t been around to share it with her, and she imagined him coming back and snatching her up in his arms and kissing her breathless. Last year she’d thought about Jeff and how close they’d come, so many times, to nothing specific; but how if maybe she looked at him for a moment too long, he’d just grab her and throw her down on study room table, or the back of his car, or God, anywhere at all and just take her until she was a moaning, writhing, puddle of...
Ahem.
This year Annie has made a list of things that will not happen. She will not spend the day getting her hopes up about Jeff. No siree. She’s a strong, independent woman, and Valentine’s Day is just another day.
It is. It is. It is.
1. I will not receive any Valentine cards
Annie awoke that morning to the strains of Endless Love filtering from the radio and from Troy and Abed, who seemed to be doing some sort of duet in the kitchen. Annie lay still for a moment and reminded herself that she had no expectations. If she went out there, there would be no cards from secret admirers - or not so secret ones. Jeff would never send valentines. Not even to his girlfriend. Flowers, maybe. But not a card.
She rolled out of bed and picked up her brush as she passed her dresser. She stepped out into the living room and make a beeline for the bathroom, waving hello to Troy and Abed who were now in the middle of I Just Called to Say I Love You.
“Annie, would you like some pancakes?” Troy called out, just as she turned on the shower. “They’re heart shapes.”
Annie chuckled quietly and allowed herself to feel happy about her resolution. She could still enjoy the day and the usual fun things that Troy and Abed did to make her life, well, more fun.
“Yes, please,” she called back. “I won’t be long.”
By the time she emerged from the bathroom, Troy and Abed had departed for class, but there was a stack of heart shaped pancakes on the table waiting for her along with some syrup and an envelope.
She sat down and poured a generous amount of syrup over the pancakes, and ate half before she picked up the envelope.
Inside was a handmade card with three stick figures on the front, helpfully labelled Troy, Annie and Abed, and they were all holding hands under a rainbow. She grinned when she saw it and giggled upon reading the poem inside.
Annie finished her pancakes and took the card and put in pride of place on the dresser in her room, humming happily to herself that at least one of her expectations had been surpassed.
2. I will not receive any flowers
The study room was empty when Annie got there and she took advantage of the quiet thirty minutes she had while everyone else was in class, to do some actual studying.
Shirley arrived first and greeted her warmly, chattering happily about her morning with Andre and the boys.
“They made me a card,” she said, pulling the cherished item out of her bag to show to Annie. “And look, they even signed it from Ben. They’re good boys.”
“That’s so sweet,” Annie agreed, handing it back. “Troy and Abed made me a card.”
The look on Shirley’s face hovered somewhere between “that’s nice” and “your weird threesome will send you straight to hell and I won’t hesitate to say I told you so.”
Annie forced herself not to roll her eyes and shook her head. “We’re friends, Shirley. It’s a nice thing.”
“Of course it is, sweetie,” Shirley said with a bright smile and Annie pretended that she believed it so they wouldn’t have to have an argument about it.
Pierce arrived then, carrying a huge bouquet of roses, and Annie smiled widely at him.
“Wow, Pierce. Those are going to make someone very happy. Who’s the lucky girl?”
He stepped around Shirley and held them out to Annie.
“Happy Valentine’s Day, Annie.”
“Pierce,” Annie said, getting quickly to her feet as she found her arms suddenly full of flowers. “Thank you. They’re beautiful, but... why?”
Pierce shrugged and backed away to take his usual seat. “I saw them and I thought, Annie deserves something nice like those.” He shrugged and started to unpack his books.
Shirley frowned at him then looked at Annie who was just as confused.
“Well, thank you again,” Annie said and sat down again, burying her nose in the roses to breathe them in. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”
3. I will not be taken out for dinner or drinks
Everyone commented on the flowers. Everyone except Jeff, who acknowledged them with a quirk of one eyebrow and the beginnings of a smirk. Annie ignored him, because she hadn’t been expecting flowers and yet here she had the most beautiful bouquet she could ever imagine.
Britta, predictably, had plenty say on the subject of manufactured holidays and the commercialisation of romance, but Annie didn’t fail to see the covert glances she shot at Troy once they settled down.
Thankfully talk of anything to do with Valentine’s day was put on hold for a couple of hours and then they disbanded. Jeff left with a vague wave of his hand and muttering something about Capital Markets Regulation. Pierce and Shirley disappeared together to their Cupcake Workshop.
Britta slowed her packing down to linger a little longer with Troy. Annie knew the signs and tried to help by ushering Abed out of the room to give Troy and Britta some time alone.
“Why do they need time alone?” Abed asked, when Annie tried to explain it to him a minute later.
“Abed, you know why,” Annie said. “They have a thing. It’s cute.” She gave an excited smile, leaning backwards a little to see what was happening between them. Abed seemed to take this minute to debate the relative cuteness of the situation himself.
“Troy and I have plans for tonight,” he said. “Does he have plans with Britta?”
Annie knew for a fact that their plans consisted solely of watching Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink and Some Kind of Wonderful. But if Troy had plans with Abed, then...
“No,” Annie said. “He doesn’t have plans with Britta.”
Troy emerged a minute later and slapped Abed on the back. “Lets go, buddy. See you later, Annie.”
Annie waited until they’d gone before she hurried back into the study room to find Britta staring despondently at the floor.
“Britta?” Annie said. “Are you okay?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah, yeah. Of course,” Britta said. “I was just, I just...”
Annie nodded and put an arm around her.
“I know.”
Britta took and couple of deep breaths and then smiled genuinely at Annie. “Do you still have that fake ID?”
4. There will be no surprises
Annie thought, as she fumbled with the key in the lock to her apartment, that she might be a teeny tiny bit drunk. Just a teeny tiny bit though. Not like Britta. Britta who had given Annie her cell phone at the start of the night and said “Don’t let me call anyone.”
About an hour ago, Britta had wrestled the phone from Annie and slurred, “I jus’ wanna text him, okay?”
Who she wanted to text became apparent fifteen minutes later when Troy had turned up at the bar, bundled both Britta and Annie into his car and driven first Annie, then Britta home.
“Don’t be too hard on her, okay?” Annie had said as Troy helped her inside the main door of their building. “She really likes you. Shhhh.” She’d held up her finger to her lips to swear him to secrecy. Troy had smiled and nodded and left her to make her way up to bed while he’d gone back out to Britta.
“Abed?” she called out when the door finally swung open. “I’m home. Did you finish Pretty In Pink yet?” She dropped her purse on the kitchen counter and pulled off her jacket, muttering, “Because I hate that movie.”
The TV was turned off and the living room was empty. She could vaguely make out the muffled, tinny sounds of music coming from Abed’s ipod in the blanket fort, so she poured herself a glass of water and headed straight for her bedroom.
Where she found Jeff sprawled on her bed, fast asleep.
5. Jeff will not kiss me
“Jeff!” she exclaimed, which made him jerk awake and sit up straight on the bed, like a startled rabbit. He looked disoriented for a moment and glanced around, trying to get his bearings.
“Annie,” he said sleepily and then frowned at the clock. “Where the hell have you been?”
“I went out with Britta,” Annie said, as she closed the door behind her. “She was upset. Why are you here? Do Troy and Abed know you’re here?”
“Well I didn’t break in,” Jeff said. “They tried to make me watch Pretty in Pink, but...”
“I hate that movie,” they both said at the same time, then smiled.
“What are you doing here?” Annie asked again.
“I didn’t get a chance to see you earlier,” Jeff said. “I wanted to say... something.”
“Oh?” Annie said. “Is it about the Biology notes for last week? Because I know they weren’t as comprehensive as usual, but photosynthesis is pretty basic and...”
“It’s not about the Biology notes,” Jeff said, and slid to the edge of the bed.
“Is it about Britta and Tory?” Annie asked, stepping closer to him. “Because I think that’s fixed now.”
“No,”Jeff said and he reached out and wrapped his hand around her wrist. “It’s not about Britta and Troy, though I will say thank God. Maybe he’ll have to cat sit for the demon spawn next time.”
“Jeff!” Annie scolded and swatted at his arm. “What has that poor cat ever done to you?”
Jeff twisted his face.
“Well that was one time,” Annie said. “And you provoked him.”
“Are you ever going to shut up?” Jeff asked. “Because I had this whole day planned out and it hasn’t exactly gone the way I hoped, and I’d like to get it the really good part while I still get points for it being Valentine’s Day.”
As Annie found herself wrapped up in Jeff’s arms and kissed within in an inch of her life, she considered that maybe lowering her expectations of Valentine’s Day was the best thing she could ever possibly have done.