History Main / ItDoesntMeanAnything

** In "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS4E16WhoAreYou Who Are You?]]", when Faith (in [[GrandTheftMe Buffy's body]]) has [[BedTrick sex with Riley Finn]], [[GoodPeopleHaveGoodSex his affection freaks her out]] so much she pulls away from him and starts babbling, "This is meaningless."

If this trope involves them insisting that a shared kiss didn't mean anything, the agreement will often be followed by a kiss. Nothing to do with [[WordSaladIndex word salads]], FauxSymbolism, DeathIsCheap, SpeakingSimlish or ThePointsMeanNothing.

* ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise''. T'Pol does this all the time during her relationship with Trip Tucker. Given that her emotional control is suggested to be less than many Vulcans, she's afraid of getting emotionally involved with Trip. This leads to a lot of BelligerentSexualTension.

* ''Series/{{Arrow}}'' has one involving a third party. In "Keep Your Enemies Closer", Felicity catches Oliver in bed with Isabel. He explains later that he slept with her ''because'' she meant nothing to him, saying it's best if [[ItsNotYouItsMyEnemies he doesn't get involved with someone he cares about]]. Felicity is clearly not happy with this explanation, saying only that [[ShipTease he deserves better.]]

* ''Film/TheLover'' is about an illicit affair between a fifteen-year old French girl and her wealthy Chinese lover in French Indo-China. Due to the social mores of the time it's unthinkable that two people of different races would fall in love, so they have [[ExplicitContent lots of passionate sex]] while denying throughout the movie that they have any romantic attachment.

** In "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS2E14Innocene Innocence]]", [[UnluckyChildhoodFriend Willow]] flees the room after catching Xander kissing [[AlphaBitch Cordelia]].

-->'''Batgirl:''' It was just sex for God's sake! It doesn't have to mean anything; it's not like we have to care! I don't care, you don't care! We just go back like it was, that's all!

** In "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS4E15WhoAreYou Who Are You?]]", when Faith (in [[GrandTheftMe Buffy's body]]) has [[BedTrick sex with Riley Finn]], [[GoodPeopleHaveGoodSex his affection freaks her out]] so much she pulls away from him and starts babbling, "This is meaningless."

** PlayedForLaughs in "Lover's Walk" when Spike moans that Drusilla has rejected him over his EnemyMine alliance with Buffy in "Becoming". "I told her it didn't mean anything, I was thinking of her the whole time, but she didn't care." Of course Drusilla is a seer, so she probably [[ObliviousToLove knew something that Spike didn't]].
** When Faith (in [[GrandTheftMe Buffy's body]]) has [[BedTrick sex with Riley Finn]], [[GoodPeopleHaveGoodSex his affection freaks her out]] so much she pulls away from him and starts babbling, "This is meaningless."
** In "Innocence" [[UnluckyChildhoodFriend Willow]] flees the room after catching Xander kissing [[AlphaBitch Cordelia]].

'''Willow:''' No. It just means you'd rather be with [[BelligerentSexualTension someone you hate]]... then be with me.

** A weird example in season 7; Buffy and Spike spend a night simply holding each other--fully-clothed, never kissing--and the action is shown adjacent to all the other couples having sex. The next day, they feel awkward about it and try to brush it off as nothing. That is, until Buffy gets fed up and they both admit ItMeantSomethingToMe. Once again, however, they back off from the [[LoveEpiphany implication]] that follows from that admittance.

One common version of this is when, for one reason or another, character A asks character B to pose as his/her boy/girl-friend or significant other. Usually ending up with both characters awkwardly ambling through being told what a [[ShipTease cute couple]] they make.

One common version of this is when, for one reason or another, character A asks character B to pose as his/her boy/girl-friend or significant other. Usually ending up with both characters awkwardly abling through being told what a [[ShipTease cute couple]] they make.

* Sagara and Inaba in ''LightNovel/FullMetalPanic'' pretend to be boyfriend/girlfriend to impress Inaba's friends. While they are "practicing", Kaname keeps telling herself that this trope is at work.

-->'''Lilah:''' Don't go making more of this than it is. I'm not one of the doe-y eyed girls of Angel Investigations. Don't be thinking about me when I'm gone.
-->'''Wesley:''' I wasn't thinking about you when you were here.

* Sagara and Inaba in ''Lightnovel/FullMetalPanic'' pretend to be boyfriend/girlfriend to impress Inaba's friends. While they are "practicing", Kaname keeps telling herself that this trope is at work.
* In order to protect themselves from a pissed off attacker, Keima pretends to be Tenri's lover in ''Manga/TheWorldGodOnlyKnows''. This is something he's quite used to doing, but when Tenri (and Diana) remember afterward it gets trickier. Fortunately, Tenri knows it was all acting, but Diana is pretty annoyed and tries to make Keima marry Tenri.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]
* In ''Series/{{Friends}}'' after Monica and Chandler sleep together for the first time, they insist to never do it again, then ask each other when they ''can'' do it again. A few episodes later, an unsuspecting Rachel sets herself and Monica up on dates with male nurses, and Chandler finds out from Joey. Pre-empting rejection, he tells Monica that since they're just goofing around, it doesn't matter whether she dates anyone else. She's clearly stung and admits she was going to get out of the date for him, but if they're just goofing around, she'll go on the date after all. They work it out by the end of the episode, whereupon all pretence that they're just FriendsWithBenefits is over.
** Also notably averted with Monica and Joey—Chandler and Monica are asked to explain exactly how they got together, and Monica admits that it was actually Joey she had been looking for with the intention of sleeping with him, precisely ''because'' she wanted something "stupid and meaningless". (Joey was TheCasanova, while Chandler had a track record of getting attached to women he slept with, even casually, and she was much closer to Chandler than Joey thus valuing their friendship more). However she found Chandler first and, [[HappilyMarried well...]]

* In ''Series/DoctorWho'', Martha gets kissed by the Doctor in her introductory episode. It's for plot reasons (he has to tranfer some of his DNA to throw off the aliens chasing him) but she does develop a crush on the Doctor...
-->'''The Doctor:''' Just forgive me for this. It could save a thousand lives. [[CelibateHero It means nothing. Honestly, nothing.]]
-->''(The Doctor kisses Martha, long and hard, then runs away.)''
-->'''Martha:''' [[PostKissCatatonia That was nothing?]]
* In the second season of ''Series/DeadLikeMe'', Daisy kisses Mason and then adds, "Don't make any more of it than it is."
* After Aeryn and John's first kiss on ''Series/{{Farscape}}'' they both claim it was because of oxygen deprivation and a stressful moment. They also used the stress excuse for the first time they slept together.

* In ''Series/{{Community}}'' episode [[Recap/CommunityS1E09Debate109 Debate 109]] the kiss between Jeff and Annie was strategic and joyless.
* ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'' had JD and Carla drunkenly kiss after JD spent the night trying to convince her to forgive Turk. They both say this immediately after and maintain it after telling Turk about the incident. In this case it really didn't mean anything, but finally made Carla realize how easy it can be to make a small mistake, giving her the impetus to forgive Turk for his.
* [[Series/{{Skins}} "It's only the drugs, right?"]]
* In ''Series/{{Smallville}}'', [[{{OfficialCouple}} Clark and Lois]] naturally do this more than everyone else put together. Throughout the first few seasons after Lois's arrival, they are VitriolicBestBuds, but do things that reveal {{UST}} at least OnceAnEpisode every time Lois is around. Finally in Seasons 8 and 9 it gets to the point where neither can deny it any longer. And there was much rejoicing, both in-universe and out.
** Chloe would also act this way towards Clark frequently in the earlier seasons, though she eventually grew out of her crush. They ended up as PlatonicLifePartners

-->'''Spike:''' What is it to you? This thing we have.
-->'''Buffy:''' We don't have a 'thing'. We have this.

* In Series/HowIMetYourMother, [[spoiler: Barney and Robin cheat on their respective partners with each other and quickly decide that it doesn't mean anything, it can't mean anything. This despite them having had two [[MomentKiller interrupted]] [[AlmostKiss almost kisses]] a short while before. Strangely enough, it's Barney of all people who admits that it meant something to him; Robin denies it and goes back to her boyfriend]]

Two people who are JustFriends do something that proves otherwise. Be it an AccidentalKiss, AlmostKiss, FakeOutMakeOut, KissingUnderTheInfluence, or whatever. Afterwards, they will simply insist that ItDoesntMeanAnything or [[ThatDidntHappen didn't happen]]. Their body language usually betrays their true feelings towards the situation, and one of the two will usually come right out and say "ItMeantSomethingToMe".

If this trope involves them insisting that a shared kiss didn't mean anything, the agreement will often be followed by a kiss. Nothing to do with [[WordSaladIndex word salads]], FauxSymbolism, DeathIsCheap or SpeakingSimlish.

* After an accidental kiss between the two, Kyohei convinces Sunako in Manga/TheWallflower that a passionless kiss doesn't mean anything and that she should just forget about it.

-->'''Xander:''' All right! Let's overreact, shall we? We were kissing. It doesn't mean that much.
-->'''Willow:''' No. It just means you'd rather be with [[BelligerentSexualTension someone you hate]]... then be with me.
** And in the same episode, Angelus uses this as a BreakTheCutie tactic on Buffy, who isn't yet aware he turned evil after TheirFirstTime.
-->'''Angelus:''' Lighten up. It was a good time. It doesn't mean like we have to make a big deal.\\

* Danny and Sam from ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'' and their FakeOutMakeOut to fool TheHunter Valerie. They obviously felt something, but deny it. [[WillTheyOrWontThey This continues on throughout the rest of the series]].

* In ''Series/DoctorWho'', Martha gets kissed by the Doctor in her introductory episode. It's a genetic transfer, but she does develop a crush on him...

* In ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', Buffy used this defense with Spike after their first kiss, second kiss, and... the rest of their [[DestructiveRomance "relationship".]]

* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheKillingJoke''. After Barbara Gordon/Batgirl has sex with Batman, she argues that they can go back to their previous student/mentor relationship. Batman thinks otherwise, and it breaks up their partnership.
-->'''Batgirl:''' It was just sex for God's sake! It doesn't have to mean anything; it's not like we have to care! I don't care, you don't care! We just go back like it was, that's all!