AN: This is for the Gio/Betty challenge forum! Hope you like it!
This is one of the shortest things I've ever written... but I like it all the same. And I only read over it once, but please tell me about any spelling/grammatical errors. Much appreciated. I kind of HATE the title...
In unrelated news: OH, MY GOSH, HEATH LEDGER! I can't believe he's... gone! I'm so upset about it! It tore my heart apart. I love him. Gah. :'( The good die young.
Title: Interesting, Indeed
Rating: K
Author: MadiWillow
Summary: Daniel, Gio, and Betty reflect on The Hug in 2x12. They all agree it was... interesting.
Genre: Romance
Chapter: OneShot
It was an interesting hug.
Daniel wasn't quite sure what to make of it. He could see Gio's back and Betty's face. On the one hand, Betty looked quite annoyed, at most, with the hug. On the other, Gio's body language clearly pointed toward the solution that he enjoyed it much more.
Yes. Very interesting indeed.
Daniel had never been a fan of Henry. As Betty's boss, and good friend, he was slightly overprotective of her. Okay... really overprotective. He told Betty she was stupid for going out with Henry even though he was going to leave her. He still thought it was stupid, although he tried to keep it to himself.
But Gio... now, he was a character. Betty used to hate him. She even got him fired. But Daniel thought he could see something... a little spark, of some sort. There was something about the way Gio looked at her. It was different from the way Henry looked at her. Henry saw her as a whole; he saw all of her features work together to form the woman that she appears to the world as. But Gio looks at every single feature individually. He spends time appreciating all of them.
Daniel never knew he could be so insightful.
He was only half-paying attention to the conversation at hand. He kept glancing over at Betty, and at Gio watching her. Daniel still couldn't see his face, but he was willing to bet there was a smile lingering on it.
Well. He was rooting for Gio.
--
It was an interesting hug.
Gio isn't exactly sure what came over him. First, he initiated a hug with a woman he had very strong feelings for – also a woman that has another boyfriend. Secondly, he allowed himself to get way too immersed in the hug. He actually closed his eyes as her hair touched his cheek. It may not look it, but Betty's hair is very soft.
Yes. Very interesting indeed.
She pulled back much too early for his liking. He would've preferred to keep hugging for another thirty seconds, or a minute, or perhaps a couple days. Yes, a couple days would suffice just fine.
Betty barely even hugged him back. It was like he was hugging a Betty look-a-like doll. She kind of just stood there, then tapped him on back and stepped backward. Luckily his mind wasn't totally out of it and he actually heard her pleas. Otherwise, he might have embarrassed himself by accidentally hugging her tighter.
That would've been slightly worse than her yelling at him to leave and never come back.
Well, actually... no, the yelling would always be worse.
Betty isn't like any other girl he's ever liked. He's always liked Hilda-types. Tall, beautiful, fun-loving girls. And along came Betty; short, curvy, plain, and... boring, for lack of better word. And yet, he found himself more drawn to her than he'd ever been to someone before.
He felt eyes burning in the back of his head and realized he'd been staring at Betty for a good minute. He blushed and glanced down, turning slowly and seeing Daniel staring at him. Gio gave him a small smile as he walked past him toward the door, which Daniel returned graciously.
Gio got the impression that Daniel was rooting for him.
--
It was an interesting hug.
Also weird. Betty had no idea why Gio wanted to hug her. She hadn't set him free from prison. She hadn't acquitted his mother. In fact, she'd actually damaged his deli with a trash can.
Yes. Very interesting indeed.
Well, the fact of the matter is that Gio did want to hug her. And, though slightly puzzled, she obliged. She only let it last about five seconds though. There was only one person she liked hugging intimately, and she got the vibe as soon as she got very near to Gio that he was going for intimacy. She lightly tapped him as soon as she felt they'd hugged long enough.
Like, right when their clothes made contact.
She pulled away and gave him a rushed smile. She wasn't too concerned with Gio at that moment in time. What was really on her mind was Claire, and her acquittal. She'd set an innocent woman free, and that elated emotion was filling her very veins.
Betty turned away from Gio and hugged Claire tightly, for what felt like the thousandth time that day. Claire beamed at her and the two chatted for a moment. Claire then glanced ever so slightly to her side, a tiny grin tugging at the corner for her mouth. She tilted her head to the side.
Blinking in confusion, Betty looked around. She saw Gio slipping past Daniel, and the latter had a huge smile on his face. Betty glanced back at Claire, who was also smiling. Looking back over at Daniel, he caught her smile and nodded.
It seemed as if Daniel and Claire had reached the same conclusion that Amanda had.
And it seemed they were rooting for Gio.