Title: Here's Looking At You, Kid
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Author's Note: This is my second Ugly Betty story ever. Enjoy!
Summary: Daniel worries about two things: his sister, and Betty. Meanwhile, an agitated Wilhelmina tries to keep Marc's mood at its highest, while Marc gets annoyed about Amanda's so-called Gucci.
Pairings: Detty, eventually. Marc/Amanda friendship.
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She always licks off the spoon whenever she takes a bite, he penetrates.
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She was eating a crunchy apple pie, whilst trying –attempting- to find a balance between eating and talking. Well, eating. Whatever she was doing on the stool in front of him, it sure as hell wasn't eating. It was chewing. No, biting. Absorbing. Okay, perhaps it was attacking. He wants to tell her she should take it easy, before she chokes between her own bites and he's forced to go Heimlich on her.
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"I mean, come on. Do you actually believe that those women think they're pretty? I mean, actually pretty. I mean, when they're in between a state of anorexia and obesity, namely a normal weight." Betty inquires. They were having another (heated)discussion about Mode's latest models. Wilhelmina hired a woman with a size smaller than zero, which was actually kind of freaky. Daniel opens his mouth, ready to tell her he concurs, but she doesn't give him the opportunity, shoving another bite in her mouth before continuing. "Don't they see they're voluntarily jumping the shark with this? It's proven that a weight under your BMI is simply unhealthy. How can they go through with this? How can Mode promote this?" Betty's eyes flash the slightest hint of fury when she promptly drops her fork and gives me a look. "How can you promote this?"
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Daniel almost misses her question. He knows she's rambling, and he knows exactly why. She's worried. That's it. She's worried. In all the years he's known her, he has learned that it didn't take a miracle to find someone with such a big heart the whole world could fit in. Well, maybe not the whole world. But whenever she hated –disliked- another human being, she had fair reasons and a fine share of empiristic arguments. "Uhm," he stutters. He knows his minds suddenly has to pop into overdrive to find a polite reason to this question. "Well, I'm not editor-in-chief by myself anymore. Wilhelmina has the ability to talk as loud as I can. You know? The last publication had an obese woman on the cover. I'd be lying if it'd tell you Wilhelmina didn't at least try to hit me all the way to France, so I could be, as she said 'with DJ again and everyone lives happily ever after'. But even though she was completely bent out of shape because of the whole issue, she gave me that one, because we agreed to share the turns. Of course, she did all she had to do and say something about it, but in the end, I was the one who decided to go through with it."
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Betty just rolls her eyes at this, and shrugs, her shoulders moving upwards and falling down again. It's a short, but saddened movement. Daniel swallows. "I'm sorry. But in this business it's all about compromising." he tells her, as he watches her playing with her fork, staring down at her remaining piece of pie, the nourishment impatiently waiting. "I understand." she eventually says, looking back up. "I know where I am. I just wanted to give you a piece of my mind. Besides, I'm only glad I have an influence on you."
Daniel quirks up an eyebrow, glancing back at her in surprise. "You have an influence on me?" he repeats, adding a chuckle afterwards. He knows she has, but he just loves how she always finds a way to prove her right.
"Yes," she nods, "you're no longer this, shallow and superficial Daniel Meade again. I mean, you actually know how to find your boundaries, you respect other people's opinions, and you're fun to hang out with."
"And all this because of you?"
"Well, even though this doesn't exactly appeal to this particular situation, but I'm not the one to kiss and tell."
"You're right." Daniel agrees, his eyes solely on her, "That has nothing to do with this. So, you're saying you liked me less when you first met me?"
Betty pursed her lips, her head cocking a bit to the side as she gave it a thought. "Not 'liked you less', per say. At this juncture, I like you more."
"So, you liked me less?" Daniel verified, a small smirk playing around the corners of his lips, as he watched her flush a little in embarrassment. He loved teasing her.
"I said 'not per say'. As dark is lacking light, dislike is lacking like."
"You're trying to talk you're way out of it." Daniel played along, feigning the look of a wounded friend. But there, he's found his line, as he scoots a little closer over the table. Not too close, though. They're still boss and assistant. He's discreet. "Don't worry. I didn't like myself all that much either, in hindsight."
She giggles. A cute, bewitching sound that hovers through the space in between them to finally flutter in his ears, as if those were expecting her giggle like a butterfly with a destination. He silently thanks God for his ability to hear, though just as quick and brief as he waves the thought off. Drifting off there, Daniel.
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She finishes the last bites of her plate, and quickly licks off her fork again, before rising and grabbing her purple purse along with her. " We should go, lunch break is almost over." she informs him, after taking a quick peek at her watch.
He stands up, drops a few dollars on the table and follows her out the diner. He's going to miss her rambling whilst eating.
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"I haven't seen you. Thought we were going to grab some lunch?" Alexis remarks, as she walks in Daniel's office. Feeling (only slightly) guilty, he looks up, sending his sister a look of remorse. "I totally forgot," he sincerely tells her, "rain check?"
She waves it off, smirking. "No hard feelings. I went out with some guy I met. Floor down."
And that's where Daniel's brother instinct hits him, as he rises from his seat, placing his hands on his hips and giving her a look. "Floor down?"
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Entirely oblivious to the raging battle that was arising in the office that was only a few feet away, Amanda was giggling like crazy with Marc sharing his thoughts on the latest fashion. Or, dare she said it, non-fashion.
"And look," Marc proudly presented his new watch, "Got it from Keith." Keith was Marc's new boyfriend, after Amanda set him up. She knew he was having a hard time getting over Cliff, but she was also in the knowledge that Marc always seemed to have a thing for her ex-boyfriend. "Oh, Italian!" Amanda squealed, clapping her hands together in excitement. "I'm telling you, if it's not Italian, it's not even worth thinking about."
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Another moment of watch-watching passes, when Betty joins the two. "Marc. Amanda. Have you seen Daniel?"
"If he's not in his office I don't care." Amanda bluntly replied, grabbing her friends wrist as she started to turn it around. Unfortunately, she twisted not only Marc watch, but also his arm. Eying Marc as he groans in utter shock, Betty pulls a wry face and quickly backs off. Amanda's enjoying it a little too much, it seems.
"That's it! I am sick and tired of you thinking you can control my romantic life!" Betty heard through the closed doors of Daniel's office, and immediately recognized the voice of Alexis. Knowing that she should leave them alone, she turned around.
"I'm not controlling anything. I'm merely sharing my thoughts on the guy." Daniel's voice was desperately holding on to a thin string of sanity, when Alexis once more, raised her voice. Betty spun around again, her agitation to hear their complete banter conquering. Besides, the fact that now Amanda and Marc –plus some other co-workers she didn't really know the name of- were now anything but doing their jobs, which was rather good to justify her own actions of pricking up her ears.
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She hasn't done that in quite some time. Perhaps even conveniently situated.
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Author's Note II: I hope you liked the first chapter! I will only write the second if this story is appreciated, but if I it, I will definitely put more effort in it.