Title: Three Approvals

Author: 2pennies

Rating: PG-13

Fandom: Ugly Betty

Pairing: Gio/Betty

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with ABC, Ugly Betty, the characters and creators.

Note: This is a three part story where three different characters will show Gio their approval for him in regards to Betty.

With the sound of the ding and the swish of the opening doors, Gio stepped out of the elevator on the Mode floor along with a few model-like women who were eyeing him with mild disdain and obvious hunger as he lightly showed off the largely wrapped sandwich he had been carrying. He was sure that none of them consumed half as much in a week in comparison to the size of the sandwich.

Mode girls, he mused.

Turning the corner, he was greeted with the sight of Amanda behind her usual spot in the round reception area filing her already manicured nails wearing an expression of complete boredom and loathing.

"What?" she asked him accusatorily without even glancing up. Gio rolled his eyes lightly.

"Could you leave this on Betty's desk?" he asked pointing at the sandwich. At this, Amanda glanced up thoroughly annoyed. Ever since Gio began to bring Betty her sandwiches when she didn't have time to come to his deli, this was the nature of their usual afternoon banter.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Princess to take away your precious, precious time. You're obviously very busy filing. Of some sort," Gio remarked sarcastically, eyeing her nail file. Amanda roughly set down her file on the table, raising her eyebrow at Gio with a glare. She hated the nickname he had branded her with.

"For your information, Mr. Fatty Sandwich, Betty is currently occupado in the ladies room. Been crying her eyes out all morning," Amanda sneered, rising up a little higher in her seat with a stiff expression.

"Crying?" Gio asked immediately. Seeing the obvious concern on his face, Amanda only became more disgruntled. She sighed dramatically.

"Her ex-nerd lover, Harry something or another, called from Tucson," she stated simply, pursing her lips. Gio's expression became that of understanding and sympathy, and Amanda noticed his shoulders slump downward a little. She wasn't sure why, but she felt something in her tug in his direction, and she loosened her posture a bit. She leaned forward motioning that he should do the same.

Even Betty gossip is some form of gossip, and all gossip is good enough for me, Amanda justified to herself.

"From what I could hear through the bathroom stalls – yes, I was eavesdropping, do you want to hear this or not?" Amanda questioned when she saw Gio's expression change from something wistful to slightly judgmental. Gio's curiosity got the better of him, and he gave the slightest of nods.

"Well, in between sobs and catastrophic nose blowing, from what I could make out, Harry whatever's decided to try and work things out with the baby's mom. Something about the right timing and the baby bringing them closer blah blah blah," she continued motioning her hand back and forth. His eyes cast downward as his hands fidgeted with the sandwich. Amanda was clearly displeased as she had hoped he would have shown a little gratitude for the information she had bestowed on him (I haven't even told Marc yet, she thought). Leaning back in her seat more comfortably, she picked up her nail file again.

"I don't see why she's still crying over that loser anyways. He's been gone for, like, a year," she said as she brought her attention back to her nails.

"It's only been three months and four days," he replied instantaneously. Her eyes shot back up to see him silently cursing at himself for his outburst. She rolled her eyes and shook her head. Clearly frustrated, Gio set the sandwich in front of Amanda a little harder than he had meant to.

"Could you give this to Betty when you get a chance to? Maybe even bring it into the bathroom if you have to?" he asked slightly above a whisper with the most sincerity she had heard from him. Eyeing him carefully, she set her nail file down again.

God, I'm getting soft, she thought by what she was about to do.

"You know…," she began carefully. "After Nerd Face left, Betty cried, like, almost every second." He knew she was exaggerating but something in the small softness of her tone made him look up. She took that as a sign to continue.

"Then, you started showing up with these calorie filled fat traps more and more. Hell, I even remember your name," she said as her eyes flittered upward. "It is Gio, right?" He smirked as she brought her eyes back to his.

"Anyways, all I'm saying is, well, whenever you showed up, she didn't cry so much," she said simply. She saw a flash of confusion and hope in his eyes.

I'm way too overqualified to be sitting across from Sandwich Boy, she thought to herself.

Gio stood there furrowing his eyebrows, attempting to decipher what that was supposed to mean.

She doesn't mean…he questioned.

Amanda sighed even more dramatically than before.

"So, maybe you should go down that hall, make a right, and then a left where it says 'women' on a nice pretty sign, and hand this to her yourself," she said slowly and obnoxiously, spelling it out for him while pointing at the sandwich that was still on the counter.

Gio contemplated this under Amanda's harsh gaze. He slowly took the sandwich back and looked in the direction of the hall. Suddenly, he whipped his head back to Amanda.

"Wait, I am not going into the ladies room," he stated. Amanda rolled her eyes and flipped her curled blonde hair over her shoulder bringing the nail file back to her fingertips.

"Please, nobody is going to notice you. Some weird kid named Kenny from accounting is the only person banned from that bathroom anyways," she replied without looking at him. Somehow, he took that as a bit of reassurance and headed towards the hall.

"Uh, thanks Princess," he said awkwardly but with a thankful expression as he took a few steps.

"Yeah, whatever," she replied as she took a long swipe across her nail as he turned back around. When she knew he was pretty far down the hall, she looked up to see him turning the corner.

"What are we staring at so longingly?" whispered Marc from behind Amanda's ear. Barely startled, Amanda turned towards Marc with an arched eyebrow but remained silent as she gave him a smirk.

"You know something in that pretty blonde head of your's! Now, tell me what it is. Is it good, is it juicy, is it absolutely delicious?" Marc asked eyes widening as he leaned in.

"Sandwiches," she replied with a smirk, eyes shimmering. Marc straightened himself.

"Ew, what?" he asked as his face contorted. Amanda leaned in again ever so slightly.

"Fatty Sandwich from the deli dropped by again to give Betty her lunch, but she's in full melt down mode after getting a call from Baby Daddy of the Year in Tucson," she whispered deliciously leaning back in her chair.

"So, I sent him to the ladies room to get her out of her funk," she concluded, clearly pleased. Marc's face furrowed in confusion.

"Wait, why would you try to hook up the sandwich guy and Betty?" Marc asked. Amanda's shoulders gave a small shrug as his eyes tightened.

"Hey…are you getting soft on me?" Marc asked incredulously. She whipped her hair in his face and gave him a look of disgust.

"Please! I'm telling you all of this so that you can go eavesdrop on them and get something dishy that we can use for the future," she said mischievously. Hit with a realization, Marc smiled and clapped lightly with excitement. As he began to walk down the same direction Gio had, Amanda called out to him suddenly.

"Oh and…" she began hesitantly. Marc spun around.

"What?" he asked curiously. He saw her fidget with the nail file that was still in her hand.

"Well, just don't ruin their fun," she attempted. He tilted his head in slight disbelief. She let out a small breath.

"He doesn't make her cry, Marc," Amanda replied as if it was the most obvious answer in the world. Marc saw the honesty beneath her reply and nodded in her direction showcasing a bright smile. He turned back around and headed down the hallway.

Returning to a state of semi boredom and only a dash of loathing, Amanda could smell the faint scent of bread. Gagging at the thought of carbs, she shook out of it quickly.

I'd more likely eat a sandwich than get an accountant though, she mused secretly as she ran the file through her nail.