Two Sides to Every Love (Gene x Reader)

Chapter 23~ Healing

Last night when Gene returned from the hospital, he barely spoke. When I asked about his conversation with his mom, he was flat in his response, saying he just wanted to sleep. So, that's what we did. I was on the fence about it, but I decided to stay the night. In the morning, I woke up in his embrace. I had to get ready for work, but I stayed in bed a bit longer, taking in Gene's delicate features. His thick black locks of hair that needed a trim, as they were almost obscuring his eyes, his long, full eyelashes, his perfect pink lips...

Right on cue, his eyes fluttered open, revealing his sapphire-blue eyes and a child-like smile, filling me with hope that today would be better.

The image of his sweet face stayed with me all day at work, until I returned to his place in the evening. I freaked out at first, as he was nowhere to be seen at home, until I checked the backyard. He called out to me a house over, revealing him sitting around a table on the patio with Dante. I jogged over, causing Dante to laugh.

"You're like an over-protective Mom, Y/n! Next thing you know, you're gonna have him on a leash."

Mom? Oh you have no idea, Dante. I took the seat in between Gene and Dante. "I just want to make sure he's okay!" The idea of Gene on a leash did seem pretty funny, though. I shared a brief recap of my shift at the café at Gene's request, before Dante jumped in.

"F/n invited a few people to her and her girlfriend's place this Friday. Got any extra details on what it's about?"

It took every fiber of my being not to smile as I shook my head. "They haven't been living together long, so maybe it's a housewarming party." Which isn't a complete lie, as Sydney lived with their parents before finding a place to live with F/n. I haven't even seen F/n's new place!

"Huh, that makes sense. Man, I don't wanna go alone! It'll make me look like a loser...that's Gene's job."

"Hey!" Gene interjected.

"Do you have to have a woman on your arm, Dante?" I questioned.

"It's just what I'm used to, y'know?" A lightbulb seemed to go off in his head. "I know! Why don't you be my date, Y/n?"

I scrunched up my face. "No way."

Gene had a glint in his eyes, making my stomach twist. "What's so bad about my brother, huh? He's a catch."

I sent him a glare. "It'd just be weird, y'know." You're not putting this on me. I dealt with my brother yesterday, you can deal with yours.

"The most we'd do is hold hands," Dante said.

"Gross. Uh. No offense."

"Offense taken!"

Gene burst out laughing.

"Offense taken from you, too!" Dante exclaimed. "Guys, I'm not that stupid." He narrowed his eyes at me. "Over-protective Mom? More like over-protective girlfriend!"

There's no way Dante isn't as stupid as I thought he was...

"So there is something in that head of yours," Gene remarked. 

"Stop insinuating I'm that stupid!" Dante snapped. "Why have you guys been keeping it a secret?"

"The only reason we didn't tell you is because we thought you'd freak out too much," Gene said.

Dante rolled his eyes. "Pfft. Me, freak out? Look, I'm acting perfectly normal."

"Yeah, cause you didn't just find out," I pointed out.