#giolori

[pxstxl-strxwbxrry]

Wide Awake

Pairing: Giovanni Potage/Lorelai Blyndeff

Word count: 2.6 k

Tags: Fluff/Angst, Post POP, Cuddles, Dancing in the Rain, Walks In The Park, Constructed Reality, technically one sided GioLori

There was only one thing Lorelai Blyndeff needed in her life: love. It was something she was in a constant shortage of. The people around her had it; her sister had her friends, Giovanni Potage, (whose real name she had learned was NOT Vincent Murder) had his minions, and Howie had his worker bees. Lorelai Blyndeff had no one. Molly had run away; her father was tucked away in his basement, only coming out when he needed something… who did she have to turn to?

No one.

So, she was left to make someone who loved her. She made worlds where she was surrounded by love, where it consumed her. But that wasn’t what she wanted. She wanted only one person. Giovanni. So, she made just that.

It was a nice spring day; the clouds were floating above, big and fluffy. The gentle breeze made her black skirt flow with it, as if it were trying to whisk her away. It made her happy. It was never this warm in the real world. The hottest day would be about seventy degrees.

The park she was surrounded by was something out of a dream, with greenery you could get lost in, adorable wildlife, and trails you could follow for miles. It was near deserted, something she made sure of before she took her position. She didn’t want any of her pesky creations getting in the way of *her* story!

Lorelai leaned against a tree, twiddling with the heart bracelet around her wrist. She liked to think Giovanni made it for her in this world. The simple thought made her smile.

Lorelai looked down at herself a moment, double checking that she had gotten her outfit right. She needed to be the cutest she could be for him. She couldn’t have it any other way. She’d probably make herself restart the whole scene otherwise.

She kept her usual leg warmers, putting on what she considered to be the nicest Maryjane’s with them. Her purple crop-top matched with her purse and headscarf, which tied at the top of her head to make bunny ears. The outfit was simple for once. Though Giovanni was one to wear costumes out in public, Lorelai couldn’t bear the thought of someone seeing her like that, real or otherwise.

She dug through her purse, taking out her phone. It was about 7:30. She took a deep breath, stuffing her phone back where it belonged. Giovanni would be rounding the corner in three, two…

“Heyyyy, Lori!” She heard the string bean’s voice before seeing his goofy grin and his arm waving excitedly in the air. He wore a red coat with a fluffy white trim, jeans, knee-high boots, and a bracelet around his wrist.

She had seen him once in the same outfit in real life, just once. She wanted to see Giovanni and Molly for her dad and herself. It was just to make sure they were both okay. Well, she was instructed to see if Molly was okay, but checking on Giovanni was a bonus.

Her little sister was bossy and mean, but when she saw her again, she was much smaller than she had remembered. She hid behind Giovanni’s leg, her hood up, occasionally peeking out at Lorelai. Giovanni was kind, explaining what he could to her. They were staying with someone named Crusher, who, in her opinion, sounded dangerous. What was this guy crushing, anyway? Her spirit? But from what Lorelai could tell, Molly was doing okay. If Lorelai ripped this from her, they would all be worse off.

When Lorelai started to cry while this was all being explained to her, Giovanni held her, brushing his hand through her hair. Molly stood there, frozen. Lorelai didn’t want either of them to go.

Here, Giovanni didn’t leave. Here, Molly was at home, playing with a teddy. Here, he didn’t take her sister away and leave her alone with her dad. Instead, here, he took her hand, dragging her onto the trail. She took a deep breath, putting on a grin. “You missed me that much, huh? You’ve barely said hi, and yet you’re already dragging me away!”

“Well, Ms. Hare-idan, I think this date needs to start off right!” Giovanni looked over his shoulder to look at her, giving her his mischievous grin. Lori laughed. “Start off right how, Creampuff?”

“I’m not sure, hah!” Giovanni said. “But it *will* start off right, don’t you worry your little head.”

“I assure you, I’m not worried about anything.” She responded. “Just lead me, and I’ll follow you anywhere.”

Giovanni’s grin widened, letting go of her hand to dash forward. “Then just follow me!”

“Hey!” She sputtered, running after him. “Slow down, I’m not in a running outfit!”

“Every outfit’s a running outfit for you! You *insist* on running through my mind all day!” He cackled maniacally. She gushed, “You’re acting like you don’t do the same to me!”

“Oh, please!” He skidded to a stop, turning on his heel to face her. “You’re a knockout of the ballpark, Lori! A total Babe! Babe Ruth, that is.”

“Well, *you’re*… uhm.” She slowed to a stop in front of him, wrapping her arms around one of his. Crap. She didn’t know that much about baseball. “You’re a pitcher. So *strikingly* handsome.”

“Oh! That was great!” He snorted, his wild laughter returning. Lorelai felt her face flush.“Oh, you’re just saying that…” “No way, that was so cute!”

Hearing him flatter her so much made her face feel like it was steaming. “I mean, I’m better with lacrosse pickup lines! Like, are you a ground ball? Cuz I’d chase you anywhere!”

“Is that how you do it in lacrosse? Cuz, in baseball, you gotta wait for it to come to you and then snag it! Just imagine I’m wearing a glove and an awesome uniform. And if it’s infield, then…“ Giovanni squatted, his hands hanging between his legs. He stood up, putting a hand to his chest, his eyes locked on a random tree. He lined himself up to it, skipping forward and throwing nothing. “You toss it to a baseman to get a base runner out!”

“Really? Ground balls get us points!” Lorelai knew that much about the sport at least; she wasn’t totally helpless. Plus, his excitement from that sentence was just to die for! “No way!”

“I meannn… we could probably play out here, either game!” Lorelai smiled sweetly, putting her hands behind her back. Giovanni put his hands on his hips, looking up. “I’m not sure, Lori, the clouds kinda look-“

Small droplets of rain began to fall onto the pair. Giovanni unbuttoned his coat, sighing. He draped it over Lorelai’s shoulders. “Gray. They looked gray.”

“That’s too bad… but we still could hang out, y’know?” She tugged the fluffy hood over her head, looking at the way the rain dampened his black tank top. She let herself admire his muscles. What? This was still her fantasy! Giovanni boasted, pumping an arm, “Of course! The rain can dampen our clothes, but not our spirits!”

“That’s, Mr. Murder, the most dorky line you’ve said yet.” She said, slipping her arms into the sleeves. He sighed dramatically, buttoning the coat on her. “Thought you loved that about me…”

“I do, more than anything,” she paused, “but, I would also like it if we got out of the rain so you don’t get a cold. My house isn’t far. Molly talks about you all the time, I bet she’ll love a visit from her boss.”

She wondered if Molly would be happy to see her big sister again. Would she even want a visit? Did she even talk about her, let alone miss her?

Lorelai felt a wet arm wrap around her, snatching her out of her thoughts. From the corner of her eye, she saw Giovanni cheer. “Bear trap! My number one minion! Hey, how lucky is that? I get to date my minion’s cool older sister!”

She took his hand from her waist, making him spin her. “You must be the luckiest supervillain in the world, then.” “Heck yeah I am! Just look at me!”

Giovanni seemed receptive to this dance, tugging her closer to lift her up and spin her. “Pfft— Gio! You’re all wet!” “You’re just so light!” He chirped. Lori wrapped her arms around his neck, brushing his wet bangs out of the way to kiss his head. “Dummy.”

He rolled his eyes at the tease, setting her down with her arms still linked around his neck. They began to dance down the sidewalk, the only noise for a brief while being the splashes of their feet, the drum of raindrops, and their giggles. Their dance wasn’t anything special, or fast-paced; it was quite the opposite, really. It was slow, and by the amount of giggles, clearly unpracticed. They rocked back and forth, Lorelai’s head resting against his shoulder, and spun each other, clinging to one another once their footing was half stable again. They were pressed so close, the rain didn’t feel cold anymore.

“You said you were worried I would end up sick.” Giovanni mumbled. Lorelai’s eyes fluttered closed. “I am. But I want this more.” “You want me more?” Giovanni said, amused. Lorelai stayed quiet. “I see, the hare-idan refuses to speak! Did she hit herself with a mute spell, or embarrassed from drinking too much love potion?”

She giggled, squeezing him tighter. Giovanni dipped her down, kissing her nose. “Did you use an incantation to take all the color away from the world and put it in your laugh?”

“I put it all in me.” She said, her voice barely louder than the pitter-patter of the rain.

She wished she could be a bunny, watching the pair dance. She was sure it was something out of a movie. The way his eyes were stuck on her, as if she was the only thing in the world that mattered, was something straight out of a fairytale. It made her heart pound.

Giovanni stood her up, wrapping an arm around her. “Couldn’t bother to share?” “Nope! But maybe I’ll give some to you in exchange for another kiss.” She said, leaning closer. Giovanni leaned down, connecting their lips. It didn’t last more than a second before he pulled away, guiding her to her home. She had wished it had lasted longer— not just the kiss, but the entire moment. She wasn’t ready for it to end.

“Your house is right up ahead, right?” But even she knew they had to.

There, across the street, was the Blyndeff Toy Emporium, a bear and bunny decorating the sign. Toys sat in the windows, the top of which were decorated with party banners. Posters were pasted to the inside panes of glass, advertising the toys inside and a Regional Below Ceremony.

“Uhm, yeah! The toy store is right there.” Lorelai stuttered. “Great!” Giovanni pushed her closer, inside the store. “It’s been so long since I’ve been here!”

She looked around the store. For once, it was rather full. Customers drifted around the isles, picking random toys from the shelves. She felt her shoulders sag, free from the weight of seeing her father, real or otherwise.

She began to guide Giovanni to the back of the store, but before she made it to the door, a voice called out. “Lorelainebacker Blyndeff! Who is the lucky guy?”

Crap. She pushed Giovanni closer to the door, a plastic grin plastered on her face. Giovanni appeared confused.

It wasn’t her real father, so it wouldn’t be a problem, she reasoned to herself. She heard him call out again, but would not turn to face him. She shoved Giovanni through the door, guiding him up the rickety old staircase.

Martin had made his oldest daughter talk to Giovanni for him, which ended up moot. She had to pick up most of Molly’s chores: cleaning, cooking, running the store; and if she was “too busy,” otherwise known as trying to pass school, her father ran the register. It had ended up tanking her grades, making her turn in homework late, feeling constantly exhausted, getting even less time outside…

Is this really what she had been putting her sister through?

Once home, Lorelai sighed. “I’m so sorry. Do you want something? The toy tea sets serve real tea, so we can have that! Or I could make some cookies. I looked up some new recipes after last time, so they’ll taste great.” Giovanni shook his head to all of that. “I’d rather warm up with you.”

“Let’s go, then.” She said cheerfully. “My bedroom’s just up ahead.”

Down the hall, they entered the pink and green bedroom. The pair discarded their excess layers into a soggy pile corner. They collapsed onto the bed together, Lorelai squeezing herself into his arms. “There we are. This feels right.”

Giovanni ran his hand through her hair. “Beartrap’s in her room?” “Probably playing with her stuffies, yeah.” Lorelai replied.

“How’s she been?” He looked down at her. She shrugged. “Good, I guess? She’s happy.”

“And how’ve you been?” He asked. She, again, shrugged. “This was amazing. This is so much better than what’s been happening.” “What has been happening?”

Lorelai hesitated, gripping him tighter. “You know, after all the witch stuff? After Graham, and that fight?”

Giovanni remained silent. Of course, he wouldn’t know what had happened. He wasn’t there. She pulled away from Giovanni, sitting up. Giovanni furrowed his brow, sitting up after her.

“What fight?”

Lorelai felt her throat tighten, her voice cracking as she spoke. “She isn’t here.”

This only confused the villain more. “Who?”

“Molly. And those customers. And you, you aren’t here either.” She hiccuped. She could feel him wrap his arms around her again. She put a hand on his chest. “Stop it. Just go away.”

“I’m right here, Lori, I’m real.” He said, his tone gentle. Her face felt hot and wet, tears dripping down her cheeks. “You aren’t, though. You think you are, but you aren’t. You’re there with Molly, and I’m here.”

Giovanni, again, looked confused. He reached a hand up, brushing some of her tears away. “I’ll stay all night if it convinces you I’m real. I’ll stay forever, if it’s what it takes.” “See, that? That’s not real! We aren’t the story I wish we were!” She tugged herself away, getting off the bed. Giovanni stood up after her, lifting his hands. “Hey, hey! It’s okay!”

She stumbled away from him, wiping her eyes. “It's not! Nothing’s okay! It doesn’t feel like anything will be okay ever again!” “It will be, it just takes time!” “I’ve used all the time I’ve had!” She sobbed. “She's gone because of me! I don’t know how I’m supposed to live with myself or how Dad can live with himself without shame!”

Giovanni stepped closer, “There will always be a bit of shame in you, Lori, I can’t take that away from you. I just want to be here to help you go through it.” “But you won’t be.” She said bitterly. “You want to, but you won’t, because you’ll be taking care of her.”

Giovanni was silent.

And the world shone ivory.

Lorelai opened her eyes, finding herself in her bedroom in her pajamas. The house was silent, besides the sound of her dad’s snores. It was pitch black out; it had to be past midnight.

Lorelai Blyndeff had no one to turn to. No one at all, not even in the recesses of her mind. She couldn’t even make someone who loved her.

Lorelai Blyndeff was truly and utterly alone.

[epitheterased-confessions]

This is gonna get controversial: I think Giocrusher is extremely overrated.

Now don’t get me wrong I like Crusher but I just don’t ship him with Gio and there are reasons for that.

Crusher’s primary trait is *checks notes* having a crush on Giovanni. It’s a fun gag but if that’s the only real trait he has then to me that makes it a boring ship. I feel like the primary reason why Giocrusher is popular is because Crusher’s a man. Jello has even confirmed on stream that for each arc he’ll have to make reasons for why Gio’s minions are EXCLUDED from the action.

While I’m not the biggest GioLori shipper there is one big reason I like it more than Gio Crusher.

Lorelai doesn’t worship Giovanni. In my mind, most of their interactions have been as equals even though Lorelai is leagues stronger. GioCrusher just feels kinda awkward when Crusher treats Giovanni as some higher being even though their own gap in power is smaller and their whole dynamic seems one-sided on Crusher’s part.

I am aware of the people who don’t ship GioLori because “Lorelai’s a bad person” but I’ve seen some of you ship Percy and Zora so that seems like a moot point. And I think there’s a good chunk of people who act like Lorelai isn’t going to change even though Prison of Plastic is just the beginning of her character arc. And the fact Lorelai has flaws makes shipping her with Giovanni much more interesting.

At the end of the series I’d be just as happy if Giovanni was still single or was dating Lorelai. I just think a lot of Epithet fans are giving GioCrusher more praise than it deserves.

mod thinks it would be best if Gio ended up staying single

[dishsoaptragedies]

lesbian giolori anyone

[lorelaibackerblyndeff]

What are your thoughts on GioLori?

Because personally I wouldn’t have expected a Lorelai fan to ship GioCrusher

OOOH GOD NO NO NO.

First off, that ship kinda has a weird age gap that I particularly dislike like.. a lot. And I also pretty much disliked how the relationship between Giovanni and Lorelai went through when I was listening to PoP. And also, I kinda have closed feelings for Lorelai that are kind of personal for me and seeing her have a crush on Giovanni makes me uncomfortable. While I mostly respect ships and don't really mind who ships who, GioLori kinda just ticks me off in the wrong way to the point of putting GioLori shippers on my DNI list. Sorry for the long ramble but this topic sorta pisses me off, hope y'all can understand ^^"

[pxstxl-strxwbxrry]

Mutual doesn’t know but they inspired a new fic

[dishsoaptragedies]

There were only three giolori fics by the same person on ao3 I had to make my own to survive :pensive:

Desperate times require desperate measures😔✊ (<- is currently writing a bugsnold fic because who else will)

[dishsoaptragedies]

But can I ask you how GioLori is Ody and Calypso?? :33??

tbh the similarities aren't that major (which, good) but the whole thing about trapping someone (either on an island or in a bubble) because you think you love them but said "love" being rather a manifestation of feeling extremely lonely than an actual romantic attraction is. certainly there.

[pxstxl-strxwbxrry]

Could be tagged as one sided since its Lorelai crushing on the real Giovanni and using a fake one in an attempt to fulfill her needs.

I figure it could be both one sided and plain giolori. We don’t get real Gio for the whole fic other than in flash backs, and even if it’s a fake Giovanni it’s still romantic! I suppose I could clarify

[pxstxl-strxwbxrry]

I’m not sure if your fic counts as a GioLori fic if that wasn’t even the real Giovanni hanging out with Lorelai.

I wouldn’t be sure how to tag it otherwise lol. Fake GioLori?