credit to @/frost-queen on tumblr

summary: your helping gilbert at his orchard and you both fall asleep together.

You were never afraid to get your hands dirty, unlike other girls.

So, when you overheard Gilbert talking about that he needed help at his apple orchard.

You were thrilled to offer your help.

You shuffled in the direction of Gilbert, you wanted to offer your help but he was surrounded by the other boys and you were afraid what they might think of you.

Suddenly Gilbert stood up and walked away, in your direction.

All your rehearsed lines were now swirling around in your mind, you tried to get out of this situation when Gilbert kept coming closer and closer to you.

You stood frozen before him when he almost bumped into you.

"Sorry Y/n" – he quickly said as he made his way past you.

You bit on your under lip and whiteout thinking you grabbed his arm.

Gilbert looked again at you and frowned, "I volunteer!" – you blurted out, leaving Gilbert confused.

"Uh ... volunteer for what? Y/n" – he asked you frowning again and turning his body more towards you.

"Uh ... For uh ... you know ..." – you stuttered. You were so confident and had it all thought trough but when you were now face to face with him. It seemed at lot harder to ask him.

You tried to avoid eye contact. It was then that you noticed you were still holding his arm.

You squealed and released your grip of his hand. Gilbert laughed at bit when he saw you being anything but yourself.

"So, Y/n are you going to tell me what you are going to volunteer for or ..." – he asked you, trying to figure out what you were speaking of.

You took a deep breath and said a few encouraging words in your mind before you spoke. "I overheard you need help at your orchard and I wanted to offer my help" – you then looked down and played with a piece of your skirt.

Gilbert suddenly looked surprised "Oh ... Well in that case, sure".

You lifted your head quickly and started babbling "Is it because I'm a girl that you think I'm not strong enough or is it because it's not really lady like to help ...".

Gilbert shook his head as he thought it was funny how you heard the wrong answer.

He grabbed you by your shoulders and you immediately stopped talking.

"Y/n" – he said looking deep into your eyes "I said It's okay, you can help me".

"Wait what" – you replied confused "Are ... Are you sure?"

He nodded and let go of your shoulder's "We'll start after school, so this means you will have to walk with me home".

You laughed awkward "Not a problem at all Gil ... I mean Gilbert" – you corrected yourself immediately.

He laughed soft and started to walk towards his desk. You also turned around to avoid that anyone could see your red face.

School soon ended and Gilbert was already waiting for you outside.

"Ready Y/n" – he said as he saw you approach him, you nodded and walked beside him.

As Gilbert was explaining everything to you about his orchard, every word he said made you think it maybe was a bad idea.

You've worked before on your parent's little farm but you never worked on an apple orchard as big as Gilbert's.

You were apparently looking terrified because Gilbert stopped you by placing his hand on your shoulder.

"Are you alright Y/n" – he asked you concerned.

You nodded soft and started to walk again.

Gilbert looked at you as you walked further, he frowned short before he sprinted short to keep up with you.

"May I ask why you want to help me Y/n?" – he said slowing down from sprinting and walking again beside you.

"I heard you needed help, so I offered it" – you said, looking in front of you.

"Is that the only reason?" – he replied with a smirk on his face.

"Well my parents are in Charlotte's town all day and I didn't want to be alone"

Gilbert smiled as he had another answer in mind. "That's all Y/n?" – he asked you again as he moved his head closer to you, to avoid a low hanging branch.

"uhhu" – you replied short, trying to cover up your blush as you felt his head move closer to you.

"Alright then" – he answered as he walked past you, he then stopped and moved a branch that was hanging at the same height as you face away.

You walked past him with a soft smile, he then released the branch and started to walk next to you again.

You were amazed by how big his orchard was. There were rows and rows of apple tree's.

Most of the apples had a bright red colour as others were still a bit pale red.

The red apples stood out of the green tree's and immediately caught your eye.

"This is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen" – you said, letting your eyes rush over ever tree.

"You picked the best time to see them" – Gilbert suddenly said as he stepped beside you.

You kept gaping at the orchards beauty when Gilbert cleared his throat soft.

You turned around and saw a smiling Gilbert with 2 baskets' in his hands.

"How I love the view of seeing you looking over my orchard, we do have to work".

You started to blush and rubbed the back of your head "Of course".

Gilbert leaded you to the first row of apple trees and placed a ladder against a tree.

"Watch me" – he said as he started to climb the ladder. You watched his every move as he moved further up the ladder.

When he was at the top he looked down to where you were standing, he held his hand above his eyes to block the sunlight for a clear sight of you.

You did the same to see him clearer. Gilbert chuckled soft when he saw you standing on the ground with a basket in one hand and the other just above your eyes.

He grabbed a bright shiny red apple and wiped it a bit clean with his hand.

"Everything alright?" – he heard you call out. A smirk appeared on his face and he placed his hand around his mouth to make his voice louder.

"Catch!" – he called out as loud as he could, he then dropped the apple.

Down on the ground where you were standing you heard a faint 'catch' over the wind howling and immediately dropped your basket as you saw something fell down.

You were slightly panicking, you held your hands in front of you and moved from place to place to determine the place the apple would fall.

The apple was close to touching the ground, you gasped and dived a few steps away from where you were standing. You fell on the floor with a loud thud as the apple fell perfectly in your open hands in front of you.

"Y/n are you alright" – you heard Gilbert shout over the sound of the wind.

"I got it!" – you shouted back as you jumped on your feet and proudly held the apple in the air.

Gilbert sighed out of relieve. He enjoyed it that you'd help him but if anything would have happened to you while working he would never forgive himself.

He quickly rushed down the ladder as you were dusting off your dress.

"I got the apple" – you proudly showed Gilbert.

Gilbert moved the apple out of his sight and pulled you close for a hug.

You were shocked and surprised. You felt Gilbert's arms go tighter around you and his face being buried deeper in your shoulder.

You placed your arms around him and felt his muscles loosen up.

He then released himself from your grip but still held his hands on your shoulder "Are you sure you are alright Y/n?" – he asked you concerned.

"I'm fine Gilbert" – you said, placing your hand against his chest.

"Good" – he said short as he quickly released his hands from you.

"One apple to go" – you said proud placing the apple in the basket "Like a million more to go" – you added laughing.

Gilbert chuckled soft and climbed back on the ladder.

This went on for hours, Gilbert climbing the ladder since he wouldn't risk it that you could fall.

While you caught the apple's that fell and placed them in the basket.

After some moments the two of you made a little game about it. The trees were the one's birds would nest in and the apple's that fell were little birds.

This made you do your best a million times harder, since you didn't want to let a 'bird' fall.

Halfway the orchard you were all dusty and dirty from diving around to grab the apple's.

Gilbert on the other hand still looked good, except for some twigs that were hanging in his hair and on his clothes.

"Still doing okay Y/n?" – he shouted to you, as he dropped another apple.

"Never better" – you shouted back as you fell with a loud thud, holding another caught apple in your hand.

Another few hours later, you felt your arms go sore and almost your whole body was covered in bruises.

Gilbert noticed you weren't as alert as you were in the beginning. He quickly scanned the apple trees that still needed to be done and climbed down.

You grabbed a full basket and placed it with the other full basket's as you saw Gilbert climb down.

"On to the next one?" – you asked him, wiping some sweat of your forehead.

Gilbert dusted of his pants and watched you walk already towards the next tree.

He quickly rushed over to you and stopped you "I think we'll call it a day, don't you think Y/n?"

You looked at the trees that still needed to be done "But were not done yet".

"I know Y/n" – he said, holding your shoulders again "But you're too tired to move on".

"I'm not!" – you said a bit annoyed, you pushed his arms of you and started to walk towards the ladder to move it.

Gilbert shook his head and stopped your hand from touching the ladder "We are taking a break Y/n" – he said firm, looking into your eyes with a stern look.

You couldn't argue with Gilbert, since this was his orchard and home "Fine" – you said, disappointed.

Gilbert nodded and grabbed a few baskets, you did the same and stocked them in the barn.

Exhausted, Gilbert leaded you to a hammock that was hanging between 2 trees with the most beautiful flowers in it.

He helped you climb in it and sat next to you. the hammock gave you a nice view of the apple orchard.

You saw the trees that still needed to be done and sighed. You wanted to help Gilbert so bad and seeing the undone trees made you feel like you had failed him because the work isn't done.

Gilbert noticed it and placed his fingers on your chin to turn your face towards him. "You can always help me out tomorrow?"

Your eyes lit up and you squealed "I can?".

"Sure, you did an amazing job Y/n, you're the fastest worker I know"

You squealed again and wrapped your arms around him.

"Calm down Y/n" – Gilbert said as you made the hammock swing harder back and forth.

"Sorry" – you replied, biting your under lip.

Gilbert stared at you for a few moments. He always thought your lip biting made you cute and he was happy he could spend the day with you. and you alone.

He sighed and laid himself down holding one arm over his face.

you were still sitting up straight as you felt an arm pull you down. Gilbert pulled you down to lay next to him.

Your movement made the hammock swing slightly.

Both of you stared at each other as the hammock swung slower and slower.

Minutes later your eyes were closed and you were sleeping. You were so exhausted you fell asleep in moments.

Gilbert was still awake but he felt his eyes getting sleepy, he looked at you through his sleepy eyes and placed his arm around you.

In your sleep you pulled yourself closer to him and your head was cupped in Gilbert's armpit.

He smiled at you one more time before the exhaustion took its toll on him.

Both of you were sleeping in each other's arms as Marilla was searching for Gilbert.

She had knocked on Gilbert's door to give him some bread. When he didn't answer the door, she started to search for him on the field.

She finally noticed someone laying down in the hammock near the apple orchard.

As she came closer, she noticed not one but two persons were sleeping in the hammock.

She was now standing over the hammock as she saw you and Gilbert sleeping together.

Your head was still cupped in his armpit as his head was laying against yours. His other arm was around your waist, so that he was holding you tight.

Marilla smiled and it reminded her of her young day's when she and Gilbert's father had slept there as well.

She placed the basket of bread close to the hammock and placed a note on it.

she then looked at the two of you one more time before she moved away without making any sound.