Chapter Text
Notorious laid-back slacker Gilbert Blythe didn’t have a sweet tooth. In fact, he mostly hated any dessert that wasn’t an apple pie. He also hated wearing anything that wasn’t in the specific shade range of just plain dark.
So the fact that he could be found working at “Cuthbert’s Candy Store” during the week wearing a bright pink shirt and hat was indeed a once in a lifetime experience.
What he also hated, people who talked a lot. He just found it unsettling and unnecessary to add extra words to a story just to seem smart.
So the fact that he was absolutely whipped for his boss’s daughter who seemed to never run out of things to say was also shocking.
Anne Shirley-Cuthbert was as talkative as one could be. She was in the shop as much as she could be when she wasn’t in classes, munching on some treats or talking Gilbert’s ear off. But surprisingly, Gilbert didn’t mind, and in fact he would listen, unknowingly gazing at her with a small smile as her own eyes lit up.
She was also very girly and colorful, the total opposite of him. While he mostly wore black outside of work, she would walk in everyday with a new outfit that looked as if she bought them from a store with an infinite color palette.
But again, he didn’t mind. Especially when she looked extremely good in those clothes.
One of his favorites was the light blue mini sundress that did wonders for the curve of her body and left Gilbert staring at her his entire shift. His second favorite was the high waisted pink floral mini skirt and white crop top that left him struggling to breath. But his ultimate favorite has to be the oversized denim red jacket (borrowed after a mishap with the Slushee machine) over a gruesomely lace white mini sundress that left little to the imagination.
He had no idea if she was even aware of the effect her beauty had on him, but if she didn’t, her innocence would only make him fall more in love with her. She probably had no idea he fantasizes about the many ways he would remove her clothes from her body if she was his.
She was just too darn cute as well. She was a good head shorter than him so everytime she tried to get mad at him she just looked like a furious puppy. Like when they first met and she slapped him for deeming her “Carrots”. She would also just fall into a bubbly state when she ranted about her outfit choice for the day. She just had no care in the world what was happening, she just wanted to talk about how much she loved her skirts and shoes and it was just so darn cute Gilbert had to force himself from kissing all over her face more times than he’d like to admit. When she would talk, there was a light in her eyes and her smile would widen and her cheeks would flush and he would get all warm and happy inside.
He was honestly embarrassed that he realized he was in love with her while she was on a tangent about a green blouse she had and he made a mental note that when-and yes, when- they got together, he would make up a lie and say he fell in love when she ranted about saving the dying world or whatnot.
She knew he was the total opposite of her but didn’t care. She knew he was snarky and dark but she still made it her goal everyday to make him smile, even if she had to stand on her toes and force on one him with her fingers. What she didn’t know was that everytime she’d walk through the doors with a bright smile he couldn’t help but reciprocate it.
The giggly redhead was his favorite part about working at the store. He was even going to quit earlier until he met her and thanked himself everyday for not.
When she found out he didn’t like candy, she practically forced him to try variations until he found one he liked. It was hours after the store had closed but she wouldn’t let him leave until he found one he loved. He finally settled on chocolate covered pretzels and Anne couldn’t help but squeal and hug him, remarking how those are her favorite.
(He knew that, after watching her for an uncomfortable amount of time, and just wanted to see how giddy she would be when she reacted.)
The first time he’d seen Anne tear up was when she came back after a date, sobbing silently as he wrapped his arms around her. She admitted the date was fine until he tried to take her home and she didn’t want to, and he almost harassed her. Gilbert was angry, angry at a random stranger for breaking his Anne and was about to demand information from him until he saw she was still crying, and set on comforting her the rest of the night instead.
The first kiss came unexpectedly. She was helping him clean up after hours and she was talking about a new book she just read that just made her so happy. Suddenly he pulled her by the waist, turned her around, and smashed their lips together.
She was shocked, but she reacted and deepened the kiss. When they pulled away and she asked what brought this on, he would just smile and say she was too adorable.
When they began dating, it was weird to many. They were the absolute definition of opposites. His signature leather jacket, black muscle shirt, and ripped black jeans with a chain, messy curly hair, and stoic attitude to accent it clashed with her red hair, colorful outfits, and bubbly demeanor.
But when people saw how they looked at each other, how he would steal kisses when she would say something that was seemingly too cute to him, or how she would would randomly hug him because she just wanted one, they would see how they worked.
Anne was very big on hugs, which at first set Gilbert off for a bit he quickly got over it. She would randomly stick her arms out for a hug or stand up and hug him. He didn’t know why, but she was adamant that he give her hugs and cuddles. When he found out why (and her heartbreaking past), he would start to be the one that would give frequent hugs and kisses. He never wanted her to feel alone or unloved, and would never do anything to try and make her feel like that.
When they fought, it got heated. Anne wasn’t really one to get mad, but when did it was like she was a different person. Sure they got into arguments, but it rarely led to fights. When Anne would break down into tears, Gilbert would pull her in for a hug and rest his chin on top of her head, reminding them that what they have is worth more than some disagreement.
When they made love, Anne was scared at first because she never been with anybody. But after, when she became no stranger to the action, she would seduce him as much as she could to get a reaction from him. It worked, a lot. They used the store break room more times than they ever head prior to their relationship. Anne would complain that he was messing up her outfit and makeup, but when his hands slid down her panties her moans would overpower her complaints.
She swore she would never wear one of Gilbert’s black shirts ever. But when she stayed over one night and was caught walking to the kitchen in nothing but his black shirt, she begged him to not say anything. He would smirk, say it looked better on her, and then bring her to his lap to rid the shirt off of her.
Gilbert was very protective of Anne, which only grew when she opened up over her past with foster families and past relationships. One time a middle aged man tried to touch her and Gilbert managed to lean over the counter and grab him by the shirt before Anne had to calm him down.
He also hated it when other guys looked at Anne. She would be too busy looking or talking to him to notice, but he noticed the side glances and lingering stares on her body that would make Gilbert pull her in to his chest to mark her as his. She would just laugh and think he missed hugging her too, and wrap her arms around his waist as he placed a kiss on her head and sent death glares.
They could also talk for hours about absolutely anything. Just say it, and they would get into either a heavy argument or just a simple discussion over said topic because it always seemed to tie together with some weird story of theirs.
She would also start asking him for outfit advice, modeling different outfits for him as she got ready. She started spending more time at his apartment and basically moved in but they hadn’t made it official. Whenever she would step out to show off her outfit, he would stare at her darkly and next think they knew he was pushing her against a wall, and neither of them would leave for another good hour or so.
She understood that he didn’t like sweets but still had no idea how one could only celebrate their birthday with an apple pie. But she relented, and was set on making “the best apple pie his gloomy ass has ever eaten”. It certainly was the best pie he ever had, if he was being honest, and he even marked that this was probably the best birthday he ever had as well. Especially when she surprised him in later in black lingerie just for him.
When they ran into his ex, Winifred Rose, Anne couldn’t help but feel insecure about herself. Winifred was tall and gorgeous and didn’t even have to try to look beautiful. She left the bar, crying. When Gilbert rushed out to comfort her, she relented and admitted her insecurities despite her efforts not to, and he would spend the rest of the night by her side, telling her no one could ever be as beautiful as his Anne Shirley Cuthbert.
Whenever Anne saw a dog or a cat, she would gasp loudly and run over to pet them. She was so cute and happy with animals he couldn’t help but get a warm, mushy feeling at the sight. But when Anne saw babies, Gilbert was practically a goner. The coo’s she did and the bright smile on her face had Gilbert thinking of maybe five or ten years from now when they would have their own baby for her to fawn over.
But Anne insisted if they had a baby he would get rid of that dangerous motorcycle. She has teased him about it many times but in reality just wanted him to sell it. He would tease her back at first, until he realized she was scared something would happen to him. So to ease her thoughts, he took her on a ride around town where Anne practically bruised his waist from holding on so tightly. She hated to admit it, but she never felt so carefree in her life. Soon she would began riding that motorcycle but would complain how her dresses made it difficult for her because they always rode up and Gilbert would comment, “What’s so bad about that?”
Gilbert loved everything about her: her face, her hair, her personality, her brain, especially her body, but one thing he didn’t necessarily love was how Anne would take his black shirts and put colorful embroidery on them. There were sewn in flowers or hearts on almost every shirt but Gilbert contained his anger, not wanting to hurt her. But when she was caught putting some embroidery on his signature leather jacket, he accidentally lashed out and Anne got scared. He realized what happened and tried to apologize and hug her, but she silently sobbed and ran out of the apartment. He made her scared of him, over something as little as a heart penchant on his jacket.
She wouldn’t come to the store a week after the incident and dark Gilbert came back. When Anne was in the store with him, he was happy. But now that she wasn’t, the place felt empty and he felt cold.
He finally went to Anne’s apartment to tearfully apologize again, and she would hug him, wordlessly forgiving him. She apologized too, for breaching into his personal space. He then leaned down to kiss her, and they spent the night making up for a week’s loss of physical touch.
So Gilbert didn’t have as much as a sweet tooth as others, but he made an exception for the fiery redhead that talked endlessly. He had a new sweet tooth for the adorable girl he could call his, and he loved it.