us against the world : shirbert one shots

go the distance

long distance was going great.

... okay maybe not great.

she missed him is all, but she could push through a little ache.

so, yeah, it was going great.

they facetimed every day for hours and hours, talking about every detail of their days, if just to be able to see each other's faces for a minute longer.

it was odd, feeling the emotional vulnerability of being close to someone without actually being close to them.

they still had hard conversations, she was still working on not sugarcoating her days. they were learning to be vulnerable in a way they had perhaps never needed to be before.

now, he wouldn't be able to see it in her eyes, wouldn't be able to poke and prod until she revealed what was wrong. now, she had to communicate that herself, she had to openly, purposefully, admit weakness to him. that was not easy, nor was it something she enjoyed at all.

in the beginning their talks were surface level, they spoke about their days, their classes, the weather, but nothing too deep.

it was an unspoken wall they both had built separately to protect the other.

however, they quickly realized that something had to change. they no longer had the luxury of unspoken words or glances, no longer had the shield of physical intimacy. they could no longer just be in each other's arms, wrapped in their own protective bubble of warmth.

instead, they had to talk. really, truly, talk. about their hopes, their fears, their hurts, their loves.

the first week that they decided to change, they agreed to text or tell each other everything they thought throughout the day.

anne told him of her insecurities in front of a renowned professor, gil spoke of his conflicting thoughts on his latest biology class.

it was in the boring, mundane, details that they began to truly open up.

gilbert admitting how difficult of a time he was having making good friends, anne ranting about her misogynistic substitute teacher that day, voicing just how badly his comments had hurt her.

they were details and fears that they would have never spoken aloud, much less confess to another human, but here they were. and it became as easy as breathing.

they started reading the same books, watching the same shows, eating the same dinners over facetime.

they were closer than ever.

but she still missed him horribly.

it had been nine months since she'd seen him last, and she wondered why she ever took his nearness for granted. his hugs, his smiles, his soft fingers on her face, tracing the patterns of her freckles. she would give so much to be able to see him right now,

and then one day, he was there.

and then all the days she had cried herself to sleep disappeared off her shoulders as she collapsed into his arms.

his arms encircled her body and pulled her closer. his mind had been cloudy for the last couple weeks. his test results hadn't exactly dropped, but his above average answers began to fade into single word names and ideas.

it took so much effort to be away from her. it was tiring, staying away, forcing his mind away from last minute flights or rental cars.

so when his professor was stranded in australia and couldn't find a sub, giving them a week off, he didn't hesitate to buy tickets.

he had been on a plane heading towards her that very evening.

now, he felt something release. the longing, the stress, the weight of it all, lifted off him into blissful peace.

"i'm not letting you go."

and thank every good thing for that, because he wasn't either.

the first day was a little strange, figuring out their new mental vulnerability and adjusting to keeping it up even face-to-face.

it was exciting and frustrating and hilarious, but wasn't that just their entire relationship?

they spent most of their time that week simply curled together on the couch, watching whatever new show they thought looked interesting. they both needed a break, and neither could ever fully relax while they were apart, so they embraced this opportunity to rest.

but then he was gone again and anne found it ridiculously hard. the world was so much bleaker when she didn't have a hand to hold.

it was almost harder then before in a way. she had known what is was like to be with him before, but after a while she became accustomed to his voice cracking over her phone. now she had a renewed sense of longing for his presence.

she pushed through, of courses she did, and achieved the highest score in the school, across all levels.

she was thriving academically, finishing at the top of every class with multiple invitations to random prestigious events. in the end, all she really wanted was to get back home for the summer.

this time it had only been two months since they'd seen each other, but she felt the weight of every day heavily.

when he arrived back in avonlea two weeks later, their summer finally began.

they made it their goal to make up for all the separation, and do everything they would have done together in that time.

they went on picnics, rollerblading, long walks through the forrest. it was nothing short of heavenly, this time they spent together.

they would go on a new adventure every day and come home to watch the sunset on the cliff every night, and they had never felt more at ease then these days.

anne would kiss gilbert and feel her world clicking into place, a whisper of finally, finally ringing in her bones.

gilbert had never not been amazed by anne, everything she did was astonishing. she told him of her achievements and boasted about his own. he was so proud of her.

the summer went by in an instant and soon two months turned to one and one month turned to
one last week, and suddenly they were at the airport again, saying goodbye yet again.

anne cried, gilbert held her close until the very last second.

this would be the cycle for three more school years, the time spent missing one another, the moments of peace they fit in. it was an art, really. this long distance thing. and although it was probably the hardest thing theyd ever done, when they graduated and could officially be together, it was so much sweeter.

because now they knew what it meant to be apart, and they strived to never be separated again.

a/n oh! hi! i'm alive?! crazzzzyyyyy!