warning: the fireman says some things about bash that can be seen as racist.
also not proofread hehe
It would be useless to describe what Sydney felt as she 'fed the lady' for what felt like the millionth time. It would sound like a broken record. It was hot, sweaty, and loud like always.
She had done it millions of times yet it felt different today. Not in a bad way, quite the opposite.
Sydney had decided to keep pretending to be a boy on the steamer until the three of them got everything figured out and went back to Avonlea.
But it felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders now that Bash and Gilbert knew the truth. It felt comfortable both physically and mentally. Physically because she no longer had to deepen her voice, which was much easier on her vocal chords.
It was hilarious to see Gilbert stutter and ramble to correct himself when he accidently called Sydney a 'he.' Sydney always laughed at his blushing embarrassment and reassured him by saying, "Boy, girl, neither, who cares."
And Bash, being the sweetheart that he is, had become incredibly sweet and understanding to Sydney.
Which is why Sydney and Gilbert were feeling awfully dull and bored right now since Bash had gotten in trouble with the idiotic Fireman and was now on Latrine duty.
"I honestly don't understand why I'm so bored right now." Sydney bent backwards to give her back a break. She silently gagged as her messy hair stuck to her forehead with sweat and grease. Syd hadn't been particularly trying to grow out her hair but she hadn't cut it in a while so it fell at the ends of her ears. "We usually do just fine without Bash."
Sydney groaned with boredom and Gilbert sighed in agreement.
Suddenly Gilbert perked up, his neutral expression turning into that beautifully mischievous smirk that Sydney loved. Syd raised her eyebrows in a questioning manner while Gilbert bit his bottom lip and wiped his hands on the fabric of his pants.
"When I was a little boy, my mother often told me-" Gilbert sung out for the world to hear.
An honest to god cackle left Sydney as she remembered that day, months ago now, when they first sung that song together. She also remembered how pissed the fireman was.
"Way haul away, we'll haul away Joe!" Syndey continued the song.
"That if I do not kiss the g-"
"Hey!" The fireman's voice boomed throughout, making Gilbert and Syd simultaneously flinch and snicker. The man took long, angry strides towards the young friends, his face flaming a hot red and sweat dripping from his skin.
"You want to join your little mutt in Latrine duty? Huh?" The fireman was inches away from Sydney's face, she resisted the urge to gag at his hot breath blowing onto her skin. The man's chest heaved with anger and his hands were clenched into fists as Sydney's smirk didn't vanish, not even for a moment.
Despite the disgust Syd felt being so unbearably close to the fireman, her smug smirk morphed into the sweetest smile she could muster up.
"If I do not kiss the girls, my lips will grow moldy!" Her tone was cheery as she loudly sang out, the fireman flinching in response.
Sydney wasn't short by any means, having grown about three inches since she started working and now only an inch or two shorter than Gilbert, but somehow she always felt so tiny when in the precense of the fireman. Not physically, he wasn't much taller than her, but he was always so angry.
An emotion Sydney hadn't quite mastered yet.
She always felt so tiny and weak when her delicate eyes met his harsh ones.
"Way haul away, we'll haul awa-!"
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"Ow!" Sydney screeched, her voice cracking as the fireman gripped her arm tightly, dragging her to the Latrine, clutching Gilbert in his other hand. "That hurts, you empty-headed bimbo!"
Gilbert hissed as the firemans blunt fingernails pinched at the already bruised skin of his arm.
"Shoulda' thought of the before, huh?" With one final tug, the man pushed Gilbert and Sydney forward into the entrance of the latrine and turned away.
The horrid smell almost blinded the two of them the moment they stepped foot in the repulsive room.
They both groaned and hunched over, holding their breath. "Oh! Ugh!" Gilbert shook his head in disgust. Sydney mirrored his groans and honestly contemplated just sprinting out of the room and jumping into the ocean, it would be at least ten times better than cleaning this.
Bash looked up from his work, a red and black patterned bandana tied around his face, covering his nose and mouth. "What are you two doing 'ere?" He laughed as Sydney actually gagged and hunched over.
"Boys are so gross." Syd whined.
"Fireman sure hates our singing." Gilbert shook his head and lightly pat Syd on the back, her face turning red from holding her breath.
Bash raised an eyebrow and said, "You two got yourself in trouble so you could come help me?"
"Really starting to question my life choices." Syd muttered under her breath, bringing her sleeves over her hands before tightly gripping onto the shovel beside her.
Gilbert shoved his hand and fished for something. After a second or two, he pulled out a little glass vial with clear, jelly-like substance, and green leaves floating around. "Here. Hurry. Put some of this under your nose. It'll help the smell."
Bash leaned over to look into it and Gilbert stuck his pinky and scooped some of it up, the strong smell immediately filling Syd's senses, it was a pleasant smell, a great comparison to the rest of the repulsive room.
"Allow me. One of our neighbors back home is a pig farmer." Gilbert smeared it around under the older man's nose, Bash's eyebrows quirking up in approval of the smell.
After Bash pulled the bandana over his face once again, Gilbert turned to the blonde girl next to him, scooping up a bit more and lifting her chin up softly and smeared it under her nose, the green-tinted substance not sticking as well because of Syd's lack of facial hair.
They both giggled as they struggled and then Gilbert put some under his own nose.
"Thyme. Trinidadian bush medicine? Nice trick, Doc." Bash smirked
"Self-preservation." He shrugged.
Bash chuckled and spoke to his two friends while continuing his work. "We have a saying: 'This plant don't ask to grow.' Thyme's hardy, yeah? Doesn't need minding. Grows where other plants cannot. Hopefully like me, in Avonlea."
"I, too, cannot wait to start a new life in Avonlea. It almost sounds like a dream, I'm still not sure if I'm asleep or not, but, this on the otherhand." Sydney laughed humorlessly. "I'm starting to question if this is hell. Worth it Bash?"
Bash laughed and ruffled up Syd's hair affectionately. "Get to work, Doux-Doux."
Gilbert and Sydney groaned and whined, mentally and physically preparing for the hours to come. They gkanced at each other, nodding their heads and getting to work.
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plz comment and vote <3
short chapter lol
yeah i'm definitely using this to avoid my schoolwork 👍😃
help me come up with a new description for this story plz, my current one is boring asf.
i started my new gilbert blythe fic "cliché" but it won't be released for a while cause i want to come up with a solid storyline :)
update (aka writing this when i publish cause i write the authors note before i start writing lol): sorry but im probably not gonma update for a while, i have a shit ton of schoolwork to get done and my girlfriend broke up with me. wtf.
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LITTLE HUMMINGBIRD ━━ ( GILBERT BLYTHE )
FanfictionI felt trapped in Charlotte Town. There was nothing for me there, no room to grow. So I cut my hair, changed my name, and got a job on a steamship. I didn't expect to fall in love with Gilbert Blythe. The only problem is, he thinks I'm a boy. [gil...
