Johnny Depp: Short Stories

Gilbert Grape (Fluff)

This was requested by COLDH3ART--

Gilbert's POV

The red strands of my hair tickled my face lightly as I drove, the cool breeze whipping through the night air.

     "Gilbert, where are you taking me?" Y/N giggled, turning to face me.

      Biting the inside of my cheek, I fought the urge to laugh.

      Y/N was blindfolded.

      The collar of the jacket she wore flapped against her skin, and her blue jeans were fading, but she looked so beautiful to me regardless.

      "It's a surprise, just wait." I said, grabbing her hand with my right and continuing to steer with my left.

       Endora was so quiet at night, you could hear crickets chirping. The trees looked like claws reaching out of the ground against the blue-black sky.

       Y/N's hand was warm. She and I had met at Lamson's where I work.

       She was a customer, just trying to find pickles for her groceries, and she'd accidentally bumped into me while I was pricing canned goods.

       Our hands had brushed against each other before I saw her. "Excuse me, but where are the pickles?" She had asked.

       But Arnie had answered for me- "The pickles are in the next aisle, right Gilbert?"

        "Yes. They're in the aisle next to you, the left one." I'd said, and she'd smiled gently. "Thank you both." She answered.

        From there, she was a regular, and we'd hung out after that. She was so sweet with Arnie, and my sisters liked her too. Momma really adored her, and she had eaten dinner with us a few times.

         "Gilbert, how much longer is it?" Y/N asked impatiently. "We've been driving for fifteen minutes."

          "Just a bit longer. Don't peek."

          Y/N kissed the front of my hand, just on my fingers. I'll never admit this to her, but I love it when she does that.

           There's something about it that makes me melt.

           "Alright. Here we are." I stopped the truck, and reached over, unclipping her seat belt.

           I helped her get out, and held her hand, leading her to the tree.

           A few birds cawed, and the sound of crickets could be heard. The long grass brushed against our jeans as we walked.

           But in front of us, was something she had told me when we first started hanging out.

           "You'll love it," I declared, a goofy grin on my face.

           Y/N was softly giggling, still blindfolded, so I took the opportunity to press a quick kiss to her cheek.

            "I'm blindfolded! Don't do that!" She squealed, but it was playful.

             "Right here. Stop."

             We stopped.

             "Okay, this is getting ridiculous. I'm taking it off."

              As soon as she pushed the blindfold up, her lips parted and her eyes widened. "Oh!..."

             In front of us were some fireflies, softly glowing. They were flashlights, blinking on and off as they flitted around the grass delicately.

             Y/N's reaction was child-like; her eyes glowed and she was grinning widely. She's one of the reasons why I still have hope for good things in life, after what my family's been through.

             She appreciates the small things, for one.

             "Gilbert..."

             Looking down bashfully, my head was tilted back up by her fingers on my chin.
          
             "I love it, thank you." She smiled. Her face was lit up as she looked at me, like I wasn't always working and worrying about my family.

             Like I was Gilbert Grape, the man Y/N loves.

             "Well, you told me they're your favorite creatures, so I thought it'd be nice...." I shrugged.

             "Give yourself more credit, Gilbert," Y/N sighed, exasperated at my modesty, "I love it. Honestly, it's the sweetest thing you've ever done for me."

             Pulling her in by her waist, her lips met mine briefly. "You're welcome, Y/N. I love you."

             Holding her close, Y/N leaned her head back. I kissed her temple. "I love you too." She responded.

             The fireflies made their way around the tree and the grass, ascending upward like angels, into the night sky.