title; we were just kids when we fell in love
summary; she stands before him on a warm spring evening, clad in a simple white dress. her hair is undone, whipping in the wind. she beckons him with a smile. there's a glowing carousel. — gajevy!au
word count; 1,481
they meet in middle school.
he is paired with her for history project, and as a result, they discover they have a lot in common. both of them are equally horrible at socializing and prefer their own company over that of others. reading is a shared pastime between the two of them, although for levy it's often classic novels such as the shrew and for gajeel it's graphic novels and silly young adult fiction.
one encourages the other to grow, and levy starts to explore the vast world of books like twilight (she regrets it) and gajeel takes a stab at pride and prejudice. (he decides it's not so bad.)
and so this is how they spend the summers; glasses of lemonade in hand and trips to the lake by levy's house and staying up late in tents in the backyard (sometimes with natsu and lucy) and stacks upon stacks of books, dreaming up their own worlds. their friendship seems forever cemented.
but they grow in more ways than one.
when they walk into high school, boys take a shine to levy. she gets confessions at least twice a week, but she rejects them all with a red face; claiming it's because she wants to focus on her studies.
(there is more to it.)
because really, she's been in love with gajeel for four hard years, and he hasn't even so much given her a side glance. but then again, who is she supposed to blame? it's not like he can read minds.
besides, if she confessed, she'd look like a fool.
gajeel starts dating a girl by the name of juvia in their second year. she's kind enough.
levy hates it. but it doesn't matter, because the average high school workload is so heavy that she stops feeling anything at all. she's too tired at the end of the day after her part - time job at the downtown bakery to even think about it. really, she thinks, why should i care? we're bound to go our own ways. it's not like we're not friends.
one day, he brings juvia down to her part - time job when she is there.
"you've been so busy, i didn't get the chance to introduce you guys! this is juvia, my girlfriend." levy stares at them both for a second before smiling half - heartedly.
"nice to meet you. what can i get you guys today?"
her tone is brusque, even. professional. gajeel blinks at what feels like a dismissal but adds it up to a long shift. overexertion.
(even so. something feels .. off.)
— the following summer, she joins them on one of their lake trips. her bathing suit is more than flattering and lucy kicks natsu in the shins (hard) when she catches him staring.
levy glances down at her t - shirt and shorts combo and immediately feels ... unfit.
(it isn't until later that it hurts worse. she finds them kissing rather furiously in the boat shed, and she freezes. static is ringing in her head and she turns around and sprints away, back towards lucy, where it is safe and nothing is wrong and she is not vulnerable.)
where there is no risk.
the next day, both of them come to her at different times and apologise profusely for being so indecent. levy laughs it off.
but it's different after that. levy goes home the next evening, slipping away when no one is paying attention. she wakes up the following morning with 18 text messages and 13 missed calls; 6 of them from gajeel.
she closes her eyes and falls back asleep.
time passes in a blur. before she knows it, they are graduating. and then she is packing. and driving to college.
she is not home.
it is a blessing and a curse to not see gajeel.
she lugs her second duffel bag up the stairs to her dorm, the rucksack on her back filled with as many books as possible. a yawn slips out of her mouth. the drive had been exhausting, and now that she thinks about it; she hasn't eaten in a while.
she's unlocking her door when she hears a voice from behind her. "knock it off! i'm going to introduce us to our new neighbor. can you please behave for once? maybe she's cute."
"i -" levy turns around to find herself facing none other than natsu and gajeel.
her eyes widen and her mouth pops open to form a small o.
"hi," says natsu.
"hey," says levy.
"uh." says gajeel.
she scurries into her room and slams the door, face aflame and eyes squeezed shut. hadn't he said he was applying to the local community college?
it stings. but she smiles.
it is the third week of college and levy has said a grand total of twelve words to him. all monosyllabic.
she gets a boyfriend in the tenth week. well, she goes on a date. but he realises he doesn't like it, not one bit.
he watches her as she leaves, all dolled up and with her hair pulled into a french braid and her dress all against her skin and her eyes all glittery and her legs all —
he grits his teeth.
"i think we should break up," juvia says. he looks blankly at her.
"why?"
"what do you mean?" she laughs, but it's not bitter or harsh. instead, it sounds friendly and understanding.
"every time she walks or breathes or eats or smiles, your eyes are on her. no matter what. they always have been. neither of you have noticed, so i suppose you've forced me to become the catalyst. i know you care about me, but your feelings have changed."
"what? who?"
she winks. "we're still friends, right? don't cry."
gajeel smiles fondly at the sudden memory. it makes sense now. why he doesn't like it.
— he hears the building doors unlock at close to 11:45 pm and he sits up, rubbing an eye. he walks into the hallway, only to bump right into the root of his internal conflicts.
she looks up at him, eyes dark. her makeup is smudged and she looks like a very disgruntled cat.
"hello."
she grunts and walks past him. he stands in her threshold, worried and tentative.
"well, are you going to come in or not?" so he does, and he takes a seat at her vanity, clutching her tweety bird pillow in between his huge hands. she shuffles out of the bathroom, makeup scrubbed off and hair falling around her face in soft waves. she's wearing the most ridiculous character pyjamas (is that naruto?) he's ever seen.
she is so beautiful.
and he knows without a doubt, this is the only thing he's ever wanted. he stands suddenly, startling levy. he crosses the room with a few strides and falls onto the mattress next to her.
"so, what happened?"
"i was waiting for a cup of water and some jerk grabbed my ass," she answers smartly. "so i twisted his wrist."
"were you drunk?"
she mmphed noncommittally. "i don't know why that matters."
"it doesn't, you're just not typically so violent. it's .. kind of hot."
she chokes on whatever it is she's eating and takes a second to recuperate before responding.
"...thanks?"
"anytime."
it is in the winter, about three months later that he confesses to her. he drags her up to the roof and as they sit together with cups of tea under a blanket watching the stars, he leans over and kisses her mouth softly.
she nearly jumps out of her skin, and it's like fireworks are going off in her brain. his mouth his mouth his mouth hismouth HISMOUTH
levy jumps back, breathing heavily. "what was that?"
"well," gajeel starts slowly. "it's called a kiss in most countries, although —"
"don't be a smartass, gaj. what i meant was - what does that mean?"
he blinks owlishly. "it means that i love you."
and he looks at her, and her face is so full of hope that it almost breaks his heart. "you ... love me?"
he nods. "seems that way."
levy relaxes into his side.
and she cries.
when he dies, it is peaceful. in his sleep. he dies, content with the life he's made for the family he's left.
and when he returns to the lake, his toes in the sand — he sees her. it is spring. it is warm. and she loves him.
and they spend the rest of their days on a fairground with six libraries, not a cloud in the sky.
fin.
additional notes; this was originally published on ao3 for stars, the love of my life, but i thought i'd post it here too so ur welc