hello, my pretties! welcome to another story written by me, LVDYREDFOX!

I just had the sudden urge to write a short, 10-chapter story on my favorite ship, Gajevy!

as usual, I strive for feedback and constructive criticism, and I have posted the first 2 chapters to see how you guys like the story so far!

don't worry, there won't be any long waits because I have written out the entire story in completion, I just need to comb through the last 8 chapters to make sure there aren't any mistakes. would you guys rather I post all 8 together when I have finished, or post 2 at a time as I proofread each chapter?

I hope you guys like my story, and if you have any ideas for new stories, please send them my way!

I present to you, ALWAYS YOURS!

Always Yours

by

LVDYREDFOX

/*\

Origins

Imagine an island.

A beautiful island situated nearly in the middle of the Pacific and surrounded by teal waters that gradually faded into a darker navy. An island where exotic birds sang and fluttered around with the breeze. Where the air was fresh, and the palm trees flowed gently with the ocean wind. Where lush, forest-green mountains stood tall and beautiful and menacing, for their own reasons, surely. Where of course, it was susceptible to harsh storms, but the locals didn't mind; they were used to it.

Now, imagine a young boy, perhaps about seven or eight years old, with wild black hair and sharp, red eyes, a brash personality, and a face to match.

This boy, he was a wild one, always getting into some sort of mischief and somehow finding his way out of it because he was too smart for his own good. He was curious and explorative, and honestly, a sweet child at heart.

He was raised by a single father, a loving father who taught him everything he knew on how to grow up and be a proper man. He had to; his mother had run off with someone else, and it was only because of his own shortcomings. He wanted his son to avoid making the mistakes he made during his teenage years. He wanted him to live a proper adult life.

His father had a hobby of restoring and rebuilding motorcycles, and that interest carried over to his son, making him one proud man. He'd spend his evenings fixing up an old bike that was kept in their backyard while his son watched curiously, and most weekends were spent teaching him the ropes at his shop, which he truly hoped his son would take over once his time was up.

Their neighborhood was a small one, so everyone knew each other. Most of the people got along, and the ones that didn't usually kept to themselves. There were hardly any issues aside from those few bad eggs that committed small crimes, like petty theft and small physical altercations.

The boy was typically a loner, only hanging out with his dad and running around and playing in the mud and dirt. Since he liked to explore, he'd occasionally find himself in abandoned buildings and even small caves if he could buy himself time enough to find one.

Again, he was typically a loner, with the exception of his best friend in the entire world.

Now, imagine a young girl, around five or six years old, with hair as blue as the sky and eyes the color of honey, with a sweet personality to match.

This girl, she was a curious one, always eager to learn and discover something new. She never hesitated to get dirty and play in the mud with him, nor did she ever hesitate to join him on his adventures. How else was she going to learn about the world she was living in?

Of course, she lived right across the street from him and even went to the same elementary school as he did. Well, so did the rest of the children of the neighborhood, but that's beside the point. Aside from a school and a neighborhood and the urge to go exploring, they also shared a birthday.

A birthday which their parents celebrated together since that's usually what the children wanted.

Their parents got along well, and had been good friends since before either of them were born. It was only natural that the children become friends. The boy's father was ecstatic that his son had taken a liking to the girl across the street once she was old enough to play with others, and hoped their friendship would last and that they'd have kids of their own that grew up together, too. He was very family and friend oriented.

He was always telling his son to be nice to her and to always invite her on his adventures, so she could learn her way around the area, just as he did. They had play dates and hung out every day, and sometimes, she'd even sit in their backyard with him and watch while his dad rebuilt his bike.

They were as close as two non-related elementary schoolers could get.

/*\

1999

"Did ya finish yer homework, son?"

"The teacher said since it's the end of the school year we won't have homework anymore," the boy followed his dad through the small house and to the back door, a popsicle in hand.

"Well, that's good," his dad responded, stepping out onto the patio he built a few years ago. "Ya ready fer the summer?"

"Yeah, me an' Levy are gonna go try an' find a cave this time!" He excitedly took a bite out of his popsicle, starting to bounce around from the incoming sugar rush.

"Be careful out there," his dad made his way over to the project bike, satisfied that he was almost done. He glanced over his shoulder, his son hot on his tail. "The mountains can be dangerous if yer not cautious."

"I know, Dad," the boy said with a sigh. "I'm not gonna do anything too dangerous. 'Specially 'cause I got Levy with me."

"Gajy!"

A familiar, high-pitched yell got their attention, turning their heads to see a small, blue-haired girl running toward them with her arms extended.

The boy held up his hand to save his popsicle while he was tackled to the ground by an excited Levy. "Levy~! It's gonna get dirty~!"

"Gajy! Gajy!" She pushed herself off the ground and pulled him up, giving him a bear hug. "Let's go!"

"Hello, Levy," Gajeel's dad greeted. Her mother must have let her come over early, which was completely fine with him; it only meant his son would be occupied for the time being. "Does yer mother know of yer exploration plans this evenin'?"

"Hi Mister Redfox," she said shyly, kicking a small foot around. She looked around like she was trying to figure out what to say next. "Ex…por…ashon?"

"He means does she know we're goin' t'see some caves," Gajeel clarified, throwing his arm around her shoulder and offering her the rest of his popsicle.

"Yeah, she knows," Levy said, bending slightly to take a bite of the sweet treat that was offered to her.

"Ya know, son," his dad said, squatting to ruffle his hair and Levy's. "Ya coulda just given her a popsicle of her own."

"I know!" Gajeel took her hand and turned on his heels, giving her a quick look over his shoulder before taking off. "Ya ready ta go?"

"I'm ready!" She nodded before waving goodbye to his dad.

"Try not ta get inta any trouble," Gajeel's dad called out as they scurried off like they did nearly every day.

Hours passed, and the two children were unsuccessful in finding a cave. Though, they were dirtied up from a good adventure nonetheless. Levy was standing in a puddle, trying to get the dirt off her arms since her mom hated it when she tracked dirt through the house, and Gajeel was seemingly getting even dirtier. He really didn't care, and neither did his dad as long as he got all cleaned up before bedtime.

"Maybe we'll find one tomorrow," Levy said, throwing water at an unsuspecting Gajeel.

"We got all summer," he shrugged, unbothered from the water as his eyes zeroed in on a fence he suddenly wanted to climb over. He pointed in its direction. "Look! Wanna climb it?"

Levy shook her head violently, afraid of heights. Even though the fence was really only a few feet tall, it may as well have been a skyscraper to her. "I'm scared!"

"C'mon, Levy!" Gajeel said, pulling on her arm and leading her to the fence. "I won't let'cha fall, promise!"

She puffed out her cheeks and watched as he scaled the side of it so easily and perched atop it, waiting for her to follow.

"Just climb up ta where I am, an' don't look down!" He said sternly, watching her cautiously climb the fence.

Levy made it to the top and immediately froze up, terrified to go down the opposite side. She held onto that fence for dear life while her daredevil of a best friend spun and hopped off with practiced ease.

"Okay, now ya just gotta jump," he said, reaching out to catch her if he needed to.

Levy screwed her eyes shut, not wanting to move a single inch. "No! I won't jump!"

"Then go down the same way ya went up."

"No! I'm staying right here!" Levy could be stubborn sometimes, but she eventually listened to him.

"Levy, we're gonna hafta go home soon!" He explained. She was going to have to come down eventually. He sighed when she shook her head for the millionth time, taking in his surroundings. He hadn't been this far into the mountains before, but where he was, he got a really good view of the top of it. 'Hmmm…'

"Gajy~!" She whined, her eyes prickling with tears. "I can't do it~!'

"We gotta go back now, anyway," he said casually, climbing the fence and perching on the top of it again.

"W-Why?" Levy sniffled, her eyes following him from one side of the fence to the other.

He hopped off the fence, back on the side they originated, and he reached out again in the hopes that she wouldn't be such a chicken this time. "The mountain's smokin'."

Levy craned her neck up to see the top of the mountain, and there was indeed smoke coming from the top of it. It was the first time she'd ever seen something so interesting, but scary at the same time! The surprise startled her, and she rolled off the fence and fell onto a distracted Gajeel, scraping her leg in the process.

"Ow!" He lifted his head and tried to get her off of him until she started screaming and crying. "What's wrong? What happened?"

Levy lifted herself off of him and sat in the brush, holding her leg. "I cut myself! It hurts!"

Gajeel had a bit of experience in the injury department, so he knew what to look for and how to handle it without panicking. He sat up and examined her leg, making sure it wasn't too deep of a cut. "Can ya walk on it?"

She tried to stand and stumbled forward, crying when he caught her and kept her from falling. "You promised I wouldn't fall!"

"Sorry, Levy," he said, distraught. "I tried ta catch ya."

He tore off a chunk of his shirt to tie around her leg and told her to hold onto him as he walked her back to his house. 'Dad's gonna know what ta do!'

"Am I g-gonna get in t-trouble?" Levy blubbered. She hated getting scolded, but didn't every kid?

"Nah, I won't let'cha." Gajeel said, trudging through tall grass. "It was all my idea, anyway. Sorry ya got hurt."

/*\

2009

"Thinkin' 'bout that fence again?"

Gajeel was a senior in high school and Levy was a junior, and she was technically supposed to be a sophomore, but she got skipped up a grade in elementary school. Every day after school, they'd walk home to study and do their homework together, even though they had different work to do.

Every day, they would alternate between his house and hers, and today was his turn. He let her use the small desk he had in his room while he did his work on his bed, and would always provide juice and snacks for their study session… well, her study session. He was mainly there to do enough of his own homework just to skirt by, and to watch her completely throw herself into her work. She was always so studious and such a perfectionist, it was one of the many things he loved about her.

One day, he'd tell her how he felt.

He contemplated it for months, but they were approaching somewhat of a… 'grey area' with their age difference. They were two full years apart with them sharing a birthday, and he'd be eighteen soon. The looks he would get for going out with someone younger, and the looks she would get for going out with someone older… he didn't want to put her through that. So, he wanted to wait until they were both adults to tell her how he felt.

He'd invite her to prom, except she said school dances were cheesy, and he really had to agree. When he thought about it, a lot of his associates at school would make jokes and nitpick about how he would only spend time with Levy, and how she was all he would ever talk about, only making things worse for him internally. The last thing he wanted to do was hear their mouths after taking her to prom.

All he could do was wait.

That evening, he came back to his room with snacks like he always did and saw her staring at the scar on her leg. She got the scar from falling off a fence ten years ago, and he'd never let her live it down.

"Yeah," she spun around in the desk chair and grinned up at him. "Just remembering when you were supposed to catch me."

Gajeel handed her a lemonade and plopped down on his bed, facing her. "Gihi! Nobody told ya ta fall off the fence, Shorty."

She huffed at the pet name he'd given her in middle school. She wasn't that short! Well, compared to him she was. She glared at him. "I told you to stop calling me that."

"But it's true." He leaned back against the wall and snickered at her frustration. She was so cute.

She turned back around, ignoring his comments and focusing on her work. She had a few finals to study for and she wanted to pass them at the top of her class. She'd be damned if she let this guy distract her!

He watched her for a solid ten minutes until he got bored and wanted to mess with her. He slid off the bed and stood over her shoulder, watching her jot notes down for whatever final she was studying for. "Ya know, it is the weekend. Ya don't have ta study right now."

"I have to study all weekend, Gajeel," she said, trying not to let him be a bad influence.

"What d'ya say, us two goin' on an adventure, fer old time's sake?" He knew she'd say no, but he had to try. "Ya need ta lighten up an' relax a bit."

She sighed and rolled her neck, it actually didn't sound half bad. It'd been so long since they went wandering around, it had to have been last summer break. She just didn't have the time.

"C'mon, Lev," he said, pulling the chair away from the desk and turning her around. "It's been a while, an' ya know I hate goin' by myself."

She looked into his pleading eyes and crumbled instantly. She always fell victim to his schemes. Always. "Sure, why not?"

"Yes!" He fist-pumped the air and turned to grab a sweater from his closet. He threw it on and pulled her out of the chair, noticing the thin orange dress she had on and digging another sweater out for her to wear. "Here, wear this. It's gonna get chilly tonight."

She thanked him and mimicked his actions, throwing the hoodie over her head. It smelled like him. "Where are we going?"

"There's a little spot I wanna show ya," he said, leading her through the house and to the front door. "The views are amazin'."

They went on their small excursion, trekking through new paths and old just talking about current events. They talked about things happening in their own lives at school and things that happened in their homes after they separated for the evening.

The last stretch of the path they took got a little rough, and he didn't hesitate to help her up the small cliff, taking her hand and holding her stable until they both reached the top.

"So?" He smiled wide, gesturing to the views that surrounded them. "What d'ya think?"

It was darker now, so she could see the moon and all the stars, and their small neighborhood maybe a mile or so beneath them. She was normally afraid of heights, but she knew he wouldn't take her anywhere too dangerous, and if he did, he'd make sure she was safe the whole time. She sat on the edge and pat the ground next to her, telling him to sit with her.

Of course, he obliged.

On his way down to her, he picked a flower that he thought resembled her personality and stuck it in her headband, slightly startling her. She looked up and was met with a sweet smile, coming down to sit next to her.

She directed her attention back to the scene before her, inhaling deeply. "It's beautiful. I've never seen anything like this."

He knew it was a good idea to bring her here. She fit in perfectly with everything around her, and he couldn't keep his eyes off her. "Yeah. It is."

Later that night

"Levs, you awake?"

A soft knock sounded on her door around eleven at night, and her dad called through the door. She had the best relationship with her parents and since she was an only child, she was spoiled. They let her do whatever she wanted since she was a straight-A student, and she never got into any trouble, so they trusted her completely. They also knew her best friend wouldn't let anything bad happen to her, so there was extra peace of mind there.

She'd been staring at the flower Gajeel gave her, thinking it was a little too… nice. She always wondered in the back of her head if he liked her liked her, but he never made any moves or told her he did, so she assumed he was just being nice to her. He was brought up to be kind and respectful to others, but she knew him. It was all a show.

In reality, he could be an asshole. It was hard to deny genetics. His dad had a temper that thankfully, he learned to control years before Gajeel had core memories. It was an unfortunate trait that he gained, and sometimes he let it get the best of him. It was always unintentional, and he was never a dick to her, she just saw the 'no nonsense' in him. It was the reason why he kept to himself, mostly. If someone rubbed him the wrong way, he definitely did not hold his tongue, and he made it clear when he disliked someone.

She never thought about looking at him that way, anyway. She didn't look at anyone that way. She was too focused on her schoolwork and didn't plan on dating until she was out of college. 'Ugh! I'm gonna be a virgin forever!' But how else was she going to get into a good college? She already had interests, and she wanted to apply them professionally.

He was just her good friend, her best friend. Nothing more, nothing less.

She rolled around in bed, tossing and turning with her thoughts. Why did she feel like something huge was about to happen? "Yeah, I'm awake."

"Can I come in?"

"Yeah, Dad. It's your house."

He ventured in slowly, sitting at the edge of her bed. "Sweetie, this isn't going to be easy for me to say."

Levy's eyes grew wide. Were he and Mom getting a divorce? Was he dying? She hated being anxious like this! "Dad, just say it. You're going to drive me crazy!"

"Well, dear," he put a hand on her leg in an attempt to start the comforting process early. "Your dad got a wonderful job offer yesterday, and I had twenty-four hours to make a decision."

"What? That's amazing! I'm guessing you took it?"

"Yeah," he chuckled. If only she'd stay this happy after he finished telling her the news. "But the thing is…"

She watched him falter and look away, unable to directly disappoint her. She was smart enough to put two and two together and come to the conclusion that the job that was offered to him was not where they currently were. "The job's not here…"

"I'm so sorry, kiddo," her dad stood to walk around the bed and give her a hug. "I don't want to separate you from your friends, especially from Gajeel, but this was the best option for our family."

What could she say? There was nothing she could do to change anything, so why beg and plead for a different outcome? "I get it."

"We move in a week," he said, still hugging her.

"A week?!" Now, that she couldn't hold in. A week's time? That was basically tomorrow! And she had to go and break the bad news to Gajeel, how in the world was he going to take it?

"I know, I'm sorry, Levs." He stood and walked back to her door, a hand on the knob. "Just try to be positive. Who knows? Maybe the big city will be even better than here."

With that, he left her room and shut the door, leaving her to sob quietly in the dark. She wanted to put on a strong face for her dad, to make him think she wasn't affected by all this, but boy, this was a really difficult thing to get through!

She needed Gajeel. She needed the comfort of her best friend in the entire world. She pulled out her flip phone and dialed his number, hoping he was still awake.

"…Lev?"

Ah, he was sleeping!

"Sorry to wake you up," she said, her voice quivering. "I just needed someone to talk to."

"…gimme thirty seconds."

And thirty seconds later, he was outside and meeting her halfway across the street with his arms spread, ready to take her in with a hug. He heard it in her voice that there was something wrong, and he could never stand to hear her cry.

She collided into him, letting her tears flow freely. Why did this have to happen? She hated change! Life was perfect how it was, everything was stable! She… didn't want to leave Gajeel. She wouldn't find comfort like this in anyone else!

He walked her to her porch and sat on the steps, bringing her down next to him. It wasn't often that she was this shaken up, so it had to be something big. "Lev… what's goin' on?"

She sniffled a few times before leaning against his arm. She wanted to spend as much time with him as she could before she left. "My dad came in and told me he got a new job."

Okay? What was there to cry about? He grunted in response and stayed silent, hoping there was more to the story.

"But… the job's not here."

Okay? Oh, wait. 'Oh…' Realization struck him like a ton of bricks. She was leaving. She was going very far away, and he never got a chance to tell her how he felt! Wait until they were adults? Fuck that! There was no time to waste! She needed to know the truth inside his heart!

But… he couldn't tell her now! This was the worst time! Maybe he had a little bit of time. Maybe they were staying for like, another month. He looked at her and she lifted her head and met his gaze, pulling him into the pots of honey that were her eyes.

He looked away and swallowed the lump in his throat. "When?"

Levy couldn't keep the moisture from her eyes. She held onto his arm and squeezed it tight. "In a week."

Gajeel couldn't even react. He had a week left with her. A week left to see those gorgeous eyes and that wild, blue hair. A week left to hear her voice and see her smile. A week left to find a good time to tell her something.

They sat in silence for a while, both of them not knowing what to say. There was no way she could convince them to either stay or let her stay back, and there was no way he could go with her under these circumstances.

Would it be a good idea for him to tell her, anyway? She was already so upset about having to leave, why would he add something else to weigh on her? But… he was a selfish guy, and he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he didn't get a chance to tell her.

He knew she didn't want to date until she was finished with college, so he didn't expect an answer when he decided to man up and confess. He didn't want an answer. He just wanted to give her something to think about. Maybe the universe would bring them back together somehow.

"Our birthday's comin' up," he said in a quiet voice. He wanted to celebrate his eighteenth birthday with her, and he wanted to throw a small party, mainly in celebration of her turning sixteen. That wasn't happening now.

"I know," she leaned against his arm again. "It'll be weird not celebrating together. I don't know what I'm gonna do."

She gave a small chuckle, trying to alleviate the sadness and failing when he threw an arm around her.

"Here's what we're gonna do," he stated plainly. "We're gonna skip school fer the rest of the week, an' go on our adventures."

She raised her head and stared at him all wide-eyed. He knew she'd never done anything like that! But…

"Before ya say no," he said, knowing her thought process. "Yer already gonna have ta transfer schools, and it's the end of the school year, so ya ain't gonna miss much. If anyone gives ya a hassle, just blame it on the big move."

She didn't need to give it a second thought. "Okay."

"An' the day before ya leave, we'll celebrate our birthday early. Just the two of us." He'll tell her then. That way it gave him a few days to figure out how to say it.

"What's the plan for our early birthday celebration?"

"Ya gotta wait an' find out, gihi!"

A few days later

"Dad, I'm gonna go do it!"

Gajeel stood in the bathroom mirror taking the time to ensure his long, thick hair was combed neatly and his breath was minty fresh. He didn't know exactly what he was planning for, but he wanted to be ready for every possible scenario.

Today was the day he was going to tell Levy how he felt about her.

He had it all planned out. He was going to knock on her door and give her flowers, passing them off as a birthday gift. Then, he was going to take her to get some breakfast in his dad's car. Then he was going to take her to their favorite sightseeing spot and confess there. He was ready.

His dad had known for a while that his son was quite taken with his best friend, and he understood why he suddenly wanted to come clean and tell her. The news of her move must have destroyed him, and to be honest, he wasn't taking it so well, either. He'd been good friends with Levy's parents for years. They'd have barbecues and small get-togethers often, and it was nice to have other adults to converse with. Now, he had none of that to look forward to.

But on the bright side, it was refreshing seeing his son grow into a nice young man. 'Maybe he'll get lucky an' won't be like me.'

Gajeel called out from the bathroom, saying he was about to go take her on a date soon, and he couldn't have been prouder. "Don't ferget the flowers!"

"I won't, Dad!"

"Ya got my keys?"

"Yeah, I got 'em!"

Gajeel almost ran through the house and out the front door. He was so excited. He wasn't sure how she'd respond, but it couldn't be negative, right? They'd known each other their entire lives, she shouldn't think him feeling this way is too crazy, right?

He jogged across the street, not noticing that the car that was usually in the driveway wasn't there. He got to the door and saw a folded piece of paper tucked in between the screen and the frame, but paid no mind to it. He rang the doorbell, his heart racing in anticipation. He couldn't wait to see her.

He grew impatient and rang the doorbell again; it never took this long for someone to come to the door. Maybe they were busy packing. A small wind blew the paper to the ground, prompting him to pick it up. It had his name on it. "What the…?"

/*\

"Gajeel I'm so sorry to leave this way, but I guess Dad had to leave sooner than we thought. We got the earliest flight out of here, and Dad made arrangements to have his car shipped to the city.

I know we were supposed to celebrate our birthday early. I know I wasn't supposed to leave until tomorrow night. Please forgive me.

You're my best friend in the entire world. I don't know what I would have done without you in my life. Thank you for everything.

I'll try to keep in touch. Don't forget me."

/*\

The flowers in his hand fell to the ground as he stood there, heartbroken and devastated. He… didn't get a chance to tell her, and he never would. Why didn't she call him as soon as she knew she was leaving earlier? He would have woken up! Why did she leave this piss-poor excuse of an apology letter? She says 'don't forget me' as if he could ever forget someone like her! She says 'forgive me', but… this? The way she left him and said she'd 'try to keep in touch' was unforgivable!

How can someone who spent their entire life with someone else say something like that?

He shoved the note into his pocket, maybe it was a good thing he didn't get to tell her. They were never meant to be anything more than friends. He walked down the porch steps and to the driveway, his eyes landing on a pink flip phone. He immediately recognized it as her phone and knew she must have dropped it in a rush to get in the car or something.

He picked it up and it joined the crumpled note in his pocket as he walked back across the street, back to his own home. His dad said something to him, but he couldn't even comprehend or respond. He went to his room and flopped onto his bed. There was no way she'd keep in touch, now. She left her phone and he'd just gotten a new number so she didn't have it memorized yet, he remembered her telling him that. Neither of them had computers, so they didn't have any of those social media accounts that everyone in school raved about, and she always told him she never planned on getting one. He was out of luck.

What was he supposed to do now? His whole routine consisted of Levy… but now? He buried his head into his pillow, biting back that bitter feeling that was creeping up on him. "Love sucks."

It was that day, he vowed to never love again. 'We were never meant ta be anythin' more than friends.'