~Gajeel~
“Come on, Shrimp,” I sighed, closing the trunk of my car. “Are we goin’ or what?”
“I’m coming!” Levy snapped, scooping Lily up in his carrier before closing and locking our apartment door. Luckily, the break-in had happened right before Spring Break, so we could head home for a few days to allow the university to clean up the mess the “robber” had done to the house. Even though I was the one who broke the bedroom window when I punched him into it…
“So,” Levy grinned, as she fastened her seatbelt and I took off towards Mom’s house, “has Elfman mentioned anything about Evergreen?”
I groaned. “The idiot won’t shut up about her.”
She giggled. “Same with Ever. She acts like she doesn’t like him, but she talks about him every chance she gets, and she gets the same goofy look on her face that Lucy gets when she talks about Natsu.”
“It’s all gross if ya ask me,” I grumbled.
Levy frowned, glancing at me. “I bet you’ll be all gross when you meet your soulmate.”
“I doubt it,” I scoffed. “You won’t see me turn into a fool like Natsu or Elfman just because my soulmate’s around. And who’s to say my soulmate is going to be anything worth all the fuss, anyways?” I realized I was gripping the steering wheel rather tightly, so I let out a long breath and relaxed my hands. It was just a question. Don’t get so mad about it.
“I think your soulmate will be incredibly lucky,” Levy told me, a sad smile on her face.
“Lucky?” I snorted, thinking of my stupid zero. “That’s not exactly what I’d say about the poor person whose timer matches mine.”
“Yes, lucky,” she grinned, punching me on the arm. “Think about everything you’ve done for me since we were little. I think you’ll make a great soulmate when it’s your time. Just promise not to forget about me and Lily, alright?”
“What makes you think you get the cat?” I chuckled, unable to ignore how her words made my chest ache a little.
“Because I’m the better parent. Obviously,” she smirked. “And he loves me more than you.”
“You’re full of—”
“Mom!” Levy cried, laughing as she shouted out the window. The tiny woman who raised me was waiting outside on the front porch, waving enthusiastically as I parked my car. Before I could even open the door all the way, there were arms around my neck.
“Levy told me about the break-in,” Diane cried, hugging me tightly, “thank you for helping her.”
“No problem, mom,” I chuckled, getting out of the car before hugging her back.
She pulled away to wipe at a tear, then smacked me on the back of the head. “Don’t ever do anything reckless like that again!” She scolded. “Do you know how worried I was?!”
“Sorry,” I grumbled, rubbing my head.
“Mom!” Levy squealed, running around the car to hug her mother. “How have you been?”
“I’ve been just fine,” she smiled, her hazel eyes and blue hair the exact match to Levy’s. The only differences in their appearances were their height, hair length, and the red glasses that perched delicately on Diane’s nose. She always kept her hair back with a ribbon, much like Levy, but her hair was quite longer, going halfway down her back. It was also streaked with grey, but that didn’t make the woman any less terrifying. She was the kindest woman I had ever met—I mean, she had adopted me after the accident and had raised me ever since as if I were her own child—but she could be a little…eccentric.
