~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.
“Well, come on inside,” she told us, “we’ll freeze to death if we stay out here any longer.”
“It probably doesn’t help that you’re wearing a dress,” Levy giggled, pointing to the light grey sundress she was wearing.
“It’s the weather that needs to change, not my outfit,” mom huffed, grabbing Lily’s carrier then leading us inside.
Levy looked at me before we both had to hold back our laughter. “She always does whatever she wants,” Levy sighed, happily.
“So,” Diane said, before I could respond, “tell me about your friends who just had their clocks hit zero. They were mutual friends, right?”
“Sort of,” Levy told her. “I was closer to the girls, and Gajeel was closer to the guys. The first time they met was when each of their timers ran out. Since we all have different schedules, it was hard for us all to hang out together, so they hadn’t ever had the chance to meet.”
“I see,” Diane nodded. “Well, I’m happy for them. Love is a wonderful thing.” She glanced between Levy and I, smiling.
I cleared my throat awkwardly, not liking the way her knowing eyes kept looking at me. “I’m gonna go get the rest of our stuff.”
“I’ll help,” Diane said, immediately. “Levy dear, could you brew up some tea?”
“Sure thing,” Levy smiled.
Diane followed me to the car, putting her hand over mine when I went to open the trunk. “What’s wrong, Gajeel?”
I met her eyes, deciding whether or not it would be wise to lie to her. Knowing it probably wouldn’t be in my best interest to lie, but not wanting to tell her everything, I sighed. “I’m just not a fan of all the countdown clock stuff, that’s all.”
“And?” She raised a blue eyebrow at me.
“And nothing,” I shrugged. “I think that stuff is boring.”
“Gajeel,” she smiled, putting her hand on my face, “I know something is bothering you. So tell me what it is.” Before I could react, she reached around and pinched my ear, still smiling. “And don’t lie to me this time, dear.”
“I wasn’t lying,” I snapped, wincing as she didn’t offer to release me. “I don’t like to talk about those stupid clocks.”
“Why?” She let go of my ear, frowning sadly. “The clocks tell us who our soulmate is and lead us to a lifetime of love and happiness with that person. That can’t be stupid.”
I stared down at the ground for a long time, not wanting to answer. Sure, I might have shared the same opinion if mine hadn’t been on zero for as long as I could remember. But it has, so I’ll never get to have what she describes. There isn’t a soulmate waiting for me to meet them. The only thing I have to look forward to is this damned zero on my arm, following me around until I die and reminding me that I can never have that kind of happiness with another person. An image of Levy flashed across my mind, and I had to fight back the impulse to curse and shake my head.
“You’ve grown awfully quiet,” Diane said.
“I—”
“Mom, Gajeel, the tea is ready!” Levy called.
“Coming!” I replied, quickly grabbing our things while silently thanking the excuse to escape. That damned woman can read me like a book. I could still feel her eyes on me as I went back to the kitchen.
“Did I miss something?” Levy asked, raising an eyebrow at us.
“Nothing,” Diane chuckled. “Gajeel was just telling me how lucky he is to have two beautiful women like us in his life.”
Levy spit tea all over the kitchen as she burst into laughter along with Diane. I groaned, rubbing my hand over my face. “Kinda putting words in my mouth, aren’t ya mom?”
She winked at me, chuckling as she scooped Lily up and left the room.
“I’m glad to see she’s still crazy,” I smirked, watching Levy wipe up the tea she had spilled.
“She’d have to be crazy to deal with you as a teenager,” Levy scoffed.
“Me?” I retorted. “Really? I was an angel compared to you. Who’s the one that dyed their hair bright green as a form of rebel just because mom took their books?”
“You promised never to talk about that!” Levy gasped.
“Just like I promised never to bring up the huge crush you had on our doctor in the hospital?”
“I was ten!”
“But you were in love,” I said, rolling my eyes.
“I was ten,” she pouted. “At least I didn’t have a crush on mom when I was twelve.”
I shivered. “That was before I knew she was a psycho.”
“You’d lucky to have me as a crush,” Diane huffed, smacking me on the head. Levy broke into a fit of hushed laughter as I growled curses under my breath at her for not warning me that Diane had been standing behind me.
“Levy, I think it’s passed Lily’s dinnertime. I have a spare bowl for him upstairs in your room.”
“Oh!” Levy straightened, “I’ll go feed him. Be back in a minute!”
When she left, Diane turned to me with a smirk. “So, you had a crush on me, did you?”
“I’m trying to forget about that,” I murmured, knowing she’d never let me live it down now.
“Speaking of crushes,” she said, sitting down at the table and patting the seat next to hers, “let’s talk.” I took a seat, already not liking the direction of the conversation. “So,” she began, “what has really been bothering you? You admitted it has to do with the countdown clocks, but I don’t think that’s the whole story.”
“It’s nothing—”
“Gajeel,” she grabbed my hands, smiling in that motherly way she had which always got me to tell her whatever she wanted, “maybe I can help.”
I sighed, figuring it couldn’t hurt. Diane’s the closest thing I’ve ever had to a mother. Why shouldn’t I tell her about my clock? Like she said, she might even be able to help. A thought suddenly occurred to me. One I hadn’t considered before. If my clock has been as zero since I was young, maybe Diane knows when it got there!
Hoping she could give me some answers, I held out my wrist and showed her the clock. As unmoving as ever, the zero appeared for her to see, and I saw her smile a little. “So that’s why you get so cranky when I bring up the clocks.”
“Don’t call me cranky,” I snapped. “I’m not cranky. Do you know when it ran out?”
“Ran out?” She asked.
“This thing has been at zero for as long as I can remember. I was hoping you could—”
“Tell you the exact moment it hit zero, right?” She sighed, releasing my hands, “I’m sorry, but I’m afraid I don’t know that. What I can tell you is that you won’t be alone for the rest of your life. I know that’s what you’ve been thinking all this time, and I’m telling you right now that it isn’t true. Your soulmate is going to reveal herself someday, and you two are going to be beyond happy together.”
“It has been years since it ran out,” I frowned, “how am I supposed to find the person who hit zero at the same time as me when I don’t even know when that was?”
“Like I said, countdown clock or not, you are going to find your soulmate someday, Gajeel.” She fixed me with a serious gaze. “What do you think is the point of a countdown clock?”
I wasn’t sure how to answer that. It was an odd question, and I hadn’t ever really thought about. “I don’t know,” I shrugged. “It’s supposed to lead us to our soulmate, isn’t it? They are synced together with the person that we are most compatible with, and the person who we are destined to fall in love with.”
“Then there’s your answer,” Diane smiled. “The countdown clock is meant to lead you to the love of your life. But, I think you have already found yours, even without the clock’s help.”
“And what’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, frowning.
“Tell me something,” she said, leaning closer as her voice fell to a whisper, “do you love Levy?”
I was so startled by her question that I nearly fell out of the chair. “Why the hell would ya ask me somethin’ like that?” I snapped, not meeting her eyes for fear that she would be able to see the truth. “I grew up with the Shrimp, so of course I do. She’s like a sister.”
“Maybe so, but most people don’t want to have children with their sister,” Diane snickered as I gaped at her. “You can’t hide it from me, Gajeel. While I don’t doubt you love Levy like a sister, the fact still remains that she isn’t your sister—and that’s not the kind of love you feel towards her. Take last weekend for example. You threw yourself into a fight with a burglar who had attacked Levy, and you beat the poor guy unconscious. That goes a little farther than merely brotherly love, don’t you think?” She smiled at me as I avoided her question by downing my glass of tea.
When I couldn’t take her silent staring anymore, I let out an exasperated sigh. “It doesn’t matter. Her timer is still going.”
“Have you ever asked her if you could see it?” Diane asked, still smiling.
I frowned. “No. Why should I?”
She just smiled. “You can’t always believe everything someone tells you. Even if it is coming from the girl you love.”
“Gajeel!” Levy cried, sprinting into the room. “Natsu and Lucy just challenged us to a team race on Mario Kart! Come on; if we don’t log on in ten minutes, it’s an automatic forfeit, and I’m not about to let those two beat us!” She grabbed my hand and tugged me towards the stairs.
“Go on,” Diane chuckled when I looked back at her, “I wouldn’t want you two to lose.”
I followed Levy, still thinking about what Diane had said. It’s true that I haven’t ever seen Levy’s countdown clock, but she said there’s still a couple of years left on it. Why would she lie about something like that? If it were any different she would have told me about it, right? I shook myself, putting any thoughts of clocks and numbers out of my mind.
If I spend all my time worrying about Levy’s clock, then I’ll just go crazy. Besides, I still have mine to worry about.