Last Second

(Soulmate Clock/Soulmate Timer AU)

"Dad I'm scared."

"You'll be fine," said xVezii with forced cheer. Creepa was picking at the edges of the watch where it fused with his skin, and xVezii gently pulled his hand away from it before he could hurt himself. The blinking numbers read 00:00:00:00:00:28:37. Barely a half-hour left until he met his soulmate.

"What if they don't like me? Or I don't like them?"

"You don't like anyone, remember?" xVezii reminded him playfully. Creepa just rolled his eyes.

"Dad, please don't make me go."

"Come on, this could be the best moment of your life. I have a feeling you'll regret missing out more than meeting them."

It took quite a bit of pleading and more bribery than xVezii would have liked to send Creepa out the door, but he was soon dragging himself down the path to the glowing event portal. xVezii watched him go until he disappeared into the lava curtain. His son. Trok's son.

Trok had left him the minute he found his soulmate. Years of what xVezii had thought of as love were torn apart in an instant. He couldn't blame Trok for putting his soulmate first; after all, he and Dylan were literally meant to be. But the jealous ache in his heart was still there.

xVezii checked the timer on his own wrist, more out of habit than anything. It read 00:00:00:00:00:00:06. It had stayed that way for the past two months.

The clocks weren't a guarantee of anything. They didn't account for orientation, previous and current relationships, or even how you felt about the person. They were just a fact of life, a symbol of a bond that ran deeper than any of society's dictates or conventions. It was entirely possible for soulmates to reject each other and continue on with their lives, but to xVezii's knowledge it had never happened. The one thing the clocks could tell with certainty was if your soulmate had died before you could meet. And xVezii remembered that day with painful clarity.

At thirty seconds, he had been in Alpha desperately scanning the crowd. Trok and Dylan had thrown a makeshift mine party, transforming the coal and iron into patterns of gold, diamonds, and emeralds.

At ten seconds, Trok had replaced the emerald blocks with a sea of lava. Screams and laughter echoed around the hall as the players scrambled to safety.

And at six seconds, a boy dressed in purple and black tumbled from the edge of the mine into the depths, vanishing under the glowing surface. xVezii had felt a terrible chill and looked at his clock. The numbers were frozen.

xWezii. His soulmate, gone forever.

He gazed into the portal, watching the lava shimmer. The screaming still echoed in his head.

A message from Creepa snapped him out of his reverie.

"Dad… His name is Tendencies."

At least he knew that Creepa wouldn't die alone.