AN: So, I was reading something and somebody was like writing a note to their future boyfriend and they said, "I wish I just had a timer that counted down to the moment I am going to meet you." And this one shot resulted because of that. Not sure what I was thinking but..eh. It's done and over with. Hope you like it.

EDIT: Okay, so I want to continue this...but I'm not sure how to. It's like..oops..trololol...their soul mates, let's give myself an excuse to write all the fluff in the world. If you want to see more of this, please review or message me about what exactly you would want to see with this fic... :) Thanks so much!

There was this heavy weight on Mike's wrist. It had been placed there from birth. It was a watch of sorts, but not only did it read the time. It counted down and for the longest time he didn't know what it was for. Did it count down to his death? A birthday? When he would graduate? But he never received an answer, not for a while anyway and so he would look at the watch, the seconds ticking away and his being getting closer to this unknown event. It didn't make sense to him, how it could be so important. That is until he was twelve and his parents sat down with him.

"Son, we've decided it's time to tell you about your watch," still filled with childish excitement, his eyes widened and he nodded furiously. In this world, nobody dared reveal what the watches meant to children, that was a parent's job. His mom walked off for a moment, leaving the father and son in an anxious silence and when she returned she had two watches that looked exactly like Mike's and exactly like everybody else's in the world.

"Michael, this watch was your father's," he scrunched his small brow in confusion, as this meant it wasn't his death it was counting down to, and for that he was relieved. He knew it was important, though. Why else would they keep the watches. He had never taken the time to notice his parents never had them on, it just didn't seem important. "What's the time say on that? And the date?" She asked even though she already knew the answer.

"4:32 P.M. December 3." He replied after looked at the small square by the hands of the clock, and it was not December. And it was not four, nowhere near that actually. The timer that was on it was at all zeros, like it had already run out for his father. She nodded and a warm smile came over her features before handing him the other watch. He was still highly confused, but he would find out soon enough.

"Now, this one is mine. What does that one say?" She said and he examined it as well—Wait. No, that couldn't be right. His Dad's watch had stopped but, no…

"Mom, this one says the same time, but that doesn't make any sense." He said holding a watch in each hand, eyes flickering back and forth between the two faces, looking at how the minute and hour hand rested at exactly the same spot, not a fraction of a hair off. It was now his father's turn to speak.

"Son, when everybody is born, they get a watch that counts down to the day they are to meet their…soul mate, I guess you could call it. Some people have tried to rig it, to where they keep talking to a person until the exact time of their meeting, but the end result is always inevitable." Wait. So, whenever the timer runs out for Mike—which was in 3 years, 4 months, 3 days, 6 hours and 8 minutes-then he was magically supposed to meet this person. The thought didn't seem to make sense, like his fate was already predetermined and he didn't know whether to feel scared or comforted by that idea.

"Wait so…December 3? That's when, you and Mom met?" He asked, directing the question at his father who just nodded and laughed softly, a longing glance at his wife as if silently recalling that day.

"Yes, and the hands on those watches haven't move a millimeter since." Mike looked back to the identical faces and then to his own watch.

"So, what if I find the person before then?" He asked quietly, curiosity getting the better of him.

"You don't." His mother simply replied and without anymore question he nodded his head.

3 years, 4 months, 3 days, 6 hours, and 7 minutes later.

Mike and Tina stood in the halls at McKinley, first day of high school, smiling and laughing next to the lockers that seemed so much bigger than them. He messed with her by poking her in the side to which she giggled softly and poked him back. It was almost a never-ending game. Mike had been nervous lately, his time was approaching, he knew it, but he always thought there might be an exception for him. That Tina was supposed to be his other half, because he really liked her, and she was pretty, but he couldn't read the face on her watch and neither could she on his.

When he asked his father he replied that watches can only be read by everybody when they've already stopped. Mike didn't question it, he just got used to it.

They were messing around and it was almost time to get to class, in fact they should be on their way, but they were busy caught up with each other. In a rush of pure joy, Mike took the plunge. He leaned close to Tina and kissed her, both of them stayed absolutely still. It was their first kiss in the empty hallways of McKinley High and both were grinning goofily when they finally broke apart.

"I should probably get to class," Tina whispered and looked shyly up at him.

20 seconds.

"See you around, T." He said casually and wrapped his arms around her in a hug. Maybe it was from his happiness that he'd forgot to check his watch lately, or maybe it was because he didn't care. He couldn't control it, so why try to?

10 seconds.

She walked off, turning the corner right by them and he was on the verge of bursting into laughter and he had lost all sense of his watch, of time, of where he was.

5 seconds.

He closed his eyes, walking backwards with arms out and just wanted to yell at the top of his lungs exactly how perfect he felt at this moment. Little did he know…

4 seconds.

Each step brought him closer to the inevitable, like his father said, but he was too distracted to notice.

3 seconds.

He opened his eyes and sighed, completely content at the moment.

2 seconds.

He spun on his heel and he took one step in the direction of his classroom.

1 second.

And then…

O seconds.

From the girl's bathroom beside him that he had not even been aware off, a girl walked out, running into him and catching him off guard, causing him to fall to the ground. He caught himself and when he looked around books and papers that were not his were scattered on the floor and his eyes widened. Without looking up he began apologizing profusely.

"Oh, I'm so, so, sorry. I guess I just…wasn't paying attention and…" He gathered papers, stacking them evenly while using the tile to even them out. "I'm so sorry." She had been in shock, too out of it to do anything and when he stood up, finally looking at her it was like the world was put on pause.

He took in each feature, her big brown eyes that looked like they could hug a person, or hot chocolate or something. Her hair delicately framed her face and laid over her shoulders in a flowing pattern. A sweater graced her frame, an animal on the front and she was wearing a plaid skirt, knee highs, and flats. She was small, already much smaller than him and he was estimated to grow more, but it was cute. In fact, she was beautiful. Probably the most beautiful person he had ever laid his eyes on. Wait, who was Tina again? It was like his lips tingled, but not from the kiss he had just encountered, but for another that he had not yet received.

She looked at the boy in front of her. Tall, handsome, and muscled. He was obviously kind as he had picked up her things for her and he must have been an athlete to have the kind of tone did. He looked like he should be popular, but she had no idea if he was or not and she certainly wasn't going to ask. His hair was dark, as well as his eyes and she just wanted to look at them forever if given the chance.

He handed over her books and she took them in one arm, her face of shock turning into a smile.

"I…thank you," she nodded and looked down at her heels, clicked them together like maybe that would get her out of this awkward situation with the handsome boy she had never met. She stuttered over her words. "Well, I, uhh…the bell already rang. So, we should probably get to class." She said softly and looked down at her watch, wanting to look at the time but something was wrong. The minute hand didn't move and it—

It had stopped.

Her watch had actually stopped.

She quickly looked up at him, heart pounding hard as she met his eyes, his warm eyes that seemed to greet her and say, "Hello, I've been waiting for you." And she blinked, like maybe she was going to cry out of sheer joy and he panicked, reaching out a hand to her arm.

"Hey, hey, are you okay?" He asked comfortingly and his thumb that was on her upper arm moved gently, slowly and she looked down at it, seeing the watch on his wrist and she could barely make out the face, but it was there. She could read the watch and the time was now and—

"Your watch," she whispered and watched it instead of him. He raised an eyebrow in confusion and pulled his hand back from her, eyes dropping to his wrist. He eyed it for a minute before figuring the problem, if you would even call it that. He swallowed nervously and he blinked extra slowly, giving him more time to think.

"Oh, I, uh, woah." He mumbled quietly and ran a finger over the face, just to check to make sure nothing had damaged it. She looked at him examining his watch and she smiled softly at how his eyes looked concentrated as if he were trying to meet a goal or something.

"Right. Umm, hey. My name is Mike Chang." He stated simply and she smiled, feeling her heart skip a beat, or had it stopped altogether? Either way, it was scary and amazing and something she'd never felt before.

"Hello, nice to meet you Mike Chang. My name is Rachel Berry."