Au in which the last words you'll ever hear your soulmate say to you are tattooed to the inside of your wrist in your soulmate's handwriting.
Evergreen was often curious about the dark brown letters on her wrist, the words written in such a horrid chicken scrawl that she couldn't even understand them when she was younger.
No! You have to stay strong like the woman you are! Okay?
While personally the brunette thought the whole last-words-thing was ludicrous, despite how much of a romantic she was, she couldn't wrap her head around it. Sure, you'd only know for sure when the time came for you two to part ways, but most could eventually look down at their soulmate tattoo and think, Hey that seems like something insert-name-here would say! Others simply chose to forget about it and chase the affections of someone else. These people often never met their soulmate or, more commonly, never realized they were there all along before it was too late.
Now, while Evergreen didn't consider herself as a member of the latter, she knew deep down inside that Laxus Dreyar, the most popular and hottest guy at Fairy Tail High, wasn't going to be her one and only, her raison d'être. That didn't stop her, of course, from swooning and stuttering around him, following him like a lost puppy drawn to a bone. The problem was, she and her classmates, Freed and Bixslow, concluded, that Laxus' soulmate would definitely have a different set of words etched onto their skin.
That put her in a foul mood.
However, that didn't stop her from attending the school's football game that afternoon, the girl pathetically trying to convince herself otherwise. In the end, though, Evergreen found herself numbly standing in the crowd, finding out only after the game started that Laxus wasn't even playing that evening, having hurt his leg earlier that day during practise. And when the team scored the final touchdown that game and winning it all, instead of enthusiastically cheering with everyone else she let out a half-hearted 'woo-hoo'.
Elfman, on the other hand, was on a high. Covered in sweat, his team and the stands roaring as he won that last point… all he could do was smile brightly and yell along with everyone else. He was proud of himself, finding that he was worthy of the title as a man as his eyes swept through the masses, spotting his sisters through the uproar. He frowned, though, upon seeing Evergreen's displeased grimace. When she caught his stare, she averted her eyes and disappeared into the crowd, brown waves trailing behind her like a silken curtain.
After mulling it over, the giant of a teenager turned back to his teammates, the guys rowdily making their way to the locker rooms. Instead of hitting the showers like the others, though, he quickly got dressed, picked up his bag, and headed out into the hall where he knew Evergreen would be waiting for him.
The two had known each other since the summer Evergreen's family had moved in beside the Straus' house, having met when only the next day Elfman had accidentally hit her in the head with a soccer ball. He remembered her bursting into tears and calling him a beast, hitting him back with her toy fan atop his head.
He also remembered how sorry (and scared) he was when Mirajane had confronted the two, forcing them both to apologize to the other. After the previously demonic girl was content, she left them alone with the 'friendly' demand that they get along. While Evergreen so clearly wasn't pleased with the idea, Elfman was quick with a grin and reached out to her, asking if she wanted to play with him.
Her response was a stubborn glare as she marched off, sticking her tongue out at him.
However, they quickly discovered they were going to the same preschool and that were coincidentally in the same class. Later, they'd board the bus together to get to elementary school. Same classes each year. Junior high? They walked together along with his sisters, Miajane and Lisanna. Now, in high school, the two walked alone together to the houses, sometimes joined by his younger sister when she didn't have drama club. Mirajane never walked with them due to her going to school early and staying late because of her work with the student council.
Soon, despite all the petty arguments and insults (the latter being mostly Evergreen), the two non-verbally became friends. They'd never admit to but that's what they were: friends. The entire thing itself was crazy to the jock; he was head over heels for sports, on every team he had time for, yet was horrifyingly dim. She, on the other hand, was very much a girly girl, always sporting skirts and heels and lipstick and all the other glop Elfman associated with girls.
However… Evergreen wasn't like other girls to him. She was confident and strong, never faltering in step. She was sarcastic and easily outwitted him, but she could be kind on certain occasions. She was present at every one of his games, cheering loudly each time, though usually criticizing him afterwards when he'd mention anything of the sort. She hated his nickname for her, Ever, with a passion, but still let him call her that after all this time. Her smile sent his heartbeat racing and it soon became obvious to the male…
That he was infatuated with her.
Except that piece of news wasn't well received. After all, with her beauty, Evergreen was surrounded by suitors; she could easily pick any guy she wanted and he'd be wrapped around her pinky finger like a little living and breathing ring. Besides, he thought now and again, she probably has a soulmate waiting for her out there. A soulmate like Laxus or Mystogan. Then he'd look down at his smooth, tanned wrist, empty of any words at all. Not someone like me, not someone meant to be alone.
Yes, that's right—Elfman Straus had been born without a soulmate tattoo. That type of thing was rare and, while it meant that he could freely choose who he'd love, it made it so much harder when considering that everyone around him actually did have a soulmate waiting for them. No one other than his family knew, not even Evergreen herself, and his sisters would always try to convince him to look at the situation in a happier way. Sometimes it worked; most of the time it didn't. The one thing he was certain of was how he felt about the girl next door.
He dismissed these thoughts as he walked to his locker, shaking his head slightly. His oddly thoughtful look was replaced with a wide grin when he glimpsed the girl leaning against the same locker as she always did when she waited for him, her hands loosely gripping her bag as she stared at the wall facing her. "Hey, Ever!" he loudly greeted, causing her hazel orbs to glide over to his own black ones. She screwed her face up and hissed out, naggingly, "You couldn't have taken a shower, you oaf? You're still dripping in sweat! And the smell…!"
Elfman chuckled as they made their way out of the building, his gym bag lazily slung over his shoulder and bumping against his back with each step he took. "It's the smell of a true man," he insisted. "Not something you'd ever sniff out in the perfume you bathe in."
Her nose twitched cutely out of annoyance. "If you ask me, it's the smell of something long dead and still kicking." She paused. "And I do not 'bathe' in it! It's just a spritz here and there…"
"Yeah, yeah," he teased, unconvinced. However, rather than throwing back a comeback like she usually would, Evergreen remained silent and the conversation kind of died as quickly as it started. After a minute or two of awkward silence, Elfman cocked an eyebrow and rested his hand on her shoulder, effectively stopping her and getting her attention. "If there something wrong, Ever?" he asked, joking smile long gone.
She simply blinked in response. "No…" she said slowly, "there isn't. Why do you ask?"
"You weren't cheering."
"What?"
"You weren't cheering at the game today, Ever," was his reply. "You always cheer for us. You didn't. So tell me what's wrong." Evergreen's eyes widened before she turned her head, smiling uncomfortably under his intense gaze. "It's really nothing, Elfman. Just something a little… personal."
The male felt his heart shrivel a tiny bit in his massive chest cavity. "Is this about Laxus again?" he asked quietly. At her slightly delayed nod, he felt himself stiffen. "What did he do this time?"
"Nothing!" she exclaimed. "I'm just questioning my chances of him being my soulmate." She winced and glared at him half-heartedly from behind her eyeglasses. "Can you let go of me? It's starting to hurt a little…" Noticing how tight his grip had gotten, the white haired male pulled away quickly, as though he'd touched a hot stove.
They slowly began walking again in silence before Elfman turned back to her. "Why do you always make such a fuss about that guy, Ever?" he muttered. "He'd be a horrible soulmate for you."
"How can you say that about your own teammate, Elfman?!" she chastised him, her stare turning angry. Her cheeks had turned a light raspberry and he would have found her frustrated expression adorable if they hadn't darkened at the mentioned of the blonde upperclassman.
"I can say that because I've known the guy longer than you have and see him almost every day!" he growled in reply. "Trust me, you don't want that sleaze as your soulmate, Ever. He doesn't even care about who his soulmate might be, the bastard just sleeps around with any girl he wants until he gets bored and looks for a new one. He isn't enough of a man for you."
The girl stared at him before smirking teasingly. "…you always get so riled up when I mention him, Elfman," she murmured, thoughtfully placing a finger to her cheek. "Come to think of it, you seem to act that way whenever I mention any guy other than Freed or Bixslow." He tensed as she pretended to think it over. "Could it be that poor little Elfman is… jealous~?" she cooed, to which the athlete froze before turning his heated face away.
"Of course not!" he gruffly spat out. She ignored him, chanting the word in a little singsong voice as his, out of sight, grew redder with each passing second. "Why would a man like me fall for a woman like you?! What a load of bullshit!"
Immediately after saying that, Evergreen's Cheshire cat grin vanished, a hurt look taking its place. Elfman, upon realizing what he said, guiltily spun back to her, an apology ready at the tip of his tongue when she let out a huff. "I was just joking, you brute!" she hissed, frowning. "You didn't have to be so mean about it."
"I know, I know," he murmured, staring at the ground, "I'm sorry, alright?" The sincerity in his voice eased away her unhappy look and for a while the two were once again quiet. It was only when they stepped onto their street that Evergreen spoke up, asking "Will Lisanna need me to come over tomorrow? The last test she got back didn't have the best results so I thought she might want another study session."
Elfman's eyes widened in surprise, looking at her quizzically. "No, it's fine," he said slowly, his deep voice sounding gravelly. "She needs to finish packing."
"Oh." Evergreen's eyes softened, remembering how sad he had looked when he'd told her the news about how the Straus' were moving to a neighboring town. The sudden statement had come as a shock and left her surprising shaky. "When are you guys leaving again?"
Again came his look, and he muttered a quick "Tomorrow morning." At that, Evergreen gasped, shock written all over her face. "Already?! But I thought you said you were leaving in a month?"
"I said that a month ago, Ever."
The two stopped, now at the foot of the Straus' driveway. They awkwardly stood face to face, Evergreen trying to think of something to say and Elfman trying to calm the internal conflict inside of him and debating whether or not he shoulder tell her how he felt. In the end, just when Elfman was about to give in, Evergreen gave him a sheepish smile and waved goodbye. "I'll see you tomorrow, then," she sighed. After he nodded in agreement, they parted ways, each walking to their own front door with their heads hung low.
The next day, Evergreen found herself at the station, tired from waking up so ridiculously early on a Saturday. Normally, she'd still be out cold, getting her 'beauty sleep' as Elfman liked to tease on other days, but she'd set her alarm for seven a.m. so that she could say goodbye to her neighbors.
Seven. Freaking. A.m. She'd even been too tired to put on makeup.
She waved as the siblings' parents boarded, both carrying at least three suitcases each. If her parents had been there instead of still travelling on their business trip, she knew that they'd strike up a conversation with the white haired geezers, but she contented herself with a little thin-lipped smile.
Next, Mirajane wrapped her up in a hug that the brunette stiffly accepted. Even though they were all grown up, Evergreen and Elfman were still scared of the older girl once and a while.
After her sister tearfully stepped onto the train, Lisanna stumbled over to Evergreen, yawning and looking as tired as Evergreen felt with her hair unbrushed and dark circles under her eyes. She had undoubtedly been texting her friends all night before she left in the morning. This embrace was warmly returned, the two girls having grown a little closer over the years after Evergreen had started tutoring her. She then turned and lugged her light blue bag on board.
Last but not least was Elfman. Unlike Evergreen, he seemed to be well rested and alert, ready for anything life would throw at him that day. His eyes, however, were solemn as they gazed down at her and soon, though she didn't remember when they'd gotten into this position, his arms were around her and was leaning into his chest. He'd always been bulky, something that the girl had resented now and again, but right then he surrounded her and couldn't help but welcome the comfortable warmth.
Elfman glanced down when he first felt her tremble and he felt his heart strings tighten at the sight of her quivering lips and bleary eyes. "Hey, come on now," he whispered leaning down so that they were eye level, "don't cry, Ever. It's not like we'll never see each other again."
"I'm not crying," she whimpered, her voice low. He shook his head and gave her an incredulous look.
"Ever—" he started, but she interrupted him with a shaky laugh. "I know, I know," she said, trying to sound like her usual, confident self. "'Man up', right?"
"No!" he exclaimed, catching her off guard. He shook his head vigorously before stilling and searching her eyes. Searching for the right words to say. He continued, the sentence rushed, "You have to stay strong like the woman you are! Okay?" The girl froze, still as a statue as the words registered in her mind. The same words inked on the inside of her wrist.
The last words she was ever to hear from her soulmate.
She opened her mouth, but instead of words a sob left her lips. Soon she was bawling her eyes out, the tears blurring his face from her vision when all she wanted was to memorize before it left like she knew it would.
Elfman, oblivious to her discovery, stroked the top of her head, pushing her hair back before he brushed the tears from her cheeks with his thumb. He tilted his head to side and her vision cleared just enough for a second to let her see his big, dumbly happy smile. The same one he'd given her when he reached out to her all those years ago, palm face up and fingers spread. Then, acting on an impulse, he leaned forward and kissed her.
When he pulled away, he was still smiling. He was still smiling as he stepped away, boarding the train. He smiled as the doors closed and stared at her through the window, waving. Hot tears as hot as her rosy cheeks continued to stream down her face, but she tried her best to mirror his smile and waved goodbye to him for the second time in less than twenty-four hours. Supposedly the last time she'd ever be waving goodbye to him ever again.