When the Clock Strikes Midnight

Author's Note: Happy New Year! I know, I'm a little late. I was gonna update at midnight, but I had such a crazy party, I completely forgot. I hope you guys like my New Year's special! Happy New Year, everybody!

Oh, a little side-note: I know the summary says GaLe, but I didn't write any GaLe besides little hints. I tried, but I just cannot write romance between Gajeel and Levy, even if it would save my life.

It was the 31st of December, and the people of Magnolia were crowded in the middle of the city, waiting for the midnight fireworks to begin. It was 11:42 PM, and everybody was incapable of sitting still. Another year in Fiore has finally reached its end. The members of Fairy Tail, however, stayed at the guild hall as midnight approached. Everyone was having a blast. Cana had exceeded her weight in alcohol, Mirajane was up on stage playing some music for the guild, and the current time was displayed on a massive clock the hung overhead, courtesy of Gray. Even Gildarts had stopped by to join the fun, sitting at a table with a beer in hand, conversing with Macao and Wakaba.

Everybody had taken the liberty to dress nicely for the occasion. Lucy sat at a table with Erza, Wendy, Charle, Juvia, and Levy. They were all wearing beautiful dresses. Erza was wearing a salmon colored dress that ended an inch above her knees, a black silk bow tied at the right side of her waist. It had one strap, which hung over her left shoulder. He scarlet red hair was tied up into a fancy ponytail, her bangs slightly curled to the side, giving her eyes a nice flare. To complement the light color of her dress, her pumps were a midnight black. Levy's dress was simple and went just passed her knees and was a dark, amethyst color. Her heels were also simple and possessed the same shade. Her headband was absent, allowing her bangs to fall in front of her eyes. Wendy's dress was white with black polka dots that got progressively larger as they got closer to the bottom, which was mid-shin. It was strapless, and there was a thick black sash under her chest that encircled her torso. Her hair was tied into identical, wavy pigtails on either side of her head, and her shoes were flat and a matching black.

Juvia's dress was navy blue and ended mid-thigh. It hugged the curves of her body, and the lower back and shoulders were bare. Her blue hair cascaded down her back in elegant waves, and her shoes were fancy white heels. And last but not least, Lucy's dress was cerulean and stopped just above her ankles. It was silky and flow-y at the bottom, and her heels were a shining silver. Her blonde hair was done in her signature style, a single ponytail tied at the side of her head. To say the least, when the girls arrived, the boys' mouths were instantly watering. Especially Natsu's and Gajeel's, you know, due to their animalistic instincts.

"So, Juvia," said Lucy, looking over to her friend with a mischievous smirk. "Why such a short dress? Got some plans with Gray after the clock strikes twelve?" The girls giggled as the water wizard's usually pale face burned to a deep red, her eyes looking down at her lap with embarrassment.

"J-Juvia and Gr-Gray-sama have only been d-dating for a c-c-couple of months," she stuttered, taping her index fingers together nervously. "W-w-we're taking i-it slow." The giggles around the table escalated slightly.

"Ah, I see," Lucy mused, taking a sip of her drink. Wendy looked up at Erza with sympathetic eyes, placing a dainty hand on her shoulder.

"I'm really sorry that Jellal-san couldn't be here," she said sadly. Juvia looked up as her embarrassment vanished, concerned. Lucy's smile faded, and Levy exchanged worried glances with Charle. Erza nodded solemnly.

"Me too," she said softly. There was a moment of silence before the requip wizard looked down at the small dragon slayer, a small grin on her lips. "Wendy? Is there anyone in the guild that you like? I mean, it's obvious that Juvia likes Gray, and that Lucy likes Natsu, and Levy likes Gajeel, and I honestly don't know what's going on with Charle and Happy…"

"Absolutely nothing is going on between me and Happy!" Charle cut in, a light pink blush dusting her furry cheeks. The girls laughed before Erza continued.

"…but I haven't noticed anything with you. So…?" She leaned closer to her, waiting for an answer, the other girls – besides Charle, who was still too mad about the comment that implied a relationship between her and Happy – followed suit. Wendy switched her gaze from one of her friends to another, feeling pressured by their excited eyes. Her face slowly flushed to a bright red.

"I, um…" she began shyly. "Ever since we returned from Tenrou Island…I have, uh…"

"Go on," Levy pressed, her excitement getting the better of her.

"Ever since we returned from Tenrou Island… I've had a…small crush on…Romeo-san." The girls around the table, even Charle, shared an ecstatic gasp.

"Aww!" the two bookworms exclaimed in unison, causing Wendy's blush to deepen.

"Wendy's got a crush on Romeo-kun!" Lucy sang, a wide grin stretching across her face.

"How adorable!" Juvia chirped, her hands crossed over her heart. Wendy hung her head to hide her face, but looked up when Erza touched her shoulder.

"It's alright, Wendy," she said. "It happens to everyone at some point."

"Yeah," Levy added. "Besides, I can't blame you for liking Romeo. I don't any of us can. He is pretty cute." They all looked over to the side of the room, where Romeo sat with the other guys. He was wearing a nice dress shirt and a dark red tie, and a bright smile lit up his face as he laughed at one of Natsu's jokes.

"He is pretty handsome," Lucy agreed. Levy turned her head to her best friend with a playful glint in her eyes.

"Romeo or Natsu?" she teased, feeling pride in herself at Lucy's blushing complexion.

"Well, um, both of them," she answered, trying to keep her voice from shaking. She hardened her expression and turned toward the solid script wizard. "What about Gajeel? He looks rather nice tonight as well." It was Levy's turn to blush. She was about to say something back, but she heard a voice speaking out to everyone in the guild.

"Alright, Fairy Tail," said Lisanna from the stage. Everyone looked up at her and Mira. "We have two minutes until midnight. So let's head outside for the fireworks!" Everyone in the guild cheered and immediately went for the doors.

Romeo and Wendy

It was cold and snowy outside, causing Wendy to shiver. She envied Lucy for having such a long dress. She should've worn something longer. She was standing alone, looking up at the sky, her arms folded across her chest in attempt to keep warm. "Hey, Wendy-san," said a young, male voice. She turned to the sound of her name, and froze at the sight of Romeo approaching her.

"H-hello, Romeo-san," she sputtered.

The smile on the young boy's face was beginning to make her knees feel weak. "You excited? For the new year?"

The young dragon slayer nodded, returning his grin. "Yes, I am. What about you?"

He shrugged. "I guess. I've never really been excited about the year ending. The next day just seems like a normal day to me." Wendy nodded and dropped her arms, holding them against her sides as she shuddered, goose bumps running down her arms.

"Romeo!"

The boy turned to the man that said his name. "What is it, Natsu-nii?"

Natsu walked up to him, looking around for something. "Have you seen Lucy anywhere? I lost sight of her when everyone came outside." Romeo was about to answer him, but the girl beside him beat him to the punch.

"She's up at the front."

Natsu flashed a hasty smile and began to make his way through the crowd. "Thanks, Wendy!"

Romeo turned to Wendy as she shivered audibly, furrowing his brow. "You cold?" he asked. The bluenette nodded, teeth chattering lightly. Her heart skipped a beat when she felt his fingers lace with hers. His hand was so warm. "Better?" All the sky dragon could do was nod. Romeo smiled brilliantly. At that moment, he realized he was going to say something to her when Natsu showed up. "You look very pretty tonight, Wendy-san."

Wendy prayed to Mavis that he couldn't see the deep blush on her cheeks in the dim light. "Thank you," she said shyly. Romeo chuckled. He saw her blush just fine.

Jellal and Erza

Erza looked around sadly. Looking at all the couples around her, she couldn't help but be a little depressed. She missed him. The last time she'd seen him was during the Daimatou Enbu, which was several months ago. She looked off to the right and saw Wendy and Romeo holding hands, and she smiled. So maybe he has a little crush on her as well, she thought to herself. Looking over to her left, she saw Gray and Juvia, Gray with his arm draped over her shoulders. Somewhere among the crowd, she heard Natsu's voice calling out for Lucy. She chuckled a little. It's about time those two got together. Just as her eyes landed on Gajeel and Levy, she felt two strong arms encircle her waist. She jumped and made a move to turn around, but felt her nerves immediately relax when she heard his voice.

"Hello, Erza," he said.

"Jellal," Erza murmured, turning her head to look up at him. Sure enough, it was a man with azure hair and a tattoo down his right eye. "You made it."

Jellal smiled. "Of course. I wouldn't miss it for the world." He leaned down and touched his lips to her cheek.

Gray and Juvia

Juvia stood in the middle of the crowd, waiting anxiously for Gray to come find her. She jerked to the side with an alarmed gasp. She turned to who had bumped into her. "Oh, sorry, Juvia," Natsu apologized, his expression frantic and worried.

"It's alright," she dismissed, waving her hand. "What's wrong, Natsu?"

"I can't find Lucy," he answered without looking at her. He was too busy trying to look over the swarm of Fairy Tail members to spot a head of blonde hair.

"She's up at the front."

"Yeah, that's what Wendy told me. I'm heading up there now. Happy new year, Juvia!" Before she could respond, he was already gone. She jumped and squeaked when an arm draped over her shoulders.

"Hey." She turned around to meet a pair of dark blue eyes. "Sorry, I'm late. I had to talk to the master about something." The ice wizard trailed his eyes down her body, and then back up. "Nice dress."

Juvia's face flushed to a deep red. "Th-thank you." Gray chuckled and placed a soft kiss on her temple, causing her blush to darken even more. The two of them looked up at the sky.

There were thirty seconds left.

Natsu and Lucy

Natsu was frantically pushing his way through his guild mates. He was running out of time. He had to find Lucy before midnight. He had to be there with her to count down to the new year. He listened as his friends began to shout.

Twenty-five

He growled under his breath, growing frustrated. How could he have lost her in such a small group of people? He would've asked Happy to direct him to her, but Happy was nowhere to be seen either.

Twenty

His face lit up at the sight of blonde. Her head was turning from side to side, undoubtedly searching for him. He picked up his pace, brushing passed the people around him.

Fifteen

"Lucy!" he called, catching her attention. She turned to face him, and her dark brown eyes brightened.

"Natsu!"

Natsu wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. "I'm sorry. I don't know how, but I lost you."

"It's fine. At least you found me."

Ten

The two of them pulled apart, just enough to look each other in the eyes. Natsu took the time to really take her in. His hands went down to sit on her hips, pulling her a touch closer. "You're so beautiful," he muttered.

Lucy giggled and smoothened his shirt. "You don't look so bad yourself, Mr. Dragneel." As their friends began to count down from six, the couple slowly began to lean forward.

"Luce?"

"Huh?"

"I love you." With that said, he mashed his lips against hers just as midnight struck. Lucy instantly melted into him, returning the kiss eagerly. She wrapped her arms around his neck, reveling in the addicting heat he was giving off. After a moment – which seemed like a blissful eternity – they pulled away, both breathless. Lucy placed a soft hand on his cheek, looking at him through dazed eyes.

"I love you too, Natsu."