Fairy Tail and its characters belong to Hiro Mashima.

January 1, x784

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Lucy had always been hopeful about her soul mate. She just couldn't help it. Surely he would be handsome and caring. Maybe he was a writer and full of mystery and intrigue. She had always been attracted to the intellectual types, so surely her soul mate would fit the bill.

Upon her first New Year's Eve the year of her eighteenth birthday, Lucy waited with bated breath for the clock to strike midnight. This was it—she was going to finally get a glimpse of her soul mate's life and be one step closer to meeting him.

Lucy stood in the crowd with her friends as they waited for the ball to drop. They were all turning eighteen this year, so all of them would finally partake in the annual soul mate swap. All of them had mixed feelings about this momentous ritual—among them, worry was prevalent. To celebrate their coming of age, the five girls had elected to watch the ball drop after dining in the city. It was a pleasant evening. The air was crisp and salty from the nearby ocean. The crowd that had gathered was rumbling anxiously.

The countdown began.

Ten.

Lucy smoothed her hair and tugged the hem of her skirt lower.

Nine.

How was her breath? She didn't want her soul mate possessing her when there was a nasty taste in her mouth. She hastily popped a mint, chewing quickly.

Eight.

She looked over at the anxious faces of her friends as they all huddled together, adjusting their outfits. A few spritzed themselves with perfume nervously. Juvia was nearly melting in place as she hyperventilated. Levy could be seen airing out her armpits anxiously, a terrified look on her face. Cana was taking shots, choosing to drown her fears with alcohol.

Seven.

It made Lucy feel better to see her friends panicking just as much as she was. She gave them a reassuring smile and reached out to squeeze Erza's hand.

Six.

Lucy took deep breaths, trying to steady her erratic heartbeat.

Five.

Was her soul mate as nervous as she was?

Four.

She swallowed. Panic flowing through her body.

Three.

She looked up at the descending ball that was counting down to this momentous moment in her life.

Two.

Lucy felt her hand being squeezed ruthlessly and looked aside to Erza who was grasping her anxiously. At least none of them were alone in this.

One.

Lucy closed her eyes and took a deep, calming breath.

There was a feeling of intense pressure when suddenly her eyes popped open. She was laying slumped on a couch, her face pressed uncomfortably on its edge. It was difficult to focus her eyes. The first thing her eyes settled on was beer bottles strewn all over a living room. Lots of other people were in the room, many of whom seemed just as confused as she was as they awoke in their soul mates bodies. She made to sit upright when a wave of dizziness hit her, instantly churning her stomach.

Am I drunk? Lucy pondered. She flopped back onto the couch with a groan and closed her eyes, riding out the wave of nausea and dizziness. She tried to rise again, slower this time. She slumped against the back of the couch as she gazed down at herself in wonder. The man's body was lean. He wore a wrinkled t-shirt and baggy jeans. She gazed around the room, looking for a mirror or similar reflective surface. She slowly dragged herself to her feet, stumbling drunkenly as she tried to make her way to a bathroom. Her new body was not on her side. Sweat began to trickle down her back at the effort she was making to walk. The room around her spun faster and faster, her eyes unable to focus on anything and staring blankly ahead as she tried to focus. Lucy stumbled in her soul mate's body, bracing herself against a wall as the nausea struck her anew. She heaved, doubling over and panting as she tried to control the contents of her stomach.

Why was this happening? Why had this idiot gotten this drunk on such an important night?

Lucy continued to curse the boy as she slid to the floor, taking deep breaths and trying desperately to keep from throwing up.

How long has it been? She questioned. Close to a minute she was sure. Lucy watched at the other occupants of the room. Some were running around, trying to leave messages to their soul mate. Others seemed indifferent as they sipped on their drinks. Her head continued to spin and her stomach roiled uncomfortably. She groaned as she slumped to the side, laying like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Her body felt so heavy, she could barely control her limbs. When she did finally meet this guy, she was going to give him hell for putting her through this.

Suddenly, Lucy felt the mysterious pressure, causing her stomach to roil again as she gagged. Her gaze was hazy as she came back to consciousness in her own body. Just like that, the uncomfortable feelings of drunkenness were gone as she returned to her own body. She took a deep, cleansing breath, relishing the absence of nausea and inhaling the salty air from the nearby ocean. The crisp, tangy air soothed her, removing the last dregs of nausea she still carried from her soul mate. Lucy glanced aside to where her friends had been standing, her eyes going round as she realized she stood alone. Lucy stood in almost the exact same position she had left her body in. Did her soul mate do nothing in the minute he had swapped bodies?

It took a while to collect her friends. It seemed their soul mates had taken immediate and hasty action in the minute they were swapped. Cana was the easiest to find as she was shouting angrily for help. Lucy found the inebriated woman halfway up a flag pole, clinging for dear life. Apparently her soul mate had chosen to either place her in a safe place where he could find her or chosen to play an impractical joke on the slightly woozy woman. How he had managed to shimmy his way up that far was a mystery. Cana was less than amused as she yelled down at Lucy to stop laughing and to help her down. Finally landing, she realized the skin on her hands and thighs didn't agree with the metal pole and ended up waddling the rest of the night.

Erza's soul mate had run to the nearest street sign. That was pragmatic. Presuming they were in the same city, he could have an idea of where she was located. Juvia was frantically running around collecting her clothes, which her soul mate had presumably chosen to shed. Levy had come to in the bathroom at the convenience store across the street, standing before the bathroom mirror. She was upset that her soul mate had taken immediate action to see what she had looked like. It seemed that when she came to in her soul mates body, she hadn't been as productive. Her soul mate had been out on a boat with his dog. While the view of the city had been beautiful, it had been essentially unhelpful for her to figure out her surroundings. She did make friends with the dog and managed to read his tag. She had taken great pains to memorize the phone number on the tag, which she had entered into her phone for safekeeping.

The girls debated what was to be done. Should they wait in their respective waking places and wait for their soul mates to find them—if they were even looking for them, that is. What if they came looking? But, then again, what if they didn't? They could be thousands of miles away. They could be in another country. Finally deciding not to put their night on hold, the girls chose to pick up some snacks from the convenience store and hang out at the park to discuss their first soul mate swap. The group sat at a picnic table, huddled together in excitement.

Cana was still raging that she would castrate her idiot soul mate for leaving her halfway up a flag pole. How he had even managed to shimmy up there was a mystery to all of them. It had taken quite a lot to coax the intoxicated Cana back down the pole with the promise of catching her.

Lucy sat there silently, her lips downturned. Had her soul mate forgotten the importance of tonight? Or did he just not care? Worse yet, had he intentionally drank himself into oblivion? It was their first time swapping bodies. The very least he could do is make it a decent experience for her instead of getting unbearably, wretchedly intoxicated.

Upon reaching the park, the five girls began to reveal the details of their respective experiences.

"My soul mate was watching the ball drop on TV with his family," Erza began. She blushed slightly. "His mother and father were there."

"What did they say?" Lucy queried.

"They said his name is Jellal." She smiled as she said his name for the first time. "They told me they live in Midi." She frowned slightly. Midi was about three-thousand miles away. "He's a few years older, so he's been waiting for me to come of age. They said he's been looking forward to this for a long time." She smiled brightly, blushing deeply. "They introduced me to his younger sister, Meredy. And then they asked me for my phone number and name. They said I would hear from him soon."

The girls cooed over how cute it all was as Erza blushed to the roots of her red hair. They all began to shout their theories as to what Jellal would do with Erza's phone number and how they would eventually meet. Erza hadn't had a chance to get a look at her soul mate—she had been too engrossed in her quick conversation with his parents.

Levy went next.

"When I came to, I was on a small boat outside of a city. It was terrifying!" She said, her eyes large.

"What if he was dumping a body?" Cana joked.

"Don't say that!" Levy shouted. "I made friends with his dog. It had a tag, so I memorized the phone number. I looked for his ID or cell phone, but he didn't have it on him. At least he had a chance to get a look at my face." She pouted. "He made it impossible for me to even know what he looks like. The water was too dark to see a reflection. But he had long black hair. And I think he's kind of huge."

Cana gasped.

"Levy! Did you take a peek at the junk?" Cana exclaimed, leaning over the picnic table and gripping Levy by her shoulders, shaking the little bluenette in excitement.

Levy blushed brilliantly, pulling away from the drunken woman.

"No," she groaned. "I mean he was really tall! I did not look at his junk." She emphasized.

The girls laughed as Levy blustered.

"Your turn," Levy smirked, pointing to Cana. "Why did your guy run you up a flag pole?"

Cana laughed.

"When I came to, he was in the middle of downing a keg of beer," Cana gloated. "I guess it's true—he's my soul mate."

"So, what did you do?" Erza probed.

"I finished off the keg!" Cana exclaimed, winking. "If he wants to meet me, he'll need to work for it," she smirked wickedly. She turned to Lucy.

"Your turn," she sniggered, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"There's not much to say," Lucy said. "He was really drunk at a party. I almost threw up twice," she griped. "Ugh! Idiot!"

"Aw, Lucy, I'm sure the next time will be better," Levy placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Did he do anything when he was in your body?"

"No," Lucy answered. "I woke in the same place I left my body."

"He didn't try to see your reflection or find your location?" Erza asked.

"Nope," Lucy said. She was vexed with her soul mate. It wasn't that she was obsessed with meeting her soul mate like many young women her age were, but it would make her feel better to know he at least tried to see what she looked like or was at all interested in meeting her. And what kind of idiot gets drunk on the night of a soul mate swap?

"Fuck him," Cana declared as she took a long swig from her bottle of whiskey. "It's his loss."

"Maybe he was just disoriented," Levy concluded. "I mean, he was drunk wasn't he? And sixty seconds isn't very long. Maybe he hadn't realized what time it was and it took him a long time to comprehend what had happened."

"Thanks Levy," Lucy smiled. Maybe that was true. Lord knows it had taken her a minute to overcome the feelings of drunkenness after being in his body for a whole minute. Granted, she hadn't accomplished much in his body either. She was too busy trying not to vomit. This thought cheered her up.

Juvia told her story last.

"When Juvia came to he was ice skating in the dark and watching the fireworks," Juvia began. "And he was naked!" Her eyes were as big as saucers and a blush tinted her cheeks.

"What!" the girls squawked.

"He was only in his underwear and it was freezing!" Juvia continued.

"Your soul mate is a perv!" Cana accused, pointing at the bluenette.

"Wait, weren't you missing clothes when you returned to your body?" Erza questioned, her voice stern and eyebrows raised.

"Well, yes," Juvia answered. "Juvia was in her undershirt. Her other clothes were scattered."

"He's a stripper!" Cana exclaimed, cackling, rocking in her seat.

"He is not a stripper!" Juvia huffed, crossing her arms. "At least he didn't run Juvia up a flag pole!" she countered, raising her eyebrows in defiance.

Lucy exchanged a look with Levy. Who would have thought that a shy girl like Juvia would have a soul mate who ice skates around in the dark in nothing but his boxers and has some sort of stripping problem.

"No, but at least my soul mate isn't an exhibitionist!" Cana returned, still cackling and waving her whiskey bottle wildly. "Did you get a look at his junk?"

"No!" Juvia groaned, glaring at the girl across from her.

Cana and Juvia continued to argue back and forth about their respective soul mates as the girls decided to call it a night and they made their way back to Erza's car. It was tradition to have a movie marathon and sleepover on New Year's. Lucy's worries over her soul mate were soon pushed aside as she laughed alongside her friends. Although the first few minutes of the New Year weren't the best, she knew that the rest of the year would be great. She refused to let it be any less.

Thanks for reading!