Chapter 36

Renewed Strength

The weather was unseasonably cold in Earthland, almost like without Natsu Dragneel, there was no summer. Outside, people walked around in sweaters rather than the usual summer attire of shorts and tank tops. They looked at the overcast sky and hoped the sun would be back before their weekend plans.

In her apartment on Strawberry Street, Lucy looked after a different Natsu, still just as reckless, still willing to put himself in the line of fire to save a friend, but even just looking at him, he was so different to the boy who often slept in her bed with Happy and ate up her food.

Natsu Dragion was covered in wounds, his shirt removed as his whole chest had been wrapped in bandages with thick patches shielding where rib bones had pierced through the skin. A fitful look kept flinching on his bruised and battered face. Lucy's fingers combed back his pink hair, and slowly a soothing smile spread on his face. His eyes fluttered open, and he gazed up at the blond sitting beside him.

"Lucy," he whispered hoarsely with a smile. Then he flinched from the pain. "What happened?"

"What do you remember?"

"A … mission?" His face crunched up as memories came back through the fog of agony. "A rescue mission. Driving everyone. A battle, magic and … and cannonballs. Wendy … and Romeo … the kids. They're just kids, trapped in the middle of all that, and then…"

He gasped as he remembered seeing a cannonball flying toward Jet, spinning the car around, and using it as a shield to protect the man. The cannonball had slammed into the driver's door, crushing his bones. After that, all he really remembered was pain heightening his sense of determination, focused solely on getting them out of the battlefield alive.

Lucy quietly told him, "The driver's side door took a direct hit. You … were injured … badly."

"Yeah," he whispered. He could feel how bad it was. Even shallow breaths sent spikes of pain through his torso. Then an even more important question entered his mind. "Is my car okay?"

Lucy had to laugh in disbelief. What a silly thing to worry about! Yet to Natsu Dragion, that four-wheeler meant everything. "It doesn't look pretty, but it still drives. I managed to drive us back to Magnolia so you could go into surgery. They had to repair some organs and reconstruct many of your bones."

She still felt a wave of sickness as she was haunted by the sight, his ribs crushed and sticking out, his face partially crushed, and then the long drive back to town sitting in a seat soaked in his blood. She had cried inconsolably for hours while he was in surgery, with even the doctors unsure if he could pull through such a devastating injury.

"Is that why I still hurt?" he muttered. "For some reason, I thought magical healing would also take away all the pain."

"Only for minor injuries. Yours…" Lucy felt her eyes starting to fill with tears again.

"Hey," he whispered gently. He reached up and caressed her cheek. "When we take a mission, we know the risks."

"But I'm supposed to look after you, and you got so badly hurt."

"I knew what I was doing when I turned that car around and drove into the path of a freaking cannonball. That was my own choice."

"I should have stopped you."

Smirking, he replied, "If your reaction time ever became faster than my driving speed, I'd marry you."

She burst into a laugh, and he also chuckled, but then cringed in pain as his ribs ached.

"A car is more than transportation, Princess. It's a weapon, and it can also be a shield. When I use it as a shield, my priority is to protect my passengers. When you sit in my car, you're my responsibility."

She thought back to the fight. "That's why when you were driving back to Jet, you suddenly spun the car around."

His fingers stroked through her hair. "If I hadn't, it would have hit your side. I was taking the bullet for you … or, in this case, the cannonball."

She really was in awe. The boy who had arrived in Earthland quivering and crying, terrified of all the noisy members of Fairy Tail, truly was heroic and cared so deeply for them all. She could have hugged him, but she knew he was in far too much pain for that. Instead, she leaned over and gave him a kiss. That made his cheeks brighten, and the shy boy peeked through again.

Lucy began to pet his head again. "Thanks to you, Wendy, Carly, and Romeo are all back and healed from their wounds."

He closed his eyes as her fingertips relaxed him and took his mind off the pain. "That's good."

"Wendy said she'll come over later to fully heal you. All she could do was stop the bleeding so you could make it back to town. Between Romeo and you, she used up a lot of her eterano."

His eyes shot open in worry. "Isn't that bad? I remember that happened to you at the car race. Will she be okay?"

"She'll be fine. She just needs to sleep. We wizards replenish our eterano by simply living here in Earthland. It's in the sun, in the wind, in the dirt, all around us. Every breath is full of it."

He let out a soft laugh and closed his eyes again. "Like a solar powered light bulb. We have those in Edolas now. I've always wanted to take that tech and apply it to my car, but I can't figure out how to condense the energy. Levy could figure it out if she wanted to, but she hates me."

He thought back to Edolas. Although he had said that about Levy, he knew she didn't really hate him. She just had no time for people she saw as weak. She thought a car did not make him stronger, only faster. She had no idea that the car was his strength. It was also his greatest weakness. Without that car, he had been miserable.

Now he looked up at Lucy, and he realized this was the happiest he had ever been in his life. He felt useful again. The aches were worth it to feel like he mattered to others once more.

"I'm the luckiest man in the universe," he sighed.

"For surviving, yeah!"

"No. I mean, for finding you, for being lucky enough to have someone so amazing fall for someone so pathetic like me."

"You're anything but pathetic. You're brave, loyal, daring … gentle," she said with a soft smile. "You should rest. The more you sleep, the quicker you'll heal."

He snuggled down under the covers. "Sorry I took your bed."

"I'm used to it." She paused as she realized she meant she was used to Natsu Dragneel taking her bed. Somehow, bandaged up like this, Edo-Natsu looked a lot more like her lost friend. "Sleep, Fireball."

Natsu's eyes opened slightly. Fireball again? Not just Natsu? Was something about this reminding her of her guild mate? He let the matter go and fell back to sleep.

When Natsu Dragion's eyes opened again, it was still daylight, but he felt like he had slept for a long time. Looking at the window, he heard birds chirping merrily. Was it the next morning?

He looked around, but Lucy was not there. Then as he listened closer, he heard Lucy humming. He stood up and looked around his body. He guessed Wendy must have come back to heal him more, because the pain was gone. He still felt drained.

He walked toward the humming and realized it was coming from the bathroom. A smirk rose in his face, only for his whole body to shiver in fear.

"I can't go in there. She's bathing."

A smirk slithered up. "She'd like it. A kinky girl like her would love some sex in the bathtub."

"But that's rude. She's already clean, and if I go in there…"

"You'd make her dirty? Face it, she's already a dirty, dirty girl."

His timid side tried to put up a fight, but even it had to admit, Lucy probably really would love it, and after the near-death experience, maybe they both even needed this.

He turned the doorknob, and the humming turned into a gasp. He waited, but Lucy did not scream or tell him to stay out. He took that as an invitation and pushed the door open.

She was soaking in the tub, her long, blond hair down and floating in the water that had been scented with rose and vanilla. She shielded her breasts out of habit, but as their eyes met and lingered, her hands dropped, exposing the tempting treasures.

Edo-Natsu opened his mouth, wanting to tell her she was beautiful, that he felt like he had woken up only to find himself in a dream. Heck, maybe this was a dream and he was still sleeping in bed covered in wounds. That made sense.

Yes, it must be a dream. A wonderful, sensual dream. He could be brave in dreams.

He shut the door behind him to hold in the steamy warmth and stepped forward. Lucy bit her lip and watched as Natsu undressed while walking up to her. Her eyes skimmed over his body but focused on his face.

Those eyes! She had grown used to seeing them in the car, but seeing Natsu Dragion look like that in the open was still shocking and thrilling. It meant he felt fully safe being around her, and she liked being that safe space for him.

They also made her feel like perhaps she was the one in danger, and it sped her heart up with anticipation.

He reached the bathtub and paused, looking around. He was stumped. Now what was he supposed to do?

Lucy came to the rescue, scooting forward in the bathtub. "Slide behind me."

He stepped over the edge of the tub and carefully settled down behind her with his legs spread wide. Lucy pushed up against him and leaned back with a contented sigh. He wrapped his arms around her and began to kiss along her neck.

"My muscles could use a nice hot bath," he mumbled as his lips played.

"Would you rather sit and soak?"

He hummed and answered by sliding his hands up her body to her breasts, cupping them and gently playing with the nipples. Lucy immediately felt a spark through her nerves and let out a tiny mewl.

"I wonder," he muttered as his lips sucked her skin harder. "Is today a good day for a race, or is it a day for a slow cruise?"

She was always amused by how he used car analogies and decided to play along. "Driver picks the speed."

It made him smile, and she felt the change on her neck. "Well, we are facing wet driving conditions. It's always safer to slow down."

His fingers plucked both nipples together, and Lucy's back arched with a hedonist moan. He toyed with her, savored the taste of her shoulders and neck, while down below Lucy began to feel tension building with nothing to satisfy the need. She clenched and squirmed. Her body screamed to be touched, but Dragion was dragging it on.

Feeling like she couldn't handle more, her hand began to reach down, but he gently took her wrist and moved her hand back over to his bent knees.

"Passenger doesn't get to take the wheel," he scolded playfully. "But you're revving in second gear, aren't you, Princess? How about we shift you into third gear?"

He reached down and caressed between her thighs. Lucy's whole body trembled, feeling the hand promising to fulfill her aching need.

"Oh yes! You really need a higher gear. First we need to press the clutch."

One finger rubbed around her clit, and the water sloshed as Lucy jolted with a wanton cry. He drew circles around and around, teasing it slowly, as Lucy desperately tried not to thrash around. She heard a sly chuckle as he sucked along her neck and grew aroused at the throes of her body. He toyed with her until she sounded like she was on the edge of pain from how intense it felt.

"And now," he whispered, "time to shift this baby into third gear."

His middle finger slid inside, and Lucy let out a groan edged with a growl as her body finally got what it wanted.

"Listen to that engine purr," he commented as his finger slid in and out. "It's all a matter of knowing when to shift gears."

"Fireball," she moaned.

"Call me Natsu," he whispered with his lips still on her neck.

That still felt weird, but she knew it was important to him. "Natsu," she said in a heated sigh.

His body gave a thrust up against her at the sound of his name on her lips, but he knew his time for pleasure was coming later. All focus was on her for now.

Lucy felt like she could cry in relief as her body now had something to grip, yet it wasn't quite enough. Edo-Natsu sensed this and added another finger. Now she truly felt it, and her body reacted, clenching, rocking up against his hand, all while his fingers pinched and teased her nipple. After a few minutes, he switched hands to give her other breast attention while thrusting his other fingers up into her.

Lucy could feel him stiffen up against her lower back. She wanted it! So much! As much as she loved the way his fingers thrust inside and his thumb rubbed her clit, she needed even more.

What a needy girl I've become!

She whispered, "I need you to touch both breasts."

He paused, surprised by the request. Was this not as good in the bathtub? He had to admit, his hand was in an awkward contortion. He pulled back and moved his hand back up to her breasts. Perhaps she simply needed more in this area. Anything she wanted, he would do. Anything that pleased her was pleasure for him, because her voice alone made his heart race.

However, as his hands groped her breasts, he felt Lucy grip the edge of the tub and lift herself.

"Legs together," she ordered.

He obeyed. Perhaps it was the position that she didn't like, with his legs on the outside instead of hers being able to spread wide.

However, as she lowered herself, he felt Lucy take his firm cock and guide it. He gasped as he realized what she actually had planned.

He teased her, "What did you say about driver picking the speed?"

She glanced behind her shoulder at him. "Passenger can still pick the destination." With that, she slid down onto him. Her moan was heady and rough, totally different from the cute whimpers from earlier. She slowly plunged him in, deeper and deeper, filling her up and stretching her inner walls, until she was fully down on his lap. She paused, panting, giving her body time to adjust to his size.

As she felt her body loosen up, she sank even further, pushing the last centimeter inside. She let out such a carnal moan, it was almost too much for him. He had half a mind to turn this into a race after all.

Perhaps it was time to hand over control.

"Well, looks like you have taken over my gearstick." He chuckled and squeezed her breasts together. "I guess that means you want to drive. Driver picks the speed."

Lucy lifted and lowered herself slowly, not wanting to slosh the water out. She mostly needed to feel the sensation of being filled up. She needed to be spread and aching and the emptiness filled. She was fine with going slow now that they were conjoined like this, and it sounded like Edo-Natsu was fine with it too.

"Do you need to go faster?" she asked in uncertainty.

His mouth was busy nibbling her shoulder. "Mmm … I just love being inside you."

Those deep words rumbling into her skin made Lucy tense up, and that affected Dragion, causing him to make a thrust, although he eased up as he backed away. She had sensed it though, and she smirked. Slowly, she gyrated her hips, teasing him with deep, inner squeezes, just as he had been teasing her.

He gulped and gripped her a little tighter as a tremble went through his muscles. She was so skilled! He wondered how, unless her guild really was like his and ladies talked about crude things. In Edolas, that would have been Lucy herself boasting about a weekend of sensual goring. Perhaps here, it was Cana. Yes, he could see this drunken version of Cana talking like that, as weird as it was for him.

His hands slid all along her, wanting to explore every inch of her creamy skin. He wished he could see her face and thought about pausing things to move her floor-length mirror over in front of the bathtub so he could watch her reflection. However, he did not want to make her wait.

He heard that her motions, meant to tease him, were actually satisfying herself even more, prodding her opening from all angles. Lucy let out a little whimper and stopped her twirling.

He wasn't going to stop though!

His hand reached down and toyed with her clit again. Spread wide with all of her nerves on fire, the touch caused a scream to rip out, only for Lucy's hand to slap over her mouth. Dragion chuckled slyly.

"Can't handle the speed bumps, Princess?" he mocked, running his finger around and around. "Mmm … speed bump! I think that's my nickname for this spot now. Except it doesn't slow you down. It speeds you up!"

He rubbed faster, swirling, and getting tiny gasps out. As he felt the clit grow firmer, he plucked at it. Lucy's whole body bent in half, unable to handle the sensation, but he pulled her back up against his chest.

"I've got you. Let that engine roar, baby."

"Natsuuu! I can't…"

"I'm right here for you. Let me hear you."

Lucy's body began to go into spasms, clenching over and over, as wild sounds came out of her throat, hardly the sweet sounds of a lady, but more like a carnal beast. Her body could not stop spasming, and Edo-Natsu stayed right there, touching her just right. Then everything drew up all at once, and her mouth dropped open in a quivering yell.

"Lucy," he whispered, in awe as he felt her clench on him so tightly, he wondered if he could even escape her like this. Not like he wanted to!

Just as suddenly, her body went limp. She began to drift and melt with drawn out, tired moans. His fingers slowed down, petting over her clit gently. That alone sent shivers through her hypersensitive body, and she shook her head to tell him it was too much. He pulled his hand back and simply caressed her thighs.

She collapsed backward, and both arms grabbed around her. He nuzzled the side of her head, smiling so proudly that she could enjoy this with a man like him.

After a minute, Lucy's consciousness seemed to wake up out of the haze and felt Natsu's cock still in her. She gasped in a moment of belated realization and looked down between her legs.

"Don't worry, Princess. I didn't spill any oil."

That time, she had to laugh at his car analogy.

"Mmm … ready to blow a gasket, though. You should probably pull off before I do."

She slid her body up and decided to get out of the tub. Edo-Natsu climbed out and walked naked through the apartment to where he had stored his box of condoms. He pulled one out, but suddenly he felt hands wrapped around him. Now, it was his neck getting attacked and sucked on while tiny hands slid around him. One slithered down and wrapped around his arousal. He gripped the nightstand and groaned as her hand jerked him.

"Really, Princess, I'm ready to blow, and I don't think you want me spewing on your carpet."

She stopped and instead laid down on her bed. She spread her legs and beckoned him over.

He ripped the condom package, rolled it on in a rush, and pounced on her. Their lips collided, tongues battled, and Lucy grabbed at his hips to pull him in. The tip of his cock got right up to her entrance when he suddenly pulled back.

"Do you trust me?"

"Of course," she said, confused by the question.

"I'm seriously ready to blow. Let me know if I get too rough." He finally slid inside of her, and his eyes fluttered. "Oh God!" He shivered at feeling her engulf him again. "No more slow cruising, Princess. It's time for a race!"

His hips began to piston into her rapidly. Lucy could hardly move or flail, even as her body revitalized with his motions. All she could do was wrap her legs around him and hang on for dear life. He looked fully lost in the moment, focused on the race of his own body. She saw a sneer drawing up on his face.

How thrilling!

Lucy's body quivered, already built up from before. The ramming force enticed her, but before she could fully build up, he cried out her name.

"Lucy!"

She felt him stiffen and watched his face draw up into a grimace, his veins bulging on his neck, and down below she felt him give short but rough thrusts, working through the climax, until his face fell slack, his mouth dropped, and his whole body went limp.

She reached up to caress his face, adoring him. He opened his eyes and smiled. With his cheeks still so brightly red, it was like that boyish man was back. It was fleeting though, as the devious glint was back immediately.

"I don't wanna leave you revving in second gear again."

He pulled out and immediately slid down between her legs. Hardly waiting, his mouth was on her, licking up how wet she was, lapping at her clit, and spearing as far inside as his tongue could go.

The heat of his mouth was almost immediately too much for her, and her body fully arched up. He grabbed her legs and pushed them apart so she would not crush his skull between her powerful thighs. He felt her flailing around, like her body wanted to escape from the intensity of the pleasure.

She was so wet, so sweet, the taste all around her, and he hummed at the buffet of dessert before him. The vibrations of his mouth buzzed her and pushed Lucy right to the edge.

"Natsu!" she mewled. "Natsuuuu!"

He hummed again, like revving a car's engine, and the effect was instant. Lucy moaned so loudly, someone downstairs banged on a ceiling.

"Fuck them," he mumbled into her.

"Natsu," she whined. "Inside."

Two fingers plunged in, and that was all she needed: something to grip as she clenched. He felt her muscles contracting, over and over, as sweetness lathered his tongue. He hummed at the intense taste, and Lucy let out a whinny of pain as her body again became too sensitive to touch.

"I need a break," she sighed in exhaustion.

He gave a final kiss on her clit and pulled back. His fingers eased out, and he licked them clean. Lucy blushed in humiliation at seeing him do that.

She muttered, "Well, it seems your strength and stamina have come back."

He chuckled and caressed her damp hair. "Even if I was tired, I'd make an exception for you. My beautiful, sweet Princess." He licked his middle finger again. "Very sweet!"

She scoffed and looked away bashfully.

"I'll go clean this up," he said, pointing down to the spent condom. "You rest." He kissed her on the forehead and left for the bathroom.

When he came back out, Lucy had dried herself off and was getting dressed. He also pulled on his clothes, and they sat down for some lunch. Edo-Natsu realized he was starving. Lucy was not surprised. After all, he had slept for five days straight with only a little water dribbled into his mouth and some sort of nutritional shake Porlyusica had brewed up. He ate with gusto while Lucy chuckled.

She felt a pang as she realized, this was how Natsu Dragneel ate on a normal day.

She missed him so much. How long had it been? It felt like years, like she had known this man in front of her for half of her life! She shook her head as she realized how rapidly their relationship had grown, one built on the fear that their time together was short.

After they ate, Lucy took Edo-Natsu outside and walked to the side of the apartment where he usually parked the car. He dreaded seeing it, worried that it might bring up bad memories of that horrific battle and injury.

He was astonished to see it was not bashed in at all, but sitting there better than before, shining with a new coat of paint.

"You fixed it!" he cried out.

"Actually, everyone in Fairy Tail did. When they heard about how you almost sacrificed yourself to save us all, everyone began to pitch in on repairs. Gajeel fixed the metal, Reedus did the paint job, Laki gave it some wood accents, Erza used her contacts in Heart Kreuz to get custom-made upholstery—that probably increased the value of this car by two hundred percent—and the rest worked on the engine, tires, or dipped into their own funds to buy supplies."

Edo-Natsu was astonished that they had all come together to help him get back something so special. It made him laugh and realize, "No matter what universe, Fairy Tail is always a family!"

"Of course. We're all Fairy Tail."

He walked around the four-wheeler, running his hand over the flawless paint. "It's like a dream car. Look at the flame job, the details in the pin-striping…" He ran his hand carefully over the hood of the car and whispered in awe, "It's more aerodynamic."

"Ah, yeah, Levy wore herself out casting Wind over and over while Gajeel sculpted the metal to be streamlined. Finally, Pantherlily and Happy took over, flapping their wings to produce the wind. Wendy wanted to help, but she needed to save up her magic for healing you."

He threw open the door and sat behind the wheel. He saw all the little changes, and while he felt the wooden gear shift was too slippery for racing and the bucket seat was perhaps a little too comfortable—really, he could fall asleep at the wheel sitting in something like this—he still smiled in childish joy. He eagerly started up the engine.

"Listen to that purr. Did they fine-tune it?"

"Laxus said something about how it didn't sound right. I mean, with a Dragon Slayer's hearing, he could probably tell you if it was off by a micrometer. They had to bring in an expert for that part." Lucy grumbled, "And Freed threatened him with his sword when the mechanic kept insisting to Laxus it was good enough."

"This is so awesome!" he cried out in a cheer.

She leaned up against the window and licked her lips. "Wanna go for a ride?"

He looked over at her, and with the engine rumbling, his full confident self was out. "Have I not revved up your engine enough, Princess?" He tapped the gas, getting the engine to let out a roar.

Her heart began to speed up at the way he looked at her, almost predatory, like what he had earlier was a mere appetizer, and now he could devour her whole.

"Keep your panties on, Princess. I want to stop off at the guild first," he said, running his hand along the dashboard. "I gotta thank everyone for this. But after…" He revved the engine again, and Lucy gulped in excitement. "We'll see where the road takes us. Oh, but you should go back inside and grab a few things."

"Like what?"

"A coat in case we're out late, a pillow and blanket in case we have to sleep in the back of the car…" He leaned closer and whispered sensually, "… and a lot more condoms!"

A/N: Notice that in Edolas where Natsu Dragneel is, they are suffering from a heatwave, but in Earthland it's unseasonably cold. A little symbolism for y'all.

TADAAA!

I'm back! Thanks to saladsandbolts for giving me the kick in the ass that I needed to get out of my post-Covid haze. I tried to recap a little at the beginning, although I'm sure many of you will need to re-read the past 3 chapters to remember what the heck is going on.

Ch. 01-09 - 2012

Ch. 10-23 - 2013

Ch. 24-29 - 2014

Ch. 30-32 - 2015

Ch. 33 - Nov. 3, 2018

Ch. 34 - Mar. 4, 2019

Ch. 35 - Sep. 2, 2020

Ch. 36 - August 27, 2024

It's pathetic that it has taken me 10 years to write 10 chapters on this story, but part of that was due to losing inspiration due to intense hate from purist NaLu shippers, and part was due to a mental health break after "problems" in October 2020. Still, I am determined not to die before finishing this!

I'm sure most of my older readers have left by now. Hopefully, so have the trolls and haters. Thanks to anyone coming back, and to all the people who are just now discovering this fic, welcome! Please feel free to kick me in the butt if I go too long without an update. I need to know people WANT a story.

(I can't believe I began work on this TWELVE YEARS AGO. God, I'm getting old, haha!)