Hello boys and girls. I'd like to tell a story.

It's been so long since I've updated. 2018 has been a busy year. So I hope you don't mind my long absence. In the mean time, please enjoy this feature presentation.

V is for Vehicle

Our greatest strength lies in the gentleness and tenderness of our heart. ~ Rumi

Dragon Slayers are incredibly powerful. They can eat magic associated with their element. They have superior senses of sight, hearing, and smell. They are exceedingly durable and have excessive levels of stamina.

However, being a Dragon Slayer has one significant drawback: extreme motion sickness.

Because Dragon Slayers are so rare, there haven't been studies as to why this is. But there are some theories. Some say Dragon Slayer magic changes the chemical composition of the brain. Some say their magic affects their inner ear. And some say that Dragons themselves get motion sickness. No one knows.

Not all Dragon Slayers feel the effects of motion sickness the same way. Laxus Dreyar only gets slightly nauseated in vehicles; this may be the result of him being a second-generation Dragon Slayer. Gajeel and Wendy didn't feel the effects of motion sickness until later in their lives.

There doesn't seem to be any relief for this kind of motion sickness. Over-the-counter medicines like Dramamine seem to have no effect. And even more powerful medicine doesn't work. Common wives' tale cures like drinking ginger ale and the like are useless. Healing magic isn't as effective either. In fact, the only known cure for it is the Sky Dragon Slayer magic Troia. And even then, it wears off quickly. On top of that, using it too frequently can make one immune to its effect, so it must be used sparingly. And if the Sky Dragon Slayer is inflicted with motion sickness themselves, they are unable to cast Troia to any effect. And knocking out a Dragon Slayer makes them unaffected by motion.

Motion sickness has been with Natsu his whole life. It is the bane of his existence. Sadly, his job as a mage requires him to travel long distances in a short amount of time. That's why he can never travel alone as he frequently misses his stop. Happy was an obvious choice. His ability to carry him off a moving train is invaluable. However, the Exceed does have a penchant for forgetting about him at times, flying out and leaving him to suffer the misery of the moving vehicle. Gray has no problem making him suffer. After all, in his own words, it's not his fault that Natsu has motion sickness. As for Erza, well, she has her own way of dealing with his condition. A swift punch to the gut knocks him out until they arrive at their destination.

So, when it comes to taking missions, the Fire Dragon Slayer must weigh the awesomeness of the job against his motion sickness. If he can't walk to where he needs to go in a day or two, then it better be an amazing job like "Beat up X number of bad guys for a six-figure amount" or else it's not worth it.

Lucy found his whole "motion sickness" thing both funny and adorable. The idea that someone as strong as Natsu can be felled by being on any moving vehicle is a riot. After all, this is the same Natsu that can destroy an entire harbor in one Fire Dragon Roar. His helplessness was kind of endearing. And maybe she felt somewhat honored that Natsu would share his vulnerable side to her. This meant that he trusted her enough to take care of him. After all, on a vehicle was where he was at his weakest.

It was when Lucy joined Fairy Tail that something changed with his motion sickness. His motion sickness was as powerful as ever but having the blonde around made it bearable.

Take this incident for example.

Natsu, Lucy, and Happy are coming back from a successful mission of beating up bad guys. They were paid handsomely and even got to keep most of it thanks to not destroying the town in the process. Magnolia is four days away walking so, much to Natsu's chagrin, they have to take a train. As soon as the train lurches forward, the Dragon Slayer slumps in his seat and turned green.

"I'm sick," Natsu whines as his eyes make everything spin.

Lucy could only watch as Natsu suffered the effects of motion sickness again. That's when an idea pops in her head.

"Natsu, come over here." There's a distinct motherly tone in her voice.

The Dragon Slayer moves ponderously towards his friend, as if his whole body was being pulled down by gravity. In what feels like an eternity, he finally makes it to Lucy's side.

"Lay your head on my lap," she says in a soothing voice.

Natsu would have protested. As funny as it would be in any other situation, he didn't want to throw up on Lucy. But then, the train jerked and his head found purchase on her lap.

A wry smile creeps along Lucy's face. In this moment, Natsu looks so innocent, so helpless that it's almost charming. She places her fingers on his temples and rubs them soothingly. "Just focus on me, Natsu." The Stellar Spirit mage hopes that her voice can penetrate the fog of Natsu's sickness. "Focus on my fingers."

"What are you doing, Lucy," Happy asks, curious.

Her smile turns sad. "My mom used to do this for me when I was sick." She takes a soulful sigh and continues. "It always made me feel better afterwards."

Natsu says nothing, not that he could anyways. The feeling of her fingers to his temples felt amazing. And being so close to her scent is very soothing. He still felt sick, but the Dragon Slayer was more focused on Lucy's voice and her ministrations. Fingers start running through his hair in a gentle motion and it takes all his willpower not to whine like a dog.

"Close your eyes, Natsu." Lucy's voice cuts through the fog of his sickness. "Take a nap. You deserve it."

Again, Natsu wants to answer but his eyelids are starting to feel heavy. It's getting harder and harder to stay away. Basking in Lucy's warmth and scent, stomach still churning thanks to the motion of the train, the Dragon Slayer felt his hold on reality slipping. With a final pitiful groan, Natsu was asleep.

Lucy, meanwhile, did not stop combing through Natsu's hair or massaging his temples until Happy saw that his friend was asleep.

"Natsu is out like a light," he chirps.

Lucy smiles. "Good. He deserves a rest."

"How did you do it? Natsu has never been able to fall asleep on a train," the Exceed continues. "Erza usually just knocks him out."

Lucy grimaces. She remembered that from the first team mission they had together and all the problems it caused. "I suppose, sometimes, people require a bit of tenderness when they are going through a tough time."

"Eh…. That sounds like someone who's trying to be smart would say."

Lucy purses her lips in anger. "You should be lucky that Natsu is in my lap. Otherwise, I would tie your tail in a knot."

The rest of the train ride was like that. Natsu was asleep in Lucy's lap, the blonde doing her best to help with his motion sickness, and the Exceed teasing her about it. When they finally returned to Magnolia, Natsu felt like he had won a fight against Erza and Laxus at the same time.

"I am restored," Natsu yells after getting off the train.

Lucy can only shake her head at this childish display.

"And it's thanks to Lucy that I'm at full strength," he bellows, flexing his biceps.

"I'm still surprised Lucy knew what to do," Happy teases.

Lucy's eyebrow twitches in anger. "What?"

"I think that she only did that because she likes you."

Lucy clenches her fist and jumps at the flying blue cat, only to miss. "I still haven't forgotten that I was going to turn your tail into a knot," she screams.

Happy flies away. "You'll have to catch me first." And Lucy gives chase.

Natsu has no idea what is going on, but he follows Lucy in her chase. The Stellar Spirit mage's remedy for his motion sickness did the trick. Normally, he would still be feeling the effects of the train now. But he feels refreshed. Maybe it was because of her finger ministrations or maybe it was her soothing voice. Or maybe it was because it was Lucy and not someone else. He didn't know.

But years later, if someone was to ask him when he started to fall in love with Lucy, Natsu would point to this incident and tell them that it was when she helped with his motion sickness.

Word Count: 1,445.

And that's the end of that chapter.

Writing for Natsu is very difficult for me. I really enjoy Lucy's character because she goes through the most change in the story. Natsu? Not so much. So I hope this small look into Natsu was in character.

Anyways, liked it? Hated it? Have no opinion one way or the other? Leave me a review. I'd love to hear from you. And here's the prompt for the next chapter.

Lucy has always been a strange one to Natsu. Maybe it's because his perception of how women are come from the women he grew up with: Erza, Cana, Mira, and Lisanna. Lucy is very protective of her privacy and her personal space. She's self-conscious of her appearance. Even still, she is his friend.

This might be a hard one. What is the W word here.

Four chapters to go

Until next time,

A. Angel