Levy sat in the corner wall of her little workstation with Lucy, relishing the rare silence on her side of the garage and the clean-up done by Jet and Droy before they took off to go to school; her project she was currently working on was covered with a neon blue sheet on the farthest lift in her work stations. Voices of people at the bar and other places in the garage could be heard, but it still felt like just the two of them against the wall by her many toolboxes.

When they came back from their trip from the Phantom Lord bar, Erza was called by her husband to help out with his engine. The redhead gave the two girls a glance before Levy perked with a smile and say she had everything handled, waving her off to join her husband and Gray digging in the hood of his Dodge.

Now it was just her and her blonde friend in her favorite spot in the whole garage, sitting on the polished floor.

Levy's brown eyes looked over to Lucy, seeing how she was fiddling with her hands. The mechanic's expression softened as she leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes.

"Juju-chan gets sick like that every once in a while," Levy said softly, but it still startled Lucy to jump in her spot. Opening her eyes a little, Levy looked to the clear counters as she continued to speak. "She's had health issues since we were little, it was a lot worse for her when she was a kid to the point that she couldn't go to school for a while. She's grown out of it a lot, but Juju-chan is still prone to getting episodes when she doesn't get enough sleep or she is overly stressed."

"I'm sorry I reacted that way back there," Lucy mumbled with embarrassment. "It's just..."

"It's okay, Lulu-chan," Levy smiled to her, shrugging her shoulders. "It's normal to react to something unexpected - I don't blame you for crying a little. First time I saw her have an episode, I cried for three days until I saw her again because I thought she died."

"Has...is it anemia?" Lucy hesitated to ask. "I mean, I've read books about health and some illnesses because of my mom, so I'm just wondering."

Levy shook her head. "I don't think so. Juvia doesn't bruise easily or struggle with it constantly," she said cooly. "I haven't really asked about it, even when I was little or whenever I talked to my mom. She doesn't seem to know a lot about it either since my dad made her stop talking to her before my aunt died."

"Juvia-chan's mom passed away?"

"Car accident," Levy explained simply. "It was a bad storm and there was a big crash and she was stuck in the middle. Juju's stepfather did his best to keep me and my mom contact with her until my dad found out and then he went missing when we were seven, like Natsu's dad."

Lucy blinked with absolute confusion when Levy looked at her, taking in her face before responding with an equally curious look. "Did Natsu not tell you about his dad?" Levy asked her slowly, her brows knitting together.

Lucy shook her head. "N-no," she said. "I mean, he told me about how he used to watch his dad race as a kid but that's about it... I didn't think it was in my place to ask him anything else, I suppose."

"Ohh," Levy pouted a little before offering her a little grin. "Well, I wouldn't worry too much about asking him about his old man. Natsu's pretty willing to tell stories about him and his father, since they were kind've the same in personality."

Lucy nodded and hugged her knees a bit closer to her chest. "Still, I hope Juvia-chan is going to be okay. She usually looks so tough and confident around other people, but she's also really sweet."

"That's my Juju-chan for ya," Levy praised sweetly. "She'll be fine though. Gajeel-kun has always been a good big brother to her, so I have no doubt that she will be up and doing backflips in no time."

Lucy swallowed, looking down. "Gajeel...he's actually a pretty nice guy." Stealing a small peek to her blue haired friend, Lucy smiled a little bit. "So he's - I mean, if it's okay for me to say this, but is he your boyfriend?"

"You saw me and him in the back?"

"I didn't mean to," the blonde blushed deeply and Levy snickered. "B-but, yeah, I did see something there and I was just curious. You don't need to tell me if -!"

"We've been dating for a few years now. Three, I believe," Levy sighed with a dreamy look on her face, somewhat like Juvia when she had that 'weird look' in her eye about romance and such. "Even though it's against his gang's rules, only trusted folks know about it and keep it secret from Jose specifically. Totomaru, Erza and Natsu know about it, and so does Juju-chan - although she doesn't count it as dating until Gajeel-kun takes me to a expensive restaurant. She's kind've old-fashioned like that. She says that her mom and Gajeel's dad would go out once in a while to do something like that, so Juvia wants that kind of romance for us, I suppose."

"Wow. That's very nice," Lucy blinked and smiled in response, almost as giddy as Levy. "So it's not weird with Juvia being his sister, or..?""Nah," Levy grinned. "If anything, Juju-chan was the one who got me with her step-brother. If it wasn't for her, I don't think I'd be dating anyone, which may seem weird since I'm pretty friendly and he's not. I suppose opposites attract, you think?"

Lucy rocked her head for a minute, and Levy took the chance to sneak in a little something. "Kinda like you and Natsu or Gray and my Juju-chan?"

"Well, I really did think Gray and Juvia-chan were already together and -? Wait, what!" Lucy flushed deeply and starred in horror to her friend, who burst into a fit of laughter at the expression. "L-Levy-chan, what are you thinking? N-Natsu and I aren't -!"

"It's okay, Lulu-chan," Levy smiled adorably as she slowly got up from her spot, standing on her feet. Adjusting her skirt, the mechanic gave one last polite look to her blonde friend. "I was the same when I first met Gajeel-kun long ago," she shrugged and offered a wink. "Don't stress yourself on it for too long, okay? I'll make sure to keep Natsu at bay until he can figure out what to do himself. He's not all that smart, you know."

Lucy watched with round eyes as her petite-sized friend waltzed herself away from the ledge, feeling her cheeks red and her heart hammering in her chest as she bit into her knuckle and huffed.

Really, Levy-chan? Lucy screamed in her thoughts once the blue-haired woman rounded the corner and announced her presence to the bar. Shouts of people welcomed her and Lucy held her face in her hands, like a embarrassed schoolgirl. Me and Natsu, like that? What is she thinking?

Standing up like a lightning bolt, Lucy bit back a squeal of frustration before looking around the mechanic station that was attached to the parking area and she instantly sought out Natsu's flaming ride parked in the corner. It was interesting to see it unmoving and not blasting music she was used to hearing and singing along with inside the interior, but it still drew her close to her partner's car anyway.

Her manicured fingertips carefully along the smooth, top and cold metal hood of the Mitsubishi Lancer, the blonde openly ogled the car on the outside. Call her nuts, but she enjoyed the flames on Natsu's vehicle - as cliche and way-too-common the design is overused in movies and so many other drivers probably share the same flames... However, Natsu has somehow made fire his own trademark and worked it for his own benefit and popularity.

Smiling, Lucy recalled her first experience racing with Natsu in the car; how much she screamed and threatened Natsu's life to let her out before she died, or how he had that dorky smile on his face when he flipped the switches and buttons on his steering wheel to ignite the engine to push him to the finish line...

Lucy stopped when her hand came to the front edge of the hood, remembering that time when the vehicle voice spoke to Natsu of being ready to push ahead. Looking down, the blonde rider gripped the ledge and lifted it just an inch open. She glanced over her shoulder to see if anyone overheard the loud 'screech!' that startled her ears before lifting the hood up higher to above her head.

Underneath the hood of the Mitsubishi Lancer was what you would expect from a normal car, Lucy concluded at first, until she noticed that the engine of the car wasn't as it should be. The engine was there, yes, thank God, but it wasn't entirely normal as a regular one should be for this brand of car.

Two, bomb-like tanks were on either side of the engine in the color of a neon blue. Wires and a thick pipeline sprouted from one end of it, while the other ends were bolted down by metal poles to connect to the original engine. Lucy's brown eyes blinked a few times at the odd sight underneath the hood...

"Like what you see, Luce?"

"Jesus Christ!" Lucy shrieked as she spun around and nearly slapped Natsu in the face. However, seemingly to understand her habits, the pink haired man ducked in time before her hand came to contact with his face. Realizing what she had almost done, her cheeks went deep red and and held both of her cheeks with her hands. "Oh God, I'm sorry! You scared the crap out of me, Natsu!"

"I tend to do that with you apparently. My bad," Natsu grinned before standing straight. He had a bottled soda in his hand with a straw sticking out, most likely Mirajane's doing for her usual customer. Leaning one way to look past Lucy, Natsu chewed on the straw with a cocky grin. "I was wondering when you were gonna look under my hood, actually. I knew you couldn't handle the curiosity!"

"Ahh..." the blonde blinked and peeked back to the blue tank and wires. An embarrassed blush on her cheeks, Lucy tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. "Yeah. It sure is...something, I suppose. Uhm, what is it?"

Pointing directly to the abnormal addition to the car's insides, Lucy looked to Natsu for an answer. But, of course, her favorable driver was completely dumbfounded. "This tank here, Natsu. It's not part of the original brand, isn't it?"

"Oh yeah!" Natsu changed to an upbeat and proud owner of the vehicle's condition. "Yeah, yeah, that's something I came up with myself, actually. That's my other secret weapon here."

"What is it?" Lucy asked, pressing for more details.

Natsu came to her side and leaned on the edge of the opened hood. "It's like a power-up. You know, from video games and stuff like that? Well, this baby right here, is something my dad taught me ever since I was a tiny brat. It's kinda like a hydraulic boost for my engine when I most need it in races - like a giant energy drink for a car that lasts for a few minutes."

"Is that...legal?"

Natsu simply shrugged. "I dunno! But isn't it cool as hell?" Natsu practically cooed to the engine, his dark eyes sparkling. "My dad was the only one who knew how to properly make a tank like this, and he taught it to me and how to make it step-by-step. I probably memorized this before my ABCs."

Lucy smiled a bit at the mention of Natsu talking about his father. There was something that made her happy to hear him speak so highly of his parent like that. "Both of you guys are pretty smart, huh?"

"Hah...not too much," Natsu admitted. Rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand, the pink haired man gave her a half-grin. "My dad's tank could last him as long as he wanted. Practically a whole race would be in the palm of my old man's hand."

Pointing to the tank with a jerk of his thumb, Natsu pouted and it made Lucy remind her of a sad puppy. "My tank doesn't last that long. No matter how many times I try to make a new one, it only lasts for a few minutes. I'm usually in the middle or the back during a race, so I don't have a chance to catch up.""It's still really cool, Natsu," Lucy praised sweetly. "You should be proud of yourself making a super-mega-ultra trick to your car. I don't think anyone else could come up with it without making a explosion."

"Yeah, I guess. Mira and Levy tried to figure it out, but they can't seem to get it. I've made other ones for Erza and Jellal's ride, and one for Gray too, as a present for saving my ass out of jail one time," Natsu added in, looking at the tank once more before unlatching the hold on the roof.

"What's it called?" Lucy smiled to him, holding her hands behind her back. For some reason, and she couldn't figure it out for the life of her, but she really liked learning more about Natsu. When he looked at her quizzically for a moment, she rolled her eyes with amusement. "The tank, Natsu. Do you have a name for it?"

He gave her a half-grin, beckoning her closer with a finger to more of his side and guided her eyes to look at the bottom rear of the tank. The spot where Lucy couldn't see too well on her original position of red writing in a flaming-like style.

Fire Dragon

Lucy ahh-ed before standing back to let Natsu drop the hood of his car and securing it. Natsu then donned his trademark, toothy grin when he spun around and taking another sip of his beverage. "Old man came up with that name, so I figured I'd honor it if I make more, since no one else is able to make it."

"I like hearing about your dad," Lucy confessed with a small sigh. "He sounds like a cool parent to me."

"He was," Natsu agreed, still grinning.

"You think you tell me more about your dad? It doesn't have to be much," she shrugged and began following him towards the way that lead them out of the garage-section of the main floor. Towards the laughter and Cana and Gildart's drunk singing that only sounded like slurs and gibberish. They were standing close as they walked slowly - a little too slow than usual - but Lucy was content with it.

"As long as you tell me more about your ma?" Natsu suggested. Lucy blinked at the mention of her mother and Natsu proceeded to explain. "She sounds like a nice lady. I never got to know my mom. She...kinda left the picture without telling my dad when I was a baby, but I like the stories of you and your mom looking at car magazines."

"That's a deal, I guess," Lucy couldn't help but grin brightly. Her mind was just conjuring up fun and amazing memories of her childhood and her mother; all filled with stars and running in the hallways, drawing pictures and playing in the yard with the maids and butlers with them and smiling.

So much smiling.

"Hey, Natsu," Lucy called out suddenly, remembering something he had said prior. When he made a noise of hearing her call for him, she hopped in her step to get a bit closer. "When you said that the Fire Dragon was your other secret weapon, you have another one?"

"Oh yeah, I did say that, didn't I?" Natsu came to realization.

"So are you gonna tell me your other secret weapon? We're partners, and I'm curious on what your racing tactics are," Lucy raised a brow at him and tilt her head when he looked confused by her suggestion. "C'mon, Natsu! Tell me a little something, at least."

"Luce, you already know my other one," he pointed out matter-of-factly, making Lucy frown. "It's so obvious, Luce! Really?"

Coming into the opening with him and into the more open and brightly lit. Lucy heard Gray call both of them and Cana shrieked into her next song of rapping (Gildarts was the bass sound, but that is best to be ignored). Natsu stopped her from walking further by gently grasping her arm, locking eyes for a long moment before he broke into his dorky grin that made her heart pitter-patter a little bit harder in her chest.

"N-Natsu?"

"You're my other secret weapon, Luce. The best one ever!" he declared proudly. No one else seem to have heard this, but Lucy's ears started pounding as her blood rushed and her eyes widened.

"Oi, Lucy," Gray called out boredly with his beer in hand, "Flamebrain, what are you two dorks just standing there -?"

SMACK!

"Oww! Lucy, what was that for? What did I do?" Natsu cried out from the floor he was currently laying on. All eyes were now on the two as Lucy - with a red face and embarrassed expression on her face - crossed her arms and stomped over to Lisanna behind the bar and Levy saving a spot for her, all jaw dropped and confused."Stupid Natsu! Don't embarrass me like that, you dork!" Lucy grumbled out loud as she took her seat and faced Lisanna. "Lisanna-chan, can you get me a drink, please?"

"Sure," Lisanna said calmly, as if she was used to Lucy and Natsu's behavior, just surprised by Lucy smacking Natsu behind the head. The short haired woman grinned and turned to prepare a drink for the blonde, leaving Levy to blink in confusion.

"Did I miss something, Lulu-chan?" Levy asked.

"Nope!" Lucy declared strongly, her nose upturned in the air.

In the back, Cana and Gray were looking down to Natsu on the tiled floor. Cana, of course, was slurping her drink and gurgling her laughter in the mix. Gray still looked bored as he hauled Natsu to sit up (somehow Natsu was able to manage to hold his drink upright to prevent spills).

"The hell did you do to Lucy?" Gray asked him.

"I don't know!" Natsu whined. "Luuuce, please don't be mad at me! I didn't do it! It was Gray whatever pissed you off, I swear!"

"WHAT!" Gray snapped.

Cana hiccuped and grinned up to Lucy, who only peeked from the corner of her eye to make sure Natsu was okay. "Natsu was just being mushy-gushy wiff Lucy-chaaan! Dorkable babies!"