It took a few days after leaving Crocus before some of the information revealed by Zeref started to really sink in. It didn't seem like Zeref had lied about any of that brother stuff, which was weird because that meant Natsu was technically some kind of clone or zombie. It meant all those deaths from demon attacks were indirectly caused by Natsu's previous incarnation's death, which was an emotional burden Natsu didn't even want to begin unpacking right now.

And then there was the fact that, if Zeref were to be believed, Igneel was dead.

Natsu had known this whole time that Igneel was likely not in this world anymore. It's hard to hide a dragon, after all, so if he were still alive, there should at least have been rumors. But even the rumors disappeared around the same time Igneel had disappeared from Natsu's life. Still, Natsu had held onto hope that Igneel was out there somewhere.

Now that hope was in shambles. The driving force behind Natsu's journeys all these years, gone, just like that. As the high of victory faded, he was forced to face the uncertainty that lay before him. Where would he go from here? The hypnotizing flicker of the campfire held no answers.

The rustle of clothing announced Lucy's presence as she sat beside him, her eyes also staring into the flames. Her hand slipped into his.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Natsu squeezed her hand. "Just thinking."

"You? Thinking? Are you sick?" she joked.

He flicked the back of her hand. "Hey."

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Really, what are you thinking about?"

"Where to go from here."

At this, Lucy went silent. Though she put on a tough façade, Natsu knew she also had to be anxious about the future. She had just cut ties with her only remaining family for good, in favor of joining Fairy Tail. Natsu was glad for her decision, but it couldn't be easy, no matter how flippant she seemed about the whole affair. Fairy Tail was a great adoptive family, but that didn't make losing her old family any less painful. Natsu knew that as well as anyone.

"Can I ask you something?" Natsu said, turning a thought over in his mind.

"Sure," Lucy said.

"It's going to sound stupid."

"That's fine."

"I don't mean now, or even anytime soon. I just had the thought and wanted to say it. And I was thinking about it again now that everything's over…"

"Natsu, just say it."

He took a deep breath. The words all came out in a blur. "Lucy, be family with me."

Various shouts and sputters came from the previously silent tents, Happy's shout of surprise loudest of all. Natsu winced, his face suddenly heating up. They were all listening?

Gray's head popped out of his tent first. "Flame Brain! You can't just propose to a girl three weeks after you start dating!"

"There needs to be more romance," Erza said, nodding solemnly.

Wendy timidly appeared behind Erza. "Natsu…are you only asking Lucy that so soon because she's p…pr…"

There was a collective shout of: "She's what?!"

"I'm not," Lucy cried. "I swear I'm not! Wendy, you'll give them the wrong idea if you say things like that!"

"Sorry…"

"Gods, Lu, that scared me."

"Says the girl who actually is pregnant," Lucy retorted.

Levy squeaked as all attention turned to her. She became bright red and stared at the ground, hands absently touching her stomach. That was all the confirmation the others needed to go into an excited frenzy.

Natsu looked to Lucy as the others swarmed Levy. "Nice."

"She couldn't hide it forever," Lucy said smugly.

"Gajeel's gonna kill you."

"She's gonna show in a week or two anyway; she's already got a baby bump if you look closely. Besides, Gajeel wouldn't dare mess with me."

Natsu smirked. "Yeah, you're right."

"…yes."

"I know. You're always right."

"No, I meant…that was a real question you asked before, right?"

The reality of what he'd said suddenly hit him. "Uh. Yeah," he said, hand clutching the downy hairs on the back of his neck. "I really did think about it. The guild is all family in a way, but I've never had a family family. Zeref doesn't count, not in this life anyway. You and Happy are the closest thing I have to a real family, so…I don't mean right now or anything, I just—"

She cut him off with a kiss. He closed his eyes and leaned into her, tasting the smoky air on her lips.

She pulled back and looked into his eyes. "Ask me again later," she said.

Natsu blinked. "Later?" What was that supposed to mean? When was later? Was he being turned down?

"The cabin you were squatting in is destroyed, remember? We don't have anywhere to live right now. And we still don't know if my father will keep his word, so there's that, too. And Gray's right that we've only known each other a few months. Half the people in Fairy Tail haven't properly met me; I don't even have my official guildmark yet. And you still need to find Igneel's grave! We need to look for Aquarius's key, too. So, um…ask me again when everything's settled. When we're ready."

The grin that spread across Natsu's face couldn't be stopped. Classic Lucy, worrying too much. Classic Natsu, probably not worrying enough. "Got it," he said. "But until then, I'm just going to pretend this is a yes."

"You do realize that it sounded a lot like a proposal."

"Can't it be?"

She laughed and nudged his shoulder. "Idiot."

Natsu thought of Lucy as having four families. The first was her birth family, her late mother and estranged father. The second was her spirits. Then Fairy Tail. And finally, someday, a family with him and Happy.

Fitting that Lucy had four families, because so did Natsu. The first in his past life, the one that he didn't remember with Zeref. Then Igneel, who raised him. Then Fairy Tail, who made him into the man he was today, a huge extended family. And his fourth family would be with Happy and Lucy, his two best friends in the whole world. He'd build a home with them, a place where the three of them could belong, a place filled with love, just like a family should be.

Natsu couldn't wait.