Today's job had been especially filthy. It turns out, trying to find a lost jewel is a lot harder when it's outside. And also pouring the rain. Gajeel and Levy returned to their home, soaked to the bone and covered in mud. Levy carefully placed her filthy pack on a rug inside their door, while Gajeel just flung his beside hers, flinging mud onto the floor. She puffed her cheeks at him but was too tired to do anything about it.

"How 'bout we take a bath, Shrimp? It'll be warm and we can get clean." Gajeel suggested.

"Maybe we should rinse off first. I don't want a mud bath." Levy replied.

Together they traveled to their large bathroom, stripping off their damp and dirty clothes. Gajeel paused in his disrobing to watch Levy pull her shirt over her head, exposing her flat, pale tummy. Next came her skirt, exposing just a little more of her thighs and showing off her plump rear in a pair of light blue panties. Realizing she was watching her, Levy took off her bra slowly, letting her breasts jiggle once freed. Finally, she removed her panties, bending down at the waist to detangle them from her legs. Finished, she sat on the tub, staring at her flushed husband.

"Your turn!" she said cheerfully.

"My turn for what?" Gajeel rumbled, blatantly flustered at being caught.

"Your turn to strip for me." She teased.

He sighed with a smile, beginning to pull off his shirt, leaving his exceedingly toned abs for Levy to admire. He pulled off his pants and boxers all in one go, now completely naked.

"You're no fun…" muttered Levy as she stood from her perch, walking up to her towering husband and placing a hand on his chest.

Gajeel put one of his hands on top of hers, placing the other on the small of her back to pull her close to him. She looked up into his red eyes, seeing the contented smile there.

"You're so beautiful." He told her, not breaking her stare.

She blushed and put her head against his chest. She was so lucky to have a man like Gajeel. A man who could call her beautiful even when she was caked in mud. Who held her tighter with a gentle care even though they were both naked. Then he grabbed her butt.

"Hey!" she squeaked.

"Sorry, you've just got a nice ass" he chuckled. "Now come on, let's get rinsed off."

She climbed in the shower, turning on the water to a temperature they could both stand. As the water cascaded down their bodies, dragging the muck off with it, Gajeel got to stare at his wife again. This time her eyes were closed, enjoying the sensation. He couldn't help but grab her waist and pull her to him again, he wanted to be a part of her peace. Her head fell against his chest as he stroked the water through her hair, coaxing the mud to come out. She tilted her head back to look up at him, reaching her hands up to cup his face. She pulled his head down to hers to plant a gentle kiss on his mouth. He moved one of his hands to her face as they pulled apart, enjoying the feel of the soft skin under his rough fingers, smiling down at those big brown eyes.

"Do ya think we're rinsed off enough?" he said softly, not wanting to disturb the peaceful atmosphere.

She nodded, shutting off the shower, she plugged the tub and turned on the faucet.

"I'll be right back." She said, hopping out of the tub and running off to their room.

She returned a moment later with several candles that she placed in various places. She turned off the shower light, letting the candles be the only source of brightness. She stepped delicately back into the tub, settling herself between Gajeel's legs. She stretched out, leaning back against his chest, letting her head roll back on his shoulder as he laced his arms around her middle. He buried his head in her neck, perfectly happy in this moment.

Gajeel thought about his woman, this beautiful goddess in his arms. He thought about how her smile lit up her whole face when she smiled, how she had a special smile just for him. He thought of her lovely blue hair that fell in soft waves down her back. His thoughts wandered to all the different parts of her: her gentle hands, her amazingly soft skin, her beautiful body, her kind heart. All of the things he loved about her, and there were a lot of things. He was fortunate, he believed, to have a woman like this. He may have been behind in other things like getting a cat and finding the true dragon power, but he was the first Dragon Slayer to have found love and he thought that was worth it. Levy was worth it.

"You're pretty amazing, Shorty." He whispered to her.

She giggled a little, a beautiful sound to Gajeel.

Now it was her turn to think: think about all of the things about her husband that she had come to love. She loved his silly little laugh and how it resounded through his chest when he held her, making its way through her body. She thought of how his rough skin felt so good compared to her own. She loved the way he would look at her, like she was the only woman, no, the only person in the whole world. She thought about how he was always there to protect her, wrapping those big strong arms around her, shielding her with his own body. She didn't much like it when he hurt himself to protect her but she appreciated it none the less. Though she hated to admit it, she kind of liked it when he would call her names like Shorty or Shrimp because she knew those were names reserved for her alone. Even though he had trouble saying those special three words, she knew he loved her, he just showed it in different ways. A gentle hand here, a tiny gesture there, the look in his eyes, the way he held her: he conveyed his feelings through these mannerisms and in a way, it meant more like this.

"I love you, Stupid Gajeel." She whispered.

He pulled her tighter against him and she put her tiny hands on his big arms, pulling them closer to her. They sat like that for a while, perfectly content to be in each other's arms, occasionally whispering something to show their affection.

PantherLilly came home a few hours after they got in. Unable to find them throughout the house, he was forced to look into the bathroom where he found the happy couple asleep in the tub. He chuckled to himself, deciding that maybe you should let sleeping lovers lie.