Something presses against Gray's shoulder blade - something small and firm - then glides downward and over. His eyes snap open at the strange sensation before narrowing. He turns his head to the side, cheek resting on the pillow and trying to eye his girlfriend over his shoulder, but is unable to see her.

"Juvs?"

"Yes, my darling?" Juvia hums as the feeling continues, curling around and poking, as though she were trying to create something.

"What are you doing?"

"Doodling," she replies casually, making Gray's brows furrow.

"Doodling," he repeats monotonously. She hums again in response.

"Yes, now don't move or you will ruin Juvia's picture." She reaches over and flicks the pen against his nose before going back to work. It was a strange feeling, but Gray was exhausted (he thought Juvia would be, too, given the treatment he'd just given her, but she always manages to surprise him with her energy. Plus, he'd just gotten back from a week-long job, so of course he'd be exhausted. First night away from that loud-mouthed pyro after a week? Hell yeah), and he gave into the sleep calling his name, deciding to let Juvia do her thing - whatever that thing was.

Juvia drawing on Gray before bed had become somewhat of a norm in their relationship after that first night. It wouldn't happen every night, but many mornings Gray had woken up and walked into the bathroom to see small doodles, sweet words, and declarations of love written over his arms, torso, and back in blue ink. Often times it brought a smile to his lips before Juvia crept into the bathroom as well and they showered, where the ink would wash down the drain with the flowing water (Gray wondered if she only drew on him so she would have an excuse to shower with him the morning after - not that he was complaining in the slightest).

Some of the doodles would be hearts, water droplets, and snowflakes. They weren't overly intricate, just simple, mindless scribbles (she had once drawn a baby and Gray nearly had a heart attack, thinking it was a message from Juvia, but she quickly and bashfully assured him that it was only a doodle).

Juvia would also write lyrics and poems down the length of his arms and across his hip bone, and some poems she would write herself. They were all sweet and well written, and Gray always took the time to read them before they would be washed away. She didn't think he would read them, nor did she expect him to, but he always did before she woke up and joined him in the bathroom.

The declarations of love and scrawlings of Mrs. Juvia Fullbuster always had him chuckling to himself. He had yet to tell it to her in words - he wasn't sure if he was there yet - and this wasn't a way of pushing him. He would say it when he was ready, and Juvia respected that. That didn't mean she would hold back - of course not. And he was glad. She always assured him that she loved him and wasn't going anywhere, and reading it written on his body in her handwriting made him sure of that.

One morning he woke to having only one small, simple doodle: a droplet of water resting right over his heart at the center of his chest. That was it, nothing more.

And yet...

He wasn't sure how long he had been staring at it in the reflection of the bathroom mirror - he'd woken up earlier than usual, and knew Juvia wouldn't be up for a long while yet. But the door soon opened further and in stepped a messy head of blue hair, hands rubbing at tired eyes. She gave him that happy, sleepy smile of hers before wrapping her arms around him, pecking his lips and whispering a good morning. She then stepped aside to start the shower and slowly slip out of the shirt of his she wore. This happened every morning he woke up with blue ink, and he loved it.

His thoughts from his earlier trance would fade away for the time being as she tempted him and slipped beneath the spray of the water, beckoning him forward with her eyes. He'd join without hesitation.

When Juvia began to stir awake, she found herself still wrapped in the warmth of her lover's arms and the thought had her smiling brightly before she even opened her eyes. His firm chest was pressed to her back and she pressed herself into the touch, not wanting it to leave.

She loved waking up and still being in his arms - they often would before Gray would get up to go to the bathroom and she would give herself a few more minutes of rest before going in after him.

The arms around her tightened fractionally and Juvia knew he was awake. Slowly she turned to face him and he blew away some of her hair that was still messily in his face. She laughed softly, his warm smile making her breathless.

She reached forward and placed her hand on his jaw, just about to lean in to brush her lips over his, when something caught her eye. With a furrowed brow she looked at her hand and followed the line of blue ink, turning her hand to look at the back of it.

I love you.

Tears pricked at her eyes and she stared at Gray's handwriting for a while before she blinked up to him and he was still smiling that warm, loving smile. He took her hand and raised it to his lips, kissing it softly, solidifying the unspoken words written in ink.

Juvia launched herself forward, nearly cracking their foreheads together, and threw her arms around his neck. They were falling halfway off the bed but Gray didn't mind. Juvia's excitement would be worth any impending headache.

She told him over and over again that she loved him - stumbling over her words when they wouldn't come out fast enough - and he could only laugh, running a hand through her tangled blue locks.

When she said she was never washing her hand again, Gray had to assure her he would do it again if she just please kept up with her hygiene. He never knew if she was joking about these sorts of things or not.

Even so, he still told her. While he would show her more through his actions, he still wanted her to hear the words.

He loved her. He really loved her and he would for the rest of his days.

He was just glad she didn't see the rows and rows of I love you's written across her back. She may just have a heart attack. Maybe he got carried away, but he meant it. She deserved every one of those statements and then some.

The next morning he would wake up covered head to toe in blue ink, but he didn't mind.

They would need to get new bedding since the previous ones were stained from the pen, but he'd gladly stock up on extras if it meant she'd keep writing on him. It soothed him to sleep and it was an addicting feeling. He'd never get enough of it.

He'd never get enough of her.

Further down the line of their lives, they would marry, and his proposal would be made in a similar way - declarations of love on or near specific parts of her body (I love your hair. I love your eyes. I love your smile. I love your hips. I love your legs.)

She'd look into mirror the next morning to read all of them before getting into the shower and settling on her palm - as she was pouring shampoo into it (she had a job request and needed to leave early, deciding not to wake Gray earlier than needed):

I love you, Juvia.

Marry me?

Shower still running, she ran out of the bathroom and tackled the sleeping ice mage, water getting everywhere, and screaming yes over and over again. It took Gray a moment to realize what was happening - he was sleeping rather deeply, and it was only, what, six in the morning? But once he did, he smiled and kissed the top of her wet head as she buried her face in his neck, happy as could be.

And he was, too.

Despite Gray's weak protests, Juvia got ahold of Gajeel and said she wouldn't make it to the mission (he'd be grumpy about it at first, but would ease up once he found his best friend was finally getting married to the damn stripper.)

Gray was surprised when he found himself rather content lying in bed all day, the both of them mindlessly doodling on each other. She was softening him up, but he didn't have a care in the world. He'd do anything to make sure she kept smiling at him like that with all the love she had to offer.