Disclaimer: I do not own FFVII or anything in it.

It was late by the time they landed in Costa del Sol airlift station. Sephiroth rented them a car and they picked up groceries for their stay and take-out for dinner on the way to the ShinRa house. Key cards coded for the gate and alarm system got them in, and after a long driveway the house finally came into view. It was wide, flat thing, two stories at the most, with a preponderance of glass facing the dark blankness that sounded like ocean. It sat maybe thirty feet above the beach area, with an enormous deck. It looked like there was more deck than house. Stairs zig-zagged down to the beach.

Zack dropped his takeout selection onto a very fancy dining room table and started opening paper containers.

"I'm so hungry, I could eat a whole Bahamut myself," he announced. Aerith laughed.

"It's true," Sephiroth said. "I've seen him do it. Horns and all." Now Aerith and Cloud both laughed.

"Next war we're not going to fight," Sephiroth continued, "I'm just going to drop my First Classes behind the lines and let them eat the enemy out of house and home. But this one takes the cake. Literally. Please wash up before dinner, Zachary."

Zack looked down at his hands and gave a 'yes sir', even though he wondered how dirty he could have gotten just sitting on an airship. But as soon as he was up and heading for the kitchen sink Sephiroth riffled through Zack's food and found the small bag he was looking for. Zack looked back in alarm.

"Oh, you are not stealing my potato fingers!"

Sephiroth stuffed four of Zack's greasy fast food delicacies into his mouth at once.

"Argh!" Zack yelled, and Sephiroth darted away as Zack gave chase. Up and over the balcony to the second floor landing they went without use of the stairs. Somewhere in an upstairs room there was a crash, a loud thunk, and at least one distinctive "OW".

Aerith looked at Cloud in amazement. "They're a couple of children," she said.

"I know," Cloud said apologetically. "Are you hungry?"

Ccccccccc

They walked off their greasy dinner with a nighttime stroll on the beach, and despite the late hour there was anticipation left in the air when they returned to the house. They were just starting their three days here and they hadn't even looked the place over or seen the beach in the daylight. They brought their luggage upstairs and Sephiroth immediately walked Cloud into the master suite.

"How come we automatically get the best room?" Cloud asked.

"Because I'm the General."

Cloud frowned at him.

"If you were in Zack's position, would you feel comfortable taking the suite ahead of me?"

Cloud shook his head, "No sir, but he has a girl with him. This room has the best bathroom. Girls need… more bathroom space."

Sephiroth rolled his eyes and got up. He hadn't missed the emphasis on the sir. If Cloud was happier in another room he was fine with that. All he really needed to be happy was that Cloud be in his room with him. And that the bed be big enough. But when he went out into the hallway Zack and Aerith were selecting separate rooms. Being familiar with Zack's habits he was curious.

"You haven't bedded her yet?" He whispered.

Zack gave him a baleful look. Apparently he had hit a sore spot.

"She's not some floozy I'm taking home for a quickie," Zack said. "She doesn't feel comfortable with me yet. Most people who fall in love get to know each other first, and then have sex. You and Cloud did it the other way around."

Sephiroth was silent for a moment. "Zack, are you in love?"

Zack smiled, looking embarrassed and little goofy. "Maybe," he said. "But there's this thing stuck between us, it's like it's invisible but I can feel it. I haven't made any progress with her in weeks. I'm not sure she's ever going to love me back."

Sephiroth's heart pained for his friend, especially given he was pretty sure he knew what this stumbling block was. "Maybe this trip will help out with that."

Zack, the eternal optimist, grinned. "Yeah, maybe!"

Sephiroth went back to Cloud and shut the door. "This room is for us," he said.

Ccccccccccc

"Are we the last ones up?" Zack said as he walked into the kitchen in a pair of plaid flannel pajama bottoms. Aerith was fixing some breakfast, but it looked like the others had been there before them.

"You are the last one up, sleepyhead. Cloud and Sephiroth are outside throwing rocks into the water." She frowned, unsure why anyone would want to do that. "They said something about going into town in a little while."

"Oh, right, Cloud needs swim trunks; he doesn't have any."

Aerith stirred the scrambled eggs she was making. She didn't have a suit either, but hadn't wanted to say anything. It would be so nice to go into the water. She'd never been to the ocean before. Zack was probably expecting that she had a swimsuit.

"I don't have a suit either," she said finally.

"Serious? You need one. We should go with them then."

"The shops here are really expensive." she said reluctantly.

"Hey, don't worry about it, I'll get it. You're indulging me anyhow; you think I don't want to see you in a swimsuit?"

Aerith shot him a mock disapproving glance that couldn't help but drop down his naked torso. Zack smiled confidently, and turned his head at a clack from the beach followed by some whooping noises. He knew what they were doing; one was lobbing a rock and the other trying to hit it with his throw. It was a game he and Sephiroth often played in the field to pass the time.

"Honestly, I don't know how they managed to get up so early," Aerith said, "I didn't think they'd ever quit last night."

Zack laughed. "Heard them from your room too?"

"They certainly are an affectionate couple," she said, "You'd think they were on their honeymoon."

"Well, they just said their 'I love you's the other night."

"Aw, that's so sweet," she said, before she could even think it odd she had just referred to General Sephiroth as 'sweet'.

"Yeah, it is," Zack said, and decided he could use a little affection himself. He came up behind Aerith and snaked his arms around her waist, kissing her neck. She giggled a little when he went for her ear.

"Zack, that tickles!" she said.

She turned around in his arms and pushed him out a ways so she could look at him. She hadn't imagined that someone with hair like that could have bedhead, but he did. Instead of sticking up all over it was sticking up on one side and flat on the other. She let her eyes drop down over his chest, right down to the waistband of his flannel pajama bottoms. He had never held her like this before. Her palms were resting lightly on his bare, muscular pectorals.

"See something you like?" he asked.

"Zack!" She chided.

Zack watched as a rose colored blush came into her cheeks. She was so beautiful, not in the flashy, sexy way of girls he wanted to take to bed but then found he wanted to have nothing to do with the next day. She was real, natural somehow. Right. Right for him.

"Aerith, I –."

"No, Zack, don't," she interrupted him, sensing what he was about to say. Or at least the direction of it. She couldn't let him say things like that to her. Not when he had no idea about her, while she kept this secret truth that she knew meant they could never spend their lives together. And yet... she hadn't been so secretive after all. She hadn't been hidden; his commander had known all along where she was. Maybe that opened up more possibilities. Or maybe it just made things more complicated.

While these thoughts ran through her mind Zack's head drooped. He never could seem to get past this point. But then he reminded himself that she was here, she had come even though she hadn't wanted to. She had changed her mind and come to be with him. He smiled.

"Can I kiss you some more?"

She laughed. Zack was just so… irrepressible. "Let me," she said, and kissed him, ignoring the burning eggs behind her.

ccccccccccccccc

"Boogie boards!" Zack had located the storage shed that contained beach toys and had his arms loaded with four colorful, wide boards each about three feet long. He distributed the boards, getting perplexed looks all around. He tripped on his way over to Aerith; the local shops only sold 'fashionable' swimwear, which apparently for women's suits was a euphemism for skimpy.

"Don't tell me you guys have never Boogie boarded?" he asked.

All three shook their heads.

"Piece of cake; I'll show you."

They played with the boards in the water until the surf had thoroughly beat them around and scooped copious amounts of sand into their suits. Cloud grinned widely at Sephiroth, tired but happy.

"Maybe I'll get out and nap," Cloud said.

Sephiroth hooked an arm around his waist and pulled him close through the water.

"Stay out here with me a little longer? Zack will take these in." he said, passing their boards off to Zack.

Cloud smiled and let Sephiroth pull them both out beyond the small surf to where the water ebbed and flowed up to their chests without cresting. Sephiroth turned Cloud so his back was to the open water.

"They say never turn you back on the sea, but I'll keep watch over you."

Cloud smiled and gave himself over to the force of the waves, each one pushing him bodily into Sephiroth. Cloud leaned his hips in, his erection now lengthening and pressing into Sephiroth's already filled out organ. They kissed one another while the powerful water pushed and moved them together, and then Sephiroth lifted Cloud until his feet were off the sandy bottom. Cloud wrapped his legs around the larger man's waist and Sephiroth ran both hands down the outside of Clouds thighs, up under his new swim trunks until he could grip both of Clouds firm buttocks.

Cloud let out a long sigh. "Can we make love out here? Like this?" he asked.

Sephiroth appeared to think about it. "Well, we have a lubrication issue since lube is normally water soluble. But of course if I happened to have a tube of Vaseline in the zipper pocket of my trunks..." He smiled wickedly.

Cloud ran his hands around the back of Sephiroth's trunks, deliberately letting them wander as he did so. He found the pocket, unzipped it and removed the small tube.

"You'll need to take these off," Sephiroth said, tugging at Cloud's trunks.

Cloud floated himself in the water and whisked off his shorts without hesitation. But once he had them off and in his hand he looked at them kind of worried. He always became rather disoriented when they did this and he wasn't sure he'd be able to keep track of them.

"I'll hang on to them," Sephiroth said, sensing his concern.

Now completely free of all clothing Cloud let himself wallow in the divine sensation of unhindered water swirling into every corner and crevice of his body. He spun around in the water and floated himself at the surface on his back, lifting his hips until he could see his own erection break the surface.

"Come here you little fish," Sephiroth said, and pulled Cloud towards himself, keeping his arms under Cloud to broach his whole body into the sunlight. He looked up and down Cloud's body. It was like a Cloud smorgasbord suspended almost right under his nose. He leaned over and caught Cloud's organ in his mouth and let the wave action control the movement of Cloud in and out of his lips. The rhythm of the waves was maddeningly slow and Cloud groaned and arched in frustration. Presently everything stopped and he was getting no stimulation at all.

"What are you doing?" Cloud wiggled in Sephiroth's arms.

"Letting you dry off a bit, the Vaseline will adhere better that way."

"You've done this before," Cloud said.

Sephiroth smiled and moved the Cloud smorgasbord down so he could kiss his lips. "Not in the ocean. And not that it matters, mister. Not if it wasn't with you."

Cloud got that dreamy look in his eyes that Sephiroth had been particularly enjoying during the last two days and he kissed Cloud again. "Now squeeze some of that on yourself and see how that is."

Cloud popped the top on the tube and oozed a hefty dose into his palm. He gripped his shaft, pulled and rotated to spread it around, pushed down until the slotted eye of the head emerged from his curled fingers, and then gave another tug. He smiled and squinted at the same time.

"Feels thick," he said.

"It makes things slow, and we won't have that much time with it, but just concentrate on feeling good, having fun. Don't get focused on result here," Sephiroth said, but even as he said it he thought he might result right there in the water watching Cloud stroke himself while floating in the undulating water.

"My turn," Sephiroth said. He floated easily up, yanked his trunks partway down to expose himself to the air. He collected the Vaseline from the temporarily mesmerized Cloud and coated his own member. Then he was upright again, pulling Cloud to him, guiding one leg to each side of his hips. He reached blindly under the water and aligned himself with Cloud's small puckered opening, and pushed himself in, slowing when Cloud caught his breath. They'd been doing an awful lot of this recently; he thought that he should probably give Cloud a rest for awhile. Concentrate on some other activities. But at the moment the feeling of Cloud's hot body surrounding and holding him was breathtaking.

Cloud drifted his torso back, one hand lazily treading to keep him afloat and the other, distorted and barely visible under the water, working his own sex. Sephiroth's eyes wandered up to Cloud's face, his hair still jutting out even wet, back down to that rippled view of Cloud's sex in his hand. The waves pushed and rolled, adding their force to the equation, each surge ratcheting the breathing and heart rate of the two lovers to a higher level. Before long Sephiroth's breath became jagged and harsh, his eyes rolled upwards and he was pulling Cloud's hips hard to him, a desperate cry escaping his lips. He barely had a chance to look down to see Cloud do the same and the milky white stream spurt into the water. Cloud opened his mouth as he yelled and threw his head back, and would have gotten a mouthful of water if Sephiroth hadn't reached under him and kept him above the surface. Sephiroth watched Cloud in amazement. He had yet to find a situation so challenging that Cloud couldn't manage an orgasm. And he was exceptionally loud this time, maybe because they were surrounded by the considerable ambient noise of the ocean. He caressed Cloud as the boy went through his sleepy, disoriented phase, running both his hands over Cloud's smooth torso and hips.

Both of his hands.

Sephiroth frowned.

"Oops," Sephiroth said, and began looking around at the water surrounding them.

"Don't tell me you dropped them?"

Sephiroth smiled and cringed at the same time. "I really didn't think I would. You want mine?"

"I'm not sure which is going to catch us more grief, me naked or you naked and me wearing your trunks."

"Hey loverboys, lose something?" Zack's was about forty feet away, holding a pair of bright yellow and green swim trunks with a wavy pattern on them. Cloud's.

Sephiroth looked at Zack. He had quite a head start, plus Sephiroth was mired chest deep in water while Zack, who was on the other side of the breakwater, was in barely up to his knees. It could take half an hour to catch him if Zack was in the mood for a chase. And if he decided to throw the prize it might sink or wash out to sea.

"Bring those over here, Zachary," he said in his most General like voice.

Zack didn't budge. He continued to let the trunks wave in the breeze from one precarious fingertip. Sephiroth sighed; he hadn't actually expected that to work. He looked down at Cloud. At least the boy was amused, for the moment. He was still concealed by the water, and it was Sephiroth's job to retrieve the trunks after all since he had been the one who had dropped them.

Sephiroth took a few casual steps forward, seeing if Zack would let him close the distance. No such luck, Zack matched his one step with two of his own, much like a bad dog with a shoe. Sephiroth waited, hoping Zack would feel the need to bait him by coming closer. But Zack had the more patience for this game seeing as how his lover was not standing out in the middle of an ocean waiting for him to make things right. Sephiroth jumped clear of the water towards Zack and Zack ran. Unfortunately for Sephiroth the depths pulled most of the force out of his jump and he had to repeat it before he was past the surf line. It was still faster than slogging through the water, but Zack had already made the beach. Cloud watched in fascination at their game of zig zagging to and fro, feinting, lunging, bounding off the tropical trees, then back into the water to deal with the obstacle of the surf. Cloud had not actually seen Sephiroth move with any prolonged intensity before. His speed and jump distance were terrifying, and Zack was faster and stronger than most Soldiers he'd been allowed to watch. Cloud shook his head. He'd never be that fast.

"Hey Zack!" Aerith, tired of their antics or maybe just wanting to add one of her own, had come up to the water's edge. She unhooked her top and tossed it in. Zack stopped in mid run, the brief image of her bare breasts, out for all to see no less, burned into his mind before she turned away and wrapped her arms around herself. His mind tried to simultaneous think several things at once. Go get her top! No, go get her a towel! No, go over there and cover her with yourself! No –

Then the beach came up and slammed into him broadside with a force that almost knocked him out. Damn, sand was hard. Sephiroth, the cause of this upset to the normal directions of sand and sky, was on top of him and yanking Cloud's trunks out of his hand. Not that Zack could have held on, most of his motor skills seemed to have been knocked off line.

When he finally shook himself to rights and cleared his head practicality prevailed and he decided on going after Aerith's swim top. The thing was expensive as hell after all. But lucky it floated and he snagged it easily out of the water and brought it to her. Zack considered briefly holding it out for ransom, but she was already pretty covered up with her arms she would probably just go back into the house and get a shirt. No good. But if he held it out, trying to look sheepish rather than the wolfish way he felt...

Bingo, one arm came forward for the item, exposing more curvature and part of one pink nipple. She turned her back to him to put it back on. He came close up behind her.

"You may not want to do that again with everyone around." He said.

"But your friends like men."

"Cloud is only into guys. Seph likes both."

"Oh!" Her shoulders stiffened. "Oh, no."

He put his arms around her waist, the press of his bare, wet chest against her back preventing her from fixing the lower clasp of her top. "Don't worry," he said, kissing her neck and looking down her front where the bikini top sat loosely hanging from neck strap only. "He's far too preoccupied with Cloud right now."

Zack let his hands run up the front of her rib cage, then to the bottoms of her breasts, gently testing. When her head dropped backwards onto his shoulder he let his hands push all the way up until erect nipples pressed into the palms of his hands. He kissed her neck and at the soft noise she made he slipped the tip of each nipple between two fingers and pinched gently. She turned around in his arms and kissed him, and finally Zack was able to his hands run unrestricted on her torso. He leaned his hips forward and she leaned away slightly. Not ready for hips, he thought, and reconsidered his move to dip his hands into her skimpy bikini bottom. But that was fine, he was happy enough to be here for the moment.

Sephiroth lay down to dry out and bask in the sun with the now clothed Cloud and smiled at the other couple. It looked like Zack was finally making some of that progress he had been hoping for.

A/N: Regarding sand, poor Zack, it really is hard. It seems like it would be soft, but not when you get body slammed into it. One night, while running naked on a golf course with my buddy and a bottle of Tequila, I stopped at the edge of a sand trap that had about a two foot drop. He came up and shoved me from behind and I splatted face down into the thing. It was rather a shock that it was just as hard as hitting any other normal patch of dirt. Luckily he was holding the Tequila at the time.