This is a standalone story detailing part of Cloud and Aerith's honeymoon, set after my story Midgar's Shadows. I've done my best to keep spoilers out so that if you want to go back and read it you should be able to, but some elements will inevitably be ruined. Of course, if you're just here for the fluff and smut then none of that matters. I hope you enjoy it!


His wife was wearing a bikini. A pink bikini with a floral design, to be precise. And Cloud couldn't take his eyes off her. Aerith was splashing around in the water, laughing and happier than he'd ever seen her—outside of their wedding, of course—and the sight, in turn, filled him to the brim with joy. He loved her so much.

"Stop ogling me and get in here, the water is lovely!"

"I'm not—Alright, I was ogling, but can you blame me? Have you seen yourself? You're gorgeous."

Aerith's cheeks tinged pink. Cloud loved that he could still make his wife blush.

"If you don't get in here I'm going to come and drag you in, mister!" she threatened, glaring at him with an expression that just made him want to kiss her.

As enjoyable as seeing her carry out her threat sounded, Cloud had no issue with joining her. It was the first full day of their honeymoon after an exhausting all-day trip from Midgar yesterday. He had rented them an isolated cabin slightly to the north of the main Costa del Sol resort, one that had its own private beach access so they wouldn't have to deal with any of the crowds plaguing the main beaches. An entire week, completely alone with his wife in a tropical paradise. If that wasn't a dream come true, Cloud didn't know what was. That said, he couldn't help but tease her a bit.

"But I'm enjoying the view."

"I promise you it's better up close," she said with a sultry voice that sent Cloud's pulse racing and had him on his feet in an instant, all thoughts of teasing gone.

Striding into the clear, blue water, it was impossible not to marvel at how warm it was. Not that he'd doubted her, but Aerith had been right, this was incredibly nice. The ocean was calm, with no real waves and only smooth sand under the waist-deep water. Right before he reached his wife, her arm darted out, sending a huge wave of water splashing over him, making him splutter in surprise.

"Gotcha," she said with a wink.

Oh, it was on. Twisting with his waist for extra momentum, Cloud sent a surging wall of water in Aerith's direction. Her eyes widened and she barely managed to turn to the side before it crashed into her.

"You're gonna pay for that!"

Favoring speed over strength, Aerith used both of her hands to send splash after splash at him, laughing and shrieking as he sent wave after wave right back at her. It didn't take long before they were both completely drenched, Cloud's hair drooping down into his face. Pushing forward while continuing his offense, he lunged for his wife once he was close enough, wrapping his arms around her and slightly lifting her off her feet as he kissed her.

Aerith's arms wrapped around him tightly as she passionately returned the kiss, her tongue darting out to playfully flick at his lips. Parting them, he drew a moan from her as he swirled his tongue around hers. She tasted like the strawberries they'd had for breakfast, and all he wanted was more, but Cloud reluctantly pulled away to catch his breath.

"I accept your surrender," Aerith said, smiling broadly.

"Surrender?"

"Yup! You were losing the splash war, so you had to resort to a kissing sneak attack. I'll admit, it was quite effective, but that doesn't change the fact you still lost."

Cloud couldn't help but smile at how competitive his wife was—he loved that about her. Granted, he loved everything about her, but still. "Hard to argue with logic like that. I suppose I'll just have to accept my defeat," he said with an exaggerated sigh.

Giggling, Aerith leaned in and kissed him—deeper this time—until Cloud couldn't see anything but stars, couldn't hear anything but his pounding heart, couldn't feel anything but her pressed against him. His hands roamed across her back, wanting to touch all of her, coming to rest at the bow holding her top on. An idea flickered to life in his head. Aerith's nipples were hard—clearly defined points pressed into his chest through her suit. They were completely alone on the beach with no-one in sight . . .

Before he was able to execute his plan, she pulled back and dropped to her feet, slipping out of his grasp. "And what exactly were you planning to do with my top, mister?"

Cloud darted after her, his hand reaching out, but she mirrored his movement—staying just out of reach. "I think you know exactly what I have in mind."

Humming, she gave him a seductive look that caused his already hardening cock to twitch. "But it's so cute, don't you think? Taking it off would be such a waste." Aerith ran a hand up, across her stomach and over a breast, Cloud's eyes glued to the motion. A finger swirled over her nipple—once, twice, thrice—and she grinned at him. "You're drooling, honey."

"Aerith . . ." Cloud knew he was on the verge of whining, but couldn't help it. His need for her was like a wildfire, raging and nearly out of control. It didn't help that she was fully aware of his weakness for her breasts, taunting him like this.

"Well . . . I suppose I could let you." His eyes shot wide open. "If you can catch me!" she finished, poking her tongue out as she made a mad dash back to the sandy beach.

Cloud surged forward, plowing through the water as fast as he could, reaching the beach a few seconds after Aerith did. Unfortunately for him, his wife was incredibly fast, even without her Shadowsuit. She flew across the beach, Cloud in hot pursuit, but unable to close the gap between them.

As her tinkling laughter filled his ears, he found himself smiling widely even though he knew he'd never catch her. She was so beautiful, her legs flashing across the sand as she ran with graceful ease. It still amazed Cloud she'd agreed to marry him, that they'd be able to spend the rest of their lives together now that the Master was gone. He slowed down to a jog, content to watch her having fun.

Aerith spun around moments later—presumably realizing he'd stopped pursuing her—a slight pout on her lips that made him want to kiss them again. "You know, I'm feeling awfully tired. If I get back to the room alone, I might just end up falling asleep . . ."

Catching sight of the corner of her lips curling upward as she turned and moved away, Cloud knew she was only teasing him. He loved her for that, how playful she always was. Sprinting after her again, he heard a soft yelp come from his wife as she realized the chase was back on. Because of the pause, he was much closer now, and Cloud thought he might be able to barely catch her ankle if he dived for it. He didn't try. Even with how soft the sand was, at the speed they were moving, he wasn't confident Aerith wouldn't get hurt in the process and that was the last thing he wanted.

Instead, he caught her at the door of the cabin, pinning her back to it as his lips met hers once more. Aerith enthusiastically kissed him back, her hands running up and down his back as she molded her body into his.

"Fuck, I want you so badly," Cloud moaned in her ear.

Aerith's hand's tightened on his back, her nails softly digging into his skin. "Me too. Shower first though, I'm all sandy and salty."

Showering was the last thing on Cloud's mind, but he realized she had a point, especially after their crazed run across the beach. He opened the door and reluctantly followed her into the bathroom. It wasn't all bad, of course, getting to shower with Aerith was always fun.

As she reached up behind her to take off her bathing suit, Cloud thrust out his hand to stop her. "Wait!"

She shot him an incredulous look. "Can't you make up your mind already? I thought you were desperate to see me naked."

"I am. It's just . . . I want to unwrap you," he finished in a whisper, looking away.

Her laughter spilled forth. "Oh, I'm a present, am I?"

"The very best," he murmured, stepping closer.

"Go ahead then, unwrap away." Aerith held her arms out to the sides, giving him a playful look.

Cloud swallowed nervously. What the hell was wrong with him? It wasn't like it was the first time he'd be seeing her naked, far from it. No, it was that damn bikini, which shouldn't have made a difference since it was hardly different from a pair of bra and panties, and yet . . . for whatever reason, it was special. Maybe because those were underwear and this was more like actual clothing? Or perhaps—

"Hello, Gaia to Cloud, I'm getting cold here and kinda want to make love to my husband."

Face on fire, he reached behind her and swiftly untied the knot at her back. Somewhat disappointingly, it didn't do much to reveal her breasts to him, thanks to the tie remaining at the back of her neck. Aerith giggled as she saw his face fall, her hands rising up to hold her hair out of the way. Hands shaking, Cloud slid his fingers up her back to her neck and made short work of the knot there as well. Aerith's top fell to the floor, but he wasn't paying it attention anymore, his eyes glued to her pert breasts. They were perfect.

"Don't forget the bottoms too," she whispered, wiggling her legs.

In a daze, Cloud traced his fingers downward, pausing to lightly palm her boobs—marveling yet again at how soft they were—before reluctantly leaving them alone to trail down to her waist. He undid the knots on either side simultaneously and then she was completely naked, her suit lying on the floor at her feet—every inch of her beautiful skin revealed to him.

Aerith's cheeks were tinged pink. "Like what you see?"

"Always. So much." Cloud was stumbling over his words, struggling to find a way to describe how the sight of her like this always took his breath away, turned him into a lovestruck fool. He wanted to pounce on her, to ravish her, but he managed to restrain himself. Barely. There would be plenty of time for that soon enough.

Aerith stepped closer and tugged his swim shorts down, dropping them to the floor and revealing all of him. Her eyes were locked on his hardness, her tongue darting across her lips. "Mmm, much better. Let's hop in, the water should be hot by now."

They jumped in the shower together, washing the sand and the salt from their bodies. Cloud's cock was rock hard, thanks to the sight of his wife's naked body and how much he wanted her. He knew Aerith loved shower sex from past experience and imagined she might be expecting him to begin with that. It was certainly tempting and he couldn't keep his hands off her—lightly tweaking a nipple while his other hand brushed between her thighs—drawing appreciative noises out of her. Cloud held himself back though, despite wanting to do so much more—his goal was to worship her, and he needed a bed for that.

"Seems like I'm a bit too distracting for you," Aerith said, her hand running over his chest. "You're still all sandy."

He laughed. "Yeah, it's pretty hard to focus when you're just so . . . incredible. I can't stop thinking of all the things I want to do with you."

"Well hurry up, mister! I want to get to the good part already!"

"Maybe you could help me? Make it go a bit faster?"

Aerith's eyebrow rose as she hummed softly. "Oh, and which part exactly did you have in mind?" Her hand slid around his throbbing cock, stroking it gently up and down, causing him to gasp in pleasure before she abruptly pulled away. "I'm pretty sure that's only going to be even more distracting for you."

He was panting for breath, unable to speak, desperate to feel more.

"I'm going to step out so my hair can start to dry. I'll be waiting for you in bed, maybe that'll help motivate you a bit." She winked at him, pressing a light kiss to his lips before she slipped past the curtain and out of sight.

Frantically, Cloud hurried to finish washing the last of the sand off his body, cursing himself for losing focus. Things hadn't quite worked out the way he'd expected, but Aerith was heading for the bed, exactly where he wanted her. Hurtling out of the shower, he rapidly dried himself off before rushing to the bedroom.


Walking away from Cloud in the shower had been one of the hardest things Aerith had ever done. When he hadn't pinned her to the wall, hadn't thrust himself deep between her legs as he passionately kissed her, she'd started to worry her teasing might have gone too far. He'd certainly seemed ready and raring to go, but then he'd only lightly fondled her—leaving Aerith craving so much more. At least it sounded like he had some kind of plan, one she was eagerly anticipating.

She was lying on her back in their bed when he came bursting through the door, his eyes immediately locking onto her. The heat of his attention blazed across her body as he traced his way from her feet up to her head. Aerith swallowed, suddenly overwhelmed. Even from across the room her husband was somehow able to devour her.

Cloud moved to the bottom of the bed, but then stopped there instead of hopping on as she'd expected. "I want to try something a little different, today."

"Oh?" Aerith squirmed, her thighs rubbing together. Different could be interesting. As long as it ended with the two of them making love.

He nodded, his eyes roaming over her. "I've been wanting to do this for a while, and it seems like a good opportunity, especially after you so resoundingly defeated me in the . . . splash war? Anyways, all you have to do is relax and enjoy your reward, I'm going to do all the work."

Unsure what he was planning, Aerith didn't let it phase her as she nodded her consent. She trusted him completely, without question.

Dropping onto the bed between her slightly spread legs, Cloud placed the tips of his fingers on her ankles. Then, he slowly, lazily, began to trace them upwards along her legs, swirling and twirling them erratically. His touch was extraordinarily gentle, a delicate brush over her skin, and Aerith sucked in her breath as goosebumps sprang up across her arms and legs.

By the time he reached her inner thighs, she was breathing heavily, loving the jolts of energy that were suffusing her. It was an incredible sensation—a blend of sexual arousal mixed with complete relaxation—something she'd never experienced before. Aerith was unable to hold back a moan as his hands met at her core, his fingers brushing tantalizingly close to where she wanted them. Gaia, she was so wet, desperately craving more contact than he was providing.

"Feels good?" Cloud asked, a pleased smile on his face.

"This is amazing, Cloud. How did you come up with this?"

His touch became slightly firmer as he moved up to her stomach and Aerith realized he was specifically trying to make it less ticklish. He really had given this a great deal of thought, and it made her love him all the more.

"I actually got the idea from the back rubs you love so much. I figured that if it felt so good there, why not try it on the rest of your body?"

She closed her eyes, humming with pleasure. "Well, it's lovely, thank you so much."

"You haven't even seen the half of it," he said, her eyes shooting back open in surprise to see a grin on his face. "Once I reach the top, I'm going to be making my way back down in a slightly different manner."

A fire ignited in her lower belly at his words. As much as Aerith didn't want the current tracing to end, she was dying to know what was coming next. Her train of thought was completely derailed as Cloud's thumbs flicked up, coming in contact with the bottom of her breasts. She didn't think they were anything special, but she knew her husband was endlessly fascinated with them, always ensuring they got plenty of attention. Of course, Aerith didn't mind, whatever Cloud did with them always felt incredible.

Expecting him to go right for her sensitive nipples, Cloud surprised her, his hands instead moving upwards between her breasts before circling around them several times. Aerith was nearly panting with anticipation by the time he cupped them from below—massaging and squeezing them gently. Her head rolled back, burrowing into the pillow, her back arching, as his thumbs traced a path around her areola.

"Oh Gaia, Cloud, please," she begged, unable to take it any longer. Her nipples were rock hard, peaked and pointy like little mountains. He'd never done anything this tantalizing before and Aerith was on the verge of reaching up to give herself the release she so desperately wanted.

Before she had to take matters into her own hands, Cloud's thumbs shifted inward, rolling over her nipples and flicking them back and forth. Aerith couldn't contain the stream of moans that poured from her lips as his index fingers joined in on the action—lightly pinching her nipples with just the perfect amount of pressure so she felt only pleasure and no pain. He was way, way too good at this.

The bliss seemed to last forever, making her unaware of how much time Cloud spent on her breasts thanks to the thick fog of pleasure filling her head. She couldn't help but be disappointed when his hands finally moved away, continuing their journey upwards. After a brief stop running across her collarbones, they moved out to the sides, running along her arms which also had the effect of lowering Cloud's body to press onto her.

His lips met hers in a passionate kiss, gently sucking her lower lip before their tongues met. Aerith wrapped her arms around him, one hand moving up behind his head to bury into his hair and pull him closer. Her heart was pounding like it was trying to escape and Aerith moaned loudly as she ground herself against his leg—feeling her own slick wetness on him.

Breaking off the kiss, Cloud gazed down at her with a burning passion that caused the flame inside of her to grow stronger, blazing like an inferno. And then he gave her nose a little peck of a kiss, making her giggle.

"I love you, Aerith."

"I love you too, Cloud."

"Ready for me to head back down?"

Aerith swallowed. His journey up her body had already been so amazing, and yet Cloud seemed to think this was going to be even better. That seemed nearly impossible, but she couldn't wait to find out. "Yes. Please."

Pressing a soft, sensual kiss against her lips, Cloud continued to trail them down to her jaw before shifting to her neck. His teeth raked over her, not enough to leave a mark, but enough she shuddered under him. Aerith almost felt like she was drowning, sinking back into the depths of the euphoric bliss brought on by Cloud's attention. He knew exactly where her neck was weakest, pulling pants and gasps from her as he kissed and licked and nibbled on it. By the time he was finished and started to trail kisses down to her chest, Aerith was throbbing with need.

This time he didn't play around as he reached her breasts—going directly for his target—his lips wrapping around her nipple and lightly sucking it into his mouth as his tongue laved across it. Arching her back, Aerith gave him all the access he needed, loving the feeling of his mouth on her. She might not understand his obsession with her breasts, but Gaia did she appreciate how he made them feel.

Aerith was surprised when he moved away from her nipples after not too long. In the past, he'd usually spent much longer on them. It was almost as if he were more eager for something else. As he moved down over her stomach—planting a single kiss on her belly button that caused her to giggle—she realized exactly where he was heading and what he planned to do. Her suspicions were confirmed as he gently moved to shift her legs slightly wider, settling down between them.

"Wait, Cloud, you don't have to—"

She was abruptly cut off as his tongue stroked over her folds from bottom to top, stopping to swirl lightly over her clit. Pleasure like she'd never known before crashed into Aerith like a tidal wave. How could his tongue feel so good? She cried out, yearning and desire twining together as her hips unconsciously jerked up, off the bed.

Pulling slightly away from her, Cloud tilted his head to look at her. "Have to? I want to do this."

Before she could reply, he leaned back in, his tongue silencing anything she would have said. After all of the foreplay, having him not only be finally paying attention to her most sensitive part, but to be using his mouth on her somehow made everything that had come before pale in comparison. Dropping down from her clit, Cloud pressed his tongue inside her folds, causing her to whimper softly. Aerith wanted him in her, not his tongue, but his cock, filling her completely.

She heard him chuckle softly as he moved back up to flick his tongue over her clit, before suddenly she felt two of his fingers softly dip inside her. With how wet she was, they slid in easily, pushing all the way up to his second knuckle.

"Oh, Cloud . . . fuck!"

Aerith's nerves were firing like crazy, currents of electricity shooting upward and causing her brain to go haywire. Her thighs clamped against his head, locking him in place. Words seemed lost to her at this point, but she hoped he got the message: "Don't you dare stop, mister!"

Stopping seemed to be the last thing on Cloud's mind as he continued to lave his tongue over her clit, his fingers now rhythmically working in and out of her. Aerith rocked her hips in rhythm with his thrusts, doing everything she could to feel the penetration deeper inside. She was so close.

Left was right, up was down, and Aerith couldn't think of anything other than the taut tension building and building within her. Cloud's fingers were relentless, striking that spot inside her over and over as his tongue continued to swirl and circle and lap and lick. Her hands tightened their grip at her sides as her back arched off the bed, her toes curling in the sheets at the bottom of the bed. She couldn't take any more of this, it was too much, it was—

And then Aerith's entire world shattered as Cloud looked up and met her eyes before gently sucking directly on her clit, his fingers curled inside her. The tension that had been building exploded, waves of pleasure surging and melting through her as she cried out in pure bliss. She collapsed limply under him, chest heaving, her arms and legs feeling like jelly as she desperately tried to get her breathing under control.

"Cloud . . . what . . . how?"

He chuckled, pressing a kiss to her inner thigh that was enough to send a spark of electricity upward. "That good, huh?"

Untangling one of her hands from the sheets, she reached down and ran it through his hair. "That was . . . I don't even know how to begin to describe it. Amazing? Incredible? Perfect."

"It wasn't too much? I've never seen you quite that out of control before."

"No, no, not at all! I almost want to ask you to do it again, but I think after that, I just want you in me. Like right now."

"Hmmm, I dunno, are you sure you could take it?"

"Cloud, if you don't make love to me this instant, I'm going to—"

She cut off with a loud cry of surprise and pleasure as he surged upward and smoothly slid his cock all the way inside her. "Sorry, what was that?" he asked, smiling innocently down at her. Cloud was picking up far too much about teasing from her, not that Aerith found herself minding it at the moment.

Instead of moving to pull back out for another thrust, Cloud remained motionless above her, recognizing she needed a moment to catch her breath. It was yet another part of what she appreciated so much about him. She loved this feeling, how perfectly they fit together, how incredible it felt to have him buried all the way inside her—a sense of full completeness.

Reaching out, Aerith ran her hand over his chest. "I hate this," she whispered, her fingers dropping to trail the circular outline of the large scar on his side.

He gently grabbed her wrist, stilling the motion. "Aerith."

She couldn't meet his eyes, her attention focused on the skin she'd been playing with.

"Aerith, look at me."

Slowly, her eyes drifted upward until they reached his own, her vision blurry through the haze of unshed tears.

"This wasn't your fault, you know that."

She nodded weakly. He wasn't wrong, but even so, a part of her still blamed herself for what had happened.

"I would gladly take another wound like this if it meant staying with you."

"Don't say that." She couldn't bear the thought of him getting hurt so badly again.

"It's true," he said fiercely. "All that matters is that we're together. Nothing else."

Raising her arm, she silenced him with a finger to his lips. "I'm not going anywhere, Cloud. Not without you."

His lips spread into a smile. Then he sucked on her finger, causing her to giggle. Then he pulled out and thrust back into her, causing her to moan.

Cloud's hips rocked into her steadily, not in a hurried frenzy, not in a rush to drive them both to the brink, but a slow, steady fucking that almost made Aerith want to purr with happiness. It was so wonderful to feel him moving inside her, stretching her in that unique, perfect way. Not to mention how deep inside her he kept hitting, filling her entirely in a way that made everything so much better.

Gradually, Cloud began to pick up the pace, a moan of his own escaping him. Biting her lip to contain her laugh, Aerith couldn't help but be overjoyed knowing how good she was making him feel. She wanted to tease him about it, but right at the moment, Cloud decided to move his hand between them, brushing his fingers against her clit as he continued to pound into her and Aerith forgot about everything else.

The wonderful, familiar tension from earlier was building up inside her once again, and this time it was like a tidal wave—rising up and up until she came crashing down, clenching tightly around Cloud. It seemed to be what pushed him over the edge, a loud gasp escaping his lips as he nearly collapsed on top of her. Instead, he moved down to press a kiss to her lips, his eyes welling with love.

Without even needing to say a word, they shifted in unison, moving into their familiar post-sex cuddling position—Cloud wrapped singly behind her, his breath hitting her neck and his hand rubbing gentle circles over her stomach. It was the perfect finish to an incredible day, one Aerith knew she would never forget.


Cloud was ecstatic as he spooned his wife. That had gone better than he'd hoped for, Aerith had clearly had an incredible time, which filled him with so much joy.

"Cloud . . ." Her voice was strangely hesitant, causing him to frown in concern.

"What is it?"

"That was . . . unbelievable, but . . . I'm feeling kinda guilty."

"What?! Why?"

She shifted slightly in his arms, her hand coming to rest atop his own. "You did so much for me, and I appreciate it, but other than the end, there wasn't anything in it for you."

"That's not true at all. Yes, I didn't get the same kind of pleasure out of it as you did, but that doesn't mean I didn't get any." He kissed the back of her head, squeezing her in a hug. "Making you feel so good, in turn, makes me feel good. Please don't worry about it, I couldn't be happier with how everything went. Besides, you know how much I love hearing you moan."

That got the giggle out of her he was hoping for. "You're ridiculous."

Cloud smiled. "I know." He squeezed her tightly, loving how close they were, how nice it was to be wrapped around her.

They lapsed into silence, Aerith's hand tracing his fingers lightly as he listened to her breathing. The faint floral smell of her shampoo filled his nose, a scent he loved more than anything now.

"What do you think about Tifa and Rude?" Aerith asked.

"Ehh? Are they friends now? I was wondering why he offered to help at the wedding."

She glanced over her shoulder at him, an amused twinkle in her eyes. "Really? You honestly don't know, or you're just pretending?"

He blinked in confusion. "What? Wait, what are you talking about?"

"Rude's totally got the hots for her! I can't believe you haven't noticed, it's so obvious. Personally, I think they're adorable together."

"Oh. Wow. No, I hadn't realized." Did that make him a bad person? "Do you know how Tifa feels about him?"

Humming softly, Aerith turned back onto her side. "She's been avoiding the question, but I've seen the way she looks at him. It's only a matter of time before she acknowledges it I think."

"Huh. Well, good for them, I hope things work out." He could hear Aerith's breaths getting deeper, knew she'd be exhausted after everything he'd just put her through. A nap before dinner sounded wonderful and he sighed in contentment as his wife nestled into him. Things were already off to such an amazing start, and this was only the first day of their honeymoon. As Cloud slowly drifted off to sleep, he couldn't wait to see what the rest of the trip held in store for them.


Wow. When I first started writing this I did not expect it to go nearly this long. And I have to say, for my first truly explicit smut fic, I think it turned out alright. I'm still pretty embarrassed though, haha. I hope that for those of you coming from Shadows this serves as nice closure for the two of them.

This also marks the end of the incredible journey that was Shadows. It's hard to believe it's been nine months since I first started working on this story. A very special thank you to any readers who have been with me since the very beginning, your support has meant the world to me. Even if you haven't, thank you so much for taking the time to read this story, I really appreciate it so much.