He stretched and groaned, grinning as he did. George ran his fingers through his hair, slicking it back as he stepped out of the ocean one step at a time. “Hey! The water is amazing.” He dragged out the last word with arms outstretched. He kicked the water before his foot hit wet sand, laughing through the arc of water. He hoisted his trunks up his hips a bit before jogging towards Waker.

It had been a bit of a whirlwind since the lake on the thirtieth. He had been happier than he thought he could’ve been, even with NEWTS and his Hogwarts career finally ending. Quidditch training was going to start soon. This was their last complete moment of freedom before the real world grabbed them and started holding them down. They would both have jobs; maybe they would even consider getting their own place, after a while. For now, though, his mum’s place was perfectly cozy.

It was the first time they were completely and utterly alone. He’d even told Trent he couldn’t come along. It was just the two of them, patching things up in the town namesake that they had started their relationship with. There hadn’t been many London rains, but that hadn’t been a bad thing.

Yesterday had been a day of settling and wandering around. There had been some drinking involved, a bit of fun in the hotel, a grand dinner, and more fun. Today was all about the beach, because hello. Waker wanted to see some of the historical stuff; George supposed he could trek along with her. He was running out of gillyweed, after all. There was also a lot of new things to explore along the coast of Spain. Though the lake at Hogwarts had been amazing and full of its own wonders... this was a whole new ballpark.

And this... this trip had them written all over it. Once he reached her, he collapsed to his knees next to her and grinned. “You know you’re at the beach, right.” He flicked the book with his wet fingers before leaning over her on the towel, wet arms wrapping around her as he bit lightly into her stomach. “We’re in BARCELONA!” Not that he hadn’t made this abundantly clear since they checked into the small hotel, or every place they stopped at, of course. Fingers ran down her side to lightly grasp into the side of her bottoms, giving a friendly tug on either side.

Waker peaked over the top of the book, her eyes not missing George as he adjusted his swim trunks. As he approached however, with all of the appeal of Honeydukes, plus a sales pitch, Waker’s eyes darted quickly back to the book; she re-read the line she’d left off, and continued, as if staring hard enough might actually bring her attention 100% back to the book. It worked. Ninety percent, anyway. There weren’t many things that could distract the recent graduate from a book, even George Carter.

“Hmm,” was her reply as he collapsed beside her. Her eyes were still on the page, consuming facts and quirks and rarer turns of Barcelona’s history. It was easy enough to avoid a proper answer for the first poke— but the next… “I’m reading about Barcelona,” she defended, finally looking up, gaze pegging him. “I want to know things when we visit. I’m enjoying the beach, too…” She was. It was nice to lay there and do what she loved most, and occasionally spy on George while he did what he loved most. Besides, Waker remembered the last time they had been in the water together, and how he had almost choked.  And his webbed hands had copped a feel. “You could come read with me,” she offered, trying to appeal to the near-universal love of dryness. George was one of the few who didn’t seem to get it.

But they hadn’t just come to see Barcelona and store a library’s worth of facts in their brains. They had come to be together.

And getting back together had made for some of the best weeks of Waker’s life, however nervous she had been about everything else. George was the steadying the thing, the thing that held her to the ground (when he wasn’t trying to fly off of it). So, as her voice became softer, so did her face. The suspicious expression turned to a slight, somewhat defeated frown, and finally a smile. She set aside the book (to spare it as much as anything else) and began to sit up on her elbows a bit, to forget the thrilling pages in favor of the thrilling, dripping, shirtless thing in front of her.

Until he decided they should become exhibitionists. Again.

“George,” she hiss-laughed, trying very hard to adopt a teacher-y tone and keep the humor out of it. She sat up a bit more and looked about, but everyone was having too much fun to notice the lovebirds getting a little too frisky on a towel. “Would you want the whole beach to see your bum?”

She knew the answer to that; it was pointless to ask.

With a sigh, she laced her arms around his neck and pouted rather unconvincingly. “I was just getting to the really good part.” She tightened her grip and pulled him toward her, bringing them both back towards the towel. Waker's unimpressed face become a smile (a small one) even before her head made it to towel. The hair trapped beneath her was already beginning to lighten, a sign that they had spent plenty of time in the sun. She adopted a calm, unguarded, but not discontent expression and slackened her hold on his neck, staring up at him. They had talked about Barcelona so long ago, and now they were here, it was real. It was even better than she’d thought. A moment later, and a clever humor had entered her stare; her lips began to part in a smile she couldn’t help. “You’re going to give me terrible tan lines.” She leaned up to kiss him.

Eyes rolled; why read about a place they were in? They could easily learn information by asking locals or picking up visitor information. Even the hotel had simpler guides, full with pictures and few words. “You’re enjoying the beach, sure. Kind of. But you’re missing out on the best part.” Next to him, of course. Eyebrows waggled at her suggestively before he shook his head, flinging water all around him.

At her suggestion of reading with her, he made a face. “Hmm... You could just tell me about some of the more interesting stuff. Or give me a tour when we go to the boring museums.” He gave her a grin and ran his tongue over his lips.

To be honest... George kind of liked when Waker tried to calm him down and act like a professor. He grinned and slipped a finger between the material and her thigh, moving it slowly back and forth. “If they want to look, they can see it. I can also just-” He pulled back enough to show her, motioning to the front and how it was tied up. “I don’t have to show my bum...”

“Good part of-” He grunted and laughed before following her, lest he be choked, hands pressing into the material on either side of her. Sand stuck to his skin, but he didn’t care. Worst case, he’d go running back into the sea to rid himself of it. George settled himself between her legs, coming down onto his forearms before fingers pushed her hair back out of her face. Eyebrows jumped once again before he kissed her back, arm wrapping around under her neck, the other moving down to grasp her thigh.

Once he pulled back, he looked down at her and smirked. “You can get on top and show off your bum then.” Suddenly he rolled them over, pulling her now on top of him as his back hit the warm sand. “See? I’m helpful. Tell me about where we’re going first.” Both hands found her waist and helped to press her down against him as he situated himself. Then he leaned up and kissed her chest, her neck, up to her ear. “Tell me about the culture you’re learning.”

“What’s the best part? Watching you lose one of your nine lives in the water and being inadvertently to blame for it?” It seemed like every time they got anywhere near the water, that happened. Maybe salt water was different, but Waker wasn’t sure she wanted to risk it… even on their dream trip to Barcelona.

Or maybe the best part was him. Her face asked the question.

“Or you could pick up a book,” she said, tantalizingly. Or not very. “The museums here are not boring,” she scoffed. Honestly, did he forget who he was dating? “They have Picassos! And Gaudi’s architecture is too big for a museum! The Wizarding history here is fascinating, too.” She stopped herself before she could carry on and scare him back into the ocean. Or maybe that was for the best, if he was expecting a strip show in public.

Waker’s face became a little you’re too much as George explained his strategy. “Or we could… go to a museum and you could show me how versatile your swim trunks are afterward. In the hotel.” She raised her brows, waiting for him to see the logic in this plan. Even so she smiled, shaking her head. “You’re too resourceful, aren’t you?”

In the midst of their kissing, Waker managed to answer his half-posed question. “Of the book.” She pressed her thigh up into his palm as her mouth met his again. "Even history has plots, George,” she whispered informatively, laying her head back again, enjoying his arms under her.

“I can—” It was Waker’s turn to have her words cut off. She seemed to squeal as she was flipped by the Keeper, who was too skilled in such quick moves. She was on top, her vantage point completely flipped. “Not. I cannot. This is not a nude beach!” Her eyes had widened, and she was looking down at him as if he were a fish. Which he was. Waker looked around again and calmed after a moment, sighing. She settled into a smile, her hands on his chest. “Helpful is one word for it,” she said, as he pulled her back down. Her mouth found the edge of his head as he kissed her chest, and she got in a little, chaste kiss of her own. “Well, they speak an entirely different kind of Spanish here than they do in other regions in Spain,” she said, taking his offer at face value. She pulled back a little and looked at him, their faces close. “I was thinking of enrolling you in a class,” she lied, and then kissed him quickly.

Eyes rolled while he smirked. “Or you could join me and keep me out of trouble.” If he had nine lives, George was almost certain they reset every year. Sometimes he realized the stupid things he did, and other times it came as a complete surprise. An after the fact moment of clarity. A dip in the ocean, however, was just ordinary swimming.

A groan did escape him at her attempts to push books on him. “Nooooo.” He was whining. George felt it was allowed. What fun was a museum that you had to read things to understand them. Furthermore, it wasn’t as if he was allowed to touch and handle the historical items. It was unfair to force him to stand still with his hands behind his back and just look. Still. She put up with his desire to hang out at the beach, he could try and enjoy a museum or two for her.

Promises of the hotel room had his eyes lighting up. It didn’t take much to excite George. “What about before?” Now he could bargain. “And after...” He smiled and ran his fingers over her skin lightly, up over her stomach and to the upper part of her swimsuit. They should’ve gone to a nude beach; he saw his flawed plan immediately. “When it comes to you, I think I could earn an O with ease...” Or maybe not. He remembered how she had surprised him. So perhaps an E. Or an A... That had been a rather large test to fail.

How was she expecting him to focus when she pushed up into him and kissed him back like that? How was he supposed to behave?

“Should I carry you to one? I’m sure we could look in that book of yours and find out where they are...” George smirked and ran his tongue over his lips while looking her over. Hands moved over her thighs, up to her hips, around to her lower back and further down. Eyes closed as he rested against her chest. He chuckled and laid his head back into the sand, staring up with squinting eyes to watch her. “Why is it different?” He went to disagree with her idea of a class (hadn’t he done enough classes in his life?!) when she kissed him.

He pressed back, pulling her down against him more as they deepened the kiss. After a few moments, he pulled back and groaned. “I want to go back to the hotel now.” He smirked. “Come get wet with me. Let’s explore the ocean together.”

“But then you might get me into trouble…” And two people in trouble was more trouble than one. The ocean was full of ways for George to find trouble. “And I don’t think I have nine lives.” She frowned. Waker did best by playing by the rules.

His reaction to books was about the same as her internal reaction to George turning himself into a fish or deciding to become a mariner (none of which, luckily, he had yet decided… gillyweed aside). Waker gave him the most eye-rolly expression possible without an actual eye roll. “I’m asking you to read, not adopt Slytherins.” She pouted.

“If we go before, you’ll be too tired to go to look at museums with me,” she pointed out. They would both be tired, knowing George. And what they got up to in hotel rooms. “You need to pay attention. And good things come to those who wait. Even O’s…” She covered one of his fingers with two of hers, tapping lightly. “But confidence counts for something,” she admitted. George was full of confidence. Sometimes it annoyed her, how winning he could be by simply being himself. But most of the time it amazed her, and he usually won her easily. It was not a skill someone could just learn from a book.

“Should I carry you to one? I’m sure we could look in that book of yours and find out where they are…”

“I think I prefer bad tan lines.” She stuck her tongue out at him. For all of her determination to learn about the culture and experience things, Waker didn’t know if she wanted to visit a nude beach unless they were the only two people on the beach. “Maybe one day when you’re playing for the national team and can buy us a beach.” She smiled. Goals to work toward. Not that the Nolan girl expected a free ride to topless lands! She was a hard worker.

Waker looked over the top of his head at the scene behind them as George rested on her chest. There was so much to explore, she wished they had a time turner— then they would be able to fit in all of the ocean-and-hotel time that George (and Waker) wanted, plus all of the must-sees in her books.

As he laid back, she looked at him and decided maybe some extra hotel time was worth the trade off. “Because Spain used to be two kingdoms. This region is Catalonia. They all know Spanish, since it’s the official public language, but most of Barcelonians also speak Catalan. It’s the first language for many who were born in the region.”

Kisses nicely cut off protests, though Waker knew she could tutor him just fine. She was already talking away about languages between their lazy, beach snog session. Just because it was a holiday, it didn’t mean they couldn’t multitask. She smiled into the kiss as he pulled her closer, and for a moment Waker almost forgot they were on the beach (except that the weather was so lovely and the sound of the ocean was so soothing that was impossible to forget). “Which is it, hotel or ocean?” She asked, settling her arms around his neck. “Or that class you’re late to…” Her brows rose expectantly, but she offered a calm smile and leaned forward to peck him again. “I was thinking we could walk down the La Rambla, get some lunch, and then go to The Gothic Quarter. Then a museum.” Some of the smaller shops still observed Siesta, but with all of the sightseeing they had to do before they finished being touristy-tourists, they would be able to find lunch easily. “Then the hotel,” she said, finally. Before he could protest at the short list of things to do before they got back for a nap, she whispered: “Because they don’t eat dinner until very, very late.”

Waker climbed up slowly, and began to wipe invisible sand off of her pink bathing suit. “But first let’s go get in the ocean so you don’t stop talking to me forever.” She put her hands on her hips and waited for him to join her on the trek down to the water. She couldn't stop the smile that eventually broke on her face as he stood up. She was thrilled to go swimming with him, even if he made her nervous when they neared water.

“I’ll let you borrow one of mine.” It was that simple, obviously. Didn’t Waker know anything about fictitious lives? George continued his pout. “Can I adopt a Slytherin instead?” He shook his head in loud disagreement with her. “No I won’t! I will be energized. We can even have some coffee.” He disliked waiting for things he wanted. Greatly disliked it. He huffed a little; where had confidence got him, right now? With a case of blue beach balls.

He turned his head briefly to watch the ball sail behind Waker, blinking as it hit the sand and rolled away. George didn’t understand the fun behind them. His gaze easily came back to Waker before he smiled.

He chomped his teeth together playfully in response to her sticking her tongue out at him. “I think I prefer you without clothes.” He stuck his own tongue back out and shifted a little, grunting. Out of his peripheral, he saw the ball sail back to the left. In his head, he saw himself on a national team after the pros saw him play in his first game. Confidence was definitely a good thing to have, but sometimes it clouded obvious judgement. He wasn’t yet that good.

“Catalan?” George scratched his chin and made a face of surprise. “Hm... Is that like how Essex girls learn Estuary English?” He grinned widely and poked her gently in her side. See, he was learning.

When she gave him the option, his eyes widened and he beamed. It was a tough decision, however... the water, or their hotel bed... He made a face and glanced around; why did he have to choose? “Definitely not the class.” He made a face at her plans, until she got to the hotel; then his eyes lit up and he nodded. “I want to eat right now.” He gave her a knowing look before laughing. Hands rested on either of her cheeks before patting them playfully. “Have it your way.”

As she stood, he adjusted himself, watching her from his vantage point. It didn’t take long before he was scrambling up off the sand, however, eager as he shook his body like an over-exaggerated dog. Sand still stuck to him in places he wouldn’t be able to reach, but they were about to get back into the water; it would be off in one wave dunk. He took her hand and started to jog with her to the water, scooping her up in his arms at the last minute.

George laughed and stepped into the water, one foot after the other, before he was nearly waist deep. He then unceremoniously dropped Waker into the water, laughing before pulling her to him and kissing her. “WE’RE IN BARCELONA!” He shouted it out to the birds overhead before diving under the water, coming back up to slick his hair back. “Come here, beautiful.” George advanced on her and grinned.

“That’s very chivalrous of you. But I think you might need it.” George had a way of finding trouble. “Especially if you plan to adopt a Slytherin. Over a book.” Her voice and eyes asked really? “Honestly, they’re not all horcruxes. It was the one.” Maybe it was wisest not to give him the excuse of Tom Riddle’s diary to use in future debates. “We could have coffee,” she agreed. “In a bookshop. Or museum. Wouldn’t that be lovely?” Despite the dreaminess of her question, Waker grinned quite knowingly.

She tilted her head a bit at his chomping teeth, still grinning. “I thought you preferred me in your jersey.” So, technically, half-clothed. Which was not Waker’s usual put-together nature, but she did love to surprise George. And there was something exhilarating about breaking rules sometimes.

The dig at Essex Girls was particularly thorny for Waker, whose mouth opened quickly. “I took elocution lessons! I have a very normal vocabulary—” If above-average for her age. She had a very standard, nondescript accent (if hopefully also a memorable enough voice), and she liked it that way. She had worked hard at in school, but it had been easy given her parents weren’t native to Colchester. Which was a nice, historic place as far as places to grow up went. “We get a bad name, but we’re lovely.” She poked him back, waiting to see if he would agree.

Waker rolled her eyes. Who could have saw that coming? Obviously not the class. George would pick anything over a class. Of course he’d perk up and get in line with lunch plans, though, if she mentioned the hotel. Plus lunch was easier to swallow in general. She opened her mouth to say something smart, when he patted her cheeks— her other cheeks became wide with light outrage as she pursed and pouted her mouth, knitting her brows. But Waker didn't really mind. She just had to keep George in check while they were at the beach. In skimpy clothing.

But it didn’t last long, because Waker had an ocean to explore. Or at least a shoreline, within sight of many people and easy access to help should George find himself in the middle of another dangerous, water-based scenario. She cast a quick spell on their things (just to be safe!) before heading to where the waves met the sand. She had just had time to discreetly tuck her wand into the band of her swimsuit before George was grabbing her hand and encouraging her to run, and then scooping her up and carrying her in— whether she was ready or not.

Despite the squeal and quick, gangly arm making its way around his neck, she was laughing into his neck, squeezing her eyes a bit, but not enough to block out the sun.

He got then in pretty far before she was plunked there. She was ducked under for a few seconds, eyes closing automatically as she pressed her arms frog-style into the saltwater and resurfaced. Her hair had gone from beach-ily tousled (harder than it looked) to completely soaked and stuck to her neck in just one dunk. She waded in place until George pulled her near and her lips found her bearings— it was easy with encouraging help. Her legs had kicked softly into his until her toes ditched any apprehension and found the sand. Her fingers hooked into the material of bathing suit to keep herself anchored. She grinned as after the kiss, enjoying the color of his lips against the sky and ocean.

Waker let go and began the frog-stroke-in-place again, as George shouted the obvious. It was wonderful, exactly as it should have been. Even if it was ridiculous. Because it was ridiculous. She stretched away and splashed at him. “Are you sure? I think we might be in France.” But then she smiled again and swam closer, not minding the stares. She draped her arms around his neck again, this time both, and kissed playfully. “Maybe we don’t need to live on the beach with our trophy children,” she hummed against his mouth. “Maybe we could have a house boat.”

Waker was too close to the situation; she liked books a little too much. She would never understand why his choice had been made. George sighed and smiled. She gave him fuel for the book fire for later. He ran his tongue over his lips and grinned before biting lightly on his lower lip. “You want some extra cream in a museum? I could be down for a trip, then. Maybe two sugars? It does sound lovely.”

His brain fizzled at the thought of her in his jersey. A groan of appreciation escaped him as he looked her over. “I prefer you in just about anything that shows those sexy white thighs of yours.” Of course, now they would be getting tan. He gave her a “mm!” of appreciation as he continued to think about it.

Her continued defense of her upbringing was always a perfect point to dig at his Head Girl. George laughed hard. “I don’t think I could even say that word before you did. Elo...cution?” He made a face and shrugged. “I love my Essex Girls. Girl. Girl.” He winked and glanced over her again. Her vocabulary could spin his head right round. “Tell me more of your sexy vocabulary! Woo me with your, uh... lessons.”

Instead, she was wooing him with her skills at the shoreline. He laughed in response to her squeal, holding her close as they made their way in. Sometimes it did scare him, how much he loved her, despite everything. She was imperfectly perfect. Especially when she was wet. He grinned when she resurfaced. Her fingers were in sensitive places, but George wasn’t going to stop her.

The splash had him automatically turning his head, laughing as a hand came up to ward off any further water in his direction. While they were in water. “Then we’ve swam too far.” To be fair, his geography was not the best. If he didn’t know they were in Barcelona because of the name everywhere, he probably wouldn’t have known. With her back close, he wrapped his arms around her middle, pressing both of their fronts together, unable to contain his obvious excitement.

She just got him going, what could he say? Mouth opened in surprise after the kiss, a breathy laugh escaping before he pulled her hips in to press against his. “You could be the first mate.” George rubbed his nose gently against hers before his hands moved further down, taking some fabric with him as they moved down her cheeks. He was going to continually test his luck. Who could see them in the water? “We could live at a different port every month...” He kissed her, again, moving with the gentle waves, one hand on her low back now while the other continued to tease the material down.

“You want some extra cream in a museum? I could be down for a trip, then. Maybe two sugars? It does sound lovely.”

If his face didn’t look like that, with the lip-biting and the teasing tongue and the luckiest grin in the universe, Waker might have hexed him. Lightly. But, really, despite the very suggestive joke… and the Ravenclaw graduate’s instinct to frown… she found herself holding in a laugh. For all of a few seconds, and then she let it out. “I get enough cream in my morning cup. But we are on holiday, so a little extra sugar is alright… I suppose.” She leaned toward him to peck his pretty lips.

She continued to laugh at his assessment of her thighs. “You’ll really like them when they’re a bit less pasty.” Not that Waker was pasty pasty… she tanned easier than she burned. But she also heaped on the SPF. “But my boyfriend won’t let me spend any time on the beach reading and tanning without interruption, so it might never happen.”

Girls. Plural.

He caught himself, at least. And she knew he had meant her. Waker Nolan, perfect representative of the Essex Girls.

Waker sighed. They could have a discussion on elocution later. “That’s reassuring. How about saying it in Spanish now. That you love your Essex girl.” That seemed the right sort of vocabulary expansion at the moment.

Once they were in the water, it was much harder to fake-complain about indecency (even if George was appealing enough for Waker to forget her learned social skills). “We haven’t,” she argued back, but then by reflex looked around, spotting a lifeguard on the beach and people several meters away. They were still reasonably within in the safe zone…

But even if they hadn’t been, Waker felt safe with George. He was practically a fish. With a few noticeable differences. Like swimming trousers and perfect hair (even soaked), and how red his lips were. She pressed closer as he did, sending sand swirling lightly around their ankles. Anything else that lurked down there would get quite the show. Otherwise they were far enough out that no one could really see anything.

“I thought I was the captain,” she murmured back, hand reaching into the water to claw lightly into his. But it was a friendly squeeze and then she let go, smiling, and pressed into him further to encourage him as her hand came back up and found its place around his neck again. “And while we’re docked, we can explore…” She paused for a moment, looking down at his lips as she tilted her forehead into his. “Every bookstore and library and museum in the world,” she finished in a seductive, dreamy whisper. It was very convincing, but thoroughly cheeky.

She kissed him again before he could protest (her words, obviously), and then let one hand fall back into the water. It came to a rest, for a moment, at his hip. She pulled back to look at him for a brief moment, then smiled, close-lipped, and moved in to kiss his cheek. Her lips trailed slowly over his jaw and neck, under his ear. The hand on his hip kept a slow pace, too, as fingers skimmed the edge of his swim trunks and finally down the front of the material, palm going more flat, then cupping in places. By the time her lips got to his shoulder, testing a nibbling kiss, her fingers under the water were pressed together lightly and moving in a circular motion, then trailing back up his lower front again.

He couldn’t help the grin that slipped out at her own cream comment. She also had a little in her evening cup, and whenever she wanted some in between, but who was keeping track? He accepted the kiss with a loud kiss back. Give and take, right? Like her giving him a little something to stare at. He shrugged and sighed. “I think I prefer them wrapped around me, pasty or not.”

Head shook side to side. “Lucky for you, I hear the bloke doesn’t mind if you’re tan or not.” George’s skin did tan, after a fashion. It was usually burn-turned-tan. He forgot sunscreen more often than he put it on. Luckily for him, his girlfriend kept it within hands reach for beach day. He wasn’t sure, however, about her tests for his love. He reached up and scratched his chin as he gave her a puzzled look. “Want to sound it out for me first?”

Was he supposed to become versed in Spanish when they went to Spain? That had not been part of his education. All seven eight years of it. His swimming, however, had improved thanks to Hogwarts.

In the water, it was much easier to touch and hold in a way that felt weightless. “You can be the captain...” He could serve under her. He groaned softly and grasped her hips, pulling her against him. “For you, Captain, I will sail the world. Tell me where you want me...” He grinned and licked his lips while glancing down her front. It wasn’t his fault if he had hills to enjoy.

George closed his eyes and tilted his head back, slightly, a breath escaping as her lips moved over his skin. A shiver ran down his back when she got near his ear. A slightly surprised noise escaped him, a moan following as he breathed out. He waited, enjoying the sensation, pressing into her teasing hand.

When her hand came back up, he took the time to kiss her lips, parting them and teasing her tongue with his, grinning before pulling back. He winked before taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, sinking down suddenly into the water. Hands grasped the swimsuit bottom and pulled them down, helping to slip them off each leg, finally letting out his hair as bubbles surfaced as he came up. He hooked them over his head, letting them hang like a badge of honor around his neck.

His hand moved around her, feeling down and over her uncovered assets. The other moved up her chest to her neck, even further to her cheek, holding the back of her head finally and kissing her. George pressed himself back against her, his hand under the water making its own waves as he moved further down, between her thighs as he twisted a little, fingers spreading out as he tested her waters.

He moved his lips down to her neck, sucking gently as a small wave rolled around them. He loved the water.

Waker was glad to know he loved her thighs, either way. Maybe she would teach him how to say thighs in Spanish… after she learned the word herself. They did have a lot of time for learning. And a lot of time for fun… Part of the reason the vacation was so enjoyable was they had taken it together, and it was equal parts them.

It would hardly be the last: Waker was serious about wanting to travel the world with him, even if she was also practical. They would have to take their time, they couldn’t just ditch their jobs, but George made her feel fearless, like she could do anything.

“I want…” Waker’s hands continued to do the talking for her, teasing the front of his trunks, enjoying the look on his face and the sound caught in his throat. She moved on to the skin of his abdomen— which looked great paired with his swim trunks and the hot Barcelona sun. And even though she couldn’t exactly see it under the water… it felt very nice, too. That they were already in the water was very convenient for the way George, his hands, and his reactions to hers made her feel.

There was an interlude of kissing, sweet but also promising, playful, befitting the mood of their host country. When he winked, Waker smiled, anticipating, and was almost caught of guard for a second, simply because he was full of surprises and a wink from George Carter could mean a thousand things (their obvious destination notwithstanding). But George’s sudden disappearance beneath the water’s surface promised something less terrifying than squid kidnappings or gillyweed expeditions.

No, it would be something Waker wanted much more than a trip to the museum right now. She gasped a little as her bottoms were tugged off quite suddenly. But the smile on her face only became wider. Her hands felt around in the water for George’s head, which she could just see the top off, and fingers brushed through his always-impressive hair before he surfaced. When he did, she caught hold of his neck again, one arm wrapping around it… the other giving her bottoms a tug as her face wore mock indignation. “What are you doing? That’s not a tie. Did you mix up your Spanish words for articles of clothing?” But she was already kissing him again, laughing silently, planting her lips wherever she could as his hands moved around under the water and his own mouth met hers. George finally wearing something of hers was a good look.

It was her turn to steady her breathing. George’s fingers had always been talented— he was a keeper, after all.

Drawing in a sharp breath as they made their way over a sweet spot, Waker pressed her mouth back into his skin, this time to muffle a sound. But then he was kissing her neck, and it was hard to hide the noises of her excitement. Her own hand, quite encouraged, went exploring between them again, while the other remained around his shoulder. She gave his swimsuit a tug, bringing down one side, dragging the material with all of the hard work that had been instilled in her. It was a bit harder than her own, to be sure, but she got it down enough to tease him again, minus one very difference-making layer. If his swimsuit was now lopsided, there were a few things more important to Waker than symmetry. After several seconds of timid teasing, she grasped him lightly, fingers encircling him (as best they could) with a singular purpose. She began to move her hand rhythmically, staring at him for a moment with their heads close and then closing her eyes, breathing heavy with a sense of power.

Encouraged by his closeness, she was soon repositioning herself, one arm still on his shoulder. The hand below the water helped to guide, and her legs wrapped around either side of him, bringing the conversation they’d had only twenty minutes ago in the sand to fruition. Her hand came up out of the water and join the other, using his neck for support as she boosted herself up and against him a bit, her mouth opening with a look of sweet, silent pain that was really elation. She pressed her head down into the space between her arm and his neck, biting just a little as she adjusted to the rhythm. They didn’t need a lifeguard thinking either of them were in trouble.

M

---

He wanted that too. Her words and actions only helped to quicken the process that was already happening beneath the water. Where was the wall or bed or counter top to steady himself against? As much fun as the water was... it made it difficult to keep himself standing. It definitely helped to take a break under the water; if he could breathe under it, he would’ve stayed a few moments longer to enjoy her fingers in his hair.

Once he resurfaced, George slicked his hair back from his face, grinning at her questions. “It’s a trophy. You wear one, I wear one.” His finger lingered on the necklace around her neck, trailing down past it and between two of his favorite parts to her. He loved all of her, obviously, but... there was just something about the whole package. Eyes lingered before coming back up to her face.

He had planned to tease her for a while longer, but George could accept a change of plans. His breathing quickened, soft noises escaped as she played back. He was for sure not worried about symmetry, letting out a quiet groan of contentment at being freed. Where she watched him, his eyes rolled back, lips parted as his fingers stilled. It was hard to focus on two things at once.

Eyes widened as she started to initiate it, grinning wide as he helped her. He let her guide, hands holding her under her thighs to help ease her down. The bite made him grit his teeth to stop a louder noise from escaping him. There was something entirely different about there being water around them. It felt amazing in all ways. George helped to move her, his own hips pressing up in time.

He looked her face over, eyes glazed slightly, before nuzzling against the side of her head, lips finding her neck, sucking lightly as hands grasped her a little tighter, speeding their movement in the gentle waves.

Hearing a noise, George stilled them and fought for his breath, glancing over his shoulder to it. He scowled briefly at the body surfer who had gotten a little too close. Once they rode a wave in, he started again, pushing up slowly as he held her hips in place. He hoped that would be less obvious. Eyes were back on her again, lips moving from hers down her jaw and neck to the top of her chest. “Waker...” His breath was catching, what with the hard work he was putting into their water activity.

It was a little unexpected, but when he felt the sudden build up and crash down, he warned her in stuttered words. Jaw tightened as he held his breath as long as he could, the low moan escaping out. After, he nearly collapsed into the water, blinking hazily as he looked at her.

George grinned and kissed her, keeping her where she was for a moment longer. A hand came up and ran through his hair before reaching out and holding her chin. He kissed her deeply before pulling back with a groan. "Nap..." He winked before easing them into a little more distance, tucking things and working on the symmetry of his other tie, bobbing with the wave that passed around them.

She felt a happy chill where his finger traced. Talk of trophies was always sweet, but also promising.

In a different from his fingers when they found other places. He really knew how to get Waker to say his name in record time, and not in quite so convincingly chastising a voice as when she was tutoring him with books. Now there was hunger in it, a shuddering, happy kind of desperation.

When they really got under way, thoughts of tours were the last thing on her mind. The feeling was hundred times better than staring a Picasso in the face. Waker might have wanted to explore all the city had to offer, but she had to admit it was nothing compared to exploring her feelings with and for George. What he could do to her with his mouth, his body… no one else had that ability. He made her feel like they were closer than any two people in the world.

She did her best to stifle her moans, but even as she adjusted, it became harder. Suddenly doing terribly unlawful things in the water was the most exciting thing in the world. Waker almost didn’t even notice the surfer nearing them as she held on to George and moved at a pace markedly different from the water. When she did see him, she let out a cry against George’s ear and held on for dear life as he readjusted things. The sensation was renewed and somehow doubled and he took on the brunt of the moving.

The feeling was so intense that she thought the water might be her new favorite place. As she quietly screamed her thrills against whatever bit of his skin she could find, and pressed her hips down, needy, to race some mounting height that rushed through her, she had no time to prepare for George’s unexpected proclamation. For a half second, she felt her heart flip, but it was replaced by a beat so loud it could have been heard three time zones away. She breathed out another happy cry a moment after his stilted words, and any logical thought disappeared like the surfer had. It was a different kind of overwhelming for both of them.

The closeness was what she wanted. It was almost too much, in the best way. Usually he pulled back from the brink in time. Usually. As they stayed where they were, she fell more heavily into him, slumping with him, trying not to drown him. Her thighs loosened a fraction around his waist, but they stayed up instead of doing the smart thing and letting go. Her feet were forgotten, and even if they hadn’t been, she would have been too wiped out in the moment to find her footing in the weightlessness below.

George still pressed into her, Waker leaned her chest back, slackened her arms, and looked at him with sleepy eyes and very red cheeks. She met the kiss eagerly, as if it might help her heart slow. This bit, after, was nearly as good. She could still feel their closeness, every bit of him, as the waves pushed lazily against them. 

“Don’t you dare,” she said desperately, but then looked down at the water’s surface, and anchored one arm more thoroughly around his neck while letting the other plunge in and help balance herself. It took more than one might expect, all things considered. Waker finally felt a rush of cool air on her face, despite the summer heat, as they backed away a bit. She let go over his neck and her legs pushed through the water to find the sand again. She felt she shaky. “You have to help me get back. Look how far out we are,” she insisted, but there was a smile in her eyes. She reached out and began to tug her bottoms over his head, looking around suddenly as if remembering other people existed. “If the lifeguard comes after us, tell him a wave jumbled up our clothing.”

As if he would drop her right now and nap. Still, the thought was encouraging; it was beautiful out, the water felt great, and the sound of the ocean and the wind and... it could all lull him to sleep. The closeness of Waker, in the aftermath, was just what he wanted. Eyes closed for a moment as he took in a slow breath. George grinned in her direction, his slow response to her not dare.

When she pulled away, George opened his eyes and looked at her before glancing over his shoulder. It wasn’t as if they were out too far, considering they could still touch... but he chuckled anyway. “Of course. Just ride on my back, I’ll take us in.” Instead, however, he was tugging up his trunks, doing a final readjustment before floating back, moving with the waves. Until she started to try and drown him, of course.

He let out a “Hey!” while laughing, floundering about in the water before he stood back up and helped her get the tie off. “I was going to tell him that I just made sweet, sweet love - wave.” A bigger wave came up behind Waker, and George plunged under it, coming back up to wipe his hair back.

Water went flying as he shook his head a little, wiping a hand over his face. George settled back into the water, bobbing as he held his legs up from the ground. “Why not go further out? I’m sure we could explore a little before we have to be back for lunch and museums...” Even if he was tired, he could keep going. Explore the underwater coast line.

After readjusting again, he cocked an eyebrow at her and reached out, pulling her in for another kiss. “Come on, let’s go find some seashells under the waves, babe.” George winked and pulled back, swimming under another wave before he started to head out a little further to where they couldn’t touch.