Title: Fun In The Sun
Author: Kath vze25s65@verizon.net
Disclaimer: Sad to say, I own none of this. Joss and David beat me to it.
Summary: The AI Gang takes a day off.
Pairing: Wes/Gunn
Rating: R
Feedback: Please, oh please, oh please! (sad, isn't it, that I have to beg?)
Distribution: if you want it, it's yours
Notes: This is a harmless piece of fluff, to help get through my writers block. It's unbetaed, so all mistakes are entirely my own.

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The bright, summer sun beat down on Cordelia, as she lay back with her eyes closed, its delicious heat baking her skin to a healthy, golden brown. Whoops and hollers jarred the seer from her dozing and she forced herself to sit up and squint across the sand. Down at the water, Wesley and Gunn cavorted playfully in the waves, diving and splashing about like a couple of little boys. The ultimate odd couple: Wesley in his white t-shirt and dark blue swim trunks - which only served to accentuate the paleness of his long, thin legs - and Gunn, dark and muscular, wearing nothing but a pair of old, cut-off jeans. It was rare to see them so relaxed, having fun away from the office.

To Cordy's left, Fred - dressed in a yellow oversized t-shirt and a borrowed pair of Cordy's shorts - was busy with a plastic pail and shovel she'd found abandoned on the beach. From the size of the castle being built, Fred had been at work for quite a while. Sensing the other girl's gaze, Fred looked up and smiled nervously, her attention also drawn thoughtfully towards the men down at the water.

"I-It's too bad Angel couldn't have come," she stammered, a wistful look crossing her face. "He coulda had fun too."

"Yeah, well, " Cordy lifted her sunglasses to examine her skin for signs of burning. "Just as well. We might have had trouble telling him apart from all this sand."

For a second, Fred's eyes clouded in confusion, then her expression grew even sadder, as her head turned up to the blue, cloudless sky, and yellow - single - sun above. "Oh yeah. I keep forgettin'. In my world...I-I mean Pylea, he didn't have to hide from the daytime." Blushing, she quickly returned to her sand creation.

Before Cordy could answer, she was distracted by two shadows falling across her towel. Brushing kicked-up sand from her pink bikini, she focused a stern glare up at her breathless co-workers, who were grinning and jostling each other above her.

"Yo, girl, ain't you comin' in? The water feels great on a hot day like today!" Gunn asked, leaning over Cordelia to retrieve a towel.

"Charles Gunn. Don't you dare drip on me!" Cordy quickly recoiled away from the young man.

"Cordelia, really, I fail to understand your desire to come to the beach, if you don't plan on getting wet," Wesley reasoned, as he went over to one of two coolers the group had brought with them and pulled out a soda.

"Well, duh, so I could work on my tan." Cordy rolled over onto her stomach, resting her head on crossed arms. "Our business hours don't exactly allow for much time in the sun, y'know. Especially with the whole 'Angel'd go poof' thing."

Gunn bent down to retrieve a drink for himself and rolled his eyes at Cordy's back. "Whatever." Then he added, "Fred's not afraid to come back out with us, are you, Fred?"

"Well..." the girl hesitated, eyes flicking untrustingly toward the white-crested, rolling waves. "I-I'm not -" Before she could finish her thought, Fred was cut off by a rather unmanly squeal. The chunk of ice Wesley had slid down the street fighter's bare back was just disappearing into his shorts. Fred giggled behind her hand as she watched the outraged man leap up and chase his coworker down the beach.

"English, come back here and take your beatin' like a man," Gunn bellowed.

"I was only trying to help. Weren't you complaining a moment ago about how hot it was?" Wesley called back gleefully over his shoulder, eyes widening in surprise as he realized how quickly Gunn was catching up.

A few more steps and Charles tackled Wesley, both men falling to the sand in a heap. Gunn quickly sat on Wes, effectively pinning him to the hot sand. "For a supposedly smart man, you're mighty stupid. No way your skinny white ass was gonna outrun me." As he was contemplating his revenge, Gunn's hand lightly grazed Wesley's left side, causing the thin man to convulse with uncontrolled laughter. "English!" Gunn was now grinning from ear to ear. "You're *ticklish*."

"I...am...not!" Wes managed to gasp between giggles, as Charles dug his fingers into his friend's ribs. "Oh god....stop it....you're....killing....me!" Pale white hands pushed ineffectually against the dark skin of Gunn's chest, as Wesley tried to get the taller man off him.

Gunn snickered, and continued mercilessly. Wesley writhed and twisted beneath him, tears of laughter streaming down his face, as he tried to fight back. Just when Wes thought he was on the verge of hyperventilating, the attack stopped. Cautiously peeking through half-opened lids, Wesley found Gunn staring down at him, with an affectionate, dopey grin on his face. The younger man reached out to brush sand from his companion's cheek and let his hand rest there, the callused palm feeling warm and scratchy on the Englishman's skin.

Gunn, for his part, was acutely aware of fingers tightly gripping his hip, and of the hand pressed against his chest. He wasn't ticklish, but as Wesley's touch made it's way down his abdomen, Charles felt a shiver run the entire length of his body. It was easy to allow himself to be pulled closer, guided down until his face hovered a mere inch above Wesley's.

"Gunn?"

The tone was questioning - no, *requesting* - and that's all it took for Gunn to plant his lips on Wesley's, his tongue darting out in search of an invitation, which was immediately given. This was the best part - the moment when the kiss was new and fresh. When electricity leapt from mouth to mouth. Tongue to tongue. Before eagerness and lust created a jumbled mosh pit of sight, sound, touch, taste and smell.

Wesley felt like his body was melting into the sand, desire causing his heart to pound in his chest, shooting adrenaline through his veins. Smooth skin, rippling muscles, and a nice firm ass rested atop him, all his to explore. Hips began grinding, groins throbbing, and it didn't matter where they were. For that one moment there was only each other, as...

"Wesley? Gunn?" Fred cocked her head to the side, watching curiously. It *had* been five years, but she was still pretty sure guys didn't usually do that sort of thing with other guys in this world.

Flying apart, the two men started straightening clothing and making excuses. Fred wondered if you could tell when a black person was blushing. On Wes it was obvious.

"Cordelia says, if you're done..." Fred paused to make sure she got it exactly right. "...mauling each other, couldja come back so we can eat?"

"Er, yes," Wes shook sand from his hair and glanced towards Gunn. "Tell Cordelia we'll be along shortly." The girl beamed brightly at them and bounced off back to the blankets.

Gunn stood and reached down to give Wesley a hand. "Man, we're never gonna get some alone time with Eagle Eye Chase on the case."

"Alone time? Have you been watching 'Oprah' with Angel again?" Wesley grinned and received a sarcastic grunt in return. He then tapped his finger to his mouth thoughtfully, as they headed towards where Cordy and Fred were setting up lunch. "I may have an idea. Leave it to me."

******

Cordelia rolled lazily onto her back, extreme thirst and the promise of an ice cold diet soda from the cooler luring her from her nap. It had been months since she'd spent her day doing absolutely nothing, and she was making the most of it while she had the chance. Scowling into the nearly empty cooler, the seer made do with a root beer and popped the tab. Only after taking a long, soothing drink did the girl notice the monolithic sand creation before her.

Apparently, Fred had been working non-stop with nearly single-minded devotion, for it was no mere castle. Standing easily 4 feet high at it's tallest peak, a high-walled courtyard, had also been added on, extending a good 5-6 feet along the beach. Upon closer examination, Cordy was startled to realize Fred had captured the palace from Pylea perfectly.

"Fred?"

A brown head popped up over one of the turrets. "Yeah?"

"This is amazing!"

Fred smiled shyly and backed up a step, examining her work critically. "Really? You like it? Cause I think the scale of the windows might be a little off. I didn't bring my slide rule, or I coulda done a better job."

"No, really...wait 'til Gunn and Wes see it. Hey, where are those two, anyway?" Cordy's eyes narrowed, suspiciously.

"Oh, uh-"

"If they think they're gonna disappear and get out of carrying all this heavy stuff back to the truck, they've got another thing coming!" The angry young woman shielded her eyes with her hand, as she scanned the beach, with no success.

******

A few feet away, cocooned within protective walls of sand, Gunn stifled a snicker against Wesley's now bare shoulder. Only Cordelia could manage to make noise stomping on sand. When the sounds of her muttering grew fainter, indicating she'd gone elsewhere in search of her AWOL friends, he lifted his head to grin at his parter in crime.

"Hey, it worked!"

Wes snuggled closer and pulled Gunn in for another kiss. "Mmmmm, told you I'd think of something. I always have a plan. That's why I'm the boss."

Charles chuckled, trailing his fingers down Wesley's chest, into his swim trunks. "And you just go right on believin' that, if it makes you feel better." A stinging swat to his butt, in retaliation, only made him smile wider. "How long you think we got before Fred gives us up?"

"If we don't manage to knock these walls down around us first? I'd say probably the five minutes it will take Cordelia to walk to the snack bar, determine we're not there, and buy each of them an ice cream cone...so I suggest we don't waste any more time with idle chatter." With that, his tongue resumed its exploration of Gunn's earlobe, an act Wesley knew drove the renegade wild. Eyes closed, head tilted to one side for easier access, the younger man had no choice but to agree. After all, Wes *was* the boss.

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~~~The End~~~