Zack IX: Comfort
Zack's eyes opened slowly as his phone rang and vibrated. He pushed himself up off the bed carefully such as not to disturb Aerith and reached into his pocket. Aerith' head laid on his arm and her hand was on his waist. They had been cuddling and she had fallen asleep at some point.
He pulled out his phone without disturbing her and flipped it open. It was Tseng. He had announced yesterday that he was going to come and see Zack. While the call was not entirely unexpected, the timing was inconvenient. He picked up and quietly muttered: "Yes?" Tseng asked with his calm, deep voice: "Feeling any better?" Zack whispered: "Yeah."
"Why are you whispering?", Tseng whispered. Zack glanced at Aerith and replied sourly: "My girlfriend is sleeping." Tseng was silent for a moment. "That's… good to know." Beside him, Aerith stirred and opened her eyes. "Sorry", Zack whispered to her. "I'll make it quick".
After a short pause, Tseng continued: "I actually have orders for you. I'll pick you up in 30 minutes." Zack sighed. "Can't get a break, huh?" Aerith sat up as Tseng chuckled: "Unfortunately, there's no time for that." With Aerith off of his arm, he was able to sit up properly. "So what's this about?" Tseng replied: "I'll explain it later. Be ready in 30 minutes." Zack nodded. "Understood!" Tseng closed with "Enjoy your free time until then", and hung up.
Zack flipped his phone shut and turned his attention to Aerith, who was sitting beside him on the bed with disheveled hair. Looking at her from the side, he said awkwardly: "Sorry about that. I'm always on standby no matter the circumstances." She looked into his eyes and said: "Can't get a break, huh?" Zack chuckled and kissed her on the cheek. "No chance."
He heard a creak from the door and saw Aerith' mother walking past the open doorway. He broke into a sweat and blushed deeply. "I'm sorry." Aerith turned to him and touched his cheek with her hand. "Don't worry. Mom likes you. She wouldn't have let you into the house if she didn't." She approached his face and pressed her lips on his.
Zack was completely taken by surprise. Although they had been dating for a few weeks and were getting closer, they had kissed only twice before. He wrapped his arms around her and softly returned the kiss. Neither of them had ever been in a relationship before, so they were taking it slow.
He pulled away and pulled her into a tighter embrace, pressing her body gently to his chest and resting his face on her messy hair. "You're the cutest girl I've ever met." Aerith pouted and blurted out: "That's a lie!" Zack smiled widely and pet her hair. "No, not at all." He kissed the crown of her head and said: "Tseng will pick me up in 30 minutes."
She froze for a moment and asked incredulously: "He's coming here?" Zack shrugged. "I'm guessing he needs me soon and I don't have clearance to call a heli for myself." Aerith pulled away, stood up and held out her hand for him. "Have you had breakfast yet? I believe mom is cooking up something for you." He looked up. "For me?" Aerith nodded and pulled him up. "I told you she likes you. Come on!"