(Untitled)

[ebbingvigilence]

Characters: Aerith Gainsborough, Zack Fair
Status: Complete
Location: Costa del Sol
Date/Time: 29th July 2498, early'ish morning, probably around 8am.
Summary: After a good workout in the morning, Zack heads back to the inn to meet up with Aerith.
Warnings: N/A

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[sealevil]

Waking up early was no problem for Aerith, even though she had spent most of that previous night dragging Yuna around the city for what seemed to be hours on end. Although, the summoner had been out before her, which meant her body subconsciously demanded a couple more hours of sleep than usual

[sealevil]

Aerith made a soft sound of concurment as she felt his lips against her forehead. She unashamedly leaned into it, feeling her smile widen and remain even as he pulled away. It was strange that such a simple gesture had already pulled her from reality and left her pleasantly isolated with Zack. The deep waters hardly even crossed her mind until she was chest deep and more vulnerable than she ever had been to the ocean.

"Zack," she began at first in hushed worry as he spoke, but slowly urged herself to heed his words and concentrate on mako-infused eyes instead. She nodded gently, smiling. "I trust you." she murmured honestly, though wondered if he could hear her heart racing underwater.

[ebbingvigilence]

The smile on his face only seem to grow at the sight of Aerith's expression. He never wanted to see her in any other way, in all honesty, and he knew he'd do whatever he could do to protect Aerith's happiness.

He could sense her worry, but he never once broke eye contact with her. She had every right to be nervous. That was natural, though, and Zack wasn't about to go anywhere. "I'm right here with you," He softly murmured with a smile. "Now I'm going to let go of one of your hands to help you get started. So there's nothing to be alarmed with."

Zack lightly squeezed his right hand against her left to indicate that was the hand he was going to remove. He did so slowly while keeping his left arm taunt enough to continue supporting Aerith as he moved to stand at her right side.

"First we need to get you used to just floating in the water and keeping your head up, 'kay?" Shifting his hand down to lay flat on her stomach, Zack's attention never once left Aerith's gaze as he asked, "Tell me when you're ready to give it a try."

[sealevil]

He had a knack for being especially calming, and Aerith forced away fear with a smile in return. "Okay," she murmured, concentrating on him and not the depth or the fact she'd lose his support. As his hand slipped away her arm impulsively moved to flail, but the flower girl caught herself and simply stared wide eyed at Zack.

Terrifying, she thought. But thrilling.

"I'm ready," she replied with determination. Flailing was a no go, she just had to keep her arms and legs moving, right? That couldn't be so bad. "I'll make you proud! Eheh," Assuming she didn't right out scream and latch onto him.

[ebbingvigilence]

Zack knew that the fear would remain until she got entirely used to being in the water, but that was fine since it would give Aerith just the right amount of adrenaline to overcome this step. She was wide-eyed, yes, but there was a determination within that caused him to smile warmly.

"You always make me proud, Aerith. Now just relax your body for the time being and just feel the water flowing around you." He murmured before he started to apply pressure to the hold he had on her stomach. Aerith just needed water-confidence, and Zack didn't want to start teaching her to swim until she felt more comfortable with the water all around her. Slowly he began to add more pressure until the point where she'd begin lifting up into the water, "Keep your head above the water."

[sealevil]

As instructed, Aerith let her body relax and tried her best to ignore the waves that splashed up against them. Every time they came to the beach, the waves seemed taller and taller to her. She gave Zack a smile as he assured her of his confidence; rising up to her task now with double the determination. She wouldn't let him down, even though the prospect of clinging onto him for dear life still was appealing.

Her body slowly moved in the water so that her toes lifted from the ground and her weight was solely reliant on Zack. Not that she was particularly worried about being dropped, but her hand lightly grasped onto his arm for comfort. She kept her head straight up so that water barely brushed at her chin, and her smile returned. "Am I doing it right, Zack?"

[ebbingvigilence]

He slowly raised her up from the support of the sandy sea floor while keeping a trained eye out for any signs of panic. There were some signs of concern as her hand reached out for his arm for comfort, but when he sighted the smile on her face, Zack definitely found himself proud of her for beginning to overcome her fears.

"You most certainly are," His words were warm as he spoke. Keeping his hand firmly on her stomach to keep her supported, he watched as Aerith's body remained floating among the soft current. "Close your eyes and tell me how it feels."

[sealevil]

Aerith's smile widened at Zack, and slowly allowed her hand to disconnect from his arm. Floating there was turning out to be more relaxing than scary.

Her eyes slid shut as her head tilted backwards. In the distance she could hear children playing, people laughing, birds chirping loudly. But they were irrelevant, and all she found herself caring about was the sound of the waves and his quiet presence. "It's so calm," she answered softly. The worries, they were being washed away and her lips curved happily. Slowly green eyes opened to regard him with a smile. "I don't feel scared at all."

[ebbingvigilence]

To say that he was proud of her was an understatement, and as Aerith closed her eyes to take in everything, Zack's expression softened. He remained silently at her side as she took in her surrounding. This was something Aerith had to discover without his interference, but he did remain watching over her as the sounds of the beach surrounded them both. He knew she just needed to realise that the water wasn't something to be afraid of. It was dangerous, yes, but if it was respected it could be one of the most relaxing places on Gaea

[sealevil]

Aerith's smile faded as she returned to concentration. "Right," she murmured, furrowing her brow as her feet moved back and forth. Scissoring was harder than it sounded, but she found that her legs refrained from kicking out and splashing water everywhere. Once she found a slight rhythm, she smiled happily and looked up to Zack.

"I think I get it!" she exclaimed, laughing. Aerith gently nudged him with her hand, then lifted them both above the water's surface. "What about my arms?" She still didn't trust herself to not flop and flail around like a fish out of water.

[ebbingvigilence]

It was hard not to smile fondly at the sight of the concentration on Aerith's face, but Zack managed to hold it a bay for now. When she started kicking her legs, he began moving around slowly to let her get used to the feel. It didn't take long, and before he knew it, she was kicking those legs of hers like a pro

[sealevil]

Aerith obediently moved so her feet rested on the sea floor, and inhaled a long sigh of relief. She reached out to grasp his hands gently, but kept her gaze on him as he spoke. Indeed they had encountered a few of those frogs on their travels, she could distinctly recall Cloud complaining that they got his sword dirty with slime and were more of a nuisance than they were worth.

After exhaling the deep breath she had taken in, Aerith gave his hands a small squeeze. "I'm ready," she murmured, but didn't fall back into her determination mode. Her expression softened instead, and with a few light tugs of Zack's hands to lower his body to her level, Aerith pressed a small, affectionate kiss of thanks to his cheek. Whether or not it was inappropriate didn't phase her; the moment simply felt right. She only hoped he wouldn't mind. "You're a good teacher, you know~."

[ebbingvigilence]

It made things easier now that he knew she was aware of them. While he was all about flailing himself around to show her, Zack wanted Aerith to do this herself so that her confidence would grow

[sealevil]

The idea in itself of Zack having a back up plan instantly took Aerith off guard, and had her simply staring after him even as he pulled away. She knew there were aspects of him quite well hidden by his dazzling and outgoing SOLDIER mask, but self-doubt had never been one she could fathom. Her lips slowly moved into a smile as she regarded him warmly. "There should never be any 'if's in your plans," she murmured finally. "They're not necessary, you know

[ebbingvigilence]

He wasn't all that surprised that Aerith was just as happy to switch topics. It was a coward thing for him to do, but he simply wanted to enjoy these moments with her despite the dark cloud hanging over them. Zack knew it was his fault... they both were just so far beyond his reach that he simply had trouble keeping up, and he felt terrible that he'd put his two closest friends through so much emotional strain

[sealevil]

"Very lucky," Aerith murmured in reply with amusement in her tone. Their conversation wasn't transitioning smoothly, but it wasn't like she could hide from him very well. At least the silent agreement had been to let it go for the time being, which Aerith was ardently appreciative for.

Swimming took quite a bit of physical work, but Zack hadn't pushed her pace any faster. She liked the sensation of water gently rushing past her body, but still didn't feel comfortable enough to let go of his hands. In a very selfish light, she simply didn't want to.

"We should," she replied, blinking brightly. Yuna had suggested something similar, but they had been busy all night exploring Costa to get around to it. She smiled again at him, giving his hands a light squeeze underwater. "What else do you have planned for today, Zack?"