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Advice and Trust [NGE]

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Chapter 2.1
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    • Chapter 2, part 1 of 3
    The First Morning After
    +++++++++++++++++

    Asuka felt warm. Comfy. Someone was holding her. She could hear a steady heartbeat right under her ear. This was nice. She didn't want to wake up. This was the first time she could remember in too long that she hadn't been dragged out of restless sleep by the alarm. She was being roused anyway, however, by the sudden increase in the pleasant heartbeat, and then the removal of the warmth she'd been cuddling. She mumbled sleepy complaints, but the warmth left anyway. She felt someone gently covering her with the blankets, and reluctantly burrowed into the warm spot on the mattress.

    "As long as you'll have me, I promise," a soft voice said. "Together, forever and always."

    'Oh, that sounds nice. I hate being lonely. Are they talking to me?' she mused drowsily. Wait, she knew that voice. She'd never heard it so soft or close before last night, though... Her eye not pressed into the sheets snapped open. 'Oh. Oh holy shit. That was real. We...' She could see the familiar back of the Third Child walking out of her room. Away from her bed. Where they'd spent the night... together. Eep.

    The soft THAP of the door to her room sliding shut was like a starting pistol. Asuka bolted upright, her heart pounding. The sudden prickle of colder air on her skin and a quick glance down confirmed her memory of tossing her shirt across the room to prove to the Third she was serious. She had no idea where her shorts had ended up. She'd had other things on her mind at the time. She blushed as bright red as her Evangelion as memories of exactly what they'd done after that point flooded her waking mind. It was a good thing Misato had been totally knocked out and they had no neighbors!

    She rapidly tossed on a change of clothes for the day, grabbed her A-10 headset, and cracked her door open. No one in sight. The faint sounds of her fellow Pilot beginning breakfast was the only thing she heard. No sign of Misato. Right. Go.

    She slipped out of her door and quietly made her way towards the kitchen. Unfortunately, the layout of the apartment meant she had to go through the dining area right off the kitchen in order to make the bathroom. But as long as Shinji had his back turned, she could make it there without him seeing her. She wouldn't have to look him in the eye yet. Which right now, sounded like a really good idea.

    A few more steps and she could see him. He was facing the counter, making something for their breakfast. A quick, quiet dash and she was in the bathroom, the folding door snapped shut behind her. Safe.

    The reflection in the mirror argued otherwise. The girl in the mirror looked like she was about to freak out. 'Okay, Soryu... WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED LAST NIGHT?!' She... it had worked. She'd finally gotten that dense, oblivious, blind baka to finally notice the fact she'd been trying to get him to react to her hints that she... kind of thought he was cute. A bit. And it had worked. She'd kissed him. He'd put his arms around her. They'd kissed some more. It had been really nice. They'd talked. Connected. They'd gone to bed together. They'd...

    She clamped a hand over her mouth to halt a sudden mad giggle. They'd... done just about everything two teenagers could do without risking a surprise nine months later. And every bit had been as spectacular and dizzying as that first kiss. 'Who'd have thought the Third Child would be so good at this?' she wondered giddily. And most of all, he'd promised to be there again tonight. And the next night. And the next.

    'Alright, Soryu, quit dodging the issue. Yeah, losing purity points was fun and you can't wait to do it again, but that's not why you're hiding in the bathroom, afraid to look him in the eye right now, is it? He... said things last night. Made promises. He just did it again. That stupid, clumsy, dense baka... likes you. And you like him. He understands what it feels like. He's just like you. You're not alone. And he wants to stay with you.' "Which is Gott damn terrifying..." she whispered out loud.

    She could admit it now, in a slightly more self-conscious part of her mind. He was kind of cute. He was polite and self-effacing to the point it could drive her nuts, but he was also kind, gentle, and could be stupidly brave to almost ridiculous lengths when protecting others. 'He dove into a volcano without a second's thought to save me. No one's ever done anything even close to that for me.' He was an elite Eva Pilot, like her, a 'prime catch' as some of the other girls at school had quietly mentioned. He sometimes showed a spark of energy and anger when she'd pushed at him that secretly thrilled her, the way he would react to her, pushing to match her, making her push just as hard to stay ahead of him. He made her feel alive. He was... a good guy. He'd renewed his promise this morning, when he must have thought she was asleep. He wasn't just saying things for her to hear. He meant it. And now he wanted to be with her.

    Everything she could want. Pity she had no freaking idea what to do next. 'Okay, Soryu, you wanted to catch this tiger. Now you've got him. So now what? I didn't exactly have a plan for part two! Now I'm hiding in the bathroom because I'm afraid the minute we look at each other we're both going to go redder than my hair, Misato's going to figure it out, and make me go move in with Wondergirl. Then Shinji will realize he can do better than the nasty, useless pretend-Pilot I am and find someone else because every good thing in my life goes away and nobody wants me and...

    "No!" she insisted at her reflection. "No no no! He promised! He likes me! He held me! I'm not letting this go!" All her hidden worries at not matching up to the Third Child still boiled up at her. She'd needed Shinji with her to beat Galghiel and Israfel. She'd beaten Sandalphon by herself... but Shinji had to save her life. Shinji had killed Matarael; she'd just been a meatshield. She'd gotten the killing blow on Sahaquiel... but only after Shinji had caught it himself. Not to mention the three Angels he'd killed before she even got here. Hell, Doctor Akagi had killed Iruel! The lab-coated old lady had as many solo Angel kills with a keyboard as she did in her Eva!

    She fought back. She was an elite Eva Pilot! She had no fear in battle! She was not going to let herself be afraid here! She'd been afraid last night, afraid Shinji would miss her hints again, but this time he'd answered! And it had been great! He'd promised they'd keep going! She stared into the mirror until the worried look faded away. The smile that replaced it was a bit fragile, but felt good.

    "He likes me. He thinks I'm beautiful. I'm here now, and I'm going to make him fight hard to keep up with me against the Angels. He's just like me. Anything 'Invincible Shinji-sama' can do, I can do too! And he's going to hold me no matter what! I can't lose!" She worked her A-10 headset in under her hair and started tying up the tails of her hair in the back to the receiver nodes before attacking it with brushes and combs to make it shine.

    Finally satisfied with the results, she admired herself in the mirror. She preened. "He thinks I'm beautiful? I'm going to knock his socks off today!" She looked great. She turned to the bathroom door, took a deep breath, and opened it.

    A zombie lurched at her. "Bathrooooom..." it moaned, arms blindly fumbling in front, reaching at her....

    Asuka blanched. "AAAAAAA!"

    Misato squinted her eyes shut even harder and slammed her hands over her ears. "AAAgh! Not so loud! And turn off that light! Oh gods, my head!"

    Asuka staggered out of the way of the hungover Major and tried to bring her pulse back down. She'd nearly had a heart attack! Misato wobbled past her, still moaning. The bathroom door snapped shut behind her. Wait, that meant she was now in the dining area... Her eyes shot left.

    There he was. He was walking out of the kitchen area with her breakfast on a tray. He looked up as she appeared, a smile breaking out on his face...

    Which meant he was totally surprised when he walked right into the table and smashed his toe against the leg. He managed to plop the tray down on the table without spilling anything, but then started hopping around sputtering in pain and holding his mashed foot.

    'Well, that was a nice anticlimactic way to start the day...' Asuka shook her head. If painful for Shinji, his accident had at least broken the ice. The smile he'd started to aim her way had also been reassuring. He had a nice smile, and it had appeared so automatically as soon as he'd seen her. Just like her own.

    'Soryu, you'd better learn to get that under control if you liked last night. Misato figures out you and he are sweet on each other for real, and she'll start watching you like a hawk to keep anything like that from going on!' she warned herself. She grit her teeth. Right. Control. They had to be cool when others were around.

    "Shinji?"

    Shinji looked up from rubbing his foot. He nervously smiled. "H-hi, Asuka. I mean, good morning. Um..." He trailed off, uncertain.

    "We've only got as long as it takes Misato to shower and get back out here to talk, so we're going to have to be quick. Sit down."

    Shinji sat down across from her, his hands restlessly flitting about in front of him. "Um... yes?"

    "I... I heard you this morning."

    Shinji blushed. "Er... I..."

    "I... it's good, okay? I like it, that you would say that when you didn't think I could hear it. I know you meant it, just like... last night." She flushed some herself. "Yeah, all that stuff too but I mean... everything that we said. I meant it. And I'm glad you did too." He was starting to smile at her that way again. She started to match him, but stopped herself. "And I like it when you smile at me like that... but we've got to stop."

    Shinji's face fell. "No..." he said, his voice hollow.

    She reached across to grab his hand. "Not like that, baka! You are still holding me tonight, Third Child! You promised! What I mean is... we can't just... be all sunshine and smiles at each other like that. Not while Misato's around."

    Shinji's desperate return grip on her hand eased. Color flooded back into his face. "Oh... right." He sighed in relief. "I... get it. I guess."

    "I liked last night, Shinji. I woke up feeling good. I never wake up like that. I don't want it to stop, any of it. But if Misato catches us, that's the first thing she'll do, If she even finds out we're... that we really like each other, she'll be watching for it, So we can't let her catch us, or even suspect. And that means we've got to act like before, right?" Asuka argued.

    "I suppose. At school too?" He regarded their hands with a slightly sad look. "I wish we didn't have to. I can hardly look at you without smiling now, Asuka." He looked up at her shyly. True to his word, he started to smile. "We're... we're alone when we walk to school, though, right? We can... maybe hold hands? For some of it?"

    'Damn it, Shinji. Stop being so cute at me.' She cleared her throat. "Ahem! Maybe. If we're in a spot where no one can see us. We'll have to be careful. I don't want to end up having to live with Wondergirl, got it? Anyone sees us, and we'll have to deny it." She squeezed his hands one more time before pulling hers back. The warmth from his fingers was too seductive, and she knew if she let herself she'd just keep holding his until Misato came out and found them like that. "We're going to be like always at school, though. So... when I yell at you for being a baka... just... know that I don't really mean it, okay?"

    "I... I know." Shinji nodded. "It's... it's okay. I get to see the real you at home. As long as I know... you're just like me."

    A chill ran down her spine. 'The real me?' She suppressed it. 'Stop it. I am not useless. I am elite. He's going to have to keep up with me.' She kept her face calm. She let her hand snake back out to grab his again. His long, deft fingers easily intertwined with hers. She could almost feel the reassurance flowing through their clasp. "Just like me. Now let's eat and get moving before Miss Hangover has too much time to eyeball us."
     
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    • "Losing purity points." I snickered.

    Well done young Soryu. You've passed your first test by evading a half-dead Major, but soon you will have to face the ultimate challenge: 14 year old schoolgirls making eyes at your boyfriend.
     
    That was great. I'm really glad you decided to continue this, as it's a fantastic take on the nuclear dogpile of angst and trauma that canon-NGE ended up being. I'm really intrigued at how such a change will affect the outcome, as well as how the characters and their relationships develop throughout.

    Also, Shinji and Asuka are adorable together.

    Aside note: kinda surprised that they haven't told Hikari, though. They don't have to go into the details, just tell her that they actually like and understand each other. It'd be useful to have someone in-the-know in case they need an alibi or someone to cover for them.
    ---
    Would Misato really make them stop, though? So long as they're practicing safe sex, are both happier and healthier for it, and don't do anything inappropriate when not in private, what objections would she raise? Especially since she's trying to get them together anyway. And they know she can be trusted to keep the secret.

    Hell, Shinji could even field the question hypothetically without drawing suspicion. Since she's already brought the subject up, he could ask her "and then what?"--if they did get together, would she have to move out or something? He could even wait until she was buzzed after drinking some beer.

    And here's to hoping that the Bardiel/Unit-03 incident doesn't turn into the absolute fucking trauma-bomb of Cerberus exactly like in canon.
     
    SaltyWaffles said:
    Would Misato really make them stop, though? So long as they're practicing safe sex, are both happier and healthier for it, and don't do anything inappropriate when not in private, what objections would she raise? Especially since she's trying to get them together anyway. And they know she can be trusted to keep the secret.

    Hell, Shinji could even field the question hypothetically without drawing suspicion. Since she's already brought the subject up, he could ask her "and then what?"--if they did get together, would she have to move out or something? He could even wait until she was buzzed after drinking some beer.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Remember that Misato is after all a major and their superior officer, and that there are reasons why militaries have rules about relationships. The world getting blown up because one of them broke ranks to save the other one instead of accomplishing the objective would be a pretty embarrassing way to go. Misato may sympathize and even root for them, but on the other hand she'd be torn by her duty (and obsession, I might add) to defeat the angels.

    Also keep in mind that these are 13 and 14 year old teenagers who have pretty much given their lives to an all encompassing autocratic organization. Having a secret relationship is a thrill. They may rationalize it in a ton of different ways, but ultimately they may just want something that is theirs and nobody else's, something which neither the evas nor NERV nor their guardian can take away from them.
     
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    Character Notes #2
  • Informational
    • SaltyWaffles said:
    Aside note: kinda surprised that they haven't told Hikari, though. They don't have to go into the details, just tell her that they actually like and understand each other. It'd be useful to have someone in-the-know in case they need an alibi or someone to cover for them.
    ---
    Would Misato really make them stop, though? So long as they're practicing safe sex, are both happier and healthier for it, and don't do anything inappropriate when not in private, what objections would she raise? Especially since she's trying to get them together anyway. And they know she can be trusted to keep the secret.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    It's mostly a factor of Asuka's (not unjustified) paranoia. Practically every good thing in her life has been taken away from her at some point, usually by things she has no control over. All she's got is being a Pilot, and now Shinji. So she's assuming a worst case scenario. Maybe Misato might not mind, but she's unwilling to even risk it. Same with telling anyone. She knows too well that even if Hikari is trustworthy, the more people who know a secret, the more likely it is to slip out. For all her brave front, Asuka is deeply worried and afraid of losing anything more.

    There's also the military regulations and facets of Misato being their guardian she's worried about. Both sides of that frown on relationships. And as Stargrave said, this is finally something they have that's just theirs. They both have had so much taken from them, the instinct to protect something that makes them happy is very strong.
     
  • Informational
    • Nice Asuka POV segment. Cue the fun of watching them trying to watch everything they do or say, to keep from giving it away. Especially when their classmates start to discuss their partner... Ho ho, I'm rooting for Misato to figure it out before long and keeping mum about it. Or more amusing, Kaji or Ritsuko. Ritsuko might at least notice something's up, by watching the Synch graphs during tests and training.
     
    Chapter 2.2
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    • Chapter 2, part 2 of 3
    The First Morning After
    ++++++++++++++++++

    Getting out of the house before Misato finished up her hangover-slowed shower routine proved impossible, so over a quiet breakfast she and Shinji had their first trial by fire of whether or not they could fool Misato about their budding relationship. A groggy and light-sensitive Misato proved to be fairly easy to hoodwink, thought, and they escaped quickly after Shinji finished preparing their lunches without her even noticing the two Pilots never looked each other in the face.

    Asuka fought down the urge to tow Shinji in through the front gates of the school by her hand, making her claim on him as loudly and publicly as she could. It was a bad idea, she told herself. Too many students would tell their parents, their teachers, or someone else who would eventually talk to their guardian, and then the game would be up. So no matter how much the idea of bragging about the fact she now had a boyfriend (who was, by the way, a fantastic kisser and good in bed) appealed to her, or the boost she could expect to her already considerable social status as the exotic foreign Eva Pilot from being paired up with the boy everyone knew had saved Tokyo-3 more than once, she'd have to stay quiet. Really.

    So she restricted herself to merely holding his hand on a couple of the narrower side streets during their walk to school. She told herself it was because he'd asked for it. It totally wasn't because his hand felt warm and made her feel the same, or because the handclasp made her skin tingle at the point of contact. Totally not. It must have been his feet that slowed their walk as they approached the point where more public streets would require them to let go again.

    School itself was relatively easy. She just acted tired and a bit surly, responding to Hikari's questions and chatter during the day with grunts and as little talk as possible. She spent most of the day trying not to obviously stare at Shinji and break into grins. That wasn't too easy, with memories of last night constantly popping up in her head. Which inevitably led her to thinking of the coming night...

    'There are vending machines and pharmacies on the way home...' a quiet, subversive little voice whispered in her head. 'You could get some protection pretty easily that way. Then there'd be nothing to stop you from a little "special full-synchronization training" hurr hurr hurr...' She dug her pencil into her leg to stop the blush that wanted to explode across her face at that thought. She spent the next hour arguing with her body why they shouldn't do that. She was having a real hard time finding arguments. Last night had been too much fun. And more, she felt a deep nee-- desire to truly, fully connect with Shinji, to create the deepest bond with him she could. To be sure, at the deepest possible level of her mind, that he really looked at her.

    'He's just like you,' the voice insisted. 'He's thinking about it too.' That's just because he's a teenage boy. He'd be like that with anyone. 'Except no. Have you ever seen him look at anyone else the way he looks at you? Has he ever held anyone like he held you? Kissed anyone like you?' No, he... wait. Asuka's eyes drifted past Shinji to the row of seats by the window, to the other Eva Pilot in their class.

    Wondergirl. The bluenette was apparently ignoring the teacher again, staring out the window at the puffy clouds drifting across the sky. She'd more than once seen Shinji staring at the First Child during class. Or sometimes Ayanami was staring at Shinji. And they'd been fighting side-by-side for months before she arrived in Japan. There wasn't anything going on between them, was there? Shinji had never said a thing, and neither had Ayanami, but it's not like either were big talkers. 'He does look at her sometimes... and she does look almost as good as I do. Mostly. Somewhat. And I'm sure she'd do whatever she was told anyway. Stupid doll.'

    Gott, now she was getting worried. She might even have a reason. When she'd first arrived, she'd been somewhat surprised to learn that the other girls in their year considered the quiet, unobtrusive Third Child to still be a hot catch for any girl who might nab him as a boyfriend. They thought him polite, a good cook who made his own bentos, kind of cute, and most of all, the famed Evangelion Pilot who'd defended Tokyo-3 from the attacks of three separate Angels. At the time she'd merely sniffed, accepting the last part with a muttered 'of course Eva Pilots are elite' and dismissing the rest as foolish rumors by girls who didn't know how dull he was in person.

    But then they'd been forced to live together to train for their synchronized battle with Israfel. She'd found herself watching him, enjoying the way he cooked anything she wanted on demand and constantly cleaned up after her and Misato... how he took care of her. How he rose to the challenges of Eva Piloting, despite obviously not enjoying it the way she did. How he always gave her what she wanted, whenever she asked (or more often, simply demanded, loudly). Until she started wanting more from him than she could bring herself to actually ask for out loud. Then the rumors had started to make sense.

    And now he was hers. So the other girls had declared him tasty, so what? A few had even made tentative approaches on him, asking him if he'd like to have lunch and such. He'd always turned them down, out of shyness or obliviousness to the real meaning of their requests. But the end result was Shinji had turned down every other girl who'd approached him... but her. And none of them knew why.

    Asuka felt a small smile growing that she couldn't stop this time. None of them knew why, because none of them knew him the way she did. 'He's just like me. No one can know him like I do. Not even Wondergirl. He's mine!' That was a small surprise to her too, that she was looking forward to talking to Shinji tonight almost as much as her hormones were looking forward to the rest. Someone who could understand! 'He's just like me!' And he'd been scared, last night. She had been too, honestly. Neither of them were the kind of people to open up easily. But there was just something about him that dew her... She... wanted him. As a boyfriend, a confidant, a... a... everything. Even that ultimate step of intimacy, but... yeah, it was still a bit scary. So maybe not all the way just yet, but for damn sure they were going to talk and hold each other tonight. Asuka hadn't slept so well or peacefully in years. No nightmares, no restlessness, nothing but comfort and warmth.

    And most of all, she hadn't felt alone. 'Gott, this is like a drug,' she thought. 'First hit's free...' But who cared, when it felt like this?

    The lunch bell startled her out of her pleasant daydream. Time to mask up. She stood up and stalked over to Shinji's desk, a glower slipping over her face. "Baka-Shinji! Where's my lunch!" she growled at him, slamming her hands down on his desk.

    He jumped at the impact, his mouth opening to say something. She narrowed her eyes at him, just a hair, and flicked her look at their classmates. Shinji got the hint and just said, "H-here, Asuka. Just the way you like it."

    She accepted the proffered box with a haughty look, taking it without another word and walking towards Hikari's desk at the front of the room.

    Her friend was waiting for her with a slightly disapproving look. "You know, Asuka, you could be nicer to Ikari-kun. He makes your lunch for you every day, and you hardly even say thank you," she chided her as they walked outside to eat.

    'I almost wish I could tell you about last night right now, Hikari, just to see the look on your face.' Aloud, she held herself to, "He understands what I meant. I thank him after dinner at home." 'And oh boy, am I going to thank him tonight!' "Anyway, I think your sister owes me an apology. That guy she set me up on that blind date with yesterday was incredibly boring, and he tried to cop a feel on me after barely an hour at the amusement park!"

    Hikari winced. "I'm sorry, Asuka! Kodama said he was a nice guy! And she was very insistent and persuasive."

    "She probably owed him a favor, or money," Asuka grumbled. "After that, I just left him waiting in line and went home. And I'd gotten all dressed up for it, too. Hmph!"

    "I'm really sorry. No more blind dates, I promise!"

    Asuka waved her concern away. "It's fine, he's gone and forgotten. Tomorrow I won't even remember his name. So much for him being a 'dashing older student' like you said. He was just a selfish jerk out for a cheap feel, not anything like a real good man, like Kaji-san or S--" Asuka suddenly coughed violently and covered her mouth. 'Crap! You idiot! That was close!'

    "Or who?" Hikari asked.

    "Ssssssschelbert-san. Guy I knew in Berlin. Nice guy, very... er... tall. You don't know him," Asuka improvised. "But yeah, no more blind dates. Why don't you take the next one?"

    Her friend blushed and mumbled something into her lunch. Asuka rolled her eyes. Her friend's poorly hidden giant crush on Shinji's athletic friend was cute, annoying, and right now a perfect distraction. Asuka mentally growled at herself for nearly blowing things that easily. Gah. When was this school day going to end?

    "Do you think Suzuhara likes anyone in our class?" Hikari asked.

    Asuka groaned.
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Chapter 2.3
  • Threadmarks
    • Chapter 2, part 3 of 3
    The First Morning After
    ++++++++++++++++++++

    The final bell of the day came as a relief. As they were leaving Hikari invited Asuka out shopping as an apology for the blind date gone wrong, but Asuka begged off, citing vague NERV-related things she needed to do ahead of a synch test tomorrow. She'd signaled Shinji with her eyes to go on ahead of her, not wanting to be seen leaving in his company, but she caught up with him before he'd even made the first corner on their path home. She'd seized his hand as soon as they were out of sight of any fellow students, though she did ensure they kept to less visible streets.

    Once in the door of Misato's apartment they'd nearly attacked each other, schoolbags immediately flung away. After only thirty minutes Shinji somehow managed to pull back and suggest they stop, over Asuka's protests. He reluctantly pointed out that if they still had homework and such undone when Misato got home a little later, she'd probably ask why. Misato knew Shinji was a dutiful student, and Asuka a college-graduate genius in Germany, so there was no reason they wouldn't already be done when she got home... unless something else had occupied them.

    With only a modest amount of further pouting, Asuka decided that they should study together, at least. Misato would accept an explanation of that being an aftereffect of their synchronization training if they were found doing that. They could write it off as Shinji helping her study up on kanji, if nothing else. Plus, Shinji needed all her genius help on his math and science that he could get. She did enjoy the look he got when she sweetly asked if she should put on that bikini again to teach him more physics. She grinned wider when he managed to stutter a 'yes?'.

    Working together to cover their weaker subjects actually made things go faster. They'd just finished up their studying about 5PM when the phone rang. Shinji answered it. "Hello? Katsuragi residence."

    "And this is Katsuragi. Hi, Shin-chan. I'm making up for the time I took off for that wedding yesterday, so I'll be running really late. Don't bother leaving any dinner for me. I'll catch a meal here in the cafeteria or something. Maybe make Kaji buy me take-out. Anyhow, I probably won't get home until after midnight, so try not to fight with Asuka too much. Get to bed on time to get a good night's sleep. You all have that Synch Test tomorrow afternoon."

    He glanced at Asuka, whose face had perked up at hearing Misato's voice. She made questioning gestures at him, and crept closer. She leaned in close, trying to put her ear next to the phone to listen in.

    "Um, right, Misato-san. We'll be alright. We just finished up our homework, so we'll get to bed early, both of us," he said calmly. Asuka reeled away, clapping her hands over her mouth and fighting to contain her laughter.

    "Good boy, Shin-chan. I'll see you in the morning." She hung up.

    Asuka burst out laughing. "Hahahahaha! Oh, yeah, we're both getting to bed soon! Third, I didn't think you had it in you to try sneaking jokes past Misato like that! Hahahaha!"

    Shinji shrugged and scratched the back of his head, but still grinned back at her. "Well, it's about what I would have said anyway, before, and it's still true, so I'm not lying or anything..."

    She grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the kitchen. "Heh. Technically correct, the best kind of correct. Now hurry up and make dinner. The faster you get done and we eat, the faster we can... ah... do everything else."

    He started to open cupboards and pulled out the wok. "We..." He blushed. "We don't have... I mean... I really liked those parts, Asuka, but... I like talking to you too. I've... never had anyone who can understand like you. I want to be... I... I like being able to talk like we did last night."

    "Not just trying to roll me into bed as fast as you can? Are you sure you're a teenage boy? Aren't you supposed to be all about that? It sure sounds that way, listening to your Stooge buddies," Asuka needled him, covering her nervousness at the topic.

    Shinji looked at the floor. "I... do like that part too, Asuka. But... I... you're not just a beautiful girl to me, okay? You're... special. There's pretty girls in our class and stuff, but they're... They can't understand. I don't want to talk to them. They're not you. So I don't want to just kiss you. I... I want all of you."

    He raised his head to look at her when he finished. Those dark blue, so damn blue eyes were increasingly making Asuka's insides melt when he did that, almost as much as his words this time. She tried to get her mouth to form actual words. "W-well, what about Ayanami? She's pretty, and she knows Eva. I've seen you looking at her, too."

    Shinji blinked. "Ayanami? She... doesn't talk much. And I like her, but... she's not... so alive, like you. I don't... I worry that she doesn't seem to have any friends and takes too many risks in her Eva, but she doesn't keep me awake at night like you." He blushed again. "I mean... Not like last night! I mean before that! Oh wait, that sounds worse... I wasn't... gah..."

    Asuka tried not to show how much better that made her feel. "Ohh? Thinking of me at night Shin-chan?" she asked, sweet as could be. "Baka hentai Shin-chan, up all night..."

    He was thoroughly red now. "I... hey!" His eyes narrowed. "You're just like me! Were you... doing the same?"

    Shinji pushing back? This was new and interesting. And true, as it happened, not that she was going to admit it so easily. "Me? I'm a proper and well-mannered young lady! I would never..."

    "You totally were, weren't you?" Shinji interrupted, his blush easing as his smile grew.

    Well, mostly about Kaji, at least at the beginning, but Shinji had started cropping up in there more and more. Thoughts of just sneaking across the hall one night, slipping into his room in the dark... A tingle ran through her at the thought that fantasy was now entirely possible, no, probable on a night very soon. She coughed into her hand. "...maybe." Gott, this was fun. He was pushing back at her. He was looking at her.

    Shinji set the oven to cook and got out more dinner ingredients, grinning. "Asuka...this is kind of scary... but fun."

    "I know."

    "Not just the kissing. All of it."

    "I know."

    He looked at her closely again, the way he had yesterday just before he started listing their shared traumas. "You... you're scared at opening up... but that's even more exciting and terrifying than the... the parts in bed. But you don't want to stop. You've never felt like this before."

    She made herself meet his look and shot back. "You... can't wait to get your hands on me again. You were thinking about it all day. It's a little scary, yeah, but... you want more. Of all of it."

    He leaned in closer. "You... last night just happened. Knowing we're going to sleep next to each other already, at the start of... tonight is... different. You're..." Shinji placed visibly shaking hands on her waist, pulling her close. She tried not to shake likewise. "Scared. This still feels like some kind of wild dream. To you." He added at the last minute, keeping up the pretense.

    She just gave a tiny nod. "We're Eva Pilots. We can do anything." She let their foreheads press together, looking right into his eyes from up close. This time their kiss was more tentative, but carried a different feeling then their earlier, intense make-out. "Finish making dinner, Shinji. I want to get to bed soon."

    He pulled back and nodded. "Right. We told Misato we would," he said with a smile. "Synch Test tomorrow and stuff." He turned back to the wok.

    "I am so going to kick your ass in that, Third Child."

    Surprisingly, he pushed back at her one more time. "Bet you won't."

    She let a delighted shiver run through her. "Oh, it is so on, Third."
    ++++++++++++++++++

    Chapter 3 begun. Leliel is coming. Things get more serious...
    And of course, there will be fan service! /Misato voice
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Strypgia said:
    Shinji blinked. "Ayanami? She... doesn't talk much. And I like her, but... she's not... so alive, like you. I don't... I worry that she doesn't seem to have any friends and takes too many risks in her Eva, but she doesn't keep me awake at night like you."
    Click to expand...
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    "Besides, you look much better naked than she does."

    Section 2 never did quite figure out how Shinji managed to stab himself in the back 17 times.
     
    Rei/Shinji always squicks me given she's a parthi-clone of his Mom.

    Asuka/Shinji Always made more sense to me because they always seemed to be two sides of the same coin - Asuka keeps her fury and brashness on the outside and the quiet, shy scared kid on the inside where Shinji keeps his fury internal and his shyness external.

    But this is the first fic I've seen in ages that captures that element so well.

    Keep it up!
     
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    Strypgia said:
    Good thing Shinji's not that stupid! :O
    Going to be an interesting moment when that gets brought up, though, especially since it will probably be Rei that does it. Talk fast, Third Child!
    Click to expand...
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    "It was an accident, I didn't mean to do it! And I definitely didn't mean to grope her breaaahhhave I mentioned how beautiful you look today?"
     
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