- Location
- Surrey
*Yui and Kyoko are proud watchers of the world's best soap opera: Days of Our Children's Lives, but they hate how the show has so many cliffhangers.*
Two Souls [NGE]
- Thread starter Boreas Anemos
- Start date
*Yui and Kyoko are proud watchers of the world's best soap opera: Days of Our Children's Lives, but they hate how the show has so many cliffhangers.*
- Location
- On a powder keg, next to a fire
Well, Asuka only threatens him with death, and recently even that ceased... on the other hand, an idea of Asuka carrying a signpost with YOU DIED with her and pulling it out every time Shinji does something she doesn't like... This could be an idea
Pity Dark Souls is a 2011 game, so that'd make sense only is some AU fic or one where things fall from other universes.
But yes, dealing with Asuka is similarly hard. Also, it makes it possible to make the game unwinnable in many, many ways.
I sense some allusion to my recently-dropping update frequency, not to mention focus on the kids
Worry not, there no more than three more chapters of What happened, kids? (perhaps only two, depends on the circumstances), and then it's back to Serious Talking of Our Serious Heroines.
On that matter: chapter 4. of about 3.5k words is finally nearing completion. I got derailed by two other works (AO3 hosted, as they'd definitely not fly on SV) and a future project that demanded my immediate attention. Expect it to be up in less than a week.
Misato Katsuragi returned home just before midnight, finding it dark and silent. She sighed heavily; her work has been taking its toll; as much as she wanted to spend time with her kids – her kids still sounding odd in her mind, but she could not argue with the facts – she was simply not able to.
She entered the kitchen and found a note on the fridge: "I am sorry, I had no time to cook anything proper, I hope this will suffice. Please warm it up before eating. S."
She smiled, then frowned. 'What could have occupied Shin-chan?', she pondered, then shook it off. She was too tired to think about it and set out to warm her late supper. It might be called 'not elaborate' by his standards for sure, but it was still far better than what she would have ever prepared herself.
Halfway the meal and past first can of beer, she froze.
"They. Didn't."
She jumped to her feet and rushed to Shinji's room. Peeking through the narrow slit between the door and the wall, she sighed in relief. He was in his bed, alone. She stepped back, intending to finish her meal.
Another paranoid thought seized her.
"What if…"
She ran to her condom stash; she had shown its location to Shinji, telling him to use it in a case he needed it; she had the mercy not to say "in an unlikely case you need them". All accounted for, except the one she used for demonstration last week. 'Some even expired', an annoying voice in the back of her head pointed out. She growled at it internally.
She shook her head. "I'm getting too jumpy…" she admitted to herself and returned to her meal, finishing it before another thought struck her and she went pale.
'Damn it. If no condom is missing… what if this means they ignored protection altogether?' she broke a cold sweat. 'Ritsuko will kill me slowly and brutally if she is forced to create a maternity plugsuit, and the Commander is going to question my abilities to control the pilots… not to mention the chaos and embarrassment it will bring. But there is no way to verify it… except asking them. God, I didn't think taking care of them would involve this', she facepalmed.
She looked at the empty can on the table and decided she was still too sober for this. Opening the cabinet, she pulled a bottle of bourbon she kept for emergencies and poured herself a double.
'I must confront them in the morning…'
She entered the kitchen and found a note on the fridge: "I am sorry, I had no time to cook anything proper, I hope this will suffice. Please warm it up before eating. S."
She smiled, then frowned. 'What could have occupied Shin-chan?', she pondered, then shook it off. She was too tired to think about it and set out to warm her late supper. It might be called 'not elaborate' by his standards for sure, but it was still far better than what she would have ever prepared herself.
Halfway the meal and past first can of beer, she froze.
"They. Didn't."
She jumped to her feet and rushed to Shinji's room. Peeking through the narrow slit between the door and the wall, she sighed in relief. He was in his bed, alone. She stepped back, intending to finish her meal.
Another paranoid thought seized her.
"What if…"
She ran to her condom stash; she had shown its location to Shinji, telling him to use it in a case he needed it; she had the mercy not to say "in an unlikely case you need them". All accounted for, except the one she used for demonstration last week. 'Some even expired', an annoying voice in the back of her head pointed out. She growled at it internally.
She shook her head. "I'm getting too jumpy…" she admitted to herself and returned to her meal, finishing it before another thought struck her and she went pale.
'Damn it. If no condom is missing… what if this means they ignored protection altogether?' she broke a cold sweat. 'Ritsuko will kill me slowly and brutally if she is forced to create a maternity plugsuit, and the Commander is going to question my abilities to control the pilots… not to mention the chaos and embarrassment it will bring. But there is no way to verify it… except asking them. God, I didn't think taking care of them would involve this', she facepalmed.
She looked at the empty can on the table and decided she was still too sober for this. Opening the cabinet, she pulled a bottle of bourbon she kept for emergencies and poured herself a double.
'I must confront them in the morning…'
What happened, kids? – chapter 4.
- Location
- On a powder keg, next to a fire
WHK?, chapter 4. – "Will you bear with me?"
Friday afternoon
Shinji Ikari was heading towards the relatively unused back exit of the school building; he had been using it every time when he preferred to avoid meeting anyone – and while there was a lot he should say to a particular person right now, he knew it would be a difficult conversation, pretty much unsuitable for a public place.
He also knew it was necessary. He was just unwilling to initiate it.
As he wandered the empty corridors, his thoughts drifted to events of yesterday.
After the Evangelions finally powered down and their Entry Plugs were pulled out, they were allowed to shower and change, were given a thorough medical check-up by Doctor Akagi, given a clean bill of health – and brought before the command staff. Shinji was placed in a white box with a chair, a speaker, and a microphone, a glass separating him from the people interrogating him; from their behaviour, he could guess Asuka was just next to him, in a similar box.
The debriefings started a moment later, and while Shinji did his best, he was – regrettably to everyone involved – unable to provide any useful answers; most of the time inside was spent either arguing with Asuka or hallucinating from sensory deprivation. This, obviously, did not stop the NERV personnel from grilling him for hours – with breaks where his interrogators would seemingly argue between each other. He could not hear what they were saying, but it seemed that Misato and Doctor Akagi disagreed so much that the Vice-Commander had to intervene to bring the meeting to order – that is, interrogation of the pilots.
Shinji was told that the recorders had been disabled soon after falling into the void – which means they had a good idea what happened during the battle – but they had not started to work again until the Units stopped berserking – long after the most interesting time period has ended.
This has put the pilots into the unenviable position of being the only source of information NERV could actually count on when it came to the Angel's behaviour – and, more importantly, the reasons for the berserk and the unlikely simultaneous occurrence in both units. Unfortunately, he was unable to answer either: he gave a very thorough description of what he saw, including his participation in Asuka's measurements, but he could say nothing on the berserk – mainly due to being barely conscious at this stage.
Finally, after about six hours in which the interrogators switched between him and Asuka, he was released and driven home by Section 2; he was barely able to stand at that time. Asuka arrived about half an hour later in a similar condition. He gave her the simple supper he was able to make in the meantime; she thanked him with a tired look and retreated to her room – but not before stopping abruptly, retreating her steps, and giving him a long, bone-crushing, but also very confusing hug. A hug he returned without understanding – but with feeling and gratitude.
With his head full of thoughts, he easily missed a pale hand that shot from the shadows. Two seconds later, he was pressed against the wall by a surprisingly strong arm pressed against his collarbone.
"Hello, Third. We need to talk", Asuka's voice sounded ominous in the shadowed corridor.
His fight-or-flight response, triggered at the sudden attack, vanished at the sight of those blue eyes. "Hello, Asuka… why here?"
She rolled her eyes. "Privacy" she explained. "Don't ask. Listen, we need to talk."
He nodded. "You just said that. I… I'm sorry for pulling you there."
She glared at him, her brows furrowed, clearly unable to comprehend what he just said. "Third, for fuck's sake", she retorted after a few seconds, her voice between annoyed and exasperated. "I went there on my own will. I tried to rescue you. A 'thank you' would be far better than 'sorry'. And you thanked me already, so. Now we're at least even, right?" she smiled with a corner of her mouth.
"Even?" he blinked.
"The volcano, idiot", she rolled her eyes. "You saved me then, I saved you now… well, tried to save you. Now, tell me one thing before I realise I am wasting my breath: did you mean what you said there? The… well, deal we made?"
He nodded. "Yes?"
"Wasn't it just 'we're going to die so I'm going to be nice' mode?" she pressed on.
"Asuka… you're giving me too much credit on social skills. I can't really lie well", he admitted.
She chuckled. "Well, you're Japanese, you people are good at pretending. But I guess I do give you too much credit. Okay–"
"But", he interjected, "We really should find a better way to communicate important things than yelling them out during combat", he noticed in a matter-of-fact tone.
She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, perhaps. I'll think about it. But it's the… easiest way. You know, less time to think."
"Since when you prefer the easy way instead of a challenge?" he raised an eyebrow.
She stared at him, her eyes full of disbelief. "Who are you and what have you done to Shinji? Or, actually, when did you have your spine insertion surgery?"
Shinji smiled sheepishly. "I'm just wondering."
"You're not 'just wondering', Third, you're becoming cheeky. And do you know what I do with boys that get too cheeky with me?" she narrowed her eyes, the threat evident in her eyes.
"You are becoming more direct or even physical with them, which in my case could mean you would kiss me more?" he retorted, his smile widening a bit.
Asuka's jaw dropped just a bit; recovering almost immediately, she shook her head. "Are you putting all this act just to kiss me?" she asked in a confused voice.
His demeanour became serious in a split second. "It's not an act, I told you, I don't have the skill to act. I just… like you", he stated. "And, well, I want you to be… happy."
Asuka released her grip on him and took a step back, turning her back to him in one smooth move.
"Asuka?" he probed.
"Shut the fuck up, idiot, and hold me. No questions, okay?" she asked in a voice not entirely her own.
Shinji took a step forward, embraced the redhead at waist height, and hugged her tight. In that embrace, he could feel her steady but heavy breathing with an occasional shiver passing through her body. After one of such shivers, he felt Asuka's hand covering his and grasping it tightly; he just smiled.
They stood like this for a few minutes; after all, they were not in any hurry now.
Finally, Asuka shook her head again.
"Can you bear with me, i-Shinji?" her voice was just above a whisper; a note of hope was mixed with a lot of doubt. "Can you take me like this?"
"I… I don't know", he admitted carefully, eliciting an immediate scoff from her, accompanied by an attempt to get out of his embrace; to her surprise, it was too firm to let her go. "I really don't know", he repeated, hugging her a bit tighter. "And I won't lie to you about it, not ever. But I will try."
"No trying here. Do or do not", she stated curtly, her voice shaky.
"Well, it's like with the Angels, right? Do or die trying?" he smiled just a little bit.
She might not have been able to break out, but she wiggled enough space to turn to face him; their eyes met. "I'm no Angel, and I'm no angel, either", she blurted out, her voice steadier, but softer and slowly dropping to a whisper. "The one that fell, perhaps, yes, that would be fitting", her tone went somehow sad. "Bear with me, and you will not regret it. I will make it worth for you", she paused, her voice dropping to barely audible. "I promise."
He nodded slowly. Asuka's language was a bit too metaphor-laden for him, but something told him it was not the best idea to question her about it right now; he just made a mental note to question her on 'one that fell' concept. "As I said: I will try. Just… bear with me, too?"
"You're easy to bear with, as long as you're not such a doormat", she smirked, her voice regaining some volume.
"That's a part of me, sorry", he admitted, realising too late he was just confirming her opinion. "Even if I fight it, it emerges again. Sorry, that's one of those things to bear with."
"I'll try" the smirk shifted to a crooked smile.
"Do or do not–"
She shot him a sudden death glare. "That's cheeky again. You're getting worse by the minute, you know?" she growled in a stern voice, but despite her best efforts, a note of amusement crept in. "Or better, hell, I don't know with you anymore!"
"Is that a complaint?" he raised an eyebrow.
She smirked. "Maybe. Or maybe a challenge."
Still in his embrace, she pushed him against the wall again. "Ow", he complained when his head hit the solid concrete. "What was that for?"
"For being in the wrong position for me to do this", she purred and pressed her entire body against his.
Half a second later, Shinji's vision turned white as Asuka planted her lips at his own. The kiss began softly, but within an eyeblink, it turned far more aggressive than ever before.
Seeing no better reply, he returned it as best as he could.
And the kiss just kept going.
Shinji Ikari was walking home, his stride quick. His stomach was turning in both fear and anticipation. In the last few days, events have progressed from "I think Asuka likes me", to "Asuka hates me", to "Asuka risked her life to save me", to "Asuka wants to kill me", to "Asuka just talked to me and gave me the fiercest kiss ever". This was a rollercoaster he was not entirely capable of coping with. At least he was going up at the moment.
"Okay, here's the plan" he recalled Asuka's words after she had broken the kiss. "I am leaving right now. You wait three minutes and leave too. Three is the amount you wait, not four, nor two, unless you then go to three", she paused, smiling to herself for reasons unknown to Shinji. "Then we both go home, separately. If we're lucky, Misato will be away, and we can continue what we just started in peace."
"Continue?" he expressed his confusion. She glared in response.
"I sure hope this was not enough for you, because it certainly wasn't for me", she elaborated with a gleam in her eye. "But this place is not very safe, it's not comfortable, and I'd rather not be swept out by some overzealous student with a broom. And if Misato's home, we can go somewhere else", she finished her explanation.
He could only nod to the simplicity of the plan. The question of whether she meant continuing to talk or to kiss temporarily evaded his mind – after all, as long as it was with Asuka, either would fine.
"I'm home!" he announced the moment the door closed behind him.
"Welcome home", a pleasant-sounding Asuka greeted him; two seconds later she came into his field of view in a skipping step. Shinji, after blinking few times, realised his eyes did not deceive him: she was wearing a dress again, perhaps not the fanciest one she had, but definitely one he never saw her wear at home. He stopped and stared.
'Okay, let's think about it calmly', he forced himself to focus. 'She has enough home clothing to wear, I know because I take care of washing them, so this is not out of necessity. This has to be deliberate. Have I missed something? An occasion? She didn't mention going out, did she change her plans?' the barrage of thoughts ran through his head.
Unable to reach a logical conclusion under pressure, Shinji considered his options, recalled his experiences and promises, and took the mortal risk:
"You… look great in this dress", he stated, blushing softly; it sounded flat in his mouth, but it was too late to try again. "I… I like it. I mean, you in it. I mean–"
Asuka first smiled, then chuckled. Approaching him in a quick step, she placed a finger on his lips. "Thank you", her smile turned into a smirk. Seeing his blush, she tried not to think how much her cheeks burned. "But you're doing good, don't mess this up, okay?"
Shinji nodded. As the finger moved away from his mouth, he opened them to speak – but was not given the chance: a sudden kiss cut his half-formed thought off and – as a side effect – send most of his reserve blood supply elsewhere, making thinking harder. A warm body pressed against his own finalised the process. He did the only logical thing: he started kissing back.
Shinji Ikari was a boy with a rather selective knowledge and limited experience: he was an average student, quite a good cook, and a passable person to talk to, as long as he had something to say. But it the area of more personal, or gods forbid, intimate interaction, he was rather green. The fact that his previous attempts were brought to an abrupt halt, he was anything but confident about the current ones. Still, he knew this was what Asuka was expecting of him – and disappointing her was not an option.
Of course, the major problem with the performance anxiety was that it tended to affect the performance in a major way.
"Don't worry, it happens", Asuka shrugged. "Nothing to worry about."
"But it's the first time it happened to me!" Shinji protested, his expression pained.
"I said, don't worry about it", she insisted. "It's not the end of the world!"
"But–"
"Keep going like that and I will kill you, even if only to put you out of your misery", her voice gained an aggressive note.
"But it was Misato's favourite cup!" he protested again. "And I broke it in a really stupid way!"
Asuka chuckled. "Her favourite cup is the one that has hot coffee inside in the morning or beer in the evening – if she even cares to pour it from the can", she commented offhandedly. "Now, let's clean that up before I start to think that you did it on purpose because you're afraid to… continue", she narrowed her eyes even further.
Shinji's lips became a thin line. Asuka tilted her head, then blinked in realisation.
"You are!" she exclaimed, clearly surprised and somehow miffed. "Don't speak", she commanded as she saw Shinji drawing a breath. "For fuck's sake, Third, how many times I am to repeat that? I promise not to kill you unless you do something truly wrong, okay? And don't think you ever will", she continued, her voice still raised. "I… okay, I think I can even promise I won't run away, not without an explanation. Is this good enough for you?"
Shinji let out the breath he was holding. "Thank you", he whispered.
Asuka shot him a glare. "It does not mean you're getting out of this easily, considering the rollercoaster you're putting me through. But, knowing you mean well, well…" she closed the distance between them again, pressing Shinji again against the tabletop. "Keep your hands on me, Third, don't wave them around, we don't want another… casualty", she glared at the shattered cup on the tabletop.
Before he could answer, his lips were busy again. He did the only one sensible thing – he followed her suggestions.
'I might've made a serious mistake…'
Asuka, having finally achieved the goal she was aiming for – Shinji Ikari focused exclusively on her, his hands wandering around her backs and sides, his lips and tongue engaged by her own – realised that while all was well, her current attire made a discreet and effective escalation impossible. In simpler words, there was no way for Shinji to slide his hands underneath the dress properly – that is, with any reasonable mobility – without either partially undressing her or sliding in from the very bottom of the dress. Considering that both of those options felt quite brave for her, they were most likely unthinkable for him.
'Okay, let's see how this goes, worst case scenario I'll just stop him and go change… damn it, I can't, he'll think I'm running…' she realised with dismay and rising panic. 'Gott, why does this have to be so complicated…' she growled internally.
Shinji, unaware of the storm of thoughts running underneath Asuka's red mane, simply kept going. His hands were sliding around the redhead's back, sometimes running up Asuka's neck, sometimes sliding under the wide shoulder-straps and running over her shoulder blades. At the same time, a storm of thoughts of his own was starting, as he was aware that this was exactly the moment everything went wrong the last time: he did not do anything else, anything new. His heart, already racing, sped up as the panic began to rise.
His salvation came from the most unexpected direction. As his hand slid down Asuka's neck to her shoulder, she inhaled sharply and broke the kiss for a second.
"Asuka?"
She shook her head. "It's nothing", she whispered. "Just some tense muscle. Don't worry about that", she insisted.
"Do you want me to help with that?" he asked, their faces still less than a centimetre from each other, both flushed, their breaths quick.
"I don't think you're a qualified physiotherapist?" she raised her eyes just a bit to meet his.
"Not qualified, but I have two hands and you can try to guide me?" he replied, his voice a bit louder.
Asuka was about to shrug and resume the not-progressing-but-rather-pleasant activity when a thought struck her. It was a very dangerous, very tricky, but also a horribly tempting thought.
"Okay, Third", she took a deep breath. "If you're willing…" she paused, eliciting a cautious nod from him. "But you promise me two things before, okay?"
He nodded in reply.
"One, you will not run away. Two, when I tell you to leave, you will leave and wait for me until I come to you to explain", she listed. "Can I count on that?"
Shinji seemed confused, but this did not stop him before – and it was not going to stop him now. "Of course? I promise?"
"Good", she smiled. "Now, I will go to my room. You… I think you should hide the body and destroy the evidence of your horrible crime on this cup. Follow me in five minutes. No sooner. Okay?"
Shinji's confusion returned. "Okay?"
"You'll understand. Trust me", she requested with a smug smile as she straightened. "See you in five", she grinned, kissed him on the cheek, and walked away, almost skipping again.
Shinji Ikari was left standing in the kitchen, with confusion in his mind and turmoil in his heart. 'This… is strange', was his only conclusion he could be reasonably certain of. 'Still, this went better than the last time… I guess. I suppose all we need to get along is a dose of mortal danger to get along', he concluded, half-bitter, half-amused before turning to the shattered ceramics. He was not sure what Asuka had in mind, but he knew better than to let her wait.
================================================================
And the kids are back to trying to communicate and carve their own way, with Asuka's subtlety and Shinji's confidence.
Next chapter is coming either in about a week - or in later August; it currently depends on factors beyond my control. I currently expect to have six or seven chapters of What happened, kids? in total, then it's back to Two Souls and Serious, Responsible Adults.
Edit: spelling fixes
Friday afternoon
Shinji Ikari was heading towards the relatively unused back exit of the school building; he had been using it every time when he preferred to avoid meeting anyone – and while there was a lot he should say to a particular person right now, he knew it would be a difficult conversation, pretty much unsuitable for a public place.
He also knew it was necessary. He was just unwilling to initiate it.
As he wandered the empty corridors, his thoughts drifted to events of yesterday.
***
After the Evangelions finally powered down and their Entry Plugs were pulled out, they were allowed to shower and change, were given a thorough medical check-up by Doctor Akagi, given a clean bill of health – and brought before the command staff. Shinji was placed in a white box with a chair, a speaker, and a microphone, a glass separating him from the people interrogating him; from their behaviour, he could guess Asuka was just next to him, in a similar box.
The debriefings started a moment later, and while Shinji did his best, he was – regrettably to everyone involved – unable to provide any useful answers; most of the time inside was spent either arguing with Asuka or hallucinating from sensory deprivation. This, obviously, did not stop the NERV personnel from grilling him for hours – with breaks where his interrogators would seemingly argue between each other. He could not hear what they were saying, but it seemed that Misato and Doctor Akagi disagreed so much that the Vice-Commander had to intervene to bring the meeting to order – that is, interrogation of the pilots.
Shinji was told that the recorders had been disabled soon after falling into the void – which means they had a good idea what happened during the battle – but they had not started to work again until the Units stopped berserking – long after the most interesting time period has ended.
This has put the pilots into the unenviable position of being the only source of information NERV could actually count on when it came to the Angel's behaviour – and, more importantly, the reasons for the berserk and the unlikely simultaneous occurrence in both units. Unfortunately, he was unable to answer either: he gave a very thorough description of what he saw, including his participation in Asuka's measurements, but he could say nothing on the berserk – mainly due to being barely conscious at this stage.
Finally, after about six hours in which the interrogators switched between him and Asuka, he was released and driven home by Section 2; he was barely able to stand at that time. Asuka arrived about half an hour later in a similar condition. He gave her the simple supper he was able to make in the meantime; she thanked him with a tired look and retreated to her room – but not before stopping abruptly, retreating her steps, and giving him a long, bone-crushing, but also very confusing hug. A hug he returned without understanding – but with feeling and gratitude.
***
With his head full of thoughts, he easily missed a pale hand that shot from the shadows. Two seconds later, he was pressed against the wall by a surprisingly strong arm pressed against his collarbone.
"Hello, Third. We need to talk", Asuka's voice sounded ominous in the shadowed corridor.
His fight-or-flight response, triggered at the sudden attack, vanished at the sight of those blue eyes. "Hello, Asuka… why here?"
She rolled her eyes. "Privacy" she explained. "Don't ask. Listen, we need to talk."
He nodded. "You just said that. I… I'm sorry for pulling you there."
She glared at him, her brows furrowed, clearly unable to comprehend what he just said. "Third, for fuck's sake", she retorted after a few seconds, her voice between annoyed and exasperated. "I went there on my own will. I tried to rescue you. A 'thank you' would be far better than 'sorry'. And you thanked me already, so. Now we're at least even, right?" she smiled with a corner of her mouth.
"Even?" he blinked.
"The volcano, idiot", she rolled her eyes. "You saved me then, I saved you now… well, tried to save you. Now, tell me one thing before I realise I am wasting my breath: did you mean what you said there? The… well, deal we made?"
He nodded. "Yes?"
"Wasn't it just 'we're going to die so I'm going to be nice' mode?" she pressed on.
"Asuka… you're giving me too much credit on social skills. I can't really lie well", he admitted.
She chuckled. "Well, you're Japanese, you people are good at pretending. But I guess I do give you too much credit. Okay–"
"But", he interjected, "We really should find a better way to communicate important things than yelling them out during combat", he noticed in a matter-of-fact tone.
She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, perhaps. I'll think about it. But it's the… easiest way. You know, less time to think."
"Since when you prefer the easy way instead of a challenge?" he raised an eyebrow.
She stared at him, her eyes full of disbelief. "Who are you and what have you done to Shinji? Or, actually, when did you have your spine insertion surgery?"
Shinji smiled sheepishly. "I'm just wondering."
"You're not 'just wondering', Third, you're becoming cheeky. And do you know what I do with boys that get too cheeky with me?" she narrowed her eyes, the threat evident in her eyes.
"You are becoming more direct or even physical with them, which in my case could mean you would kiss me more?" he retorted, his smile widening a bit.
Asuka's jaw dropped just a bit; recovering almost immediately, she shook her head. "Are you putting all this act just to kiss me?" she asked in a confused voice.
His demeanour became serious in a split second. "It's not an act, I told you, I don't have the skill to act. I just… like you", he stated. "And, well, I want you to be… happy."
Asuka released her grip on him and took a step back, turning her back to him in one smooth move.
"Asuka?" he probed.
"Shut the fuck up, idiot, and hold me. No questions, okay?" she asked in a voice not entirely her own.
Shinji took a step forward, embraced the redhead at waist height, and hugged her tight. In that embrace, he could feel her steady but heavy breathing with an occasional shiver passing through her body. After one of such shivers, he felt Asuka's hand covering his and grasping it tightly; he just smiled.
They stood like this for a few minutes; after all, they were not in any hurry now.
Finally, Asuka shook her head again.
"Can you bear with me, i-Shinji?" her voice was just above a whisper; a note of hope was mixed with a lot of doubt. "Can you take me like this?"
"I… I don't know", he admitted carefully, eliciting an immediate scoff from her, accompanied by an attempt to get out of his embrace; to her surprise, it was too firm to let her go. "I really don't know", he repeated, hugging her a bit tighter. "And I won't lie to you about it, not ever. But I will try."
"No trying here. Do or do not", she stated curtly, her voice shaky.
"Well, it's like with the Angels, right? Do or die trying?" he smiled just a little bit.
She might not have been able to break out, but she wiggled enough space to turn to face him; their eyes met. "I'm no Angel, and I'm no angel, either", she blurted out, her voice steadier, but softer and slowly dropping to a whisper. "The one that fell, perhaps, yes, that would be fitting", her tone went somehow sad. "Bear with me, and you will not regret it. I will make it worth for you", she paused, her voice dropping to barely audible. "I promise."
He nodded slowly. Asuka's language was a bit too metaphor-laden for him, but something told him it was not the best idea to question her about it right now; he just made a mental note to question her on 'one that fell' concept. "As I said: I will try. Just… bear with me, too?"
"You're easy to bear with, as long as you're not such a doormat", she smirked, her voice regaining some volume.
"That's a part of me, sorry", he admitted, realising too late he was just confirming her opinion. "Even if I fight it, it emerges again. Sorry, that's one of those things to bear with."
"I'll try" the smirk shifted to a crooked smile.
"Do or do not–"
She shot him a sudden death glare. "That's cheeky again. You're getting worse by the minute, you know?" she growled in a stern voice, but despite her best efforts, a note of amusement crept in. "Or better, hell, I don't know with you anymore!"
"Is that a complaint?" he raised an eyebrow.
She smirked. "Maybe. Or maybe a challenge."
Still in his embrace, she pushed him against the wall again. "Ow", he complained when his head hit the solid concrete. "What was that for?"
"For being in the wrong position for me to do this", she purred and pressed her entire body against his.
Half a second later, Shinji's vision turned white as Asuka planted her lips at his own. The kiss began softly, but within an eyeblink, it turned far more aggressive than ever before.
Seeing no better reply, he returned it as best as he could.
And the kiss just kept going.
***
Shinji Ikari was walking home, his stride quick. His stomach was turning in both fear and anticipation. In the last few days, events have progressed from "I think Asuka likes me", to "Asuka hates me", to "Asuka risked her life to save me", to "Asuka wants to kill me", to "Asuka just talked to me and gave me the fiercest kiss ever". This was a rollercoaster he was not entirely capable of coping with. At least he was going up at the moment.
"Okay, here's the plan" he recalled Asuka's words after she had broken the kiss. "I am leaving right now. You wait three minutes and leave too. Three is the amount you wait, not four, nor two, unless you then go to three", she paused, smiling to herself for reasons unknown to Shinji. "Then we both go home, separately. If we're lucky, Misato will be away, and we can continue what we just started in peace."
"Continue?" he expressed his confusion. She glared in response.
"I sure hope this was not enough for you, because it certainly wasn't for me", she elaborated with a gleam in her eye. "But this place is not very safe, it's not comfortable, and I'd rather not be swept out by some overzealous student with a broom. And if Misato's home, we can go somewhere else", she finished her explanation.
He could only nod to the simplicity of the plan. The question of whether she meant continuing to talk or to kiss temporarily evaded his mind – after all, as long as it was with Asuka, either would fine.
***
"I'm home!" he announced the moment the door closed behind him.
"Welcome home", a pleasant-sounding Asuka greeted him; two seconds later she came into his field of view in a skipping step. Shinji, after blinking few times, realised his eyes did not deceive him: she was wearing a dress again, perhaps not the fanciest one she had, but definitely one he never saw her wear at home. He stopped and stared.
'Okay, let's think about it calmly', he forced himself to focus. 'She has enough home clothing to wear, I know because I take care of washing them, so this is not out of necessity. This has to be deliberate. Have I missed something? An occasion? She didn't mention going out, did she change her plans?' the barrage of thoughts ran through his head.
Unable to reach a logical conclusion under pressure, Shinji considered his options, recalled his experiences and promises, and took the mortal risk:
"You… look great in this dress", he stated, blushing softly; it sounded flat in his mouth, but it was too late to try again. "I… I like it. I mean, you in it. I mean–"
Asuka first smiled, then chuckled. Approaching him in a quick step, she placed a finger on his lips. "Thank you", her smile turned into a smirk. Seeing his blush, she tried not to think how much her cheeks burned. "But you're doing good, don't mess this up, okay?"
Shinji nodded. As the finger moved away from his mouth, he opened them to speak – but was not given the chance: a sudden kiss cut his half-formed thought off and – as a side effect – send most of his reserve blood supply elsewhere, making thinking harder. A warm body pressed against his own finalised the process. He did the only logical thing: he started kissing back.
***
Shinji Ikari was a boy with a rather selective knowledge and limited experience: he was an average student, quite a good cook, and a passable person to talk to, as long as he had something to say. But it the area of more personal, or gods forbid, intimate interaction, he was rather green. The fact that his previous attempts were brought to an abrupt halt, he was anything but confident about the current ones. Still, he knew this was what Asuka was expecting of him – and disappointing her was not an option.
Of course, the major problem with the performance anxiety was that it tended to affect the performance in a major way.
"Don't worry, it happens", Asuka shrugged. "Nothing to worry about."
"But it's the first time it happened to me!" Shinji protested, his expression pained.
"I said, don't worry about it", she insisted. "It's not the end of the world!"
"But–"
"Keep going like that and I will kill you, even if only to put you out of your misery", her voice gained an aggressive note.
"But it was Misato's favourite cup!" he protested again. "And I broke it in a really stupid way!"
Asuka chuckled. "Her favourite cup is the one that has hot coffee inside in the morning or beer in the evening – if she even cares to pour it from the can", she commented offhandedly. "Now, let's clean that up before I start to think that you did it on purpose because you're afraid to… continue", she narrowed her eyes even further.
Shinji's lips became a thin line. Asuka tilted her head, then blinked in realisation.
"You are!" she exclaimed, clearly surprised and somehow miffed. "Don't speak", she commanded as she saw Shinji drawing a breath. "For fuck's sake, Third, how many times I am to repeat that? I promise not to kill you unless you do something truly wrong, okay? And don't think you ever will", she continued, her voice still raised. "I… okay, I think I can even promise I won't run away, not without an explanation. Is this good enough for you?"
Shinji let out the breath he was holding. "Thank you", he whispered.
Asuka shot him a glare. "It does not mean you're getting out of this easily, considering the rollercoaster you're putting me through. But, knowing you mean well, well…" she closed the distance between them again, pressing Shinji again against the tabletop. "Keep your hands on me, Third, don't wave them around, we don't want another… casualty", she glared at the shattered cup on the tabletop.
Before he could answer, his lips were busy again. He did the only one sensible thing – he followed her suggestions.
***
'I might've made a serious mistake…'
Asuka, having finally achieved the goal she was aiming for – Shinji Ikari focused exclusively on her, his hands wandering around her backs and sides, his lips and tongue engaged by her own – realised that while all was well, her current attire made a discreet and effective escalation impossible. In simpler words, there was no way for Shinji to slide his hands underneath the dress properly – that is, with any reasonable mobility – without either partially undressing her or sliding in from the very bottom of the dress. Considering that both of those options felt quite brave for her, they were most likely unthinkable for him.
'Okay, let's see how this goes, worst case scenario I'll just stop him and go change… damn it, I can't, he'll think I'm running…' she realised with dismay and rising panic. 'Gott, why does this have to be so complicated…' she growled internally.
Shinji, unaware of the storm of thoughts running underneath Asuka's red mane, simply kept going. His hands were sliding around the redhead's back, sometimes running up Asuka's neck, sometimes sliding under the wide shoulder-straps and running over her shoulder blades. At the same time, a storm of thoughts of his own was starting, as he was aware that this was exactly the moment everything went wrong the last time: he did not do anything else, anything new. His heart, already racing, sped up as the panic began to rise.
His salvation came from the most unexpected direction. As his hand slid down Asuka's neck to her shoulder, she inhaled sharply and broke the kiss for a second.
"Asuka?"
She shook her head. "It's nothing", she whispered. "Just some tense muscle. Don't worry about that", she insisted.
"Do you want me to help with that?" he asked, their faces still less than a centimetre from each other, both flushed, their breaths quick.
"I don't think you're a qualified physiotherapist?" she raised her eyes just a bit to meet his.
"Not qualified, but I have two hands and you can try to guide me?" he replied, his voice a bit louder.
Asuka was about to shrug and resume the not-progressing-but-rather-pleasant activity when a thought struck her. It was a very dangerous, very tricky, but also a horribly tempting thought.
"Okay, Third", she took a deep breath. "If you're willing…" she paused, eliciting a cautious nod from him. "But you promise me two things before, okay?"
He nodded in reply.
"One, you will not run away. Two, when I tell you to leave, you will leave and wait for me until I come to you to explain", she listed. "Can I count on that?"
Shinji seemed confused, but this did not stop him before – and it was not going to stop him now. "Of course? I promise?"
"Good", she smiled. "Now, I will go to my room. You… I think you should hide the body and destroy the evidence of your horrible crime on this cup. Follow me in five minutes. No sooner. Okay?"
Shinji's confusion returned. "Okay?"
"You'll understand. Trust me", she requested with a smug smile as she straightened. "See you in five", she grinned, kissed him on the cheek, and walked away, almost skipping again.
Shinji Ikari was left standing in the kitchen, with confusion in his mind and turmoil in his heart. 'This… is strange', was his only conclusion he could be reasonably certain of. 'Still, this went better than the last time… I guess. I suppose all we need to get along is a dose of mortal danger to get along', he concluded, half-bitter, half-amused before turning to the shattered ceramics. He was not sure what Asuka had in mind, but he knew better than to let her wait.
================================================================
And the kids are back to trying to communicate and carve their own way, with Asuka's subtlety and Shinji's confidence.
Next chapter is coming either in about a week - or in later August; it currently depends on factors beyond my control. I currently expect to have six or seven chapters of What happened, kids? in total, then it's back to Two Souls and Serious, Responsible Adults.
Edit: spelling fixes
Last edited:
I'm a little shocked that nobody's said anything yet. On the one hand, this is an awesome bit of character development that, for me at least, didn't feel forced. On the other it's an interesting case study in gently caressing lines that shouldn't be crossed, and I mean that in a couple of different ways. I liked it, but I'm also hoping for a fade to black or noodle incident treatment for the next implied scene. Can't have the kids figuring their hearts out too soon, y'know.
- Location
- On a powder keg, next to a fire
From my experience, no more than 10-20% of reaction-leaving readers post in the thread; there are (as you surely saw) some regulars and a few rare posters. That being said: welcome among the speakers
Thank you! I'm glad you like it. As I mentioned several times in various places (and I hold to that!), I let the story grow, simply considering how characters will behave. There are few set points (stations of the canon), like outside events (most prominent of them are of course Angel attacks), but what happens to characters is exactly that: "how would someone like this act in this very situation?"
I can't say much about the next chapter because it keeps changing (it is not easy to write, among others because of what you mentioned). It will definitely not be anything that crosses boundaries as SV defines them, but I don't like to leave the scenes too undefined unless it serves a specific purpose (so, a complete noodle incident is unlikely).
No matter what happens, it will definitely not magically resolve all problems with their emotions and feelings. Those are complicated and fumbling kids, and very little about them is simple.
I have no doubt. You've definitely earned my trust in the character development front. Its been a consistent joy whenever I see you've posted a new chapter.
- Location
- National Capital Region, USA
Previously:
....with an ambush in a discreet alleyway.
TBF, Shinji was trying to avoid her and sneak away. Tsk tsk, Third Child.
Um. Well... they're adults, anyway.
Now:
Welp, Asuka definitely kept her promise!
....with an ambush in a discreet alleyway.
TBF, Shinji was trying to avoid her and sneak away. Tsk tsk, Third Child.
My jaw dropped too. Wow, Shinji, you're really being flat out daring here... has it finally gotten through your skull of solid ShinjiIkarium (the densest material in all anime) that this is exactly what she wants? Amazing. I don't know what's stunning Asuka more: That he managed to pull it off without folding, or that he specifically is pulling it off because he wants to try a little more physical intimacy with her!
complaint, I think.
I foresee a fair bit of remedial classical education in Shinji's future. And then his rebuttal that she hasn't read The Tale of the Genji or seen Ran yet...
Looks suspiciously at Yui and Kyoko
Um. Well... they're adults, anyway.
I am soooo behind on SV...
grommile
nasty-minded old cynic
- Location
- NERV-Mercia
- Pronouns
- Traditional/Animate
As far as the lines that might incur Wrath of Mod go, I'm sure it'll stay firmly on the A&T side of them
- Location
- On a powder keg, next to a fire
Thank you! It makes me happy to know one more person is waiting for the updates
If you mean this literally, things on Angels will gratually change - and that had already started. If you mean this metaphorically, I'm not sure what would be the correct answer.
I see this as the appriopriate response to the offense. She simply anticipated his moves better than he planned them.Welp, Asuka definitely kept her promise!
....with an ambush in a discreet alleyway.
TBF, Shinji was trying to avoid her and sneak away. Tsk tsk, Third Child.
Shinji is allowed to have better days! And on better days, he can sometimes even, no matter how unthinkable it is, be just a little bit daring.
Thank you, one of the mistakes that is really hard to spot by machines and non-native readers both.
Good to see you back here! Good luck catching up, too!
Well said. While I do write smut, I see as a point of honor to label it properly and visibly so only truly interested people read it - and this story is definitely not that. This is rated Teen and shall remain so.
That being said, I do have minor doubts about one scene that is coming, but as it would be quite innocent in my culture, which is not very far from mainstream European, I guess I'll just take a chance.
Story, illustrated
- Location
- On a powder keg, next to a fire
On a somewhat related note, the story has gained its first art that now serves as a thumbnail! It is a work by Danai, a wonderful friend of mine.
Last edited:
If you have any doubts on a scene, it's probably worth running it by a mod (or amicus? I don't pay enough attention to forum moderation stuff). I wanted to suggest a mod who I know has dealt with that sorta subject on both sides, but.... They resigned, so nvm.
- Location
- On a powder keg, next to a fire
A while ago the policy was introduced (for legal reasons) to no longer do the content checks. Based on previous experiences and other content I see on SV, I will simply use common sense. I mentioned it just for the completness, not out of serious worry (hence the minor doubts).
I guess I was more right than I thought when I said I don't pay enough attention to moderation matters. Good to know.
- Location
- supernatural
That's all the Pilots need right now Misato giving them the talk.
- Location
- National Capital Region, USA
Shinji, you should always bear in mind that your She's-Not-My-Girlfriend-Well-Maybe-It's-Complicated-I'm-Not-Sure-Actually is smarter than you are, and accept your fate. Ironically, if you'd just tried to go straight home normally, you'd have escaped!
- Location
- Surrey
Shinji has finally hit on a universal truth: Beating on giant monsters is a tried and tested way to build the affections between even the most disparate of souls.
That or burying them in gifts.
Last edited:
- Location
- On a powder keg, next to a fire
Whereever I see that scene, it invariably ends up horribly, horribly awkward. That scene I already have written, and it is not going to The Talk. And no bananas will be involved.
On a barely related note, if cats are afraid of cucumbers, would PenPen be afraid of bananas? Of something else?
Well, Shinji - being just a guy who has been pushed into this with little training - plans simply. Asuka - being trained to be a soldier most of her life - plans using mixed strategy of some complexity - but not too high complexity, knowing that Shinji's plans are not going to be too complicated. And yes, Asuka's a genius - that helps a lot
A Not-A-Couple-At-All who slays together, stays together!
I suppose the 'burying in gifts' is an option once Shinji gets access to that money he had no knowledge of.
- Location
- On a powder keg, next to a fire
I rewatched Episode 11 (In the Still Darkness, the Matarel espisode) and I'm not sure which scene are you referring to? Could you point to one?
Regarding the whole Asuka putting on the moves, it really begins in Episode 10 with the kiss, but following that 11 is where Asuka begins visibly berating Shinji with extra intensity, especially around rival Rei. As for the other trivia tidbit, "we get paid??" is canon dialogue in episode In the Still Darkness (I think around where he gets off the payphone).
- Location
- On a powder keg, next to a fire
Considering Asuka keeps bothering Kaji for a while with the same 'teenager in love' energy (including entering his office in Episode 17, a scene I completely forgot about), I'm not convinced about the 'dropping' part, even if 'explore' part is indeed true.
That being said, it is already quite different here. The Kaji-directed crush may remain somewhere in her mind, but it's Shinji who is in focus right now.
I was quite sure this was just a part of a well-accepted fanon-originating joke. Huh. Will have to go back to that episode.
On a related note: the update is in the beta-reading and should be published here sometime between the next 6 and 12 hours.
What happened, kids? – chapter 5.
- Location
- On a powder keg, next to a fire
WHK?, chapter 5. – "Will you touch me?"
"Come in!"
Shinji slid the door of Asuka's room open, not sure what to expect – but determined to take it seriously.
To his surprise, the sight was fairly mundane: Asuka was sitting in her desk chair, putting away a book she was likely reading as he knocked at the door. The only notable difference was her changed attire: now she was wearing a loose yellow t-shirt that he saw her wear only on hot days at home – and a simple grey cloth skirt that ended just before her knee that he had never seen her wear before.
For some reason, this whole attire appealed to him far more than any fancy dress.
"Close the door", she requested. "If you're still willing to go through with it", she added, cautiously.
Shinji reached behind and slid the door close.
"Good", she smiled. "If Misato returns, we can simply tell her we studied together, or I can yell at you for intruding, or something like that", she chuckled. "Don't worry, she'd give you a scolding at worst. Now, turn around."
Shinji frowned at that but decided to obey. A few seconds of rustling sounds later, he started to wonder what was going on.
"You can turn back, and don't scream", he heard an amused, but also somewhat anxious voice. Turning around to see its source, he immediately understood why.
Asuka was lying face-down on her bed with her hands along her body, wearing the skirt she wore before – and only the skirt.
The Shinji Ikari's Train of Thought, a rather unstable vehicle full of anxiety, past experiences with Asuka, and general tendencies to behave cautiously, rapidly approached the Panic Station and sped past it. The only thing stopping him from reaching the Runaway Depot was Shinji's recent promise. But he was aware that even this was not going to stop him for long.
"A-Asuka?" a clearly panicked voice reached the redhead.
"What?" she raised her head just a bit from the pillow. "Were you going to massage me through my clothing?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him. "Come on, it's about as much as you see then we have swimming on PE, right?"
"Y-yes, but–"
"Keep going like that and I'm rising from this bed to talk to you properly", she threatened with a mean smirk. "And we'll see how well you'll fare then", she grinned.
'Well, I won't', she admitted to herself in a quick moment of sincerity, 'but I doubt he has enough guts to call me on that particular bluff. On the other hand…' she pondered, her cheeks slowly turning red in the process before she squashed that though. 'No. Nope. Making-out is fine, fondling is fine, but let's hold the horses', she chastised herself. "The baby oil is on the nightstand."
"Baby oil?" Shinji was doing his best to return his mind into the proper gear with the limited amount of blood he had on his disposal.
Asuka raised an eyebrow and lifted her head a bit further, making Shinji's task even harder. "Were you going to do it dry? I'm starting to question your competence here", she chuckled.
"No, I mean–" he stopped himself. "I respectfully require you hold your judgement until I actually perform, ma'am", he recited instead.
Asuka giggled, recognising the quote from the less-than-perfect but definitely enjoyable comedy they watched before the unfortunate spat.
"Well, I expect nothing but perfection, or I will file a customer complain", she replied more-or-less as the dialogue in the scene went.
"You're free to, but I'm afraid I'm self-employed", he retorted in-kind in a slightly more relaxed voice as he approached the bed.
'Let's hope this ends better than in the movie…' she giggled internally, having recalled that this particular scene ended in a wild street chase that lacked only Yakety Sax as a background. A small knot of anxiety tied in her stomach. 'Am I not moving too fast? What if he–'
His warm hands touched her shoulders and the knot flew away on the wings of butterflies that suddenly swept by. She let out a short purr as the hands moved about her neck and shoulders.
Shinji Ikari's hands were shaking. This was not much of a problem once they rested upon Asuka's skin, but that caused – or, actually, exacerbated – other problems. Still, he was trying his best to do what he can – first and foremost, he was trying not to hurt Asuka.
"Shinji?" a voice disrupted his focus.
"Y-yes?"
"I said it before and I'll say it again: I'm not made of glass", she insisted in a slightly slurred speech, her face resting against the pillow. "And while this is definitely pleasant… it's not doing the work", she elaborated. "Put some strength into it – I know you can", she demanded.
"I-I'll try", he hesitated.
Asuka rolled her eyes. "Do or do not. There is no try", she paused, her mood slightly soured by the certainty that Shinji will not get the joke. "Also, what's the worst that can happen? You can't give me any pain worse than we suffer in our Evas in battle", she insisted. 'Well, at least not physically…', she realised before squashing the thought. "Keep going!" she demanded louder.
"As you wish!" he replied in quite proper English, regaining his focus and completely missing the fact that this sentence made Asuka's ears go completely red.
Asuka was fighting an urge to purr. From the moment she told Shinji to use more force, the massage went from 'this is pleasant but he's messing around and this will get annoying soon' to 'he might not be very good at it but he's not that bad, either' to 'I'll kill him if he stops too soon' to less coherent and definitely forward sensations that were slowly radiating down her body.
This, of course, had made her wonder once more whether she was not going too far – but this time, it was about her own limits.
Thinking about his words did not help, either. Shinji was, most certainly, oblivious of the subtext of the phrase, having never seen the movie she associated it with. But for Asuka, it held meaning – and that meaning was currently running through her head. 'I wonder whether he would say it if he knew what it could mean… and how would I take it then', she pondered. 'We really, really, really need to talk about that little detail… about what we – ahh maybe later', she decided as a particularly well-placed pressure caused a pleasant shiver.
"Asuka? Are you all right?" a distant voice reached her.
"Keep going", she mumbled into the pillow, suddenly aware that she must have let out a moan or a particularly loud purr. "Don't mind me."
"As you wish", he replied with a smile, not helping the situation in the slightest.
'I will find that movie, with subtitles, and I will stare at you all the time while you watch that scene, and I will watch you go red as it goes on…'
Having a plan of revenge, Asuka Langley Soryu decided to simply enjoy the hands of a musician she currently found herself in.
A softer touch to her side sent another, unexpected wave of pleasure along her body. 'Uh oh' was her only realisation. This was definitely pleasant, maybe even too pleasant. 'Hold it. Hold it right there.'
"Shinji…" she spoke up.
"Yes?" his hands stopped short of repeating the same touch on the other side of her body.
"Let's…" she paused, trying to find the right words, knowing that every one of them could make or break the moment. "Keep doing what you were doing before… but go no further. Okay?"
"Asuka?" his hands moved away.
"I didn't say 'stop', id-Shinji", she let out a heavy breath. "I said 'no further'. Keep going", she demanded and paused, looking for words. It was anything but trivial in her current state of relaxation, though. "Just… don't do that last thing, okay?"
"As–"
"And–" she interrupted a bit harsher than she wished to. "And don't say that… not yet. I'll explain later, okay?"
He hesitated, but this has not been the strangest request he ever heard from Asuka – and saw no reason not to comply. "Of course, Asuka. Any… particular wishes?"
"I'm… fine. I think. Focus on the shoulders and spine…" she requested before pausing again. "But remember, you have to be able to write and cook tomorrow", she added weakly. An odd sensation in her stomach reminded her that the cooking part was also about today.
"I can go for a few more minutes", he replied. "I mean, it's quite fine."
"'Fine'?" she chuckled weakly. "You have your hands on the hottest girl at school and it's just 'fine'?"
"I-I mean I–" he started in a panicked voice.
A giggle interrupted him. "Gott, you're so easy to fluster it's almost no fun. Just… finish when you start to get tired, okay? I think I'm starting to get hungry."
"Oh. Right", his voice suggested a sudden realisation. "Good that Misato didn't return, she'd have a lot of questions", he added as his hands started to move again.
"Nah. She'd just think we got into an argument and I went to sulk and you got burdened by guilt–ahh you're sure you never did this before?"
"Pretty sure, but your reactions are quite good tells", he explained.
A thought appeared in Asuka's mind, a devious, very inappropriate, but also very insistent thought. She pushed it aside before speaking up, forcing the tattered remnants of her will into shaping the sentence. "Okay, I think I'm more hungry than I am tense…" she half-lied. "So… could we move to the 'food' part?"
"Ah. Sure", he quickly finished the down-the-spine movement and pulled his hands away. "I'll… get to making something right away", he stood up and took a step towards the door.
"Shinji?"
"Yes?"
"Thank you", Asuka started to rise slowly from the bed, her back still turned to him.
"Noproblemnoproblematall!" he rattled out, slid the door open, and departed – all within three seconds.
Asuka tilted her head before sitting on the bed, looking down, and realising her state of undress. 'Oh. Fuck. I think… I think I got sloppy', she concluded. 'Or not. Or maybe I simply feel safer around him?'
She stretched; while far from perfect, her shoulders felt far better. 'If he doesn't die from a heart attack right there and doesn't run away right now, I guess I'll have to ask him to do this again… But with a bit more… precautions', she giggled. 'I… I don't think any of us is ready for this particular step. Speaking of which…'
Rising from the bed and retrieving her t-shirt, she slid the door close.
It was dark outside as the two teenagers were sitting at the table, engaged in a process that could only be described as 'wolfing the food down'. Even Shinji, usually concerned about the table manners, was keeping them to a bare minimum.
Asuka's bowl was first to hit the table. "Gott, this is kind of impressive", she spoke up as she swallowed the last mouthful. "You made this in less than fifteen minutes, and it's far better than that shit Misato needs an hour to brew."
Shinji smiled sheepishly between his final bites and finished his meal as his favourite redhead continued her praise.
"Another talent to add to the list of benefits of…" she paused, suddenly realising she just talked herself in a bit of a corner; this realisation was immediately confirmed by a half-scared, half-curious look from Shinji. "Of having you", she finished. 'Great, that sounded just brilliant, didn't it? Just like I was thinking about owning him', she grumbled internally. 'On the other hand, it's not that far-fetched…'
"Asuka?" she suddenly heard a concerned tone and realised Shinji was no longer at the table – he was standing above her, his hand approaching her face. "Are you all right? You're all red."
"I'm fine!" she protested quickly. "Just…" she paused for a second. "It was quite hot, okay? I got flushed", she rattled out a fast lie. "I'm fine. So… what's on the menu now?" she quickly changed the subject. 'If he says 'you', I'm going to slap him, and then kiss him', she chuckled internally.
Shinji raised an eyebrow. "Nothing, food-wise", he replied as he picked up her bowl. "But I believe we still have homework to do."
"Ah, yes. Homework", Asuka grumbled, her mood momentarily soured. "What sins have I committed to deserve that?" she sighed dramatically.
"I don't know, but my guess would be pride and wrath", Shinji replied from the kitchen tabletop, speaking over the sound of running water.
"Yeah, I guess–wait, did you just take a jab at my impeccable character?" Asuka's tone suddenly changed to a mix of anger and disbelief.
Shinji turned to face her, freshly washed pot in his hands. He shrugged softly. "I believe I did", he smiled. "Should I commit an honourable suicide with this pot, or do you prefer to execute me yourself, adding veracity to the charge of being guilty of wrath?"
Asuka narrowed her eyes. "If 'being meek' was a sin, you'd be for a really long, long penance. Lucky for you, it is the meek who shall inherit the Earth, or at least so it was promised", she shrugged. "I don't see how this would work, though. Oh well, it's no time for Bible lessons", she concluded as she rose from her seat, approached Shinji, and took the pot out of his hands. "Keep doing the dishes, I'll dry them out. Misato might be working late, but I hate wasting time when we could be spending it in a far better way."
"Like how?" he asked, his eyebrow raised. Asuka was about to call him an idiot again when she noticed a minor twitch of his lips. She chuckled.
"Like 'talking', you know", Asuka smiled. 'And perhaps adding "lust" to the list of my sins today?', she thought unexpectedly. She got that thought under control, but not before blushing again.
"Asuka? Are you all right?"
"I'm fine", she lied, grabbing the plate in his hands and applying the dishtowel with a vengeance. "I just got a lot on my mind, okay? And no", she quickly added as she saw him open his mouth, "I don't want to talk about. Not yet. Let me think it over beforehand, okay?"
Shinji's mind considered the first automatic answer – an apology – and rejected it. Then it moved to the second – the 'as you wish' phrase he must have acquired from somewhere – before rejecting it due to Asuka's wish not long ago. Bereft of two ready options, his autopilot threw up an error and requested the driver's input. Shinji shook his head.
"Well, take all the time you need… you know where to find me", he paused as he realised something. "Say, what was the sin where you don't do your work?"
"Yes, I know where you live. And the answer to your question is 'sloth'", she replied, chuckling at the obvious change of subject. "Is this some oh-so-subtle suggestion on your part?" she raised an eyebrow.
"Well, the homework…" he reminded her again.
Asuka rolled her eyes. "Fine, fine", she grumbled. "I'll get to it. If you're so concerned, you can stand over me when I do", she chuckled.
"Well, we can do them together here, right?" Shinji pointed to the kitchen table.
Asuka pondered for a moment. She enjoyed the privacy of her room, but she had to admit that spending time with Shinji was kind of pleasant, even if they are were not doing things together, but next to each other. On the other hand, she was sorely tempted to simply ditch today's work. On yet another…
"Sure, why not", she paused and considered her other plans for the evening before continuing. "Give me about twenty minutes and I'll be here… then we can get to it."
"Asuka, that's not all. There are two problems left in the Math homework", Shinji pointed out.
"You're worse than Misato, sometimes", Asuka grumbled.
Shinji raised his eyebrow. "I don't remember her berating us about our homework recently. Last time was more than a month ago? While we were stuck here, and our classmates were in Okinawa? It's almost as if she stopped caring", his voice suddenly got sadder.
Asuka let out a sigh. "I think she does, just doesn't have much time to spare. I don't know. She's not that bad, to be honest."
"Maybe you're right", he sighed. "I'm worried about her, actually."
Asuka chuckled. "You're worried just about anyone, you know? Me, Misato, your buddies…"
"Not anyone. I worry about people I like, that's all", he smiled absentmindedly.
'And here goes my peaceful night, turned into a mill of thinking', the redhead grumbled internally. 'If we don't have this talk soon, I'll go crazy. Or I'll murder him to cut the uncertainty. We're dating-except-not-but-actually-we-do, but… ugh.'
"Asuka?" a distant voice struck again.
"What?" she asked angrily before realising what was going on and where she was. "Ah. Right. Maths. Okay, what's next?"
Somewhere on the head of Shinji Ikari, another hair started to turn grey.
Later that evening
Misato Katsuragi returned home just before midnight, finding it dark and silent. She sighed heavily; her work has been taking its toll; as much as she wanted to spend time with her kids – her kids still sounding odd in her mind, but she could not argue with the facts – she was simply not able to.
She entered the kitchen and found a note on the fridge: "I am sorry, I had no time to cook anything proper, I hope this will suffice. Please warm it up before eating. S."
She smiled, then frowned. 'What could have occupied Shin-chan?', she pondered, then shook it off. She was too tired to think about it and set out to warm her late supper. It might be called 'not elaborate' by his standards for sure, but it was still far better than what she would have ever prepared herself.
Halfway the meal and past first can of beer, she froze.
"They. Didn't."
She jumped to her feet and rushed to Shinji's room. Peeking through the narrow slit between the door and the wall, she sighed in relief. He was in his bed, alone. She stepped back, intending to finish her meal.
Another paranoid thought seized her.
"What if…"
She ran to her condom stash; she had shown its location to Shinji, telling him to use it in a case he needed it; she had the mercy not to say: "in an unlikely case you need them". All accounted for, except the one she used for the demonstration during The Talk she gave them not so long ago. 'Some even expired', an annoying voice in the back of her head pointed out. She growled at it, aware of both its truthfulness and irrelevancy.
She shook her head. "I'm getting too jumpy…" she admitted to herself and returned to her meal, finishing it before another thought struck her and she went pale.
'Damn it. If no condom is missing… what if this means they ignored protection altogether?' she broke a cold sweat. 'Ritsuko will kill me slowly and messily if she is forced to create a maternity plugsuit, and the Commander is going to question my abilities to control the pilots… not to mention the chaos and embarrassment it will bring. But there is no way to verify it… except asking them. God, I didn't think taking care of them would involve this', she facepalmed.
She looked at the empty can on the table and decided she was still too sober for this. Opening the cabinet, she pulled a bottle of bourbon she kept for emergencies and poured herself a double.
'I must confront them in the morning…'
================================================================
There. A bit later than I hoped for, a bit earlier than I thought realistic.
Next chapter is likely to come around early September, and will likely not be final for this side-story. Writing has slowed down due to several other projects popping up and being given attention, along with me having less time again (holiday season => smaller team => greater workload on people who are currently not enjoying the sun and exposing themselves to infection in crowded holiday locations) - but the awkwardness shall progress!
"Come in!"
Shinji slid the door of Asuka's room open, not sure what to expect – but determined to take it seriously.
To his surprise, the sight was fairly mundane: Asuka was sitting in her desk chair, putting away a book she was likely reading as he knocked at the door. The only notable difference was her changed attire: now she was wearing a loose yellow t-shirt that he saw her wear only on hot days at home – and a simple grey cloth skirt that ended just before her knee that he had never seen her wear before.
For some reason, this whole attire appealed to him far more than any fancy dress.
"Close the door", she requested. "If you're still willing to go through with it", she added, cautiously.
Shinji reached behind and slid the door close.
"Good", she smiled. "If Misato returns, we can simply tell her we studied together, or I can yell at you for intruding, or something like that", she chuckled. "Don't worry, she'd give you a scolding at worst. Now, turn around."
Shinji frowned at that but decided to obey. A few seconds of rustling sounds later, he started to wonder what was going on.
"You can turn back, and don't scream", he heard an amused, but also somewhat anxious voice. Turning around to see its source, he immediately understood why.
Asuka was lying face-down on her bed with her hands along her body, wearing the skirt she wore before – and only the skirt.
The Shinji Ikari's Train of Thought, a rather unstable vehicle full of anxiety, past experiences with Asuka, and general tendencies to behave cautiously, rapidly approached the Panic Station and sped past it. The only thing stopping him from reaching the Runaway Depot was Shinji's recent promise. But he was aware that even this was not going to stop him for long.
"A-Asuka?" a clearly panicked voice reached the redhead.
"What?" she raised her head just a bit from the pillow. "Were you going to massage me through my clothing?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him. "Come on, it's about as much as you see then we have swimming on PE, right?"
"Y-yes, but–"
"Keep going like that and I'm rising from this bed to talk to you properly", she threatened with a mean smirk. "And we'll see how well you'll fare then", she grinned.
'Well, I won't', she admitted to herself in a quick moment of sincerity, 'but I doubt he has enough guts to call me on that particular bluff. On the other hand…' she pondered, her cheeks slowly turning red in the process before she squashed that though. 'No. Nope. Making-out is fine, fondling is fine, but let's hold the horses', she chastised herself. "The baby oil is on the nightstand."
"Baby oil?" Shinji was doing his best to return his mind into the proper gear with the limited amount of blood he had on his disposal.
Asuka raised an eyebrow and lifted her head a bit further, making Shinji's task even harder. "Were you going to do it dry? I'm starting to question your competence here", she chuckled.
"No, I mean–" he stopped himself. "I respectfully require you hold your judgement until I actually perform, ma'am", he recited instead.
Asuka giggled, recognising the quote from the less-than-perfect but definitely enjoyable comedy they watched before the unfortunate spat.
"Well, I expect nothing but perfection, or I will file a customer complain", she replied more-or-less as the dialogue in the scene went.
"You're free to, but I'm afraid I'm self-employed", he retorted in-kind in a slightly more relaxed voice as he approached the bed.
'Let's hope this ends better than in the movie…' she giggled internally, having recalled that this particular scene ended in a wild street chase that lacked only Yakety Sax as a background. A small knot of anxiety tied in her stomach. 'Am I not moving too fast? What if he–'
His warm hands touched her shoulders and the knot flew away on the wings of butterflies that suddenly swept by. She let out a short purr as the hands moved about her neck and shoulders.
***
Shinji Ikari's hands were shaking. This was not much of a problem once they rested upon Asuka's skin, but that caused – or, actually, exacerbated – other problems. Still, he was trying his best to do what he can – first and foremost, he was trying not to hurt Asuka.
"Shinji?" a voice disrupted his focus.
"Y-yes?"
"I said it before and I'll say it again: I'm not made of glass", she insisted in a slightly slurred speech, her face resting against the pillow. "And while this is definitely pleasant… it's not doing the work", she elaborated. "Put some strength into it – I know you can", she demanded.
"I-I'll try", he hesitated.
Asuka rolled her eyes. "Do or do not. There is no try", she paused, her mood slightly soured by the certainty that Shinji will not get the joke. "Also, what's the worst that can happen? You can't give me any pain worse than we suffer in our Evas in battle", she insisted. 'Well, at least not physically…', she realised before squashing the thought. "Keep going!" she demanded louder.
"As you wish!" he replied in quite proper English, regaining his focus and completely missing the fact that this sentence made Asuka's ears go completely red.
***
Asuka was fighting an urge to purr. From the moment she told Shinji to use more force, the massage went from 'this is pleasant but he's messing around and this will get annoying soon' to 'he might not be very good at it but he's not that bad, either' to 'I'll kill him if he stops too soon' to less coherent and definitely forward sensations that were slowly radiating down her body.
This, of course, had made her wonder once more whether she was not going too far – but this time, it was about her own limits.
Thinking about his words did not help, either. Shinji was, most certainly, oblivious of the subtext of the phrase, having never seen the movie she associated it with. But for Asuka, it held meaning – and that meaning was currently running through her head. 'I wonder whether he would say it if he knew what it could mean… and how would I take it then', she pondered. 'We really, really, really need to talk about that little detail… about what we – ahh maybe later', she decided as a particularly well-placed pressure caused a pleasant shiver.
"Asuka? Are you all right?" a distant voice reached her.
"Keep going", she mumbled into the pillow, suddenly aware that she must have let out a moan or a particularly loud purr. "Don't mind me."
"As you wish", he replied with a smile, not helping the situation in the slightest.
'I will find that movie, with subtitles, and I will stare at you all the time while you watch that scene, and I will watch you go red as it goes on…'
Having a plan of revenge, Asuka Langley Soryu decided to simply enjoy the hands of a musician she currently found herself in.
***
A softer touch to her side sent another, unexpected wave of pleasure along her body. 'Uh oh' was her only realisation. This was definitely pleasant, maybe even too pleasant. 'Hold it. Hold it right there.'
"Shinji…" she spoke up.
"Yes?" his hands stopped short of repeating the same touch on the other side of her body.
"Let's…" she paused, trying to find the right words, knowing that every one of them could make or break the moment. "Keep doing what you were doing before… but go no further. Okay?"
"Asuka?" his hands moved away.
"I didn't say 'stop', id-Shinji", she let out a heavy breath. "I said 'no further'. Keep going", she demanded and paused, looking for words. It was anything but trivial in her current state of relaxation, though. "Just… don't do that last thing, okay?"
"As–"
"And–" she interrupted a bit harsher than she wished to. "And don't say that… not yet. I'll explain later, okay?"
He hesitated, but this has not been the strangest request he ever heard from Asuka – and saw no reason not to comply. "Of course, Asuka. Any… particular wishes?"
"I'm… fine. I think. Focus on the shoulders and spine…" she requested before pausing again. "But remember, you have to be able to write and cook tomorrow", she added weakly. An odd sensation in her stomach reminded her that the cooking part was also about today.
"I can go for a few more minutes", he replied. "I mean, it's quite fine."
"'Fine'?" she chuckled weakly. "You have your hands on the hottest girl at school and it's just 'fine'?"
"I-I mean I–" he started in a panicked voice.
A giggle interrupted him. "Gott, you're so easy to fluster it's almost no fun. Just… finish when you start to get tired, okay? I think I'm starting to get hungry."
"Oh. Right", his voice suggested a sudden realisation. "Good that Misato didn't return, she'd have a lot of questions", he added as his hands started to move again.
"Nah. She'd just think we got into an argument and I went to sulk and you got burdened by guilt–ahh you're sure you never did this before?"
"Pretty sure, but your reactions are quite good tells", he explained.
A thought appeared in Asuka's mind, a devious, very inappropriate, but also very insistent thought. She pushed it aside before speaking up, forcing the tattered remnants of her will into shaping the sentence. "Okay, I think I'm more hungry than I am tense…" she half-lied. "So… could we move to the 'food' part?"
"Ah. Sure", he quickly finished the down-the-spine movement and pulled his hands away. "I'll… get to making something right away", he stood up and took a step towards the door.
"Shinji?"
"Yes?"
"Thank you", Asuka started to rise slowly from the bed, her back still turned to him.
"Noproblemnoproblematall!" he rattled out, slid the door open, and departed – all within three seconds.
Asuka tilted her head before sitting on the bed, looking down, and realising her state of undress. 'Oh. Fuck. I think… I think I got sloppy', she concluded. 'Or not. Or maybe I simply feel safer around him?'
She stretched; while far from perfect, her shoulders felt far better. 'If he doesn't die from a heart attack right there and doesn't run away right now, I guess I'll have to ask him to do this again… But with a bit more… precautions', she giggled. 'I… I don't think any of us is ready for this particular step. Speaking of which…'
Rising from the bed and retrieving her t-shirt, she slid the door close.
***
It was dark outside as the two teenagers were sitting at the table, engaged in a process that could only be described as 'wolfing the food down'. Even Shinji, usually concerned about the table manners, was keeping them to a bare minimum.
Asuka's bowl was first to hit the table. "Gott, this is kind of impressive", she spoke up as she swallowed the last mouthful. "You made this in less than fifteen minutes, and it's far better than that shit Misato needs an hour to brew."
Shinji smiled sheepishly between his final bites and finished his meal as his favourite redhead continued her praise.
"Another talent to add to the list of benefits of…" she paused, suddenly realising she just talked herself in a bit of a corner; this realisation was immediately confirmed by a half-scared, half-curious look from Shinji. "Of having you", she finished. 'Great, that sounded just brilliant, didn't it? Just like I was thinking about owning him', she grumbled internally. 'On the other hand, it's not that far-fetched…'
"Asuka?" she suddenly heard a concerned tone and realised Shinji was no longer at the table – he was standing above her, his hand approaching her face. "Are you all right? You're all red."
"I'm fine!" she protested quickly. "Just…" she paused for a second. "It was quite hot, okay? I got flushed", she rattled out a fast lie. "I'm fine. So… what's on the menu now?" she quickly changed the subject. 'If he says 'you', I'm going to slap him, and then kiss him', she chuckled internally.
Shinji raised an eyebrow. "Nothing, food-wise", he replied as he picked up her bowl. "But I believe we still have homework to do."
"Ah, yes. Homework", Asuka grumbled, her mood momentarily soured. "What sins have I committed to deserve that?" she sighed dramatically.
"I don't know, but my guess would be pride and wrath", Shinji replied from the kitchen tabletop, speaking over the sound of running water.
"Yeah, I guess–wait, did you just take a jab at my impeccable character?" Asuka's tone suddenly changed to a mix of anger and disbelief.
Shinji turned to face her, freshly washed pot in his hands. He shrugged softly. "I believe I did", he smiled. "Should I commit an honourable suicide with this pot, or do you prefer to execute me yourself, adding veracity to the charge of being guilty of wrath?"
Asuka narrowed her eyes. "If 'being meek' was a sin, you'd be for a really long, long penance. Lucky for you, it is the meek who shall inherit the Earth, or at least so it was promised", she shrugged. "I don't see how this would work, though. Oh well, it's no time for Bible lessons", she concluded as she rose from her seat, approached Shinji, and took the pot out of his hands. "Keep doing the dishes, I'll dry them out. Misato might be working late, but I hate wasting time when we could be spending it in a far better way."
"Like how?" he asked, his eyebrow raised. Asuka was about to call him an idiot again when she noticed a minor twitch of his lips. She chuckled.
"Like 'talking', you know", Asuka smiled. 'And perhaps adding "lust" to the list of my sins today?', she thought unexpectedly. She got that thought under control, but not before blushing again.
"Asuka? Are you all right?"
"I'm fine", she lied, grabbing the plate in his hands and applying the dishtowel with a vengeance. "I just got a lot on my mind, okay? And no", she quickly added as she saw him open his mouth, "I don't want to talk about. Not yet. Let me think it over beforehand, okay?"
Shinji's mind considered the first automatic answer – an apology – and rejected it. Then it moved to the second – the 'as you wish' phrase he must have acquired from somewhere – before rejecting it due to Asuka's wish not long ago. Bereft of two ready options, his autopilot threw up an error and requested the driver's input. Shinji shook his head.
"Well, take all the time you need… you know where to find me", he paused as he realised something. "Say, what was the sin where you don't do your work?"
"Yes, I know where you live. And the answer to your question is 'sloth'", she replied, chuckling at the obvious change of subject. "Is this some oh-so-subtle suggestion on your part?" she raised an eyebrow.
"Well, the homework…" he reminded her again.
Asuka rolled her eyes. "Fine, fine", she grumbled. "I'll get to it. If you're so concerned, you can stand over me when I do", she chuckled.
"Well, we can do them together here, right?" Shinji pointed to the kitchen table.
Asuka pondered for a moment. She enjoyed the privacy of her room, but she had to admit that spending time with Shinji was kind of pleasant, even if they are were not doing things together, but next to each other. On the other hand, she was sorely tempted to simply ditch today's work. On yet another…
"Sure, why not", she paused and considered her other plans for the evening before continuing. "Give me about twenty minutes and I'll be here… then we can get to it."
***
"Asuka, that's not all. There are two problems left in the Math homework", Shinji pointed out.
"You're worse than Misato, sometimes", Asuka grumbled.
Shinji raised his eyebrow. "I don't remember her berating us about our homework recently. Last time was more than a month ago? While we were stuck here, and our classmates were in Okinawa? It's almost as if she stopped caring", his voice suddenly got sadder.
Asuka let out a sigh. "I think she does, just doesn't have much time to spare. I don't know. She's not that bad, to be honest."
"Maybe you're right", he sighed. "I'm worried about her, actually."
Asuka chuckled. "You're worried just about anyone, you know? Me, Misato, your buddies…"
"Not anyone. I worry about people I like, that's all", he smiled absentmindedly.
'And here goes my peaceful night, turned into a mill of thinking', the redhead grumbled internally. 'If we don't have this talk soon, I'll go crazy. Or I'll murder him to cut the uncertainty. We're dating-except-not-but-actually-we-do, but… ugh.'
"Asuka?" a distant voice struck again.
"What?" she asked angrily before realising what was going on and where she was. "Ah. Right. Maths. Okay, what's next?"
Somewhere on the head of Shinji Ikari, another hair started to turn grey.
***
Later that evening
Misato Katsuragi returned home just before midnight, finding it dark and silent. She sighed heavily; her work has been taking its toll; as much as she wanted to spend time with her kids – her kids still sounding odd in her mind, but she could not argue with the facts – she was simply not able to.
She entered the kitchen and found a note on the fridge: "I am sorry, I had no time to cook anything proper, I hope this will suffice. Please warm it up before eating. S."
She smiled, then frowned. 'What could have occupied Shin-chan?', she pondered, then shook it off. She was too tired to think about it and set out to warm her late supper. It might be called 'not elaborate' by his standards for sure, but it was still far better than what she would have ever prepared herself.
Halfway the meal and past first can of beer, she froze.
"They. Didn't."
She jumped to her feet and rushed to Shinji's room. Peeking through the narrow slit between the door and the wall, she sighed in relief. He was in his bed, alone. She stepped back, intending to finish her meal.
Another paranoid thought seized her.
"What if…"
She ran to her condom stash; she had shown its location to Shinji, telling him to use it in a case he needed it; she had the mercy not to say: "in an unlikely case you need them". All accounted for, except the one she used for the demonstration during The Talk she gave them not so long ago. 'Some even expired', an annoying voice in the back of her head pointed out. She growled at it, aware of both its truthfulness and irrelevancy.
She shook her head. "I'm getting too jumpy…" she admitted to herself and returned to her meal, finishing it before another thought struck her and she went pale.
'Damn it. If no condom is missing… what if this means they ignored protection altogether?' she broke a cold sweat. 'Ritsuko will kill me slowly and messily if she is forced to create a maternity plugsuit, and the Commander is going to question my abilities to control the pilots… not to mention the chaos and embarrassment it will bring. But there is no way to verify it… except asking them. God, I didn't think taking care of them would involve this', she facepalmed.
She looked at the empty can on the table and decided she was still too sober for this. Opening the cabinet, she pulled a bottle of bourbon she kept for emergencies and poured herself a double.
'I must confront them in the morning…'
================================================================
There. A bit later than I hoped for, a bit earlier than I thought realistic.
Next chapter is likely to come around early September, and will likely not be final for this side-story. Writing has slowed down due to several other projects popping up and being given attention, along with me having less time again (holiday season => smaller team => greater workload on people who are currently not enjoying the sun and exposing themselves to infection in crowded holiday locations) - but the awkwardness shall progress!
- Location
- National Capital Region, USA
I want her to do this just to see the look on Ritsuko's face.
- Location
- On a powder keg, next to a fire
That would be a good, albeit rather costly joke - and not just at her own expense. So, funny as it might be, she's unlikely to pull that one
I was wondering whether Misato should not have reverted to thinking of her as "Akagi", but decided against it. Hostile as they may be now, this does not change their past, especially when one is thinking fast and panicky.