Kaworu walked seemingly non-chalantly down the hallways of the school, backpack in hand. A few more turns and he was at his destination: Shinji's hiding place, an empty abandoned classroom far from traffic, where he would secretly play his cello. He stopped outside the door, hearing the soft sound of Shinji's music floating gracefully through. A soft smile tugged at his lips, Shinji-kun is truly talented, thought Kaworu to himself.

The door made no noise as he opened it, and he quietly stepped inside. Kaworu's eyes immediately went to Shinji and his breath caught in his throat. The windows had been thrown open, letting the light of the setting sun shine into the classroom. All the desks in the classroom had been pushed to one side of the room and one lone chair sat in the middle of the empty space. Shinji sat there, cello between his knees, the slim fingers of his left hand dancing nimbly up and down the fingerboard while his right hand brought the bow back and forth across the strings. He looked almost ethereal in the orange light, his head softly swaying in time to the music and the light playing with the strands of his brown hair. If Kaworu could see his face, he would see Shinji's brows furrowed slightly in a mixture of concentration and peace, eyes closed and lips parted.

"Hello, Shinji-kun." He almost chuckled as Shinji jumped, dropping his bow and letting out a startled yell.

The brown-haired boy twirled around in his chair to face the intruder only to find a smiling, gray-haired Kaworu standing at the entrance of his sanctuary. "Kaworu," his posture relaxed slightly, "W-what are you doing here?"

Kaworu let his eyes roam over Shinji's tense form; Shinji was still uncomfortable around other people. "Nothing, actually. I was just wandering the school grounds." He smiled warmly at his friend, happy when his smile was returned by a smaller, slightly uncertain one. He watched as Shinji bent to retrieve his bow from the floor. "I heard you playing, Shinji-kun, and may I say, you play beautifully." A soft chuckle escaped his lips as Shinji abruptly sat up.

"Oh, you heard?" he smiled bashfully, "It's not that great. " A slim hand went to scratch his neck in embarrassment.

Kaworu said nothing as he walked to the side of the room where all the desks and chairs were. At the corner of his ruby eyes he could see Shimji watching him curiously as he dragged a desk across the room. He stopped in front of Shinji, positioning the desk so that he wouldn't be facing Shinji directly. He didn't want to make the cellist uncomfortable. He sat down in the desk, crossing his legs at the knee and resting his head in his hand. Shinji watched the whole time. Kaworu smiled encouragingly, "Please, continue playing, Shinji-kun."

"Oh," Shinji blinked, snapping out of his daze, "Right." Kaworu thought he saw pink begin to tinge Shinji's cheeks, but it could have just as easily have been the reddish tone of the setting sun. He observed and listened silently as Shinji lifted the bow to the strings and began to play.

A sense of calm crept over the room as the low, melodious notes emerged from the wooden instrument. No Kaworu corrected himself, The music came from Shinji-kun He was making the music. You could tell by the way his eyes drifted shut, an unknown emotion crossing into his features, his lips slowly parting, and his entire body beginning to rock back and forth to the melody, that Shinji put his entire soul into what he played.

And as he watched, Kaworu found his thoughts wandering to other possible situations where Shinji's eyes would close, a different kind of emotion crossing his face. His lips would part for a completely other reason, and his body would move to a different kind of music. But those kind of thoughts are inappropriate, Kaworu chastised himself and returned his full attention to Shinji's music.

A peaceful feeling washed over Shinji as Kaworu sat there. It was different from when he played by himself, but it was still pleasant. He was playing for someone else now. He wasn't alone. Glancing up, Shinji found ruby red eyes watching him intently. A warm smile appeared appeared on Kaworu's face and Shinji's hand froze in mid-stroke. This time there was no question that his cheeks were flushed . He stood up abruptly and turned away from Kaworu to retrieve his cello case. His hands were shaking.

Kaworu frowned, "Is there something wrong, Shinji-kun?" he asked concernedly.

With a shake of his head, Shinji replied, "No, I... I just have to go back to my house now. It's starting to get dark." he explained.

Sure enough, Kaworu saw as he glanced towards the open window, the sky had begun to turn a deep purple and the breeze was becoming cooler as well. Kaworu sighed inwardly, "Then please allow me to walk you home." he offered.

Shinji blushed, but nodded.

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A/N: My first fanfic!!! Commenting will encourage me to continue. Flaming me will make me laugh (I'm a pyromaniac)