Note : Okay I finally edited this story with the help of Teresa who did a great job revising this piece of crap , and my wonderful Dagga-sama who made me care about my stories again – you rock girl !

This story dawned on me when I was trying not to fall asleep during classes (having your teacher perfectly impersonate Rei when he speaks doesn't help), and it wouldn't leave my mind till I had finished it. It was the first time I wrote anything so fast, it actually took me more time to type it than to hand write it.

Warning : It is a MayaxRitsuko, be warned, If you don't like f/f pairing leave now.
I know it's pure fluff, let's just say I'm a hopeless romantic

Disclamer : Gainax owns all the fun, which is safer in a way. If I owned Evangelion, Rei would be all mine, Misato would wander around Nerv half naked, Asuka would be back in Germany, Maya and Ritsuko would be happily married and Gendo would die in a very slow and painful way. See, it's not the case !

On with the story!

Late night conversation

It was late at Nerv's Headquarter. Every living soul had left two hours ago. Except two.

Doctor Akagi had decided to stay in her office all night as again. She told everyone she had a lot of work to do. In fact she just didn't want to go back to her home, in a way she was already at home. She spent more time at Nerv that at her own apartment, and except the cats, there was no one waiting for her there anyway.

She was starring blankly at the screen, instead of reading. She had promised the Commander she would update MAGI's system before the end of the week. And she would, yet this time she couldn't keep her eyes open. She drifted in a deep slumber, her head resting on the keyboard.

The other person in the building was actually standing at Doctor Akagi's office door.

Lieutenant Ibuki didn't want to go home either, though her actual reasons were different. She was worried about her sempai. It had been three days since the last time the doctor left Nerv.

Maya looked around. The whole building was deserted, the only light coming from the emergency exit signs. There hadn't been an angel attack for a long time and the commander had given the staff the night off. Maya had her suspicions about the Commander's honesty, bust she wasn't going to complain.

She was holding a hot cup of coffee in her hand. She knew Ritsuko was as hooked on this beverage as the Major was on Yebisu. She was starring blankly at the door, unsure about how her sempai was going to react. Over the past few weeks they had grown closer, but not as close as Maya wanted to, maybe not even close enough for her to be allowed to enter her sempai's sanctuary at night. Doctor Akagi instilled fear and respect and Maya, being maybe the shyest person on Earth, was utterly scared of her. But as much as she feared her, she also cared a lot for her. And there was something, that little voice on the back of Maya's head, urging her, pleading her to knock the damn door.

She knocked.

She waited.

There was no answer. The doctor was probably too engrossed in her work to hear her. Maya was about to leave when she noticed something unusual. In the deep silence of Nerv's building she couldn't hear even the slightest sound. The familiar clicking sound of Ritsuko typing on her computer wasn't there. What if something bad had occurred to her? Maya panicked. She grabbed the doorknob and rushed inside the room.

She stopped dead in her track at the sight.

Doctor Akagi Ritsuko was peacefully sleeping on her desk. Her hair was ruffled and fell in her eyes where they were not held back by her glasses. Drool was spilling from her open mouth and Maya could here a slight snore coming from her.

The sight was unusual…. 'And cute', Maya couldn't help but think.

She set the cup on the desk and bent over her sempai. She called her softly. The Doctor shifted position in her sleep but didn't wake up. A stray strand of hair fell in her face, making her wrinkle her noise. Maya smiled, she reached for the strand and replaced it behind Ritsuko's ear. Even asleep Akagi Ritsuko had that power over the younger technician. She would left her petrified by her mere presence ; she would make her feel dizzy for no reason and she would make her stare in complete adoration by doing something as common as drinking coffee. Or sleeping. However tonight, the slobber hanging from the corner of her mouth was too much for Maya to take. Among all she things she thought of her sempai, she found her extremely beautiful. And sexy. So either she would explode , and ravished her right there in her sleep, or… just reach out and wiped the saliva away with her thumb, which is what she did. And that's when Ritsuko woke up.

She weakly opened an eye and through the fog in her brain she made out the shape of an angel bent over her. She smiled. In fact it was her assistant sweetly smiling back at her. Her grin grew wider. But as soon as she realized that, the mentioned assistant jerked her hand away as if burnt and blushed fiercely.

"Maya!" A startled Ritsuko exclaimed. "What are you doing here? "

"I'm sorry sempai!" Maya squeaked out "I didn't want to wake you up, I just wanted to…"

Ritsuko's gaze fell on the coffee cup beside her.

" You made coffee!" She exclaimed happily "Maya, you're such a sweetheart!"

The last part made Maya's blush become a deeper shade of red, but Ritsuko couldn't care less. She brought the cup to her lips and took a sip. The coffee was cold.

"How long have you been standing here?"

" I told you I didn't want to wake you up, you looked so peaceful, so I thought I'd wait…"

"Anyway, why are you here in the first place? "

"I brought you coffee…."

"I mean, what are you doing so late in Nerv HQ when everybody's home? "

Maya sighed.

"You're still here."

" …"

"It's almost 3 in the morning. You've been working on MAGI since 7 am. You haven't eaten since lunch. Honestly sempai, I'm worried about you! When was the last time you got any sleep? I really think you should go home!"

Wow! Maya was impressed by herself. She never thought it could be that easy talking to her sempai.

Turning her head back to the screen, Ritsuko said calmly:

" I don't feel like going home, that's all. Beside I've got a lot of work to do."

"You always use the same excuse. There's no point in staying here, no more work will be done tonight if you fall asleep on the keyboard again. You could at least get to sleep in a real bed."

"….There's no one waiting for me there. I have no reason to go home." Ritsuko sighed.

"Then come with me, to my house!" came the immediate reply from Maya's mouth.

Ritsuko stared at her dumfounded. Realizing what she had done, Maya clasped her hand over her mouth with a dreadful look in her eyes. As easy as it had been telling her sempai about her worries, she would never have imagined making such a bold proposition.

Not noticing Ritsuko talking and nodding, she felt the urge to apologize and explain her outburst.

"I mean you really really really really need a good night of sleep. And if you don't want to be alone I could keep you company, beside I don't trust you going back home this late on your own. And I'm really worried about you! Please sempai don't be mad, dontbeupsetplesesempaiplease…"

She started rambling franticly. Ritsuko stood up and placed both hands on Maya's shoulders. She steadied her and forced her to look in her eyes. Not releasing her grip she spoke slowly, making each word clear:

"I said: I will come."

Pause. Silence. It took a few minutes for Ritsuko's words to sink in Maya's exceptionally thick skull. Then a wide grin crossed her face and she happily grabbed Ritusko's hand.

The drive back to Maya's house was silent. A deep uneasy silence. Neither the Doctor nor her assistant dared to initiate a conversation, and so they kept stealing furtive glances at the other, when they thought the other wasn't watching. Eventually they arrived at a tiny house in the surroundings of Tokyo-3.

That's when it struck Ritsuko: she had never imagined in what kind of place Maya lived in. Actually she had never though of what the girl's life was like outside of Nerv. Maybe she had a lot of friends and they would gather every Saturday evening to talk about this and that. Then they would all go to a bar, get drunk, make new friends and party all night. Maya would have lots of female friends to complain with, about how hopeless boys are, and she would have lots of boys around her, trying to seduce her with lame sentences quoted from movies. Anything a girl her age could dream of and anything Ritsuko used to have - before. Yet, somehow that thought disturbed her. She wasn't sure whether she was jealous of Maya fore having a much more interesting life than her own, or of her friends fore getting to see another Maya. Why was se so upset about sharing her assistant with other people?

Ritsuko snapped out of her trance when she felt a gentle tug on her shoulder. With a smile Maya told her:

"You know Sempai, you really need that full night of sleep, or two."

Then she guided her inside her home.

Ritsuko took a look around her and noticed that the setting was as plain as in her own apartment. And her heart felt much lighter when she suddenly remembered that every Saturday Maya spent the night at Nerv with her.

"RITS!" Maya called through the house "I'M HOME!"

Ritsuko jumped at her words. She has never got her to call her anything but "Sempai" and now she was using her old nickname…well she was shouting it actually... Ritsuko turned to face her, but the brunette had disappeared, leaving her confused; standing there in the entrance of her home. Then Ritsuko got the answer to her questions, Maya came back, holding a blend of white and brown fur.

"Ritsuko" she told the creature, "I'd like to introduce you to Doctor Akagi." The pet yawned and stretched its pawns. "You could at least be polite! You know you were named after her!"

The doctor chuckled and patted the cat's head.

"Well little Ritsuko" she said playfully "nice to meet you." The cat snuffled at her fingers and then, showing a total disinterest towards the intruder, resumed her favourite activity, in other words: sleeping in Maya's arms.

" I didn't know you liked cats too." Ritsuko said to Maya.

" I didn't", she answered "but I fed her once and she followed me here. I couldn't abandon her." She blushed "Beside, I needed someone to keep me company here."

"I see, but why name her after me?"

At her words Maya blushed even more and turned away from her.

"Never mind", Ritsuko said, she shook her head. "She's cute. Just as you…." She smiled.

Her sempai thought she was cute. Maya wanted to sink in the floor.

Ritsuko was enjoying herself. She loved to tease the young technician, Maya was just too easy to embarrass, and she was so cute when she blushed. She watched Maya try to hide her embarrassment focusing on her pet. Maya's finger began to scratch little Ritsuko's head, just behind the ears. She watched the cat being pressed against Maya's chest, just below the heart… And the more she watched, she more jealous she was of her feline homonym. "Jealous of a cat! Stupid Ritsuko" she thought.

A few minutes of silence later it snapped on Maya's head that they were still standing in the entrance of the house. She slapped her forehead and led Ritsuko to the living room.

"Make yourself at home Sempai, I'll get you some more comfortable clothes. Do you want anything from the kitchen? Tea?"

"Tea would be perfect, thank you Maya."

Maya blushed again, just as she did each time her boss had a kind word to her, and ran to her bedroom.

Back in the living room, Ritsuko settled down on the couch. The setting of the room was, let's say, typically Mayaish. The walls were creamy with some random posters. There were also a lot of stuffed animals all over the room, probably presents from friends. A cute Chuchu was looking at her from above the TV screen. Beside her, A huge teddy bear with "hug me" written on its belly was sitting on the couch, and was almost disappearing under an army of pink fluffy cushions. Ritsuko smiled again, she had never been found of the colour pink, but there she felt surprisingly at ease.

Little Ritsuko had claimed the armchair facing her and was now sleeping peacefully. Maya didn't seem to be coming back soon. Ritsuko let her gaze wander over the shelves that were running along two of the walls. There were lots of books, of course, some more stuffed animal and an incredible collection of Hello Kitty goods and pictures. There were photos of her and her family, but she never looked older than 12 or 13 on any of them. Then there were some of her and her friends on various events, the more recent one, though, was her graduation. Nothing later. Ritsuko frowned, all the pictures were covered with dust. She shook her head and dismissed the thought. Who was she to intrude in the girl's privacy?

Some magazines were scattered on the coffee table, along with a few handwritten notes. Ritsuko considered reading them but decided not to. Something, however, caught her eyes. Hidden under the stack of papers there was a framed picture. There was no dust on this on, but the paint was gone on various places as if it had been held very often. The picture was also a recent one. The photo had been taken at one of Misato's latest parties and it was on of her, Akagi Ritsuko, obviously drunk and unaware of the photo being taken.

She wondered how Maya got it and WHY she got it. But then, to tired to torture her few remaining brain cells with that, she leaned on the hug-addict teddy bear and tried to relax. She buried her face in the fur and was suddenly surrounded by Maya's smell. She closed her eyes and imagined it was Maya holding her for real. And it felt good. For the first time in a very long time she realized she was in peace, there in this tiny house, in the presence of her sub officer.

In the meantime, in her bedroom, Maya Ibuki was pondering whether to jump through the window or not. It had been purely foolish to invite her sempai here. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined the doctor Akagi Ritsuko sitting in her living room in the middle of the night. She didn't know what to think anymore. She felt kind of happy, of course. Ritsuko had accepted to come on her own will. And she thought she was cute. But on the other hand, Maya was genuinely afraid. She was scared of herself. A long time ago she had acknowledged her feelings for the blonde scientist. The kind of feelings you are not always ready to let the person concerned know about, especially when you are the same gender as that person. That night Maya Ibuki couldn't afford to make even the slightest mistake. So far she had managed to build a link with her sempai, and she didn't want to destroy it in one blow. To her, Ritsuko's praise was the most precious thing in the world. She wasn't sure to be able to go on with her Sempai upset, or worst, angry at her. Asking her to come had been purely suicidal. She sighed.

She quickly changed into a tank top and sports pants. She grabbed two other items and, gathering the little bit of courage she had left, she left the room.

When she spotted Ritsuko, she stopped on the threshold of the door, unsure of what to do. The usually serious and highly respected Doctor Akagi was literally glompping Mr. Hug-me on a pink fluffy couch. This made her giggled - a little too loud. Ritsuko raised her head and, after adjusting her eyes to the light, she pointed a finger at the bear.

"HE asked for it!" she said in an accusing tone.

This made Maya giggle event more.

She handed Ritsuko an oversized T-shirt and a short pajama bottom.

"Here, you'll be more at ease than in you lab coat. You can use the bathroom to change, I'll go make us some tea."

Ritsuko slowly got on her feet, thanked her and went to the bathroom. Maya let her gaze linger a little longer upon her shape. Even at 4 AM, with ruffled hairs and bags under her eyes, Akagi Ritsuko was a living goddess to her.

A few minutes later Ritsuko was back in the living room. Maya came back right after her, holding two warm cup of tea. Much to her discomfort; the cat didn't seem to be willing to leave its armchair anytime soon, which meant Maya had to sit on the couch, near Ritsuko, and probably touch her. So Maya stood still in the middle of the living room, again unsure of what to do.

"Maya?" Ritsuko called "Why are you standing here? Come sit with me, that's your couch after all!" She said patting the cushions at her side.

Maya set the cups on the table and reluctantly sat next to her. She cursed Mr. Hug-me for taking so much space and moved as far as she could from Ritsuko. Unfortunately, the scientist noticed her trouble.

"Am I that scary?" She sighed.

"What!" Maya squeaked out.

"I wonder why you asked me to come over tonight. Since we arrived here you've been avoiding me. You haven't met my eyes once, and even now you were having second thoughts about sharing YOUR couch with me. So I'm asking you: What's wrong with me that make you so uncomfortable?"

"I'm sorry! It's not you Sempai! I swear! I'm sorry…"

"Then what? What is it Maya? You know we are friends, and even though I'm your superior, you don't have to be always that shy and submissive around me, especially tonight."

"No! It's just… I can't help it! You're just, I'm just…."

Maya panicked, maybe her sempai knew everything about her and was playing with her mind. She felt like she was going to faint.

"AAAAW!" She groaned and she buried her face in her hand. "Sempai! Don't be mad at me!" She cried "Please! Don't be upset! Sempai! Please don't be…."

"Hush Maya!" A shocked Ritsuko said firmly. She took Maya's hands in her, hoping to stop the frantic rambling. "Please! Calm down! I hate to see you like that!"

Maya eventually calmed down, sniffling and sobbing she looked up at Ritsuko.

"I'm sorry sempai" She whispered, her voice dying in her throat.

"For what?" Ritsuko asked softly.

"For having these…. Feelings. These feelings I shouldn't have…"Maya admitted shamefully.

Ritsuko shook her head, she put her hands on Maya's shoulders and looked straight in her eyes.

"Don't worry Maya. If these feelings are what I think they are, then there's no need to be sorry."

And she pressed her lips to Maya's in a quick kiss. She then caressed her cheeks with her thumb and smiled.

"Because I'm not"

At first Maya was too busy trying to sort out Ritsuko's words to notice what had just happened. Then her eyes widened in shock. The Earth was slipping right under her, the 3rd Impact was coming, Ritsuko Akagi, her secret love, had kissed her. She had died and was in heaven.

Next thing Ritsuko knew, Maya had thrown herself in her arms, she was now holding on her body for dear life and was softly weeping in the crook of her neck.

" Sempai ! Sempai!"

Ritsuko inhaled deeply Maya's perfume, that sweet scent she had been craving for. Being in the brunette arms was just as she had imagined it, except better.

Ritsuko's arms sneaked around Maya's tiny waist and drew her closer to her. Their hearts were beating at the same rate. They both wanted to stay that way forever. Ritsuko's embrace was soft and strong at the same time. Maya was surrounded by her warmth, just like when, at work, she leaned over her to look at her screen. It was all familiar, but different. It was different because this time she wouldn't cry in frustration all night, this time she could hug back and make her feel her love for real.

Eventually Maya asked a question:

"Sempai, How did you….How did you know about me? …. And why aren't you mad?"

Ritsuko pushed back and looked at her with a slight frown. Then she gathered her again in her arms so that her back was against her chest.

"You know" she started, "I can be very dense and very stupid sometimes, but I'm not blind. Those signals you were sending, everybody knew about your crush on me! Hell I think even Ayanami did! Except me. I didn't want to know; therefore I choose not to see them. You see, I've been deceived so many times by love that I didn't want to have to deal with it anymore. You were getting hard to ignore, though. Those long nights you spent at Nerv, this picture of me you kept, you even named you cat after me! I'm sorry if I hurt you by my behaviour, I know how it feels caring for someone who doesn't care back. Tonight I learned just how much you meant to me. You stayed alone at work just to be with me, you were worried 'bout be, you invited me to your house because I needed some sleep; you're an angel fallen from heaven! Tonigh I realized how good it felt being taken care of. I realized love didn't always have to hurt and that happiness was up to me. I had been waiting for too long. All those feeling I had thought gone came back to me. When I'm with you I feel good, when I'm with you I feel safe, when I'm with you there's no pain anymore. And if I ought to be angry at someone, then this someone is me, for denying this happiness when it was right before my eyes."

Maya was on the verge of crying again. She leaned closer to Ritsuko's body and linked her fingers with her.

"Thank God I found you Maya! I don't know what I would have done without you.."

"I love you sempai." Maya said in a strangled voice. "I love you" she said again and kissed her. It was a real kiss this time, filled with ages of longing and frustration.

"I love you" three words, three simple innocent words, but put together they held the meaning of the world. That night, for the first time in her life, someone had told them to Ritsuko Akagi, and actually meant it.

Ritsuko eagerly responded to the kiss, definitely loosing herself in the bliss of Maya's body.

The cooling tea long forgotten they kissed again and almost immediately fell asleep in each other's arms. They slept right there, under the jealous glare of Mr. Hug-me. It had been a long day.

お

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REVIEW!

Edited on again it seems I always find more wrong things with this story. I removed the part where Ritsuko says "and I love you" in the end, because, as easy as it was for Maya, I don't think Ritsuko would be able to says it after a few kisses.