It was a Saturday. Shinji Ikari was waking up to another day. Shinji groaned before glancing at his alarm clock. 7:00 am. He had to admit that the sun was a pleasant sight to wake up to, but then he remembered what he had to do later and proceeded to promptly bang his head against the wall.
No, it wasn't another synch test nor was it another day of school filled with the dreaded 2nd impact lectures and mediating another Toji v. Asuka throwdown. Shinji would have begged to go to either one if it meant escaping today. Shinji groaned again as he recalled the events of the day before leading up to his inevitable doom.
Begin Flashback!
"Hey Shinji!"
Shinji looked up from his bento and took a few moments to chew and swallow before answering, "Yeah?"
"Say Shinji, you have a NERV ID card don't you?" Kensuke asked eagerly.
"Of course…why do you ask? You know that I'm not allowed to bring visitors into the Geofront especially you of all people…"
Kensuke's latest NERV related excursion in support of his raison d'être (i.e. obsession) had left vivid marks into the memories of NERV security personnel. The full details of the incident have been sealed by order of resident babe and tactical commander Misato Katsuragi for both legal reasons and posterity. However, it can be mentioned that it involved a rather inventive method of torture using shaving cream, a sack of potatoes and a pair of Kangaroo boxers. To this day, Gendo Ikari is cursing the drain on NERV funds from Section 2 agents' constant visits to the psychiatrist and her sexual assault bear Bobo.
Kensuke grimaced before grumbling "How was I supposed to know that Hannah Montana was banned under the Geneva Convention? But that's beside the point. Do you ever use the card for anything other than getting to NERV?"
"No…"
Kensuke and Toji shared an evil look. Shinji gulped. It was the same look that Asuka and Misato shared when they wanted to drag him off to help with their shopping. And people wondered why Shinji never grew a pair.
"Well. Me and Kensuke had a genius idea for it." Toji said. The grin on his face was unnerving Shinji and every nerve in the poor introvert's body was screaming at him to jump out of the window right then and there.
"You see. NERV pretty much owns all of Tokyo-3. Any NERV employee with high enough clearance could conceivably do anything and he would never be punished."
"Uh-huh." Shinji really didn't like the way that the conversation was turning.
"With our lives in such unpredictable flux, I think that we poor children need something to calm our nerves from this unbearable tension." Kensuke leaned closer and his glasses caught the light from the sun in such a way that his eyes were just shining circles of white and his face was covered in shadow. "A pick me up as it were but these wonderful relaxants of barley and hops are denied to us on the sole and unfair notion that we're too pubescent and immature to handle the inebriating nectar of the gods."
Catching their drift, Shinji shrilly whispered "What?! I-I can't do that!"
"Come on Shinji! I've noticed how stressed you've been these days. You might need this." Toji said softly. Shinji looked at him in surprise. Toji isn't known for his sensitive demeanor, but on occasion he does show a side that oddly enough only a certain freckled brunette can pick up on.
Well, Misato is always peppy and she manages to keep her drinking manageable…barely, Shinji mused.
Seeing the chink in the armor, Kensuke, still in his creepy yet erudite interrogator mode, pressed on. "We're not suggesting that we become a bunch of dastardly drunkards. Only that we experience a rite of passage. A rite of passage that we may never experience."
Shinji rolled his eyes as he thought by that logic, we should also go buy hookers considering my life expectancy, Toji's commitment to the class rep, and Kensuke's…well let's face it, he's never going to get laid at the rate he's going.
Little did naïve little Shinji know that that was next on Kensuke's agenda…
"And from what I figure, any bar will be happy to have you because of your hero status. Especially after they see that their beloved hero is so young and innocent with such feminine features, soft hands, scrawny physique, delicat-"
"All right! All right! Just…stop describing me."
Kensuke smirked in self satisfaction. The scenario was playing out just like he planned.
Back at the present
Shinji repressed another groan before getting out of bed to start the day. He did his usual clean up after Misato and fed Pen-Pen before starting on his homework for the weekend. Misato was working late so she wasn't coming home until late that night. Plenty of time to get wasted before she noticed. Asuka dragged her feet out of bed a few hours later just as Shinji was finishing up.
"Hey dork. What's that you're doing?"
"The homework for the weekend."
"Gott! You're so boring. Why don't you just go out and get drunk like other kids?"
"Er, me? Go drinking? I would never do that!" Shinji chuckled nervously and sounded like a drowning dolphin with helium in its lungs.
Asuka stared for a few moments, shook her head, and proceeded to pour herself a bowl of cereal. As far as their interactions went, Shinji thought this one went smoothly. Sadly Shinji was right on the money about that.
Soon afterwards Asuka left to go to a sleepover with Hikari, so Shinji knew that Asuka wouldn't catch him being potentially drunk. Before long, the magical appointed time for Shinji and his friends to get blitzed came. Kensuke and Toji were at his door. The three agreed to go to a bar around 3 in the afternoon to avoid having to stumble at night should it come down to it and get in trouble with their parents and/or guardians since for some reason they're all working the night shift that day. The trip downtown was spent in silence as though a reverent awe had struck the boys at their passage into adulthood. Well for Kensuke at least. Toji really didn't care either way but he was willing to back Kensuke's play and thought Shinji could use some time out.
Downtown Tokyo-3
The three stooges, as Asuka fondly called them, were standing outside a classy looking bar ironically called "The Three Stooges." They all exchanged nervous glances before walking in. The bar was dimly lit and had wall to wall patrons. Most were surprisingly young and quite a few seemed just barely out of high school. It seems like in times of war, people will always go to a bar sooner than spend time with their families.
Before Shinji knew it, they were sitting at the bar. The bartender eyed them as though to say "Seriously? You brats better be here looking for your mama or papa cuz there ain't no way you here to get soused."
Kensuke looked at Shinji. Shinji sighed and pulled out his NERV ID card and shot the bartender his most intimidating look, which oddly enough was genuinely intimidating. Courtesy of his father's genetics.
The bartender or Moustache Sally, as Toji secretly named him, was immediately cowed and promptly brought out three German brand beers to avoid any trouble. NERV was one of the few things keeping the city together and it wouldn't do for business if one of their pilots decided to have a grudge against it.
As the minutes flew by and Toji and Kensuke proved that they were hardly masters of liquor, Shinji began to understand the bar and dating scene better. Shinji, as it turned out, was no lightweight despite his looks. After several beers, Shinji still remained completely lucid, but Kensuke and Toji…
Shinji looked over at them and shook his head in embarrassment as he observed Kensuke trying (and failing) to hit on an attractive waitress who looked about 17 and made Shinji wonder how she was able to work there. Toji just sat there staring at a big tough guy in the corner for no apparent reason as though to dare him to start a fight. To his credit, the big tough man sighed and looked away before grumbling about underage drinking and then going on to talk about the latest episode of Gossip Girl. Shinji couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. Things really are different from what they seem.
Watching all the unsuccessful attempts to hit on women (even the thoroughly drunk ones) made Shinji sad in that the only way for anyone to get a date was through heavy inebriation followed by copious amounts of guilt and shame in the morning. Shinji always thought that Kaji and Misato's relationship was pretty tense, but in comparison to the orgy of disappointments and failures that he was witnessing, they were practically a match made in heaven.
He leaned back in his stool and stifled a yawn. Honestly, Shinji has never had a cavalier moment in his life, but here he was thoroughly bored despite managing to sneak into a bar and force a bartender to serve alcohol to a minor. Shinji still felt a little guilty about that and made a mental note to give a large tip to him. Money really wasn't an issue with Shinji because of his pilot's salary. He never spent it on anything, so over the last couple of months it just built up in his account.
After seeing the point where Toji (who moved onto staring at a mirror behind the counter for a fight and not realizing it was himself) and Kensuke (who was now hitting on a lampshade) were just barely capable of walking home, Shinji decided to gather his friends and go home while he can. Shinji was honestly disappointed about the whole experience. He expected something more exciting and it just seemed overhyped now. Hell, he didn't even have much of a buzz. Not compared to all the talk that he had heard from guys at the school. Unfortunately he acted too slowly in leaving. Kensuke passed out on top of the bar counter before he could act and Toji was too embroiled in his contest with himself to help carry Kensuke home. For once in his short life, Shinji let loose a scream of frustration.
The rest of the bar went silent for a moment to look at the strange young man at the counter, but went back to business soon enough. The waitress that Kensuke had hit on wandered over in concern.
"Is anything the problem sir?"
"…No. Thanks for asking." Shinji said sheepishly after realizing where he was.
"Will your friends be all right?"
"Er yeah" Shinji realized that he would probably have to stick around a little longer as long as Kensuke was knocked out and Toji was still a basket case.
He felt a little hungry and asked the waitress, "Do you have any raisins or something?"
"No, sorry"
"How about a date?" Shinji asked earnestly without thinking.
It took a moment for the double entendre of his words to sink in for both him and the girl. Oh shit. I didn't just do that, did I? Risking a peek at her, Shinji slowly raised his head from over his drink to look the waitress that he'd inadvertently hit on.
The waitress shook with the effort of restraining from giggling. She was actually turning pink. Whether from the embarrassment or the bad pick up line, Shinji didn't know. What's worse was that even Kensuke didn't manage to provoke a reaction like that. She just smiled and shook her head before letting him down gently, but Shinji was getting laughed at. It remained this way for the next minute or so.
When, like God offering a measure of bliss to the unfortunate boy, all of a sudden Kensuke let out a loud snore breaking the tension and finally Shinji started laughing. Mostly out of nervousness, but hey let's not ruin the momentary impression of security in masculinity here. Soon the waitress started cracking up and unbeknownst to Shinji, most of the bar was listening in and started laughing after seeing that it was okay. It wasn't often that they got a kid in there and even rarer appearances from NERV personnel. The kid was a pilot to boot. One of the mysterious kids who handled those massive robots.
"You're cute, kid. And very interesting. My name's Ran Hinamoto."
With that introduction she kissed him on the cheek. Shinji was sure that his cheeks could fry bacon at the moment. Ran pulled out her order notebook and quickly wrote something on before tearing it out and handing it to Shinji. She left to serve another customer with a small grin. Guys that Shinji didn't even notice surrounding him had patted him on the back and congratulated him for scoring with an older girl.
It felt good to have achieved something authentically normal. Unfortunately, Shinji never learned that he's one of those few living embodiments of Murphy's Law. Shinji was still taking in the shocking knowledge that he had accidentally gotten a phone number through bad word choice when he heard another feminine voice. Numerous feminine voices. Soon Shinji felt dainty hands all over him and constant questions about him, but none of them felt…caring or warm. Not temperature-wise, but in the measure of emotion behind them. He realized that these women were somewhat intimidated as well as drawn by his status and were now comfortable with trying to talk to him. Maybe he could live a normal life. Not to say that he's going to become like Kaji. He knew that he didn't have the natural charm to constantly attract women, but he might as well try to enjoy the brief fame that he has with EVA. Why not try and pull something good out of the mess that EVA had done to him? However, he wasn't about to abuse it because for one he's too much of a pansy to do anything truly perverted and two he actually has standards that go above the type of women that are currently coming on to him. This surprised even Shinji himself since he always had a self loathing disposition and always thought that he only deserved the lowest. It was…pleasant. Maybe, he could make a connection, but first thing's first.
Shinji still stuck by his friends and brought them back as soon as Kensuke woke up and Toji came out of his stupor. To their credit, Toji slurred thanks as best as he could and hoped that Shinji had a good time to come out of his funk (which he did to some extent as far as someone like Shinji can cheer up) and Kensuke managed to get an apology out for taking advantage of him. At times like these, Shinji really appreciated having good friends like them and despite all their little quirks, he knew that he'd stick by them and they would do the same.
After walking the two to their (thankfully) empty houses, Shinji returned to his own apartment where he knew that Misato and Asuka would be out and he would be able to wash up and remove all traces of his little sojourn through his approaching adulthood. Shinji was still perfectly sober so he didn't have any trouble making his way up.
Ready to go to sleep, Shinji eagerly opened the door and found Misato and Asuka sitting at the kitchen table. Well, shit. Maybe it was his experience in the bar or maybe it was just some grit accumulated from piloting, but he stood his ground and calmly walked towards the two lovely ladies…after a few moments' hesitation of course. This is Shinji after all.
"Nice evening, isn't it Shin-chan?"
"Where have you been, dummkopf?!" Asuka demanded.
"Out."
"Oh? Out where?" Misato asked coyly.
"No place in particular" Shinji answered back cryptically.
Asuka growled in disbelief.
"If it was 'no place in particular' then why do I spy lipstick on your face? And your clothes are all mussed up and smell of perfume?"
"…I like to dress up." Shinji deadpanned.
Shinji was surprised at himself, but also felt like he should take some risks. The bar had emboldened him. Not the alcohol, but the experience of knowing that there was a chance that he could reach out and not be rejected. He was still hesitant, but as he saw their reactions, he gained more traction and ground. Needless to say, Asuka and Misato were deeply surprised at this Shinji.
"…I'm not going to ask, Shinji. But you will be grounded for the next month except for just synch tests and school."
"Seems fair"
Asuka was shocked at him and mused, "Another surprise. Maybe he's becoming a little more responsible."
Wait a minute…
"What!? You're letting him off like that!?" Asuka exploded. "He goes off and does god knows what and you let him off with a slap on the wrist!?"
Following this, he seemed to deflate and muttered, "Sorry. I won't do it again"
"Asuka. Shinji's not the type to get into any real danger outside of EVA." Misato replied.
It was a lie. Misato knew perfectly well where Shinji was from the Section 2 reports and was about to discipline Shinji according to Irish Catholic School rules, but seeing him more mature stayed her hand. Something in the bar let him grow up a little. It wasn't the booze. Misato knew drunk when she saw it and Shinji was clearly sober, but some experience in that bar let him open up just a little. Misato always knew that Shinji was a fairly depressed and lonely boy despite being with his friends. Hedgehog's dilemma as Ritsuko put it, but Shinji seemed happier and possibly more stable as a pilot and person after one simple experience. Misato cared for the kids under her care and knew she couldn't be a hypocrite about underage drinking as well as the fact that if anybody deserved the right to get sauced once in a while, it was Shinji for all the things he endured. Hopefully he wouldn't make it his crutch like she did, but from the looks of it Shinji wasn't reliant on it. He enjoyed the socializing more than anything based off of the latest Section 2 update.
"Look at him! It's obvious he was out womanizing or something!" Asuka exclaimed.
Shinji tried to discreetly push the phone numbers he accumulated deeper into his pocket, but Asuka wasn't a university graduate for nothing. She swiftly got out of her chair and reached into Shinji's pants pocket. Normally Shinji would've been embarrassed at having Asuka so close to him, but now he was panicked over her reaction. She pulled out a handful of scraps of paper and held them out to Misato triumphantly. If things weren't any worse, Asuka started to read through the notes. Most just held a number and name, but some had rather…descriptive imagery of what was intended should he call that number. Asuka's eyes narrowed and her nostrils flared. Shinji was vaguely reminded of a dragon preparing to let loose a jet of flames.
"I'm going to bed." Asuka growled out.
Shinji followed lead with a quick smile to Misato. Misato smiled back and hoped that Shinji would continue to open up and grow bolder as he did right before Asuka's disparaging remark.
Shinji quickly caught up with Asuka. Trying to remember the open boldness he felt before, Shinji asked, "W-why did you come home from the sleepover early?"
Asuka whirled around and glared at Shinji. Shinji trembled a little, but held his ground. As Shinji looked straight at into her eyes, Asuka lost some of her fury.
She whispered, "Because I felt something was bothering you when I was leaving."
With those words, Asuka quickly entered her room and slammed the screen door. Shinji could only stare blankly at where she stood before shaking his head in surprise and walking to his own room.
A/N: I honestly don't know where I'm going with this. I kind of wanted to make a comedy, but quite honestly NGE is a heavy weight kind of thing where I can't be very unrealistic. I'm open to ideas and suggestions. This isn't related to the first fanfic preview I wrote. This is just focused on Shinji's growth. Also, I've decided and low key romance, so it won't be fluff on A/S or R/S. The pairing is still up in the air. Next chapter is how Rei reacts to Shinji's small growth. Mind you Shinji's still easily discouraged but he's now found a reason to take a risk where he wouldn't normally. I might rewrite this chapter for grammar and spelling but still up in the air. I bid you all a good night. And don't forget to review because seriously I need some suggestions.