DISCLAIMER: My name has neither Yoshiyuki nor Sadamoto in it; therefore I do not own any part of Evangelion. I also do not own anything else licensed that is mentioned inside this fic.
A/N: Kind of missed Christmas by a mile, but nevertheless… the fic must go on. I promise to get back to my writing soon.
Key:
"Speech"
Thought
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It was a very normal morning, and the pretty much normal Ikari Shinji was having a very nice, normal sleep. He was not having any nightmares, especially none linked to the giant monstrosity he had once piloted or the equally ugly Angels he had fought with said monstrosity; neither was he having any "exciting dream" of any kind, for which his conscious mind was very thankful for. No, he was not having a very ordinary morning, and enjoying it at that.
Sadly, as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end.
From the edges of his consciousness, he felt a light shaking where his shoulder was located. "Shinji-kun, wake up," a soft voice called out in the fog that was his mind. He groggily surmised that the voice and the hand shaking him belonged to the same person, but still he refused to get up. Sadly, that no longer proved to be an option. A soft sigh was heard from the intruder before the shaking continued with slightly more vigor. "Shinji-kun, please, get up." Said boy instead shifted so he faced the wall, pulling his blanket even tighter around himself.
"Mm… just give me a few more minutes, Rei-chan," came the muffled request from the unidentifiable lump on the bed.
The girl sighed again. This was not mentioned in the bargain… In this case, another option will have to be exercised.
"Shinji-kun, it is of dire importance that you get up this instant."
"Just… at least… five more minutes…"
"Shinji-kun, I am unsure if I should disclose this information to you, but…"
"Mm… what is it, Rei-chan?"
"Katsuragi-san has proffered to make breakfast in your stead."
Immediately the boy jumped up, pushing away his tangled blanket. "Okay, I'm up. Tell Misato-san she doesn't need to bother; I'll come and do everything after I've washed up."
Rei nodded slightly, a slight smile of amusement on her face going unnoticed by the other occupant of the room as she watched him rush through his morning routine. The girl shook her head slightly at his hurried exit from the room as she made his bed before leaving herself and proceeding towards the living room. The sight of a young auburn-haired girl sitting on the couch greeted her. Upon her entrance, two ocean-blue eyes turned almost lazily to meet her gaze.
"That wake-up call certainly took a long time," Asuka commented blandly. Her eyes narrowed playfully and she gave Rei a mischievous smirk. "Were you really trying to get him out of bed, or were you trying to keep him in it?"
The cerise-eyed girl blushed at the accusation and turned away, refusing to look at her interrogator. "I was doing nothing of the sort. Shinji-kun was simply… being stubborn, and I had to explain the situation before he would willingly get up."
Her reply was met with a quirked eyebrow. "Are you sure that's all?" The skepticism was heavy in her voice. Rei composed herself and finally met the redhead's gaze from where she stood at the hallway entrance. "Nothing within the boundaries of your insinuation occurred, Asuka-san," she replied stiffly. Just then Shinji came out of the bathroom and wrapped his arms around the azure-haired girl's slim waist, startling her. "Morning, Rei-chan," he whispered, giving her a peck on the cheek. "I'm going to settle breakfast so none of us have to unwrap our presents in hospital beds and eat cardboard for Christmas dinner. Oh, good morning to you too, Asuka," he called out as he strode into the kitchen.
The quarter-German girl eyed his progress until he disappeared from her sight before returning her gaze towards her now flushed companion. "So… you were saying?" she prodded, a devilish smirk plastered on her face. "Seems to me like the two of you are already acting like a happily married couple." The off-hand comment served its purpose wonderfully, as Rei's blush intensified, but the 'victim' quickly regained her composure (or as much of it as she could) and started towards the kitchen. "I will see if Shinji-kun requires assistance with breakfast," she stated with a straight face, all the while avoiding the Second Child's teasing.
Asuka watched as the girl too walked off before pouting and crossing her arms huffily. "They're never any fun," she grumbled.
Rei walked into the kitchen just in time to see Shinji attempt to wrestle away the cooking utilities held in their lavender-haired superior's grip. "No, really, it's all right, Misato-san. I'll handle breakfast; I know how tired you've been lately so let me do this for you," Shinji nervously laughed as he continued his efforts in prying the major's fingers from the frying pan. "Nonsense, Shinji-chan, I'm in perfect shape! Honestly, I feel bad about constantly forcing you to make all our meals. It's time I returned the favor!" declared the boy's guardian almost too cheerfully for his liking. That's easy for you to say. I'm the only one under this roof who's able to cook something that won't either upset Asuka's oh-so-delicate taste buds or qualify for the next biological weapon of the world, thought Shinji silently, but continued his passive approach in disarming Misato. Fortunately for him Rei stepped in and somehow managed to slide the tools out of her hands almost effortlessly.
"At ease, Katsuragi-san. Shinji-kun and I are more than capable of procuring breakfast without additional help," the young girl addressed her startled superior. "Rei! When did you… never mind. You sure it's not too much trouble for you guys to make breakfast?" Shinji nodded vigorously while his companion remained silent. Sighing, Misato threw her hands up in mock surrender. "Fine, fine. I'll leave breakfast to you." With that, she left the kitchen. As soon as she was out of sight, Shinji heaved a sigh of relief before proceeding to heat the stove.
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"All right, everyone, listen up," Misato called out at the end of breakfast. "As all of you undoubtedly know, today is Christmas Eve. Now, a few of you might remember that last year's Christmas party… err, didn't quite turn out the way everyone expected."
"You don't say," Shinji muttered sarcastically, throwing accusing glances at both his flat-mates. Misato for her part winced, but Asuka refused to even acknowledge his tone, giving off the non-verbal message of "It wasn't my fault!"
------------------------- Flashback ---------------------------
Shinji had been sitting on the balcony with Rei watching the snow fall when the peace was suddenly disturbed. "Hey, Shinji, how're you doing?" Kaji greeted almost too cheerfully.
"Uh, I'm fine, Kaji-san. Are you okay?"
The spy laughed, but Shinji sensed an undertone of nervousness in his merriment. "Of course I'm fine, Shinji. What makes you think I'm not?"
The boy shrugged. "You just seem a bit unnerved to me."
"Must be the weather. I don't think I'm a winter person. Say, you look a little cold there. I'll let you have my jacket."
"But I'm fine…" Shinji's protests were lost as the older man's favorite jacket fell down around his shoulders. "Anyway, I need to go to the bathroom, and I'd hate to get it wet. Well, enjoy, Shinji," was all Kaji said before he made himself scarce. Forgive me for doing this, Shinji. I'll make it up to you… somehow.
The boy blinked, as did Rei. "But, Kaji-san, the bathroom is that wa-"
"KAJI-SAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNN!" squealed a very familiar high-pitched voice. "GAH!" Shinji screamed as a very drunk Asuka tackled him to the ground, hugging him as if he were her favorite teddy bear. "A-A-Asuka! I'm not Kaji! Please let me g-"
"DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE, KAJI!" came a battle cry from within the building. Frozen on the spot, the boy momentarily ignored the red-haired drunk currently trying to seduce him and his blue-haired companion's attempts at extracting him from his compromising position… only to face a very enraged purple-haired drunk (not that the 'drunk' part was a surprise) who was coming at him with a murderous look on her face and a tightly-gripped beer bottle in her hand.
The situation became too much for Shinji, and he promptly fainted dead away. He later found out that after he'd passed out, the two drunken females had gotten embroiled in a catfight that lasted throughout the night and damaged quite a bit of property besides. Fortunately for him, Rei had been able to drag him out of the danger zone near the beginning of the first match, so he sustained few injuries. The real Kaji was located later, and given his share of problems in the form of punishment from the two combatants. To put it simply, he had trouble doing anything without feeling aches for the next few weeks.
------------------------ End Flashback ---------------------------
"Come now, Shinji! That was one year ago! Can't you find it in your great big heart to forgive little old me?" pleaded Misato as she begged in front of Shinji, who was blatantly ignoring her as he continued to drink his orange juice.
"Hah! At least you got the 'old' part right!" scoffed Asuka from her seat. Immediately the major was on her feet, facing her errant subordinate. "What did you say!"
Having the older woman's full attention, the girl smirked challengingly. "You heard me right, wrinkle-bag. Unless you're losing your hearing besides already losing your looks?"
Rei silently eyed the argument in front of her before turning to regard Shinji. "Are they like this every morning, or is this a special occasion?" Still sipping his drink, he shook his head. "I'd be lucky if this didn't happen even once in one hour."
After a bit more squabbling, things finally calmed down enough for Misato to continue her 'speech'. "As I was saying, last year's Christmas wasn't so good, so I want to make it up to all of you." All she got for replies were two incredulous looks and one blank stare. Seeing she needed to clarify on how she was supposed to repair the damage of events one year ago, she cleared her throat commandingly and continued. "In short, we're going to have an honest-to-goodness Christmas."
Shinji blinked. "You mean… a normal Christmas like what you see on TV?"
"Pretty much, yep."
It took a while for the sentence to hit home, but the reaction from Asuka was explosive. "YESSSSSSSSSSS! Finally, the real deal!" she screamed gleefully as she started dancing around the apartment. Midway into her celebration, she stopped abruptly and turned towards her audience of sorts. "Well, what're you guys waiting for? There's only one way to start a Christmas celebration!"
The only male in the room felt a shiver roll down his spine. "…And what would that be, Asuka?" Please don't say it, please don't say it…
Asuka gave off her trademark smirk. "Shopping, of course! You'll be carrying the bags as usual!"
Upon hearing that, Shinji's shoulders slumped in defeat and he let out a sigh of defeat. Rei patted his back comfortingly, earning her another sigh from the deflated teen.
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Five hours, thirty six minutes, fifty four seconds, a total of seven red lights run and countless verbally-abusive dissatisfied road users later, the 'Ultimate Christmas Shopping Spree' operation had finally ended and all four of them managed to get back to the apartment alive. Upon entering, Shinji dramatically fell to the floor, his face haggard and his arms laden with countless shopping bags. "I'm going to die…"
A second later Asuka's foot connected with his stomach, propelling him a few inches further inside. "Hey, baka! Get up! You're carrying half my presents! If something breaks, I'll hold you personally responsible!"
Rei stepped in a little later, carrying her own share of bags. "Please, Asuka-san. You are going to injure Shinji-kun if you do that."
The redhead sulked, but kept her mouth shut. Instead, she harrumphed and snatched her bags out of Shinji's limp hands before stalking off to her room without another sound. Sighing, the First Child helped the boy up just as Misato walked in and closed the door behind her.
"Well, by the time we finish wrapping all our presents it'll be quite late, so everyone should just go straight to bed after they're done, okay? Tomorrow's going to be a busy day for us all," she announced. Noting the missing presence of one of her charges, she eyed the two left behind. "I see Asuka's already given herself a head start. Why don't you wrap your presents in Shinji's room, Rei? You can stay the night, as usual." She started towards her room, but paused in mid-stride to look back at the couple. "Oh, and don't do anything… strenuous, hmm?" the major whispered suggestively, adding a conspiratorial wink to the equation.
Rei, to her credit, did not take the bait and merely replied calmly, "We will not, Katsuragi-san." Shinji was still to worn out to even react in the slightest bit. Having made her point, the girl proceeded to make her way towards Shinji's quarters, all the while supporting him and carrying her share the load. The major pouted. "Those two are no fun anymore."
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Shinji was lying on the bed staring listlessly at the ceiling when Rei returned from the bathroom, having washed up and changed into her sleeping attire. "Shinji-kun, are you alright?" she asked as she slipped under his blankets. The boy started, but calmed down quickly and turned to meet her concerned gaze. "Hmm? I'm fine, Rei-chan. Why do you ask?"
The girl shrugged, but the worried tone did not leave her voice. "You just seemed… pensive. What is it that is occupying your mind?"
Sighing, the brown-haired boy lay back down on his bed, and she continued to watch him. "I was just remembering… things."
"Such as…?"
He shrugged. "Last year. Everything, basically."
"Anything that stands out particularly?"
At this, he gave her a slight smile, reaching out to caress her face. She welcomed the gesture, pressing his hand against her cheek with her own. "Tonight; or to be more precise, this night one year ago."
------------------------- Flashback -----------------------------
Seriously, I don't understand what Asuka's thinking… or Misato-san for that matter, Shinji mentally grumbled as he plopped himself onto the bed. Why do they always have to accuse me of being a pervert or insinuate that I'll do something bad? I'm not even half like Touji or Kensuke… The boy couldn't help but flush when he recalled all the stuff his two best friends would constantly spout about the opposite sex… or the ecchi magazines they always snuck into the classroom.
Shrugging off those thoughts, he looked around the room. It was relatively big, and the furniture looked rather new. Decorations were sparse, but there was enough to keep the room from looking bland. Even the color of the paint was pleasing enough. The sound of the bathroom door opening disrupted his train of thought. Rei must've finished using the bath…
The mental sentence went unfinished as he turned around and took in a very familiar sight. Rei stood at the washroom entrance completely unclothed save for the towel draped lazily around her shoulders. The boy froze for a second before he reacted, emitting a high-pitched squeak and covering his face with the blanket. I'm not a pervert, I'm not a pervert, I'm not a pervert…
The girl blinked, regarding her companion with what passed for concern. "Ikari-kun, are you alright?" she asked, oblivious to the fact that she herself was the cause of his odd behavior.
"Just fine," came the muffled reply from the shapeless lump under the blanket. Accepting the answer with a silent nod, she finished drying her hair before discarding the damp towel and slipping under the covers.
Feeling the depression in the bed's mattress, Shinji's panic level scaled an all-time high. The boy made futile attempts to calm down and will himself to sleep so he would be spared any misfortune. Unfortunately, Fate had other plans, and his own sadly matched none of them.
"Ikari-kun?" This time her voice was much closer, and it further unsettled him. Okay, just calm down. She's just going to ask some completely normal question or wish me goodnight and then it'll all be over. Having armed himself with that, he shifted around so they could converse face-to-face. It'd be rude if I talked with my back towards her, after all…
His brain, predictably, once again ground to a halt the moment he turned around. Over the course of their brief time spent together in the Eva project, he had caught himself thinking of her as beautiful several times. Tonight, however, she seemed even more so than al those other times put together. The reason was unfathomable to his numb mind. Perhaps it was the closeness that they shared, but when he looked back to that moment all he could do was speculate.
The blanket had been drawn up to her shoulders, so all that filled his vision was her face, and nothing else. Her porcelain skin seemed to have a faint luminescence of its own, and her azure locks framed her face as if it were an Old Master's painting. Her soft lips were parted ever so slightly, like a red rose petal that had been cut cleanly in half. But what struck him the most at that time were her eyes. Shining like two flawless rubies, they seemed to cut through the night's darkness within the room. Her gaze appeared to penetrate his many defenses, searching his mind and soul. The boy was hard pressed to even breathe for fear his breath might wash away the ethereal image that danced before his sight.
It seemed an eternity before her voice was heard again. "Are you alright, Ikari-kun?" she repeated, her gaze still locked with his.
Amazingly enough, his tongue could still work. "…I… I guess…"
"You are… afraid."
"…" …Am I?
Her small hand slipped out from its hiding place under the covers, reaching as if to touch his face. "…What… are you afraid of?"
"…I… I don't… exactly know…" …I'm scared… But of what?
Her hand stopped midway, hovering ever so close to his cheek. "Are you… afraid of me?" There was an underlining of uncertainty in her voice now, and perhaps a little fear. Am I… afraid of his answer? Why?
"…I… I don't… think so…" He closed his eyes momentarily, trying to capture the root of the unsettling feeling. Opening them once more, they glimmered with slivers of determination. "…No, I'm not."
She moved her hand again, this time completing its journey and finally caressing his cheek ever so lightly. Her mere touch had profound yet unseen effects on him, scorching him like hellish flame and shocking him like heavenly lightning. The sensation gave him chills rivaling those dispensed by the most freezing of winds, and yet it somehow calmed him to the level of the most tranquil of waters. Conflicting as they were, these feelings somehow harmonized, washing over him like a wave. Hesitantly, he brought his own hand up and rested it on hers.
"You should go to sleep," she whispered after a while, her eyes never once breaking away from his.
Shinji nodded slightly, if not a little reluctantly. "You should too. It's kind of late, I think."
The girl slowly withdrew her hand, causing the boy to feel a twinge of disappointment. "Then… goodnight, Ikari-kun."
"…Goodnight, Ayanami."
Having said that, she closed her eyes, and in a matter of minutes was fast asleep. Shinji took in her slumbering countenance for a while, before he too closed his eyes and fell into a formless dream.
--------------------- End Flashback ------------------------
"I'm surprised you still remember everything that happened," Rei whispered, her head resting on his chest.
Shinji smiled, running his hand through her sky-blue hair with adoration. "How could I forget? That night meant so much to me."
She lifted her head to meet his gaze, and bestowed on him one of her smiles; the smile that she gave only to him, and the one that both made his heart race and calm it at the same time. Pulling herself up so she was level with him, she gave him a tender kiss before lying down again and closing her eyes. "Goodnight, Shinji-kun."
"Goodnight, Rei-chan."
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Morning came soon enough, and the apartment was full of bustling activity. Everyone exchanged 'good morning's all over the place and 'Merry Christmas' was the immediate follow up. Asuka and Pen-pen were forcibly kept away from the pile of presents under the artificial tree sitting in the living room. Misato had to give her word that she would at least try not to drink her Christmas down the drain and cause another ruckus. All in all, it was as normal a Christmas as they could get in the Katsuragi household.
Shinji was just bringing back another bag of groceries from a nearby shop when an odd smell reached his nostrils. That can't be right… I didn't leave anything on the stove and the girls are out buying the refreshments… which can only mean… The boy paled, nearly dropping the goods in his hand. No… no way… gods, please no…
He dashed into the kitchen only to have his worst fears confirmed: Misato was making (or trying to make) the Christmas dinner turkey. "Misato-san! What are you doing!"
Turning around, he got an unobstructed view of a very tortured-looking piece of meat that hardly resembled its original proper shape. The thought of having to consume it sent shivers down his spine. "Oh, Shinji-chan, you're back. I was just seasoning the turkey. Is there something wrong?"
Shinji laughed nervously. "Ah… nothing, nothing at all. I was just… err, checking up on things. Yeah, that's it." I can't possibly tell her I'd rather eat plutonium and have a higher chance of surviving that compared to her cooking…
The unsuspecting Misato smiled at him and waved his worries away. "I'm fine; don't worry so much." A soft chime sounded in the apartment, catching their attention. "It seems the girls are back. Why don't you go help them bring all the stuff in?"
"Uh… of course! I'll go help them right away!" With that, Shinji dashed off as fast as he could to the door, surprising the pair that had just returned.
"Shinji-kun! You surprised us! What is the problem?" asked Rei, noting with concern the shade of white his skin was.
"We… gasp We have a problem!" he hissed, afraid his voice might float back to the kitchen.
"What's wrong? You look as if Misato's just volunteered to make the Christmas dinner," Asuka laughed at her little joke.
"Exactly."
Her laughter immediately died in her throat, and she turned slowly to look him in the face. "…What?"
Pointing a finger towards the general direction of the kitchen, Shinji clarified himself. "She's in there right now eviscerating the turkey as we speak."
The next thing he knew the redhead's hands were firmly gripping his shirt collar and pulling him so his face was a mere inch away from hers. "WE CANNOT ALLOW THAT. DO YOU HEAR ME? I WILL NOT ALLOW THAT WITCH TO RUIN CHRISTMAS FOR ME," she growled dangerously, causing the poor boy to let out a terrified squeak.
"Asuka-san, calm down," Rei urged, trying at the same time to pry the aggressor away from her unfortunate victim. "If we wish to succeed in foiling the major's attempt, we must begin our efforts now."
"And exactly how do you suggest we do that?" Asuka prodded as she loosed her grip, causing Shinji to unceremoniously fall to the floor with a muffled 'thump'.
"Diversionary tactics will have to be employed. One of us will have to draw Katsuragi-san away from the apartment for at least a few hours while the other two work on dinner. Shinji-kun will have to stay since he is the most knowledgeable in cooking, which leaves either you or me to distract the major while the last one will assist Shinji in the preparations."
Asuka let out a disgruntled 'hmph' and blew a stray lock of hair out of her face. "You say it as if there was a choice. Of course I'll be the one to distract Misato. I can't afford to get my clothes messy just before all the guests arrive. Besides, such a task requires skill and talent that only I possess," she boasted.
Their discussion was interrupted by their very target herself. "Hey, are you guys alright? You've been standing in the hallway for quite some time."
"Oh, it's nothing. We just realized we didn't buy enough junk food and drinks just now," Asuka said nonchalantly. It was a half-truth; both she and Rei hadn't been able to carry enough stuff to sustain the amount of people who'd be attending the dinner.
Misato blinked. "Oh. Well, I'm done in the kitchen for now, so I'll take you in the car. Wait here while I get my keys."
The three co-conspirators watched their superior stride off to her room before Shinji opened his mouth again. "Wow… You were pretty convincing there, Asuka."
The girl in question smirked and gave a victorious pose. "Of course! I had a lot of fans last time when I was in the college drama club! How could someone like her not believe my brilliant acting?"
The boy sweat-dropped and looked at her skeptically. "Whatever you say, Asuka." Luckily for him, Misato emerged before the redhead could do anything about his remark.
"Okay, I'm all set. Let's go!" she announced cheerfully. "Who's going to go to the store with me?"
"Only me, Misato. Wonder-girl here has no taste for junk food, and Slave-boy has to tidy up your mess in the kitchen," the teen announced. Shinji scowled at his nickname, and Rei remained silent.
"I did not make a mess!" retorted the major even as she was moving towards the door. The conversation/argument continued even as they exited the apartment and the door prevented the rest of the noise from being heard. Shrugging it off, the pair left behind just decided to get to work as fast as possible.
Meanwhile, Pen-pen, being the curious bird that he was, wondered what all the fuss was about. He sneaked quietly into the kitchen while his owners were distracted… and saw the most horrifying sight (to a penguin, that is). As mangled as it was, he could still recognize the turkey for what it was. Cousin! What have they done to you!
He was so distracted that it took some time for him to realize his master was coming back. "…ruined… get a new one…" The tail ends of the conversation caused his senses to prickle. Cousin is ruined, so they're going to cook me next! I'm a dead d- penguin!
Shinji was startled when the pet penguin came barreling out of the kitchen squawking as if his tail was on fire and run straight into his fridge. "What was that about?" he asked himself out loud before shrugging it off and stepping into the kitchen, Rei close behind.
The first thing he did was to get rid of the mutilated turkey Misato had 'prepared'. Sighing, he turned to the First Child, a sheepish grin plastered on his face. "Don't tell Misato-san or Asuka about this, okay? I already kind of knew Misato-san would try to make dinner by herself and make a mess, so I took steps to make sure Christmas wouldn't be ruined."
Rei blinked. "What kind of steps?"
Shinji was silent as he pulled out a small cooling box from one of the bottom cabinets. Opening it, he withdrew…
"Another turkey?" asked Rei, stunned.
"To be more precise, it's called 'turducken'," he told her. Seeing her confused look, he explained further. "It's a turkey stuffed with a duck stuffed with a chicken."
The girl gave him a slightly skeptical look. "Is it possible?"
Shinji chuckled quietly, amused at her disbelief. "Apparently it is. This," he held it up, "should be proof enough."
"Fascinating," she breathed. "Did you do it by yourself?"
"Ha ha ha, of course not. I don't know a thing about how to stuff a turkey. Turducken is actually a specialty of this shop in Maurice, Louisiana, America called Hebert's Specialty Meats. I read about it in a magazine and thought it'd be nice to have something like that for this year's Christmas, so I ordered one through the local supermarket. It took quite a bit of persuading, but I finally got them to agree to help. It came a few days ago, so I've had to hide it in the box all the while."
At this, Rei smiled softly. "You are truly a wonderful person, Ikari Shinji-kun."
"I-I-It's nothing," the boy stuttered modestly, scratching the back of his head. "Uh… We'd better get started soon, or we'll be in trouble," he said, trying to divert the topic.
"Very well then. Tell me what must be done."
"It's a pity though, that you can't have any, since… I mean, you're a vegetarian, after all," Shinji mumbled.
Hearing that, she paused in the middle of her task, turning to look at him with an unreadable expression. After a moment's silence, she opened her mouth to speak. "…I will… try some, if you wish."
Startled by her unexpected proposal, he turned around to face her. "Wha-? N-no, I didn't mean it like that! Please, Rei-chan, don't for-"
She pressed a finger to his lips, silencing him. "I am making my own choice, Shinji-kun. I only wish you to be happy, nothing more."
"…Are you sure you want to?"
"I will try." She smiled softly. "Now, it is imperative we start soon, is it not?"
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Evening came soon enough, and the level of activity within the Katsuragi apartment increased tenfold. Guests arrived, bearing gifts and bringing trouble with them. Presents were traded, and opened eventually. Asuka, being her usual self, started criticizing Misato's sense of gift-buying (or lack thereof), and the lavender-haired woman returned her fire with flames of her own. Kaji hit on Misato; Misato hit back. Asuka tried to seduce Kaji; Kaji either ran away or hid behind someone else. Dinner was enjoyed together, where Shinji's trickery of replacing Misato's cooking was exposed, since no one would believe that she could've done something besides poison the food. Games were brought out, and a condensed version of the ever-raging Console War erupted in the living room. Throughout the entire chain of events, Rei and Shinji calmly observed everything in their own little corner of the apartment on the small balcony.
"This was not exactly what you envisioned, is it, Shinji-kun?" the girl asked him, a hint of amusement in her voice as she gestured towards the madness before them.
The boy shrugged, a soft smile adorning his youthful features. "It's as normal as it gets for us, I guess. Besides, these things are what make it special to us, since it is unique."
She nodded silently, taking in his words. It was a while before she spoke again. "Shinji-kun?"
"Hmm?"
Her hand found his, entwining his fingers with her own. "I… am glad… that I could spend this Christmas with you as well."
The boy blushed, but squeezed her hand reassuringly. "I'm glad too. And… um…"
"…Yes?"
"I'd love it if… we could spend a lot more Christmases together in the future," he mumbled, his face heating up.
The girl flushed lightly, but gave him a soft smile. "I believe… I would like that as well."
Having made an unspoken promise to each other, they leant back against the railing, observing the chaos within the place they called home and enjoying the peace of the world they shared.
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So… how was it? Hope it wasn't too bad. I promised this fic to a friend of mine, and even if I have to be late, I won't ever break a promise. I wish a belated Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone who reads this, and my pals at Apartment 402. May you have good tidings throughout this year, and the endurance to face any bad ones should they come.
PS: Special thanks to National Geographic for their ZipUSA article for the November 2005 issue (Thanksgiving Turducken), from which I obtained the information about "turducken".