It doesn't take us long to find room 102 of the hospital, and it takes Mari even less time to rush up to the door and firmly rap her fingers on the door. She then quickly makes to grab the doorknob, at least until I tap on her shoulder and give her a meaningful look.

I mean, I get that she's excited, but they haven't answered from inside yet! What if she's changing, or something?

A yelp from inside asking for 'just a minute!' proves my worries correct, and Mari sends me an apologetic smile when she realises the why of my warning. This one doesn't really come often, since her getting carried away enough to do something silly isn't really an everyday occurrence, but I'll say that it's one of my favourites.

We wait for a few moments until we're given permission to come in, and Mari shows that she's really taken my warning to heart by not throwing the door open with wanton abandon.

"Hiya, Queen, Puppy-kun!" She quietly calls out just as soon as she crosses the threshold, remembering that half the occupants of the room might as well be sleeping. "How're you doing?"

A precaution that turns out to be unnecessary, because everyone inside is very much awake from what I can tell. All four of them.

"'Queen?'" Asuka asks, raising an eyebrow. She looks dead tired, sitting on the bed, but still manages to smile at Mari's greeting. "What's with the change?"

A smile that pales in comparison to Mari's own, as she points to the two new inhabitants of this big, wide, world that we've come to greet. One, being cradled in her mother's arms, and the other resting in a similar way with Shinji in a bedside chair.

"I heard that we have a new Prince and Princess in town, so I figured that you were owed a promotion by now."

"Oh, cool. Do I get to order people around, then?"

"Even more than you already do?" Shinji jokes, earning himself a light-hearted glare. "No, you don't."

"Spoilsport."

"Gorgeous."

"Flatterer."

"Love you."

"Less than me!"

"Okay, you two, stop that." I decide to step in, cutting off Asuka and Shinji's married couple teasing/argument before it gets too out of hand. "I know that we're in the hospital and all, but that's no excuse for giving me diabetes."

And I'm not exaggerating, mind you. The extremes of sugariness that those two can achieve do border on said limits many times, after all, and have earned them heaps of teasing over the years.

As I move closer to Shinji's side of the room, though, I can see that both him and Asuka still take it all in stride and are as unrepentant of causing carbohydrate highs as ever. Here's to hoping that I'll be able to check my levels before tomorrow.

"Hey, Ken."

"Hey, yourself," I return Shinji's greeting before nodding my head at the child on his lap. "How are the rookie parents doing?"

"...I don't know. I mean, I have my son in my arms right now, but the whole being a father thing hasn't really hit me yet." My friend replies with a shake of his head, smiling wryly. "I'm pretty sure that I'm not going to get a wink of sleep tonight, though, and not because of them."

Eh, I wouldn't be so sure about that, Shinji. You're clearly not as beat as Asuka is, but you still look pretty bushed, yourself. I'd bet that the parenthood worries will hit you some other night.

Still...

"Yeah, I can see why." I sure as hell can't see myself taking on the responsibilities of parenting any time soon, so it's no wonder that Shinji's feeling anxious. "But I'm honestly more amazed that you managed to dislodge your families from this room, really."

"It wasn't easy, but the nurses helped." Shinji chuckles, his smile growing a fair bit wider. "They went out to have lunch somewhere, but they'll probably be back real soon."

"And by 'real soon' Shinji means like fifteen minutes," Asuka chimes in with a weary sigh. "I bet Mum's willing to break every traffic law in existence just to get here two seconds faster."

Yeah, I can see that. The Sohryu and Ikari households make for one scary combo to let loose on the town, even more so considering the occasion.

"Guess we'll have to make the most out of our time before this place gets too crowded, then."

An idea that Mari seems to completely agree with. She's already made a beeline for Asuka, looking at the baby in her arms with a lot of interest.

And a fair bit of wariness, too, I can tell. Very rare for her.

"Can I... hold her?"

"Sure, here you go." Asuka sits a bit straighter and passes the pink-clad bundle on to Mari's awaiting arms, much to her barely-contained delight. And then Shinji follows suit, standing from his chair and pushing the other baby into my arms too, ignoring all of my protests. "But watch the hugs, you hear?"

...

To say that I'm tense right now would be the understatement of the century. I've never held a child this young before, after all, but Shinji helps me figure out the basics of it and I manage to rein in my anxiousness enough not to make the newborn cry.

Which means that I already did better than Gendo Ikari, according to Shinji.

Gee, I wonder why.

In any case, the little guy is dressed in a light blue pyjama, probably offered by the hospital, if I had to guess. I also get the feeling that the baby may break if I accidentally shook him a bit, which is more than a bit nerve-wracking.

...

And, honestly, he looks like a tinted walnut, a description that I won't mention out loud, just in case. But that's how we all come to this world, really.

"Wow, she's so tiny! And red! And wrinkly!" Clearly Mari's thoughts are following along the same line, but lacking in my reservations. As usual. "Ooh, and she already looks like she's angry at something, too, just like Mama!"

"Must be her survival instincts flaring up. Can't say I blame her."

Mari sticks her tongue out at the mother's quip and turns to look towards Shinji and I.

"What are their names?"

Really, Mari? I told you on the way here! Their names are...

"Shiro and Kana."

Shinji proudly replies before I can, producing the names of the two newborns. And somehow, I get the feeling that either he was the one that came up with the names with no opposition from Asuka, or that he turned out the victor of that little battle.

Not that it matters, I think they're good names. And I'm pretty sure that Mari does, too.

"Hello Kana-chan~. Who's the cutest thing ever~? You are!" Mari coos, managing the whole 'holding the baby' thing well enough to tickle Kana's tummy at the same time. The baby rewards her efforts with a soft cry, and Mari positively squees at the sight. "Oh, now I want one too!"

And of course she would go ahead and say something silly like that, as if having a kid worked along the same lines as owning a pet.

This girl sometimes, seriously.

"They're not puppies, Mari. Be serious."

But Mari doesn't listen (or pretends that she doesn't), as usual. She's gone back to dedicating 100% of her attention to little Kana by the time I'm done speaking.

...Sigh.

Well, nothing you can do when she gets like that. Better to focus my own attention on little Shiro, and making sure that he is as comfortable as I can get him.

Which continues to be a stressful task, mind you.

"He is tiny, though, Mari's right about that."

"Right, tell me all about how tiny they are. Pushing them out was fun." Asuka scoffs, and I happen to notice a fairly obvious imprint in Shinji's right hand and wrist. Guess she isn't exaggerating. "And they won't stay like that for long, by the time you two come back they'll probably be walking already. You were leaving pretty soon, right?"

"Yeah, tomorrow. Comic-Con starts on the twentieth and we have to prepare a few things beforehand." I spy a glance at my travelling companion, who's now tenderly grabbing hold of each of Kana's tiny little fingers. Mari's completely tuned out the rest of the world. "...And I say that, but we might still end up cancelling our plans."

"I don't think Mari-san will call it off at this point. Isn't this your first big event outside of Japan?" Shinji chuckles, before crossing his arms in thought. "Still, travelling the entire world, that sounds exciting. It makes me wish Asuka and I had thought of doing something like that before getting married."

"Yeah, it would have been neat. Maybe in a few years, when Kana and Shiro grow up a bit?" Asuka wonders for a short while, looking at the two babies in succession. She then crosses her arms as well and throws a pointed stare my way. "And by the way, when are you two going to stop wasting time and make things official, already?"

"Asuka!"

"Don't 'Asuka' me, Shinji, I'm just saying things as they are. I can see it, you can see it; and that last one alone speaks volumes of how damn obvious it is," Asuka quickly rebukes her husband's chiding, never dropping her offensive for even a single second. She'd make a fine general. "Well?"

Marriage, huh? Or at least, I think that's what Asuka's talking about.

...

...I get where she's coming from, but that's one can of worms that I'm not sure I want to open, and I'm pretty certain that the same stands true for Mari. She's already sacrificed a lot of the liberties she wanted for the relationship that we share (unconventional as it may be), so asking her to give up even more sounds kinda... selfish?

It's definitely a hard question that I haven't given much thought to, honestly.

"I don't know." I shrug, honestly having about zero clue of how to answer. "I think things are working out pretty well as they are."

"Booooring." Asuka instantly rolls her eyes, reacting pretty much as I expected her to. "And that's beside the point! I want revenge for my bachelorette party and I'm going to have it, dammit!" Turning around with a huff, Asuka sternly pokes my partner's side with a finger. "You hear me, Mari?!"

Something that finally seems to bring her out of her Kana-induced trance.

Good to know. I thought that only work or the promise of exhausting physical activity were capable of bringing her out of those. Nice to see an expansion to my options, because bringing out the outfits is enjoyable, sure, but it takes a lot of time.

"Eh?" Mari finally blinks, and it's obvious that she's heard nothing of what we were talking about. "Sorry Queen, what was that?"

A fact that doesn't really surprise me, but the same can't be said for these two. In the silence that ensues Mari turns to look at each of us in quick succession, trying to piece together what it was that she missed, but failing miserably. Not even her remarkable deductive sense can work with zero input, after all.

A detail that's not lost to Asuka, if her grumpy expression is anything to go by.

"...Forget it, you're hopeless." She declares with a weary sigh, before motioning towards Mari and me. "See, Shinji? This is why we can't depend on things working out on their own for these two. It's about damn time we did something!"

...

...Huh, and I wonder where I've heard that one before. Irony, thy name is Asuka Langley-Sohryu. If only you knew.

Thankfully for Mari and me, Asuka decides that whatever machinations she's going to plan with Shinji are better left for another day, and we fill the next few minutes with friendly chitchat and teasing. Those are only briefly broken by Mari taking a couple of seconds to remind Asuka that she demands pictures and videos every single day we're gone, and little Shiro finally letting me know that he's tolerated me for long enough and he'd rather be with someone he knows from here on out.

Something that I bet many people would feel annoyed by, but... Eh, I managed to last long enough, I'd say. I heavily suspected from the moment I stepped into the room that I wouldn't have a snowball's chance in hell of beating whatever Mari's record turned out to be, so I'm more than satisfied with my own mark.

Not that circumstances would have allowed me any more time with Shiro, anyway. A gentle knocking comes from the door almost as soon as I pass the newborn to Shinji's arms, and the female side of the Ikari family makes their way into the room soon after.

Fifteen minutes to the dot, following Asuka's statement. That girl's good.

"Oh!" Rei smiles, noticing Mari and me in the room. "Hi, Glasses! Hi, Makinami-san!"

And we both smile back. I find myself suddenly reminiscing about the newcomer and how far she's come from the hyperactive little kid I once knew, too.

...And I don't know where that train of thought came from, to be honest, but I guess it must be somehow related to being around two newborns for the day.

Although I guess that there's reason enough to be marvelled. I mean, had you told me that seven-year-old Rei would grow into who she is today, I would never have believed you. She's as close to the model young woman that Ikari-san always intended her to be as we're going to get her, I suppose.

Not that it was easy or simple, mind you, I still remember that rebellious episode when she was fourteen that had Rei hell-bent on dying her hair blue and going around wearing crimson contacts.

It was... interesting, to say the least. And not at all because I was forced to physically restrain Mari from forcing Rei into various costumes in more than one occasion. Absolutely not.

But that's a completely different story.

Anyway, I'm sure that Ikari-san would love to pin the merits of Rei-chan's changes on herself, but that is certainly not the case. Credit for that goes to a silver-haired young man and his flat/studio, where he somehow managed to leverage Rei-chan's infinite energy and bubbling emotions towards a creative end:

Painting.

And paint she did. Heaps upon heaps of canvas filled Kaworu's studio as young Rei evolved with her art, slowly and steadily turning into the pleasant young woman that we know today.

And as far as her pictures go...

Well, they're pretty, I suppose. Don't ask me to relay the 'beauty' or the 'message' shown in her creations, though, because I don't really do abstract art to the extent that either of those two do. Any photography I do that's not related to work tends to be more based on material and concrete ideas, after all.

...But still, and no matter how many years pass, she keeps on never calling me by name, the little runt. The more things change, the more they stay the same, I guess.

We exchange pleasantries and catch up a bit with Rei and Yui, and soon confirm that they're more than willing to join us for some joint teasing of the two rookie parents. We spend a few more minutes ribbing into our two friends like that, and making the most of our last time seeing them in the flesh for a long while, but it's around the time when Mari is politely cajoled into giving Kana up to the Ikaris that we realise that we're starting to become third wheels, and should probably start thinking about heading out.

Especially since I'd rather not have to face... him.

With that horrible thought in mind, I sidestep Rei-chan and throw a look at Mari, who nods her understanding and quietly walks towards the door. I go ahead to join her by the door, fully intending to say our farewells to Shinji and Asuka from there and be on our way shortly after, but we've barely made it to the entrance to the room when the door opens once more, Karma catches up to me...

...and I find myself face to face with the terrifying form of the Ikari patriarch.

Suddenly, I feel like I'm fourteen again and staring into the unspeakable Abyss. It doesn't matter that Gendo Ikari is starting to go white in some places, or that he's comically overloaded with a humongous amount of stuff meant for a twin baby shower, he still manages to have me a hair's breadth from pissing my pants by his mere presence.

And I'm not alone in this, because I can hear and feel Mari subtly shift around to hide behind me. Very smoothly, almost soundlessly.

Thanks, Mari. Your unending support is greatly appreciated; I'll make sure to let the guys at the gates of Heaven know all about your selfless act of bravery.

We stay like that for what feels like an eternity. Me, doing my best to hold in place and not take off running, and Gendo eyeing me up from behind a pair of diaper boxes, his eyes ever judging, ever condemning.

And then Gendo Ikari grunts and bows his head forward a tiny amount, almost millimetrical, right as I'm saying my prayers in every language that I'm fluent in.

Which aren't many, for the record.

"Fare well in your travels."

He says, and then he walks past us without any other words or contact of any kind, the... melodious sound of many toys and utensils clacking together following in his wake.

Which is perfectly fine by me, mind you, and by Mari too, I suspect. We take the chance to call out our goodbyes to Shinji and Asuka (although I'm fairly sure that they don't manage to hear us amidst all the sudden ruckus in the room) and quickly duck out into the hallway, not quite running, but probably walking quite a bit faster than what would be considered polite in a clinical environment.

My beating heart doesn't give much of a damn about that at the moment, though.

"Wow, two out of two stare-downs, Ken-chan." Mari eventually praises me with her usual flair once we've covered enough distance that we feel somewhat safe, although I can see a bit of sweat on her brow. "Not bad, not bad."

"...And if I don't ever have to do that again it will be too soon." I shoot back, trying and failing to suppress a shudder at both memories. "Let's get out of here before that monster remembers that he left something in the car, or something."

Mari offers no argument (not that I ever expected her to) and the both of us start making towards the reception area at a more sedate pace. However, she surprises me by not instantly launching into an energetic monologue about Kana and Shiro like I was expecting her to. Instead, Mari immerses herself into deep thought, barely managing enough presence of mind to follow me and not crash into any assorted furniture in the way.

Fairly uncommon behaviour for her, sure, but not strange enough that I feel the need to interrupt her. What's more, one other similar time to this that I did disturb her out of sheer worry, Mari was not amused at having her train of thought broken.

...It was a particularly exhausting day, that one.

In any case, and by the time that we exit the hospital and walk back into the hot, summer heat, I've managed to push Gendo Ikari far enough into the back of my mind that I'm not getting jitters anymore, and I decide that focusing on mentally going over the inventory for our trip tomorrow might be in order. Relaxing benefits aside, we need to make sure that we have everything that we need for ourselves and for our work, after all.

Most critical necessities check out fine, as I clearly remember packing them up, but I'm not 100% sure on Mari's side of things. More concretely, the 'work' part of our luggage.

Especially regarding one specific item that we have a bit of history with:

"Hey, Mari. Did you remember to put the maid outfit for Burton-san in the suitcase, or is it still at HQ?"

I receive no answer to my question, and it takes me a moment to notice that Mari is not walking beside me anymore. Blinking, I turn around to find her atop the stairs leading to the hospital entrance, and looking at the clear July sky above with a thoughtful look to her.

...And I guess this means that we've graduated from the weird attitude that Mari's been showing all afternoon and into never-before-seen territory. That makes me more than a bit nervous, to be completely honest.

Nervous enough that I decide risking her displeasure might be in order.

"Mari?" I call out to her. "Everything all right?"

My words prove half successful in bringing her out of her musings, because Mari turns her eyes to me and covers her mouth with a hand to complete the image of deep deliberation. Much to my chagrin, this one is a scene that I've seen quite a few times over the years, and that has been irrevocably tied to... remarkable experiences.

And by the time that Mari Makinami withdraws her hand to reveal a sunnysmile, my past nervousness has had time and cause to evolve into full-fledged dread.

"Say, Ken-chan. What are your thoughts on a house with a garden?"

FIN

A/N: And that's the end of the line for this AU. Hopefully you enjoyed the shenanigans of the Children in this much more positive universe, dear reader. I know I did, and that I'll miss working with this cast of characters in the future, with Mari making the top in that specific ranking, personally.

As always, special thanks go to my Betas for turning my raw writing into something fit for public perusal.

I'll see you again whenever the time comes, people. Have a nice summer.