Steel Cougar
By Lord Raa
Disclaim-me-do: Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your Captain speaking. We have a small problem. All four engines have stopped. We are doing our damnedest to get them going again. I trust you are not in too much distress.
Chapter 2
Ritsuko shuddered as the curry Misato had made was slowly forced down her gullet. As soon as she could, she reached for her beer and washed away the offending aftertaste.
"Damn, Misato, that's the worst tasting thing I've ever put in my mouth!"
"No-one forced you to eat it," Misato shrugged.
"True," the scientist conceded. "But since YOU asked me to come over for dinner, I thought there'd be edible food. This is so bad that I'm at a loss to describe it, Misato."
"Then stop talking about it," the beer drinker muttered angrily. She looked away and saw that Shinji also wasn't terribly impressed with her cooking. "You hate it too, Shin-chan?"
"It, it's not good, Misato-san," the teenager replied. He took another glance at the brown semi-solid mass on his plate. "I'm sorry, Misato-san, I can't eat this. I'll make myself something to eat. Would you like something, Dr. Akagi?"
"Yes please, Shinji-kun," the bottle-blonde smiled. "I'm sure that whatever you make will be fine."
The pilot left for the kitchen, taking the unfinished plates of curry with him. A couple of minutes later, when they were sure that they were alone, Ritsuko turned to her friend. "He doesn't seem as bad as you made out earlier."
"Well, yeah, he's cheered up a bit since this morning, but you know what these kids are like." Misato finished her can of beer. "I suppose that it's because we've not mentioned piloting."
The blonde's response was cut off by Shinji returning with two plates of omelettes.
"I know it's not much, Dr. Akagi," the pilot said apologetically as he handed her a plate.
"It certainly smells wonderful, Shinji-kun."
Misato looked on enviously. 'I should've had Shinji cook for us. I'll have to remember that for next time Ritsuko comes over.'
"So, Shinji-kun, what do you think to the idea of me being a pilot?" the Captain asked.
"I… I don't know," the teenager half-heartedly replied.
Ritsuko shot a look at Misato, who could only shrug before asking a follow up question.
"Are you worried about not being wanted or needed if I start piloting?"
"I… I don't know," Shinji said, pushing his food around his plate.
The two women shared another look as another possibility entered their heads at the same time.
"Shinji-kun," Ritsuko said, placing her fork on her now empty plate. "Are you worried that Misato might get hurt if she pilots?"
"A little," the young Ikari admitted with a light blush on his cheeks.
"I want you to be honest with us." the blonde followed up. "Do you like Misato? It's ok if you do; it's ok if you don't."
"L-like her how?" Shinji asked, his complexion reddening.
"Oh, you know, you're a boy, I'm a girl and we live under the same roof…" Misato teased.
"You're not helping, Misato," Ritsuko said through gritted teeth. "But that is what I meant, Shinji-kun. Are you attracted to Misato and worried that she'll get hurt if she pilots?"
The soft-spoken youth nodded. "Yes."
"She can look after herself, Shinji-kun," the scientist smiled. When Shinji looked unconvinced, she added a qualifier. "Well, not domestically, but she certainly can in combat."
"If you say so…"
A thought occurred to Misato. 'I know how to prove it to him…'
In the blink of an eye, Shinji found himself on his back, looking up into his guardian's eyes.
"See, Shin-chan, I'm not too bad in a fight," the Captain smirked as she saw the teenager try to figure out what had happened and why he was on his back.
Deciding that her friend needed to be chastised for her horseplay, Ritsuko casually commented on plugsuits. "Don't forget that as her fellow pilot, you'll see her in her plugsuit. And I think you know what you wear underneath them…"
"What?" Misato demanded, her head snapping to the blonde's direction. "What did you say?"
"As a pilot, you'll be wearing a plugsuit quite often. And you don't wear underwear under them. You may recall that there isn't a visible panty line."
"Y-you mean Misato-san will…"
"Yes, Shinji-kun," Ritsuko nodded. "Misato will be wearing nothing but a rather tight-fitting vinyl outfit when she sorties with you."
After Shinji processed that comment, his nose started to bleed.
"And I thought you didn't like it when Shin-chan was teased like that, Ritsuko," Misato mock chided. She rolled back onto her heels, hoping to spring back up to her feet, but misjudged the distance. "Oh shit!"
Shinji lifted his head to see the purple-haired woman lying on her back with her legs splayed obscenely and her tank-top revealing her bra and a nasty-looking scar.
"M-misato-san, are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, Shin-chan," the beer-drinker said. "Just didn't plan on falling on my ass like that."
"Serves you right for wrestling Shinji-kun to the floor like that," Ritsuko said unsympathetically, though there was a clear hint of humour in her voice.
"Yeah, you're right, Ritsuko," Misato said as she climbed to her feet and helped her roommate up. "I should save the wrestling with Shinji for the bedroom."
"M-Misato-san!" the teenager spluttered, his face red with embarrassment.
Later that evening, Ritsuko noted that Shinji was casting furtive glances at Misato. When the purple haired woman left to use the toilet, Ritsuko turned to the young man to her right.
"Shinji-kun, is there something you wanted to know?"
"I… I was wondering about the scar on Misato-san," the pilot replied.
"The one on her chest?" the scientist asked.
Shinji nodded. "Do you know how she got it?"
"It's not my place to tell you all of Misato's secrets, Shinji-kun," Ritsuko replied, hoping to avoid the issue.
"No it's not," Misato, fresh from her comfort break, confirmed as she retook her seat. "So, what was it you wanted to know about me, Shin-chan?"
"I… I didn't want to pry."
"Too late, the cat's out of the bag," the Captain replied. "What did you want to know?"
When Shinji failed to answer, Misato felt she had a good idea of what his question was about. "But Shin-chan, don't you think it's a bit sudden for you to ask for my hand in marriage? I know that we get on pretty well, especially after you agreed to take care of so many of the chores, but it's not even been six weeks since we met. Still, it's better than some people's marriages…"
"T-that's not what I meant!" the pilot protested, his face red. "I was talking about your chest…"
The beer drinker felt somewhat amused by the way Shinji's hands flew to his mouth, as if they could prevent the opening from embarrassing him further.
"If you're talking about my scar, I got that during the Second Impact," Misato said in a serious tone. Her eyes were drawn to the beads of condensation slowly sliding down her beer can onto the tabletop.
"But if you're talking about my breasts, then they're real," she added with a teasing glint in her eye.
Ritsuko sat silent as she watched the change in her friend's demeanour. 'I'm not surprised she changed the subject so quickly.'
"Misato, have you finished making Shinji-kun think about your breasts?"
"For the time being, yes," Misato said, turning her attention back towards Ritsuko. "So what's next? Am I going to be helping with the tests for Unit-01?"
"As well as Unit-00," the bottle-blonde nodded. "We need to see if your ability to sync is specific to Unit-01 or if you'll be able to pilot other Evangelions."
"Cool," the beer drinker said. She let out a yawn. "Well, it's getting late and I need sleep. You staying the night or what, Ritsuko?"
It was Ritsuko's turn to yawn. "If it's not too much hassle, I'll crash on the couch, if it's alright with you."
"No problem, just try not to molest Shinji," Misato teased as she finished her beer off.
"I like to I think I'm able to control my baser urges, Misato," the scientist said dryly. "And unlike some people I don't feel the need to wrestle young men to the floor."
Misato was unfazed by the comment. "Don't knock it 'til you've tried it – it's more fun than you might think."
That night, Shinji was not able to get to sleep. His thoughts were filled by his guardian. While he had spent a lot of time thinking about her body, especially given his age and the picture she had sent him, this time it wasn't sexual.
It was about the scar on her chest.
At least, that's how it had started since he couldn't shut out the comments about her breasts being real and how she thought that wrestling him to the floor was fun.
'She was just teasing me. She's not interested in me like that,' the pilot kept telling himself.
But the more he repeated that line of thinking, the more his mind's eye focused on Misato's body. And the more he thought about Misato's body, the more his own reacted.
Rolling onto his left side, Shinji tried to get comfortable. When he moved his legs, he realised what was causing a problem.
'I can't deal with this right now,' he thought glumly. 'If it was just Misato-san in her room, I could get away with being quick, but I might wake up Dr. Akagi…'
The pilot continued to shift in his bed, attempting to get comfortable enough to sleep. 'I can't sleep – I need to do something.'
Shinji lifted his covers off him and swung his feet over the end of his bed. Taking several moments, he hoped the cool air would calm his raging erection to the point where he wouldn't have to masturbate. He was startled by the knock on his door.
"Shinji, can I talk to you?"
"M-Misato-san? I… err…"
"Yeah, look, Shinji, I know it's late, but I wanted to talk to you," the Captain said through the door. Misato decided to finally speak her mind with Shinji and opened the door to see Shinji panic as he fumbled for his covers. "I suppose that would explain why you weren't exactly coherent."
"It's not what you think, Misato-san," the pilot insisted. "I was just about to go to the toilet."
"That's not important right now, Shinji," the purple-haired woman said reassuringly. "I know you don't like thinking about it, but I want to talk to you about piloting."
"But what about me – if you can pilot the Eva, what's going to happen to me?" Shinji asked. "Is my father going to send me away again? Am I only here to be used as a spare?"
"No, Shinji," Misato said, moving to sit next to the teenager. "If anything, I'm the spare. The Commander wants to see if I can sync with Unit-00 as well as Unit-01."
"Oh."
"I know you think you're alone, but you're not. I can't promise anything, but if you need someone to talk to, I'll try and make the time for you, ok?"
"Thank you, Misato-san," Shinji smiled.
"Good, now, do you need some private time or what?" the Captain teased.
"Misato-san!"
"Don't worry, Shinji, I'm only teasing you. Good night, I'll see you tomorrow morning, ok?"
The Captain left the pilot looking flustered and made her way to her own room. As Misato lay down on her bed, she let out a sigh. She was tired, but at least things seemed to be going better with Shinji now.
She pulled the cover over her, smiling slightly as she recalled the embarrassment on the pilot's face.
"Heh, still got it," she murmured happily.
Morning came and Ritsuko saw that Shinji was up and about, preparing breakfast.
"Good morning, Dr. Akagi."
"Oh, good morning, Shinji-kun," she replied. "I'm not sure I expected you to be up and about."
"I got used to getting up early," the pilot explained. "Besides, if we wait for Misato-san to get up, we'll miss breakfast."
"Yeah, she's not a morning person," Ritsuko smiled. She added, "I used to be Misato's roommate back in college."
"Oh, I see," Shinji nodded in understanding. "Would you like tea or coffee?"
"Coffee please, Shinji-kun." The scientist stretched before making her way to the bathroom.
Five minutes later, she emerged to see Shinji plating up some scrambled eggs on toast.
"Sorry it's not much, Dr. Akagi, but we don't have much food in the house. I'm not used to cooking the instant food Misato-san buys."
"I'm sure it'll be fine, Shinji-kun."
Misato stumbled from her room and straight into the bathroom. Two minutes later, she stumbled out, drying her hands on a towel.
"Good morning, Misato, you look like you're ready to take on the world," Ritsuko smiled sarcastically.
The purple-haired woman just grunted before opening the fridge and retrieving her first beer of the day. After swilling down the majority of the amber liquid, Misato perked up visibly.
"Ah, that's much better."
Ritsuko shook her head. "You haven't changed since college, Misato."
"Sorry for still being fun, Ritsuko," Misato replied, playfully sticking her tongue out at her former roommate. "Now, let's eat breakfast before it gets cold."
"So what's the plan for today, Dr. Akagi?" Shinji asked, refilling the scientist's cup.
"More testing is the short answer, Shinji-kun. Testing of Misato, the control systems and of you," the bottle blonde answered.
"Me? What do you need me for?"
"Well, I need you as a control for this testing. We know you can synchronise with Unit-01 and that will be my control for checking the variables. Variables will be things like the LCL pressure and its temperature. Then when I've got the data, Misato will go in and we'll test again."
There was a beeping and Ritsuko checked her phone. "Oh, it seems that Misato's plugsuit is ready."
"What?" the roommates asked in unison.
"When I told the Commander about Misato's synchronisation with Unit-01, he ordered that a plugsuit be made for her."
"Oh, right," Misato said, unsure of how she felt about this. While she was well aware of her looks, having used them to her advantage for many years, how would everyone react if they saw her in a plugsuit? "Wait a minute, how do you know what size to make it in?"
"We've got your height from your medical records," the scientist answered. "As for the other measurements, your suit will fit your contours. More or less, anyway."
Shinji's testing had gone through without any major problems aside from the dizziness he felt when they had increased the LCL pressure above 1.12 bar.
Doctor Akagi had mentioned that it was lower than the MAGI had predicted, but it wasn't something that would cause too many problems.
He climbed out of the entry plug and stretched. Looking around, he waited for Misato to get to the entry plug.
The thought of Misato in the plugsuit was rather enticing – she did have a fine figure, add in the fact that she wouldn't be wearing any underwear and there would be male pulses racing wherever she went.
Shinji was just glad that Touji and Kensuke didn't know about today's testing. The pair would have hounded him for a photograph.
The sound of footsteps approaching made him turn his head to the metal stairway. He saw the top of Misato's head approaching him.
Two steps later, the teenager saw that Misato was wearing a dark expression.
"M-Misato-san?"
It was clear that the Captain had been upset with the journey from the locker rooms to the entry plug.
"Stupid chafing plugsuit," Misato grumbled. She glanced up at Shinji with an increased understanding of why Shinji didn't particularly like piloting.
Shinji saw that Misato was wearing a labcoat over her plugsuit.
"Is everything all right, Misato-san?"
"This thing doesn't fit right, but at least it's better than the wetsuit," the purple-haired woman answered. She let out a sigh as she finished climbing the stairs. "That would've been easier in my uniform.
"Well, I suppose that it's time for you to see why it was hard work to walk up the stairs."
Misato slipped the white labcoat off her shoulders, revealing a black vinyl material with red highlights. Slowly, she revealed more of the plugsuit, the synthetic material clinging to her body.
It was then that Shinji noticed that the red coloured material wasn't limited to highlights or flashes. The designers had, for some reason, decided that part of the suit that contained Misato's impressive chest should be in red.
It was obvious to the Captain that the contrast had immediately drawn his attention to her breasts.
After a few lingering moments, Misato smirked before finally allowing the labcoat to drop to the floor.
The designers had again used the two different colours of material to highlight another part of Misato's figure. From the back it looked like she was wearing a pair of skimpy, tight-fitting bikini bottoms.
As a bit of fun, Misato bent over to pick up the labcoat.
Shinji whimpered as the sight before him was burned into his brain.
"Hold this for me, will you Shin-chan?" Misato asked with a wink as she handed over the white garment.
Dumbstruck, Shinji watched his flirty guardian climb into the entry plug before blowing him a kiss.
"See you in a bit, Shin-chan," the purple-haired woman said as the hatch closed.
Back in the control room, Ritsuko was shaking her head in disbelief at the way Misato had shamelessly flirted with Shinji. It was in stark contrast to the way she'd demanded a labcoat to cover the plugsuit as she walked to the entry plug.
That had been understandably modest, given that the material accentuated Misato's buttocks and drawn attention to her breasts.
The scientist switched on the radio. "So, Misato, can we start our tests or do you want to keep flirting with Shinji?"
"¬I'm done for now, Ritsuko,¬" the Captain replied, rolling her eyes at the disapproving tone her friend was using. "¬Besides, it's not my fault.¬"
"It's not your fault that you were acting like that?" Ritsuko asked disbelievingly. "Then whose fault is it?"
"¬Well, maybe I am a little to blame, but when you put someone as sexy as me in something that looks like it should be worn by an AV star, you have to expect some sexy behaviour.¬"
Ritsuko shook her head and reached for her cigarettes and lighter. "Moving swiftly along, are you ready to begin, Captain Katsuragi?"
"¬Yes I am, Doctor Akagi,¬" Misato answered formally, though her tone was even more mocking than Ritsuko's.
Two and a half hours later, Misato emerged from the entry plug mentally and physically exhausted.
"Urgh," she groaned. Looking up, she was surprised to see a cold drink waiting for her. "Shinji?"
"Y-yes, Misato-san."
"Thanks," the purple-haired woman smiled before accepting the drink. The vaguely fruit-flavoured sports drink was refreshing, and soon the 'scientifically designed' formula of sugars and electrolytes would allow her to fully articulate her opinion on piloting an Evangelion.
"That was hard work."
"Yeah, it's not as easy as it looks, is it?" Shinji muttered rhetorically, though his tone was somewhat more sarcastic than he'd planned. He blushed when he realised that Misato had heard him. "Sorry, I …"
"What?"
"I only wanted you to see what it was like to pilot an Eva; to see that it wasn't as easy as some people think."
"What? People think it's easy? Who does?" the Captain asked before finishing her drink.
"Well, it's mainly Kensuke who thinks that it's easy. That the computers do most of the work and all I have to do is point it in the right direction…"
"Is he the one with the glasses who drools over me?"
"Yes, that's Kensuke Aida," Shinji nodded.
"And the taller one is?"
"Touji. Touji Suzuhara," the teenaged pilot answered. "He also asks me questions about what it's like to live with you. Sometimes, the two of them team up on me and it's hard to escape."
Misato's eyes narrowed. "What sort of thing are they asking?"
"Well, err, it's, I mean they keep asking me embarrassing questions," Shinji blushed heavily. "Really private things… I haven't told them anything, honest, Misato-san!"
"I believe you, Shinji. Thank you for being so discrete. Now, how about you let me get to the showers?" Misato asked.
"Of course, Misato-san."
To be continued…
Pre-read by Chi Vayne and previewed on various intertubes.
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