Disclaimer: I do not own any Anime, Manga, Game, Book, or Movie referenced, specifically Neon Genesis Evangelion, Bleach, and Twilight. Thank You.
Shinji awoke the next day, nervously expecting Asuka to come barging into his room at any moment demanding explanations for his behavior or that he do some chore that he had supposedly neglected. Strangely, neither of these things happened. Glancing over at his clock, Shinji groaned. Seven am blinked innocently back at him, the digital red numbers happily doing their job of reminding him of the time. Shinji briefly considered rolling back over, but his stomach grumbled rather loudly in complaint. He had not eaten dinner last night, to busy hiding from whatever wrath Asuka may have been feeling.
Giving a sigh of resignation, Shinji stumbled to his feet. If he wanted breakfast, it was best he cooked it for himself. Shinji staggered tiredly into the kitchen, and immediately he was taken aback. Standing in the kitchen, wearing his apron, was Asuka. Her back was turned to him, the stove happening to face away from the kitchen door. He rubbed at his eyes, looking again. Yes, he told himself, Asuka really is standing in the kitchen at seven in the morning on a Saturday, and she's humming. That thought hit him again. Is that really Asuka? Humming a cheerful little tune while cooking?
Indeed she was, Asuka's beautiful voice rising and falling in a happy melody that Shinji didn't recognize. This was accompanied by the sizzling of the skillet as Asuka cooked something, which smelled pretty decent. Asuka wasn't the best cook, but she was by far much superior to Misato in that department, and nearly as good as himself. That and she had a flare for western foods, whereas Shinji's talents lay more in most eastern dishes.
"Asuka?" Shinji questioned. At his voice, she stopped humming abruptly, spinning to face him. Her face immediately flushed in what even he recognized as embarrassment, before a glare settled on her fair features. He couldn't help but gulp, and for more than one reason. She looked better in that apron than he ever could.
"What the hell do you want, Shinji?" She snarled, angry at being caught in what he recognized as a private moment. It wasn't often Asuka let down her guard, and she didn't like being caught with it down. She tended to get more than a little irritable when it happened. Shinji couldn't help but wonder what had put her in such a good mood though.
"I-I just came out here to get some breakfast." He stuttered, taking a small step back. Asuka settled down, though her glare softened but a little. She turned back around, focusing on whatever she was cooking, though her shoulders were now rigid. Shinji wisely decided to retreat, sitting down at the dining table. The minutes passed in a tense silence, the sounds of cooking emanating from the kitchen being the only noise in the entire apartment. Shinji lay his head down on the table, eyes drooping tiredly. It really was far too early in the morning for his taste.
Suddenly, a plate smacked down inches from his nose, a stack of waffles piled high on it, an over easy egg resting at the very top. He swiveled to look at Asuka, bewildered. She stood there, still wearing his apron, her arms crossed. She very deliberately refused to meet his questioning gaze.
"Asuka?" He queried softly.
"Just eat your damn breakfast, moron." She huffed, turning to face him, arms still crossed. Her face was flushed, though from the heat of the kitchen or from something else he didn't know. He turned to what was apparently his breakfast. It really did look delicious.
"Thank you, Asuka." He dug in, and her cooking was heavenly. The waffles were fluffy, and the egg split right open, yoke running down the sides of the waffles and mixing with syrup.
"Whatever." She stalked off, returning a minute later with her own plate, and no longer wearing his apron. He brushed off the twinge of disappointment he felt at seeing her no longer wearing something of his. They ate in a peaceable silence, undisturbed by the apartments other residences. Misato was either at work, or passed out drunk in a bar, and Pen Pen was passed out drunk in his freezer.
Shinji slowly became aware that Asuka was watching him. He glanced up subtly, watching her watch him through his long eye lashes. She was staring at him eat, slowly eating her own food at a subdued pace. He pondered for a while why she would be staring at him while he ate. Oh.
"It's delicious, Asuka." He looked directly at her as he said this. Asuka looked away, a faint blush staining her cheeks. She murmured something in response, which he took to be gratitude for the compliment. Satisfied, Shinji returned to his own meal. Soon he finished, and he gathered his plate up and took it into the kitchen, placing it in the sink. He stopped at the fridge, glancing at the chore list, ignoring Misato's name by habit. It wasn't like she ever did any of the chores she was supposed to anyway.
Under Saturday, November 12th 2015, he had to do the dishes, clean the kitchen, and cook dinner. He noticed that Asuka had actually cooked breakfast this morning like she was supposed to. He would clean up after her as a sign of his gratitude. He also had to vacuum the living room, and bathe PenPen. Shinji rolled up his sleeves, and got to work. Of course, with Shinji's work ethic, it didn't take very long at all. The most difficult part was dragging a hung over PenPen into the tub to wash him. That bird could really put up a fight.
And so, strangely, Shinji found himself with free time. Keeping a cautious eye on Asuka, Shinji sidled over to the couch, flipping on the TV. After several minutes, he settled down with a sigh of relief. It was at this moment that Asuka flopped down next to him, snagging the remote straight out of his hands. Shinji didn't put up much of a fight. Asuka usually picked something pretty decent to watch anyway, and she was at her friendliest when she was sat down in front of the TV. He watched as Asuka distractedly flipped through the channels, finally stopping on a movie about vampires. And so started the strangest 2 hours of Shinji's life, as he watched a movie whose star was whinier than he is. The movie was called Twilight.
When Twilight finally ended, Shinji gave a sigh of relief, shuddering at the movie. He didn't like it. And it wasn't just the romance aspect not appealing to his fourteen year old mind.
"What did you think?" He gazed at Asuka, startled. It wasn't often that Asuka asked his opinion on something, and when she did it was usually a trick question. Dread settled like a lead weight in the pit of his stomach. He pretended to think about how he would answer, while praying for a way out of this discussion and searching for an excuse to do something else. 'Abandon your fear.' He nearly jumped, but his new creed settled on his mind like a warm blanket. He decided to actually have a conversation with Asuka, and if she was setting him up, then so be it.
"I-," He cleared his throat. "I didn't like it. It had some nice ideas, but there was just too many things wrong with the movie." To his surprise, and slight paranoia, Asuka nodded in agreement.
"The girl, Bella, was pathetic. Even you have more reason to complain than she does." Shinji ignored the jab at him. It was just a part of Asuka, and he would honestly be wary if she didn't take a crack at him one of these days.
"I was more disturbed by that vampire, Edward. He acted like a total stalker, watching her sleep at night. Plus he was way older than her, and he acted like a whiny teenager even though he's over a hundred years old." Asuka frowned. Shinji wasn't surprised. Asuka does have a crush on Kaji after all, and the man is well over twice her age. He's even older than Misato, a good decade older in fact. Misato is in her thirties, and Kaji is in his forties.
"I personally think that Bella was incredibly selfish. She was even leading on Jacob. If you're not interested in a person, you should let them know." Ignoring the feeling he was getting that this whole conversation was filled with implications and accusations, Shinji decided to simply enjoy a friendly debate for the first time ever with Asuka. And so the two happily chatted, spending several hours debating points in the movie. Eventually Misato got home, and she was promptly dragged into the conversation. Both teens went to bed that night with a smile on their faces.
Author's notes: I feel like this chapter moved a little fast, and while it seems like they are getting along a lot better, this is more of a brief peace before the storm hits. There is a lot of hardship in store for these two, but the both of them will come out the better for it. After all, people only grow and change when faced with adversity. Please be kind enough to leave me a review, and PM me if you have any questions.