AN at the bottom - I might just make that a regular thing. Please enjoy the chapter
Lunch hour came around soon, and Shinji went to one of the company's lunch rooms. It was a large room with a small self-operated kitchen, and a decent variety of vending machines. There were 3 separate lunch rooms at NERV due to the size of the staff, one with an actual cafeteria in it, but Shinji didn't use the others - he enjoyed cooking his own lunch, and it was cheaper to do so as well. Not many other people used this room either, so it was always nice and quiet.
He sat down with Kaji in tow, and they were soon joined by Rei and a reluctant Asuka.
"Here he is, the boring Mr. Shinji himself." Asuka sat down with her usual air of self-righteousness.
Shinji had known Asuka since he started school in Tokyo-3, and he'd even worked under her at NERV before. Though their friendship was strained and occasionally even forced, they were more often than not good-natured colleagues.
"That's me," he sighed as he poked at his food, "the idiot himself."
"You're still taking this morning pretty rough, aren't you kid?" Kaji leant back on his chair with a can of coffee in his hand. Shinji nodded slightly, and picked up a piece of omelette.
"What happened this morning?" Asuka asked curiously.
She'd unknowingly opened the floodgates.
"Well, me and Misato ganged up on him when he came in..."
Soon Kaji had told the story to an amused Asuka and a mortified Rei, the latter blushing and looking down at her lunch before the story was over.
Asuka threw an arm over Rei's shoulder. "I guess your day off wasn't so boring after all!"
"Please stop speaking about it. It's uncomfortable." Rei picked up some of her food.
Misato came over from the vending machines, arms laden with various treats. Barely any of it could be considered a part of a solid meal, but by her own admission, "Sure as hell beats eating my own cooking".
Sitting next to Kaji, she took one look at Asuka and Rei before groaning. "Come on, you already told them? You should have waited for me!"
"Can we please just forget about it...?" Shinji poked at his food uncomfortably as the table discussed the event at length.
After a few minutes, everyone had stopped talking about it in favor of focusing on their food. Misato was digging into her third yakisoba bread, and Kaji was eating his homemade boxed lunch. Asuka was eating some sort of sandwich and drinking the box of juice she'd gotten earlier.
"Oh, while we're all together," Kaji drew the table's attention, "did you tell Rei about the dinner plans, Shinji?"
"I did, but I thought we hadn't decided on when to go," he answered.
"We were thinking maybe this coming Saturday." Kaji paused to sip his coffee. "We're all working half-shifts that day, right? Seems like the best time to go."
Shinji looked over towards Rei. She looked up at Kaji, and nodded.
"That works."
Kaji beamed. "Alright, that's great! It gives us the better half of a week to plan everything out."
"You'd better start bracing yourself, kids," Misato chimed in, "because when you're out with us, the night doesn't end until one of us is injured or sick!"
Shinji and Rei thought back to when Misato came into work after a night out, nursing a broken ankle. She'd insisted that it was due to a negligent driver hitting her on her way home, but Kaji later told them that she'd picked a fight with a passing cyclist and gotten her ankle wrapped up in one of the bike's wheels. The thought of drinking with her made them both uneasy.
Asuka sat on the side, growing more irritated with each passing second.
"What, and you're leaving me out? I'm sitting right here, you know!"
Kaji attempted to strike a cool pose, holding his can by the rim and winking at her.
"Sorry Asuka, but this is a double date - four's company, but five's a crowd."
Misato reached up and hit Kaji over the back of the head.
"Idiot."
Asuka stuck her nose up. "Well then, I can see where I'm not wanted!"
Before anyone could stop her, she took her things and left their table.
"...I guess it was rude of us to make plans right in front of her." Shinji went back to picking at his food.
Kaji nodded in agreement. "Fair enough, but we don't get a lot of time to talk with Rei as well as yourself."
"Yeah." Still feeling unsatisfied with the turn of events, Shinji finished the last of his lunch. He wrapped the tin container up in the handkerchief he'd brought with him, and placed the bundle in front of him.
As the group finished their respective meals, the lunch bell went off. They got up, heading over to dispose of their waste and such, when Shinji was stopped by an old, leathery hand being placed on his shoulder.
He turned around to see a much older man - a man he recognized well. His features were just as distinguished as they had been when he was a teenager, but age had reduced his stature slightly. He hunched over now, and walked with a cane. He was formerly the second-in-command to Gendo Ikari, and the best worker NERV had ever seen.
"Mr. Fuyutsuki, hello!" Shinji bowed and shook the older man's hand.
"Hello Shinji, I see you've been well." The old man was cheerful in his tone.
The others turned around to see where Shinji had gone off to, and saw Fuyutsuki as well. Before he knew it, Fuyutsuki had a captive audience of Misato and Kaji.
"Mr. Fuyutsuki, sir!"
"It's nice to see you in good health, sir!"
Fuyutsuki waved them down. "Relax, I'm not here on any sort of business. I just wanted to see Shinji and Rei. Please don't bother with the formalities."
"Okay, sir." Kaji re-assumed his usual, laid-back posture. Fuyutsuki turned back towards Shinji, and towards Rei, who'd joined them in the commotion.
"Could I have a quiet word with you both for a moment? It's nothing serious, just a small chat."
Shinji looked at the clock. "I'd enjoy that, but lunch has just finished. We have to go clock back in."
The old man smiled. "Oh come now, a couple of minutes are nothing. I'll tell Gendo that I kept you both."
Rei nodded and extended her hand to shake. "We'd love to, sir."
"Excellent, I won't keep you long." Fuyutsuki began guiding them over towards the other side of the room, but not before looking back towards Misato and Kaji.
"Get back to work, you slackers!" he yelled out jokingly.
"Coming from Mr. Retiree, that's rich!" Kaji yelled back. Regardless, he and Misato left the room.
When they'd left, Fuyutsuki moved a chair from a nearby table and sat. Shinji and Rei did the same.
"I heard from Gendo that you've decided to get married."
Shinji and Rei nodded, and Fuyutsuki beamed. "That's wonderful news! I'm happy for you both."
"Thank you, sir. It's not a decision we take lightly, we love each other very much." Still surprised by the older man's visit, Shinji was visibly tense – and his voice did little to suggest otherwise.
Seeing the tension on Shinji's face, Fuyutsuki patted his shoulder.
"Relax, Shinji. I wouldn't have assumed anything else."
"Sorry, sir." Shinji looked down.
The older man cleared his throat slightly. "I came in today to congratulate you both, and also because I want to consider giving you both a wedding present."
"Sir... that's very kind of you." Rei was slightly taken aback at the proposition. Neither she nor Shinji actually knew Fuyutsuki all that well, knowing him from their first few years of work. For him to give either of them a wedding present was unexpected.
He must have seen the apprehension on their faces, because he put his hand up in front of him.
"At least hear my proposition before turning it down." His tone was gentle, but firm - Both of them had seen the way he worked, and it sounded like he wouldn't stop even if they asked him to. There was no point to resisting.
Seeing them relax, Fuyutsuki continued. "To begin with, I want to give you some money to put towards a home for you both."
Shinji went to protest, but Fuyutsuki rose his hand.
"Wait."
Shinji receded back into his seat, and Fuyutsuki continued.
"Secondly, I have a summer home in Hawaii, right on the beach. There's nowhere around for miles, except a beautiful, small village with all the necessities you'd need. I want to offer it to you as a honeymoon location."
The couple looked at each other, and whispered a few words while Fuyutsuki waited. After a long moment, Rei spoke up.
"Your offer is very generous, sir, but... we're not sure if we'd like to accept such a lavish gift."
He smiled.
"I understand that this is unexpected, and this gift can be seen as confronting. It's fine if you don't want to accept it, but I want you both to think about it for a few days."
After a moment of quiet deliberation, both agreed to Fuyutsuki's conditions. They shook hands, and bowed.
"Thank you for your offer, sir. We'll decide in the next few days."
"That would be nice." Fuyutsuki began to walk away, but stopped suddenly and turned back around.
"...Hey, it's been nice seeing you both again."
"You too, sir." Shinji and Rei bowed again, and Fuyutsuki waved.
"So, what did he want?"
Sure enough, once Shinji got back to his work area, his 2 friends had descended upon him like a swarm of flies.
"...He wanted to give us a wedding present." There was no point in lying to them over something so trivial.
Kaji seemed surprised by his answer. "That's pretty nice of him. I don't think I've ever seen him give much to anybody."
"Yeah, I thought so too." Shinji looked down. "I don't feel comfortable accepting his gift."
"What did he offer you?" Misato had sat backwards on her chair, and was idly spinning around on it.
"...Well, he offered us money to buy a home with."
Both Kaji and Misato looked at Shinji in surprise. Slightly unsettled, Shinji continued.
"And then he offered us his summer house in Hawaii for our honeymoon."
"You're kidding!" Kaji talked a bit louder than he'd intended, and other people around them looked towards him. He lowered his voice.
"I don't think I've ever seen the old man being this generous, but I know for a fact he's loaded. His gift isn't going to put a dent in his pocket, so I think you should just take him up on it."
"I don't feel comfortable taking his money, though." Shinji cleaned up some papers to keep his hands occupied. "It's too much, especially from Mr. Fuyutsuki."
Misato had walked over to join the conversation.
"I wonder if he'd give us a gift if we got married..."
Kaji seemed amused. "You're joking, right? That would be like caging a mongoose and a cobra together."
"I dunno," Shinji interjected, "you both seem like the perfect match for each other."
"Jeez, you too?"
Confused, Shinji nodded. Kaji looked away.
"Sorry to break it to you both, but I'm really not the marrying type."
Seeing that he'd struck a nerve, Shinji went back to his paperwork. Kaji and Misato went back to their own devices, and they worked until the end of the day.
Meanwhile, Rei had spoken to Asuka about Fuyutsuki's offer, and the fiery redhead's temper had flared to new heights.
"What?! He'll give you guys money for getting married? He used to be such a penny-pincher, this is ridiculous!"
"I assume he's grown softer with age." Rei handled paperwork as it came to her, often having time to talk. Asuka was beginning to fall behind.
"Maybe he retired because he was losing his touch. He might be forgetting the skills which made him so rich."
"I don't think so," Rei began as she began organizing her desk, "he wouldn't be offering us anything if he couldn't afford it."
Asuka smirked. "So, it sounds like you're gonna take him up on his offer."
"We haven't decided yet." Rei didn't appreciate her co-worker's tone. "Me and Shinji are going to discuss it first. It is a decadent offer, and I'm not sure how to feel about it."
"Honestly, you should just take it." Asuka had begun focusing more on her work, having spied how far ahead of her Rei was getting. "I've been living here for nearly a decade, and I still don't get the big deal about accepting gifts."
"If someone offered you a large gift, wouldn't you feel indebted to them?" Rei asked her.
Asuka thought about it.
"Well, when you put it that way... yeah, for a while. But if they want to give you such a nice gift and expect you to use it, then it'd be a lost opportunity not to take it - especially if it could help you out."
Rei smiled. It was always pleasant to get a new outlook on a situation, and Asuka was always good for a second opinion.
At the end of the day, Shinji still had some work to complete - nothing he couldn't do the next day, but an amount he could have done without so many distractions. Fuyutsuki's offer was on the forefront of his mind as he headed for the logbook.
As he signed, he felt someone move up behind him.
"Shinji, I noticed you were a bit behind today."
The voice struck Shinji like a speeding car - it was Gendo.
"Y-yes, sir - there is no excuse. I'm sorry, and I will work harder tomorrow to make up the difference."
"It's okay." Gendo laid a hand on Shinji's shoulder. "I know about Fuyutsuki's offer, and I can only imagine that it was on your mind for most of the day."
Shinji felt relieved. He felt bad enough about the day, and being forgiven for falling short was a luxury he needed.
"Thank you for understanding, Mr. Ikari."
"It's fine, Shinji, really." Gendo waved off the thanks. "Just make up the difference tomorrow and there'll be no problem."
Shinji smiled, and shook Gendo's hand. Before he left though, Gendo muttered something to him in a low voice.
"Fuyutsuki's not the type of man to give gifts, so I imagine his offer means quite a lot to him. Just remember that."
And with those parting words, Gendo went back to his office.
Shinji went down and headed for the car, where Rei was waiting for him. He pecked her on the cheek before getting in, and soon they were on their way home. Rei drove slowly and evenly, and eventually she brought up the gift.
"...The offer he's given us is a very useful opportunity."
Shinji sighed as he looked out the window. The trees outside were painted a rusty brown by the setting sun.
"I know... It's just such a big thing, especially coming from him."
"I feel uncomfortable about taking his money and hospitality," Rei began as they approached an intersection, "but it seemed like an important decision to him."
"Yeah, my father said as much on the way out." Shinji's attention was drawn to the road ahead, as they turned towards their neighborhood.
They coasted along a long road for a few minutes, sitting in uncomfortable silence. Both were trying to phrase their thoughts in a way that wouldn't hurt the other if they disagreed.
Rei spoke up first.
"...Everyone seems to think we should take it. It's like we don't even have a say in the matter."
Shinji smiled. "Yeah, I understand what you mean."
They were silent for a few more minutes. They were soon within viewing distance of their apartment building. Unconsciously, Rei slowed the car down as the pair tried to make the next move.
"I think we should accept the offer." Shinji broke the silence first. Rei struggled to find the right words, but she eventually replied.
"…It really would help us out greatly. It could even help us start a family, when we're ready."
They'd discussed starting a family before, but it had never come up in casual conversation before. For a split second, Shinji felt like his heart was going to burst.
"...Yeah. We could start a family with that money." Shinji began to beam as he imagined himself and Rei with a family.
Rei pulled into the car-park outside their apartment building, and looked over towards Shinji.
"It looks like we're accepting his gift, then."
"Yeah." Shinji hadn't stopped grinning yet. There was nothing at that moment which could have made him happier than the thought of raising a family with his wife. Rei smirked at her daydreaming goof of a fiancé.
"We'll have to make him the guest of honor when we decide on a date, then." Rei stepped out of the car, and Shinji followed.
"Absolutely. I might even make him my best man."
Rei smiled at the suggestion. "I can only imagine the bachelor party he'd throw you, with nearly 70 years of life experience under his belt."
An image of Mr. Fuyutsuki becoming a wild playboy entered Shinji's head, and he laughed.
As they headed up the stairs to their apartment, Shinji stopped for a moment.
"Hey, wait a second, Rei."
She stopped and turned towards him, and he softly embraced her.
"I can't wait to start a family with you. I couldn't imagine a future any better than a future spent with you."
Rei melted into his embrace, and felt the warmth of his face brushing against hers. She whispered quietly into his shoulder.
"I wouldn't want any other future than that."
Shinji softly pecked her on the lips, and Rei kissed him back. They stood there in each other's arms, until the rays of the setting sun began to subside.
AN: Fuyutsuki is one of my favorite characters, and I wanted to include him early in the story. Working with Gendo is a given, and being older than Gendo opened the door to him being a retiree by the time the story takes place. Looking back on this chapter, I'm pretty happy with his appearance in it.
Next chapter: Shinji and Rei get out of the office, and in between the sheets~~. Well, not for long, but they still do.
Edited 19/05/2015
