AN: There was a fun contest in the AsuShin Trash Discord (AsuShin Empire), ahem, about making a short 5k word fic, so I participated! I had half a mind to purge it after the contest was over, but well… here we are. Second oneshot for EVA I ever write! Hope it doesn't suck!

I own nothing.

Wet Sand

The heat was becoming intolerable; all around the humid air and warm breeze engulfed any and all who walked alongside the beach. The sun scorched from above and the hot, heavy wind blew dust straight into her eyes. She grumbled, dabbed away at them and found herself thankful to have taken a nice hat to protect her face and shoulders from the sunburn she was to get the next day. Even with the added element of sunblock, she had lain around the beach and lingered in the ocean for a bit too long, if the sting from her shoulders was to be considered.

Just a few steps away, far enough so that he was safe from any possible aggression she chose to hurl in his way, the Third Child walked a bit closer to the waters, letting the gentle sway of the waves moisten his bare feet, ears securely protected from her voice and accusations by the ever reliable buds of his SDAT. A turn of the head, a sideway glare, a huff, and she continued with an even speedier stride in hopes that the boy following her relented, went back or Gods forbid, actually chose to walk beside her.

'Let's go to the beach!' Misato's impromptu decision to break out of the routine and spend a day by the ocean could not have come at a worst moment, at the very least for her. Another glance to the boy trailing behind her, and an even deeper huff erupted from her chest. He was trying to keep up with her, to the girl's increasing annoyance. Oh, but of course, since Misato told him to follow me, like a good little doormat the Great Invincible Shinji does as he's told, as is custom, she pondered, enraged, and kicked away at a small sand dune.

Perhaps their senseless, pitiful legal guardian had not taken into consideration that her mood was not, in fact, the ideal one for a trip to the beach in the middle of the hottest day of the year. Asuka's eyes narrowed, her nostrils flared when the third furtive glance confirmed that Shinji was stealing peeks at her as he walked. Once he was found, the boy's eyes widened and he looked away, shoulders sagged, and produced that confused little frown he displayed whenever he did not quite know how to react or worse, was too hesitant to actually say something.

His attitude irked in the nastiest of ways. The annoyance had been building for well over a month. "What?" she demanded in a stiff hiss. "What are you doing, following me around?"

More sagging of the shoulders, more uncertainty and a hint of anger shone in his eyes. The way he halted himself from speaking made her teeth grind, and when the memory from a month before manifested once again, it forced more liquid wrath into her chest and lungs. "M-Misato-san said to come with you, and…" he refused to make eye contact with her and instead gave that annoying little frown to the waves. "A-And…uhm…"

"And what?!" came the much harsher than anticipated retort. "Oh, since it was Misato who told you to come, why don't you go back and tell her I said I'm perfectly fine by myself!?" He was listening to his little music player, was he not? Yes, that little music player with a particularly new tape and new songs. Some rabid part of her wished for nothing else than to take it from his hand and hurl it at the ocean. "I didn't ask you to come here! I don't need you here, so feel free to go back at any point!"

His cobalt eyes made contact with her own for the first time in that entire day. Not even during the car ride had he dared to even try to interact with her at all, and now he was giving her furtive little glances from time to time. She saw the anger flash momentarily in his gaze and then be brutally suppressed, making her stomach lurch in disgust. If he had a problem with her, if he had something to say, then why was he unable to simply spit it out? The hypocrisy of her own train of thought did not go unnoticed by the Second Child. Yeah, that's why it feels so rotten, because it's like looking at yourself in the mirror, Sohryu.

"Okay," Shinji said softly, and gave her another cautious stare. "Do you…uhm… do you want me to go?"

Yes. No. LEAVE! Stay, this doesn't feel… right. Get away from me! Don't… go away. With a huff of displeasure, the golden-crimson bangs danced in the wind as she turned away. "Do what you want." The water splashed against her ankles and feet as she strode forward even quicker than before. "It's not like I care."

Perhaps it was the wind playing tricks on her, perhaps it was the many sleepless nights endured during the last months, but she heard his next statement as loud as her own screams. "Yeah," he whispered, and continued to trail behind. "I know you don't."

A blade was struck deep into her chest, or at least so it felt when the meaning of his words sank in; the burning was such that she almost tripped on a rock and made her heart constrict in her chest as though a hand was squeezing it without reprieve. While she walked, the heaviness continued to grow and stifle her with every step. He… does he really think that? He does, doesn't he? It's not like I've given him any reason not to think like that, not this entire month. There was an ashy, bitter savor on her tongue, perhaps this was what victory tasted like, after all.

The silence stretched, interrupted only by the sound of their footsteps on the water, the gentle coming of the waves and the humid ocean breeze. The heat continued to rise, with the sun ensuring that whatever uncovered skin she displayed was scorched mercilessly. Regardless of the hat, her head felt hot, there was perspiration leaking off her pores, she felt incredibly uncomfortable and now, with the idiot trailing behind her, even another swim in the ocean felt ill-advised. The way he had blushed upon seeing her in a bathing suit had arisen a sudden, unpleasant desire to kick his teeth in. He was supposed to have his eyes set on the First, or better yet… on that little fangirl of his.

Yes, she was beautiful, yes she looked incredible in the swimsuit, and yes, she had wished for his attention and reaction, however much she tried to deny it. The bag around her shoulder felt heavy; the small package she had been carrying around for the entire day, with the intention of throwing it to the ocean or smashing it with a rock could not weigh more than a few grams. It felt like dragging a dumbbell everywhere she went. Perhaps the better course would be to throw both the bag, the package and Shinji's stupid music box onto the waves all at once. Her hands curled into fists.

She spared yet another glance behind her and found him staring at the horizon with a pensive expression, head lolling up and down ever so slightly to whatever tune the blasted, thrice dammed little tape was offering. Her fingernails almost penetrated the skin of her palms as her fists tightened along with her heart. The silence became almost unbearable; there was such tension between them, tension she had singlehandedly created and cultivated ever since… ever since her massive, unrelenting failure. And now she was having a taste of victory, the elation of a well-executed plan that fruited the desired results, and she felt empty.

Blissfully unaware she was watching him from the corner of her eye, Shinji continued to gaze at the ocean, lost in thought but minding to keep up with her angry strides as best he could. He looked sedated in a sense, calm, which added to the relentless glare of the sun almost made him look cute and distinguished. Wait, what?! She shook her head, thankful the idiot was preoccupied with going blind by staring directly at the setting sun, and stole yet another look. He frowned ever so often, and looked over to the fading footsteps she lay about in the wet sand.

Adding to the mass of misery, anger, jealousy and discomfort sitting on her diaphragm, there was now the wonderful addition of trepidation, and the bitter taste of regret. If the strategy of the latest month had been successful at all, then there was nothing else to do. Even if one tried to piece together something broken, after all, it never meant it would be the same.

"This was a stupid idea," she said loud enough for Shinji to hear. "The First can't even get out in the sun without bursting into flames like a vampire, Misato's gonna be drunk before the sunset and then we'll have to call Section 2 to take us back." She tried to wipe the sweat off her arms and shuddered when the burnt skin complained at her aggressiveness. "And she just had to pick the hottest freaking day in this permanent freaking summer to finally take us out to the beach, didn't she?! Like she didn't promise that months ago?! Ugh, this is idiotic!"

A long silence followed, one which forced Asuka stop waking at some point, feeling slightly insulted at the thought that Shinji had not even bothered to hear her with the damned little buds pressed into his ears. She was about to explode and yell at him when the measured tone hinged her jaw shut. "Do you… I mean, I thought you liked the beach."

His comment only managed to infuriate her all the more. "Arrg, what are you, stupid?!" She bellowed, and instantly hated the way Shinji took a step back from her. "I do like the beach, you idiot! Just not this one, with endless freaking sand and no shade whatsoever, with no fun waves to fight against or even a decent current! It's the lamest beach she could've picked! Typical of her, she goes for the cheap, bland, tasteless crap like always!"

The redhead had not bothered to face him, or was quite unwilling to see more of those fleeting angry frowns he had been displaying all afternoon. "I guess it's not the best beach in the world," intoned the Third Child with caution. "But at least the water's nice, and the ocean looks… uhm…"

"Like a gigantic salt-water soup? Yeah, awe-inspiring, isn't it? I guess for an idiot like you even something this lame has its salvageable qualities." Her feet began to move again, yet before she could take a comfortable distance from him, Shinji spoke with something close to resentment dripping off his voice.

"Why…" he started. Asuka stopped walking, sparing a sideway glare in his direction. He was looking at ground, right hand clenched into a fist while his left held the small device in an iron grip. "Why are you being so mean to me?"

Her lower lip shook with something more than anger for once. He truly was mad, very much so and with good reason. He probably hated her already. Good. "It's the way I am," she offered with a shrug. There was nothing she wanted to do more than to truly hurl the bag into the sea at that moment and perhaps, go in and sink while she was at it. "I didn't ask you to come, and I already told you to go back if you want. If I'm so mean, then why the hell are you following me?"

The evident hurt in his voice forced the blade stuck in her chest to twist with malice, her own malice. "I just… I wanted to walk with you." He revealed, and even feeling sick, sweated, sunburnt and indescribably upset, a blush manifested on her cheeks. "We used to… (sigh)… we used to walk back from school every day. I… liked that a lot, but then… a while ago you just started going earlier and I could never catch up…"

Panic assaulted her next, along with the realization that if something, anything did not change in the next moments, then her foolish triumph would take root and nothing would remedy… whatever existed between them both. She felt strangely terrified of the thought.

"I guess I'll head back, then… since I'm clearly making you feel bad… I'll just go away." A pause, one which clawed away at her ribcage without reprieve, and then. "Sorry."

Her nails finished digging into the delicate skin of her palms. Nothing she tried to articulate with any sort of coherence managed to come out her mouth, all she was able to spit out was the venom which coursed through her veins and corroded at her soul. "You're… such a freaking idiot!" Asuka yelled at his retreating figure, making Shinji halt mid stride. "Well, go on, then, go back to that damn drunk and that stupid First! Why don't you just go back to Fumiko, huh?!"

The Third Child turned, addressing her fully for the first time in a whole month while he wiped the sweat off his forehead; the look he gave her was of absolute bewilderment and annoyance. "Huh?" he snapped in a tone a bit louder that she was accustomed to hearing. "Go back to who?"

Every muscle on her back tightened at once, and the redhead turned at last, almost snarling at the brown-haired youth. "Ohhh," she said sarcastically, hands on her hips. "And now the Almighty, Invincible Shinji is once again proving us how above us he is, that not even his most devoted followers are worth remembering! How very dutiful of you, oh Great Third Child! How does it feel to be so important that everybody else just disappears under your shad-"

"Stop!"

Asuka reared back, blinking and shocked to silence. Shinji had never raised his voice to her in such a manner. It only took her a few seconds to get her baring back and counterattack. "What?" rang the bitter growl through the empty beach. "Stop what, Shinji, stop what?!"

"Stop doing this, stop hurting me! He all but demanded with a broken voice. "Or at least… at least…" the Second Child felt the rage die out, curl into a ball and fester as shame in her belly. Angry, desperate tears escaped the brown-haired youth as he faced her, looking very much defeated and almost desperate. "At least tell me why! What did I do?! I thought we… I thought we were getting along and then… all of the sudden you…" For once, Shinji's shoulders did not slump in defeat and instead tensed with indescribable frustration. How could… how could she hurt him so if she did not matter to him at all? "Tell me what happened, please. I don't know what I did wrong…"

No. No. Don't come out, don't… push it down, push it down, Sohryu! It was pointless at that point; the bile was already pushing its way out her throat. "Who the hell said anything about you doing anything, you idiot?! What, do you think every little thing I do has to do with you?! Do you consider yourself that important?! Are you that self-centered?!"

Half-expecting and hoping the boy took a hint and went away for his own good, Asuka was shocked to see him growl low in his throat and become even tenser. "I get it," he murmured, and once more the evident agony in his voice made her chest contract. "I ge that you don't… that I'm not… in any way important to you. I get that. I just… I thought I deserved to know why." He glared at the sea. "I guess I'm so horrible that I don't even deserve that. Okay… okay. I'll just leave you be, then."

"Yeah," she replied bitterly while trying to keep her own tears at bay. The heat was unbearable. "Go back to that Fumiko, she's all you want, isn't she?" The way his gaze changed from resentful to bewildered drove her into a deeper state of raging hysteria. "Don't play dumb! You've been listening to that little tape she gave you on your birthday non-stop, for a month!" Her forefinger pointed at the SDAT held in his hand. "That's all you listen to! So go, go that girl can actually be nice to you and kind to you and all that crap! Go on, see if I care!"

"Fumiko-san? You mean that girl that… wait… her tape?!" She very vividly remembered the tape had gifted Shinji for his birthday was white in color, just as fervently as she remembered the girl moving forward and kissing him in the empty classroom during lunch break. She also remembered the Bento Shinji had made for her a few days afterwards. "What are you talking about?"

"Yeah, keep up making that face like you don't know what I mean. What's so freaking great about that stupid tape, anyways?" demanded the redhead, crossing her arms. What's so freaking great about that stupid little girl, huh?!

Despite having every right to be exasperated with her constant, senseless attacks, Asuka saw Shinji's frown deepen and become dangerously close to that of his father. "This isn't Fumiko-san's tape," he answered, and with a quick motion produced the tiny cassette lodged in his SDAT. Her eyes widened; the color of the small record was black. "She… was very nice to me, very nice. I don't think…" His eyes drifted, ever so angry, down to his feet. "I don't think anyone's ever been so nice to me before. She wanted to know stuff about me, and she gave me a birthday present. Nobody's ever done that before."

The redhead's eyes narrowed, the heat had effectively produced a blinding headache, now. "Oh, so the poor little Shinji was just letting someone b-"

"I said stop that!" He screamed, actually screamed at her, fists shaking. "You don't mean that, you don't mean any of it! Do you think I don't know you, Asuka? We've been living together for a while now! We've… we've been through some awful things together! Please, stop it!"

Yeah, and you just go and kiss the first girl who's… who's… Her façade began to crumble at an accelerating pace. "Nobody's ever given you a birthday present before?" she intoned before she could actually think of what was being said. "Nobody?"

"No," he answered with bitterness. "Nobody."

She started to feel ridiculous and out of place, so in desperate attempt to somehow continue with her destructive plan, the redhead chose to use the last bit of ammunition left to her. "You kissed her." She stated, not in an accusatory tone, simply in a deadpanned, somewhat saddened one. "I… I saw. You two were talking, and then she gave you that stupid tape, and then you kissed." Asuka felt Shinji's eyes jump at her frame and forced her own gaze to the waves under her feet. "Then you made her a Bento, and… and you had lunch with her, that one time."

The intensity of Shinji's gaze was enough that she could feel it without turning to look up at him. An entire day dedicated to releasing some stress and perhaps having some fun as actual teens had all gone down the drain; she had spent every minute grumbling, giving biting responses to both her guardian, fellow pilot and male roommate, seething in rage, and now she understood why.

Shinji was being taken away, and she hated it.

"Fumiko-san is… really nice," mumbled the brown-haired youth, jaw tightening in anger and helplessness. How come after so much, after so long, he could still not reach or understand her at all? Perhaps if simply stated how he felt for once, perhaps that would help, or at least get him an answer of why she suddenly wanted no part of him.

"She said she… liked me… a lot, and she… she gave me that tape, yeah." Something in the way he spoke forced Asuka's cerulean orbs to focus on his. "I didn't like it." Shinji stated with something akin to sheepishness filtering through his strained voice. A mix between a chuckle and a hitch escaped his throat; the sand felt clammy against his bare feet. "It wasn't bad music, it just… I didn't feel anything. Then she… uhm… leaned in and… uhh… she kissed me."

Without reprieve, the iron grip around her heart constricted even more. "Yeah," added the Second Child with a curt nod. "I saw." Then, she blinked. "Wait, what? She kissed you?"

The frightening edge to Shinji's eyes melted when he shrugged and scratched his head, seemingly embarrassed. "Uhh… yeah. I mean, she's really nice and all, and I really appreciate her reaching out and… and nobody's ever told me they… like me at all, so I didn't know what to do. I just sat there, not moving, until she… until it was over."

"So you didn't kiss her back?" She snapped in a tone much harsher than intended. "You're telling me a nice, respectful, pretty girl comes to you, gives you a birthday present for the first time in your life, gives you a kiss and you didn't feel anything?"

It made her feel uneasy to see him still very, very angry as he added. "Uhm… no. I just thought it'd be rude to like… push her away or something so…yeah. Not really. I kinda…" his frame shrank somewhat, redirecting her wrath from him to their classmate in a millisecond. "I… just wanted it to be over, and stuff. It was… uncomfortable."

Her arms tightened even more around her chest. She had been the one to make Shinji's first kiss more than just 'uncomfortable', after all. "And you say you didn't like the music, either, huh."

Shinji's frown had not melted completely, noticed the redhead as his gaze shifted between herself and the vast ocean before them. "Not… really? I mean, there were a few albums of about two artists, so I guess you know, the stuff she likes? It wasn't bad, it's just… uhm… I was just trying not to be rude."

Oh. Realization crashed in brutal fashion.

"You made her that Bento," cursing herself for a fool, Asuka regretted her sharp stupid tongue for once. The prideful side of her was still unsatisfied and exasperated. "Took all that trouble to make that one, I remember."

The expected response she had been waiting for was the typical stammering and angry grumbling he did whenever he was upset, Shinji gave her a deep, pondering look. "I was just trying to thank her, and If I… don't matter to you… then, why do you want to know, Asuka?" He asked with a level of sincerity that cut deep into her chest. "I thought, you know… that you didn't care. You didn't even wish me happy birthday, a-and Misato-san was too busy with paperwork. I guess I'm used to it, but… then… why do you want to know all these things?"

The acrimonious taste of the shallow triumph she was trying to achieve disappeared at last, leaving the proud young girl feeling more than a bit silly. She recurred to anger out of habit, and without consent allowed the truth to leak out. "Well, maybe I do care, you freaking idiot, how about that?! You were just trying to thank her?! For a kiss?! With a Bento?!"

It made her feel strangely pleased to see Shinji react in a somewhat familiar wy after her slip of mind. There was no backing out now; she had said the truth and he had heard it. This was the part she hated the most, the part where they pushed her away. "You… what?" Shinji said, baffled. "What did y-"

Her arms unwound and went to her sides. "You heard me!" she growled, breathing heavily. Why was the pang of her chest scattering away with every word he said? "So what?!"

"T-Then…" she noticed how his hand gripped the small device even tighter. "Why can't you be nice to me?"

Because I'm… broken, because I don't know how, because you're so nice, and I'm so mean, and we really shouldn't even be friends… but I can't help it. I can't. I… I really do care, damn you, and it makes my belly burn to think of that stupid girl kissing you. I'll show you, just you wait, you damn idiot. Instead of saying a word, she marched over to him with a determined glare on her face while she rummaged through the bag and found the small treasure she had been holding onto for well over a month.

When she was standing next to Shinji, Asuka produced a small, carefully wrapped and ornamented gift, decorated with a red ribbon and everything. "I don't know how." The words were uttered with every of honestly she possessed. Afterwards, the insecurity returned with a vengeance. "Uhm… Happy birthday, Baka-Shinji," she muttered, looking straight into his eyes. "This is for you."

He stared at her in disbelieve for a bit longer than she liked, so the redhead pressed the small box against his chest to try and elicit a reaction. At last, he blinked, cheeks growing rose and then red while his eyes shifted between her and the small box. "F-For… for me?"

"I was on my way to giving it to you at lunch that day, but… I guess that girl got there first…" She tried her best to hold his gaze, and failed, turning to the setting sun. Strange, it was no longer unbearably hot. "I wanted to catch you by surprise, but… well, here."

Their fingers touched ever so lightly when Shinji took the gift from her shaking hand and pocketed the SDAT in something akin to a trance. He held the small box gingerly in between his fingers, treating the present with unnatural care. "I…" he started, turning, to look at her. "Asuka, I don't-"

"It's not some lame two albums crammed together into a cassette," grumbled the female pilot, crossing her arms tighter than before. "Just some songs… I…" she fidgeted, feeling her own skin flush with something aside sunburn. "Just some songs I like, and I thought you'd… uhm… maybe… like… too."

"You… you made… a-a mixtape… for me?" Shinji uttered slowly, completely taken aback; the measured, careful way in which he was unboxing the gift made her feel more and more self-conscious. He was taking too long to open it, so long in fact, that her limited patience wore out while he continued to fumble with the wrappings. "I… I don't know what to say… I mea-"

"Ugh, just give it here!" She took a false step, foot trapped in between the coming wave and the moist sand under her foot, and in her haste almost fell. Shinji's hand instantly shot to grabbed onto hers, preventing prevented the girl from crashing face first into the salt water. A few heartbeats passed, and still Shinji was holding onto her hand, chest heaving, with the small present securely held in between his fingers. "Uhm… thanks," she said, feeling awkward. "I… you can let go, now, Baka…"

Shinji's gaze shifted between the gift and their joined hands a few times before it centered on her eyes. She felt his grip tighten ever so slightly. "And what if I… what if I don't want to?"

For the first time in what felt like more than a month, Asuka smiled. "Do whatever you want, you idiot."

A similar, more uncertain smile drew over his lips. "Then…" he tugged at their hands, and her fingers intermingled with his out of instinct. The sensation was overwhelming, like something she had needed all her life and never realized until that point. "Do you mind if we sit over there and… uhm… listen to it for… for a while?"

Her eyes went to the spot Shinji's gaze drew towards; the redhead nodded and began to stiffly move towards the rock formation to her right. Shinji gave her an uncertain look once they reached a somewhat comfortable place to sit, as though asking her how they were to proceed. Baka, she reprimanded. You're supposed to hold me now, but… I guess with the way I've been behaving… yeah. Pucker up, Sohryu. "Whatever…"

Sitting with a grunt, Asuka tugged at his hand and Shinji sat beside her. Before he had any chance to resist or react, she grabbed onto his left arm, intertwining her fingers with his own even tighter. This is… pretty much all I know about being nice, so… I hope it's enough, Baka. Shinji blushed, and began to unwrap the present with minute care. She did not rush him to open it this time around, and in a few heartbeats the small tape had been pushed into the SDAT, and a hesitant brow-haired boy was offering her an earbud with a small smile.

Once the bud was securely in place, she felt Shinji sigh deeply. She tugged at his hand. "I…" the young pilot whispered, realizing she had almost destroyed something that was suddenly offering so much solace to her pain. "I didn't mean to hurt you… I was just… I thought I'd… lost."

The boy's finger pressed PLAY, and the first song began to play. "It's okay," he answered, for once with the gentle tone she was growing incredibly fond of. "I didn't… I never thought you'd… uhm… I mean, I don't know how to s-"

"Shinji?" She interrupted, and rested her head on his shoulder. The beach was truly not a sight to behold, but the sunset… added to the song, added to the warmth of his presence; it almost made the beach appear not so lame. The day had not been so absolutely dreadful in the end. "Is there a girl you like?"

She felt him gulp. A few seconds passed as the song played on; Shinji took a deep breath and nodded. "Uhmm… yeah."

Asuka clenched her eyes shut, preparing for the worst possible outcome, almost counting the seconds until the rejection came and she realized it had all been for nothing. Before she could utter her next question, however, Shinji's voice halted any words from coming out. "And…" he started, first looking at their intertwined hands, then at the fading sun, and finally at her. "And, uhm… is there a… a guy… that you like?"

The boy's undertone was plagued by uncertainty and fear; the very same emotions which had clouded her mind for well over a month, the same emotions that were being dispelled in their entirety by the way Shinji was staring at her.

She squeezed his hand, cerulean locked with azure, and nodded. "Yeah."

The next song began to play; neither said another word, they simply watched the sunset together, moving in perfect synchronicity to the music without realizing, and enjoyed each other's company for a while; Asuka's head came to rest on Shinji's shoulder after the fourth song ended. From the corner of her eye, the redhead caught the small smile on his face, and the way he moved in unison with both her and the music.

Once the sun finished setting and they began walking back, neither said a word on how their hands were still joined, fervently holding onto the other until they reached Misato and Rei. Waves gently washed the trail of footsteps left behind, as though washing away the previous misunderstandings, despair and uncertainty with ease.

FINIS.

AN: Yup! Well, I certainly hope this was worth the read! Feel free to point out any problems or incongruences! I'm working in two other projects right now, RS and ST; this particular story I wrote while on a trip to the beach, sitting under a tree while watching sloths and birds and all that good shit. It's been done for some months now so yeah, I was just waiting for the contest to finish.

Where does this chronologically take place in the series? No clue, you decide. Can be before Zeruel, after Zeruel, before or after TI, I don't know! Make your own world!

Thank you so much for your time! Feel free to leave a review on your way out! Remember to stay healthy and eat your veggies!

PEACE.