Act II: Of Course I Do!
The apartment for two held a quiet atmosphere. Shinji watched TV while Asuka had a shower. A ringing of the phone broke that silence.
"Hello? …Oh, hey Kensuke! Yeah, it's been a while. …You know, school and all that. …Uh-huh, you told me about your new place. …A party? Yeah, sure! We should be able to make it! I'll text you. Okay. Hopefully see you then! …Bye!"
Shinji put the phone down.
Asuka emerged from the bathroom, towelling her hair. "Who was it?" she asked.
He looked at her, wearing a loose-fitting t-shirt she stole from him. To him, it was pleasant to look at. "That was Kensuke. He moved into that place a couple months ago and wanted to do a reunion of all the people we went to school with. We're both invited."
Asuka crossed the room, put a hand on her cheek and smirked. "You know what? Why not? I think I can stand to deal with some of those chumps for one night! Plus, Hikari will be there too, right?"
"Well, Toji's helping set up, so most likely."
"If that stooge is gonna be drinking, she'll be wrangling him until he passes out. She needs company, and I think that'd be me. It'll make me feel young for a night!"
Shinji rolled his eyes. "Asuka, I'm older than you."
Asuka punched him on the arm. "Whatever, you dork. I'm in!"
Shinji tugged at his collar. Not the most comfortable shirt, but Asuka basically dressed him for the evening. According to her, he dressed like an inanimate object, so it was her duty to pick an outfit. The particular set of clothes he was wearing was also picked up when she made him go shopping with her.
Shaking the thought, the two of them approached Kensuke's apartment. Asuka knocked, and the door slid open to reveal the host. Since high school, he had sprouted quite a bit. He was just over 6 feet tall and quite lanky. Shinji was just under that height, and the difference was negligible.
"Ikari! Soryu! Good to see you guys!" he said. He shook hands with Shinji and pulled him into a hug, then offered the same to Asuka. She accepted hesitantly.
Wandering into the apartment, Shinji took in the polished feel. Fresh hardwood floors, a brand-new throw rug, a kitchen with all new appliances, and some great furniture. All in all, it was great for a bachelor pad. "Wow, nice place."
"Yeah. For a stooge-cave, it isn't half bad!" interjected Asuka.
"Oh, bite me, devil," Kensuke said with a small grin.
"Oh crap, is that the Shin-man!?" said a voice from the living room. It was none other than Toji Suzuhara, who leapt up from the couch to greet Shinji, almost spilling his beer in the process.
"Oh, hi Toji," Shinji said as he was pulled into a man-hug.
"Ahh, it's good to see ya, buddy. It's been a few months! How have we not seen each other sooner, y'know, with our girlfriends hangin' out all the time!"
That made Shinji blush as the hug untangled. "Well, uh, Asuka's my roommate, not my-"
"Eh, whatever, man. Let's drink!" Toji said, cutting him off. Shinji was led over to a table with various bottles of liquor and cans of alcoholic beverages.
"Thanks," he said, taking a beer. He was going to take the night slow.
"'Ey, Ikari, you better be slamming that back," said Toji, who was filling shot-glasses.
Three shots in, Shinji didn't realize the rapid side effects kicking in. His mind simply shut off inhibitions and he kept going. He accepted shot number I-don't-know next to a girl with glasses.
"Cheers, uh, whas' your name again?" he asked loudly.
"Mayumi."
"Mayumi! Mamuyi, Mayumi! Cheers!"
The girl clinked shot glasses with him, and they both took back more vodka. She chased right away, and Shinji stood there, shuddering for a moment at the liquor crawling down his throat, but didn't think to follow it up.
He stumbled away from the spot he was in and found Toji and Hikari on the couch. She was on his lap, head leaning on top of his as they conversed.
"Toji! H'kari! Man, I love you guys!" he shouted, sitting next to them.
Toji patted him on the shoulder. "Same over here, Shin-man! We're glad you and Soryu showed up tonight. 'Ey Ken, wanna grab us some beers?" he said to the host, who nodded and rushed to the cooler.
Shinji smiled a wide, drunk grin. "Hikari!"
She giggled. "Yes, Shinji?"
"Y're so cute! And you and Toji are, like, the perfect couple! Man, you guys are cute together."
Hikari exchanged a look with Toji. They both wanted to laugh. It was certainly funny to see Shinji so outgoing tonight. Good thing he was an affectionate drunk.
Kenuske returned with three opened beer bottles. "Here we are. Cheers, boys!"
Shinji accepted and clinked his bottle with no hesitation. "To th' stooges! Yeah!"
Asuka was relishing in the eyes on her. Of course, she could handle her liquor, which was a given since she was German. She had taken some shots with the stooges and Hikari. What surprised her was Shinji. He took back shots of vodka with little resistance. He twitched a little, but didn't think to chase it like the idiot he was. He seemed okay in the hands of his friends, so she went onto Kensuke's veranda for some air. The alcohol was hitting nicely, but she was managing herself tonight. No falling onto Shinji
She heard someone step out a few moments later. It was Strasberg, one of the guys from their class. He grew taller as well, and kept the middle-part in his purple hair.
"Guten Abend," he said, offering a smile.
"Guten Abend," she responded. "And here I was thinking I was the only German from our school."
He leaned against the railing next to her. "Well, you thought wrong." They both chuckled.
There was a beat. He scooted a little closer to her. "So, you and Ikari, are you...?"
"No," she said with a sigh. He only cooks for me, cleans our shared living space, and doesn't say anything when I down a bunch of alcohol and cling to him. "We're just roommates. We were also pilots, so we just get each other like that."
"Ah, like me and Kirishima. I care about her loads, y'know? I dunno if I'd... If I'd date her, but I appreciate her." He smiled.
Asuka thought Strasberg was nice, but there was something about him that was putting her off. "Well, that's good for you. I could see you guys making it work."
He tilted his head a little. "Maybe, but I'd also like to-"
"Oh my god I remember!" said an unusually loud voice.
It was Asuka's perfect out. "I should go check on that." Before Strasberg could say another word, she was back inside.
Shinji was sitting on the couch, iron grip on an almost-empty bottle of beer, as he had his arm around Toji. They were loudly recounting stories from school.
Asuka made eye contact with Hikari, who was face-palming, but couldn't help a chuckle.
"And-and rem'mber when you and Kenshuke had to get shcooped into my Eva? Man I was a real ass about that. I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
"Nah man, nah, I owe you the apology. Especially after you stopped the thing they made me test in," Toji said, sticking a finger in his face.
"Oh, god! Did you-did you know how pisshed my dad was? He made me sit in a cell for, like, days!" said Shinji.
Asuka walked in front of them. "Having fun?" she said, putting hands on her hips.
Shinji dropped his bottle and stood immediately. "Asuka! Ashuka! Oh, man, I'm happy to shee you. C'mere!" he pulled her into a rough hug. It brought heat to her face, but she still returned it with limp hands.
When he broke the hug, he put gentle hands on her cheeks and started to shake her a little. "My cello. D'you know where my cello is? Some people didn't know that I played! I wanna play 'em something!"
She laughed a little, before putting a hand on his chest to disengage him a little. "We left it at home."
He looked off for a moment. "Home. Right. Y'know, i'ss really cool that we live together, because, um, you're really cool."
"You too, Shinji. Hey, how about we slow down a little? I'll get you some water." She grabbed his wrist and guided him to a chair. "Sit tight."
As this happened, other people noticed the clear look of infatuation in Shinji's eyes. Some things never change.
Asuka let the tap run cold. She opened a few of Kensuke's cabinets until she found a sizeable glass. Filling it, she made haste to where she left Shinji. He was on his phone.
She took the phone from his hand. "Drink," she ordered.
Without a word, he accepted, drinking with both hands like a little kid.
Asuka decided to look at his phone. He was texting Rei, who was abroad.
S. Ikari: Rei
S. Ikari: Rei
S. Ikari: Rie
R. Ayanami: Good afternoon, Shinji.
S. Ikari: I msis you
R. Ayanami: I also miss you. Thank you for saying so.
S. Ikari: I dont have any family
S. Ikari: I got mIsato and Asuka but u T my only relative
Good God, his typing was getting worse.
R. Ayanami: I understand. You play a similar role in my life. Do not fret, I'll be back soon. You and Asuka can have me for dinner.
S. Ikari: YES
S. Ikari: Yes that wold be cool
S. Ikari: Asukas great
R. Ayanami: Yes, yes she is.
S. Ikari: Dje s skso bery oretyy. A
She decided to take some initiative.
S. Ikari: Hi Wondergirl. It's Asuka. We're at a party, and your brother had too much to drink. Not to worry, I have him under control.
A moment later, she got a response.
R. Ayanami: I understand. Say hello to everyone for me.
S. Ikari. Will do.
"Asukaaaaaaa. Asuka. I'm done the water," said Shinji, sounding like he just ran a race.
Asuka took the cup from him. "Good. I'm gonna get you more, so sit tight, alright?"
He nodded, and she went to refill.
When she returned, Shinji was talking to someone. It didn't take long for her to realize it was Kirishima, who had grown her hair out more. His head was on her shoulder as he rambled about something.
"Mana. Manamanamanamanamana. Isn't pilotin' a big ol' robot, like, the craziest thing?" he crooned.
She was giggling and twirling a lock of hair. "Yes, Ikari. It was."
He looked up at her. "I'm gonna be honest. I'm so drunk right now, and this, like, never happens."
She patted him on the head. It made Asuka's eye twitch. "I think I can tell that."
They maintained their eye contact until Shinji leapt out of his seat, almost pushing Kirishima over. "Bathroom! Where is it!?"
Asuka chased after him, guiding him with subtle pushes to Kensuke's bathroom.
Shinji got on all fours and released the contents of his stomach. There went the dinner they ate beforehand.
"Ah... Asukaaaaaa..." he moaned, before returning more into the toilet.
Asuka stuck her head out of the doorway, where Kirishima was standing around like a moron. She cleared her throat. "Water."
Moments later, Kirishima was back with a new cup, which Asuka snatched. She knelt down, putting a hand on Shinji's back.
"As'ka, I feel not so good," he said, looking at her like a sick puppy.
She grabbed a little toilet paper and wiped his mouth, then guided the water to his lips, which he accepted with desperation. "You had too much, Shinji."
He grunted. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
She put a hand on his flushed cheek. Making sure he was looking at her. "Hey, hey look at me. It's alright. How many times have I been in this situation, huh?"
Shinji smiled wearily. "Th'nk you, Asuka." He fell forward and gave her a clumsy hug. After a beat, he said "Y'r hair smells nice. Always has."
"Why, thank you," Asuka said, smiling.
She guided Shinji to his feet. "C'mon, let's get you some air."
Shinji managed to be okay for the rest of the night, despite being completely wasted. The party calmed down, and he had a good amount of rambling in him, but Asuka kept him under control.
"And-n' then, As'ka said "let's kiss" and I'm all like "the fuc' why?" and she's all-" he rambled to a fascinated Kensuke
"Alrighty!" Asuka interrupted. "How about a different story, huh? Ooh, what about that one teacher you had in that cooking class?"
"Oh my god!" This was Shinji's favourite story. He had told it once or twice, so she anticipated a drunken recollection. "Okay, ssho, this asshole, I'm cookin' right? I got this great, this great, great dish, right? And he..."
Okay, maybe drunk Shinji was a little adorable.
It was a few hours after midnight when the party wound down and Asuka decided to depart with Shinji. On the way out, he gave Strasberg a firm handshake and told him to 'get with Mana already.' He also said the same to Kensuke, so hopefully he didn't cause a fight.
Asuka called a taxi, which arrived in a decent amount of time. The only challenge was wrangling a swaying Shinji.
"As'ka," he slurred.
"Yes, Shinji?"
"L't's kiss."
She giggled. "You're a bit too drunk for that, Shinji."
He straightened up. "No, I'm not! I'm good, I'm-look at me." Shinji grabbed her head with both hands. "Just a kiss. Just a teeny, tiny kiss. C'mere."
"Shinji, you're barely-mmph." Asuka was stopped by his lips crashing into hers. It was sloppy, and he was too drunk to kiss properly. Still, it made her spine chill.
When the cab arrived, she chaperoned him into the back, and they were en route to home.
As Shinji was all but asleep on her shoulder, Asuka thought back to the conversation with Strasberg. He assumed they were dating, which probably meant others did the same. It wasn't that hard to explain, though! They were just roommates that did everything together, including accidentally being stuck in the other's bed. Nothing more.
Still, that kiss. Despite it being kind of bad, it still elicited a response. A response that she wasn't sure Strasberg could get out of her if he tried.
She sighed. Since high school, Shinji had really worked on being more outgoing. He still managed to annoy her, but in different ways. His food was still good, and he still cleaned up after her.
"Mmghmm... Asuka..." he muttered.
"Yes, Shinji?"
"Y're the best," he said, sticking a hand up to rub her cheek.
She put her own hand on top of his. "Thanks. You aren't so bad yourself, Ikari."
"I really, really, realllllllly," he said, stretching his words. "-Like you. Y're pretty and really great..." he incoherently trailed off.
She just smiled and squeezed his hand.
The cab reached their complex. Shinji always put Asuka in the bridal carry when they were in the reverse scenario. She was just as strong, but it felt weird to do the same, so she opted to put Shinji in a fireman's carry. She couldn't help but laugh when a finger came up and started drawing circles on her spine.
She plopped Shinji onto the couch, then helped him stand. She guided him to the bathroom, where she commanded he wash his face and brush his teeth. He mumbled something about 'doing anything for her,' which prompted a blush, but the sloppy night routine carried on. She gave him some ibuprofen for the impending hangover.
Asuka lead Shinji to his room and guided him onto his bed. Before he passed out, she threw his tank-top and shots at him, giving the order to change. A moment later, he called out "G'night, As'ka!"
She opened the door once more. Shinji laid there, sprawled out. Leaving him as-is didn't feel right. He was going to wake up in genuine turmoil.
Screw it. She shrugged. Just for the night, she would be next to him. That's all it was about. She pushed Shinji's arms aside and laid down stiff next to him. Eventually, she allowed herself to sink into the bed and find a comfortable position.
Shinji's hand stayed on her shoulder. It was a nice hand.
Asuka woke up feeling thoroughly warm.
The bed was comfortable. Her company was comfortable. A pair of arms was wrapped around her. She could feel a warm breath on her shoulder. She nuzzled into it.
No hangover, since she was taking care of that idiot Shinji.
Idiot-Shinji...
Wait, she was in his room, in his bed, in his arms! Her eyes shot open, and she craned her neck to see Shinji, sound asleep still. This was too comfortable, and it freaked her out just a little. Asuka decided to put her mind to other things. Breakfast. Shinji was going to be hungover, so he needed something to eat when he got up.
She rolled out of Shinji's bed, which elicited a groan from him. She slipped out of the room and into the kitchen.
Immediately, she got to work on scrambled eggs. While they began to cook, she set the toaster. It was already making her sweat. How did Shinji do this with such ease? The eggs were coming together nicely. She turned the heat down and prodded methodically at them.
The toast popped. She whipped around and put the pieces on a small plate, grabbing a bigger one and bringing it next to the stove. Back to the eggs. They were hitting that good consistency. She lifted the pan off of the stove and poured the contents onto a plate. The scrambled eggs sat in a nice pile, with steam and scent wafting off.
Asuka turned back the now-cooled toast. Shinji liked just butter on his, so she uncovered the stick that sat on their counter and spread liberally. She liked a mix of spreads on her toast, so she kept the knife to butter her own. She then grabbed the cream cheese out of the fridge, along with an extra knife from the drawer, and spread a perfect amount onto her second piece. She took the plates and set them down in the middle of their table.
Shinji emerged from the hallway, rubbing his eyes. "Morning," he grumbled.
She crossed her arms and levelled him with a sly gaze. "How are you feeling, champ?"
"I... I don't feel too great," he said with an expected level of grogginess. What he didn't say out loud was how soothing of a night's sleep he had. His brain wouldn't piece together why until much later.
Asuka chuckled. "What did we learn?"
"Don't drink too much."
She smiled. "Good. Well, I made some breakfast. What are roommates for right?" she said with pride.
Shinji blushed. "Ah, um, thank you, Asuka."
This damned idiot. Almost in his twenties and he reverted to his younger self whenever she did something nice. He sat down, and Asuka sat adjacent. They shared an even ambience of toast-crunching and fork-plate interaction.
"Remember anything from the party?" she asked
Shinji closed his eyes for a moment, as if trying to salvage. "Um, I was having a beer, then Toji kept putting these shots in front of me. I drank them and... a few other things. I was on a balcony, then I was in a cab?"
Asuka stifled a laugh. "Who did you see?"
"Kensuke, Toji, uhh... Hikari, that one girl from our class Mayumi, some other people whose names I can't remember, and... Yeah, that's it."
She flicked him on the nose, which made him flinch a little. His reaction made her heart flutter for some reason. "Looks like someone found out their alcohol tolerance, didn't they?"
He blushed harder. "Yes. I didn't make a mess, did I?"
"Only into Aida's toilet."
"Oh, god. I need to call him and apologize or something." Shinji started to stand.
Asuka grabbed his arm, stopping him in his tracks. "Just sit tight. Eat right now, you can call him later."
"Right, right." he returned to his eggs.
After another beat, it was Shinji who spoke up. "By the way, thank you for looking out for me. You really didn't have to."
Now Asuka was blushing. "Wha-obviously! What do you mean by that!?"
He smiled. "Nothing, nothing. I'm just..." he sighed contently. "I'm glad you care."
It made her pout. "Of course I do! We've known each other how long now? You aren't the only one who... Y'know..."
Shinji shifted in his seat. "Yes. I know." His hand was right next to Asuka's. Throwing self-doubt out the window, he slid it on top. Her hand was warm and soft. A perfect form of soothing that countered the turmoil his head and stomach were in. He was basically forcing eggs into his gullet, but Asuka's warmth helped him just that much. It was intriguing how she had that effect on him.
Asuka's entire face was hot. Hands touching, the two roommates shared warmth, silence, and serenity. It felt right.
She turned her hand over and let her fingers curl into Shinji's.
A/N: And here it is! I took inspiration from both Till Booze Do Us (Not) Part by YourBlandestNightmare and Pothead's Dilemma by HydrationStation for this. Hydration also looked over this before I posted it, so special thanks to him.
I also wrote about half of this while nursing a hangover of my own, so I hope you enjoyed my rigorous labour of love.
Have a good one, folks.