The Second Impact
By AgentKaji
Author Note: I wrote this after being inspired by fanart by Isknu. The link to which is in my author bio, please do check it out! As it's an Ep.26 AU fic, expect OOC from Rei (more than others!). Enjoy.
It was on a warm, sunny afternoon during school lunch that two girls; one red haired, the other blue, got together and schemed. Schemed in the way that only 14 year old girls can. In quiet, conspiratorial tones with eyes and ears on constant watch for anyone who might stray too close to their secretive conversation.
The scowl on Asuka's face was reason enough for others to give the two some space. The threat of a verbal tirade ensured much needed privacy. Even Hikari Horaki, the class rep had sensed the tension around the unlikely pair and wisely found other duties to attend to.
For Asuka, it was of little comfort. This was a delicate matter and one she would kill to remain private. Even worse, she wasn't at all happy to be taking advice from the wondergirl herself but Rei seemed more than pleased to give it out. After all, and much to Asuka's chagrin, Rei did have more experience in this particular matter.
That being crashing into Shinji and "flashing him her panties."
"No! That's now what this is about, dammit!" She hissed, eyes darting in a panic to see if anyone had heard Rei's words. She had been listening to Rei outlining the 'plan' she had come up with. Her patience was wearing thin however.
She hated it. Hated Rei and having to rely on her for 'help'. Hated that idiot, hated this... feeling.
Maybe this was a mistake?
This was silly. Why did she care about Shinji and what he was up to and which girls he collided with? They were just friends after all. Just friends, who've been together since childhood. Just friends who knew pretty much everything about each other.
Just friends.
She looked at Rei and saw those eyes twinkling with mirth and the knowledge that she had something Asuka didn't. It was enough to strengthen her resolve and she cursed herself for her momentary lapse in courage. That the 'something' in question involved bodily entanglement with her childhood friend didn't seem strange at all.
She growled at Rei's insinuations.
"I am not like you. There will be no panties involved!" she felt dirty at having to clarify something so obvious. Feeling her face warming, she looked away and took an angry bite from her bento. If Rei noticed her rosy cheeks, she didn't say.
She just giggled.
Rei seemed to do that a lot. A trait Asuka found supremely irritating.
"Oh, so you'd rather go without the panties?" she replied casually, tone a mixture of awe and disgust.
Asuka nearly choked on her food. Sputtering as she snatched at her soda, she took a long drink as she glared. Rei simply raised her hand to cover a smile, the very picture of innocence. Innocent? Hardly! Asuka thought darkly, recalling her and Shinji's first encounter with the girl.
Mein gott, she's a pervert!
Failing to vaporize Rei by looks alone, she turned her attention across the school yard to the subject of their discussion.
Shinji.
He was goofing off with his stooge friends again, smiling at some joke or other. Smiling and carefree. Wearing his usual white shirt and dark trousers, Shinji was to anyone else, just another schoolboy.
Not to her though and her thoughts turned to her relationship with him. Something that had become a common occurrence recently.
She had during the quietest, darkest moments of privacy admitted her own growing feelings for him. The realisation did nothing but increase that dull ache she felt when they were together. For her, things had changed.
He carried on as normal, oblivious. As if they were still the children they had been when they first met. She sighed, wondering at how it had seemingly crept up on her.
When did things become so difficult?
Didn't Shinji notice anything different? How she would catch herself staring at him? That more often than not, words simply got stuck in her throat whenever he gave the briefest of smiles in her direction? That she went out of her way to spend more time with him? Those ever so brief moments when she would find an excuse to fix his collar, or run a comb through his untidy hair in the mornings.
No reaction at all. There were times when she thought she caught something, some inkling of feelings reciprocated. But those times were fleeting.
Maybe he didn't care? Maybe he didn't feel the same? Asuka fought down the sickly feeling at the thought.
Or was he just clueless? He was a boy after all.
Asuka suspected as much but fear of any other answer had driven her to action. If he isn't going to do anything, then dammit I will. This is unacceptable! She recalled thinking to herself.
Stupid Shinji.
The thought driven not by malice but by that now familiar mix of frustration and longing. Asuka idly wondered what she would do to make the boy pay for the turmoil she was going through. Before her thoughts turned to the various implements of pain and death she would use, she was brought back to reality by a quiet cough.
She turned to Rei and saw the raised eyebrow and unspoken question in her eyes – 'Do you want to do this?'
Asuka had questioned the girl on her motives and Rei replied, with all sincerity, that she simply wanted to help her. Asuka had her doubts. From the very first day Rei had been a thorn in her side. This would be nothing more than a temporary truce. She recalled their 'conversation' last week, another school yard argument about something trivial when Rei had once again attacked the one vulnerability in Asuka's defence.
Her relationship with Shinji.
"Maybe you want to get up close and personal with him too?" Rei had meant it as a joke, a sly grin adding to the effect.
Without thinking Asuka had agreed, catching herself a second too late. Both hands shooting to cover her mouth as her brain finally caught up to stop any further secrets spilling forth. The damage had been done however, evident by Rei's own look of astonishment. Asuka still couldn't believe it. She had admitted that to Rei of all people. Now here she was and her thoughts turned back to her goal.
I want Shinji to see me. To really see me.
Would he?
No amount of false bravado or lying to herself would guarantee an answer. Their was only one way to find out and she growled out a response.
"Fine, tomorrow morning, like we agreed."
"Do you want to go over your lines again?" It was whispered but Rei didn't even try to hide the amusement in her voice. Asuka flushed as she recalled Rei's advice on how to get Shinji to "take a hint" with scripted dialogue taken straight out of a cheesy romcom to other more adult suggestions.
Subtle, she was not.
"No! I don't need that kind of help! You just be there." Relief flooded her as Rei dropped the subject without further protest.
"Okay, guess I'll see you later," she said. And with a picturesque angelic smile, the girl turned around and walked away, a spring in her step that made Asuka feel like she had just sold her soul.
The sickly feeling returned.
The next morning:
This should be fun, Rei thought.
They waited for Shinji, just to the side of the road and Rei took the momentary peace and quiet to reflect on just how she had gotten to this point.
It was no secret that she and Asuka didn't get along. From the very first day, she knew her accidental tumble with the boy brought out Asuka's jealous side. It was a point she regularly employed in the never ending war of words between the two.
"Maybe you want to get up close and personal with him too?" she had teased, daring Asuka to crash into Shinji's arms just as she had. She didn't think Asuka of all people would take such an off-hand comment so seriously.
Asuka's reply that she did want exactly that had shocked her. Not expecting such an answer, she had allowed herself to be dragged away to a secluded area and sworn to secrecy under Asuka's desperate glare.
Asuka didn't exactly ask for help, that's not something Asuka would do.
But Rei knew a girl in need of support when she saw one. However, now that the full implications of her involvement made themselves known, she felt a stab of doubt. Why had she agreed to tag along? Since when was it her responsibility to play match maker for these two?
Because they're both idiots.
Rumours circling the pair were not anything anything new and it was a popular topic of hushed conversations in class 2-A. Their long lasting and close friendship fuelling much talk around the 'will they? won't they?' phase they were going through.
Only Rei knew how close to the truth it all was. So she would help, with some reluctance. She sighed as she stared at Asuka who stood beside her.
Too late now to back out now.
She was doing her best to remain inconspicuous as they waited. Just a pair of schoolgirls, school bags in hand, waiting for their friends would be their answer should anyone ask.
Asuka was making a poor show of it however.
She was pressed right up against the corner of a wall and doing her best impression of an owl. Head turning back and forth down the street where Shinji should be approaching from any moment now. Rei smiled at the sight of the girl, normally so self-assured, almost trembling with nervousness.
Or was it anticipation?
"Is he here yet?"
A perfectly innocent question. Rei piqued her voice just right, hoping she didn't give away just how amusing it all was. After all, if she had to stand here, she might as well enjoy it.
"No! I told you, he's late! Where is that idiot?"
Asuka didn't spare her a glance, her attention solely on the street ahead. In her hands she was grasping her bag, knuckles almost white. Rei took the opportunity to look over her partner once more. She was wearing the usual uniform of their school, dressed no differently than any other day. Hair the same as usual, she noted, trying and failing to fight off a brief twinge of jealousy. She marvelled at how lustrous it always seemed to look no matter the weather or occasion.
She shook the thoughts away as something gnawed at her during her appraisal. Something was missing. Something important. Rei racked her brain trying to figure it out and then-
"He's here!" Asuka turned to her, eyes wide and voice rising with quiet panic.
"Good luck!" she gave a thumbs up and stepped back, further out of sight. Asuka nodded in reply, lips pressed together in determination.
Lips... her mouth? That's it!
Frantic, Rei opened her own school bag and with no time to waste, removed the item she had brought just for the occasion.
"Asuka!" she hissed.
Asuka turned to her, irritated.
"What now? He's almost h-hmmmpph!"
And found herself cut off as a piece of toast was shoved into her mouth.
No time to enjoy the satisfaction of shutting the other girl up, Rei quickly shushed the muffled protests with pointed fingers at the corner, hoping Asuka would get the message. Asuka's eyes flashed but settled for waving Rei out of sight, apparently saving thoughts of revenge for later.
This was it.
The plan was foolproof.
They would wait for Shinji to approach. Asuka would leap forward into Shinji in a completely accidental collision. She would, in true Asuka fashion, accuse him of clumsiness and impropriety. He would, as Shinji was wont to do, apologise. Asuka would mention their close proximity and so the cycle of flirtatious teasing and red faced embarrassment would begin. They would let their guard down, maybe even a few honest words here and there.
And the rest would simply fall into place.
Surely Shinji would realise that Asuka wanted to get closer to him? That they could have something more?
He wouldn't be able to resist, Rei was sure of it. He was a boy after all.
The tension was palpable, time seeming to slow as she waited. And waited some more. Asuka had yet to move.
Asuka was all of a sudden, very still.
Rei frowned as she was struck with sudden clairity. No! She's having second thoughts? Now?!
This not being part of the plan, her thoughts went into overdrive to figure out a way to salvage the potential disaster and get the statuesque girl moving.
I gave up my toast for this!
She peeked around the corner and spied Shinji running towards them, oblivious to the events about to unfold.
A quick glance back at Asuka, Rei saw her eyes were glazed over. Here in body but mind somewhere far over over the rainbow. She made her decision.
Readying herself, Rei took a deep breath.
"The things I do for love..." she whispered.
And gave Asuka a small push.
A surprised shriek escaped from the redhead as she was suddenly propelled forward into the path of the boy. Shinji's own shout of surprise was cut off by the dull sound of bodies, school bags and dignity colliding in the street.
Rei waited a moment as silence reigned.
It was quiet.
Why isn't Asuka saying anything? she thought to herself and dared a quick look around the corner once more to see the results.
Oh.
There was Shinji, lying on his back, a hand coming to hold his head in obvious pain and Asuka...
Asuka who lay sprawled across the boy's lap in a very unladylike fashion, arms and legs askew. She was not moving. Her sudden contact with Shinji must have knocked her out completely.
Rei could only sigh.
Honestly! All that planning yesterday for... this?! Hopeless. she thought, shaking her head.
Deciding it would be best to leave before Asuka came to, she turned towards the direction of the school. Securing her satchel over her shoulder as she walked away, she went over the events that had led to this moment and couldn't help but smile.
So she did wear panties after all.
She giggled and then breaking into a run, clamped a hand over her mouth at the laugh threatening to escape. Despite everything, she remained hopeful.
Good luck you two.
With the sound of laughter fading somewhere in the background, Shinji slowly tried to sit up, painfully aware of the throbbing feeling in his head.
"Oww," he mumbled to himself, wincing as he carefully reached up to survey the damage. Any thoughts of pain were pushed to the back of his mind however as he suddenly became aware of the weight on top of him and his eyes shot straight open.
A strangled yelp escaped him as he took in the sight of what was undoubtedly a girl draped over him, motionless. He recognised the uniform of their school, eyes drinking in the sight of white socks over slender legs with the skirt rising tantalisingly over her-
No! Shinji mentally slapped himself and hurriedly dragged his eyes away to see who this person was. Messy red hair hid the girl's face from view.
Wait... red? Only one name came to mind.
"Asuka?" he asked, tentatively.
He waited for a response and when she didn't move, concern grew to worry, springing him to action. Very aware as to where he was placing his hands, he carefully shifted her weight just enough for him to get out from under her.
Now free, he scuttled over to get a better view of her face.
As an afterthought, a gentlemanly hand shot out and tugged down the skirt over her thighs. Shinji tried very hard not to spend too much thought on this, making a solemn vow never to tell Asuka she had almost flashed half the street.
A quick glance around him confirmed they were alone.
One less thing to worry about.
Shinji wasn't stupid. He'd heard enough of the talk in school about "the newlyweds"' to know being caught like this wouldn't do either of them any favours. The teasing from Kensuke and Touji was bad enough. Feeling his face warming, he shook his head and gave Asuka a once over.
Unconscious, but she seems okay-, he stifled a gasp as he spotted a large bruise forming along her brow. A mirror to his own he was sure. Pushing down that ever present knot of nervousness, he reached out and pushed away a few stray locks of hair to get a better look. The skin was slightly red and there was already a small bump.
Were it not for that, eyes closed and breathing steady she could be mistaken for being in a peaceful sleep. He found himself staring at her and couldn't help but marvel at the change from her normal demeanour.
Well, she's knocked out, idiot. Of course she's gonna be quiet! his conscience admonished him, suspiciously sounding more like Asuka than he would care to admit. Still, taking the opportunity to look at her sleeping form it simply confirmed what he'd known for some time now.
She was exceptionally pretty.
No, no, no, she's your friend! And that's all. She doesn't see you like that. And he pushed the intrusive thought down.
However it was quickly replaced with others.
Asuka's morning visits to wake him, never seeming to care about their close proximity when in his room. How she would hurry him to get dressed. Or run her hands through his unkempt hair, pulling him close to straighten a collar, close enough for him to smell whatever shampoo she had used that morning. All those times sat together at lunch. Their walks home together from school.
On and on. Shinji sighed in defeat.
Of course, he knew his feelings were one sided. And if she found out how he felt? What would she say? Or do?
The possibilities scared him.
They had been friends for as long as he could remember. As much as he liked her, as much as those intrusive thoughts pierced him he wouldn't, couldn't jeopardize what they had.
So he settled for discreetly observing her out of the corner of his eye. He had become well versed in keeping his expression neutral whenever she turned towards him, on the verge of catching him staring. He would feel his insides melt whenever she smiled in his direction, at some joke or playful barb. Usually at his expense. He just smiled in return which always seemed to placate her.
That was Asuka. Playful, smart and somewhat frightening. And then there was her temper. Of course, even at her most furious, Shinji couldn't help but stare in awe, and not just because he found it cute. Her very presence seemed to demand attention from those around her.
She was so different from him, it was a wonder they'd stayed friends at all.
And I'm not going to ruin it.
Realising he had been staring at her, he quickly turned away and noticed something out of the corner of his eye.
Is that... toast?
He blushed at the memory of an encounter eerily similar to this one. What a coincidence, he thought.
"Do I want to know what you're thinking right now?"
He jumped at her voice and as he looked towards her he found blue eyes staring back. Her face unreadable but knowing from experience it probably wasn't anything good. Resigning himself to whatever may come next, he smiled apologetically. That always works.
And to his surprise, she looked away.
Maybe she's hurt? Shinji grew worried at the unusual display.
"Asuka? A-are you okay?"
There were other questions; like what she was doing here and how they had ran into each other but he figured those could wait.
Sitting up from her position on the ground, she brushed away at her clothes and he watched as she gingerly touched the bruise on her head. Her attention didn't stay on herself for long. Shinji winced as her eyes flashed at his own rapidly darkening bruise and taking a second to look at it, her face hardened, almost as if the sight made her angry.
She whispered something could only barely make out.
"...till I get my hands on her-..."
"A-Asuka?" he asked, she flinched and went red.
"N-nevermind! This is all your fault you know."
Said with all the certainly he had come to expect from her and leaving no room for objections. Shinji tried his luck anyway, indignation rising.
"My fault?! You ran into me!"
He was sure of it.
"No I didn't, you should look where you're going! It's what you get for being late anyway."
Bad enough that she blaming him, now she was lecturing him on punctuality too?
You were definitely late! there was that voice again, ready to take any side but his it seemed. He sighed, it was something he was loathe to admit it but she did help in ensuring he made it to school on time.
If I'm late, then so is she. So what's her excuse?
Of course he knew she would never admit fault. Shaking his head, he realised that she was at least her usual self, his earlier worry easing a little. Shinji stood up, brushing himself off before offering a hand to Asuka. She looked at it briefly before taking it in silence. Of course it wasn't just the hand he was offering.
Apology accepted.
As she rose, she looked up at him, an unknowable look on her face. Their eyes met. His gaze lingered for a moment and his breath caught as he saw her face, framed by slightly dishevelled hair and blue eyes seeming to stare with an intensity that almost froze him.
His earlier assessment had been wrong. She was beautiful.
Realising where his thoughts were taking him, he hurriedly turned away, releasing his grip on her hand.
Only to be stopped as Asuka held firm. Before he could open his mouth, she gave a short, sharp tug on his arm and he whirled back around to face her. He cried out in alarm.
"Er...Asuka, w-what are you-"
"Why won't you look at me?"
Her words froze him. Whatever he had been expecting, this was not it. He sputtered out a response automatically as his mind fought to catch up and formulate an answer.
"A-Asuka! I... er, well..."
And found himself wilting under her scrutinizing stare. All the while trying to parse her words and respond with something to improve her mood.
Look at her? What does she-
She took a step towards him and he flinched. He realised she was losing her patience, her brows creased in silent judgement. She's definitely not happy. Just say-, she spoke up again.
"You like me, don't you?"
Oh shit.
Like a shot in the arm, her words killed any further thoughts and his heart began to beat louder and louder in his ears. He couldn't think. He dismissed the almost... hopeful look in her eyes as a trick of the mind.
What do I say?! Should I tell her? She... She won't...
Telling her his feelings for her would end their friendship. Of that he was certain. His mind raced as if his life was flashing before his eyes. All the time they had spent together, in each other's company. Laughter. Happiness.
He looked down, she was still holding on to him. It was a bitter sight. From all of that... to this.
Should I tell her? Does she know? She knows! Does she? Maybe she doesn't? Don't tell her! round and round his thoughts went before they were abruptly broken by Asuka stomping her foot down.
She let out a low growl. Uh oh, he knew that sound and he braced himself expecting pain, eyes screwing shut defensively.
…
Nothing.
He waited a moment before tentatively opening an eye to look to her. He was met with teary eyes.
"Just... just tell me, Shinji," she sounded tired and it nearly broke him. And he came to a sad realisation. She knew. Of course she knew, she must've noticed. He had been careless. There was no salvaging this.
I've ruined our friendship. But he knew she deserved an answer. To lie to her now would be worse. He painfully cleared his throat.
"I-I do. I like you... a lot." There, he had finally said it.
Asuka made no reply, looking at him with sad eyes. He carried on.
"I-I know it's... I know you don't feel the same. You don't have to say anything! It's a-alright," he rambled on, "I liked the time we spent together, hanging out it... it doesn't mean we can't stay friends r-right?" That inner voice was screaming at him. Stop, idiot, stop it.
She slowly lowered her head, hair spilling over to cover her face and he trailed off into silence, words exhausted.
He waited, not daring to breath.
She whispered something he couldn't quite hear and he inched closer.
"Asuka...?"
"I said, I don't want to be friends!"
The words washed over him like a chill. He had expected it, but it still hurt. He moved to let go. But she still held firm, squeezing his hand so hard it caused him to yelp. She looked up at him and he saw the fierce look in her eyes beneath unruly hair.
"Stop. Whatever you're thinking, just stop." She sighed and continued.
"You don't make this easy do you? Really, I have to do everything."
He caught a barest hint of a smile a second before her mouth crashed into his.
His whole body stiffened in shock.
Asuka, in contrast, let go of his hand and her arms came up to embrace him. She pressed herself tightly against him. His mind battled between concentrating on the kiss and the other equally new and no less worrying sensations of her body against his. Shinji began to draw his a hand up to rest on her hip but she caught it.
They both stood there, hand in hand, lips pressed together.
This is nice.
It lasted for mere moments but for Shinji it may have been eternity, the world around him fading away with only her in front of him.
Sooner than he would've liked, she pulled back, letting go of him and leaving a lingering taste in his mouth. Her face was flushed and he noticed she took a moment to compose herself. He had no doubt he looked just as frazzled.
His eyes were drawn to her lips, glistening, inviting as they formed into a knowing smile.
"W-well, I guess I like you too... Shinji."
He stared, disbelief etched across his features as he listened to her words and before he knew it, he was smiling in response. Relief and happiness flooding him in equal measure.
She likes me, she likes me, she likes me.
The stupid expression on his face didn't go unnoticed and she laughed, wiping away tears as she did so.
"I knew all along, of course. I could see it on your face every time. Making a girl wait! You have a lot to learn, idiot." She leaned in towards him and for a moment he thought she was going to kiss him again..
"Lucky for you, I'm an excellent teacher." He didn't miss the predatory glint in her eye.
Er...
Just as he was about to ask what exactly she meant by that, in the distance they both heard the faint ring of a school bell.
"We're late!" They both cried.
Grabbing their bags which lay discarded beside them, he turned to hand over hers which she took silently before slipping her hand into his. It was warm. They shared a look, faces going red as they recalled what just transpired.
She spoke first.
"Shinji?"
"Y-yeah...?"
"Try and keep up!"
And with that, her hand slipped free and she left him standing there, laughing as she ran. He managed a shout of, "Hey, wait!" as he followed in the wake of her crimson locks. Smiling as he ran after her, he knew that after this, things would never be the same.
The thought no longer scared him.
Whatever tomorrow may bring, they would face it together.
The End.
A/N:
There you have it! Bloody hell, was this fun to write.
You'd think having the fanart in front of you would make it easy but if anything, it forces you to think and plan how all these pieces fit together. Having to think up motivations for Asuka, Rei and Shinji in a world without Evas and the traumas they each have was tough. Rei was a wildcard, her Ep.26 AU character is so different from the TV series. But I'm happy with how she turned out Like I said, check out the fanart that inspired this, can't link in the fic but is linked in my author's bio both to their twitter and pixiv.
Many thanks to YourBlandestNightmare for helping with weeding out the weaker parts of the fic and for the vote of confidence in getting this fic finished.
Thank you all for reading and till next time!
AgentKaji