Please Come Home
Shortly after Third Impact, people returned from the LCL, and Tokyo-3's residents worked together to rebuild the city.
Shinji and Asuka remained close, even living with Misato once again, as soon as they were able to reclaim their apartment. She spent a lot of time apologizing to the two of them, and vowing to truly make amends for the events before impact. It would never be perfect, but it was the closest thing to family for the three of them. They spent a few years of relative peace together, before Shinji realized he saw Asuka as more than a roommate and a close friend.
After tiptoeing around, Shinji finally found the words to open his heart and ask Asuka out. They talked for a long time, but she reciprocated. For the first time in their lives, they found true happiness in each other. Misato was relieved that they finally figured things out and let them move into an adjacent apartment.
But real life came at them in the form of education. School had re-started quickly after reconstruction, and the two of them made things official right before graduation. Afterwards, Shinji intended to apply to university and get a degree.
Asuka decided to go back and pursue a different diploma than the one she received as a pre-teen. The only problem: the program she was in required her to be in Germany for the first year.
The day she told him, the two of them were sitting on her bed. "...So, yeah. The biology program is only offered in Germany for first year. If I want to do it, I have to fly out-of-country."
For the first time since she brought up the topic, Asuka looked up from her bed at Shinji's face; He looked sad. His eyes darted around a little before he spoke. "Are you serious? There's no other way for you to do this?"
She sighed. "You know how hard the government is pushing everyone towards programs that help with the reconstruction efforts, the loans and grants are ridiculous. Germany is offering to pay for everything, they want me back, and the offer is a solo one, no matter how hard I've tried. Misato can't hold both of us up forever."
"But..." Shinji began. "But what about everything we've worked up to? We've always done stuff together, haven't we?"
"Yes, we have." Asuka decided to let him talk
"After Third Impact, we were on our own together. We survived until Misato got back."
"Yup. We were damn good at it too."
Shinji continued. "Yeah, and when things went back to normal, we were still a team." Asuka nodded. "And then… And then I realized how much I liked you. Do you know how long I kept that to myself?"
Asuka liked when he told this story, even if he had only told it a few times. "Two years."
"Two years. It just… it hurt to look at you and not be able to say how I felt."
"Well, thank God you finally did. And you did a damn good job too."
That made Shinji blush. "Ah, well, it was okay."
"Save it, Ikari. You took me to that one spot on the hill and gave me that speech. I'd never forget that. And I hope you wouldn't, either."
"Of course not," he said. "Especially not after the long talk we had."
"Hey, we had a lot to talk about. Before the angels, after the angels, all that instrumentality crap," said Asuka. "There was something else too. What did I make you promise?"
Shinji's expression lightened a little as he recalled. "I promised that I'd never leave you, and that I'd always be by your side."
"And…?"
"And you promised the same."
"Right! Just because I'm not gonna physically be here, doesn't mean that I'm not by your side. We literally went through the end of the world together, Shinji. I think we can handle this like it's nothing!"
The worry returned to his face "You're right. It's just gonna feel so empty without you here." Asuka looked in his eyes. She didn't see ill intent, but sadness. There was a hint of a tear in the corner of his eye. He was being a bit of an idiot, but it was coming from a place of honesty.
Asuka put a hand under Shinji's chin. "It's not like that stuff is gonna go away. You think I'd just pack my things, go to Germany, and leave you in the dark? Come on now!" He didn't say anything, but he looked off to the side.
"Well, can we talk every day?" he asked, looking at her again.
"Yes."
"Phone each other?"
"Of course."
"And... Oh! Maybe I could send you a recipe when you get homesick! I know the food that they serve people is brutal. Sometimes I see classmates bring food to class, and it's just the worst." He dabbed at his eye with his hand.
Asuka smiled. "I like that idea."
The semester began okay enough at first. Shinji kept himself busy in his studies, seeing his friends, making meals for Misato, and even going for walks around the reconstructed Tokyo-3. Near the end, however, one thing in the back of his head became more prominent: He missed Asuka. He missed having her sleep next to him, or playfully chide him while he made breakfast, or any of the other small things that her presence brought to the apartment.
After a few days of it being far too quiet, he knocked on Misato's door and asked if he could stay with her for the time being, which she graciously accepted.
December arrived around soon after. While the holiday had become a little more popular in Japan, Asuka was always the one to drum up Christmas enthusiasm. Her lack of presence was known, but they still tried, decorating the apartment. They took some photos and sent them to her, which was met with enthusiasm.
Still, Shinji wanted something more out of the holiday. To him, Christmas was less about presents and more about the time spent with family. It didn't stop him from splurging on gifts for the two ladies, but there was something distinctly missing: his girlfriend.
Soon enough, he hatched a plan to surprise Asuka with a great gift: himself. With help from Misato, he would fly to Germany and show up on Asuka's doorstep just in time for Christmas.
Thus, three days before the festivity, Misato drove Shinji to the airport and helped him check in for his flight. Right when he got to the gate, he received a text.
Soryu, Asuka: Heyyy idiot it's super late here so I'm gonna sleep.
Shinji smiled at the way she texted.
Ikari, Shinji: Alright. Goodnight, Asuka. I'll talk to you soon. Love you.
Asuka sent back a heart.
Asuka put her phone on her seat. She stowed away her carry-on, then got settled into her plane seat. "This is gonna be fun," she whispered, grinning to herself. Grabbing her phone, she unlocked it and navigated to Misato's contact.
Shinji put his phone away and turned to Misato. She offered him a smile. "You're a real romantic, Shinji. Just promise me something."
"Yeah?"
"Be safe, and don't do anything stupid."
"I will, and, uh, I won't?"
She wrapped him in a hug, which he hesitantly reciprocated. Pulling away, she kissed the top of his head. "See you soon. I better get a call when you land!"
Shinji blushed a little. "I'll remember!" He grabbed his suitcase and began to roll it to the terminal.
Misato watched him disappear out of sight. When he was gone, she turned to walk away, but was interrupted by the buzz of her phone.
Soryu, Asuka: Hey Misato I'm coming to surprise Shinji, please keep him chained down or something. Thanks
She put a palm to her forehead. "Oh god damn it!" she whispered. She started to turn back towards the terminal, but Shinji was too far gone. She called him a few times, but it went straight to voicemail. Misato cursed again. He was about to fly to Germany and she couldn't stop him. Defeated, she began to trudge back to the apartment.
Shinji had never flown before. He had piloted an Eva, but being higher than the clouds was a little jarring to him. The drinks were in tiny cans and the food was Misato-tier. The seats hardly reclined. The in-flight entertainment was okay, at least. He put on some movies that Asuka showed him as he oscillated in and out of sleep.
Before he knew it, he was being told to put his seat upright and his tray table up. He opened the window to see his flight rapidly descending on Mumbai. The view was fascinating.
After a short wait, the captain thanked the passengers for flying, and he slowly made his way off of the plane.
Since he had a carry-on, there was no need to wait for additional luggage, so he resolved to walk around the airport while he waited for his next flight.
He went and sat down at an airport café, enjoying a quick meal before paying and deciding to do some shopping. Asuka would likely appreciate some perfume from the duty-free.
Shinji grabbed his suitcase and started to walk towards the shops. An expensive-looking store caught his eye and made him turn his head as he walked past.
Because he wasn't focused on what was ahead of him, Shinji failed to see the incoming person.
The two people collided, and Shinji was sent onto his backside. "Oh my god! I'm so sorry!" he said in broken English. His eyes were fixed on the ground.
The person he bumped into was livid. "You idiot!" they said, in somewhat-less-broken English. "Can't you look where you're going!?" That person proceeded to launch into a flurry of angry German. It was almost too recognizable.
Shinji felt a familiar excitement bubble in his chest. He was smiling before he even looked up. His eyes travelled slowly, taking in the image: Same red hair, same striking personality. She was wearing a long, black coat and a pair of boots. "Asuka?" he said, getting to his feet.
"Honestly! It's like nobody knows how to treat a lady these day- Shinji?" All of her wrath dropped in seconds as she took in his image. In an instant, the two rushed together, sharing a tight hug, before pulling away and loosing themselves into a long, tender kiss. She ran a hand through his hair, letting it come to rest at the back of his neck.
The two of them separated, and Shinji couldn't resist letting a grin spread across his face. "Hi."
"Hello," she said sweetly, before raising an eyebrow. "What are you doing here!?"
"Well, I was supposed to be surprising you. What are you doing here?"
Asuka laughed. "The same thing. I was supposed to fly to Japan to surprise you. Why didn't Misato stop you from going anywhere!?"
He scratched his head. "Uh, I dunno. She didn't stop me at all."
"Dammit, must've sent it too late," said Asuka. She shrugged, grabbing her carry-on in one hand and snaking her other around Shinji's free arm.
"So, what now?" he asked.
"For starters, we need to get you a ticket back to Japan. Then, we're gonna get back on a plane and go home. We're overdue for spending a day doing nothing together."
Shinji liked that idea.
A/N: Hey there, the Asushin Discord server is having a winter fanfic contest! If you want to write something for it, join the server (discord dot gg slash asushin) and check the announcement. I'll be submitting something, and I hope anyone considering does so too!
Special thanks to YourBlandestNightmare and Chad Gendo for beta-ing, and to Su_Exodus for helping me revise the beginning.