Shinji walked up to Rei's desk as the class bell rang. He had been working himself up to this moment for weeks, and he had been too terrified each time to even try. But after everything he and Rei had been through together with the 5th Angel, he felt they had shared something together, something that brought them much closer.
Shinji cleared his throat.
"Um, Ayanami?" He asked, trying to get her attention. She turned to look at him, her crimson eyes staring straight through him.
"Yes, Ikari-kun?" she replied.
Shinji took a deep breath, it was now or never.
"U-um, would you like to go out to d-dinner with me tomorrow night?" he asked.
Rei looked at him, analyzing his expression.
"On a d-date," he clarified.
Rei kept looking at him intensely.
"I do not think Commander Ikari would allow such an activity," she said. Her tone would have sounded the same to most, but Shinji picked up a hint of sadness in it.
"I talked with Misato-san, she said she could make it happen. I-if you agreed, of course," Shinji said. He waited for her response, which came quicker than he expected.
"If that is the case, then I would not be opposed to having dinner with you," she said, her lips curling into the faintest hint of a smile.
"Okay, I'll see you then, Ayanami," Shinji said.
"Goodbye, Ikari-kun" she replied.
Shinji walked home quickly, his heart still pounding. He was ecstatic, and when he entered the apartment he started literally jumping with joy.
"Misato-san, she said yes!" he announced as he entered the living room, and Misato's face lit up into a grin.
"I told you, Shin-chan! All you needed to do was try!" She pulled him into a hug and ruffled his hair.
"I'm not a kid, Misato," he said, a little annoyed.
"Oh, but you're still so cute! You should be lucky Rei got you, before all the other girls in class start fighting over you" Misato said. Shinji blushed in response.
"So, when and where?" she asked.
"Tomorrow night, at-wait, CRAP!" he said, realizing. "I didn't say where!"
Misato laughed, "I'll go tell her myself. Lord knows she needs a new outfit anyway."
"When?" Shinji asked, worried there wouldn't be time.
"Right now, I guess," Misato said, shrugging. "I was gonna help her pick out an outfit either way. Don't worry, I'll get you something too," she said, winking.
"O-okay, bye," Shinji said, and Misato waved as she headed out the door.
Shinji went back to the battle in his mind, between freaking out in excitement or fear about tomorrow night.
Rei walked home from school, heading to her small apartment. She was looking forward to tomorrow night but was worried she would not know what to do. She had never been on a date, or even a particularly long conversation, with anyone before.
Furthermore, she did not know where they were supposed to meet. Shinji had seemed very nervous when asking her, so she thought it may have slipped his mind. She would call him later to clarify.
She heard a knock on her door. She went to open it, and Misato was there.
"Hello, Captain Katsuragi," Rei greeted.
"Hi, Rei. Misato is fine, okay?" she said, and Rei nodded.
"I'm here to help you prepare for tomorrow!" she said excitedly. Rei motioned for her to come inside.
Rei's apartment had changed a bit since her first visit. There were a few amenities around now, and a table as well. All purchased by Misato at the behest of Shinji, who was appaled to see the conditions Rei lived in.
"So, what did Shin-chan say to you?" Misato asked.
"He offered to take me to dinner, on a date," Rei said. "He seemed quite nervous while asking, but I have heard that is normal."
Misato chucked, "Yeah, he was pretty nervous before then, too."
There were no chairs, so Misato sat down on the edge of Rei's bed. "So, why did you say yes?" she asked.
"Ikari-kun has been very kind to me, and he saved my life after we fought the 5th Angel. I thought it would be rude to turn him down."
Misato wasn't entirely satisfied with that answer. "Was that the only reason? Nothing else?" she asked.
Rei thought for a moment. "Being with Ikari-kun makes me feel warm and content. I want him to feel warm and content as well. I enjoy spending time with him. I do not know the most accurate way to describe my feelings towards Ikari-kun. But e encouraged me to smile when I feel happy, and whenever I am with him I feel like smiling," she said.
"That sounds like love to me, Rei. I think you should tell him that when you're done with your date." Misato said.
Rei decided to take her advice to heart.
"Thank you, Misato-san," Rei said.
Misato pulled her into a hug in much the same way she did Shinji.
"Now," Misato said, "we need to get you an outfit for your date!"
Rei looked down at her uniform, which seemed perfectly fine for the job.
"Why?" she asked, and Misato giggled.
"Because you need to wear different clothes, you're wasting your looks still wearing that boring uniform!" she said.
"I suppose I could wear something different," Rei said, smiling.
"Right, let's go then!" Misato said and led Rei to her car.
"Misato?" Rei asked as they drove to the mall.
"What's up?" Misato replied.
"What do you do... on a date?" she asked.
Misato launched into a rambling monologue about all the ins and outs of a date. Rei attempted to listen to it but it was quite overwhelming. She got lost around halfway through and began to think about Shinji.
He had always been so kind to her, and she felt like she hadn't done anything for him. But Shinji didn't appear to ever mind, making her happy was all he wanted to do, it seemed. Rei wanted to make him happy as well, but she did not know how.
Rei thought back to what Misato had said. Were the things she felt for him really love? She didn't think so before, but Misato's comments had made her think about it. She thought about her and Shinji, and she liked the idea of them being in a relationship. Shinji seemed to truly care about her, not like some of the rude boys at school who attempted to touch her.
Shinji had never asked for anything in return for his help and kindness, he did it because he cared about her, and Rei finally understood that. She felt truly happy, knowing there was someone who cared about her for who she was. She didn't know much about it, but she decided that what she felt for him was indeed love.
"-ei, are you alright?" Misato asked, snapping Rei out of it.
"Yes, I am fine, I was just thinking," Rei replied.
"About Shinji?" Misato teased.
Rei looked down, "...He has always been so kind to me, and I do not know how to repay him."
Misato looked over at her. "You really care about him, don't you?" she asked.
Rei felt her eyes begin to water. "Nobody has ever been as kind to me as he has. I am worried I will not be able to make him happy," she said.
"Shinji is a nice boy, I'm sure he'll be happy with whatever you choose. It's the thought that counts," Misato said.
Rei managed a small smile at that. "Okay," she said.
Rei and Misato set out browsing through the clothing section, looking for outfits. Misato picked out a few simple outfits Rei could wear on a daily basis besides her uniforms.
She eventually found enough, though Rei repeatedly said she did not need anything more. Misato looked around for something fancy to wear the night of the date.
"Ooo, what about this?" Misato said.
She picked out a simple light tan blouse and a blue-green skirt that went down to her ankles.
"I think this would be good," she said. "Not too casual, but it's not a wedding dress either."
Rei looked at it, she liked the color of the skirt.
"Okay," she said, and Misato led her to the changing rooms.
Rei put on the outfit and looked at herself in the mirror. She had never worn something like this before, and she was not sure wether she liked it.
Rei walked out of the dressing room to see Misato standing there.
"You look so cute, Rei!" Misato said, clasping her hands together. "Shin-chan is gonna love it," she added, reassuring Rei a little.
Misato continued shopping, finding an outfit for Shinji. A simple grey shirt and black pants. The style matched Rei's, and it wasn't too expensive. Misato also picked out some jewelry for Rei, a gold necklace, and some small blue earrings, which had to be put back because Rei had never had her ears pierced.
Rei looked around for something to get Shinji. She eventually settled on two small bracelets, painted in the colors of Unit-00 and Unit-01 respectively.
Once Misato had gotten a few more things, she drove Rei back home, told her the location of the restaurant, and bid her goodnight. Rei went to bed early, still worrying about whether Shinji would like her gift.
Shinji was sitting at home when Misato finally got back and showed him his outfit. He thought it was a little simple, but it looked nice either way.
"So, are you ready for tomorrow?" Misato asked.
Shinji looked down. "I… I don't know. Ayanami is really nice to me. I, I feel like I don't deserve this," he said.
Misato sat down next to him. "What do you mean?" she said.
Shinji continued to stare at the floor. "I just… I really like her, a lot. I don't think she'll like me the same way..." he said, mumbling towards the end.
Misato thought about telling him what Rei said, but decided it wouldn't be fair to her to do that.
"If you go in thinking that, you'll never get anywhere. If she didn't like you, she wouldn't have agreed to go," she said.
"What if... what if she was just trying to be nice?" he asked.
Misato sighed. "Shinji, you can choose to keep worrying about this for no reason, or you can just trust that she wouldn't lie to you. Rei isn't exactly one to mince words."
Shinji seemed to brighten a bit at that. "You're right, Misato-san. Thank you," he said.
Shinji went to bed feeling better, but he still couldn't shake the feeling that this was too good to be true.
'Why would she ever want to date me?' He thought as he drifted off into a dreamless sleep.