"What's wrong?" He asked, looking down the hallway. You looked bummed out?"

She flinched, suddenly back to her senses. "Its because I tried kissing an idiot like you!"

She ran off. Shinji's hand dropped. He looked at the door once again that Kaji had departed from, then walked back into the house.

With each step inward, he was getting bothered more and more.

He stopped just inside the room where, moments ago, Asuka had tried to kiss him. He didn't know where she had gone, probably to her room to turn in. It was late enough as it was, it sounded like a good idea.

Normally he would just dismiss this and just go about his bedtime without further thought. Asuka was Asuka, that's just how she was. But this time he hesitated, and two thoughts were tinging his mind a different color.

The first was reflecting on the kiss. In that moment he had been too paralyzed with indecision over finding out what she wanted that he couldn't enjoy it.

And he had wanted to.

The scent of her hair and the soft texture of her lips against his was intoxicating to think about. Even then, as he did, his left hand reached up to touch his lips to recall that moment.

The other was the feeling that somehow he didn't give her what she expected. There was something… missing… something he failed to do. He didn't know what though, but her disappointment was clear. This too he could have dismissed, but now…?

He tried taking steps to turn off the light but, as before, each step only intensified the turmoil in his mind. He wanted to touch her again. He wanted to know what she wanted. What… what did that mean?

His right hand was opening and closing rapidly as his mind approached the decision he was going to make.

Take Two

Norsehound

There was a moment in the past, he recalled, when he acted without hesitation regarding her. The moment he lept into the volcano to save her life was playing in his mind as he walked through the house to her room. In some way it felt like he was doing that again.

A part of him wanted to just turn around and go to bed. Make this easy, it was late. But the rest of his mind was made up to see this through now that he started on this path. He approached the door.

Up to it he hesitated again, but the way out of this situation was lost while his head swam with nervousness and allure. This was going to happen. "Awuh-Awsuka?" His voice came out shaky. "U-uhm… are you still up?"

As he waited for an answer, he looked down and could see the light still on through the crack in the door. Of course she was still up.

It occurred to him then that what he was asking for is to be kissed again, which was a very upfront and transgressive thing to ask. Certainly she'd have every reason to call him a pervert again, justifiably. Doubt was starting to edge in on him, to turn him around and make him depart, when the door opened in his face.

As it did the double barreled feelings of desire and guilt slid right back in, pushing his doubt away. She was very beautiful. Her eyes were level with his.

"What is it?" She asked, only slightly annoyed. He overlooked the absence of her usual anger, as if she wasn't entirely upset to see him again.

Still drunk on wanting her physical touch and seeking clarification of her intent, he swallowed as he tried to think, "I uh…. I uh…"

Asuka leaned on the door frame. "What is it Shinji? Spit it out."

Her tone wasn't as harsh as it could have been, or what Shinji would have expected. Instead like a pair of fingers, her words squeezed him to make his thoughts come out. "The kiss I… I want a do-over."

She blinked, hanging for a few seconds as she re-ran the words in her head. "You what?"

"I.. Uh…" Shinji's nerves faltered, but since she didn't immediately snap, he was able to continue, "I… I didn't do it right. I want…"

She stared at him for a few seconds, then shifted against the frame as she came to a new conclusion. Anger was creeping into her tone, "I'm not a practice dummy, idiot!"

Panic flashed in Shinji's mind. "Practice? No, that's not-!"

"Make out with your hand, it's already your best partner!" She raged, and slid the door swiftly to-

"STOP!" Shinji cried.

Both were then startled to see that Shinji had caught the door with his right hand, holding it open.

Asuka looked from Shinji to his hand and back again. She stepped back from the door, studying him.

Shinji, panting, recalled his hand and looked at it, then at her. His feelings somersaulted again. Not only had she resisted him, but he was now forcing his way into her room. Good people didn't do that.

"I… I'm sorry…" he said, then he turned away and fled to the bathroom, walking quickly with his head down. Asuka leaned out of the doorway to watch him, then paused as she tried to assess what had just happened.

Shinji did his business alone. He wanted to hide in the bathroom for a while until he was sure Asuka was asleep, but it was already late. He needed to get dressed into pajamas.

He sighed, pulled up his pants, then left the toilet room. After rushing the curtain open he cried out and jumped.

Asuka was sitting on the edge of the table, arms crossed.

He took a moment to catch his breath. His eyes found hers and then averted, looking to the ground. She had him trapped.

"So you want a do-over." She said.

Blinking, Shinji looked up at her and his blush returned. The feeling of touching her again… taking that second try to do it right… slipped into his guts. He swallowed dryly and said, "Y-yes…"

"Okay. Then come here." She said.

Shinji swallowed and walked up to her, standing almost perpendicular to where they were before. She stood up from the table.

"W-wait." Shinji said. Asuka paused, looking at him with her eyebrows raised in curiosity. He swallowed again and said, "i-is it… okay?"

Asuka' eyebrows canted down. "Do you want this or not?"

"It's important!" Shinji replied. His voice was tight.

Asuka sighed a little. "Yes, it's okay."

"And don't pinch my nose this time."

"Fine."

Shinji swallowed. "Okay." He said and took the final step closer.

Once again things were heavy and undeniably real with her this close to him. He could smell the faint earthy odor of her sweat and the dry scent from her hair. His heart thundering in his ears, he maneuvered closer.

As he watched Asuka's eyes and expression shifted. At first it seemed like she was slightly bemused as he closed, but just before contact a quiet surprise registered. Her breath was shivering.

Then their lips touched again and suddenly things were different. He moved his lips against hers and his eyes half closed. A little moan cracked out of her throat and, somehow, hit a chord within him.

Shinji was hungry for this. Being up against her now with no confusion helped him relax enough to tip into the experience, and he let his body take over. His hands came up to her hips and she responded with landing hers on his shoulders.

A happy sigh escaped Asuka's lips. This was better. But this changed Shinji again, starting with his face. His lips opened and suddenly Asuka felt Shinji's intruding tongue thrust into her mouth. A surprised grunt came from her throat and she opened her eyes to see his closed.

His grip had tightened. His hands were moving, the left snaking around her back while the right was going up her flank. Very quickly Asuka went from satisfied to concerned and aroused as Shinji's fingers contacted her bra and came around to cup her breast.

She squirmed against and out of his grip, sliding back against the table and breaking contact while she blushed furiously. "Geeze Third! Watch what you're-"

She cut herself off when she saw Shinji, wide-eyed with his own mortified look and hands parted. They hung there for a few seconds before he pulled his hands back, face almost close to tears. "Im sorry…" he squeaked out before he turned and ran from the room. He fled down the hall and closed the door.

Shinji had turned out the light, thrown himself on the bed, plugged himself into the SDAT and hugged the pillow over his head in utter embarrassment. He started to cry.

Of course he couldn't trust his body. Of course he couldn't trust himself. Asuka gave him the grace to try again and he got greedy. She was right to call him a pervert. He would never hear the end of it.

The mattress shifted beneath him and his eyes bugged out. Removing the pillow and lifting his head, he saw Asuka's dim outline in the faint light of his room. Frozen with fear, all he could do was yank an earbud out to listen to her.

She said, "Look Third, if you're going to surprise me like that, don't do it in a place that open. What if Misato got up?"

Shinji stared at her as he ran what she said through his head a couple of times. His eyes widened a little. "Y-you m-mean you… were… okay… with…"

He could see the smirk of hers in the faint light. "Dummy," she said, "You just startled me. How far do you want to go?"

He rolled and sat up, staring at her still and unable to believe this was happening. "What… what do you…" he blinked and asked, "Y-You want to keep going!?"

"Not so loud, Third."

"I… I…"

She shifted, sliding her torso closer to the head of the bed, "Do you want to keep going, or not?" There was a musical tone to her query which pumped up Shinji's groin again.

Shinji never had confidence before, and never imagined how he could be suave enough to get a girl into his room willingly. But that didn't mean he didn't have well rehearsed fantasies he visited often to sate his frustrations. There, he had all the confidence he needed to get what he wanted because it hadn't been real.

Now, suddenly, reality was matching those practiced fantasies. Asuka seemed willing.

He sat up fully in the bed and faced her. She reached over and pulled the remaining headphone out of his ear to hand to him. The boy set the unit aside.

She said to him in a breathy voice which finally betrayed her own anticipation, "My underwear is off limits, okay?"

"Okay." He breathed, heavy with desire.

"Then here I come."

A/N: alright, my latest attempt at fixing the kiss.

We've seen Shinji fantasize plenty about women in EoE scenes, and we know he's acted on thoughts about Asuka. I figured for all of that though, crippling self confidence means he only imagines all of that and never tires. But if he were to get the green light? He's be so enthusiastic he'd need restraint. For as much confidence as he gets in his head, he also needs to learn to slow down.

Why Asuka wasn't more hostile here is because she's ling expected/desired Shinji to come to her like this and he finally did, for once meeting her expectations. And curious why Shinji kept the door open and got partway to what they both wanted, her sense of fairness drove her to pursue him both times.

Hammered this one out practically overnight. Hope you found it enjoyable!