Disclaimer: see chapter 1
Part 3
Getting to know you
By Random1377
"Souryu, Ikari, Katsuragi residence." Asuka answered the phone, deliberately putting her guardian's name last. -That woman is so annoying!- she thought, -if I trip over just ONE MORE beer can... OOO!!!!-
Her eyes widened slightly as a diffident female voice said, "Is... is Shinji there?"
Still trying to get her mind around the notion that it was, in fact, another woman on the other end of the line, Asuka said, "Umm... lemme check..." She set the phone down, curiosity temporarily overriding her urge to taunt Shinji, "Hey idiot," (well, not entirely), "you have a phone call."
Shinji (knowing exactly who 'idiot' was) came out of his room, "Is it Kensuke or Touji?" he asked, reaching for the phone.
She pulled it back as he reached out, smiling viciously, "It's a... girrrrrrl..." she said, keeping the phone away from him as long as possible.
On the other end of the line, Maya put her head in her free hand. -I can't believe I'm doing this...- she thought. She briefly considered just hanging up... then Shinji came on.
"Hello?" he said, unable to hide his curiosity.
After a moment of silence a quiet voice said, "Hello, Shinji... how are you?"
His face lit up like a thousand-watt bulb, "Is this M-" he began happily.
"SHHHH!!!!" she whispered quickly, "Don't say it! Yes it is."
Shinji looked at Asuka, still hovering nearby, understanding instantly. "I'm... I'm fine..." he paused for a moment, "I'm glad you called me..."
Maya felt her cheeks redden, "I..." -How can I do this... he's so young...- she remembered Ritsuko's words, '...I would never let them go.' She took a deep breath, "Shinji... I... can you come into headquarters?"
Shinji's tone became less enthusiastic, "Umm... yeah... yeah I can come in. Should I go to doctor Akagi's office, or the sync chamber?"
-He... he thinks I'm calling him about work...- she blushed deeper, "Shinji?"
"Yes?" he said, his voice sad.
Her voice was barely above a whisper, "Umm... come to my office... and, umm... can you... can you come alone?" she touched her cheek, wondering of it was possible for a person to burst into flames from embarrassment.
He paused for a moment. When he answered, his voice was unsure, "Umm... ok... but that means I'll have to walk... do you need me there by a specific time?"
"Whenever you can get here will be fine, but..." she hesitated, -hurry...- "it is kind of important, ok?"
After he said ok, and they had said goodbye, she leaned forward, putting her head in her hands. -What am I going to say? 'Hey Shinji, I know I don't know much about you, and I know that we only had dinner, but I think I'm falling for you. Oh, and by the way, our excessive age difference is not a problem is it?'- She leaned back pressing the heels of her hands against her eyelids. A moment later, she opened her eyes.
Staring at the ceiling, she brought her hand slowly up to her lips... tracing them gently with her fingertips as she recalled that night.
**
Shinji entered the woman's office hesitantly. He had experienced a lot of difficulty in getting Asuka to let him leave without telling her who was on the phone - as it was, he wasn't entirely certain she hadn't followed him.
"Miss Ibuki? You wanted to see me?" he asked tentatively, -I hope it's not another sync test,- he thought dismally, entirely giving up any hope that their kiss was more than a singular event. He looked at her desk, frowning. -Is she... is she asleep?- he thought, confused.
Maya was indeed unconscious. She had lost a lot of sleep the night before, worrying over what she should do, and Shinji had taken more than an hour to get there. Her exhaustion had overcome her.
Shinji smiled at her, -I guess it wouldn't hurt to wait a while...- he thought. He pulled up a spare seat and sat down. After a few moments Maya stirred and mumbled in her sleep. Shinji's smile widened a little, -She's so pretty...- he thought for possibly the hundredth time that day. He sighed, wishing that circumstances were different.
At his sigh, she woke with a start, looking around with bleary eyes. "S-sorry..." he said, speaking quietly, "I... I didn't mean to wake you."
"Shinji?" she said stretching languidly, "How long have you been here... I hope not long..." she suddenly looked embarrassed that he had found her this way, and straightened her uniform.
Shinji looked at his watch, his eyes going wide as her realized he had been watching her sleep for almost ten minutes. "Not... not too long... what did you need to see me about, Miss Ibuki?"
She smiled slightly, "I thought I asked you to call me Maya?"
He blushed, "I... I thought that was just... just for that night..." he looked at the floor.
Her resolve wavered, -He IS young...- she thought, -and... and what if he says no?- She shook her head, trying to banish those thoughts. "Shinji..." she said slowly, "when I... when I kissed you on your birthday... that was... I..." she broke off, struggling to find the right words.
Shinji frowned and stood up, "You... you don't have to explain to me... Maya..." he smiled as he used her name. He went on, his voice low, "I... I understand that you were just trying to cheer me up. Don't worry... I... I know it wasn't more than that..." he put his hands in his pockets and started walking towards the door.
-Stop him... STOP HIM!!!- her mind whispered urgently as he reached for the door, "Shinji!" she said as he pulled the door open. He stopped and looked at her curiously.
She rose to her feet and crossed the room, her mind raging, -Stop this...- half of her mind cried, -let him leave so this can all go away!!- The other half whispered, -Don't let him go... don't EVER let him go...- The quiet half won.
"Shinji... don't go." She said quietly. "What I wanted to know... the... the reason I asked you to come..." she took a deep breath and looked into his eyes, feeling calmer just from his gaze, "I... I want to get to know you better... will you... will you go out with me tonight?" Shinji just stared, dumbfounded. Her color started to rise, and she stammered, "If... if you don't want to... I-"
"YES!" he cut her off, then blushed and went on in a quieter voice, "I would... I would love to go out with you, Maya..." he frowned, "but are you... are you sure that you want to go out with ME?"
That loud part of her mind screamed, -NO!!!- but she ignored it and nodded her head shyly, "Yes... I would... I would like it very much..."
A moment of awkward silence followed, broken finally when Shinji said, "Maya... why... why are you being nice to me?"
She blinked at the genuine confusion in his voice, -Is it THAT hard to believe?- she smiled at him, "Because I... I like you... Shinji..." she looked at the floor, -When did I become so bold?- she wondered, half of her still shocked by the impropriety of her statement.
Shinji looked downright stunned, "You... you do?" he said in a quiet voice. He turned away before she could see the tears sparkling in his eyes, "No one... no one has ever told me that before... Maya..."
She was horrified, "No one?" she echoed, scarcely believing it.
He shook his head slowly, still averting his gaze, -She... she doesn't... not really... she just feels sorry for me...- the thought made his eyes burn, "I... I should go... you... you don't have to go out with-"
She reached out and took his hand. "Shinji? Shinji, look at me..." reluctantly he turned to face her, blinking rapidly and swallowing to avoid breaking down entirely. She held his hand, unsure. -This is right,- she thought, squelching that loud voice in her mind,-it is...- she brought his hand to her lips, kissing it softly. "I like you, Shinji... I really do... and I would truly love it if you would go out with me tonight... will you?"
Shinji's mind exploded at the touch of her lips, and he found that words escaped him. He nodded dumbly, a single tear falling from his eye. She smiled at him, still holding his hand. Trembling, he raised her hand and kissed it, reeling from the emotions coursing through him.
When he was able to speak again, he whispered, "Thank you, Maya..."
She tilted her head to the side, "For what, Shinji?"
He smiled radiantly, causing her heart to skip a beat, "For not slapping me... Asuka would have beaten me up just for touching her hand, let alone kissing it..."
Suddenly the tension was gone, and Maya laughed, "Well... I'm not Asuka..."
Shinji's smile fell away as suddenly as it had come, "No..." he whispered, "you're not..." he leaned forward.
Her heartbeat tripled its pace and she waited breathlessly for him to kiss her.
He flushed bright red and halted his advance, suddenly unsure again, "Umm... so... should I meet you somewhere tonight...?"
She let out a breath, unaware that she had been holding it, and said, "Yes... umm... it can't be... anywhere we both normally go..." she looked at the floor, "I'm sorry..."
"That's ok," he said, "I understand..." he smiled, "Why don't we just meet at the lookout, and decide there?"
She nodded, "That sounds good... I'll be there around six, ok?"
He smiled, and then blushed as he realized they were still holding hands. Gently retrieving his, he stepped out the door with a final wave.
Maya turned back to her desk, her thoughts already turning to what the evening might hold. She stopped as she heard the door open behind her.
She turned to find Shinji staring at her, his eyes intense, "Maya?" he said shyly, "I... I like you too..." he smiled once more... and then he was gone.
Maya sat down on the floor, his words ringing in her mind. How long had it been since someone had told HER that? She knew that she had heard those words before (she had been shocked to hear he hadn't) but for the life of her she could not remember the last time someone had spoken them to her.
A single tear ran down her cheek, soon followed by a torrent of others as she thought of his sincere smile... and the three words he had spoken with such care...
Continued...
Omake
His room was dark as Shinji walked into it. He sighed as he stripped off his clothes, still remembering the wonderful evening. He stopped suddenly as he realized he was not alone.
"Shiiiiiiiiiinjiiiiiiii..." a low voice whispered.
"M-Maya?" he stammered as small, soft hands wrapped around his chest from the back.
"Shinji..." she pouted, "I couldn't stop thinking about you... why did you leave?" She spun him around and pressed up against him.
"Be-because you said goodnight?" he asked.
"Shinji," she said, her mouth curving into a small frown, "don't you know that when a girl says goodnight in that tone of voice it means that she wants to wake up beside you?"
She reached up and held his head in her hands, smiling at how wide his eyes became. "Sempai was right," she said, "age be damned!" she leaned forward, pressing her lips against his firmly. After a moment, his paralysis broke and he kissed her back, his arms coming up to gently touch her face. Her body felt like it was on fire. She opened her mouth, running her tongue over his lips, wanting to get inside....
In the room marked 'Shinji's lovely suite' a tremendous crash emanated, waking the other two occupants of the small apartment. Misato threw open the door, "Shinji, are you ok?" she said, concern evident in her voice.
Shinji lay in a tangled mass of bed-sheets and blankets, groaning softly, "Fine Misato... just... just fell out of bed." -Why? Why couldn't I at least get to second base!!- he thought as he climbed back onto his futon.
"Idiot..." Asuka whispered tiredly before going back to her room.
**
At that same moment, halfway across town, Maya awoke and stared at her ceiling. She smiled languidly and rolled over, "Mmmm... maybe he'll get to second base this time..." she whispered as she drifted back to sleep, hoping to recapture the dream...
Author's notes: Sweet dreams... :)
Part 3
Getting to know you
By Random1377
"Souryu, Ikari, Katsuragi residence." Asuka answered the phone, deliberately putting her guardian's name last. -That woman is so annoying!- she thought, -if I trip over just ONE MORE beer can... OOO!!!!-
Her eyes widened slightly as a diffident female voice said, "Is... is Shinji there?"
Still trying to get her mind around the notion that it was, in fact, another woman on the other end of the line, Asuka said, "Umm... lemme check..." She set the phone down, curiosity temporarily overriding her urge to taunt Shinji, "Hey idiot," (well, not entirely), "you have a phone call."
Shinji (knowing exactly who 'idiot' was) came out of his room, "Is it Kensuke or Touji?" he asked, reaching for the phone.
She pulled it back as he reached out, smiling viciously, "It's a... girrrrrrl..." she said, keeping the phone away from him as long as possible.
On the other end of the line, Maya put her head in her free hand. -I can't believe I'm doing this...- she thought. She briefly considered just hanging up... then Shinji came on.
"Hello?" he said, unable to hide his curiosity.
After a moment of silence a quiet voice said, "Hello, Shinji... how are you?"
His face lit up like a thousand-watt bulb, "Is this M-" he began happily.
"SHHHH!!!!" she whispered quickly, "Don't say it! Yes it is."
Shinji looked at Asuka, still hovering nearby, understanding instantly. "I'm... I'm fine..." he paused for a moment, "I'm glad you called me..."
Maya felt her cheeks redden, "I..." -How can I do this... he's so young...- she remembered Ritsuko's words, '...I would never let them go.' She took a deep breath, "Shinji... I... can you come into headquarters?"
Shinji's tone became less enthusiastic, "Umm... yeah... yeah I can come in. Should I go to doctor Akagi's office, or the sync chamber?"
-He... he thinks I'm calling him about work...- she blushed deeper, "Shinji?"
"Yes?" he said, his voice sad.
Her voice was barely above a whisper, "Umm... come to my office... and, umm... can you... can you come alone?" she touched her cheek, wondering of it was possible for a person to burst into flames from embarrassment.
He paused for a moment. When he answered, his voice was unsure, "Umm... ok... but that means I'll have to walk... do you need me there by a specific time?"
"Whenever you can get here will be fine, but..." she hesitated, -hurry...- "it is kind of important, ok?"
After he said ok, and they had said goodbye, she leaned forward, putting her head in her hands. -What am I going to say? 'Hey Shinji, I know I don't know much about you, and I know that we only had dinner, but I think I'm falling for you. Oh, and by the way, our excessive age difference is not a problem is it?'- She leaned back pressing the heels of her hands against her eyelids. A moment later, she opened her eyes.
Staring at the ceiling, she brought her hand slowly up to her lips... tracing them gently with her fingertips as she recalled that night.
**
Shinji entered the woman's office hesitantly. He had experienced a lot of difficulty in getting Asuka to let him leave without telling her who was on the phone - as it was, he wasn't entirely certain she hadn't followed him.
"Miss Ibuki? You wanted to see me?" he asked tentatively, -I hope it's not another sync test,- he thought dismally, entirely giving up any hope that their kiss was more than a singular event. He looked at her desk, frowning. -Is she... is she asleep?- he thought, confused.
Maya was indeed unconscious. She had lost a lot of sleep the night before, worrying over what she should do, and Shinji had taken more than an hour to get there. Her exhaustion had overcome her.
Shinji smiled at her, -I guess it wouldn't hurt to wait a while...- he thought. He pulled up a spare seat and sat down. After a few moments Maya stirred and mumbled in her sleep. Shinji's smile widened a little, -She's so pretty...- he thought for possibly the hundredth time that day. He sighed, wishing that circumstances were different.
At his sigh, she woke with a start, looking around with bleary eyes. "S-sorry..." he said, speaking quietly, "I... I didn't mean to wake you."
"Shinji?" she said stretching languidly, "How long have you been here... I hope not long..." she suddenly looked embarrassed that he had found her this way, and straightened her uniform.
Shinji looked at his watch, his eyes going wide as her realized he had been watching her sleep for almost ten minutes. "Not... not too long... what did you need to see me about, Miss Ibuki?"
She smiled slightly, "I thought I asked you to call me Maya?"
He blushed, "I... I thought that was just... just for that night..." he looked at the floor.
Her resolve wavered, -He IS young...- she thought, -and... and what if he says no?- She shook her head, trying to banish those thoughts. "Shinji..." she said slowly, "when I... when I kissed you on your birthday... that was... I..." she broke off, struggling to find the right words.
Shinji frowned and stood up, "You... you don't have to explain to me... Maya..." he smiled as he used her name. He went on, his voice low, "I... I understand that you were just trying to cheer me up. Don't worry... I... I know it wasn't more than that..." he put his hands in his pockets and started walking towards the door.
-Stop him... STOP HIM!!!- her mind whispered urgently as he reached for the door, "Shinji!" she said as he pulled the door open. He stopped and looked at her curiously.
She rose to her feet and crossed the room, her mind raging, -Stop this...- half of her mind cried, -let him leave so this can all go away!!- The other half whispered, -Don't let him go... don't EVER let him go...- The quiet half won.
"Shinji... don't go." She said quietly. "What I wanted to know... the... the reason I asked you to come..." she took a deep breath and looked into his eyes, feeling calmer just from his gaze, "I... I want to get to know you better... will you... will you go out with me tonight?" Shinji just stared, dumbfounded. Her color started to rise, and she stammered, "If... if you don't want to... I-"
"YES!" he cut her off, then blushed and went on in a quieter voice, "I would... I would love to go out with you, Maya..." he frowned, "but are you... are you sure that you want to go out with ME?"
That loud part of her mind screamed, -NO!!!- but she ignored it and nodded her head shyly, "Yes... I would... I would like it very much..."
A moment of awkward silence followed, broken finally when Shinji said, "Maya... why... why are you being nice to me?"
She blinked at the genuine confusion in his voice, -Is it THAT hard to believe?- she smiled at him, "Because I... I like you... Shinji..." she looked at the floor, -When did I become so bold?- she wondered, half of her still shocked by the impropriety of her statement.
Shinji looked downright stunned, "You... you do?" he said in a quiet voice. He turned away before she could see the tears sparkling in his eyes, "No one... no one has ever told me that before... Maya..."
She was horrified, "No one?" she echoed, scarcely believing it.
He shook his head slowly, still averting his gaze, -She... she doesn't... not really... she just feels sorry for me...- the thought made his eyes burn, "I... I should go... you... you don't have to go out with-"
She reached out and took his hand. "Shinji? Shinji, look at me..." reluctantly he turned to face her, blinking rapidly and swallowing to avoid breaking down entirely. She held his hand, unsure. -This is right,- she thought, squelching that loud voice in her mind,-it is...- she brought his hand to her lips, kissing it softly. "I like you, Shinji... I really do... and I would truly love it if you would go out with me tonight... will you?"
Shinji's mind exploded at the touch of her lips, and he found that words escaped him. He nodded dumbly, a single tear falling from his eye. She smiled at him, still holding his hand. Trembling, he raised her hand and kissed it, reeling from the emotions coursing through him.
When he was able to speak again, he whispered, "Thank you, Maya..."
She tilted her head to the side, "For what, Shinji?"
He smiled radiantly, causing her heart to skip a beat, "For not slapping me... Asuka would have beaten me up just for touching her hand, let alone kissing it..."
Suddenly the tension was gone, and Maya laughed, "Well... I'm not Asuka..."
Shinji's smile fell away as suddenly as it had come, "No..." he whispered, "you're not..." he leaned forward.
Her heartbeat tripled its pace and she waited breathlessly for him to kiss her.
He flushed bright red and halted his advance, suddenly unsure again, "Umm... so... should I meet you somewhere tonight...?"
She let out a breath, unaware that she had been holding it, and said, "Yes... umm... it can't be... anywhere we both normally go..." she looked at the floor, "I'm sorry..."
"That's ok," he said, "I understand..." he smiled, "Why don't we just meet at the lookout, and decide there?"
She nodded, "That sounds good... I'll be there around six, ok?"
He smiled, and then blushed as he realized they were still holding hands. Gently retrieving his, he stepped out the door with a final wave.
Maya turned back to her desk, her thoughts already turning to what the evening might hold. She stopped as she heard the door open behind her.
She turned to find Shinji staring at her, his eyes intense, "Maya?" he said shyly, "I... I like you too..." he smiled once more... and then he was gone.
Maya sat down on the floor, his words ringing in her mind. How long had it been since someone had told HER that? She knew that she had heard those words before (she had been shocked to hear he hadn't) but for the life of her she could not remember the last time someone had spoken them to her.
A single tear ran down her cheek, soon followed by a torrent of others as she thought of his sincere smile... and the three words he had spoken with such care...
Continued...
Omake
His room was dark as Shinji walked into it. He sighed as he stripped off his clothes, still remembering the wonderful evening. He stopped suddenly as he realized he was not alone.
"Shiiiiiiiiiinjiiiiiiii..." a low voice whispered.
"M-Maya?" he stammered as small, soft hands wrapped around his chest from the back.
"Shinji..." she pouted, "I couldn't stop thinking about you... why did you leave?" She spun him around and pressed up against him.
"Be-because you said goodnight?" he asked.
"Shinji," she said, her mouth curving into a small frown, "don't you know that when a girl says goodnight in that tone of voice it means that she wants to wake up beside you?"
She reached up and held his head in her hands, smiling at how wide his eyes became. "Sempai was right," she said, "age be damned!" she leaned forward, pressing her lips against his firmly. After a moment, his paralysis broke and he kissed her back, his arms coming up to gently touch her face. Her body felt like it was on fire. She opened her mouth, running her tongue over his lips, wanting to get inside....
In the room marked 'Shinji's lovely suite' a tremendous crash emanated, waking the other two occupants of the small apartment. Misato threw open the door, "Shinji, are you ok?" she said, concern evident in her voice.
Shinji lay in a tangled mass of bed-sheets and blankets, groaning softly, "Fine Misato... just... just fell out of bed." -Why? Why couldn't I at least get to second base!!- he thought as he climbed back onto his futon.
"Idiot..." Asuka whispered tiredly before going back to her room.
**
At that same moment, halfway across town, Maya awoke and stared at her ceiling. She smiled languidly and rolled over, "Mmmm... maybe he'll get to second base this time..." she whispered as she drifted back to sleep, hoping to recapture the dream...
Author's notes: Sweet dreams... :)