+++++ NERV Tokyo-3. Thursday, +9.
Shinji woke up, groggy, in the middle of the next day. A quick glance around the room confirmed that he was alone, which struck him as slightly odd for a second before he realized that there was noise coming from just outside of the ajar door leading out into the hallway. He wasn't actually alone, whoever was with him was simply being polite and trying to let him get some sleep. His attempt at sitting up wound up loosening something he was apparently meant to be attached to, which in turn caused a distinct tone to sound through a nearby speaker.
The door opened hurriedly, admitting both Minaho and Ritsuko. The former stayed near the door, closing it behind them and leaning against it, the latter coming over and refastening the sensor to Shinji's finger with a tense smile. "Pulse monitor," she identified the piece of equipment, "when it doesn't sense a pulse, it tends to get persnickety." Hitching one leg up, she sat on the edge of the bed and began a cursory examination of his injuries. "How are you feeling?"
A small clump of ground beef sizzling in a pan came to mind, the conversation regarding degrees of 'doneness' that were considered acceptable in polite society between him and Washu giving him his answer, "Well done."
Unable to completely swallow the laugh, Ritsuko allowed herself to show the good humor he'd brought with the joke. "I see, I see. Well, fortunately I think we hit 'medium-rare' at most."
Minaho wasn't necessarily the most patient woman in the world when it came to getting things over and done with. From her place by the door, she intoned, "Your father has tasked you with protecting Unit-00 during the upcoming operation. Says that since you've already been hit, you'll 'be better prepared to handle the sensation again'."
A small frown creased Shinji's face, his eyes flicking between Ritsuko and Minaho. "I'm protecting Ayanami-san?"
"…Against what Misato, Maya, and I proposed, yes." Ritsuko sighed, knowing that the way the orders had been phrased would cause Shinji to be eager to accept the challenge. "Since you're still physically injured, we had proposed that you be in the position to fire the positron cannon we've built. We'll be channeling all of the power in Japan into the cannon, which should be enough to overcome the Angel's defenses. If he had accepted our proposal, you'd be laying down in Unit-01 while Unit-00 used an ablative shield to protect you from a counter-shot. Unfortunately, the Commander has chosen a different path for us."
"I-I can't let Ayanami-san be hurt!" True to form, Shinji's mind was filled with images of the bluenette writhing in torment and dying because she was ordered to defend him. "No, no, I'll use the shield. I'd rather use the shield. I'll make sure she's safe so she can kill the Angel."
Minaho already knew the answer, but she asked anyway to make it clear to Ritsuko what they were dealing with, "Even if it kills you?"
"If it kills me, it doesn't kill her." The logic was sound, sane, in his mind. "She'll be able to kill the Angel. You will all be safe. I won't let it be any other way."
"Shinji," Ritsuko took his hands in her own, gripping them tight, "you deserve to be safe too." Was she falling for him? Maybe. Did she want to at least take advantage of the fact that he was physically interested in her? Absolutely. "We need you, not just victory. We don't know how many more Angels we'll be facing, and we don't know if the next Angel will need two pilots to defeat! You cannot let yourself die, not even to protect Ayanami from a little pain. I know we're asking a lot of you…but we honestly can't afford to lose either of you."
She was right. She was also beautiful to behold. "Y-you're…you're right. I'll try my best to do both. I'll…I'll protect Ayanami-san and I'll come back alive."
In a much happier voice, still leaned against the door, Minaho added approvingly, "You do that, and we'll see about a nice reward for you. General Masaki had mentioned a couple of ideas, so it should be pretty good."
A brief frown crossed Ritsuko's face as she remembered what Misato had been joking about earlier. She knew there was no chance the UNOIG folks were so crass as to do that, which made her all the more irritated at her friend's 'humor'. "And I still owe you two gifts myself," she added. "You make it through this successfully, that'll make it three. You really should start giving me some ideas, you know."
With a touch of anxiety growing in his gut, he realized that she had asked him that twice already. "I-I…I don't want you to think that y-you owe me anything. I w-was more than happy with…uhm, with…what day is it?"
"Thursday."
"With the other day. I had a lot of fun, and I enjoyed…uhm, talking with you. I'm sorry we won't be able to do it again tonight."
In Ritsuko's mind, it was absolutely adorable the way that he 'protected' her dignity by changing what it was that she believed he enjoyed the most. In Shinji's mind, he genuinely meant talking with her. He enjoyed the way she discussed the movies' themes with him, how she explained deep or odd issues in a manner that allowed him to follow along. Minaho, for her part, had to stop herself from laughing at the byplay. She was extremely confident now that Shinji would always make room for her in his life, and if that life included a voluptuous human woman…she'd been offered far, far worse.
+++++ Hills far outside Tokyo-3. Thursday, +9.
Night had fallen by the time everything had been put in place. Sitting on the ground near Unit-00 Shinji watched the stars twinkling above them, patiently waiting for the order to climb aboard his own Eva. He hadn't said anything to Ayanami, who was sitting nearby considering the ground near her feet, since he believed that she likely had nothing she wished to say to him. That changed, however, when he saw a slow-moving asteroid skip across the upper atmosphere on its way past Earth. "Oh, oh, Ayanami-san!" Reaching over and gently touching her shoulder, he pointed up to the celestial event with a huge smile on his face. "See? It's…uhm, it's a moving star!"
Several things collided in Rei Ayanami's mind at once. One, Shinji Ikari wasn't upset with her for not being present to support him during the brief initial encounter with the Fifth Angel. Two, Shinji Ikari thought stars moved in the sky much like peasants in ancient times. Three, Shinji Ikari's touch…did not bring revulsion to her. Twice now he'd touched her unprompted, and twice now it inspired feelings of warmth and…something she couldn't identify. Tracking the asteroid with him, she decided to help him learn the truth of such things. "That is an asteroid," she explained in her traditional monotone. "It is likely smaller than the vehicle that brought us here to the hill we sit upon. Currently, it is on fire due to the friction created by the Earth's atmosphere as it proceeds past our planet on its path around the sun. That fire gives it the apparent magnitude, or brightness, that allows us to watch its progress." After she finished speaking and he removed his hand from her shoulder, she realized that she might have upset him by inferring that he was uneducated.
"Ooooh," she needn't have worried, "that's cool! So it's a really small rock, but it's so bright that we can see it all the way down here because it's on fire?" Shinji looked to her, a huge grin adorning his face. "You're so smart, Ayanami-san!"
The knowledge she had imparted was taught to her when she was eight. Correcting his misconception, though, would likely ensure he thought of her as disinterested in further discussions. The compliment needed to be recognized, however, "Thank you." When he went back to looking up to the sky, the asteroid now gone from sight, she attempted to add onto the conversation, "Why do you choose to use my last name?"
He looked briefly back towards her, with a shrug. "That's what the Class Representative called you, so that's what I used. Wouldn't it be rude of me to just say 'hey you'?"
Scanning her memories, she realized that at no point in time had she given him her full name. She also realized that he wouldn't know to call her 'Pilot' since he had not been raised around the Evangelion program. This presented an opportunity to learn something new. "My full name is Rei Ayanami." What would he infer from this?
"Oh, ok, Rei-san." With a collegial smile, Shinji ducked his head slightly. "It's good to meet you, finally."
The sound of him using her first name brought a new sensation to her mind. The joy she experienced whenever Gendo Ikari recognized something she had done…paled in comparison to what she now experienced through the simple act of her fellow pilot recognizing her existence more fully. "It is a pleasure to meet you as well…Shinji-san."
Bursting the bubble of the scene, Misato hurried over and crouched down in front of Shinji. "Ok, you two. It's go time." Offering one hand to each pilot, she helped them to their feet. "You both know the gameplan, but let's go over it one more time to be certain. Rei-chan, you're going to be behind the sniper rifle. Once the MAGI have a firing solution, you need to call out to Shinji-kun so that he can get out of your way. Once he's clear, you have my authorization to take the shot. Shinji-kun, you'll be between Rei-chan and the Angel. Keep the shield between you and the Angel. We should be far enough that it doesn't attack, but 'should be' and 'are' exist as two different concepts for a very good reason. You got your parts?"
"Yes, ma'am," Rei replied calmly.
"Yes, Misato," Shinji added with a determined nod.
"Ok. Let's bag this guy and go home." Squeezing their shoulders, Misato tried to convey a sense of confidence and serenity. Inwardly, all she felt was trepidation.
+++++ NERV Tokyo-3. Thursday, +9.
The waiting, as it ever would be, was the worst part. Minaho and Misaki stood on the bridge beneath the enormous drill extruding from the Adamite far above them, indifferent as to whether or not it would succeed, and far more concerned about what would come of Shinji. They had agreed that if Shinji fell, his father would not long outlive him. They did not agree on allowing his father's orders to remain unchallenged, but Minaho lost the game of 'flip you for it' due to Misaki being an Empress and her stepmother.
What do you intend to do, should he be successful? Minaho asked, allowing the merest hint of discontent to infect her tone.
Misaki was unmoved, though at least understanding. Soothe his wounds and encourage his sprit. Your mother is already preparing for his victory, so great is her confidence in him.
…Will he be staying with you tonight, then?
He will. She looked at her stepdaughter with a hint of apology. As an Imperial Knight, he must report back to us upon success or death. It will be his duty to wait upon us afterwards.
We're making him a Knight? Minaho was truly surprised at that revelation. He's not a member of the Empire!
Misaki smiled softly, then returned to watching Shinji and Rei prepare for combat. And yet, he has sworn himself to its service regardless. I would not think you likely to take his oath to your mother so lightly.
Rei's statement cut the conversation short, "Firing solution acquired. Pilot Ikari, please clear the forward AO." Unit-01 responded by crouching down and laying his shield sideways to stay clear without putting too much distance between him and the woman he'd sworn to protect. "Firing."
"Energy spike," Maya announced over the sudden shrill alarm, "the Angel's firing!"
Just as the golden energy beam blasted forth from the positron cannon, the enormous Angel fired a counter-shot. Purple and gold met at the midpoint of the shortest distance between Eva and Adamite, twisting angrily around each other before the first changed course and harmlessly flew off into space while the second burned a new tunnel system directly above NERV's headquarters.
"Reloading," Rei announced, unhurriedly. "Fifteen seconds."
Unit-01 interposed itself again between the Angel and Unit-00. "You can do it, Rei-san," Shinji announced confidently. "He got lucky."
Maya's voice drowned in despair as she declared, "Oh no…another energy spike! Prepare for-"
The bridge was treated to a display of dauntless, some might say reckless, courage. Squaring his shoulder directly behind the shield he'd been deployed with, Shinji growled his defiance for several seconds before it became a roar of rebellious determination as the Angel's attack burned through layer after layer of the shield. The camera showed his plug had been flash boiled, again, leaving his face drenched in rapidly soluble sweat and his hair in complete disarray. "Shield's dead." He tossed away the useless and twisted remains of the lander, remaining where he was despite now being without any chance of protection. "You're not getting her, you fuck! You hear me?! You're not getting her!"
"It's firing too rapidly," Ritsuko worried under her breath. "It took it at least twelve seconds to fire before, what's changed?"
Rei added to the stress of the situation with her monotone report, "Fuse five and fuse six are defective, replacing."
"It's ok, Rei-san. Take your time, we've got this." Shinji saw the glow begin before Maya's announcement of incoming. He knew he had nothing between him and the Angel. He knew that if he failed, Rei failed. Rei could not be allowed to fail, which meant he would not fail.
Maya saw Shinji's heartrate skyrocket, alongside his synchronization rate, as the Angel began its firing sequence. He went from ninety beats per minute and ninety-eight percent to one hundred and fifty beats per minute and two hundred and four. Simultaneously, Unit-01's green highlights once more metastasized into a violent red. Man and machine unleashed one last war cry, accepting pain, accepting death, but not giving an inch to someone who would dare harm those they protected.
The purple lance of death burst forth, Unit-01 crossed its arms at the projected point of impact. Time hung still for the Juraians watching, a vibrant ivory glow beginning just in front of the colossal wrist guards. Before they could truly appreciate what was happening, the Angel's assault struck a single, long, tear drop shaped shield of the purest white light. Where the human shield had ablated the attack, slowly melting layer by layer as the unbelievable power of the Angel's attack dug into it, this…strange new shielding gained power the longer it was exposed to the attack. Brighter and brighter it glowed, seemingly reveling in the chance to test itself against a truly challenging foe.
Misaki's mental voice was awed as she identified what the Juraians alone knew for truth, A Light Hawk Wing….
"Firing solution calculated." Either purposely tuning out distractions or unimpressed by what she'd just seen, Rei remained calm and steady in the face of the impossible. "Please clear the forward AO."
Exhausted beyond measure, Shinji slumped down to his knees then fell back onto the hill's face. He watched as Rei's second shot erased his sight of the night sky. He heard the reported contact, the declaration that the Angel was now listing to the south as it fell to the ground, defeated. He felt Unit-01's head fall to the side, both Eva and pilot unable to retain connection any longer. They'd done their duty. Someone else could get them back home.
+++++ NERV Tokyo-3, Akagi Lab. Friday, +10.
"Unless the spirit of Yui Ikari has somehow manifested itself as a physical construct of extradimensional energy, I doubt very seriously that was her," Ritsuko snapped at Kozo. "I managed to come up with a reasonably argumentative position when Unit-01 spoke to him, more than enough to make it seem like we don't know who was talking. If you think I can explain this, you have far more faith in me than you should. I can't even explain how that much energy could spontaneously manifest without sanitizing the surface of the planet for more than ten thousand kilometers in any direction! The mathematical models don't have solutions for this, the MAGI think I'm full of it! I am working on finding out how this happened, but I am not going to just randomly spout off conspiracy theories without further studies."
He'd just finished being booted from the commander's office by the UNOIG staff, after having to listen to Gendo rant and rave about the night being 'proof positive' that Yui was there and could hear them. Hearing the sanity in the third in command's statements was a balm he didn't know he'd needed. "Please do what you can, then. I had believed it to be a dim hope that you would already have anything, but we both know that the questions are going to be asked…and by whom."
"Yes, yes, yes. I have no doubt they'll demand an explanation that we'll not have. I'll have my best theory on your desk by COB." She waved him off, more to get him out of her lab so she could check back in on Shinji's recovery than out of any real irritation with someone she knew was being hounded as much as she was. Once the door was closed behind him and locked by remote command, she pressed the call button on her speaker phone and waited for the connection.
Minaho's response, on the other end of the line, was as tired as Ritsuko herself felt, "He's still asleep. Heartrate is in the forties, ox-sat is at ninety-eight percent, BP is ninety over sixty. I told you I'd call when he wakes up."
"And I told you I'd call every other hour, because it's my job to as his primary physician." They'd had this same conversation four times now, and Ritsuko was getting the feeling that she was somehow gaining acceptance into an 'in group' that she wasn't aware existed. "Have you managed any rest?"
"No more than you have." The sound of a door opening came through the speaker, and Minaho sighed. "I have to go. Boss is here."
The line went dead, leaving Ritsuko alone once again with an impossible task. She had to somehow manage to explain with something relatively scientific what could only be described in vague and non-scientific terms. She had to describe 'blue' to someone who was deaf, blind, and mute. Each time she looked at the sensor output, the problem became more and more unsolvable. The precisely calibrated radiation-sniffing sensor array could detect a radioactive emission a mile above ground with perfect clarity. They could note potential, which really meant anything less than ninety-nine percent accuracy, for an additional seventeen miles! The fact that Unit-01 somehow…absorbed something that was causing those same sensors to have the electronic equivalent of a stroke without adding any form of radiation to the mixture simply couldn't be achieved via physics. It was like dropping a cannonball into a bathtub without disturbing the surface tension. There may be a reality out there that would allow for it, but they weren't living in that reality.
+++++ NERV Tokyo-3, 'Pilot's Private Parlor'. Friday, +10.
Consciousness gained ground gradually, guiding the gallant guardsman carefully towards the real world. While Shinji wasn't opposed to rejoining the rest of Japan in the light of day, his body felt far too drained to hurry towards the same.
"Careful," Funaho's voice lovingly stroked his ears, "careful. Deep breaths."
This voice came from the woman he breathed for. He had sworn to return to her in victory, or in death. He had won, so now he must return. The next battle was to get his eyes to open, and despite the desire being there he quickly found the flesh was not quite as willing to cooperate. "I…I'm…." He felt a hand lightly caress his chest, a gentle warmth spreading throughout his body. One eyelid broke open, just enough for the harsh light through the window to remind him why humans had eyelids in the first place. "Ugh…."
"On it!" Minaho's voice followed the sound of footsteps around his bed, "Probably should have thought of that before we started encouraging him to open those beautiful baby blues."
"He is strong." Once more Funaho's touch sent strength throughout his paltry physique. "He does not fear pain."
Pushing both eyes open again, now twice as determined to look his benefactors in the eyes, he began to hate his body for its weakness. The lead anvil of fatigue drawing him back into the void, despite his earnest desire to spend time with people who cared for him. "I," he took in a deep breath, begging his lungs to cooperate, "returned." His reward for the statement was a smile that would have roused him from the dying lands themselves.
"That you did, dear Shinji. That you did." Funaho gave him another pulse of life, leaving her hand to wander his chest soothingly. "Your return has brought with it some small amount of concern, however. Can you remember the end of your fight against the Adamite?"
Pain. Will. Triumph. Fatigue. "Kind of." He took several breaths, urging his lungs to accept their role in his life. "Lost shield. Couldn't lose Rei." His eyes narrowed, then drooped closed. "Crystal music. Apology. Promise…better future."
"You don't need to promise, Shinji," Minaho sat down on the other side of his bed from her grandmother, taking his hand and squeezing it. "We know you'll always give us your best."
"Not quite," Funaho disagreed. "He says that the music…apologized, then promised him a better future. I have never heard music when summoning them, have you?"
"No."
Turning her attention back to Shinji, Funaho released him to his recovery, "Rest."
The urge to sleep once more overtook everything in his body, consciousness fading away to be replaced with a dreamless slumber that would help his body and mind recover from the trauma he'd endured. Whatever else was said once he was sleeping was said beyond his hearing.
+++++ NERV Tokyo-3, 'Pilot's Private Parlor'. Saturday, +11.
The next time Shinji brought himself to wakefulness, he was encouraged to roust himself from the bed to find the delicious smell coming from near him. His head wobbled as he tried lifting it from the pillow, and he only just got his eyes open enough to see that it was Maya sitting at his bedside. With her eyes focused on the nearby television's display of the news regarding the encounter between Eva and Angel, the volume muted to avoid waking him, she didn't see his first grasping attempt at taking one of the strips of bacon off of her plate. The second lunge managed to secure the prized food, but in the process lost his pulsimeter and his place on the bed itself. Landing in a pile of limbs on the floor, Shinji nevertheless rewarded himself by shoving the bacon in his mouth and chewing it with zeal.
"Oh my everything, Shinji!" Maya was instantly on him, trying to use what muscle she had to get him righted on the floor. "You need to be careful! You might have ripped your catheter out."
"Humgee," he slurred around the mouthful of bacon. "Sawyy."
With his butt on the floor and his head against the bed, Maya looked at him with fond hopelessness. "You, my good sir, can be a little handful."
The recognition of her beauty, of the purity of spirit she possessed, allowed him to offer her a loopy grin. Swallowing his morsel, he chuckled, "More than little, probably."
Placing her forehead against his, she closed her eyes and breathed in time with him for a moment. "I know you don't hear it enough, Shinji-kun…but I'm really glad you're here. You've saved us three times now, and I don't know what I can do to show you how happy I am that you've remained the same, nice, man."
"Well…." Intending to lift his head up enough to look towards the plate that might still have some food left, he instead managed to set his lips against hers in a soft, if unexpected, kiss. The growing conscious portion of his mind slammed the panic button, knowing that it was very unlikely that she would be amused by his inadvertent actions. Anger, however, was not what he received in return. Before he could clarify that he was hungry, he suddenly felt her hands up against the back of his neck and head pressing him into her for a more animated kiss. While he was not opposed to the idea, and was actually somewhat enthusiastic about the discovery that the perky, peppy, Maya Ibuki was perhaps just as into him as he was into her, his worries began to drift towards the fact that he was very hungry. He also hadn't brushed his teeth in an unknown period of time. He also was cathetered, which meant that his body was less than amused by the sudden expansion of certain portions of his anatomy.
"Ahem." The single cough shattered the spell that had begun to take over both young adults, causing Maya to jolt backwards and slam her head against the rolling tray table she'd been using and Shinji to tense his spine to an uncomfortable degree and fall over to the side once more. Standing in the doorway, Ritsuko Akagi was eyeing her subordinate with disapproval. "Help me get him in the bed, then go write the report up to explain why we are helping him back into the bed."
When he tried to speak in Maya's defense, Shinji found that Ritsuko was not eager to listen at that particular moment. Once he was back in the bed, as requested, he locked eyes briefly with Maya and received a plea to continue their misadventure another time. With her out of the room shortly thereafter, he tried to look Ritsuko in the eyes, and was foiled by the woman herself. "I'm sorry…. I lunged for her bacon, because I was hungry. She didn't see me move, which means she wasn't ready to stop me."
Unable to 'maintain character', Ritsuko snickered, then began to laugh more fully. "Ok, that has to be the stupidest thing I have ever heard." Looking at him with a disbelieving smile, she shook her head. "Why didn't you just ask?"
"I…uhm, I wasn't awake yet. Not really. I was awake once I hit my head." Thinking back on what he'd done, he realized that it was, in fact, really stupid. "I tried to tell her that I was hungry, but she was feeling my temperature with her forehead. I…kind of ended up putting my lips against hers. I'm…I'm sorry."
"Why?" She scoffed. "Shinji, what happened at my apartment was very close to winding up with me throwing myself at you. Maya's been trying to throw herself at me for over a year now. All this means is that I might end up being weak enough to bring both of you to my apartment for some remedial training regarding proper bed orientation." Putting the tip of his nose between two fingers, she gently wiggled his head. "I'm upset because you were hurt, you goose. We're not married. We're not dating! If you think you'd like to sniff the flowers around base, I'm not going to stop you. If you want to be a little more formal, you and I, then you've got some work to do first."
He blinked several times, surprised at her position on the matter. "W-work?"
"Yep." She tapped herself on the chest. "You have to convince me that you're not just being attentive because I have large breasts and 'cute' feet. That you're actually interested in me, and not just the fun bits. You've put a great deal of distance towards that goal, mind…but I'd like to think that you believe I'm worth some effort."
He nodded vigorously, which caused his head to start aching. "Y-yeah. You're worth…more than I have to give."
"I disagree," she tapped his chest, this time. "I think you've got it in you…but I want you to show me, before you get it in me."
The idea caused him to feel…good. Ritsuko Akagi knew her worth, and she was telling him the way he could earn her attention so that he knew her worth. She wasn't telling him, no, she wasn't teasing him with hidden variables, she was…she was giving him a math problem to solve that would end with them enjoying time together more intimately. But if what he'd learned in math was true, both sides of an equation needed to be balanced. Which meant…. "If that's true, you know…that I have it in me to be worthy of you…." He paused as she turned her vibrant emerald eyes on him with curiosity. "Then you should prove to me that you're worthy of me…right? That's how math works."
The slow smile that bloomed on her face preceded her moving closer and kissing him deeply. Unlike Maya's hot, tempestuous, kiss it was a more controlled burn. Offering greater heat in total, but doled out slowly over time. Breaking the kiss after far too short a time for either of their preferences, she retained the smile she'd shown leading into their first true kiss. "You're absolutely right. Keep that in mind when people are offering things to you, ok? If they hold themselves that cheaply, they may not have your best interests in mind."
"May?" He could stare into her eyes forever.
"Mmm-hmm." Trailing her fingers along his body as she went back to what she'd been doing, she continued, "Some people just enjoy spreading love. They're genuinely not taking from people as much as they're giving out. A lot more people…well, they'll use your body to train your mind. They'll make you think they love you, when really they just want what you can offer them and are using the cheap method of sex to get it." She shrugged, looking back at him sadly. "Too many people end up being burned by that, Shinji. It's important that you ask yourself why. Why are they offering? Why are they interested? People like Maya-kun? She's just genuinely affectionate with those she chooses to be affectionate with. She doesn't have deeper motivations; she just wants to see the world happier than it is. She's a one-in-a-billion, and we're lucky that she's our friend."
That validated his question she'd asked during their dinner date. It followed, then, that his asking Minaho and Nanako that question also was completely valid. He wasn't being cruel in asking to know why others did what they had, he was displaying due caution. He was a pilot. He was one of two in the world. He couldn't allow himself to be manipulated by people seeking things that he wasn't interested in offering into caving in because they made his body feel good. "You…want my mind to be happy. You want my body to be happy because my mind is happy."
The sadness in her smile faded, replaced by approbation and inner joy. "Exactly." Her lips shifted to a smirk. "Ok, now comes the fun part. I'm going to pull your catheter."
Laying back, Shinji put his hands over his eyes so that he didn't have to watch what he knew wasn't going to be the most comfortable experience known to mankind. The embarrassment of having someone he felt an outsized fondness for handling something so…unseemly, didn't help matters.
Just as Ritsuko began to withdraw the tubing, the door to the room popped open. "Hey, big guy! Youuuu, yai. Ok, what I have to offer has got to be better than that," Misato's voice sounded brightly in the room. "Man, it has got to be worse for guys getting those."
"It is certainly more difficult to place properly," Ritsuko sighed out in irritation. "Why are you interrupting us, Misato?"
"Because I was ordered to, Miss Selfish-Pants." While he couldn't see it, Shinji knew Misato had stuck her tongue out at the end of that statement. "Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki wants me to ask Shinji-kun if he'd be willing to come with me to meet the Second Child." At the end of her explanation, her voice placed her directly next to his head. That meant the hand touching his forehead was hers.
Drawing his hands down to look up into Misato's chocolate eyes, Shinji frowned. "Second Child?"