Simmer Chapter 3-...bring to a boil...
After breakfast was cleaned up, (By Shinji, of course) Asuka asked him what he was going to teach her how to make.
The apron-clad boy grinned. "It's a surprise, Asuka. We have a lot of preparation to do for this. As soon as we're finished here, we're going shopping."
The redhead's ears perked up at this. "Shopping?"
"Not the way you think. We have to go to several specialty stores for the ingredients. But I promise you'll like it when it's done."
With that, he finished the last of the dishes, hung up the apron, and went to his room to change. Asuka grabbed him on his way out of the kitchen, spinning him around to tell him something. As she did so, he turned a little faster than she expected, and as a result they ended up about an inch from each other. Asuka couldn't help but notice the deep blue color of Shinji's eyes, and breathing became a rather difficult process for her. In fact, she forgot what she wanted to tell him entirely.
Shinji, whether through some miracle of understanding on his part, or just plain dumb luck, managed to play it cool. He leaned in, so that his lips were almost touching her ear, and whispered, "I'll give you a hint, Asuka-chan. It's going to be sweet. Like you."
And with this, the Third Child turned and went to his room, leaving a blushing young girl in his wake.
***
Shinji shut the door behind him, and had to grasp onto the knob to keep his legs under him.
I can't believe I just did that!
He had actually whispered in her ear, and she hadn't killed him. But what really weakened his knees was the smell of her hair. The scents of green tea and a hint of jasmine were intoxicating. And if he was going to be teaching her how to cook in the apartment's tiny kitchen, he was going to smell a lot more of it...
With an effort, he put his thoughts back on track. This was neither the time nor the place to lose focus on what he was planning on doing. He had a lot to do today, and he was going to need all the concentration he could muster.
The recipe he had selected was quite different from anything he had ever attempted, but he was sure that he could handle it. He had made his choice based on what he thought Asuka's tastes might gravitate towards, as well as the difficulty involved. It wasn't a particularly hard recipe, but at the same time, it wasn't so easy as to be insulting to her intelligence. An angry Asuka was about as bad as a frustrated one, so teaching her anything was going to be a delicate process.
Pulling out the cookbook, he began to make a shopping list.
Asuka hadn't moved from where Shinji had left her. Her heart was still racing, as she recalled how close he had been, how blue his eyes were. She had felt his breath on her ear as he had whispered into it. The sensation was new to her, and the reaction to it completely unexpected.
Shinji…what's happened to you?
"Hey, let's go."
Asuka was abruptly snapped out of her daze by the request of the Third Child. Shinji stood outside his room, jacket in hand. "Are you ready? We have to go shopping for tonight."
In a corner of her mind, she vaguely noted that the Shinji she knew would never be so bold. One part of her was unnerved by him, while another was…something else. Not scared, but something she couldn't quite place. "Tonight?"
Shinji rolled his eyes. "Yes, tonight. I'm giving my first lesson in cooking, per Misato's orders. Or did you forget?"
Her eyes narrowed. But before she could let loose a choice stream of insults, the phone rang.
Shinji held up a hand. "I'll get it." He picked it up. "Hello?....yes….yes, I understand….bye."
Shinji placed the handset back on the hook, his eyes taking on a distant look. He looked…troubled by something that the caller had told him. "What is it?"
He turned to Asuka, who was standing there expectantly, arms crossed over her breasts, eyebrow raised. It was her classic 'superiority' pose. "That was Misato, she said that Kaji and she were going out tonight, so we're on our own for dinner."
Asuka stood there, looking as if she hadn't quite heard him correctly. "…Alone?"
"That's about the gist of it. Come on, we need to get going if we're going to get everything we'll need."
With this, he grabbed her hand, pulling her out the door with him. Asuka had little choice but to comply, as she was too shocked to do anything about the formerly spineless Shinji who was currently dragging her off to parts unknown.
A half hour later found them on a train, bound for the far side of Tokyo-3. Asuka had asked Shinji where they were going, to no avail. All he would say was "Trust me," and continue looking out the window. She sat across the aisle from him, explaining that there was no was that she was going to sit next to such a pervert.
So she sat, looking at him, trying to decipher the mystery that was the Third Child. She could think of nothing that would explain his drastic changes form his usual behavior, and this intrigued her.
As she gazed at him, thinking she was doing so unnoticed, Shinji's eyes, seemingly looking out the window, were in actuality, focused on the reflection of the red-headed girl sitting across from him. Positioned thus, he was able to see her expression as it truly was, and not the mask she seemed to present to him whenever they were face to face. He noted that her face held none of the condescendence that it normally did, instead having an almost childlike expression of wonder and curiosity.
He suppressed a smile. Were she to be made aware that he was in fact watching her as she looked at him, she would likely pound him into a pulp, and them leave him on the train. So he continued to appear as if he was lost in thought, while reflecting that Asuka was indeed beautiful when she wasn't screaming at the top of her lungs. The way her hair fell down her back, a silken waterfall of crimson, the scent of which made him weak kneed. The way her full lips curved upward in a gentle smile, which made his heart beat faster every time he saw it. The blue of her eyes, a crystal blue that pulled him in every time he gazed into them, threatening to pull him under.
Shinji allowed a slight smile to creep onto his face as he turned to her. Immediately her face assumed it's normal expression concerning the Evangelion Pilot: a look of complete and utter disdain. Normally, it would have hurt him. But he had watched Asuka when she thought he wasn't looking, and he knew that the face he was seeing now wasn't the one she had presented to him just a few minutes ago. "Do you think you're ready?"
Asuka smirked, a trademark curling of her upper lip as if to say, 'Are you kidding?' I am the Great Asuka Langley Soryu, Baka Shinji. I can do anything you can."
Is that so? He thought, all the time smiling at her. Her smirk faded somewhat as he didn't lower his head as he normally would after one of her barbs. "I'll have you know that cooking isn't just a skill, it's a form of art. It's not something that you can just jump into and learn by watching. So if you think that tonight is going to be you bossing me around, you are sorely mistaken."
Her jaw dropped, aghast at this overt display of authority. "W-w-what!?" she sputtered, momentarily thrown off track by his seemingly growing a spine out of nowhere.
Shinji took a small pleasure in the fact that he had just rendered her somewhat speechless. How I wish I could have done this months ago… "You are going to be learning, which means you're going to get your hands dirty. You will mix, and blend, and stir, and whip, and when all is said and done, you will help clean up, because that's the difference between a chef and a cook.
She blinked at him. "The difference being?"
Shinji gave her a tight smile. "Anyone can be a chef, Asuka, because a chef has someone to clean up after him. He takes no pleasure in his work, because most of the time, it isn't himself he's cooking for, but rather someone else. A cook, on the other hand, cleans up after himself, and puts everything into his cooking, because its himself he's making food for."
Asuka had no time to argue, as the train came to a halt at the station. Shinji rose, beckoning her to follow, as he led off.
Several hours later, and two full bags of groceries, they stopped at a small café to have a drink before heading back home to begin. Shinji suggested it, knowing that he would need something to calm his nerves. Tonight was going to be a new experience, for both of them, and Shinji was in no mood to deal with a frustrated or patronized Asuka.
He stepped up to the counter, smiling at the young woman behind it. "I'll have a cup of green tea."
She returned his smile and entered the order. "Will that be all?"
"Whatever she orders, as well." He stepped away, allowing Asuka a look at the selections. A few minutes later, his tea was ready, and he took it, taking a small sip. Perfect.
Asuka, meanwhile, was staring at the board, as if unsure what to order. Shinji sipped his tea again, enjoying her indecision. He waited a few more moments before speaking to the waitress.
"She'll have a hot chocolate, touch of mint, and a hint of cinnamon."
The German narrowed her eyes. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Ordering what you would have eventually ordered yourself."
Asuka glared at him for a few more seconds, before taking her drink, and selecting a window seat at the far edge of the establishment, as far away from the Third Child as she could. Shinji smirked, and took his own seat, by the bar, where he could observe her.
Asuka stared out the window, much as Shinji had done on the train on the way over here. But again, like Shinji, she wasn't staring out, but rather looking at the reflection of the young man behind her.
What's gotten into me? I normally would pound him for doing something like that, and I barely even looked at him hard. The fiery-haired young woman wasn't sure of the reasons behind her reticence to treat her roommate the way she normally did, but then again, she suspected that Shinji wasn't sure what to make of her newfound niceness, either.
So she sat, and observed him, sitting there, sipping his tea, his head no longer down, but upright, a confident expression on his face. As she looked at him, she saw things, things she hadn't taken the time to notice before. The way his bangs fell across his face, creating a neat kind of messiness that intrigued her, made him look mysterious. The way his blue azure eyes took in everything around him, seeing all, and missing nothing. A small part of her noted that that particular trait, he must have received from his mother; his father's eyes certainly held no warmth.
Asuka felt a warm sensation spreading along her cheeks, and she was glad that she was facing the window. The blush let her know that she wasn't looking at Baka Shinji anymore, but rather, Shinji Ikari, a handsome, intelligent, talented young man, whom she happened to live with.
And on top of all that, he was going to teach her how to cook, with no one else around, and no one to put up a façade for.
Asuka's lips turned upward in a gentle smile, and she drained the last of her hot chocolate. Standing, she walked over to where the young man sat, taking a last sip of his tea. Grabbing his arm, she dragged him out the door behind her, telling him in no uncertain terms that she was ready to go, and if he knew what was good for him, he would concur.
As the young couple left the café, the waitress behind the counter sighed. Ahh, to be young and in love…
The train ride home was far different that the one they had taken earlier that day. Instead of being two of the few people on the train, it was now packed with the rush-hour work crowd, heading home to their families. Men in suits talked on cellular phones, jabbering away about this project and that deal, and their eyes held no light in them, for they were still at work, so far as they were concerned.
As a result, when Asuka and Shinji stepped into the train, there was just barely room for them to stand, close to one another, with Shinji behind Asuka, and her in front, her back turned to him. There was no more than a few inches separating them, and Shinji was glad for that small margin of safety. The day had gone well so far, and it would not do for Asuka to kill him for actually being in physical contact without her permission.
So when he felt her against him, he recoiled. However, with the train as crowded as it was, there was nowhere for him to go, and he closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable blow.
It never came.
He opened one eye cautiously, looking slightly downward. A head of red hair greeted him, and looking closer, he saw her head was leaning against his chest. A gently rising and falling of her chest, along with the fact that her eyes were closed, told Shinji that she had fallen asleep. It took him a moment to relax, realizing that he wasn't about to be killed. This information reassuring him, he took a long moment to look at the sleeping girl.
As he gazed upon her, it seemed that everything else simply faded out of view. The other passengers, the voices, the ringing phones, the constant clacking of the rails. None of it reached him. His entire world, at that moment, consisted of the young woman sleeping against him. Absentmindedly, he reached up with a free hand, and gently brushed a few stray strands of hair away from her face, blushing as he did so.
Time passed, and as people began to get off, Shinji gently led Asuka to a seat. She was still partially asleep, and mumbled something about staying as such for a few more minutes. He sat her down, sitting beside him, and her head once again came to rest upon his shoulder. She mumbled something else, something he couldn't quite make out, but her lips curved upward in a content-looking smile, and she fell asleep once again. Shinji almost wished they could stay on the train, this was the first time anything even remotely like this had occurred, and he anted it to last as long as possible.
But alas, their stop came, and he was forced to gently awaken the sleeping girl next to him. She mumbled once more about having to wake up, rising groggily from her seat and making her way to the doors. As she looked at her companion, she was surprised to see him looking not only confident, but relaxed as well. He looks altogether too calm for someone about to try to teach me something. She mused, some of her old attitude coming back. Vaguely she wondered what could have happened to cause such serenity. "Shinji," she said, a note of warning in her voice, "you didn't try to cop a feel on the train, did you?"
And he laughed.
The sheer unexpectedness of it threw her completely off guard, taking away any scathing comments she had ready had he answered in his usual fashion. His laugh was clear, and relaxing in a way. Before she knew it, she was joining him, her giggles surprising her as much as his had. "No, Asuka, I didn't try anything on the train." He said, finally composing himself. You fell asleep against me, that's all. You look so cute when you sleep."
Again, she felt the blood rushing to her cheeks, although this time, it was matched by a blush from her compatriot. She looked at him with scrutiny. "How long have you been trying to say something like that?"
He looked back at her, completely serious.
"Since I met you."
She felt her face turning a shade of red that would put a tomato to shame.
They entered the apartment, Shinji dropping the bags on the table, and making a quick stop in the bathroom. Asuka began to unload everything from the bags, laying everything out neatly on the table, and wondering what in the world it was that Shinji was going to teach her how to make. The only thing she could gather was that it might be a dessert, which pleased her. She had been thinking that he would try to teach her to make some kind of Japanese food, but this looked more like-
"Hey!"
She turned to see him standing there, a mock-serious look on his face. "No trying to guess what it is, you'll find out after you've made it."
"Hmph. You better help, if you know what's good for you."
He smiled, reassuring her. "I will, I will." Walking over to her, he surveyed the kitchen, taking it in as if it were his personal kingdom.
Which for tonight, at least, it was.
"Ok. Asuka, get out a medium-sized bowl. We're going to start with the crust."
"Crust?"
"Trust me."
She complied, retrieving the bowl from it's place in the cabinet, while Shinji prepared the chocolate wafer crumbs, butter, and sugar. When she sat the bowl in front of him, he grinned, and pushed it pack at her. "Oh, no. I said I'd help. Now, take this stuff," he gestured to the three ingredients, "and mix them in that."
She looked at him. "With what, my hands?"
She found herself looking at a grin that sent a shiver down her spine. It wasn't a bad shiver, either. "Yes, Asuka, with your hands. Didn't you ever have Play-Doh as a kid?"
The glare he got back was answer enough. Grumbling about doing 'kid stuff', she began to mash the three into a solid ball. "Remember to mix them evenly, otherwise, the crust will burn in some places, and be raw in others."
Asuka tried again, and this time, the ball was a uniform color, ready to be pressed into the bowl. "Okay, now flatten it out, and form it to the inside of the bowl. After that, put it in the fridge, and we'll start on the cake-"
He stopped, realizing that he had just let slip a hint on his plan. Asuka looked up from the bowl, a gleam in her eyes. "What was that?"
Shinji nervously wringed his hands. "Uhm, that was nothing. I said that we can't be up late…"
Asuka looked at him, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. "You said no such thing, baka. I distinctly heard the word cake in there somewhere. Is that what we're making?"
"No."
Her premature smile began to fade. If this was all some sort of joke…
"It's what you're making."
The smile returned fully, and before she knew what she was doing, she reached her arms around him and gave him a hug. Almost as soon as she did so, she released him, a blush showing her embarrassment at her sudden showing of affection for the young Ikari. Still standing close to him, she asked, "But if I'm making a cake, what are we eating for dinner?"
Uh-oh.
Dinner?
In all his planning, he had forgotten this minor detail. Fortunately for him, a certain NERV Major was not the operations director for nothing. As Shinji pondered this, the doorbell rang. Almost thankful for the reason to get out of such close proximity to the Second Child, he went to answer it, calling over his shoulder as he went. "Don't worry, we'll think of something!"
As he reached the entryway, he wondered who it could be. Misato was out with Kaji, so that precluded both of them from being possibilities. Rei? He dismissed the thought. As much as he cared for the pale-skinned enigma, he couldn't imagine her coming over on a whim. A small part of him wondered if she even had whims.
Touji or Kensuke? Either one of them would have called, and neither had. So, with no idea who was standing on his front porch, he opened the door.
A young man stood there, about twenty years of age, and in his hands, he held a bag that smelled suspiciously of lasagna. "Uh, I have a delivery here for a Shinji Ikari?"
Shinji thought back. He had made no such order, and even if he had, he had spent all of his available money on the ingredients for Asuka's cake. "I think there might be a mistake…"
"There's a note included, from a Misato Katsuragi, and the bill is already paid."
Dumbfounded, he took the food, thanking the man. Closing the door, he carefully set the bag down, and read the note.
Shinji,
I didn't think you'd have time to cook dinner and try to teach Asuka at the same time, so this should help. If she asks, you can take the credit, Casanova. Good luck!
-Misato
He looked at the note, wondering how in the world she could have known. It occurred to him that perhaps she had been paying more attention than he gave her credit for. Shrugging and giving a silent thanks to his guardian, he returned to the kitchen to find Asuka getting out a variety of spoons and other utensils. "I told you there was no need to worry, Asuka," as he set the food on the counter. "We'll finish up on the crust and filling, and then eat while it chills."
His female companion raised an eyebrow. "We?"
He smiled. "I'm going to taste everything to make sure it's all right."
She raised a hand in mock anger. "You!"
With that, she began to hit him in the shoulder. Not hard, but enough to know that she didn't appreciate his attempt at humor. He laughingly took his blows, grinning and chuckling the whole time.
After Shinji put the lasagna in the oven to keep it warm, he supervised Asuka as she finished the preparations for the dessert. Though she knew it to be some type of cake, she had no idea as to exactly what kind it was. When Shinji took over to prepare the topping, she was almost disappointed. It had actually been quite a learning experience for them both, and Asuka proved to be a receptive student, listening to him, and occasionally giving him a smile as a reward when he showed her something she particularly liked.
Fascinated, she watched as he pulled the baking sheet of chocolate from the freezer, and set it down. This done, he took a flat knife, and began to use it to make curls, pushing it along the sheet, and causing a curling flake of chocolate to appear at the end of the knife. Asuka immediately took the first one, popping in into her mouth. "Mmmm." She purred, in a voice that would likely keep her teacher awake for a good portion of the night.
Shinji, for his part, decided to have a little fun himself. The next piece of chocolate came off the sheet, and he wrapped it carefully around the tip of his index finger, making it look almost like a sugary ring. He held it up for her to see. "Would you like another?"
Asuka allowed a tight smile to creep onto her features. Little did he know.
Taking the proffered finger, she slowly raised it to her lips. As Shinji's heart rate began to increase at a geometric rate, she seductively placed it inside her mouth, using her tongue to melt the chocolate curl around his digit before licking it clean.
As she took his finger from her lips, she could see that his face was past scarlet, and was rapidly approaching vermillion. His eyes were closed, and she could see that his breathing was rapid and shallow. That's for this morning, Third Child.
Shinji slowly opened his eyes, still not quite believing what had just transpired between him and the Second. He was still trying to gain control of his breathing, and his heart was racing far faster than it had this morning when he had been the initiator. He looked at her, fully expecting to see an arrogant smirk.
Asuka simply stood there, a smile on her face. Shinji, seeing this, took an involuntary step towards her, and when she didn't move away, began to lean in toward her.
She mirrored him, slowly moving towards Shinji, her breathing quickening as well, eyes closing as the distance between their lips decreased. She could feel his breath, and her thoughts were a storm. Why am I doing this? Do I even want to do this?
RRRIIIINNNNGGGG
The two jerked apart, breathing heavily, and not sure why. Shinji was the first to recover, stammering. "T..the timer…"
Asuka felt…almost disappointed.
A/N
Well, another chapter finished, and the next should be the last. This has been fun to write, and I hope it's been as much fun to read. Kudos to Andris for being my prereader and confidante for this chapter, as well as the crew at #fanfics.
Ja!
