Disclaimer: Same As Chapter 1.
Chapter 23: Samuel II
The sound of a sliding mechanical door pulled Shinji's attention away from the boiling noodles he was standing over, and the click of shoes on tile confirmed that his two other roommates had returned.
"Hey, you two-- dinner's almost ready, okay?" he said with a smile as Rei entered the kitchen with her bag, Asuka only a few seconds behind her.
"You mean I have to wait longer?" the redhead complained as she set her bags on the table carelessly. "Jeez, Shinji, I would have THOUGHT you'd have dinner ready by now!" The boy sighed at the typical display of aggravation and impatience that served as a greeting from Asuka. "Don't sigh at me-- just finish up, I'm hungry!"
Meanwhile, Rei was busy collecting plates from the cupboard, her thoughts far from where her hands were occupied. She set the three dishes at the table in their appropriate places, then turned around to get glasses and chopsticks when Shinji stopped her.
"Rei, you don't have to do that-- Asuka, can you finish setting the table?"
Asuka stared at him as though he had just insulted and spit on the grave of every last relative that had ever preceded her. Then, with much under-the-breath grumbling and cursing in German, she got up from the seat she had been slumped in and carelessly set the offending utensils on the table complete with a symphony of bangs and slams. She then turned around glaring daggers at the apartment's only designated cook as she spoke in a voice that dripped venom.
"Anything...else...Shinji?"
The poor boy's eyes had grown as big as the dinner plates, and his voice seemed to have fled in fear after the redhead's display of annoyance at being asked by one so low on the evolutionary scale as he to help with dinner.
"W-w-well, uhh... c-c-can you take your bags to, uh...your room p-please...?"
She looked like she could have killed him right then and there, pushed over the edge by a combination of her male roommate's display of cowardice and his motherly nagging. However, she chose instead to continue glaring at him as she walked to thetable where she had dropped her purchases from earlier and stomped to her room. After Asuka was safely out of earshot, Shinji clutched his chest and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Man...what's with her? She always has to be like that..." he said to himself as he turned back to the stove to check the steaily bubbling tomato sauce on the second burner. Rei was standing near the sink opposite him, her eyes on the boy but not really watching him. She stayed in that trance until she noticed Shinji gently calling her name.
"...How was shopping? Did you find anything you liked?"
Rei felt slightly detached from the conversation. What does he mean?... Wait...I did go shopping... She was able to connect Shinji's words with her actions of the day only when her eyes happened to fall on the paper sack near her feet.
"Oh...yes. It was...enjoyable..."
"...Rei, are you all right?" The pale girl's eyes fell on Shinji again, making eye contact with him for the first time that evening. When she only continued to stare at him, he continued a little more hesitantly. "It's just, well...it seems like something's bothering you."
She didn't answer the query, but instead chose to bend down and pick up her bag, then left the kitchen.
"...I should put my things away as well."
"O-okay..."
She then walked silently around the corner and down the hall. As he watched her go, he felt a strange uncertainty that held his attention.
Her eyes...they're just like they were when...
His mind travelled slowly back to the night when she had been sitting out on the patio, staring at the rain. But before he could continue his train of thought, a splash of burning hot water from the too-close-to-being-overcooked noodles shook him out of his reverie, and he focused the whole of his attention on making sure his dinner wasn't ruined.
Dinner that night was a lively affair, with plenty of conversation between the three children. To be honest, it was more that Asuka was doing most of the talking (about the frustration of shopping with Rei, who had no idea what she liked and simply went with whatever Asuka found that would match her) while Shinji would occasionally interject or make feeble attempts at changing the subject. The pale girl sitting at the other end of the table never spoke while she slowly ate her spaghetti, but stole quiet glances at the redhead and the boy who was sitting near her.
"...Isn't that right, Rei?...Rei?...Hey, Earth to Wondergirl!"
Rei managed to ignore the now-empty plate she was staring at to see Asuka's impatient glare focused on her now.
"I was asking you if you thought that register guy was being a complete asshole or not!" Before the blue-haired girl could answer, Asuka cut her off again. "...Well, of course you agree with me--I mean, how could a rude little punk like THAT get a job in customer service anyway? Sometimes it just seems to me like this whole country is backward..."
With attention once again away from her, Rei quietly picked up her plate and took it to the sink. After she had cleaned it properly, she set it back in its proper cupboard and walked out to the TV room. She didn't notice that Shinji's concerned eyes had been fixed on her since she had gotten up, and were not on the obstreperous teenager he sat beside, who continued to rant as though the whole world was listening.
Once again, all three found themselves in front of the idiot box after they had finished cleaning up the remains of dinner. Asuka was fading in and out, not really paying attention, but Rei and Shinji were quietly enjoying the show, the title of which Asuka didn't care enough to learn. After her drooping head had banged into the couch's arm for the third time, the redhead decided she had endured enough.
"Well, I'm going to bed."
"Wait, Asuka...don't you want to finish watching?" Shinji asked, surprised. In response, she gave him another of her trademark glares, the fury of which was stifled significantly by the sleepiness in her eyes and a wide yawn.
"You...you know I can't stand this 'pre-Second Impact' garbage. How you two are still awake is beyond me." With that she turned around, waving 'good night' as she headed to her room. Shinji's eyes were headed back to the TV as they fell on Rei, who looked like she wasn't really watching the show anymore.
"...Rei..."
She shifted her eyes in his direction, only to find that his were waiting to meet with hers. They sat like that for about a minute, Shinji trying to find the words he needed to break the silence. "...Tell me, what's wrong?"
...Everything. I was so certain before that you cared about me, but now I feel so strange. I feel like I'm going to lose you to Asuka. I feel like no matter how much I want to, I can't express how I feel about you. I feel like you're just humoring me because you know I'm not human. I'm afraid I'm just a substitute for Asuka because I'm easy for you to approach. I hate myself for never having said once that I love you--I thought I didn't need to before, but now I'm scared that if I don't, you'll get tired of me...
All these thoughts ran through the young girl's head, but instead she only whispered, "...Nothing." Shinji only continued to stare at her while she looked back at the TV, trying to signal that she didn't want to talk anymore.
"Rei, I...I know that something's on your mind...did Asuka say something to you while you two were out?" The girl was surprised at how close Shinji had come to the source of her mental disquiet. He was so kind, but... she didn't want him to be sympathetic to her right now. She needed to him to know that she loved him. She knew he'dtoldher before, but...
To Shinji's surprise, she tentatively put her hand on his.
Asuka slipped on an oversized shirt from her chest of drawers, the bagginess of which easily covered her down to her knees.
Hmph. If anyone at school caught me like this... she thought wryly to herself, leaving the sentence unfinished. She was about to lay down when she suddenly remembered her unused toothbrush in the bathroom.
I guess I might as well...Otherwise Misato'll have a fit.
She pushed herself up from the ground and walked casually to the door.
Shinji blinked and saw that Rei's eyes were piercing him, a desperation there he had never seen before. He tried to speak, but the intensity of her gaze left him without words.
"...Shinji..." Rei's voice was trembling slightly, as though afraid of what she was doing. "I..."
Yet no matter how much she wanted to say it...the words refused to come out. Rei bowed her head, her sky-blue bangs concealing her face. Shinji understood what she was trying to tell him, and smiled as he put a hand on her shoulder.
"Rei, I-I know. It's okay, you don't need to say anything..."
"...No." Shinji's smile dropped instantly at Rei's utterance.
I do. But...I can't. Words have never failed me before. Not when I felt the need to use them. Yet when I'm near you...I can't say anything. She was doing her best to hold back the frustrated tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. But she quietly took a deep, steadying breath, and lifted her head to meet Shinji's eyes once again. The boy's mouth went dry as Rei's hands slowly found came to rest on his face, cradling it gently.
Before she could stop herself, she leaned forward and placed her lips firmly on his. Shinji's mind went completely blank, his initial surprise replaced by an overwhelming serenity. He didn't realize that his eyes had slowly shut and his arms were now encircling her, holding her tightly to him. He'd never really thought about kissing Rei, but now that it was happening he felt completely helpless to stop her.
After a few minutes, Rei slowly broke her lips away. Without speaking, she gently rested her head on Shinji's shoulder and slipped her arms around his waist. He didn't know what to say, but something told him as he held the girl in his arms that he didn't need to.
Neither was aware of their other roommate as she slowly made her way back to her room, an uncharacteristically blank expression on her face.
A/N: Well, sorry I haven't updated in a while, but I had something going on at home and decided to take a brief hiatus. I'll be updating at my previous speed from here on out (at least until Spring Break rolls around...) but I will get this thing done! See you next chapter!