Neon Genesis Evangelion and its characters are property of Hideaki Anno.
English isn't my first language. Feel free to point out any grammar mistake, vocabulary mistake and/or typo you find; but keep in mind that, in this particular story, some of them are intentional. You'll see what I mean…
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Till Booze Do Us (Not) Part
The main dish had come and gone. Of the cake, only a few crumbs remained. Some of the guests were in the dancing floor, the same in which the newlyweds had enjoyed their first dance just moments before. Leaning his back against the wall, away from the action, Shinji smiled as he raised the right hand and looked at the alliance in his ring finger.
Married. Part of him still couldn't believe it. He, who had spent most of his childhood and teenage years convinced that he was unloved, believing that he could not be loved, had found someone who wanted him. Someone who wished to spend her life with him. Someone who loved him and needed him as much as he loved and needed her. After so many years of hardships, the universe had decided to throw him a bone, a chance at happiness. Now it was his job to never let it go.
To never let her go.
"Ikari."
Shinji turned to see Rei Ayanami next to him. She had let her hair grow a bit, as per Hikari's suggestion, and it reached the base of her neck. Not only did she sport a sparkly blue dress, but the former pilot of Unit-00 was wearing makeup for the occasion, so her cheeks were a bit more colorful than usual. He greeted her with a smile and stopped paying attention to his hand, although he softly caressed the alliance with the fingers of his left.
"Oh, excuse me," Rei said. "It's 'Sohryu' now, isn't it?"
Shinji nodded.
"I wonder," she said, "is it because it reminds you of him?"
"It might surprise you, but no," he answered. "If that was the reason, I would've changed it long ago. I won't deny that I thought about it, especially during the first months after the war, but I promised myself that I would not run away anymore, not even from my father or from his name."
"It wasn't his family name."
"No, it wasn't," the groom sighed, without losing his smile. "Still, I want to share hers. I want her to know that I'm serious with this, that I'll always be hers."
"Where is she, by the way?"
"Kaji took her for the bride's father-and-daughter dance."
"Oh," Rei lowered her head a bit, fearing that she had brought up a touchy subject. The absence of Mr. Langley and his wife had not gone unnoticed by anyone. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be," Shinji said. "We sent the invitations. If they didn't want to come, it's their loss. Besides, I think she prefers it this way. For all intents and purposes, she considers Kaji her true father."
Rei scanned the room. Only half of the guests remained in their seats, and most of the other half had flocked to the dancing floor. While she failed to spot the bride, she could see Kensuke going around with his camera, recording every movement and doing interviews. The three technicians, Ibuki, Hyuga and Aoba, were laughing as they shared drinks with old man Fuyutsuki.
"Shouldn't you be there?" she asked. "With her? With everyone?"
Shinji scratched the back of his head as his smile, previously one of joy, turned into one of sheepishness.
"Yeah, I probably should," he chuckled, "but I'm still not used to being with so many people. I guess that, even after twelve years and in my own wedding, old habits die hard."
"What about the groom's mother-and-son dance? Are you going to ask Commander Katsuragi?"
At that moment, an inebriated laughter –a female inebriated laughter– echoed through the whole hall.
"I don't think that's a good idea," Shinji said, recognizing the voice. "It seems she's had quite a few drinks already. As much as I love her, dancing with Misato could be dangerous for both of us."
He saw movement from the corner of his eye. Rei had extended a hand.
"You taught me that I was my own person, not just a clone," she explained, "but the fact remains that I have the DNA of Yui Ikari. I realize it's not the same, but since Commander Katsuragi is inebriated, would you like me to dance with you?"
Shinji stared at the woman in front of her. For a moment, the memories of their piloting days flashed in his mind. He remembered how she was when he had first met her, so quiet, so distant, a girl raised to be a tool, a doll in the plans of a madman. She had changed so much since then, and he was so proud of her.
"Of course," he said, extending his own hand. "I would love–"
"What'sh goin' on there?"
Both Rei and Shinji lowered their arms. He facepalmed, but his smile only grew wider.
They turned their heads towards the source of those words. Asuka Langley Sohryu walked towards them, wearing a bridal gown of perfect whiteness. The veil, the same one he had lifted during the ceremony, covered her long hair, as red as her lips.
She wobbled. Quite a lot, in fact. Shinji noticed that her cheeks were rosy, and he hoped that someone had just told her an embarrassing joke, even though he suspected that it wasn't the case.
Asuka reached them in no time. She stood next to the groom and stared at Rei with unfriendly eyes. Shinji noticed the smell of alcohol mixed with her perfume.
'Oh, dear…' he thought.
"Well, well, well," Asuka smirked. "If it ishn't Wondregr… Wünderga… Wrundredr–The First! When did you shneak into my wedding?"
"I didn't sneak in," Rei replied, with the same calmness as if she was discussing the weather. "I've been here all day. I'm one of your bridesmaids."
"You can'ts fool me!" the redhead accused, trying to point at Ayanami's face and failing spectacularly. "I knows why you'res here!"
As he watched the loud, drunk and very German unstoppable force coming into contact with the stoic immovable object of blue hair; Shinji noticed that a well-shaven man with a ponytail was now standing next to him.
"Kaji," he sighed, shaking his head. "Why did you let her drink so much?"
"I can't say 'no' to the bride on her wedding night," the man apologized, shrugging.
"I thought you knew how to control women."
"Shinji," he put a hand on the groom's shoulder, "once you spend a few years married, you'll learn that you can only control women for as long as they let you."
Meanwhile, Asuka had managed to point her index finger at Rei's nose.
"You…" she was saying. "You're here to shnatch Sshhinji away! Well, you can'ts! He'sh mine!" she grabbed his right arm and waved his hand in front of Ayanami. "Shee the ring? It meanz that hish cute little butt ish now my propeperty!"
"I am not interested in your husband's posterior," replied the ever-patient Rei.
"Yous better not!" Asuka let go of Shinji's arm. "And I's not done with you! I has anuther thing I want to say!"
Without warning, she jumped at Rei and pulled her into a surprise hug.
"I'm shorry," the bride whimpered. "I'm shorry for all the bad thingsh I shaid to you…"
"It's alright," Ayanami patted her in the back. "We talked about this. I have forgiven you."
"No… It'sh not alright. I shouldn't have… I didn't know… I's wasz kind of a bitch…"
"I forgive you," Rei repeated.
"Thanksh… Yous're my friend, right?"
"I am your friend, yes."
"Are… Can you be my shister, too?"
"Technically speaking, we're going to be political sisters from now on."
"Yay!" smiling, Asuka broke the hug. She tried to pat Ayanami's back, but somehow ended up stroking her face. "My shister! My… my pal! You're the besht, Rei! Don't yous worry, I'm g'nna takes good care of yours brother!"
The blue-haired bridesmaid smiled at the loud, new member of her family. She then smiled at Shinji, who gave her an apologetic look while trying very hard to not chuckle at the situation.
"Shin-man!" a male voice interrupted.
The groom turned around and saw Touji and Hikari approaching. The former pilot of Unit-03 was impossible to miss, as he was the tallest and most muscular guest. As for the once class representative, while she had let go of the pigtail braids long ago, the freckles of the Horaki bloodline were still on her face. However, before Shinji could say anything to his best man, a red and white blur rushed past him and hugged the brunette.
"Hikari!" Asuka squealed. "I'm sho glad you came! Look… I shtill don't know what you shee in Shuzushara, but I admit that yous two make a cute couple. You should marry! Each other, I meanz."
"Um…" the freckled woman gave her a sheepish smile. "Asuka, we got married last year."
"You should marry here!" the bride continued. "You can ushe our hall –Sshinji, go get the priesht– You will have yours wedding here! Then, our kidsh will have their wedding here!"
Although a full year of married life had made her somewhat immune to certain insinuations and topics, Hikari could not avoid blushing at the idea of hers and her best friend's children walking to the altar together.
"And you!" Asuka turned to Touji. "Lishten to me, shtooge!" she squinted. "The three of you, lishten to me! Yous better treat her like a princesh! Give her lotsh and lotsh of love!"
"Whatever you say, Red," the jock rolled his eyes.
"I'm sherious!" Asuka yelled, pointing at the empty space at Touji's right. "If I hear that you're not shatishfying her properly," it was at this moment that Hikari buried her increasingly crimson face in her hands, "I'll find you and I'll kick your ash! Your… your assh… your sass… you're ajxh... your axe–You tell him, Shunji!"
"Alright, liebling, calm down," he said as he approached his wife, putting his hands on her shoulders.
His voice had an immediate soothing effect in the fiery German woman. She stopped yelling, she stopped harassing the oxygen at Touji's right and she even forgot about future weddings. Smiling blissfully, Asuka leaned back, allowing her husband to embrace her fully. Shinji thought that, even in her inebriated state, she was the prettiest woman in the world. A part of him wished that they would let them stay like that for the rest of the night, in peace with each other.
But then…
"There'sh the bride!"
"Mishato!"
Kaji sighed as his wife wobbled towards them, clad in an elegant black dress, somehow managing to hold a half-full glass of champagne in her hand. Asuka freed herself from Shinji and ran towards her former guardian. Both extended their arms to hug each other… but they missed by a few feet and ended up embracing the air. It took them three more tries before they got it right.
"Girl!" Misato laughed, her free arm over the redhead's shoulders. "Conglaturations! Wait, did I shay it right? Ah, who caresh... I hope you have lotsh of fun together, Shinji and you!"
In a more sober situation, Asuka would've probably chastised the purple-haired woman for the implications of that comment, but this time she just giggled.
"He… Hey…" Misato continued, after taking another gulp of her champagne. "Did… Did I tells you about that time your hubby was shcared by Pen-pen and I shaw him all naked? Le… Lemme tell ya, you caught a good one! He hash a big weapon, if you knows what I meanz!"
The alluded groom raised a hand to his face, in a feeble attempt to hide a blush that rivaled Hikari's.
"I know!" Asuka chortled. "I shaw it! But, if you looks at my naked Shinji again, I will shtrangle you!"
"And ifs you do that," Misato cackled, "I'll sic Shection-2 on your ass!"
The two women walked away, giggling as they described how they were going to murder each other. Kaji, Hikari and Rei went after them, just to make sure that they didn't hurt themselves or someone else. Shinji was left alone with Touji, who was getting a good laugh at his friend's expense.
"Sorry about that," the groom apologized, his blush receding.
"Ah, don't sweat it," Touji waved a hand. "It's your wedding, let her have some fun. Besides, I still owe her, so she can yell at me all she wants. I owe both of you, actually. If you hadn't stopped Unit-03 that time… well, who knows if I'd even be here tonight!"
Shinji looked at the ground, the smile fading from his lips.
"Hey!" the jock said, pointing a scolding finger at him. "No brooding this night. As your best man, I won't allow it!"
"Don't worry, I wasn't," Shinji replied. "You just got me thinking."
"About?"
"About the war," he shrugged. "About what would've happened if I had acted differently. What if I had avoided Rei after learning of her true nature? What if I hadn't visited Asuka when she was in the hospital? What if I hadn't fought at her side against the Mass Production units? What if I had run away when she suffered her first relapsed after the war? Or…" he glanced at the center of the room, where she was. He could still hear her laughter. "Or even the small things. What if I hadn't asked her to teach me to swim, that one time at the pool? What if I hadn't held her hand when she fell into my bed that night, crying for her mother? What if I hadn't been brave enough to do any of the small things that helped us connect? Would we be here now?"
His eyes followed the movement of her red hair as she wobbled around. He stared at the woman that was now his wife, in his eyes as beautiful as they day they had met, if not more.
"It keeps me awake at nights sometimes," Shinji shuddered, "to know that we could've missed all this if I had… or if I hadn't…"
"Stop it," Touji put a hand on his shoulder, looking at him with stern eyes. "Don't go there. You're worrying about things that never happened and never will. You'll miss the present if you do that."
"I know," the groom gave his best man a weak smile. "Asuka says the same thing. She tells me that 'what if' are the two saddest words in the English language, but honestly, I don't find them sad. For me, those two words are terrifying," he chuckled. "All the more reason to not think about them, I guess."
Touji raised a confused eyebrow.
"English?" he asked. "But we speak Japanese."
"That's what I always tell her. Then she whacks me in the head for, and I quote: 'being a smartass.'"
The two of them burst into laughter.
"Oh, man," Touji said. "It's good to know that some things never change," he slapped Shinji's back. "Well, you better follow your wife's advice. This night is for you and Red, so forget about everything else. The war is over, Shin-man. There are no more giant monsters, no more robots, no more madmen trying to end the world. It's just you and her."
"Yes. Me and her. Tonight." 'And forever.'
"Shinji!"
Their thoughts and conversation were interrupted by a high-pitched voice. Asuka was running towards them. Dreading that she could trip on her wedding dress and fall, Shinji went to meet her. His wife quite literally fell into his arms, squeezing him tightly. When she looked up, the groom noticed that there were tears forming in her eyes.
'What did Misato said this time?' he wondered.
"What is it, Asuka?" he asked.
"Ssshinji!" she cried. "Whys didn't you look at me when we made love the other night?"
"We turned the lights off. You wanted to try it in the dark."
"Oh, that'sh right," her tears vanished in a split second and a huge grin formed on her face. She turned around and waved: "Falshe alarm, Mishato! Heshsstill lovesh me!"
Under the starry night, in a fairly empty road, a black limousine opened its roof and a woman dressed in white stood up. Her red hair flowing in the wind, she extended her arms to the heavens and yelled:
"SHINJI MARRIED ME! IN YOUR FACE, EVERYONE!"
"Asuka, the police will stop us if you do that," her man said, gently pulling her back down and pushing the button that closed the ceiling.
Laughing, the bride rested her head on his shoulder. Her hair brushed against his cheek, and he failed to contain a giggle of excitement. The sensation wasn't unknown to him, they'd done that before, but that was the first time they did it as husband and wife.
"Shinji…" Asuka called, between cackles.
"Yes, dear?"
"…I think I shwallowed a bug…"
Her laughter grew louder, and her face redder. She slapped his knee, and of the five times she did it, two of them didn't miss. He put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer, not caring about the smell of alcohol.
"Youknow…" she giggled, stroking his chest. "Thish was fun… You and I should get married more often…"
"Maybe we should," he replied, seriously considering the idea. It had been one of the happiest days of his life. He would love to live it all one more time. Or two.
Asuka wrapped Shinji's waist with her arm as she nuzzled his neck. They stood like that for a while, letting themselves be cradled by the movement of the car.
"Shinji…" she said, almost in a whisper. "I'm shorry I shlapped you that time…"
"You'll have to be more specific," he chuckled.
"Mmmh… the Fifteenth…"
Shinji felt a cold shiver running down his spine, and his smile vanished. Almost unconsciously, he tightened the grip on his wife. That had been one of their worst moments during the so-called 'Angel Wars', to the point that, despite their mutual promise to not run away from bad memories, they usually avoided recalling anything from that day. He still remembered all the times he had woken up at night, after hearing Asuka's screams in his nightmares. And then there were those other nights when she had actually screamed.
"Asuka," he said "you don't need to talk about that now."
"Hush…" she mumbled as she put two fingers on the tip of his nose. She had aimed for his lips. "Shuddup for a sec… Lemme talk… You were very brave back then. You… you crossed that shtupid caution tape… for me… You held me… but I slapped you… I was sho angry…"
"Don't think about that," Shinji cooed, kissing her forehead. "It was a long time ago. You already apologized, remember? And I forgave you."
Asuka raised her head, groggily. She grabbed her husband's chin and pulled him closer, until her mouth made contact with his cheek.
"I slapped you here. Shorry."
It wasn't the first kiss he received from her, not by a long shot. He wasn't a stranger to her lips, and vice-versa. They had tasted each other on many occasions. However, upon experiencing that innocent display of affection, his face turned red. His heartbeat increased, as did his body temperature. He felt a surge of electricity running through his body. For an instant, his mind was transported back to that moment, many years ago, after the war, when their emotional barriers had crumbled. The first time they had been truly together.
The kiss lasted for more than a minute, but Asuka refused to break contact even after finishing. She gently pressed her nose against his cheek.
"I should've kisshed you then," she sighed. "Or… after the volcano thingy…"
Still blushing, Shinji moved a bit and embraced his wife with both arms. She allowed herself to be guided to his chest, where she rested her head.
"I'm not so sure about that," he said. "We were far too damaged back then. I'm not saying that it wouldn't have worked, who knows… but we needed to heal first. Finish that damn war, face our demons. The fact that we managed to connect like we did was nothing short of a miracle," he kissed her forehead again.
"Mmmh…" she moaned in response. "Damaged sucksh… don't like damaged. Better now…"
"Yes, we're better now. We're healed. We won, Asuka. We defeated SEELE, we stopped my father and we fixed each other," his smile widened as his face returned to its natural color. "We had to wait and we had to work hard, but it was worth it, every second of it."
"Shtill, should've done smthing in the volcano… should've'been nicer… you were alwaysh taking care of me…"
"And you of me, Asuka. Remember when I went to visit my mother's grave? You insisted on coming too. You waited for me outside the graveyard and then we walked home together. I didn't feel as lonely that day."
"Nu…" she shook her head. Or maybe she just wanted to nuzzle Shinji's chest. "I wuz being a bitch… I jusht wanted an excushe to not go… to that shtupid date… with Kodama's shtupid friend…"
"Yes, I know. You told me the truth that same night, remember? You didn't gloat and you didn't insult me. You didn't apologize, not directly, but I understood that you were sorry. It meant a lot to me. And we had fun on our way back to the apartment, didn't we?"
Asuka nodded and giggled, recalling the memories from that afternoon.
"That wasn't the only time," Shinji continued. "You stayed by my side after I was rescued from the Twelfth Angel. You taught me how to swim. You helped me stop Unit-03. I don't know what I would've done if you hadn't been there. Nothing, probably, and Touji would've died. If that had happened…" he shivered a bit, closing his eyes to prevent a few tears from escaping. "I… don't think I could've taken it. I would've tried to run away, leaving Misato, and Rei… and you…" he cupped her cheek, raising her head just a bit further, and gazed into her blue eyes. "You saved me Asuka. You were with me during the war and what came after, and you saved me every day."
For an instant, in the redhead's mind, the fog of inebriation dissipated. Those words would not be forgotten in the morning. She smiled as her sapphire irises sparkled with happiness.
"Without you," he said, "I couldn't have survived any of that. I couldn't have survived myself. I love you, Asuka."
She raised a hand to his cheek, ever so slowly, and her fingers caressed the face of the man that had won her heart.
"My Shinji…" she whispered. "My Scheiße!"
Her eyes opened wide as she pushed herself out of her husband's arms. Upon hearing the S-word, he grabbed a bucket he had strategically placed inside the limousine and passed it to his wife. Grabbing it with both hands, Asuka proceeded to release the contents of her stomach. Shinji called the driver and asked him to stop for a moment.
Moments later, the newlyweds stood on a grass field next to the road, not too far away from their parked vehicle. Shinji held Asuka as best as he could while she filled the bucket. The noise stopped soon, and he stroked her back.
"Everything out?" he asked.
"Think so," she croaked.
"Feeling better?"
"No."
Shinji took the bucket, giving his wife a bottle of water so that she could wash her mouth. While she drank, gargled and spat; he walked a few steps away and threw what had once been an expensive dinner onto the grass.
'The fertilizer's on me,' he thought. 'It's my wedding night, after all.'
He returned to the limousine and left the bucket inside, pushing it further away with a foot. Asuka was leaning on the trunk, holding her head with one hand and sipping from the bottle. When Shinji approached her, she rested her head on his shoulder. Neither of them said a word as the minutes passed. The bride groaned every now and then and spat sometimes, but nothing more. Eventually, she waved the plastic bottle in front of his face.
"Empty," she said.
"Want another?"
"Nu."
Shinji took the bottle and put it in his pocket. Littering was a big no-no.
Asuka snuggled closer to him, clutching at his suit.
"Cold," she mumbled.
"Do you want my jacket?"
She shook her head.
"We'll be warmer inside the limousine."
She nodded.
"Alright," Shinji said as he, with all the care in the world, picked her up in a bridal carry. "Try to sleep. I'll tell the chauffer to drive slowly."
He got no reply. She had closed her eyes, exhaustion finally catching up with her.
Shinji smiled when he noticed that Asuka was still clutching at his suit.
"Urg…" was all Asuka could grumble upon returning from the land of dreams, and event that proved to be almost unbearable. Every last inch of her body ached, and her head felt as if an Eva had been dancing on it for the past five hours. The only respite was in the softness of the pillow under her head and in the sensation of the silky blankets. She also noticed that she was wearing pajamas instead of the wedding dress.
She no longer tasted the alcohol or the vomit in her mouth, and the stench of the former was thankfully gone. In its place, Asuka picked up a much more pleasant scent, one she'd grown accustomed to after twelve years, one she intended to enjoy for the rest of her life. Her eyes still closed, she moved a hand across the bed, trying to locate her husband. When her fingers revealed that nobody was sleeping by her side, she frowned.
She rolled, laying face-up on the bed. A groan escaped her lips when her eyelids were assaulted by the morning light.
"Morgen, liebling."
"…mrmgmr…"
Daring to open an eye, Asuka saw a familiar hand offering a bottle of water.
"Danke," she mumbled, taking it.
Shinji helped her to sit up so that she could drink a few gulps. Once she finished, he retrieved the bottle and gently pushed her down before sitting on the bed, next to her.
They stared at each other in silence as the realization hit them: it was their first morning as husband and wife. Asuka blushed slightly, and Shinji gulped. What were they supposed to say? They couldn't just greet the other as if it was just another day. Would a kiss be enough? Was it expected of them to partake in a display of affection stronger than usual? Should Mr. and Mrs. Sohryu celebrate the first morning of the rest of their lives?
Asuka thought that yes, they probably should, but she couldn't resist ruining the moment.
"Your accent is still atrocious," she said.
Shinji laughed, and so did his wife, and whatever tension existed was shattered in a million pieces. Now more relaxed, she extended her right hand towards her husband's. He took it and they intertwined their fingers, taking it slow so that each could feel the other's alliance against their skin. Warm smiles appeared on their faces as they remembered the events of their big day.
Sadly for Asuka, her memories became somewhat blurry past certain point.
"Care to fill me in on what happened after my dance with Kaji?" she asked.
"You had one too many."
It took her a bit to get what her husband was saying, but as soon as she did, the fog of her mind cleared a little. While she still couldn't recall every detail of… that, she now had a pretty good idea.
"Oh, Gott…" she covered her blushing face with her hands. "Please, tell me that I didn't break anything expensive."
"You didn't, but you owe Rei a dance with the groom."
"I hope I didn't say anything bad to her."
"Quite the contrary, you were very friendly with her. With everyone, really."
Asuka lowered her hands just enough so that he could see her eyes.
"And you?" she asked. "Did I say something to you?"
"You apologized for that time you slapped me. You know, after the Fifteenth."
"But I already apologized for that!" she complained. "Years ago!"
Her husband just shrugged. Asuka put up a mischievous smirk and raised a leg. She touched Shinji's shoulder with her foot, as seductively as she could, before adding:
"And it was a damn good apology, if I do say so myself."
Shinji blushed at the memory of their first time. He tried to hide it by looking away, but his wife had already seen his cheeks, now red as tomatoes, and she was laughing. He sighed. Even after twelve years, she knew exactly what to say and what to do to make him react like the shy teenager he had once been.
And he wouldn't want it any other way.
Once she calmed down, Asuka nudged him with that same foot, this time more innocently.
"Hey," she said. "Sorry I ruined our big night."
"What are you talking about?" Shinji smiled at her. "You didn't ruin anything."
His wife rolled her eyes.
"Shinji," she sighed, "we talked about this. I love it when you coddle me, but if we want this to work, you have to start calling me out on my bullshit. I have to take responsibility for last night. I bet I made a spectacle."
"Well, you were the bride and it was your wedding. If anyone had any right to go wild and make a spectacle, it was you."
"Could you stop being a saint for a damn second?" she kicked him softly, but all she managed to do was make him chuckle.
Shinji lied down on the bed, sideways, leaving little space between him and his wife. She rolled so that their gazes could meet.
'He's changed so much,' Asuka thought. 'There was a time when he needed to muster all his courage to come anywhere near me, and look at him now. Of course, considering the way I behaved back then, I can't really blame him. But even after the war, after we started to get our shit together, he wasn't this bold. And yet…' the German woman pushed some of her husband's locks of brown hair aside, to get a better look at his face. 'Deep down, he's the same kind, dependable and socially awkward boy I fell in love with. I guess that's what growing up is all about. You change what has to be changed, but keep what deserves to be kept.'
"So, not going to scold me?" she asked, not even pretending that she wasn't lost in his eyes.
"No," Shinji replied. "You know, you laughed a lot last night, and I could tell it was genuine. All of it."
"Of course it was, dummy. I was drunk, so I had no inhibitions."
"I'd like to see more of that."
His wife gave him an 'are you serious?' look.
"You want to see me drunk off my ass again?" she asked.
"Not that!" he chortled. "I meant the laughter. I want to hear you laugh like that again, but sober this time. I want to hear it first thing in the morning and I want it to be the last thing I hear before falling asleep. I want to see you happy, like you were last night," he caressed Asuka's cheek. "I want to see you happy, because after all we've been through, we deserve happiness. You deserve it."
Her hand found her way to Shinji's face and returned the gesture.
"I want you to be happy was well," she said. "I want to make you happy, with all my heart, because you deserve it and I love you. But you know that, no matter how hard we try, it's not going to be happiness all the time."
"I know."
"We'll be sad sometimes," she cupped his other cheek.
"Sadness is part of life."
"We'll bicker sometimes," she moved closer.
"I'd say we have plenty of experience with that."
"Some days I might not feel like laughing…" their noses were almost touching. "Some other days, you might not feel like laughing…"
"I'll be with you those days," all he could see was the blue of her wife's irises. "As long… as you are with me… those other days…"
Time seemed to freeze. The room, the bed and reality itself stopped mattering for the couple. Neither of them cared about anything, except themselves. They could almost hear the other's heartbeat. Their breathings were synchronized, even after twelve years. They bathed in each other's warmth, blinking as little as possible.
Then, Shinji smiled.
"But you already knew that I knew all that," he said.
"Of course I did!" she smirked. "It was a test, Mr. Sohryu, to see if you were still commited after the ceremony."
"Did I pass?"
And she kissed him.
Their thoughts stopped. All their worries about the past and the future were put in storage. Nothing was more important than that moment. Although they already knew the taste and softness of the other's lips, their spines tingled in excitement as if it was their first kiss. Her hands left his cheeks. One went up and ran through his hair, while the other found its way to his back. Both his arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her even closer. Only one word could describe that experience, and it was 'magical'. It was not just a contact of their bodies, but their souls as well.
So, imagine Shinji's surprise when he opened his eyes and found half of his face about to be swallowed by the wide mouth of Asuka, who had failed to fight back a yawn. Not exactly the sexiest way to break a kiss.
He laughed, and thus was whacked in the head by his embarrassed and annoyed wife.
"You should get some rest," Shinji smiled. "I can go away for a while if you–"
Asuka shut him up with another kiss, while also putting an arm and a leg around his body. She only let their lips part once she was sure that he had been trapped in an inescapable lock.
"You're my husband now," she declared, snuggling into his chest. "You're not going anywhere."
There were no complaints. He embraced her, enjoying the wonderful feeling of her warmth in his arms. Asuka let herself be soothed by his heartbeat. When he started to stroke her hair, she purred. They lay there, in their private little piece of Heaven, for hours or perhaps just minutes. They didn't really care.
"Hey, Shinji."
"Mmh?"
"I slept all night, right?"
"Yes."
"Then…" her fingers walked up his neck. "That means we have yet to consummate our marriage."
For the second time that morning, Shinji Sohryu blushed like a fourteen-year old. That was all the answer Asuka needed.
'I love her so much,' he thought as his wife pulled him into a kiss full of passion.
THE END
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I've been feeling down for a couple of days, so I decided to write something silly and WAFFy to cheer myself up. Thanks for reading; I hope it made you smile.
And remember: drink responsibly.