I Can (NOT) Co-Operate

Monday 8:01 AM

Rain and humidity fog up the windows of the classroom until their view of the world outside is gone. Just like always, Shinji solemnly thinks, holding his head up in his hand. Class starts at eight thirty sharp but Rei and Shinji enjoy meeting up early. Their typical morning consists of coming into class, sharing a kiss, and trading bento boxes. Shinji and Rei found it fair to switch between cooking duties every other day and today happened to be Rei's turn.

"I tried something new," Rei states, handing him the cracked navy box. Shinji immediately takes it and pops off the lid. Sniff.

"Wow that smells good. Thank you," he says, closing the box.

"Yes," Rei whispers. "It took many tries to cook it successfully." She looks down to her left hand and almost every thin finger has some sort of cut or band-aid. Ritsuko and Commander Ikari were not pleased. Shinji takes her hand up to his mouth and kisses each cut. She watches him closely with lips slightly parted. He goes from her thumb to her pinky methodically and then brushes her hand against his face. He looks into her eyes finally saying,

"I love you Rei. I appreciate it."

"I love you too Shinji," she repeats with a hint of a smile. Shinji grins back and lets out a NOM NOM NOM uncharacteristically and bites her small wrist.

….

"I see," she answers.

….

"It was supposed to be funny you know?"

"Oh. I see, 'Ha.' 'Ha.'"

….

Shinji throws his head back and sighs loudly. This is gonna take some work. Some kids start to pile in so Rei and Shinji stand a little further apart.

"Hey look what we got here!" Touji shouts, "The love birds are back at it again."

"Yeah yeah," Kensuke adds, "It's been four weeks, we're all sick of the teasing." Everyone in the room looks over and nods in agreement with Kensuke with bored looking eyes. Some quiet bickering continues as more classmates come in.

"Well you're one to talk! I'm still kinda jealous of Shin-Man! How'd you get one so easy?"

"I don't know about easy," Shinji retorts. Shinji looks over to Rei who's standing next to him passively while glancing around the room. We love each other but nothing about it's easy. I don't really think it's supposed to be? I don't know. Touji and Kensuke look at the two and are surprised by how distant they seem. They're even allowing the chair to put space between them physically. I wonder if piloting the Eva makes you like this, Kensuke debates with a hum.

"Guten morgen Shinji-kun," someone greets from the back of the classroom. Everyone in the class goes quiet and stare with mouths agape. The four of them turn around and Shinji's jaw nearly falls off. I should have known she'd be in the same class! Instead of responding Shinji stands still and hopes she just walks away. His anxiety starts eating at the back of his neck and pricking his spine. Instead, she walks closer, bypassing Rei completely without making any eye contact with her. "I was talking to you Shinji-kun," Asuka grumbled with a hint of annoyance in her tensed brows. "Guten Morgen, again."

"Y-yeah. Hi Asuka-san."

….

"Baka. I should have known you'd be just as stupid at school," Asuka groans, walking to the front of the class.

"Who the hell is that?!" Touji remarks, looking offended. Get used to it, Shinji thinks hopelessly.

"The pilot of Unit-02," Rei responds. Shinji eyebrows knit together in frustration and worry. Hikari, the class president, calls for everyone to be seated except for Asuka. She and Asuka stand at the front of the class behind the podium as she announces that Asuka Soryu Langley will now be joining them for the rest of the year.

"Would you like to say anything else Asuka-san?"

"As a matter of fact, I would," Asuka walks defiantly in front of the podium and puts her hands on her hips, "If any of you have a problem with how I am, then you can stick it! I'm the best Eva pilot there is, so TRY to STOP me! HMF," she concludes as she walks to her seat. Everyone around the class looks at each other. Shinji covers his face with his hands and whines.

"So I guess only weirdos can pilot the Evas huh?" Kensuke comments loudly.

3:21 PM

Shinji didn't feel like going home and telling Misato about what Asuka did at school; instead he went on a walk with Rei, hand and hand. They passed by tons of other couples that were walking home from school like them, yet all of them seemed to either talk loudly or be connected at the mouth. Rei and I don't seem like that. Even after we... had sex… it still feels embarrassing to say it. I feel like my ears get hot everytime I think about just the word! Then again, we haven't done it since the first time. I don't even know if that bothers me. Does it? Maybe it does. I don't know anyone else who 'does it'. Maybe Misat-ew, Shinji shivers, I wouldn't wanna know.

"Are you cold?" Rei questions. He pulls himself out of his thoughts and checks his surroundings. It looks like they already made it in front of Rei's shabby apartment complex.

"No, I'm not cold; just got lost in thought."

"I see. Would you like to tell me about it?"

"I don't really know what to tell you."

….

"I notice that you still do not look comfortable when Pilot-02 is near. Is that what you are thinking about?" Shinji looks off toward the street.

"That's part of it. Argh! Why does she have to act like that though!" Shinji lets go of Rei's hand and throws his arms up in frustration. "Like, she disobeyed orders twice in four-freaking-minutes! Misato-san was so mad I swear I saw smoke coming out of her ears. And on top of that, Father-er-the Commander was watching the whole thing." That sparked a thought in Shinji's head, he saw me wave at Rei. I wonder if he thought anything of it. "Did you get in trouble when I tried to say hi to you?"

"Commander Ikari did not speak to me about it."

"Oh, I'm glad…. Hey Rei, what do you talk about with him? Cuz one time I saw you with him before and you were smiling about something." To Shinji's surprise, Rei turns away from him and starts toward her apartment room.

"I can not speak about it. It is confidential. I will see you tomorrow." Shinji's shoulders sag. She's so distant even still. Maybe it was a mistake to think we were closer. It begins to rain. Figures. Shinji starts his long walk back to his and Misato's apartment.

4:04 PM

Shwooop.

"Misato-san I'm ho- WHAT THE?!" Shinji crams himself into the space between the entrance and what should be a walkway into the kitchen. There are boxes and boxes of stuff nesting in every inch of the apartment.

"Shinji!" Misato yells from somewhere within the space, "You may want to sit down for this… once you find the chair."

Three Minutes Later

"NO!" both Shinji and a hidden Asuka scream. Misato just chuckles.

"Glad you both are taking it so well."

"HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?!" Asuka yells. "I thought this was just gonna be an us thing! Why does this baka have to be here too?!"

"Hey I was here first!" Shinji defends.

"That would be correct," Misato breathes, getting ready to chug her beer. Asuka rolls her eyes at him and crosses her arms. "However, both of you will just have to get used to this." The two sigh loudly and look in opposite directions, clearly pouting. "Besides, remember what we talked about yesterday at Nerv?"

"Yeah yeah, we have to work together on some stupid song Kaji picked out for WHO KNOWS WHY and then kill the Angel by six o'clock tomorrow. You've said it like TWELVE TIMES!" Asuka whines.

"Well thank you for saying it for the thirteenth," Misato retorts with a grin. Asuka makes a growl. "So in order to fight this Angel, you guys will be starting tonight. You two need to decide where the stuff goes and what room you get. As soon as you do that, I'll set up the rhythm machine. Got it?" Misato looks at both kids with her chin held high.

"...Got it," they say in unison, sounding entirely unenthused with shoulders hunched. This just keeps getting worse, Shinji muses pitifully.