Chapter 3 the morning after
Tessa woke up slowly first she was aware of being warm and comfortable and then the reason
that she was so warm was lying next to her with his arm wrapped round her. She luxuriated in the
feeling of being held and was lazily thinking about how long she could possibly stay like this .
When suddenly an ice cold feeling of dread gripped her 'What time is it?' she struggled out of Shinjis arm
Turned on the light on the bulkhead at the head of her bed and looked at the
bedside table clock as her eyes started to focus she heard Shinji mumble as he entered the land of
the living ,but,she was still trying to get her brain to remember what the numbers on the clock
meant relaxing as she finally worked out O five hundred hours meant she wasn't late .
She looked down at Shinji who looked up at her a goofy looking smile appearing on his face
a good morning died on her lips as she realised he was staring at her breasts as she felt a blush
rising on her face so she dived back under the covers and dragged Shinjis arm round her
demanding "Cuddles"
Shinji who had been woken abruptly by a naked girl leaning over him was happy to comply
considering the times he had woken up in unfamiliar beds which had turned out to hospital beds
waking up in Tessa's bed was a pleasant change and being ordered to cuddle with the very naked
Captain was hardly an arduous order in fact it was rather pleasant and the way Tessa was
wriggling against him probably meant she liked it as well. His hand dropped lower down her chest
and cupped one of her breasts getting a gasp out of her he could feel her nipple hardening beneath his hand at the same time as he himself could feel his erection pressing into her buttocks.
"You like my breasts don't you Shinji" Tessa practically purred
"Mm so much nicer than Rei Anyami's "Shinji replied
he should be forgiven for the statement as he was barely awake and he had no idea that it might not be a good thing to say.
There was a pause Shinji suddenly realised he had probably said something really stupid as he felt
Tessa's whole body tense .
"What did you say?"
"Err"
Tessa span round to face Shinji her anger at the impertinent comment fading as she could see guilt
and embarrassment on Shinjis face it made him look so cute she thought .She still wanted answers
though.
"Who is Rei Anayami and how come you know so much about her breasts Shinji ?"
"She is the first child I went round to her apartment to deliver an ID card. and she came out of the shower naked and I sort of ended up on top of her and accidentaliity groped her "Shinji exclaimed in one breathless sentence.
Somewhere in a grotty apartment Rei Anayami woke from her sleep with a sneeze and a vague feeling things were changing.
Tessa laughed and kissed him gently on the lips a story ridiculous as that could only be the truth
Shinji had lots of great qualities though Tessa reckoned lying and subterfuge were not among them.
"Okay I forgive you,but, for future reference comparing girls breasts is not considered a polite thing to do especially if your in bed with one of them Mr Ikari. Do I make my self clear?
"Yes Tessa sorry" Shinji nodded though he was having difficulty taking this conversation as part of his mind was distracted by the fact that Tessa was naked and part of his mind seemed to be shouting into his ear "Boobies" and he had to make a conscious effort stop himself grinning like a maniac at them.
"Are you listening to me Shinji Ikari or staring at my tits ?" frowning as Shinjis eyes seemed to have glazed over as he stared at her chest .Okay its a bit of a confidence boast that your body
can reduce your boyfriend to silence ,but, not if you wanted to have a conversation with him decided Tessa. She quickly reached underneath her pillow for her night shirt slipping it on she was pleased to see Shinji snap out of it.
"Is that better ?"
"Sorry "Shinji was red with embarrassment Tessa must despise him now he thought.
"That's all right Shinji but to prove yourself as a repentant boyfriend you must except my punishment" Answered Tessa smiling at him
"Boyfriend?"Blurted out Shinji he thought Tessa would come to her senses and realise what a mistake last night was or something. That she actually wanted them to be boyfriend and girlfriend
was inconceivable to him.
"Yes Shinji I want you to be my boyfriend or do you consider this just a one night stand?" her voice took on an unpleasant hard tone at the end of that sentence even Shinji whose knowledge of
relationships could be written on the back of a stamp with room to spare realised he should answer carefully .
"No of course not Tessa ,I just didn't think you would want me as a boyfriend "
"Why on Earth not Shinji You saved my boat,Cooked for my crew and then in bed "
"Sorry "Shinji interrupted
"What are you sorry about now?"Tessa was puzzled as she looked Shinji went redder than he was
already and then finally in a small voice .
" About the sex it was my first time I didn't mean to hurt you like that "Tessa looked at Shinji
incredulously then realised he really did mean that all she could think of was 'how sweet' and
then an evil thought entered her head.
"Well in all my experience of sex I have to say that was pretty good. You didn't hurt me Shinji"
"You passed out though?" Shinji had remembered that with dread he had tried to wake up her up but she had just mumbled and then he had fallen asleep himself it was despicable behaviour he thought.
"U mm that's because it was so good Shinji you remember our minds mixing feeling each other
that doesn't normally happen during sex"
"It doesn't" Shinji had had sex education ,but,it really covered the basic mechanics a bit about disease,but, mostly about how importance it was to have lots of children ,fertility was a problem post impact. No one had ever really explained what sex felt like.
" No dummy it doesn't I don't normally have sex with someone whose mind I can read I guess
it makes it special"
" Oh " hating himself for needing to know he asked a question he knew he shouldn't
"Have you had a lot sex with other boys?"
Tessa smiled "Don't the girls count as well Shinji ?" his face was a picture she could see why Misato teased him there was just something irresistible about it.
" Lets see" and started counting on her fingers Shinji started to look horrified as the count reached past 20 she put her finger to her face as if in deep thought .
"Including you that makes a grand total of " she paused for dramatic effect Shinji was actually holding his breathe 'so cute ' thought Tessa.
"One ,you dummy what sort of Girl do you think I am Mr Ikari? You think just because an arm slave pilot saves my boat I'd jump into bed with them" Tessa felt her face redden as a thought
escaped 'chance would be a fine thing' It was swiftly hunted down and beaten up by a very angry
Chiba Kaname who glaring held up a banner reading not even in your dreams Tessa ! She shivered
" Sorry I don't know ,you seemed to know what you were doing last night"Apologised Shinji
"Well one of us had to take charge and you were not bad yourself"
"I wasn't?"
"I may not be the hussy you think I am ,but, from conversations and reading I have done any sex that leaves you basically unconscious and in the morning you have to make a conscious effort not to grin like a maniac . Is pretty good."
"Oh" Shinji smiled Tessa had liked what they had done last night he felt a vague anxiety lift from him
"Now back to your punishment Shinji"
Shinji gulped Tessa sat up and doing her best commanders voice
"I order you to make me some tea and bring it here "
"Tea?" sputtered Shinji
"Yes Tea your will find the kettle tea pot and everything else you need in the cabin. Off you go"
Smiling she gently pushed him out of bed .Shinji got up and reached for his clothes
"Don't bother getting dressed Shinji I'm very thirsty and anyway I Like the view "Which was true
Shinji had a very cute bum and the rest of him wasn't bad either she thought.
Shinji blushed ,but,did as he was told .Dropping his clothes he went to make tea .'Either I'm not really awake yet or I've spent too long in plug suits and Hospital gowns being bossed
around by Misato and Dr Akagi to find this humiliating 'He reasoned with himself as he waited for the kettle to boil .It helped that the cabin was carpeted and comfortable the air
conditioning keeping the room just right. He approved of the way things were kept neat and tidy and soon assembled a tray for western style tea even found some packets of Biscuits and returned to a smiling Tessa.
"Sex ,cuddles and now Tea with a little work you could turn into the perfect boyfriend Shinji"
"Well as long as you don't tell Misato about me bringing you tea in bed. She is not a morning person and if she thought she could get me to bring her breakfast in bed she would be even worse." Shinji grumbled the thought of having to try and raise Misato from the mess that her bedroom was not an idea he relished .
"Okay I'll just tell her your a fantastic lover "Tessa told him smiling
"What no you can't ,please" Shinji panicked
"Are you ashamed of me Shinji?" Tessa pouted
"No its arr your Teasing me aren't you ?" Shinji frowned
"Who me ?" Tessa tried to looked innocent and failed miserably
"Yes"
"Okay guilty as charged as much as part of me wants to get on the tannoy and announce to the crew your my boyfriend and I had such a fantastic time in the sack we just going to stay here for the next month "She paused as she saw Shinji turning red.
"I do realises that's not possible ,Mr Mardukas is such a spoil sport over those sort of things?" and pouted .Shinji had to say the pout was very very cute looking at her face most people would find it hard to find a reason not to let Tessa have her love in.
"On the over hand I've seen Misatos Teasing and it would get worse "Shinji nodded vigorously in agreement .
"And as the most powerful source of power on this boat is gossip the palladium reactor is a distant second and I really don't need to be staring in it .
Little did she realise the Tessa ,Kaname& Souske show was the crews favourite topic of discussion
" So I guess we will keep the details of our relationship quiet is that okay with you Shinji?"
"Sure I guess " Shinji had no idea how relationships worked so would follow Tessa's Lead
"We have got time to have a shower and I can kick you out before the rest of the crew are awake
care to join me Shinji ?"
Tessa got out of bed and took off her night shirt and walked into the bathroom turning back to Shinji smiling she beckoned him
"Don't worry I will keep my hands to myself "
At that she disappeared into the bathroom. Shinji could hear the Shower start he sat paralysed with
indecision half of him wanted to grab his clothes and flee. He shouldn't have a girlfriend let alone a beautiful one who wanted to shower naked with him he barely had friends ,most he had ever done was hold hands with a girl back in primary school and she had disappeared within a week. And now
Tessa wanted him body and soul. His libido spoke up say no to Tessa now and she will be heartbroken and every man and boy in the world will laugh at you . Muttering his mantra"
"I must not runaway I must not runaway " he walked slowly to the shower like a condemned man
joining Tessa in the steamy cubicle he found she had no intention of keeping her hands or her mouth to herself ,but,soon found he didn't care about that either .
Afterwards as Shinji Sat on the couch with a stupid grin on his face still wrapped in a towel he watched Tessa run an Iron over his uniform .It didn't need much the Mithril uniform was designed to be easy care but even so being screwed up and thrown on the floor for the night it would show
and Tessa wanted Shinji to look respectable especially if he was wearing her units uniform and not just because leaving her quarters in a dishevelled state would start tongues wagging. Though she was in two minds if she wanted her crew to talk about her and Shinji or not.
Shinji finished dressing and stood to attention while Tessa inspected him "Yes very good turnout
Mr Ikari well done keep it up" in her best command pose even though she was just wrapped in a towel .
Shinji Saluted sloppily done thought Tessa .And then they both started giggling at the ridiculousness of their situation .Tessa kissed him on the lips
"Right off you go I have to dress and I don't want you to be caught leaving my cabin just yet"
"Don't I get to see you get dressed then?" Shinji asked
"Cant get enough of my magnificent body can you ?" preened Tessa it felt great to be wanted she thought.
"No I guess not "Replied Shinji a bit sheepish considering he had seen and touched her body not long ago in the shower wanting to watch her get dressed was a bit odd and part of him just wanted to pull that towel off right now.
"Tough, off you go you can find your cabin okay cant you "Said Tessa firmly
" Yes captain "Shinji saluted again Tessa frowned
"You need to work on those salutes very sloppy"She said somewhat annoyed
"Sorry" Shinji was crestfallen he hadn't meant to annoy Tessa .Tessa was stunned as she could feel the waves of sorrow and self pity and self loathing suddenly rolling off of Shinjis mind something had gone horribly wrong in his life to break him like that she thought sadly.
"Shinji !" She called as he was walking out the door .
As he turned she dropped her towel and smiled at him waving he was stunned and stood
still Tessa quickly pushed him out the door slamming it behind him .He could hear her laughing in his mind as he walked down the corridor to his cabin
'Your despicable Tessa 'He grumbled back trying and failing to be mad
'Yes ,but you still love me'
'Well I'll just have to see if Asuka is sober yet have to keep my options open'
Tessa could tell Shinji was teasing ,but,She wasn't going to let him get away with that oh no!
'Won't your precious Rei chan be sad ? Shinji heard in a sickening cute voice in his head the complete opposite of Rei .
'Please grope my magnificent breasts again their so much nicer than that horrid Captain Testerrosa's
please I'll stand in front of another Angel for you if you do'
Tessa instantly knew she had done something wrong she got a burst of memory of pain and horror as she felt Shinji boiling in the entry plug the first time and then watched as Rei stood
in the line of fire and suffered the same pain and he knew exactly what was happening ,but all he could do was wait for the positron cannon to cool so he could take another shot .And the joy as he found her alive afterwards it was not an experience to make fun off.
'Oh god Shinji I'm so sorry I had no idea what it was like in the Eva I thought they were like arm slaves with just limited feedback not like that how can any of you get back in it?'
Shinji was leaning against a bulkhead for support Tessa's comment had brought anger at the crassness of the statement and then the memories of the fight had surfaced and Tessa had experienced them too. He tried to apologise for sending the memories to Tessa no one should experience that even second hand .He got an over whelming wave of love and sympathy as Tessa
told him she was proud to know how it really was fighting the Angels and he truly was a hero as
he was willing to get back in the Eva .
Shinji could feel himself blushing at that and to change the subject 'Your Rei impression is the worst ever we will speak later '
'Okay Shinji I love you' At that Tessa left his mind and resumed dressing She had just had a glance
at what her boyfriend did it horrified her yet left her crying at how Heroic he was and how Rei
had sacrificed herself without hesitation. The experience though short was overwhelming like they were her own memories yet unlike the whispered connection she hadn't felt any chance
of mixingand loosing her individuality. She would certainly need to speak to the science department when she got back to Meridia island .And she would have to treat Rei to something nice
if they ever met. Even if they were love rivals which she didn't think they were anyone who takes a bullet for your boyfriend deserves thanking someone who takes a alien death beam even more so. In her apartment Rei found herself sneezing for the second time this morning it was most peculiar.
Shinji approached his cabin hoping to get in it and pretend to have spent the night there which
struck him as ridiculous. It seemed to him Only secret agents up to spy stuff should be sneaking
around nuclear Submarines not teenagers embarrassed about what they got up to the night before.
The smile that was the forming on the face at this thought died as he turned the corner and found
Sargent Major Melissa Mao outside his cabin with a wide grin on her face .
"Good Morning Shinji Your looking very smart this morning I approve."
"Thank you Sargent Major" Shinji replied trying not to grimace waiting for the teasing to start.
"Please Shinji call me Mel your not one of my soldiers. Did you Sleep well ?"She said grinning
"Yes I did thank you "Suddenly Shinji came up with a way to distract Mel.
"I was just going to pick up some clothes for Asuka she is in the sick bay"
"What is she okay? What happened to her "Mel voice suddenly filled with concern Shinji immediately felt guilty about using Asuka as a diversion.
"She collapsed at the party the medic said she would be fine in the morning just exhausted" replied
Shinji
"Collapsed or just drunk?"Grinned Mel "She was putting the beer away so much for claiming she was used too it I'll help You pick some clothes out for her."And then with a truly evil grin
"Then we can all go to breakfast together and discuss the nights event shall I see if Misato is up
as well?"
"Let her sleep believe me she really isn't a morning person" A panic stricken Shinji replied Mel
evidently saw Shinji as perfect teasing material he vaguely wondered if someone decided it was pick on Shinji year ?
The two of them entered Asukas cabin which look like it had been burgled to Shinjis mind how
could she had made so much mess so soon with a bag from the over the rainbow and what the TDD-1
had issued them the bed and floor seemed covered in clothes and damp towels and cosmetics were piled round the sink.
"A bit more untidy than your cabin isn't it Shinji you even made your bed perfectly this morning
didn't you? " Mel said perfectly straight though smiling at Shinji as she said it
'She knew dammit and she wouldn't rest till he confessed'
"Well I like to be neat and tidy "He replied trying to give nothing away
Mel smiled she could read him like a book she was going to have some fun with him and also with
Tessa .Suppressing a sarcastic retort which would ruin the game she concentrated on going through the chaos of Asukas cabin to find some clean clothes for her. Though she did hold up two pairs of panties to get Shinji choose which ones for Asuka .which resulted in Shinji turning red. And Mel
laughing like a drain.
Mel was still chuckling when they reached sickbay. She was slightly disappointed to see Asuka
looked absolutely fine and was sitting up in bed chatting with the medics and drinking coffee not suffering from a hangover.
"Good morning Red I brought Shinji and some fresh clothes he picked the panties out specially"
Unfortunately She couldn't keep a straight face and and anyway the doctor knew Mel .
"Sargent Major stop picking on these kids"
Asuka stared at her she been about to screech at Shinji for being a pervert and then realised Melissa was doing a Misato and teasing Shinji he certainly looked embarrassed well guess she had to stick up for the Evangelinon pilots Shinji wasn't doing it.
" Misatos so much better at this guess that's the difference between officers and those who aren't?"
Mel Hackles were raised at that put down it didn't help that the medics joined in with a chorus of
oohs seeing Sgt Mj. Mao loosing an argument with a teenager was priceless. No matter Mel thought she still had Shinjis secret to break She could suck this one up.
"Here get dressed and we can all get breakfast that's if the doc clears you? Doc she good to go?"
"Sure nothing wrong with her apart from some sleep deprivation and a poor diet She just ran out of steam we just gave her some fluids and let her sleep it off"
Mel thought about what she had said then asked Asuka who was changing behind screens
"Carriers still noisy and Navy food still horrid?"
"Pride of the Navy its a floating slum!horrid food ,lousy showers the bunks are uncomfortable we should have travelled on this Submarine its like a cruise liner in comparison!"
"Say what you like about Tessa ,but,when she designed this boat she didn't stint on crew comfort .Of course her cabins the biggest but I guess as captain that's only fair wouldn't you say so Shinji?"
"I guess " he said uncomfortably which got him odd looks from the medics.
"I'm ready lets go" Asuka appeared dressed in jeans and a t shirt. Distracting everyone from Shinji.
"Good cant have you going to breakfast in your party frock looking like you didn't make it back to
your own bed now can we?That would get people talking now wouldn't it Shinji?"
"I guess" Answered Shinji Staring at Mel who was grinning like a maniac he wished the ground
would swallow him up or whatever the equivalent on a submarine was this was cruelty to a new level.
Asuka frowned something was going on which she didn't know about ,but,it was about Shinji
so she would find out. Asuka was let out with some multivitamins and a reminder to eat and drink
plenty with her clothes from the night before they headed back to drop them off and picked up Misato emerging from her cabin. Misato was happy she had woken up feeling like death and
basically fallen out of her bunk only to look up to see a mini fridge opening it she found a collection of drinks and snack items including 4 small cans of heineken beer , couple of beers some
painkillers and a shower she was ready to face the day her hand bag had contained some clean underwear she had taken helicopter trips before which had become longer than planned so was prepared.
She just opened her cabin to wake her charges so one of them could help her find the galley
only to meet them already to go .
"Good morning Asuka ,Shinji sleep well ?"
"Asuka slept just fine not sure about Shinji though" Mel answered for them.
"Mel!"Whined Shinji Misato completely missing the point hugged Shinji.
"Ah did my little shin-chan not like the big scary submarine ?Don't worry tonight you can be back in you lovely suite "
"Misato!" Whined Shinji as the 3 women laughed at him. As they headed for breakfast.
The TDD-1 was slowly coming awake as the watches changed ,but,as it was anchored on the surface and not deploying aircraft as having an Eva coving a large portion of the flight deck
made that difficult and anyway the UN fleet and the JSSDF were protecting them there was little for the crew to do and no rush to do it .Tessa had made it on time to the bridge ,but,had
skipped breakfast. Their screens showed lots of ships and planes in the air but all friendly .The bridge crew told her the pilot boat was due at lunchtime so they wouldn't be in Tokyo-2 till early afternoon and then it would be how ever long it took too unload the Eva.
"I guess if we run fast overnight we can be back on Meridia island for breakfast or at least Brunch" Tessa spoke her opinion aloud after the excitement of yesterday today would be an annoying let-down. She wanted Shinji off her boat .No actually she wanted to drag him into her cabin hang a do not disturb sign on the door and stay there till she knew all about the Evangelion
and the Angel war .The memories She had seen from Shinji raised more questions than answers
She also wanted to workout how she could read Shinjis mind While he was not a whispered and
whatever the phenomena was it was not resonance .Also she wanted Shinji and even thinking this made her blush to 'Screw her till she walked like a cowboy' was the phrase the most fitted her feelings.'
Unfortunately none of that was possible so it would be better if he was far away she thought. Yearning for someone miles away must be easier than for someone who was easily in reach well
her experience with Souske told her that ,but,Souske had never done anything like Shinji had to her
her mind started to replay last night in bed and this morning in the shower but was rudely interrupted.
"I'm sorry captain we wont be returning to Meridia Island for several days "Mr Mardukas told her
as he came onto the bridge .He noticed Tessa was already spacing out he put it down to not getting enough sleep and the fact they had nothing to do they were in the nautical equivalent of a traffic jam until the tide changed and various ships had moved the TDD-1 was going nowhere.
"Why ever not Mr Mardukas ? Do they want us to gift wrap 02 before we hand it over?
The bridge crew laughed politely at the captains joke.
"I haven't had that request from NERV yet ,but nothing would surprise me from them"
more laughter .
"No I had communications from Mithril HQ it seems we have made a rather large impression on the people of Japan and the Emperor is throwing a reception for us?"
"What how did this happen?"Tessa was genuinely shocked .
"It seems the battle was filmed by a TV crew which was on a habyusie missile boat are you familiar with the type captain "
"Oh one of those cute little fast patrol boats the jssdf operate no anti submarine capability at all."
Tessa knew Mardukas hated any mention of cute and military hardware in the same sentence
the hello kitty tomahawk incident had not been a happy experience for anyone though she couldn't
resist using it and compared to the TDD-1 they were mere toys.
"Doesn't the Emperors son command one ?"
"He did it was sunk by the angel the TV crew filmed it fortunately everyone got off it. It was holed by a glancing blow not ripped apart like bigger ships even managed to free the ships launch. So the entire nation of Japan watched the Emperors son get his crew into life-raft and send the ships boat out to rescue other survivors .They saw the Eva jump from ship to ship and then plunge into the sea
off the rainbow . The huge waterspout when we blew the Angel to hell. And then the Eva coming out of the water on top of the TDD-1 then it was our helicopters that rescued them.
Mithril are the heroes of the hour "
"Oh" Was all Tessa could come up with Mithril really didn't do publicity she had been expecting a struggle to keep her command when she got back to Meridia Island over revealing the TDD-1 ,but , now this .
"I didn't inform you last night as Mithril high command didn't contact me till late last night
and I couldn't see the point of disturbing you "
"Thank you Mr Mardukas , I better speak to them guess I'll be in my ready room for the rest
of the day "
"The JSSDF are flying out a press party and also Sgt. Sagara and Agent chidori as their last assignment is over .I don't know how long we are going to be alongside so I took the presumption of bringing the Arbelist pilot aboard and Chidori has some experience with dealing with the media ."
"The JSSDF are flying out to us? Yesterday they didn't want us in the country?"
"Saving the future emperor does seems to make you popular " Mardukas
"Guess today would be a good day to make some restaurant reservations in Tokyo 2 then"
Tessa said smiling her mind suddenly filled with visions of a romantic dinner with Shinji .
"Well once we have handed over the Evangelion liaised with the JSSDF and the Imperial household and the press I'm sure you will have time to impress the maitre'ds of Tokyo 2"
Mr Mardukas replied dryly.
"Oh well you have the bridge Mr Mardukas I'll be in my ready room with my nose to the grind stone " Tessa replied good naturedly she headed to her ready room turned on her computer and started dealing with messages she also watched some of the broadcast of the battle.
Mr Mardukas description of the film was an understatement it was gripping .From the reporters panic as the missile boat started to sink to compared to the rock like calm of the Captain as he calmly made sure his crew were all accounted to before leaving the stricken boat. Refusing to board
the ships boat whose crew wanted to get the crown prince to safety .He ordered the crew to look for survivors from the other ships .The cheers as the Evangelion appeared and leapt from ship to ship the
look of despair as everyone thought the Eva was lost as the power cable broke .The detonation which shook the life rafts as the Angel died .And more cheers as the Evangelion 02 rose from the water astride the TDD-1 .And the look of relief has her helicopters rescued the survivors. That helicopter crew were definitely going to get some stick as the winch team had played up to the
film crew yet had failed to notice possibly the most famous Japanese naval officer in the world.
Since 2nd impact the Royal family had become a lot more important to the Japanese people and ever since he had been filmed helping pull people from the rubble from the earth quakes
following 2nd impact still in his high school uniform. He was hero worshipped by the Japanese people cameras followed him everywhere and was regularly in all parts of the media. As he was considered the most eligible bachelor in Asia certain female crew members were definitionally going to have words
with that crew for failing to bring him back to the TDD-1 thought Tessa .She found herself thinking he looked like an older Shinji and then blushed she had to admit she had fallen badly for Shinji
for making a comparison like that .She steeled herself to stop day dreaming or even finding out
what Shinji was up too and called Mithril command.
Shinji was enduring a torture session commonly known as breakfast .Nothing wrong with the food it was western not that Shinji had a problem with that of course Asuka was over joyed with the food and let everyone know again how poor the over rainbow catering was again. Considering how
Misato and Asuka had drunk the night before their appetite didn't show it.
It was evidently open season on Shinji this morning. Misato was feeling concerned that Shinji had not liked sleeping on the submarine. Which Mel found hilarious and with a completely straight
face was concernedly enquiring about how difficult Shinji found getting into tight spaces .
Asuka pointed out how the entry plugs were small and liquid filled yet Shinji Had no problem
getting in those .
Which led Mel to say "So Shinji is okay with tight spaces as long as their wet?"
Misato and Asuka finally grasped Mel'ss innuendo and proceeded to join in seeing who could embarrass Shinji the most .Misato eating a banana was probably the winner Shinji was seriously
wondering if you could die of embarrassment .When his rescue came from an unexpected quarter.
"You going to help us prepare lunch then Shinji or just sit there gossiping ?" The chef shouted at him
Before the others could respond Shinji had leapt up and hurried over to the kitchen his apology
dyeing on his lips as he saw Bruce smiling at him .
"Sorry Should have rescued you from those witches earlier but it was so funny "
" Thank you I don't think they would ever stop "
At that point the 3 women in question let out a cackling laugh and pointed and waved at Shinji it chilled Bruce as well and he shivered .
"Well first thing you could do is run a plate up to Tessa .She didn't have breakfast this morning
and a cranky captain is not good for us underlings " Bruce laughed at his own joke.
"Have you Heard Shinji the battle was on the telly we are all heroes. The fly boys pulled the emperors son out of the sea".
As he was filling a plate for Tessa he spied a helicopter crew coming in and casually insulted them
"You finally did something useful on this trip surprised your chopper got off the deck the amount
of food you guys pack away "
He got some good natured insults back as he carried on with preparing a tray for Tessa .
"Now Shinji make sure she eats this tell her Bruce will set the doc on her if she doesn't"
Giving him directions he sent Shinji on his way only to be intercepted by the girls again
"What are you doing now Shin-chan?" enquired Misato
"Looks like something tasty for Tessa . And breakfast for Too lucky girl rank does have its privilege after all" Answered Mel more laughter
"I'll see you later I'll make sure Shinji gets to Tessa ready room and gets out "waving to Misato and Asuka who headed back to their cabins Mel lead Shinji towards Tessa cabin stopping him in a empty corridor she turned to him and in a voice suddenly ice cold with the implied threat of violence
" I think of Tessa as a younger sister Shinji. So a word of Advice make her cry and I will make you cry Understand "
Shinji could only nod in terror then as if a cloud had just passed the sun she was all light again.
"Good glad that's settled must not keep Tessa from her breakfast .Or has she already had a portion of Sausage this morning ?" Laughing at Shinjis in ability to answer she pointed him in the direction of the ready room and left .
Tessa's tummy was starting to rumble and she was regretting not going to breakfast. When a
knock on the door revealed Shinji with breakfast .The smile she greeted Shinji with would have got Shinji to promise anything . Unfortunately Tessa was too hungry to read his mind so
missed the opportunity motioning him to sit she devoured the food .Shinji just watched her eat noticing her computer screen was full of different windows and she had a headset on her desk as well .
The food finished she poured herself a cup of tea and found a cup for Shinji as well.
"Your a life saver Shinji If I told you how much I needed that I wouldn't have had time to eat it "
"It was nothing Bob asked me to bring you the food "
"You don't have to earn your keep on this boat Shinji "Tessa smiled at him and loved the effect
that it had on him. Only the fact she had a job to do stopped her from locking the door and jumping
him. That and turning up on the bridge with her clothes messed up and a stupid grin on her face
would cause her to die of embarrassment a little voice told her it might be worth ,but,She crushed that thought.
"Its no problem Bob was rescuing me from the teasing of Melissa Misato &Asuka ."He grimaced at the memory and what he had to tell her .
"U mm ,Tessa Melissa caught me outside my room She's guessed I didn't say anything "
"What did she say Shinji?" Tessa watched as Shinji squirmed in his chair
"Well apart from teasing me she said if I made you cry she would make me cry "
"Oh how sweet! "
" She was very scary!"Objected Shinji
"Yes Melissa is very good at that must be a Marine thing .Don't worry Shinji I won't let the scary Sargent Major near you .Unless you make me cry .You wouldn't do that to me would you ?"
Tessa pouted at Shinji in such a way to make him think that making Tessa cry would be as
cruel as using his Eva to jump on a puppy.
"That's not fair Tessa"
"Yes it is .You have to do what I tell you and you can't complain about"
"Why because your the captain?"Asked Shinji
"No silly cause I ve got these" Grabbing her breasts she shook them at Shinji
"And if you upset me you don't get to play with them and I know you like playing with them Shinji"She winked at him .
Shinji just stared at Tessa he couldn't believe at her outrageous behaviour even if there was some truth in her statement .Then he started to giggle and then laugh at the ridiculousness of Tessa
dressed as a captain acting like that .Tessa Joined in occasionally shaking her breasts at him to make him laugh some more till tears were running down both their faces when there was a knock on the door .
Taking a moment to pull Herself together and smooth her uniform She told who ever was outside to come in and was faced by the unsmiling face of Lt Clouseau the leader of the Srt and closet animé otaku. "Is this a bad time Captain?"He asked she looked like she had been crying and he saw
Shinji Ikari the Eva pilot doubled up as if in pain .
Smiling Tessa tried to reassure him "No me and Shinji were just sharing a joke and laughed a bit too much What can I do for you ?"
"I see"He didn't really but decided to ignore it spreading rumour and gossip was beneath him.
"The JSSDF VTOL ETA is 11:30hrs and I 've worked out a plan for the defence of the TDD-1
we will have the arm slaves on the deck and the infantry as a reaction force on the hanger apart from some sniper teams we can place on the conning tower .If we are in harbour for any
length of time we going to have a problem manning the arm slaves though.
"Lieutenant are you expecting an attack ?"Shinji asked nervously the Eva was out of power so there was little he or Asuka could do to help.
" No Shinji Mithril has enemies ,but,with the UN fleet and JSSDF guarding us we are pretty safe we are a warship though so we should be able to defend ourselves I'd hate for some
maniac to take a pot shot at your Eva while its on our deck" Tessa tried to reassure Shinji .Her boat was vulnerable on the surface doubly so going into a harbour though the threat was
minimal as the trip to Tokyo was unexpected and any serious attack could not really be planned and delivered in time. Still it
bothered her .
"If we are in harbour for any time JSSDF will be supplying security and Mithrill will bring more troops in especially if we are all going to the palace. Unfortunately no ones made any decision about how long we will be tied up for as soon as I know something I will let you know .Have the Arm slaves on deck try and make them look relaxed as we don't want to upset the locals "
"Yes ma am " Clousea answered
Shinji could see Tessa was busy so gathered her tray up and made to leave.
"Are you working as a Steward now Mr Ikari?"Asked closeau genuinely puzzled
"U mm well I liked working with the chefs Yesterday and Bob asked for a hand today it makes
a pleasant change from piloting Eva "
"I see , well thank you .Captain I'll be on the hanger deck or in my Arm slave if you need me "
He left he was pretty sure there was something going on between His captain and Shinji. Shinji a mecha pilot who would rather be a cook .He was halfway down the corridor when it struck him
The TDD-1 is becoming the bloody nadesico!
Kaname stared at her reflection in the train window to onlookers they must look like cos players she thought .Souske in his immaculate fatigues looking a lot more comfortable than she
felt in her dress uniform .And She felt in her dress uniform like she was playing dress up. In a manner of speaking she was. She was designated as a Agent of Mithrals intelligence division and they had decreed that agents be classed as officers when dealing with the military branch.
Not that she was trained officer or even a spy. After her father had met soukse and his glock! He had demanded she leave Japan. Even stopping her allowance to force her. Mithril Intelligence after a recommendation from wraith had offered her a job similar to the one had Souske had done when
she had first met him. With some intensive training she found herself in a Swiss finishing school
shadowing the daughter of a rich industrialist who may or may not have been whispered.
Not being an insane military moron she had fitted in better though the schools regime made her long for the chilled out days of Japanese high school .As well as academic subjects she had
to learn how to behave in high society .The skills needed to run an estate or mansion and winter sports all while cultivating a air of calm and serenity. Even Melissa Mao was horrified at
what they went through describing it like boot camp in high heels. Even worse she hardly spent any time with Souske .They had little free time at the school even when she explained who
she was and why she was clinging to Estelle the girl in question like a limpet which made things easier. All they really had time for was coffee and cake
in a café on weekend afternoons.
She had almost decided it was make work a way of Mithril to apologise for ruining her life when a kidnap attempt had ended in a spectacular gun battle. A village in ruins and a photo of
her unconscious and bleeding surrounded by empty cases with a pistol still in her hands lying against a church doorway in which the rest of her class hid .Across Europe's papers if not the worlds.
The Swiss authorities faced with the either the truth or a convenient lie made her a hero. Mithril
had exploited her celebrity status and she had become some sort of ambassador for Mithril endorsing products representing Mithril as a spokesperson whatever they wanted her to do she had done .
It had been hectic and at times bizarre ,but,Somehow she had patched up her relationship with her father and spent some quality time with Souske.
Now she was heading back to the TDD-1 the thought made her smile she counted the crew as friends it would be good to see them and after the sensations she had got from the resonance connection she had with Tessa last night .She would have a very interesting chat with her.
At the very least Tessa wouldn't be after Souske any more. The resonance connection she shared with Tessa made it quite clear how sensational the sex had been. When Kaname had woken up with
Shinjis name on her lip whoever that was? She was actually quite jealous her first time had been good ,but,not that great! She was anxious to find out who Tessa's partner was she
wondered if Tessa had actually left her cabin in the morning she was pretty sure she wouldn't have! It would be fun to catch up particularly if she could get Melissa to ask the questions She was an expert at making
you squirm as Kaname knew to her cost .Thinking about making people squirm she crossed her legs allowing her skirt to ride up a bit she saw Souske's eyes swivel and pounced .
"Are you looking at my legs Sargent? " She said in her best commanding voice .
"No Ma'am" replied Souske seeing the officer uniform and not just his girl friend wearing it.
She kept her face straight with difficulty it really was too easy.
"Why not is there something wrong with them Souske ?" she pouted and then laughed at Souske's
sweating as he tried to think of an answer.
"Don't ever change Souske " She laughed as he looked at her puzzled.
Women are a mystery I will never understand he thought.
Shinji was happily working in the galley cooking gave him a lot of joy he had learned that putting
good food in front of people made them like you and praise you,and that just encouraged him to
excel at his cooking .The TDD-1's galley was state of the art and would make restaurant chefs
envious let alone other Naval chefs .Bob was a great cook and was also fun to be around .He
ran a happy kitchen. Shinji had just finished preparing some vegetables when bob came up to him.
"Shinji the Arm slaves are going to be on deck while we head into port so their pilots are not going
to make lunch so we need to make up some horror boxes for them "
"Horror Box?" Shinji asked bewildered
"Oh sorry army slang for a packed meal guess you would call it a bento" He said chuckling
"You could make the most perfect meal ever and if its in a box its a horror box some days its like
throwing pearls before swine. What is it ?" Asking his staff .
"Pearls before swine Bob" they parroted and then laughed Shinji smiled it was evidently a long running joke .He felt privileged to be accepted here as part of the team so easily.
"Right we need 4 meals lieutenant Clouseau Sargent major Mao Sargent Weber and my personal Nemesis Sgt. Souske " Bob told Shinji.
"Nemesis?" Asked Shinji he really couldn't see Bob having an enemy.
Bob shrugged "maybe nemesis is too harsh ,but,anyone who would rather eat MREs than proper
food I take as a personal affront."
Shinji just stared in shock kensuke had brought some in for lunch once they looked horrible he had asked Misato about them she had grimaced and just told him "Anything is edible with enough chilli sauce" he had decided to avoid them that someone would choose to eat them when they had
access to real food was inconceivable .
"He has his reasons had an odd life he is Japanese ,but, somehow he ended up in some whacked out KGB program to turn kids into assassins ,ended up in Hemajistan then, became a mercenary
and then joined us as a fully trained experienced soldier at 14 .Guess you know what's that like?"
Shinji just nodded and smiled .He learned that people outside of Nerv assumed he had been trained for years .Misato and Ritsuko had both suggested that it was probably best for everyone if he let them believe that .
"Says the first time he ever remembers have a full belly was when some adviser gave him an MRE in Hemajistan .So that why he likes them, still I try and get him to eat real food though. I may not be an ace arm slave pilot ,but,I have some professional pride. He laughed
"I didn't see him last night did I ?"Shinji was sure he hadn't seen any other teens at the party.
" No they flew him in with the press this morning need him to operate his arm slave as its got something only works for him. Always thought those things were a bit weird but compared to Evangelion guess they are quite normal"
Shinji could only smile in agreement Arm slaves were just giant robots with guns after all.
" Arr well better make sure we have a nice chocolate dessert to cheer up Tessa if Souske is on board" Bob smiled at Shinjis puzzled look.
"Tessa had a major crush on the good Sargent not that he had any idea or would have known what to do about it anyway ,but,then they made him bodyguard a girl called Kaname Chidori and those two became an item maybe you saw her on the TV she became kind of famous after what happened
in Switzerland.
"The gun slinger girl ?" He remembered her vaguely from the TV and of course Kensuke had almost
a small shrine to her with the amount merchandise he had.
"A tip don't call her that to her face she hates it and has a temper" Bob laughed
"Right"
"Anyway Tessa was heartbroken and still thinks the crew don't know so we just make sure there
is plenty of chocolate for her .Their still all friends so its a bit odd. Anyway lets get these meals
done don't want hungry arm slave pilots stomping around up top." Bob finished
Shinji and Bob quickly assembled the Horror boxes and Shinji was happy to take them up to the flight deck .In fact he wanted to meet Sgt. Sagara not that he could really explain why .Maybe anyone Tessa liked he was interested in. At the thought of Tessa Shinji could feel a big stupid grin
on his face as the corridor was empty he felt like skipping down it while singing something like.
A character in one of those horrible romantic films Misato had made him watch .He didn't as his hands were full and anyway he couldn't sing and dance. He allowed himself a few minutes to wallow in the memories of her smile and the warmth of her body next to his. The idea that someone
could really know him and yet still want to be with him was amazing. Trying to control his grin
as it didn't really feel like it belonged on his face he headed for the flight deck.
Authors Note
Thanks for everyone who has added this as a favourite or read it sorry the chapters so long in arriving .
Thanks to Star fury for volunteering to Beta read this. I do have a plan to get the Full metal panic crew involved in Nerv .Comments and criticism gratefully received.