A/N: well, here it is, the second chapter. And as an added bonus it's about twice as long as the first one! Okay, okay, I know that that doesn't mean much. But at least it's finally here, and yet again, I can't make any promises about the arrival of chapter three. Before we begin I just want to say thank you to everyone who reviewed this story last chapter, I tried to thank you all personally via pm but that wasn't always possible because some of you reviewed annonymously. Therefore I am thanking you here. (bows)
Disclaimer: If the series ever radically changes so that Kaworu doesn't die and he and Shinji get a happy ending together then you can suspect me of owning Evangelion. So far, I don't think that that has happend.
The Following Morning
It was still raining when Shinji awoke the next morning. The first sight to greet him was not the unfamiliar ceiling of their apartment but Kaworu's sleeping face.
Shinji felt his cheeks grow hot when he realized how closely they were curled up together. It had been like this every since he'd met Kaworu and in truth, Shinji liked it.
Being held so close and so carefully felt like being wrapped in pure love.
Speaking of feeling loved… Shinji's cheeks darkened some more when he thought about last night. He didn't really remember all that much, but the feeling of being kissed was still in his mind. Shinji liked that as much as he liked being held.
Red eyes opened and a smile curved up on Kaworu's lips. "Good morning, Shinji." A pale hand reached up to stroke the other's cheek.
Shinji felt his cheeks grow hotter under the boy's touch. "G-good morning." He stuttered.
For awhile they just stayed like that. Kaworu's soft hand fondly caressed Shinji's flushed cheek, both listening to the sound of the other's breathing.
Several long moments passed in the comfortable silence before the angel sat up. "We had better get up now." He said at length. "We'll be late if we don't."
Shinji made a hum of agreement in his throat as he watched Kaworu get out of bed to look out the window.
The brunet laid under the covers for an extra moment before getting up himself. He joined the angel at the window, his breath fogged the glass as blue eyes peered out in the storm. "It looks cold outside." He murmured.
"It does." Kaworu said in agreement. This would be troublesome seeing as how they weren't in possession of many warm clothes as of yet. Pale hands came to rest on narrow shoulders as he leaned forward and pressed a light, but firm, kiss to Shinji's lips. "It's to help keep you warm." The silver-haired boy said in response to the other's questioning gaze.
That logic had its merits if the hot flush creeping down the Third Child's neck was anything to go by. At that moment Shinji doubted that he would ever be cold (or have pale cheeks) again.
After touching the boy's cheek again for the faintest moment, Kaworu walked over to the closet to get their day clothes. He found Shinji still waiting for him by the window when he turned around.
Shinji nervously mumbled a word of thanks as he took his change of clothes from the other's hands.
The coldness of the room urged the boys to chance quickly and move onto eating breakfast.
The meal itself was pretty simple. They had bought some pots and pans along with a toaster a few days ago when they had purchased groceries. Kaworu silently thanked his Father and Siblings above that apartments came with stoves and refrigerators as he handed Shinji his glass of orange juice.
Once they had finished their toast and juice Kaworu grabbed the black umbrella by the door and made their way to work.
Shinji's grip on Kaworu's hand tightened when the cold air met his skin. It was colder than the Third Child had thought it would be and the umbrella was really a little too small for both of them.
The angel gave the hand in his a slight squeeze before looking over at its' owner. "Let's run." He said, and the proceeded to take Shinji with him as fast as he thought the boy could handle.
Despite the chill Shinji felt a little childish giddiness take hold in his senses as he and the Fifth Child did their best to hurry.
His mind recognized it as a new experience while his feelings insisted that it was childhood. He remembered Kaworu telling him about things that lilim identified through instinct rather than personal experience. Maybe this was one of those? It didn't change the fact that Shinji couldn't help the small smile on his lips.
By the time they reached the bakery both boys were flushed from the cold. Soft music and warm air greeted them as they walked into the bakery.
Goosebumps flared up on Shinji's skin as he came into contact with the warmth. Blue eyes watched the shop bell tinkle as Kaworu closed the door.
The angel noticed that Shinji was shivering and reached out to grasp one of his hands. "You're cold." Kaworu said softly. Lifting Shinji's hand up, he breathed warm air onto it.
The Third Child blushed at the gesture. "K-kaworu…"
"Oh my, don't you boys have coats?"
Kaworu smiled at the old woman behind the counter. "No, , I'm afraid we don't yet."
Mrs. White smiled a bit, "I've told you before to call me Sally." she said in a voice that was gentle but serious. She was a kind woman with grey hair and smile lines who owned the bakery with her husband. Kaworu and Shinji had been hired a week ago and so far all was going well.
Shinji shifted closer to the angel nervously as he watched the exchange. He didn't speak enough English to know what they were saying but Kaworu's smile helped to put him at ease a bit. Besides, the angel had said that she was a nice person and Shinji trusted his judgment.
"I'm sorry." The Fifth Child said lightly. "We'll start work in a moment. Good morning." He gently squeezed Shinji's hand that was still in his to gain the boy's attention. "It's time to start work." Kaworu said in soft Japanese.
Shinji nodded and offered his own good morning to Sally. His words were uncertain and accented but she smiled at him all the same.
"Take your time to warm up, both of you. It's cold out there." With that, Sally started humming as she went about getting the bakery ready to open.
It wasn't long before Kaworu and Shinji had joined her.
The Third Child liked working at the bakery. It felt safe here. Even though out of all the people here the only person he understood more than an odd word from was Kaworu. The customers who came in were as careful when they spoke to him as Sally was, and they made sure to point to what they wanted as they asked for it.
The world had been a mess since the Second Impact so it probably wasn't surprising to see foreigners who couldn't speak much of the native language. Especially since America was such a big country. It also made their age seem to stand out less due to the number of orphans running around.
"Three muffins, please." A young woman in her twenties said, holding up three fingers and pointing to the muffins with her other hand.
Shinji nodded and put them in a brown paper bag before handing them to her.
The lady smiled and paid for them at the register where Sally was.
They were talking to each other pleasantly as Kaworu restocked some of the bread. He overheard the words 'Shinji' and 'cute' and smiled to himself in agreement.
The Third Child was wiping down the counter and, though he was oblivious to the nature of the conversation, looked up and blinked when he heard his name.
Both women giggled which only served to further the brunet's confusion. "What are they talking about?" He asked Kaworu.
The angel reached over to touch the boy's cheek. "They think you're doing a good job." He said with a smile.
Shinji turned pink at that and looked down at the floor. He took a deep breath and turned to face the two women. "Th-thank you." He stuttered out.
The young woman, whom Kaworu had heard called Anne, giggled again. "You're welcome, sweetie. I hope you're both here the next time I visit."
The Fifth Child rested a hand on Shinji's shoulder as he answered. "We hope to see you again."
The day continued on like that. A steady flow of customers coming in to make a purchase and talk to Sally. By now Kaworu and Shinji had been working there long enough that they were treated like friends, or perhaps Sally's grandsons.
"You two close your eyes and hold out your hands." An older man with a beard said to Kaworu and Shinji as he reached into his pockets.
The brunet looked over at the angel questioningly after Kaworu explained it to him. Why did they need to close their eyes?
Kaworu complied first. Shutting his red eyes and holding out his hands palms –up. He looked perfectly calm and patient, not at all worried about it.
Slowly, Shinji copied the other boy. He trusted Kaworu implicitly, so even though he didn't know what was going to happen it couldn't be anything bad.
There was some rustling and then something was placed in the boy's hands. He didn't move.
Kaworu opened his eyes and stared at what had been placed in his hands. He thanked the man and looked over at Shinji to see his reaction. The angel chuckled when he saw that the boy's eyes were still closed. "Shinji, you can open your eyes now." He said.
Blue eyes opened and stared curiously at the piece of candy and two dollar bills sitting in his hands. After a second, Shinji remembered his manners and thanked the man.
Said man smiled, nodded, and left.
Once the door closed the ex-Eva pilot's eyes went back to what was in his hands. It felt so strange, he wasn't used to people being so kind to him all the time.
Very carefully, he placed the candy and money into his pocket.
The Fifth Child's hand found its' way to the other boy's cheek. "Are you okay?" He asked.
Shinji blushed at the contact, then nodded. "Mm. We should get back to work." He murmured shyly.
Kaworu gave a fond smile.
By the time the bakery was closing up for the day the rain was down to a drizzle.
Kaworu finished one last sweep of the floor while Shinji cleaned the counters again. Sally was putting away the baked goods that hadn't sold into paper bags.
"Well be going now, Sally." Kaworu said as he got the umbrella and walked over to the other boy.
Sally walked both boys to the door. "Now you boys walk safely, and take this with you." She handed Shinji the bigger of the two paper bags.
The boy blinked his blue eyes and thanked her. He understood just enough to know what was going on and the correct response to make.
The angel smiled and repeated the sentiment, adding a "Take care" and taking Shinji's free hand before walking out the door.
The Third Child held the bag carefully to his chest and clung close to the silver-haired boy's side. They took off at a run again, hands clasped tightly and giggling between breaths.
It wasn't long before they were back at the apartment.
Kaworu placed the umbrella to dry by the front door, the water dripped quietly onto the linoleum floor.
Shinji put the paper bag full of baked goods into one of the cupboards for later.
"Welcome home, Shinji." The angel said sweetly from the door.
The brunet turned and smiled. "Welcome home, Kaworu."
End
A/N: You would not believe the number of edits I had to make to this chapter as I typed it up. . The only thing I can figure is that my brain died and my hand went on 'auto-write' only half paying attention to what was going on or what I had written the paragraph before. The worst part is that it looked okay last night. Sheesh, thank God for second read-throughs.
Anyway, I want to address three quick things that you guys might be curious about.
1. Kaworu's English is so good because he's an angel. I sort of imagine that he can speak just about any language out there, but possibly some better than others.
2. I know that Shinji came off as really quiet at work but to me that fits his personality until he really warms up to the place. They have only been there a week.
3. This is related to number 2. Shinji's English. If the episode where he first meets Asuka is anything to go on I don't think Shinji has a gift for learning languages so he only knows some basic phrases and odd words. He's mostly relying on Kaworu to let him know what's what at this point. Don't worry though, our favorite angel will be giving him language lessons so he will be able to hold conversations with other people later on.
That's it for now. Thank you for reading the chapter and let me know if you have any questions and I will try my best to answer them. Take care, and I hope you're all here next time.