I hope you enjoy this chapter. The AN is at the bottom due to length.
As stressful as his job was at NERV, Shinji felt comfortable doing it. It was taxing on his health, but it always provided a healthy challenge and it felt good to work with his peers. He enjoyed his work a great deal.
So when he woke up after his day off, he was somewhat happy to go back. It's not that he disliked being at home, but working was a part of his life which, at that point, felt inseparable from the rest of his life.
It helped that he never went a day without seeing his partner, either. Rei also enjoyed her work, and the four years she'd been working at NERV with Shinji had helped her come out of her shell and meet new people. To them both, NERV was a place to prove one's worth and to enjoy meaningful social interaction.
Looking at her under their blanket, Shinji's heart leapt just a tiny bit. He remembered the previous day, how they'd napped together for hours, and how he dreamed of her. He'd woken up hours later in the stifling heat of the late afternoon, and he and Rei had an early dinner. Deciding to leave the rest of the housework for the next few days, they'd gone to bed early and slept just as soundly as they had been on the couch.
He took great care in not rousing Rei from her sleep as he got out of bed, and he gently walked out to the kitchen to check the time.
5:47.
Their alarms would go off at 7 am, so he had just over an hour to prepare breakfast before she woke up.
Rei woke up in a haze, slightly dehydrated and with a sore neck. She sat up and moved her head around, until she felt a small pop. Satisfied, she looked over at her alarm clock - it was 6:34.
She looked over at the other side of their bed, to find empty space.
He must have already gotten up, she figured.
Blurry-eyed and thirsty, she got out of bed to get a drink. She walked out into the living room, and saw Shinji in the kitchen, cooking something. From the smell, she'd guess that he was making an omelette.
Shinji didn't see her walk out, being too wrapped up in cooking the omelette to perfection. He turned around to get some spring onion, and stopped cold as he noticed Rei standing near the doorway to their room. She was wearing a large sweat-shirt - comfortable and warm, but with enough room to allow the cold air in.
Shinji himself was a sight, wearing loose, blue boxer shorts and a white shirt, holding a spatula and reaching for the fridge. Suddenly self-conscious, he grabbed what he needed with an urgent speed and went back to the frying pan. He couldn't help but feel a bit lecherous at seeing Rei in her bed-clothes, and a bit embarrassed at being seen in his.
She walked over to the kitchen, each step making Shinji increasingly nervous. He grabbed the onions and took his time cutting them up as Rei took a seat on the other side of the counter.
Her gentle voice suddenly spoke up:
"The omelette's browning."
Shinji had been too pre-occupied with cutting the onions that he needed, and had neglected to move the omelette in a while. He quickly turned it over - to find a regular, fluffy yellow. Rei giggled.
"You're in a mischievous mood this morning." Shinji turned to the chopping board and began cutting ingredients and toppings for their breakfast.
"I feel nice." Rei smiled as she poured some juice from a pitcher on their counter. She looked at the ingredients Shinji had cut up, and spied a plate of sausages he'd charred on the grill.
"How long have you been awake?"
Shinji looked over at the frying pan before answering. "I woke up around quarter to 6, and I didn't want to disturb you. You worked harder than I did yesterday, and I thought you deserved some more rest."
"We worked equally as hard, though. You don't have to be modest."
Looking back on the previous day, Shinji felt that Rei had still done more than him. Shinji may had taken the trash downstairs as well as cleaned up their room, but Rei had picked up a lot of that trash and cleaned the living room and rug.
Regardless, he didn't want to start an argument over his wording.
"I guess so, sorry." Shinji turned away and continued his work on breakfast, flipping the omelette again and neatly cutting it into quarters with the spatula.
Lifting the pan over the kitchen bench, Shinji began to slide the individual omelettes onto a clean, white plate. He'd just finished when he felt a tug on the back of his shirt. Turning around, he saw that Rei had snuck up behind him and was rising up on her toes.
Before he had time to realize what was happening, she tenderly kissed him on the lips.
Shinji fumbled with the frying pan, half-dropping it back on top of the stove, but Rei continued for a moment more before moving away.
"Thank you for letting me sleep," she whispered as she lowered herself down. Before she left though, Shinji wrapped an arm around her waist and kissed her neck.
He'd aimed for her cheek, but her kiss had clouded his mind and he lost his balance on the way down to kiss her. Rei's response was to gasp, and she shuddered slightly at the contact.
They looked into each other's eyes, and the kitchen seemed to melt away. The feelings behind their kisses translated into what felt like electricity between them.
Rei wrapped her arms around Shinji's neck and kissed him roughly, and Shinji welcomed her. They stood there by the bench, locked at the mouth for what felt like forever, one of them occasionally breaking contact to go for the other's throat or shoulder which led to a wilder response each time.
They were on the verge of going back to bed when Rei pulled away, red in the face and panting.
"What's wrong, Rei?"
Slightly embarrassed, Rei looked down.
"…I'd like to have breakfast before it gets cold."
Though he was disappointed, Shinji's stomach soon growled and he realized that he felt the same.
Rei took her seat behind the kitchen counter, and Shinji began plating up their food.
"Maybe we can finish this after breakfast?" Shinji said in an attempted sly tone of voice, throwing in a sleazy wink. Despite the ridiculous sight, Rei smiled slyly and leant over the counter to kiss Shinji...
…Only for their alarms to go off from their bedroom, signifying the beginning of their morning routine.
After breakfast, the pair got cleaned up and ready for work. They contemplated sharing their shower time, but decided they didn't want to risk using too much time and being late. Shinji used Rei's time in the shower to make more omelettes, and when she got out he had a pair of boxed lunches ready.
Rei drove them both to work each morning, mostly to save fuel - but also because between herself and Shinji, she was the better driver. Shinji didn't seem to mind - he felt safe with Rei behind the wheel, more so than when he was. She could get to work on time easily, but when she could, she'd drive at a slower pace so they could take in the scenery – As much as they enjoyed work, they enjoyed free time with each other more.
Eventually though, they had to arrive at work. Once they had parked in the company carpark, they briefly kissed one last time before entering the workplace.
They took an elevator to their floor, and upon reaching their destination they were greeted by an older man wearing thick-rimmed glasses. His hair was beginning to show white streaks, and his goatee had streaks of sliver as well.
"Shinji, Rei. I trust your rest day was productive?"
"Yes, sir," Shinji bowed slightly and shook the older man's hand. "Thank you for allowing us the day off. We used our time very well, and appreciate your generosity."
Rei bowed also, and Gendo smiled at the both of them.
"There's no need for the formalities yet, the work day hasn't begun. I'm glad you appreciated the break." He took Rei's hand for a moment, and bowed.
"Thank you si- erm, Dad." Shinji still had trouble addressing his father in parental terms, but he was glad that the option was open. The old man was getting softer with age, and both Shinji and Gendo were beginning to make amends for the past.
The older man smiled. "I hope you both work well today. I have to go, but I'll see you both during the day."
Shinji and Rei bowed, and Gendo left. Both of them made their way to the logbook and wrote their arrival time in, and headed to their separate working areas.
Shinji's department worked with businesses, monitoring their earnings to determine how much tax they should be paying. Shinji monitored and occasionally entered data, and printed off physical records of his given businesses in case of power failure.
He was present in a team of 60 workers, taking care of businesses partially or wholly owned by the government. Of those 60, he knew 2 of them quite well and worked with them when he could.
The first person was someone he knew especially well - as a teenager, she raised him and helped teach him the skills to work at NERV. Her name was Misato Katsuragi.
The second was an old friend of both his father and Misato - and was currently romantically involved with the latter. His name was Ryoji Kaji, though he preferred to go by Kaji whenever possible.
Both of them were working on their respective sections when Shinji walked in, but as soon as they realized his presence they stopped what they were doing. Shinji quickly felt like prey being cornered by a pack of lions, as Misato and Kaji prepared their barrage of inappropriate questions and comments.
"Here he is, Mr Fiancé himself," Kaji began, "fresh from making "wedding plans" with his blushing bride."
Misato giggled as Shinji's face turned a deep crimson. "It looks like they were "planning" around this morning, judging by those marks on his neck."
Shinji's entire world felt like it was tumbling down. He'd spoken to his father this morning - the thought of being seen with such intimate marks made him want to scream.
He scrambled to find a mirror, and found one on Misato's desk. He searched his face and neck frantically, looking for the painless purple bruise which had ruined him.
No hickeys or love-marks whatsoever. They'd gotten him.
Kaji was laughing quietly, but Misato was a bit more vocal – to the point where other workers were looking over at the group. Shinji huffed and sat at his desk.
After he'd found where he had left off 2 days before, he began to work. It was 15 minutes later that Misato came over to him, to his annoyance. She seemed a bit more subdued, if not still a bit tickled.
"Sorry, but it was a really good guess."
"...I know." Shinji huffed. Misato ruffled his hair.
"You're starting to take the guff a bit better, that's good." She gave him a gently, friendly push, which Shinji didn't appreciate.
"It's nice to see you, but I have work to catch up on. Can you leave me alone until lunch hour?"
Misato sighed. "Ahh, you're so serious as always. Okay, I'll let you carry on."
She left, and Shinji continued working. For the rest of the morning period, there were no more interruptions.
"So you just cleaned your apartment? No other funny business?"
Rei shook her head, with the faintest smile on her face. Her co-worker frowned.
"You've got to be joking. If I had a day off, I'd at least treat myself a little."
"The time I spend with him is enough." Rei picked up a folder, and slid out a sheet of figures.
Rei worked in the salary office of NERV, and along with the small team of professionals who worked alongside her, managed the wages and salaries of NERV's employees.
"Blech, you guys are so lovey-dovey. I can barely stand it!" The mystery co-worker went back to her own work, scribbling figures down on several messily-arranged stacks of paper
"Perhaps... if you found a partner, Asuka," Rei gently spoke gently, as to not rile her up, "you would understand how I feel."
"I'm not a fan of dating, though," Asuka sighed, "and even if I was, I doubt I could meet anyone of my caliber."
Asuka's outlook on life always intrigued Rei. She was very unconventional in her views, outside the norm. Things had to go her way in life - and her way was often hard to follow. Her viewpoint of the world wasn't necessarily invalid, but it was at odds with Rei's - and the contrast made for interesting conversations.
"I hope you can find someone who completes you."
Rei's comment was a bit out of the blue, and rubbed Asuka the wrong way.
"Thank you for the concern," she hastily spat out sarcastically, "but I rely on myself to create my happiness. I don't need someone to swoop in and "complete" me."
"I'm sorry for offending you. Your choices are equally as valid as my own."
Asuka huffed, and both women went back to work. The 2 worked in silence, taking care of their individual projects.
A full 10 minutes before lunch began, Rei filed the last of her paperwork away and stood up. Asuka looked up at her in disbelief.
"Are you seriously done already? You've even done the work from yesterday?"
"I have," Rei confirmed, "and I've decided to do a vending machine run. Would you like anything?"
"Well, if you're offering, could you grab me a juicebox?" Asuka rooted through the top drawer of her desk, and handed Rei some crumpled notes and coins. "That should be enough."
Rei accepted the money, and turned towards the hall.
"Okay, I'll be back shortly."
As she reached the exit of the room, a voice spoke up from a few desks down.
"Wait a sec, did you say that you were doing a run?"
Rei turned to the source of the voice - a long-haired male in his early 30's, who was looking over at her. She nodded in confirmation.
"Here, could you grab me a can of coffee while you're there?" He got up and handed her a handful of coins.
"Of course, Mr. Aoba. I'll be back soon."
He thanked her, and she went on her way.
AN: AN: First off, yes - this chapter does drop off at the end. That's because this chapter alone is around as long as the first, and the third chapter iseven longer. I thought the first chapter was too long, and that I was just getting a feel for writing the story - now I'm stuck writing longer and longer chapters. I hope I don't fall into a cycle of writing longer chapters every time.
Secondly, Aoba's inclusion at the end is a bit of an ass-pull. Honestly, I think it's just fanservice - a little nod to his existence, showing what he's doing in this continuity. He doesn't really serve much plot relevance, but he'll probably pop up from time to time because I like him. I do plan to introduce a wider variety of characters as well, so stay tuned.
And lastly, tying into the above - next chapter introduces one of my favorite characters from the series. I'm really looking forward to it.
I'd appreciate any of your thoughts on this chapter and/or the story in general. Next chapter should be up in a few days. And please excuse the beefy Author's Note, I'll get better about it soon.
Edited 19/05/15