The trick to a good tamagoyaki, Shinji noted, was to keep the pan well-oiled and the layers as thin as possible.

With a flick of his chopsticks, the schoolboy deftly rolled the egg slab over, gently pressing here and there as the omelette took shape. The tender underside crackled and squeaked softly in the square pan, while the newly exposed top half had a pleasing golden tone with hints of amber, like the sunrise outside the kitchen window. Sweet and savoury tones of mirin and egg hovered subtly over the stovetop.

"Smells good, champ." Gendo peered over the open refrigerator door.

"Thanks!" Shinji added the last of the egg mixture, lifting the slab ever-so-slightly to let it pool underneath. "I had some practice back in Detroit, but they don't really do square pans there."

"And omelettes aren't Hunter's thing, anyway."

"He's kind of a bum, really. If it were up to him, I'd be having pizza and takeout for breakfast, lunch and dinner."

"And we can't have that, can we?" The older man chuckled, shutting the fridge with a bottle of Alinamin V in hand. "His old man does a killer Biltong, though."

"Hunter mentioned Biltong a few times." Shinji flipped the omelette again. "Isn't that, like, jerky?"

"Biltong's thicker, and it's more like curing than drying." Gendo finished his energy drink, before disposing of the empty bottle. "I should bring you along the next time Richter has a barbeque."

"Yeah, that'd be pretty cool."

It was a strange feeling, Shinji had to admit, to have settled back home so comfortably after being abroad for so long. The Ikari family residence had, surprisingly, changed little during the years he spent shuffling between safehouses in the States - the sweet, soft scent of wisteria flowers still lingered in the front yard, the sturdy wooden desk he often hid and played under continued to hold pride of place in his father's study, and the walls bore every tiny scruff and ding from when he used to run down the hallways, giggling manically as toddlers ought to do.

He often wondered if the past ten years abroad were but a hazy, half-remembered dream. Or perhaps it was the other way around - that he'd soon wake up back in the bustle of Detroit, greeted only by his bodyguard nervously peering out every open window for hooded men armed with binoculars and listening devices - or worse.

Still, it meant much to him that Dad was doing everything possible to help him reacclimate. After his first day at school ended with a well-placed right hook from Toji Suzuhara, Gendo had picked his son up from right outside the school gates, and took him up to the hills overlooking the city, sharing an impromptu dinner of Chicken Burgers from the same MOS Burger restaurant they used to frequent when Shinji was younger. Perhaps they could do that again sometime.

There was a gentle pattering of bare feet on wood flooring, as a yawning blue-haired girl wearing little more than a white blouse shuffled into the kitchen.

"Morning, sweatpea." Gendo kissed his daughter on her forehead. "Where's the rest of your uniform?"

"It's hot," she grumped.

"Go on now, Rei. Make yourself decent."

"But I am dressed!" The girl pouted as she reluctantly turned back to the hallway.

Shinji raised an eyebrow. "She's been doing that a lot lately. Freaked me out once when I came home from school."

Gendo sighed. "Her aircon's probably broken again. I'll have to ask Domestic Services to come take a look."

He then popped open the rice cooker and fetched several bowls from the cupboard. "Anyway, I'll get started on the rice and soup."

Shinji glanced in surprise when he saw only three sets of rice and soup bowls. "What about Mom?"

"Your mother pulled an all-nighter at the GeoFront," Gendo said, fluffing up the rice with the white plastic paddle. "She'll probably grab something from Lawson's later."

Rei finally returned fully dressed from her room, just as the food had been portioned out, and quickly helped set the table. Within minutes, the three were eating in comfortable silence - Gendo browsing news headlines on his phone between sips of miso soup, Shinji dividing up his rice based on how many pickles were left in the side dish, and Rei absentmindedly peeling her grilled salmon into flakes with her chopsticks.

Suddenly, Shinji's phone buzzed, while Rei's chirped with the leitmotif from Seppuku Girls.

The boy reached his phone first. "Huh. The school finally confirmed the schedule for parent-teacher interviews."

"That's next Wednesday evening, isn't it?" Gendo flicked aside his news app.

"Yeah, they put me down for 4:30."

"Mine's at 4:15!" Rei added.

"4:15 for Rei, and 4:30 for Shinji." The older man marked out his calendar. "There we go."

"I hope it's not too much of a hassle, Dad," Shinji said. "Especially since it's during your work hours."

"Oh no, not at all!" Gendo placed his phone back inside the dinner table caddy, prompting the children to do the same. "In fact, your mother will be coming along this year as well."

"Nii-chan, did you do school interviews when you were in America, too?" Rei asked, while passing the soy sauce to her father.

"Well, yeah." Shinji paused halfway through biting down on a slice of omelette. "Of course, Hunter went with me instead of Mom and Dad, so you can imagine how that went."

The thought of a burly white South African man ushering a scrawny Japanese schoolboy between bemused teachers had Rei giggling throughout the rest of breakfast.

* * * * * * * *

This is becoming a bad habit, Hyuga noted, as he finally fished out his access card from between the sofa cushions.

As always, last night had started out as a quiet evening browsing for a new show to watch on television, but a combination of cheap beer and his partner's insistence to let her drive the remote resulted in an impromptu archive binge of whatever sappy romantic drama had caught her eye first. Tears were shed and tissue boxes ravaged as each episode progressed towards its inevitably weepy finale, whereupon they shared a cathartic snuggle as the credits rolled. Next thing he knew, she was whispering sweet nothings to his ear while letting him slip his hands right down her-

The bespectacled young man snapped back to reality, sequestering such amorous thoughts to the back of his mind, and hoping that the blush on his cheeks faded before she caught him with that look on his face.

"Sorry, Makoto!" Said partner dashed out into the lounge, while untangling her freshly-ironed waves from a moto jacket hurriedly thrown over one shoulder. "I lost track of time again."

"Oh no, it's fine!" Hyuga looked rather flustered as well. "I thought I lost my access card for a minute there as well."

"We probably need a caddy near the front door." She continued tugging at a stubborn lock caught in one of the lapel buttons. "Ugh, this jacket is just the worst."

"Here, let me help." He gently unwound her hair. "We've still got half an hour before the bus arrives."

"Thank goodness." She straightened her jacket and snatched her handbag from a wall hook, before gingerly picking up a green rubbish bag underneath. It still reeked of Yebisu from last night. "I don't want to miss recycling day ever again."

He unlocked the front door. "That makes two of us."

Usually, it was a twelve-floor elevator ride down together to the lobby of the apartment complex, but Mondays required Hyuga to take a quick detour down one flight of stairs to pick up Major Katsuragi's recycling as well, leaving his partner alone in the elevator car with tinny speakers screeching god-awful music.

When the doors finally opened, she spotted a trio waiting by the vacant front desk; a doe-eyed woman with a cheek-length bob, another with spectacles perched precariously on the bridge of her nose, and a man rocking shoulder-length hair with a guitar case slung over his shoulder.

"Satsuki!" Doe-eyes waved.

"Kaede! Aoi!" She rushed over. "How did you two know I live here?"

"Aoba told us." Spectacles – or rather, Aoi – pointed a thumb back at the rocker, who simply shrugged nonchalantly.

"This is great!" Satsuki was practically bouncing. "It's not too far out of your way, is it?"

"We found out just last night that Aoba lived in the same complex as ours," Kaede said. "He said he had to be up early to catch the same bus as you two."

"The irony, of course, is that he was the last one to leave this morning because he had to bring his guitar," Aoi noted in jest.

"I've got band practice tonight." Aoba adjusted the case's strap. "Gig's in two months."

"And Makoto's brought tickets, too," Satsuki added.

Aoi pushed up her glasses. "You two don't strike me as the type to be into Heavy Metal."

"Well, we're mainly there because of Aoba. And apparently, his group's headlining for a big American band on an overseas tour – at least, that's what Makoto said."

At this mention of Makoto Hyuga, the elevator doors chimed and the man himself stepped out, with far fewer rubbish bags than usual.

"Nothing?" Satsuki asked.

"Nothing." He shrugged. "Kid must've taken it."

* * * * * * * *

Shinji checked the tails of the knot one last time, before setting the cloth-wrapped bento box on the dining table. "There we go. One breakfast to go."

Rei added a purple thermos beside it. "Mom's favourite tea."

"Thanks, kids. Really appreciate it." Gendo ruffled his children's heads. "You two ready to go?"

"Shinji's made lunch today!" The girl's voice trailed as she peeled off towards the genkan, school bag in tow. Even before her left shoe was on properly, she was already through the door and out into the yard.

Waiting beyond the wrought iron bars of the front gate was the familiar sight of long, flowing copper hair partly held back by a pair of red barrettes, dressed in the same blue skirt-and-suspenders school uniform as Rei was.

"Asuka!" The bluenette quickly unlatched the gate.

"Rei!" Her friend squealed as they pulled each other into a hug. "Oh my God, did you see last night's episode?"

"Shock, horror! The Demon Lord's right-hand woman was Mutsumi Mizuhara, Ranger Roku of the Seppuku Squad working undercover the entire time!"

"Talk about a literal Sixth Ranger!" The redhead reminisced on the bombshell development, before greeting Gendo standing at the doorway with a quick bow. "Morning, Uncle!"

"Bright and early as usual, aren't we Asuka-chan?"

"Of course! Have to make sure these two get to class on time." She twirled playfully, executing a perfect pirouette. "Do we need to come to the GeoFront today?"

Gendo stepped aside to let Shinji pass. "We'll send out a notification this afternoon, but yes, come on over after school."

"Okay!" Rei called out as she took Asuka by the hand and rushed out into the street. "Bye, Daddy!"

"Watch out for traffic, Rei!" The older man admonished, before patting Shinji on the shoulder. "Laters, champ. Stay cool."

"You too, Dad." The boy dutifully locked the gate from the outside.

"Hurry up, dorkface!" Asuka's voice rang out in the distance.

"I'm hurrying! Jeez!"

He broke into a run, clutching the straps of his backpack tightly as he rounded the corner by the neighborhood barbershop and leapt over the rickety manhole cover outside the florist. Another two sharp turns later, he finally reached the bus stop.

The redhead loomed over him while he paused to catch his breath. "What took you so long, dorkface?"

"I wasn't the one who ran off without locking the gate," Shinji said between pants. "And stop calling me dorkface!"

"Dorkface!" Rei chimed, swinging around the metal pole of the bus stop.

"Get down from there, Rei. You know that's dangerous."

She promptly flopped down and sat on a nearby concrete barrier, pouting.

"Alright, dorkface." Asuka unfolded her arms. "My lunch, please."

Shinji paused just as he reached for his bag. "Yeah…no."

Her eyes widened. "No?"

The boy straightened his bag straps. "Not until you stop calling me dorkface."

"But you promised to make lunch today! And I said please!"

"Then stop calling me a dork!"

"Dorkface!" Rei chorused quietly with a grin.

"Stop that!" Shinji glared at his sister, before turning to Asuka with the most atrocious Middle Eastern accent he could muster. "No lunch for you! Next!"

The redhead gasped like a floundering fish, her lips quivering and her hands tightly clutching the suspenders of her uniform.

Thinking quickly, the bluenette dashed behind her friend. "Then I'll just give mine to 'suka." She opened the girl's backpack, stuffed a container inside and slapped the leather flap shut, all while staring back at her brother with piercing red eyes. "You wouldn't let your baby sister starve, wouldn't you?"

Shinji placed his hands on his hips. "Rei-"

The younger girl stood before him, arms crossed and cheeks puffed like a cartoon hamster.

"Oh, don't look at me like that, Rei."

She leaned closer into his face, her cheeks on the verge of bursting.

"Ugh, fine."

He rolled his eyes before surrendering the spare lunchbox. That little imp always had him wrapped around her dainty little finger.

As his sister gleefully seized her prize, Asuka gave him a withering look before pecking him softly on the cheek. "Sorry, Shinji. I promise I won't call you dorkface anymore, okay?"

The boy sighed and held his pinky out. "Pinky swear, whoever lies will be made to swallow a thousand needles," he recited in a single breath. "Deal?"

The girl hooked her finger around his. "Deal."

* * * * * * * *

"Morning, Pumpkin."

Ritsuko's eyes slowly opened to the blurred silhouette of a paper cup, the tangy scent of Arabica and the soothing whisper of a woman's voice. She felt a tense tug down her back and a crick in her neck as she shuffled in her seat - the office chairs were clearly inadequate for naps, let alone a proper night's sleep.

She rubbed the bridge of her nose as she accepted the beverage. "Oh, hey Mom."

Naoko smoothed a stray lock on her daughter's head. "Another all nighter?"

"Tanegashima moved up their launch schedule." The blonde took a sip. "Our team barely managed to do a feature freeze on the next batch of satellites yesterday afternoon, so I stayed behind to sign off on the V-and-V plan."

The older woman crossed her arms. "You poor thing. Surely they could've given us more notice?"

Ritsuko straightened up. "JAXA's running ragged trying to solve the turbopump issues on the Block 3 H4s, so they offered us the next available slot on an existing Block 2 rocket, which pulls everything forward by two months."

"Fair enough," Naoko sighed. "But first, breakfast."

She handed her a pair of croissants stuffed with scrambled eggs and ham, still warm to the touch in their little paper bags. Ritsuko paused to savor the pungent crushed pepper and mild parsley, before taking her first bite. The pastry flaked into slivers that clung to the back of her teeth and roof of her mouth, while the savory meat danced with the smooth undertones of the egg on her tongue.

The rustling of plastic bags grew louder as a young woman in a khaki uniform approached them.

"Dr. Akagi, I brought the rest of the food down- oh, hey Rits!"

"Maya!" Ritsuko spun around in her chair. "Sorry I wasn't home last night - the V-and-V took longer than I expected." She picked at a stray slice of ham hanging precariously from the wrapping. "Did Yuki behave herself?"

"Yuki's a good girl." The young lieutenant handed the bags over to Naoko. "Licked her bowl clean, didn't ask for seconds, and used the litter box without a fuss."

"No seconds? That's a first for Yuki." The older woman's head snapped back over her shoulder in surprise, in the midst of laying out the spread of breakfast sandwiches and pastries on the neighbouring hot desk. "And speaking of seconds, help yourself to anything else here, you two - Hitomi's bringing more down for the others."

"Thanks Mom - I think the croissants should be enough for now." Ritsuko blotted her lips with a napkin. "I've got a pretty packed day ahead of me."

Naoko frowned. "You've already been here for what, a full twenty-four hours?"

"I finished up at 1 a.m. this morning, and caught some sleep-" The younger woman's protest was interrupted by a yawn.

"Don't push yourself too hard, sweetie. I'm sure Uncle and Auntie would understand if you need a break after last night." Naoko gently squeezed her daughter's shoulder. "Besides, health and safety rules say anyone working for more than twelve consecutive hours is required to take the next day off."

Ritsuko massaged her temples. "At the very least, as a Department Head I should be here for the morning stand-up." She patted down her lob. "I also need to check in with Lieutenant Aida regarding Plant #22, follow up on the satellite V-and-V, and I'm rostered for the new employee induction this afternoon."

"I can fill in for you, Ricchan!" Maya piped in. "The afternoon sessions don't have to be run by a manager."

"Maya-chan's right," Naoko nodded. "At least take the afternoon off, Pumpkin."

"Afternoon it is," the blonde stood up to stretch. "I'll need to tell Uncle."

"I can have a word with him. In the meantime, why don't you go freshen up a bit?"

Ritsuko yawned in the affirmative, and began negotiating her way out of the open plan office area, sporadically waylaid by exchanging morning greetings with various technicians, engineers and scientists filtering their way in at the start of yet another workday.

* * * * * * * *

"Die Katze saß auf dem Hut," said Asuka. The cat sat on the hat.

"Die Katsu sasu aofu demu Hatto," Rei repeated, with a slightly halting Japanese lilt.

"Die Katze sas auf dem Hut," Shinji followed, somewhat more confidently.

"Die Katze sprang vom Hut und setzte sich auf den Schoß von Doktor Akagi," a fourth voice joined them. The cat jumped off the hat and sat on Dr. Akagi's lap.

The trio turned to see a silver-haired teen leaning casually against the bus stop sign, his pale complexion and crisply laundered uniform shirt seeming to glow ethereally in the rising sun.

"No fair, fishie!" Rei leapt onto the newcomer's back, tugging his cheeks playfully. "We haven't got to complex sentences yet!"

He struggled to keep his footing. "I thought we were practising our German?"

Left behind, a bemused Asuka turned to Shinji. "Remind me again why your sister keeps calling Kaworu 'fishie'?"

The boy sighed. "One of life's many mysteries."

A/N: Shinji's pinky swear is based on the actual Japanese vow "指切り拳万、嘘ついたら針千本呑ます" ("Yubikiri genman, uso tsuitara hari senbon nomasu").