The three Evangelion units ran as fast as possible towards the area where the angel was expected to fall, crossing the different neighborhoods of Tokyo-3, while shaking the ground with each step they took.

"Target approaching, altitude 2000 meters" informed a tense Aoba.

Shinji looked up at the sky for a second and then saw it. A huge eye made its way through the clouds, then giving way to the rest of the angel's body "Faster, dammit!" thought the Third Child, pushing his Eva as much as he could. Unit 01 jumped over a hill, and finally got close enough to the angel to try to catch it. Unit 01 dug its feet into the ground, halting its progress until it was just below the target.

"Shinji arrived on time" thought a hopeful Misato.

"AT Field to maximum!" Shinji exclaimed.

Everything within a considerable distance of Eva 01 was thrown away as its AT field was deployed at maximum power. Meanwhile the falling angel was starting to get dangerously close to the Earth's surface. Shinji oriented his Eva's AT field towards the target, and waited...

The angel's AT field collided squarely against the Evangelion's just a second later, its body following suit right after. Eva 01's enormous feet sank into the ground with the initial impact, but after a few moments it managed to almost completely stop the angel's advance. The Evangelion's powerful arms managed to keep it at bay for a few seconds, but soon began to give way to the unimaginable weight that they were exposed to. Shinji felt as if a ton of bricks had fallen on him, he grunted in pain, feeling his arms burning. He wouldn't last much longer.

Luckily, he didn't have to.

Unit 00 came rushing to his left, raising its hands and AT field at full power, alleviating much of the effort needed to keep the angel in the air. Eva 02 appeared an instant later to the right of him, doing the same. Between the three Units, the angel found impossible to fall even a meter further to the Earth's surface.

"Rei, now!" Misato ordered through intercom.

Unit 00 drew its progressive knife with one hand while still maintaining its AT field, and cut through the angel's AT field like it was butter. After that, Asuka maneuvered Eva 02 towards the newly opened hole and, with one swift movement, plunged her own progressive knife into the angel's core as the girl screamed "Die, monstrous eye!"

The angel's core shattered into pieces, and the force it exerted on the three units disappeared almost instantly. After that, its body collapsed heavily but inertly on top of them, only to explode into pieces an instant later.

Once the dust and debris from the explosion had dissipated, an immense crater could be seen in the ground, in which the three Evangelion Units were still standing, damaged, but in one piece. They had won.


"Target destroyed" Makoto confirmed reading the MAGI analysis "The Evas are damaged, especially unit 01, but none are in critical condition"

"Thank heavens" sighed a very relieved Misato. That has been probably the riskiest operation they had executed so far "And thanks to all of you, guys. Excellent job" the woman said over intercom to the three pilots.

"Of course, did you expected any less from me?" Asuka boasted, her lips curved in a prideful smile. Rei, respectively, nodded silently. While she didn't express it as clearly as the redhead, it was clear tell that she was satisfied their performance. Shinji was still breathing heavily, his arms experimenting the phantom pain that Eva 01 had suffered, but he was also glad that the operation had been a success.

"Communications are restored, incoming call from Commander Ikari" Maya informed.

Misato raised an eyebrow, but quickly hid her concern "Put him through" said the Major. A screen that lit up in front of Misato, letting a sound only line be heard "Good evening, Major Katsuragi"

"Good evening, sir" Misato replied seriously "I'm very sorry, the Units have been damaged under my command. I take full responsibility"

"Given the circumstances we can consider ourselves fortunate that we were able to stop the target with only that damage being caused to our Units" the commander replied, much to Misato's surprise "You've done a good job, Major Katsuragi"

"Thank you, sir" said a still surprised Misato.

"Connect me with the pilot of Unit 01" the commander added later.

Misato raised an eyebrow again. That the commander had taken so lightly the news about the Evas being damaged in the battle was strange, but no so much as him wanting to talk to his son. Regardless, the woman nodded and Makoto connected the call with Eva 01's interface.

Shinji was feeling much better, his breathing had calmed down and his hands and arms hurt a lot less, the phantom pain slowly fading. He was about to leave the Entry-Plug to wait for pickup with his two pilot companions when a sound only screen popped up in the intercom of his Eva.

"I found out about the situation" said a voice that Shinji quickly identified as his father's "Well done, Shinji"

The Third Child's eyes widened. Had he heard correctly? Was his father, the apathetic and distant commander of NERV... congratulating him about his performance? "Oh...thank you" the boy murmured once he got over his initial surprise.

"Well, I'll leave the rest in your hands, Major Katsuragi" Commander Ikari stated, ending the conversation.

"Yes, sir" Misato replied, after which the call came to an end.


The next afternoon Shinji found himself in his room, lying face up on his bed while listening music on his SDAT. He had just returned from NERV's facilities, specifically, the medical one, where Dr. Akagi had examined his hands and forearms, just to make sure there wasn't anything wrong with them besides the last traces of phantom pain. After a few minutes, the blonde had concluded that that was in fact the case, and that the next day the boy probably shouldn't have any pain whatsoever. After some lesser idle talk about the next day's party, Shinji returned to Misato's apartment, where he had spent the last few minutes.

The Third Child raised one of his hands and stared at it, while his mind remembered, as it had done several times over the past hours, to the words his father had said to him the day before.

"Well done, Shinji"

The boy sighed. He didn't quite know what to think about it.

On one hand, he would be lying if he said that he didn't like hearing those words. It was the first time in his life that his father had congratulated him on something, which made Shinji feel an... acceptance from him that he never thought possible after what happened when he became an Eva pilot. Inevitably, that stirred some things inside of him that had been deeply buried on his psyche over many years. On the other hand, it was precisely the reasons that had led him to bury his appreciation for his father what made Shinji so confused about how to feel about it.

"Well done, Shinji"

Gendo Ikari had abandoned the boy at the tender age of four, just after his mother's death. Shinji had lived for the next ten years with a legal guardian, who, far from being a caring person who showed concern and appreciation for him, as Misato now did, seemed only to care that his basic needs were met and that his studies were progressing adequately. During those years the boy had only seen his father in person once before coming to Tokyo-3 and becoming the pilot of Unit 01. That time they both had visited Yui's grave. Shinji remembered with sadness and frustration how his father barely spoke to him, treating him as little more than a stranger. His treatment had not changed significantly in the past few months either, so, although he now saw his father more or less regularly, Shinji still felt that Gendo was his father only from a biological point of view, since emotionally speaking he was nothing to him.

"Well done, Shinji"

Still… he was his father. A small part of Shinji still wanted to feel her appreciation from him. Could piloting the Eva be the key to achieving that? Perhaps now... Shinji had another reason to get on the Evangelion besides protecting the people he cared about.

The boy sighed again. Either way, it was too early to draw conclusions, so he decided not to rush things. If his father kept showing signs of appreciation towards him in the future, he would consider the possibility again. What he knew for sure was that he did not want to feed false hopes, he had already done that in the past regarding his father multiple times and it had always gone wrong.

Besides… now Shinji had several other people in his life that were there for him, he had less emotional need for his father than ever. Misato, Rei, Touji, Kensuke, even Asuka on some occasions, had all shown appreciation for him and had become important in his life. The boy smiled slightly. Coming to Tokyo-3 had caused him a lot of headaches, but also... had brought him things to be thankful for.


The next day passed without any major setbacks. Shinji attended school and then went home and spent a few hours in his room, first doing his homework for that day and then lying on his bed while listening to music on his SDAT like the day prior. Eventually the boy looked at his watch to check the time, finding out that was twenty to seven in the afternoon. Surely the guests for that night's dinner would begin to arrive shortly. Asuka had gone to spend the afternoon with Hikari, so the class representative would arrive at Misato's apartment with her. Misato would be at NERV until a little after seven-thirty, after which she would bring Dr. Akagi, Rei, and the food he had ordered for dinner with her. Last but not least, Touji and Kensuke had also agreed to stop by around seven in the afternoon.

The boy got out of his bed. Thinking about it, that probably was a good time to start preparing the food he wanted to cook, he reasoned. Once the guests arrived he would probably have to be with them and not attend to the food.

Shinji headed to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. He carried several vegetables with him to the kitchen counter, where he deposited them. After that, he opened the cutlery drawer and took out a kitchen knife, which he would use to cut the vegetables.

The Third Child was going to cook a basic vegetable tempura to serve as an appetizer before the main meal, which was going to be what Misato had ordered. He really didn't have to do it, most likely said food would be more than enough to satisfy everyone's appetites, but the boy liked to cook for his loved ones, and besides... Rei would be there, and Shinji would be lying if he said that he didn't love hearing her say that she liked his food. The Third Child had cooked lunch for the girl daily throughout that week, and the beautiful smiles he had received as payment for them were some of his most precious moments of each day.

The boy had barely finished cutting the vegetables when the doorbell rang. He quickly headed to the front door, and when he opened it he ran into his friends Touji and Kensuke.

"Hi, Shinji" the newcomers greeted.

"Hi, guys" the Third Child did the same while checking his watch "You're a little early"

"We are punctual people, Shinji" Touji replied with a smile as he entered the apartment and began to take off his shoes.

"True, true, punctuality is important" Kensuke added, nodding his head, also entering "Well... is Misato here already?"

"Of course, that's why these two arrived so soon" thought Shinji with a look of circumstances "No, she's going to be at NERV for probably almost another hour"

"Oh, that's too bad" Touji said without hiding his disappointment, earning a look of resignation from Shinji.

"You could at least pretend you didn't come so soon just to drool over Misato" The boy said narrowing his eyes.

"Huh? No man, how can you think that... ha, ha, ha..." Touji replied very unconvincingly. Shinji kept his narrowed look.

"Christ, Touji, you're a terrible liar" Kensuke snapped.

"You shut up!" exclaimed the athlete.

Shinji sighed and headed back to the kitchen, followed by his friends and Pen-Pen, who came out to greet them upon hearing their voices.

"Do you want some sodas?" The Third Child offered, approaching the refrigerator.

"I wouldn't mind one, thank you" Kensuke nodded. The boy then noticed the freshly cut vegetables on the counter "Oh, are you going to cook dinner for everyone?" he asked slightly surprised.

"Oh, no" answered the Third Child while giving him a can of soda "I'm just going to prepare an appetizer, Misato will bring dinner later"

"What are we having for dinner, by the way?" Touji asked as he opened his corresponding can of soda.

"Sushi, according to what Misato said" Shinji replied. The boy had made sure Misato brought several vegan rations for Rei, earning a mischievous smile from the woman.

"Oh, that's good, I haven't eaten sushi in a while" Kensuke pointed out cheerfully "They must have given Misato a big raise if she's going to treat us all to that"

"I have no idea, I don't like getting involved in her finances" said the Third Child as he opened the refrigerator to take out some eggs.

"How many of us are we going to be at dinner, by the way?" Touji asked curiously after taking a sip of his soda.

"Eight, if I'm not mistaken" Shinji replied as he recounted "The three of us, Misato, Ritsuko, Asuka, Hikari and Rei" stated the Third Child as he held up a finger for each person.

Touji raised his eyebrows when he heard the name of their class representative "Is Hikari coming?" he asked with mixed feelings.

"Yes, Asuka invited her" Shinji confirmed, to which Touji looked away and remained silent. Kensuke watched this with amusement, it seemed that the evening had become much more interesting for Touji.

"Well, I'm not very surprised, the class rep and Asuka seem to have gotten very close over the past weeks" Kensuke mentioned, crossing his arms "I'm more surprised that Ayanami is coming, honestly. I didn't think she was into this kind of thing"

"Yes, I thought that too before I invited her" Shinji said as he beat the eggs.

"Oh... I get it now" Kensuke remarked in a playful tone while he smiled mischievously "If you were the one that invited her, then I'm not surprised that she is coming anymore..."

Shinji tensed and his cheeks blushed slightly, but he kept beating the eggs without saying anything. Kensuke chuckled softly. His two friends were quite similar regarding to their… approach with girls, so to speak "What morons... they are just a conversation away from being with the girls they like and all they do is beat around the bush" the glasses-wearing boy thought, amused "Well, fear is not rational, I guess" he concluded as he took another sip of his soda.


The elevator doors of the building where Misato's apartment was located opened, and a girl with long orange hair and another with brown hair, tied in two pigtails, emerged from them.

"So... are you sure Touji will come?" Hikari asked timidly. Asuka suppressed a grunt of resignation.

"I don't read minds, Hikari. I just know that idiot Shinji said that the other two idiots he has for friends would come" Asuka grumbled "Good grief, you have terrible taste in men, I really don't get what you see in that ape"

"He's not an ape!" flecked girl quickly protested "I know he can be a little immature and that you two don't get along, but he... is a good person, I assure you"

"If you say so..." Asuka said, shrugging her shoulders "Everyone can fall for whoever they want, I guess, but when comparing that... specimen with a real man, like Kaji, the difference is night and day"

"Asuka, how old did you said that Kaji is?" Hikari asked.

"Thirty, why?" the redhead asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No reason..." class representative replied with a look of circumstance "You like someone who is twice your age, Asuka, I don't think you're in a position to criticize others..." the girl thought.

Both girls arrived at the front door of Misato's apartment, which the Second Child opened with her key. After taking off their shoes, they entered the living room, finding the three friends sitting in front of the table, accompanied by Pen-Pen "Hello, girls" Shinji greeted, waving his hand. Kensuke and Touji did the same.

"Misato isn't home yet, right?" Asuka asked.

"No, but she shouldn't take much longer" Shinji replied as he checked his watch. "Speaking of which, I think it's time to fry the tempura, I'll be right back" he added as he got up and headed towards the kitchen.

"Do you want something to drink, Hikari?" the redhead asked. The freckled girl nodded "Well, sit down and I'll bring you a soda" Asuka said, also going towards the kitchen.

Hikari took a seat in front of the table, next to Touji, who quickly became somewhat tense "I'm glad you came, Touji" said the girl while smiling shyly, while Pen-Pen approached her to be petted.

"Yeah, um... I'm glad you came too" Touji muttered while looking away, a slight blush covering his cheeks.

Kensuke stifled a laugh. The evening was definitely going to be interesting for Touji.


A blue sports car drove through the streets of Tokyo-3. Inside of it were Misato and Ritsuko, who had just picked up the sushi for that night's dinner. The purple-haired woman smiled as she stepped on the accelerator "Ah... thank goodness that Friday has finally arrived" she said with a pleased smile "After the attack of the last angel I need a good night of fun"

Ritsuko looked at her with an amused face "I can feel the beers in your apartment trembling in fear" the doctor joked.

"Ha, ha, ha... very funny Dr. Akagi" Misato replied, somewhat annoyed "But surely those at the bar we'll go to after dinner should be the ones trembling. We're going to be with several impressionable teenagers, so we have to set good example"

"Misato Katsuragi trying to set a good example? Never seen that one before" Ritsuko added with a wry smile.

"Well I don't see you having a sense of humor often, but here we are" Misato quipped back. Both women chuckled. A moment later, Misato took a detour that directed them along a different path than the one the woman usually took to go to her apartment.

"Are you taking another way to go home now?" the doctor asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, we just have to go get one more guest for our dinner" Misato replied with a mischievous smile.

"Another guest?" Ritsuko asked "Who?"


Ritsuko glanced discreetly towards the blue-haired girl who was standing to Misato's right alongside with her in the elevator. The doctor still had a hard time believing that Rei had agreed to attend a social activity. She stared back at the elevator door a second later, with several ideas running through her head. She frowned slightly. That was probably not the time to ponder about that... but she would make sure to take this possible change in the girl's behavior into account later.

The elevator door opened and the three of them walked towards Misato's apartment. Once they arrived, the purple-haired woman opened the door and they entered inside "Hello, we're home!" Misato exclaimed as she walked into the living room with the intention of leaving the sushi boxes in the kitchen as soon as possible. The teenagers greeted her back. They were sitting around two tables, as they had already placed a second one in the living room to accommodate for all the guests of that evening.

"Hello, Major Katsuragi" Hikari greeted very politely "Congratulations on your promotion."

"Thank you, Hikari, but please call me Misato, there's no need for being so formal" the woman said a little embarrassed. She was not so old yet that warranted teenagers addressing her like that, outside of work hours, at least "Shinji, could you help me with this, please?" the woman asked, glancing to the boxes of shushi that she was carrying.

"Of course" the boy said, getting up and taking one of the boxes. As they both headed to the kitchen, Ritsuko and Rei also walked inside the living room, the latter's presence causing an immediate reaction on Asuka.

"What the hell is the doll doing here?" Asuka asked, her voice not hiding his displeasure.

"We are not only going to celebrate my promotion today, Asuka, we are also celebrating our victory against the last angel. Rei has every right to be here" Misato remarked from the kitchen "Besides, Shinji invited her even before the angel attacked, so if you have any complaints, you'll have to put up with them"

"Oh, the idiot was the one that invited her, what a surprise" Asuka replied, sarcasm evident on her tone.

Rei completely ignored the redhead's words and turned her attention to Shinji, who was returning to the living room at that moment "Good afternoon, Shinji" she greeted him with a soft voice.

"G-good afternoon, Rei" the boy returned the greeting with a shy smile "I'm... glad you came"

The girl nodded and smiled slightly, before taking a seat in front of the table, precisely in the seat next to the boy. Shinji glanced at this, trying his best not to blush. He wasn't particularly successful about it. The exchange between the two pilots did not go unnoticed by those present, who stared with curiosity, amusement or annoyance, depending on the observer. Shinji was about to sit down as well when Misato also returned to the room.

"Well, shall we arrange the table and start with dinner?" the woman asked.

"Wait, we're not all here yet" Asuka replied, annoyance still present in her voice.

The woman glanced over those present, failing to notice any absence "Who is missing? Have you invited anyone else?" she asked, suddenly remembering that she had told the girl that she could invite up to three people.

Asuka was about to answer when the doorbell rang "Coming!" she exclaimed happily while getting up to open the door, her annoyance completely gone. Misato suddenly had a bad feeling about that, and peeked over the entrance.

"Hi, Kaji! I was starting to think that you weren't going to make it!" the German exclaimed.

Misato watched with a sour look how a smiling Ryoji Kaji entered the apartment.


After recovering from the initial surprise, Misato armed herself with patience, and while ignoring the mischievous glances that Kaji gave her she returned to the room, where with the help of Shinji she placed the cutlery for all the guests. After that, the boy provided everyone a serving of the vegetable tempura he had cooked. Those present who had not yet tried Shinji's cooking were surprised to find out how good it was.

"Wow, Shinji, this is great" Kaji complimented after swallowing a bite "I didn't know you were such a good cook."

"Well, I've had to practice quite a bit" Shinji replied, somewhat embarrassed by the compliment "Misato only cooks instant meals so..." he added with an amused smile.

"Hey, what are you supposed to mean by that?" the woman interjected instantly "Instant meals are the basis of our society, without them busy workers like me would have nothing to eat after a hard day of work..." she explained very unconvincingly.

"Well, in any case, that skill will come in handy, Shinji, I assure you" Kaji added with a knowing smile as he winked at him "Men who cook get all the girls"

"Humph, he wished" Asuka replied contemptuously "His cooking is not that good"

The redhead earned an amused look from Shinji "Brave words coming from someone who pretty much eats exclusively what I cook" the boy said and before taking a sip from his drink "If you don't care for it, I can stop cooking you lunch from now on"

Asuka's face blushed a deep crimson and her eyes widened. She would be lying if she said she didn't like the lunches the boy cooked for her, but admitting it openly and in front of everyone present? Never "And what do you want me to eat?" the German asked.

"You could buy something at the cafeteria, Touji and Kensuke usually do that, for instance" answered the Third Child.

"That's true" Kensuke nodded.

"I... I'm not going to waste money unnecessarily, I'd rather eat what you cook" Asuka replied while looking away "Besides, you are the cook of this house, your duty is to cook for all of us"

Almost everyone directed an amused glance towards the redhead. Shinji smiled "Calm down, Asuka, I was just joking" the boy said while letting out a chuckle.

"You're an idiot" Asuka replied while she took another bite.


The next minutes went over pleasantly, the guests enjoying the food, the conversation and the company. Finally, once everyone was done eating, Shinji and Misato collected the cutlery, and those present got ready to continue the celebrations outside the apartment or to return to their respective homes, respectively.

"Thank you for inviting us, Misato, this was fun" thanked Kensuke and Touji while smiling widely and walking towards the front door "See you on Monday, Shinji."

"Bye guys, see you on Monday" the Third Child said goodbye to his friends. At his left, Asuka and Hikari were also heading towards the exit.

"Thank you for the evening, Misato" stated the class representative while bowing her head slightly.

"You're welcome, Hikari. Asuka's friends are welcome here" the woman replied with a smile.

"Exactly" Asuka agreed, equally smiling "Well, I'll walk you home, Hikari. See you tomorrow, Misato" said the redhead.

"See you tomorrow" Misato did the same.

"See you soon, Kaji" Asuka added, her tone of voice switching to a very deliberate sweet tone of voice.

"See you soon, Asuka" The man replied with a mix between amusement and resignation, which the girl chose to ignore. Once the German girl walked out the door with Hikari, the man, Misato and Ritsuko got up from the table, in order to fetch their respective jackets. The celebration for them would continue in a nearby bar.

While this was happening, Rei was still sitting in front of the living room table, where she had remained since the evening began, while she reflected on the events that had occurred. The girl had attended the event mainly to be with Shinji, which wasn't particularly surprising considering that even before she had discovered her feelings for him, being by his side had become her main source of happiness. She had assumed that other than being around Shinji, the rest of the event was going to be completely irrelevant and uninteresting to her, but to her surprise, that had not been the case. For some reason the girl felt good being surrounded by those people while they shared conversation and food, even if she had barely talked the whole evening "Is this, then, friendship?" the girl wondered. Once again she didn't know for sure, but she had to admit that she had enjoyed the experience.

Rei was brought out of her reflections when she felt Shinji's presence at her side once again. The boy sat down in front of the table next to her "Um… did you like the tempura, Rei?" he asked somewhat timidly.

"Yes. I hadn't tried yours before, but it was delicious" the bluenette nodded while smiling softly.

Shinji returned the smile, very happy "I'm glad to hear that. If you want I can make it for your lunch from time to time"

"I would enjoy that" Rei replied. The pilots stayed for a few moments in pleasant silence, until Misato returned to the living room, ready to leave.

"Well guys, we're going to get a few drinks" the woman said beaming "Rei, I guess you're going home now, right?" she asked.

"That is correct" the girl answered briefly.

"Well, if that's the case... why don't you walk her home, Shinji?" the woman suggested, winking at the Third Child.

"Huh? "M-me?" the boy stammered.

"Of course, surely you wouldn't let a lady walk the streets at night alone, would you?" Misato stated while her lips shifted into a mischievous smile. Both she and Shinji knew well that Tokyo-3 was one of the safest cities in the world when it came to criminal activities. For some reason the criminals were not very interested in operating in a city that was constantly attacked by gigantic alien creatures. That's why the boy quickly concluded that Misato was suggesting that he walked Rei home for other reasons. Despite that, however...

"Well, uh, I... if it's okay with you, Rei, I'll be glad to walk you home" the boy admitted.

Rei looked down, noticing her cheeks getting warm "I would enjoy that" she stated while smiling once again.


Shinji and Rei walked through the streets of Tokyo-3 towards the bluenette's apartment. There was not a single cloud in the sky, revealing a huge full moon surrounded by stars, which combined with the artificial lights of the city made visibility very good despite the late hour.

The pilots walked in silence for a few moments, observing the beautiful night sky before them. Shinji still felt a little nervous about Misato's undertone about him walking Rei home, but he had to admit that being alone for a while alongside the girl he loved, while taking a walk under the starry sky filled him with happiness. The Third Child glanced discreetly at the scarlet-eyed girl, who was walking next to him, probably engrossed in her thoughts. She looked even more beautiful than usual under the moonlight. Shinji smiled slightly. Inviting Rei a few days ago had undoubtedly been worth it.

Finally the boy decided to break the silence "Thank you for coming today, Rei"

"You're welcome" the girl replied in a soft voice "Thank you for inviting me"

"Did you... have a good time?" asked the Third Child.

"Yes" she nodded while smiling slightly "I like spending time with you, you already know that"

"Y-yeah... I… I'm glad you t-think so" muttered Shinji, completely disarmed. For the umpteenth time, he mentally cursed himself for being such a coward. Deep down… he would have liked to say something else. Plenty, in fact. But despite being with the girl he loved, despite the two of them being alone and despite the fact that she had confirmed to him once again that she appreciated being with him, he simply couldn't be honest with her. What if Rei was simply happy to be around him because he had been the first friend she had ever had? What if that friendship was broken by revealing that he wanted her to be much more than his friend? He couldn't risk it. His fear of rejection was greater than his desire to be with Rei romantically.

Rei, however, didn't have that problem.

Misato's intentions did not go unnoticed by the girl when she suggested that Shinji should walk her home. For the first time since she had understood her feelings for the boy, she was alone with him. That was the right time. Rei glanced towards the Third Child while gathering her courage and spoke "Shinji. There's something I have to tell you" the blue-haired girl said while stopping walking.

Shinji also stopped upon noticing this. He looked at her. The bluenette was giving him a determined look that he had rarely seen on her, especially outside of situations related to a battle against an angel "Oh… I'm listening, then" he said, somewhat confused.

Rei noticed her heart beginning to beat rapidly and her cheeks becoming hot, but she did not back down. Looking the Third Child directly in the eyes, she began to talk "For a while now, whenever we are together, I notice a warmth inside of me" the girl explained, her words leaving her lips slowly but precisely "I didn't understand those emotions well at first, so when you told me we were friends I assumed that was how I was supposed to feel when being around a friend. However, a few days ago it came to my knowledge that these feelings are not what are expected from friendship but..." Rei hesitated for a moment. Shinji was looking at her with clear surprise in his face, which made her doubt for a moment whether she should continue or not. Her doubts soon disappeared, however. Rei wanted to share her feelings with him, even if he didn't feel the same. There was no turning back "...but what a person feels when they love someone" she finally said, her cheeks burning but her determination unwavering "I love you, Shinji"

Shinji's face was the living definition of the word surprise. His eyes widened and his mouth opened. He was stunned. Not only he had never heard Rei say so many words in a row, but the meaning of those words was something that seemed taken straight out of his fantasies "Is this real...? Am I... dreaming?" the boy asked himself, still stupefied. There was no way this was happening. It was impossible that she actually… loved him back. He looked into the girl's eyes, which were staring back at him, and he could see nothing but sincerity in them. His heart began to beat rapidly and his cheeks became warm.

Rei, respectively, stood there, staring into his eyes, her cheeks burning and her heart beating wildly. Shinji seemed very surprised, which, she supposed, was something to be expected. Expectation soon took over her, however, as she saw the boy's surprise gradually fading from his face, being replaced by a longing look.

"Rei... are you being serious?" was the only thing the Third Child could say, still not completely convinced, or rather, without letting himself be convinced yet.

"Yes" the scarlet-eyed girl immediately replied.

There were no more doubts. Shinji smiled, a stream of emotions flooding him inside, but feeling happier than he could remember ever feeling. His lips curved in a beaming smile, and finally confessed his feelings as well "I... feel the s-same way about you... I love you, Rei"

Upon hearing those words, the expectation that the First Child harbored inside her quickly turned into happiness "He loves me back... he really loves me back" thought the girl overjoyed while the warmth that Shinji made her feel filled her chest completely. Her lips curved into the widest smile she had ever expressed. Both teenagers got lost in each other's gaze for a few seconds, until slowly Shinji closed the distance that separated them and surrounded Rei with his arms in a tender hug, to the surprise of the First Child. It was the first hug the girl had shared, at least as far as she could remember, but she let herself be carried away by the sensations that the gesture made her feel. Shinji's arms held her against him gently and sweetly, as if she were something precious that was worth treating with utmost care. She had never felt so appreciated and loved, nor so happy. The First Child decided to reciprocate his gesture, and she also surrounded the boy's back and rested her head on his left shoulder. Shinji's smile increased as he noticed how Rei's arms surrounded his back and his grip on the girl tightened a little more. After several seconds of this, with both pilots enjoying the embrace, the Third Child separated slightly from her blue-haired girl, so he could look into her eyes again, while still keeping her in his arms.

"You don't know how happy you've made me, Rei" Shinji whispered "I've been wanting to tell you for quite some time, but... I was afraid you wouldn't feel the same way"

"I understand" Rei indicated with a sympathetic smile "You make me very happy too, Shinji" added the girl.

"I... I'm glad" the boy replied, still not getting used to hearing that kind of words from her "Um, does this…? Does this mean the we are now... a couple?"

"That is the logical conclusion, if I have been informed correctly" Rei indicated.

"Yeah... I… I guess you're right" Shinji nodded, still somewhat embarrassed "Rei... that being the case, there is something I've also been wanting to do for a long time... i-if you're okay with it, of course" Shinji added, swallowing the lump in his throat.

"What is it?" she asked curiously.

"May I... kiss you?" the boy asked hopefully.

Rei widened her smile. Once again, the girl was socially inept, but even she knew that couples did that. The hug had been very pleasant, so the girl was curious of how that would feel "You may..." she replied.

Shinji moved his face closer to hers as he closed his eyes. Rei, seeing this, did the same. The lips of both teenagers touched lightly, after which the Third Child kissed the bluenette softly and tenderly. Rei felt a tingle in her stomach as she felt Shinji's lips on hers, and the warmth of her chest increased a little more. Letting herself get lost in the feelings, she imitated the movements that the boy made with her own lips, reciprocating the kiss. Shinji, respectively, felt like he was ascending heaven. Rei's lips were soft and warm, and while neither of them had any experience in the matter, just feeling Rei kissing him back with as much tenderness as he was delighted him immensely.

After a few wonderful moments, the pilots broke their kiss, once again getting caught in each other's gaze. They could see the happiness and mutual love they had for each other clear in their eyes. Without saying anything else they smiled again before melting into a new embrace under the moonlight.


To be continued...