Disclaimer: I don't own Evangelion and all rights got to there respective owners. Also all OC's are the creation of JimmyWolk himself.
SPOILER WARNING: This contains spoilers for the fanfic "The 2nd try" by JimmyWolk. So If you haven't read that then you should definitely stop right here and check that out first.
Summary:
On the night before Aki was born, Shinji seeing an opportunity makes a promise to his unborn child. One he intends to keep.
"Shinji's Promise"
Shinji breathed a huge sigh of relief as he finally walked through the front door of his and Asuka's home, well away from the raging storm outside and feeling absolutely soaked to the bone despite having worn a protective raincoat.
The storm, which had been going on for a few days now, had taken its toll on their home, especially their fence around it which had many of its frames either fallen, blown away or just snapped due to the harsh winds needed desperate repair. Asuka wanted to help him but due to her current condition and the fact that she was due to give birth at any time, Shinji was adamant that she stayed inside and let him do it.
It had taken a lot longer to repair the fence than he had expected but he finally did enough till he could properly make adjustments after the weather cleared up. He took off and hang up his raincoat before making his way to the bathroom and proceeded to also take off his drenched clothes, putting them in the hamper and having a quick warm shower as to not catch a cold.
After a few minutes in the shower, Shinji dried himself with a towel before making his way to his bedroom. He smiled fondly upon seeing Asuka sound asleep, resting against the bed's headboard, a pillow behind both her back and head and had one hand protectively on her pregnant belly.
It was surreal for him to believe that he had managed to change Asuka's mind about their child. All those beginning days of her pregnancy nearly made him give up considering how stubborn and irrational Asuka was being. But Shinji promised himself that he wouldn't give up and run away from his problems anymore. If he did, then Asuka might have not only have ended up killing the child inside her but also herself.
He was all the more thankful that Asuka's motherly instincts had awakened after the ultrasound before she could have continued her plan or heaven forbid did anything even more drastic.
Upon silently changing into his nightwear clothes and gently getting into bed without waking Asuka, Shinji tried to get to sleep but he didn't feel tired just yet. Turning to his side facing Asuka, his eyes lingered on her round belly and couldn't help but gently place his left hand on it, slightly rubbing Asuka's belly gently before he felt the urge to lay his head fully on it.
He had never directly done this before. Asuka was always very guarded and embarrassed when he dotted on her and he had only been allowed to touch and rub her pregnant belly a few times once she fully accepted the baby. So for few minutes he just laid his head on Asuka's belly, hearing her steady breathing till he felt it, he felt Aki kicking a bit.
He chuckled silently as he especially felt Aki kick against the side where his head currently rested against. Aki was definitely going to take after Asuka.
"Hey Aki…it's me...your father." Shinji began to whisper to his child and already he felt a bit silly for doing this considering that the one he was talking to was a baby that hasn't officially been born yet. Yet despite this, Shinji felt complied to continue, feeling like he needed to do this.
"I'm..I'm not sure if I'll be very good at this, being a father I mean. I don't really know what I'm supposed to do as one. My own father as far as I know was never there for me for most of my life…I mean, if he was in the beginning, when I was a small child, then I can't remember."
Shinji sighed softly. "Even when I came to Tokyo 3 after he requested me to come to him, I still could never truly understand him, not till the very end when it was to too late." Shinji said as he recalled hearing Gendo's final words during instrumentally.
"Forgive me Shinji."
In the end Shinji now knew what kind of man Gendo Ikari was. Underneath his imposingly cold and calculating figure was just an emotional troubled and disturbed human being who felt the world had ended and had no meaning when he lost his wife. And that without Yui, he felt unfit to look after Shinji, believing that he would hurt his son and that sending him away would be for the better. Shinji bitterly thought that it was ironic that sending him away had emotionally hurt him more then anything.
The fact that Gendo never tried to move past his own pain and insecurities was a sad fact, something which Shinji now knew. He certainly didn't want to repeat his father's mistakes by doing the same thing on to his own child.
Feeling another light kick from Aki broke Shinji from his own thoughts making him chuckle a bit, already imagining hearing Aki telling him to 'Get on with it, Papa!' Or 'Enough with this and let me sleep!'.
"I don't know if I'll ever be the father that you truly need, Aki…but I know for certain that I'm definitely gonna try and I promise to give you and your mother all the love in my heart and make sure you don't grow up like I did..." Shinji said honestly and with much conviction as he could, before a small wary smile appeared on his face. "Just go a little easy on me, ok?" Shinji said while giving the bump a small gentle stroke and a small kiss.
Just as he finished, Shinji heard the sound of... gagging? Looking up quickly in surprise he saw that a wide awake Asuka staring down at him after the faked gagging, all the while having a smirk on her face at having caught him red handed.
"Ah Asuka..um…how long were you awake?" Shinji sheepishly asked.
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe it was around about the time you said 'Hey Aki it's me your father'." Asuka said mockingly as she also tried to mimic his voice. This caused him to blush and he tried to bury and hide his face in his wife's pregnant belly.
"Baka stop worrying. You are definitely not your father nor are you going to be like that man," Asuka said while guessing correctly what Shinji's worries were about. "Your going to be a great papa and I'm sure that Aki will think that too." Asuka firmly told him before a small smirk appeared on her face. "As long as you don't plan on ending the world to bring me back to life and abandon our child then you're going to be just fine." Asuka joked which Shinji gave a small chuckle at her that. "Now move your fat head off my belly so we can actually sleep, ok? That fence still has to be worked on tomorrow." Asuka finished and Shinji did exactly what he was told and moved behind her as Asuka got into a comfortable position on her side, giving Shinji the chance to hold her and holding his right hand on her belly.
"Goodnight Asuka," Shinji said before his hand stroked her pregnant bump. "Goodnight Aki. See you soon."
"Goodnight baka. Und dir auch eine gute Nacht Aki." Asuka replied back while placing her hand on top of Shinji's that was still on her belly and both young parents shortly drifted off to sleep.
End.